One Size Fits All

You know those tags that you sometimes see on clothes? One size fits all. Lies, lies, lies I tell ya, just a bunch of lies! Now in this age of political correctness I’ve noticed that the wording has changed. Now they say One size fits most. Thank you for that correction. But they still didn’t fit me. Last week I had a couple dollars to spare, and by that I do mean a COUPLE dollars. I was browsing through my favorite store The Christmas Tree Shoppe. I found a few good deals so I took my little basket to the register to pay. I was musing to the cashier that I could never work in that store. If I did, I would most likely blow my entire paycheck there. She then motioned to a little corner behind her piled with this and that. She said “That’s my pile.” She had slowly accumulated things from throughout the store to purchase for herself. I noticed peeking out from the pile something in my favorite shade of pink. It’s actually kind of a berry color. I asked her what it was. She got this look on her face like I imagine the cat who just ate the canary would have. She told me it was a robe. I mentioned that it was my favorite color. She then proceeded to tell me about the incredible deal the store was having that day on those robes. They were regularly $15.99 but just for one day they were on clearance for $1.00. I asked her what sizes they came in. She told me they were “one size fits all”. Oh man! What a bummer! And it was my favorite color too! I could hardly believe it. But still, I couldn’t pass up a deal like that. She had already begun to ring up my purchases so I looked behind me to see if there was anyone waiting. There was no one. I asked her to hold on for one second. I quickly made my way to the spot where she told me they were, grabbed one for my sister and started on my way back. I glanced down and saw the tag. I stopped in my tracks. One size fits all. Hmmm. I wonder…….I turned around, picked one up for myself and hurried to the register. I finished paying for my purchases and made my way home. I could not contain myself. I had to see if it fit. After all, I’d lost 25 pounds by now. That should make a difference, right? Well it did. It fit me! Hallelujah! I am loving my new robe! Every night after I put the boys to bed, I slip it on. It feels so good! Imagine that! Me wearing a “one size fits all” garment. Anything is possible!

Tip of the day.... When putting food on your plate at mealtime, try this. Divide your plate in half. One half of your plate should consist of lean protein such as chicken, fish, turkey, lean ground beef, eggs, etc. Now look at the other half and divide that into thirds. 2/3 of that side should consist of vegetables and fruits and that last 1/3 should be your starches like potatoes, rice, and pasta. Now when you start to eat, have the protein first. It fills you up quicker and you might not want all of the other food if you eat the protein first. It's important to get that protein. It keeps you full longer and gives you energy. If your still hungry, then you can move on to your vegetables then finally the starches. It's also very important to watch the portion sizes that your putting on your plate. The nutrition information given on the labels means nothing if you don't stick to the portion size. Get used to measuring and weighing the foods according to what the package says is the correct portion size. I have gotten in the habit of doing that. I use measuring cups for foods that can be measured that way and I bought a food scale for $4.50 at Wal Mart that weighs meats in ounces. When I started doing this, it really opened my eyes. What I thought was a serving size before was actually 2 or even 3 servings. It made sense to me then how I have gotten so overweight. But don't take my word for it, try it for yourself and see what you find.

Cindarella Needs A Night Out

I’m feeling a lot like Cinderella lately. Except I don’t have a Ball to go to and I definitely don’t have money for a new pair of shoes! I know, I know…my plight isn’t any different from every other American mom, but it’s MY life and this is MY blog so I’m just gonna go ahead and vent! My life is work, work, work and not enough play! Laundry, vacuuming, dishes, cooking meals, running errands, scrubbing toilets, and the list goes on. And the last bit of decadence that I rewarded myself with is gone. Food! I know I did this to myself. It was my decision to have the surgery. I just miss eating! It’s not that I’m feeling incredibly hungry because honestly the ½ cup of food that I can have 3 times a day does almost fill me up, it’s just that I still want to eat. The signals from my belly to my brain are just getting mixed up. My belly is saying “I’m full” but my brain is saying “I don’t care, I still want some chocolate!” I’m starting to feel like that proverbial baby whose just had their candy taken away and I just want to throw myself on the floor and throw a full blown tantrum complete with kicking and screaming! It’s so hard to shop at the grocery store and prepare meals for my family. It’s incredibly tempting walking through the snack food aisle and seeing those Gibbles cheese curls sitting on the shelf all lonely, just calling out to me to rescue them and take them home with me! Or the Smore's flavored Pop Tarts or the Texas Garlic Toast……I just miss eating like I used to. I love food and I feel like I’ve lost my best friend, my constant companion when my husband is at work and my boys are in bed at night. My only “friend” who was always there to comfort me when no one else was. I honestly feel like I’m going through stages of grief and only someone whose gone through this surgery could understand. It’s not like someone who’s just on a diet. You could be on a diet and still overeat and nothing happens. But if I overeat right now, I’ll get sick. I’ll vomit. I’ll feel incredibly uncomfortable. Always before if I was feeling down or if I accomplished something, I rewarded myself with food. You know, going out to dinner, ice cream, whatever I craved at the moment. But now, I can’t do that. I can’t even celebrate that I’ve lost 25 lbs in my normal way. I mean I’m happy, incredibly happy. I just miss eating.


Tip Of The Day....Here's another meal idea for breakfast. General Mills Fiber One Complete Pancake Mix is an excellent alternative to some of the other brands. When compared to the Great Value Buttermilk Complete Pancake and Waffle Mix that my family used before, the calories are reduced by 40g, the fiber increased by 4g, the carbohydrates reduced by 6g, and the sugar reduced by 5 g. The protein is the same. However, to give yourself a boost, my husband and I have come up with this idea. We add 1 scoop of Whey protein powder in the vanilla flavor and grind up some Grape Nuts cereal in the food processor to add to the mix as well and this increases your protein by as much as 25g and your fiber by 8g. When combined with sugar free syrup, your off to a pretty good start to your day. Don't forget to add some fruit like strawberries, blueberries, grapes or a banana and your bound to have a great day!

Toot Tooot!

Beans beans the healthy fruit
The more you eat, the more you toot
The more you toot ,the better you feel
So eat your beans with every meal!


I thought it ironic that I mentioned being forgetful in my last blog and then I forgot to give my Tip Of The Day. So today is devoted solely to a meal idea I came up with for either lunch or dinner. I guess I should make it clear up front especially for those that read my blog and are already very health conscious that I’ve come up with these tips on my own and some of them may not be the absolute best thing for you, but as I said before it’s the little changes that add up. So I’m just doing my best to give you some alternatives to some of the less healthy foods we sometimes find ourselves eating because we just don’t know what else to eat. With this in mind, here’s what I came up with for lunch yesterday…..

I began by sauteing one small chopped onion and one chopped celery stalk in just a little bit of butter. I drained and rinsed a can of Hanover black beans and added those when the celery and onions were tender. Separately in the microwave I prepared a pouch of Uncle Ben’s Ready Whole Grain Medley Brown and Wild Rice. When that was finished, I mixed everything together. I then added lots and lots of seasoning…salt, pepper, garlic powder, season all, and a few other things I can’t quite remember at the moment. To add just a little bit of moisture since it seemed a tad bit dry, I added some chicken broth which gave some additional flavor as well. I measured my ½ cup and added a few grapes to my plate and it was delicious! For a normal person without any restriction on their stomach like I have, the normal serving size is 1 ½ cup. Here is the nutritional breakdown….total calories-340, total fat-3.5g, total carbohydrates-64g, total fiber-9g, total protein-14g. The only downfall that I could find to this meal is the sodium content which was 1120mg. This is something to definitely be careful of, especially if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. This can easily be avoided by making a slight adjustment to the recipe. A bag of dried black beans has no sodium at all. So you could soak the beans overnight or use the quick cook method on the back of the bag and then follow all of the same steps to the recipe. This would obviously take longer, but it is the much healthier way of doing it.
One other thing I want to caution you about with this recipe is that beans, as you know cause gas. So be prepared for lots of “music” in your house when you eat this meal! Have fun, enjoy and most of all……HAPPY TOOTING!!!!!

Caught In A STINKY Situation

Never in my life have I ever been as forgetful as I am since having children. There is always so much going on and I'm constantly interrupted and never get to finish a sentence or a complete thought, so it's no wonder I'm forgetting things all of the time. You know, things like...forgetting to pay a bill, pick up a prescription, change the laundry over from the washer to the dryer, or pick up deodorant from the store because I ran out. It's always something. This morning my husband and I planned to go work out at the YMCA. I woke up on time, got the boys up, dressed and fed and was about to get myself together when I realized that I forgot to pick up deodorant when I went to the store a few days ago. So I went to my gym bag to get the travel size deodorant that I always keep in there. Oh yeah, I forgot to replace that one too! Now what was I to do? There are just some things you can't leave the house without and deodorant is one of those things, especially when going to the gym. My husband noticed me searching for something and asked what I was doing. I told him I didn't have any deodorant. He said "Well, I have lots of deodorant, why don't you use mine?" Hmm, there was an idea. I guess beggars can't be choosers, huh? So to his stash I went. I had two scents to choose from...Fresh Breeze and Icy Blast. I chose the Icy Blast. So with my armpits covered, we were off to the gym! I had made up my mind the night before that I was going to push myself harder than ever this time to see just how far I could go on the elliptical. I quickly fell into a rhythm and continued to press on through the pain. I wanted to stop so many times, but I kept pushing myself. I focused on my music blaring in my ear from my MP3 player, I closed my eyes and prayed, I did everything I could do to keep my mind off of the fatigue I was feeling. I finally stopped at 30 minutes and 315 calories. I've done 30 minutes before but never at such an intense pace. I finished up with some stretching and abdominal exercises. When we were finally in the car on the way home, I thought about how well I did and I wondered if somehow the deodorant made all the difference. I think I just may try it again tomorrow! But right now what I need more than Icy Blast Speed Stick deodorant is Icy Hot Pain Relieving Cream cause my hips are killing me!

I've Got Melons.......

…..on my toes! Well not really but sort of. I just polished my toenails for the first time in a month and the color my boys picked out for me is OPI’s MELON OF TROY! Had ya there for a minute, didn’t I? I used to polish my toenails every Saturday night even after I had the boys, but lately I’ve been neglecting that part of my body as I’ve been focusing on other areas. But I have to tell you that it felt so good! And not just because I was pampering myself. If anyone is reading this that would call yourself ummmm….well, let’s just say “voluptuous” in size, you know how difficult it can be to polish your own toenails. You know that belly just gets in the way sometimes! Yeah I’ve had to take a break in the middle of polishing a few times before, but not tonight! Losing 23 lbs has been great for my body in so many ways! I was actually comfortable tonight bending over to do my toenails! It’s the little things that make me smile! Now if I could just find a way to get comfortable bending over to pick up all these toys off the floor a thousand times a day, that would be awesome!!!!!

TIP OF THE DAY.....We've all heard the saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There is some truth to this. Instead of grabbing a pop tart, sugar filled cereal, donut, or even a cereal bar for breakfast, try this....Quaker High Fiber Instant Oatmeal available in Maple and Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Swirl. The nutrition information is this.....Total fat 2g, carbohydrates 34g, fiber 10g, and protein 4g. When made with skim milk and by adding a small handful of blueberries, the fiber content increases by 4g and the protein by 5g. That's a great start to your day. I've already talked about the benefits of protein and we all know that fiber is essential for our bodies to function properly also. Both protein and fiber fill you up and give you energy. So by choosing this for your breakfast, you are giving your body what it needs to keep you going, in more ways than one!

Yes, Jesus Loves Me

I have never been more embarrassed or more thankful in the same moment as I was tonight. What started out as a simple trip to Wal Mart turned into a loving reminder from my Heavenly Father of how much he cares and is concerned about every detail of my life. Since my surgery, there has been very little junk food in our house. My boys have been bugging me all week long for some of it. Judah wanted chocolate and “banilla” donuts with sprinkles and Ezra wanted chocolate cookies. I promised them that when Daddy got paid on Friday, I would go to the store and get those things for them. I was out shopping for some craft supplies for myself earlier in the day during their nap time, but forgot to stop at the grocery store to get their treats. When I got home they were quite disappointed that Mommy forgot about them. So just as soon as I got dinner in the oven, I left my husband in charge once more so I could run to the store and pick up a few “quick” things. Those few things turned into about half of a cart full of items, none of them things we really needed. As I made my way through the store, stopping a few times to pick up some odds and ends and finally to the checkout counter, God’s plan for my sweet reminder of His love for me was into place. As the cashier rang my items up, I grabbed my wallet out of my purse and pulled my check card out, which I use for everything, to pay for my things. The total was $36.12. When I ran the card through the first time and it was declined, I thought nothing of it. Maybe I held the card the wrong way I thought. Then when it was declined the second time, I suddenly remembered something I received in the mail yesterday. It was my new check card replacing my card that had just expired. Not to worry, I thought. I’ll just write a check. I flipped through my checkbook to write one and to my horror I remembered that before leaving the house earlier in the day, I used the last check to write out our tithe that we would be giving on Sunday. Oh no! I was standing there with a line of people behind me… no check card, no checks and no cash! I was mortified! These kinds of things don’t happen to people like me! What was I going to do? And what would my boys think of me when I walked through the door for the second time today with no donuts and no cookies. Their hearts would be broken. And for good reason. I promised them. And to the best of my ability, I always keep my promises. I apologized to the cashier and said that I was so sorry but I would have to give him my bags of things and leave them to be returned to their shelves. Just then, seemingly out of nowhere appeared an usher from our church. He asked what was the matter. I sheepishly explained to him my dilemma. I was about to be reminded of Gods love for me. He pulled out his wallet and handed me $45.00! I told him I couldn't accept it. He insisted and told me Happy New Year and God Bless You! I was speechless. This man only knows me and my family vaguely from church. We speak and shake hands on Sunday morning, but have never had a conversation more than that. But he’s my brother in Christ and he was taking care of one of his family! I could barely keep myself composed at this point. I offered to give him his change when the transaction was complete, but he wouldn’t take it. As I left the store and put my things in the trunk of my car, the tears began to flow. I could barely see the entire way home for the tears blocking my view. The knowledge that my Papa loves me so much to care about something as little as this was overwhelming. As I mentioned, none of the things I purchased were necessary items. They were frivolous, in fact. But God still cared. He cared about me and He cared about my boys. When I walked in the door, still sobbing, my husband greeted me to take the bags and was immediately alarmed at the sight of my tears. When he asked what was wrong, I couldn’t speak. All I could muster was to tell him that nothing was wrong, but everything was right. After I unloaded our purchases and sat down to dinner, I began to explain to my husband and my boys what had just happened. To be able to explain something like this to my boys was incredible. Their Heavenly Father loves them so much that He saw fit to make sure they had not only the things they have need of, but the things they desire as well. This was so precious to me. These tangible teaching moments with my children are priceless. All throughout the evening, as I remembered the events of the day, tears have welled up in my eyes. Sometimes we can get so busy with out lives and our daily responsibilities that we forget just how much Jesus loves us. I didn’t even realize that I needed a reminder of this until today. I feel so special and loved. I’m so thankful to my Father for taking care of me. As I’m typing this, I’m reminded of the reason I had no checks in my wallet. Before I made any purchases using my husband’s paycheck, the first thing we did was to pay our tithes, our first fruits. We were taking care of God’s business and He took care of us. If I ever doubted His provision, this was certainly a reminder of it. I don’t know about you, but God is truly doing a work in me lately and this was just the icing on the cake so to speak. What a loving God I serve!

The "D" Word Part 2

I received so many personal messages today about my blog on depression that I decided to do part 2 tonight. It’s a little detour from what I normally write about in this blog, but I feel it’s important, so I’m continuing.

Starting tomorrow, I will be adding something new to my blog. I will be posting a Tip Of The Day with simple changes we can make with our diet and exercise to become healthier this year. I hope that you will try some of the suggestions.

Now for part 2.…..

Depression is a difficult subject to talk about especially for Christians. We can sometimes feel that something is wrong with our relationship with Christ if we are depressed. Sometimes that is the case, but sometimes it's not. Hormones and lots of other things going on in our bodies contribute to depression.

I found an incredible website that talks about what the Bible says about depression. It is so eloquently written that I don’t want to do an injustice by trying to sum it up in my own words. I’m posting the link and copying it verbatim for you to read: http://http://www.gotquestions.org/depression-Christian.html



“Question: "What does the Bible say about depression? How can a Christian overcome depression?"

Answer: Depression is a widespread condition, affecting millions of people, Christians and non-Christians alike. Those suffering from depression can experience intense feelings of sadness, anger, hopelessness, fatigue, and a variety of other symptoms. They may begin to feel useless and even suicidal, losing interest in things and people that they once enjoyed. Depression is often triggered by life circumstances, such as a loss of job, death of a loved one, divorce, or psychological problems such as abuse or low self-esteem.

The Bible tells us to be filled with joy and praise (Philippians 4:4; Romans 15:11), so God apparently intends for us all to live joyful lives. This is not easy for someone suffering from situational depression, but it can be remedied through God's gifts of prayer, Bible study and application, support groups, fellowship among believers, confession, forgiveness, and counseling. We must make the conscious effort to not be absorbed in ourselves, but to turn our efforts outward. Feelings of depression can often be solved when those suffering with depression move the focus from themselves to Christ and others.

Clinical depression is a physical condition that must be diagnosed by a physician. It may not be caused by unfortunate life circumstances, nor can the symptoms be alleviated by one's own will. Contrary to what some in the Christian community believe, clinical depression is not always caused by sin. Depression can sometimes be caused by a physical disorder that needs to be treated with medication and/or counseling. Of course, God is able to cure any disease or disorder. However, in some cases, seeing a doctor for depression is no different than seeing a doctor for an injury.

There are some things that those who suffer from depression can do to alleviate their anxiety. They should make sure that they are staying in the Word, even when they do not feel like it. Emotions can lead us astray, but God's Word stands firm and unchanging. We must maintain strong faith in God and hold even more tightly to Him when we undergo trials and temptations. The Bible tells us that God will never allow temptations into our lives that are too much for us to handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). Although being depressed is not a sin, one is still accountable for the response to the affliction, including getting the professional help that is needed. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Hebrews 13:15).”


There are so many different directions that I can go from here, but I think that for someone who is suffering from depression, there is nothing like time spent alone with God and scriptures to read and speak aloud daily to help you to overcome the state you are in. Here are a few that have helped me during moments of intense sadness and depression:



“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance. …For You are the God of my strength…” (Psalm 42:5, 43:2 - NKJV).

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."
-Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13 - NKJV)

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:4-8 - NKJV).

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

"We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed… Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 16-18 - NIV).


One more thing that I want to talk about is Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. It is a real disorder with sometimes debilitating symptoms. I want to dedicate one more day to giving you information about depression and I will be talking tomorrow about SAD. Please read tomorrow to see how you can overcome this disorder if you suffer from it and how you can help others as well.