Heading back to the doctor...

I still have a sick baby- but he amazes me with his cute little smiles!  I wasn't feeling all that "smiley" this morning after another non-sleeping night, but who can resist baby smiles?!  So we got up & around, got Elisabeth ready for school, my amazing hubby dropped her off for me (THANK YOU!!) and Carter & I took a little nap :)  We are heading back to the doctor this afternoon.   It's his 2 month checkup, and I'm hoping that things are still okay with this awful cough hanging on...

So yes, it's been a rather stressful week!  I'm glad that I took some time to thank God for our stresses :)  Yes, that may sound rather odd, but I am thankful for it!  

• Stress over a sick baby- I thank God for giving us Carter!  He chose us to raise this awesome kid!
• Stress over work stuff- I thank God for providing work & giving us what we need!
• Stress over lack of sleep- I thank God for coffee :) :) :)  

My point is that we should be thankful for everything that he sends our way.  Although it may be tough at times, when you look back at a specific situation later on you will realize that there was a reason for it!

Here are a few verses that I found...

'And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.' 
-Romans 8:28 

'O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.'

-Psalm 139

'For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'

-Jeremiah 29:11

Have an awesome day friends! 

~Jen

An eye opener for me this morning...

So, if you know me, you know that I worry too much (I'm working on this!) and get stressed out more than I should...  Finances, scheduling, the future- these things all cross my mind a LOT!  I've been praying a lot about these & other things that are on my mind, and I think that God opened my eyes today!  A house up the road has had signs posted for an Estate Sale for about a week.  It started this morning, and there have been cars lined up & people waiting outside since I went to the gym this morning. (My class begins at 5:30am- the sale didn't open until 8am!)  Anyhoo, after I ran some errands and drove by, there were people in the yard and on the street waiting (around 7:30ish)  Pat got home, and we rode our bikes up there to check it out.  The second that I walked in, I just had a sad feeling.  I don't know what the story is with the home owners, but their entire life was for sale.  Everything in the house had been sorted & priced.  You could tell that they had traveled a lot, loved art, and that he had been in the military.  There was just so much stuff!  It just hit me that all of the stuff that I worry about doesn't really matter...  I could make more money doing something else so that I could have more 'stuff', but that would take away from my family.  As I said before, I don't know what the story was with this family.  But it made me sad that all of their valued possessions were being sold to (rude & greedy!) people that they had never even met!  And for me, I know that all of this 'stuff' won't matter in the long-run!  We're only here on earth for a short while!

So I'm not saying that having lots of things is bad- what I am saying is that family is more important!  Prioritize- pray about it, and make the right choices!  Be there for your kids as they grow & mature!

It all goes back to faith...

I have been one big ball of stress lately.  

Not fun for me, and I'm sure it's not fun for anyone around me :)  hehehehe!!!  

So this is just a reminder to myself, and to whoever is reading this (because I think that someone that is reading this is just as bad as I am at dealing with stress!) to step back, take a deep breathe, PRAY, listen, and know that it will all work out!

Monday Fun-Day :) #FFF

Happy Monday!  It's a beautiful day, and the hubby & I had a fabulous weekend :)  The weather was gorgeous yesterday for the lake with some of my best friends (whom I've known since we were in elementary school!)  Today is a new day, and it's going to be the start of a GREAT week (yes, I'm determined to be positive!!)  We have lots of stuff happening this week, so I'm saying a prayer that everything goes smoothly!


FAITH:
Today I'm having one of those days where I am WORRYING...  I woke up worried about stuff, and I have this pit in my stomach from worry.  
A) It's not healthy.  Stress is bad! 
B) It's stupid.  No matter how much I worry, it's not going to change anything.  Not one single thing!  So I'm turning it over to God & having faith that things are working according to His plan.  


Knowing that God is faithful, it really helps me to not be captivated by worry. But knowing that He will do what He has said, He will cause it to happen, whatever He has promised, and then it causes me to be less involved in worrying about a situation.- Josh McDowell

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


Phillipians 4:6-7


FAMILY:
I had a good weekend with Pat!  It's nice to spend QT with the people that you love!  I'm looking forward to (in only a few, short weeks!) having a family dinner with both kiddos here :)  This week will be busy with work & appointments- busy is good!


FITNESS:
I've been working on the schedule for the rest of the summer this morning- I can't believe how fast this summer is flying by!  I have several of my clients going on vacation before school starts up again!!  I'm trying to space my days out to where I have all of my in-gym clients together, and then my traveling clients together... not that it ever all seems to come together, but ideally that is how it's going to work out!  Bootcamps are still going strong- today was fit testing!  I have one more class this evening, and I'm excited to see the progress that has been made the past 4 weeks!


My nutrition plan is going pretty well- I had a little cheat this weekend at the lake, but overall I'm staying on track & eating well and getting lots of water each day!

¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰  for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20


This is what I hope to do!  To glorify God & to help others get healthy!!




Have a great Monday!  
Jen

Day 3 & 4

Day's 3 & 4-


Yesterday ended up being a busy day & I didn't get my blog done- so today is a 2-4-1 :)


We just got home from the Farmer's Market- I just LOVE that place!  It's already hot, but the vendor's are always smiling & friendly, and they have some great healthy (& local!!  I'm 100% in favor of supporting local businesses!) food choices!  I got some yummy blueberries, blackberries, zucchini, tomatoes, & peaches!  Pat is craving some baked goodies, so I'll have to see what I can come up with from this selection (probably zucchini bread- I'm thinking there is not a good way to 'paleo-ify' it so it will be all his!)


Today I am determined to get prepped for the upcoming week's food choices- I know that when I have stuff ready in advance, I'm less likely to screw up :)  I have a list made, and I'll be cooking & portioning stuff today and/or tomorrow!  I'm going to make paleo mayo for the first time today- wish me luck!




Faith-


This verse came to my mind today while having some quiet time-

Philippians 4:4-9

New International Version (NIV)

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I think that God is telling me (& possibly you, too!) to relax & be happy, and to turn over my worries to him.  Honestly, I know that I tend to worry too much.  About everything!  I worry about what's happening, then start to think of what could happen, and my brain goes crazy from there!  It's not healthy to be stressed out.  I've been working hard at turning it over to God & saving my body from the effects of stress!  And it turn, it saves everyone around my from having to deal with a stressed out Jen :-)

Family-

I'm going to go off to a different side of family today, and hopefully it reaches many people.  When you have a child with someone, whether you're married to them or not, you will have them in your life forever.  I think a lot of people don't realize this, and it just makes for a tough situation for everyone (mainly their kids!)  I have been very fortunate in this situation- E's dad married a great lady!  We get along & have a very open line of communication- I am thankful for her, and I am so glad that E has her & her kids in her life!  In today's society, there are many different forms of mixed families.  I'm not here to debate ethics or parenting styles, but I do think that the needs of the children need to come first.  There is no such thing as a perfect parent, and we all make mistakes, but do the best that you can!  If you've failed in the past, it's never too late to make an effort!

Proverbs 22:6

Fitness-

Yesterday I had a 5:30am bootcamp, and my allergies were not good!  I had a headache, stuffy nose, and upset stomach...  ugh!  I pushed through it (& my clients did AWESOME!!!  I am super proud of everyone- the effort that you are putting forth is inspiring!) but I knew that I had not done anywhere near 100%.  I was lucky if that was a 70% workout, because I felt awful...  well after some rest & letting my medicine kick in, I got in a good workout in the afternoon :)  I always feel better afterwards!  

Paleo is going okay- not 100% (only myself to blame!) but probably about 85% successful!  The main thing is that I'm making smarter choices and going for non-processed stuff!

Today I have done nothing productive on the fitness front (unless you count buying produce at the Farmer's Market!)  I'll be getting in a workout sometime today!

Next week is going to be a busier week- we are off on Wednesday for July 4th, so I'm scheduling all of the classes & training's within the 4 days!  I'm excited to watch it grow, and even more excited to watch everyone progress!

Have a great weekend- remember, prep your meals for next week!
God first, family 2nd, and life after that