Timing...It is everything

I have had a couple of people ask me why I have stopped blogging or why I've been slacking on this blog challenge, so I wanted to let all my followers know my reasoning behind it to clear up any questions or confusion.

When I started this 30 day blog challenge, I had all intentions of continuing with it, but life happened. I absolutely love to write, but this time around I kept hitting a wall when I would try to write and would get so frustrated and felt like it was being portrayed in my writing as well. I had writer's block and didn't understand why, because I really wanted to stick with this challenge. I asked God to reveal to me why I was having trouble writing and he highlighted some areas in my life that had been neglected and didn't need to be and that I was trying to juggle too much at once. When I would get off of work, I would go down my list of things I needed to get done that evening and that didn't include the Wife or Mommy role that needed attention as well, but for about 2 weeks, this was a cycle and I didn't realize that I was putting a lot of things on my plate and was beginning to get overwhelmed. I am the type of person that is an "all or nothing" person. If I can't give my all to blogging, I want to put it on hold for a bit. If I see I am putting things before God, my husband and my baby...I need to take a step back, re-prioritize things in my life and get some organization back in my life...so that is where I am at this time.

Having said that, I am not done blogging forever...just putting it on hold at the moment to focus on some areas in my own life that need attention. Once I take care of myself, my relationship with God and my family, everything else will fall into place and I believe as I am obedient to God in this time by taking a step back, even from things I love, like blogging, that he will help me to get things back in order and give me the wisdom to get back into some of the things I've placed on hold and my writing will become something even better than it has been before.

So, I will take this time to say thank you for all of you that follow my posts...the messages, text messages, phone calls, comments...they all mean the world and make me feel good that I can touch people's hearts and lives through my writing...and this is not the end...it is just the beginning. God is going to birth some new vision and ideas in my heart for this blog...He has already begun to stir things up inside of me and when the time is right, I believe He is going to take this blog to a new level! So get excited with me for the things to come! :)

"I learned that we can do anything, but we can't do everything... at least not at the same time. So think of your priorities not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them. Timing is everything."

- Dan Millman

It's the Little Things

Today has overall been a good day...sure I have been exhausted from the lack of sleep and sure there were moments it felt like a "typical Monday", but overall, I woke up alive and well with a beautiful family, a job to go to, clothes on my back and food to eat. I actually had a pretty good day at work...laughed a lot, got a lot done...got to go out with just me, myself and I after work to just enjoy being alone...sat down and had dinner with myself, shopped a little...it was just very therapeutic and refreshing. As I was out I was reminded of all of my blessings and how much I have to be thankful for...so many times we let life fly past us and before we know it, years have gone by and we spent most of it rushing it by...I try to remind myself regularly to stop and notice all of the little blessings in our every day...whether it be the smell of a good meal cooking, the beauty of a sunset, the company of good friends, laughter, love...I could go on...we have so much to be thankful for!

I decided to end off my night with firstly, completing my 7 burpees for today (getting tougher every day but still going strong), then enjoying a nice hot bubble bath while I blog and then hit the hay! Today was exactly what I needed for a little "pick me up" and the perfect jump start to a great week!

Tonight's post will be short because I need to get rest, but I will leave you all with this quote I read today:

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” 
― Eleanor Roosevelt

Live life to it's fullest or it may feel like you died young...

What a Weekend...

I am feeling a little bit like super mom tonight! As you all know if you have been following my posts, I have been dealing with a sick baby and very sick husband ALL weekend but have managed to keep up with everything for the most part! Liam kept us up until 5 this morning screaming non stop...I literally did not get one wink of sleep until he passed out around 5am. Daneil has been running a high fever all weekend and I've been trying to load him up on Vitamins, Tylenol and liquids to bring it down. He has a low grade fever tonight and is all stopped up and has a cough that sounds horrible, but hoping he gets better soon and really hoping Liam decides to let us sleep tonight because God knows we need it! I had to get out at 2am to go buy a humidifier and some meds for Liam...it was by far, the toughest night I have experienced as a mom. This afternoon I took a little nap with Liam and got my second burst of energy...I have been cleaning the house top to bottom, went to the store and stocked up on necessities and came home, made Daneil some Chicken Noodle Soup as well as dinner for myself, washed up dishes and washed our sheets and comforter. I completed my burpees for today and just sat down to write my blog...it has been a long day, but God gave me the strength I needed to get through. Thanks to all my friends and church family for your prayers, encouragement, advice, food and meds...you are all such a blessing to us and we love you!!

Here is a home cooked meal that was made for us earlier today that was MUCH needed:

Then, I had to take a picture of my white cheddar grilled cheese with tomato bisque dinner that I made for myself tonight:

Today I was going to write about what my favorite movie is and why...I have LOTS of favorite movies...all my friends will agree that I am an avid movie watcher and love movies. I have to say that at this time, my all time favorite movie I think would have to be Madea's Witness Protection Program! IT was by far the funniest of all the Madea movies in my opinion and no matter how many times I watch it, I still laugh through the whole thing...it is definitely my top pick when I need a good laugh! :)

Well, needless to say, I am wiped and about to sit down and hopefully find something good to watch...maybe a good movie :) Here's to a good night of rest tonight and a great week ahead! 

Day 4 and 5 of January Blog Challenge

It has been one hectic first week of January for me. Liam got his first head cold that he is still overcoming and now Daneil woke up this morning with a fever and feeling horrible. He has been sleeping all day trying to feel better which has given me the opportunity to spend some much needed 1-1 time with my little prince. Liam and I have had an amazing day together today! I kept the tv off, no distractions, and just played with him. At one point, he was so tired he laid there while I massaged his feet and legs for a good 10 minutes...he didn't move, just laid there an smiled and took it all in, and those of you that know my son, he is never still! It was a sweet moment for me but he passed out on me about an hour ago for his first nap of the day, so I'm taking this time to just relax, have some "me" time and catch up on blogging for yesterday and today! :)

I believe I have written before about "one piece of advice" I would give someone, but for yesterday's post I want to write about some advice that I recently heard that has really stuck with me...it is simply...don't settle. Too many times in life we settle for less than we deserve in many areas of life. It could be as simple as settling for a meal you paid for that was not exactly what you ordered or as serious as settling for a relationship that is not for you. Life is too short to go along day to day and settle. We need to learn to realize what we truly deserve and never compromise on anything less than that. There have been many areas in my life that I have settled over the years. One good thing is that the choice to settle or not to settle is ours. If you get yourself in a situation that has caused you to settle, YOU have the power to choose whether or not to continue in that situation. With the New Year here and still fresh, I have taken the opportunity to highlight areas in my life where I have settled and decide from there what I can do to change that. Some things are harder than others, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger! :) I have a few people close to my heart that are going through some tough decisions in areas of their life where they have settled and it takes a strong person to admit when you have settled and change it for the better, but in the end it is worth it. One thing I will add though is before you decide whether or not you are settling, you have to take all emotions from the situation and follow your heart and your peace...and never look back :)

For today I will write about one of my goals for this year and that is to complete the 100 Day Burpee Challenge. Some co-workers of mine told me about it and I thought, why not? Here is a link with more information on it for those of you that have never heard of it:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-pauline-lowry/join-the-100-day-burpee-challenge_b_957825.html

Today is Day 5 of the Challenge and as sad as it sounds, I already feel the burn and have some soreness in my ab area...but that means it works! I'm hoping by Day 100 to be toned and feeling good about my body again! It is definitely not going to be easy to stick to every day but I have a great support system to help encourage me to stay on track! I will keep everyone posted on my results :)

Well, I wanted to write more but I have a husband with a very high fever and a baby that is needing my full attention...until tomorrow...

Mommy Problems and Playing Catch Up

Well, Liam officially caught his first cold of his life and I must say, I never understood when my parents would say they wish they could take our sickness for us, but now that I am a parent, I can definitely relate. He had what I call "sad eyes" all day and it was so hard to see him struggle with his bottle because he couldn't breathe through his nose, and watch him sneeze multiple times, which was kind of funny because every time he would sneeze, his paci would fly across the room....oh, and I can't forget his fake cough...he let me know many times yesterday that he had a cough with his toungue out and everything haha!

On top of the cold, Liam had his 9 month doctor appointment yesterday and he had to get a shot and a heel stick. I guess because he wasn't feeling well, this was by far the worst shot experience for him. He cried and cried...usually it would last about a minute, but not this time...it broke my heart to see the tears flow too because Liam never let's them flow unless it is something serious. But, on a lighter note, other than having a head cold, he is otherwise very healthy! Growing right on track...19 pounds, 28 inches and still has a big head! haha! And even though he was overcoming, he was still all smiles (and I secretly loved the extra cuddles I got from him all day)! This was from his Doctor appointment yesterday:

 

So, that is why I was unable to blog yesterday, and had to play catch up today!

Anyways, on to my topic for today...getting back on the healthy train!

I fall off of that train quite a lot, but the important thing is, I am getting back on! I'm ready to shed some weight so I can get back to my pre pregnancy weight and start working towards making a Liam a big brother in the next several months! Many people ask me why I want to get the weight off now just to gain it back, but I want to start at the weight I started at before Liam so I don't have even more to lose after my next baby! I'm only about 12 pounds off, so if I can lose about a pound a week, which is the healthy way, I can start trying in the next 3 months...AHH...That is not far away and I have a lot of work ahead, but I can do it!! I'm going to cut out any sodas (other than my morning coffee, because I got a Keurig for Christmas and will be using it lol) and cut portions and eat low carbs. I'm also going to start juicing soon and try to exercise at least 2-3 times a week...even if it is just a brisk walk with Liam. I'm starting this 100 Burpee challenge with friends from work so that should be fun too! Looking forward to losing weight, toning and getting healthy! :)

Wish me success on this train and any encouraging words are definitely welcome!

New Year, New Dreams, New Vision...Bring on the New!

I have had a lot of people reaching out to me recently asking me when I was going to blog again and I have a few posts I started but never finished, so I decided to start another Blog Challenge for this month, because for some reason, when I challenge myself to do something, I tend to stick to it more...I don't like to fail, so I guess I just push myself to succeed when there is a challenge involved. I have really missed writing and blogging and sharing my heart so I am definitely excited to get back into it!

2012 was an amazing year in my life...we brought Liam, our precious gift from God into this world, we moved in to a brand new 4 bedroom, beautiful home, finally went on our first honeymoon which was a cruise, paid off some debt and much much more, but I know there is even more in store for 2013 and I can't wait to begin crossing some goals off my list for this year!

I am not following a "set list" for this Blog Challenge, but rather going to choose a topic I feel like writing about and write away.

Today, I want to talk about New Year's Resolutions. Every year for the past 8 years (with the exception of one), we bring in the New Year with our church family and have such a blast! During our New Year's Celebration, we sit down at about 10:30 pm and we being writing out Goals for the year rather than "resolutions". We put down everything from our Spiritual Goals, Personal, Financial, Physical, Social goals to family, Church, Personal and Miscellaneous Goals. We pray over them and then praise our way into the New Year! There is no better way to start out a year! I keep all my goals through the years and go back at the end of the year to see which goals I was able to meet and which I still need to work towards and it is amazing to see how much you can accomplish when you have vision. :)

Our church "Theme" for this year is LAUNCH, and I definitely feel like God is launching some things in my own life and my family's life so we will continue to allow God to speak to our hearts and move us in the direction he wants us.

Although 2012 was a very different year, for me in regards to becoming a mother and trying to cope with that and maintain my marriage, friendships, commitments...the list goes on...it was a difficult year...a "dry" year for me spiritually...I was unable to be involved in ministry like I usually am, unable to hang out all the time and it was needed for this new chapter, but there were many lonely moments...moments I cried out asking God to comfort me, but it was a needed chapter in my life in order for me to embrace the new Jess....the Mommy in me...but not just the mommy but to learn to be the Wife, the Mom, the Friend, the Leader. I still don't have it all down to a science, but I am getting there and have come a long way...it was a year full of tough times but I grew a lot and I learned a lot and I wouldn't change any of it! :)

It's a new day, a new year and there are new things in store for 2013 and I am so excited to continue in this journey called life with Jesus and my family and friends!

I know most of you follow me on Facebook, but for those that don't, I wanted to share a few pictures from the New Year! Thanks for reading and supporting my writing...love you all and Here's to the best year yet for all of us!