Heart Choices: 2016-06-05 -->

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Five Minute Friday: Want


It's Friday so I'm linking up with Kate Motaung for Five Minute Friday. We get to write for five minutes flat and our word for this week is ...WANT.

GO

When I consider my wants, the list is endless.

I want:

  • No worries
  • No problems
  • World peace
  • More time with family
  • Publish a book that will help others
  • Be in the best shape
  • Travel all over the world
  • Walk on the beach
  • Great health; no aches and pains
  • Great relationships with family and friends
  • Become a better photographer
  • More time to write
  • Become a better teacher
  • Be more patient with others
But my time is limited on this earth. This is reality.

I often pray for all my troubles to go away. I remember something that Lysa TerKeurst said to me a few years ago at a conference. I had to write it down as I knew it was something I needed to hear and absorb.


Sometimes it is in the mundane every day occurrences, I find my wants are overshadowed by my blessings.

As I listen to the little children in my Mini-Mustang class, I learn patience. I glance at Miss Patricia and we smile knowingly. Three year old Avery is hugging another student and giving him a high five for doing something good.

I don't want to focus so much on my list of wants that I miss out on the blessings of this day.

STOP

Blessings and love,

QuickEdit

Losing Weight and Keeping it Off



Losing weight and keeping it off are a challenge. And let me tell you it gets harder the older you get. Trust me.

For most of my life, I exercised regularly and ate a fairly healthy diet. However, when major life challenges occurred a number of years ago, I discovered the instant gratification that can come from indulging in sweets and fun food and ...not exercising. It didn't take long before the extra 20 pounds accumulated.

Last year, I made a decision to make changes in my life. I didn't like how I looked or how I felt.


So, I prepared the night before. I had a mental checklist.

  • Exercise clothes ready
  • Water bottle filled
  • Kindle charged and easily accessible
This became my daily habit. Upon awakening, I put on my workout clothes and hopped on my treadmill. I've tried joining gyms in the past but I found I wasn't consistent. Doing my daily workout in my home simply makes it easier with less excuses to not do it.

I also planned my meals in advance. I had oatmeal with fruit for breakfast. I had a fig bar mid-morning. I brought a salad to work for lunch. I had a piece of fruit in the afternoon.


I discovered a store called My Fit Foods. For dinner, I usually ate one of their entrees. After awhile, I got used to the portion sizes and stopped buying them as they were kind of expensive. But starting out with them helped me to reassess the amount of food I was consuming at dinner time.

Fast forward to today. I've had some issues with my lower back. So I've been stretching, massaging and icing it. The last few weeks of work were busy. And there were many parties and celebrations. I got out of the habit of exercising and began to indulge again. I've been noticing my weight slowly creeping back up!

ENOUGH!

So I'm back to recording my daily weight and exercise pattern. I remember Zig Ziglar saying that if you write down your weight and exercise, you will be able to notice when you're getting off task. I may skip a day now and then but if I see a pattern, I'm aware and can do something about it.

My goal is a healthy lifestyle. It's not a diet; it's a way of life. Do I occasionally have sweets and foods that have lots of calories? Yes I do. But I quickly get back to more healthy foods as a way of life.

I find I have more energy when I exercise and eat healthy.


OK, so how about you? How are you doing with a healthy lifestyle? Do you go on a diet and lose weight and then only gain more pounds back again?  Do you identify with any of the excuses above?

Blessings and love,

QuickEdit

We Did It



I did it!  I really should say we did it! Another school year is over. But along the way, I had such a good time. This year I had nine students in my Mini-Mustang class. Mind you, my class is the Pre-K 2 class. So nine was plenty and I loved each one of them! 

I didn't have much time to commit to my writing and blogging and visiting my blogging friends. But I hope to catch up during this summer. 

I have to give you a little glimpse of how I spent my days. Because of privacy issues, I can't show you their faces. But I think you'll get the idea.


There were times of laughter.


There were times of comfort.


Last year I won a giveaway on Meaningful Mama's blog. It was a whole package of books and activities on teaching children the concept of filling a bucket. When they do something kind, they fill that person's bucket. When they are unkind, it empties their bucket. It was fun to teach them.

Every day when we had playground time, we gathered together in a circle. We put one hand in and made some agreements. "No pushing, we're all friends."  Of course, the little ones often added things like "no spitting, no hitting, no potty words". I had to chuckle. 


Of course, I couldn't have done it without Miss Patricia. She helped me every day with the children. We make a great team!

I look forward to time off this summer. But I will miss each one of these children. 

We had a great school year.  I know they learned much but they also taught me as well. 

Take time to enjoy the  moments. Put the cell phone down, stop texting for a bit and enjoy the moment. Kids grow up so quickly. Laugh with them. Play with them. 

Yes we did it. Now I look forward to some rest and relaxation and visiting family and friends. I plan to get back to writing too. I hope I still have some readers who haven't given up on me as a blogger. I do look forward to catching up with you.

Blessings and love,

QuickEdit
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