May I Bring You Attention To The Sidebar

I have added a button! I am so proud of myself for figuring it out. Yes, I am aware how easy it is. But this is my first time, so let me gloat. I added it because I am currently on a race to win some marvelous prizes. Over at Raising Homemakers they are having a giveaway celebrating Sarah Mae's new book '31 Days to Clean.' The giveaway ends today, so I am racing around, getting all my entries in. I don't want to miss out. But there is already something like 1460 entries (and counting) so I am not likely to win. But if I didn't try I wouldn't win at all. I did already purchse the e-book, since I wanted it whether I win or not, and I didn't want to wait. I have done Day 1, and from the looks of it I think I am going to enjoy the whole book.

Cast Your Burdens (clap clap clap) Unto Jesus (clap clap clap)

Now I am singing that kids' song in my head.  Oh well.  It's a good and true message!

Yesterday I was going to come on here and gripe about people and speech pathologists in particular and how they know nothing and just make your life miserable and what am I to do now and why can't life just be simple with easy-to-follow directions?  But as I was getting ready to type I remembered that I have been trying to take my problems to God before I go to human wisdom, so I went and prayed instead.

Not that I don't love getting advice and encouragement from you!  Because that is very important in itself.  God places people in our lives who are there to help and encourage us.  They can remind us of His truthes.  But I know that I can tend to rely on only them, not even bothering to glance at God.  That is when I need to just turn to Him and pour out my woes, so to speak.

So I did, and had a very encouraging time in prayer.  Encouraging in the fact that God revealed an area that I neeed to pray over in my life, so I did.  And I felt energized by my time spent in prayer.

I did get my Biblestudy ladies to pray for me today though, just because I wanted some extra support as well.  I needed to have it reaffirmed to me that God is in control, not govermental employees.

The reason I was so upset yesterday was because we had Abby's first speech appointment. 

It went HORRIBLE.

I can't even stress how bad it went.  She was screaming and crying at the end of it.  But personally I don't think it was all her fault.  I think it was theirs (the speech pathologists, or whatever they are called).  Well, actually at first I thought it might be her, a bit, but as I've taken a step back and thought about it, I see it a little differently. 

They don't know her, or how she works or learns.   They let her walk all over them, and expected her to do what they wanted.  But she's speech delayed, not stupid.  You don't need to be able to talk to figure out that you can get your way by whining.  And that's what happened.  They had a little fishing/magnet game that they let her play a little.  Then they put it aside to try to get her to shape a sound.  She just kept saying no, no, NO, and whining and such, so they let her have another fish! 

Parenting rule #37 - Don't give into your child when they are whining to get their way

A kid will not respect you if they see that they can trample you.  Don't be a wimp.

Anyways. I don't need to rant about that.  So the end result of this is that they don't want to see her until September, and maybe she'll be ready by then.  Riiight.  Mayeb you'll be ready then.  But as we were chatting a bit about it at the end, the speech pathologist managed to throw into my mind some remarks that made me doubt myself and everything I believe about my girls and parenting and homeschooling and life!  Argh!

But she isn't God.  God is God.  (Yes, I know, what an obvious statement, haha.  But I need to hear it!)  And God is who I follow and listen to.  So if He says that I need to do something, then yes I need to do it.  But if the speech lady says I need to do something, I don't have to.  I can if I decide it's best, but I am not obligated to follow her every whim.

So that's that!

And...Again With the Dieting

I haven't written about weight-loss of dieting for a bit now.  There is a very good (or I suppose bad) reason for that.  I haven't been sticking with it at all.  In fact, after my last post, in January I think, about counting calories, I gained weight.  So much for that!

But now I am sort-of on track again, with what feels like more motivation than I had before.  No, motivation isn't the right word, since I've always had the same motives to move me.  More like, determination.  Yes, determination is the word.  I am determined to lose this weight because I am just sick, sick, SICK to death of being overweight.  I am losing most, if not all, self-respect that I ever had for myself, and I didn't have much to begin with anyways!

I am using the online tool My Fitness Pal to track my calories.  I inputed my current weight and what my ideal weight would be and it gave me a daily total number of calories that I am allowed to eat.  I can keep a food diary online, so that it keeps track of how many calories I am eating and (more importantly) how many I have left for the day.

Most of the foods I love, are super-high in calories.  Bummer.  But I am really trying to stick with it.  I did go over my daily "allotment" yesterday, but who can say no to cheesy double baked stuffed potatoes?  Well, maybe you can, but yesterday I couldn't.  Today I only had one though.  So that is a miracle in itself since I looooooooove potatoes.  Always have.

I am finding that by disciplining myself to enter my food online and see how much I am actually eating, it is helping me to say no when I want to snack or eat more.  I am really realizing that I am a bored eater.  I eat, just because I have "nothing better to do."  Though that is a lie because I have a whole house full of better things to do than eat some more crackers.  (Funny thing, it is crackers, not sweets, that are my weakness.)  I have also decided that I will try to post more on here, in an effort to keep myself honest.  Because I hate having to admit to anyone, even online people I've never met, that I have once again failed.

Oh, and I am trying to exercise more.  Wait, I should rephrase that.  I am thinking about exercising more.  I am planning to go for a walk everyday.  But so far I only went for a walk on Tuesday this week.  But I have been sick so I'm giving myself a break.  I figure that walking will be a good calorie burner for me since I am pushing Abby in the stroller and carrying Leigh in a toddler backpack.  And if the info I looked up about backpacking is right, that's a very excellent calorie burner.  Plus I live around hills.  Even the "level" streets aren't actually level, they are subtle hills. 

So that's where I am.