I keep running across this challenge called 100 Days of Real Food. I have looked at it several times and it always strikes a cord with me. It's one of those things that I always think I would really like to try, but then I go on. I can't help but believe this is something that I should try. I mean, it's not a fleeting thought. When I talk to others who have done something like this or who are living their lives like this, I don't think, "That's nice for YOU, but....". Instead, I truly want it, but my emotions and taste buds want something different.
So what stands between me and this challenge? Let's see: sweet tea, the occasional ice cream, exhaustion, lack of planning and organization that will probably be required until I adapt to the changes, hormones from pregnancy that are unpredictable and all over the place, and any unknown event in the future that would have something so delicious that I would have to turn from it, and did I mention sweet tea? I think that's it!
On the flip side, I WANT this. A while back, Jack and I did a 21 day Daniel Fast, which is full of 'real foods'. It was amazing!! I found a recipe book full of really great food (only a few recipes were a total flop). Sometimes the food tasted so good that I felt like I was cheating. But for 21 days we ate 'real food' and completely did away with sugars, processed foods, and that type of thing. What I remember the most was the amount of energy I had (no more crashing by 2 in the afternoon) and I slept so much better.
I felt so great that I had every intention of keeping the backbone of the fast as my normal, adding in a few other things. By using the word "intention", you know where this is going! I went through the drive-thru for one sweet tea. It tasted horrible! It was beyond sweet and actually made me more thirsty. It actually tasted thick. So how in the world I started drinking them again, I seriously have no idea. But whatever the reason, it was back to some of my old ways.
Well, after many signs that I need to try this challenge, I met a friend by the name of Laura Meadows. On her facebook page, she shared several healthy recipes and articles on eating well. At first I was intimidated, thinking I could never get together with her because I would crawl in a hole if one of my kids asked for a root beer or a candy bar in front of her! But then I thought, "This is it. I am doing this!!" I was inspired, motivated, challenged. And Laura is more than willing to share with you in any way she can help. She has just started a blog to share some great things, so take a visit soon at www.faithwayfamily.blog.com So thank you Laura for spurring me on to good things!
I went to www.100daysofrealfood.com to get the facts. And let me tell you that more than once in my life I have been over zealous and tried to fight hell with a squirt gun and that's what the 100 day challenge felt like. Sooooo, I found the 10 day challenge. Much better!! It's silly, but I am nervous and excited. I keep thinking I better get one last sweet tea; like that one tea will stay with me for 10 days! I already think of things coming up that will initially make me regret this decision. I think of how tired I am and how I will have to work at this and cook and stuff. (haha)
But we are doing this for 10 days. Perfection is not the goal, but new habits are. More energy, stronger minds, and stronger bodies. Seems like a pretty tall order for just 10 days, but here goes.
By the way, if anyone sees me drinking a sweet tea, don't start throwing twinkies at me in judgement- it was merely a moment of weakness and I seriously hate twinkies. And for my buddy Mel, I am starting Monday!! :)
If you want to join me, the more the merrier! Let me know you are going to start and we will help each other. Leave me a comment here or on my facebook page.
Here we go.....
(To visit the 100 Days website and Laura's blog, you can click on the links in the blog. Laura has just started the blog, so she may not have her recipes and articles posted yet.)
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
A homeschool mom's worst nightmare!!
Today I experienced every home school mom's worst nightmare. Someone had asked my son Jacob how he was doing in school. I was actually excited to hear what he was going to say. My goodness, we have done so much! (you will see the humor in this thought very shortly!!) Would he mention all that he is learning about weather as our "meteorologist" for the month of March and all of the cool science experiments, in which we have all learned something really interesting from? No, as much as he loves math it would have to be all the hands on ways we have learned about fractions using real-life, everyday experiences. Wait, he loves history too, and is always asking questions about that, so I am sure he will share about his timeline and maps. But then again, he loved making his own animal habitat with a few of his friends and them all sharing their projects together. Or maybe it will be our character study of Tim Tebow and the qualities he has that has helped him to overcome. My goodness, what in the world will he say?!
Well, the answer he chose left me speechless. He said, "Well, we don't really do school that much." WHAT?! Now I have heard about these 'home school moments' and even chuckled at a few of the stories, but this is certainly not even close to being funny....(yet)! I can't even explain the wave of emotions that ran through my mind and the embarrassment and the shock I felt when I heard his words. I fought the tears and tried to hold my composure until I could make it home and run into the bathroom and cry my eyes out!
On the way home, I so wanted to let it rip with my little guy, but thankfully God quickly stopped me. I am the grown up and he was just being himself; an 8, almost 9, year old boy who answered a question without any hidden agenda or motives. I am so grateful that God stopped me before I unloaded all of my own insecurities onto Jacob and burdened him with my own heavy load, which he is NEVER intended to carry. So, I drove as sane as my emotions allowed and I prayed. Now, I didn't pray a prayer of faith or surrender. Actually it went something like this....
God how could You? How in the world could you let him say that? You know my heart. You know where I have come from on this home school journey. God, You have literally changed me in huge ways for the better and then this? How could You, Lord? You know what we do in a day. I have felt such peace and excitement about finally surrendering to You and what You have asked of me and our family. I have loved what my kids are learning and how they are learning and all that goes on around our kitchen table at any given moment. God I finally found comfort, confidence and freedom in this area and now this?!
Not pretty, but sometimes the truth is just ugly and only God can make it beautiful.
Honestly, this is not the first time that Jacob has told people that we don't "do school". I can remember him saying that during kindergarten, but that was a little more understandable(although no less embarrassing at the time!). At that age, we really didn't do school everyday and SO much of what he learned was through play and hands-on activities. I think the only worksheets he did in kindergarten were letter sheets and even those were cut and paste! But now? What was he talking about?!
But to be honest, several things made this situation so dramatic for me. Mainly, God has truly brought me SO far and has used this call to home school to deal with many deep seeded insecurities in my life. And I have grown leaps and bounds and our "school" is always becoming more and more the way I envisioned in my heart. It's a whole other story to share all that I have gained, the lessons I have learned, and the issues I have had to face head-on and overcome to walk out this journey called home school. Which is why I have turned to the life of Moses from the very beginning because I "get" him. I know what it feels like to feel in your heart God asking something of you that seems to magnify every insecurity and weakness that you have. I know the struggle of trying to come up with a 'better idea' than the one that God just gave you because you just don't seem to fit the bill. I am fully aware of how it feels to jump the gun and take matters into my own hands rather than waiting on God and then feeling completely foolish. I am all too familiar with the questions that you ask of God when you feel so inadequate: What will I say? How will I explain this? What will they say? How are You going to make this all come together? I have this issue and that hang-up... and the list of fears go on. And I also know what it feels like to follow the plan only for it to look and feel like God left you hanging.
In Exodus, God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let his people go. So long story very short, Moses did. Not just once or twice, but several times he does exactly what God said to do and I am sure Pharaoh's answer was as shocking to Moses as Jacob's answer about school was to me, "Did you just say you would not let them go?". I am sure Moses was just as confused as me when Pharaoh didn't seem to be on the same page as him and God. I know it is not nearly as significant as freeing an entire population, but that is how I felt today when Jacob didn't say the 'right' answer. I caught a glimpse of how Moses felt and what maybe ran through his mind and what he possibly said to God in his heart, "OK, I didn't see that coming. Did I misunderstand You? What more can I do? I have faced alot of opposition to be here and do exactly what You say and he says THAT?"
Well, as the smoke began to clear and my emotions slowly became more controllable, I began to hear the voice of Truth. God used my amazing hubby Jack and the most precious, priceless friend to help me see yet another truth that would set me free. Both of them responded the same way to my desperate, pitiful cry, "It sounds like Jacob just gave you the best compliment ever!" Once again, I feel like I am living in a different world than the people around me. I am as confused with their words as the ones spoken earlier! How can, "we don't do school much" possibly be a compliment to a home school mom?! Then the lesson began to unfold.
Well, the answer he chose left me speechless. He said, "Well, we don't really do school that much." WHAT?! Now I have heard about these 'home school moments' and even chuckled at a few of the stories, but this is certainly not even close to being funny....(yet)! I can't even explain the wave of emotions that ran through my mind and the embarrassment and the shock I felt when I heard his words. I fought the tears and tried to hold my composure until I could make it home and run into the bathroom and cry my eyes out!
On the way home, I so wanted to let it rip with my little guy, but thankfully God quickly stopped me. I am the grown up and he was just being himself; an 8, almost 9, year old boy who answered a question without any hidden agenda or motives. I am so grateful that God stopped me before I unloaded all of my own insecurities onto Jacob and burdened him with my own heavy load, which he is NEVER intended to carry. So, I drove as sane as my emotions allowed and I prayed. Now, I didn't pray a prayer of faith or surrender. Actually it went something like this....
God how could You? How in the world could you let him say that? You know my heart. You know where I have come from on this home school journey. God, You have literally changed me in huge ways for the better and then this? How could You, Lord? You know what we do in a day. I have felt such peace and excitement about finally surrendering to You and what You have asked of me and our family. I have loved what my kids are learning and how they are learning and all that goes on around our kitchen table at any given moment. God I finally found comfort, confidence and freedom in this area and now this?!
Not pretty, but sometimes the truth is just ugly and only God can make it beautiful.
Honestly, this is not the first time that Jacob has told people that we don't "do school". I can remember him saying that during kindergarten, but that was a little more understandable(although no less embarrassing at the time!). At that age, we really didn't do school everyday and SO much of what he learned was through play and hands-on activities. I think the only worksheets he did in kindergarten were letter sheets and even those were cut and paste! But now? What was he talking about?!
But to be honest, several things made this situation so dramatic for me. Mainly, God has truly brought me SO far and has used this call to home school to deal with many deep seeded insecurities in my life. And I have grown leaps and bounds and our "school" is always becoming more and more the way I envisioned in my heart. It's a whole other story to share all that I have gained, the lessons I have learned, and the issues I have had to face head-on and overcome to walk out this journey called home school. Which is why I have turned to the life of Moses from the very beginning because I "get" him. I know what it feels like to feel in your heart God asking something of you that seems to magnify every insecurity and weakness that you have. I know the struggle of trying to come up with a 'better idea' than the one that God just gave you because you just don't seem to fit the bill. I am fully aware of how it feels to jump the gun and take matters into my own hands rather than waiting on God and then feeling completely foolish. I am all too familiar with the questions that you ask of God when you feel so inadequate: What will I say? How will I explain this? What will they say? How are You going to make this all come together? I have this issue and that hang-up... and the list of fears go on. And I also know what it feels like to follow the plan only for it to look and feel like God left you hanging.
In Exodus, God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let his people go. So long story very short, Moses did. Not just once or twice, but several times he does exactly what God said to do and I am sure Pharaoh's answer was as shocking to Moses as Jacob's answer about school was to me, "Did you just say you would not let them go?". I am sure Moses was just as confused as me when Pharaoh didn't seem to be on the same page as him and God. I know it is not nearly as significant as freeing an entire population, but that is how I felt today when Jacob didn't say the 'right' answer. I caught a glimpse of how Moses felt and what maybe ran through his mind and what he possibly said to God in his heart, "OK, I didn't see that coming. Did I misunderstand You? What more can I do? I have faced alot of opposition to be here and do exactly what You say and he says THAT?"
Well, as the smoke began to clear and my emotions slowly became more controllable, I began to hear the voice of Truth. God used my amazing hubby Jack and the most precious, priceless friend to help me see yet another truth that would set me free. Both of them responded the same way to my desperate, pitiful cry, "It sounds like Jacob just gave you the best compliment ever!" Once again, I feel like I am living in a different world than the people around me. I am as confused with their words as the ones spoken earlier! How can, "we don't do school much" possibly be a compliment to a home school mom?! Then the lesson began to unfold.
As Jacob and I sat and talked before bedtime, I casually brought up some things we would be doing in school for the week because I wanted to peek into this brain of his. What did he think school was anyway? I asked what he looked forward to the most about school and what was the most interesting thing he has learned in the last couple of weeks and people, if you could have heard what he said!! I thought to myself, why in the world could you not have said something about the weather or China or Hudson Taylor just hours earlier?! Then I knew the truth in my heart....it would require more than the weather, China, or Hudson Taylor to grow my roots in Him deeper. It's always the struggle and the hard stuff that makes the beautiful possible. It's the force it takes roots to push deep enough to find water that enables them to anchor the tree. It is the struggle of the butterfly coming out of it's cocoon that gives it the strength to fly. It is the mommy bird pushing the bird out of the nest that gives it the courage and the realization of what it can really do...fly!!
And that's what happened to me today. It wasn't about school. It was about me being confronted once again with a choice...will I shrink back and listen to my fears and insecurities or will I believe God and His promises to me? Will I trust the plan of God or the heart of God because so often the plan doesn't look much like the promise. But I know that today my roots went a little deeper and I gained a little more courage to obey my God.
It's 3:25 am and Jacob just walked through the living room and said, "Good morning!". I told him it was way too early to be awake and he looked at the clock and said, "Oh" in a silly way and just turned around and went back to bed; so funny!! Yes, I am so blessed to home school my kids and I love them more than I can say!!
God, I can't thank You enough for your love and mercy in my life. I am always amazed at your goodness, although I don't often see it until the smoke clears!! But when it does clear, You are always there! And I thank You that every time I call out to You, I am right where I need to be. Give us the courage today to live out the dreams You have for us Lord. Help us today to know that Your plans for us are always for good. And help me to remember that it is You who works in me and that with You, I will bear much fruit; fruit that will last!!
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