I have started a new workout program that has kept me pretty busy the last few days. It is called Insanity and it's by Beach Body. You may have heard of it....anyways it is a 60 day workout that is not necessarily for weight loss but you definitely lose inches and tone up. ( I am sure you lose weight but you gain muscle weight so you don't necessarily see the difference on the scale even though you look different when you're done.) 4 days down 56 days to go, at least you get Sundays off! Hopefully I can stick with it and get back into shape. I am not to overweight but I would like to rid myself of some fat and "define my curves" some! 2 kids and an unhealthy eating habit can really get in the way of a good body. Maybe I will get the courage to take some before pics since I just started and post my results on here when I finish the program.....maybe it will give me some motivation to stick with it. I have decided it is not just time for an eating or exercise change but a whole life transformation! Keep checking up with me to see my progress. If anyone else has tried this workout PLEASE let me know your results. Any comments are welcome, I am looking for all the encouragement I can get. It always seems like I start out strong but then let other things in life get in the way. I don't know why....you would think it would be a lot easier to make your body first priority but usually in our fast paced lives this seems like it's always on the back burner.

Gone To Long!

Sorry for the break from posts. I have been a busy little bee lately trying to get things done and keep up with all my tasks. So I never did a craft last week although I kinda started a T-shirt design for my new Zazzle account. I was theming it for shark week, too bad I missed the timing on that one, oh well I will still have a cool shark shirt for sale even if it doesn't correspond with shark week exactly :). I will put some pics and a link up as soon as I finish the final touches.

Global Leadership Summit - August 5&6 2010

I am so excited to be attending the 2010 Global Leadership Summit. I am even more excited that my church, Central Christian in Beloit, WI, was selected for one of the satellite locations! This conference goes for two days 9am-5pm and talks about stepping up & stepping out to be a leader in your life, relationships, community, and church. I have watched some of the previous speakers and it seems like it will be very fulfilling. Below I have taken an excerpt from the website for a full explanation of the Global Leadership Summit.

It started in one city with 2,200 leaders from 300 churches in 1995.

In 2010, The Global Leadership Summit will reach 350 cities across 50 countries, challenging more than 120,000 leaders from 10,000+ churches!

Effective leaders are the agents of transformation. They call out what's wrong, set goals, launch initiatives, motivate, challenge, and move people to get on the solution side of solving our worst problems. Pastors, teachers, business leaders, law enforcement officials, politicians, musicians, athletes, and others are answering the call and choosing to lead where they are to make a lasting difference.

Far more than an annual training event, The Global Leadership Summit has become a galvanizing event in this worldwide leadership movement. Leaders representing an amazing diversity of race, cultures, ethnicities, languages, and denominations are coming together to give themselves to redeem and restore this broken world.

As God compels, I hope and pray that you will join us.

excerpt from: http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2010/hear.asp 

Photo Courtesy of http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=126268604080694&ref=ts

 

Why pay so much for baby food when you can make your own?

Having a baby can be quite challenging to new parents, not just with the 3am feedings and diaper changes but also financially. Diapers, Dr. visits, clothing, specialty soaps & lotions, and a array of "equipment" (strollers, cradles, cribs, bottles, silverware, containers, bathtubs, bottle warmers, swings, bouncers, etc.) can all add up. Then when your baby hits the stage when they can start eating solids many family's  are faced with the added cost of purchasing specialty jars of food. 

What many people don't realize (probably because they are tired from all that parenthood dishes out) is that most of this food can be made right in your kitchen while your cooking for everyone else! Take for instance your baby has finally moved on to solids and your making baked chicken with pasta and peas for dinner. Simply steam the peas and before you butter them for the rest of your family take a scoop out and mash with a fork in a separate dish for the baby. If you need them really pureed you can use an inexpensive food processor and a little water. They come out the consistency of the jar food except fresher, healthier, and cheaper.  You can even use this technique for when they move from fruits and vegetables to meat just remember that baby food does not need additives like butter or seasonings. Their sensitive pallet & digestive tract will find the food delicious in it's natural state even if you don't :).

5 Things That Will Keep Your Child Busy No Matter Where You Are

1. A retractable sewing tape measure. Most any measuring device will do but a retractable sewing measure is the absolute best. They are like the kind you use for building but smaller and not made of metal :) . I found my kids LOVE these and will play with them for at least 20 min if not longer.

Photo Courtesy of About.com

2. A small note pad and pen. Who can resist drawing? If your kids are of school age you can use it to practice words by playing hangman.

3. A zip lock bag of assorted lego pieces (including at least 1 lego man). All kids like legos and having a small bag of them for when your waiting at the Dr. or for your table at a restaurant can be a real sanity saver.

4. A container of silly putty (as long as your kids are not to little). These little containers of putty are really fun to play with and only contain enough to keep in your hand.

5. A deck of cards. Even if your kids don't know how to play any real card games they enjoy playing with just the cards in general.

Long Car Rides + Young Kids = Cranky "How To Be Prepared"

As I mentioned in earlier posts I have 2 young kids (3 & 6) that love to go places but often hate the car ride. Now don't get me wrong short rides are no problem: going to the store, over to the gas station, & stopping by to see grandma and papa are always enjoyed. It's the other ones, the long ones, that they despise! Take for instance our 6 hour car ride every year to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The moment the word Vacation slips out of mommy or daddy's mouth they are ecstatic! When are we going? What can I bring? they could go on and on for hours.Then after weeks of preparations & packing the day finally arrives when we all pile in the car to leave and before we can even get out of the county it begins......."When will we get there?"........"How long does it take?"......and always..."I gotta go potty!". After many years of taking this trip I think we have succeeded in finding the best way to occupy young kids on long rides. You will still get the occasional "How close are we now?" question but for the most part you will have a very good ride.

1. First and foremost if you ever have the opportunity to drive in the evening TAKE IT! Often we will leave before the sun comes up or as it starts to set. This time of day is prime time for kids to sleep and the more they sleep the less they are bored.

2. Portable CD players or MP3 players, if you can afford them and your kids are big enough to use them. Our youngest was finally able to use one this year and it was a real treat for her. We found head phones that were comfortable on their ears and when they were not sleeping they mostly listened to music and looked out the window at the scenery.

3. A clipboard with paper, pencil, and colored pencils. Notice how color crayons didn't make the list here. It is up to you but we found in the past that crayon can not only rub off on seats easily but also melt in the sun. Fair warning for all long trip takers! :)

4. A hand full of easy to read story books or picture books. Although you may want to make sure your child is not easily affected my motion sickness.

5. Lastly, hand held video games or a portable dvd player. These we haven't utilized yet. The girls are still a bit young for hand held games and we have been trying to instill upon them that TV is not always the answer to boredom.

So there is our sanity saving list to all those in need. I hope it will be of use to many! What ever you do don't leave unprepared.

Possibly Sharks in the Future!

Courtesy of the Discovery Channel

I need to figure out my craft for the week today and as I was perusing through the channels last night looking for something to watch when I discovered SHARK WEEK! I was so busy I totally forgot. After quite a bit of thought I decided whatever my craft is for the week it needs to somehow involve sharks. I haven't quite decided what I wanted to do but hopefully soon!!