**Note: If you are jumping in on this week’s series of posts on weight loss, scroll down to see my before and after pictures and to  get caught up on what we’ve been covering.

 

*Welcome to you who made your way here via www.firstimpressionsbaby.com. Glad to have you! And a heads up on what is in store for next week here on this site… on Monday author, speaker and Proverbs 31 Magazine editor Glynnis Whitwer will be interviewed about her book Work at Home. Glynnis is a wonderful resource for those women who want to make the transition from working outside the home to owning and operating a home business. She’ll offer tips, solutions, and a peek into how she does it. She will also be giving away some copies of her book to a few fortunate winners who leave comments. Please pass this info on to any friends and family members who have, or would like to have, a home-based business. The post will be up all week to give lots of women time to comment and share info with each other about the hopes and challenges of balancing family and work in the home.

 

 

Who are you listening to?

This was an important question that I had to ask myself often on the way down the scale.

For years I listened to the negative, echoing, and cutting comments from a handful of people from my past.

Like the cousin who, when I was about eight, once glanced around my grandma’s spare bedroom where we were playing and announced, “Someone in this room is fat.”  I was sitting on the floor with her and two other skin and bones relatives. I looked around at the four of us in our pastel summer shorts and determined that, since my legs were the thickest of the bunch, it must be me.

Then there was the cheerleading uniform fitting where the coach grabbed all of the skirts out of the storage bin from the year before and after peering at all of the tags on the insides, tossed the biggest one—size 11, my way and said, “Here. We’d better start with this one for you.”

I still recall the fat jokes by my brother. The mooing emitting from the mouths of some boys as I walked by the loooong wooden bench in my high school corridor. The well-meaning, but critical relatives who made back-handed or cleverly cloaked remarks about my size.

They made some bad choices. However, I made the worst choice of all.

I listened to every one of them.

Their words went straight to my heart. They stung my soul.

And I chose to replay them over and over again in my mind.

Ultimately, I chose to believe them and let their carless and sometimes cruel words defeat me.

When I finally let God have His way and rescue me from the life of slow suicide that I was living due to the horrible mistreatment of my body, I began to listen to the words of life instead.

Things clearly in the Bible. Like God has a plan for me. It is full of hope for my future. It is for my good, not my ruin. It will be a delight, not a disaster. (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

But there were also many warnings in His word.

Warnings that my body is the very temple of the Holy Spirit. I should take care of it, not kill it. I am not my own. I was bought at a great price. Therefore, I must honor God with my body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

That I must note well what is before me when I eat and “put a knife to my throat” if I have a gluttonous appetite. (Psalm 23:1-3)

And the most haunting passage of all to me which I knew, if I didn’t change, would be my fate:

….And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed, And say: “How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction! I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me! I was on the verge of total ruin, In the midst of the assembly and congregation.” Proverbs 5:11-14

 

I had to let God’s Words, His perfect, flawless and TRUE words, become louder than the words of the world and the naysayers. There was just one slight problem.

The world shouts.

God whispers.

I had to get to the place where I was focused and intent on listening to His still, small voice over the negative cheers and jeers of the world.

While scripture was of the greatest importance, I also had many phrases that became meaningful to me. Let me share a couple with you.

 

First…..nothing tastes as good as being fit feels.

 

I mean it gals. Nothing. Not smooth, dark chocolate. Not salty, snappy potato chips. Not a brownie with nuts, ice cream and hot fudge. Not two extra helpings of potluck cheesy potatoes. Not even white-chocolate raspberry cheesecake. NOTHING!!!

While I feel that God did make foods for us to enjoy IN MODERATION and to be part of our celebrations, He did not intend for us to gorge ourselves on them. And, even the most wonderfully tasting foods cannot match the feeling I get when I slip on a pair of shorts eight sizes smaller than my “fat” shorts and take a brisk walk outdoors with my hubby or kids. Being at a weight considered fit for my height and frame is a fabulous feeling.

 

Next phrase…..Whether you think you can or you think you can’t…you are right.

 

While God gets all of the credit for the successes we have as believers in our weight loss endeavors, your believing (or not believing) in yourself is key. If you think you can’t do it, you can’t. If you believe that, with God’s help, you can, you will!

 

And finally…Satan wants you to focus on food. God wants you to focus on Him.

 

Do not get trapped into thinking about food and its calories all day long and stressing and obsessing over what you can and can’t eat. Put yourself on a calorie budget. Record what you eat. Use your calories wisely asking yourself with each bite…

Am I really hungry (or still hungry)?

Is this something I want and need?

Is this worth the calories?

If the answer is yes, eat it, record it and go on with your day. Focus on God, His word, your family and your ministry to others. Satan wants you to focus on the food and whine and pout because you cannot eat whatever you want.

And I simply must share with you this little story that my leader at Weight Watchers read to us one day.

While scripture was where I got my strength to make my life changes, I have to tell you ladies, that next to the Bible, this little story was my greatest motivation. I first discovered it right before a holiday gathering where there would be lots of food and lots of mental torment from a few “food pushers” and “naysayers” in my life. (The former tried to sabotage my eating by forcing foods on me or pouting when I didn’t eat large helpings of what they brought. Or they’d slather the veggies in butter before I could dish any out because they knew I was trying to watch what I ate. The latter group of people just made their off-handed, cleverly disguised, but cutting comments that chipped away at my resolve and tempted me to just throw in the towel, give up and stay fat forever.)

Then, I heard this wonderful story.

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a climbing competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants. The race began. No one in the crowd really believed the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.

Heard throughout the race were statements such as, “Oh, way too difficult,” “They will never make it to the top,” “Not a chance they will succeed,” and “The tower is too high.”

The tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one—except for those who, in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher. The crowd continued to yell, “It is too difficult! No one will make it!”

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up. But ONE continued to climb higher and higher. This one refused to give up.

At the end of the race, all had given up climbing the tower except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

All of the other tiny frogs wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it. They asked him how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal, despite the horrible odds and the cruel taunts and jeers of the crowd.

It was simple. You see, it turns out that the one determined, focused, and disciplined frog …….was utterly and completely……….DEAF!!!!

My prayer for you is that you will turn a deaf ear to the discouraging words in your life whether they are from your present, your past, or even from your own self-talk as you think in your mind, “I can’t do this!!!!”

Yes, sweet one, you can. But only through Christ.

Are you ready to begin? He’s always been there waiting for you to get serious.

You can start right now.

No….not AFTER you go eat a bunch of junk from the fridge or cupboard.

No, not after your lunch out today when you order the most fattening thing on the menu and polish it off with a huge dessert.

Not after, on your way home, you swing by a drive thru to grab a huge cheeseburger and some jumbo french fries and quickly consume them in secret. 

No, not first thing tomorrow morning.

Nope, not next Monday after you pig out all weekend.

Not even when you turn the calendar to June 1^st.

I said now.

Believing You WILL Do It,

Karen

**Okay, so here is the deal. If you feel God calling you to drive a stake into the ground and say “The gluttony stops here.” Do it. Leave a comment for us stating so. Then, drink His word deep into your soul. Memorize the scriptures posted this week. Find a weigh in-buddy. Eat less. Move more. Eat more whole foods and stay away from the junk. Build a FEW treats into your week as a reward. And DO NOT GIVE UP WHEN YOU BLOW IT!!! You will still have times when you will blow it. I do. The key is jumping back on the bandwagon at one or two pounds gained. Not twenty. And please stay tuned. I have had such a response to this topic that I am praying about us checking in with each other monthly, chatting about a topic related to weight loss and maintenance and even finding some way to see your successes when God enables you to drop a dress size or two (or ten!!!!) Would anyone be interested in that?Thoughts?  

*NOTE: To all of you who are just joining us on this weeklong post about weight loss. You may want to scroll down to the last few posts for my before and after pictures and to get caught up on what we are covering this week.

*ALSO: I want to give a shout out to you gals who made your way to this site by linking from the interview with me atwww.firstimpressionsbaby.com. Welcome!!!! Feel free to peek around and leave a comment.

I have to be honest with you. I have a love-hate relationship with exercise. I hate to run. I hate to sweat. I hate to exert force to lift weights. I can’t stand spandex and I absolutely loathe the atmosphere and the smell of gyms. I know, I know…it sounds as if I have a hate-hate relationship with exercise. So let me tell you the ONLY thing I love about exercise.

The way I feel when I am done.

I feel clear-headed. I feel younger. I feel as if I can meet life’s challenges with renewed energy. And I feel totally tired, yet strangely refreshed.

But, I still start off hating it EVERY DAY!!!!!!!

When I first began my weight loss journey, I was in such dire shape that I could hardly walk a city block. My knee harbored constant pain from a torn meniscus. Just bending and straightening it made tears well up in my eyes. I remember crying at night and praying to God, begging Him to take away my pain. I also had a bad case of bursitis in my opposite heel that was also agonizing. I promised God that if He’d just make the pain go away, I would start to exercise and lose my excess weight.

Alas, the persistent pain remained. And it was all my fault. My mother-in-love often tells her kids and grandkids “You are the sum of your choices” a quote from someone famous in the past. Whom, I’m not exactly sure. Well, it was true for me. The sum of my choices added up to one big overweight and out-of-shape mommy mess.

Medical tests and MRI’s showed that my torn meniscus was not healing on its own. And the doctors said it would probably never heal as long as I sported too much weight on my small frame. (I am 5 foot 5, have a small frame with tiny wrists and a size 4 wedding band and yet I weighed nearly 250 pounds!!!!) My doctor isn’t quick to pop a pill for every ailment, but he saw no other way out of my severe discomfort as long as I remained obese. So I was prescribed pain meds for my knee. I took the script home, but didn’t fill it. I didn’t want a pill to mask my pain and prevent me from getting to the root of my issue.

So I had no choice. I had to start to lose weight and attempt to exercise while in pain. Our local hospital has a rehab center (where I was going for physical therapy on my knee) that is clean, professional and full of great equipment. It does not at all have an atmosphere of a regular gym with raunchy music, scantily-clad co-eds and mid-life crisis-ers trying to pick each other up (yuck!!) It is a place where sweet senior citizens try to recover from a stoke or regular folks attempt to rehabilitate after an injury. I found out that this rehab center also sold year memberships—at a very low cost—to the public.(And, they have flat screen TVs on the treadmills and ellipticals. That is a plus to this live-in-the-country-with-only-bunny-ears-on-my-non-cable-TV-gal. I could exercise AND watch FOX news channel. Yippee!!)

So, I signed on the dotted line. I got my doctor’s permission. (Required by the rehab center since I was so obese. That was embarrassing) I donned a pair of BIG sweats (the ones Pat Robertson held up during my 700 Club interview) and hopped….er….um…carefully climbed on the elliptical machine. I began to operate it at a steady pace and went as long as my little heart could stand it. When the sweat beaded up on my brow and I thought my heart would surely pound out of my chest, I stopped. I looked down at the timer on the elliptical.

I had exercised a full 2 ½ mintues.

Ugh!!!! I wanted to quit. I wanted to cry. I wanted to eat an entire bag of Chips Ahoy Coconut Cookies. I knew I was too far gone; destined to be forever fat.

But people, in my mind I saw the sweet faces of my children and the concerned eyes of my wonderful, loving and accepting husband. (He never once made a crack, let alone a comment, about my weight. He tells me now that he was concerned for my health, but he never made me feel unattractive. He is a gem!!!) As I thought of them, I knew I didn’t want to leave this earth due to my choices and render them motherless.

So I kept going. I strolled over to the treadmill. I slowly walked on it until my knee hurt so badly I wanted to cry.

Yep. You guessed it. I only lasted 4 minutes. At a pace of about 2 miles an hour. That means it would have taken me a half hour to walk a mile. Not exactly record breaking speed.

Tuckered out and tired, I decided to stop the aerobics and switch to weight training. I sloppily used a machine or two, trying to appear that I knew what I was doing. I did not. One of the sweet workers at the center showed me how to properly use two machines; one that worked your arms (gotta get rid of that teacher flab—you know, the stuff that jiggles on your upper arms when you write on a chalkboard) and one that worked your legs. I used those machines for about 5 minutes each.

Then, my workout was over. In a grand total of about 18 minutes.

Not a workout to write home about. But it was a start. And, I felt I had passed a HUGE hurdle when it was over.

After that first day, I continued to go to the workout center as often as I could fit it in. Sometimes I went 6 times a week. Sometimes I went 3. Always I tried to do one of two things:

Go further than the day before: (meaning, if I had gone for 15 minutes on the treadmill at 2.5 miles an hour, the next day I went for 16 minutes, covering a longer distance.)

Or, go faster than the day before: (meaning, if I had gone for 15 minutes on the treadmill at 2.5 miles per hour, the next day I went for 15 minutes again, but at 2.6 miles per hour.)

Baby steps. But they added up. After losing the weight (106 pounds) in those 10 ½ months, I had worked up to walking 2 to 2 ½ miles at a speed of 3.5 miles per hour. (At that pace, I was now covering a mile in just over 17 minutes, not a half hour like when I first began. God had allowed me to cut my time nearly in half!)

Then one day, several months into my maintenance, He told me to run.

What!?!?! I had never, I mean NEVER run an entire mile in my life. Once, we had to run a mile for time in my personal fitness class in college. My friend Kari and I trotted for two of the quarter mile laps and walked for the rest; completely out of breath; feeling like I was going to up-chuck; weary and nearly fainting. That was when I was 20. I was now 43. How on earth could I run? It was more than I dared to hope for.

But God whispered to me. “Karen, today is the day. Just run. Remember the verse on that plaque in your high school youth pastor’s office? ”

“..but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

So that day last spring, when I got on the treadmill, I cranked the speed up to what was running for me. It was a pace of 3.7 miles per hour. (covering a mile in 16.21 minutes—again, not exactly break-neck speed!!) I told myself I would run ‘til I couldn’t run anymore and then I’d crank it back down to a fast walking speed.

To my amazement the readout showed that I’d made it ¼ mile. I began to get a little winded.

Then it read ½ mile. I was huffing by then. But I kept going.

I couldn’t believe it when I passed ¾ mile. This was further than I’d run in college.

Then, it happened.

Breathing hard, but not faint. The digital readout flashed the wonderful news “1.00 miles covered.”

I instantly began to cry.

Sure, people stared. Some thought I was upset about something. No one there would have guessed they were tears of joy. Okay, so the rehab center director did get the picture when later I told her what happened. She congratulated me like I’d just won the Boston Marathon!! Then, she threw me for a loop. She said, “Let me know when you reach the two mile mark!”

What? Come on lady. You’re talking nonsense! Someone must have slipped something in your water bottle! I could NEVER run two miles. I wasn’t even sure I’d ever be able to do a mile again.

But God had other plans. I continued my “go further or faster” routine. Long story short. I can now run 2 to 2 ½ miles at a time at a pace of 4.5 miles per hour. That means I now cover a mile in just over 13 minutes!!!!! And I try to do it 3-4 times a week.

Please, I DO NOT tell you any of this to boast!!! I tell it to offer you hope. If God can take this former couch potato (and potato chip popper) and transform her into a wanna-be-middle-aged-trotter who can now run non-stop for over a half hour, He can do it for you too! My goal now is to work up to running a 5K (3.1 miles) and run it in honor of my sister-in-love who is a breast cancer survivor.

In addition to running (or sometimes going on the elliptical for a half hour) I also do weight training about 4 days a week for 20-30 minutes. I have learned so much about muscle burning more calories at rest than fat does and the importance of weight bearing exercise in the prevention of osteoporosis. And I know from experience that when I am at a flabby weight or at the same weight yet toned, I am a smaller size, although the scale reads the same! In fact, once I lost the 106 pounds, I began to add weight training at a more serious level. Last summer I dropped one more pants size although the scale virtually stayed the same.

And please, if finances are an issue…know this, I also run on my road and I bought a set of free weights (3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 pounds) at a yard sale for 10 bucks. Often I exercise and run without it costing me a cent. If I don’t need to go to town or don’t have time, I do it the old fashioned way! I could do it only this way if I can’t afford a membership at the rehab center.

Finally, if you get nothing else out of this long winded post, get this:

Do SOMETHING. ANYTHING. It matters. The next day, do the same thing, or do a little more. If you do not give up and add time or distance or weights a little at a time, you too can learn to have a love/hate relationship with exercise. In fact, I will admit to you that you could even say that I am now addicted to my daily workout.

And I never thought it was possible to be addicted to anything other than chocolate, chips, cheese and ice cream.

Glory to God!!!!

Sweet sweating and weight-swinging blessings,

Karen

*Now your turn…How do you work exercise into your busy day? Or what excuses do you have for not moving more? What do you think would be some baby step goals for you when it comes to exercise? Leave us a comment on any of these topics or something else that has to do with exercise.

*Note–please scroll down to see my before and after pictures and to get caught up on this weeks posts on weight loss!

As I poured over the many comments that were left on yesterdays post, my heart was both broken and hopeful. It was broken as I sensed the desperation in many of your gut-wrenchingly honest pleas; pleas for help, for wholeness, for answers, for healing both physically and mentally. How I wish I could reach through the screen, look you in the eyes, squeeze your sweet hand and tell you all that it is going to be okay. You can do it!!! But only if you commit to doing it God’s way. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it.

My heart was also full of hope. I can sense God’s spirit beginning to stir in many of your hearts and wills. You are fed up—literally!!! Sick and tired of being sick and tired. No longer wanting to be ashamed of your temple or embarrassed by your overeating and lack of movement. I can’t wait to see what God will do in the lives of each of you as you commit to losing weight FOR HIS GLORY (not yours)!

So, on to our next topic. Yesterday we discussed motivation. Today lets talk food. The second most frequent question I am asked is, “What did you eat?”

First let me say that I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit where credit is due. In 2005, I walked (okay waddled) into a Weight Watchers meeting. There I spent the next 10 months, once a week, weighing in in front of someone, which for me was imperative. I did not always follow WW and its point counting system. I counted total calories. What WW did for me was provide accountability. Having to step on the scale in front of another soul terrified me and kept me from over-eating. You know how easy it is to be easy on yourself.  When I tried to police myself, I let myself off without a ticket every time!!

You know the routine. You vow to start tomorrow. Tomorrow comes. You eat a sensible breakfast. The mid-morning munchies soon set in and by noon you’ve “blown your diet”, so you vow, “I’ll start over tomorrow.” and promptly raid the fridge. Tomorrow isn’t so hot either and by 2:00 pm, you are plum out of calories (not from eating plums, but from cramming cookies down your throat or opening the hatch and downing nearly a pound bag of peanut M & M’s!!) so you tell yourself, “I’ll start next Monday.” Then you eat like a pig until Monday comes, try to start over, blow it again by noon and promise yourself… “Okay, let’s try next month. Yeah, that’s it, I’ll start the first of next month…..” and on and on it goes.

I know. We are supposed to be talking food and I am rambling, but my rambling has a point. You must have accountability. Find a weigh-in buddy. It was the number one key component to the success God gave to me.  You cannot fudge when weighing in on the scales in front of someone else (after eating too much fudge!) You also cannot afford to blow it for days on end when you must weigh in in front of someone else. Were (and are) there times that I overate? You bet! But it was VERY short lived. Maybe I ate 500 calories of junk one afternoon. But then I’d slap myself in the face and say, “You dummy! Why did you do that? You have to weigh in next Wednesday. If you keep this pattern up, you will see the scale go up, not down! However, if you stop right now and behave the rest of the week, you’ll only be over 500 calories for the week. Why, that is only about 70 calories over per day. That won’t hurt you. Stop it now, Karen!!” And my little self-talk worked! So, find a buddy! I have switched to doing this with someone nearby rather than trekking to WW once a week (a half hour drive for me).

Now for the food…. As far as how many calories I consumed, I pulled out a formula I learned years ago, but usually didn’t apply. That formula is to take your current weight and times it by 12 if you are sedentary, 14 if you are moderately active and 16 if you exercise an hour a day. That is how many calories you would need to eat each day in order to stay at your current weight. Then, subtract 500 calories a day for each pound you’d like to lose per week.

So, lets say you weigh 200 (because it is an easy number to figure and I am not near a calculator!) You are moderately active. So, to keep at your same weight, you’d need to consume 2800 calories. If you want to lose 1 pound a week, drop the calories down to 2300. Make it 1800 to lose 2 pounds each week. Drop it further to 1300 to lose 3 pounds each week. Most experts say not to drop below 1200 calories per day.

Now, once you lose 10% of your starting body weight (in our example that would be 20 pounds) stop and refigure this all over again. Now you’d take 180 pounds, re-crunch the numbers and aim for another 10% gone. Keep doing it until you are at your goal. I am no fitness expert, but this worked like a charm for me! And breaking it down in chunks helps to keep it from seeming like a daunting task. I could wrap my brain around 10%. It seemed doable. When I thought of losing 100 + pounds, it seemed overwhelming and I wanted to reach for a fork and a cheesecake!

Now, the tricky part comes in figuring just what you will spend those budgeted calories on each day. I cannot recommend one certain method, but I will say that fads never stick. Instead, stick with foods that are as close to the way God made them as possible, but do build in some treats too. I tried to build my menu around whole grains, fruits and veggies, chicken, turkey, tuna and talapia fish, and meats with the word ‘loin’ in them—ground sirloin, pork tenderloins, etc.. I stayed away from any white things as in breads, pastas or rice. I tried to ask myself with each item that went in my mouth, “Is this worth the calories?” Because you know, when you are on a calorie budget and only have so much to spend, you want to get the most bang for your buck!

Get yourself a little notebook or datebook and write down your calories each day so you know where you stand. Also, when choosing foods, think protein and fiber. Protein sticks with you. Fiber fills you up and cleans you out! Stay away for empty calories. You know, sugars with no nutritional value. Unless it is your treat. If you want a root beer, enjoy a root beer. Just save the 180 calories for it and make treats only every so often. I had one small treat a day—usually dark chocolate. I love Coco Via bars. 80 calories of dark chocolate. (I wait until they are about to outdate and buy them for a song. They are pricey.) Or I’d have 5 Hershey kisses a day. Or a York Peppermint Patty with a hot cup of decaf coffee in the afternoon—160 calories total. In fact, I think I had chocolate every day! Then, once a week, I’d have a bigger treat. Usually after I weighed in, I would go to the coffee shop and order a hot, creamy, sweet something and enjoy it without counting it. Then it was back on the bandwagon!

You will notice that when you start, you’ll be hungry. You’ll run out of calories by 4:00 pm and wonder what you’ll do for the rest of the day. Do not be discouraged. You’ll find your groove soon. And when you do have a day like that, eat a little lean protein and a salad to get you through until nightfall and then start all over again the next day spending your calories more slowly.

Here are some examples of my favorite meals:

Breakfast:

*whole wheat bagel and a tablespoon natural crunchy peanut butter (300 calories)

*Two large shredded wheat biscuits. Pour boiling water over. Drain. Top with a little honey and 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter. (300 calories)

*2 hard-boiled eggs with salt and pepper. An orange and a piece of whole wheat toast. (275 calories)

*Egg Beaters (1 cup) omelet with low-fat (1/3 cup) cheddar cheese and a banana. (260 calories)    

Lunch:

*Lots of salads with light Italian dressing. I put on tomatoes, mild pepper rings, low-fat feta cheese, cucumbers, purple onions, etc… (about 250 calories)

*homemade veggie soup-carrots, green beans, celery, onions, potatoes, green pepper, corn, canned tomatoes and chicken stock (80 calories a cup)

*Tuna mixed with light mayo and relish on a few whole grain crackers (220 calories)

*Pita pizzas—a circle of whole grain pita (one half—you have to carefully split it) topped with a little spaghetti sauce, some low-fat mozzarella cheese and turkey pepperoni (190 calories)

* Homemade Panini with whole wheat sourdough bread, turkey and light cheese and lightly grilled with non-stick cooking spray. (350 calories)

Dinner:

*Fish, chicken or turkey marinated in light Italian dressing or lemon juice and pepper and grilled or broiled along with a Yukon Gold or red skin baked potato and steamed veggies or a salad.  (400 calories)

*Or—here is the key—a very small portion of whatever I am feeding my family!!! Portion control is so important. We must learn to eat half a piece of pot pie rather than half a pot pie!!!!

For snacks: I love whole grain crackers with Laughing Cow cheese or zero fat hummus, baked Tostito scoops and salsa, mangos, Braeburn apples, carrots and red peppers dipped in light ranch dressing and Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches. I drink flavored herb teas without sweeteners, decaf coffee with Land O’Lakes fat free creamer and occasionally a Diet Rite soda–many great flavors but it does have Sucralose (Splenda) in it and I try to stay away from artificial anything so I only have these maybe once every month or two.      

*So here is your assignment. Figure your calorie budget and then begin RIGHT NOW to stick to it. Write down what you eat. Give your body a week or so to adjust, especially if you are used to consuming large amounts of food each day. And don’t drop too low. If you try now to start eating only 800 calories a day, you’ll never be able to stick to it nor to take in enough nutrients to be healthy. And, will you please leave a comment telling us any healthy yet yummy foods you enjoy? I’m always game for more ideas and I know in my case, variety keeps me going. And here is another verse that was so meaningful and helpful to me. Memorize it! God will give you a way out every time. We just have to look for it and quite looking for excuses!!!!

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” 1 Corinthians 10:13

You can do it!!!! I believe in you! And remember, although I’d love to be able to, I cannot respond to personal emails right now. I will hop on and read all of the comments, however, and will try to answer the most frequently asked questions so don’t forget to leave a comment!

Sensible-eating blessings,

Karen

***Welcome to all of you who have joined us due to the Proverbs 31 Devotion that is running today. Peek around and leave a comment!!!

Todd and me in August 2005

Me now!!!!!! Thanks to God!!!!

“How did you do it?”

If I had a nickel for every time someone asks me that question about my weight loss, I’d be a rich woman.

But when you think about it ladies, it really is a silly question. If I offered a million dollars to anyone who could tell me the two things you need to do in order to lose weight, that cold, hard cash would easily be snatched up. I wouldn’t even need to tell Howie to “Open the case” !

What two things does a woman need to do in order to drop a few (or in my case a hundred) pounds?

Simple.

Eat less. Move more.

What girlfriends really mean when they ask you that question is, “But how did you motivate yourself to stick to the simple plan?”

Well, during this week of posting on weight loss, let’s start with that million-dollar question. How did you find the motivation to lose weight?

It was the spring of 2005 and I was miserable. At nearly 250 pounds and sporting a size 24, I felt as if I had ruined my body forever. In my teenage and college days, I was one of those gals who consistantly had an annoying 15 or so pounds to lose. My freshman year of college, I did balloon up the scale due to too much “all-you-can-eat” cafeteria foods, but I took that weight off in the summer and came back my sophomore year still just a size or so more than all of the other “pretty and trim” girls—you know, the ones who complained because they couldn’t zip up their size 3 jeans!!!

In adulthood, my weight would flex about 40-50 pounds. I gained some after marriage and then some after each baby. I was able to drop back down after the birth of our second child, but it was short lived. So I just gave up!

Fast forward to that miserable spring.

As a just-turned-forty mom of three, I not only was overweight, but I had several medical conditions that were causing me even more distress including bursitis in my right foot, a torn meniscus in my left knee that would not heal and that made it excruciatingly painful for me to even straighten my leg when I got up from sitting for a long spell or to bend my leg after having slept all night. I had a cholesterol level that was sky-rocketing over 300. I had fatigue all afternoon and sleepless nights. Worst of all, I had an embarrassing little female issue that I thought was due to having birthed two large boys (after delivering Mackenzie by c-section). However, my doctor sweetly told me one day it was due to the enormous amount of stomach weight sitting on my bladder. That is what made me acquire the delightful ailment of female incontinence. (I promptly purchased stock in Poise Pads) Like everything else about my weight, I just chose to make a joke about it stating that my next book was going to be entitled, “I Squeeze When I Sneeze and I Cross When I Cough: Life After 40” (Don’t steal my idea. I’m still planning on writing that book!)

But seriously, it was no laughing matter. I had also begun to have occasional and frightening, tightening chest pains that I was just sure was the precursor to a heart attack. And I had an aunt who had died in her early forties from heart disease. I was the same size as she was when she died.

In addition to all of these medical issues, I received a rude awakening one day. I popped in a dvd in of a skit I had performed at a recent Hearts at Home moms’ conference to watch for review. When the camera panned to my image, I instantly thought….”Who is that fat woman? I thought I played that part.” When a close-up shot came, I gasped when I realized it was me! You see, I had stayed away from cameras for years—just check our Christmas letter photos- the kids or the kids and Todd. No mom. And as for looking at myself in the mirror, well…I feel I had a form of reverse anorexia, as I heard it once referred to in the 90’s. That is where you look in the mirror, and no matter how much weight you gain, you still think to yourself, “Aw…you’re a three time mom approaching middle age. You look fine, darlin’”

Well, my chest pains and my wake up call from viewing that dvd was motivation enough. I knew if I didn’t do something, that my husband would soon be a widower and my kids would finish their growing up years without a mom in their life.

So, what is your motivation? Do you want to be around for your family too? Do you long to shop in the regular section of the ladies clothing department rather than hang around at the “Plus Size” racks? Want to be able to trot up a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing? Have some medical issues that are due to excess pounds? Feel as if you are a bad witness for Christ with a “Glutton” sign posted on your back? Wonder if your hubby is slightly ashamed to be seen with you? Wish you could chase your toddler or throw a ball around with your teen? Tennis anyone?

Whatever your motivation, I know this to be true. God did not create you to be morbidly obese. Our choices get us there. Nor do I think He created you to be super skinny or a show off with your body. No, we are shooting for lean, strong and healthy so we can serve God and our families and point others to Christ. That’s it. Being able to slip on a pair of jeans that are a size or two—or seven or eight in my case—smaller is a side benefit.

Also, I will not tell you what you should weigh or what size you should be. You know your body. You know when you feel flabby and what size would be a good one for you. I have some friends who are a size 4 and some who are a 16. They each are in great shape, considered healthy at their medical check-ups and look proportioned for their height. (Okay, now you are all praying to miraculously grow taller!!)

Nor can I give personal medical advice to you. I only know that when I lost weight, all of my many medical conditions disappeared WITHOUT ANY MEDICATION!!!!! Not a pill.

So, as we journey through this week together, just start here. What is your motivation? Write it out. List the reasons God would want you to be more healthy and at a lower weight than you are now.

Then, today, eat less and move more. That’s it. We’ll discuss what I ate and how I moved along with other topics later this week.

And to close, if you are up to it, memorize this verse that was key for me as far as motivation is concerned:

Jeremiah 29:11-14 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD; “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “And will bring you back from captivity”

Is food holding you captive? God has the keys to set you free. And He has a wonderful future full of hope prepared for you.

Sweet Bond-Breaking Blessings,

Karen

**Please note: While I am excited to be talking about this during this week long series of posts, my life is swamped right now with a possible house sale (please pray!!! It has been on the market for 22 months) writing deadlines, preparing for a graduation commencement address and the upcoming Proverbs 31 Ministries She Speaks Conference not to mention a family that needs me—mostly right now to sit and watch them at the ball diamond. (Baseball season is in full swing with two boys who each play two nights a week—you guessed it—on opposite nights!!! Lots of lawn chair sitting for Kenzie and me. Hubby works afternoon shift and can’t go.) All of this to say….I cannot answer individual emails, although I would LOVE to be able to. My family would not be happy dwelling in a severly neglected house and eating frozen pizza off of paper plates for a week in order for me to do so. (Okay….so one of them does love frozen pizzas, but it ain’t gonna happen J) So, please feel free to leave comments here. Tell us your motivation. Tell us your goals. Talk to each other. Ask questions. Vent. Offer suggestions and encouragement. When I can hop on and leave a comment, I will. Or I’ll attempt to answer the most common questions and comments in my later posts. Really, I will. Good ‘nough? Thanks for understanding!!

Okay already!!!!! I get the picture! It isn’t just my friend Marybeth who’d like a little info on how God worked a weight loss miracle in my life. Well sweet cyber friends, I am more than happy to oblige! I’ll do my part, but you’ll have to do yours.

So here is the deal: First, you have to pray that I finish the book proposal I am working on by the end of the Memorial Day weekend. My hubby has Thursday-Monday off and we are just hanging out at home, so it should be doable. However, we are also close to securing a deal on the sale of our home and are looking for a good deal on a new one, which also takes up time. If these two activities don’t burn up all my time, I’ll be able to get that proposal done. Please pray for all of the details involved in both.

Then, my plan is to use next week to post about my weight loss journey. I’ll cover what foods I ate (and still eat) on one day; my exercise routine on another; scriptures that were helpful on yet another and I’ll also talk about how I found out just how many calories I should be eating each day. So, if all goes well, that is how next week will shape up. If not, I’ll try to do it sometime in June.

Now, for my new friend. I encourage you to hop on over to a wonderful website that my new cyber-friend Mari Helms owns. It is located at www.teaandtraditions.com. She is currently hosting an interview with me on her blog www.teaandtraditions.blogspot.com about my book A Life that Says Welcome. Mari has a passion for encouraging hospitality through hosting others for tea. Her site carries many fabulous and unique teas and other related products. Check it out and leave a comment. You might just win a prize!! Also, stay tuned as I will be hosting an interview with Mari here on my site soon. She’ll be generously giving away three different tea package prizes perfect for enjoying on a summer day.

I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Don’t forget to thank a soldier or veteran when you see one!

Beginning-of-summertime blessings,

Karen

I have a confession to make. Our family likes to watch American Idol. While I can’t endorse everything about the show and its past seasons, we have fond memories of some of the highlights. Like when Mandisa signaled “I’m believing God” and all Beth Moore Believing God readers or Bible study participants knew what she was doing. Or when Bo Bice sang out “How far is heaven?” Or this season, when the entire cast belted out Shout to the Lord before millions of viewers! Our home erupted with our own shouting!

We are spilt as to who we wanted to win this season. The boys like David Cook, who is still in the top two. Kenzie liked Jason with his dredlocks and Brooke with her folksy, wholesome charm. (And her spunk as she stood up to Simon who predicted that Hollywood would corrupt her strong morals.) My husband Todd works afternoons so he’s never actually seen the show. For me, it was a toss up between Brooke–who was eliminated a few weeks ago and David Archuleta–the fresh-faced teen, who still remains.

While I do have trouble with the name—I’d much prefer American Star or something of the sort—I love seeing these unknown singers compete over the weeks improving their performance skills and attempting to fulfill their lifelong dream. It makes me smile.

However, in the Bible, idols are nothing to smile about. Over and over again we are warned to have nothing to do with them. We are neither to make them with our hands nor to form them in our hearts. While the children of Israel may have had trouble with the former, being tempted to fashion golden calves and such, more often we modern day believers struggle with the latter. We set up secret, hidden idols. Idols in our hearts.

An idol is anything that we put in the place of God in our lives. It may be the attention of others, or money or material possessions. For some it is their career or their athletic ability. Others are addicted to television, romance novels or the Internet. With me it was food. (click here to see my 700 Club interview on Pat’s Skinny Wednesday)

I was idle for too many years about my idol. I sported too much weight on my female frame. I consumed too many calories and burned too few to boot! The result? I was sick and tired. Weak and miserable. But for years I refuse to take action. I sat idly by and it was killing me. Literally. When my cholesterol level skyrocketed over 300 and the chest pains became more frequent, I finally took action. God was ready and willing, as He had always been, to meet my every need. He daily supplied the strength. He lifted me up when I failed. Over 10 months and100 pounds later, food was finally put back into proper perspective in my life.

Me in August 2005, crushing my hubby!

 

And me……10 months later!!!!

It wasn’t hard for others to see that I had an issue with gluttony. But other secret idols of the heart can be more evasive. While handmade idols of world religions are easy to spot, these secret idols of the heart are not always so. Sometimes only we know they exist. So we procrastinate. We say, “Perhaps I’ll start tomorrow. Or next Monday. Or next month.” Before we know it, we can count the years we have devoted to our idols. Idle, wasted time.

Just as we are sometimes the only ones who know our idols exist, we are the only ones that, by God’s grace and through His power, can tear them down. We must stop being idle. Action is required. Just as a marathon runner takes one step at a time, we must too.

Are you ready to begin? The sound of an idol breaking is a beautiful one to God’s ears.

Hey…and while we are on the subject, my friend and fellow Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker Marybeth has made a request of me and I’d like to know if anyone else would be interested. She wants me to host a blog discussion about my weightloss—how I got started, how I kept motivated, what scriptures I memorized, what I ate, how I worked exercise into my mommy schedule, how maintenance is going, etc… These are items I certainly can discuss with her over the phone, but I would consider hosting a week long forum on it here if others are interested. After all, shorts and tank top season is just around the corner here in the Midwest! If you would be curious about this topic, would you leave a comment on this post stating so? Thanks!!!!

Idol-bashing blessings,

Karen

 

Well, exactly seventeen years ago right now, I was on the brink of being a mom for the first time. After my water broke at 6:00 p.m. on a Monday evening, Mackenzie finally made her grand entrance into the world….after 20 ¾ hours of labor, a partial placental abruption and an emergency c-section! (It was my girl who gave me grief! My boys both later shot out of my body with no surgery needed!) In honor of her big day, I decided to post a recent creative writing assignment she had for a homeschool class. She takes writing, history of World War II and a Bible couse (The spiritual legacy of C.S. Lewis) from my friend Jeanne Noorman. Mrs. N is also a director for the homeschool drama troupe Mackenzie is a member of. For this assignment, Kenzie wrote about an experience in kindergarten. She had a day where she wanted to escape from our homeschool. So I let her! Below is her account of the situation through the eyes of a third party reporter. Enjoy! I’ve gotta go bake my nearly adult daughter some brownies—gooey in the middle, just like she likes them—before she returns home from class and youth group tonight. Enjoy your babies moms. They do grow up before you know it!!! Birthday Blessings, Karen

 

Kenzie today.

Wanted!

Little girl, long brown hair, paper lunch sack, beat-up bike.

Last seen headed southbound toward Kibby Park.

Decided she was sick of kindergarden. Now a runaway.

Packed a PB&J sandwich, hopped on her bike, and headed off.

If found, please kindly return to 303 South Traver Street.

Thank you!

“It all started as a normal day. Just like any other day really. It was springtime. While the birds sang a melody so sweet, my child sat: arms folded, lips pursed and determined that it was too nice a day to be stuck in her ‘jail cell’ of a schoolroom. (Also known as the kitchen). After much debating she finally, reluctantly, gave in and began her work.” That was Karen, the mother’s, story. However the story seemed to alter slightly after sitting down for a chat with the daughter.

“After FIFTY-TWO HOURS of school, I was soooo bored!” said six-year-old Mackenzie. It seems that Farmer Brown and Cheddar the Mouse just weren’t as interesting as they had been at the beginning of the year. “My mom said that I had to finish my school before I went to the park. But I had been doing school all day, I NEEDED A BREAK!” “It had been about an hour and a half when she asked me if she could go to the park. I kindly assured her that we would go as soon as she was done with school and her little brother was awake from his nap.” Her mother explained, “She wasn’t too happy, though she agreed. After another twenty minutes, she was sure she was going to die. She told me that she was running away, I said ‘OK, would like help packing something to eat if you get hungry?’ I knew she wasn’t going to really run away.” “My mom made me do school for another THIRTY-TWO HOURS! I was soooo tired, and starving,” exclaimed the child. Then, sitting up straight as a pin and proper as can be, she voiced, “I told her I was running away! And she believed me! She helped me pack a lunch, and I left!” She seemed pretty impressed with herself. “We packed her lunch and she was off.” Karen said with ease. She hopped on her bike and headed off. I told her that she needed to wait for me to help her cross the road, which she did, from there on all I saw was her long ponytail swaying in the wind. Little did she know, I could see her from the kitchen window. I assumed she would be home in less than an hour, and she was! What a silly girl” “She was so scared!” replied Mackenzie to my question when I asked what her mom thought, “She didn’t know where I was, but if you don’t tell her I will tell you” I agreed, “I just went to the park and ate my sandwich, played, and when I got bored I came home. She said she had called the cops and took an ad out saying to bring me home if anyone found me. I didn’t believe her, but I guess she was being serious!” said the gap-toothed little girl twirling in her skirt. I could see what her mother meant about her getting tired of things after a short time. I thanked them both for talking to me and made my way out. As I did, I was reminded of the days when I was a child. When I thought that no one knew where I was, what I was doing, or when I would return. Little did I know my mother was watching form the window, keeping an eye on me to ensure my safety, even when I thought I was lost.

Wanted!

Female, Mid-teens, brown hair, messenger book bag, 1998 Buick LeSabre.

Last seen headed westbound toward Kibby Park.

Decided she was sick of life. Now a runaway.

Packed a Coke and Fritos, hopped in her car, and headed off.

If found, leave alone, she will return when she is ready.

Thank you!

Whew!!!!! That is all I can say after this past week. Kenzie’s cast at the homeschool academy put on a fabulous play three nights running. That was AFTER two days of tearful and tense final rehearsals when they thought it would never come together. She was so whipped when it was over that this normally early rising teen slept ‘til past noon on Saturday which, minus a day-after-slumber-party-or-two, I don’t think she has ever done!

Todd’s mom and sister came for a quick but fun two day visit during the play. I spoke to a wonderful group of moms at St. Mary’s Church in Milford on Thursday morning and then we held our garage sale on the weekend. The garage sale that I didn’t have time to get ready for until 24 hours before!!! Thankfully, my mom stayed overnight and rescued me. I hauled stuff out and she priced it. Glad it is over. We made a little extra cash, but it was the kids who really cleaned up! If they price their own items and help, they keep the loot. (Although, if they sell clothes, they must buy more clothes with the profit.)

Yesterday was a rainy Mother’s Day, but probably my best one ever. Neither Todd nor the kids bought me anything. Yep. You heard me. No card, no gift, no dinner out. They went a different route this year.

Last night, Todd gathered everyone in the living room just as if we were going to do a Bible Study or Family Time Training fun devotion as we often do. Instead, he had crafted his own clever lesson. He read some fun trivial mom facts that he had found on the Internet stating actions that famous moms did for their kids—the mothers of presidents, writers and even Elvis for crying out loud! Then he had the kids come up with a list of all the things their mom does for the family.

In about 2 minutes, the list was nearly 30 items long and included the typical cooking, cleaning, and driving tasks and some unique responses like Spencer’s “Walking.” When we questioned him on that he said, “You know, like when mom is in the kitchen and we are in the living room and we say, ‘Hey, can you bring me a glass of water?’ and she does it. (Apparently he doesn’t remember all of the times I answer that request with, “And when did you contract Polio? Get it yourself!” )

Then dad had them list all of the things that mom does for herself.

Moment of silence. A few murmurings of, “ummm……well…..let’s see…..she uh…..uh…..”

It took them twice as long and they could only come up with 7 items. (And actually, two of them were things mom does for her friends or readers and listeners, not really for herself but—shhhhh!)

Next, he placed me in a chair in the middle of the room, got out a pitcher of warm water, a bowl and a towel. Then Todd and each child took turns pouring water over my feet–old fashioned foot washing style– as they said “Thank you mom for……” and added one task I do specifically for them or a character quality they see in me. To think that they see through all of my failures and flubs as a mom and notice the good was too much for me to handle!!! They could have done without the pitcher of water as enough tears fell from my eyes to fill the small basin! Especially when I know that Mackenzie has a foot phobia. She can’t stand to touch anyone’s feet. (And she wants to take cosmetology someday. Doing pedicures should be interesting!)

After drying my feet, they gathered around and took turns praying for me. When it came to my daughter, she said… “I am thankful God that for the first15 years of my life I had a great mom.  For the last two she has also become my friend.” Okay….by then I was putty, never appreciated my children more and fell in love all over again with my college sweetheart. This man is amazing. (Okay—so ask me a different day and I will also tell you how forgetful he is, how he can never find his wallet or keys, how he eats food in the middle of the night when he returns home from his shift—food that I was planning on using for dinner the next day, like entire hunks of cheese, uses the last check in the checkbook without telling me and all of the other normal marriage stuff that couples often bicker about. But this time, his armor was gleaming!)

It was wonderful. Hey–and no gifts to return because they were the wrong size!!!

Okay….now on to you moms who left comments last week in an attempt to win one of three copies of Cindy Dagnan’s book Who Got Peanut Butter on my Daily Planner?   After our family time last night, we read through all of the funny stories and great recipes that were sent in. Each child chose one winner from the peanut butter stories and recipes and then hubby Todd drew random numbers out for the two Hearts at Home Just for Moms Planner winners. And the winners are….

For the books, Spencer, our peanut-butter freak who loves to whip up concoctions in the kitchen, choose Darla since he thought the giant peanut butter balls made with dad sounded like a hit to him!

Mitchell, our resident hunter picked Ellen P.  and her recipe and story about the squirrel eating the open face pb sandwiches, although I don’t think you’d be pleased with what he would have done to that pesky squirrel! Can you say “Hasenpfeffer?” I knew you could.

Mackenzie had the toughest time and wavered back and forth between a few. A budding writer, she finally selected Lindsey for her cleverly written and comical retelling of the peanut-butter molten cake disaster.

So you three ladies, email Cindy Dagnan at cindydagnan@sbcglobal.net. She’ll sign your book and ship it out to you right away!

Then, for the planners….the lots fell to Karen (peanut butter pie recipe and funny missions trip story) and Jessica (deluxe chocolate marshmallow bars recipe) Congrats! You gals email me at Karen@karenehman.com and I’ll mail those out to you too. The planners are undated so you can begin using them in any month and refills are available for future use.

Keep posted for other give-aways to come later this month and a few marriage ones in June.

Have a wonderful day!

Give-away blessings,

Karen

Welcome to Mother’s Day week—the time when moms receive an assortment of lovely gifts from their dear offspring– you know–perfumes, coffee gift cards, lotions and potions. Okay, and if a dad is involved in the selection, perhaps an iron or vacuum or another such usefull, yet romantic present! Well, our family has a few other practical presents to give out to deserving moms this week.

A few years back, when speaking at a Hearts at Home National conference, I met a delightful speaker named Cindy Dagnan. She writes and speaks on the many of the same topics I do—organization, hospitality, marriage, etc… and just being around her for a few hours made me know we were kindred spirits. We’d love to be next door neighbors and chat daily while we were each hanging out laundry to dry. Alas, we can only keep in touch through cyber-space, see each other a few times a year at speaking engagements and use the US mail to deliver a handwritten note now and then. We have decided that, since I live in Michigan and she dwells in Missouri, at least we might be able to choose the same nursing home someday so we can finally be neighbors!!!

Cindy’s book Who Got Peanut Butter on my Daily Planner is a useful tool for any mom trying to get her act together. She has graciously offered to give away copies of it this week to three moms who leave a comment here on my site. Below is an interview with Cindy showcasing just what the book is all about. You’ll have to read to the end to see just what kind of comment we are looking for, because there is a slight catch to it!

In addition, I served as project creator on the Hearts at Home Just For Moms Planner, a tool designed for moms, not for professionals in the business world.  My sweet friend and national award winning graphic designer Amber Fuller did the wonderful design on the project. It is whimsical in contemparary shades of brown and teal. It is the size of a normal planner, yet has sections to record grocery lists, menus plans, your family medical information and other such details important to a mom. There are week and month-at-a-glance sections and an address book. Hearts at Home is allowing me to give away two of these resources this week too!

So, enjoy the interview with my friend Cindy. Check out her book. Take a peek at the planner. Then read about the rules for leaving a comment and leave one!! Don’t feel rushed…this post will be left up all week and the winners announced Sunday.

This is a crazy, busy week for us. Kenzie has her play performance at the homeschool academy, we have out of town relatives coming for two days, more out of town company coming for one more day and then our garage sale is Saturday and Sunday!!!! No, I am not trying to kill myself with busyness. We had to hold our garage sale this week since we live in the sticks and no one usually comes. This coming weekend, however, a great apple cider mill by us holds a huge Mother’s Day craft sale drawing thousands of people. We won’t even need to take an ad out in the paper. We’ll get lots of lookers! This all adds up to lots of activity around here. Thus…the reason I’ll only post once this week!! Now….for the interview…… 

 

Cindy, Tell us a little bit about your real life, outside of being an author and speaker.

I am a preacher’s daughter, a wife, mother of four girls and a recovering Type A personality.   When I have to drive into town twice a week for errands, my highlight is stopping at Starbucks for a grande non-fat hot chocolate with whip and a regular blueberry muffin.  It’s the simple things, really.

What prompted you to write Who Got Peanut Butter on my Daily Planner?

When I began staying at home, there were only a few books out there specifically for stay-at-home moms.  Many of them seemed too lofty and unattainable, or to “expert-y” for me.  I wanted to share some humor and practical things that women could use that I have learned along the way.  I wanted it to feel more like curling up for a visit with your girlfriend.

What areas of a busy mom’s life does your book address?

5 main areas:  1) Your time and home; 2) Your marriage; 3) Your children; 4) Your self [yep, you!] and 5) Your God.

What is the most difficult aspect for you of juggling all the many tasks a mom must do?

Guilt.  Hands down.  I know I’m not a perfect mother, but I have waaay high expectations of myself and when we run into a crazy-busy week and I’m cranky, or haven’t had the amount of face time with each girl individually, guilt climbs on my shoulders and has a hey day!  I know I’m not alone in this, because I hear it from women all over the country.

What advice can you give to those moms who are trying to “do it all?” Should we even attempt to do it all?

Snort!  I’m dyin’ laughing here.  We absolutely CANNOT do it all at any one given time.  Trust me, I know.  I tried and fell down hard.  I used to be the President of the “I Hate the Proverbs 31 Woman Fan Club”.  I would read that chapter and freak out!  When I studied further though, I realized it’s more a seasonal thing.  The quote I fell in love with from your new book, Karen, was that if we approach mothering like we approached our outside jobs, we will lose our minds!  We won’t always plow through our to-do lists, but we will always, always be doing something eternal.

What is your prayer when it comes to the readers who will view this book? How do you hope it helps them in their daily life?

I know that every mom’s time is precious.  Valuable.  When I read, I’m looking for two things: entertainment and take away value – something I can use; I assume my readers are the same.  I hope the women who read anything I’ve written will laugh, cry, get inspired, feel less alone and have a tangible something they can truly use in their world.  Precious moms, seize this day – it may be the only one you’ve got.  Cherish, savor, treasure.  Know that no one else can do what you do like you do it.  God sees you, every exasperated, exhilarating moment.

Do you have a favorite peanut butter recipe or memory to share with us too?

My very favorite peanut butter thing to eat is the old-fashioned homemade Buck-eye candies.  Someone always brought them to church for the fellowship linger-longer after Christmas Caroling.  I, um, don’t exactly make them very well.  My friend Vickie, however, has a fabulous recipe which I’d gladly e-mail to anyone who asks – she says mine don’t turn out because I won’t use the paraffin wax.  I must also confess to having wildly jealous feelings when my youngest 3 were all under the age of 5 and my husband would tell me about his working lunches at big people restaurants – “Well,” I’d reply, sometimes huffily, “I’m at home having PBJ and Goldfish crackers – again!  Not to worry though, today I cut them in triangles instead of squares!”

Thanks Cindy for taking the time to chat with us and give away these copies of your fabulous book!!

You are more than welcome!!!

 Okay ladies, now for the give-away. Simply post a comment any day this week in order to be entered in the give-away. The only catch is this: you must do one of two things when you leave your comment. Tell us your best mommy moment memory that has to do with peanut butter or share with all of us your favorite peanut butter recipe. You have until Saturday night at midnight Eastern Standard Time to do so. Then, on Mother’s Day, my three peanut-butter crazed kids will each select one winner of a copy of Cindy’s book. 

 

The winners of the two moms planners will be chosen at random. I do ask that if you are interested in winning the planner, you make sure to leave that info with your comment. These Hearts at Home Just for Moms Planners are the biggest gift we’ve given away so far and we want to make sure they are going to someone who will use them.

Have a great Mother’s Day week!

Peanut Butter Blessings,

Karen

Here are some pictures from a wonderful Mother-Daughter Tea that Mackenzie and I were part of at Northpointe Community Church just down the road in neighboring DeWitt, MI. The theme of this event was “Be Bold. Color Outside the Lines!” and let me tell you…these gals, lead by on-the-ball coordinator Janet, were with it! The event was so well organized and coordinated from the decorations to the wonderful quintet that offered dinner music to the photographer on hand to take multi-generational pictures. Why…even the dessert’s color matched the décor! I saw old friends there from years gone by and made new ones too. Mackenzie served as our own photographer and here are the pictures:

Bold, yet cool decorations…..

Hostesses Nan and Meghan with Kenzie

Bold crayons for the young and young at heart!

Two sweet attendees and the kids’ crafts

NOTE: Be sure to tune in all this week as we will be hosting another give-away especially for Mother’s Day. We’ll be holding a comment contest for you to win one of three—yes three—copies of my friend Cindy Dagnan’s great moms’ book Who Got Peanut Butter on My Daily Planner? I will also give away two copies of the Hearts at Home Just For Moms Planner that I served as project creator on. Hop over and check these mommy resources out and then hop back over this week to try to win. And I’ll give you a hint…. The comment you leave will include something to do with peanut butter.

That’s all for now. Enjoy your Sunday!

Bold-Colorful blessings,

Karen