Weekly Goals

Taking a clue from Money Saving Mom, I have decided to make up a list of 10 weekly goals that I would like to accomplish this week. Not only will this give me some guidance as to what I find important to do, it will also make me accountable to getting them done. I have found since Benjamin was born that if I set weekly goals instead of daily goals then I am more apt to get them done.

So for this week my goals are:

Personal:

-Exercise 20-30 minutes daily (I am giving myself a range depending on what I feel like doing that day)

-Drink 64 oz. of water each day (This is in an effort to give up drinking so much diet coke)

-Read at least 3 chapters of The Help

-Enjoy spending time with Dear Hubby who is taking a few days off this week

-Research new healthier breakfast recipes

Other:

-Do at least 1 load of laundry a day from start to finish (meaning put them away!)

-Sweep all the stairs in the house

-Sweep and dust front porch

-Find and order Benjamin a baptism outfit

-Take the 3 boxes of stuff to donate to Goodwill
Hope everyone has a great week! What are your goals for the week?

Sunday Night Chit Chat

Time once again for Sunday Night Chit-Chat...hosted by our friend Carla!
To play along simply start your post with a photo or quote... Copy and paste the starters and link up to Carla so she and others can visit you and see what you've been up to!

SO HERE GOES:

I love this picture. This is a sneak peek into something I am looking forward to! Can you guess what it is? :)

What are you.....

Reading?

Nothing right now. I just got a big pile of books lent to me from my Mom to start reading. First on my list is The Help by Kathryn Stockett

 

Watching?

Nothing right now.

Listening to?

Benjamin sleeping in his glider. He is a loud sleeper. Bill just turned the tv on.  

Cooking/Baking?

I actually did not make anything for dinner tonight. Bill made the kids dinner and he had leftover. I had a lean cuisine. I tried a new zucchini bread recipe this week. It was from Weight Watchers and it was AWFUL. I will stick to my tried and true recipe.

Happy you accomplished this week?

I FINALLY got caught up on my book reviews on this here blog! :)   

Looking forward to next week?

Spending time with dear Hubby. He is taking a couple days off to spend with us as after this week his schedule gets crazy busy at work. And we get to spend our 7th Wedding Anniversary together! :)

Thankful for today?

Good friends.

Bonus question:

What goal is your top priority right now?

My top priority right now is learning how to fit in exercise and healthy eating into my life. My goal is to lose 45 lbs. in order to become healthier and feel better about myself. I currently weigh 242 and I HATE that. I can use any encouragement, advice and inspiration if anyone has any to give.

So there you have it. A little glimpse into my world on this Sunday night! Hope everyone has a wonderful week and remember to link up to our wonderful chat host Carla! :)

Skip Rock Shallows by Jan Watson (Review)

Skip Rock Shallows by Jan Watson, shares the story of Lilly Corbett- a newly graduated medical doctor, who has accepted an internship at a mining camp in Skip Rock, Kentucky in 1908. Upon arriving Lilly learns that she has many obstacles to overcome in her practice- she is a woman doctor, she will be the only doctor as the doctor she was supposed to help had passed away, and she is seen as a city outsider who doesn’t belong in the same circle as the miners.

Using her medical knowledge, compassion and the learned knowledge that there is a familial relationship with on of the miner families, Lilly is finally (mostly) accepted by the community, much to the chagrin of her fiancée. Interlaced in the story is a romance between Lilly and a miner, Joe Repp, who has his own share of secrets some of which involve Lilly’s past.

I believe that the story of Joe and Lilly is supposed to be the main plot in the story, however I felt that was actually the weak link in the story. I enjoyed and actually became engrossed into the formation of relationships between Lilly and the other characters in Skip Rock, but I was left wanting more in the relationship between Joe (Tern) and Lilly.

I felt the story flowed well with enough action to keep it moving and to keep the reader drawn in. I felt like I was right them in that 1908 coal mine cam because of the descriptive and eloquent language that Watson uses. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Disclaimer: I received this book free from the publishers, Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Shutterfly Long Live Summer Photo Contest

I tend to order photos from one place and one place only...and that place is Shutterfly! Their quality is second to none and their customer service is GREAT!!!

Being a loyal Shutterfly customer, I was excited to see that in honor of Summer, Shutterfly is offering a Long Live Summer Photo Contest on their Facebook page.

Interested?

Here are the details:

Win a trip for four to The Bahamas and a professional photo shoot so you’ll remember your vacation forever. All you need to do is upload your favorite photo and caption based on the theme of the week. Get a gift from Shutterfly just for entering! You can enter at any point during the 5-week sweepstakes period.

PHOTO THEMES

• Week 1(7/9): Americana

• Week 2 (7/16): Great Outdoors

• Week 3 (7/23): Water Fun

• Week 4 (7/30): Sports & Activities

• Week 5 (8/6): Parties & Celebrations

PRIZES

• Instant win prizes just for submitting a photo!

• Weekly prizes (contestants can enter one time/week)

• Weekly featured photos: up to 5 weekly entries will be selected from the gallery and featured on the Facebook fan page and awarded a $500 gift card on Shutterfly and a copy of the new Lonely Planet travel photography book.

• Grand prize: trip for 4 to Bahamas, 4 nights, family photo shoot

So I think you should go enter today! Maybe you will win! Good luck!

Disclaimer: I will be compensated with a free photo book for this post. However, all opinions of Shutterfly are my own.

Giveaway reminder

Just a quick reminder that I have the following book up for a giveaway! Giveaway ends July 18, 2012!

Find the original post here: MOMumental Giveaway

Hope everyone has a great week! :)

Sunday Night Chit-Chat

Time once again for Sunday Night Chit-Chat...hosted by our friend Carla!
To play along simply start your post with a photo or quote... Copy & paste the starters & link up to Carla so she and others can visit you & see what you've been up to!

SO HERE GOES:



Some pretty flowers from the Knox County Children's Garden

What are you.....

Reading?

Nothing right now. I finally started and finished ALL the books in my reading pile that I needed to do reviews on. That is what not having power for 3.5 days does for you! :)

 

Watching?

Nothing right now.

Listening to?

Jacob is pounding on a toy, Benjamin is cooing and yelling a little, Dora is on in the background...normal sounds of our household. :) 

Cooking/Baking?

Tonight I made cheeseburgers and corn on the cob for dinner. I hope to get to make some zucchini bread this week.

Happy you accomplished this week?

I finally rearranged the pictures on the wall and hung up Benjamin's newborn picture with the others. I cut a piece of carpet to lay underneath 2 chairs that seem to want to leave scratches on the hardwood floor.   

Looking forward to next week?

COOLER Temperatures!!!! It has been 100+ every day this past week (which is not normal for around here) with HIGH humidity! This coming week is supposed to be more normal with temps around 90 degrees and lows in the 60s.

Thankful for today?

My children and my hubby! They keep me grounded and keep my life interesting.

Bonus question:

Grab the book nearest you, turn to page 18, line 4, and type out what it says. (Unless of course you're reading "50 shades of Grey", then you're fully exempt from this question.) :P

The book nearest me is "Change Your Life, Not Your Wife. Marriage Saving Advice for Success Driven People " by Tony Ferretti, PH.D, and Peter J. Weiss, M.D.

"Unable to talk through conflict to resolution."

So there you have it. A little glimpse into my world on this Sunday night! Hope everyone has a wonderful week and remember to link up to our wonderful chat host Carla! :)

Change Your Life, Not Your Wife (Book Review)

About a week ago, the world was stunned with the announcement that Katie Holmes had filed for divorce from her husband Tom Cruise. This seems to be in direct contrast to how they should be. Many people are wondering what went wrong? Both Ms. Holmes and Mr. Cruise seem to be success driven people who thrive in their professional careers. So why does it seem like success driven people, such as Ms. Holmes and Mr. Cruise often fail at personal things like marriage? Are all success driven couples doomed to be like Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise and have their marriages fail?

In Change Your Life, Not Your Wife: Marriage Saving Advice for Success Driven People by Tony Ferretti, PH.D. and Peter J. Weiss, M. D., the authors argue that there is hope for power driven people who may think that their relationships are not going to survive. The authors argue that the character traits that help you succeed in the business world are not the same traits that make your marriage and/or relationships work. In fact, many of these traits may be the reason your marriage may fail.

The authors argue that with people that are power driven there is often a power failure in terms of relationships. That is that powerful people, who seemingly have it all, ultimately fail in relationships with their spouse, family, and friends. (p.1). This is due to the fact that to many power driven people, marriage and relationships often rank #2 in their life behind pursuit of power and possession in business. They argue that while control is great in business, controlling someone in a marriage make for a weak marriage.

The authors argue, through personal testimonies and through a case study of a real married couple- Steve and Mary, that there is hope. Successful marriages take work to work and that BOTH parties involved are responsible for it’s success. They argue that YOU must work at your marriage and it my be your number one priority over your job in order for your marriage or relationships to be successful. They argue that time, attention and care are the foundations needed for a successful marriage. Ferretti and Weiss argue that YOU should not be afraid to change and you should use your emotional intelligence to drive the change for the better.

Ferretti and Weiss argue that YOU have the power to cultivate, grow and maintain a healthy marriage in your life. I came away from reading this book, finding hope in the fact that we are in control of the destination of our marriage. That we are in control of where are marriage is headed. Marriage is not easy to maintain successfully. It is very hard work. But in the end it is worth it.

Personally, I found several tips in this book that I plan on applying to my own marriage because I care enough to put my marriage #1 in my life. I felt encouraged reading this book that there are ways to make sure that my marriage is and will remain my #1 priority over my professional life. When I am 80 years old, I know that I will not regret making my marriage #1---rather I will feel blessed that I was able to maintain that with the help of hard work and resources such as this book.

Disclaimer: I was sent this book by The Cadence Group for the purpose of reading and reviewing. All opinions are my own.

　

Prize of My Heart by Lisa Norato--- Review

From the back cover:

Three years ago, Captain Brogan Talvis’s later wife abandoned their son, leaving no clue as to the boy’s whereabouts. After searching relentlessly, Brogan discovers his son was adopted by a New England shipbuilder. And the man’s daughter, Lorena Huntley, acts a loving guardian to the child.

Lorena, who hides a dark truth, finds herself falling for the handsome captain and ex-privateer who’s come to secure ownership of one of her father’s ships. She’s unaware of the Brogan’s own secret when another ‘s deceit has her sailing toward Europe against her will.

Haunted by thoughts of Lorena in peril, Brogan is compelled to choose between the boy he longs for and the woman who has captured his heart.

Will His Love Endure Once He Learns Her Secret?

My thoughts:

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this story. I thought it was full of adventure, humor, love, thoughtfulness, and anguish of conscience. There are lessons in love and forgiveness both of self and other others. I enjoyed reading of the relationship growing and being challenged between Brogan and Lorena, and between Brogan and his son. While at times the plot seemed far fetched (i.e. The use of vomit powder among other things), it did not detract from the story. In actuality it made for a quite enjoyable read.

Throughout the story there are also many applicable Biblical lessons that while interspersed in the story seem to fit without being preachy. For instance the story of David and Goliath in interspersed in how Drew (Benjamin) first perceives Brogan.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book. The only flaw I found was that I was NOT able to put it down while reading it!

Disclaimer: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Anyone up for a Weight Loss Challenge??

So I posed this question on facebook and am posting it here as well....

I am thinking about starting a weight loss challenge....I need some motivation. If I were to start a competition would anyone be interested in participating. I was thinking maybe doing something like have a 12 week competition with a small entry fee. At the end of the 12 weeks whoever lost the most percentage wise would get 75% of the money, and second place would get the rest.....Anyone interested? Or know anyone interested?

Anyone could participate...that is why we have paypal and the internet! :)

Let me know if you are and I will iron out the details.....

Cleaning House by Kay Wills Wyma---A Review

I am starting to see a disturbing trend in Rebecca---it is a trend defined by the I wants. I want this. I want that. She wants this for her birthday. She wants that for Christmas. Did I fail to mention that her birthday is in 5 MONTHS from now? She gives me the evil eye if I ask her to pick up books and toys at the end of the day. The look that says why do I have to do that? She is only 5 years old and yet I can see the beginning of the sense of entitlement that I dread her getting. The sense that Mon and Dad does everything for her and that is just how life is. Because of this I was intrigued to read and review Cleaning House: A Mom’s 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement by Kay Wills Wyma.

Wyma argues that she sees a sense of entitlement in each of her five children and that it bothers her because it is a problem in most of society and is kept going by parents including herself. Wyma decided to spend a year working on teaching and allowing her children to explore and master different areas she felt were necessary to become well-groomed adults. These included such tasks as making their beds and cleaning their bedrooms, cleaning their bathrooms, to making meals for the family to becoming servants to others. While she admits it wasn’t easy and at times her children balked , she found that her children were better people at the end of the twelve months. They learned to put less emphasis on self and more on doing for others.

I found this book to be enlightening and empowering and to reinforce that is okay that I think my five year old should help out around the house in age appropriate tasks. While at times the writing seemed to go off on tangents that did not seem to belong, the main messages were clear. There was humor involved and advice from not only Wyma but also a group of other Mothers and Grandmothers who offer their advice (who Wyma call “ The Ironing Board”).

I think every Mother should read this book as not only a tool to ways to teach our kids that entitlement is not given but earned with work, but also we can know we are not alone in our teaching our children and shaping who they are and what kind adults they will become.

Disclaimer: I was sent this book by Waterbrook Press Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

MOMumental by Jennifer Grant-- Review AND a GIVEAWAY!!

Author Jennifer Grant grew up as a latchkey kid from a divorced home. As she grew up, she envisioned herself in the future as a perfect mom with perfect kids who make no mistakes. When she became a mother, reality hit and Grant embraced a “Velveteen Parenting” style that she expands upon in her book, Momumental: Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family. Grant’s parenting style includes guidelines such as picking her battles, understanding that her children are not little adults but children who are learning and growing and are to be molded, asking questions about family, and making priorities as a family. Grant offers personal stories of her own family life as a mother so that maybe other moms can gain assurance that they are not alone in their struggles of motherhood.

In each chapter, Grant offers stories and wisdom she has gleamed in the adventures of being a mom. In the first chapter, which involves the “Adventures in Saying Yes,“ Grant argues that we must say yes to children in order to allow them to grow and make decisions and face their own consequences. At that same time we must also say no to keep our children safe and loved. In “Adventures in Accepting Conflict,” Grant argues that the perfect family is not real because situations arise in life where problems occur, arguments are made and not everyone is going to agree on a solution. Reality sets in and if you accept that you are better able to deal with it.

Other tidbits that Grant offers throughout MOMumental: Adventures in the Messy Art of Raising a Family include:

• that it is okay to mess up. In fact it shows that we are human and messing up does not mean that we do not love our families any less.
• Moms need friendships to keep us grounded. Friendships allow us to vent, share and know that we are not alone.
• We may, as Moms, do things that are right for our family but that may not be right for others. For example, Grant shares her decision to not give her children access to TV the majority of the time.
• Children are NOT mini adults.
• Life as a parent is hard, especially when dealing with tough issues like 9-11, chaperoning school field trips, etc.
• Family matters and you know that by the memories that you create, the battles that you get through and your allowance of the Grace of God to lead your decisions and trust you are doing your best that you can do.

Grant also offers appendixes after her main story with tips for mothers, including a list of 5 things every Mom should have, signs of mommy burnout and ways to regain balance and a prayer for Mothers.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt is was conversational in style- like sitting with a mommy friend swapping stories. Reading this book helped me feel that I wasn’t alone in the journey of mommy hood and I just hope that one day I can help other moms in the same ways that Grant has helped me gain some confidence in my journey of Motherhood.

If you would like to buy this book, you can find it on Amazon.com. If you want to you can just click the following link to take you there. (Please note that if you buy through the link, I will be rewarded for your purchase.)

One lucky reader does not have to buy the book though in order to read it. Jennifer Grant and her publisher, Worthy Publishing, have generously given me a copy to give away to one lucky reader.

There are 2 ways to enter: (PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL WITH YOUR COMMENTS SO I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!)

1. Follow me on Google Friend Connect (GFC) and leave me your GFC name in the comments. (REQUIRED)
2. Leave a comment telling me your favorite Mommy tip in surviving Motherhood.

This contest will end July 18, 2012 at 11:59 P.M. E.S.T. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be contacted via email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or new winner will be chosen. Only open to residents of USA and Canada. GOOD LUCK!

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book to review and a copy to give away. All opinions expressed are my own.

　 

Happy 4th of July

I hope that you and your family are keeping cool and safe on this 4th of July. I am off to work on catching up on laundry and making out a blog schedule. I will be back later with a book review and giveaway! Have a great day everyone!

Bad storms = No power

Just a quick update----

 On Friday we had some nasty storms blow through, with wind gusts upwards of 80-85 mph. It knocked out power to almost everyone I know. These are the same storms that have caused power outages to over 2 million people in the USA. There was over 500,000 out of power in Central Ohio. Power lines were knocked down, etc.

We finally got power back on last night around midnight. We were out since Friday afternoon.  Am working today on cleaning out our fridge and freezer and throwing out the food. It is one heck of a way to defrost and clean.

Hope everyone out there is safe and staying cool! And that if you don't have power, your power will be back on soon.