I know I know.. it's been awhile since I last blogged! My apologies! We all know how busy the Christmas season is! Especially since I have been making my own gifts! I am still questioning my thought process on this one! I did not realize the amount of work behind everything! But I guess it's better then getting nothing! I will tell you what I am making AFTER Christmas because well.. I don't want to ruin the surprise for people in case they read my blog! Inheriting another family sure changes the finances for Christmas gifts! I am hoping everyone likes what I have made and that they appreciate the homemadeness and love behind it! Still have a few more things to finish tonight and then wrap it all!
Antonio and I decided to forego gift giving with each other and save our money and put it towards a Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon! We have decided to go at the end of May! So since we decided this, Antonio suggested we start focusing on getting into shape for our honeymoon. I thought this meant we would wait till after Christmas to start this, seeing as it is 6 months away! We are enlisting the help of our friend Brent, aka the devil, to help train us once a week. He is also helping us with our diets. So we mentioned the idea to him, and his response, "you aren't waiting till after Christmas you are starting next week, I will have your diets ready when I see you Sunday to train." If only you could have seen the look I shot Antonio at this news. I was not a happy camper. But after thinking about things, it is probably the wiser idea to get on the bandwagon sooner then later. Who knows if we would gain weight during the holidays, and now we won't have to worry.
I would be fine just joining a gym, and changing our eating habits a little bit, but Antonio really wants to do this and said he can't without my full support. And it's not fair to watch me eat normal and make him suffer all alone. So I have decided to suffer with him! Haha! And I won't be complaining when I am seeing results! And this is something we can do together and spend time doing together. I will say it is a lot more work then I predicted, with all the food making!
We are on a no or VERY low sugar, high protein, high fiber diet. And a gallon of water a day! Yes, you heard me, a gallon! That would be 16 8oz glasses of water. Not 8. I wish! It actually isn't that bad with the water. I feel like the last 27 ounces is the hardest for me to get down. But I can attest that drinking this much water keeps you full most of the day! And my energy is way up since I am not super dehydrated. I don't feel so "blah" anymore. We are also both eating tons of small meals a day. I will talk more about it, we are still working on diet stuff. The only time we are allowed to "splurge" (hah! splurge is a joke) is after a work out. Since we burned off a ton of sugar, we are allowed to have some to get sugar back! This sugar would consist of a protein shake made of non flavored soy milk, protein powder, and a banana! WOO! Now we are talking! I know right, splurge is a joke, like I said! But let me tell you, that shake tastes fantastic when you get sugar! And if you pair the right things together to eat, you actually end up being quite full on such a small amount! It is crazy!
He is having us basically cut drastically to shock our bodies and to have us start with core foods, learn a lifestyle way of eating, and then slowly add in things as we go. But if we just have basics then it is a lot easier to stick to a diet and then adding in things will be like a treat! So we are basically only eating chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, fish, sweet potatoes, some fruit, TONS of veggies, tiny amounts of cheese, cottage cheese, or yogurt, brown rice, LOTS of egg whites, oatmeal, natural peanut butter, low carb tortillas, and anything else that's basically sugar free. No breads, or pasta. For the most part that is our diet as of now.
Things I have learned this week when he took us grocery shopping, yes our trainer is that awesome he took us shopping to show us stuff! Ketchup has tons of sugar in it! So does BBQ sauce, but mustards have little or none! Most fruit has tons of sugar in it, so you think it's good because it's fruit, but too much sugar! The fruits that are low in sugar are berries. But you still have to watch your amount. Pickles have 0 sugar, and since we are drinking so much water we can eat as many as we want! Salsa also has barely any sugar so we can use lots of that! If you turn things over and look at labels, you should really see how much sugar is in 1 serving of stuff! We are using natural peanut butter, so we can have that! Fish is good, and ground meat you want to get 90/10 or higher. Zucchini and squash actually have a lot of starch in them. Cereals even healthy ones have LOTS of sugar. Greek yogurt has LOTS of sugar! You can make your own healthy hummus and make WAY more then what you can buy in the store for about $5. Milk has tons of sugar in it. Even if it says sugar free, check the back and if it has myletol in it, it's a sugar alcohol and is basically like using sugar. You want sugar and calorie free to avoid the lie of myletol! Eat oatmeal that is old school, the oats in that giant round container. They add a lot of stuff to instant oatmeal! Protein bars are tricky, a lot of them add tons of extra sugar to it to make it taste good. So check before eating one, and if you are to have one, only before or after a work out since you are burning a lot of sugars. The "healthy drinks" like pom or V8 or Bolthouse farms, are loaded with sugar! Look for yourself! I think that is what I have learned thus far! Will let you know more if I find out more.
Our goal is to work out 5x a week. Once with Brent. Ya.. shoot me now. Basically I am going to be sore more then I am not! After investigating, we have decided to join Powerhouse Gym in Ypsi! $25 a month, and they have every kind of equipment lifetime does. Their cardio machines are newer and have tv's on them! They have kettle bells, fitness classes, tanning, and shakes available. For what they offer, this is a fantastic deal! They aren't 24 hrs, but they are 4 minutes from our house, so that takes away a lot of wasted time driving! I am going to try and share recipes as often as I can! I may not have exact measurements and it may only be for 1 person (you would just double everything for 2 people.) If it is a recipe I found I will post the actual recipe, but I am making up a lot of this stuff for the moment! Sorry for no pictures right now, just been way too busy to be concerned with that!
Ok first up we have homemade hummus!
Ingredients:
2 cans of chick peas
2 tablespoons Tahini oil
1 red pepper-diced (or any other veggies you would like to add)
cauliflower-
lemon juice
garlic powder
food processor
You can either use fresh cauliflower or frozen. I used almost a whole bag of frozen cauliflower that I steamed first.
You want to drain chick peas and add to processor. Add 2 tablespoons Tahini oil. Add diced pepper or other veggies. Add a bunch of cauliflower, not all. The more you add, the thicker it will be. Now the rest of it, is all just to your taste. If you like a lot of lemon, add a lot. I love garlic, so I made mine really garlicky. You could really experiment and add what you would like spice wise. So start blending away and if it's too liquidy, add more cauliflower till it's a thick consistency you are happy with. Once it sits in the fridge for a few hours it will thicken up as well! I didn't realize it so I was getting annoyed it wasn't thickening up as much as I wanted, but it did once being in the fridge. And there you have it! Simple and easy and you can freeze what you don't use! Makes A LOT!
Brown Rice Chicken Shawarma for 1 person
Ingredients:
1 low carb whole wheat tortilla
cooked chicken chopped
1 pickle chopped
homemade hummus
brown rice
This is simple enough, combine ingredients and put into tortilla! If it is overflowing and can't fold, then you have put it in too much! You can heat up chicken and rice or have it cold, your preference. I mixed my chicken with hummus and rice and heated it, then added it to the wrap.
Spinach and Egg White Muffins (1 dozen)
Ingredients:
12 egg whites
muffin tin/pan
cooked spinach
spices
cheese
This recipe could really be altered any way you like it. You could add other veggies, you could add meat to it as well. And you could add any kind of spice you want. I use salt, pepper, garlic, chopped onions, crushed red pepper, and cayenne pepper. You can also add as much or as little cheese as you would like. I added about a handful to mine.
Pre-heat oven to 375. Add spinach to the bottom of each muffin cup. Mix other ingredients in a bowl. Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full. They will rise in oven. Bake 25-30 min or until top is golden brown. I made a weeks worth and stuck them in the freezer. Then just pop one in microwave for 1:15-1:30.
Mini Turkey Quinoa Burgers for 1 person (this was portioned into 4 small meals)
Ingredients:
Olive Oil
1/3 raw ground turkey
1/4 cup cooked Quinoa
1 red pepper-diced (or other veggies)
cheese
1 egg white
spices
Cook 1 serving of Quinoa as directed on box. You will only use 1/4 cup of it for this recipe. Add raw turkey, quinoa, red pepper or other veggies, I added a handful of cheese but you can add however much you want, and spices to your liking. I added garlic, pepper, onion, and crushed red pepper. Add egg white last. Mix all ingredients together. Form small patties. Mine made 9. Heat olive oil in pan. Add patties and cook to your taste of doneness. I sided this with broccoli and cauliflower. We aren't eating bread so this is why I added the Quinoa in as starch and fiber.
Ground Turkey Stir Fry for 1 (this is portioned into 4 small meals)
Ingredients:
1/3 lb raw ground turkey
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 tablespoon lite soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
spices
half a bag of frozen stir fry veggies
olive oil
Cook frozen veggies in olive oil for about 5-10 minutes to your liking. Set aside. Cook ground turkey, while cooking add sauces, and spices to your liking. I added garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Cook brown rice separately. After all ingredients are cooked, combine together! Easy!
Protein shake
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana
8 oz plain soy milk
1 scoop protein powder
Add all ingredients into blender or food processor, and mix! Enjoy!
Please let me know if you have questions about anything! Hope you try some out!
So this is what I have so far! Hopefully lots more to come! But these are all low sugar or no sugar, high protein, high fiber meals!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
They will just get to heaven before we do.
This post today is not going to be the happiest of topics just to pre-warn you.
I had previously mentioned my friend with the twins in the hospital. Yesterday, sadly, she had to deliver at 22 weeks. They were able to hold both girls before they passed away. My heart breaks so much for them. I love children and I don't have any of my own yet but now starting to get in the mindset of becoming a mother, I can't even imagine how this must feel. Not only to lose one, but two at the same time. And amidst the pain it is so hard to say you are ok with this and to not be angry at God for taking them. We know they are up in heaven with God. Playing with our Savior and just waiting for their parents to one day join them. I am dedicating two videos to them today.
Watermark-Glory Baby- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hxc_ANJptk&list=LLxskeK7IgSDo4pZzcFWHqDQ&index=1&feature=plpp_video
Celine Dion-Fly-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qVdFl64gt0
I felt moved by God to do this post about death today. It is such a touchy subject, yet so many are afraid to talk about it. But why? It's natural, it happens every single day. So many people are told to hold in their emotions and never move forward with the grieving process. When in all realness you need to cry, you need to talk about it, you need to miss them, you need to realize how much they meant to you, you need to grieve. If we just hold on to them and don't let go we end up struggling so much and become depressed, angry, bitter. It's ok to have emotions and to feel like the world has ended. But we have to also realize we need to look at the bright side of things.
God would never give us more then we could handle. He has a bigger plan then we could imagine, and yes it sucks that he takes people away from us. But look at the time you got to spend with that person. We all will die eventually so isn't it better to see all the good things that came from that person's life? They changed yours in some way, shape, or form. Think how much better off they are out of this horrible world. They get to be with God and our Savior. They will just get to heaven before we do. They may have been in immense pain before, and now they are happy and pain free again. As selfish as we want to be and keep them with us, would you rather be in pain or pain free? It is hard to see anyone go, but we will never understand why God takes them from us.
I have lost 3 grandfathers and understand that pain. I miss my papap so much still 5 years later. I regret the time I should have spent with him and realize now how important it is to spend time with family. I also had one of my teacher's in high school lose their baby girl. She lived to be about 3 months. We didn't have school the day of her funeral. I remember seeing her in that tiny tiny casket and my heart broke. Then they went to wheel her into the front for her service and I was just in shock. I had never witnessed anything like this emotion before. I had never seen so many grown men sobbing before. It was so hard to watch this precious tiny child laying there lifeless like a baby doll in front of me. It seemed so unreal. But in the same token, the things that were spoken that day at this funeral were some of the most amazing things and stories I had ever heard. Even through this hard time God has moved in so many ways in so many lives. I could feel God so strongly that day and could see him working in that room. It was a time of celebration, not mourning. People relayed how this little girl had changed their lives and it was beyond moving. And oddly enough, the parents of the baby were more calm and at peace then anyone in that room. I can't even explain what something like this feels like, but in the midst of so much sorrow, they still praised God and made happiness out of sadness. I will never forget that.
It is strange how death can have such an emotional affect on us. It brings so much into perspective. Makes you stop dead in your tracks and really analyze yourself and your life. I find that in times like these it really makes me think, how do I want people to remember me? How do I want to leave my legacy. Do I want people to remember me in a negative way, a happy way, an inspirational way, a Godly way? I hope that people can see God in me when my life here is over. I hope people know how much I love them and care for them. I hope people have been touched or inspired in some way by me. I hope I make a difference in this world. I hope I bring God to someone unsaved. I hope my family remembers all the good times, laughter, and cries of happiness, not the bad things I have done. I hope friends can be filled with happy memories of me and laugh when they think of me. I want to leave behind a good legacy and this has also contributed to reasons as to why I have changed my life for the better. I want to feel as though I lived for a purpose here on Earth and that I have so much to look forward to in Heaven. That this world is not my home, and there is something beyond our wildest dreams and imagination waiting for us. I can not wait to run into my father's arms and finally feel his physical presence. I can't wait to talk to Jesus and ask him questions about his life! I can't wait to see my Papap and baby Bella!
So I ask you, how do you want to leave your legacy? Look back on your life, is it how you thought things would be? Are you who you want to be? If you aren't then why? What's stopping you? What change is needed in your life? If you died tomorrow, is the legacy you have something you are proud of? How would people remember you? We don't know when our time here on Earth will be over, and yes this may be deep, yes this may be emotional and scary, but I just want people to realize just how they are living. Sometimes it takes a good reality check or something big to snap you out of things. I am not afraid to push, to challenge, and to make you think. It will help you grow, it will make you stronger, and hopefully a better person out of it. Really look at your life and admit to yourself the truth. Is this really the best life you could have? When people look at you do they see God? Or do they see negative, partying, drugs, alcohol, anger, bitterness, or someone who is lost? It's up to you to decide that and decide your legacy.
"My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life." Psalms 119:50
''Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4
In parting I just have some videos I felt like sharing that are songs. You don't have to listen but I felt like putting them on here. If you do listen to one, I hope one of them moves you. All of these have gotten me through a point in my life.
Lead me to the cross-Hillsongs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdq9Q8wJdjc&feature=related
Our God is greater-Chris Tomlin- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlA5IDnpGhc&feature=related
I lift my hands- Chris Tomlin-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbNK50T35wY&feature=related
I surrender- Kim Walker- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSgn-nmBpNY&list=LLxskeK7IgSDo4pZzcFWHqDQ&index=4&feature=plpp_video
Your love never fails- Jesus Culture- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_2qG22SPwU&list=LLxskeK7IgSDo4pZzcFWHqDQ&index=5&feature=plpp_video
Praise you in this storm-Casting Crowns-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGPS8sa-bRQ&feature=related
To know you- Casting Crowns- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzwd6JTaXPQ&feature=related
There will be a day- Jeremy Camp- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8gkDiTvloc&feature=related
Cry out to Jesus-Third Day- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLSKSlJ0-2s&feature=related
Who am I- Casting Crowns- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oEMoJJj3L8&feature=related
How He loves us- David Crowder Band-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLSKSlJ0-2s&feature=related
I had previously mentioned my friend with the twins in the hospital. Yesterday, sadly, she had to deliver at 22 weeks. They were able to hold both girls before they passed away. My heart breaks so much for them. I love children and I don't have any of my own yet but now starting to get in the mindset of becoming a mother, I can't even imagine how this must feel. Not only to lose one, but two at the same time. And amidst the pain it is so hard to say you are ok with this and to not be angry at God for taking them. We know they are up in heaven with God. Playing with our Savior and just waiting for their parents to one day join them. I am dedicating two videos to them today.
Watermark-Glory Baby- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hxc_ANJptk&list=LLxskeK7IgSDo4pZzcFWHqDQ&index=1&feature=plpp_video
Celine Dion-Fly-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qVdFl64gt0
I felt moved by God to do this post about death today. It is such a touchy subject, yet so many are afraid to talk about it. But why? It's natural, it happens every single day. So many people are told to hold in their emotions and never move forward with the grieving process. When in all realness you need to cry, you need to talk about it, you need to miss them, you need to realize how much they meant to you, you need to grieve. If we just hold on to them and don't let go we end up struggling so much and become depressed, angry, bitter. It's ok to have emotions and to feel like the world has ended. But we have to also realize we need to look at the bright side of things.
God would never give us more then we could handle. He has a bigger plan then we could imagine, and yes it sucks that he takes people away from us. But look at the time you got to spend with that person. We all will die eventually so isn't it better to see all the good things that came from that person's life? They changed yours in some way, shape, or form. Think how much better off they are out of this horrible world. They get to be with God and our Savior. They will just get to heaven before we do. They may have been in immense pain before, and now they are happy and pain free again. As selfish as we want to be and keep them with us, would you rather be in pain or pain free? It is hard to see anyone go, but we will never understand why God takes them from us.
I have lost 3 grandfathers and understand that pain. I miss my papap so much still 5 years later. I regret the time I should have spent with him and realize now how important it is to spend time with family. I also had one of my teacher's in high school lose their baby girl. She lived to be about 3 months. We didn't have school the day of her funeral. I remember seeing her in that tiny tiny casket and my heart broke. Then they went to wheel her into the front for her service and I was just in shock. I had never witnessed anything like this emotion before. I had never seen so many grown men sobbing before. It was so hard to watch this precious tiny child laying there lifeless like a baby doll in front of me. It seemed so unreal. But in the same token, the things that were spoken that day at this funeral were some of the most amazing things and stories I had ever heard. Even through this hard time God has moved in so many ways in so many lives. I could feel God so strongly that day and could see him working in that room. It was a time of celebration, not mourning. People relayed how this little girl had changed their lives and it was beyond moving. And oddly enough, the parents of the baby were more calm and at peace then anyone in that room. I can't even explain what something like this feels like, but in the midst of so much sorrow, they still praised God and made happiness out of sadness. I will never forget that.
It is strange how death can have such an emotional affect on us. It brings so much into perspective. Makes you stop dead in your tracks and really analyze yourself and your life. I find that in times like these it really makes me think, how do I want people to remember me? How do I want to leave my legacy. Do I want people to remember me in a negative way, a happy way, an inspirational way, a Godly way? I hope that people can see God in me when my life here is over. I hope people know how much I love them and care for them. I hope people have been touched or inspired in some way by me. I hope I make a difference in this world. I hope I bring God to someone unsaved. I hope my family remembers all the good times, laughter, and cries of happiness, not the bad things I have done. I hope friends can be filled with happy memories of me and laugh when they think of me. I want to leave behind a good legacy and this has also contributed to reasons as to why I have changed my life for the better. I want to feel as though I lived for a purpose here on Earth and that I have so much to look forward to in Heaven. That this world is not my home, and there is something beyond our wildest dreams and imagination waiting for us. I can not wait to run into my father's arms and finally feel his physical presence. I can't wait to talk to Jesus and ask him questions about his life! I can't wait to see my Papap and baby Bella!
So I ask you, how do you want to leave your legacy? Look back on your life, is it how you thought things would be? Are you who you want to be? If you aren't then why? What's stopping you? What change is needed in your life? If you died tomorrow, is the legacy you have something you are proud of? How would people remember you? We don't know when our time here on Earth will be over, and yes this may be deep, yes this may be emotional and scary, but I just want people to realize just how they are living. Sometimes it takes a good reality check or something big to snap you out of things. I am not afraid to push, to challenge, and to make you think. It will help you grow, it will make you stronger, and hopefully a better person out of it. Really look at your life and admit to yourself the truth. Is this really the best life you could have? When people look at you do they see God? Or do they see negative, partying, drugs, alcohol, anger, bitterness, or someone who is lost? It's up to you to decide that and decide your legacy.
"My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life." Psalms 119:50
''Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4
In parting I just have some videos I felt like sharing that are songs. You don't have to listen but I felt like putting them on here. If you do listen to one, I hope one of them moves you. All of these have gotten me through a point in my life.
Lead me to the cross-Hillsongs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdq9Q8wJdjc&feature=related
Our God is greater-Chris Tomlin- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlA5IDnpGhc&feature=related
I lift my hands- Chris Tomlin-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbNK50T35wY&feature=related
I surrender- Kim Walker- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSgn-nmBpNY&list=LLxskeK7IgSDo4pZzcFWHqDQ&index=4&feature=plpp_video
Your love never fails- Jesus Culture- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_2qG22SPwU&list=LLxskeK7IgSDo4pZzcFWHqDQ&index=5&feature=plpp_video
Praise you in this storm-Casting Crowns-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGPS8sa-bRQ&feature=related
To know you- Casting Crowns- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzwd6JTaXPQ&feature=related
There will be a day- Jeremy Camp- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8gkDiTvloc&feature=related
Cry out to Jesus-Third Day- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLSKSlJ0-2s&feature=related
Who am I- Casting Crowns- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oEMoJJj3L8&feature=related
How He loves us- David Crowder Band-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLSKSlJ0-2s&feature=related
Monday, November 28, 2011
Now for the outside!
Well as you may know, I have been currently working on my inner self lately and this is still and always will be a work in progress, but now I feel like I am getting off track on the outside! So between holidays and eating with my parents we managed to make our grocery shopping last a whole 4 weeks! We had to re stock on things that will need replenished like milk, cheese, eggs, etc. And had to get supplies for making meals for the holidays, but besides that we made our food last!
So for this next shopping trip, I have decided it's time to go back to healthy! And it's funny because I read all these websites with tips and shame on myself, because I ALREADY know ALL of these. I just haven't focused on implementing them. I used to work out like crazy and love the gym. But it was for the wrong reasons. So now I need to re-train myself to love the gym for the right reasons and for myself. Not to please anyone else, not to go socialize, and not to keep from being lonely! I know I am not "fat" but I just feel so much better when I am in shape and feel healthy. It seems silly to think working out could change your persona about yourself, but it really is true. Even if you aren't a size 2, working out still makes you feel better.
I know my body cannot physically go smaller then a 6, my bones and my butt won't allow it! So I am ok with not being any smaller then that. It really is just impossible. And when it comes to long sleeve shirts, I can't go below a medium because my arms are so long! They already are shorter then I would like with medium, but if I go large then it's all way too big! But I know smalls usually just can't fit because of my height! And I have a short torso so half the clothes in style right now look quite dumb on me because they are made for people with long torso's.
So this is where the be yourself mumbo jumbo comes in! I can't follow the fashion trends, they don't fit me! I have long legs-always need long pants. I have a sizeably large buttox, so therefore I can not fit into tiny pants or skinny jeans. I have a short torso, so long shirts look funny on me. This is not what the "fashion trend" is. It's you must be tall, super skinny, long torso, and abs. Well I got the tall thing! So this is why I need to stop looking at those pictures. I can't have a V or abs like I see because I don't have the same torso to get those abs! It's all about figuring out what looks best on YOU and what fits your body, not what's in or not! If you look cute, feel good, and things fit correctly, who cares if it's not couture or skinny jeans!
So don't wait till the new years to make a resolution about losing weight or working on your outer self. That is just an excuse. You can make that choice any day of the year! Fight those holiday myths of gaining weight and beat them! You can still indulge just do it in a smaller portion! I am not dieting, I am changing my life style. Diets don't work and they make you miserable!
Let's do this!
So for this next shopping trip, I have decided it's time to go back to healthy! And it's funny because I read all these websites with tips and shame on myself, because I ALREADY know ALL of these. I just haven't focused on implementing them. I used to work out like crazy and love the gym. But it was for the wrong reasons. So now I need to re-train myself to love the gym for the right reasons and for myself. Not to please anyone else, not to go socialize, and not to keep from being lonely! I know I am not "fat" but I just feel so much better when I am in shape and feel healthy. It seems silly to think working out could change your persona about yourself, but it really is true. Even if you aren't a size 2, working out still makes you feel better.
I know my body cannot physically go smaller then a 6, my bones and my butt won't allow it! So I am ok with not being any smaller then that. It really is just impossible. And when it comes to long sleeve shirts, I can't go below a medium because my arms are so long! They already are shorter then I would like with medium, but if I go large then it's all way too big! But I know smalls usually just can't fit because of my height! And I have a short torso so half the clothes in style right now look quite dumb on me because they are made for people with long torso's.
So this is where the be yourself mumbo jumbo comes in! I can't follow the fashion trends, they don't fit me! I have long legs-always need long pants. I have a sizeably large buttox, so therefore I can not fit into tiny pants or skinny jeans. I have a short torso, so long shirts look funny on me. This is not what the "fashion trend" is. It's you must be tall, super skinny, long torso, and abs. Well I got the tall thing! So this is why I need to stop looking at those pictures. I can't have a V or abs like I see because I don't have the same torso to get those abs! It's all about figuring out what looks best on YOU and what fits your body, not what's in or not! If you look cute, feel good, and things fit correctly, who cares if it's not couture or skinny jeans!
So don't wait till the new years to make a resolution about losing weight or working on your outer self. That is just an excuse. You can make that choice any day of the year! Fight those holiday myths of gaining weight and beat them! You can still indulge just do it in a smaller portion! I am not dieting, I am changing my life style. Diets don't work and they make you miserable!
Let's do this!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Turkey Holiday recap.
Before we begin with the blog, I have a huge prayer request. A fellow leader from Velocity is pregnant with twins. She went in the hospital almost 2 weeks ago in early labor at 21 weeks. They were able to stop the labor and tried to do a surgery to keep the babies in but it was unsuccessful. So they put her on bed rest until she went into labor again. The chance of survival under 23 weeks in almost non existent and even 23-25 weeks doesn't guarantee survival. At 23 weeks they will be developed enough to survive outside of the womb but would be in the hospital for a very long time. She is almost 23 weeks. She was doing fine until a few minutes ago and has started pre-labor again and is in a lot of pain. So I ask that you please stop for a few minutes and pray for a miracle. Put yourself in her place and try to imagine what it would be like to be in this position. How scared she must be and how scary this would be. The thought of her losing twins just brings me to tears. I couldn't imagine losing one let alone two. She needs a miracle. So please do that, she needs as much prayer as possible.
Moving on. So we went to 5 Thanksgiving's. Yes turkey and I are not bff's at this moment. I have had my fill for quite awhile! It was fun to go to all the different thanksgiving's and see different traditions and share this special time with more then just family! If anything, holidays are a chance to bring people closer! I made Martha Stewart Mac and Cheese. O M G. It was devine! Defiantly one of the best I have had!! Here is the recipe- http://www.food52.com/recipes/14671_martha_stewarts_macaroni_and_cheese It is a lot of work, and it isn't cheap to make but it is deliciousss! I would suggest making it for company or for Christmas! I also made these cupcakes- http://www.fashionmeetsfood.com/2011/11/skinny-funfetti-cupcakes.html They were super yummy! And super moist! I didn't think this recipe would work but it was super easy and I would recommend it! I made them for my Meggers and she loved them! So did my husband!! I also made these cookie dough bites without eggs- http://family.go.com/food/recipe-639377-cookie-dough-bites-t/ They were pretty good! Not exactly the same taste as raw cookie dough, but no tummy ache after! They came pretty close to the same flavor!
I have so much to be thankful for this year. My family, my husband, my dream wedding, my new life, my job, Antonio's job, our apartment, my new family, our new church, our new church family, my friends, my Lola, those who love and support us, and so much more! This year has brought SO MUCH into my life and I can't even believe the changes that I have been through! I am so thankful God has put me on this path and that I have become closer to Him!
Amidst all this, I am still human. I still have my weaknesses. And Black Friday really was rough for me. I decided to go out at midnight and ended up in the worst store with the worst lines. I should have just waited since all I wanted to buy was Christmas decorations. When I am tired, hungry, and have stood in line for 2.5 hours in the middle of the night, this does not make for a happy Lyndsey. I ended up in bed at 5 and had to be up at 11, so I was not a happy camper.
We were also test driving a Murano we found that was a really good deal. I got a letter in the mail from the dealership and just decided to go take a look at what they had since my lease is up in July. I didn't expect to find anything but found this 09 used Murano that was an amazing deal. So we just decided to check it out and then also go check out Ford and see what we could get with Antonio's discount. We realized the Murano was a great deal but we couldn't afford the payment they wanted so we went back to see if we could get it down. They ended up getting it down to what we could afford, but it was going to require taking longer to pay the car off. Which we were ok with. So I got all excited thinking I had gotten the car and then we find out the bank didn't want us to take that long to pay it off since so many people lately haven't been able to afford paying for cars. So then I was pretty much deflated and I usually get what I want so when I don't, I somehow take it personally. So I left in a bad mood on top of a tired cranky mood. Then we got to my parents house and my mom had told me something that someone had said about her and I am not sure if my emotions were just high or what was going on, but it just sent me over the edge. It's one thing to be tired, and not get something you wanted, but someone saying rude things about my mom when she is like the nicest person on earth and has been nothing but nice to these people just infuriated me! And on top of that we have known these people for a long time and I was genuinely hurt that someone would be that mean about my mother when we have treated them so kindly. So my black friday was just an emotional mess on my part.
It is so very hard to get out of a bad mood on a normal day and even harder on a holiday since you know you should be thankful. It was a major challenge to myself to snap out of this mood and put my mind back in the correct frame of thought. I just kept looking at a ring I have on my right hand that is a scripture verse and kept thinking God is faithful. And I told myself if the car was meant to be and the timing was right I would have it. But it's not, and I need to let it go. Who knows what I will get in July and just have faith he will provide. And as much as I would like to punch people in the face for being mean to my mom, I think those things came out of jealousy and I feel sorry they have to stoop to that level due to jealousy. And I should be thankful I have such a wonderful mother and I am so proud of her. She handled the comment quite well and I know it hurt her but she knows she is better then that. She turned the comment into something funny and has found some strength from it as well. So even through bad things, as hard as it is, we can always find something good from it! It's a daily battle and I hope you can find something good out of hard times as well!
On another note I would like to proclaim my excitement for inspiring a new blogger!! Yay! I am so happy people can read my blog and become inspired in whatever way possible! Here is her blog Daniella Noble. Good luck to her in her blogging! She is engaged and will be getting married next December in 2012 and wanted to start a blog as a fiance and then eventually a wife! Woo wife power! :)
Anddd my last thing, we decorated for Christmas last night and I wish I could turn our apartment into a Christmas Winter Wonderland but that costs a lot of money! So I will have to slowly work our way up to that! I thought it was going to be a jolly time but I wanted to make our tree look perfect and moving your husbands previously post ornament does not bode well in tree decorating. I ended up having to decorate most of the tree by myself. Oops. Guess this is why women do all the decorating! I can't help wanting to make it look nice. So he ended up sitting on the couch angry at me for moving his ornament and refused to help. Then later admitted I did a good job decorating the tree. So I am not sure if that ended well or not? We finished the evening out watching Love Actually. One of my all time favorite Christmas movies! I LOVEEE it! If you haven't seen it you must watch!
Moving on. So we went to 5 Thanksgiving's. Yes turkey and I are not bff's at this moment. I have had my fill for quite awhile! It was fun to go to all the different thanksgiving's and see different traditions and share this special time with more then just family! If anything, holidays are a chance to bring people closer! I made Martha Stewart Mac and Cheese. O M G. It was devine! Defiantly one of the best I have had!! Here is the recipe- http://www.food52.com/recipes/14671_martha_stewarts_macaroni_and_cheese It is a lot of work, and it isn't cheap to make but it is deliciousss! I would suggest making it for company or for Christmas! I also made these cupcakes- http://www.fashionmeetsfood.com/2011/11/skinny-funfetti-cupcakes.html They were super yummy! And super moist! I didn't think this recipe would work but it was super easy and I would recommend it! I made them for my Meggers and she loved them! So did my husband!! I also made these cookie dough bites without eggs- http://family.go.com/food/recipe-639377-cookie-dough-bites-t/ They were pretty good! Not exactly the same taste as raw cookie dough, but no tummy ache after! They came pretty close to the same flavor!
I have so much to be thankful for this year. My family, my husband, my dream wedding, my new life, my job, Antonio's job, our apartment, my new family, our new church, our new church family, my friends, my Lola, those who love and support us, and so much more! This year has brought SO MUCH into my life and I can't even believe the changes that I have been through! I am so thankful God has put me on this path and that I have become closer to Him!
Amidst all this, I am still human. I still have my weaknesses. And Black Friday really was rough for me. I decided to go out at midnight and ended up in the worst store with the worst lines. I should have just waited since all I wanted to buy was Christmas decorations. When I am tired, hungry, and have stood in line for 2.5 hours in the middle of the night, this does not make for a happy Lyndsey. I ended up in bed at 5 and had to be up at 11, so I was not a happy camper.
We were also test driving a Murano we found that was a really good deal. I got a letter in the mail from the dealership and just decided to go take a look at what they had since my lease is up in July. I didn't expect to find anything but found this 09 used Murano that was an amazing deal. So we just decided to check it out and then also go check out Ford and see what we could get with Antonio's discount. We realized the Murano was a great deal but we couldn't afford the payment they wanted so we went back to see if we could get it down. They ended up getting it down to what we could afford, but it was going to require taking longer to pay the car off. Which we were ok with. So I got all excited thinking I had gotten the car and then we find out the bank didn't want us to take that long to pay it off since so many people lately haven't been able to afford paying for cars. So then I was pretty much deflated and I usually get what I want so when I don't, I somehow take it personally. So I left in a bad mood on top of a tired cranky mood. Then we got to my parents house and my mom had told me something that someone had said about her and I am not sure if my emotions were just high or what was going on, but it just sent me over the edge. It's one thing to be tired, and not get something you wanted, but someone saying rude things about my mom when she is like the nicest person on earth and has been nothing but nice to these people just infuriated me! And on top of that we have known these people for a long time and I was genuinely hurt that someone would be that mean about my mother when we have treated them so kindly. So my black friday was just an emotional mess on my part.
It is so very hard to get out of a bad mood on a normal day and even harder on a holiday since you know you should be thankful. It was a major challenge to myself to snap out of this mood and put my mind back in the correct frame of thought. I just kept looking at a ring I have on my right hand that is a scripture verse and kept thinking God is faithful. And I told myself if the car was meant to be and the timing was right I would have it. But it's not, and I need to let it go. Who knows what I will get in July and just have faith he will provide. And as much as I would like to punch people in the face for being mean to my mom, I think those things came out of jealousy and I feel sorry they have to stoop to that level due to jealousy. And I should be thankful I have such a wonderful mother and I am so proud of her. She handled the comment quite well and I know it hurt her but she knows she is better then that. She turned the comment into something funny and has found some strength from it as well. So even through bad things, as hard as it is, we can always find something good from it! It's a daily battle and I hope you can find something good out of hard times as well!
On another note I would like to proclaim my excitement for inspiring a new blogger!! Yay! I am so happy people can read my blog and become inspired in whatever way possible! Here is her blog Daniella Noble. Good luck to her in her blogging! She is engaged and will be getting married next December in 2012 and wanted to start a blog as a fiance and then eventually a wife! Woo wife power! :)
Anddd my last thing, we decorated for Christmas last night and I wish I could turn our apartment into a Christmas Winter Wonderland but that costs a lot of money! So I will have to slowly work our way up to that! I thought it was going to be a jolly time but I wanted to make our tree look perfect and moving your husbands previously post ornament does not bode well in tree decorating. I ended up having to decorate most of the tree by myself. Oops. Guess this is why women do all the decorating! I can't help wanting to make it look nice. So he ended up sitting on the couch angry at me for moving his ornament and refused to help. Then later admitted I did a good job decorating the tree. So I am not sure if that ended well or not? We finished the evening out watching Love Actually. One of my all time favorite Christmas movies! I LOVEEE it! If you haven't seen it you must watch!
via Google images
Ok christmas decorating pictures!!
First this is my little baby niece Ellisia. This was from Thanksgiving!
Our sliding door window. Little snowmen and penguin stick ons!
Lola had to have her own ornament. She doesn't know what to do with it.
Must try to eat it!
Mineeee!
I decorated our windows with ribbon hanging from our tension rod and tied little ornaments on it.
our Christmas tree and Tv stand!
our first tree!
our tv stand
our door to our apt!
We also got a game to play on Thanksgiving. It is called Urban Myth. It was pretty fun and easy. And the facts they put on there are so ridiculous you don't feel so dumb when you don't know them! So if you are looking for a fun, easy game to get try it out!
via Google Images
Tell me about your holiday! How did it go? Did you struggle with being thankful this weekend?
"Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ- the Message- have run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives-words, actions, whatever- be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way." Colossians 3:16 MSG
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
A little real life wife talk!
Ok this post isn't just directed towards wife's! I am just speaking from a wife point of view and some things may apply more to wives than other things I talk about! Ok now that we have that out of the way let's move on.
So I was thinking about what I wanted to post today as I was doing our mound of dishes. And I had a few things come to mind and my first thing was about blogging and wifehood. Now I love to read other people's blogs as much as the next person and I have come to see a pattern recently in many blogs I see. If you are a blogger I think you will agree with me that you tend to see a lot of the wive's blogs posted seem to be almost too perfect. All you hear about is how they cook a daily recipe with their amazing pictures on their perfectly decorated tables. Or that pretty much every day in their lives seems to be amazing. They never have anything bad happen to them, maybe a broken nail or a hair out of place. You never hear about their kitchen being dirty *gasp* ever. You never hear about their husbands leaving the toilet seat up and they fall in the toilet in the middle of the night, or once again your husband forgot to refill the toilet paper roll and you are sitting there wondering how you can maneuver to get the extra roll from under the counter without dripping pee all over the place. Their blogs are so peppy and happy ALL the time. I feel as though people think they need to post things so people think you have it all together all the time. Uhm hello, are you alive? This is such crap to me.
It is one thing to post about a really awesome few days or something. But I feel like I am not good enough when I read these oh so perfect blogs. I am sure they didn't even make a mess creating their daily blog masterpiece meals! In all actuality they kind of annoy me. I know their intentions are not to say hey I am better than you, I think they just want people to like their blog and see their superwoman powers they contain. Which as a woman we all have those! I just know my superpowers tend to work when they want to, which doesn't happen every day! I mean my mother is super woman, I am convinced of this. She gives Martha Stewart a run for her money and I don't think Martha would stand a chance! But even my mom's super powers take a break and she has bad days. So what I am getting at is as wonderful as those blogs are, for myself, I want real.
I am tired of women having to live up to these perfect persona's of having to do it all. I want to hear about people's struggle's and how they over come them. I want to hear about trials in your marriage that you found a way to work through. I want to know what pushes you through a bad day or a good day. I want to know how you deal with our raging hormones or a bad hair day. I want to know how falling in the toilet at 2 am was for you. I want to know that saying hey, I need a break is OK. I want to know that not having superpowers 24/7 is normal. I want to know we are all the same and just human.
I love hearing about new recipe's and how to remove stains from my carpet as much as the next wife, but I also want to grow and learn as a person. Being a wife is new territory and I don't think you can ever know it all when it comes to that area. I think helping other wives and women is a blessing. I think most people want to hear the real stuff. If you have gone through something you can laugh and say oh yes I have been there, this is my story. Or hey here is my advice on that. People who never have any problems are complete fakers in my opinion. If you are married you know it isn't easy. So as wives why aren't we trying to help each other more often? Because admitting we aren't perfect is a big scary step. I honestly have more respect for the women who keep it real and aren't afraid to say my kitchen has been dirty for 3 whole days! (oh no!!) There are days I want to scream because I am at the end of my rope! But heaven forbid I say marriage is hard or things aren't going so well. There are other days where marriage is like a heavenly dream and we have a great night. I also like to hear about those things!
I feel like there are so many little secrets to making a marriage work and I want to know them. I am sure I am not the only one who wants to know! And I am sure there are too many proud women who refuse to go buy a self help marriage book because they will figure it out on their own. Come on really? Why make your marriage suffer because of your ego. There's a reason you were not born into wifehood. You have to learn how to be a good wife, it isn't just natural, sorry to burst that bubble. And I don't understand why people are afraid to talk about it. Just because things aren't great doesn't mean you are a failure. If anything find a way to fix it! I was talking to my friend about this and she hadn't mentioned anything to me about her marriage except it was great blah blah and then I suggested a book for her to read and it was like a lightswitch went off and she opened up to me about how they were going to counseling and things were so hard. And I thought why do we need to put up such a front about things. We don't have to sit there and explain in detail how things are going but isn't it wrong to sit there and lie about things as well? I told her if she ever wanted to talk about marriage I am here, I will not sugar coat things and I will be real about it. And if you are mad over toilet paper, I am sure I have a similar story.
You would be amazed at how many other women are going through the same things! Even beginning my blog I thought I will only put things up that show how great of a wife I am so everyone thinks things are great! I now realize that I may have been real about other parts of my life but maybe not so much my marriage. So I am here to promise I will be real to an extent and will not be a "perfect blog," I am here to help in any way I can! If you are having a bad day and want to talk, let me know. If you have a question, let me know. If you want prayer for your marriage or yourself let me know. I want women to know that we don't need to be alone during all this. And it is ok to have dirty dishes in the sink, dirty clothes in the hamper, and a messy place for more then 24 hrs. You are not a bad wife!
I also have a book that I HIGHLY recommend any woman to read that is in a relationship! Whether you have been married 20 yrs or engaged or just dating. This book in phenomenal and it has changed our marriage dramatically! Not to say ours is perfect now, it is daily work. But I feel as though this has given us huge tools and knowledge to work with! It is called Love and Respect.
So I was thinking about what I wanted to post today as I was doing our mound of dishes. And I had a few things come to mind and my first thing was about blogging and wifehood. Now I love to read other people's blogs as much as the next person and I have come to see a pattern recently in many blogs I see. If you are a blogger I think you will agree with me that you tend to see a lot of the wive's blogs posted seem to be almost too perfect. All you hear about is how they cook a daily recipe with their amazing pictures on their perfectly decorated tables. Or that pretty much every day in their lives seems to be amazing. They never have anything bad happen to them, maybe a broken nail or a hair out of place. You never hear about their kitchen being dirty *gasp* ever. You never hear about their husbands leaving the toilet seat up and they fall in the toilet in the middle of the night, or once again your husband forgot to refill the toilet paper roll and you are sitting there wondering how you can maneuver to get the extra roll from under the counter without dripping pee all over the place. Their blogs are so peppy and happy ALL the time. I feel as though people think they need to post things so people think you have it all together all the time. Uhm hello, are you alive? This is such crap to me.
It is one thing to post about a really awesome few days or something. But I feel like I am not good enough when I read these oh so perfect blogs. I am sure they didn't even make a mess creating their daily blog masterpiece meals! In all actuality they kind of annoy me. I know their intentions are not to say hey I am better than you, I think they just want people to like their blog and see their superwoman powers they contain. Which as a woman we all have those! I just know my superpowers tend to work when they want to, which doesn't happen every day! I mean my mother is super woman, I am convinced of this. She gives Martha Stewart a run for her money and I don't think Martha would stand a chance! But even my mom's super powers take a break and she has bad days. So what I am getting at is as wonderful as those blogs are, for myself, I want real.
I am tired of women having to live up to these perfect persona's of having to do it all. I want to hear about people's struggle's and how they over come them. I want to hear about trials in your marriage that you found a way to work through. I want to know what pushes you through a bad day or a good day. I want to know how you deal with our raging hormones or a bad hair day. I want to know how falling in the toilet at 2 am was for you. I want to know that saying hey, I need a break is OK. I want to know that not having superpowers 24/7 is normal. I want to know we are all the same and just human.
I love hearing about new recipe's and how to remove stains from my carpet as much as the next wife, but I also want to grow and learn as a person. Being a wife is new territory and I don't think you can ever know it all when it comes to that area. I think helping other wives and women is a blessing. I think most people want to hear the real stuff. If you have gone through something you can laugh and say oh yes I have been there, this is my story. Or hey here is my advice on that. People who never have any problems are complete fakers in my opinion. If you are married you know it isn't easy. So as wives why aren't we trying to help each other more often? Because admitting we aren't perfect is a big scary step. I honestly have more respect for the women who keep it real and aren't afraid to say my kitchen has been dirty for 3 whole days! (oh no!!) There are days I want to scream because I am at the end of my rope! But heaven forbid I say marriage is hard or things aren't going so well. There are other days where marriage is like a heavenly dream and we have a great night. I also like to hear about those things!
I feel like there are so many little secrets to making a marriage work and I want to know them. I am sure I am not the only one who wants to know! And I am sure there are too many proud women who refuse to go buy a self help marriage book because they will figure it out on their own. Come on really? Why make your marriage suffer because of your ego. There's a reason you were not born into wifehood. You have to learn how to be a good wife, it isn't just natural, sorry to burst that bubble. And I don't understand why people are afraid to talk about it. Just because things aren't great doesn't mean you are a failure. If anything find a way to fix it! I was talking to my friend about this and she hadn't mentioned anything to me about her marriage except it was great blah blah and then I suggested a book for her to read and it was like a lightswitch went off and she opened up to me about how they were going to counseling and things were so hard. And I thought why do we need to put up such a front about things. We don't have to sit there and explain in detail how things are going but isn't it wrong to sit there and lie about things as well? I told her if she ever wanted to talk about marriage I am here, I will not sugar coat things and I will be real about it. And if you are mad over toilet paper, I am sure I have a similar story.
You would be amazed at how many other women are going through the same things! Even beginning my blog I thought I will only put things up that show how great of a wife I am so everyone thinks things are great! I now realize that I may have been real about other parts of my life but maybe not so much my marriage. So I am here to promise I will be real to an extent and will not be a "perfect blog," I am here to help in any way I can! If you are having a bad day and want to talk, let me know. If you have a question, let me know. If you want prayer for your marriage or yourself let me know. I want women to know that we don't need to be alone during all this. And it is ok to have dirty dishes in the sink, dirty clothes in the hamper, and a messy place for more then 24 hrs. You are not a bad wife!
I also have a book that I HIGHLY recommend any woman to read that is in a relationship! Whether you have been married 20 yrs or engaged or just dating. This book in phenomenal and it has changed our marriage dramatically! Not to say ours is perfect now, it is daily work. But I feel as though this has given us huge tools and knowledge to work with! It is called Love and Respect.
via Google images
This book is not just for the woman it is for the woman and man to read. It basically tells you why women act a certain way and why men do. And you not only learn about how you act and why you act that way, but you learn why the man does too so you can recognize certain things when they are happening. It talks about the crazy cycle. When wives feel unloved they don't respect their husbands. When husbands don't feel respected they act unloving towards their wives. And so the cycle becomes a circle on repeat till someone jumps off.
Now as important as it is for a woman to feel loved, it is for men to feel respected. When they feel respected they feel loved. As women when we feel loved we feel respected. So you may think because you are showing love in your way to him that he should be responding lovingly, but that is not the case. You may think you are doing something loving but if he feels disrespected in any way he shuts down and becomes unloving. This was a huge revelation to me. I thought back on all our fights and thought about them. I thought showing my concern over something was the right thing to do. But in the midst of it I never realized what I was saying was being disrespectful. And basically anything to bring him down or make him feel like less of a man or unsupported makes him feel disrespected. I had NO idea! It made so much sense why when I was trying to express I felt unloved he felt like I was saying he wasn't good enough which in turn made him feel disrespected. So why would he be loving after that? So now I understand I have to analyze things I say and make sure I am expressing why I feel how I do without being disrespectful.
It also talks about how men and women see things completely differently. Women wear pink sunglasses and pink hearing aids. Men wear blue sunglasses and blue hearing aids. So you could say the same phrase to both the man and woman and they hear two completely different things. That made so much sense to me! And he gives examples of this.
He also shows biblical reason as why wives need to respect their husband and why husbands need to love their wives. As women we are wired to love unconditionally. So when we hear unconditional respect we are like whatttt?? What is that? How do we do that? Men are wired to have unconditional respect so they hear you need to love unconditionally and they are like whatttt?? What is that? How do we do that? So you see ladies, men and women are QUITE different. So when we talk to them we can't expect them to understand how we feel or to just get it. Cuz trust me they won't!
He talks about ways you can show respect to your husband and ways husbands can show love to their wives. Because they have no idea what you like and you have no idea what they like. Our view of respect is completely different then their view! There are SO many other great things in this book I can't even begin to tell you! And it WORKS. I am living proof here to tell you this works! It is REALLY hard to not be prideful and selfish and to say sorry. But when things are done right, the end results are amazing! You will find your husband showing you love in your way not theirs. Like cleaning the kitchen, bringing home a card and flowers. When they feel respected they want to show they love you more! It is quite amazing to watch it right in front of your eyes! So if you have not read this book, PLEASE buy it and have your spouse read it with you as well. I promise it will change things!
The second book I would recommend is the 5 love languages. This book talks about how we all have 5 love languages and you figure out your top 2 and your spouse figures out their top 2 and then you are able to know how to show each other love.
via Google Images
For example my top 2 are quality time and acts of service. So ways I show love are like cleaning the kitchen, making dinner, having food on the table when he gets home from a long day of work, etc. Or watching a movie together, date night. Just having time alone together and having fun. His top 2 are physical touch and words of affirmation. Which are on the bottom of my list. So I may be showing I love him buy making him dinner, but to him it's just food on a table that he doesn't have to make. If he walked in the door I could have no food on the table and I could tackle him and kiss him and hug him and tell him how much I missed him and how much I love him and he would be happier then if I had food on the table when he walked in. It is odd to me since it's not my love language but it's what makes him tick! So learning the others love languages helps you realize you may think you are being loving but they are not receiving that love because they love differently!
The third book I recommend is Wild at Heart.
via Google Images
This book is about discovering a man's soul. It helps you understand why they do certain things they do and that you need to let them be "men." Like why they play video games, work out, play sports, paintball, need to own a gun, etc. It also explains their need for physical touch and what happens when they don't get it. Why so many men are addicted to pornography. It is quite insightful and I think your man would enjoy learning about why they do certain things!
The last thing I would like to mention is a lesson from our church that was on marriage. It is about an hour long and it brings up many other points that are not in any of these books that are also quite helpful! Remember when you said I do, you said I do for forever. There is no word like divorce in your vocabulary and you need to do everything possible to make your marriage work. You need to be willing to do whatever it takes and admit you are wrong! http://northridgechurch.com/talks/nrc12/the-notebook%E2%80%A6-choose-to-be-a-good-mate/
So here are a few helpful tips! And I hope these can help someone else as they have helped me! I am not perfect and I will mess up all the time. But I want to be with Antonio for the rest of my life, and it is my priority to make sure our marriage works! If you have any tips, advice, books worth reading, I would love to hear about it! So here is to being real, and I hope as a woman you can know you are amazing whether dinner is made or not! Getting married is a huge step and you are worth being praised for doing so and committing to forever and making it work! Don't give up and know there are so many more out there struggling too!
"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future." Proverbs 31:25
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