Well Happy Valentines to you all!!! Today is one of my favorite days of the year because, well it's all about love, right? Also today is my wedding annivesary, yes I love Valentines Day so much that I wanted to get married on this day. I am so excited to say Shaun and I have been married for 6 years. I feel truly blessed. Praise God for every moment He has given me.
Praise God for everything, He truly has been too good to me and my family. Always listening to my prayers, and giving me the strength I need when I need it. I know that if it weren't for having God in my life then I may not be here today celebrating my 6 year wedding anniversary with my husband, and it could even be possible that I just plain woudn't be here. So thank you Lord for everything, and for always reminding me that you are here with me, I take so much comfort in knowing that you are just there and I am never alone.
Happy Valentines Day, I pray you all have a good one. ((hugs))
Item Category: My Family Item comments: http://heather-bixler.com/6-years-and-counting/#comments
So I am going to go ahead and list my daily necessity list here. These are the things that absolutely have to get done in the day, and if I am having a really bad overwhelming day I will be ok because the things on this list has gotten done. I will not include things that are simply a given like eating, etc.
Spend Time With God - At least 30 minutes. This can include prayer, reading a Christian self help book, or reading the Bible.
One Load of Laundry - Wash and Dry at least two loads of laundry every day. Hubby will fold and put away on his day off.
Exercise - Workout at least 45-60 minutes M,T,W,TH,F - the time limit will depend on the day. This will include driving to the YMCA at least 5x per week.
Quality Time - Spend at least 30 minutes quality time with hubby and the kids individually. This can include homeschooling, cuddling while watching T.V, reading stories, talking, playing board games, etc.
So that's my basic list of things to do. I feel if I add anymore to this list then I will be overwhelmed, lol!
As for homeschooling, I didn't schedule a particular time for this but I did place it under quality time, believe it or not homeschooling is quality time, not to mention my oldest is on her way to working completely independently, also hubby is a great help with planning her lessons and teaching her too, also lessons don't take that long either (well depends on what you are teaching and to whom you are teaching too, lol!)
....so I have decided that I will make a list of things that just absolutely have to get done, and the list will be extremely basic and won't really include any cleaning except the laundry ( I need to do this everyday just stay caught up), and there will definitely be exercise. So that's my plan. There are just some days where I just feel so overwhelmed, and I really feel that on those days I need to have a plan and focus on it and most definitely stay away from the computer, because for some reason it just makes my reaction to being overwhelmed even more!
I don't really know why I get so overwhelmed, but it is not a good feeling. Of course I probably have every reason to feel overwhelmed because we as a family do have a lot of responsibilities, but why do I on some days feel I can handle it and on other days I don't. Another thing, why can't I get my life to where it is under control, I mean it just seems like the more changing around I do doesn't help, and some things that overwhelm me, well I just can't get rid of them.
So I have been seeking a plan on how to deal with all the demands of my life, and my plan is to stay away from a rigid schedule to try and get "everything" in so that everything runs in perfect order, because if I am being *real* with myself I know that I will simply not be able to stick to that schedule. So if I can make a list of the absolutely necessary things I need to do then just wake up and go down that list, then if I have time or energy THEN I will get other things done like working on the computer or some extra cleaning around the house, and maybe even run some errands.
One thing I am blessed with is a helpful husband and I know that he will help me. But I really want to know I can handle everything on my own too.
So hopefully this all will create a healthy balance in my life, and I will be more productive in my daily efforts. I am definitely in the process of dealing with my life rather than avoiding the things that bring me down. It's not easy, but so worth it. I'll be sure to let you all know how it all goes...
That keep me striving to lose weight. For years now I have struggled with going to my husband's award ceremony because I hate being fat! But I like going and spending time with hubby, and I would really just feel horrible if I missed a ceremony and he actually won an award, I would just feel bad.
So tonight is the "big" night, a nice dinner, and even though hubby is working he will be there so we get to spend some extra time together which is cool. Last night I did buy new clothes to wear to the ceremony and I was very surprised at how well the first size I picked up fit me, I can definitely tell that working out is making a difference already, it's just I get so discouraged thinking about all the weight I have to lose.
Oh, well, one good thing, this week has been super crazy and I hardly had enough time to work out and nor did I really want to but I forced myself and this morning I got my 3rd workout for the week in. But next week we should be back on schedule with the 5 day workout week, and I also plan on upping my cardio time to 40 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday, hopefully getting it to where my workout schedule is like this:
M, W, F : 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training. T, Th: 60 minutes of cardio.
Right now I've pretty much got the M, W, F schedule going, woohoo. And hopefully once I can get on the on T, and TH for an hour I will go ahead and sign up for a spinning class (that's my dream, ha!)
So to sum it all up, I hate being fat, I mean I really hate being fat, but I am dealing with it and I truly feel that's all I can do right now, learn and make changes and pray a lot, a lot, a lot!
Well that's all for me, I am off to go get ready, please pray my hair co-operates, lol!
Item Category: Weight Loss Journey Item comments: http://heather-bixler.com/it-days-like-these/#comments
So last night I was just kind of having a moment of anxiety, and during that moment, well actually it was more of a season, I have decided that I should really take my husbands last name.
You see when we got married I wasn't a Christian that was living my life for Christ, and I didn't truly understand why I should take my husbands last name. But in reading the book, "Love Life For Every Couple", I learned just how important marriage is to God and why I should change my last name.
So with the name change will come a domain name change because my name won't be Heather Bixler anymore, and the weird thing about that, it makes me happy! I really think I am finally ready to make that change.
So soon this blog will not be hosted on this domain, however I will park this domain on the new domain for some time, but once the change is made I do request all my linky friends to change their links to the new URL, which will be announced once the change has been made.
Thank you all for reading, and I pray you all continue your reading even after we make the change that I feel God is convicting me to do. Thank you!
So lately I have just been really bummed about my weight and like I had mentioned in my last post I have been really working out, and I feel I have been doing really good about adding it to my lifestyle, because for me to lose this weight I need for it to be a lifestyle for me and not just another thing I am doing to lose weight.
I also know that I need to shape up on what I am eating, etc. so I also started tracking my calories, fat intake, protein intake, and even carbs intake. I have decided not to jon weight watchers, and instead I have decided to learn how to eat, and I am doing that by counting my calories and making sure that I am getting enough to eat.
I have also been trying to educate myself on what it is going to take for me to get back into shape, and one thing that I learned and found incredibly interesting, is that if you don't eat the minimum amount of calories alotted to lose weight, then your body will hang onto EVERYTHING you eat instead of letting it go! Just recently I discovered that I have simply not been eating enough, especially with working out and all the calories I burn, I am certainly not replacing those calories and aparently this is bad for my body. I never knew this.
So that's what my obsession has been and where my focused has turned, losing this weight. I have just had such a revelation lately as to how much my weight effects my life, my family, and my emotional well being. This is just one of those mountains that I have been climbing, I am just tired of staring at this mountain, I am tired of ignoring it. I am now trying to face it.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for providing me with the tools and motvation I need in order to overcome this mountain. Lately it seems the more I do the mountain seems to grow and get bigger. I have overcome a lot though, God, and I am trying to focus on that. Sometimes I question if this is important to you God, but then I think about all the doors you have opended and I know that I need to take advantage of these opportunities. So God here I am, trying to work on this the best I can. It is hard sometimes, and sometimes I just confused as to what I should and shouldn't be doing. It just sometimes feel like it's going to take forever, but I know it won't. God I just pray for your blessing, and Lord please keep my heart and motives pure. Lord I pray this all in your Mighty Son Jesus' Name. - Amen
So that's that. I have been praying about maybe starting my very own weight loss blog so that I can talk about the thing that is seems to consume my life right now, without having to bore my current readers to death with daily stats like " I ate too much sodium but got all my vitamin C"??? I don't know, still praying about it since it seems like I have so much on my plate right now anyhow. What do you all think?
Item Category: Weight Loss Journey Item comments: http://heather-bixler.com/my-food-diary/#comments
OK so I had mentioned before that working out at the YMCA was my new thing and I was really trying to keep it up. Well when I first started to work out with hubby, he would always dress up in like sweats, a hat (knitted type), and like a sweatshirt or two shirts - pretty much he dressed up in layers. So I would ask him - "Why are you dressed like that?" and he was all like "I want to sweat."....and I was all like - "WHY?"
I mean all I could seriously think is why would anyone WANT to sweat??? Well guess what my lovely readers I believe I am truly addicted to working out, you know why? Because I LIKE to sweat now too (ha-ha)! YAY! I like to sweat, and you know what else???!!!??? I love to work out and on my off days I am BUMMED that it's not my workout day!
So there ya have I like to sweat, and I like to workout, and I am so pumped that tomorrow my butt will be in the gym smelling all that sweat in the wellness center at the "Y", listening to my new iPod (yes I finally got it for Christmas), drinking my water, making my heart and muscles stronger, and sweating my little booty off (literally!)
Hello my name is Heather, and I am addicted to sweating while working out.
Item Category: Weight Loss Journey Item comments: http://heather-bixler.com/i-like-to-sweat/#comments
Ok so I am trying to get my life simplified and with that I have been letting things go, and after deleting MMAD, then selling www.CSAHM.com would be the only logical next step, right? Right!
So I have decided to sell www.CSAHM.com which is also known as Christian Stay at Home Moms the website. This website has awesome potential, ever since I started the website almost 2 years ago I have never really had the time to actually devote to the website, if I did I know the income potential would at least double what I am already making now.
Christian Stay at Home Moms - in my opinion - is an up and coming premium website, the domain name, content, and strong niche factor makes this a premium website.
Below is our visitor stats:
Unique Visitors: 1136 Number of Visits: 2578 Page Views: 8642 Hits: 33,258
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Income:
All income generated through Christian Stay at Home Moms is through Google adsense and paid advertisers.
Current estimated monthly income: $200
Contact Me:
If you are interested in purchasing this website then please feel free to contact me through this website contact page.
I honestly did not realize just how important marriage was to God before I read "Love Life For Every Couple". I mean, I use to think that if I just put God first then everything will just fall into place, like all of my priorities will just straighten out themselves, but after reading this book I realized that if I put God first - it's not enough - I mean it wasn't enough for Adam to live in the garden of Eden with GOD by his side, no God knew that just wasn't going to cut it.
So I guess what I have realized is if you put God first, then you will realize you should put your husband and your marriage at a close second THEN everything will fall into place. I have also found that my patience levels are higher and my anxiety levels are lower now that I realize just how important marriage is to God, and since hubby and I have been working on our marriage all areas of life have been better.
Just really focusing more on Genesis Chapter 1-3 has really helped me to understand what God intended marriage to be. When things are going right marriage is a beautiful and life is a beautiful thing.
So that's where I am at, I do want to say thank you to everyone who has sent their encouraging words and posted their wonderful comments I truly appreciate everything.
Item Category: My Family Item comments: http://heather-bixler.com/marriage-is-just-so-important-to-god/#comments
I'll be sure to let you all know how it all goes...
