Resolutions: Being Healthy

I thought the next 'resolutions' post would be about healthy eating/living since I'm pretty horrible at it and want to get it out of the way. When I say horrible, I mean that even though I have made some changes to the way I eat, I still know I'm not eating the healthiest, however I have gotten to where I eat cleaner. Although, let me preface this by saying, I am not one of those, organic, vegan, anti-sugar people (no problem, if you are one, although you are missing out on some wonderful things like microwave popcorn, Steak!, and syrupy sweet tea, just saying). I have just decided to eliminate as many processed foods, or boxed meals as I can on our budget. We normally spend about $40 a week (more about that in my upcoming post on budget...another thing I'm not the best at) so, if I can eat better on a small budget, so can you! Here are some tips that I've found helpful over the past couple of years of married life:

1. Ditch all the boxes!!

Hamburger helper, mac and cheese, tv dinners...ahh the things that make our lives easier! You also hear about all the strange, or horrible ingredients that are contained in them. I don't know how much is true, or horrible (I believe everything in moderation) but I figure, since I'm able to stay at home, I can try to make as many things myself as possible. My husband loves that I make my own mac and cheese, dirty rice, pasta sauce,  and even tortillas. As a disclaimer, we do have boxed mac and cheese every once in a while (we got a grocery pounding, and so hey, I'm not going to let that food go to waste!), but on the whole, my husband would much rather have the homemade, and it doesn't take very long to make so why not have control on what ingredients go in?
If you have resolved to eating healthier, a great way to start is by trying to do more homemade things and less going out to eat, or tv dinners. I know that if you are a working mom or don't have a lot of time on your hands, Pinterest can be your friend when it comes to healthy crock pot meals (I also have a link to a couple of meals that take 30min or less to put together:http://ayouthpastorswife.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-newlyweds-approach-to-cooking.html, you will see that I use some canned tomato sauce, and even canned pizza dough, but this can be substituted for homemade)

2. Make all the substitutions!

This a bit of a no-brainer, but it can be pretty pricy to switch from margarine to real butter, from normal to organic stuff. And actually unless it's on sale, I normally don't. I do look at sales papers, and during the holidays, especially, I'll buy real butter (and freeze all that I can), and ingredients to make healthier meals (like sweet potatoes instead of normal ones).
Also you can switch to spicing up your water (with things like lemons or strawberries) instead of cokes(cokes is southern for sodas). This lessens your sugar intake and makes coke an actual treat when you do have one, instead of being a necessity. And for you southern folks, maybe 1 or 2 glasses of sweet tea instead of 4 or 5? If that's too big of a change, maybe slowly lesson the amount of sugar you put in, so that it's not quite so bad! You can also substitute chips and other snacks for fruit, nuts and healthier snacks. Another no brain-er but when there's junk in the house, I'm always going to choose it to snack on rather than perhaps an apple. Make junky items as scarce as possible, so you will be less tempted to grab (this is something I'm still working on!), and put healthier items in its place.
You've heard this verse before: 'Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,  for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.' I Corinthians 6:19-20. This is a great verse when trying to motivate yourself to eat healthier. Being healthy can help you spiritually! If you are constantly focused on food and sweets, you may be making it your god. Also, if we tell God that we give him our lives in service to him, how can we fulfill that, if our bodies are in service to something else?

 

 3. Do all the exercise!

This is my greatest weakness. I hate exercising!! I was made to bike a few miles a day at one time and because I was told to do it, and had no one to converse with (I am a social exercising person) I quickly developed a great distaste for it, and thus exercising all together. Once my friend suggested doing the indoor workouts together, I liked it much better, and still do that type today. Even though I do it by myself and don't like doing exercise alone, I try to squeeze in at least a 20min if not 30min workout per day (gym people, please don't hate me! This is seriously the longest I can go so far. I would like to work my way to doing it for longer!). I have said all this to say, if you hate doing it alone, get a workout partner! If you hate doing it with someone, find a way to do a private workout! The most important thing is to stick with it (another of my greatest weaknesses, and the reason I've put on pounds after my marriage).

I hope these tips help you stay healthy during the holiday season, and throughout the new year!

Resolutions: How to blog!

Have you ever wanted to start blogging, but are just unsure where to begin, what to write about, etc, etc.? I recently got asked to write a blog post on how to start a blog. I was so excited to get such a request because I love it when I get feedback from people who read my blog (okay, so it was family who asked, but hey it still excited me!). I thought I would make it into a series-ish thing and perhaps talk about budget, healthy eating?, reading the Bible more, etc. If you have a particular thing that you have resolved to do this next year, and would like my two cents I would love to hear about it!

If you've told yourself that this next year you would like to start a blog, but unsure where to start, here are some things I hope will help!

1. Figure out what you want to write about:
To me this is the most important, because what you are wanting to write about will be the motivation you need to keep going. I love to write, and what better way than to blog (although I still love to sit and write fiction on college ruled notebook paper whenever I get a new idea). I love to share Jesus, so that became my motivation. Even though I like to throw in some recipes, and would eventually like to throw in some diy's my main goal, my main focus in this blog is to help your relationship with God (and mine too!). There are other things to write about: your kids, travels, short stories, crafts, the topics are endless.

2. Figure what blog hosting site to use:
Since I use Blogger, I will talk about it more, however, if you would like to use a different site that's fine! I don't have any pros or cons for you, because I have only ever used Blogger. To use it, I would suggest having a gmail account, and then following their instruction for building a blog. It's easy to change the layout and add things like  'most popular posts' 'follow button', etc. Some things I have had a hard time with, is the Pinterest button. I am a low tech kind of a girl, so I have still to figure out how I can Pin separate blog posts.

Once you've written a few posts and don't want the older ones to get hidden away by your new ones, you can go to pages,  go to new page, and write titles for the page (like Home, About Me, Recipes, etc.) and type what the blog post is called underneath, take your mouse and highlight the word, click link, and copy and paste the link to the blog post you want. When someone else clicks on the link it will open a new window to where you want them to go. This principal is used here: http://ayouthpastorswife.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_15.html  (sorry, but I don't know why the one link is blue...like I said, I'm a low tech girl!)

If you want to earn a little money, you can sign up for ad-sense. I haven't done so just for the fact that I want full control of what goes on my blog, and until I have enough viewers to warrant me letting companies display ads on there, I will wait.
There are other things you can change, like the background, how your posts are laid out, etc. but I think playing around with it will help you more than me ending up making you more confused than when you got on here! There is something that I would like to tell you about though, and it comes under:

3. Figure out how you want your blog to look:
There are different themes you can have through blogger, but they just aren't quite as fun as: http://thecutestblogontheblock.com/, where you can get free backgrounds and banners for blogger, and I believe for WordPress as well. Thankfully I don't have to give a long tutorial on it since they give fairly detailed instructions on how to use it (hey, if I can do it, you can!). Just one tip: it's best to copy and paste near the bottom of the layout of your blog (this sentence will make more sense once you read their instructions.) This site is just my suggestion, feel free to get as creative as you like!

4. Have fun!
Explore blogger, check out other blogs for inspiration, and have fun writing whatever it is that you are passionate about! Don't worry about how many views you have (at least not too much...I tend to look a lot). If you share on Facebook when you write a new post, it will remind your viewers to go and check your blog. If you have questions, feel free to comment below...happy blogging!

What I'm Thankful For: The Thankfulness Series Pt.5

 

Tonight in the lady's Bible study we read 2 Samuel 22 which is David's psalm of praise to God. We are following the life of David, so it was just God's perfect timing that we studied this chapter the week of Thanksgiving. I love David's psalms and this one is no exception, and I hope you go and read it for yourself!

The thing I am most thankful for is my Savior and my God. Following a psalm-like format, I've tried writing my own psalm of praise and thanksgiving to God. As our pastor's wife pointed out tonight, God is such a personal God, and He certainly is to me. This is why I'm so thankful for Him:

God is my Salvation, the One in whom I've put my trust
He is my provider, when I need Him, or even when I think I don't,
He is my rock of stability when the world seems to spin out of control

God is my great redeemer, the One who gave his son for me
He carries me when I am weak, helps me to my feet
And allows me to continue the race

God is my comforter, the One who sees me always
He gives me joy and peace in the hard times
And guides me when I go astray

How I love you Lord!
I pray your praise will continually be on my lips
I am nothing without you, and when you are with me I can do anything
I am so thankful for who you are

What I'm Thankful For: The Thankfulness Series Pt. 4

After a weekend long mini conference, today I am thankful for the everyone in our youth group. They are definitely like a second family, and even though I may get frustrated with a few of them at times, you better not hurt any of them (don't even try, because I can hit the unfriend button so fast you won't even know what hit you)!

I get so thankful for the ones who are getting involved in other areas of the church besides youth group. I see them making such good decisions and they have such passion for wanting to follow Christ!  I love getting to disciple them and getting to see them grow in Christ. Keep up the good work!

I still love the ones that can't seem to keep themselves awake during Sunday School, or just flat out are making wrong decisions in their lives. My husband and I try our hardest to help them make right decisions, but we only get them for a few hours each week. By the way, if you are a mom or dad of a teenager, never say that it's the youth pastor's fault, or that it's our turn to raise your kids!! We can only do so much, whereas you have so many opportunities to make decisions, and to raise them so that they will follow Christ(Proverbs 22:6).

Basically, I love my youth group, and am so thankful that God gave me the kids that are there. I know I only get them for a few years, but I pray that through God's help my husband and I can make a difference in their lives, and that they see good examples in our lives as well. I pray that we continue to live for Christ, so that they will want to follow in our footsteps. 

What I'm Thankful For: The Thankfulness Series Pt. 3

God has blessed me with the greatest family in the world. When I was a kid (and even to this day) my Pawpaw (that's Texan for Grandpa) would tell me how blessed I was to be brought up in my family, and how there was no other family as great. Granted, to say he was being a little prideful of his family would be an understatement, and unfortunately that has made a few eyes roll and misunderstandings, but he is right about one thing, I am blessed to have been brought up in my family, and later a family I married in to (believe it or not, there are families who are just as great, if not greater!).

Sometimes we may look at our families and think, 'I have to be thankful for them?! I know way too much about them to actually like them. They get on my nerves!!'
Do you know (even if it's not always verbal) that they love you? Be thankful.
(If it's your parents) Did they provide for you as a kid, and now encourage you as an adult? Be thankful.
Does the person annoy you because they care? Be thankful.

If you don't have a family who loves or cares, there is a Heavenly Father who, if you have trusted in Him, has adopted you and calls you his own! He has given us an even bigger family, and they can be found in our local churches. Perhaps you do have a loving family. Do you see someone who doesn't have a loving home to go to for the holidays (and other days as well!)? Invite them over, and let them join in! 

We can be thankful for our families, whether they are the ones who are physically kin or spiritually kin. Sometimes family can be the hardest people to live with, and yet where would you be without them? Seriously, you wouldn't be here! So be thankful!

What I'm Thankful for: The Thankfulness Series Pt. 2

The person I would like to spotlight today...wait for it...is my hubby!! The greatest husband any wife could ask for! It's also his birthday this week, so I thought he would be a good person to start off the 'What I'm thankful for' posts. This smart, handsome, amazing guy is all mine (so back off ladies!)...actually he is all God's and knows that, which is why I love him so much.  In all seriousness though, he has often told me that 'I love you the most, after Jesus', and that marrying me was the greatest thing to happen to him, after salvation. This guy has got his priorities straight, and when looking for a future husband/wife those are things you should be looking for!

Not only am I thankful that his priorities are in the right place, but I am also thankful for his leadership in our home. He initiates the Bible reading we do in the evenings, and he leads us in prayer (I do it every once in a while). He makes financial decisions and pays the bills, and even though he makes the final decisions on things, he always wants my input, and listens to me...which brings me to the next thing...

He listens to me even though I talk his ears off!! I will say though, I warned him the first time we ever sent messages back and forth over Facebook (we had an interesting long distance courtship...if you would like to know the full story, just let me know!). Thankfully he hasn't seemed to get tired of me talking, which is good, because I have a hard time stopping!

There are so many more things I could talk about (like how fun it is to watch Doctor Who together and then use phrases from the show in front of people that have absolutely no idea what we are talking about!) but there are clothes to be washed, a kitchen to be cleaned, a floor to be vacuumed, etc., etc. so I will just end by saying that my husband is amazing, and I am so thankful God gave him to me!

Being Thankful

Halloween candy is now being sold for 50% off, and Christmas wreaths now don the shelves that once held costumes. I absolutely love this time of year, the music, the weather, getting to wear big bulky sweaters, you get the picture, however, even though I am just as bad as the rest when it comes skipping November and wanting to head right on over to Christmas, now is a good time to step back and take inventory of all the wonderful blessings God has given us.Of course, I believe that we should be thankful 365 days of the year(Ephesians 5:20), but if you haven't started being thankful, now is always a good time!

One of my piano students told me 'It's November, I love November, it's my favorite month! Do you know why?' I expected him to say it was because of his birthday, football weather, or something centered around him, but he answered 'I like it because it's a time that we all give thanks to God for the things he does for us!' Someone is raising him right! He really put me to shame, because I might have said the reason I love November is because Starbucks serves lattes in Christmas cups! The thing about being thankful, is that you realize how big and great God is, and how small we are. It isn't about us, it's about him, and for that reason:

It's not easy!

Psalm 116:17 says 'I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.'  The Psalmist calls thanksgiving a sacrifice! Why? Because saying that it was because of God's grace you received something, and not something you independently did it is a hard thing to admit sometimes! When I play the piano, I love pats on the back, but it isn't me...it's God giving me the strength, the talent (although some may say that's debatable!), and the courage to get up and play before the church. I am just an instrument for God, and I need to be thankful that I am being used by him to minister to others. Another thing about thankfulness, is that:

It is something we should do all the time...and in all circumstances!

This is something that is also hard to do! You may say, you don't know what I am going through! I have lost someone, lost my job, my savings, etc., so how can I be thankful for that?! Since I feel like I've had a pretty easy life so far, I can't imagine what you might be going through, but there was a man in the Bible who lost everything. He lost his job, his friends, and almost his life on several occasions! He was beaten, thrown in prison, shipwrecked, and stoned until people thought he was dead. His name was Paul, and he wrote these words to a church (while he was most likely in prison):
'Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Ephesians 5:20, also similar words in I Thessalonians 5:18). How could he say this? Because no matter what you are going through, if you are a child of God, then you can be thankful for his salvation, and perhaps you can use what you are going through to help someone else in the future. I know that it is tough, and it's hard to even think about, but it's true.

From now until the end of the month I will try my best to post once or twice weekly about things I am thankful for. Feel free to comment about things that you would like to thank God for as well!