Thursday, November 28, 2013

happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  I started the day by joining my Stake for a 5K first thing in the morning with these two.

Monday, November 25, 2013

porn and adultery

I like this blogger. 
"I don’t mean to concentrate only on married men. Porn is poison for everyone, married or not. And I’m not here to castigate you if you’ve stumbled. We live in a society that preys upon a man’s weaknesses, shoving sex into his face at hyper speed every day, all day, all of the time. This isn’t an excuse; just an attempt to put things into context. I won’t yell at a guy who fights a porn addiction anymore than I’d yell at a guy who fights a crack addiction. But at least the crack addict likely won’t encounter very many people (besides his dealer) who will tell him that it’s actually healthy to smoke crack. If he ventures outside of the abandoned shack where he scores his dope, he probably won’t find any respectable people who will say, “hey, crack isn’t a big deal — it’s totally natural to smoke crack, man!” In that way, the crack smoker has a leg up on the porn addict. The porn addict, by contrast, has to fight both the compulsion itself and the myriad of creeps who will try to convince him that it’s all just a bit of innocent fun.

That’s a lie, of course. It’s not innocent. It’s not fun.

I could cite for you the mounds of psychiatric research proving the detrimental effects of pornography on the brain. But you can do that research yourself."



Read more: http://themattwalshblog.com/2013/11/25/married-men-your-porn-habit-is-an-adultery-habit/

Friday, November 22, 2013

some things I am grateful for

I am grateful for exercise endorphins that remind you WHY you work out! No matter how you miss it or if you know the difference it makes for you, it can be SO hard to start again after a long hiatus (and I NEVER would have thought that it would become such a consistent thing for me that I would notice it's absence so much after just a few weeks). I am grateful to be able to work from home- both on my health goals and from a business standpoint. I'm grateful for effective programs that get it done in 30 minutes or less because I am BUSY. I am grateful. I am grateful for music and the power it has to power you through something and make you push yourself harder than you would otherwise. I'm grateful that I finally got to kill it with Les Mills today, and that after so long 'off' I didn't feel like I was going to die...I felt as great as ever. YAY!!! I'm grateful that when you are fit and may have setbacks from injury or illness, your body recovers so much differently and so much faster than it would otherwise. I used to use that as an excuse to not push myself as hard or not even try- I didn't want to injure myself or push my asthmatic lungs too much. Now I've learned how to listen to my body better (I knew what was going to happen going into IronGirl but I chose to take that risk for the reward) and I've learned that I can care for it AND push it and make it stronger and healthier. It wasn't like starting over back at square one after several weeks of nothing. I am so grateful for that. And seriously...this 'high'....I reallllly love the Les Mills Combat 30 workout.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

the worth of water

Ever just feel....'off'? That's me tonight. I know now that generally either means an emotion or conversation I am avoiding, or a lack of self-care. That's why I am holed up in my craft room to organize, clean, and take care of some unfinished projects. It is my self-care and I find that if I have things I am avoiding they will come naturally to me that way.

Monday, November 18, 2013

hello Monday

Why so cheery on a Monday morning? The shake I'm having for breakfast is dang good (greenberry with Mango naked juice), I'm full on rocking the legging with cozy socks and an oversized sweater just because I can, I started my day off right with the 40 days/40 nights challenge, and I'm fairly certain that today I will finally be able to exercise again! It's a great day to recommit to everything I want in life and to start fresh. I WILL finish the year out strong instead of getting distracted by the holidays.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

pornography opt-in

There is a petition going around regarding making pornography an opt-in item.  I think that my stance on pornography is pretty clear.  However, my brother posted his opinion on it on Facebook.  I think he makes some good points that are at least just worth thinking about.  We may not have the same opinion of pornography, but I can at least appreciate his point of view and I actually find it pretty in line with my thoughts.
Here is what he wrote:
"This is a comment about the internet porn opt-in idea. Not looking to start the inevitable huge discussion, just bringing up a point you might not have thought about. Also, it's going to be long, so if you don't feel like reading, it's fine to just pass it by. Facebook may not be the best political forum in the first place.
Sometimes people want to make burning the flag illegal. The problem is, what is the flag? That design, stars and stripes, right? If someone gets a tattoo of the flag, is it illegal to cremate them? What about a shirt with the flag printed on it? How much of something has to be the flag design to not be burned? What if you put the wrong number of stripes or different colors, still on a rectangle cloth and then burn it?

You run into the same problem with porn. What are you going to define it as? No nipples, no genitals, right? What about slightly transparent clothing? Really tight clothing? Body paint? What if I photoshop the nipples out? What if it's blurred? How blurry does it have to be to be blurry enough? Do art pieces featuring Venus get banned? Are naked people only allowed in paintings before 1900? And a statue of Lady Justice? What about medical reference material? Diagrams? And how about romance novel text, or written erotica? Does this person eating a phallic food provocatively count?

The point is, you have to create some sort of entity that has the authority to make these judgement calls. More poignantly, you have to create a government entity with the power to censor things people are putting out there. Now, since you've been skimming pretty quickly, I'll write that again - You have to create a government entity with the power to censor things people are putting out there. I hope I don't have to go too much into why that's kind of a problematic concept. For reference, here's the first amendment to the constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Yep, Britain has started one. You might notice that what started as a porn filter also will now be blocking "violent material" "extremist and terrorist related content" "anorexia and eating disorder websites" "suicide related websites" "web forums" and "esoteric material." Now, if porn is a blurry line, you can imagine what happens with questions about violence or the line where religion becomes extremism. And the last two just give free reign to anything. (You may also recall that British laws lacked certain freedoms, which resulted in our current constitution.)

I could go on about what I saw in China, where the government does block unhealthy information in order to protect its citizens. And this discussion in general is a can of worms with the FCC, the NSA and so on. Opting in to see what should be other people's free speech will cause you to be flagged.

The point (and the tldr) is just that I want you, my friends and family, to understand another angle. I know that as parents, spouses, and individuals, porn may have affected your life negatively. You can still think porn is bad, but also think that a government entity that controls the information you see is bad, too."

You run into the same problem with porn. What are you going to define it as? No nipples, no genitals, right? What about slightly transparent clothing? Really tight clothing? Body paint? What if I photoshop the nipples out? What if it's blurred? How blurry does it have to be to be blurry enough? Do art pieces featuring Venus get banned? Are naked people only allowed in paintings before 1900? And a statue of Lady Justice? What about medical reference material? Diagrams? And how about romance novel text, or written erotica? Does this person eating a phallic food provocatively count?
The point is, you have to create some sort of entity that has the authority to make these judgement calls. More poignantly, you have to create a government entity with the power to censor things people are putting out there. Now, since you've been skimming pretty quickly, I'll write that again - You have to create a government entity with the power to censor things people are putting out there. I hope I don't have to go too much into why that's kind of a problematic concept. For reference, here's the first amendment to the constitution: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Yep, Britain has started one. You might notice that what started as a porn filter also will now be blocking "violent material" "extremist and terrorist related content" "anorexia and eating disorder websites" "suicide related websites" "web forums" and "esoteric material." Now, if porn is a blurry line, you can imagine what happens with questions about violence or the line where religion becomes extremism. And the last two just give free reign to anything. (You may also recall that British laws lacked certain freedoms, which resulted in our current constitution.)
I could go on about what I saw in China, where the government does block unhealthy information in order to protect its citizens. And this discussion in general is a can of worms with the FCC, the NSA and so on. Opting in to see what should be other people's free speech will cause you to be flagged.
The point (and the tldr) is just that I want you, my friends and family, to understand another angle. I know that as parents, spouses, and individuals, porn may have affected your life negatively. You can still think porn is bad, but also think that a government entity that controls the information you see is bad, too."

Thursday, November 14, 2013

starting Christmas season early

I see a lot of you posting critiques of Christmas infringing upon the month of November and Thanksgiving. I just want to clarify that I really love Christmas and I really love Thanksgiving, and think that it's important to be thankful ALL year long. I think the stores have gone a little bit crazy, but I totally know they do it because the longer they have that stuff out and put you in the 'holiday spirit', then the more you are likely to spend overall during the season. It's all marketing and I am totally guilty of falling victim to it. However, I want to assure you, that this is not the case with crafters and those of us who make handmade items. For us, you getting a jump on your holiday planning and shopping means a more enjoyable holiday for us. We WANT you to have that extra special item because we know that sometimes makes a person's holiday. We WANT to be able to fulfill all orders and provide as much as possible, not just because it helps us with our own bank account and holiday shopping, but because it genuinely brings us joy to create something for you. We anxiously DO want your business and we anxiously want the holiday memories with our own families, and so it becomes a balancing act. When you think and plan ahead with handmade gifts in mind, it is SO helpful. We hope that you understand that many shops, ours included, will have to put an end to accepting orders and it may even be a few weeks before Christmas (in other words, just as some of you are getting started) just to keep it all together. I hope that you understand and realize that when we post things for Hobbyholica, we are doing so out of this spirit. We do not want to distract from the spirit of family and gratitude that can and should prevail in November. On the contrary, we do what we do because we LOVE it and feel SO GRATEFUL to have been blessing with talents that we enjoy and can share with others in a way that also blesses and benefits our family.

could that be a light I see

Feeling rather hopeful this morning. I can breathe just fine while walking at a normal pace again. YAY! I got in with the ENT this afternoon to hopefully take care of the vertigo episodes. I looked up rental listings and the newest rentals are significantly cheaper than they were even a couple weeks ago. So much more house for less money. One in our neighborhood that is the exact same house we are currently in may be worth looking into....but there are others still zoned for the same school that are larger and cheaper.... Now we just need to figure out what would happen if we found something and wanted to move NOW, BEFORE Christmas rather than waiting until the house sold (we currently have agreed that even if it sells it will be until Jan 1 before we would have to leave and that come Jan 1 our contract will convert to month to month). Keep praying and keeping your fingers crossed that all this madness can work to be a major blessing for our family.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

happy birthday to my husband

15 years ago I started dating my best friend. We have been on quite the roller coaster since but I wouldn't have another person by my side. Thank you Billy for working hard to be the man you are today. Thank you for your humility and sacrifices. Thank you for your work and dedication to making it possible for me to stay home. Thank you for your patience and love. Thank you for teaching me things and never judging me. Thank you for loving chances to care for me and for sometimes being the mother that I lack. Thank you for being a man that my mother loved from the beginning even when she saw your flaws. I'm so blessed that you two were able to be friends. I hope you have had a good day and feel the love you deserve to feel from myself and many around you.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

angel

Earlier today I sat on a bench in sheer exhaustion. Having begun to feel better, I made the mistake of moving about at a normal stride & even being quick about an errand to the store. Then, on top of that, I never got to bed at all last night.

I found myself back to where I was a week ago. Everything is a chore. Breathing incredibly painful. My heart feeling like it is out of control and going to jump out of my chest. Plus, I was incredibly tired and debating whether or not I should even attempt to drive myself home.

So I sat on the bench, trying to simply breathe without pain, trying to decide what to do, and feeling a little bit discouraged but mostly too tired to even feel anything. I must have looked pretty sad because a nice woman came up to me and told me she wanted me to have this 'pocket angel.' Isn't it beautiful? When I am weary I often long for my mother. I hadn't realized how that weighed on me until that moment as I sat there rubbing the smooth glass of the pocket angel in my hand. It reminded me of my mom's service as a TIP (Trauma Intervention Program) volunteer and the angel pins that she would give to those she served on her calls. It reminded me of visiting with my former art teacher Lisa Hinricksen just after my mom died and the little smooth pebble she gave me to keep with me and rub in my pocket to feel calm or feel her near...it is in my jewelry box right now next to my mother's rings. That also reminded me of another angel who helped me in that time of my life, my former English teacher Kellie M. Guild, who was able to ease my burden just a little bit by sharing her pain of losing a mother at a young age and who pointed me in the direction of a book that would end up providing me much comfort. She was also the reason I was in the place I was at the time I was today.

I have been blessed with so many angels in my life...in different ways and at different points in time. Today an angel blessed me with a little gift that I didn't even realize I needed. Thank you.


Thursday, November 7, 2013

thankful for you

I'm so grateful for the amazing and inspirational people I find myself surrounded by. I'm so awed by you and so blessed to know you. My life is richer for being full of people who have overcome tremendous hardship, who bless others while coping with their own heartaches, who chase after their dreams and live incredible lives with humility, who face fears and stand courageous, who actively work to LIVE rather than just exist, who strive to make a difference in their world. I hope that it all rubs off on me and I can one day be one of you. I did a very hard thing not terribly long ago and lost what I thought was my entire circle of friends. Instead, I have found a whole new world of amazing people opened up to me and I truly do feel so blessed and amazed to be surrounded by such awesomeness.

eat food

What are you putting into your body? Is it food or food-like? As a busy mother of four, I am all for fast, easy, and even sometimes prepackaged. However, they are far from created equal. Read those ingredient lists!! Can you pronounce it all? Do you know exactly what every ingredient is? Are the ingredients naturally occurring or chemical? This is one of the things I love about the Shakeology I drink. It isn't just a meal replacement. It isn't some vitamin. It is a powerhouse of REAL foods! That's right...freeze dried and ground. Naturally occurring sources of protein and superfoods and vitamins and minerals. It's real stuff. That's why it is the perfect complement to my clean eating lifestyle. I'm not perfect at it by any means, and I'm certainly not as strict about it as others I know. However, I know that at least once a day I'm getting a super dense dose of nutrition that is like putting the highest quality fuel in my body. I feel noticeably different, better, and my body functions more efficiently because it isn't weighed down by other junk.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

can I get an A-Men

AMEN! Amen is not a sufficient response to my agreement with this...but A-MEN!

http://thisisnotadiet-itsmylife.com/2012/11/23/health-is-not-a-size/

just do it

I let perfectionism get in my own way for SO long. It still creeps up on me from time to time. However, I have learned, and continue to learn, to recognize it for what it is. When I do that I can stop it and choose to let go. I personally believe we let perfectionism be a stumbling block for most of us.
This picture is of my worksheets I used while doing ChaLean Extreme. I tracked my weights and reps but you can see I also tracked my days missed. Now, some would have said to double up and do that missed workout...or would have pushed back their whole schedule to not ever miss one. Not me. I knew I would never stick with it that way and would constantly beat myself up for not being perfect. I chose instead to accept that I missed a day (maybe I was sick) or didn't quite finish a workout (the end of the summer the kids got more needy and I'm sure I had some other good excuse) and to move on ahead. You know what? I still had great results. I still had a change inside and out. I got to finish something and feel the pride and boost that comes from that. It was the same with the triathlon I just did. Did I do it perfectly? Absolutely not! Was I mad about the break I took to steady my breathing? Sure was. But I didn't throw in the towel. I kept going. That's what you need to do too.

Just do it. Just put one foot in front of the other. Just pick yourself up. Again. Just give it your best, or the best you can give today. Just keep swimming.


it's all bad

 “Soft-core pornography has a very negative effect on men as well. The problem with soft-core pornography is that it’s voyeurism—it teaches men to view women as objects rather than to be in relationships with women as human beings.”

(Gary Brooks, a psychologist who studies porn at Texas A&M, as quoted in Pamela Paul, “From Pornography to Porno to Porn: How Porn Became the Norm” (2010))


Another great share from Fight the New Drug

Monday, November 4, 2013

Houston, I have a problem.

Something is wrong with me. I'm sitting at a dr office (for the 3rd time in a week) because my lungs are still rebelling from the cold water at IronGirl...and yet I find myself looking up triathlons for next year. 
Anyone done Kokopelli? It says the water is warm for that.


Sunday, November 3, 2013

marriage

"You don’t marry to make yourself happy, you marry to make someone else happy. More than that, your marriage isn’t for yourself, you’re marrying for a family. Not just for the in-laws and all of that nonsense, but for your future children. Who do you want to help you raise them? Who do you want to influence them? Marriage isn’t for you. It’s not about you. Marriage is about the person you married."

http://sethadamsmith.com/2013/11/02/marriage-isnt-for-you/

Saturday, November 2, 2013

sweet swag

This stuff showed up on my doorstep today and totally made my day.  Thanks IronGirl!