Sunday, February 23, 2014
Tomorrow will be 8 weeks since we welcomed our sweet baby girl.
| Melts my heart! She is a precious gift. |
Time is really flying by and I am just trying to keep up. Welcoming baby #2 is a much different season than when we welcomed #1. It has been quite the adjustment but MG is a wonderful baby and that makes things much easier!
The transition to 2 has been different. I think welcoming your first is a huge life adjustment. You quickly learn that you can't just go where you want to when you want to. There is a baby involved who has lots of needs and limits you in a sense, but also adds more joy and love to your life than you'd even imagined.
This time around, the lack of sleep and limitations hasn't been as shocking. We have adjusted to having a child already. We've altered our lives to our sweet boy and our lives haven't been our own for quite some time now. What is different is that I still am a woman with two hands but now have to precious lives to care for. The toddler keeps me on the move! There isn't much "sleep when the baby sleeps" going on around here. Life is busy. Messy. Hectic.
I am sleepy from late night feedings and am thankful that my husband gets our 2 year old up each morning and feeds him before he leaves for work. It makes things a lot easier on me! The days are long with two little ones. I am trying to enjoy every sweet moment though. I know the years will just fly by!
| He keeps me on my toes. All boy! |
| She is such a happy baby! |
| Thankful for some warmer days this week so we could play outside. |
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I am thankful to get my life back in a sense though now that I am no longer pregnant. One of the things I missed the most was exercise. Is that crazy? Most people HATE exercising, but I LOVE IT! As a stay at home mom who is literally home most of my day, an outing to the gym is like a mini vacation. No kids. No chores. No responsibilities. No spit up. No spankings. No crying. No messes. Sometimes, no noise! A quiet gym alone to myself? What a gift!
This week was my first week teaching Zumba since May. I am thankful to have whipped back into shape fairly quickly, although I still have some pregnancy pounds to shed. I taught 5 classes this week and have been wiped out. It was so fun to get to teach again. I have surely missed it! There are 3 of us who are certified to teach now so we are on a teaching rotation which is super awesome. I always teach a Saturday morning class, but the weekly classes we'll rotate.
We are blasting mega calories and sweating bullets!
I love it!
| Post Zumba on Monday night. We had 25 students! What a fun class! |
| What a workout! I was so sore, but 853 calories in an hour was so worth it. |
As far as my diet, I am still working hard to eat clean during the week and allow myself to cheat a little on the weekends. I am loading up with protein at breakfast and lunch and try to eat a small dinner. The 7:30PM Zumba classes leave me starving when I come home. That has been hard. I try to nibble on a protein bar before class to keep me full.
Breakfast has been the same. I am loving this protein pancake recipe I found on Pinterest. My husband thinks it is disgusting because it has cottage cheese in it, but it keeps me full and really does taste good to me.
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| Source |
Protein Pancakes: Mix 4 egg whites, ½ cup of rolled oats, ½ cup of low-fat cottage cheese, ⅛ teaspoon of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. Cook for 60 seconds each side.
I've continued juicing too, which I love. Our family is getting tons of produce this way!
This week I am looking for some different lunch options.
I am going to try some taco salads and loaded sweet potatoes. Sounds yummy, right!?
SO, at this point I have lost 30 lbs of my baby weight and have about 14 more to go. It is a slow process, but what I am doing is working.
Stay posted!!
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So my husband got me an incredible book that I have been reading.
My husband is an assistant pastor/youth minister at a PCA church here in Mississippi. I'm not the official pastor's wife (our pastor's wife is incredible, mind you. I have much to learn from her) but this book has still been huge in giving me perspective on ministry. I am immature and have so much to learn.
I highly recommend this book!
I wanted to share a few thoughts I've come across as I've read the first two chapters. The first chapter covered priorities and the second, personal devotional life. Those two titles alone have been huge for me!
I've always been an anxious person and the responsibilities of life really paralyze me. I get overwhelmed and shut down. I am realizing more and more how my lack of prayer makes this so. Life is hard and I am trying to do it all on my own. I can't. I keep trying, but I just can't. My days do not begin with me sitting before my Maker asking Him what He wants me to do today and placing my life in His hands. Oh, how that would bring me such comfort and peace to know I'm not alone as I try to navigate through each crazy day! As it is, I wake up and immediately begin the tasks of household chores, preparing meals, etc. I'm like a car trying to run with no fuel. It isn't going to happen.
This book isn't telling me anything I haven't already heard before (not yet at least). But it is reinforcing things I have heard over and over again but have forgotten or have decided I didn't want to hear.
I must meet with Jesus.
Every stinking day.
If I am going to parent well, I must meet with Jesus.
If I am going to love people well, I must meet with Jesus.
In and of myself I will never find the strength to do life. I can't love and serve people if I haven't been fed from the Source. I have nothing to offer and I am seeing that the hard way. Oh, how this book is so good for my heart, but so hard for me to read at the same time. Such a rich resource, but a grim reminder of the things I'm not doing so well. Praise the Lord for his patience with me. I know he isn't finished with me and continues to grow and mature me. Slowly, mind you, but steadily nonetheless.
My lack of time in God's Word is nothing short of embarrassing. I am a pastor's wife for crying out loud. I should know more about The Word than I do. I should have memorized more. I should be studying more. Sometimes I find it easier to say that studying the Bible is what my husband does. I am busy all day with our children and I don't have the time.
" If our hearts are convinced of the life-giving qualities of God's Word, we will find time for it." - Margy Tripp
Amen.
I go to the gym because I know my body needs it to be healthy. I give hours of my week to working out because I see the value. I know the importance. I will reap the benefits.
Why should God's word be any different?
I should be reading, studying, memorizing daily! This is GOOD NEWS, people. The Bible is rich. It is filled with promises. It shows me how to live a Godly life. It helps me see my sin so I can repent of it. It changes me!
I want to love people well. I do. I love my family. I love my friends. I love our dear church family. If I am to encourage YOU, all of you, I must spend time with my Creator.
"You can't give away what you don't have." -- Tedd Tripp
How can I do this without spending adequate time with my Maker in His word?
Would you pray for me this week? Pray that I would delight in God's Word!
" All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be fully equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16
