CHUCK-E-CHEESE

Do you have little ones living in your home?
Is the Chuck-E-Cheese pizza and party place well known?
Our oldest son loves to go there
Though, a once a year visit is all we will dare
I understand why kids think it is fun
But after two minutes - I'm already done
It's not the noise, the singing, or food
It's how our YOUNGEST acts - which trust me - ain't good
Of course he wants to get up, play and run around
But disaster always strikes the moment his feet hit the ground
Our last visit there, he went on his way
And began grabbing tickets kids had won as they played
On the skeet ball game, he crawled up the alley
Then off to the next thing - he's not one to dally
Up in a jungle gym he refused to come down
He remained uneffected by our threats and our frowns
Knocked over some pop, lost a shoe in a crawl space
(Are you starting to see why I dread visiting this place?)
But then, my oldest smiles and I start to feel the guilt
Because his dreams are being made in the house that Chuck-E built

WEIGH DOWN DIET week 6

Well, this week was both challenging and rewarding for me. On a whim Saturday night, I went to what I call my I-USED-TO-BE-ABLE-TO-WEAR-YOU drawer to see if ANY of my smaller sized jeans would fit me. And, low and behold, THEY DID!!! I found three pairs of jeans that I was able to fit into comfortably that were a full pant size smaller. WHAT JOY!! The jeans that I am now wearing I haven’t worn since BEFORE the birth of my FIRST son (who will be 5 on Monday). So, I gotta tell you, this was exciting for me.

(Now, let me tell you, there are about 10 more pair still in the drawer I can’t wear, but I’m saving them as I plan to get into them by May!)

So this was the exciting news of the weekend…then came Sunday…Super Bowl Sunday. Our family didn’t have any Super Bowl plans, but my husband is quite the little “snacker.” I had bought him treats to munch on throughout the game. He also requested some of my fried onion rings – a recipe I just discovered and had made about a week ago. Though I wanted to indulge in all the treats at first, I found that my desire for food is decreasing. I will say that old habits do die hard though. I wanted to munch along with my husband, but when I realized I really wasn’t hungry the food lost the temptation it used to have for me.

This morning the scales showed I was again down two more pounds! In the Weigh Down Diet, losing weight and fitting into a new (smaller) pant size are referred to as “jewels.” Well then call me a princess, ‘cause I’m feeling covered in them! Praise God and the jewels He blesses us with when we are obedient to Him! Amen!

Psalm 112:1
Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.

Psalm 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

17 POUNDS LOST 114 DAYS TO GO

"What's for dinner?" PART II

For those of you
Frustrated like me
Take a trip
To this blog and see
Planning a menu
Can help you a lot
When trying to decide
What to cook in your pot
If at dinner time
You find yourself scrambling
Get some helpful tips
From Andi's Ramblings

"What's for dinner?"

I do not like this time of day
I never know just what I'll say
I feel as if I'm on display
When asked, "What's for dinner?"

I don't mind cooking if we have guests
It's fun to get the table dressed
And when my meal is praised and blessed
I feel like a winner

But the day-in and the day-out cooking
Leaves me panicked and always looking
Wishing it was reservations I was booking
Do you think me a sinner?

For now I will keep dreaming up meals
Even if they aren't ideal
I will eat less if there's no appeal
And then I'll be thinner!

It's the little things in life....

I have discovered something a bit new
And I am quite amazed at all it can do
I had seen it advertized on TV before
But after one day, I've come to adore
This product that is truly and utterly amazing
I still can't believe all the time I've been wasting
If you haven't tried it please go out and buy
Pledge Multi-Surface cleaner and give it a try
I promise it will cut your dusting time in half
And what could ever be better than that?
(Sure, gobs of money or a house in the Bahamas
Would be a nice treat for this stay-at-home mama
But since my life consists of home and Wal-mart
I'll be happy to enjoy products I throw in my cart)
I'm sure that by now you think me a quack
But I can honestly say, I'm okay with that
I'll be content with the little things in life
And bein' one stinkin'-fast-cleanin' stay-at-home wife!

I wonder if this could ever be an Olympic event???

WEIGH DOWN DIET week 5

I am still reporting weight loss, though not as much this week – only two pounds. However, as long as I am still losing, how can I complain? I must admit, I like seeing the scales down five pounds, but I will take anything as long as it is less!

Okay, two pounds down, that is good – but here’s the great part…drum roll please….

I now have a Weigh Down partner! My friend Lacey has joined me in this journey! I can’t tell you how excited I am! (I mean, isn’t always more fun to take a trip, with a friend?) I hope to encourage Lacey as we take on the challenge of living and eating the way God intended for us. Lacey is also an answer to a prayer. Let me tell you why I am doubly excited to have her join me.

Before I started documenting my weight loss via my blog, I started praying the Prayer of Jabez. For those of you unfamiliar, it is prayer that asks for God’s blessings in your life. The VERY short story of Jabez is written in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. A very insignificant man prayed an amazing prayer. Here it is:

“Oh, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”

And God granted his request.

Lacey is my very first blessing. How great is that? I am now able to encourage one more person in my life because I asked God to enlarge my territory. (Believe me, as a Nebraska housewife my territory is limited to my two boys and my husband. I am a far cry from being a Billy Graham type.) But, where I see limits, God sees miles.

So, this is my latest week. I lost two pounds, but I gained one friend. Are you struggling with weight? Would you like to join us? Please, join Lacey and me! Together we can encourage one another!

15 POUNDS LOST 121 DAYS TO GO

LOVE LIKE GOD

Want this button?

Marriage is hard
Feelings get hurt
Mistakes made in anger
Leave you face down in the dirt
Why do we expect
So much from our spouse?
When we’re less than perfect
Flaws we’re not without
It’s hard to love
Someone selfish like me
I want acts of grandeur
To soothe my insecurities
But why should I give
Any less than I want
My God loves me daily
Hold back love – he does not
So even when it’s hard
I will love every day
The way Christ commands
In a patient and kind way
I will not be proud, rude or self-seeking
When I need to change
I’ll let God do his tweeking
To make me a wife
Who loves even when it’s hard
Because true love with God
Is more than a Valentine card

To see more Marriage Monday posts, visit e-mom at Chrysalis.

Praying with My Son

I am teaching my oldest son
How God wants us each to pray
And that it’s not a simple act
For the closing of each day
“God really wants to help us
When we feel scared or even sad
And he also wants to rejoice
When we are happy or quite glad.”

He struggles with the nightmares
And often wakes up in the night
I tell him he should pray
God will make things be all right
I know it must be hard
To believe what he can’t see
Faith is a tricky concept
For believers just like me
But he prays the way we talk
Though his one eye might still peek out
Maybe he’ll catch a glimpse
Of this God his Mommy talks about

Last night he came running in
Scared of monsters in his room
Yet not like the other nights
When he was sure he’d met his doom
I asked him if he’d prayed
For God to calm him of his fears
He nodded that he did
But then he whispered in my ear,
“I know that God has saved me
‘Cause the monsters are all gone
But I’m still a little scared
And would like someone with skin on!”

I AM FROM...

I am from construction paper, from Big Chief Notebooks, and Grandma’s lemon drops.

I am from the big corner lot house with decorative paint, secret dirt alley trails, and old, metal play ground swings

I am from the spirea bushes mom transplanted five times, and the sawdust from dad’s work shop

I am from water skiing on choppy waters and campfires, from Jeff and Marcia and pet cats.

I am from the stubborn, and patient.

From “I worry you’re dead in a ditch somewhere.” and “Always remember to thank others”

I am from Bible reading, teaching, and memorizing.

I'm from the Great Plains and the small towns of the mid-west, Grandma's chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes

From the only girl with divorced parents in town, the boy who had the right family name in town, and the grandparents who were pillars of the community in town.

I am from St. John and Stafford Kansas where wheat fields dance in the wind. From Lake Wilson where the waters were as rough as the rock cliffs surrounding it, from family-friendly campsites with souvenir shops around the country

This "I am From..." poem is being sponsered by e-mom at Chrysalis. To read e-mom's "I am From..." poem and others click here.

WEIGH DOWN DIET week 4

I have good news to report again – I am down another 3 pounds! Now this may not sound like much and compared to the last two weeks it is not, but it is still progress! I also have to admit to you without going into many details that this was an emotionally charged week. Instead of eating my way through the pain, I prayed. When worried about a doctor’s appointment for my little boy, and me I prayed. When concerned about issues at home, I prayed. Food has never made worry or problems go away. In fact, not only are the problems still there, but if you handle the issue with food you can just about bet you are also adding a couple more dimples to your thighs that weren’t there before. Who wants that?! Not me!

I have to share with you how praying paid off for me. One, I didn’t add to any pounds I had lost by binging. Two, both doctor’s appointments went fine – doctor’s didn’t find anything wrong with me or my son. Finally, my God blessed me with friends in a way I would have never expected.

Along with teaching me how to eat again, God is also teaching me how to wait on him. He is a God who hears us and answers our prayers….but in his time, not ours. Here are some verses that got me through this last week. I hope they will encourage you too!

Psalms 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Luke 18:1
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

And, then of course my favorite…

1 Peter 5:8-9
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering.

Is there anyone else in cyber-space who is also struggling with his or her weight? Would you want to join me in this journey? It’s free of charge and all you have to do is focus on your God-given bodily cues. If you want to learn more about The Weigh Down Diet click here. I would love to hear from anyone who might have a weight issue. We could encourage each other along! God bless you all! Stay tuned for next week’s totals!

13 POUNDS LOST 128 DAYS TO GO

Bedtime Stories

It's the same routine every night
Bubble bath, brush teeth
Tuck 'em in tight
Read a book, say our prayers
Give 'em each a kiss
Same request every night
Gives my big boy such bliss
"Tell me a story about me as a baby"
"....a story about when I was born"
"Tell me a story about funny things I did"
As he sits back like a kid with his popcorn
He takes in my stories as if at the movies
Excited by what I might say
Though sometimes I tell the same stories again
It seems that he likes it that way
How I would love to freeze this moment in time
And never let him grow old
But its out of my hands - he's gonna grow up
And if I believe the things I've been told
That precious little boy will become a young man
And not think that my stories are fun
But I pray he'll remember our bedtime moments together
When it's his turn to tell his little one.

Perfection is my Enemy

I want to be perfect
But it's out of my reach
My effort is hopeless
Energy is sucked like a leech
I want the perfect body
Hip clothes and hairstyle
Clean house, obedient kids
And white teeth when I smile
But my life is messy
And no matter how I try
I make BIG mistakes
That forever make me cry
I yell at my kids
And let my husband down
My past is littered with baggage
I can't seem to get around
I want to be perfect -
Perfect mother, friend, and wife
But the only one who sees me flawless
Is Jesus - God of life

WEIGH DOWN DIET week 3

I have great news to report, once again! I am down five more pounds! God is great for helping me through this!

I must tell you that I am re-learning just how wonderful God made the human body. Moreover, that he created our bodies to be at their appropriate weight. I am simply following my hunger and fullness feelings and am losing weight. I also believe that since my body wants to get rid of this excess weight, it is coming off quite rapidly…thus far, anyway.

This is not to say that I haven’t desired to eat more – heck no! I have had plenty of moments when I WANTED something, but was not hungry for it. Gwen refers to this feeling as “desire eating,” and aptly named. There are times when I desire chocolate or chips, but my body is not hungry for it. The most practical thing I have done is walk away from the kitchen or food when I have felt this urge. However, there have been times that even though I am out of the room, I still want it. At that point, I send up a prayer that God will help by distracting me or taking my mind off the chocolate so that I can quit obsessing over something I do not need. And thus far, people – it’s working! God is faithful when we are obedient!

I am still fixated on this passage – it is what has been keeping me going!

1 Peter 5:8-9
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

10 POUNDS LOST 135 DAYS TO GO

Marshmallow Gun

I wish everyone had a marshmallow gun
The bullets are soft and edible when done

If you get hit it's really quite fun
The marshmallow tickles and it's never a stun

When the marshmallow battle is over and done
There's always a party, 'cause both sides have won

We then eat our ammo and talk about the fun
We all had shooting our marshmallow gun!

(I even think you might get a nun
To join in a play with a marshmallow gun!)

This is another poem for Project Open Book. For Christmas my grandparents got all the great-grand kids a marshmallow gun. I'd highly recommend one for your own kids (both big and small!) Click here for instructions to make one for your own family! Have fun!

Super hero

I’m a super hero
I don’t think anybody knows
I’ve got super hero hats
And super hero clothes
You might look at me and think
Ah, he’s just a little kid
But what nobody can see is that
I’m keeping something hid
Butch the cat’s my trusty side kick
And we often go to battle
We climb trees and sneak through grass
To defeat our neighbor’s cattle
My super hero power
Is supposed to be a secret
But I’ll tell you what it is
If you promise you will keep it
I can run so fast I fly
And no one can ever catch me
(Except for Butch who runs fast too
He has to, so he can save me)
But just like Superman
I have my own kind of kryptonite
Inside my house my powers fail
But since it’s home - I’ll be alright
Plus, I cannot blow my cover
So when Mommy calls me in
I come back very happy
Though in secret I do grin
Yes, I’m a super hero
But as everybody knows
We don’t get the credit we deserve
I guess, it’s just the way it goes!

I wrote this for a community-written children's poetry book. If you would like to join and are a poet, artist, or writer, you might check them out at Project Open Book.

My Mother's Voice

Though my mother may not believe it
Her voice is always in my head
From the time that I get up
Until I fall back into bed
“Did you finish with the laundry?”
“Why are there dishes in the sink?”
“I see rings in all your toilets”
“If I were here what would I think?”
All these questions keep me going
To make a productive mom and wife
I wonder if her voice will leave me
Or if I’ll hear it all my life
“Did you get your thank yous written?”
“Are you not grateful for what you got?”
“What kind of daughter did I raise?”
“Don’t you tell me that you forgot!”
Her voice can make me go quite crazy
But it keeps me straight in line
I hope she knows I’m always listening
And that I’m going to turn out fine
(Even though I’m in my thirties
Most would consider me completely grown
I know she worries I’ll screw up
And that it’s her fault, not my own)
It’s an annoying little feature
Every mom puts in her child
That tiny voice you can’t ignore
That some days drives you completely wild
But I take comfort in the fact
That I still hear her voice today
And that I’ll drive my OWN kids batty
When it’s MY voice they hear some day!

WEIGH DOWN DIET week 2

This week started out VERY hard for me. I have to admit that this diet it is helping me fight off the many un-truths in my life, which lie outside the area of weight loss. On Monday (the day before I posted my week 1 log) I struggled all day long – I mean bad. We’re talking tears, depressive thoughts, the whole works.

In my attempt to fight off these awful thoughts, I opened my Bible. It fell opened to Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and save those who are crushed in spirit.” God loves me and will bring me through this rough time, just as he has brought me through all the other rough times before. Then again, that night before I went to bed, I continued reading in my Weigh Down Diet book. However, when I opened it, it fell open to a chapter I wasn’t even close to reading, but the title caught my eye – STAY AWAKE. Gwen described how each day is a battle and one in which we must be “self-controlled and alert” just as Peter wrote about in 1 Peter 5:8. She reminded us that we must constantly train our minds to stay focused on Christ and to put to death earthly or evil thoughts.

We are never out of the battlefield. We are constantly fighting - fighting our wills, fighting our thoughts, fighting our desires, and fighting off Satan’s lies. Many of the things that had made me miserable most of the day were thoughts that were based on feelings and not grounded in the word and in truth.

I do not want to live by feelings.
I want my life grounded in truth.

(If you are interested in reading a great blog post about this issue, check out Tami Boesiger at The Next Step and read her post about feelings and truth by clicking here.)

Beware to all of us, whether trying to lose weight or just dealing with your own set of life’s struggles. Live by faith! Be self-controlled and alert!

5 POUNDS LOST 142 DAYS TO GO

MY BRAIN

My brain isn’t working
It’s screwed up inside
Had this problem before
It can’t be denied
It’s like there is fog
And it’s trapped in my head
I’m groggy, confused
But mostly brain-dead
It’s quite hard to function
When feeling like this
I go through the motions
But there’s so much I miss
Of course now that I think
And look back on my life
This problem began
As a mother and wife
Maybe my family is draining my brain
A sick twisted joke
Stealing the knowledge contained
You know, it wasn’t like
I was any Einstein
My thoughts were few
And few thoughts were mine
So whatever their reason
For draining my head
The joke is on them
I was already brain-dead

Junior's Dilemma

I do not want to go to sleep
I do not want to count the sheep
I do not think bedtime is fun
I want to play and jump and run
I do not want to close my eyes
What if I miss a big surprise?
But, my bed does feel quite good
So, I wonder if I should
Close my eyes for just a sec…
Did you hear that?! I’d better check
It was not much – just the TV
If I’m awake, maybe I’d see
But, my eyes did feel good shut
And as my Mommy pats my butt
My eyes roll back into my head
And I enjoy my warm, soft bed
Maybe I want to go to sleep
But, I’m gonna skip the counting sheep

Junior Strikes Again!

My Little Junior struck again today
Though not in his normal and destructive way
No melted toys or Houdini tricks
No broken wood blinds for me to fix
Today I was scratching my uncombed, groggy head
Wond’ring who was unmaking my little boy’s bed?
This has never been a problem before
I make all the beds as my mid-morning chore
And then all day long the beds are just fine
(It’s the rest of the house that gets out of line)
But then I saw Junior and his chubby little hands
Unmaking the bed as I began to understand
He wanted his new Thomas the Train sheets to show
Because under a comforter no one would know
That he has fun trains all over his sheets
He must be quite proud and wants others to peak
Which made me consider that maybe some day
When he is toilet trained we might stay away
From fun little undies with cartoons or trains
‘Cause just like those sheets he might not refrain
From pulling his pants down to possibly show off
The cool new underwear his Mommy just bought!