Ultimate Reset Results!!

I am so excited to share more in depth about my experience with the Ultimate Reset! I know a lot of you have been following my journey the last 3 weeks, so first let me share what led me to begin the Ultimate Reset!

It's no secret that I have struggled with my nutrition and have gained a lot of weight. And I am a Beachbody Coach, for crying out loud, so I should have it all together, right? Wrong. I am human. I struggle. Last year was extremely stressful for me, and I ate my way through it. And then, I didn't know when to stop. I realized my unhealthy obsession with food. But once I gained so much, I felt helpless, which I know so many people do. I felt defeated, like I couldn't start one more time, like I wouldn't follow through. But something needed to happen. I felt so defeated, that I just kept eating. Now mind you, I LOVE working out, and I don't mind working out 6 days a week. But the saying, "you can't out-exercise a bad diet" is true. I worked out like crazy, but I also kept eating way too much and the wrong foods to boot. I struggle big time with my eating habits.

My husband kept mentioning that he thought the Ultimate Reset would be a good idea. I knew a little bit about it, but not that much. I knew it was something that Beachbody had, that people got great results, and just a few tidbits about it. I have had gallstones, gallstone "attack" symptoms, little nodules under my skin, and stuff that Tad thought the Ultimate Reset could possibly help. As well as clean out my body of all the crap I have put in it.

So, I finally decided that I wanted to do it. It seemed scary. I didn't know what all it entailed. But am I ever so glad I made that decision. I just needed something to kick my butt in gear and show me that I do have self-discipline, I can do hard things, and I can follow through with something that seems so daunting. The financial investment was a huge motivator. There is no reason to spend the money and then not follow through. The bracelet they give you was a great motivator for a visual person who likes to see their visual commitment. And plus, the fact that this program cleans out the toxins, removes food groups for a time, and resets your body to healthy functioning is great motivation to not cheat. There's no reason to do it if you are going to undo the work that is being done by the healthy eating and supplements!!

So, here's a short explanation of what the Ultimate Reset is, and then I'll share my results!!

The Ultimate Reset isn't just a cleanse, or a detox. It is those things, but it is a longer program than most, because they want an easier, more gradual cleansing of your system. There are 3 phases: Reclaim, Release, and Restore. There are supplements on a schedule for each phase, and during each phase, you are eliminating more food groups. They want your body to work on easy digestion and restoring your cells, so some of the harsher food groups as well as strenuous working out are eliminated for this time. They give you a recipe guide with a specific meal plan for each day, and there are shopping lists for each phase available online. It did take a lot of work in the kitchen each day, but that is part of the process. Being part of the making of your own food, and even doing conscious eating, deep breathing, and being more conscious of your sleeping and drinking!! It is about more than just weight loss, or detoxing, it is an all-encompassing spiritual journey where you are encouraged to take time to walk outside, get into nature, do yoga, and practice deep breathing.

So, here are my results!!

-Clearer skin
-More energy (not that I was never tired, but there were afternoons that I would usually be sluggish, where I would be surprised at my energy level!)
-Weight loss
-Looser jeans, actually out of my 2 main pairs of jeans!!
-13 POUNDS GONE!!
-9 INCHES GONE!!

Just so you know, I am mortified to show you these pics, and I have never shared anything like this before. But I figure, if you do all the work to come read my blog, and are scrolled down to this point, you might as well really see the difference in my before/after pic. OMG!!!

I am so proud of my results!! If I can do this, anyone can. And it just proves to me that I had that hard-driven self-discipline inside me all along. I just wasn't tapping into it! And this is just the beginning of my journey and my Before/After pics!! Follow my journey, and see where this springboard will take me!!

And if you want to check out what the Ultimate Reset is, check out myultimatereset.com/steph4given!

And if you are interested in starting your own health/fitness journey, please let me know!! I am an online Fitness Coach, and it is my mission to help people find a program that will work for them, and to Coach them through to see real results!!

My next Challenge group will be starting Monday, November 30! It will be a 21 day Boot Camp to get results before Christmas!! I still have spots available!!

Week 4 Results and My Perfect Week

Well, honestly, last week kind of killed me! My hormones were in full swing and I used that as an excuse, to my shame. But I don't want to dwell on
the past! That's what can get me down, and I'm just going to keep moving forward! But also, my weight fluctuates so much throughout the week, and that is normal as well. I had actually hit the 5 pound weight loss goal last week, but it has gone up some since then. I am still at a loss of about 2.5 pounds, and the Superbowl party we went to last night didn't help! But my goal for this week is to have a perfect week! To stop making excuses and to plan for all my containers to be used each day. The containers are from the 21 Day Fix and it tells me how many of each container to eat each day.
So to catch some people up on what I do each day, I am doing T25 for my workouts, which has Shaun T as the trainer. I go through 5 weeks of the Alpha round, and I am in my fifth week this week. Then, I move on to the Beta round for 5 weeks. I am thinking about doing the 21 Day fix after that (meaning the workouts along with the nutrition portion) and then moving onto the new 21 Day Fix Extreme after that! It comes out today, and I'm really excited to get it here in a few weeks!
So, for each day, this is what the 21 Day Fix allows me to eat:

4 Green containers (vegetables)
3 Purple containers (fruit)
4 Red containers (protein, and Shakeology counts as one red container)
1 Orange container (Nuts, seeds, Fix dressings)
1 Blue container (Healthy Fats)
4 teaspoons (nut butters, oils to cook with)

So, as you can see, the 21 Day Fix eating is clean eating. No processed foods, no sugar, no junk. But they do allow for 3 "cheat" drinks each week and 3 "cheat" snacks each week. So you can have wine or almond milk or juice for cheat drinks and chocolate chips or chocolate covered raisins or other things for your cheat snacks. It tells you all about it in the guide! I love that it allows for cheats and doesn't expect you to be completely perfect for 3 weeks! It is so effective that most people who do it just continue rounds of it because they love how it's simple, it's effective, and you don't have to count calories!!
So this week, I am committing to a perfect week. Hopefully, no cheats, except for what the Fix allows me. We even have pizza day tomorrow at our homeschool co-op, but I am going to have what the Fix allows me to have for pizza, and leave it at that. I don't need 3 pieces!
So stay tuned for next week's results and see if I stuck to a perfect week!

And as always, message me for help with your health and fitness. I have my next Fitness Challenge group starting on Monday, February 23! I would love to help you get started on your Fitness journey! Also, check out my page on Facebook, Steph's Healthy Journey!! Click Like and Get Notifications to see me in your news feed! I feature healthy recipes, motivation, and keep you in the loop about special promotions, new workout programs, and how I can help you!!
If you want to take the next step and contact me, then fill out my form here and I will get in contact with you and talk about how you can start your Fitness Journey with me at your side, cheering you on, and with other people keeping you accountable in one of my Challenge groups!

Early Riser Mom?

Awhile back, I wrote about the Maximize Your Mornings Challenge over at Inspired to Action. It was basically a Challenge that I read about that challenged moms to get up before their kids in the morning to spend precious, quiet time with God, get some kind of workout in, and start to plan their day. There was some awesome accountability on Twitter, opportunities to study the same things in the morning, and just that mom camaraderie of being intentional together to make our health and relationship with God a priority. Over the years, I have gone back and forth between getting up early and sleeping in. But I must say, when I get up early, I have a head-start on my day, and when I sleep in, the day seems to run me.
With all my responsibilities these days, I really need to get up before my kids, spend quiet time with God (the key word being quiet), get my workout in, and know what I need to get done that day. It seems so simple, and yet the concept is so profound. I want this to be a new habit this year. To consistently get up early. Not just now and then. Not just 2-3 times per week. But that my norm would be to set that alarm for 5:20 or earlier, and be disciplined enough to get going. On the Maximize Your Mornings Challenge, they even encourage moms to not hit the snooze button. To be disciplined enough to just get out of bed when the alarm goes off. Is it possible?
I think being a stay-at-home mom affords me the opportunity for many freedoms in how to run my day. I am in charge. I am in charge of so many things. I am in charge of the house, finances, homeschooling my children, our CC community, my Beachbody business, the menu for the day (so essentially, the health of my family!), and so many more little things. It gets busy. I think when things get busy and overwhelming, the tendency can be to get lazy. To sleep in. To stay up late to "relax" but then struggle to get up in the morning. And these bad habits may be contributing to my "depression" and "anxiety" that have plagued me this last semester. I put quotes around these words to sort of label my feelings but not necessarily diagnose a super serious version of these things.
So, as a New Year's Resolution of sorts, I want to commit to getting up early. And in doing that, to put my relationship with God and my health as 2 of my first priorities in my day. I get up, spend time with God (usually doing my Bible Study that is over the book of Galatians) and then do my workout for the day. I seem to be more motivated to get up when I know I am not working out right away. I get to drink my coffee and pre-workout formula, and just relax in God's Word in the quiet of my house! That kind of motivates me to get up!!
The key to making this a reality is to plan the night before. If I don't lay out my pre-workout formula, coffee, Bible Study, workout clothes, tennis shoes, workout dvds, and water bottle the night before, then chances are I'm not going to get up at 5:20 and dig around for those things.
I have to plan. I have to plan to succeed. And THAT is what I plan to do.

How do you start your mornings?

My Personal Weight Loss Challenge

Okay, this is a risky, scary, put it all out there blog post, and I'm excited and scared to post it!! A lot of you know that I'm a Beachbody Coach, but a lot of you may not know that I struggle with my own weight. I, like a lot of you, struggle with emotional eating, and it's been an emotional semester for me. I have had a lot going on, and have been the busiest that I've been in awhile, not to mention emotional struggles that have been through the roof. That has reflected in my weight, gulp, gain over the last semester especially. But I know that for my health, as an example to my children, as a leader and a health and fitness Coach, that it's time for a change. It's time for me to publicly commit myself to what I want to help others do - get healthy. I have the tools for success. I have the Challenge groups, the most amazing meal replacement shake, phenomenal workout programs from Beachbody trainers, and now it's time for me to put that all together for my own success story. I do best with a high level of accountability, and this is going to be it. This blog. You all.
 I am going to post weekly how I did, my results, and my weight loss. Maybe eventually I will feel comfortable posting before pictures and weight amount, but for now, we'll just stick to weight loss amounts. Yes, it's scary having this kind of public accountability, but it's what I need. I need to get healthy and treat my body the way it is meant to be treated. As the temple of God. I need to run the race in such a way that I take care of myself so I can be the best mom, wife, homeschooling mom, Coach, Director, friend, and most importantly, the daughter of the King.
So, who's with me? Does anyone want to commit themselves to this scary Challenge? Whether or not you want a Beachbody Challenge Pack and Facebook Challenge group or you just want to publicly declare that you, too want a change and are committed to putting it out there for accountability sake!! This is my big moment to commit. Are you there?

I am going to be doing the 21 Day Fix container system for my nutrition and T25 for my workouts. I plan to follow the T25 schedule for the next 10 weeks and then pick another program. I want to be more active, so if that means sneaking in a run, a Zumba class, playing at the park with my kids, or just adding in some extra squats or push-ups throughout the day, I want to strive for excellence!
What's your plan?

New Year, New Me! New You?

I, for one, am so glad to have the holiday season over! I do love the holiday season, and everything that goes with it. But I'm also glad when it's done and ready to declutter my house of Christmas decorations, get back to our regular routines, and not have so much going on and things that need to be done in preparation for Christmas!
Our Christmas season was filled with lots of fun things, memories made, and time with those we love. We only have a few days before we go back to school, CC, Bible Study, and the regular swing of things. I'm savoring these last few days of vacation!
One thing I want to get in gear for is the classic weight loss plan that follows the holiday season! Yes, we all do it, and we all come up with plans, resolutions, join gyms, try it for a week, and then give up for the rest of the year. But what if there was a way to get all you need in a package that made sense, was easy to follow, and was proven to work??
I'm talking about the full Beachbody package. I'm a Beachbody Coach and we have amazing plans that work for people. Busy moms, hard-working people, people who need to lose weight, maintain weight, or need to start slowly for a large amount of weight to lose.
The way it works, is that we have all kinds of workout programs to choose from. P90X, Insanity, T25, PiYo, Insanity Max 30, and the list goes on!!!
But one of our most popular programs is called the 21 Day Fix, and it is on sale this month!!!!!!!! The 21 Day Fix Challenge Pack is on sale for the month of January and this is how it works:

Workout program: Comes with workouts for every day of the week, plus some extra workouts, all 30 minutes each.
(always a modifier with every workout)
Shakeology: Our superfood meal-replacement shake that tastes awesome, curbs cravings, and is proven to aid with weight loss (Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Greenberry, and Vegan flavors)
Fix Container system: Portion containers that teach you how to measure out your food daily, eat clean, and not count calories. It's genius!!
Challenge group: Daily accountability in a group of other people who are also going through their program, daily posts, and encouragement!
Me as your Coach: I am committed to following you through your program and being your cheerleader as you work hard, get results, and have questions along the way

So if you, like me, are ready to make a change is 2015, then let's chat!! Fill out my form, and I will get in contact with you so we can figure out which program is best for you, how you can capitalize on your time this year, and how you can feel better by making better choices that will change your life!!

Link to fill out my form: https://steph4given.wufoo.com/forms/z1vf6znx03uidy5/

I will be starting my next Challenge group on Monday, January 19. This is the day that can change it all for you. Time to start getting rid of all the holiday junk in your house! Change is around the corner!! I'm here for YOU!! Are you ready?

New Bible Study: True Woman 101

I am going to reference a blog that I reference all the time, called Passionate Homemaking, that is hosting an 8 week bible study called True Woman 101. When I saw that Lindsay was doing this bible study on her blog and posting weekly videos, I thought it would be a great way to keep up with a bible study and have something to work at getting done every week.
It is a really important bible study as our culture is losing its value and importance of different gender roles. You can see it everywhere you look. And the media pretty much shoves it down our throats that men and women can do the same things, have the same roles, that women can dominate over men, and that we can't be told what to do. I think that a lot of this comes from years and years of women being controlled and domineered over in a poor way, as men were not "leading" in a way that was in line with Scripture. So the result is women fighting back and trying to reestablish themselves as dominant. But as this bible study shows us, the design that God has for women is so much more important than what we do, how we view ourselves, or how we feel about our roles. It has everything to do with putting God on display, and using our specially designed roles to honor Him, and to show the world what a beautiful relationship between husband/wife, and Christ/church looks like.
If you are interested, you can check out her blog here and see her introduction of the bible study. We are currently on week three, but I am a little behind.
There are weekly blog posts for each week of the study, along with a video panel of the two authors and other godly women who discuss the study. And oddly enough, the girl who hosts the videos and writes some of the blog posts on the True Woman website was on my floor at Moody Bible Institute! So that is so fun to see her pop up on my computer and talk about the bible study I'm doing!! Go Paula!!
So if you would like to join me on this adventure of an awesome new bible study, just leave a comment so I know you are on board! It's okay that we are on week three already. I'm a little behind too, and you can always catch up at truewoman.com with the videos and blogs or go to passionatehomemaking.com and catch up with Lindsay's church as they lead the bible study and discussions there!
Either way, it has already been an excellent bible study and I highly recommend it for you women who want to reclaim biblical womanhood to further the kingdom. It is so awesome how God fashioned us for a specific purpose that goes way beyond what we could ever think or imagine! I have been amazed at God's wisdom! So come on board if you are looking for a new bible study to challenge you!

Challenge Week 6: Our Health

Last Week
Merry Christmas!!! I know it was a crazy week with Christmas and all, so I'm sure I didn't get too many followers who were focused on Organizing their homes last week!! I was in the process of moving so it was more pick up, pack, and clean out than "organizing my home." But for my future home here in Oklahoma, I will have to get back to my normal routine!!
You can even implement some of the basic ideas in last week's post at the beginning of the year, once everything settles down from the holidays, and you are left with a huge cleanup job from all the parties, houseguests, and opening presents!!

This week
We are at the end of our 6 week Being Intentional Challenge!!! I hope you have read through these posts, and have been able to take away some helpful tips and challenges in regards to your relationship with God, marriage, parenting, relationships with others, organization of your home, and then this week, health. Life does get so crazy, and with all the schedules, lists, mundane tasks, errands, and commitments, it is easy to get away from what's important. I have really come to see that if I don't commit to being intentional about something in my life, chances are it will not just happen on its own. That's why it's important as stay at home moms, that we make the important things a priority, and let the other tasks fall into place around the important things, and people, in our lives.
The last area we will be tackling in our 6 week challenge is the area of our health. I don't know about you, but this is a perfect time to focus on health, our bodies, and shedding some weight. Every fall/winter, I get all nostalgic, which means the cold weather and being stuck in the house just makes me want to cook, eat, and repeat. Cook, eat, repeat. I just can never get enough of the comfort food, holiday baking, and warm drinks. And it shows when I can't get into most of my jeans!! So appropriately enough, with the first of the year right around the corner, I'd like to challenge myself to eating healthier, working out regularly, and saying "no" to all the holiday food that's still sitting around. For me, I still have to be reasonable or else I will resist everything, and then follow it with a binge.

Challenge
I just want to say, that I will be participating in this challenge, and with posting here on this blog, I will have accountability!!! So for anyone who wants to join this last health challenge, just comment on this post, write me on Facebook, or email me at steph4given@yahoo.com, and we can all keep each other motivated!!
So for 30 days, starting January 1st, we can all make a list of 4 goals. You can write one goal under each of 4 areas: Eating goal, Exercise goal, saying "no" goal, and a Weight Loss goal (if appropriate.) If you are really motivated, you could add more than 1 goal to each area, but for starters, and for something realistic, I would say 1 thing will suffice. So for example, mine will be:

Eating Goal: To practice portion control at each meal, get at least 3 servings fruit/veg a day. Exercise Goal: Do some sort of workout 5 days/week.
Saying "no" Goal: No soda for 30 days.
Weight Loss Goal: To lose at least 5 lbs in 30 days.

So for 30 days, this will be my goal list. I may not be perfect each day, but these are my goals. If you would like to join this challenge, then you can leave a comment (as mentioned before) and/or send me your challenge list, and we can encourage each other!! I am also hoping to get back to my Maximize Your Mornings challenge, and this will really help with discipline, having scheduled time to workout, and getting other things done before the kids are up!!

I really hope some people join this challenge, because having accountability always helps with motivation. It is really hard after the holidays to start saying no to all the food that is still lingering in the kitchen; believe me I know!! But I want to start making choices that positively affect my overall health, lower my weight, and make me feel better. I am excited to start going to the YMCA to workout, get back to running, and hopefully take up the 30 day shred with Jillian Michaels that I started last month and didn't get a chance to finish!!

Recap

1. Make a list of 4 goals.
2. Leave a comment joining the challenge!
3. Send me your goal list, if desired, so we can keep each other accountable!
   

If you would like to read any of the previous posts on the Being Intentional Challenge, here are the links. Otherwise, look forward to a new look for my blog, coming soon!!!

Challenge Week 1: Relationship with God
Challenge Week 2: Marriage
Challenge Week 3: Parenting
Challenge Week 4: Relationships with Others
Challenge Week 5: Organization of Your Home

Challenge Week 5: Organization of our Homes

Last Week

Well, we are already in week 5 of the Being Intentional Challenge!! It has gone by so fast! I hope you have been taking the time to read the different challenges each week, and to put them into practice in some small way in your life. And who knows, it might even start a habit in your life that you can continue on down the road. Last week we talked about relationships. About healing our relationships with people. About loving people. Forgiving people. I will not say it's easy, but I will say it's rewarding and it's what God calls us to do as His saints, loved and forgiven by Him. Call on His Word and His promises!!

This Week

You know, it is a challenge to be a stay-at-home-mom and keep you house neat and clean all the time. If you are a SAHM, you know it just doesn't happen. It might seem like we have all this time and if we are home, how could we not keep a perfectly clean house? But when you have 1, 2, 3 or however many little rugrats running around, in direct opposition to all your cleaning efforts, then you know what I'm talking about!!
And then we have the question of how clean do we need/want to keep our homes. And what is the reason we want our homes to be clean in the first place??
I know for me, a clean house means my heart is at rest. I can relax, calm down, and breath in a clean house. A dirty house makes me restless, irritable, and more impatient! I know this about myself, and I'm not saying it's all good, but it's how I roll. I will say that my home is definitely not clean all the time, not even close!! And so there are things I must let go of, especially during this season with small kids, so that I'm not grumpy throughout the day as they play and make little disasters!!

Challenge

Since I already blogged about Organized Homemaking at the beginning of this month, I won't repeat myself. There were many good hints, helpful blogs, and different resources mentioned in that post. So to read more on my finds, click here. But there are some other things that I'm finding lately that are helpful, especially as we are getting ready to move, but are still entertaining and having a myriad of houseguests before we leave. I still want my house to be presentable, and walk-thru-able (you like that?), so here are a few hints:

1. Set a goal. I have found that when I look at a huge mound of laundry that needs to be folded, I put it off because it seems like too much. But when I say "every time I walk past it, I will fold 5-10 things," it gets done so much faster, even if I can only get that much done at a time. Or I will set a time. Like I need to finish cleaning the kitchen by 9pm so I can start doing_____. Little goals can help you move along.
2. Do little things that make your life easier. When the kids are in bed, it's a great time to do small things that don't seem to get done when they are awake. At night, I measure out formula for Judah's night/morning bottle. I also make coffee so all I have to do is push the button in the morning. These small things just help my morning go that much smoother because I don't have to spend time doing those small, mundane things as I'm trying to do my morning routine.
3. Enlist little helpers. I'm not always the best at this, but I know that teaching responsibility and delegating little jobs make for a happier home. My daughter is 4 so she is perfectly capable of doing little jobs and cleaning up after herself. Teaching them good little habits like immediately putting shoes/coat away, bringing their own toys back into their bedroom, and clearing their own plates at mealtime not only helps mom out, but it instills a little responsibility in them. Try to make it a game. See how fast they can go. I set little timers for Maddy when her room is a disaster. She will get a 5 minute timer on the microwave for her to make a dent in cleaning her room. That way she isn't overwhelmed with cleaning the whole thing herself, but she is at least making some progress.
4. Make a night to-do list. It doesn't have to be exhausting or grueling. But if we can get some things done when the kids are sleeping, it lightens the load for the next day. Or do your online banking since it's a quiet, easy thing to do at night. I like to blog at night, especially if Tad works the evening shift, since the house is quiet and I get a little "me" time. If you still want to spend that special time with the hubby, then fold laundry while watching a movie together. Do what works for you!
5. Do little things that bless your family. I really love the philosophy of this blog Home Sanctuary because she is striving to do little things that can make a big difference. If you haven't already checked out how to be a Company Girl, this is a good way to be challenged to do something small daily, and to earn points towards winning prizes!! Check it out here!
I like to clean my house at night, because it is refreshing to wake up to a clean living room. When I don't, even my 4 year old notices!! If I clean Maddy's room, she is so blessed and will thank me for doing it. It blesses my husband if I can clear the front area by the door so that when he gets home he can get in the door. When there is trash ready to go out, the stroller, a laundry basket, etc. and he can't even squish through, it's not a very good "welcome home!" If the living room is clear of toys, clothes, trash, food, books, and whatever else accumulates during the day, then it is a blessing to my 11 month old son, because he can crawl all over the place and play in a bigger, more open space. We can even bless our babies!!

So these are just some simple hints, things that I've found that help me in my day. I'm sure when we move and our circumstances and living situation are different, things will change. But for now, in this small apartment, these are things that I've found helpful, and I hope they challenge you too!
So this week, these are more reminders than a firm week-long challenge. But I still do challenge you to pick some of these things, and try to bless your family this week!!

Here's a recap:

1. Set a goal.
2. Do little things that make your life easier.
3. Enlist little helpers.
4. Make a night to-do list.
5. Do little things that bless your family.

During this busy season with lots of family get-togethers and parties, we need all the help we can get towards making our lives easier and simpler! When we find good routines and little things that help make our day go smoother, it can help us to rest and find peace in our homes. Have a great week!

Don't forget to check out our first 4 weeks of the Being Intentional Challenge:
Week 1: Our relationship with God
Week 2: Our marriages
Week 3: Our parenting
Week 4: Our relationships with others

Join me next week for our last weekly Challenge #6: Our health!

Challenge Week 4: Relationships

Last Week
I know these weeks are flying by and getting so busy, but I hope you have a chance to sit down and read these little blog posts about being intentional, so that even though we're busy, we are still focusing on those important areas of our lives. With packing, moving, houseguests for the next 2 weeks, and 2 kids in a small apartment with lots of energy, it's been crazy around here!! Not to mention all the Christmas things I'm trying to get done on top of it all!! But it's been good to try to remember to pray for my kids. To try to spend extra special time with them. To show them that I love them and care for them. I know I haven't been doing enough lately, and it's tough with all we have to do right now, but let's all remember that they are little people with feelings, and they know when we are "too busy for them."
This Week
The next area I want us to be intentional about is the area of relationships with others. We were made to live in community with one another, to bear with one another, and forgive one another. We were made to work together with our different gifts, to build each other up, and to be united as we all work towards the kingdom of God. It all sounds so beautiful, but our world of relationships can get so ugly. All the nit and grit, all the feelings that are left undealt with, the scars, memories of injustices done to us, and the list goes on. It's tough. None of us is immune from people we just plain don't get along with, or family we can't get away from, or people who rub us the wrong way. Or even people who try to abuse us, to ignore us, to make us feel "less than." I'm reminded again this week of the injustices in this world, the situations I forget that people are going through, and how much we can't control.
But God encourages us!!! He gives us promises and truths to hold onto, His Word will never fail us, and we must keep our eyes on Him as we work through these hurdles, lay ourselves on the line, bear our hearts to Him, and let Him work in us a spirit of servanthood and forgiveness.

Live in harmony with one another. Romans 12:16a

Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. Romans 14:13

Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. Romans 15:2

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5:21

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4

There are so many verses on how we should relate to each other so that we can honor God and be refined by our relationships. Pick a verse and memorize it, repeating it to yourself throughout the week as you encounter people, especially those who may get on your nerves or aren't the easiest to be around (even if it's your husband!!!)

Challenge
We all probably have at least one relationship that could use a little (who are we kidding, a lot!) of work. Maybe it's a broken relationship that needs forgiveness. Maybe it's someone you are around all the time, but you don't speak kindly to them. Maybe it's someone that you don't treat very nice, and can change how you interact with them. My challenge is that you pick just one person and take a step towards healing. Pray over the verse you have chosen to memorize and put the person's name in the verse. Such as, "Bear with _____ and forgive whatever grievances you may have against _____ . Forgive _____ as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13) This week, work through the issues you have with someone. Don't put it off, leaving your ill feelings to take root and grow into bitterness, anger, and sin. Don't let Satan get that foothold. It's gone on long enough. It's time to deal with it now.
Get on your knees. Spend your time with God today dealing with one relationship. Heal it. Make a phonecall. Write an email. Forgive them. Forgiveness is a conscious choice, not an emotional feeling. It is hard. You might not feel like it. But with God's help, we can choose to forgive, and continually give it over to God for healing. I would recommend you to read Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss if you would like some further reading on forgiveness. It is an excellent read.
This is a great time of year to start the healing process. A time where we will see and be around family that we might not otherwise see. People we might choose not to see the rest of the year. We might go home and see friends who might not be as much a part of our lives anymore. There might be buried feelings. Don't let this time pass by without intentionally making one of those relationships right. Satan has a way of lying to us by getting us to subconsciously put off dealing with our feelings and grudges. By the time we realize it, we have unresolved anger, hatred, or grudges that can go on for years. It's ugly. Don't even wait to make it a New Year's Resolution. Do it this week!

So, here's a recap of this week's challenge:

1. Memorize a verse to challenge you in the area of relationships.
2. Begin the healing process with one person this week.
   
3. Pray over your verse and insert their name.
4. Take action! Pray for them daily, contact them, resolve forgiveness in your heart.

If you have just jumped on the Being Intentional Challenge, here are the links to the first 3 weeks of challenges!!
Week 1: Our relationship with God
Week 2: Our marriages
Week 3: Parenting

As always, I'd love to hear from anyone who is reading, participating, or just popped by the site!! Leave a comment, or email me at steph4given@yahoo.com!

Join me next week for Challenge #5: Organization of our homes!!

Challenge Week 3: Parenting

(This picture makes me smile. Such classic looks from both of them!)

Last Week
I would love to know who participated in last week's challenge!! Did anyone daily pray for their husband, serve him in some way, and do something special for him? If not, I encourage you to make him a priority in your busy week!! They are off working hard for the family (as we are at home working hard raising the family!) and we need to remind them that we see that and appreciate them! Focusing on intentional marriages is so important. Pursuing our husbands. Making them feel special. Doing things that are important to them and letting them know that we can stop what we're doing and listen to them without folding laundry, checking emails, and unloading the dishwasher at the same time. These are our lovers! Let's preserve our marriages!
This week
Parenting. Not for the weak at heart. It takes everything we have. Every ounce of patience, every bit of time, every emotion imaginable, every little piece of our heart. And you can't even fathom what it's like until you become a parent. The huge amount of responsibility coupled with concern for your child and love that spills over for these little beings that came from your womb. It truly is a huge blessing and miracle that we get to experience here on earth!
With all those emotions, love, and amazement at these little beings comes the huge responsibility of training them in the way they should go. Those are not light words. I am at this stage with Maddy at 4 years old now, and she definitely needs some major training and discipline. It's tough work, let me tell you. Maddy is not easily corrected. She is strong-willed, hard-headed, and not easily swayed (not like anyone I know!) So I have a huge job!

Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul. Proverbs 29:17

Intentional Parenting
I really like the idea of intentional parenting. That might sound really dumb but it is so easy to fill our time with a myriad of other things and convince ourselves that they take top priority in our day. I have found that it is so easy to get so distracted by things that aren't the main idea. Our main, number one job is to raise our little kiddos in the admonition of the Lord. To disciple them. To lead them along this journey of life and point them in the direction of the Savior.

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Lately in my reading on parenting in To Train up a Child by Michael and Debi Pearl, they talk about "the rod and reproof give wisdom" and how we often discipline our children, and then fail to take the time to correct them. To talk about what they should have done, what the Bible instructs them to do, and how they should act in the future. I was really challenged by this and how too often we discipline them to "get them off our back" so we can get back to what we were doing (i.e. washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning floors) when our MAIN JOB is to be training them up in righteousness. We need to remember our main reason for staying at home with our children! It's not so we can have spotless homes!!!! It's so that we can use our time most effectively to train and disciple our children!!
I often miss this all too important point.
In Proverbs for Parenting by Barbara Decker, she states, "Clearly, instruction in God's Word is to be an integral part of a child's daily life, and not something that is limited to a special half hour of the day or reserved for a formal fellowship." We must be training them up in the ways of the Lord throughout our days, that is, being intentional to use Scripture as we teach our children how to act, respond in situations, talk to people, serve others, etc.

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26

Challenge
Let's be mothers who are conscious of the short amount of crucial time we have with our kids. These years pass by so fast! This week, let's make an effort to faithfully train our children. Each day, let's all commit to praying over our children, as we cannot ourselves carry out the duty of training our children without God Himself guiding us, our tongues, and giving us wisdom in each situation. Again, a prayer card for each child will remind us to pray over specific things for each of them daily. My grandparents and parents have been such prayer warriors throughout my life, such examples of what it means to faithfully pray for their children and grandchildren! We can pray for their friends, salvation, interaction with others each day, their learning to resolve conflict, their future mates, schooling decisions, etc. Talk to your husband about what you would like to pray for them.
Let's take more action to train them in the instruction of the Lord. When disciplining, let's bring out the Bible, or a Bible storybook, and show them what God's Word says to do in the particular situation. You can even write down 5 main verses for different trouble areas (forgiveness, kindness, good attitude, serving, obedience) that you consistently go over with your child when the situation arises. You can get a little creative here. Put verses up on the wall. Use the Bible after discipline. Just be more conscious of bringing the Word into your daily lives.
Spend more time with your kids. Get the basic stuff done, but show them that they are important to you. What do they like to do? What do they ask you to do all the time? What do you refuse constantly because you always have something else to do? They know if you are too busy for them! How can we encourage their little hearts and show them that Mommy thinks they're special and wants to spend special time with them?? It will make their day.
I know that this may sound like it will take extra time this week, but if we can't find some extra minutes focusing on our kids, then what does that say about how we value our kids and our responsibility as mother in the home? I want to raise kids who love God and I want to look back and say that I was intentional about raising my kids and not too busy cleaning my house to raise them sufficiently.
I don't want to shrug them off.
I don't want them to feel like I'm too busy for them.
I don't want to discipline them to "get them off my back."
I want to discipline them so that they learn and become more obedient, respectful children, understanding more and more about our heavenly Father.

Here's a recap:

1. Write out a prayer card for each of your kids and pray for them daily!
2. Use every opportunity to point them to the Bible for instruction!
3. Spend focused time with each of your kids, filling up their love tank and making them feel special!
   

Join me next week for Challenge #4: Our relationships with others.
Remember, if you are participating in this 6 week Being Intentional Challenge, I'd love to hear from you!! Accountability is encouraging! And new ideas, breakthrough moments, and growth are what it's all about, so don't be shy to leave a comment or email me at steph4given@yahoo.com!

Challenge Week 2: Our Marriages

Last Week
Okay, how was last week (If you missed last week's challenge, click here)? Did anyone write a challenge on a notecard to keep handy? A visual reminder to work on all week long? Perhaps you attached a verse to it to memorize or read every time you see your reminder card? Well, for me, having a notecard with one simple (well, not simple!) reminder to be gentle was good for me. It seemed that gentleness was on my mind all week long. God would remind me in circumstances and even as I was teaching my 11 month old "gentle" as I gently stroked his hand on my face, teaching him not to hit or play rough with my face. I didn't master this area of gentleness by any means, but it was amazing how much more my mind was focused on it and working towards it. I hope someone out there was challenged!
This Week
Okay, I'm not going to pretend I'm an expert on marriage. It has seemed daunting to even prepare to write this blog post, because I am no author, speaker, professional, or even highly experienced person when it comes to the area of marriage. So let's just start there. Tad and I have only been married for 5 years, and we have lots of growing to do. I'm not even gonna tell you all these things we do that make for a rockstar marriage, because honestly, in our 5 short years of marriage, we have had to go through some tough stuff.
The Plan
What I do want to do is to highlight some important areas, challenge our hearts for the week in regards to our marriages, and then give a simple challenge that will get our minds and hearts engaged for a week of focusing on our husbands.
Marriage
I think being a SAHM can be really difficult on a marriage. I have heard so many people say that husbands and wives get so wrapped up in raising their kids, that once the kids leave home, the marriage ends because their lives were all about their children, and not about each other. We have many roles as SAHMs and though a mother is a highly demanding role, taking all our energy, time, creativity, etc. we are still wives as well. We were wives first.
A marriage is a beautiful picture of Christ and the church.

"Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." Ephesians 5:24

There is this beautiful thing happening as we follow the model for marriage that is laid out for us in Scripture (see Ephesians 5:22-33), but that is the hard thing. We make up our own models and wonder why our marriage is failing. This is so easy to do. To live life day to day, to focus on what we want and how we want our homes to run, to want our family to serve us instead of us serving them. Guilty. To want things to go my way instead of their way. Guilty.
In Calm My Anxious Heart, there is a quote by Dr. Larry Crabb in The Marriage Builder, "a wife will either minister to her husband or manipulate him to get her own way." That rang in my ears after I read it. I have a huge responsibility as helper, helpmate, my husband's trusted friend, his biggest fan, his lover. How am I handling this responsibility? Lightly? Or intentionally?
I am not saying this is easy. I think it's probably easier when you are first married, in the honeymoon stage, have 2 incomes, no kids, and living debt-free. Just sayin'. Throw in 2 kids, one income less, long days, short nights, bills to pay, two completely different roles from each other, and did I mention sleepless nights? Well, you get the picture. Sometimes the last thing we want to do is focus on our husband. We would like for someone to focus on us.
In A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George, she says, "So the first step on my journey of a thousand miles to becoming a godly wife was beginning to understand that I am on assignment from God to help my husband." She also says, "God wants us as wives to focus our energy and efforts on our husbands-on his tasks, his goals, his responsibilities." I think that if we are looking to be fulfilled by our husbands, we will be greatly disappointed. We just weren't created to be completely fulfilled by anyone other than God Himself. If we aren't being refreshed and having alone time with God where we are being renewed and satisfied in Him daily, I fear that we will look for that in our husbands, and that can be danger for a marriage. And it will make it difficult to serve our husbands because we will feel weak and unsatisfied ourselves.
Challenge
So here's the challenge for the week:
One way we can focus on our husbands is to pray for them. Someone once told me she married and her husband had so far to go in his walk with God, his desire, and growth as a man. She decided to write out a prayer card for him, and prayed for him daily. Within a year, it was like he was a completely different man. He grew in leaps and bounds in his faith, he had a desire for service in the church, and he was growing.
I'm not saying that writing out a prayer card will solve all your marriage problems or bring you a new and improved husband in a year, but it is a place to start. A place to focus all your frustrations, longings, comparing your husband with other people, etc. and putting them at the feet of Jesus, and LEAVING THEM THERE. Daily commit to pray for your husband.
Serve him. Pick one area that you can serve your husband this week. Just one area. Can I pick up his socks every day without complaining, and without telling him where they go? Can I bring him a cup of coffee every morning when he wakes up? Can I do one of his chores without complaining that he never remembers to do it? Just pick one small thing to do to serve him without complaining.
Finally, let's do something special for our husbands. There are a myriad of options. Does he enjoy quality time? Plan something special, even if it's after the kids go to bed. Is he a talker? Spend time listening to him talk about his day, his job, his concerns without being "too busy" or doing something else while "listening." Does he enjoy gifts? Buy something special or make him his favorite meal/snack. The list goes on and on.

This is just a beginning. There are so many things we can do to intentionally pursue, serve, and submit to our husbands. Date night is a good idea. A getaway, if you can do it, is a good idea. Be creative! Only you know your husband in that special way! And only you can bless him in that deep, meaningful way that no one else can. I'm excited to hear how we can be intentional to make our marriages strong and Christ-centered!!

As always, I would love to hear from you!! If anyone is participating in the challenge, how did your week go? Any God-moments or words of encouragement to share? I would love to hear how God is working in your lives!!

Here's a recap:

1. Write out a prayer card. Commit to pray daily!
2. Pick an area to serve him daily without complaining!
3. Plan something special for your husband!

Join me next week for Challenge #3: Our parenting!!

P.S. Sorry there were no other blog posts this week, our internet was down Monday morning through Friday morning. Hopefully you will see more this coming week! Happy Monday!

Less than one month until our move to Oklahoma!!!

A blast from the past. Not sure if we were even married yet in this pic!! Ah, how things change!!

Challenge Week 1: Our Relationship with God

"It's not as important what a woman is as what she's becoming, for we shall be what we are now becoming!" Calm My Anxious Heart Linda Dillow

God has been doing some amazing things in my heart. He has been challenging me to take action in specific areas in my life. I am starting to realize, as mentioned in my previous post, that people who are successful in their personal lives are the ones who are intentionally pursuing growth. We don't just become godly women, we don't just happen to start acting more kind, or more loving, or more forgiving. Life is a process, a journey. And if we are not actively working towards growth, then we are either stagnant, or sliding down the slope, away from our goal.
As Christians, our goal should be Christ.

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. (Phillipians 3:8)

What does that mean? What does that look like in my everyday life? As I have shared in a previous post, I have loved the Maximize Your Mornings challenge, where I have started getting up early in the morning to pursue God, plan my day, and exercise before my kids wake up. This has made a huge difference in my life towards pursuing God, and having the quiet time for Him to speak to me in the morning. Before that, I made a million excuses for why I didn't have time to spend with God, but it all came down to not making it a priority. Getting up early took away all the excuses because it is how I have gotten in the habit of starting my day!
So, pick a time. A no excuses time. Choose a time slot of 5, 10, 15 minutes or more where you can commit to spending time with God, daily. I remember someone once saying, "Even if we pick up our Bibles everyday and read while the coffee is brewing..." And if that seems like something attainable, then start with that!
Once you have a time picked out, then intentionally choose an action for God in a specific area. Try to pick just one area that you feel you need to work on. Pray and ask God where He wants you to direct your focus this week. Thankfulness would be a great place to start for this week! If you can't think of an area, then start there! Start living in a place of gratitude, and remembering that all good and perfect gifts come from above! If it is gentleness, forgiveness, love, joy, whatever it is, this week make it your goal to focus on this area.
Then, get a notecard. Write down your specific area of growth, and then pray over a verse to tag with it. Make it brief here, folks. Don't write a huge paragraph about your relationship with God over the last 5 years. Use your journal for that! We want something short and sweet and easily visible for throughout the day!
Now put it somewhere visible. If you are at home most of the day, post it where you will see it often. On a cupboard, on the kitchen counter, fridge, bathroom mirror, or if you are gone most of the day, then take it with you!! My goal here is to intentionally work on an area. I spend time with God in the morning, and then I get busy with my day. Lately I have been frustrated at my lack of rememberance for the areas I want to be working on. This way, my busy, scatterbrained mind can have visible reminders all day long to "be gentle," especially with my kids, my husband, and other people I encounter.
If you can, find a friend. Community is so important. If we can find someone else to do this small, simple thing with, then it will give us a sense of accountability. Ask each other how we did. One week. One goal. One verse. Can we memorize the verse? Can we pick one way to work on our goal per day? These things are up to you. Don't get too crazy!! I'm going for simple, small steps towards obedience. I need something visible. I need to be reminded.
The goal here is to practice redirecting our minds towards Christ and away from the lies and distractions that fill our day.
To quote my Pastor (Pastor Kevin @NewLife Community Church, Lakeview) from this morning's sermon, we need to "overthrow the altar of 'me' through God-imitating self-sacrifice." Let's move away from our day revolving around us and our kids and all the things of this world, and be more conscious of God moments. Sacrifice. Our lives as offerings. Our lives and our kids are important, don't get me wrong, but our growth towards Christ will shape our kids as well, and we also need to show them that He is most important in our lives.
So, to recap:

1. Pick a time
2. Intentionally choose an action for God in a specific area
3. Get a notecard
4. Put it somewhere visible
5. Find a friend

I hope someone out there will take these small, simple steps, and work on one area with me this week. If you have any comments to share regarding this post, please share, or you can always email me at steph4given@yahoo.com.
Go forth in the Lord this week, and I hope you all have more God moments! Happy Thanksgiving week!

Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Psalm 119:35

Join me next week for Challenge #2: Our marriages.

Being Intentional: 6 week Challenge

Intentional is my new favorite word lately. You can ask my husband. He might even be sick of this word. I feel like I am being challenged to be intentional in every area of my life. One quote I have always heard is "Failing to plan is planning to fail." This always seemed so cliche to me, and I didn't really take it seriously. But I am coming to realize that things in life do not just happen. You don't just become more godly, more content, more forgiving, more loving. And I have also come to realize that you don't just attain victory in a certain area in your life, and then you have arrived forevermore. People who are successful in any area of life are people who are committed to something, stick with it, and don't forget to keep it in view. To work hard at it. To keep pressing forward.
You can't just get to your weight goal, and then stop working hard. You can't just overcome a sinful habit, and then let your guard down. You can't just marry the man of your dreams, and then hope you have a perfect marriage. We must always be striving, always moving forward, always planning to succeed.
An area I have been challenged in especially is the area of forgiveness. Another area is contentment. And worry/faith. These areas have been derived from a bible study I have been a part where we are studying the book Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. It just blew my mind when she talked about giving things over to God, day by day, moment by moment. Intentionally walking with God. When we start worrying again, or taking back our forgiveness, or being discontent with our circumstances, we must go back to God, give these things over to Him again, and ask forgiveness. It is a journey. We don't just learn to be gentle, and then never struggle with being harsh again. We must walk in love, daily choosing to love people even when we don't feel like it.
So over the next 6 weeks, I will be posting weekly on this area of being intentional, challenging you all each week in a specific area, and challenging myself, of course!! I need to be reminded to choose to work towards certain things in my life, or else they will never happen. Life will get too busy. I will get to the end of my day and check off my to-do list, but not be any more gentle, loving, kind, not having dealt with a broken relationship, hoping my marriage coasts along without any work, and wondering why I haven't made any progress.
So, who's with me? If anyone wants to get on the bandwagon with me towards more intentional living, then be committed to these next few weeks where we will take six areas, our relationship with God, our health, the organization of our homes, parenting, marriage, and our relationships, and focus on how we can set realistic goals to make these areas more of a priority. As stay at home moms (which I know you all aren't, but take what you can from each area!!), it's really, really easy to be unintentional by default. We are tired. We are drained. We can never get anything done. But I want to rise above and determine to focus on the important areas of my life, and try to thrive in them, instead of just survive.
If you are interested in this 6 week challenge, then leave a comment saying "I'm in!!" And in the following weeks I would challenge you to comment or blog (and then leave a comment linking us to your blog) about what specific thing you are doing to work in that specific area. I'm excited!! I hope this will give you a little insight as I research, pray, and read over my blog posts, and hopefully challenge us towards more intentional living. Let us draw together in community and accountability!
First area to be tackled: Our relationship with God. Post coming soon :)

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Philippians 3:12

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

Maximize Your Mornings

I found this new blog called Inspired to Action: Tips and Tools for Inspired Moms. I am really loving it, and Kat's mission to help inspire moms to be more. More godly, more organized, more simple, more intentional. Her mission is to give practical tips in all sorts of areas to help us moms to work towards goals but in practical ways. Sometimes we can get all this vague advice from people about how to mother or take care of a household, but I really love suggestions and real ways to apply this advice to everyday life.
Kat (the author of the blog), wrote a short ebook (that's free, by the way!) called Maximize Your Mornings. You can download it here. It is around 35 pages of easy reading and I suggest you print it out so you can fill in the blanks as you go. This is not a huge time commitment of reading or hard material to follow. You basically read the book and see if Maximizing Your Mornings is something you want to commit to.
Maximize Your Mornings: The Basics
I always knew that getting up early was an option. But for me, it really wasn't an option. No sooner would I think of the idea, it would be out of my head. I didn't even have the energy to set my alarm for earlier than my kids got up let alone snooze it and go back to sleep.
But after having read the ebook, I was at least interested in the idea. Kat's basic premise is to start your day before your kids wake up and spend time doing 3 things: time with God, exercise, and plan your day. That's it. She doesn't even suggest that this be your main time for any of these 3 areas, though it works best for me to do it all in the morning.
She outlines very practical ways to spend time with God (a Bible study plan, suggestions for reading His Word, etc.), exercise (making lists of all possible ways you could exercise, a list of things you will need in the morning), and plan for your day (short, easy ways to make goals for things to get done.) I don't know about you, but my days end up being pretty hectic. When I had one little baby, I remember being bored and lonely. I didn't know how to take care of a house, and I only had this little baby who slept all day to take care of. Now, with 2 kids, homeschooling, an apartment to take care of, and a full week of commitments to keep to, I find my days flying by, and important details getting lost in the shuffle.
Not only do things in the house need to get done and don't, but I find myself being drained and not having any "me" time. My "me" time is suppose to be at night after the kids go to bed, but I always need at least an hour to clean up the house and kitchen, and by the time I do that, I don't have the energy to paint my nails, workout, play guitar, or do anything I wish I had the energy for.
How My Mornings Accidentally got Maximized
So I had read the ebook, and I was interested in getting up early, but interested and motivated are two very different things. Judah was starting to almost sleep through the night, getting up in the early morning for a bottle, and then going back to sleep until between 730 or 830. So one morning, he woke at 5 or 530 for a bottle, and after feeding it to him, I was pretty awake. So I decided to come out and spend time with God. And exercise. It was quiet. The kids were asleep. I could think straight (minus the grogginess!) It was "me" time. "Me and God" time. It was awesome. After that, I was hooked. I realized how much I was rejuvenated, refreshed, and I could rest and think and worship and plan and pray, all by myself. It. was. glorious.
My Morning Routine
After having done this morning thing for several weeks now, I have started to start planning my mornings the night before. Kat encourages you to do that so that you don't have to think in the morning. I'm not very awake in the morning, so I need everything to be ready so I don't waste time getting things ready. The night before I try to put my water bottle in the fridge, lay out my workout clothes, make coffee and set the timer for the morning, and write out a plan. I plan what pages I will read in my book, what questions I will do, the rest of my time with God, the things I need to plan for the day (homeschool plan, meal for dinner, check my planner, my (3 thing) to do list), and what I will do for my exercise. I either set out my running stuff or prep an exercise DVD. So I pretty much don't have to do anything in the morning. I pour my coffee, go on Twitter to let the ladies know I am awake (@hellomornings), sit down and light my candle, and start my time with God.
Now I know this time might not last forever, but right now I have a baby who is sleeping in until around 8 am, and my 4 year old has a clock and must sleep until 6 and play in her room until 7am. She is an early riser, and starting when my baby was little, she has had this routine in place so she wouldn't wake other people up super early. So I just continued it, and even though I am awake, she knows that I am spending time with Jesus and she must still stay in her room. She will even say sometimes, "Mom, did you do your workout?"
Effects of a Morning Routine
Now I am definitely not a supermom, and I lack perseverance when it comes to sticking to something. But I hope to continue this morning routine because it is so refreshing. Taking the advice of the book, I pray for my husband and family in the mornings. She talks about not being a grumpy mom (in her blog) when being awakened by your kids in the morning and having a hectic day start right off with your little alarm clocks. Why not get up before them, pray for them, and be excited to see them in the morning, having already been refreshed and renewed with the Lord, and focusing on praying over them?
Also, before I started getting up early, I wasn't setting time aside to spend with God. For a long time. Now that I have a set time where I won't be interrupted (for the most part), I am starting to see how I am starting to grow again, to be challenged by the Word, and to really enjoy my time pursuing God, instead of complaining about having no time to spend with Him.
I love having a plan for the day, knowing what I'm doing and not frantically trying to plan these things after breakfast when my day is already in full swing. I even get a daily shower because I work this in right after my workout while Maddy is watching a show. If my workout goes later than 7am, I just set Maddy up at the table with a movie on the computer and a snack while I finish and take a shower. I never even had a shower built in to my day and I was lucky if I got one, and when I did, they were always sporadic. Now I always shower and get ready, and actually feel like real human being when I go out!
One thing I am failing to do is go to bed earlier. It seems that as I have gotten up earlier, I have gone to bed later. Lately I have been kind of lazy in getting up when I'm suppose to to get everything done, because I have really needed to catch up on my sleep! This is the area I need some discipline in so I don't get sick from lack of sleep!

Challenge:
So here it is. I challenge my readers to read this ebook. To evaluate whether or not this is something you could or would commit to. If you do, please comment in the comments section of this post, and we can keep each other accountable, text in the mornings, facebook, or just chat about challenges, suggestions, and the rewards of being refreshed early in the morning!! You can follow me on Twitter too (@steph4given, @hellomornings.)
I am so excited to be sharing this with all of you, especially you moms, and I hope that at least one of you will take up the challenge and see how much more refreshed you feel to be quiet with the Lord, workout your physical body, and plan your day early in the morning. I'm telling you, it's worth it!!