School Memories

Wow - this year has flown by! I can't believe it is time to fill out Alyssa's School Memories Book again. Well, here goes Kindergarten . . .

My teachers: Mrs. Holly Browder and Mrs. Anne Patterson

My favorite story: Judy B. Jones, First Grade at Last

My favorite activities: Swinging on my disc swing, flipping on the couch and exercising

My best friends: Kayla, Isabell and Jamiah

My favorite TV shows: iCarly and Phineas & Ferb

My favorite movie: Honey, I Blew Up the Kid

My favorite game: Hungry, Hungry Hippos

The best thing about school: Doing classwork

Here is how I write my name: Alyssa - This year it's capital "A" no more all caps with backward "s" 's

Why do they have to grow up so fast? : (

Teaching Toddlers

Teaching Toddlers for the past two years has taught me many things – here are some of them, inspired by Robert Fulghum . . .

If you fall down, get back up, quickly, dust your hands off and keep on moving.

If it takes more than five minutes of my attention, it's too long.

Express yourself.

No hitting, kicking, pinching, pulling hair, pushing, throwing sand, or BITING! No crashes.

Sing, dance and color every day.

If I like it, it's mine.

Say "Bless you" when someone sneezes.

Whatever you ask, the answer is "No!"

You should say "Please" and "Thank you." It's not always required, but so darn cute!

Take turns and share, share, share.

When you don't know what else to do, wash hands.

Tissues and wipes – you're going to need an infinite supply!

If you make a mess, clean it up.

Always say a blessing before you eat – "Thank you Lord, for this food" – is a good way to start.

Ring cookies RULE!

We love to play outside and will be fascinated by the simplest of things: ants, leaves and airplanes in the sky.

Hide and seek is the BEST. I'll say, "I see you!" when you're found.

And last but certainly not least . . .

"Jesus loves me, this I know."

Important Words

The SIX most important words: "I admit I made a mistake."
the FIVE most important words: "You did a good job."
The FOUR most important words: "What is your opinion?"
The THREE most important words: "If you please."
The TWO most important words: "Thank you."
The ONE most important word: "We."
The LEAST important word: "I."

A new one for me under the category of occasionally, even teachers need a review. This was included in today's devotion from Daily Grace for Teachers. I think we all could use these words more often - Go TEAM!

Happy Mother's Day!

My two absolute favorites, STILL. If you have trouble with the link just click on the Motherhood Label on the right side. God Bless all you Moms out there - you are amazing!

http://theateams.blogspot.com/search/label/Motherhood

Double Rainbow Day

It is hard for me to look at a rainbow and not speak the word "Promise." So what does a double-rainbow stand for? Apparently it is a very rare occurrence. I'm so thankful we had one on Tuesday evening right after Alyssa's Kindergarten performance of Nursery Rhymes. Tuesday was such a great day, the double rainbow topping it off was really cool - Life is good!

Obedience is the KEY

I have learned that for me, obedience is the key. When I am not obedient to God, I sin, feel shame and lose my reborn closeness to Christ. I do not like this, it feels flat and like I'm really missing something wonderful about each moment. So what is sin for me? At this point in my life, my biggest sin is choosing to not follow a diet/exercise program.

Being overweight did not happen overnight, it started when I was nine as I crept up over the "normal" curve of one of those dratted growth charts. My weight issues in high school had to do with control or lack thereof, did I mention I was a teenager?!? In my 20's my weight issues came from beer/college. And my most recent weight gain came from a troubled marriage. I have not been "chubby" since I was nine. I have known God's Love before and looked my finest in Junior High School (I was a Cheerleader), at Lenoir-Rhyne (I was in the Dance Company and on the Homecoming Court) at East Carolina and most importantly, in 2000 when I met Drew. We used to joke with each other about each being a "Total Package."

I can tell you that now, or starting last week, the troubled marriage has been exposed and is being worked on. I don't know how long it will take us to work out our issues but I hope it is less than the year it is going to take me to lose this extra 60 pounds. I have struggled with my weight and dieting for what feels like forever and I can finally say that I am not enslaved anymore and this baggage will be shed. I can be better.

I am following Dr. Joel Furhman's Eat to Live Diet (basically Vegan), because it has worked for me twice in the past two years and came recommended to me by one of my favorite doctors and people, my brother, Dr. Brad. Chantel Hobbs is another person I will be following. It's funny, I thought I "got" her book. Giving your weight issues over to God. I even had a new theme song! I really thought I had let go of my food issues, but the scale kept climbing. I was so anxious recently because as long as the Girl Scout Cookies were in my house, my weight kept going up. I love my Daisy Girl Scouts but someone else will be the Cookie Manager next year! What Chantel says that really hit home with me is that "HE just loved ME." She also said, "I will be better" and that "God wants more for you." Her husband responded to her madness with "Do it then talk, babe." So she did, she lost more than two hundred pounds, and has written two really great books for those of us who struggle with our weight: Never Say Diet and the The One-Day Way. Now I am going back and reading them again - funny, now they make really do make sense!

I know that God won't do everything. I am going to have to do it the boring, old, tried and true hard way - diet and exercise. It's just that God has finally provided the motivation I have been lacking.

So OBEDIENCE is my key - what do I have to do to be obedient? Take care of myself, eat healthy, drink lots of water, drive safely, listen to HIS radio, read my devotional Daily Grace For Teachers book, love and pray for my kids, and be the best wife, mother, teacher, daughter and friend I can be, care for my coworkers, listen to Focus on the Family, read my Not Religion Devotions, do things I love to do each day, attend marital counseling, go to Overeater's Anonymous, find a sponsor, do the steps, surrender this whole eating thing to God, exercise each day, go to Church to get recharged, and live the best possible life I can, giving God the glory.

I also know that this weight is not going to just fall off. It's hard to lose weight at 40, especially compared to 9 or 15 or 20. Today I did 36 minutes on the treadmill that btw is in the middle of our living room floor! Poppy, I think I'm finally ready to hear about your diet - I already like Pomegranate Juice and 1 square of Dark Chocolate a day! So my toenails don't look perfect anymore and if I'm coming to your house, hide the cookies!


Here's an oldie but goodie from the last time I was the "right" size, December 2004. Because I must have a photo, right?!?! Alyssa was just a babe and we were all really happy. I can be better and I'm on my way.

Welcome to Blogger

So Drew has started his new Blog, check it OUT!

http://drew-getbusyliving.blogspot.com

The Search is Over - Survivor

Just in case you don't remember the words to this 1980's song by Survivor it goes "The search is over, you were with me all the while." That is what I am most thankful for today. This has been a LIFE CHANGING week for our TEAM. But we are happy to announce that we are BACK and life is only going to get better and better! We are excited about this! This blog will change somewhat too - more talk from me and I will be linking to Drew's new Blog, coming soon. The TRUTH is that our marriage was in trouble and we wound up at a Couples Workshop where we met Terry Real (The REAL Deal) and Mary Raymakers, a modern day Shaman. They were honest, helped us discover our full God-given potential, AND find our passion/spark again. "It was with us all the while." LIFE is GOOD and not only that but makes sense too! We do not know what our future holds, but God does and we're happy about that, He will show us the way and it is going to be quite a ride - pay attention, many good things will be coming. I want to say a very sincere Thank You to our families and friends, some of you may think this sounds like crazy talk but when you see us you will notice the change. Thank you for being "with us all the while."
Not the greatest photo we have ever taken, but the smiles are real, the sparks are back in our eyes and this was taken at the Holiday Inn in Mount Pleasant where we left to start our new life together as husband and wife on June 1, 2002. The Couples Conference was held here as well. Funny how things come back around - "You were with us all the while."

Thank you God for thinking about me, I'm alive and doing fine.