Keep it Real

The point of my blog tonight is very specific. Very. I joined the event "Keep it Real Movement" on Facebook. It's about holding magazines accountable for showing REALISTIC pictures of celebrities. The goal is for ONE picture in each magazine per edition to be unedited. Just one picture of what a celebrity looks like without Photoshop can make a difference in the mind of a young girl. In the mind of a grown woman.

Who says that we must look a certain away, weigh a certain amount, wear certain clothes, so on and so forth. Society, some random people we don't know and honestly probably wouldn't like anyway. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being thin if you are healthy about it. But guess what? Thin is different for every body size, shape, and person.

Being healthy is the goal. As such, I decided to join My Fitness Pal.com. I haven't been watching what I eat and won't for the first week. I want a really good look at what my "normal" diet looks like. Two days in and I can say my calories are good, but I had no idea on the fat content. WHOA, gotta cut some dairy. But the point here is that I am doing this to be healthy. I want to have more energy for my kids, I want to feel better, sleep better. I want to live longer (God willing) and see my babies have babies and enjoy retirement with my husband.

Added to the that the VERY MOST IMPORTANT (and yes I realize that is terrible grammar) reason I respond to this Keep it real initiative is that I have 2 beautiful, bright, amazing, awesome, sweet, loving, generous girls that I want to be valued for more than the way the look. Their personalities shine brighter than the sun and their joy for life should never be diminished by someone telling them they aren't "enough."

They are enough, they are MORE than enough in every way imaginable. I want for my girls to work hard at everything (even their pesky chores), find their passion in life and live it, be a bright and shiny star for God, and know that all things in life are worth working for, sweating for, and dreaming as high as the sky.

I want them to know that they can achieve and if they fail, they just need to try a different way, be adaptable. Failure isn't the end, it's a learning tool.

Generosity, Hope, Grace, Faith, Love, Determination, Discipline....these are things my daughters were born with and I intend to help them develop those muscles. Their inner beauty will shine brighter than anything else. Their eyes will be bright with love, their smile shining with grace, their words affirming with hope and encouragement.

So let us be the ones to say enough is enough. And let's place value on what's really important.

“For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
 For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
 For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
 For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day.
 For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
 People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
 As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others.”
― Sam Levenson

A small note: It's becoming a very real issue for boys as well. I pray that my boys never feel any less than what they are based on their looks(or abs) as well. My boys are beautiful inside and out, they are capable, they are wonderfully made.

P.P.S (HA) I'd like to issue a challenge to my friends, join me on My Fitness Pal.com and lets conquer our health together. I want to be the one to place limits on my body, not my body putting limits on me. Plus, I could use the accountability! My user name is Inshockmom. Find me, friend me, encourage me!

A reminder from your Abba who loves you:

"...What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.

^4-6Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as "my dear husband." You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated. 1 Peter 3:4-6 The Message

I'll take a little Cheese with my whine...

I hurt!  My knee hurts.  My hips also hurt.  But the hips are the by product of Physical Therapy.  I had no clue my hips were so weak.  Pitiful.  I was going to keep whining, but honestly...I just don't have the energy.

Got a lot of organizing and situating done today.  The kids rooms have a few more things that need to  be hung up still, curtains in my room etc

Jason and I tried a new church this weekend.  This one may be a possibility  I think we may try a few  more before deciding.  Man, it's SOO tough. 

I felt a lot chattier before I started typing my blog.  Now I apparently have writers/bloggers block.  HA.  My talents know no end.

Speaking of talents and gifts....I have a request.  I'm pretty good about seeing what other people are good at etc, but I just can't seem to find my own gifts lately.  So not to make myself seem over important or anything, anyone want to tell me what talents and/or gifts that you think I possess.  I'm just trying to be more able to contribute something useful... And wow that doesn't make much sense, but I hope you all get what I am trying to convey.  Trish speak can be very, um, interesting.  And sometimes hard to decipher. 

Oh  my!  How did it get to be 11 pm????  I need to go to bed.  Nighty night!!

Summer is here!

Things are starting to settle a teeny bit.  Lots still to do: curtains to hang, pictures to hang, garage to clean...isn't that the story of our life?  Odds and ends that need to find homes in this home or go to someone else!

This week starts the beginning of Summer vacation!  The best part of that is not setting an alarm clock!  I still get up early (thanks Levi) but having virtually no deadlines to keep or meet is FANTASTIC!  Plus, I love having my kids all home with me.  Yeah, weird I know.  By the end of summer I may be ready to rescind that...LOL. 

I'm now accepting crafty, fun and free (or cheap) summer fun ideas.  If you have any, let me know!  So far our summer activities to do include:

Visiting the Mystic Aquarium, going to the beach, library events, going to the pool, trying out every playground in a 20 mile radius, Tye dyeing some old shirts/socks etc and getting a little more life from them!  Visiting Nana and Grampy's house, and Uncle Mike and Auntie Leasha, of course!  Possibly weaseling an invite to Cape Cod for Char and Al!!  And really what I hope is the piece de resistance:  Getting Beckah home on leave after her deployment *hopefully* before Ava goes back to school...oh and Seeing Aunt Toni, Uncle Mike #2 and kids (Regan, Avery and Addison)  I miss my sissy and need to see her!!

I feel truly blessed to be able to be home with my kids and get to enjoy summer vacation with them. 

I've been struggling a lot with this move.  I feel truly displaced and not sure which way to go...we tried a church and it just wasn't a fit for us.  Not even close.  We're trying a new church this weekend and I am praying that this one at least feels like a maybe.  Typically, that's how we make friends...I got so spoiled at Newbreak.  I  love it there.  I'm trying very hard to be open minded and willing to let a church grow on me, I just truly want to be at a church that has Life groups.  So necessary to me. 

of course, it doesn't help that for a year after every baby (sometimes longer) I struggle with Post Partum Depression issues.  So feeling isolated, well,  it ain't helping!  Jason will have some long and interesting hours this summer too.  No fun.  So far it seems as if his boss will be very good about comp time and the like...Say some prayers that I make a friend soon.  I need one.  (Here in Groton that is!!)  Because I have amazing friends all around this country, I just want one that can come over for tea in 10 minutes or less.  :-) 

I hope everyone has an absolutely divine summer and that you can truly enjoy all the blessings God has poured into your lives!  Drop me a note sometime and tell me about them!!

Slacker!

I'll never be the Queen of Blogs.  I don't know how people do it EVERY day.  That's a lot of writing and while I like to write, I think if I did a daily blog, people would stop reading.  Mundane.  LOL.

We're still unpacking.  A few more boxes upstairs and there will be no more boxes, but stuff is still "homeless" all over the house.  And I mean ALL OVER.  Jason is a rock star and I pray that I never have to move and settle into a new house while he is deployed.  EVER.  He's such a tireless worker.  I think the hardest part of moving is finding a new place for your stuff.

We have a donate box, sell box and trash pile going.  Can I say how AMAZED I am at the trash the movers packed?  Pretty gross. 

Ava has her last (second last anyway) day of kindy at Charles Barnum Elementary on thursday and I am mega bummed as they do not have a Kindergarten graduation.  I really wanted one!!  I feel jipped. 

Took the kids to Eastern Point Beach yesterday as Ava had a field trip.  It's a really great family beach! Levi likes sand.  He didn't eat near as much as I thought he would.  He liked how it felt though.  And on that note, I will leave you with some pictures of our fun day! 

Levi's vampire tooth! 

Hope everyone has a great day!!!

Long overdue

Hi all.  Or maybe I should just say "Hi Self!"  Still not really sure anyone reads this!  As I sit typing Levi is shaking my table and I imagine this is what it's like to type at high seas or in the middle of an earthquake.  LOL.  Never a dull moment around here. 

So we made it to Groton, Connecticut.  Yep.  Not much else to say so far...I can give you a brief synopsis of our trip:

Hit the road (2 hours later than planned) Forgot Levi's heartbeat bear and Lullaby lamb.  Return to Cassondra's house to retrieve it.  Hit the road again.  Take 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times as long to arrive in Vegas than it actually takes.  Have pizza and yummy fruit at our friends Shenay and Taylor's house.  Wake up.  Have a yummy breakfast courtesy of Shenay.  Hang out with Natalie and Kahea.  (All 3 of these ladies are twin moms I met when preggers with Ava and Sophia) Jason fell in love with a toilet seat.  Toto in case anyone needs a really good toilet seat experience.   Leave Vegas.  Almost get in an accident 15 minutes later, not even out of Vegas.  EEEK!  Take the rest of the day to have heartbeat return to normal.  Stop  in Grand Junction.  Get up in the morning, drive the Jeep and Armada separately through the Rockies.  Beautiful in case you were curious.  Drive until 2 AM to make our hotel in Salina Kansas, which was a a complete dive BTW.  Leave KS, pull over several times for Elijah to throw up...meet uncle Dan at a ghetto McD's to get the key to Grandpa's farm.  Arrive at farm, visit Aunt Donna, have pizza, Grandma and Grandpa sighting!  OMgosh!  The kids were ecstatic.  I may have been happy too!  4 days of luxury without any crazy time spent in the car.  We went on golf carts and 4 wheelers at the farm, saw Abbey graduate, saw Jesse graduate, played with Colt and Gabi,went to Chuck E Cheese, had a small Scentsy party!  Hung out with some fun Fosters and relaxed.  Left MO.  :-(   Drove to Columbus.  Went to dinner with amazing friends, had Levi start throwing up everywhere (You ARE welcome fellow Max & Erma's diners) had yogurt with friends and a super special family (very near and dear to our hearts) the Nelsons.  Stayed overnight with Heather and Dennis (spending time with them reminded me of HOW much I miss them) Left OH, stopped in Media, PA after the worlds most boring and awful turnpike....certainly it wasn't maintained well enough to cost us $30.50.  Stayed overnight with Aunt Judy and Roland.  Skip town around 10 am.  Sit on the GWB for 2 hours.  Need to pee desperately.  Hold it for 2 more hours.  Stop at rest area that is now closed for renovations.  Drive aimlessly around until we find a Wendy's.  Pee.  AHHHHH.  Relief.  Eat lunch.  Drive some more.  Arrive in Groton CT after hours in Traffic.  It's cold.  Gray.  Unwelcoming.  We pull up to our house and Tessa says "NOOOOOO!  I wanted our house to be yellow!"  And so ended our cross country trip. 

I'm sure I left out little nuggets of awesomeness, of which, when I remember, may make it to the blog, so don't feel like you missed out on anything.

We're here.  We're settling in...Ava is back in school, we're still unpacking...Anyone want to come help??  We have a bed you can sleep on!!