I've Lost My Mind...

I'm a mom of three beautiful girls ages 5 and under. I work part time some of the year and full time some of the year at a job I love. I volunteer at church. My two oldest girls are taking tumbling classes. I. Am. Busy. So, in my "spare time" I've decided to start a business.

Let me backtrack a little bit. My sister-in-law is a vegan and my brother is a vegetarian. Their healthy decisions have planted seeds in my mind throughout the years, but it wasn't until recently that I started to see the whole picture. They're not weird. They don't hug trees (well I do have a photo of my brother hugging a tree but that's another story). They simply eat as healthy as they can so that they can fuel their bodies to be the best that they can be. For years, I didn't understand the concept of "clean" eating because it seemed nearly impossible to rid our bodies of all of the bad things out there. What was the point?!

The point is this. You may not become a vegetarian or a vegan, but you can still make small changes here and there to live a healthier lifestyle. I started making smoothies for breakfast two months ago. I started with 1 cup of milk, 1 banana, 1 cup of frozen fruit, and 1 tsp of peanut butter. After month one, I challenged myself to make my smoothies even healthier. Now I have 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 3/4 banana, 1 cup of fruit, 1 tbsp of protein powder, 1 cup of spinach, 1 tbsp of PB2, and sometimes 1 serving of super greens and/or chia seeds. I'm not going to lie, some of those ingredients used to be foreign to me until my sister-in-law broke it all down in a way that I could understand. I'm blessed to have someone that I can trust, that has been down this road, and that will take the time to explain to me what super greens are. By the way, they're amazing so ask me if you don't know!

One more flashback. Last April some of the boot camp girls decided to participate in the 30 Day Detox by Arbonne. In all honesty, I didn't participate because I thought they were crazy. I'm hypoglycemic so I already eat fairly healthy and I didn't need someone telling me to cut out this, that, and the other. Sadly, I missed the whole point to the detox. It's designed to be a lifestyle change. It's designed to help you cut out all the bad stuff that's in your diet and to replace it with only the good. It's designed to change your habits and to lead you to a more healthy life.

I get it now. I see the bigger picture. I see how I can help change people (and the world) for the better. I get to be the weirdo now. Ha! All joking aside, whether you're looking to detox, to start eating healthier (they offer a vegan based protein powder), to find baby products (that can clear up the worst case of eczema), makeup, face wash, etc. Arbonne sells it, and research shows that it's the best product on the market.

"At Arbonne, we are all about being green — always have been and always will be. From botanically based ingredients to forward-looking green improvements, being earth friendly has everything to do with who we are and how we choose to grow.

More than just grounded in green values, we are putting them into action. We're taking "pure, safe and beneficial" to the next level through our efforts to match the purity of our ingredients with the earth friendliness of our packaging. So what's good on the inside is also good on the outside.

We are constantly looking for ways to not only minimize our impact on the earth, but to leave it better than we found it. Our green initiatives span sourcing, manufacturing and operations, lightening our carbon footprint with each step forward. Taking the lead in our industry, virtually all of our product shipments are certified carbon neutral. Working together, we grow greener every day."
-from their website www.arbonne.com.

Is Arbonne cheap? No. Are the products worth it? Yes. Therefore, I will teach you how to get discounts on Arbonne products. After all, I love to coupon!

So with that, my journey begins. As my business grows, I would love your support so please let me know if you would like to know more about the products, if you would like to host an event, or if you would like to know about the business side of Arbonne. As most of you know, I'm not a "party" hosting person so I would love any help that I can get from my "party" loving friends and family. Trust me, the rewards will be worth it!

Family Reunion 2013



Last weekend we drove to Texas for the Bailey-Phillips Family Reunion. I recognized the Reilly Springs Community Center when we pulled up even though I hadn't been there in 13 years. This is the town where my grandparents grew up, and it's about 8 miles from Sulphur Springs, where my dad grew up. I love it here. I have many fond memories of going to my grandparents house for holiday's and summer breaks. My dad is one of five boys so every get together was huge. Lots of aunts, lots of uncles, lots of cousins, lots of laughter, and lots of love. Those gatherings made me want a big family, which is one reason that we have three kids of our own. Because my grandma had five boys, I just knew that I would have all boys as well ... wrong!

The inside of the Community Center was a step back in time. It started off as a school and ended up as a community center. We found a picture on the wall of my grandpa and his classmates in 1925. We also found a picture of Johnny Cash. I'm sure that Johnny would love to know that he performed on the same stage as my kids. Bailey felt like a true Star singing up there.

This picture is the reason we got together. This is my dad and his four brothers. I admire these five guys alot. I always have.

This is my cousin Jordan, and our families. Jordan and I were inseparable anytime our families got together, so it's neat to see how we've multiplied. She got the all boys ... go figure. Of course, I wouldn't trade my three girls for anything. They are my reason for breathing.

My husband and brother decided to gaze into each others' eyes compare mustaches. I'm still not sure whether to be grossed out or impressed by all that lip coverage.

No reunion is complete without laughing at old family photos and remembering the good times.

It's also not complete without giant lollipops and happy little (sugar-filled) kids!

How many licks does it take...

Pure joy times a million!

This picture represents the two D's: Death-grip and Determined. Get after it Miss P!

This trip wouldn't have been complete without Lou meeting her Great Aunt Marvilou. I think it made both of their days!

After the reunion we went back to the hotel to relax a bit before meeting a few cousins and uncle for dinner. My cousin chose a new restaurant in downtown Sulphur Springs. We were very excited to see the city alive again. Downtown has been "dead" for as long as I can remember.

I love this old courthouse building that is still being used today. And yes, that's my brother posing with his leg up on the golf cart thing. And yes, those are my kids honking the horn over and over and over and over so that everyone in the Farmer's Market can hear them.

You know downtown is hopping when you have two see-thru toilets on the square. I can't lie, it took all I had not to press my butt up against the glass to see if anyone could see it.

After dinner, we finished off the night with a horse and buggy ride. The kids and I had a blast, and Bailey said that she felt like a real princess. She was doing the pageant wave to everyone we passed. Good times indeed!

I love my family. We are blessed to keep in touch through Facebook, but there's nothing like sitting face to face and getting to visit with one another. The next reunion is already in the works, and I guarantee that it won't be 13 years from now.

Tulsa Run - My First 15K Race!

 

 

Today was race day! I trained. I ran 50 miles in preparation for this 9.3 mile race. I was ready. As it was getting closer to race day, I started having doubts. Could I really run 9 miles? Would my IT bands hurt? Would I run out of steam before the end of the race? So many doubts, so little faith. Enough. I assured myself that I could run 9 miles. I prayed over my IT bands. I prayed for a healthy body and full lungs. No doubts now. I was ready!

 

However, there was still one question that I didn't have an answer to. All week, I struggled with the decision to run the race by myself or to run it with my husband and a friend. For once in my life, and only because my husband hadn't trained for this run, I figured I could outrun him. I had a time in my head that I wanted to beat, but I also wanted to run alongside my best friend (because we have 3 kids, we never get to run together). It wasn't until Friday (the day before the race) that I saw a picture on Facebook that said, "I would rather cross the finish line with a friend and have a great adventure than cross the finish line alone and have a personal best race." I had my answer.

 

Here we are at the starting line. Me (no that's not a duck face, it's just a bad picture), the Hubs, and Jared. Greg and Jared have run this race together 3-4 times so I was thankful that they let me crash their man-date.

 

The race started and I had a few minutes to gather my thoughts because I was running just ahead of the guys. I took this time to think about my Inspiration List. A friend of mine shared with me that she gives each mile to a certain person that inspires her. It's her time to be thankful for that person and to pray for them. I started off my list with God. I took a moment to thank Him for my legs, for the ability to run, and for the strength to run the race. I also recited my favorite verse, Isaiah 40:31 - "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint." Mile two went to my husband. Mile three went to Bailey, our 5 year old. Mile four went to Lou, our 3 1/2 year old. Mile five went to Parker, our 1 1/2 year old. The other miles had specific names on them, and those people know who they are. I was blessed to take time at every new mile to be thankful for each of these names, and to pray for them.

Did I mention that this race was 9.3 miles? That's a lot of running with people we didn't know. So, what better way to encourage my fellow runners than with the occasional high five. Yup, I did it! I high fived lots of people during the run. I also yelled encouraging words even if it embarrassed my husband. That's just who I am. I specifically recall one high five where the guy held onto my hand for a few extra seconds as if to say thank you. I could tell he needed the encouragement and I feel like God put me next to him at that very moment for a reason. In return, I was encouraged.

We saw lots of costumes during the race, so Greg took this opportunity to take my picture with Death. The guy offered to stop so we could take the photo, but we chose the running shot instead. Believe it or not, Death was actually a nice guy.

 

Thanks to the amazing people who put this race together the last mile was all uphill. Wonderful. There's nothing like finishing a 9 mile race uphill. Are you catching my sarcasm?! In the end, we survived. I ran the entire race without my IT bands hurting (even though I had trouble with them in training). I crossed the finish line with my husband, my best friend, my rock. I couldn't have asked for a better finish than to have my name right next to his. (We are just above the dark gray line).

 

 

No, it wasn't a record time. It wasn't even close to the time my husband ran it in a few years ago. But, it was an adventure and we enjoyed our "date." Next year ... we have a time to beat!

 

As I was putting our 5 year old to bed tonight, I had the chance to explain to her what "inspiration" means and I told her that she was mile three. Her face lit up. I had tears in my eyes. That made every step of the run worth it!

Our next race is the Route 66 Half Marathon in less than a month. We got this!

 

Commitment

 

Our current sermon series at church is about being Committed to Christ. We are learning multiple steps that we can take to draw closer to Him. Last Sunday we talked about Witnessing. I'm an extrovert. I'm outspoken. I like talking to strangers. I'm the person on the running trail high-fiving and encouraging the other runners that we pass along the way. So, sharing my life, even my walk with Christ, is not difficult for me. However, not everyone is like me. Witnessing can be a very hard thing for people to take part in. That being said, I wanted to take a moment to let you in on a little secret ... praying for others is a form of witnessing. Yup, even you non-talkers can be a witness to your friends and family. Simply telling someone that you will pray for them may be the only witness they hear all day. You don't have to pray for them in person, you can take the request home and pray in silence. Did you catch that? You can be completely silent, but you can still move mountains. You can still witness.

I'm beyond blessed to go to a church that has a powerful prayer team. We have a room in our church specifically dedicated to prayer. Our preacher extends an invitation every Sunday to come down and pray at the alter. We have a church prayer chain. These folks (myself included) are praying for people we know, and people we don't know. We pray for small things and we pray for big things. We stand in the gap. We are witnessing.

Sunday evening, my husband played one of our favorite songs for our girls. It's been awhile since I really listened to the words so I stopped what I was doing and I sang along. The words were an exact fit to the sermon we heard that morning. The song is "More Than You'll Ever Know" by Watermark.

"Something brought you to my mind today
I thought about the funny ways you make me laugh
And yet I feel like it's okay to cry with you
Something 'bout just being with you
When I leave I feel like I've been with God
And that's the way it ought to be...

CHORUS:
'Cause you've been more than a friend to me
You fight off my enemies
'Cause you've spoken the Truth over my life
And you'll never know what it means to me
Just to know you've been on your knees for me
Oh, you have blessed my life
More than you'll ever know

You had faith, when I had none
You prayed God would bring me a brand new song
When I didn't think I could find the strength to sing
And all the while I'm hoping that I'll
Do the kind of praying for you that you've done for me
And that's the way it ought to be...

Chorus

You have carried me
You have taken upon a burden that wasn't your own
And may the blessing return to you
A hundredfold"

 
Like I said before, I'm blessed to have a church family that prays for me. But, I'm also blessed with a husband, family, and close friends that pray for/with me as well. Everytime a prayer is said on my behalf, I'm being witnessed to. I'm seeing God's love in human form. I pray that you have the  courage to be this kind of witness to those around you. It doesn't take geat courage, it just takes the willingness to allow God to use you.  


Romans 12:12 - "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

Then & Now

The time has come. It's been one year since I started working out, and focusing on getting my body back in shape after having three beautiful girls in 3 1/2 years. Yup, that's how we roll. Our first two are 20 months apart and our second two are 24 months apart. We are crazy blessed!

My workout journey started on Oct 13, 2012. You can read more about it Here. I've worked hard the last 365 days. I've lost weight, inches, and my sanity. HaHa! Kidding!

My thoughts Then:

1. Can I really lose the weight? Can I prove to others, but more importantly to myself, that I can get back in shape?
2. I want to play soccer and not be winded.
3. I know that running is important to weight loss, but I hate running.
4. Can I really get back into my pre-pregnancy size jeans?
5. I'm fat.

My thoughts Now:

1. Yes! I can lose the weight, but I still have work to do. This has changed from a 1 year goal to a Lifelong goal.
2. I love playing a full 40 minute Indoor soccer game with no subs.
3. I ran the 6 mile leg of a marathon relay in April. I'm now training for my first half marathon (coming up next month), and I'm running my first 15k in less than two weeks. My kids love to run with me.
4. Yes! I'm back in my pre-pregnancy jean size.
5. I'm fat. Let's be honest, all women have fat days no matter what size we are. I'm convinced that my "fat thoughts" today are from the Devil. I've worked hard the past year and he's trying to steal my joy, my accomplishments, my hard work. I've said it before, and I'll say it again ... Hey Devil, You Lose! I'm proud of myself and I will continue to work hard, and to fight back against all of the negative thoughts that creep into my mind and try to convince me that my hard work is not good enough. I'm good enough! Say it with my ladies, "I'M GOOD ENOUGH!"

And now, it's picture time. These are more for me than they are for you. I chose pictures of my middle because this was the area where I knew I wanted to see the most progress. These pictures are the proof I needed to convince myself that I've changed. It's hard to see improvement along the way, but a picture is worth a thousand words. I won't list my weight or inches lost. Why, you ask? Because they don't matter. What matters is that I feel better and that I'm happy with my "work in progress."

 

 

How did I do it?

Like I've said before, I joined a Boot Camp class on Oct 19, 2012. I owe a lot to my instructor, Erica, and the girls that I work out with. These girls are very supportive and they are very competitive. They work hard and they make me work hard. These ladies make me better. Thank you!

 

I'm also blessed to run with some amazing ladies. These ladies hold me accountable to reach my goals. They make me run when I don't want to. They make me believe that I can run a half marathon (yikes). They make me better. Thank you!

 

I'm still working on my eating habits. I've always believed what a friend said to me this weekend, "getting in shape is 80% what you eat and 20% what you do." I truly believe that. I don't eat terrible, but I wouldn't say I eat great either. My goal is to do better, and I thank God that I get another chance to do better every morning that I wake up. Can I get a Snickers Amen!

 

Lesson:

I hope that my year long journey has encouraged you. If my posts have inspired one person to get off the couch and to start their journey then I've far exceeded any goal that I could have set for myself. If you are that person, I high five you. I encourage you to continue. If you are starting that journey tomorrow, I high five you. The first step is the hardest, but it's also the most rewarding. You got this!

 

 

Genesis 24:21 - "Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful."

 

May you be successful in all that you do!

 

 



And I Quote ... (Part 2)

Our girls are at it again! Here is a new list of quotes that we've heard over the past few months. If you missed the first post "And I Quote..." then you can read it Here.


Bailey, Age 5:

• "Parker, what in the earth did you push?"
• "I wonder what a jelly bean bag is full of when it's empty?"
• "I like school, but I don't like how you have to follow the rules there."
• "I need to go home and pick out a smile for picture day tomorrow. I have lots of cheesy smiles to choose from."
• We told Bailey that we needed to trim her nails. Her response was, "No thanks. I'm going to use them to saw wood."
• "I don't want Lou to put her nose boogers on these."
• "G-Lightening" - aka Gatorade

Lou, Age 3 1/2:

• "You can't tell anyone at church that you got underwears on. You got it?"
• "We have to squeeze that cows teetee (utters) to get the water (milk) out."
• "I don't have wacky (wax) in my ears!"
• "Every little swallow, Every chicken feet" - aka chick-a-dee from the song Rockin' Robin
• "Jesus has a big castle with breakfast and a couch."
• "Where's my stolascape? Stelescope?" - aka Telescope
• "I'll take good care of it because Santa gave it to me. I mean Jesus. I get mixed up sometimes."
• "Can I warm my food in the magic heater?" - aka microwave
• "Daddy, you have big boobies and I have little boobies."
• "We haven't been this way since I was a baby with no teeth."

Parker, Age 1 1/2:

• "Pinnocchi - okie" - aka Pinocchio

"Out of the mouth of babes comes great wisdom" ... or just something really, really funny!

21 Days - DONE!

I reached the Finish Line! I completed a "No Facebook for 21 Days Challenge" and a "30 Minutes of Rest for 30 Days Challenge." Woohoo! If you missed my last blog about these challenges, you can get caught up Here.

Today, I get back on Facebook. What stories will I see? Is the Facebook world just as I left it? What did I miss? Who had a baby? Who got married?

What I learned from the Facebook Challenge:

• Excuses don't complete challenges. I was originally going to break this 21 day challenge into parts because I "needed" to get on Facebook for one reason excuse or another. I was wrong.
• A person CAN survive 21 days without Facebook while keeping the app on their phone
• I'm stronger than I think I am.
• Facebook will stalk you if you're not on it stalking others. I got an email every other day letting me know that I was "missing out."
• I miss seeing posts from family and friends. Facebook is a great way to stay connected to those that you don't get to see on a regular basis.
• I will do this again in the future if I ever feel like I'm getting "addicted" to Facebook.

What I learned from the 30 Minutes of Rest Challenge:

• My house will not fall apart because I decide to sit down for 30 minutes straight each day.
• This is best accomplished after the kids are in bed.
• My body benefits from rest.
• I got to watch full episodes of House Hunters again.
• I could use more than 30 minutes of rest each day.
• I will continue to challenge myself to this on a daily basis.

The biggest lesson that I learned in the last 21 (& 30) days is this: Your best friends will challenge you to the toughest things. Not because they want to see you struggle, but because they want to see you succeed. They know you will succeed. To my friend who I shared these two challenges with, THANK YOU! I'm a better person because of you!

Job 9:19 - "If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty! And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him?"

Proverbs 17:17 - "A friend loves at all times."