The Barbarian Way

I just finished reading a book titled "Unleashed" by Erwin Raphael McManus. I have to admit that in the beginning, the book didn't seem to catch my attention. The author seem to be we writing in circles around what he was really trying to get at. But then I realized that I needed to pay closer attention to what I was reading.
This book, which was previously released as "The Barbarian Way", is a book about living the way God intended us to live. Our society tends to offer Christians a nice and easy, safe and carefree way of living. McManus points out that the Bible doesn't and never has called us to that. In fact, the bible calls us to be Christ followers, which means trusting in God ALWAYS, even when we don't know where He is leading us, or what His plans are. 'Unleashed' is about finding your inner barbarian and going against what this society says we should do but seeking Christ instead.
McManus offers a simple read with challenging content in his book. He urges and encourages us to change our hearts and mindset to that of the barbarian way. If you are looking for a life changing book that can make you feel more alive*, I would recommend this book for you.

*You must decide and commit to the change before it can actually take place in your life. The way to do that is to commit EVERYTHING to God, and to follow Him fully, no matter the cost.

I received a free copy of this book through booksneeze.com

Work out? What!

So, it's been a while since I have written a blog covering my weight loss journey. And to be honest, so far, it hasn't been going too well. The hardest part is definitely the diet -- or should I say, what I am consuming (because eating healthy is not a diet... its normal!). I would like to chalk it up to the fact that these last couple of weeks have been hectic and stressful. These two things together are never good, especially for an emotional eater, like myself. But I can't sit here and make excuses about why I am not losing weight, because to be honest, I think that working out and eating healthy are two things that would help me deal with the stress better than a dozen peanut butter cookies would. :P

Current weight: 181
Goal weight: 150

So, here's the plan for this week:

*Get my eating back on track
*This has been going well the last two days, and I already feel better for it!

*Do physical activity every day
*This has also been going well... I have done push ups and sit ups for the last two days in a row (Which Josh is helping me with) and Josh and I are also on the
church softball league, which helps me stay active each week!!

I really would like to fit into my summer clothes this summer, because I am super excited about the sunshine!!!!!

Raising Up Children

The book "Secure Daughters Confident Sons" by Glenn T. Stanton is an information packed book about raising our children in a healthy way. He talks about how to bring our children into adulthood in a way that makes them independent and confident in who they are, even when this society tries to tell them something different.

Stanton breaks the book into two parts; Part 1 is about boys' and girls' needs and how to help them grow into healthy adults. Part 2 is aimed more at why our children need mothers and fathers to grow up confident and secure.

Being a new mom myself, I enjoyed reading about the differences in boys and girls, as well as the different roles moms and dads play in their childrens' lives. The author writes clearly and in a way that is understandable. I would suggest this book to any new parents, parents who are struggling to bond/communicate with their children, or couples thinking about having children.

I received a free copy of this book through Waterbrook Multnomah publishing company.

Week 3

Well, last week has been interesting to say the least. But I managed to lose pounds and gain a ton of God-given patience!

previous weight: 183
current weight : 179

Last week I also went for my first run of the summer, which I thought was going to kill me. But, thanks to my wonderful, supportive husband, I got through it running more than I thought I could! I don't even think we ran a mile, but it surely felt like 3 miles (oh wait, I have never run 3 miles at one time EVER :P). Josh has been really helpful and great to me, encouraging me when it gets tough and helping me to not eat everything I see :P

This last weekend, we did the 30 Hour famine with our youth group, which is where the patience from God comes in... the biggest challenge for the adults was getting the kids to be respectful and to listen. There were many times we wanted to throw them into a pool full of sharks, but thanks to God and the other adults, we all made it through, and it was quite rewarding! We ended up collecting a TON of food, water, and blankets for a food shelter in Saginaw, and we also did some road clean up here in Kingston!
Here is part of the stuff we collected :)

So, I am doing a thirty day challenge this month: walk a marathon in 30 days. In case you didnt know (because I didn't know, exactly), a marathon is... 26.2 miles, I think. So that is my challenge this month is to walk that far in 30 days. I have gotten on mile down already! ( I started yesterday) I didn't walk today because it was really rainy and cold out, too cold for the baby to be outside, but tomorrow is mile 2!