Bringing Sexy Back: Week 1 Check-In

Hey Y'all!

Wow- Week 1 of the Sexy Back challenge is already over! I can't believe it. This week has literally flown by. Here is a quick recap of how I'm doing.



Physically-

I've met all of my workout goals this week. YAY!! Which means that I am complete with week 1 of my half marathon training. Wooohoo!!

 For those of you who are new to the blog, my husband Greg, and I will be running a half marathon with team World Vision in October. If you would like to learn more about World Vision, or would like to make a donation, click here. In a nutshell, Greg and I are running to raise money to provide things like clean drinking water, food, education, and medical care for those living in Africa. We have supported World Vision as a family for several years and are currently sponsoring a little boy in Chile. So this organization is very near and dear to our hearts. It takes only $50 to provide one person with clean drinking water for an entire generation, which is pretty mind blowing if you ask me. If you will, please check out the site! Even if you cannot make a donation, please pass along the information to your family and friends, because every single dollar helps.



Mentally-

I'm currently reading 52 Things Kids Need From A Mom by Angela Thomas, and I must say, I am enjoying this book. It's an easy read and Angela does a wonderful job not making you feel guilty as a mother if you are not currently doing some of the things mentioned. She describes the topics addressed in the book as mere prompts to get you thinking. They are more or less various ways that you can address the needs of your children. I know for me, I can easily get too caught up in the "roles of motherhood," such as cleaning, doing the laundry, cooking, running errands, etc. This book has been a great reminder that my role as a mother goes much, much deeper. It's my ministry. My love offering to the Lord. I highly recommend it.



Spiritually-


This week I committed to memorizing Psalm 145 and as of this very moment, I almost have it down. I think by the end of the evening I'll have it. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to report this information to all of you, because as of right now, you'll just have to take my word that I have indeed memorized each passage of Scripture. I'm debating doing a vlog each week... but I don't know if this will bore you or not. So feel free to let me know what you think.

If you haven't signed up for the Sexy Back Challenge, there is still time! Head on over to Carlos Whittaker's blog and sign up there. Remember, you can always follow along on Twitter or Instagram by using the hash tag #SexyBack12.

Oh yeah, almost forgot! There are still a few more days left to get your posts in for the {faith} filled life blog link up! I've met some wonderful ladies from the UK as a result! We would absolutely love for you to join us :) Have a great weekend, y'all!

DIY: Homemade Febreze

Fabric softener + baking soda + hot water = homemade Febreze.

Who would have thought?!

I wish that I could claim the credit for coming up with this ingenious idea, but regretfully, I cannot. I found this nifty DIY on Pinterest {surprise, surprise} and came across the blog, Life.Family.Love  where I am to believe, the idea originated.

What you'll need:

1/8 Cup of fabric softener (I used Downy April Fresh)

2 tablespoons Baking Soda

Hot tap water

Spray bottle 

I already had all of the ingredients that the recipe called for, so I immediately ran to the laundry room, gathered up the supplies, and made my first batch of homemade febreze. ***I tweaked the measurements just a little bit because my spray bottle was much smaller. To be honest, I just eye-balled it, which doesn't help any, I know***And you know what, y'all... it works! My house smells so fresh and clean. I used it on everything. The curtains. The couch. Throw pillows. Blankets. Comforters. The dog {so just kidding!} It appears to be completely safe to use around your pets and children. And you can't beat the price at $0.15 a bottle either!

Once again, Pinterest, you are slowly turning me into a domesticated diva :)

{faith} filled life

Get your posts ready y'all, 'cuz I'm hosting my first ever blog link up!!!
I have decided to open the link a little early this week, being that it is the first time I've ever done this and it will allow me to work out any kinks in the system. Also, I wanted to give anyone who wished to participate a couple of extra days to get their posts ready {especially with it being around a holiday in the US}. 
The {faith} filled life link up will take place on Fridays {starting next week} and will run for a few days afterward. That way if you can't get your post ready before Friday due to scheduling conflicts, you can still join us! The whole purpose of this link up is to put the abundant goodness of God on display. It can come in any shape or form. Scripture. A devotional. A song. A poem that you wrote. A photograph that you took. A personal testimony of God's grace. It can be anything, so as long as it brings glory to God. 
Also, if you are on Twitter or Instagram, use the #faithfilledlife hash tag to follow others who are joining us! 

This week I'm going to kick things off with a simple YouTube video of the song, "Healing Is In Your Hands" sung by Christy Nockels. I cannot tell you how many times I have poured out my soul to the Lord this week, asking for healing. Physical healing for my body. Emotional healing. Restoration in several areas of my life... The words are powerful. Take some time to listen and let them minister to you. 

How has the Lord revealed Himself to you this week? I do hope you'll join us! 

Photo a Day Challenge {July}

I've attempted to join in on the #photoaday challenge several times on Instagram {follow me: megan_card} and typically do a fairly good job keeping up each day, accidentally skipping a couple of days here and there. But I thought that it might be neat to bring the fun to the ole blog. I mean, I like pictures. I like taking pictures {except for pictures of myself}. I like seeing what other people are up to. So why not?! Vanessa- you would rock at this! If you want to know how to play along, check out Fat Mum Slim, she'll explain everything for ya.

I'm behind, as usual. So I need to play catch up. Here are the last few days. Photo dump style :)

Day 1: self portrait

Day 2: Busy {training of course}

Day 3: Best part of my day

Day 4: I always have *fun* with these little guys

5 Reasons Why I Love My Youngest {Listable Life}

It's been a while since I have linked up with Nicole from Moments that Define Life, in her {Listable Life} series. So I thought that I would write up a quick post about why I adore my youngest son, Rylan. I wrote a post back in April listing reasons why I loved my firstborn, Hayden, so of course I couldn't leave my little man out!

 

  5 Reasons Why I love, my Rylan:

1. I love Rylan's personality

My little man isn't afraid to be silly. In fact, he thrives on his ability to make people laugh. There is so much laughter in our house, it's almost not fair. His giggle is infectious- which he is unfortunately learning how to use to his advantage when he is in trouble.

2. Rylan Is My Little Cuddle Bug

Whether it is with his big brother, Hayden. Mommy and Daddy. Or a giant pile of stuffed animals. You will almost always find Rylan cuddling in someone's lap. I'm an affectionate person myself, so I just eat stuff like this up! Some of my absolute favorite moments include quite mornings sitting on the couch, drinking my cup of coffee, reading my Bible, with my little one curled up in my lap. Pure. Joy.


3. Rylan's Brilliant, Blue Eyes

I have yet to find a picture of Rylan that can fully capture the brilliance of his eyes. None of them seem to do any justice. I had always dreamed of having a child with sapphire blue eyes, but when Greg and I got married, I never expected it to actually happen. You see, both Greg and I have dark brown hair and brown eyes {though Greg's are known to change color depending on his mood}. So imagine our surprise when Rylan was born and he shows up with blonde hair and those sapphire blue eyes that I had prayed for! Genetics are a marvelous wonder!

4.  I Love His Curiosity

{Photo Credit}

It's probably not a coincidence that Rylan's favorite show on Netflix is Curious George, as he can completely relate to this clever little monkey.  I often walk into the boy's room to find him taking toys apart, so that he can figure out how to put them back together again. Perhaps I have a future engineer in the family?

5. Rylan Has a Generous Heart

It may not always seem like it, what with his terrible twos threes taking place at the moment, but Rylan really does have an incredibly generous heart. Even as a baby, he was always sharing everything. And by everything, I mean every thing. He'd share his food. His toys. His favorite blanket. His teddy bear. His germs. {Remember, he loves to cuddle. So naturally, when he is sick, he is all over you.} He couldn't stand it if any of his friends were left out. I'm anxious to see how this plays out as he grows and matures into a young man. 

I love you so much, Rylan! I am proud of the young man you are growing into. It is a joy and an honor to be your Mama :) 

VBS 2012 Recap

I lament that this was the only picture that I took from last week's VBS.
Sad.
But Hayden and Rylan had an absolute BLAST and I am thrilled that they were able to participate this year!

The theme was Amazing Wonders Aviation: Encountering God's Awesome Power. The curriculum was provided by LifeWay. VBS will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was through VBS that the Lord made Himself real to me when I was a child. It was such a blessing to see my sons engage in Scripture throughout the course of the week and to come home each night to them talking about all of the amazing things God does for us.

Below I have included a few of the VBS songs that I was able to find on YouTube that the boys {and my 4 year old class} absolutely loved! They have been singing these songs non stop since last Sunday. And I must admit- I've caught myself singing these songs a few times when no one was watching  :)

Bringing Sexy Back: Week 1

I know that it isn't the official check in for this week {that would be Saturday} but I wanted to update y'all on where I am at in the Sexy Back Challenge.

Today begins another grueling round of the P90X Lean Program, with one of my least favorite workouts: Core Synergistics.  I'm not really sure why it's my least favorite... but it is. If you are familiar with P90X you would automatically assume my least favorite would be PlyoX- but I am weird and actually like that workout, despite its level of difficulty.

Y'all are going to need to send me some extra motivation today because it is currently raining at our house. Which means that it is the perfect pajama day! My boys are curled up on the couch under an over-sized blanket at this very moment, watching Super Readers on Netfilx. And I SO desperately want to join them! But this Mama needs to lace up her running shoes and hit the treadmill instead. Followed by Core Synergistics. Booo... hahaha!

Take a look at workout schedule this week:

Monday: Run 2 miles. Core Synergistics
Tuesday: Cardio X
Wednesday: Run 3 miles. Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
Thursday: Yoga X
Friday: Legs & Back, Ab Ripper X
Saturday: Run 4 miles
Sunday: Kenpo X

*** And now for those dreadful "Before" pictures***

I *hate* taking pictures of myself. I feel weird when I do it. And taking "before" pictures is just plain awful.

 I look ridiculous. I attempted to take one of myself in our bathroom. When that didn't work out so well I enlisted the help of my 5 year old.

This was the best we could come up with. Hahaha!

I may need to get Greg to help me out when he gets home from work so that I can get some accurate "before" pictures. Then again... it just might slip my mind... :)



I have also selected 52 Things Kids Need From a Mom by Angela Thomas as my July book of the month.

{photo credit}

I flipped through it a bit last night and it looks like a good read. The chapters are short, which is perfect for busy, on the go Moms!



And if you've been keeping tabs on me the past few days, you'll know that I am committing Psalm 145 {yes, the entire chapter} to memory this week. God is already using this passage of Scripture to rock my world!

I will extol You, my God, O King,
And I will bless Your name forever
and ever.
Every day I will bless You.
And I will praise Your name forever
and ever.
Great is the Lord, and highly to be 
praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise Your
works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will
meditate.
Men shall speak of the power of Your
awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
They shall eagerly utter the memory 
of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your
righteousness.


The LORD is gracious and merciful;
Slow to anger and great in
lovingkindness.
The LORD is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His
works.
All Your works shall give thanks to
You, O LORD,
And Your godly ones shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your
kingdom
And talk of Your power;
To make known to the sons of men
Your mighty acts
And the glory of the majesty of Your 
kingdom
And Your dominion endures
throughout all generations.


The LORD sustains all who fall
And raises up all who are bowed
down.
The eyes of all look to You,
And You give them their food in due
time.
You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living
thing.


The LORD is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds.
The LORD is near to all who call upon
Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfill the desire of those who
fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will 
save them.
The Lord keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh will bless His holy
name forever and ever.


I cannot WAIT to see what else the Lord has to teach me this week!


One last thing and then I will go. You may have noticed I have added a few additions to the sidebar. I finally figured out how to create a blog button! I have also added a few buttons that will direct you to some of my sweet bloggy friends {or at least the ones who had blog buttons}! So I hope you will take a second to head on over to their blogs and say hi! Tell them I sent you :)

Friday will also begin my first ever blog link up! Yay!! I know that there are several other popular blog link ups on Fridays, but that was honestly the best day of the week for me to host a link up. I will post the vision and purpose behind the link up later in the week so that if y'all would like to participate you can get your posts ready in advance.

Sorry for such a long post! Thanks for stopping by and hanging out with me for a bit :)

Have a great week Y'all!