Celebrating Mr. Clean

Mr. Clean created a handy little item called the Magic Eraser.  It is a sponge of some sort that when dampened will wipe just about any blemish or mark from most anything.  It can make the dirtiest of walls look new again, will take a little darling's masterpiece from the living room wall, take soap scum off of a shower door, remove mold and mildew and rust marks from porcelain and a host of other uses.  No one really knows what is magic about Mr. Clean's eraser but it will even take permanent marker off of most things.

The original Magic Eraser rose from the tomb over 2,000 years ago.  His resurrection has the ability to make the dirtiest of lives look new again.  He can wipe any blemish or mark from anyone's life.  He can remove a masterpiece you made of your life that ruined your future.  He can take scum and make it shiny and streak free.  He can remove mold, mildew and rust from our lives that no amount of apologizing will erase.  He can remove mistakes from our lives, even ones with permanent reminders.

Mr. Clean, although amazing, is not a new concept.  My Mr. Clean died for my sins and rose again on the third day.  My Mr. Clean is your Mr. Clean.  We accept our Mr. Clean when we confess His name before men, and dampen ourselves in the burial waters of baptism.  He then magically erases our mistakes, even ones with permanent reminders.

Today I celebrate Mr. Clean.  For He has Risen!

Let's Get Moving in the Right Shoes

Our idea for weight loss is not dieting.  It is more simple than that.  It is Eat Less, Move More.  Quite a few have started the podcast for the Couch to 5K program.  Don't get discouraged if it is hard to get going.  Remember the hardest step for a runner/walker is tying your shoes and getting out the door.  I write on the inside of my running shoes with permanent marker this sentiment, "This is the hardest part."  That way when I tie my shoes I know I am doing great because I am going to exercise once I get my shoes on.  Once you get in the habit, it will become much easier.  Trust me.  It is scary to try something new, to vow to eat less and move more, but we will be free when we take time out for ourselves, for only then it will make us a better mom/dad, a better wife/husband, a better employee, a better servant of God.  Just the simple fact that we refuse to diet and we won't deprive ourselves is motivation enough to know that we can be successful.  We won't create cravings, desperation for foods, or lack of motivation.  Slow and steady wins the race.

Let's talk about what kind of shoes to run/walk/move more in. I know it is hard to believe when you have not even run that first step, that you will eventually be replacing your running shoes about every 4 months. Some like being fitted for your first pair. This is a fabulous idea if you have a lot of money to invest right away, and are certain you are going to stick with it. When I got up off the couch and started running, I started in the pair that I had in the closet for casual wear. After all, everyone laughed me into next week when I made the declaration anyway, so why would I invest in shoes if I was only going to run a time or two. I would start with Asics GT 1000-a great, middle of the road shoe that can be bought online for a reasonable price. Run/walk in those for 3-4 months and see if this is something you are going to stick with. If it is, then go get fitted for some higher end shoes. If you want to get fitted right away, go to the Athlete's House downtown. It is my experience that they are the most knowlegeable and kind crowd of runners.   Although I have gone and been fitted into expensive running shoes, I ultimately go back to my tried and true Asics GT 1000.  Below is a link to order you a pair.  They run true to size so if you wear an 8.5 then order an 8.5.  www.shoes.com provides free shipping both ways so you can order them and if they don't fit you can ship them back for free and get another size.  It is truly hassle free shopping.  They have super cool colors in this model also!  When you click on the grey and blue shoes below, you can see the other color options as well.




Some of you have mentioned having knee and leg pain as you have started moving more.  For me, the shoes were everything.  In fact, when my legs and knees start hurting, I know it is my signal to buy new shoes.  If you need the link to Couch to 5K it is in a previous blog post.  Search for Couch to 5K in my search box on the right to find that post.

Thanks for reading my blog and please subscribe using the Subscribe to button on the right column of the page so you will know right away when I update with a new post.  Tonight I will leave you with a little motivation to get you going.

Now that is a point to ponder.

Happy Easter Everybunny!!

Being Authentic

Being Authentic.  What does that even mean?  One of my readers asked me to write about how I became an authentic person and I have to admit is has totally left me scratching my head.  It has led me on a soul searching journey for the past week or so examining what does being authentic even mean and how did this person even determine that I was authentic?  This is good stuff.  We all need to be authentic.  Just be ourselves on a day to day basis.  To the person who asked me to write about this, it is going to have to be a series on Being Authentic because it is a multifaceted topic.  To those who are reading, I hope my thoughts help just one person be themselves on a daily basis.

First of all, if you don't even know who you are that is a place to start.  In my early adult life, I remember and even look back on pictures at how I dressed and how I did my hair and how I cooked and how I acted.  It all was about what someone else thought I should wear, look like, act like, cook like, etc..  In an earlier blog post I talked about my decision to cut my hair short and spiky and how I was met with much opposition in that decision.  The bottom line there is that you may not want your hair short and spiky but I do.  And that is ok.  You may not want to wear black, but I do.  You may not like to allow your children to get their cartilage pierced, but I choose not to fight that battle.  The fact is that we are all different and God made us this way.  We all need to be tolerant and accepting of other people's desires, opinions, style of dress, and ways to raise their children because what may be good for one person may not be good for another person.  But we should be supportive of what other people like and do as long as it is not harmful or against God's word.  What we don't realize is that our support of others relieves a ton of pressure to allow us all to be Authentic.  We are all human and as much as we would not like to let the opinions of others affect our decisions, the fact is that it does.  So if we all would be in support of different people's different strategies to survive life, raising kids, and dressing themselves, then we would all feel much more free to be who we are.  Let's face it, not everyone can just say "forget them, I am going to do what I want to do.".  So a little tolerance and keeping your mouth shut with your opinions will help tremendously towards a birth of authentisism in everyone.  Let's all take time to cut down the pressure by keeping our opinions to ourselves and only show support and not negativity unless it is harmful or against God's word, and your definition of harmful may not be really harmful in the grand scheme of things.

The reason people lie is because they believe the truth will not be good enough.  Read that statement twice or three times.  It is about as true as anything on this planet.  One of the ways to be authentic is to tell the truth all the time and let that be good enough.  When you realize that people lie because they believe the truth is not good enough then you can tell the truth all the time because your truth IS good enough.  We all make mistakes and sometimes our truth is not pretty but it is part of the knitting of the fabric of our lives.  If we are allowing ourselves to be authentic then we will admit that we are not perfect and tell of times when we made mistakes because God allows us to suffer to help others along the way.  What I have been through may help someone else.  But if I keep it to myself then who am I helping?  I heard a story of Jews escaping concentration camps and the years of work they spent mapping and planning.  Once they escaped do you think they kept their info to themselves?  NO  They shared it so others could escape.  If we are transparent and share our struggles with others then we are being authentic and you will find that others will come out of the woodwork showing gratitude for sharing because they have been closet sufferers of the same thing.  Being Authentic means being transparent.  No one is perfect and if you act like you are then you are living a lie.  Your story can help others.

This is the first installment of the Being Authentic Series.  I hope it has helped just one person. I have many things to share about this and am excited to continue to think on the subject of being authentic.  For today, I will leave you with one of my favorite mottos:

Be Yourself and let that be Good Enough

Now that is a point to ponder.

God's Timing almost always is not Our Timing

Tonight I went to a wedding.  I have been to many weddings in my life, all of which has been beautiful.  Tonight I went to the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to not because the decorations were the best I had ever seen, or the bride looked the most beautiful, or the groom was the most handsome, or the weather was the most perfect, or the food was the best I had ever eaten.  In fact, I really paid less attention to any of these physical properties than I have at any wedding I have ever been to.  The wedding I went to tonight was a culmination of God's perfect timing.  It was the most beautiful event I have ever been to.  There were no physical bridesmaids, or physical groomsmen.  The witness that stood up with the bride and groom was the one and only God.  

The bride's son sat on the front row along with the parents of both the bride and groom.  There was not a dry eye in the audience.  The groom and bride walked out of the back of the house and ambled hand in hand dripping with joy to the alter of greenery over an archway.  God saw this day long ago and the happily ever after that it began for these two.  God wiped their tears individually for the past years as the wounds were deep and raw from failed marriages and previous spouses who taught them who NOT to marry. 

The bride is one of my best friends.  Not because we spend a lot of time together, that is not always necessary.  We have been to hell and back together in different situations, but we put our backs together through the rain and slept that way so neither one of our heads fell in the mud.  There has been a lot of mud for a lot of years.  When my mud dried and I was able to walk on dry land again, my best friend continued to struggle.  Some days we wondered if her misery would ever end.  If it wasn't flies it was ants. But faithful love is a friend just when hope seems to end, welcome face, sweet embrace, tender touch filled with grace.  Faithful love drowns each fear, reaches down, dries each tear, holds my hand when I can't stand on my own.

One day, a very handsome man who I have known my whole life and whose father was one of my Christian mentors growing up came in to Sunday school and sat next to my best friend.  By the time Sunday school was over, he was practically sitting in her seat with her.  Both happier than I had seen them in years.  My husband and I elbowed each other and snickered to ourselves without saying a word.  I couldn't tell you what that Bible class was about that day because I was watching what God was doing right in the row in front of me.  That prince and princess were married today with God in attendance.

The wedding was perfect, the decorations were perfect, the bride was the most beautiful, the groom most handsome, the food the greatest I ever tasted, because God blessed the broken road that led them straight to paradise.  I was blessed to be able to witness the culmination of years of heartache that gave way to God's perfect plan, God's perfect timing, God's perfect family.  It started to sprinkle rain during the ceremony, then it quit.  It reminded me of how many tears my friend and I have dried for each other over the years.  The rain stopped and so have the tears.  If ever there was a happily ever after, this is it.  Congratulations, my Friend on your happily ever after.  Sometimes we have to kiss some frogs to find our handsome prince.

Ways to Get Your Children Talking to You

Don't you just love it when you go to the dentist and the Doc or hygienist tries to talk to you while you have your mouth wide open and they are scraping crust from your teeth and the suction is halfway down your throat?!  Our children's version of this scenario is this:  Don't you just love it when you are in the middle of your favorite show, or playing with your favorite toy, or trying to get ready to go out with your friends, or getting ready for school and your parents come in and try to talk to you?  Timing is everything to get your children to talk and tell you the important stuff. 

I am one very blessed momma in that my children tell me just about everything.  Yes, they lie sometimes and yes, I have had some times that they have been doing things they shouldn't, but for the most part, they tell me stuff that I need to know.  It is because I have set up open lines of communication from the very beginning.  Showing your children that you are not going to panic or interrupt when they talk is important to establishing lines of communication.  Remember when your kids fall and you give this look of horror to them and they start crying?  I always have a pleasant look on my face when something happens and don't panic.  That way the child can decide if it is an instance that warrants upset reaction.  Don't panic, and look pleasant.  Rule #1 to open lines of communication.  If you start this early then not only will you establish credibility and openness with your little ones, it will train you to not panic so when they are teens and come to you with who had drugs at the party or who is trying to have sex with them then you won't panic either.  I assure you your teens will not open up if you panic every time they speak to you about stuff.

When you go get your nails or hair done, it seems to be a time to talk to the person doing your nails or hair.  I noticed this anomaly  and the fact that at a hair salon, dirty laundry is hung without inhibition for all to hear.  Cool!  I brought this home and used it on my children with much success.  Regularly paint and clip your girl's nails and do their hair and the dirty laundry is out to dry.  With my boy, it involves clipping and digging dirt.  They don't realize that I have a motive in my pampering, but that is ok.  I start out just like a hairdresser does.  What can I do for you today?  What has been going on with you since the last time we did your nails, etc.  My children have responded beautifully to this tactic.  I get a lot of information out of them this way, and gives me a chance to listen to them.  Again, don't panic, and don't ask too many questions.  Over time, it establishes communication lines for anything, not just the easy stuff like where are we going to eat Friday night.

With my boy, shooting hockey is a good time to talk.  Shoot hockey with him, shoot basketball with him, dig a hole in the yard with him, dig dirt out of his fingernails for him, all of which have been successful talking times for me with my boy.  Again, don't panic or ask too many questions.

Bathtime is a good time to talk when your children are small.  My children used to tell me all kinds of things from bathtime.  However, I never panicked, offered too much advice, or looked shocked by anything they told me even from a young age. 

What do I do if my child tells me something they did that is bad?  You said not to panic!  Well, I am glad you asked.  The way I handle this is simple.  I put it back on them.  I say, "What do you think God is saying about what you are doing?"  For me, it works every time.  Gives them a chance to think through what happened, and how they should correct themselves.  No shouting, no fussing, just correction.  Children want to do what is right.

When they come home from school is a terrible time to talk, but it also is the best time to talk if you know what questions to ask.  Here is the scenario:  They get off the bus, come in the house, and you say Hey!  How was school today?  You are setting yourself up for closed lines of communication here.  What is the answer to the overused "How was school today?" ?  Well, it is "fine".  Door shut, communication stunted, tv on, snack prepared, you are DONE momma!  Try this and see if it doesn't get you further than a standard "fine".  When my kids come home I say to them, Well you look happy today! or Well you look upset about something. or You look like you are excited about something.  These comments open the door for a more thorough explanation or answer than "fine".  Kids will correct you if you say they look happy and they are not at all!  They will reply with No, I am not happy at all, I failed the math test and my best friend is saying I'm not her friend anymore.  NOW, you lines are open. and you can have a nice discussion of things.  It is all in the questions you ask, folks.

I hope my blog today will help even one person to open some lines of communication with their child.  Do their nails, do their hair, play beauty salon, bathtime, bedtime, whatever works.  Just don't panic, lay grounds of communication early so you train yourself and your child, when they do start to tell something, don't offer too much advice, just listen.  Keep calm and listen on.

Now that is a point to ponder.

Discoveries from the World of Hearing-Never Take Things for Granted :)

Barbara Walters here reporting live from the world of hearing!  I am thrilled again to have been given permission to share these stories.  My oldest daughter has actually asked me to blog all of her discoveries about the world of hearing.  She didn't have to ask me twice because it has been such an exciting few days since she got her hearing aids which are called her "little miracles".  Some of the items that she has learned about the world of hearing she thought were embarrassing, but now she has seen how so many have been impacted by her story that she wants to share more :)

I must say that I have learned SO much in the past days about not taking things for granted.  Sounds that I have not paid attention to ever, have been brought to my attention as my girl has heard them for the first time.  Yesterday, I had to take my youngest to the pediatrician and everyone was interested in my story which I was incredibly thrilled to tell.  Our doctor barely began to make mention of a "shoulda, coulda, woulda" thought that he had since finding out about my girl and her new life.  I stopped him before he could even get started because this is God's story and not ours.  God did what he wanted to do with my girl and I wouldn't change a thing.  When you go to a Christian pediatrician, those conversations about what could have been different are not productive.  We can't go back, only forward :)

You grow through what you go through. 


Be thankful for the bad things in life.  For they opened your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before.  I will forever pay attention to these things because I am thankful I can hear them:

• when you run your hand across a chair arm, it makes a noise
• she heard something whispered to another person when she wasn't looking straight at them
• before, some kids would find it hilarious to walk up to my girl and mouth words with their mouth but not really say anything.  Since we have now discovered she was reading lips all this time, she would say "Wait, what did you say?" to the kids.  Then they would leave laughing at her response basically making fun of her.  When this happened for the first time after she got her "little miracles"(her hearing aids) she shouted and pointed her finger at them and said "HA!  You weren't saying anything!"  TAKE THAT mean kids!!
• when the heat cut on in the house she was a bit frightened having never heard that before
• When the ice maker dropped ice it scared her to death
• on her first day to school with little miracles, the pencil sharpener scared her to death
• now she responds immediately when spoken to
• her eyes are bright
• she is extremely happy and laughs a lot
• she makes noises with her mouth and laughs
• She talks in all kinds of funny voices and laughs at her sounds
• she taps her fingers just to hear the sound
• she "gets" jokes and sarcasm that she never did before because she couldn't hear it
• she hates having to take her hearing aids out at night because she says she can't hear anything and she goes back to a dark world she lived in before and she doesn't like that world anymore  
• she said she feels like she is "normal" with her little miracles in
• when she went to school she was bouncing around telling and showing everyone about her little miracles and one kid said "Aren't you embarrassed that you have hearing aids??"  My girl replied, "NO!  Because I can HEAR!!"
• Before we arrived at the audiologists office, my girl was worried about what the hearing aids would look like, would she look like an old woman, etc.  Once they were programmed and placed in her ears, that was no longer a discussion.  She quickly realized that what they look like did not matter because it was so great to hear
• She says "I hear that!" alot
• last night, she was at her babysitting job that she does regularly, and she told the little doll to stop smacking her mouth when she was eating.  The little doll said, "But I always eat like this and you never said anything before".  My girl said, "Well if I have ever heard your smacking I would have told you a long time ago to stop smacking, so stop smacking please."
• she said the Pledge of Allegiance for the first time.  She knew it, but never knew where they were in it, so didn't participate.  Said it sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher before.
• coming out of church she said she had heard the most beautiful singing.  She knew I always said she had a beautiful voice but she never heard it.
• she has stopped smacking her mouth when she eats even though we have told her to stop for years, but she didn't understand why we told her that because she couldn't hear it.  Now she will smack loudly on purpose and laugh about it

Before I tell my favorite story of them all, I will say that my girl has given me permission to share this.  It is the most precious moment we have had, it is hilarious, but precious coming from an 17 year old girl, almost 18.  At first she thought it was too embarrassing to tell, but I told her what the moral of the story is, and she wanted me to share it.  So read carefully and enjoy, but don't forget the moral at the end.  Enjoy:

We were leaving the audiologists office with her newfound freedom into the world of hearing.  Driving home, she had called my mom to tell her she could hear.  In the middle of the conversation, she threw the phone down and started laughing hysterically, rocking back and forth with tears streaming down her face from hard laughing.  This went on for minutes.  She was laughing so hard she couldn't speak.  I said, "What is going on?"  She said, "Mom!  I just farted and it made the funniest sound I have ever heard!"  Then she proceeded to laugh uncontrollably along with me.

Folks, the moral of that story is this:  May we never again hear the sound of an annoying fart that will stink up the joint without laughing uncontrollably, for we were able to hear the sound. We have  become so immune to the sound that we get aggravated with the scent.  May we all live our lives appreciating how funny a fart sounds from this day forward.  Amen.

Now THAT is a point to ponder.

Fat Burning Solutions

Words cannot express how humbled I am at the outpouring of love and commentary about the story of my girl and her hearing loss.  Never in a million years did I realize that people would be so interested in my stories.  It is just everyday life to me.  I have some fabulous stories to share about her discovery of the world of hearing but today I have some more tips on burning fat.

Please share the link to my blog with anyone you would like to.  The more visits and commentary we get the closer I get to being able to getting advertisements on my blog that cause it to be a moneymaking site for me.  If you like what you read, then comment on the blog comments at the bottom of each post and subscribe to the blog which will allow you to get email or text message when I write a new post.  Thanks for all your support.  Now on to fat burning:

Fat burning is the most mysterious thing that I have ever encountered.  If you have read any of my blog thusfar, you know that I am anti-diet, anti-cardboard eating, anti-deprivation when it comes to losing weight. Before you fill up on yogurt this morning that you don't even really like, check the label of it.  Most yogurt is Full of SUGAR and will build belly fat faster than you can imagine.  Even Greek yogurt has a lot of sugar in it.  There are better choices.  ANYTHING that has a healthy label on it that you think is good for you, read how much sugar is in it.  It is astounding.  Greek yogurt is great for a dessert option because it has a lot of protein in it, most of the time around 11 grams.  Remember, higher protein, lower sugar.

Take your Apple Cider Vinegar and make sure it is undilluted(which makes it nastier and healthier).  Take your coconut oil like a good girl or boy.  Coconut oil speeds your metabolism.  Visit my pinterest page for more uses of coconut oil on my board "Products I Love"  Visit my pinterest page by clicking on the icon on the right top of my blog page.

NOW!!  Finally I am going to share the secret to fat burning.  I wish I had known this before now lest I would have never spent my life overweight.  I figured out the problem.  

When you use shampoo in the shower the suds run all down my body.  You can't help but let the suds run.  I read on the bottle of shampoo, and they all say it no matter what kind you use, "Adds volume and extra body"  This has been the problem all along.  My shampoo running down my body has been adding extra body and volume making me fat all my life.  Well, I have a solution for us.  I started washing my hair in Dawn dishwashing liquid.  On the label it reads, "Dissolves Fat that is otherwise Hard to Remove"  Problem solved!  And it is great for oily hair.

If you call me and I don't answer, I am in the shower.

Now this is a point to ponder.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!