Honesty

So, I am going to be completely honest with all of you. I have not commited to working out in about 2 or 3 weeks. I have done 1 or 2 days a week for the past three weeks, eaten pretty crappy and yet I'm still down 10 pounds from where I originally started back in April. My goal for this week is to get back on track starting my last 30 days of the 90 day challenge. Since I have taken a few weeks off, my results are not going to reflect a full 90 day challenge. My goal after I finish these last 30 days is to start the program again, stick to it and see where I am at in 180 days. I am happy that even though I have not been doing well, I haven't gained any of the weight back. That shows me that I'm losing weight the correct way!

On another note, I have sent in registration for Declan to get into preschool and I'm so excited. He's actually on a waiting list right now and if they can get a couple more kids, he'll be starting a Pre-K program in September. This preschool is through a church close to our house and they teach things such as art, music, pe, spanish and of course about God. I really think this would be good for him. He is so social and LOVES being around other kids his age. He gets really bored being at home all the time and is very inquisitive about the things around him. He is a very smart kid and I want to help feed his desire to learn.

Lots going on

So, as mentioned before Pat got a job and started last Friday. I have put in my 2 weeks at Sams so July 1 will be my last day! Declan and I are doing a market research thing tomorrow on toys. I will get cash and he gets a toy for doing it! So here is our busy schedule for this week, keep in mind we only have one car however thanks to my parents they are letting me borrow their extra car. So, here it is: Don't forget to mix in laundry, taking care of the kids, keeping the house clean, and studying for a test.

Monday: Pat works 9-6, I had to be at work in chesterfield by 5:30 and work until close
Tuesday: Pat works 9-6, Declan and I doing market research at 10:30-12, Pat goes to school 6-10 pm, and I am making dinner for my dad as a belated father's day gift.
Wednesday: Pat works 9-6, I have to be in Florissant for my class at 6 to take a test :o(
Thursday: Pat works 9-6, I work 5:30-close
Friday: Pat works 9-6, we have to get up, take him to work, I'm leaving the kids with a sitter and then picking Pat up from work and going straight downtown for the Michael Buble concert (FREE!)
Saturday: I work 7-3:30, come home, we go to church at 4:30
Sunday: REST

Next week we are off of school and I only work on Thursday and then i'll be a full-time stay at home mommy once again. It's nice now that we have a house and can get outside and play in the sprinkler or the little pool. Also I got my butt back into gear today with my workout routine. I took two weeks off pretty much (I did my exercise about 4 days in 2 weeks...sad, I know). So, right now I'm at an 11.8 pound weight loss over 8-10 weeks. Eight weeks if you count all the weeks I stuck to the routine and exclude the weeks I didn't, and 10 weeks if you include the weeks I didn't work out. Anyway, at one point I was down 15 pounds, so I need to get back on track. We have decided that once we're finished with the 90 days that we're going to start all over again.

Other than that, I was thinking this morning while I was making breakfast for the kids. Declan always likes to compare himself to Alaina, especially when she's getting in trouble and he's not doing what she's getting in trouble for. For example, this morning she spilled some milk on the table and instead of wiping it up she was playing in it so I got after her and Declan chimed in "I'm not playing in milk on the table" with a big smile on his face. I couldn't help but think how many times we do this to God. We think oh, yeah we sin, but it's not as bad as that person over there. Really the only person we should be comparing ourselves to is Jesus and we need to learn from our mistakes and try to be more like him. It amazes me how frequently my kids do things that can totally put God's love for us in perspective. As much as it drives me crazy to hear Declan pat himself on the back for not "being as bad as Alaina," I wonder how God handles it when I do it to other Christians. After I came to this realization, I am going to try much harder to quit judging people, quit putting myself on a pedistal, and to quit comparing myself to other people. I hope this can help someone else because it definitely helped me!

Our newest news

For those of you that don't know yet, God has blessed Pat with a job this week! He started today and we are very excited about the opportunites this company has to offer. It's amazing to see what happens when you fully and completely trust in God. Once we reminded ourselves that Pat is not our provider, that God is and we completely trusted in his plan for us, we have been much better off.

This new place is very family friendly, they work with his and my school schedule and the pay is pretty good, too. He gets full benefits right off the bat and they do a lot of team building activities where he can bring me and the kids along with him. Not only does this opportunity seem great, but as always it's better than what we thought he was going to get! God is so good!

Newer Pictures

Blessed beyond our circumstances

Sorry for the late update, but I haven't gained or lost anymore weight this week. I am at a plateau and it can be due to either the fact that I've skipped my workout 3 days in a row or the fact that I have not been doing very well with the diet again. Which I have to admit I'm happy that I haven't gained anything since I did skip 3 days in a row of my workout. We accidently did an extra week of phase 2 and we are now onto the ab and recovery week. We haven't started on our "recovery" yet so hopefully I will get my booty in gear tonight and get back on track with my workout.

On another note, we're still fully relying on God to show us what the next move is as far as Pat having a job. He's gone on several interviews but nothing promising. It's either a lot of work for VERY little pay (as in less than I make at Sams) or it is conflicting with our school schedule. I know a lot of people think he should just take whatever comes along, but at the same time, I believe that we serve a mighty God and he's not going to put Pat into another job that he absolutely hates. His last job turned him into a completely different person. He has always been the kind of person that could go to work, deal with crap all day long, but at the end of the day he left it at work, he never brought it home (as in a bad mood, negative attitude, whatever). His last job was not like that at all. It caused him to be sick all the time, he always seemed like he was grumpy and he just wasn't himself. Since he has been out of work (the beginning of February) his attitudes is MUCH better, and I believe that God gave us this time to reconnect as a family, to focus on our Creator and to just spend some time together with God. Yes financially it has been hard but God has provided for us in every way we've needed and I know that He will continue to provide as long as we have faith in him. I truly believe in Luke 17:6 "He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you." God wants us to have faith that he will take care of us, and as scary as it may seem that we don't know what our future holds, my trust and my strength is in Jesus and what he has promised. Jeremiah 29:11 says, " For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God sees the big picture, even if we can't see it we have to trust that He is leading us in the right direction. I will admit that there are times that I freak out about not having enough money for our bills, but then I remember this verse: Phillippians 4:19 "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." God will supply our NEEDS, not wants, according to HIS riches. Everything is in God's timing and I have to remind myself to be patient and calmly wait for God to lead us! Once I realize these truths, I feel much more at peace and much more calm and secure in our situation.

On a completely different note, one of my best friends is in labor right now and I am so anxious to find out if she's having a boy or a girl!!!!