Starting a New Adventure!!

     In May of 2019 I started feeling pulled of deciding what extra curricular activity my daughter would be doing in the fall.  She has been in American Heritage Girls for 6 years and we enjoyed the program.  We felt that she had gotten out of the program what she could. So we started praying about if she should continue.
   
     So in June we got our answer,  we found out that the Cub Scout Pack our boys had been apart of for many years was changing to a family pack.  What that means is that they were welcoming girls into the pack. We found us being pulled to help start a girls troop, a linked troop with our current boy troop.   In 2018 Boy Scouts of America announced they adding girls to all the programs.  Girls have been apart of BSA since the 1970's in Venturing Crews and Sea Scouts.  In Fall 2018 the Cub Scout Program added girls and in February of 2019 the program welcomed girls into the older scouting program, know as Boy Scouts.  With this new addition to the program the name changed to Scouts BSA.

     Now let me explain the program how it looks.  A family pack has both boys and girls.  They do opening flags, announcements, Pack meetings, and "field trips" together.  During regular meeting nights the boys dens and girls dens meet separately.  The older Scouts BSA program is different in that boys troops and girls troops are two separate troops.  We have linked troops in our group.  What that means is, we share the same charter organzation.  We can share some adult leadership, except for Scoutmaster.

     So back to June of 2019, I talked with my husband and told him what I felt we were being pulled to do.  We decided that we would talk with our daughter and our boys to see what they thought.  We also prayed for away to bring up what we thought to the troop families.  Many of the Cub Scout families already voted to add the girls to the pack and many had daughters that could not wait to start.  Later the same day I received a text from one of the scout moms.  She did not intend for me to recive the text.  This was because a year earlier we had expressed we did not like the fact that girls were being added to Boy Scouts, mostly from lack of information of how the program would look.  The text was about the fact they had reviced names of families  that would like to know if we would be starting a girls troop.  So in July we started the process of getting the approval to start a girls troop.  By mid July we had enough girls to start a troop.  The first week in August we had all our paperwork in and started meeting.

     Our girls troop has eight girls in it.  Since starting we have camped 3 times, done a handful of service projects, and gone on a 5 mile hike.  The girls have all earned a rank and are working hard for their next one.  The girls have taught me so much and have pushed me to challenge myself.  They inspire me to better myself every day, and I hope that I can in turn inspire them to reach their full potential.  I am looking forward to all the adventures I am going to have with our troop.  I am glad I can help my daughter and the other girls forge new paths for girls in Scouts BSA.

Ushering at the Nebraska Cornhusker Football Game, with Scouts BSA

My New Fitness Routine

THIS IS NOT SPONSORED, THIS IS JUST MY EXPERIENCE!

     Back in October 2018 I started to work out for the first time in years. I started out strong and then tapered off. We had joined the YMCA and we mostly used it for swimming and a little bit of cardio. I was see a little weight loss but not a lot. So I stopped going.  Fast forward to June 2019. I knew I needed something different. So my husband and I joined Planet Fitness. At first I was just doing cardio. I was intimated by all the other machines.  Our oldest son also joined, between him and husband they convinced me to try the 30 minute room.  I started off doing the minimum weight and did only a couple of the steps. Now almost 3 months later I am going to the gym 3-5 times a week and I actually like it. I have been seeing good results.

 
     The results are part going to the gym regularly and part my life style change as far as food. Since the start of June I have reduced the amount of soda from 2-5, 12oz can a day to 1, 7.5oz can a day. I have added in drinking more water.  I am keeping track of what I am eating and not over eating.  I have been stopping and asking myself am I really hungry? Many times I am eating because I am board. I am choosing more healthy options when eating. 

   
     So back to what I do at the gym. I try to start with the total body fitness machine. This has a program that combines ultra red lights and a vibration plate you stand on. I like starting with this to help warm up my muscles. This is a 12 minute program with changing it is about 15 minutes.  I then go stretch, this usually takes about 4-5 minutes.  Now some days I do the 360 workout that is 3 sets of 60 minutes. Some workouts are ropes, cow bells, medicine ball, and some others. What I do will be explained in the photos below.  Then I always do the 30 minute room.  This is a circuit room. There are 10 steps and 10 machines. You do one minute one and 30 seconds off, to rotate to the next machine or step.  There will be pictures below. Some days I then do 5-10 minutes of cardio.  Now I am a black card member so I have access to things like the total body, massage chairs, hydro massage and tanning bed/booths.  So I go back and forth with one of the massage things. One thing I have been learning is that it in not about dieting,  it is about a life style change.  So since starting in October I have loss 26lbs.  Of those I have loss 16lbs since cutting back on soda and starting at the new gym.

Total Body Fitness 

Streching 

Stretching the inner thigh and outer thighs 

360 Workout

Ropes I do each o these for 30 seconds each to equal the first minuet of my 360 workout

Medicine Ball I do this for 1 min for the second min of my 360 workout

Cow Bells, I use these for 1 min when doing walking lunges to make the last min o my 360 workout

Steps

My Daily Cleaning Routine

     I will start off by saying I am still working on my consistency on this. Sometimes life just gets a little off track.
Cleaning Routine:
* Make our bed, unless it is laundry day.
* Breakfast dishes
* Wipe off the table and counters
* Start a load of laundry or have the kids depending on the day. We each have a set laundry day.
* I vacuum every other day
* I dust on vacuum days
* I wash windows once a week
*Lunch dishes
* Trash as needed
* Sweep the floor once a day unless needed more.
* I mop a couple times a week
* Dinner dishes
* I try and do a pick up before heading to bed.
* I also do bathrooms a couple times a week. But we wipe things down everyday.
* I clean out the fridge once a week
* Also deep clean the kitchen, dinning room once a week.
* I do a general pick up in our bedroom as needed.

The kids are responsible for cleaning their rooms, doing their laundry, and they help with dishes and trash.  Also they take turns mowing the lawn and helping clean up the yard.  We live on a very busy street and people toss trash from their cars all the time into our yard and the neighbors yards.

The main thing is that you find a schedule and routine that works for you.  To work at being constant and finding what works.

Summer Time Salad

Caprese Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1lb Asparagus

1 package pearl size mozzorella

1 package grape or cherry tomatoes

1 box radiator pasta or a small shaped pasta

10-12 Basil Leaves

1/4 cup Olive oil, Plus some for drizling

1/4 cup balsamic vinager

Salt and pepper ( both black and white pepper) to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.  Wash the Asparagus, break off the "woody" end, and cut into small bite size pieces.  Drizzle with Olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper.  Bake for 10 min.

2. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

3. Wash the tomatoes and cut in half. place the tomatoes, basil and mozzarella in a large mixing bowl.

4. Put the balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan and reduce by half.

5.  Let the pasta, vinegar, and asparagus cool.

6. Place all ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix together.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Proverbs 31 Wife Part 12: Outward Beauty Vs. Inward Beauty

Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a women who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
-Proverbs 31:29-31

     I think this verse is telling us that we might have outward beauty, but God looks at our inward beauty.  The most beautiful women I know have God's beauty shining through them.  How do they find such beauty?  First by salvation through Christ.  Then getting to know God on a deep level.  How do you do this?  By reading the word daily, laying down your life daily, by picking up your cross daily and following Him daily.

I do fell that we need to take care of ourselves, by eating right, getting some kind of exercise in, and over all general care of our bodies and mind.  I think it is OK to make ourselves look good for our husbands. 

     So the take away from this blog series is, to be the best wife you can be is to follow the Lord and to be who God wants you to be. 

I hope you all enjoyed this series.

Until Next Time,
Pitters

Proverb 31 Wife Part 11: How are We at Home with Our Families

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
- Proverb 31:28

     Looking at this verse I feel God is telling me that it does not matter how "holy" I am to everyone outside of my home.  Our true character comes out at home, with our husband and children.   We need to show all the characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit in our home.  Not just in public!

But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23

     We don't get to pick and choose the ones we like and only show them.  We are called to show all of them to everyone.  Even when we think our kids or husbands don't "deserve" it.  1 Corinthians tells us what love is.

Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious.  Love does not brag, it is not puffed up.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4

     I know I have days when a fall so short of this.  I have times when I need to humble myself to my husband or kids and ask for forgiveness.  We have a Father in Heaven that will forgive us when we don't remember what he asks of us.  I think the point is to know when you are following God lead and when you have stepped off the path.  Stepping off the path of showing our family the love that God asks us to. 

Proverbs 31 Woman Part 10: Not Eating the Bread of Idleness

She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
-Proverbs 31:27

     Ok so this one I can be really bad at.  I do good about watching over the affairs of my household.  But I am very good at eating the bread of idleness, which is bad.  The way I do that is by being on social media, watching TV shows, movies, playing games, and other things.

     One way I find that helps me is to have a schedule.  Not a overly strict schedule, because we also need to be flexible.  I also homeschool so I needed to learn to be flexible.  We do school mostly at home, but we have had days were we needed to be out o the house all day.  We have taken our school work with us.  Someone forgets to do or finish their laundry and delays everyone else in doing theirs.  One of the kids are sick or I am sick and the house is not a clean as I would like it to be.  Life throws us curve balls at times, but we can have help dodging them or catching them depending on what they are.  Knowing that God has my back is a great comfort.

     A good rule of thumb is to get your work done and then do the fun things.  A good way to get things done is a chore chart, list, assignments for your kids, if they are of an age that they can help. Yes your 2 year old can help you with "chores".  I had my kids at that age help pick up toys, put their clothes in their hamper, and put their sippy cup in the sink.  This helps teach them to take care of their things.  As your kids get older you add more responsibilities.  I now have an almost 11 year old, a 14 year old, 16 year old and over the summer my 19 year old is back from college.  They all do their own laundry, help with dishes, mow the lawn, clean their own rooms, and help with other various things. You might ask how much do you give your kids in allowance.  Here is the kicker, we give them $0, yes you read that right.  They get no allowance.  They are members of our family and have shared responsibility in the up keep of their things and our home. This is what has worked for our family.  I do know this, my 19 year old had one of the cleanest dorms on campus, he knew how to do the cleaning he needed in his shared bathroom, his own laundry, and cleaning his bedroom and the common area.  His college has dorm rooms with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a common living area.  Sorry for the rabbit hole. I guess my point for it was that I am teaching my children to not eat the bread of idleness, but still have fun.  To watch over their belongings and the living area, to take care of all of it.

     Some may ask well what do you do, well let me tell you I still do most of the household work.  That is my job as wife and mother. To care for my family is my God given privilege.  I am truly blessed to have the role I have in my family.  I don't always feel that way in the tough moments, but I try and remind myself often.

     So my challenge for you is to work on a ruff schedule that works for your family.  If you have kids have them do chores, if they are not already, and they are old enough.

Until Next Time,
Pitters