So much has happened since my last post. My life has been so crazy I feel like I am chasing my proverbial tail. In late June I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. It was like everything suddenly made sense. I have really struggled the last few years trying to find a doctor who would listen to me. My new doctor is AMAZING! We have been working together to help me find my way back to a healthy life. I transferred from Butler CC to WSU in August. I was ready to get on the fast track to getting my degree finished. It has been extremely satisfying in most ways. Before, I did mostly online classes, this semester I am in a classroom everyday of the week. The kids are in 1st and 2nd grade. How did that happen? They come home with homework and little projects and I am reminded that they are no longer babies but big kids with best friends, individual interests, and big dreams. Valerie is struggling with a little teacher PTSD from last year (Probably blog about that later). Slowly getting better, but we still have some bad days. I picked up a part time job at the college. It is extremely simple. Making students feel welcome, checking classroom equipment, cleaning up the study areas. It pays minimum wage but they let me do my homework, so I think it is a winning spot. Wish I could say that I am keeping up with my workouts but that has not happened. I tried getting up at 5am for a couple of weeks to squeeze it in but that did not last long. Don't really know yet how to fix this. I miss it. My husband and I bought insanity to do together but we have owned it for a couple of months now and have not done it together once. ::sigh:: All in all, we have been busy. Steven and I kiss each other on the way out the door most days and then kiss goodnight as we roll into bed. We joke about living with a stranger. Now, it is Saturday. Big sis woke up at 6:30am, Steven went to work(because the weekend I do not have homework is the weekend he works), I could probably get ahead in a class or two if I did some work this weekend. I need to go make breakfast and get the girls to Bug Lady. Maybe I will post more later! Have a great weekend!

I have become quite obsessed with a new website. Skinny Ms. She has recipes, workouts, playlists, and everything you need for healthy living. I love that if I need a specific workout for a body area that I am targeting, she has it. I love that if I need dinner ideas, she will give me a recipe that won't kill my diet. She even has a Gluten Free section. I love it! You should check her out. www.skinnyms.com or find her on any social media site. I have been so so lazy the last month or two. I hate how I feel right now. I am so ready to be back on track. You feel so much better when you are active. I am always amazed at how hard it is to get back into routine but once I am there, I always kick myself for not doing it sooner. I want to start running too. I have always been so very bad at it. Even when I am fit, I can dance or power through a 3 hour workout but ask me to run a mile and I am a heaving wheezing mess. I can jog walk for a few miles but not at any real speed. Definitely one of my main fitness goals. I also want to start doing more blog posts on my meal planning, my fitness, my crafts and my family. I love the outlet and I think it is good for school to keep my writing sharp.

My Letter of Encouragement to Parents with Teenagers

I wanted to write you a message. I have never been a parent of a teen so I will not even begin to understand what you are going through. However, I have been a teen recently and I am a parent so I wanted to share something with you that I have observed. If you provide a godly example, if you lead your kids in what you believe is right, then they will almost always come back to that as an adult.
Being a teenager is all about pushing the boundaries and figuring out who you are and what you believe for yourself. It is about trying to pull away and establish yourself as an independent entity. Some behavior that is the opposite from what your parents believe is to be expected. It is them trying to figure out if everything you have said for the last several years is right.
I am not saying this to you because I think you are doing something wrong, or because I think I can do it better. I am saying this so that you can be encouraged. Your child is not behaving this way because he is losing his way, or he may be throwing away the values you taught him, or even because he doesn't like you. He is just trying to figure out who he is.
Someone wise once told me that you work really hard to instill the values you want in your child before they turn 12 or 13. After that, they take that and use it as a foundation to explore and figure the rest out on their own. I say, if you did it right, they will always come back to that spot to build the rest of their lives because they know the foundation you laid is strong and solid. Other children may seek to build a life away from their roots because they know the foundation their parents gave them is shaky and unstable.
If you are showing him what it means to lead a Godly lifestyle, then regardless of what happens in the next five to eight years, he will grow out of it, be a better person for it, and recognize that you are the ones that got him there. I have seen it happen time and time again.

Religion VS. Jesus

I know these videos have been circulating for a few days now. I love the position both men take. I think that they each make very valid points.
I am a very centrist person. I live in the middle on most issues. For that reason, I believe nothing is absolute or black and white. I think there are huge differences between plans and how they are implemented, in ideas and actions, in what we believe and how we behave.
I think there is a place and purpose for the church but, how it runs now is not the vision our Lord had. I would be very interested in everyone else's thoughts. Take ten minutes and let me know who you agree with more.

Army Wife 101 Real Talk: Likes/Dislikes About The Commissary

Army Wife 101 Real Talk: Likes/Dislikes About The Commissary

----> Please follow the link above and watch the video. Especially if you are a military member or spouse.

OMG! I agree with so many things in this video. 1) I do self checkout all the time at other stores and I NEVER have the problems I do at the commissary. 2) Just a little FYI, you can mute the crazy computer lady but that doesn’t stop her from effing up your order 10 times. 3) I have never seen a store out of so many things. All the time there are big empty spots and when I ask, they tell me the truck hasn’t come in yet this week. Well, you get a truck every week. Who is doing your ordering? 4) I buy a lot of produce… A LOT! I also try and buy at the commissary because they are so much cheaper than everywhere else. The problem is, their stuff is bad! I sometimes have to dig through the items in the display AT THE STORE because stuff is moldy, bruised, discolored, etc. Then, if I do manage to get it home, sometimes it is only at the house a day or two before I have to throw it out. 5) I also would say it is important to check the dates on everything you buy. I have purchased milk that goes bad a week after getting it home, things well past the expiration dates, items that I know I saw on the clearance shelf this time last year……..6) I know that “technically” they are tax free, but at least here, they charge a building and maintenance fee THAT IS THE SAME AMOUNT AS TAXES WOULD BE! Then you still have to tip your bagger and the kid that walks you out to your car. Sometimes I walk out and think that if I had just gone to the grocery store by my house, I probably wouldn’t have spent any more than I did here. 7) They do not have very many store brand options, so while the name brand stuff can be significantly cheaper than at your local store, you may not be saving money if you are willing to purchase off brand items elsewhere.
Don’t get me wrong, I do think it is nice to have a commissary, and there are a few items that do cost a lot less. I just feel that sometimes, we are given the bottom of the barrel stuff that other stores wouldn’t take. Or that are flawed. I also think that there is a real issue with how the stores are being run and managed. Ordering, produce and inventory turnover are a store by store responsibility. Yet, it seems to happen a lot of places. Perhaps someone who isn’t just a vet but someone with actual grocery management experience should be brought in…….. Just the rantings of a fellow army wife. Sorry I got a little crazy. lol