Coming Clean: Fess Up Ladies, Size Matters.

Yep... you read that right. Size matters to 99% of women in the universe.  It's a comparison tool for us.  And anyone who has told you differently is lying.

It's a comparison tool for us to compare OURSELVES TO EACH OTHER.  I'm talking the size of our houses; the size of our families; the size of our bank accounts; but- most obvious to me- the size of our bodies.  It seems no matter what size we wear, we are wanting it to be different.  Maybe I'm wrong... it wouldn't be the first time, that's for sure!

This is my perspective on the size subject:

*** No matter what size you wear, if your jeans are too tight, it ticks you off.***

Can I get an Amen?!

My largest-sized jeans are too tight and I'm finding myself "stuffin' my muffin" into the top of them while simultaneously stuffing Whoppers in my mouth and it sucks.  A lot.  The plight is the same for all of us.  When your clothes are too small, you don't feel as beautiful as God created you to be.  That's the human in us.  We are supposed to be treating ourselves as a temple created by the Lord, not a trash compactor.

For me, it's an issue of self control.  I used to be soooo great at keeping myself together!  I had a willpower that made the pope's look small!  Now, oh man... a WHOLE different story.  I would love to blame it on kids and not taking time to eat my own meals, but truth is I just cannot stay away from anything covered in chocolate.  According to this article, sugar is far more addictive than cocaine!  Wowzer!!!  It is controlling my brain!!!  I have been known on several occasions to hide from my children so I don't have to share the BAG of homemade cookies.   {Sigh.}  There.  I said it.  The first step is to claim it...

Enough complaining.  You get the picture.  I sang in a wedding this past weekend, and just to breathe, I had to keep my pants unzipped till the very last moment and ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.  No excuses for this crap.  I'm of sound mind and body and making very stupid food decisions.  Well, here's what I am going to do about it.

If you have eyes and a facebook account, you know I am an Area Manager with Arbonne (whooop whoop!) and they have an amazing detox program that have had awesome and sustainable results for people close to me.  Soooooo.... I'm doing it.  Starting tomorrow, I'm getting a grip on gluten, refined sugar, alcohol (I just heard some of you gasp at that one.), dairy, and caffeine, so I no longer have to get a grip on my back fat.  And you people are going to hold me accountable.  Yep.  Because if my husband does it, I'll hate him.  And if my kids do it, they'll drive me crazy and someone will be calling DSS.  And if my mom does (and oh, I know she would be all over that like chocolate syrup on ice cream), I'll stop answering her calls!

TOMORROW I'll wrap my mind around my best physical self, the self that God planned for me.  And I'll work to hide away all my tankinis.

Keep your eyes peeled as I share my transformation of mind and body right here in front of the whole wide world.

In the meantime, I'm binging on all things sweet.  Mmmm......

This is the infamous Special Treats Basket, aka the bin of Satan.

Coming Clean: Mom and the Middle

Aren't moms the best?  Seriously. Aren't they?

This morning my mom called me and told me that she had read my blog [insert long pause].  Know what that long pause means?  I think it means something like, "I enjoyed reading your blog, but I'm not sure how I feel about you feeling how you feel."  Get it?  Too many feelings?  Well, she is a female and so she's entitled.  But, she is a mom--MY mom to be exact.  The very same woman who prayed for me, gave birth to me, whose heart became swollen with pride, and knew I was pretty stinkin' perfect just like I was.    And, that is exactly how she felt about my blog.  But, at the very same time, she knows there's surely room for improvement.  Just ask her about my dirty baseboards.  Or the time I bought feathers with my $3 spending money. Or the time (ok... times) she had to balance my checkbook for me as a single adult.  I'm sure she'll fill you in.  :)

That's my awesome mom who threw Josh and I an AMAZING wedding!  Isn't she so pretty?!

And here she is again!  Dad says I look just like her. I take that as a compliment because she's pretty amazing.

See, being someone's kid is being in the middle of a continuum-- the middle of everything perfectly perfect as they are, and needing growth.  But, moms always think that you are closer to the perfectly perfect side of the continuum, of course.  I feel the same way about my own kids, don't you?!  I can't imagine either one of them more perfect, except I kinda wish they wouldn't whine about chores or sharing.

That's EXACTLY why I'm writing these blog posts.  I know that I'm doing just fine as I am.  My family is healthy and smart.  OSHA hasn't been called out to our home.  Animal Control hasn't come to check on our dog.  My husband is a man of God and a great leader for our family.  My kids love Jesus and have huge hearts.  I am so happy and well-balanced (Well, except for that checkbook mentioned above.)  All in all, things are great!  No real complaints!

But, because of all of God's promises and expectations, I KNOW things could be super awesome and the only thing keeping me from the super awesome is me in the middle.

Coming Clean: The Journey to Newness

My oh my!  My last post was in 2013!  So much has changed since then!!! And so much is about to change in the future!

I'm starting a new chapter--- a new chapter in my blogging, a new chapter in my life--- I'm coming clean.  

How, you ask?  Well, I'm coming clean with my eating, with my home, with my organization, with all my stuff.  And, by blogging about it, I'm accountable you.  If I have to come clean, I have to do it with accountability.  I'm so bad at it on my own!  So, welcome to my purging sessions!  (Wow... sounds exciting, right?!)  But, I KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is more in this ol' girl than what I have been doing!  I know there is more to me than well, ME!  I'm coming clean to find out all the goodness God has waiting on me to pull myself together!

What does coming clean entail?

Well, here are the areas in which I am focusing:
1. My eating.  I eat crap.  There.  I said it!  Most of you know that I have an enormous addition to sugar and all of it's closest relatives.  And, there used to be a time I could eat all that I wanted and wouldn't gain a pound. Well... that's changing and now I have to change in response to it.  More on that later...

2.  My house.  I LOVE design.  But, the shine of new cabinets or new vignettes sorta disappears when there's rolling balls of dog hair bigger than tumbleweeds and closets bursting at the seams.  My husband loves me no matter what, but I know he's secretly grossed out inside.  And, my mom?  Oh man, she would be sooo disappointed. (This isn't a picture of me, but you get it.)
3.  My organization.  See #2.  What kind of model am I being for my kids?!  I'm going to try with great strength to remove the time suckers from my day!

4.  My spirituality.  I am so grateful that I always know that I am made in God's image and he loves me despite.... despite it all.   I have been hearing him whisper "Come home".  I need to reopen my Bible and have Him draw me in and teach me.  There's still so much for me to learn.

5.  All the other stuff.  You know somethings going to be uncovered amongst all this Coming Clean!  And it's going to be gross and scary and uncomfortable!!! Ok, maybe I don't want to do this afterall.  ;)

Thank you for taking this journey with me!!