Category: Self

My Figure Update: Overcoming a Quitters Mentality

Post author By De
Post date August 11, 2017
6 Comments on My Figure Update: Overcoming a Quitters Mentality

I have quit a lot of things in my life. It’s actually my go-to exit plan. If it’s hard just give up and move on, right? I’ve quit relationships, ideas, business ventures, and opportunities. Moved on and never looked back. I am also one of those people who acts on ideas. I don’t always research what I am getting into I get an idea in my head and I just go for it until it gets hard and then I quit and move on to the next big idea. A pattern that I didn’t even realize until recently. My impulsive decision making has had its advantages and allowed me to do some pretty fun and amazing things but long term goals is where I tend to fall short. As you know I have been doing this Figure Competitor journey. I originally thought that it would help me to get in the best shape of my life which it has but I also did it because it was a fun idea that I have had in the back of my mind for many years and had an opportunity to take advantage.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

1 Corinthians 9:24

When the Sparkle Wears off

Like anything, new things are fun and exciting. You usually are all in and zealous to achieve your goal. It’s the hard work, disappointments, and length of time that led to where I often go. I’ll just quit and move on until something happened with my daughter that made me step back and reflect. I have three little diva’s that keep my life full, active and yes, drama filled as you can imagine. My middle I see a lot of me in her maybe a little too much. Like her Mama she approached life with a let’s try something new mentality and like her Mama she gets bored and moves on easily. We were riding in the car one day and my daughter was telling us how she wanted to quit camp. My husband and I were stressing the importance of finishing what you started when a comment my husband made struck me. I had said, “She always quits when she loses interest in something.” without hesitation, my husband said, “Yea, she gets that from you.” OUCH! But honestly, he is so right. So, then as any good Mama guilt struck and self-reflection. Yep, another similarity that we share.

Too Far to Quit

So, here I am at the end of my Figure Journey well approaching the end maybe and things have gotten less fun and more challenging. The thing about Fitness Competition is nutrition is probably the most important part it allows you to look a certain way. This sport is also about aesthetics and a lot of competitors have a poor body image although they have amazing physiques. I’ve started to learn how to pose and I am not a fan. I love lifting weights I’ve gotten used to the nutrition but as far as the posing not only is that not fun it doesn’t serve me in anything but competing. I don’t really care about the makeup and the bikini part I am not that kind of girl. I just want to do it and get it done and said “I did it!” and move on. So, as I struggled with posing my immediate reaction was aw that’s okay I’ll just move on and try something else but that conversation in the car with my husband replayed in the back of my mind.

Work in Progress

In the past few years, I have been refining my life making different choices and trying to live my best life. We are always evolving and changing and as you have witnessed through my journey I have spiritually, mentally and physically changed my body but I am nowhere near being the complete package. Nor do I think I ever will be like everyone else I have things to work on, lots and lots and lots of things to work and overcoming a quitters mentality is one of them. So, how? How do I change a habit and replace it with a better one? Any habit that can be successfully changed has to be replaced with something that you enjoyed. This is no different. I have decided to quit my quitter’s mentality by quitting. Say what? Stay with me!

You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,

2 Timothy 3:14

How I am overcoming quitting

I am quitting setting up roadblocks to achieving my goals.

I am quitting acting on impulse and doing more research.

I am quitting putting limits on my ability.

I am quitting putting a time frame on my goal.

I am quitting thinking that I have to be the best at everything the first time.

I am quitting setting the example to my girls that when you get bored or discouraged to move on.

Things are hard and you often want to bail and move on I know I do but I have experienced the results of persevering and seeing something through to the end and so that is what I plan on striving to do.

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:12-14

Do you have any suggestions for a quitters mindset?

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Fitness and Health Self Uncategorized

My Figure Prep Update

There are Amazon and other affiliate links which I do make a commission from. My Full Disclosure Policy

So, a few months ago I made this huge announcement. (to all those who would listen) I was going to train to compete in National Physique Committee (NPC) Figure Division “Bodybuilding” Competition. I still get a lot of, “Why do you want to do that?” and honestly, in short, I’ve always thought it was cool and I am an adult and one of the benefits of being an adult we can (within reason) do what we want. Me, I want to try to compete in a body building competition. I love the discipline, the results and the training. I chose figure over other division because for one I don’t want to do a routine in an eenie weenie teenie bikini, no thank you. Even though I did do gymnastics for 12 years. I feel like been there done that and want something new. I never even considered Bikini for a few reasons: I don’t want to do the glute pose (I know silly) I also want to look strong and not skinny. In my opinion (only mine) bikini is very lean competitors. I want to be strong and have more muscle definition. I believe the training and the food is just as hard but just didn’t appeal to me to pursue. So, when I announced this I was going to Hit the Stage in July 2017.

Welp, that was my naiveness and some misguided counseling. I believed that I could do it and I could have with real dedication and hard work. Unfortunately, this mom of three, student, entrepreneur, blogger, wife, and daughter has a lot of roles to fill. The workout regimen quickly became overwhelming which I tend to shut down when I am overwhelmed and do nothing at all which is what I did. It also was BORING! The online trainer that I had me doing a 9-week progression program of the SAME WORKOUTS EVERYDAY! I get bored easily and that lasted for about 3 weeks before I was like I need something different. I am a firm believer if you want to change you have to change the way you do things and that’s what I did. Godcidentally, I met another Mom (of four) who aspires to step on the stage one day and got the number of a great strength coach/personal trainer. During the assessment the first thing I said, “I don’t want to look strong; I want to BE strong and whatever is needed to get me there I will do.”

Whatever is Needed

Let me say two things before I explain the extravagant expense of this sport. First, it is a very expensive sport. Coaching, Training, Food, Bikini ($300+), Posing, Hair and Makeup and nope I won’t be tanning I was blessed with melanin and don’t need to go the Oompa Loompa route to stand out on stage. Thank God, saved my pockets and…… I am not one of those six figure bloggers so little campaigns here and there (and chasing down payments) weren’t going to finance this endeavor. So, when I said whatever it takes I meant it; spoke with my gym’s manager and landed a job Friday and Saturday overnights at my gym. Once I was able to finance my new hobby with my new part time gig. I hired my new Coach and have been training and seeing results ever since. When I started working with Damon McDonald of MuscleBabee.com I was 148 lbs. and had no clue about the world of bodybuilding I knew I just wanted to “get on stage.” I don’t even own a bikini so I still have a lot to do, I guess.

Trainers Need Trainers

I believe trainers need trainers. Well at least I do, I have expertise in large weightloss but I am not an expert in the world of bodybuilding. Couldn’t tell you about muscle symmetry and other hypertrophy or muscle gaining techniques like Damon. That is his strong skill, niche and why I went to him for training. You don’t go to you tennis coach to teach you Lacrosse. First, he killed me with tough workouts pushing me passed my limits each training. Now, I can Dumbbell Press 50lbs., seriously?! That is something that I would never attempt on my own. I travel an hour roundtrip to see him. Stick to his prescribed meal plan of measured food and try to train hard on my own. When I am not with him. I don’t chest press 50lbs on my own but I do push myself a little harder than I used to. The results guys I have lost 12 lbs. about gained muscle mass since working with him.

Lofty Ideas

I was also told that I could train to compete with NO CARDIO! Yea, that was definitely misguided online training. You need to lose fat to show muscle and the best way to do that is low impact cardio. Every online trainer (which up until this point were the only trainers I had)has promoted no cardio and lots of resistance training which is great if you want to spend lots of time with them meaning month after month of investment but if you are trying to lose fat YOU NEED CARDIO to get results quickly; Personal Training 101. It also made me realize that yes, I work hard but there doesn’t need to be a set date in stone. This is my journey I call the shots so I extended my competition date to October and will see if I’m not ready then I’ll push it back some more.

Growing through the Process

Now, this is tough it takes a lot of discipline, planning, and attention. When I was a teen I used to watch “True Life” on MTV. The body builder ones were my favorite I also used to watch competitions on television with my Mom. I always saw it as cool but never put the forethought of the effort it took. I don’t think I would have pursued it if I really did get a second opinion I just saw the end results which are phenomenal. (At least in my opinion) But leaning your body, building muscle it takes years to become a professional to the people we see on television and that is another reason why I have extended my date. Not because I want to be a professional but I at least want to compete competitively. I only intend on doing one MAYBE two competitions. This is a bucket list kind of thing which is basically a list of things that you are curious to discover. I just want to see what you have to do and how it is to step on stage and compete. Cross that off the list and I am moving on to……American Ninja Warrior? I don’t know there are so many things to do when it comes to fitness, lots to try and discover and so far it’s been a love-hate journey.

Doing what I want

I think the best thing that has come out of this is my self-confidence in who I am and what I like to do. Previously, changing the date that I announced would have been a big ego blow. I would have cared what people think but as I become stronger physically I find emotionally stronger too. I know longer care what people think (as much). I’ve had opposition from women in the Church (caring way too much about what I do) judge me because I want to step on stage. At first, it hurt people that I thought was my “friends” or “church family” passing their own judgments on me. I also had stopped posting progress pictures because of caring what people think of what I am doing. But then I realized why do I care what they think? Why am I living my life for other people? So, once I got over myself and got over other’s ignorance I have been smashing goals. That alone is worth the journey.

How do you train to compete as a body builder?

Well, that’s a good question and if you’re looking for a specific workout plan I’m not there yet. Not sure if I will ever be because it’s not something I am passionate about learning how to program, (that’s why I hired Damon) but I can tell you what I have been doing so far. I lift super heavy with MuscleBabee aka Damon twice a week. I do cardio which has been 35 minute treadmill walking at 3.0 with an incline of 13.0; 2-3 times a week. I am supposed to do more but I’ve come along way. I think now that it’s sunny and I can do things outside I will increase that but I am supposed to be doing 6 days a week. I program my own workouts 3 days a week. Right now, I am doing my Bibles and Bootcamps Home Workouts with my Warrior Sisters.’

Prior to May Workout Schedule were all hypertrophy workouts:

Sunday’s Chest, Shoulders and Triceps with 10 minute sprints at the end. Jogging at 5.0 on the treadmill and sprinting uphill at 8.0 speed and 3.5 incline for 6-8 intervals with a 3.5 incline depending on my energy.

Monday’s Legs, Cardio

Tuesday Back and Biceps with 10 minute sprints at the end. Jogging at 5.0 on the treadmill and sprinting uphill at 8.0 speed and 3.5 incline for 6-8 intervals with a 3.5 incline depending on my energy.

Wednesday Train with Damon

Thursday Rest; Cardio

Friday Train with Damon

Saturday Rest, Cardio

What do you eat when you’re training to be a body builder?

It’s obviously specific to me and my goals. Right now, my goal is to achieve lean muscle, which According to livestrong.com, “Lean muscle is less of a scientific term and more a term of art that refers to muscle that is independent of, and not obscured by, fat.” My goal is lose fat without losing muscle. So, I eat 6 meals a day that consist of protein, fats and carbs but is very specific in measurement. I drink water, lots of water, broccoli, asparagus, Kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes is typically a veggie I would eat on a regular basis; My three many meals is usually probiotic yogurt, nuts, protein shakes (Use coupon code “FaithFueled” for 15% off) and I eat pretty much all lean meats that I can for variety: salmon, chicken, turkey, and other fish. Once is a while I have grass fed beef but I have never been a real beef person. I do try and struggle to stay away from salt so I do eat at home often (which is typical of people prepping). I also take Fish Oil, Vitamin C and a Multi-Vitamin for women. I have been using Collagen Peptides since the summer as well as BCAAs and I continue to use that daily. <These are both affiliate link I get a commission from the purchase: Use Coupon Code “SENDIT” for Free Shipping on the BCAAS)

What’s the new date?

So, I am a little more than 6 months from my new competition date, prayerfully, October 14, 2017. I have achieved a significant difference from my training and will continue to work towards my goal. In the meantime, I will be running my first Tough Mudder this May. In June, my husband and I are running my first 5k together which I am excited about he finally got tired of sitting on the sidelines and I love it we have another thing to do together. In July, I am going to IdeaWorld Blogfest so I have some really fun things to do until I get to the competition. It’s crazy how a weight loss journey turned into so much more but I am enjoying (most days) the new adventures. Thanks for checking in on my progress!

Do you have a goal (fitness or other) that you have set for this year? How is it going?

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Fitness Fitness and Health Self Workout Wednesday

Workout Safety: The Importance of Warm Up and Cool Down

Post author By De
Post date March 8, 2017
24 Comments on Workout Safety: The Importance of Warm Up and Cool Down

I never realized knew the difference and the benefits of a warm up and cooled down until I began school. All of my fitness has been Beach Body or Online Trainers. Unfortunately, I was never encouraged to do a Warm-Up or Cool Down nor do they usually program them in. That is why so many people are getting injured working out at home.

Just because you don’t have a treadmill at home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t warm-up. Despite if your workout has a warm-up programmed in I would encourage you to Warm-Up and Cool Down on your own. Unfortunately, a lot of online trainers are either not certified at all, expired certification or no continuing credits. It is critical that you do your due diligience when working with one and check their credentials for your personal safety. Regardless, Warm-Up and Cooldown has been a necessity in a proper workout for many years. Why is it not emphasized? It’s like Breakfast to me the most important “meal” of the day. If you are a highly paid athlete or women just looking to lose a few pounds. Warm-Up and Cool-Down are mandatory. So, take the precautions if you have no idea what to do you can use the Warm-Up/Cooldown workout below or find your own. Just do it anyways despite if your Online Trainer suggests it. I know for DVD Video and Live Streams this is usually included in the workout.

Most people don’t feel there is enough time to add 10-20 minutes to cool down and exercise, but I find that a poor excuse. If you just work out the 150 minutes that are suggested a week you are the only exercise for a little over 1% of the 160 hours that you get a week. You have time! Make it!

Reasons Why You Should Warm-Up

Helps to increase blood flow to the muscles that are being worked as well as a rise in temperature for both your body and muscles.
When your body temperature rises, it helps to produce energy more efficiently which helps you with your workout.
Increases the body and muscle temperature which contributes to increasing the rate of energy production.
Contraction and reflex times severe with higher muscle temperatures.
Exercising without warming up places a potentially serious stress on the heart. Warming up reduces the stress on the heart.
Soft tissue (tendons, ligaments, muscles) injuries are less likely.
Mentally prepared to workout

Cool down

The Cooldown is equally important and as you get older something that you feel the immediate benefits. Despite your lack of time, you should make it a priority to bring your heart rate to a resting pace and prepare your body for the muscle building and repair it will do from your workout session. Proper cooldown is necessary to take care of your body. If you have been pushing hard and then just come to an abrupt stop, you know what that can do to your car brakes imagine your what it does to your body. We are adaptable creatures but like to take it step by step. Intense starts and stops and can be detrimental to your body. Cooling down is just not to gradually bring your body to a resting point it is also to prepare you for the next workout. The stretching done in your cool down is to lengthen, strengthen and prepare your muscles for the workouts to come. It is important to take this step and prioritize it in your workout schedule.

Five reasons cooling down is essential in your workout routine:

Helps to regulate your breathing, body temperature and heart rate to your average pace slowly.
During cool down, your blood is correctly distributed to the heart. The major organ helping keeps things going you don’t want to cause unnecessary stress from skipping your cool down.
Blood redistribution during cool down also helps to get rid of the lactic acid that you have built up in your aerobic workout. Lactic acid can build up in your muscles which are what cause post workout muscle soreness. I don’t know about you, but I rather take a few minutes to cool down then spend the next two days struggling to sit down (and get back up.)
Blood pooling is caused by abrupt stops during exercise. Consistent blood pooling can lead to blood clots, vascular deformations, and pelvic tumors.
Blood pooling, abrupt stopping at the end of exercise can all lead to insufficient blood flow and oxygen which will result in you feeling dizzy, nauseous, and just fatigued or worn out.

Next time you work out whether prescribed to warmup or cooldown, just do it! Come 10-15 minutes early to your class or session to make sure you are properly warmed up. You can use the suggested Warm-Up cooldown below or foam roll, stretch and walk it out on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes just make sure that your body is prepared for the workout ahead. Then once you finished challenging yourself from an excellent workout take the time to cool down and bring your body back to a resting point gradually. Which will avoid some negative reactions, lengthen, strengthen, rebuild your body and prepare you for future workouts ahead? I used to not warmup/cooldown, and ever since I have added it to my workout routine, it has made a noticeable difference in my workout and the days afterward.

Do you warm up consistently or only when told? What about cool down?

A systematic review into the efficacy of static stretching as part of a warm-up for the prevention of exercise-related injury. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18785063/

Clark, M., Sutton, B. G., & Lucett, S. (2014). NASM essentials of personal fitness training. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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Tags cool down, exercise, fitfluential, fitness, health, safety, sweatpink, warm up, wellness, workout

Babies christian mom Faith & Self Care Fitness Fitness and Health Self self-care Weightloss Journey

5 Habits Mom’s do to derail progress

Post author By De
Post date January 13, 2017
19 Comments on 5 Habits Mom’s do to derail progress

mistake

I made a delicious, nutritious, and fat loss friendly meal for breakfast. Nothing extravagant Apple Chai (Sugar Free) Oatmeal and Hard boiled Eggs. Something very simple after an intense workout. Ate my serving, that was measured out and a perfect portion, then I did the unthinkable. A habit that I have had since my lil diva’s started eating table food. I am usually mindful but you know how things go, sometimes you slip back into old habits. So, what did I do that is so heinous? As I am clearing the table, I…..yes, I did it. I scarfed down the leftover food from my littlest diva’s plate. (The horror-insert scared emoji here) I went from being completely satisfied with my meal, portion, and calories being in a healthy range. To the feeling of being stuffed and adding probably a good 100-200 calories extra to my meal, (maybe less) which I can’t totally calculate because I didn’t measure out my child’s leftovers. Now, am I going to totally freak out and do more pushups, jumping jacks, and burpees. Um, no I am way to worn out for that. Thank God there is such a thing as grace. But, I am going to be mindful that these bad habits although innocent is little things that make it harder for me to get to my goal. A healthier, physically fit body. That I work very hard on 30 minutes a day 4 days a week. While doing dishes I was thinking, “I know other mother’s do the same thing but I wonder how many innocent habits do we do that hamper our progress?” I came up with five and I would love for you to add more that I don’t think about and maybe not even aware of that these little nuances exist. Pointing them out will help us to stay focused and not derail our hard efforts. Time and pushups are very valuable things to me and if I can reduce both that is a good thing.

Derail

5 Habits Mom do to derail progress

Eating remaining food off your children’s plate. Let’s start with today’s offender. I try to be mindful of this but being the overseer of our food budget and working hard to provided nutritious meals for my family. When I see perfectly good food on its way to the trash my first instinct is to just eat it. You know the saying, “there are poor children starving in Africa.” My instinct to save the waste is counterproductive to my goal to live a healthier lifestyle. Those little bit of calories can add up, considering you feed your children 3-5 times a day. A great solution is to serve your children less. They can always get more and that way they are not wasting as much food and you are not adding to your daily intake by saving food from the trash.
Not sitting down to eat. Again, most of these are just going to be my confession. Up until recently especially in the morning before school. I would eat on the go and have my children sit at the table for breakfast, lunch and I usually sit down during dinner. But, sometimes I am trying to throw something in my mouth and tackle, chores, phone calls, or something while I have them sitting there quietly (somewhat) eating a meal. This too allows you to make poor food choices, portion control and just add unnecessary stress. Sit down, chill, enjoy the meal you have prepared and take a little time out in your day to talk with your children. Teaching moments of “abc’s” or just to sit for 10-20 minutes. This can help reduce your stress which helps reduce your cortisol so, it’s a triple win; Stress reducer, nourishment and calorie control.
Don’t drink enough water. I am in that weird mom stage, I am either on the go with my two older school age children or I am on alert with a very curious toddler. Regardless, I am not attentive to my own needs most of the time. Somedays, I am just on auto pilot getting through the to-do’s of the day. We are supposed to drink half our weight in ounces of water. If I am conscious I am doing that but that requires lots of fill ups and lots of pit stops, if you know what I am saying. But, proper hydration is key to good nutrition so it is something that must be added to the to-do list until, it becomes a great habit.
Don’t make time to workout. Again, this was a mistake of mine. So, beginning of 2015 I had the best intentions. Gym membership, resolution motivation and a 6 month old baby and two active lil school aged divas. My husband works most of the time so, although I intentionally signed up with a 24-hour gym I never seemed to make it in there at all within 24-hours. I am just hanging on by a prayer after 8 pm when my husband usually comes home during basketball season, so night time workout don’t work. Although, I get up at five in the morning for devotion. The idea of getting up at 4 am to devote and then workout seemed like pure insanity to me. I think it would be safe to say that as a mother we do not always prioritize ourselves in life. That is a mistake. We need to take care of ourselves. Physical inactivity leads to so many things that cause us to poorly do our job. Small things like lack in energy, poor immune system; To big things like stroke, obesity, diabetes and other life threatening ailments. We must be active for at least 150 hours per week according to the American Center for Disease Control, however you break that down in your week. It’s a must! So, not adding your time to devote (I find that essential in self-care and honoring your temple) and exercise is a major no, no to weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.

Deuteronomy316

5. Rely on your self.

How do you do better?

The second best thing I ever did for myself was canceled my gym membership, invested in weights and found an awesome workout that could be done in less than 30 minutes. It has double the benefits of going to the gym, an hour of cardio, or an hour workout DVD. If you have an hour of to devote to working out make sure you schedule it in and pop in that DVD. Whatever you do get your 150 hours a week in any way that you can. With kids, without kids but just honor your temple with intentionally avoiding habits and mistakes that you have become accustomed to. I know that I am doing it and although the journey is not as fast as I like, “if I stop now, I will soon be back where I started, 40 pounds heavier, 56 more inches wider. And when I started, I was desperately wishing I could be where I am now.”

The best thing that I did to help me see my mistakes and have strength to change them was bring my goal to live better and healthier to God. After trying too long and too hard I gave it to Him and He has helped me overcome so much. Even though old ugly habits will rear there heads. I was able to instantly recognize it and now will make a conscious effort to overcome it.

Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The Lord your God will goes ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

I know I am not crossing a river to go into warfare but I am going into battle with my own sinful nature. And the ways that I have become accustomed and where I am trying to do better in my life. So, get out there and honor your temple better. What mistakes or habits do you have that are derailing you from honoring your temple better?

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Tags bad habits, do fitness better, easy, faith, fall off the wagon, fast, fitness, honor my temple, mistakes in weight loss, pitfalls, short, weight loss, weight loss journey, workout, workout better

Self

What About Me (time)?

1 Timothy 4:8
For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

As a Mom of three little diva’s (Divine, Inspirational, Virtuous, Anointed). I find that daily “Me” time with the Lord is essential to raising them, but short little momcation is a bonus. I used to fill every aspect of the day to managing my household. My only break would be a few necessary bathroom breaks, a quick shower or maybe five hours of sleep that I would get each night. That would leave me spent, stressed, resentful and often a “not nice” mommy often.

Mommy time

My middle daughter often says “What-about-me;” it’s one word for her. Anytime her sister gets something, does something, or goes somewhere; My Lailah pipes up, “Whataboutme?”. During a particular day, where many prayers of patience and wisdom were said, it dawned on me. “Whataboutme”? When do I get me time? What would I do with it? What do I need from it? I need some peace, serenity, clarity and sometimes guidance in my life. Where can I find that for free (therapy is not cheap)? Time with God.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

After rearranging my days, waking up a little earlier. I now start my day off devoting to the Lord for 30 minutes, if I am lucky an hour. The results are amazing. I began reading a chapter of Proverbs and reflecting. Then, I started buying women’s book Bible studies and doing those. Then I graduated to inductively studying books of the Bible. Every morning I retreat to my space on my back porch early in the morning when it’s just me and the birds chirping. There I get exclusive “Me” time with my Father. Pure soul contentedness when I take the time to devote with Jesus gives me the peace the I need to overcome the daily annoyance of mommyhood.

Mommy.time

Psalm 95:6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;

We are taught to spend time in our Bible daily, but when I devote for 30 minutes in the morning somehow, it gives me the tools to use later that day. Sometimes it is exactly what I need other times it is exactly what I am going to need.

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his glory and goodness.

Now, I don’t feel so warned down, short tempered I can show people and especially my children in the most pivotal moments. I feel like I am a priority in my families life even though sometimes they don’t express their appreciation because I know I am a child of God’s and His priority. That 30 minutes a day fills me up so I can tackle the next 16 hours of hard labor as a little diva’s household manager.

There are still days I am holding on by a prayer (because divas’ can be divas sometimes). Stressful days are less frequent, and I now can show grace. Each morning I am reminded of His grace.

I can show unconditional love and patience with my husband because of the unconditional love and patience God shows my family and me every day. All because I give myself a little me time every day. I feel when honoring your temple it doesn’t mean just to eat right and physical activity. It’s also your mind and your spirit which is an important part of who you are. Those things need nurturing and exercise too.