To partner with Courtney, click DONATE! Each inmate book sponsorship is $10

I WAS IN PRISON DOCUMENTARY

If she can do it, why can't I?

If you grew up in church, or even if you didn't you have probably heard people reference the Proverbs 31 woman. Whether you know about her or not I just want to provide a fresh perspective on who she is....

The Proverbs 31 woman is what every Christian woman strives to become. She is the goal, the role model that every little girl should have.

I have noticed a lot of blogs and articles lately that make light out of being a "less than perfect mom" and give any woman every excuse in the book not to strive for excellence. I can't stand them. As a mom, step mom, and wife I know that I am FAR from perfect, but I will never change my standards. My goal is the Proverbs 31 woman, not some overweight, lazy mom who makes a living off writing "full of excuse" blogs that make you laugh once or twice, but leave no lasting effect on your thinking.

I posted the Proverbs 31 passage on the bottom of this blog to reference, but here is my break down...

A virtuous wife, worth more than rubies... is someone who her husband can trust, she gives him everything he needs, he is satisfied. She works hard, she carefully selects her food, and prepares it for her family. She has people that work for her, she is good to them. She is a business woman, she makes her own money. She is strong and fit.

She stays up late working, she is a giver. She helps those in need. She is fearless. She takes care of herself, and dresses in beautiful clothes. Her husband is respected, not just by her, but by everyone. She is strong, honorable and faithful. She is wise, she knows when to shut her mouth and when to speak, her words are uplifting and fruitful and kind. She watches over her household, nothing gets past her, she strives to continuously make it better. Her children and husband appreciate her. Most importantly her God is first.

She is fruitful in all she does.

God loves excellence, look at his creation! Why do we set the bar so low? No woman on the planet is perfect, but if we measure by other women then we are doomed! The perfect woman is mapped out for us, and if she can do it, why can't we?! Lets raise our standards, ladies! Become the woman God intended you to be and stop making excuses!

I will be further breaking down particular verses in this passage in very near future posts, so follow my blog if you would like to read along!

XXOO

The Virtuous Wife

10 Who[b] can find a virtuous[c] wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
15 She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.


Somebody pinch me

I usually don't get too personal with my blog posts, but I am very excited about this next season in my life so I have to share...

The last few years have been different for me. I quit my very secure, well paying job to have babies and stay home with them, which has been great. I love that I don't have to drop them off at daycare and leave them all day. I love that they spend every waking moment with me. I love my babies so much. However, it is very strange for me because I have always been very independent and don't like to rely on anyone for anything.

I have been forced in the last few years to completely rely on my husband and his income, and I am not going to lie, that was really tough for me in the beginning. I have learned a lot about myself in the process and we have been through ups and downs financially, but in the end we always made it work.

Two weeks ago I decided to contact a private school near by and see if they needed a dance teacher. It was a shot in the dark because I had no indication that they would want to start a dance program and even if they did, they probably had someone lined up, but I felt I needed to give it a try. Long story short, they hired me. 

It was so simple. It was so meant to be. The bible says that God will give you the desires of your heart, but I didn't even realize what my desires were! Apparently He knows me better than I know myself. Dance has been a passion of mine since I was a very little girl, but has also been something I had put on hold for the last few years. Teaching other children to do something I am passionate about, so far, is an absolute blast.

Now I am not only doing something I love, but I still get to spend time with my babies and my husband, who just so happened to sell his business the week before I got this job. He will now be able to stay home with them while I am working part time. The timing is perfect. 

After the principal hired me, I definitely had a pinch me moment. I knew that it was a blessing from God both for me and for them. There is something so amazing about knowing you are right where you are supposed to be. While I have had moments of such happiness in my life, I have never felt so content in every area. I can't wait to see where this road leads and what new and exciting things are up ahead!

xxoo  

Keeping my littles little for a little longer

I was at Costco a couple weeks ago (which was the last week of June) and I was absolutely horrified because they had HALLOWEEN stuff out!!!! All I could think was "are you freaking kidding me?! I am just now getting into the summer routine of pool, beach, sprinklers in the front yard, tan skin, light hair and you want to shove me into fall?!"

I realized that this is not really Costco's fault, they are just capitalizing on the demands of their customers. This is a bigger problem, its a society problem.

These days everything is always in such a hurry. There is so much focus on "the next thing" whether it be the new iphone coming out or something as simple as waiting for the next season to come along. 

Being content where you are, with what you have, has become obsolete. 

I find it so sad when I see kids looking at their phone or ipad instead of playing with each other

My point here is that society rushes children into the next thing as quick as they do the next fashion trend. Kids are not allowed to be kids, they go straight from being a toddler to being a mini adult with a cell phone and ipad and having role models like Miley Cyrus and Lyndsay Lohan.... It scares me.

My message is to slow down, people. Stop where you are and embrace it. Enjoy the journey, keep your kids little by taking away all the noise.... Limit the TV, take away the phone and ipad. Talk to them about life, tell them stories. Leave them with their thoughts and let them be bored! Boredom sparks creativity.

Let your littles be little a little longer than most <3






This instead of that: Taco night!

I don't know about all of you, but Taco Night is very popular at my house. We eat tacos for dinner at least a few times a month, and I love making them too because it takes 10 minutes and is an easy clean up.

Well, when I started eliminating all the unhealthy stuff in my pantry I realized that tacos would definitely not make the cut. Noooooooooo! I can hear their cries now! Well I came up with some darn good substitute taco making stuff so I wouldn't be slowly poisoning my family at the dinner table.


I will start by telling you about the shells.... Like most people, I previously used the Old El Paso shells. They are made of corn, they can't be that bad right? Wrong! Corn is one of the worst possible things to eat, unless its organic, and even then I try to buy it as seldom as possible.

The problem is that 88% of corn in the US is genetically modified. What does that mean? Well without making this blog 85 pages long, I will tell you that when lab rats were tested and fed a diet of only genetically modified corn, they grew huge tumors all over their bodies, became infertile and died prematurely...

GMO food is not food at all, and the body doesn't recognize it or know what to do with it. Soooo, start small. Buy your taco shells at a health food store and make sure they are made with organic corn (as the ones shown above.)

Taco seasoning: I have seen some great recipe on pinterest if you want to make your own, but if not just remember if you cannot pronounce an ingredient in your taco seasoning then don't buy it. Your seasoning should be only spices, if there is anything else in there it's a chemical or preservative. The one I have in the pic above passed the test in my house and is pure.

Last but not least the meat. Around here we don't eat a lot of beef. It is a special event when we do because beef is another big problem. I NEVER buy beef that isn't organic. Non-organic beef is full of hormones and antibiotics and is fed a diet of GMO corn. The best option for beef is to find some that is grass-fed, but I have yet to find a good resource for that, so we buy the organic beef from Costco.

Top your tacos off with some local, organic tomatoes, greens and onions and you have your new and improved taco night!

*Disclaimer: My husband complained that the shells did not have the flat bottoms like the "stand and stuff" ones that Old El Paso makes... LOL. If that is my biggest complaint about the change I think we are good to go!

This instead of That: Breakfast Edition

If you are anything like me then you read every label at the grocery store. You take wayyyyyy longer than you should to plan out your meals, and while you want to eat healthier, there are some things you just don't want to sacrifice in your diet!This is why I have found lots of healthier substitutions for stuff I still want to eat. 

For example, BACON! Everyone loves bacon, and if you don't I am convinced there is something wrong with you. 

The problem with bacon... it actually causes cancer. YUP, bacon causes cancer. Why? Well bacon. along with most packaged meats, contains nitrites. Nitrites are carcinogens and are used in the meats to preserve the color, but are not safe for consumption. That is the bad news...

Want to hear the good news?! You can still eat bacon! You just have to buy it without nitrites. I buy Applegate Naturals Uncured Sunday Bacon. Now, of course this doesn't mean you want to eat it for every meal, but a little bacon here or there is a beautiful thing! 

Top row are healthy alternatives to the chemical crap storm below them
Next thing you can buy a safe alternative for.... Frozen waffles. Ok, I am going to admit it. In the morning I am tired and my kids annoy me greatly until I get out of bed and feed them. The last thing I feel like doing is cooking breakfast so I try to keep easy stuff around, like frozen waffles...

Have you ever analyzed the ingredients in Eggo waffles, for example? Here is the ingredient list:

Ingredients:  Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, vitamin B1 [thiamin mononitrate], vitamin B2 [riboflavin], folic acid), water, vegetable oil (soybean, palm, and/or canola oil), eggs, leavening (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate), contains 2% or less of sugar, salt, whey, soy lecithin, yellow 5, yellow 6.

Do you know what those things are? I guarantee you probably never thought a waffle could have so many ingredients.. Yes you are reading correctly that there is ALUMINUM, oils that are genetically modified, preservatives and yellow 5&6 (which are known to cause behavioral problems.) Its basically a poison patty. That is the bad news.. 

The good news! There are other options for frozen waffles. The Nature's Path Organic ones I have pictured above are good! I know Earth's Best also makes an organic version. They are both made from real, wholesome ingredients with no GMO's, preservatives or food dye.

Last but not least, Pop Tarts. I saved this for last because it has to be the worst, in my opinion.... Here are the ingredients for those:

ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, DEXTROSE, SOYBEAN AND PALM OIL (WITH TBHQ FOR FRESHNESS), SUGAR, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF CRACKER MEAL, WHEAT STARCH, SALT, DRIED STRAWBERRIES, DRIED PEARS, DRIED APPLES, CORNSTARCH, LEAVENING (BAKING SODA, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE), CITRIC ACID, CORN CEREAL, GELATIN, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL†, CARAMEL COLOR, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, SOY LECITHIN, XANTHAN GUM, MODIFIED WHEAT STARCH, TRICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, COLOR ADDED, TURMERIC COLOR, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, RED #40, NIACINAMIDE, REDUCED IRON, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), YELLOW #6, RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), FOLIC ACID, BLUE #1.†LESS THAN 0.5g TRANS FAT PER SERVING

Let me ask you this, can you pronounce these ingredients?! I know I can't. Not only do these have preservatives and food dyes, but they have GMO's, hydrogenated oils, chemicals, and high fructose corn syrup. Pop tarts, my friends are NOT FOOD. They are poison. Throw them out and if you must have them try the version pictured above. Again these are Nature's Path. They are delicious and made from organic, REAL food ingredients.. 

I will give you a hint. When it comes to buying packaged food, I don't touch it unless its organic, and even then you have to be careful from time to time. I still like to indulge in the good stuff sometimes, but I want it to be real food and not poison that my body cannot recognize. When your body doesn't recognize something  as food it will cause many health problems, including cancer. Take charge of your family's health and start today!

The extra money you spend on organic, you will save in health care costs down the road! Remember that every grocery trip you make!



Fitness mommy diaries: Just say NO! to mom jeans

My husband makes fun of me because I always tell him that I don't want to look like a mom. His response is, "Well you are a mom." Why is it that when women become moms and cut their hair short, put on a bunch of weight and wear mom jeans?

 My theory is that your goal should always be to look the way you did on your wedding day (or better!)

I now have more of a reason to stay healthy than just myself and my husband. I have two (half the time 3) littles depending on me for everything, and I need to be my strongest, best self to be up for the challenge! Exercise is not only good for your body, but its good for your mind.
Me 2 months ago. Me now.

In the last couple months I have lost my last few lbs and I feel amazing! 

I cut out almost all gluten from my diet and the weight just fell off! I only exercise 2-3 times a week, but when I go, I make it count. 

I get it moms, you are exhausted. You have probably been up all night, but exercise gives you more energy and keeps you looking and feeling amazing. 

Don't fall into the mom jeans trap! Do these three things:

1.Exercise at least 3 times a week 
2.Drink tons of water (especially if you are breast feeding!)
3.Cut out gluten and limit sugar

Start today!

Fitness mommy diaries

I have had 2 babies in the past two years. I gave birth to my daughter naturally and had an emergency c-section with my son. I now understand how to get your body back after either. It has been 3 months since my son was born and I am back in all my pre preg clothes (have been for a while now.)
You can see the definition coming back in my abs.. Woohoo!

People ask me how I can exercise when I have to chase around a toddler and an infant, and the answer is, how could I not? I can't imagine being able to keep up with them if I wasn't in shape.

How do I do it?

Here is the deal. If you are out of shape when you get pregnant, don't expect to drop into a size zero as soon as you give birth, that just does not happen for most people. The best way to guarantee a good bod post pregnancy is to have a good bod BEFORE pregnancy. So if you plan on starting a family there is no better time to get yourself in shape.

I started exercising 2 months after my son was born (even after a csection.) I started with 5 days a week alternating between the 30 Day Shred and jogging.

A few weeks into that I realized that 5 days was too intense for my incision was still too fresh. I started to have some pain and decided to cut down to 3 days a week which is what I am doing now (and I am still losing weight!)

I got frustrated during the first few weeks because I GAINED weight. Yes, a few of the lbs were muscle, but there were a couple extra "bonus" lbs that I was not happy about. The problem? I wasn't eating enough, and I am breastfeeding. If you are breastfeeding you cannot "diet" you have to eat when you are hungry, otherwise your body will store some extra fat to make that liquid gold.

During pregnancy your body packs on approx 8 lbs of fat stored for breastfeeding. If you are bottle feeding you will not only have a harder time losing those lbs, but your uterus will not be contracting every 2 hours when the baby feeds, causing that belly to hang out for longer. Another reason to give that baby boob!

Drink TONS of water. I have to drink about a gallon a day to stay hydrated. Exercise and breastfeeding require a lot of water. Drink up!

As with anything the key to looking fit after baby is just discipline. Discipline to exercise even though you have been up all night, and are completely exhausted.

I still have a little ways until I get back to where I was before I had Eli, but I know I will get there.There are no crazy secrets. Exercise. Breastfeed. Eat healthy (and a lot.)

Have fun mommies! If you have any other tips I would love to hear them!



 
 


 
 

We want to hear from you!!!

Name

Email *

Message *