{"id":782939,"date":"2011-01-21T14:51:59","date_gmt":"2011-01-21T19:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/homeschoolblogger.com\/neveradullmoment\/?p=782939"},"modified":"2011-01-21T14:51:59","modified_gmt":"2011-01-21T19:51:59","slug":"fabulous-family-friday-taking-care-of-mama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/?p=782939","title":{"rendered":"Fabulous Family Friday! Taking Care of Mama!"},"content":{"rendered":"

You’ve heard the saying:\u00a0 If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!<\/p>\n

There’s a BIG element of truth in there! \ud83d\ude09\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

We truly are the “heart of the home”, and if we’re having a bad day….somehow it seems the rest of the family is, too!<\/p>\n

We mamas are usually giving from dawn to dusk (and sometime from dusk to dawn!), serving our families in one aspect or another.\u00a0 Often the tyrrany of the urgent drives us, and the important priorities don’t always happen.<\/p>\n

One big one is, taking care of ourselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let me say right off I’m not advocating some aspect of “me time” at the expense of your family.\u00a0 There’s enough written about that out in the world!\u00a0<\/p>\n

But neither is it some form of Godliness to let yourself get so run down to the point you can no longer\u00a0function well\u00a0in your roles as\u00a0child of God, wife, mama and homemaker.\u00a0 Sometimes illness or a crisis (or several!) just makes it hard…sometimes it is our choices that lead to this point.<\/p>\n

In my studies for becoming a personal trainer with T-Tapp, it has been interesting to see it reiterated over and over how our lifestyle choices are most often what cause the degenerative diseases of aging.\u00a0\u00a0 The seemingly “out of nowhere” fatigue, fibromyalgia, aches and pains, arthritis, thyroid issues, burned out adrenals….they didn’t come from bad genes or a virus, but little choices along the away that add up to BIG consequences!<\/p>\n

(Sounds a bit like something I’ve read in the Bible somewhere….. \ud83d\ude09 )<\/p>\n

Now, there is the caution that we don’t become obsessed with being thin, looking youthful, or even eating well and being healthy.\u00a0\u00a0 We know as Christians that we live in a fallen world, and you can do a lot of things right and still suffer.<\/p>\n

But neither do I think we should ignore the physical and suffer for our own foolish choices!\u00a0 If we’re going to suffer, let it be for God’s glory and not for our foolishness!<\/p>\n

I know as a young mama, taking care of all these areas at one time during some seasons of your life may not happen.\u00a0 But your heart should be to do what you can in each season of life.\u00a0 Because I’m here to tell you now, there will<\/em> be a price to pay.\u00a0\u00a0 You can either do what you can to pay it now, and reap the dividends later, or you can say “I just don’t have enough energy to think about that right now” and you will also reap the dividends of that<\/em> later–but it won’t be as pleasant!<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Time with the Lord<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I know it’s tough with little ones.\u00a0 I love how Nancy Campbell often admonishes mamas of many littles to keep their Bible by the kitchen sink.\u00a0 Grab a verse here and there.\u00a0 Or if “all” you get to read is half a Psalm, turn that into a prayer back to your Lord!\u00a0 That’s what the Psalms were, anyway–hymns of praise to the Lord!\u00a0 (Complaint sometimes, too, but always ending back on praise!)<\/p>\n

Work on memorizing a verse–say it while diapering and doing dishes.\u00a0 Your little ones can learn along with you.\u00a0 Come up with hand motions (ASL browser <\/a>has come in handy for me!\u00a0 I used to borrow books from the library to come up with signs!)\u00a0\u00a0 So what if you only memorize one verse a week?\u00a0 Or even a month?\u00a0 That’s better than none!<\/p>\n

One other thing you can do to feed your soul is sing hymns and praise songs!\u00a0\u00a0 Keep a hymnbook of choice handy with your Bible.\u00a0\u00a0 Or copy off a hymn you’re learning and tape it in a prominent place you spend a lot of time.\u00a0\u00a0 We try to sing a “hymn of the week” so my children will be more familiar with some of the great hymns.\u00a0 At one time we even had a “hymn of the month”–that’s even better!\u00a0 They will know that hymn forwards and backwards!\u00a0 And so will you!<\/p>\n

2. Emotional Health<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is pretty easy to write about, and pretty hard to do!<\/p>\n

Probably the biggest 3 things you can do for your emotional health are:<\/p>\n

1. Trust God<\/p>\n

2. Let go of things<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3. FORGIVE!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You have to begin with #1 or you can’t do #2 and #3!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Too many times our issues really stem from not trusting God for Who He says He is.\u00a0\u00a0 We don’t realize that and we’d certainly never say, “Oh I don’t really believe God is able to do that!\u00a0 I don’t believe He is Who He says He is!”\u00a0 but our actions say it quite loudly!<\/p>\n

I read something very interesting in a book by John Ortberg, Faith and Doubt <\/a>\u00a0 (highly recommend it, by the way!).<\/p>\n

~`~`~`~`~`~`~`<\/p>\n

Ben Patterson tells of a common experience of westerners, particularly missionaries, traveling through jungle sections of the Amazon.\u00a0\u00a0 They will ask members of a village to give them directions to where they want to go.\u00a0 “I have a compass, a map, and some coordinates.” The villager knows precisely the directions to get them there, but he\u00a0offers to take them himself.<\/p>\n

“No, that’s okay.\u00a0 I don’t want a guide.\u00a0 I just want directions.”<\/p>\n

“That’s no good.\u00a0 I must take you there.”<\/p>\n

“But I have a map right here.\u00a0 And I have a compass.\u00a0 And the coordinates.”<\/p>\n

“It does not work that way.\u00a0 I can get you there, but I must take you myself.\u00a0 You must follow me.”<\/p>\n

We prefer directions, principles,\u00a0 steps, keys.\u00a0 We prefer these things because they leave us<\/em> in control. If I’m holding the map, I’m<\/em> still in charge of the trip.\u00a0 I can go where I<\/em> want to go.\u00a0 If I\u00a0\u00a0have a guide, I must trust.\u00a0 I must follow.\u00a0 I must relinquish control.<\/em><\/p>\n

God is not much on maps and compasses and coordinates.\u00a0 Life just doesn’t work that way.\u00a0 We don’t need directions.\u00a0 We need a Guide.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

~Faith and Doubt, p. 172 by John Ortberg (emphases mine)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

~`~`~`~`~`~`~`<\/p>\n

You will probably see that quote again on my blog.\u00a0 It profoundly puts the proverbial finger right on our pulse, in many areas!!!<\/p>\n

When we can’t “trust God”, we’re really saying, “I want to stay in control”.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So the first step MUST be to trust Him.\u00a0 Then you can place things in His hands and leave them there.<\/p>\n

And then you can forgive.\u00a0 Forgiveness helps\u00a0you <\/em>more than the offender.\u00a0 When you really boil it down, if you can’t forgive the person before they even ask for forgiveness (or if they ever do), you really won’t be able to forgive from the heart when they do<\/em> ask.<\/p>\n

Isn’t that what God did for us?<\/p>\n

#3. Physical Health and Well-Being<\/p>\n

Again, let me say I am not promoting a physical focus to the detriment of all else.\u00a0 No obsessing!<\/p>\n

This is why I love T-Tapp! (You knew I had to include that, right?! \ud83d\ude00 )<\/p>\n

In just 15 -20 minutes a day, you can get some movement in, for way less than the cost of a gym membership (besides, who has time to run to the gym for 1 1\/2 hours daily?!)\u00a0\u00a0 You can even do it every other day, and while you may not see major inch loss, you will still feel better for getting that lymph pumping and some movement in.<\/p>\n

In fact, many people address diet first.\u00a0 Well, way of eating.\u00a0 Ah, neither one sounds good!\u00a0 (Diet has DIE in it and way of eating is often shortened to WOE!\u00a0 LOL!)<\/p>\n

Actually, your first thought should be to get movement in.\u00a0 Walking is good.\u00a0 I will say, though, that walking is generally not as all-over body conditioning.\u00a0 I know, because I walked for several years before finding T-Tapp.\u00a0 It was definitely helpful, but the lump in my armpit didn’t get smaller with walking.\u00a0 It did with T-Tapp!\u00a0<\/p>\n

So you’re moving now, but what about eating?\u00a0 Is it any wonder eating has become a billion dollar business—the food industry, the diet industry, the supplement industry—it’s enough to make your head spin!<\/p>\n

And there is so much out there!\u00a0 Low carb, high carb, low protein, high protein, \u00a0no fat, good fat, no sugar, fasting, low calorie,\u00a0and a plethora of diet plans that have variations on the theme.<\/p>\n

The problem is, though, that if we don’t understand how our bodies are fueled by food, we can be fooled by food!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is not a matter of calories in=calories out.\u00a0 You don’t figure how many calories for maintenance and go below that to lose “weight”.\u00a0 (You’ll lose, indeed.\u00a0 Usually more muscle mass and water than fat!)\u00a0 Nor do you figure how much to exercise to get your caloric intake just right.<\/p>\n

It is far more complicated than that.<\/p>\n

I’ll be sharing more next Tuesday on my T-Tapp Tuesday about food and dieting, but I wanted to share today, for you busy mamas, that getting moving and making sure you are eating as well as you can are more important than restricting calories to get thin, or thinking cutting food groups out will make you healthier.<\/p>\n

Balance is the key.\u00a0 If you eat a balance of good protein, good carbs, good fats and non-starchy vegetables, that will do so much good for your body’s metabolism.\u00a0\u00a0 In fact, if you just add more veggies into your eating, that alone will take care of some “poor choices”!\u00a0 I’m not going to say, “give up sugar”, but make sure you’re getting plenty of other good food, too!<\/p>\n

And one last thing for today–drink water!\u00a0 You need half your body weight in ounces a day–more on hot days and when you exercise (meaning you don’t count the two glasses you drink while exercising as part of your normal total!).\u00a0 Nursing mamas would obviously need a little more, too!<\/p>\n

If that has you confused, I’ll demonstrate:<\/p>\n

I weigh 146 lbs. \u00a0right now.\u00a0 So I would need half of that, 73 but in ounces.\u00a0 So I need to drink nine 8 oz. glasses of water during the day.\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s best to drink it throughout the day, and try not to gulp down water with meals.\u00a0 Sipping water at a meal is fine, but that should not be where you get most of your water intake!\u00a0 When your children (or you!) come to the dinner table and gulp down water first thing, that is a sure sign they didn’t drink enough throughout the day!<\/p>\n

Our bodies need water for many functions, and it strengthens the immune system.\u00a0<\/p>\n

AND–by the time you’re actually “thirsty”, you are already dehydrated!<\/p>\n

So, busy mama–fill yourself a pitcher with the right amount of water in it, and make sure it’s empty by the end of the day.\u00a0\u00a0 That will help you make sure to get your water quota in!\u00a0 If you find it hard to drink water, adding slices of lemon or lime or even cucumbers can help it taste refreshing and make you actually want to drink more!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Please take time to take care of yourself, young mama!\u00a0\u00a0 (And older ones, too!)\u00a0 \u00a0Really, none of these steps requires much in the way of money, and really, not even that much time.\u00a0 They do, however, require some effort to make them work.\u00a0 But as in much of life, a little effort will bring rich rewards in refreshing you and helping you to be the best daughter of our Father, wife, mama and homemaker that you can be.<\/p>\n

HUGS to you as you seek the Lord on how to take care of yourself, for His glory!<\/p>\n

Then everyone<\/em> will be happy…because mama is!\u00a0 \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You’ve heard the saying:\u00a0 If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy! There’s a BIG element of truth in there! \ud83d\ude09\u00a0\u00a0 We truly are the “heart of the home”, and if we’re having a bad day….somehow it seems the rest of the family is, too! We mamas are usually giving from dawn to dusk (and sometime […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[111,115,131,186,305,313,320,334],"class_list":["post-782939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fabulous-family-friday","tag-exercise","tag-faith-and-doubt","tag-forgiveness","tag-john-ortberg","tag-spiritual-health","tag-t-tapp-2","tag-taking-care-of-yourself","tag-trusting-god"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=782939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782939\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=782939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=782939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agracefullplace.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=782939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}