Balance

I don't have any Monday Memes or Carnivals, but I haven't blogged in a bit. I want balance back....can anyone tell me how?? I have been busy, busy, busy. And quite frankly, that is NOT good! I need to fit some things into my life that give me energy, not just things that drain energy. So, can anyone out there give me some good advice on finding balance?

Another Random Edition of the Blog

It's been a bit since I've written, just from my heart, so I thought I'd give it a shot, just rambling...

• I had an extra long weekend. I took Thursday off and Friday was a holiday--we went out of town to have some rest and recreation. Hubs and I went to a Bed and Breakfast that had a hot tub for two. I had never seen one of those but NOW....I want one.
• The kids participated in a church "competition" event and that is always fun! Puppets, drama, Bible reading, art, daily devotion....those are the events my children chose this year. We'll find out how they did next Sunday, they'll get medals--most likely gold or silver for each event.
• For the last several years, we've been going to my sister's for Easter. The Easter Bunny has learned that's where to bring the chocolate eggs and such. I tell ya, even though my nephew is 17 and my niece is 15....my kids seem to enjoy Easter with their cousins better than when had it at our home.
• Between the baked French toast at the B and B and a yummy chocolate cake/pudding/cool whip layered dessert....I fell off the sugar wagon. It was good, but not THAT good. As I look back, I could have lived without it. Now, I have to decide about my 90 days thing. That was going to be my time frame....and technically, that time frame should start over. But....I can't seem to bring myself to do that. I do know that the cravings have dwindled, and I do want to continue until May 14th...I just don't know about starting the whole 90 days over and so the May 14th thing doesn't make sense anymore. We'll see what comes to mind.
• Speaking of changing my eating...most of the trip was fun eating s-l-o-w-l-y. Hubs and I would often split an entree when we ate out (which saved us money as well) and I would be full most often with LESS than half of the meal. I do like this way of eating....I just need to do it more so that it becomes a habit. I try to close my eyes as often as I can, too.
• Speaking of closing eyes, after such a great week, the kids struggled with getting up this morning and when I picked my daughter up today, she "confessed" that she fell asleep during a boring movie in one of her classes. She said that the teacher had one girl sign in for the same thing but she didn't catch her. She said the guilt is "eating her from the inside out." Her daddy and I have counseled her that she can tell her teacher if she wishes, which could help her with the guilt. There is a chance she'll have her sign in, but at least the guilt will be gone. But ya just never know....she might show her grace and thank her for being honest with her.
• Today is my son's birthday. He is officially a teenager. He's a great kid.

Well, the random stuff didn't flow very well, but I was able to get some things out to share with the blogosphere. Hope you all had a great Easter!

Wellness/Weign-in Wednesday

(I am once again combining two posts into one for two different blog carnivals. If you would like to visit either of these challenges, click on either of the above images to encourage, visit, join others in these quests!)

Is anyone else watching Paul McKenna on The Learning Channel: I Can Make You Thin? He even made an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. His techniques are not too out of this world, kinda make sense, and I am giving them a try. One thing he said was that "fat people think about food all the time....EXCEPT when they are eating...then they zone out and stuff the food in as fast as they can." As harsh as that may sound, it rings true in my life. Another thing that was interesting was how they watched 6 diners eat a breakfast (fairly traditional: eggs, bacon, etc....a good deal of food) one day and they all "cleaned their plates." The next day, they were given the same plate of food and were blind-folded. They all ate considerably less. The idea is that we eat based on what our bodies feel, rather than what we see. He has 4 golden rules, which on his show, he explained a little more:

1. When you are hungry, eat.
2. Eat only what you want, not what you feel you should.
3. Eat consciously.
4. When you come close to being full (even if you just suspect it), stop eating.

Number 3 is the biggie for me. He says to not have any distractions: no TV, no reading, etc. He says to take a bite, and chew a QUARTER of your regular speed, trying to chew the bite 20 times, and put your knife/fork/food down while you are chewing that bite. I tried this yesterday and was really surprised. The chewing slowly is awkward feeling. I add my own step of take a deep breath before moving on to the next bite. And WOW!! I ate less of my food. I noticed when I was full each time by eating so slowly. And I stopped. THIS IS HUGE!!!! At least it is for me!!

For breakfast, I very often eat banana French toast (2 slices of bread for 1 point, 1 egg, and 1/2 a mashed banana). Yesterday, I only ate one slice and was done! I ate at a Chinese food restaurant, only putting on my plate what I truly want (what truly inspires me) and then I ate about half of my plate. I did NOT go back for seconds, I was full! This truly has the potential to work. I am excited to try this new technique and am really curious if anyone else has watched and is trying!

On a side note, I didn't make it to my Weight Watchers meeting to see how much I weigh. I know, I know....I am mixing up several approaches...which may be confusing or less effective. But for the next few days, especially with the holiday and going out of town, I am going to give these 4 golden rules a try.

SHS--Just Walk Away

Three weeks back into being SMART, and I am already struggling...
I did eat fruit more, at least one serving a day...but usually two or three.
However, I slacked off on the flossing. What is up with that??? Oh well, today is a new day and I will floss every day this week, continue to eat fruit daily, and...walk the majority of days this week! I have already done that today. I got up, turned on my IPOD, and walked a little over 15 minutes, just around the neighborhood. YAY for me!! I want to walk to strengthen my body and heart, to boost my mood, and to help with my weightloss! We shall see. Have a great weekend everyone and head on over to Lara's blog to check out more SMARTies!

Are you ready to paaaaar-teeee?

I made this sticky until the party is over on March 14th!! Keep partying!!!

Hello! Welcome to my blog, so glad you stopped by!

Seems there is a party going on, hosted by 5 Minutes for Moms and I for one DO NOT want to miss out on the fun!

Allow me to officially introduce myself. I am Jamie, aka "penguinsandlaybugs". I collect penguins and, you guessed it, ladybugs.

I started collecting penguins Christmas of 2003, when stuffed penguins and penguin items were hard to come by. It was so much fun looking for them because they were rare. This past Christmas, though, they were EVERYWHERE. But, that is fine....the rest of the world just caught my passion, I suppose.

As for the ladybugs, there is a story that I really like, which I heard in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. Now I wouldn't say this is the absolute greatest movie ever, but it has some stories and lessons throughout that I think are fun. The ladybug story is about a girl trying to catch a ladybug...she ran throughout the woods, trying so hard to catch one, became exhausted and fell asleep. When she woke up, she was covered in ladybugs. Sometimes we try to hard, when we need to rest. We may be surprised with a ladybug when we awake....or maybe lots and lots of ladybugs.

As for the title of my blog, I took it from a song by Alanis Morisette. Sadly, the title of the song is a bad word :0(

Anyway, the song has a good point: "I'm a child; I'm a mother; I'm a sinner; I'm a saint.........I'm a little bit of everything, all rolled into one."

Now, I work full-time, as a social worker. I do in home services with families, with a faith based non-profit organization. I love my job and consider it part of my ministry. However, I am sometimes so busy, I wonder why I continue to read and blog, but....uh....I love it so much and guess I caught "the bug".

Here's my family:

This picture is a year and a half old, but I like it. It has my husband of 15 years, Mark, and my two kiddos, Caleb who is about to be 13 (yikes!) and Rachel who is 11. They all 3 have their own blogs, which I wrote about here. My family is my refuge and my joy!!!

I have totally loved making bloggy friends and am looking forward to meeting new ones at this party!! I think blogging is a great way to figure out who you are and develop and grow. It is where I attempt to develop better habits, grow in my relationship with God, lose weight, learn tips and tricks, and just plain share myself with the world!

Thanks again for stopping by. Hope to see you again sometime!

Wellness/Weight Wednesday

(I am once again combining two posts into one for two different blog carnivals. If you would like to visit either of these challenges, click on either of the above images to encourage, visit, join others in these quests!)

I haven't posted my weight/weightloss/health/wellness info in a very long time. I was fed up with myself and my weight and food and I was just tired. Do you know what I mean? Well, the day after Valentines, I gave up most sugar which you could here and here. And after a couple of weeks, I wanted to get back on track, counting points and eating more healthfully, which I do most of the time (maybe 80%) of the time. I went to the Lady Parts Doc a couple weeks ago and then to WW a week ago. Are you confused? It is hard to follow me sometimes, huh? Well, I had gained when I went back to announce I'm trying to get back on track. But I had lost from what the doctor scale (which is what my tracker on my blog is going by), so things are starting to look more successful. YAY!!! The cutting down on sugar has really been a blessing for me, and when I overeat points or what have you, I still consider it success if I don't give in to sugar! I hope to have even more good news next week!!

SHS--Fruit

Well, this last week, I think I missed flossing twice, which isn't too bad. I'll keep working on that one and try to add more fruit to my diet. The day after Valentine's Day, I gave up sugar for 3 months. However, I gave up as much extra refined sugar as possible. I am still eating natural sugar, which includes fruit, which I LOVE!! I have heard that some give up fruit when they give up sugar and I am watching myself closely...it is not triggering me to want more sugar. I am quite fascinated 3 weeks into this, seeing myself around sweets, and the "urge" disappearing. This is really a learning process for me and a variety of fruits definitely hold some health benefits and really do satisfy my "need" for sweets.

Have a great Saturday and click on over to Lara's blog and see more about being SMART!

WFMW--Black Pants Question

It is backwards day again for Works for Me Wednesday and here is my burning question. Black dress pants....when you wash them....soap and fluff and stuff show up on them. Sometimes, I even have a hard time getting it all off and just feel like they look dingey. Do you have any tricks for washing them so they come out black? Or is there a product you could recommend that helps with this?

Thanks (in advance) for your help and head on over to Shannon's blog and help other bloggers with their questions!!!

What's the Greatest Compliment You Ever Received?

This morning at church, I had an older man that I don't know find me from across the room and tell me that he saw me in church and thought I had the most angelic face! He said the way I listened to Scripture and sang the music, I just looked angelic. This was some kind of compliment, huh?

This got me to thinking of the greatest compliment I'd ever received. And I think, to date, it was:

A little over a year ago, when I started my new job, I was given the task to find someone to fill the other position in my office. The person had to be either an LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) or an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) and willing to learn how to recruit, train, and be a case manager for foster care. Well, I actually called a friend that I had lost touch with over the last 4 or 5 years, knowing she was an LPC....wondering if she KNEW anyone who might be interested. Little did I know that during the last 4 or 5 years, she had gone on to do this type of work....and actually had the license and training to be a Foster Care Administrator. And....the agency she was working with was dissolving itself and she was looking for another job. Wow!!! God had put her on my heart for a reason, right? Well, when I called her, she got chill bumps and had to take a moment to soak it in because of what God was doing at that very moment. And then she said, "Jamie, I should have known that if God was going to use someone in my life, it would have been you." WHAT an incredible compliment, don't you think? It still amazes me every single time God uses me...every SINGLE time, it seems to take my breath away! What an honor--to assist the king (my father) in his work!

Now, the picture on this blog is what I found when I googled angel face....which I thought was just funny!! I am hoping that this man had something else in mind :-)

I Want to be SMART Again!

When I first started blogging, one of the first blog carnivals I participated in was Smart Habit Saturday. I had some success...I had some challenges...I tweaked some things. But still, it was a great tool to use in my life to add a new habit each Saturday. So....I am jumping back in!! Some of the habits I developed in days past have gone to the wayside. Some are still hanging in there. But, for all practical purposes, I am starting ALL OVER!!! So....what should my first habit be? Hmmm....I just went to the dentist for a cleaning. I realized that my daily flossing is not so daily...so I think I will take this week to start flossing every day again!!

For other SMARTies, head on over to Lara's blog!