Blog.....

My blog has moved over to runwithmandy.blogspot.com  I had blogger/google account issues for a year and couldn't get on Married with Children.  Therefor I started a new blog last year!  Hope you follow me....

Don't Waste Your Sports!!!

Todd and I spent a few early mornings reading through this little booklet, Don't Waste Your Sports, by CJ Mahaney. Why? Well, I was in the midst of coaching my son's 3rd/4th grade basketball team and we were struggling with a decision on who and where that same son would play baseball this spring. Too many options but no clear direction!

Sparing you the details of how important sports are in this little town, I will let you know that youth sports are a big deal here in Gunter. It's crazy! We have been blessed to have a house full of athletes but we are Christians before we are athletes. So Todd and I were wanting to be sure we were using our "sports" in a way that God was glorified. And in a way that the kids would grow in a deeper relationship with God and be a Christlike example---and that is for ME (the mom and the coach) too.

This little booklet was a simple read and nothing really caught me off guard, but it did give me little nuggets of wisdom to live out as a coach and parent of an athlete. These little nuggets made for a very successful basketball season for the boys I had the privilege to coach and teach.

Amazing what the power of prayer can do for a little 3rd/4th grade boys basketball team. How? 1) I prayed several times to God to help me "draft" the boys He wanted me to draft and for me to be the best coach designed for that child at this time in their life. 2) Our team prayed before each game (and yes, we circled up and did it "Te-bow" style-HAHA). 3) And letting God grow them through practices, fun and games, and play.....and then seeing and verbally recognizing there Godly characteristics that they let shine through the game of basketball.

It was the best basketball team I have ever been a part of! It was pure fun! It was lots of work! Lots of hustle! Lots of running:-) Lots of king of the court and lots of laughter too! It was hard to see the season end and I miss this team badly!

May God continue to bless this undefeated team of CHAMPS!!!

Weary?

Giving Up Bad Habits

The beginning of 2012, my family of five, decided we wanted to do something similar to RESOLUTIONS! So instead of personal resolutions for the year....we agreed as a family to give up something each month. Our hopes are to give up bad habits, get healthier, and have more money and time! Most of the things we will be giving up are health related...but the further we get into the year, the more you will see us giving up other things; like TV, electronic devices (at least at particular times of the day), fast food, etc....

If we DO accomplish these monthly challenges, we will take a ski trip at the end of 2012!!!!

So what did we give up in January? CANDY and CHIPS! Right after the holidays, we were eating both candy and chips as if they were a part of the major food groups! HA! So those were the first to go. And YES, we DID IT!!!!

Now on the last day of the challenge we will allow ourselves, as a family to have whatever we eliminated for the month. After the month is over, the eliminate item will only be allowed back at very limited occasions. For example, my family will not be keeping candy or chips in the house and we will limit the amount we will eat the rest of the year....like hopefully only a couple of times a month.

For the month of February my family is giving up soda. This will not be hard for me because I hardly drink sodas.....but the rest of my family does. My kids are usually Sprite lovers, so this will be a challenge for them!

It's been fun to do this as a family!!! And I look forward to how much we will change by the end of 2012!!!

GO US!!!

BLogGeR CoMe BaCk!!!! Ready or Not!!!!

Gonna try to give this "blogging" another try!!! Not for anyone else's entertainment but more for journal/diary keeping purposes for myself and my family! You won't find anything life changing here! And, I might even bore you!

What you will find---many typos and grammatical errors, lots of funny photos and stories, probably some videos, and hopefully some discoveries of our growing faith!

So here we go......

Daily Scriptures

"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns from God, but encourage one another, daily, as long at it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. " Hebrews 3: 12,13

I can't tell you how often I have prayed to ask God to help me draw closer to him by pulling me into His Word. As a Christian, I am really good at doing Bible Studies, preparing children's lessons, and doing devotionals. But what I struggle the most with is just DIGGING IN and letting God reveal what He wants to reveal without the "structure" of some kind of homework!

But did you notice how I started my blog off with a scripture? This is my weekly MEMORY VERSE from my First Place 4 Health Bible Study! Yes, I am still using the "structure" of Bible Study homework. But for some reason, this study is just grabbing me! It's got me excited for each new day....anticipating what I will learn next? It's not that I am learning anything NEW.....but it's the way the Word has made me stop to think.....and I find myself really meditating on the words of the scriptures!

I am not sure what God is preparing my heart for.....but I can tell He is up to something??? I treasure my daily time with Him....and look forward to telling you exactly what He is up to....soon!!!!!

Flu Attacks Us....and saved me for LAST!!!

Two weeks ago my middle child Zander spent three days sleeping. He had a low grade fever but for the most part, he just slept. What really made me realize he was sick, was we had a Texas SNOW DAY! And he didn't even attempt to go outside. I took him to the doctor. They did strep, mono, and flu test. None came back positive! The next day, Gabe (my youngest) got the same thing....then Addie and then Todd, and then ME!!!
I was at a training conference with several of my church peers. But I felt so tired, started getting antsy legs, and then the chills. I came straight home that evening and went to bed at 7:00pm. That was Thursday evening! I am just now waking up on Sunday afternoon!!! And I am not evening kidding!!!
Now, I will admit, my husband called the doctor for me to get some medicine. And I really think the medicine might have been half of my battle. I felt so DRUGGED, dizzy, lightheaded, thirsty, dry lips (no matter how much I drank), a little nauseated, etc..... So today I got up....still drugged like and decided NOT to take the medicine. I have had one little nap but I woke up feeling somewhat refreshed! HA! I also managed to get out of the house and go for a short walk down the street....for fresh air!
It's been brutal to say the least, but I really feel like I am on the mends! Now I must play CATCH UP on all I have missed the last few days! HA!

A Year of Running

This last year, in 2010, I have made it a priority to lose weight, get in shape, and to run my bootie off.....LITERALLY! I did achieve those things, but I still have 8-10lbs to lose and have had this 10-8lbs to lose for almost 6months!!!! So what the heck gives?

Last Thursday, I was in the midst of a VERY BUSY DAY! Thursdays usually aren't that crazy. I usually have some "ME" time: like cleaning, running errands, and get a real good run in. I also have boot camp and basketball practice.

But this past Thursday I spent the day working, working, and working! My day was slipping away from me quickly and I had come to the realization that I had little time to workout. I remember feeling very STRESSED about making a choice between boot camp, running, cooking dinner and helping the kids get homework done! The reason my afternoon was so short on time is because I had decided to add a new Bible Study to my schedule (on Thursday evenings)...and this was going to be my first night!

I decided to forgo boot camp (BUMMER) but I did fit in my run....short 4mile run but I was so happy I got it in!

But something "struck me" as I began to run...... Running had definitely become a priority for my day, along with a priority for almost everyday of my life in the last year! But here's what GOT ME: "What if I treated my GOD TIME like I treated my RUN TIME?" Since April I have ran almost 1000miles. I usually workout at least an hour a day with maybe 1 or 2 days off (and sometimes I don't have any days off but do some other type of exercise). I'll be honest, I don't do this with my Bible time.....and not sure my prayer time matches even half that time!!!! But WHAT IF IT DID??? If I took all that time and effort and put it toward's God's Word or prayer time, I wonder how my life would be???

Well about an hour after I ran, I went to my orientation for this Bible Study. It is called First Place 4 Health! I didn't know much about this program other than what I have heard or read from my friend on her weight loss blog. But after the orientation, I realized that it was NO ACCIDENT for me to be in this Bible Study. This Bible Study is made to do just what I had mentioned above. I will be training myself how to put GOD FIRST in EVERYTHING I DO!

So here I am.... I may still have 10lbs to lose, but I think it might be the most rewarding 1olbs in my life! I think I might be thanking God for this last 10 lbs:-) Who would have thought!

Belated New Year's Goals---2011

How does it happen? I have at least 2 or 3 blogs I want to post a week and it seems to always get put on the backburner---along with other things----and then time goes by, and so do the blogpost!!!

So with that being said here's to my New Year's Goals for 2011-

1) Post more regularly-goal is to post at least 4x a month!
2) Read the Bible daily and not just for preparation of a lesson (that doesn't count ALONE)
3) Teach my children to read the Bible on a daily basis. Goes back to #2 GOAL! But my plan is to model this and also have them read with me each morning---just a couple of verses a day!
4) Less spending money and more giving away money!
5) Save money for Addie's trip to Israel for 2012
6) Continue to loss weight---get the last 10lbs OFF--- FOR GOOD
7) Run my first FULL marathon and 3 more half marathons
8) To clean out every cabinet or closet we own
9) Spend more time with family---especially grandparent whom I never take the time for these days! Got to see each one of them this year....at least one grandparent a month!!!
10) Read more books (I think I only read 4 books this year.....and that was for work purposes)

Those are my goals for 2011! I am keeping it brief and keeping simple.... My hope is that with keeping it simple, I will actually achieve these goals:-)

So here to 2011:-)

My Super Bowl Champs

My Super Bowl Family!!!!

I am so happy to brag on my boys today! Last Saturday, both of my boys teams had advanced to the Super Bowl Championship Game for each of their grade levels. Gabe played on a first grade team with only 3 players that had ever played football before....Gabe was a first timer!!! Talk about a huge transformation! This team started out looking like :-(, well, it was almost hopeless!!! LOL! But each week the team got better and better and by the end of the year, this little first grade team look like they KNEW what they were doing! Our coach was amazing with them and I have never been so proud to see such improvement!!!!Gabe's Team (he is #00)

And the same thing for Gabe. He started the year off saying he didn't want to hit his friend cos he was afraid he would hurt them!!! By the end of the year he was hitting HARD, RUNNING HARD, and became a little leader for the team!!! LOVE IT!

Gabe and his buddy, KK!

Zander's team was a totally different story! His team was unbelievably good! So good that the games were boring! Even the Super Bowl game! But this was Zander's first year to play football and he had a BLAST! He loves football and studies football alot---with his Paw! So to play this year was a dream come true! And would you know that my Zman is a kicker! Very, very rare to have a kicker make extra points at this age but Zander did it like a pro! And yes, I am proud!

Zander Post Game CoolMan Shot!

Zander's Third Grade Team (UnBeatAble)

Thankful Thursday- Week ONE

Okay! Seeing alot of thankful post on blogs and facebook lately, so I am going to try this! Every Thursday, during the month of November, I'll post my "THANKFULS". But the truth is, I have too many to count! WOW! Talk about being blessed!

But I am going to do the first things that pop into my mind and not necessarily the obvious ones.....

Here goes.....
1) I am thankful for the quietness of my house just moments before the kids come in after school....cos that's when the real fun begins! (minus the homework, that is)
2) I am thankful for reconnected friendships!
3) I am thankful for a husband who really does like me and who likes being around me:-) LOL!
4) I am thankful that my three children never fight and rarely argue!
5) I am thankful for the little street I live on, in which is just perfect for us!

Until next week, I will remain thankful:-)

HalloWEENIES!

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year! I know it sounds strange but it so fun to dress up, hand out candy, EAT candy, and just be a KID! When Todd and I moved on this street, we had no idea that Halloween would take place RIGHT HERE! LOL! I think I bought 2 bags of candy and we were out of candy in a matter of 30 minutes.

So ten years later, we are now embracing Halloween! We buy about $200 worth of candy each year and rarely have any left over! We see everyone we know from our community in 2.5hours! AMAZING!

And what's so funny is our kids love Halloween too.... They love getting the yard and porch decorated with spooky stuff and haunted music.... and they love handing out the candy to their friends.

In the last few years, our house has become the hang out house....come trick or treat and then hang out and visit! But this year we took it a step further. We did Happy HalloWEENIES in my front yard as an OUTREACH to our community! We set-up a hot stand and handed out free hot dogs and water to everyone that came by! It was soo much fun! We had lots of church family here, lots of friends, lots of neighbors, and lots of new faces. What a way to get to know people....and so easy and laid back!

Take a look at our night......320 hot dogs down! (Note to Self: Next year- we need 450 hot dogs or more cos we ran out).

Big Sisters and Little Brothers

This week I became a "BIG SISTER" again and was able to witness my daughter be a "BIG SISTER" too! I know...I am confusing you, cos no one was added to the family through married or through a new birth.

For me, I grew up with one younger sibling, Grady! Oh how I adored my little brother (and still do). He was cute, small, and SMART! We were totally different and still are so different. See, he is the quiet one, but very funny. While I liked being center of attention and thought I was funny, but really wasn't. He was bit more shy (kind-of), I was NOT! He is musically talented and can figure things out that only the highly intellectuals can figure out. I am the athletic one and lets just say, I have to study---ALOT--- to understand things. LOL! This list can go on and on.

As adults, I have my own family of five and live in our small hometown by our parents. I am actively involved in our little hometown, and I have become that SOCCER MOM.... Grady has a beautiful 4yr old son, Hayden,-- is single, lives in the city, and has had some conflicts in his life in the last couple of years. He is doing well right now....but the other night, for the first time in our adult life, he called me to TALK. He is not one to call and TALK! I am usually the one calling him to pry information from him!!! -- But this time, he just need to talk to someone that was close to him! I spent over an hour listening to my adult baby brother talk. I felt like a BIG SISTER all over again. But this time, I offer very little advice but more importantly I offered him my support, prayer, and ears!!! I loved that he came to me, like he did when we both lived at home!

Now about my sweet Addison---She had to write a paper over her favorite RELATIVE for an English assignment. I thought she would have picked one of her grandmothers, her aunt from California, or her cousin from California. But to my surprise, she wrote about her little brother, Zander. I think she was the only 5th grader that wrote about a sibling! I know it seems like something so simply, but yet....as a mom and a big sister myself, I know that this really meant more to Addison! I love seeing my three children growing, learning, and laughing together! And to be honest, I get a little teary-eyed when I think that I only have about 8more years to watch them do this together before they start living separate lives.

My prayer is that they grow closer though the years....and that they will always have each other for support, encouragement, and as prayer warriors for the rest of their lives:-)

My "Cheap" Hobby Becomes an Expensive Obsession

The title says it all! Since having my youngest child, Gabe (now almost 7yrs old). I have picked up the hobby and exercise of running. I have always been a runner but never much more then 2-4miles about 3-4times a week. But last December, after I got my thyroid medicines for the first time....my energy levels began to peak again..... My running was becoming easier so more mileage was added. And the weight was falling off. In the past, I have always said...running is so easy and convenient.
---"All you need is a good pair of running shoes and the ability to push through the pain when it gets tough!"

Well, if you have been reading my blog.... my hobby is not so cheap anymore! Now that I am getting serious about running in competitions (competing against myself in the races), I have needed much more than a good pair of shoes! I got a big laugh at myself the other day, as I glanced in the mirror to see ALL THE STUFF I have accumulated for my runs these days. Take a look at me!
OK! Let me just tell what I have these days:-)
This is my latest purchase (thanks to a gift certificate that my church gave me as an appreciation gift). They are UnderArmor sports sunglasses. I LOVE THEM!!! So light weight:-) I have never owned a pair of sunglasses that were over $10....so these are very "SPECIAL" to me!!!!


And here is my handy dandy protection gear. Pepper spray! Yap, I run out in the country/backroads. At times, stray dogs are around and fenced dogs get out! This makes me feel like I can take on any monster that gets after me..... Not to mention any creepy humans that may be around! Watch out!!!!


And my shoes:-) Got to love my asics!!!! This is my third pair! Love them! Love them! Love them!



And my very FAVORITE PURCHASE OF ALL.....the one thing that I have wanted for a while. I finally purchased a Garmin 405 Forerunner Watch! I so love this gadget! It's an amazing tool and companion on a run! It is unbelievable all the things you can do on this watch and with this watch!!! It has already improved my run tremedously in the short time I have had it!

I still have many other things that I take on my runs.... Take a look back at my mirror picture......
,
1) Got to love my visor! The visor is great for keeping sweat, hair, and sun out of my eyes...and sometimes rain!
2) My Iphone----This is a HUGE necessity! Not only do I use it for emergency phone calls for me or for my family to contact me, but the music on the iphone is an absolute MUST!
3) My handy dandy BELT! I only wear this belt when I know I am running 10+ miles. It has two water bottles and one pocket for energy snacks or pills or any other things you might want to take along. I use this about every 10 days, as I usually run a REAL-LONG run about every 10 days:-)
4) Lastly, something you can't see in the picture but it is on....is my heart rate monitor. It is actually under my shirt just under my chest. It actually wraps around my whole chest and back and works in conjunction with the Garmin watch. I had doubts about this gadget, as I thought it would be uncomfortable, but I can't even feel it on me! In matter of fact, I forgot I had it on one day and wore it for about 2 additional hours. I am currently learning how to train using heart rate data. :-) That will be a later post:-)

I feel prepared for a good run! So I am about to go get one in right now!!! LOL! But you know what I just started thinking about?? With winter months fast approaching, it won't be long until I need to purchase winter running clothes! LOL!

I told ya this hobby wasn't so cheap anymore!!!

The Boys of Fall

This past week was a big week for my small town! It was Homecoming week!!!! Nothing says what Homecoming and Football means to a small town like mine, like this song does; THE BOYS OF FALL! So a made a clip with some picture from my boys football practices and games and then some homecoming pictures, as well!!!

Student Holiday

Today the kids were off of school while the teachers had a staff development day! I really wasn't aware that the kids were off until I got a phone message last Friday from the school messaging system, but wow, what a treat!

Today has been an absolutely beautiful, relaxing Monday. First of all, it was a rainy stormy morning!!! So not having the alarm set was SWEETNESS!! Then the cool front brought great temperatures for outside play and work:-)

And my sweet hubby loves being with the family that he took today off too (last minute). What a treat!! He watched the kids this morning so I could go to workout with my friend. Then he and his dad spent much of the day working on extending the shed for more storage area. And now Todd is cooking us all a great chicken, potato, and corn on the cob meal from the grill:-) YUMMMY! Love my man!!! (and Jim too)

And my kids: Gabe has been in and out all day. Todd gave him a LEGO surprise; a fire station city. It's huge. And would you believe he has spent at least half of his day working on the lego project?? He is amazing at building these things and working from the instruction books!
Zander has been doing what he does best....playing front yard football with the neighborhood boys, playing in the muddy creek and riding scooters! And my Addie girl has been playing outside with Alexis (our neighbor) painting nails, making art projects, and running in to play on Yoville from time to time! Oh, and we let them run to Sonic to have lunch---so she feels so special:-)

For me, well I typically spend my Mondays getting the house back together, playing catchup on emails, doing laundry, getting groceries and making my weekly to do list. But today, I was able to sit with my girlfriends for a few hours....talk and discuss life with them. And BTW, I have the best girlfriends ever!!! LOL.... And then the rest of my day has been sitting back and just watching and enjoying the blessings I have in my life! AWWWE!! I don't deserve this life I live! But I am grateful for it! Thanks Jesus for making me slow down today and see how much you love me:-)

T.H.I.N.K. before you Speak

What is your sin that you struggle with??? YIKES! I know, I know, not a very pleasant question to start off a post. But today at church, Roy spoke on qualifications of a deacon. Amazing how we as Christians should all aspire to qualify as a deacon (servant).

But one section specifically spoke to me..... GOSSIP! Yes, I try everyday to not do this, but it seems to always happen! SAD, SAD! I always have good intentions not to talk too much or even listen too much....but it always seems to cross that line that leaves me asking myself at night "Should I have said that?"

So this post is for ME!----Roy gave us an acronym that would help a person decide if they should or should not speak about another person in a setting. Feel free to take notes.......

WHEN TALKING ABOUT ANOTHER PERSON IS QUESTIONED AS GOSSIP:
T- True---The things you are speaking---are they truth?
H-Helpful--Are the things you are speaking and sharing helpful to the persons involved?
I- Inspiring- The things you speak about this person...are they inspiring in any way?
N- Necessary- Is it necessary to share this information about the other individual?
K- Kind- Are the things you are saying or sharing kind?

OUCH!!!! Stings a bit, doesn't it??? I don't know about you, but usually when I talk about another person, I am good about speaking TRUTH and hoping to be HELPFUL but I usually don't inspire my peers to help out and I know it's not necessary to share ALL the information I dish out. And yes, oh yes, I start off with speaking only kindly....but by the end, there is usually nothing KIND that came from the conversation!

I am going to post this acronym all over my house, car, office, etc. And I am taking this one straight to God! Got to stop and THINK from here on out!!!!

Recovering.....

It's Day 3 after my big run! I am still so excited and just thrilled about my race. I am thrilled that I met my goal (to actually run a full 13.1+miles without stopping) but I am also thrilled about my pace/time. I finished with a 2:06 time but then found out a day later that the course was not a 13.1mile course, but a 13.45mile course. This means I was close to running a half marathon in less than 2 hours which is just absolutely unbelievable to me!!! WOW- I was shooting for 2:15! As you can tell, I am learning as I go....and still have so much more to learn.


Well that leads me to today! On Sunday, during the last mile of the race, Texas FALL blew in! Our temps have dropped and now our blistering days are hopefully GONE and the weather is just PERFECT! I took 48hrs off, but yesterday I got my first post race run in. Felt pretty good...ran a little, walked a little, ran a little, etc. Today rolls around and I thought I would run a quick 2.5-3miles (just too pretty outside to NOT run). But boy, my legs are TIRED! I now believe running after a race is the hardest part of running half marathons!!! UGHH!!!

I plan on getting boot camp in tomorrow and hope to have a few more run/walk workouts the remainder of this week! I think I will save my bigger, longer runs until next week....maybe even the week after!!!! COS MOMMA BE TIRED NOW!! ----like my picture:-)

But, I won't lie---I have been looking for a full marathon race for late Spring 2011 or Early Fall 2011. Not sure I can really do it, but hey----can't hurt to look and see if it is possible??? Unthinkable and unreachable is always possible!!!

My Run

I did it!!! I did it!!! I did it!!! Yesterday I completed my first half marathon (13.45miles) race. I have been running for several years but in the last nine months, God begin to work on me from the inside out! So nine months ago, I began to up my mileage. At that same time, I began to lose weight, gain my strength, but also regain my self worth. (and yes, I also got alot of help from my thyroid medicines too:-) haha).

I really don't have a real reason on WHY I chose to have a half marathon as my GOAL? Maybe it was because to me, that was the unthinkable and the unreachable. And if you have known me for any length of time....I do always go for those types of goals! So nine months ago, I needed a goal! So I set my mind to it and went for it!

It's been 36hrs since I ran the race. I have has so many congrats from friends but yet so many questions: did it hurt? did you want to quit? did you cry? are you sore? were you nervous? etc.

Interesting enough....my answers were:
No, it really didn't hurt all that bad (because I was mentally and physically ready for the race)
No, I didn't want to quit (why run if I thought quitting was an option)
No, I didn't cry....but I did get chills at the first sight of my family at 3.8 miles in and 11miles in when I knew God would carry me through
No, I wasn't nervous (except for the check in procedures that I wasn't familiar with)

See, the real change in myself wasn't on race day! It was the last nine months of my life! It was what God showed me as I trained day after day! He conditioned my heart, soul, strength, and mind these past few months.... And with God, I can run any race if I am truly conditioned!!!!

I have so much more to share about this race day and hopefully will share more later....but here's a quote that was on one of the many signs as I ran along the path Sunday that spoke deeply to me.

"Obstacles are only things in the way when you are not focused on the goal." Finishing my marathon was exactly that..... I was FOCUSED on the GOAL!!!!














Thank you God for your sweet reminders and for being the best training partner ever!!!

TGIF....for real:-)

Todd and I have been extremely blessed with wonderful jobs...both in ministry (which how that came to be is a whole post....later). I work part-time as the Children's Director for Grace Bible Fellowship in Gunter. And he works a Vice President of Web Ministries for Insight for Living. But get this, he has every other Friday off.

And now that school is back in session, I LOVE THOSE FRIDAYs that he is OFF!


Let me just tell you what we did today....

1. He let me sleep in and he took kids to school.
2. Then we went riding on 4 wheelers (just the two of us) in the rain and mud just outside of town (thanks James for letting us play on your land). I love love love getting outside and getting dirty! SOOO FUNN!! --i know, I am weird that way!
3. Came home and cleaned up.
4. Lunch date at Romano's in Van Alstyne.
5. Came home and took a quick little nap before kids got home!---little snuggling too;-) haha

Who needs date night when we have every other Friday to just hang out!!!! We are really getting spoiled to having these hours together:-) Sure hope they last......