we saw a frog, and other adventures

Our little family had such an amazing Memorial Day weekend. On Friday, we met Papaw Don and Nana Grace with little Grayson McD for some good times at Frankie's Fun Park. Brent and Grayson rode the go-karts twice and played put-put golf. Then we went over the Chick-fil-a for a little dinner. After, Brent, Anne-Kelly, and I went to the movies to try to see the new Shrek film. It was SO cute. How did Anne-Kelly do, you ask? Surprisingly, she slept the first half hour, and after waking, she sat in her daddy's lap, watched the movie, and ate goldfish crackers. I couldn't believe my big girl!

On Saturday morning, we got up and went separate directions, for the morning anyway. Brent went mountainboarding up near Caesar's Head with some friends from church. Mountainboarding, if you're wondering, is similar to snowboarding, but without the snow. It's like a giant, off-road skateboard that you ride down hiking trails. Sound dangerous? It is. I've long ago gotten over worrying about Brent when he's on one of his adventures though. It's just in his nature, and he says that it's not any fun if you're worried about getting hurt....so I just let him go and make sure he has a big disability policy! Ha.

Anyway, while he was doing that, Anne-Kelly and I went to the Greenridge Shopping Center here in Greenville for some quality mother-baby retail therapy. Anne Taylor LOFT, my favorite store, was running a "40 percent off your entire purchase" promotion, so I couldn't miss it. I have been in desperate need of some new, better-fitting clothes for a while. I ended up with a nice pair of dark brown shorts, a cute black tulip skirt, a new blue tank, an adorable summer cardigan, and a pair of sunglasses for four bucks! I then went on to Barnes and Noble and picked up a few books that Brent and I had been wanting to read. One of them is the Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. He wrote the Percy Jackson series, which we were big fans of. Haven't gotten to start the RP yet, but looking forward to it.

After our morning forays, the entire family met up at Greenridge, left Brent's car there, and headed downtown. We had dinner at a fantastic hibachi/sushi place, The Orient, where we were early enough to catch a special. Loving that! Afterward, we walked around in Mast General Store and then down to Falls Park to check out Shakespeare in the park. They were performing Romeo and Juliet, so we sat down for a while and watched. Not before we stopped at Spill the Beans for some awesome ice cream and coffee, though!

On Sunday, we attended church as usual, but afterward we went out to eat at Tequilas Mexican Restaurant with good friends. Then we made our way over to the mall for Brent to pick out some new jeans. He definitely deserved them! His old ones were worn out from crawling around in boilers or something. After the mall, we came home where I cooked beans, cornbread, turnip greens, fried squash, and sliced strawberries. Yum.

Monday morning dawned rainy and icky. That put a damper on our plans to go up to Caesar's Head for a hike. We packed up and went anyway, hoping the rain would slack by the time we got there. No such luck. When we pulled into the parking lot, we asked a couple carrying their son in a Kelty backpack where they'd gotten their awesome child-carrier and they told us that they got it just up the road at the Frugal Backpacker in Arden, NC. So, being that it was all rainy still, we headed up there to check out the Memorial Day sales on the Keltys. We were lucky enough to find a Kelty TC 3.0 for over 50 percent off!! So after we bought it, we ate the lunch we'd packed, and then went over toward Asheville and the NC Arboretum. The sun shone for a few hours, and we went for a small hike around the property and toured lots of the gardens. If you've never been there, it's definitely worth a trip. We also got to see an amazing photo book display by Tim Barnwell. It made me cry it was so beautiful. I can't wait to get the book. Anne-Kelly loved being in the great outdoors and seeing all the lovely flowers and fountains. She even saw a bullfrog hop into the big fountain and swim around! We also really enjoyed their bonsai garden. However, the sun didn't hold out, and when it began raining, we knew we were ready to go.

After that, we drove home and had leftover beans and cornbread. Doesn't sound too glamorous, but it was yummy after such a long day.

So, as you can see, we had a full weekend, but an amazing weekend. We are so blessed.

The Discipline of the Body

I'm currently reading a book by Elisabeth Elliot (surprise, surprise!) called Discipline: the Glad Surrender. The title is pretty much self-explanatory. However, it is teaching me so much that I thought I might share some of the insight I'm gaining with others. The last chapter I read was about the discipline of the body. This is not an easy topic to read about. And it's not what you think, either. She doesn't mention stopping smoking or drinking or anything obvious like that. She talks, instead, about how our physical state is really a gauge of our spiritual state. In other words, she says that God gave us this body to bring into submission under Him, and if we can't offer our bodies as "living sacrifices," as Paul says in Romans 1, then how are we to submit our hearts, minds, and souls to Him?

This can be a very touchy subject for many, myself included. Mostly because I am first in line when it comes to loving food. I have had to do a lot of searching and praying for discernment in this area in my life. I know I am not terribly overweight, but I am guilty of often over-indulging. I could certainly do better in taking care of my body. The Bible says that our bodies are temples of the Lord, and we should take care of them as such. In Discipline, EE points out that gluttony is one of the most problematic, most recognizable, but least-talked-about of sins in our society. She says that this is because it hits home with so many people, many preachers included, so we don't hear much talk about the seriousness of it.

First of all, eating in itself is not a sin, but in America it becomes one. We are a society of excess. Excess money, excess travel, excess clothing, and especially excess food. And on top of that, not enough exercise. Please note that I am pointing my finger at myself more than anyone else as I talk about this. I am very convicted about this area of my life. But to continue, in other parts of the world, food does not cause people to sin because there is simply not enough of it. Take Haiti, for example. Even before this horrible catastrophe, the nation was quite destitute, and for many Haitians, eating is not for their enjoyment but for their mere survival. To have enough food to eat is a luxury, period. We forget this in America. We are so blessed, and we should never forget it.

So, on that note, let me share what I am doing in response to this new knowledge. Maybe it will inspire someone else to search their heart and do something similar.

1. First, I went to the Lord and asked for His help. I knew I couldn't possibly have the strength to do it all on my own. I asked him what he would have me do, and for him to give me the strength to carry it out.

2. I did know that the number on the scale had, since Anne-Kelly was born, gone a bit higher, mostly due to my negligence in monitoring what I put into my body. I simply wasn't thinking. I knew that had to change, and I had to learn to eat in moderation and with wisdom. What that means is not merely counting calories, but eating things that are good for me. I'm not one to eat a lot of pre-packaged junk like cookies and chips, but I am the queen when it comes to having a sweet tooth. So, I've had to limit my intake of sweets. Too much sugar abuses your pancreas, and the Lord gave me that pancreas. It's part of his temple! I know that might sound a little crazy to refer to a pancreas as part of the temple of the Lord, but it's true. What part of your temple are you abusing? You lungs with cigarettes? Your arteries with fat intake and lack of exercise? Your liver with alcohol? This is just the tip of the iceberg. Another thing that Brent and I have felt led to do lately, which I mentioned in an earlier blog post, is eat as naturally and organically as possible. This means limiting our chemical exposure in foods. I shop at Whole Foods Market, and I only buy what's fresh and on sale. It's actually not much more expensive than what I was already buying! Part of our reasoning for eating organically is simply that we know that the Lord didn't intend for us to take in pesticides, herbicides, growth hormones, and other chemicals. Many chemicals used on fruits and veggies, as well as chemicals used as preservatives in other foods are known to be harmful. Some are even carcinogens, which leads me to the second reason we have decided to eat in this way. As you know, Brent's dad and uncle both passed away this year after battling brain cancer. This made us really take a look at how we care for our bodies, especially Brent's. Even though we don't know what caused Gary and Dale's cancers, we do know that we are not going to do anything to help our chances of developing cancer along. For more explanation on why eating organically is the way to go, click here.

3. Another thing I am doing, not food related, is changing what goes on my body. What I mean by this is taking a look at body care products such as deodorant, lotions, shampoo, and soap. We have switched to products that are as natural as possible, such as Burt's Bees baby products (paraben-free), Tom's of Maine deodorant (aluminum-free, paraben-free), and 365 Shampoos and Conditioners (paraben and phthalate-free as well). If you want to know more about parabens, phthalates, aluminum, and other harmful substances found in body care products, merely google them. You'll find all the information you need. I might write a post about it later, but they're not what I'm here to talk about today.

4. The fourth thing, and hardest for me to learn to do, is exercise. I knew the Lord was calling me to do this more than anything. Exercise requires discipline, takes care of the body, and it even does a lot to clear and focus the mind as well. I'm not talking about beating yourself to death running five or six miles daily. Some people can do that. But for me, simply taking a vigorous 30-minute stroll with Anne-Kelly seems to do the trick. As I get more in shape, I hope to do more, but as a mom, it is often hard to find the time. For a few quick exercises to fit into a busy mom's schedule, click here. Don't forget, though, that many things we moms do can also be counted as exercise. If you don't have time to specifically go out for a walk or to the gym, think about how you do your daily tasks. Laundry, kitchen chores, and cleaning can all be done quickly and efficiently, which can be considered physical exertion. Personal trainers may argue with this, but I think that just standing up and moving around more than sitting is beneficial for you physically.

5. The fifth thing is possibly the most important: sleep. Getting a good 7-8 per night is important, as your metabolism and energy level will suffer if you do not. See this link for more info. I'm sure some people would disagree, but the Lord has definitely convicted me about this area. Staying up late watching television or reading a book then not getting enough sleep causes me to be less of a mother and wife than I should be the following day. This is sinful. I owe it to my husband, my child, and especially the Lord who made me to get enough sleep. I do understand, however, that some people do not have a choice about the amount of sleep they get due to work constraints, etc. That is not what I'm talking about. Do not forget, either, however, that too much sleep can be sinful as well. I, too, am guilty of this behavior. Sleeping the day away, just like obesity, is quietly tolerated in the Christian community. We joke about not being able to get out of the bed in the morning, but in actuality, it is not a joke. The Bible refers to this as being "slothful," and I must say, I can be quite the sloth. This is another thing that I am trying to bring under Christ's Lordship. For more info on the harmful physical effects of oversleeping, click here.

Finally, I hope these personal insights have impacted you in some way. I merely encourage you to pray as well, and ask the Lord how you, too, can discipline your body for Him.