Thursday, February 28, 2013

JUICING!!! My new LoVe.

Well, it’s no secret we love clean, healthy eating! We LOVE investing in our health- especially the way it makes us feel (& look! just another benefit of healthy eating- you look good!)…But more than anything, we love knowing that we are helping ward off future diseases and illnesses & taking care of our bodies. Our temples. (Yep, most diseases plaguing our nation today are preventable with good nutrition.)

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{A peek inside our frig as of yesterday….}

If Jon & I blessed to grow old together (I know no one is promised tomorrow), I want us to be able to ENJOY our older years!!! Not spending them constantly going to the doctor, the pharmacist, sick, miserable, & having to be taken care of. I know obviously you can’t control everything, but you better believe we are going to do our best to prevent diseases and take care of ourselves. To control the things we can….and a huge part of that is the fuel we give our body.

We are always looking for ways to enhance our nutrition…That’s how we got started with Advocare, actually. I know we need supplements, and Advocare just so happens to provide finest nutritional products (that are an incredible companion to a clean, healthy diet) on the planet.

(Side note: It kills me when people say they get everything they need from their diet. Really??? You’re eating 6 apples a day?? 15 beets? 12 servings of leafy greens?? No, you’re not….because that’s ridiculous. Even the cleanest, healthiest diets have nutritional gaps these days because of the way our food is made & grown….. nutritional supplements are a NO BRAINER.)

SO, after hearing a little more about it, I decided we would give juicing a go.  I have a few friends doing it (Erin, Carley, Brittany, Larissa) who are LOVING it!!  As with supplements, I consider this an investment in our health. You can’t put a price on health. Just ask someone who is sick.  And the way I see it, you can either invest in your health now, or pay for illness down the road.

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Do you think it’s a coincidence our schools are pushing for students to have a career in either culinary arts/the food industry, or HEALTHCARE?!?! I teach a career class at my school & part of my job description is to help students determine their “career cluster & pathway” for high school.  From the state level, these are the two areas that are receiving a LOT of focus.  I think it’s a conspiracy (that’s for a whole different post) that they want to make us fat, because that leads to disease, which will require us to spend TONS of $$ on healthcare, then pump us full of drugs & medicines to keep the drug companies pockets nice & fat. Just sayin’….

Tangent over. Stepping off soapbox.

On to JUICING!!!

So, we ordered a Breville Elite Fountain off of Amazon. I did some research &  decided this was the best option for us….and I LOOOOOVE it!!!! It is SUPER user friendly. Fo real- if I can do it, anyone can.

I have gone totally organic with the dirty dozen, meat, dairy, & eggs. I have even started washing fruits & veggies!!  (Haha….that’s big for me!) We’ve always eaten lots of fruits & veggies, but I’ve been doing a lot of research about nutrition during pregnancy and decided these were some changes that NEEDED to be made. It’s worth it. (FYI: When juicing while pregnant, you need to drink the juice immediately- do not juice and store.)

So far I have mostly juiced veggies for myself (just because I really enjoy eating most fruits whole), but have thrown in a few fruits (lemons, oranges, green apples) to really sweeten some of the veggie juices.

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Yes- that is a beet! They are packed with antioxidants, but something I would NEVER eat- yuck! So I juice them! And make this beautiful purple colored juice that is totally yummy when you add in some other fruits & veggies.

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I also just made my first “veggie soup” with the pulp, & plan to use the leftover pulp as compost for our FUTURE garden. (Ahem, Big Jon…) You can also use it for baking.

I will admit, it is a little time consuming. You have to shop, wash & chop, juice, & clean up immediately. But you can knock out all the prep in a couple hours on a Sunday to have your “materials” ready to go! (We do that anyway with our food.) But helllllllo, it is WORTH it!! Check out some of these benefits:

  • easy digestion of vegetables
  • highest level of quality nutrients
  • improves cardiovascular and heart health
  • detoxification
  • normalizes the Alkaline pH for your body
  • builds resistance to viruses & strengthens immune system
  • increases energy levels
  • rebuilds blood cells
  • makes your skin glow (I added that one!)

And there are more! Juicing offers:

  • a great deal of water
  • an abundance of amino acids
  • fuel for the body
  • soluble fiber (excellent for digestive tract!)
  • vitamins & minerals in highly absorbable form
  • “living” molecules that speed up reactions for the body to function
  • plant nutrients in concentrated form

Here are a few of the recipes I have tried & liked. I have tried others, but I have just been winging them & haven’t really used “recipes.” Maybe I should start writing them down. Ha!

You have to taste them to figure out what you need to add. (A little bit of ginger, lemon, or green apple can go a long way!!)

Spicy Tomato

  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 1/4 onion, peeled
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 3-5 grinds black pepper
  • 1-3 shakes of cayenne pepper

Wrinkle Free

  • 2 cucumbers
  • 1" knob ginger root, peeled
  • 2 medium oranges, peeled with pith

Sweet Beet Treat

  • 1 beet
  • 1 large handful of spinach
  • 3 large carrots
  • 1 red grapefruit, peeled
  • 1 whole pineapple, peeled and cored
  • 1/2 lemon, peeled
  • 6 strawberries
  • 1 pear
  • 1 green apple, cored

Sweet Potato

  • 4 celery sticks, trimmed
  • 1 small sweet potatoe, peeled and halved
  • 1" ginger root, peeled
  • 4 oranges, peeled with pith
  • (Optional: 1 jalepeno, seeded.....to make it spicy)

Fog Lift

  • 2 appples, cored
  • spinach
  • 1/2 lemon, peeled

I’m going to order these few books (thank you for the recommendation, ladies!) to check out some more recipes!!

Anybody got any fave recipes to share??

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Lies Women Believe About Priorities

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If I asked you to write out your priorities in order, what would you put on that list?? 

I know I could write out a list that looks pretty similar to this one…My relationship with the Lord, Jonathan, Family & Friends, Church, Job…but if I’m REAL, that wouldn’t be very honest. That might be my intentions, but I don’t think my actions always reflect that. For example…I never go ANYWHERE without my cell  phone. Ever. But I only bring my Bible with me when I go to church on Sundays and Wednesdays. If my priorities were truly in the order I listed, don’t you think those two things would be flip flopped?

Wanna know your priorities? Ask your family to list out what they think they are. And ask them to be HONEST. Not the pretty, packaged little list that they know are your intentions…

Women these days are expected to juggle many demands and responsibilities that come with each season of life.  Unfortunately, many women feel inadequate, insecure, overwhelmed, and just plain TIRED.  We often feel incapable of managing the many hats we wear and balancing the various responsibilities we carry. But here’s the deal. God never intended for us to feel this way!!

I feel like this is especially true in a Pinterest generation! Don’t get me wrong….I LOOOOVE me some Pinterest & it is one of my FAVORITE things on the internet! (Seriously, so many awesome tips, ideas, recipes, and a quick fix for everything- it’s genius!) But I’m afraid many of us spend hours each week looking at all of these things we never actually attempt or plan to make a reality.  We take time away from our family pinning things we wish were a reality for us.

Seriously, you can look at my boards and see what my life might “look like” if I had my dream house that is crazy organized; an incredible wardrobe leading in all the latest fashion trends (oh, and in one of those AWESOME closets that are the size of my bedroom, please); homecooked, healthy, perfectly balanced, all organic meals for every meal that are cut into shapes & even match every holiday; daily craft & homeschool sessions; a SMOKIN’ bod with 6 pack abs, a tight booty, and toned arms; glowing skin & hair with flawless makeup application and perfectly curled hair; making all of my own cleaning products, laundry detergent, etc.; have a thriving career & perfectly balanced budget; hand sew all of our kids own clothes with everything monogrammed; all while living out all of the Scriptures & motivational quotes.

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And y’all know as well as I do this list could go ON, and ON, and ON.

Does anyone else feel this way??? I don’t know about y’all, but most days I feel like I’m doing pretty good to just get my hair in a pony tail (not saying it’s brushed- but hey, who’s askin’?) & clothes that halfway match (except socks- they don’t count).  I’m not saying Pinterest is a bad thing in ANY way, but I do see a trend- I feel like women are living lives with our priorities out of whack….and that is leaving us feeling like failures. Constantly overwhelmed, inadequate, and exhausted.

Y’all, God called us to live lives of PEACE!! Joy. Contentment. We have got to learn to recognize the Enemy’s lies and learn to combat them with the TRUTH of God’s Word. Man, there is SUCH freedom in that!

I know I’ve said it a million times, but this is HANDS DOWN one of the BEST books I’ve ever read, and it has truly transformed my walk with the Lord and my way of thinking. If you are looking for something, I definitely recommend it. I have bought it for many of my friends, and the ones who have read it have RAVED about it.

Here are a look at some of the lies women believe about priorities:

“**THE LIE: 1) I don’t have time to do everything I’m supposed to do.

I know this one is SO true for me!!! I tend to WAY overload my plate, so my life always feels chaotic & hectic.

Nearly 70% of women surveyed said they believe this and it’s the number one lie they identify with. Women feel overwhelmed by how much they have to do and how little time they have to do it. As a result, many women are living breathless, frazzled, discouraged lives. Really, we have no more or less time than any other humans…we have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week, and 52 weeks in a year. Our frustration comes when attempt to take on responsibilities that are not on His agenda. We establish our own priorities (or let others determine) the priorities of our life, rather than taking time to discern what God wants us to do. Then we end up buried under piles of half finished, poorly done, or never attempted projects and tasks. We end up living with guilt, frustration, and haste, rather than enjoying the peaceful, well-ordered life he intends.

THE TRUTH:

· There is time in every day to do the things God wants me to do. (Psalm 90:10-12; Luke 10:38-42; John 17:4; Acts 20:24; Ephesians 2:10) **ALL we have to do are the things God assigns us. (Notice that does not say the things “I want to do,” or “so & so wants me to do.”) It is powerful to ask the Lord every morning to order your steps so you can accomplish what HE wants from you.

“I have glorified thee on earth; I have finished the work thou gavest me to do.” - John 17:4

**THE LIE: 2) I can make it without consistent time in the Word and prayer.

Anyone else struggle with this one?? I know I do! Even though it sounds crazy and may not be anything we would ever say out loud (because we know it sounds ridiculous), we live our lives as if we believe this. I can SO tell the days I don’t take time to do my quiet time or devotions…it’s amazing what those 10-15 minutes can do for my entire attitude and the whole course of my day!

The essence of Satan’s deception is that we can live our lives independently of God. If he can get us to live without a personal relationship, he knows we will feel empty. Satan knows if he can get us to operate on our own thoughts and ideas (without seeking the Lord and wisdom that comes only from God), he knows we will eventually get sucked into the world’s destructive way of thinking. We know the value of spending time along with God in His Word and in prayer, but too often we are “too busy” or too focused on the tasks of our day without spending adequate time with God FIRST. When we skip time with Him, we are basically saying we can do our own work, keep our home, handle our relationships, and deal with our circumstances on our own- WITHOUT His help. This is PRIDE, and we know what the Bible says about pride. (James 4:6; Proverbs 16:18)

THE TRUTH:

· It is impossible for me to be the woman God wants me to be apart from spending consistent time cultivating a relationship with Him in the Word and prayer. (Job 23:12; Psalm 5:3; 119:147; Proverbs 2:1-6; 3:5-6; Matthew 6:25-34; 14:23; James 4:6)

· Apart from living in conscious union and dependence on Him, I cannot do anything of spiritual or eternal value. I can create a lot of activity and make a lot of decisions, but not that mater an eternal impact.

**THE LIE: 3) A career outside the home is more valuable and fulfilling than being a wife and mother.

I am going to write another whole post dedicated to this one…

Half a century ago, women decided we needed to be liberated- we needed freedom. They replaced words such as virtue, chastity, discretion, domesticity, submission, and modesty with words such as choice, divorce, infidelity, power, and equality. This demeaned marriage and motherhood and encouraged women to get out into workforce. In determining our priorities as Christian women, we must first ask why God created women and His mission for us. It is not WRONG to have a job outside of the home unless that job diminishes effectiveness in fulfilling a woman’s primary calling at home. It is important to evaluate reasons for working outside the home and determine if there is any deception there. (ex: “We can’t survive off of only one income.”)

Ø Genesis 2:18

Ø 1 Timothy 5:9-10

Ø 1 Corinthians 7:32-35

THE TRUTH:

· In the will of God, there is now higher, holier calling than to be a wife and mother. (1 Timothy 5:9-10)

· God uniquely designed the woman to be a nurturer of life. (Genesis 2:24; 3:20)

· There is no greater measure of a woman’s worth or success than the extent to which she serves as the heart of her home. (1 Corinthians 7:32-35; Titus 2:4-5)

· God’s plan is that a woman’s primary attention and efforts should be devoted to ministering to the needs of her husband and children. (Genesis 2:18)”

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Time to get our priorities in order, ladies!! And stop believing the enemies lies.

DeMoss, Nancy Leigh. Moody Publishers; Repreinted edition edition (April 2002).

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Baby Butler is 29 Weeks!!

Baby Growth: Jase is the size of an acorn or butternut squash! He is 2 1/2- 3 lbs!!

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“Baby's energy is surging, thanks to white fat depositing beneath his skin. And since he's growing so fast (weight will triple by birth), things are getting kind of cramped in the womb. What all this means for mommy: Get ready for some more kicks and jabs to the ribs.”

My Symptoms: Thankfully I still feel really good!! My hands are a little more swollen than normal, but not too bad. (I’m getting nervous I may have to take my rings off- is that something everyone has to do?) And my feet really are growing. I’ve heard they don’t go back to normal size afterwards. Anyone had any experience with that? 

Oh, and I did it….tennis shoes with dress pants! Yep, for real.

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Other than that everything is going really well….healthy baby, healthy mama. And I feel great! Very thankful for that.

Weight/Belly: I’m just so used to it now that I can’t even tell it’s growing. In fact, I run into stuff all the time with my poor belly and am always trying to squeeze through spaces (that I would normally be able to get through) that I CLEARLY cannot fit my belly through.  We even have to move the table away from me when we go out to eat so I can squeeze in the booth.

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BUT, even though I forget it’s there sometimes, this belly is DEFINITELY growing!! My mom says I get bigger every time she sees me and she can’t believe it…even from day to day! I go to the doctor Thursday and I’ll find out about the weight then. Right around 20 something lbs, and I have about 6-10 weeks left till this little guy makes his appearance!

{I just woke up from a min cat nap before church, so ignore my sleepy face & hair!}

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We did learn in childbirth class that women gain an average of around 8 lbs of baby and around 20 lbs is placenta, blood, fluids, umbilical cord, etc., most of which is gone right after the baby is born. It’ll be interesting to see how accurate that is after Jase arrives! I know I’ve seen a few mommy friends lately who look absolutely PHENOMENAL and are even smaller now than they were pre-baby!!

Maternity Clothes: So far I have spent less than $100 on maternity clothes, & half of that was for bigger sports bras. I feel pretty good about that since we are in the home stretch!! Thankful for my mom hitting up yard sales & my friends who have hooked me up with some of their clothes.

However, I probably shouldn’t be bragging too much. That does mean my workout wardrobe looks like this…. (did y’all think I was kidding about looking homeless? It is rough.)

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Yes, there are paint stains on my shirt.

And I love this….you can’t really tell I’m pregnant from the back….

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And then, BAMMMMMM……I turn around!!!

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Movement: Jase’s favorite time to move like a CRAZY little man is right when mommy lays down to go to sleep! Megan has a good description….like a lava lamp! Seriously, I can SEE and FEEL my WHOLE belly move!! It’s crazy. I’ve been describing it as jello.

He loves Chelsea too….he always moves like a mad man for her!

Sleep: I woke up at 5 am one morning with my chest burning like crazy! Not chest pain; not heartburn…it’s that weird pain that feels like my skin is raw right underneath my boobs in the center. Jon looked it up one time & said it was most likely just that the baby is pushing on a nerve right there. SO strange! It’s not unbearable, but it’s not comfortable either. I have been sleeping pretty well, but the last couple nights have been a little more rough.

Cravings: One day I randomly wanted potato salad and one day I randomly wanted Fruity Pebbles. Those are both incredibly random because I never really eat either of those foods, but I didn’t end up getting them.

Other than that, nothing really.  Most of my cravings were during the first trimester.  But sweets sound good ANY TIME!!!

And I also have to pack a lunchbox to bring to church on Sundays. Seriously….you know you’re pregnant when you have to do that! We leave the house at 7:50 & go to all three services, so we don’t usually get home till about 12:45. That means Jase & I have to have a snack….because that is TOO long for this mama to go without eating!!

Best Pregnancy Moments This Week:

Our first shower!!

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Celebrating Baby A with Laura!!

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{Side Note: I quite obviously prefer a messy hair look, but it does not photograph well. I really did fix my hair that morning, even if you can’t tell in the pic.}

Our first childbirth class & breastfeeding class! We already learned so much & feel so much better about everything. Jon was cracking me up through our childbirth class BIG time (seriously, I felt like a middle schooler who couldn’t stop giggling!), but he was pretty serious during our breastfeeding class.  When Laura told me there was fake boobies on the table, I knew we were in trouble, but we weren’t so silly in this one & I loved that Jon kept saying “I can help with that” when she was talking about different things….like how to clean the breast pump, for example. I’m so thankful he is so helpful!!

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I couldn’t resist a pic with the boob! But on a serious note, I can’t WAIT to see him with Jase!!! Gah, melt my heart!! I think he will be such a natural daddy….which is so funny because when we first got married, he was NOT comfortable holding a baby…at all!! (I mean, it was humorous how awkward he was.) Now, he is SO READY to meet our little man!!

Goals for next week: Finish reading our Bradley books. Practice with Jon. Start working on birth plan. Massage.

Thoughts: I don’t know what it is about the number 30, but 30 weeks makes this seem SO REAL!!!! I mean, we are really going to be parents….and SOON!!! Jase is going to be here any time in the next 6-10 weeks!!  I’m focused more on praying specifically for labor & delivery & to have good nurses…

Monday, February 25, 2013

Jase’s First Shower!!

It has been SUPER cool to be pregnant at the same time as some of my best friends!!! We get to talk all babies, all the time….share in the excitement of preparing for our first child….and of course compare notes to encourage each other that everything we are experiencing is “normal.”

Laura & I are about 13 days apart!! (And NO, we didn’t plan it. That would just be WEIRD. Thank you to everyone who asked though.) We could totally be in the hospital at the same time- crazy, huh??

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She found out a few weeks before we did, and it has been so cool to share this journey with her. Our hubbies are BFFs too, so this has been especially fun for them to get ready to be first time Daddies together too.

Laura & I teach together, so the staff at work asked if we would mind having a joint shower. Of course not!!  It was a GREAT turnout and we are truly blessed to work with such wonderful people who have spoiled us as we get ready to welcome our lil guys! We got some of the most wonderful gifts for Jase and felt so loved!!

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And no, just as we did NOT plan our pregnancies together….we also did not plan our matching shower outfits OR to wear our hair the same. (Although I’m pretty sure no one believes us anymore at this point!) Great minds think alike, I guess!

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Preggos go first! (Duh!)

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Seriously….it looks like I have one of those balloons UNDER my shirt!! Hahha!!!

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With the baby daddies….

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OMG-  this is real life! We’re about to all be PARENTS for real!!!

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LOVED seeing Jase’s name on his gifts!!

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With some of our lovely hostess’!

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So glad Big Jon’s mom & sis got to come!! Mimi & Aunt Jade are SO excited to meet Jase!!

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The Butler girls!!

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My mom, sister (Tammie), & niece Morgen all got to be there too.

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Whew!! Thank goodness….now we actually have some stuff for Jase!! Poor little guy had NOTHING going in to this shower, and we got some really special, unique, thoughtful, and useful gifts! So thankful for awesome co-workers & a fabulous first shower!!! We are blessed!!