Mamavation Campaign 17 Application Post and Blog Resurrection

Heard of Lazarus? We should rename this blog Lazarus. I am raising it from the dead. Why? The best reason I can think of: accountability to truly live.

My blog has suffered from a lack of attention for a very long time. I guess it could be blamed on four babies in five years. Or it could be blamed on remodeling and moving. Or possibly just chasing after five children or running a travel planning business. Or I could blame it on the same reason I have not been successful at losing weight: myself. Blogging means transparency. Blogging means admitting my faults. Blogging means putting myself out there and if change isn't happening, then blogging exposes that. Time for change. Time to blog.

More than blogging, it's time I start taking full responsibility for not losing weight, not being healthy, not exercising, and for not setting a good example for my kids in these things. Something has to change. I have to have some accountability. 

Insert my friend Leah and an awesome group of super supportive women at Mamavation.com. 

I have followed Mamavation for a few years now and the time has not been right for me to apply to be a Mamavation Mom. In fact, I had stepped away from the gals after my last child was born...not intentionally...life just kind of took over. However, after chatting with Leah about some of my frustrations with my health, she encouraged me to get back involved with the group and apply to become a Mamavation Mom this campaign. 

What is a Mamavation Mom, you ask? Leah describes it best: "Mamavation Moms are 2-3 moms who go through a 7-week online boot camp and their lives are put on an a public stage. They share their struggles learning healthy living as a mom as the world watches via computer. The goal is to inspire and demonstrate how challenges can be overcome. But ultimately the goal is to save their family from obesity by passing on the values they learn." 

Campaign 17 is a bit different, too...."Mamavation is proud to announce a partnership with Healthy Child Healthy World for the 17th Mamavation Mom Boot Camp. Not only will the Mamavation moms lose weight, but they will also learn how to de-toxify their own homes. And there are NO weight requirements for this campaign because the main focus will be on minimizing the impact chemicals can have on the health of families. But don’t worry, this is still a boot camp. The Mamavation Moms will be VERY likely to lose a significant amount of weight as well. They will still receive professional nutritional and fitness support. So in essence, they will be sweating out toxins."

Now, why am I applying? Well, I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'm sick and tired of my kids being sick. I'm afraid my life will be cut short because of my health. I need something strict and drastic. I need to be a Mamavation Mom. It's time. It's time mama changes. It's time mom takes care of herself, first, so that the kids will have a mom. It's time to get off my can and do something to drastically change my family tree. It's time for me to shine. 

So here is my video entry. It isn't pretty. I forgot to mention my Twitter name, @CBelleConcierge, and I am a nervous wreck to post my FIRST ever video of myself online. 

Y'all. It's serious if I am doing this. LOL Wish me luck!! XOXO

http://youtu.be/94O2TYYfB68

Awaken the Dead

I'm finding I need an outlet for my thoughts, catalog of kid's lives, food diary, weight loss/health posts, etc. so here I am. At my seriously neglected site and am going to resurrect the dead blog.

Poor thing.

Anyways, add us to your RSS feed, mama's gonna give blogging another shot!

Xoxo

Wordless Wednesday-But a little LATE!!

Our Magical Day at Magic Kingdom on Tuesday.

1000 Gifts...can I have the book, please?

So after my finding this blog and doing some reading on her blog, I discovered her book 1000 Gifts.

Yeah, I'm a sap. I cried after reading the Letter from Ann about the book. So, could someone out there please buy me the book? I'm saving up for the book.

I struggle with keeping up with life sometimes. People have a misconception about me, that I'm "always on Facebook" or "always on my phone". But that's not true. I may pop online for 2 minutes to post something cute about the kids or a question or a picture. But no. My online time is limited. If I blog, it's at night after kids are in bed while 'M' watches a gun show or showers.

But I digress.

The point is, I have a hard time finding the little blessings everyday like a lot of busy moms do.

So, I downloaded the #1000gifts app on my iPhone and will try and be more intentional in my gratitude.

I'll occasionally post one of my gifts on the blog. Otherwise you can find it on Twitter (message me on how to follow me) or on Facebook.

Here's a snapshot (again, with the iPhone as all of the #1000gifts pics will be):

A little kitchen helper. A4 is always underfoot when I'm cooking. It touches my heart!...shared via the #1000gifts

Advent - Our Jesse Tree

DISCLAIMER: Yes, I'm a photographer, no I don't always have my pro, or even P&S camera out. All of these images are iPhone images. Sorry. ;)

After so many years of being sick and tired of "commercialized" Christmas and after feeling helplessly handicap with a lack of conceptual creative juices, I think we have finally found our way of proactively keeping Jesus in Christmas.

Sure, I love the season and the decor in the stores...the music...the Santas everywhere...

I love the Mistletoe Market in our town every year. It gets me in the mood right before Thanksgiving...

I love decorating our home...the smells of the season, etc...

However, I feel like Christ just gets lost in the hustle and bustle of this season that flies by WAY too fast these days.

So, this year, we are being intentional in our CHRISTmas season.

On November 30th, we started working on our Jesse Tree and did day 1. I was very nervous as I wasn't sure if the younger kids would "get" it. A2 got it and A3 liked the ornament! :) A4 just chewed on stuff. But I think just starting the tradition, and continuing it year after year, will help our family keep Christ in the season.

So, my friend Sara sent me to www.aholyexperience.com. If you subscribe to her blog, you can get her free Jesse Tree book and templates. For me this worked the best for now. I'd love to make some felt or homemade ornaments in years to come. But for ease this Christmas and wanting to get started ASAP, print and laminate worked great. I did write the date of the month it was to be used, the scripture and what day of the Jesse Tree it is on the back. Then we punched some holes and ran some raffia and tah-DAH! We have ornaments.

We are using the Thankful Tree we made in November and are just turning it into our Jesse Tree. It's in our entryway and (if I can find it) our Manger Scene will be put up underneath it.

I'll later blog about the other Advent stuff we are doing including "Truth in the Tinsel", an ebook I purchased (thanks for the info Christi!). My plan is to do "Truth in the Tinsel" during our school day and in the mornings and doing our Jesse Tree in the evening as a family.