Self-fullfilling prophecies

Hello, my name is Alyson, and I will be your personal trainer for today.  First of all ladies, don't be afraid to lift weights.  It's good for you.  But most of all, heed this:

Our words and our thoughts become self-fulfilling prophecies.  If you say, "I'm always nervous when I get on planes," What is going to happen the next time you get on a plane?  You're going to be nervous. Sometimes we so closely identify ourselves with our defects that they become who we are.  Our identity as a person begins to lie in our faults.  I heard these three things just in the last two days from clients and friends: "I'm so clumsy."  "I've always been chubby."  "I'm not a finisher."

As a man thinks, so is he.  Your beliefs determine your behavior.  If these negative thoughts are what you're saying about yourself, you are creating self-fullfilling prophecies.  You may say that you don't really believe these things, but your behavior speaks differently.

As a believer, identify yourself in Christ.  "I am a believer in Jesus Christ that struggles with drugs.  My name is John."  Our identity must be in Jesus, not in our struggle.  We all have hurts, hang-ups, and habits.  Don't let them become your identity.

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.  Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"  2 Cor 5:16-17

Lazy Saturday

What girl doesn't love Pinterest and coffee on a lazy Saturday while the kids cartoon themselves into oblivion?  I knew I had nothing to do this past Saturday.  No plans except to water mom's indoor plants.  No real need for conserved energy.  So David and I stayed up WAY too late Friday night.  My kids all woke at their crack-of-dawn hour, and I drank coffee and planned projects for which I had no present energy to complete.  Great ideas for organizing my house and creating a little corner mudroom ...someday.

Donuts for a Saturday breakfast.  I ate two and I didn't exercise.  I got dressed and went out to my garage gym and turned on the music and got warmed up ... and went back inside.  Too tired.

Anytime the boys take their shirts off, Adelle wants her shirt off too.  So does Alayna but we've started the modesty rule with her.  It's hard to be 4 1/2.  My stout little lion girl with her leggings on backwards and cute little toddler buns, chubby little belly and wild hair gets away with way too much.  I said I would never let the baby-of-the-family lenience play into my family.  Never say never.

I cut their shaggy hair today.   It's still long on top, just trimmed around the ears and neck.  Forgot to take finished-product pictures.  These little UFC wantabeees are the best of friends.  Blessed.

Lazy Saturdays are good for snuggling squishy, spineless girls.  Seriously, Adelle could take you down with one stiff arm to the neck.  My little Alayna and her Elmo body just squishes up.  She's a ball of cute.

David let me get away Saturday afternoon and I bought this awesome dress at Old Navy for $8.  It's a very dangerous wrap dress.  My kids were fascinated by it.  I wore it to church on a breezy morning, coffee in one hand, kids in the other ... dangerous.  David bought a Polo Grill Groupon for "casual Sunday" so we went on a date.  It was a great ending to my lazy weekend.  

Now it's 6:27 on Monday morning and time to hit the ground running.  I read this quote from a friend's blog this morning.  This one's going on the mirror.  Read it every day.  Proverbs 3:5-6.

“There’s never been a better day than this one to collapse upon Christ! Quit trying so hard not to need his grace.”  Scotty Smith

It's Christmas time outside

We had just enough snow to go sledding yesterday!  Me-oh-my, what fun.  Dressing 4 kids for snow is a sweaty job.  Sledding with Adelle down the "mountain" then piggy backing her up the mountain is another sweaty job.  I earned my cookies and hot chocolate yesterday.

 Adelle ready to sled.

 Hope, Hillary and Alayna heading down the hill.

 Hudson - he's pretty sure deer can't see him or smell him out here.  :)

 The mommies.

 Hannah, Hudson, Pierce and Harper - that's a lot of weight on one sled.  Super fast.

 Harper and Pierce are buddies.

So, a while back some friends of ours were moving and didn't want to haul all of their Y2K supply with them.  Seriously.  I have buckets of wheat, honey, lentils and salt.  We're set.  Have you ever gotten honey out of a 5 gallon bucket in the winter?  It's a workout.

 Anyway, we can survive on lentils and bread for a long time.

 For Christmas the kids got Build-A-Bear gift cards from Cousin Daniel.  The boys put theirs on ebay and used the money to buy new lego sets they'd been saving for.  The girls and I went to Build-A-Bear and had a blast picking out their new cozy little friends.  Pardon the slick, polished homeschool look.  We're fresh out of the tub.  ;)  (And we homeschool so...)

So, people (grandma, Amanda, Shannon etc) have been on me to keep this blog updated.  I'm so swamped all the time.  I sit down at the computer and think, man I should probably be doing ... a lot of other things.  Be blessed family, this is for you.  :)

Happy Valentine's Day

How about a love story.  12 years ago I thought, hmmm, I'd really like to marry someone like David Frederick.  He's so thoughtful, wise, mature, funny etc.  Then he fell in love with me.  The end.  :)

My, what a gigantic smile you have. Why thank you.

So thankful for my Valentine today.  I love you David.