thosewhowait

Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Sunday, March 28, 2010

by request...


i have had some inquiries as to how my "no excuses" book is coming along...i must admit that i am only about half way through the book but i have learned a lot. my accountability partner has "requested" (she prefers that word over "demand" or "requires") that i send her a summary of each chapter and how it related to me and my diet world and although at times i find it rather annoying it has actually been quite good for me.




i try to only read a chapter a day and that way i can "think on these things" throughout the day...you would be amazed at how many times throughout a day i can make an excuse for this or for that...so sad.




out of the 18 top excuses there were a few that really stood out to me...here are MY top 4 followed by the affirmation that i now use to substitute that excuse. i personally was NEVER an affirmation kind of person but my AP is HUGE on the concept and this author also seems to be a big fan. i guess it is growing on me a bit.




1. I'M TOO BUSY: as i unclutter my life, i free myself to answer the callings of my soul.




2. I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH: i have access to unlimited assistance. my strength comes from my connection to my God.




3. IT WILL BE DIFFICULT: i have the ability to accomplish any task i set my mind to with ease and comfort.




4. NO ONE WILL HELP ME: the right circumstances and the right people are already here and will show up on time.




after i got through all those excuses and how to tackle them the book goes on to identify 7 principles that apply to ridding yourself of the habit of excuses.




here is a brief review of the principles...




1. become AWARE of your potential for greatness and the power of your mind


2. ALIGN yourself by thinking like God thinks


3. live here and NOW in your mind as well as in your body


4. CONTEMPLATE what you are, rather than what you want to become


5. be WILLING to allow health, happiness, and success to flow into your life


6. be PASSIONATE about everyone and everything that enters your life


7. want more for others than you do for yourself; that is, be COMPASSIONATE




out of the seven principles i think my biggest issue was with #5...WILLINGNESS. in my head i want to be fit and healthy but once i REALLY took a look at what it means to be willing i was amazed how unwilling i really was.




for example...am i willing to take TOTAL responsibility of ALL the consequences of my life? including the current status of my body AND all that i am, all that i have, all that i don't have, and all that has come my way??? am i willing to SURRENDER? am i willing to hold the vision? and am i willing to shed all UNWILLINGNESS?




this was a rough chapter for me...ALL consequences of my life right now...NO EXCUSES...TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY!!! ouch.




it becomes kinda painful to admit that i am willing to do that with all aspects of my life BUT right now i am just talking about the DIET portion. can i admit that i am TOTALLY responsible for the current status of my body and all that i am and all that i have and all that i don't have and all that has come my way?




no blaming the stress of having a sick husband for years


no blaming the stress of being a widow at 47


no blaming the fact that i had three kids


no blaming the stress involving financial issues


no blaming the fact that i hurt everywhere when i exercise


no blaming the alignment of the stars


no blaming the fact that i now have three teenagers


no blaming DNA


no blaming bad knees


no blaming all those years of having to watch barney


no blaming a carbohydrate addiction


no blaming no blaming no blaming




(you think this book might be good for me)




take total responsibility!!!




once that is done you go back up to the NOW statement and start fresh...no looking back at the past and no blaming anyone or anything. i need to see myself the way i want to be and just do it!!! interesting approach but once i shift the blame off of everyone and everything it becomes a VERY PERSONAL battle.


JUST ME VS. THE PASTA


scary huh???


thanks for checking in


tammy


ps...yes i am only half way through this book...pray for me.





























Wednesday, March 24, 2010

back on track...

just a quick 3 minute update this morning.

life is good.

soccer is in full swing
indoor field hockey is in full swing
field trips to DC are happening
there are track meets to watch
there are ball games to watch
all the girls are genuinely "happy"

i find that when my kids are happy i am happy

i find that when i am happy i love to eat
i find that when i am sad i love to eat
i find that when i am stressed i love to eat

i think i just may love to eat...regardless of my situation. right now things are so hectic that i am finding it a bit easier to avoid my "grazing" period of the day. keeping busy is helping me stay on track right now...today is the fourth day of my "lets get down to business".

i told you all i was reading a book on excuses...it has been quite enlightening. i have broken it down into little chunks...today i learn about CONTEMPLATION. some day when i have some time i will let you know about the 7 principles to help you stop making excuses.

gotta get to work

thanks for checking in

DEWALT MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT is just around the corner...i will have more info on that hopefully this weekend. May 15th is the date...mark it on your calendars.

tammy

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Spring has sprung...


...and what a beautiful day it was.


...until i came to the realization that everyone in my house had on shorts and t-shirts and sandels.


...ick.


you would think that having lost the 40 pounds i would be excited about the spring time and the capris and the shorts and the...i can't even hardly bring myself to say it...the bathing suits.


instead i find myself very upset that i have slacked off the last few weeks...today was an eye-opener. i am so not ready for the shorts and beach wear yet...time to get back in the groove.


time to hit the treadmill and bow-flex again and rid my system of all that sugar.


i started reading a book...i won't comment of the who or the what yet because i have just started it but so far i think it was written just for me. it talks about all the multitude of excuses that we tend to use to delay or post-pone things we don't really want to do. it is not a diet book but rather book about attitudes and taking responsibility for your own actions in all aspects of your life.


right now i am reading about the 18 most common excuses that people use...here are a few...see if you find any of them familiar:


1. it will be difficult

2. it will take a long time

3. no one will help me

4. i'm too old

5. i'm too busy

6. i don't have the energy

7. i am too scared

8. it's too big

9. it's going to be risky


i am embarrassed to say that out of the 18 excuses i have used over half of them at one time or another. the author goes on to give positive affirmations for each of the 18 excuses and can i just tell you that they can make you feel a little uncomfortable. this is one of those books that may take me awhile to read...i have started to really think about what excuses i have used for avoiding this diet of mine...so i am going to try and apply these principles to my diet life and see what happens.


i will let you know as i go along. so far the affirmations are a little hard to argue with:


it will be difficult=i have the ability to accomplish any task i set my mind to with ease and comfort.


no one will help me=the right circumstances and the right people are already here and will show up on time.


wish me luck as i attempt to rid my world of the excuses that have been holding me back...i really do want to be healthy and in better shape...and i need to get back on track.


thanks for checking in


hope you got your free rita's today


tammy


Wednesday, March 17, 2010

didn't realize...


i guess i am getting old. i did not realize that St Patrick's Day was a major holiday in a college town. (how silly)


ashley and i drove out to PSU to drop off megan's car and WOW...felt kinda weird NOT having pointy green ears and a green beverage in hand. what a party going on in state college tonight.


i guess i am getting old. instead of the green beverage i went to mcdonalds to get a coffee to keep me awake on the drive back home.


hope you had a great St Patrick's Day and enjoy the rest of your week.


thanks for checking in


tammy


Sunday, March 14, 2010

confession time...


this picture is just about the best way to describe how i am feeling these days...i know that i am not required to confess my diet sins to all of you out there in cyber-space but on some level i thought that maybe...just maybe it may help me get back on track this week.


i went right from the week of the wicked stomach virus to the week after the wicked stomach virus to meg coming home for spring break...the first week was a no eat week in which i managed to lose a grand total of 9 pounds. yippie. the second week was my recovery week in which i had to re-hydrate and eat what appealed to me which was primarily in the form of carbs and i managed to gain a grand total of 12 pounds. what the hay...


so...if you are doing the math i have now actually gained 3 pounds back and we are just starting spring break at the dewalt house. i find it hard to believe but i have turned into one of those mom's that actually cooks for the incoming college student. bizarre i know. i made homemade meatballs and homemade vegetable beef soup and homemade chip dip and italian sausage and hot sausage and shepherd's pie and bbq chicken and mashed potatoes and then take-out chinese and dinner at the outback and can i just say that i have NOT gotten back on the scale recently for fear of breaking it.


just so we are clear because i know she will comment...it was NOT meg's fault that i went off the diet...i made a conscience decision to enjoy myself for one more week before getting back on track....and BOY did i enjoy myself.


so many of you are now asking where in the world was my accountability partner...week one i was sick and couldn't eat. week two she was in oregon on business all week. week three she was sick and couldn't monitor my diet. SO HERE WE ARE...


this week will be my re-group and get back on track week. my apologies to all my co-workers who have to suffer through this agony with me this week...it sometimes gets pretty ugly.


kids beware!!!


i have not exercised in over three weeks and i have not dieted in over three weeks. so...here we go. i meet with my AP one night this week and if i know what is good for me i had better be back on track BEFORE we meet. it is doubtful the meeting will go well but i may at least survive if i get back into the routine tomorrow. pray for me. my original goal was to be down 50 pounds by easter...i am going to be cutting that really close.


meg went back to school this afternoon...i am in meg withdrawl already. she really needed this break...she was pretty sick when she got home and needed her rest and got on some antibiotics and went back feeling a whole lot better. i enjoyed having her home. she probably will not be home again until her semester ends in may. (bummer...no more excuses to not stick to my diet)


thanks for checking in


tammy








Friday, March 12, 2010

hard to believe...


...but even after one year i still get teary eyed when i pull a pepsi t-shirt out of the dryer.


...i absolutely LOVE the fact that the kids often wear his old pepsi t-shirts and it doesn't ever bother me when i see them wearing them...but when i am all alone in the basement and i pull certain ones out of the dryer it is like it shoots a sharp pain right through my heart...


...keep praying for me. i have had a rough few weeks (emotionally) and could use a few friends praying for me. spring time holds the MOST memories for me.


...it is soccer season

...it is baseball season

...it is NCAA march madness

...it is the time i see so many runners out in the early morning


that list could go on and on.


memories are good...but sometimes they hurt a little too


thanks for checking in


tammy

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

wild week...


sorry for the delay in posting the next blog entry...i have my eldest home on spring break and i had to work the night shift weekend again...exhausted is not even close to how i have been feeling.
thought i would throw in one more picture of kelsey's trip...they did get some free time to relax and take in the sights.


things are good here...meg is abit under the weather but hopefully we will get her straightened out this week. it is really nice to have her home for a bit.


kelsey started spring high school soccer this week...now is when things REALLY get crazy in the dewalt house. she pretty much does outdoor soccer monday through saturday and and indoor field hockey on sunday...which has given her NO TIME for old navy. she had to give up her job for a couple of months to get though this insanity and still handle her academics. (mom's choice more than hers)


ashley is doing pretty good. more on her a bit later.


i am heading off to bed.


thanks for checking in


tammy

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

new orleans trip


you have to forgive me if i don't make a lot of sense while attempting to describe this trip that kelsey was on...but this is my "wild" child and i am getting bits and pieces of random information and i am trying to put it all together.


first off...they had a wonderful time on this trip. it was a smooth flight down and back and no problems with any of the transportation (that was worthy of mentioning to me anyway...) based on the fact that out of the 490 pictures she took a LARGE percentage of the pictures are of clouds and the plane i would say it is safe to assume that kelsey likes to fly!!!


they got down to new orleans on a monday night and stayed at a place called camp hope #3...it is basically a large room full of rows and rows of bunks, a large room for social times, a cafe to eat in and an area to study in (with a computer area). i heard once about there being a "dance-off" one night...i heard no complaints about the food...each time she called home i heard TONS of laughter and craziness.


i had already posted the mold re-activation that was being done on the first day and i guess that later led to other POST re-activation "STUFF" being done. somehow they killed the mold and then primered over the killed mold...such technical stuff.


based on the many many pictures of horses i understood they went to a farm to buy trees which they spent an entire day planting. i have lots of pictures of clouds and lots of pictures of horses and lots of pictures of bourbon street...i don't think i have a picture of any trees.


i have pictures of the kids working hard in the house...

i have pictures of kids hanging from the rafters in the house...

i have pictures of the kids with the home owners...i think it is so cool that these kids get to meet the people they are helping. they will ALWAYS remember this trip and the fact that even though they had fun...they gave a huge gift to these folks and to themselves. i am a HUGE believer that the blessings that go out always find a way to come back around.


after a hard week of working in the house they took the kids on a college campus tour of tulane university (it would have been nice to catch a campus that did NOT cost $42,000 a year) kelsey LOVED the campus....oh goody.


they also went down to the french quarter and bourbon street. they saw the hurricane katrina memorial. i wish i could share all the pictures with you but i am limited to just this one on this post...i could go on and on and on...but the best way to describe it was that "it was an awesome experience".


(megan went last year and still talks about the trip)


thanks for checking in


tammy










Monday, March 01, 2010

march is here...

...i am finally feeling human again. thanks for all your thoughts and prayers during my week long illness.

...kelsey made it home from new orleans last late last night. i will soon be posting a NOLA tribute to the trip that she made down south but i am struggling with which one of the 490 pictures she took to post on the blog.

...megan comes home this weekend...for her spring break. it will be nice to have her around for a bit. the "100 days 'till THON" kept her a bit busy and she wasn't able to get home very much.

...ashley is doing pretty good. made the honor roll last marking period. her memory seems to be improving a little. this has been a very very SLOW process but she has been a trooper.

well...look for more later on this week. still trying to get caught up on the laundry from kelsey's trip and even though i am feeling much better i still get tired pretty early.

thanks for checking in

tammy