First Day of Challenge

Well, I want you to know that it was because of all y'all doing the challenge that I got out of bed this morning and went walking.  Thank you.

Why was it hard?  Who knows.  I met my little Indian man.  He's a nice guy.  I did notice that he wears the steel bracelet the faithful Sikh wear.  His turban was a bit askew.  They're never supposed to cut their hair, but comb it twice a day with a special comb and then curl it into a knot and use the special comb to keep the knot in. Then they put the turban over that knot. 

You learn so much with my blog huh?

I got up at 7am and finally left the house at 7:30.  I was home by 8am.  I went downstairs with my glass of ice water to begin writing.

Ok, I may have chosen poorly for this challenge.  That was like torture sitting there for just an house trying to think of something to write.  I know what I want to write but I don't know how to write it.  I'm not giving up, just commenting on my first day.

How did y'all do?

Tomorrow is Challenge Kick-off Day!

Remember:  we start tomorrow to change our lives forever.  Just two hours a day for four months. 

What are you planning to do?  Do you know what time of the day you're going to work on it?  Have you made plans in case you're interrupted during your change time?  Are you prepared mentally to say to yourself, "there's always tomorrow", in case you mess up one day or more?  

We are not perfect.  We're just trying to change a little something in our lives that probably will have everlasting ramifications.  No pressure. :)

I have to tell ya, that I get a little flutter in my spirit when I think about our successes.  I just know we're going to be successful.  

May I suggest that even though we may not want to share our "thing" or even know each other, that we offer our prayers for those who are working on the challenge?  That when we're spending our two hours changing, we send up happy and supportive thoughts.  Most of us are mothers with young children and often feel isolated, let's pray for each other's successes.

Ok, so it's 11:15am....time to get a shower. :) (Today is my day off...hahahaha)

I finally have a stalker! Is that a good thing?

Have I told you about my little Indian man?  I met him on my walks in the morning.  He lives two streets over on Bellemore Ave.  The first two mornings I walked by him, he was outside in a lawn chair reading from him prayer book out loud.  I was rather impressed actually.

The third morning he was waiting for me.  He got up from his chair and waved me down.  We introduced ourselves.  I really have a hard time understanding his English.  He's only been in the US since March.  He lives in that little, bitsy house with his wife.  Sounds like he has other family that live in the area.  

The next few mornings he's usually pacing up and down Summit Ave, which is the street that connects all of the side streets in the area.  So, we meet some where on Summit and chat for a few minutes.  We ask about each other's families.  Yesterday I noticed he was carrying his prayer book.  I asked him if he was Buddhist or Muslim.  "Oh, no!", he said.  He seemed a little offended even.  He told me that he is Sikh.

I did a little Wikipedia research and found the Sikh religion to be very interesting.  There are a lot of similarities to Mormonism actually.  According to Wikipedia, the Sikh choose to be baptized.  They wear 5 external emblems of their covenant to Sikhism.  They believe in helping others and defending the poor and the weak.  Supposedly, they are very generous.  Men who where turbans are usually Sikh.  Interesting, huh?

So, I enjoy meeting him on Summit Ave and chatting for a few minutes.  I would guess that he's rather lonely since he doesn't really have a community of people with whom to hang out and be Sikh. (lovely political correctness, huh?)  

Today, however, Sanni, I think that's his name, was not pacing up and down Summit.  When I walked past his house, the door was wide open but I didn't see anyone.  I was just finishing the last two blocks of my walk when I noticed he was standing at the top of the hill just where the road bends, it's about two blocks on the other side of my street.  I don't know if he saw me but I ducked down a side street and came around the other side of my house.  I was careful that I didn't go into the house until I was sure he wasn't standing at the top of the street.

Maybe I'm just being too freaky, but maybe I'm being safe.  IF everything I read on Wikipedia is true, then Sanni is nothing to be feared.  But, how am I supposed to know?  I have six children to protect.  I'm probably have to take another route until I shake him or feel more comfortable with his friendship.

My challenge decision

I'm sure everyone has been waiting with baited breath for me to reveal my decision for the challenge starting Friday, August 1st.  

Drum roll, please........

I've decided to write a book.  It's been on my mind now for almost a year now.  My focus will be on joy and gratitude.

I didn't tell anyone because I'm afraid to fail, but I kinda started last week.  I have started to wake up earlier in the morning to go for a walk.  I've gone 7 days in a row now (except Sunday).  I've been trying to work out a schedule for myself.  My ultimate goal is to get up around 6:30am and go for my walk.  I think I'm going to work on the book for about an hour.  Probably from 8am-9am.  So, I'll be "bettering" myself by walking first thing then I'll spend some time in study and prayer.  Depending on how long the kids will leave me to myself, will determine how long I work on the book on a daily basis.

Ok, so now you know.  Please let me know what you're working on.  Let's be each other's biggest cheerleaders.  Let's change for the better and accomplish our goals and dreams.

Fairs and Festivals

I took the kids to the Gloucester County 4-H Fair/Peach Festival on Friday, July 25th.  They had a few carnival rides there that the children just loved.  I spent half my mortgage on the bracelets to ride those dang rides.  Oh well, what's shelter vs. the delight of a child on a cheap carni-ride?

How cute are these little kids!  Joey, Lucy, Leah and Robbie.  This little bouncy ride was the favorite.
Leah's first ride.  She loved it.  Robbie even had her put her arms up.  Of course, it went slow emough that I could keep up with it.
This was at the end of our excursion.  We were all hot, tired, sticky and stinky, but they are cute!

Robbie loves to climb.  He has loved to climb since he was a nine month old baby and climbed out of the crib and smack onto the floor.  
Robbie and Joey rode the bull.  Joey was totally thrown off like a shot.  I thought he was going to be hurt but when he got up he was giggling like Beavis or Butthead and said that it was "cool".

We ate peach slushies, which were heavenly.  The kids got to see wolves, bunnies, pigs, cows, horses, goats, cats, birds and reptiles.  Mommy got to sweat her guts out.  But, it was fun.  It's a good thing to do.  I'm glad we went.

Reason & Will

This is part of an email I got from John Assaraf (from The Secret movie).  It kinda goes hand in hand with our challenge.  Just thought I'd post it as food for thought.

Are you ready to take the conscious part of your brain to the next level?

Well, you may be surprised to learn that the conscious part of your mind has six intellectual functions! The first of these functions is reason, your ability to evaluate what you want and feel. That's why, if you don't like the results in your life, you need to use reason to consciously make different choices. And if you're not so good at this, if you struggle to understand your own reasons for making decisions about your life, ask a friend or mentor to help you when you need to make an important decision. 

Your second intellectual function is will. Your results in life are determined by the greatness of your will. Without will, or mental toughness, you can't have a life of abundance. Your will keeps you going even when your body or mind want to quit. 

Don't have a strong will? You can change that. Find your passion: the more driven you are by something, the more will you'll have for it. It develops like a muscle—the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Find something big and challenging and take it on! Choosing a big goal that you really want to accomplish is scary and requires mental will to achieve. Don't settle for being comfortable, challenge yourself to be scared and really go for something worth being scared about!

As you continue to discover the subconscious beliefs that are holding you back, think about how your will and your reason can work for you to enrich and empower your life. Be sure to evaluate yourself carefully and honestly so you can discover which of your beliefs need alteration. This will help you see where you are and where you've been; your conscious mind, including your will and reason, will be responsible for reprogramming your unconscious mind and thus taking you to the next level.

Here is a quote to keep in mind:

"You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind."  —Mahatma Gandhi

Mommy, why does something smell like throw up?

That would be the pumpkin that spilled on the carpet three days ago, Joey.