Adapting to Motherhood:

 Reflecting on how I have adapted to motherhood:

Today I couldn't stop thinking about how my life has changed. This little bump that use to cause me to  use a rubber band to keep my pants up has rocked our world & I wouldn't ask for it to be any other way. If it wasn't for our Jacer I don't think we would be where we are today.

I remember being a new mommy & wondering how I would be as "Mama". I wasn't one of those mom's who constantly freak out about every little thing because I knew we'd be ok.... but trust me it was still a little scary.

The minute I saw his Daddy hold him I knew this was right & that God knew what he was doing all along... He always does...

When you become a mommy you begin to be aware of things that maybe before you over looked.... like your health. I want to be a good example for our son & future kids.

Being mommy & a baseball wife can be a lot to take on considering you are sitting at a baseball every night of the summer... I am so thankful Jace & I have both adapted well together... We make a good team.

Before you know it your kids are saying please & thank you's... saying their own versions of words like "Muse Me" (aka: excuse me) & "Ba ba" (aka: banana) It melts my heart to see my son give us his sweet little grin. 

Jace is growing so fast & so is our family... 

He pretty much is my world... Daddy too. Little boys have a way of being wrapped around their momma's fingers... 

Motherhood seemed scary at first but I feel that every mother learns to adapt well... It gives you a whole new perspective on life... One worth living for & being the best example you can be for them.

He motivates me to run & run just a little harder.

These photos represent my life, my why, & the reason I am a better person today than I was yesterday. Motherhood is the sweetest gift I could have ever asked for... Thank you Lord for blessing my life!

Practice.

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I remember the days as a dancer when I would learn a new dance routine & have to practice over & over again just to get it right. During summer camp we would stay up all night repeating the same 8 counts over & over so that we would be sure to get blue ribbons on the last day when we performed what we had learned all week. Sometimes we would learn 3 or 4 dances at a time. I loved the challenge but I constantly had to practice. I would practice so much that the routine just came naturally to me by Saturday morning when the pressure was on me to perform. I believe that in order to accomplish any goal we must practice & practice so much it becomes natural.

Yesterday I conquered one of my physical goals. I did 40 push-ups in a row & now my goal is 50.  It felt so good & guess what? It has motivated me to set new goals, try new things, & continue to grow physically as well as spiritually. Don't underestimate yourself & definitely don't underestimate our God. If he has laid it on your heart to go after something he will give you all the steps you need in order for it to be accomplished. Whatever the need might be He will provide. 

You just have to practice....

In order to accomplish my goal of doing 40 push-ups in a row I had to consistently do push-ups on a daily basis. I had to practice & build up strength just like I did as a dancer. With every push-up I did each day I got that much stronger. Rep by rep my muscles built stamina & strength. Yesterday after a lot of practice in the previous months I did what I set out to do & it was much easier under the pressure knowing I had built the strength to finish. I believe that if we consistently put our heart & soul into practicing our quiet time in God's word we will build spiritual strength in order to accomplish what He has in store for us. When I do my push-ups I am building my strength, when I use to dance I remembered the steps, but when I have a quiet time in His word He is building my strength through His spirit so that it would come naturally to me & through that anything is possible.  

We all have places in our lives where we need to grow in our spiritual strengths... myself included. I pray that today we all will practice in His word & continue to build up strength to bring Glory to His name! Allow God to pour His strength into you!

 Just like when I use to dance & the steps would come naturally to me under pressure His word should come naturally to you in time's of pressure & give you the strength you need to finish...

Today's Tip: (from my husband) When doing push-ups keep your head up. This will help you keep good form & go all the way down to the floor. 

Here is a video of me doing my push-ups the 2nd time around: 

(forgive the homemade video taping!)

So over the heat.

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Love, love, love this outfit. I am looking forward to the day I can put this outfit together. I cannot wait for football season, pumpkins, morning runs, cooking & baking, family, & COOL WEATHER! I have been so over this heat lately & really looking forward to the fall/winter months. I have never been one to "enjoy" cold weather but after this summer I must say that it sounds very appealing to me. 

Arizona heat has been a dry but disturbing kind of heat. When you walk to your car you can't breathe & you feel like you have walked 100 miles when you have only walked a few feet. It is one that puts your jeans out of sight & defintely out of mind. You can't even think about getting in that nice hot tub your condos have open for you because you just might melt.... even when the sun is gone & been gone for many hours. You can't enjoy the park in the afternoons because you worry about your kids getting dehydrated... including yourself. Morning runs just aren't what you think of when you think of morning weather. It's 90 degrees by 8:00 (sometimes 7). 

It's just plain miserable in the summers here in Arizona.

I can say that no matter what kind of weather & state we live in I am thankful to be with my family. Even when the heat gets our minds going crazy & daydreaming of fall remember that God has blessed you with air conditioning, clean water, & loved ones around you. 

I am taking full advantage of the pool here in Arizona & working out in the water. I could let these negative thoughts consume my mind & let the days go by, however, I choose to not let the heat take over my attitude... how about you?

Today's Tip: Write down a long-term goal today about what you want to accomplish from August-November. What are you going to do this fall to make a lifestyle change? 

My Goal: to continue to train for my full marathon & be consistent. 

Resolution: Hold myself accountable & share my goals with others so they can too hold me accountable. Plan my workouts the day before so I have a clear picture of when I need to accomplish the task.

Affirmation: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.... You have planned accordingly & consistently which has caused you to be affective & successful! Congratulations!

Suck it up & make the most of the heat today! Fall is right around the corner!

One of those days.

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This is what I like to treat myself with when it's been one of those days.... today is one of them.

I have to admit... today has just been one of those days & I don't even know why. Do you ever feel like that? I know my blog is to "inspire" but I feel like part of inspiring is just being plain honest. I am being as honest as honest can be today!

Nothing tragic is going on in my life. I have my sweet family who loves me & we are blessed beyond comprehension, however, sometimes I just need those days to cry. I choose today. I think I go through phases of building up tears & sometimes I just have this urge to just cry & cry & cry. It's like therapy to just sit & cry out to God. I like that I don't have to pretend everything is perfect all the time & that God picks us back up again. He will never fail us. 

After having my pity party today I sat down & opened His word. It filled me up with just what I needed. I am so thankful for a Father who truly cares about me. 

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 

1 Peter 5:7

Today's tip: Needing a quick exercise to fit in after your runs? Planks are the best full core workout you can do!

 Here is a pic of me demonstrating:

Lift up your face today because your Heavenly Father loves you!

Trip to the store:

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You know you are a mom when you get excited about fresh produce at the grocery store! 

Jace & I like to make our weekly (sometimes daily) trips to the grocery store together. I never realized how much I would enjoy buying groceries. It must be something that comes naturally as a momma or is it? I know a lot of moms who dislike even thinking about the grocery store. I tend to enjoy it & look forward to our little trip to the store. Part of my enjoyment could come from the fact its somewhere besides the baseball field we can go & get away here in Tucson. Every Tuesday there is a Farmer's Market that comes just around the corner from where we live & sometimes we even stop in there to see what goodies they might have. 

I guess my true motherly instincts are coming out & my adventure for the day is a trip to our local grocery store to see just what they have on sale! I love opening our fridge to fresh fruit & veggies! I wouldn't trade taking care of my boys for anything & thank God everyday he has allowed me to do so. 

What is your motherly instinct this summer?

Today's Tip: I found these on Pinterest (one of my favorite sites!) & def going to try this for this fall! They are made out of old T-shirts! 

 Go check out these simple produce bags:

Click here for instructions! Cute blog too!

Making grocery shopping fun this week & don't forget to stay on the outside aisles!

Something New & August's Winner:

Swimming.

Growing up I loved to swim. I loved being in the water & could literally swim for hours. I loved track & softball workouts in the pool: treading water & swinging the bat under water for bat speed. I always felt I was a true fish at heart. Sunday we found out this is true.

 I LOVED it!

 I got the chance to learn a few tips from the best of the best: Crissy Perham. If you do not know who she is let me just tell ya! I was humbled to learn from her. 

 She has accomplished the following:

Captain of the 1992 Olympic Swim Team. Olympic Gold Medalist, 400 Medley Relay; Olympic Gold Medalist, 400 Freestyle Relay; Olympic Silver Medalist, 100 Butterfly. Former World and American Record Holder. Captain of the University of Arizona swim team. Sixteen time NCAA All-American representing the University of Arizona. Two time NCAA Champion, 100 Butterfly. Member of the United States LEN Cup (1991), Pan Pacific (1991), World Championship (1992), and Olympic (1992) teams.

She is not only a successful swimmer, but she is a momma to 2 sweet boys & mentor to other swimmers. They are the sweetest family. On Sunday, she took time out of her day, along with her son Alex (also a swimmer), to teach me how to workout properly in the water. I am so thankful to call her friend! Thank you Crissy!

(I had to brag on her a little bit!)

When I first got in the water I was clueless but by the time I left I felt confident that I could do it! I will be incorporating these workouts into my training a lot more. There is something about swimming that motivates me or maybe just the fact it's a change of scenary is nice.

 There are also a lot of great benefits to swimming.

Just to name a few:

* anyone can do it- Youth, Adults, Obese, Disabled, & Pregnant Women

* Flexibility

* Endurance

* Muscle Strength

* Recovering Muscles

I am excited to add swimming to my weekly routine. I encourage you to find your way to the water too & just see for yourself what I am talking about, especially with this heat!

I will be posting more on my "swim lessons" 

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THE WINNER TO AUGUST'S GIVE-A-WAY:

**~~** Janelle Keith **~~**

Please email me your address so that I can get your book to you asap :) 

Congratulations!

Try something new today!

August Give-A-Way:

Product Description

Made to Crave is the missing link between a woman's desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen. The reality is we were made to crave. Craving isn't a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave more of him. Many of us have misplaced that craving by overindulging in physical pleasures instead of lasting spiritual satisfaction. If you are struggling with unhealthy eating habits, you can break the 'I'll start again Monday' cycle, and start feeling good about yourself today. Learn to stop beating yourself up over the numbers on the scale. Discover that your weight loss struggle isn't a curse but rather a blessing in the making, and replace justifications that lead to diet failure with empowering go-to scripts that lead to victory. You can reach your healthy weight goal -- and grow closer to God in the process. This is not a how-to book. This is not the latest and greatest dieting plan. This book is the necessary companion for you to use alongside whatever healthy lifestyle plan you choose. This is a book and Bible study to help you find the 'want to' in making healthy lifestyle choices.

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I am so excited to share one of my favorite things with you this month! I read this book not too long ago & finished it in just a few days. I loved her perspective on cravings. I pray that even if you don't win this give-a-way that you will still read this book. I have a list of my favorite books in the right column of this blog so be sure to check them all out! I add new ones often! I am also wanting to start a bible study on this book & guess what? You ALL can join in as long as you can get Skype on your computer! Who's with me? 

To win this book you must comment on today's blog with something you crave. It can be anything!! This will put you into the drawing & I will announce the winner tomorrow! If you haven't followed my blog on either Networked Blogs or Google be sure to do it today & you will get entered into the drawing TWICE! :) I have had a lot of people ask me how to follow my blog & I just want to clarify that you don't have to have a blog in order to follow. You just simply use your google or Facebook account! Hope that helps!

p.s. Don't forget about the EXTRA Give-A-Way this month for the Water Challenge!! Who's keeping up?! I will spontaneously announce the give-a-way & this will prompt you to send me confirmation of you meeting your goal!:)

Crave something good today!