Easing His Fears!!

This past weekend my husband and I took a trip to our local fire station to help ease some anxiety in our little boy. 

A few weeks ago, I was making some toast in our house and burnt it a little and that set off the smoke detectors in our house. This raised my son's level of anxiety to high alert, so much that he would not walk to his room by himself because he had to pass under the smoke detector to get there. This made me feel bad because I don't want him to be afraid of things in our home. This was also annoying because that meant he stopped doing things on his own the he had been doing for quite a while, like getting dressed in the morning and evening and even going potty by himself. 

We decided to make a trip to the fire station in our town. We actually have 4 fire stations but decided to go to the main fire station because it is the "coolest" and pictured above. 

The fire fighters were great! They brought him into the station and talked to him about the importance of smoke detectors and overall fire safety. He actually got to push the test button on the smoke detector and hear the noise (even though he heard it when I burnt toast). They talked about what needs to happen when they go off and what he needs to know when he calls 911.  I guess we need to work on remembering our address!! 

If any of you mamas out there have a child that has anxiety around these type of topics, I highly encourage you to take your kiddo to the fire station and make a fun learning moment out of it.  Ethan's favorite part was that he got to sit up in the fire truck and got a CRFD badge sticker! (yes, I forgot to take the darn camera!!) I love that we  have such great heroes in our community that can be great influences on our children!!

2012 Golden Globes Best Dressed

I have to admit it, I am a huge award show junkie!! I love the fashion the most and I try not to miss a red carpet for an award show. Since the Golden Globes was on Sunday, here are my best dressed looks from that night:

Tina Fey, I love the skirt on this dress and she wears it very well!

Charlize Theron - Legs for days and I love the plunging neckline!

Gerard Butler - This man is so yummy I had to include him!

Helen Miren - She is so classy, this dress is simply stunning.

Lea Michelle - all I can say is "Damn Girl!"

Kate Winslet - My favorite dress of the night1

Leonardo DiCaprio - He is just so handsome!

Mila Kumis - This one is for my hubby! He has a huge crush on her, but she is very stunning.

Octavia Spencer - You go girl!! I love to see a curvy girl looking so beautiful!

Reese Witherspoon - She is so cute! I love the dress!!

 

Remembering....Martin Luther King, Jr.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today I would like to take a moment and remember a wonderful man that changed the face of our nation forever. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man that was not afraid to speak his mind and stand up for what is right in the world. These are two qualities my husband and I are trying to instill in our own son. Dr. King had so much faith that one day all the hate in our country would subside. I try my best to have that much faith. I live every day knowing that I am doing my best to make this world a better place. Everyday I have to take steps without knowing where the staircase is leading me, but I have faith that I live my life in such a way that I am being lead in the right direction.

It hurts my heart to think that there are still people in this great nation that are being oppressed. There are still schools that won't let mixed-race couples go to their prom together. There are still people who judge others by the color of their skin. The majority of our nation is still also trying to tell people who they can and can't marry. As most of you can tell by my posts, I am very liberal and I believe in every word that Dr. King spoke. I am so sad that this wonderful man was taken off this earth before I ever had the chance to hear him preach in person. I can listen to any speech he gave and be inspired and moved, however I know that inspiration would have been taken to a whole other level in person. 

Today I am remembering a man that had a dream that our nation would open it's eyes and see that every person here has something to contribute, every person has a voice that deserves to be heard, every person has the same rights no matter their skin color, economic level, sexual preference or political views. We are ALL Americans and we ALL need to remember how we want to be treated and treat everyone the same way!

Tebow Mania!!

As you know, I am a Colorado girl. I am a native of Colorado and of course I am a Broncos fan! I am sure you have heard all the hype about Tim Tebow and what he has done for the Broncos this season. If you are not a football fan, you may have heard about him on the Today Show or other national news casts. 

I for one like Tim Tebow,he is not the most consistent quarterback, but he is a great leader that the Broncos were needing. The things that are bothering me are how many people are mocking him being a Christian. They don't think he should be praying on the field or singing Christian songs on the field. I saw a stat on MSNBC today that said 43% of people think God is helping Tim Tebow win football games. REALLY?? This 43% of people really think that with all the horrible things in the world that God had the time to help out Tim Tebow and the Broncos? 

I have seen bumper stickers for years that say "God must be a Broncos fan, why else would sunsets be orange and blue?" This does not bother me because it is so tongue & cheek, but I have to say that I am floored that there are people out there that actually believe that God is helping Tim Tebow. He is not the first Christian football player, nor will he be the last. We have never lifted any other player like this so I don't understand why we feel the need to do this with Tebow. 

On Saturday, I will be in my living room, cheering for the Broncos, ALL the Broncos! I am glad Tim Tebow prays when he wants to and sings his Christian songs on the field. I think his belief in God gives him strength in his abilities and in all aspects of his life and that is why he is a great football player and man!!

GO BRONCOS!!!!

Politics and Religion

Today I had an unusual experience at church. Not only did I get a wonderful sermon for my weekly dose of religion, but I also got an unexpected dose of politics.

A little background: 

I was raised in a very Catholic family and was a practicing Catholic through college. I deflected when I decided my views did not match those of the church. For a long time I did not claim to belong to any organized religion. I consider myself a Christian and always will.  During my time of no church, I explored other areas of religion, Buddhist in particular. I have found that my style is a great blend of both of the principles of each religion. About 2 years ago I decided to go back to church and choose one that friends of mine attend. One of my friends is the Associate Pastor in the church as well. My son and I attend regularly, I have also begun teaching Sunday School to his age group once a month. We love all the friends we have made at this church.

Leading up to Sunday:

Last year, our Senior Pastor left the church to pursue another opportunity for himself.  Ever since our church has been in search for a new Senior Pastor. This is a process I was not used to. In the Catholic Church, when a Priest leaves the church, another is simply appointed to our church by the Arch Bishop. I had no idea the process other denominations went through to find a new Pastor. In December, it was announced that my friend who has been Associate Pastor at our church was being recommended for the Senior position. This was wonderful news to me, I have a very strong bond to this pastor and his wife. I consider them friends and he is a wonderful spiritual leader for me. 

Sunday:

Today was the day, we as a congregation would vote on my friend to become the Senior Pastor. I was excited, even my son was excited to know the outcome of the vote. During the service today he preached a wonderful sermon about Epiphany and the vote was to take place after our service. Once the service was over, it was time. I was so ready to cast my vote for him. The chair of the search committee went to the front of the chapel and gave us some background information on the search and on the pastor. The motion was on the table to proceed with the vote. Then there were people who asked to get up and speak, they were talking about why we should not vote for my friend. They were upset about the search process, non-trusting of the leadership of our church, and not speaking kindly of my friend. I felt horrible. I sat next to his wife in the pew to lend her some support, as I knew she had been anxious about the vote but these speeches had totally blindsided me. We ended up casting our votes after much discussion and tension filling the chapel.

Once we all left the meeting and shuffled our children off to Sunday School, there was much chatter about the speeches and the vote. I learned of some of the campaigning that had gone on against my friend and I felt hurt and betrayed. I feel that politics do not belong in my church. Now, my feelings about some members has changed. Since I don't know, nor do I want to know, how people voted I don't know how to approach some members now. I don't yet know the outcome of the vote. I am sure I will find out soon this week, but this is bothering me very much. I can't believe how some people can act this way toward each other, aren't we supposed to be Christians?

Workin' it Wednesday

 Today I decided to link up with The Family Szem for Workin' it Wednesday! Today I am so proud of myself, I actually got up at 5:20 today and did my workout before getting ready for work! This is part of my 2012 goals and it feels so good to actually be following my own plans! You can read about all my 2012 goals here and leave me a comment about what your goals are.  So my workout today was courtesy of my mother who purchased this kit (at my request) for me for Christmas. This workout kit comes with the video that has 3 levels of workout, weighted hand wraps and a 10-week activity tracker. I decided not to begin tracking my activity until next week because this week is a little out of whack with the holiday. However, I did not let that me make the excuse not to start my plan to move more.  So this morning I did the beginner workout and felt a bit uncoordinated because I did not view the video before hand. I am positive that will get much better as I do the video more often.  I think the one thing that helped me the most was getting everything ready last night for this workout. I am not a fan of getting up any earlier than I have to so this was a key component to helping me make this work. Last night I made sure the video was in the player and ready to go and I got out my workout clothes so I was not fumbling around to find them this morning, in the dark, trying to be quiet and not wake up Brian (although my hubby can sleep through ANYTHING!!).  

I hope you are all making a plan to achieve your 2012 goals! I would love to hear your goals and your plan to help you ready your goal!! I always love new ideas!!!
For more great ideas you can also check out Building our Story, Censie has great ideas and is working the WW program as well!  

McFatty Monday - 2012

Well, we all made it to 2012! Some of us a little lighter than we started 2011. I am proud to say that I began 2012 15 pounds lighter than I began 2011! As many of you know, this has been quite a struggle to lose that 15 pounds. Some weeks I lost, some weeks I gained but all in all I was down for the year! That is not the weight loss I expected to have in 2011 when I began at Weight Watchers, but how can I complain. 

Here are a few other accomplishments I had that were not scale related:

1. I was able to toss out ALL my size 18 jeans and now fit in all my cute size 16 jeans! NO MORE FAT JEANS!!!

2. I went down a bra size....not a cup size but the "around" size!!!

3. I have changed my eating habbits and have changed some of the eating habbits of my husband and son......we now only eat wheat bread, wheat pasta, brown rice, a lot of veggies and fruit for snacks (well at least for Ethan and I).

 Here are some of my GOALS for 2012:

1. I will continue to go to Weight Watchers and work the program to help me lose more weight!

2. I will add more activity to my week. I will take my dog  on longer walks, I will do a workout video 3 days a week (and schedule this on my calendar).

3. I will hike with my husband and son this summer, this is a biggie because I have not hiked in several summers!!! My son is such a big inspiration, I want to keep up with him.....he is 6!

I wish all my readers a very happy and healthy 2012!!! May you all reach your goals and may you all have a lot of "cheerleaders" along your journey!!

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