Recharge!

Okay beautiful ladies ~ all that ON THE GO stuff can wear you down and suck the life right out of you.

Don’t forget to fill yourself back up!

Take care of yourself body, mind, soul and spirit.

~The body~

We all know the whole eat right thing…we know it…we just need to do it!

Bodies are created to move.

I know I know….I can almost hear you through the screen….”Lalena, I’m moving all the time! I’m pooped!”

Mom’s taxi service although busy, just doesn’t give your body the space it needs, but take cheerleading at the soccer game…that works great!

You know its coming…I’m talking about that dreaded word “Exercise”. Its what our bodies crave.

Walking just 20 minutes a day can refresh your body and stir up those endorphins and propel you through the rest of the afternoon.

Bodies also need air.

It may sound simple but when we’re stressed our bodies become tense and our breathing can become shallow. Take just a few minutes a day, walk outside, close your eyes and slowly take a few deep breaths. This will also help with refreshing the mind.

~The mind~

When we get into a rut our brains go stagnant. Fill back up with a few minutes of reading or a crossword puzzle and SUDOKU. (I love that game!) It will help clear out some of that fog between our ears.

Also, remember to smile. I don’t know about you, but my mind races all the time and for some reason the expression on my face looks angry or upset even if I’m not. Remembering to smile will not only stimulate your mind, it also helps the people around you relax!

~The soul~

Surrounding your world with beauty can calm a weary soul.

For some this may require changing your atmosphere, such as letting go of draining relationships or just a trip to the local thrift store with the clutter from that back closet.

As women our tendency is to put ourselves last and I believe our souls take the hardest hit. Something as simple as buying yourself flowers each week can spark you soul and help restore a little joy in your day to day.

Our souls also need to live in the current moment. The mind tends to replay the past or plan the future. Take the time to enjoy right where you happen to land.

Breathe in ~ Breathe out ~ Rest

Your soul will thank you.

~The Spirit~

Personally I find when my faith wanders or I haven’t’ given freely of myself in some sort of service, my spirit grows weary.

People may disagree on religious issues but deep within in all of us, our spirit desires something bigger than ourselves: a knowing, a purpose and a reason for living.

So stop running on empty!

Remembering to fill up isn’t selfish it’s necessary.

We cant give something we don’t have, plain and simple.

~written by Lalena

resurrection eggs

easter is a beautiful time of year, but i am always afraid that the resurrection story can sometimes be lost in all the candy, plastic eggs and bunnies that are hopping around.

resurrection eggs are a great way to tell the resurrection story to your children at easter...and it's easy to do yourself.

grab a bag of plastic easter eggs at your local store...and save an egg carton from your eggs this week.

mark each egg with a number...you can use permanent marker or some scrapbook letter stickers...whatever you would like.

each egg will represent one of 12 parts of the resurrection story. inside each egg you will place a bible passage to read and an item representing the bible passage. then you can tell your children the message associated with each passage/item.

so into each egg, place the item and scripture reference noted on a piece of paper.

Egg #1:
Message -- Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people waved palm branches.
Passage -- Matthew 21:1-11
Item -- Piece of palm branch or plastic leaf in the egg.

Egg #2:
Message -- Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet.
Passage -- John 12:2-8
Item -- Small perfume sample from a magazine or cloth with perfume or cologne on it.

Egg #3:
Message -- Jesus shared the Last Supper with His disciples.
Passage -- Matthew 26:17-19
Item – a piece of Chex cereal

Egg #4:
Message -- Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
Passage -- Matthew 27:3
Item -- 3 dimes or plastic “silver” money

Egg #5:
Message -- Jesus carried His own cross.
Passage -- John 19:17
Item – toothpicks or Popsicle stick cut and glued into a cross.

Egg #6:
Message -- Soldiers placed a crown of thorns on Jesus' head.
Passage -- John 19:2
Item -- Small thorny branch or a large thorn all by itself.

Egg #7:
Message -- Soldiers parted Jesus' garments and cast lots for His coat.
Passage -- John 19:23
Item -- Swatch of burlap and a nail or miniature dice.

Egg #8:
Message -- Jesus was nailed to a cross and pierced in His side.
Passage -- John 19:18,37 & John 20:25-29
Item -- A nail

Egg #9:
Message -- They gave Jesus vinegar mixed with gall on a sponge to drink.
Passage -- Matthew 27:34
Item -- A small sponge

Egg #10:
Message -- Spices to prepare Jesus for burial.
Passage -- John 19:40
Item -- 7 or 8 whole cloves, or other whole spices

Egg #11:
Message -- The stone covering Jesus' tomb was rolled away.
Passage -- John 20:1
Item -- A small rock

Egg #12:
Message -- The napkin around Jesus' head was lying separately from His linen clothers. He was not there. He has risen!
Passage -- John 20:6-7
Item -- A scrap of linen-type fabric

enjoy your easter and take time to remember the resurrection story...and share it with others.

danyele @ a thorn among roses

sadness...and faith

on the way home from DD {{bc apparently there was NO preschool today for jk...it's no prob, really...we just rushed around and scrambled and got in the car and then when we got there and there was no school...well, there were tears...thus DD}}, there came a moment of sincere sadness in my heart.

jk: "mommy, i want to look like brookie"

"why sweetie? you are the perfect jada"

jk: "i don't like my brown skin. i want peach skin like brookie"

i just sank. does that not make ur heart want to break? a 3 yo is struggling already with her skin being different. then, this happened:

brooke: "jada, god made you and he loves you. he does it all right the very first time"

then, i think my heart grew three sizes.

jada threw a big smile up on her face and said, "ok. god loves me"

now, if we all could just do that. god loves us...he doesn't make mistakes...he makes perfect works of art. sometimes there are scratches in the art. sometimes chips. sometimes we've been repainted. but we are all perfect works of art. it's a great reminder for me...

"i praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made."

psalm 139:14

another great reminder: raise your children in the faith of the lord...and they will be blessed...and, so will you. (proverbs 22:6)

danyele @ a thorn among roses
{{from my 12/2/2008 post}}