It's What's Good For You

"Go brush your teeth."

"Study some everyday instead of cramming at the last minute."

"Wash your hands."

"Eat your vegetables."

Why is it that we have to be reminded, and sometimes nagged, to do what is good for us?

I tell my boys these things EVERY DAY...you think they would get tired of me telling them to brush their teeth. You'd think they would know that everyday I am going to ask them to wash their hands when they get home from school. But, I am not convinced they would do it if I didn't tell them to.

However, I find that it is not just my boys that need reminders.

I have to say that my favorite mornings are those when I have enough time to do two things -- exercise and have a quiet time.

Exercising is not my favorite thing. In fact, the mornings that I do The Shred I especially dread. But after I've made it and am pouring sweat and feeling nauseous, I am SO glad I did it. I feel good the rest of the day. Unfortunately, I need to see that "lovehandle" in the mirror in the morning to remind myself to exercise!

Having a quiet time is something that has been "preached" to me since I was tiny. And, I don't mean "preached" in a bad way, just that I have been told how important a quiet time is and reminded over and over to have one since before I can remember. Isn't it sad that something that should be second nature to a Christian is sometimes the last thing we want to do or find time to do??

I can honestly say that I do love my quiet times with God and I do love that I have Someone I can be 100% honest with and know He will not get angry with me or turn His back on me. I wonder all the time how non-Christians do it day in and day out without Him.

We watched "The Book of Eli" this weekend and I have to say that that movie convicted me of my lack of scripture memory! Wow!

I find it odd that a Hollywood movie reminded me that a quiet time is not just reading a passage and marking it as read for the year...it is about a relationship with God. Not just reading, but putting it in my heart -- remembering it -- reciting it. That is my goal this year is to put into practice Psalms 119:11

"Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you."

A Vacation Day

Sitting on the couch a few minutes ago...

I said, "Oh, shoot! I haven't blogged today!"

Chris pats my leg and says, "That's OK. You can have a day off."

Now that is the kind of boss I love!!

A Lovely Life

A beautiful Houston Sunday night spent in the backyard grilling and watching God's creations...

One of THOSE Posts

Well, I knew it would come...a day in my 60-day challenge that it would get near midnight and I would have nothing to blog about.

It's not like today was a waste by any means. Colby had his best buddy spend the night and play until the afternoon. Connor had his best buddy over who will spend the night tonight. Colby had a three hour baseball practice. Connor went to a high school baseball game. Chris got some things done around the yard.

And, I watched it all. I really just enjoyed the presence of my boys. After a week of school, I was getting tired of all the quiet around me.

I am thankful for the activity that surrounded me today.

Sleeping Like Babies

It is a VERY exciting night here at our house!

This will be the first night we will sleep on our new Sleep Number mattress!! If it is as great as the commercials say, we will feel like $1,000,000 when we wake up tomorrow morning...

...of course, we first have to get these two off of it!!

Siskel & Ebert & Marshall

In the past four weeks, I have seen six movies -- IN THE THEATER!!! I don't know if we have ever seen six movies in the theater in a year!

There are two things that bother me about seeing movies in a theater:

1. The fact that I HAVE to have movie popcorn and a Diet Coke. I went to the movie this morning after meeting a friend for breakfast -- a breakfast I couldn't finish eating because I was so full. However, went straight to the movie and had a popcorn and Diet Coke...a BUTTERED popcorn since Chris wasn't with me. Do you know how many calories are in that little snack?!?

2. That it costs an arm to get in a movie and a leg for my snacks! Ugh!!

There are two things that I love about seeing movies in a theater:

1. There is nothing you can do besides SIT and WATCH! When we rent movies at home, at least once during the movie we have to pause it!

2. Because you sit and watch, it is easier to get transfixed into that "other world". My mind can let go of whatever else is going on and I get lost in the story.

Anyhow, because I am sure you are all wondering, here is my list of movies and my ratings.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice: (****) I give it 4 stars! A fun movie that was perfect for my 9-year-old and my 14-year-old. I also enjoyed it!

Toy Story 3: (****) I give it 4 stars too! Many friends told me to bring kleenex with me because it was so sad. I kept waiting and waiting and near the end was proud of myself for not crying...Then, cut to the last scene where Andy tells how Woody is a great friend and tells Woody goodbye and then drives off to college...All three of my boys turned their heads to me and started laughing because elephant tears were rolling down my face!

Salt: (*****) I give it 5 stars!!! An action-packed, violent movie that had my attention for the full movie. I loved it! It was a bit gory; but, I live with boys. :)

The Karate Kid: (*****) I give that one 5 stars too! Probably the best remake of a movie ever! Also great for both my boys!

Eat, Pray, Love: (***) I give it 3 stars. I did enjoy this movie. I love Julia Roberts! But, after it was all said and done, not my most favorite movie. There was nothing earth-shaking to it. I did love the scenery of Italy, India and Bali. And, yes, I was amazed that this woman in real life would go and travel the world to find herself. If I were going to find myself, I wouldn't have the guts to travel the world by myself...I would probably sit on the couch with a bag of M&M's instead!!

The Switch: (***1/2) I give it 3 1/2 stars! A total girlie movie that was absolutely predictable; but, a very fun and light-hearted hour and a half of entertainment.

So, there you have it. I doubt the movie critics will approve of my star ratings but I rarely agree with theirs!

In the meantime, I had better start exercising to get rid of my "snacking gut" and get a part-time job to pay for my new hobby!

A Ho Hum Day

I had to stay home today to wait on a refrigerator repairman; so, I didn't make any other plans because although my time was in between 8 and 12, I knew he wouldn't show up until 11:55! Much to my surprise, he showed up at 8:15 and was gone by 8:30! Hmmm...what to do with the rest of my day???

I decided I would sit and be completely useless. I watched lots of HGTV and Food Network shows. I read lots of magazines. I learned lots -- like...

~ the four steps to perfect smoky eyes

~ 50 ways to prepare peaches

~ Kelly Preston and John Travolta are having a boy

~ boots are still trendy this fall

~ the inside of Michael Keaton's home has a pared-down decor...

HOWEVER, in all of my knowledge in-take today I did not find out how to get rid of this prize left on my ivory carpet by my youngest son this evening...

I guess tomorrow I need to find a magazine or TV show that addresses how to remove red car model paint effectively from carpet!!!

A Challenge

So, my husband has presented me with a challenge that I am not at all sure I can fulfill...but I will give it a try. I will warn my readers (!) that there may be times you open this blog and go, "Huh??"

The challenge was this: Blog for 60 straight days!

Wow!! My life isn't that exciting! However, here we go. Hold on tight, 'cuz it may be a bumpy ride!! :)

A great place to start Day 1 should have been yesterday. Yesterday was the first day of school. (See, I already am a day late in starting my 60 days!!) Anyhoo, I will start it today...

Here is my High Schooler! I can't believe I am old enough to have a 9th grader -- it seems I was just in the 9th grade for crying out loud (minus the grey hairs I have in my head right now)!!

You may notice that there is lots of darkness surrounding Connor...he leaves the house at 6:30AM! Although it is only day 2 of school, he is doing really well getting up and being ready. However, mom had to take a nap today after everyone had left!!

Here is my 4th grader -- the big man on campus. This will be his last year at Buckalew. The Marshall family has been at Buckalew for eight years -- needless to say, it will be an emotional year for mom!!

We had had such a great summer that I wasn't ready for school to begin. Yesterday was a very quiet day for me. I missed all my boys. However, I know this will be a great year for them and who knows...with the craziness of high school, the ending of elementary school years, and baseball, this blog may be a real exciting read!!