Day 5

Food update: Breakfast, yet another smoothie. Peanut butter and an apple for a snack. Lunch was leftover corn and potato chowder and a clementine. Now for dinner I am in the process of making bean and rice casserole. It kind of reminds me of a vegetarian version of Western Casserole from Homemade Gourmet. I think if I ever make this again I will use the HG recipe and just omit the rice. The stuff simmering on my stove is not screaming out to "eat me."

So Connor woke up at 5:30 this morning. We tried putting him to bed later last night to see if he just needs a little bit less sleep, but no, he woke up extra early. Not sure if it is because we are back in the school routine or what. Joe and I were not happy campers today. That also makes it very difficult to do our morning time with God. But, we managed to get it done and get out the door on time.

I posted on Day 1 that since I will be finishing my Master's this May I was praying about whether or not to apply for different jobs or to just keep my job and take the pay raise. Well, today I decided to apply for a job that has caught my attention for the last couple of weeks. Not to be a negative Nancy, but I do not think I will get the position because they need someone right away and I would not be available until the end of school. But, it was a step towards my goals and even though I have some anxiety about the probably rejection. I am proud of myself for the first application!

Lord, whatever your will is for me in the next few months, I ask that you would guide my steps. You know what would be the best choice for me and my family, so I ask that you show me the direction. Be with Connor and help him to sleep in to a reasonable hour. Allow Joe and I to have the time that we desire with you. Amen.

Day 4 is Done!

Food recap: smoothie and a glass of grape juice for breakfast. Blue corn chips and salsa for a snack. Leftover Greek salad and black beans for lunch. Dinner was potato corn chowder. Now, what I made can't compare to the corn chowder from Copeland's, but it is the first dinner I have made this week that Joe actually ate! I think when this fast is over I will look up a little bit more "normal" corn chowder and add it to my list of dinner ideas.

So today I emailed my current professor to ask for a list of potential careers/jobs that my degree makes me eligible for so that I can decide if there is something out there I would like to apply for. Step one in my career goals is completed!

So my bestie's mom told me about a website called flylady.net. It gives you a list of things to clean every day to keep up with your housework. I had been doing really well with it until last night. After only 3 and 4 days of teaching I am so wiped I don't even want to think about getting off my butt to clean. So different from being home all day with nothing really better to do and having all the energy I need to focus on being a "housewife." I definitely need prayers for more energy and a "get-er done" attitude towards housework.

As far as health, I have lost one pound already this month, but not sure if I am counting it or not because of this fast. Once the fast is over I may (hopefully not) gain it back. I've been having my quiet time every morning so far and God has been showing me some pretty great things. It's amazing how the same verse can have such a different impact simply because you are older, wiser, and in a totally different place in life than the last time you read it.

Lord, I ask that you answer my heart's desire. You know what is in my heart and I know that You alone can answer my prayer. Truly be with me as I teach/discipline Connor through this new stage that he is in. Help me to remember that he is just a little boy and needs love through all of his bad choices. :) Give me the energy I need to be the wife and mother I am called to be. Thank you for the success I have seen so far, and the success that is to come in the year ahead. Amen.

Day 3

So I've been dealing with a horrible pain in my shoulder since last night and I have been suffering from stomach aches since I started this fast. Not sure if it is a good ache due to detoxing or weight loss or a bad ache because I'm not eating very well or something.

Today's breakfast was a banana, an apple, a small carton of orange juice, and a glass of grape juice. Lunch was leftover Chunky Potato Soup and leftover Greek salad. Yum-o! I think I have found two new things I may keep in my list of dinner ideas. Dinner tonight was going to be a bean and rice casserole, but when I looked at the recipe it looked totally unappetizing. So instead, we had baked potatoes with garlic salt and black beans. Not too shabby!

Cleaning has not done well today due to the facts that my shoulder is hurting and my parents stopped by on their way home and dropped off a bunch of Christmas presents. Connor got a new tent and some other fun stuff.

Lord, help me to not lose steam and help me to drink enough water to keep my body healthy. I lift my parents up to you and ask that you be with them as they finish their travels and help Joe and I to continue to lift you up as we do this fast. Amen.

Day 2 Almost Done

This morning I was awoken at 5:51 am to the sound of my son playing with his Barney doll over the monitor. 14 minutes later he was in my room saying, "hi mama, EEAATT!!!!" That made it difficult for Joe and I to put God first and have our quiet time. Any parent of a 2 year old knows that there is nothing quiet with them awake! But, we tag teamed feeding him breakfast and managed to get it done.

Day 2 of Daniel Fast is now almost done. For breakfast, another smoothie. Today's included banana, strawberries, a splash of soy milk and a splash of 100% grape juice. It kept me a little more full today. For snacks I had an apple, a mini pepper, and two tablespoons of peanut butter. Today was the first time in my life I have ever eaten peanut butter by itself! Lunch was leftover Chunky Potato Soup and it was pretty filling. As far as the fast goes, that has been the most filling thing so far. On the menu for dinner tonight is Greek salad minus the feta cheese with a homemade vinaigrette dressing. I'm very excited! The things that have been tempting me today are birthday cake offered by one of my students', gum, and the popcorn Connor is currently munching on while I sit here with nothing but a computer! In the reading plan for the fast, Day 2 has called for some sort of sacrifice, above and beyond the fast that we are doing. I read about the cost David gave to build the temple (1 Chron 21:18-27) and he didn't want to do it if it didn't cost him something so that it would have more meaning. However, I am stumped. I can't sacrifice any food because I am already doing the fast. I can't sacrifice TV because nothing good is on and that wouldn't cost me anything. I am in the middle of my online course for my Master's, so I can't sacrifice the Internet...plus I don't know if I could actually do that one! No ideas at the moment, so I will add that to my prayer list.

On another note, last night Joe finally got up at 9:30 (he had a caffeine headache) and this morning told me the house looked awesome and he could tell I had cleaned and picked up a bit! I know the house isn't perfect, but compared to how it was in November and all the 27 years before that, it is miraculous!

The only other thing I have worked on today is being more patient with my sixth graders. There is one in particular that I have just tried to ignore his goading and the other students are now asking him to be quiet...and it's working! He is annoying them more than he is annoying me! I think I would like to build a relationship with this student and maybe use it as a turning point, but he despises me so much, I think I need to wait it out a little bit.

Lord, help me to love my students as you do and see them through your eyes. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to sacrifice my comfort in order to grow closer to you. Be with Connor and help him grow in to the little boy you want him to be. Help Joe and I to be the parents you have called us to be. Amen.

Daniel Fast Day 1

Day one isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I've been told it gets worse! For breakfast I had a smoothie with frozen berries, banana, and soy milk. It was yummy, but I was hungry by first hour! All day I snacked on celery and peanut butter, an apple, an green beans. Luckily, my school serves 100% orange juice, so I had one of those as well.

On my way to pick Connor up from church I stopped at El Chico and got a pint of salsa to go with our blue corn chips. THAT is yummy! Dinner was Chunky Potato Soup. Not the best soup I've ever had (missing that yummy cream that is found in baked potato soup), but with some salt it was filling. Now I am munching on raw mini peppers to try and fill my sweet tooth. It's not really working, but at least I'm not hungry.

Two things I want to improve on tomorrow are drinking more water and getting rid of all temptation from the house! Question to any mama's who read this - how do you keep your kids filled up? I don't want to keep temptation in the house, but I don't want my almost two year old to suffer!

I haven't done my cleaning for the day, but hey, its only 8! I'm getting off this computer to do that now! Lord, help me to not be inconsistent or apathetic this year, but truly get to know who you are and what you have in store for my life. I love you and want to be more like you. Amen!

Wow - a second post!

I decided to post for a second time today because God really spoke to Joe and I at church tonight. The message was about firsts. Giving up the first part of your day to spend time with Him. So, that means I have to get up at the first alarm! I'm going to start a Bible plan (Daniel fast first, then who knows!) and pray. Giving up the first part of your week worshipping God with other believers - we already do that on a regular basis. Giving up the first of your income each month to give to God what is already His - again, we already do that. And finally, giving up the first of your year in a fast to gain spiritual insight and to pray for something you believe strongly in. I saw on another blog that the person prayed each day for something different. I don't think I'm going to do that, but I do have some things weighing on my heart, mostly the salvation of people that I care about.

Lord, help me to give you the first of my year and be faithful in the fast you have called me to and help me to be faithful in giving you the first of my day. In order to do this, I will have to be more disciplined in my evenings so I can go to bed and get enough rest, but you are worth it to me! Love you Lord, amen!

New Year, New Me!

Joe and I just got done updating our annual Coakley Family Plan and our Life Group is going through the Chazown book next, so I hope this year has some exciting things in store for us! I read on facebook that last year a girl blogged all of her goals and updated every time she met them, so I thought I would do that as well.

In the area of finances, Joe and I would like to begin saving up for a car. We don't have a lot of wiggle room in our budget at the moment, so we decided on $20 a month until we pay something off and can raise that higher. Now, I would actually like to down size in another area in order to save more, but am having a hard time choosing something to give up. Yikes! Prayers in that area would be nice.

Career - since I am going to finish my Master's degree in May, I feel like I need to seriously pray over what God would have me do with that in the coming school year. Should I just take the pay raise or should I be looking at moving into a different position?

Connor - Our main goal for Connor is to read a Bible story and pray with him on a daily basis. Joe and I also plan to pray for A LOT of patience as we enter the "terrible twos." Connor has already changed so much in the last month that I know we will need every single prayer!

Personal - my personal goal is one that I have struggled with my entire life, and that is too keep my house clean enough that if someone randomly dropped by I would not be embarrassed at our living condition. Anyone who knows me well knows that will be probably my biggest struggle this year!

Health - Health goal this year is to drop 2 pounds per month until I am at my goal weight of 120 pounds. Any accountability with my diet and exercise is most appreciated!

Spiritually - Joe and I are going to participate in the Daniel Fast January 3-24 this year, along with many others in the church for spiritual insight. We are very nervous about it, as it completely changes the way we eat. However, we are hoping that the change will cause us to seek God instead of food for comfort and draw closer to Him as a result.

Marriage - In our marriage, we want to use our time wisely and participate in Great Dates, provided by our church. We trust that our church will bring up the topics that we need to address in our marriage and that we will connect over our time together!

Lord, I have made my goals public with the hopes that you and all others will help me to achieve them. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to receive a new start each and every year and thank you for loving us enough to make us in to new creations. We love you and ask that you be a part of our family each and every day so that Connor will know who you are in the way he sees his mommy and daddy live. Amen.