2 things

I need some help with a couple of things. I'm in desperate need for some workout DVDs that I can do in the morning from the comfort of my own home. We have a gym (it's actually a hotel gym that lets us pay to workout there) that I was all set to start visiting again but they don't open until 1:00 pm. I'll be real honest and tell you that when 1:00 rolls around and the boys go down for their nap and Judah follows after he eats I want to join them. I'm usually exhausted and that's my only time of total quiet in the day. What works for me is getting up early, working out, showering and settling down for some Bible time with a cup of coffee. This is how I most like to start my morning. I have some great ab and strength training DVDs but no cardio. Does anyone have something that they whole heartily recommend? I'm going to order some and get my mom to mail them to me. A fellow blogger endorsed P90X on her blog, and while it looks like a great program, in all reality the look of those poeple scares me. I don't know if I'm ready for that intensity. I'm thinking that might be good in a few months but I need something to get me started and work my way up. After this c-section I'm experiencing more discomfort and healing issues than ever before so I don't want to jump in too fast. Any ideas???

Also any good meal/snack ideas that are easy, family friendly and most of all healthy? Cooking here is too complicated and time consuming to prepare myself completely separate meals so I've been working on portion control. What would be great is if I could enjoy a delicious meal that I can feel totally guilt free about. Don't worry about ingredients, they are limited for me, cause I have learned how to make substitutes. I'm just in major need for some fresh ideas.

OK, blog friends. Leave me comments, send me a FB message or an email. Just send me something cause this 30 by 30 is happening!

fellowship

If you know me at all you know I'm a very social person (that's my nice way of calling myself a 'talker'). I'm pretty sure there isn't anyone out there who will deny that. So when we started this journey--meaning starting with our time of preparation/application back in the States--I began to pray that God would send me just one friend. I just knew I could survive if I had at least one friend. I mean this was committed to SERIOUS prayer. This could seem trivial and silly to some but it was totally important for me. I am a person who has a few special ladies that I am very, very close friends with (read:my sisters from another mother) and then also many other ladies that God has given me a blessed connection with, and let's not forget my amazing mom that Stan is sure did not give birth to me but rather was the subject in a cloning experiment that was successful.

But let me just tell you that God answers prayers. I mean many of you know that but sometimes He just blows me away. I have several ladies here that are that answer. And I'm not just talking ladies that live here and since there really is no one else we'll be friends, I'm talking ladies that I would meet in the States and quickly connect with. There are several that are in my same life stage and a few that are a couple of steps ahead that have amazing wisdom to share. In addition to that we have this fantastic team that we get to work with. All of these people with hearts that long to love and serve in the same way we do not to mention a pretty fun bunch. Like laugh until my stomach hurts fun.

It's weekends like the one we just had that make being away from family and friends just a little bit easier.

this weekend

I don't have much to write about this week. Our out of town team members are all traveling up and we are having some goal meetings so really all I've been able to do is prepare for that. In between the meetings we are gonna have some fun. If you happen to think of us in the next few days just pray for our fun, fellowship and most of all our goals for how we are feeling led for the work. We are so blessed to have a wonderful group of people to work with. Getting together and sharing ideas is fun and productive. More to come soon.

paper towels

Last night while I was cooking dinner I went to grab a paper towel to do a quick wipe up and my heart jut burst with thankfulness for those paper towels. I know, that sounds completely ridiculous. Let me give a little back ground for you to understand.

There are a lot of times I give myself a little mental pitty party about what I do without in terms of convenience. To be honest sometimes cooking can seem like such a chore here because we do without a lot of things that make cooking in the States so much easier. Every once in a while I like being able to pop open a can of green beans and be done with it. I like going and buying my ground beef in its nice sanitary little package. And I like being able to have cereal on demand (especially during my WIC days) to give the boys for breakfast. But life is just different here. The green beans must be bought at the market and then soaked and washed to make sure to get all the pesticides off (which have no regulation on them so they are most likely harmful to humans as well as insects). I have to go to the Muslim beef seller, pick out a cut of beef and have it ground up by the grinding lady. And cereal must either be brought or ordered from the capital city.

Things are just different. I have access to a lot but it isn't always in the most convenient form. And I forget to be thankful that I even have access to it. I have co-workers in different parts of the world that can't get even half of what I can and when I looked at my roll of paper towels last night I was reminded of that. I can scoot on over to the Wal Mart, though very different from American WMs, and buy my nice tidy three pack of paper towels any day of the week. I can buy sliced cheese. Diapers and wipes. Shampoo. Even a new cute purse if my wants get ahold of me. The Lord reminded me that life isn't supposed to be convenient. Being a Christian isn't convenient. So when I start to whine to myself next time I'm gonna go get my roll of paper towels and carry them around until I stop feeling sorry for myself. I am blessed beyond measure and I don't want to forget it again.

Thank you Lord for paper towels. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

surprise

Stan ended up coming home this afternoon. They were able to get to a new place (well you know, new to us, it's been there since creation...) and meet some people and then decided to come on home because going farther would take too long to end up home tomorrow. It was a really nice surprise. The boys are pumped full of energy with daddy's homecoming.

Last night went really smooth. Judah eats at 7 so I let Kirby and Bennett watch something short while I fed him, then let Judah hang out long enough for me to get Kirby and Bennett in the bath. They got to have bath time play while I got Judah ready for bed and down for the night and then I washed them and they put on their pj's. We read a story (yes Grommy we read the Incredibles for the umpteenth time), called Daddy to say goodnight, had our prayers and then they got in their beds with no drama. By the time I went back to check on Judah he had also drifted off. With the house so quiet I decided to take advantage and get some computer work done.

Thank you to all who prayed for us. I know that is the only reason the evening went so well.

on my own

Well..not entirely. Stan left just after lunch today for a two night trip out to different village areas in our province. This is going to be something that happens several times each month. With a move by one of our team members, 'G', and the start of a new semester with Stan having classes on just Monday and Tuesday, the doors have opened up for Stan and G to be out several times during each month. The plan for now is that about 3 weeks of each month they will leave on Wednesday and return by Friday evening. This timing is mostly so I won't have to go more than a few hours on my own with the boys. Monday through Friday we have a local woman that comes to help me do things around our home. With the time and energy even the simplest task requires if I didn't have help I would spend all my time just trying to keep up with household chores. There would be no time for language study. No time for meeting local friends. And no time to spend with my children. So, as I was saying, I'm not totally on my own but, as you mothers out there know, when Daddy is gone, things just aren't the same. Even last night with just knowing that Stan was leaving today we had a horrible time with Kirby and Bennett at bed time. Kirby didn't want to go to sleep and then once I finally got him to go to bed, Bennett got up screaming. One wanted the night light on and one wanted it off. They would call for me and when I went in, they asked for daddy and vise versa. I have no idea what is in store for tonight. We have made it past nap time--Bennett didn't take one cause he fell asleep playing this morning while Kirby was at school, umm yeah screaming half the night would (and did) make me tired too--and I have a friend helping me with dinner tonight. I'm doing my best to be all smiles and exhibit grace to my children.

So now each week I have to start out with a game plan. I'm thinking organization, patience and lots of prayer is how we will get through the adjustment to this new schedule. As long as there is work to do we want to be doing it and right now that just happens to require Stan to be out frequently. In some ways I'm jealous that he gets to have all the 'fun' while I'm here with the boys but God continues to remind me that HE has called me to be the mother to these precious boys and a help meet for Stan. So this is how the task at hand is fleshed out by me. Staying home, loving my children and keeping things under control so that when my husband comes home we can enjoy time as a family.

Tonight I'm praying for us all to get a good nights sleep so we can wake up refreshed in the morning. I'm praying tomorrow will allow me time to play with my boys in between loads of laundry and a quick trip to the market. And Friday I'm praying we can get an extra special welcome home ready for Stan. Saturday will bring the blessing of us all being together and maybe even a quick date for Stan and I. If you think of us please pray for Stan and G's safety and for us here at home to make it through smoothly.

looking back

Tomorrow will make 3 weeks since we got back to our home. It really feels like so much longer. I think we are all pretty much use to being back. Bennett still asks for his grandparents (see I told you all he would know you!) but we are back to 'normal' life. There are several things that are changing for us, one being that Stan now has a travel partner which means that 2-3 weeks of every month he will be traveling W-F. This is very important for our work but a little scary for me. I plan to write more about all that in another blog but today I want to do some Thailand reflections. We enjoyed most of our time there, until the end when we were just ready to get home. I do want to try to remember the whole trip so here is my list of Thailand memories...

-The AC was wonderful. Even though it would give me the sniffles sometimes (we're pretty sure the ducts had some mold due to the high humidity that gave us allergy type stuff) I would turn it up as high as I could and soak it up. Especially those last couple of weeks of pregnancy.

-I ate myself into an oblivion. Pizza and Mexican food at least once a week. Yes, at least. We also enjoyed Outback, Tony Romas, Burger King, Mister Doughnut, Dairy Queen and so many more that I can't list them all. My last post (30 by 30) is the result of this. I have to admit, I don't regret one single bite. I especially don't regret the Ben and Jerry's we could by at the local grocery or the $10 price tag that came with each pint.

-Time with Mom and Larry and Stan's parents, Wally and Juanita (aka Grommy and Poppy and Granny and Papa respectively). We are not used to going so long without seeing family (it had been a year) so it was great to just be in the same county as them, not to mention the same room. I don't know if this is ever something we will get used to. We knew this would be the hardest part of the move. We are just glad they got to be there to meet Judah.

-Judah's birth. My mom reminded me what a miracle he is. Things could have turned out much different for us. We were one of the lucky families. I don't know why God chose to allow us to end up with a perfectly healthy baby boy, despite everything that happened, but I will never EVER take it for granted. Praise be to HIM, the giver of life!

-Time together as a family. We didn't have much of anything to do besides wait for Judah to arrive and then recover afterward. How often does that happen? It was a blessing to watch Kirby and Bennett spend time with their grandparents. I loved watching them swim in the pool and grow more and more confidant in the water each day. And it was fun to spend the day in pj's watching movies.

-I was reminded more and more that despite the 'luxuries' Bangkok had to offer, it was not home. I love the city where we live. We have a great community of people here that love on us and support us. Bangkok offered many things I will not miss. Insane traffic, heat and humidity that are far beyond my tolerance level, a sex industry that is shoved in your face whenever you are outside (seriously prostitutes and porn ALL day) and so much more that I'm glad we don't have to live with.

It's good to be home, and even though we are so busy and I find myself overwhelmed some days, I wouldn't trade it. Bangkok was nice for vacation but I hope it's a while before we have to go back.

30 by 30

I will be turning 30 in a little more than 6 months. I am super excited about this. I'm looking forward to my 30's like nobody's business. I love milestones and this is a pretty significant one. I'm even already semi-planning a party for myself. I'm thinking a sleepover is going to be just what I need. Sweet time with my friends and time away from my testosterone saturated house. As a side note, any of my friends that don't happen to live in China (about 99%) that have $1500 lying around to buy a plane ticket can go ahead and purchase one. My Birthday is March 28th and the party will be that weekend.

Since I have a big milestone approaching I decided to make a goal to reach by then. So, my goal is to lose 30 pounds by my 30th birthday. That will get me back to the weight I was when we moved here. That includes the final 10 pounds of baby weight and the 20 I put on as a comfort in the first few months of moving here. I've struggled with weight for the past 20 years (the past five being the worst) and I'm determined to get to at least my wedding day weight. My ultimate goal is to lose close to 30 kilos--more like 60 pounds--but I'm being realistic with my goal. 30 pounds in 6 months breaks down to 5 pounds a month (you like that high level math there don't ya?). 5 pounds a month is a good rate to keep it off. After I had Bennett I got within 20 lbs of my ultimate goal but I'm a stress eater (another heart issue that I'm working on) and the move here put me over the edge. But from each I know I can do it. My weight gain and loss has been at a record rate since getting married. Three pregnancies later I'm wiggly and jiggly. There is very little chance that I will be pregnant during my 30's so I want to enter them a healthier me.

I've taken the first basic steps towards this goal already. I'm eating much healthier: portion control and better choices. The two 'diet' programs I've had the most success with are Weight Watchers and First Place. These are both a little difficult to do here since both require knowledge of calories. I have a little trouble calculating calories because I can't read the nutrition labels...if there even is one--not a requirement here. But I do know the basics that gave me success from each program. I know how to make good choices and control my portions while still getting enough to continue nursing. Also, I am heading back to a workout routine. Last week when I hit the magic 6 weeks post surgery mark I headed to the gym only to discover it's going to take me a while to build back up my strength and endurance. Four months of semi bed rest and surgery has left me needing to work back up slowly. Last week I experienced some pain and I don't want to over do it. I'm hoping by 30 I can be back to running 5Ks, maybe a few times a week. And not the 40 min 5K I used to run...I'm aiming for 30-35 min (still slow but good for me).

So I have my work cut out for me. Don't hesitate to ask me how it's going. Hopefully I'll be on the right track and will update every month on how it's going. If I miss one you will definitely need to check up on me. I need the accountability! I also added a count down clock as a daily reminder to myself. Anyone want to join me?

i heart...

At any given point in time I could be stuck on something. I go through phases where I get obsessed with certain things: snacks, TV shows, outfits, whatever. Right now there is a short list of things that I heart.

Coke Zero --I totally know that soda is one of the worst things to drink. I really try to stick to my daily coffee and water. For the longest time the only calorie free soft drink available here was Coke Light. It's supposed to be like Diet Coke but tastes nothing like it to me. Enter: Coke Zero. Some genius here figured out that Coke Zero would sell well and it has been on the shelves. I like it better and it's a nice treat. Let's just hope I can limit it appropriately.

Popcorn--Obviously there is nothing new and different about popcorn. For some reason it became my late night pregnancy snack of choice. Most likely because in the beginning it didn't make me throw up and towards the end it would keep me from waking up at 3 am starving. Plus getting the plain kind is really not to much of an unhealthy snack. When I did Weight Watchers and First Place I often turned to this delightful snack. Bonus: It humorously reminds my of my sweet friend Leslie, who used to attempt to lure me to her house child predator style with a sing song voice saying 'We have popcorn!' (Sorry Leslie, but I still think of that each time I eat popcorn...and to everyone else, Leslie is NOT a child predator but a wonderful mommy of two.)

Go-to outfit--Black shirt, denim capris--both maternity, poo :(--red shoes and either one of the red necklaces I bought in Thailand. Nothing special but for some reason I feel put together and that counts. I carry and actual purse and not just shove everything in my pockets and I put on makeup. It's the closest thing to real clothes that I have right now.

Bennett--I know us moms are supposed to think of each child equally but my Benny has just exploded with his language, and it makes me smile. When we left for Thailand much of what Bennett said we were not able to understand, meaning those outside of our family were at a complete loss. I was really starting to worry that the child has some serious speech issues and was going to need therapy. While we were in Thailand he did a little language jump. It turns out his little brain was confused between Chinese and English and the different sounds of each language. We speak English (obviously) and our helper and everyone else around us speaks Chinese (obviously). Just two months of all English has made a HUGE difference. Here are some of my favorite things he's been saying lately:

-Daddy...I Jet Ray. I kill you! OK? (Jet Ray is from Ben 10 and killing people is not something we allow them to say but thanks to Cartoon Network we have to work on that now. Plus he did ask if it was ok.)

-Mommy I love you! Mommy I love Daddy. Mommy I love Judah. Mommy I love Kirby. Mommy I love _____ ! (I love it!)

-Don't cry Judah! Mommy, Judah is crying. The Baby, he's crying... (on and on)

Sleep--I can't get enough. If I sit to rest there is a good chance I will doze off. I am looking forward to Judah sleeping through the night. I really need more than a four hour block of sleep at the time. I know some of you are thinking that I shouldn't wish those sweet late night moments away but to be honest I'm a zombie during those moments so I'm already missing them. Plus Judah and I get plenty of sweet one on one time. This is my third time around and to be honest that will be the last thing I miss about having a small baby.

sweet charlie

Congratulation to my best friend! Kathleen (aka Aunt Kitty) and Jason Weathers welcomed Charles 'Charlie' Todd Weathers to the world on Friday August 28th! We are so excited for them and since Judah and Charlie are just a little more than five weeks apart we have already decided they are best friends. They will soon meet via the internet to officially start off their friendship. You can read the full amazing story of what a champ Kathleen was during labor at The Weather's Great. Here are a couple of pictures I stole from Jason's FB page...sorry Kitty, I hope you don't mind.

up and running

Just a quick note to let you all know that I haven't fallen off of the face of the Earth. We are home, things are going really well, and we are unpacked and pretty much settled. When we arrived home we realized that the year we had prepaid for internet was up. When Stan when to pay and have it turned back on they told him it would be more convenient to wait until Sept. 1st, which actually ended up being late the evening of the 2nd. Then Blogger and FB were giving us some trouble. But as you can see things are up and running. I've caught up with all of your blogs and there is so much to write about so there is much to come soon!