New Week...

So here we are. I've dropped the kids off for their second week of school. After one week, our daughter is loving it (and has already surprised the teacher on several occasions with her advanced knowledge). Our son is doing OK and seems to be connecting better with friends this year (I'm still specifically praying for a new best friend for him, as his moved to Vermont this summer; it was a bitter pill to swallow as he still very much misses his friends in PA)

Me? Well, I'm adapting to the new routine. With this new stage in life, I was wanting to streamline our house (yes, it's an ongoing process), get involved in a Bible study, get better connected with some women and get healthier. I had considered joining Weight Watchers again simply for some accountability (I used their program about 9 years ago, but within 2 years had slipped back into old habits. Had joined about 2 years ago but life was crazy and I just wasn't committed enough). Anyway, a few weeks ago I was talking with a friend of mine and she mentioned that she was going to be co-leading a First Place 4 Health group. Basically, this is a Christian program that is more about health than weight loss - but obviously healthy weight is a big component. It's being held at the church where I attended MOPS last year (no longer involved) - and it starts today. Definitely an answer to prayer, and I'm excited to see what God has in store for me.

So is this going to become a weight loss blog? Definitely not!! :) If you recall, I had started 2010 with the goal of implementing a new "good" habit each month. Great idea... but I didn't do so well. I *need* face-to-face accountability (at least at this stage) and I know this group will really help. While my health is still decent at this point, I know that I will have more energy, feel less achey, etc. at a healthier weight. And well, if I don't make changes, with my family history it's pretty much a sure thing that I will end up with diabetes. Plus, I'd rather help our kids establish healthy patterns now and save them issues down the road. This was our breakfast on Friday - I'd heard about the idea of "green smoothies" (more here and here) and finally decided to give it a try. Our son wasn't so sure about it when he saw me add the spinach, but he took 1 sip and quite happily announced that he couldn't taste the leaves at all ;) So yes, I'll be looking for ways to incorporate more healthful things into our diet - but that means more veggies and less refined foods (although we don't do a ton of that, there is still room for improvement) as opposed to using artificial sweetener in everything. And yes, portion control, too. I will probably will end up sharing parts of my journey, so you've been warned!

In other news, we're also getting plugged in at our new church. Hubby has taken over the sound ministry (oh well, I enjoyed sitting with him during service while it lasted ;) and I'm going to helping out with the children's programs. They're going to be starting up some ladies programs in a few weeks that I'm pretty excited about (a Bible study as well as a weekly craft group - yeehaw!). God is so good! I've even been taking another friend with me to the service for the past couple weeks, and I'm excited to see God at work in her, too.

We've lived here for just over 13 months now, and I must admit it's finally starting to feel like "home." Ahhhhhh.

Love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy. Mark 12:30, Msg

That's our memory verse for this week with First Place. I memorized the NIV version, with the more familiar "heart, soul, mind, strength" components, but I just love the different spin the Message provides!