Being the BEST we can be!

We're on a mission to better ourselves in many ways; I guess that is the best way to word that . . .  Life can be busy, and we'd love to make it as simple as possible so that we may focus on the most important things: serving God and our family! Of course our friends are our family in Christ too, and we're so blessed by them.  I just want so much to teach our children everything that they need to know. I feel a great urgency about it these days . . ."Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" Proverbs 22:6  So, things we've been focusing on:
* Getting Healthy* After having Cameron I knew it was out of the question to go back to Gold's Gym like I did after having 'B'. Austin isn't allowed to be in any kind of childcare setting, so I had to come up with something that I could do a few times a week in about 30 minutes. So, I started running.  It has been challenging, but I'm doing it! And, it feels awesome. I'm using a book my sister-in-law let me borrow and  combining it with a website  http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtm%20lwhich is the Couch to 5K program to make a plan that best suits me.  Since, I wasn't able to exercise AT ALL with any of my last 2 pregnancies I had to start slow.  I started walking for 3 minutes and ran a minute, and I've now worked up to walking 2 minutes and running 2 minutes.  I warm up for 4 minutes, then do the cycles of walk/run 6 times, and then do a cool down for a few minutes which keeps me on the treadmill for about 32 minutes.  Chris is doing it too, and we're both loving the improvement in ourselves.  My joints don't ache, and I have much more energy to name a couple of things.  We hope to instill in our children the importance of taking care of your body. It's your temple, and you need to take care of it in order to best serve God.
* Saving Money*  I attended the Southern Savers workshop.  I highly recommend it to EVERYONE. Even the busiest people can do the buy one get one free deals and save BIG . . . I'm talking 50% or more on your groceries and personal care products!  http://www.southernsavers.com/  Go check it out! Along with our getting healthier and saving money we're limiting ourselves to not eating out more than once a week.  Truly, we've enjoyed not eating out so much that now we're only allowing ourselves to eat out when asked by family or friends.  We went over our finances and were very disappointed to see how much we spent a month on eating out before we started this quest.  It was completely for convenience and we have no other excuse.  We want to make good use of what God provides for us.  It has been amazing to see how full our pantry and frig has stayed. We're going to try not to spend so much on the kid's clothes too which is what lead me to buying my first sewing machine.  We bought a refurbished one off of http://www.ebay.com/. I have many people that are willing to help me get started.  My machine also does embroidery and applique, so if/when I get good perhaps I'll be able to make a little extra $$$ here and there.:-)  I'll be sure to post a picture of my first attempt as soon as I get a chance to get started.   You know me, I have to have it organized before I start! :-) 
We're paying down debt, and trying to save too.  We feel as though this is God's will and everything has gone so smoothly with our journey to better ourselves and make life simpler.  It has just been amazing to see Him work in our lives and provide.  If anyone has any tips on saving please share! You can facebook me, email, or leave a comment on here. Thanks! Have a blessed week!

8/19/10 *UPDATE* Thanks Jennifer B for the $ tip!!! We had been looking for the Dave Ramsey stuff and just borrowed it from some family. So, we're going to start that too! Thanks US & JT for letting us borrow it!