MILA Minutes - Giveaway

We recently made a trip to Charlotte to help host an In Home with a dear friend and fellow Lifemax Distributor, Lauren. She has a growing business in the Charlotte area, and I was so excited to be apart of her In Home event! I love introducing MILA to people and seeing them get excited about this incredible food! 

My six month anniversary of being in the business is coming up this month and to celebrate the day I am having a giveaway! I've never done this before on my blog, but have seen others do it so I decided to give it a try. All you have to do is comment to this post (just post your name) and you win! I've made it so anyone can comment, even if you don't have a blog. Everyone who comments will receive a free single serving sample of MILA. You can email me your address here. On Wednesday of next week, I will pick one person's name and they will receive not a sample, but a small bag of MILA! I'm so excited for you to try this food! 

Testimony: MIGRAINES, CHOLESTEROL & ANXIETY… 

At the age of 28, I found myself on three major pharmaceutical medications - Lipitor for high cholesterol, Topomax for severe complex migraines and Lexapro for anxiety.  The side effects for all three medications were awful, and the thought of being dependent on these hard core pharmaceuticals, at this young age was bothersome, to say the least.    

My first migraine was in 7th grade and they occurred consistently into my adult life. Sometimes I would have one a month; sometimes I would have several a week.  I went on and off medications, but nothing ever seemed to get rid of the migraines.  For those that have experienced migraines, you can understand how truly debilitating they can be.  I knew the triggers and could sometimes stop a full on attack by taking Excedrin Migraine or Advil if I was lucky.  If I didn’t catch the attack, I would spend a day in bed, sometimes getting physically ill.  I don’t know what was worse, going through the migraine or the week after, which I call the migraine hangover.  For a few days to a week after, I lived in a fog, 

completely exhausted and fatigued.  

At one of my annual doctor’s appointments, I asked for my blood to be checked as I thought that I had some thyroid problems.  When the lab results came back, it turned out that I had high cholesterol.  My physician immediately wanted to put me on Lipitor, but I refused and fought for a year saying that I will change my diet and increase my exercise with hopes of lowering my cholesterol.  For a year, I went to the doctor’s office everything 3 months to have my blood checked.  And for a year, my lab work always came back with extremely high cholesterol.  So I gave in, and started taking Lipitor.  It took a few months for me to lower it to the level that my doctor was comfortable.  

Around the same time, I was going through some major life changes – what I call my quarter-life crisis!  I have always been somewhat of an anxious person and an over-analyzer, and because of these added stresses, I was put on an anxiety medicine.  I don’t know what was worse, being anxious or being on this medicine, Lexapro. 

During the time I was taking all three medications, I was introduced to Mila and started adding it to my daily diet.  I immediately saw major changes in my mental clarity and an increase of energy.  I no longer found myself taking a 3pm coffee break for that extra afternoon boost.  Then over the course of several months, my migraines decreased to monthly instead of weekly, the next time I had my blood checked my cholesterol had lowered even more, and I had a calmness that I had never had before even being on the anxiety medicine.  I still occasionally get a migraine every 3 months or so, but can usually catch 

them before a full-on attack.  Needless to say, working with my doctor, I slowly removed myself from all three medications and have felt great ever since, all thanks to adding MILA to my daily diet!!!  -SG

Bob's Squid

So Jancsi was obviously not walking by February 1st, so the boys owed us Mamas a free dinner. Rules were set before hand: it had to be a three course dinner, salad could not be considered a course (I'm a meatetarian and don't eat salad), and the dessert had to be amazing. : )

We picked the Saturday that we ran the 21 miles. Sebron ended up having to work that day so poor Bob did the meal by himself. After we all got in from the run, had fed the kiddos and put them down for naps, Bob left on a mysterious shopping trip. Beth and I relaxed and rested our tired legs.....Bob was gone forever! I can't remember exactly, but it must have been at least close to two hours. 

 When he did get home, he had all sorts of bags in tow. He spent the next hour cutting up fruit before kicking us out of the kitchen with strict instructions: "whatever you do, don't look in the sink!" The next few hours were filled with clinking and banging of bowls, pots and pans. A different mix of aromas began leaking into the living room. Bob was getting more and more excited as he got more and more into the dinner making process.

The appetizer was calamari. Bob deep fried it and made this amazing sweet and sour sauce to dip it in. I'm not a big sea food person, but the calamari was actually pretty tasty and the sauce was really good. 

Turns out that Bob had bought already prepared calamari (other then frying it) but also wanted to try his hand at at the real stuff..... So he bought a squid. Why not? He went over to the asian market and brought home a three foot squid. He had it in the sink (thus the instructions to not look in there.) We finally got him to let us come in and take pictures of the awful thing that was smelling up our kitchen.

Bob was totally just having fun at this point. The next 30 minutes were playtime with the squid. 

He chopped it up a bit and tried his hand at making his own calamari, but after awhile it was obvious that you had to be a skilled squid chopper to get the stuff. So the stinky thing went in the trash can. 

 Dinner was an amazing lemon/orange and basil chicken and potato dish. Delicious. The lemon gave it all a sour tang which was amazing. 

 We waited on dessert until the kiddos were put to bed. Bob wiped up this amazing fruit pizza. Two of them actually- one had a biscuit crust and the other was a sugar cookie crust. INCREDIBLE! 

 He melted some white chocolate and drizzled it over all the goodness. We went to bed completely stuffed and we girls were ready and willing to make new bets with the guys! Surly there is something we can come up with where they will be wrong and will have to make us dinner again! 

The pizza was gone by Sunday afternoon. So good! 

11 Months

Oh dear. Just writing the title of this post makes me realize all over again how big this little guy it getting. We almost have a one-year-old on our hands!

waiting for rain in his new birthday raincoat from Nana & Opa.

Jancsi is doing so well after the ear tubes. He is making new sounds everyday which makes me think that his hearing is getting better! We go back on the 22nd for a follow up and hearing test. God is good!

he's into climbing these days....

Jancsi loves to bounce on our bed. I know I shouldn't encourage it, but it's sooo fun! He crawls over to the headboard, stands up, hold on and starts jumping. The real fun begins when Mama and Daddy help him out! We bounce and he goes flying and dies with the giggles! Our poor bed creaks and groans.

He says Mama, Daddy, uh-oh, bye-bye, and he uses sign language to say more and hot. The past few days he has been attempting bubble and ball. I love watching him try new words and sounds. I think hot is his favorite... everything is hot! He does the sign for it towards whatever he thinks is hot as well as saying "uh uh uh!" He is so cute! Even though he can say 'Daddy', he has been calling Sebron 'Dad-um'. Not sure where that came from, but it's cute.

Sebron and J checking out the fish at the children's museum. 

He is into shrieking as loud as possible here lately. It's laughing but he brings it to a whole new level. I am not really sure how to handle it with him. I am so glad that he is so happy, but I also want him to know that we can't be so loud in the house. He is so fun.

 In the bat cave....

He has been standing a lot, or at least working on it. He pushes off whatever he is holding onto and balances for a few seconds before plopping on his bottom. I've caught him a few times attempting to stand up in the middle of the floor. Exciting days ahead!

 BIG foot print.

Jancsi loved the water tank tunnel. 

 We've totally dropped the binky during the day and only use it at night now. He is doing great without it and I'm glad we took it away now instead of letting it go much longer. 

Whenever we get back from doing errands and walk in the front door, he lets out this shreking laugh noise to let everyone know he is home. If Lily is home, she always returns the hello!

all three kiddos in the back seat on the way to music hour!

my two charges, enjoying the kids music hour at a local Bagel shop. 

Jancsi is such a cuddler and will wrap his arms around my legs as I stand and cook at the stove. Love him. He is becoming more and more a little boy each day and his own little person.

Can't believe we're heading full speed towards the 12 month mark.

Trusting

"Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him."    Psalm 37:3-5, 7a


Be still before the Lord. Wait patiently for Him. Trust in the Lord. That is where we are. Isn't that where we are all called to be everyday? Some days it's harder then others. But each day we are called to trust. Have faith. The Lord is faithful. 


Listening to Pandora with the kiddos while we play- 'Everlasting God' came on and I knew it was me. Maybe it's for you too.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord

                                               We will wait upon the Lord

We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever

Our hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God

The everlasting God

You do not faint

You won't grow weary

Our God, You reign forever

Our hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God

The everlasting God

You do not faint

You won't grow weary 

You're the defender of the weak

You comfort those in need

You lift us up on wings like eagles.

Praise God. 

Courageous

We watched the movie, Courageous, this past weekend. It is put out by Sherwood Pictures, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. They also did Fireproof and Facing the Giants. Their newest film follows four fathers as they strive to draw closer to the Lord and their children. The message was definitely to the fathers: to be roll models to their children. To spiritually impact their lives. As we watched, I started thinking about me as mother. As Jancsi's mother. About all us mothers. 

We have one of the biggest callings the Lord has ever given. We are called to be courageous Mamas to our kiddos. I am the person Jancsi sees and interacts with the most over any other person. From day one he has been learning things from me. He is taking in words and social cues. How to play with his toys and clean up after himself. Those are all big things to him right now and he is learning them from me, his Mama. 


I thought about how he watches me. He never lets me far out of my sight and is always with me as I go about my day. What is he seeing? Is he seeing a Mama who takes things in stride and stays calm and patient when things don't go as planned or is he seeing me lose my temper and get frustrated? Is he seeing a wife who loves her husband even on the hard days or one who is nagging and spiteful. 

Everything I do is teaching him something. Good or bad, he is learning a lesson. I thought of Sebron and my relationship. I love how when we dance in the kitchen and Sebron steals a kiss, Jancsi starts giggling. I love that he sees us love each other. He is learning what a relationship built on the Lord should look like. 


I am the one he will be watching to see how I react when Daddy tracks mud on the floor, or when he is grumpy or breaks something. I want to be a godly example of how a wife should treat her husband and a Mama who loves her family. 


I want to be a Courageous Mama. 

Ear tubes and Carousel Rabbits

Jancsi's tube procedure was this morning. We rolled out of bed at 4:45 and were on the road by 5:15. We had to check in by 6am and the office was almost 40 minutes away. Everyone was so great. They got Jancsi smiling and even gave him a teddy bear and played peek a boo with their masks. They allowed me to go back with them and hold him while they put him to sleep. I think that was harder then just sending him off wide awake with them. Holding him and feeling him struggle against the mask and then slowly go limp was the worst thing. I fought hard to keep the tears back as I kept kissing his head and telling him that Mama loved him and I'd be there when he woke up. From the time I left him, changed out of my special surgery gear and met Sebron in the waiting area it was only 6-10 minutes before they were done and calling us back.

One of my favorite pictures from this past weekend... Lily feeding J-Man. 

Jancsi was SO upset when we got back to him in recovery. I could tell from his cries that he was terrified, hurting and to top it off.... angry. Even after I took him from the nurse it took me ten minutes to calm him down. We rocked, we walked around the room and sang and I kept reassuring him that Mama was here- everything was okay. He was clinging to me for all he was worth and I wanted to cry all over again. He's still so little and you can't explain why this is happening or why these strange people are messing with him. He finally calmed down enough to offer him some juice. He drained the cup in 2 minutes and fell right to sleep in the car. He woke up at the house and after eating we only had one little throw-up episode. He's been great all day, happy and laughing at everything. Thank you all for your prayers.
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On the train with Daddy.

Sunday afternoon we went out as a family to a park right across from North Carolina State University. When Sebron and I were in school, the place was totally sketchy and other then running by it with the xc team I would never go there. Right as Sebron was getting ready to graduate, they shut it down and all that was there was dirt, trucks and more dirt.

"Thank's for the ride!"

They opened the new park just a few months ago and it is beautiful! You would have no idea how creepy that place was before hand unless you'd seen it. We enjoyed the swings and even took a ride on the train around the park as well as the carousel! So much fun! I think we enjoyed it more then the kiddo! The weather was perfect and we were so blessed to have the day together as a family.

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This is our third week on a strict NO sweet potatoes or carrots diet. This kid is STILL orange! I think we have permanently dyed the skin tone of our child. I never notice any more except in pictures. For some reason with the camera flash, he looks extra orange. Poor guy. : )

Having fun with our 'hats' with Mr. B

This has been their favorite spot this week. 

Last big one

I just completed my last long training run before my upcoming marathon. I am so glad I have taken the time to get back in shape after having Jancsi. Not only do I love running and exercising, but I love how I have learned to fight for it. When you have a little one, running takes on a whole new look. Yes, most moms choose in favor of a gym membership and a babysitter... I love including Jancsi. The jogger was so intimidating when I first started back when he was 6 weeks old. It was a struggle and hills seemed impossible. The first week back, I was so excited if I made it 10 minutes without stopping. My half marathon goal seemed so far out of reach. Then all of a sudden the miles got easier. The runs weren't so challenging and were less daunting. I started enjoying running again. Beth and I completed the half marathon together and it was then that I first thought that a full marathon was not impossible. 

When you are running over three hours with babies, your jogger starts to look more like a minivan then a light weight running jogger. You have to pack diapers, snacks, hats, gloves, water etc. It's really ridiculous. 

We headed out early last Saturday to hit one of our favorite trails. It actually goes all the way to our old house that we rented over last summer. Sebron had to work, so it was just Bob, Bethany, the babies and me. It was nice because Bob pushed Lily and Beth and I each pushed Jancsi half way. It's such a great trail and has you going over and under bridges, through tunnels, up hills, through the woods, through cute little neighborhoods and along side rivers and streams. It's really beautiful. The weather was great! The bluest sky overhead and the perfect running temperature. The wind started picking up towards the middle of the run and by the time we turned around to head home it was pretty strong and we were running right into it. It made it that much more difficult to push against it when your legs are already screaming how much they hate you. 

Jancsi was a champ and didn't complain the entire run. I ate all his cheerios poor kid. Honey Nut Cherrios are the best running food. They are the perfect pick me up snack in the middle of a long run. They're small and easy to eat quickly, they are crunchy and don't sit heavy in your stomach and have just the perfect amount of sweet! 

We finished right at 21.01 miles! My longest run so far. The marathon is 19 days away. Yikes! I'm so excited!