The Most Ridiculous Inspiration Ever.

This is the story of the most ridiculous inspiration ever. Even I, the chronic over-sharer, don't want to share this absurdity. But, I'm trying to pump out 500 words a day.

It's great that things sort of slow down for us a little for the holidays, but then again, it's not. I function more efficiently when I've got things to do, places to go, people to see. It's not that we haven't done anything, it's just that it's been up to me. This is not good. It's been cold. And dreary. And cold. 

We started out watching an insane amount of Psych on Netflix. Naturally, my Invisible Guilty Cloak was becoming more visible as a result, coupled with the fact that my Spouse has been on an awesome gym binge lately. The result: the Psych had to be limited.

We switched to The Biggest Loser on Hulu. Surely this would inspire, yes? I also confession-texted a few friends about my intermittent gym attendance. Seriously. This works. I get excited by other people's successes and their energy, don't you?

Last week, I took my sorry carcass to the gym. It was 34° of ridiculous. I killed it. I came home, took a shower and I don't think I left the house the rest of the day. Did it again the next day. And again and again. One day I went in the morning and then went back in the evening with the Spouse. We're getting there, thank you, Bob & Jillian.

So, this is how I'm bustin' through the Winter Blahs:
-Psych.
-Texting my people for inspiration.
-Biggest Loser.
-Following my Spouse as he's leading our family back to "Active" status.
- Also, for my last few days on the elliptical, I've been watching Alias (again) while on the machine because Sydney Bristow makes me feel all BA.

As of this morning, I've knocked out 7 solid workouts in 6 days.

How's that for a five-step plan? Pretty sure that's a thing. I'm as motivational as Matt Foley!

Have y'all gotten inspiration from some odd or socially unacceptable places?
Let's hear them.

Prayer, Peace, & a Plan.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. 

I do not give as the world gives. 

Do not let your hearts be troubled 

and do not be afraid. John 14:27

OK. Let's get something straight here, Kids. I'm not a doctor.

I'm not a nurse or medical professional of any kind. I'm not a nutritionist.

I am not even a reliable source of celebrity gossip.

There. That's your disclaimer. 

But, here's what who I do know: Jesus.

I know that where Jesus is, there is peace. 

I'm choosing peace. I'm choosing Jesus.

Spouse and I went to see my endocrinologist today to discuss treatment for these little cells growing where my thyroid used to be. My Jesus-loving friend, Keri, works in the office, recommended this doctor,  and sat right there with us the whole time, too. (Y'all know I'm gonna turn everything into a social function. Also, she has quickly become one of my favorite people.)

We are dealing with a recurrence of (or residual, we don't really know) Follicular Thyroid Cancer. Cells were visible on the Body Scan, but so small and few that the Ultrasound didn't pick it up. Also, my thyroid function (blood levels) have been good. We were all (doc included) pretty surprised to hear that the scan showed a positive result for cancer cells. 

We aren't anxious. Really. (The doc did keep asking over and over if I was irritable or moody! Ha! We had fun with that; I've been on this crazy Low Iodine Diet---dern skippy, I'm irritable!  We introduced the kind doctor to the word "hangry". :))

We have a couple of options for now, since this is a seemingly slow growing, slow moving cancer. We could opt for another round of Radioactive Iodine Therapy (RAI) or watch it for six months. 

I've never had peace about the RAI. Not even last week when I had to take a low dose for the scan. I did not love that, years ago, I put something in my body that caused me to be poisonous to anyone within 6-feet of me! I've always said that if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't do it.

And, here I am.

We have looked at the advantages and risks, of which there are several. Spouse and I are in agreement that the peaceful option for now is to pray and plan. We were not at all settled about the RAI. We are peaceful about using the tools that the Lord gave us (nutrition, prayer) to heal our bodies. 

I am right now looking into some crazy, hippie alternatives to try. Like one-step short of Colorado.

My soul-sister, Cassi, gave me this card on Sunday.
We get each other.

We figure it won't hurt to go a little granola while we wait it out and the doctor was satisfied with either option we chose. He plainly stated this situation was rare and not a clear-cut decision. 

(Of course it's rare. My name is Melissa. If there is a small chance of anything...ya know....)

I am believing that in 6 months of prayer, there will be nothing. There will be a loud-mouthed, walking, blogging example of Jesus' healing power.
Real prayer. Real faith. Tested.

The prayer is still the same: 

Pray it to be gone, in Jesus' name.

That's it. Gone.

I have appreciated every call, text and message prayer I've gotten. I will appreciate them again next week and the week after when I will (knowing me) begin to question my hippie moment here. 

Keep prayin' and we will have a good Jesus story! Those are the best kind!

Health & Fitness Contract for Kids.

The Sisters want to earn some money. Being the cool junior conservatives they are, they don't ask for allowance or a handout, they ask, "Mom, can you make some jobs for us so we can buy a hamster?"
I dig that.
We have certain chores in our home that are to be done because it's part of being in a family. "Earnin' your keep", some would say. Others might say, "Learnin' to serve." I agree with both. Still, there are some paid jobs like, $.50 per load of folded and put away laundry (best money I ever spent), for example.

But, they were looking for a little more and the fact is, I've got something I'd like us to get back on track with and I'm at a place where I'm willing to pay for it. Not for long term, but for a time.

Here's how I came up with the plan:

I'm about thinking outside the box here, with this parenting gig. I know kids need to be motivated, and I've been given insight on how to motivate mine: financially.  So, I see all these Cell Phone Contracts and Driving Contracts that parents are having their kids sign and, well, they seem like grand ideas, so what about a Health & Fitness Contract?

The Sisters love their sports, but they (like me) are lacking in some conditioning areas. I blame myself for complaining about running all the time. They are both pretty good at it, but I have taught them to hate it.   Fantastic. Big Sister loves her fruit and drinks a lot of water, but doesn't love the greens. Little Sister tears up some salad and carrots and green beans, but her only fruit is an apple. They inherited a love for chocolate chip cookies, Chicken Minis, & ice cream. Also, there's the fact that 2012 was a bit of a different year for us, with all the zip codes we were in and all, so we were inconsistent with our fitness.

So, Mom got a plan.
I'm sharing it with you 'cause I like you and I believe it may be useful to somebody, somewhere.

Health & Fitness Contract & Payment Schedule.
Feel free to use/share, I took all the numbers out so you can customize.
Just be nice & give credit to the author.

****Updates Below****

Let me be clear:

• I'm not bribing. Bribing is paying before the deed is done. I worked on this for a couple of days, had Spouse help me tweak it and whatnot, before presenting it to the Sisters. There are no freebies, here. I feel like this would even be Dave Ramsey approved. :)
• I'm not a doctor, nutritionist, fitness expert, or guru of any kind. I'm a mom. Period.
• I don't even know how much H20 kids should drink a day. I just chose what seemed reasonable to me. 
• There are minimums. If the minimums aren't met for the week, there is no payment. Boom.
• To many of you, the fruit/veggie thing isn't enough servings. I get that. Tweak it to fit your current needs. 
• "Jog a mile"- This requirement is because I know their level. You adjust.

Big Sister is choosing to get her veggies by drinking them. She's drinking the Green Juice* and gettin' her done. (There are a ton out there, below is the recipe we use. I just like one with veggies AND fruit. So, you just pick one.)
Both Sisters are very financially motivated right now, so we are four days in and going strong! :) I'll keep you posted!

*Green Juice Recipe
Handful of Kale
2 small green apples (if you only have red, use em.)
Half cucumber, peeled.
2 whole carrots
2 celery sticks
Half peeled lemon (optional, I like it, Big Sister doesn't.)
Put them in a good juicer, in any order and stir. Cheers!

Feel free to offer up suggestions and ideas here! For real! Help a sister out!