Hello, my friend!
I hope you and yours are having a wonderful week! I just got back from a fun tennis outing with my almost-six-year-old son, Isaiah. (insert cliché statement about the swiftness of time… But seriously, how have six years already elapsed!?)
He and I have been taking tennis lessons together for just over a month now, and tomorrow, I’ll be joining in on piano, taking a 30-minute lesson after his finishes up. I haven’t taken piano lessons in 25 years, so here’s hoping this old dog can learn a new trick! The only extracurricular I’m not yet directly involved in is the kids’ swimming lessons, though I could certainly use them! (I’ve always wanted to figure out the butterfly stroke.)
After tennis, we went grocery shopping at Sprouts, and I couldn’t help but notice the store’s prominent display of sea moss! I guess it’s a new trend? I’m not on TikTok, so I’m not in the trend loop. Anyway, curiosity prompted me to snag a pumpkin-flavored jar of it, the ingredients of which consist of pumpkin and lime puree, sea moss, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, the latter two of which I was most looking forward to tasting, but alas, did not detect whatsoever. It tasted like a saddle, to be honest. But hey, if sea moss really can provide me with better brain health, a stronger immune system, as well as boosted energy, and much more, then I’m all in. Plus, all you need is a tablespoon or two a day…and maybe a shot of juice or kombucha to chase it down with. You can read all about sea moss HERE, if you’re interested!
Alrighty, onward to this week’s Top 4!
DRUG TEST
“If busyness is your drug, rest will feel like stress.”
Not sure where I saw that quote (found it stored away in my phone), but man do I find it convicting! I’m so thankful God commands His people to rest one day a week. Because it is a God-given commandment, is it any wonder we’re often tempted to forgo a Sabbath day, or write it off as optional or unimportant?
FIT FOR A LIFETIME (via @drjamesdinic on Instagram)
“Bicep curls will help you lift a gallon of milk when you’re older. Shrugs will help you carry groceries. Squatting will help you get up the stairs. Cardio will allow you to run around with your kids and grandkids. This is a long game. Stay fit for life.”
SOBERING PERSPECTIVE
“Twenty years from now, you’d give anything to be:
This exact age
This healthy
Back in this exact moment
Take a second to enjoy it now.” – Rich Webster
This one hits me hard as I feel my children’s little years rushing past me like a roaring river current. Lately I’ve found myself sneaking into my son Isaiah’s room in the mornings when he’s still asleep and kneeling beside his bed to watch him a while, his toy iguana and nativity snow globe placed lovingly beside his head. I’ve been carrying my two-year-old daughter around, even though she’s more than old enough and capable enough to walk — make that run — wherever she pleases. I’m loving pressing my cheek to my baby’s and gently squeezing his tiny feet as I feed him. I’m trying not to blink, lest these heavenly moments vanish into the mists of ever-hurrying, never-pausing Time.
On this week’s episode of THE WAY TO GROW MOM SHOW, I share the final three things NOT to say to a woman who’s had a miscarriage. I hope you, or perhaps someone you know, will be helped by it!
Thank you as always for your support of my writing!
Fiction:
NEW: Where I Go Night-Night (children’s picture book)
NEW!: The God Next Door (comedic fantasy)
Medusa’s Wish (fantasy)
Moonbow: Prequel to The Petros Chronicles (fantasy)
Age of the Ashers (fantasy)
War of the Ashers (fantasy)
Fate of the Ashers (fantasy)
The Petros Chronicles Boxset
Armor for Orchids (Christian Women’s Contemporary)
Orchid Unshaken (Christian Women’s Contemporary)
Orchid Unbound (Christian Women’s Contemporary)
Orchid Unfading (Christian Women’s Contemporary)
Non-Fiction:
Fit for Faith: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Total Fitness
Perfect Fit Couples Edition: Workouts and Reflections for a Rock-Solid Relationship
Perfect Fit: Weekly Wisdom and Workouts for Women of Faith and Fitness
Perfect Fit No Excuses: 15-Minute Workouts for Life’s Busiest Days
Immeasurable Fitness Challenge: 18 Days of Total Health for Spirit, Soul, and Body
Immeasurable: Diving in the Depths of God’s Love (a memoir)