M-Prove Yourself Monday

Forgiveness

Loved this.

M-Prove Yourself Monday

A Tender Mercy

Yesterday was an amazing day! It was so amazing that it took eight pages of my large paged journal to write about it. That is the longest journal entry I have ever written--and I've written a lot! The day was just packed full of spiritual experiences that moved me to want to be so much better. It began at church, then carried into an amazing talk Mike and I had after church about our financial goals (gosh, I love that man!), and then continued on into an incredible youth fireside I attended with a closing musical number that left me sobbing....literally sobbing. After the fireside, I mopped up the tears on the floor around me and then walked outside to a beautiful full rainbow overhead that reached from one end of the sky to the other. It was like a spiritual witness, a tender mercy from my Heavenly Father that the gospel IS true and that He loves me and knows and understands every piece of me! I haven't felt the Spirit that intensely in a long time and it just felt so wonderful that I not only had to write the details of it in my journal, but had to share a little of it here as well. I believe that the amazing spiritual experiences Heavenly Father blesses each of us with throughout our lives are only small glimpses and a very small taste of the the glory that awaits us. I can't wait and hope I can live a life worthy to bask in that glory forever! I love my Savior with all of my heart and know HE LIVES! I just wanted to let the world know that I know that.

M-Prove Yourself Monday

Keeping Up With Yourself

The other day I turned on Ellen while I folded laundry. I love Ellen. I love her humor. She makes me smile. Unfortunately, I'm not able to find time to watch her show very often, which is why I'm thrilled she's the new judge on American Idol! You can never get too much Ellen. :)

On her show that day was Drew Brees, quarterback for the New Orleans Saints and MVP of the 2010 Superbowl! I've never really known much about him until his team won the Superbowl, but now I can tell you I'm definitely a fan. I was so impressed by his interview with Ellen (you can view the interview HERE).

In the interview, he said some things that really struck me. His words impressed me so much that I haven't been able to get them out of my mind...

He told Ellen that he doesn't pay attention to the scoreboard when he plays. He just focuses on making each play the best he can possibly make it. He said, "when you get yourself into a scoreboard watching contest, you get your mind off of the game. It doesn't matter what the score is until the final bell hits."

I've been thinking all week about how applicable those statements are to life. Scoreboard watching seems to be a natural tendency we all succumb to at one time or another. I think we can all remember at least a time or two when we've gotten caught up in how we (or our family) compare to others or about who's ahead in the game. We can so easily get caught up in who has more money, the nicer home, the better wardrobe, greater success, more creativity, better looks, the better body, is better educated, has greater talent, is more spiritually gifted, etc. etc. etc. I catch myself doing it a lot as mother. I compare Bryson's physical and mental development with the kids he socializes with, always secretly hoping he's "ahead" or "better." When we compare, our minds are taken off the game and we lose eternal focus.

Our focus is to win the game, not by watching the scoreboard, but by becoming the very best of ourselves with every breath we take--or in other words, to become as Christlike as possible.

That is how we win.

It's not about keeping up with others. It's about keeping up with ourselves. Being the best WE can be with each breath we are granted is where our focus should stay. If our focus is constantly on others and how we measure up (or don't measure up) to them, we will quickly lose sight of our eternal potential, and in the end, we will not become much of anything.

So today, I'm putting on blinders. Blinders so I can start focusing on what's in front of ME instead of what's in front of everyone else. Making the best of the life and abilities I have been given. Because in the end, all that matters is who I am and who I've become when the final bell hits.


P.S. On a very random and un-related side note, have you seen THIS Old Spice commercial?? I about pee'd my pants from laughter when I first saw it (it's better when you see it on TV). I think it's my favorite commercial of all time. I'm glad my man smells like a man!

I'm on a horse.

M-Prove Yourself Monday

My sister-in-law posted this on her blog last week and it really spoke to me. It's too good not to share. I hope it will speak to you too!

M-Prove Yourself Monday

M-Prove Yourself Monday

Signature Strengths

What are your strengths? Do you know? Thanks to a seminar I attended a few months ago, I just recently discovered what mine are. The seminar taught that one of the great sources of happiness is to infuse your strengths into everything you do! I've been thinking a lot lately about the purpose of strengths and how to better use them and thought I would share with you some of the things I've learned and am still learning...

Each of us have been blessed with unique strengths for a reason. You have been blessed with the very strengths you have so that you have a way to bring Christ to others. C.S. Lewis said, "Men are mirrors, or 'carriers' of Christ to other men." I love that and believe that it's in our strengths that Christ is carried.

Christ is literally carried within each of our strengths because our strengths belong to Him--they are portions of Himself that He has lovingly bestowed upon each of us so we can each have unique and powerful ways to bless the lives of those around us and to bring others to Him. That is why we have them!

Here are some other things I've learned about them:

-Strengths should not be used to glorify ourselves, but to glorify HIM, because it's to Him they belong.

-When we infuse our strengths into everything we do, we are infusing Christ into everything we do because He is found within them.

-Through our strengths we can carry Christ into the lives of everyone around us IF we recognize the power they have of doing that.

My goal this week is to focus on using the portions of Christ in me (AKA: my strengths) to better bless the lives of those around me.

I encourage you to do the same. :)

P.S. Find out what portions of Christ are in you by taking the VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire (you will need to register to take it) Then allow Christ to work through each of your amazing strengths to bless the world! :)

M-Prove Yourself Monday

Goals

I have to apologize for letting several weeks slip by without doing a Monday post. I actually started writing this last Monday, but for some reason never got around to finishing it, so you get it this week. :)

Because this is so late, by now I'm sure your New Year's resolutions have already been set, so I guess maybe this can be used to help you refine them a little.

I love to set goals. Randomly stop me on the street sometime and ask me what goals I am currently working towards and I will always be able to recite to you a current list because I always have a list! However, just because I am constantly working toward goals, doesn't mean I always accomplish them. A few months ago, after failing miserably trying to reach a certain goal I set for myself, I decided to do a little research on goal setting techniques (yes, I'm a nerd...but wait, you already knew that). :) I found a technique that, after trying several times, I've come to love because it totally works!!!! Since discovering this method, I have been able to achieve EVERY SINGLE goal I have set for myself using it. Hard to believe? Well, it's true and that's why you need to try it!

Hear it is (I found a copy of the method online and this is just a copy/paste version of it). It's called the S.M.A.R.T. method:

Your goals should be:

Specific - A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. EXAMPLE: A general goal would be, "Get in shape." But a specific goal would say, "Join a health club and workout 3 days a week."

Measurable - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal. To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable - When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals. You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.

Realistic - To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love. Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished.

Timely - A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there's no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? "Someday" won't work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, "by May 1st", then you've set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.


Last year I wrote down four new year's resolutions. I only accomplished one of them. The one I accomplished was to attend the temple at least once a month. I did it, sometimes on the last day of the month, but I did it and it felt so great!!! As I've looked back on the list of resolutions I made last year, I realized that the three goals I didn't accomplish were not set using the principles of this method and I'm certain that's why they weren't accomplished.

But this year will be different!!! By the end of the year, I'm going to have four for four baby!

So pull out your list of resolutions for the year, narrow the list down to 1-5 goals, set them using this method, and then watch the magic happen!

M-Prove Yourself [Tuesday]

I had an extremely busy day yesterday and didn't get a chance to do this, so here it is today.

I have been rather moved lately as I've read so many of my friends and family's posts about the gratitude they feel for the blessings in their lives, whether great or small. One friend of mine has even done a gratitude post every single day this month! It's been incredible and has really caused me to reflect upon the things in my life for which I am grateful.

My father-in-law emailed me these words that were taken from the Tabernacle Choir broadcast on November 19th. I was deeply impressed by what they taught me and I wanted to share them with you. Here they are:

"A few years ago, two researchers conducted what they called the Research Project on Gratitude and Thankfulness. They found through science what most of us know intuitively: gratitude makes people happy.

For the study, several hundred people were divided into three groups and asked to keep diaries. The first group listed the day’s events in their diaries, the second group recorded any unpleasant experiences they had during the day, and the last group made a daily list of things they were grateful for.

The researchers found that the simple act of taking time each day to count your blessings makes a person more enthusiastic, determined, optimistic, and energetic. Those who expressed gratitude experienced less depression and stress, exercised more regularly, and made more progress toward personal goals. Researchers even noted a relationship between feeling grateful and feeling loved, and they observed how gratitude inspires acts of kindness and compassion.

Remarkable, isn’t it? All this from daily gratitude and thanksgiving.

Of course, the best way to discover the benefits of gratitude is not by observing them in an academic study but by experiencing the miracle for ourselves: When we daily count our blessings, we feel better about life, even in the midst of adversity; we garner a strength of character and largeness of soul that will help us through hard times; and we see life as basically good, despite its challenges and heartaches.

Gratitude does not need to be reserved for holidays and special events. Every day is filled with miracles and blessings. If we open our hearts and look, we’ll find reasons for gratitude and thanksgiving each day, all around us."

I want to end by sharing a video I'm sure many of you have already seen because of the impact Christian & Stephanie Nielson's tragic yet miraculous story has had on so many lives. This clip from Mr. Nielson is one of purest heartfelt expressions of gratitude I have ever seen.

P.S. I'm off to "Terrific Tuesday" with Bryson. I'll post pictures soon!

M-Prove Yourself Monday

Pom Wonderful

A personal break through happened today. I bought and opened a pomegranate!

Let me tell you why this was such a break through for me. First of all, you must know that I love to eat pomegranates. I love them when they have been prepared by others. But to buy one and actually try to open up the thing and break out the "arils" (n. the fleshy edible seeds of a pomegranate which are filled with sweet, tart juice) myself has always really intimidated me, so I never have. They are just so scary looking, especially when they're opened--yikes!

Today I was in the grocery store and noticed that pomegranates were on sale. Because of my fear of them, I tried my hardest not to notice but that darn "sale" sign drew me right in. As I approached the barrel they were in, I felt the little devils trying to work their intimidation factor on me and I almost turned away, but thankfully, attached to the barrel was a pamphlet that described step by step how to open them. The pamphlet made it seem so easy and really boosted my confidence level, so after taking a deep breath, I reached into the barrel, picked one up, and placed it in my shopping cart. Yes, it was a very proud moment for me [you may clap now]. :)

Mike and I opened and ate it together tonight and it was actually a lot of fun and hardly "scary" at all (click on the lovely diagram above to learn how for yourself)!

And let me tell you, it was certainly worth it! Yum.

I was so excited to have finally learned how to open a pomegranate that I just had to make it the topic of this post tonight. :) Here's some more cool info from the pamphlet about them:

"Pomegranates contain polyphenols, one of nature's most powerful and effective antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect your body against "free radicals," major factors in aging as well as in chronic conditions like heart disease and cancer. They are also chock-full of Vitamin C, a vital nutrient that's been shown to reduce both the length and severity of colds; and Vitamin K, a substance required for healthy blood clotting."

So if you've been one to shy away from pomegranates because of their intimidating appearance, I assure you, there's no need to be afraid of them anymore. Go out and try some yourself!

P.S. Bryson is 20 months old today! Here's how we celebrated:

M-Prove Yourself Monday

Pico De Gallo

Today I thought I would share with you one of my favorite recipe's of all time. Your taste buds will go absolutely crazy (like seriously crazy) over this stuff. I got this recipe from my sis-in-law Camden about a year ago and our lives haven't been the same since. Bryson even goes crazy over it! Here it is:

4-6 large tomatoes, diced

1 medium onion, diced

6 green onions, sliced

2-3 jalapenos, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Juice of 4 limes

3 Tbs. white vinegar

1Tbs. salt

2 avacodos, diced

Mix everything together in a large bowl, add avocados last so they don't get smashed. Chill in refrigerator for several hours before serving. Serve with chips, as a dressing on a salad, or over beans and rice. Holy cow, I'm totally salivating...

Not only will your taste buds love it, but your body will too! Here's why:

Tomatoes are great sources of vitamins A and C, folic acid, fiber and antioxidants. They fight cancer, lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, fight aging, help with weight loss, fight infections, build bones, improve vision, and help to keep your nails and hair looking radiant.

Onions (white & green) are great sources of fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and potassium. They help prevent cancer and reduce the risk of heart disease. They also reduce the symptoms of asthma sufferers and work to lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

Jalapenos are rich in Vitamins A, C, and K. Vitamins A and C are antioxidants that help prevent cell damage, cancer, and diseases related to aging. They also reduce inflammation like found in arthritis and asthma. Vitamin K promotes proper blood clotting and strengthens bones. Hot peppers have also been shown to decrease cholesterol and the risk of stomach ulcers.

Cilantro is a good source of fiber, iron, and magnesium. It helps in digestion and relieves gas. It protects against urinary tract infections, prevents nausea, helps settle the stomach, lowers blood sugar, and lowers cholesterol.

Limes are good sources of folic acid, Vitamin B6, and potassium. They are also packed with Vitamin C, which helps strengthen the immune system and protects against illness. Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant that protects cells from oxidative damage and reduces inflammation and swelling in the body. Limes also protect against cancer because they stop many cancer cells from dividing.

Avocados are the best fruit source of Vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant and helps keep the circulatory system healthy. They are also a good source of folate, which protects against heart disease. They help with blood clotting and wound healing. They also work to prevent breast, oral, and prostate cancers, keep eyes healthy, lower cholesterol, and work to prevent strokes.

I hope by now you are salivating and want to make yourself up a yummy bowl of this goodness. Your taste buds and body will thank you. If you try it, let me know what you think!

M-Prove Yourself Monday

The Five Love Languages

Today I want to share some info from a book I absolutely love and hope you've all read or will read. Mike and I love this book so much that we give it as wedding presents to people. It has totally changed our marriage and we know it can change yours too! There's tons of information in this book so I'll just give a brief summary of what the book covers:

The Five Love Languages is amazing and teaches the importance of being able to express love to your spouse in a way that your spouse can understand. According to Dr.Chapman, unhappiness in relationships is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we fail to understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to feel loved. Each person has a unique way in which they need their love tank to be filled. Learning about the five love languages can not only work to improve your marriage relationship, but can also help you improve every relationship around you. Just try it--you'll see.

Here's a brief summary of the five love languages (you can read more about each of the love languages here):

WORDS OF AFFIRMATION:

• Communication: Use compliments, affirmations, and kind words
• Actions: Send notes, cards, and emails. Leave comments on their blog
• What to Avoid: Criticism, sarcasm, withholding compliments and forgiveness
• Example: A note left on the windshield expressing your appreciation

QUALITY TIME:

• Communication: One-on-one time, not interrupting, face-to-face conversations without distractions
• Actions: Take long walks together, do ordinary things together, take a trip
• What to Avoid: Long periods of time apart, more time with friends than partner
• Example: Take the dog for a walk together, leave the kids at home!

ACTS OF SERVICE:

• Communication: Use action words like: "I can," "I will," and "What else can I do?"
• Actions: Help with the house and yard chores, acts of kindness, maintenance and repair
• What to Avoid: Helping others while ignoring partner's requests for help, putting partner second
• Example: Mop the floor without being asked

RECEIVING GIFTS:

• Communication: Honest-sincere gifts that show you listen
• Actions: Give gifts on special occasions, give gifts for no reason at all
• What to Avoid: Forgetting special days
• Example: Bring home a flower or gift one day for no reason at all

PHYSICAL TOUCH:

• Communication: Use non-verbal communication
• Actions: Touches, hugs, kisses, holding hands
• What to Avoid: Physical neglect or abuse
• Example: Touch your partner's shoulder as you pass by

How to determine YOUR love language

You can either take this quick test to determine your love language or ask yourself the following questions:

1. How do I most frequently express love to others?
2. What does your spouse (or others) do or fail to do that hurts you most deeply?
3. What do I request most often of my spouse?

Make sure your spouse knows your love language and that you know theirs so that you'll know how to keep each others love tanks full.

Tank Check: Dr. Chapman recommends that you have a "Tank Check" 3 nights a week for 3 weeks. Ask one another "How is your love tank tonight?" If, on a scale from zero to ten, it is less than 10, then ask "What can I do to help fill it?" Then do it to the best of your ability.


The key to strengthening relationships, is to speak the love language of those around you. In order to do that you need to know what others love languages are.

My primary love language is words of affirmation, which means I feel most loved when I receive words of affirmation from others through notes, letters, emails, comments, words, etc. I also feel most hurt when I am criticized or when words of affirmation or forgiveness are withheld from me. Since words of affirmation is my primary love language, it is also the way in which I most naturally express love to others. (FYI: Mike's love language is also words of affirmation).

Now that you know my love language, I need to know yours! After determining your love language, please leave me a comment and let me know what it is so I know how to best show my love to you. :)

M-Prove Yourself Monday

Learning Through Adoption

Because November is national adoption month, I thought I would dedicate my first post in November to talking a little about adoption and some of the things we've learned through our adoption experience. Some of this is very personal; however, we hope that by sharing it, it can be of help to someone out there.

So here goes [deep breath]-- a very edited (meaning we've left out the most private of details so they aren't floating around in cyber space) version of our story and some of the things we've learned from it:


Mike and I were married in 2002 with the knowledge that there was a "possibility" we may never have children of our own. That possibility became a reality on May 19, 2003 when we received the results of a test which confirmed the absolute certainty of our infertility.

I saw Mike cry for the very first time that day.

The news was beyond devastating. We stood alone in our living room that day and just wept into each others arms until our shirts were soaked through. We were heartbroken and felt like the future we had always envisioned for ourselves had suddenly come crashing to a halt. Our hearts ached at the realization that we would never have children of our own. We would never know what a child created by the two of us would look like. We would never get to experience pregnancy, get to feel a baby kick, have an ultrasound, or hear a little baby's heartbeat. The saddest realization was that we would never get to experience the beautiful and spiritual moment in the delivery room when we first see our children and they are each placed in our arms for the very first time. Our dreams seemed shattered!

And then we felt It.

As we stood together in mental anguish, unsure of what our future held, we became completely enveloped by the love of our Heavenly Father. We were not alone. He was with us, mourning with us. Amidst our sadness and pain, we were encompassed by His peace. His arms were around us, assuring us that this was part of His plan for us and that everything would be okay.

"Trust Me" was the simple phrase He spoke to my heart that day. It's the same phrase that burned within my heart with baby Mac's tragic death. It's the same phrase I hope will continue to burn within my heart throughout every difficult situation, minor or major, I will experience in the future because it is what saved me.

He asks us to simply trust Him.

As we've look back on how things have transpired in our lives as a result of the news we received that day, we can honestly say that we wouldn't trade our experiences for anything. Having biological children would definitely be a blessing and a wonderful opportunity, but we are not bitter at the fact that we can't. We don't feel sorry for ourselves or feel hurt or jealous when loved ones announce they are pregnant. We feel blessed. Blessed that we have been chosen to experience the miracles of adoption!

Only those who have adopted or have been apart of the adoption process in some way can fully understand the wonders that take place. Adoption enables you to see so clearly the hand of God working to bring eternal families together. It seems that Heavenly Father uses miracle after miracle to open the doors necessary to help each child find the parents meant to be theirs. We feel that we were very much led through miracles to Bryson and that through miracles he was led to us. We know we will be led in the same way to the future children meant to be apart of our eternal family.

Bryson might be biologically his birth families, but he is eternally ours. We believe that his spirit, although residing in a body not genetically related to us, was meant to be apart of our eternal family from the beginning. We felt it the moment we opened and read Kimbralee's first email to us. We felt it the moment Kimbralee selected us to be his earthly parents. We felt it the moment we first saw him in the hospital all bundled up with a head full of long dark hair. We felt it the moment Kimbralee placed his tiny warm body in our arms and entrusted us with his earthly care. We felt it as tears streamed down our faces in the temple as he was sealed to us for eternity. We continue to feel it each time we see his adorable little face and hug his little body. The indescribable love that floods through our hearts for him is because we know without a doubt that he was truly meant to be ours. He may not have been conceived in my tummy, but he was conceived eternally in my heart.

…and as strange as it sounds, we don't feel like we have missed out on any of the experiences and blessings that come through having biological children. We have experienced every single one of them-- just in a different way.

If we would have known back on May 19, 2003 what we know now, I think we would have rejoiced in the news we received that day instead of grieving. Heavenly Father's plan for us has turned out far better than "our" plan ever could have. What we originally thought was the greatest trial, has turned out to be the greatest gift-- a blessing in disguise given to us from a loving Heavenly Father who knows us perfectly.


Through the process of receiving our precious gift (A.K.A. Bryson), we have learned some things that we will cherish forever:

We've learned that...

• there is purpose behind everything we experience.


• sometimes we can feel the power and love of God strongest in our lives during our darkest times.


• sometimes we have to surrender our desires in order to follow the plan God has for us. Fighting against God's plan, because we think we know what's best for us, only brings bitterness, resentment, pain, and loneliness. Embracing His plan, although it most often means submitting our will, desires, and dreams entirely to His, brings peace, joy, knowledge, and power.
  
• our Father in Heaven is at the helm of our lives. No matter how miraculous or tragic our experiences, He sits on the throne. He is in control and does not make mistakes.


• if we could only see as He sees, we would see the masterpiece He is creating within us through each tragedy and trial He allows us to experience.
  
• Heavenly Father will never deprive us of our greatest (righteous) desires. He blesses us with opportunities to grow our patience and faith and then rewards us in ways far greater (and usually different) than our original desires.
  

We feel so blessed to have experienced the miracles of adoption. We know that the love God has for Bryson and other adopted children is powerful and real because we have witnessed it. Bryson is our little miracle. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't thank our Father in Heaven for the gift he is to us and for his amazing birth mother. Her decision to place him for adoption is one of the purest acts of love a person can show.

We love you Kim! You are our earthly angel. We dedicate this video to you:

Last night while at my parents house I shared this video with my mom and sister-in-law. When Bryson heard it he came over to the computer without us encouraging him to at all and watched it with us so intently. I think somehow he knows.

M-Prove Yourself Monday

My Calorie Counter

Whether you need to lose, gain, or maintain your weight My Calorie Counter is for you! I've been using it for a few years now and love it so much that I had to share with you! It's a free online journal where you can chart your daily food intake and exercise. It keeps a tally of the number of calories you consume through food and/or burn through exercise each day and is such a great way to help you manage your weight and live a healthy lifestyle. This is why it's so cool:

• It keeps a running total of not only your calorie intake, but of your fat, cholesterol, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sodium, sugar, fiber, and protein intakes so that you can keep them all in check.
• It calculates how many calories you burn for a given activity (I've compared what this calculates with what my heart rate monitor calculates when I work out and it's pretty accurate)
• It charts your weight and graphs your progress
• It charts and graphs your nutrient breakdowns so you can see which nutrients your diet is lacking or exceeding (unfortunately it doesn't chart your vitamin and mineral intakes)

Click for larger view

Be sure that when you first create your journal you:

• Adjust it for your current weight (circled in example above). Keeping your current weight up-to-date in the journal will help it properly calculate the calories you burn each day.
• Click on "Target" (circled in example above) and adjust it for your target calorie level. Your target calorie level is a number that is specific to you. If you don't know what your target calorie level should be, leave me a comment or send me an email (see sidebar) and I'd be happy to calculate your personalized number for you. Knowing your individual calorie level will help you better manage your weight.
• Also in the "Target" section, you may also need to adjust the different nutrient targets according to your individual needs (ie: if you have high blood pressure and are on a low-sodium diet, adjust the sodium level listed to match that of your diet). If you aren't on any health related diets, the nutrient levels automatically listed will be appropriate for you.

I hope you'll use this and come to love it as much as I do! Have fun and be healthy!

M-Prove Yourself Monday

Increase Your Happiness

I learned so many amazing things at the Women's Health Conference that I thought I would begin this by sharing one of the things I really loved. One of the speakers spoke about how to increase your state of happiness. Sometimes, especially as women, we tend to get down on ourselves and become overwhelmed with feelings of depression or low self-worth. She (Dr. Ulrich) gave a list of 12 things that have been proven to increase happiness that we can and should spend time working on.

We all know that increasing our spirituality is the best way to find true and lasting happiness. In addition to that, we can also do the things listed below to add to that happiness. From the list she gave, these are my favorites:

• Exercise - this is the single best thing to increase your sense of well-being


• Learn from your problems instead of dwelling on them - spend 20 minutes a day for three days writing about your problems or difficulties. Make a list of things you can learn from them and how you can overcome them.


• Forgive - spend 20 minutes a day for several days vividly imagining letting go of resentment and forgiving someone. Write about how you are letting go. Practice thoughts of self-forgiveness.


• Use your signature strengths to better the world - go here to take a test to see what your greatest strengths are (take the "VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire"). Then infuse your strengths into everything you do. Focus your attention on your strengths rather than your weaknesses. Weave your strengths into your daily activities and goals. Remember that the greatest leaders are those that contribute their strengths to the world.

I plan to try some of these this week and encourage you to try them too! Wouldn't this world be such a better place if it were filled with happier people? Let's help the cause.

(This information came from Wendy Ulrich, PhD. If you would like a full list of the 12 ways to increase your happiness, email me or leave a comment and I'd be happy to send you a copy)

Cornbelly's & My Quest to Learn

We had a fun weekend. We met up with some family and friends Friday evening at Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point. We had never been before so we thought we'd check it out this year. It was actually a lot of fun with TONS of activities for the kiddos.

Saturday my mother-in-law and I attended a Women's Health Conference put on by the Intermountain Utah Valley Women's Clinic. I thrive on stuff like this and absolutely LOVED it! I love learning about any and all information that can help me be a better person physically, mentally, spiritually, etc. It was about a five hour conference and the whole thing actually made me really miss being in school (yeah, I'm a nerd). I love learning and having my head pumped full of knowledge and hope to someday go to grad school for a Master's.

Until then, I've decided that there is a lot of learning I can do by myself. So to motivate me in my quest to learn, I have decided make this blog a place where I can account for my learning. On Monday's (I'll call it "M-Prove Yourself Monday") I will be sharing something I have learned that will hopefully benefit the reader's (however few of you there are) of this blog in some way.

Since I graduated with a degree in dietetics, the majority of what I share will probably be nutrition/health related, because that's what I mostly love to study, but occasionally I'm sure I will throw in other topics. I will do my best to keep the "M-Prove Yourself Monday" posts interesting and applicable to you, my loyal blogging friends. So...

let the learning begin!