Free indeed!

I've been a little hush-hush (in the blogging world anyway) about my health journey. But today is my unveiling! Today I finished a 60 day on-line, Bible Study, weight-loss course, called Setting Captives Free. They have several courses relating to freedom from eating, pornography, drugs and alcohol, sexual sin, etc. Here's the testimony I shared on my last lesson:

"I had been on a diet for the better part of 6 years. Most recently, I was on a 1400 calorie diet, burning 400 calories/day through exercise, and could not lose weight. If I did lose weight, I would just yo-yo between a 10 pound range (gaining and losing for over 3 years). I would do well on my diet for a short time, just looking forward to my "cheat day." On my cheat day, I would eat whatever I wanted for the whole day long. One cheat day was never enough. One day, I become so frustrated with this cycle and the lack of results that I told the Lord I was finished. I knew that if I would give it to Him, it would be fine. Why didn't I realize this years ago?! Not much later, I found Setting Captives Free. It was an answer to prayer. I realized that everytime I went to food when bored, excited, worried, frustrated, socializing, etc, rather than to God, I was putting food before God. I was letting food be my god and I was practicing idolatry. Even on a diet, food was my god because I was always thinking about it, seeking salvation through a diet. No wonder I couldn't lose weight. God had left me to my own devices. I see now, that my lack of weight-loss before, was God's grace to lead me to Setting Captives Free. I have found FREEDOM! I am free at last! Food does not guide my life anymore! I don't have to buy diet food or look for diet meals at a restaurant, and there's no need for a cheat day. I just enjoy what God has given me (and yes, usually it's not a salad). I have lost 23 pounds! But mostly, I have found a deeper, closer walk with God! I will never diet again! I don't need a cheat day anymore! I have found satisfaction in Him (and lost the weight to confirm it's effectiveness!)!"

So, I am currently the lightest I have ever been in my adult life. At my heaviest, I weighed 250 pounds. While pregnant with Rebekah (7 years ago), I had gestational diabetes. Never wanting to deal with that again (and vomiting several times a day due to pregnancy hormones), I lost some weight. For the last 4 years, I was stuck between 210 and 220. When I stared Setting Captives Free, I weighed 222 pounds. Today, I weigh 199 pounds. I wish I had before and after pictures, but I don't. I'm sure if I really wanted, I could conjure some up. I want all the glory to go to God though. For the first time in my life, I'm not worried about it. Now all I need the scale for is a barometer of my obedience to God, to keep me accountable to if God is my God, or if food is my god. I have never enjoyed my relationship with God more than I do now!

Next step, I've signed up for the Mentor Course to become a mentor for Setting Captives Free. Click here if interested in the program for yourself. There's an option to add a friend to be your accountability partner. If you'd like, you can add my address (mombeem@yahoo.com).

Movie Review:: Judy Moody and the Not-so-bummer-summer.

WHY is it raining in the middle of July?! Apparently, the rest of the nation is taking all of the energies of the sun and it doesn't have the energy to shine here (not bitter, just annoyed). I HAD to get the kids out of the house for little to no money. Since The Science Factory isn't open until 12:30 this week, we chose the buck-fifty theater. Except on Mondays (the day we went), tickets are only 75 cents!!!!

Judy Moody is such a fun movie! Judy Moody has the fashion sense inspired by Rebekah (I'm sure), and an attitude inspired by a 9 year-old that wants to be more mature. It's the kind of movie that reminds you what it's like to be a kid, teaches you to take time to have fun with your kids, and what's important in life. I totally want to make a family thrill chart (much like Judy's in the movie).

There's friendship, forgiveness, family, and FUN! It's clean (aside from using "crap" a couple of times--which I'm guilty of nearly every day). There are some parts that some kids might find scary: A Big-foot sighting in the middle of the night that scares the characters, and a spoof horror movie that Judy and her friend go to in an attempt to earn Thrill Points. My girls didn't mind these scenes at all and they are usually kinda chickens. I was always amazed how REAL Judy Moody seemed. And it's always nice to see kids learn a lesson the full-circle sort of way.

Although the lack of sun in Oregon might try to ruin our summer, we will choose to have a not-so-bummer-summer! Thanks, Judy Moody, for the inspiration!

A Funeral Fit For a Fish

Cutie Patootie, of the Beem home, was a good fish. He was the object of several art projects and the subject of Rebekah's first 2-point expository paragraph. He is survived by his first owners Rebekah, Maddy, and Isabelle. Cutie was a successor of the late-great Red Rover. Although he made several nests in hopes of a family, a mate never came, baby fishies never ensued. Cutie Patootie, you will be missed. Your tricks brought joy to our family as did your fishy kissy faces.

Shhh....we accidentally did home-school today.

Thanks to rainy-day Oregon, the girls were forced to get creative in their play time. They got their counting money jar out and started sorting, counting, and (dare-I-say?) learning.

• Isabelle started counting coins as she put them in the counter. She counted to 38! Last I knew, she could only count to 12 (which I was impressed with)
• Madeline counted her nickles by 5's and her dimes by 10's!
• Rebekah multiplied by 4's to figure out how many dollars she had in quarters.

And this brings me to the first ever Bringing Up the Princess give-away! As many of you know, I

have quite the little Mary Kay inventory. And what does every woman need, but a miniature brush set?! Who ever guesses how much money we have in our money counter, will get an eye brush set (4 brushes and a pretty carrying case)! Let the guessing begin!

Money saved equals pedicures gained?

Today I was given the opportunity to share my love for homemade cleaning and beauty supplies at church with some really fun ladies. My husband laughed when I said that I was going to teach a homemaking class because, as my close friends know, cleaning/organizing are not my strong-suit. They're barely on my list. I am good, however, at being a super cheap tightwad.

This class was a ton of fun! It fills me to the brim to be around groups of ladies (particularly being the center of attention for a while *wink wink*). As you know, I have been loving making laundry soap, dishwasher detergent, and all purpose cleaner. Today, I used the teaching opportunity to try some new recipes out that I have been putting off. It energized my passion for this stuff!

We made homemade deodorant, toothpaste, bug spray, shampoo, all purpose cleaner, laundry

soap. I loved the toothpaste (even came home to use it with my toothbrush, as opposed to my finger in class)! I keep running my tongue over my teeth to feel how smooth they are! It's sorta like I just went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned. The deodorant is a little goopier than I anticipated, but I'm sure I can add more baking soda and cornstarch. As for now, I'm storing it in my fridge. The verdict is still out on the all purpose cleaner. It did remove a pen mark off the table during the class, though.

And I even learned new things!

• You can use old soap stubs to add to the laundry detergent and save on FelsNaptha.
• For yummy smelling laundry (something I've missed with the homemade detergent and the recent allergic reaction to fabric softening sheets): put a few drops of essential oil on a wash cloth or paper towel and throw it in the dryer (too much can be dangerous though).
• For static cling: add a ball of aluminum foil to the dryer! Reuse over and over and over!
• Store homemade deodorant and toothpaste in baby food jars.
• Don't confuse the deodorant with the toothpaste. The deodorant may be edible but it kinda tastes like vaseline!
• Citric acid is optional in the dishwasher detergent (in fact I heard it counteracts the washing soda, not sure how true that is). I'm still toying with that recipe to find what I like.

I'm excited to do this again! Next time, imagine the things I will learn as the student!

Enjoy your homemade cleaning/body care supplies making! Feel free to add any links or recipes that you have, and if you've used em or not! Oh that would be fun to read! Who knows, if you save enough money (which you will), you can use that extra moolah for a pedicure!

Cupcakes and Proverbs

When Chuck told me that he was assigned dessert to take to a work pot-luck, I knew this would be prime time to show off his wife's cupcake skills! His wife makes YUMMY cupcakes. Plus, he bought her a cake decorating kit for her birthday, so it's a win-win situation. (okay, I'll stop talking about myself in the third person).

All the time I was making cupcakes (mini ones and regular sized ones), I couldn't help but think that everyone will love these cupcakes so much and "her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land (Proverbs 31:23)." I even made little Symantec symbols on all of them.

Now that I'm done patting my own back...

I'm sure they'll get eaten, but I like to dream of higher things for my cupcakes. My cupcakes are a ministry to my husband! So silly I'm sure, but I'm sticking to it.

Movie Review :: Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil

In true Oregon style, it rained on our campfire/bike riding plans today. Because the girls got all smiley faces at bedtime (AGAIN!) this week, we treated the family to the cheap theater and some (not-so-cheap) popcorn. We didn't let it rain on OUR parade!

I had already checked the movie reviews , and knew that although rated PG, Hoodwinked Too was more appropriate for my girls than the G-rated Rio.

Hoodwinked Too is full of some big voices like Glenn Close, Joan Cusack, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Andy Dick, Brad Garrett, and Martin Short. But its the content I was most impressed with.

This is a movie all about hope! When it seems there's no way out, no way for good to overcome evil; that is when victory is the sweetest. Most impressively, it displayed forgiveness, redemption, justice, teamwork, and admitting when you're wrong. I can use the theme of this movie to teach my kids! When's the last time you could say THAT about a movie?!

It did have a lot of potty humor (which the 12 year-old boy in me totally enjoyed), and some innuendo. If I'm not mistaken though, none of that innuendo was sexual. There is a part where Twitch the squirrel comes out of his trailer with a couple of hot-babe-squirrel-girls, however (not a plus). Rather than using curse words or almost-curse-words, the movie resorts to "muffins." This is something I'm fine with my kids doing, so I wasn't disappointed by it. The reviews on line don't really agree with me on this movie, but as we all know...

I'm right, they're wrong!