The Sound of Music

We stood for the rest hymn yesterday during sacrament, and when the organ began Maddy said, "Mommy this your song in the car!" How emotional I became that, not only did she recognize the hymn (Hymn #27 Praise to The Man), but she sang too and knew the entire chorus! I couldn't complete the song without crying.

I have a very strong testimony of music and how it can influence a person's life. I'd say the music aided in my conversion to the church. Each song is a prayer, a story, a testimony. I cannot say which is my favorite, as there are so many. From hyms of praise, to hymns of church history and patriotic hymns as well.

I have many albums of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on my iPhone playlist. I play them all the time; on our way to school, church, store. It brings such a calm feeling into our hearts. Most recently I have been playing the album, "Praise to the Man: Songs Honoring the Prophet Joseph Smith". The music, the arrangement, and singing by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is amazing. I encourage you to listen to the album. It will give you goose bumps.

Another album that I have frequented is "Consider the Lilies". The songs on this album are beautiful. You can hear the words of the Savior. I have a hard time finding a favorite in this album, as they are all filled with hope and love.

The past weeks have been marked with a lot of trials and sadness (hence, the neglect of my blogs). It's been a time where I have questioned everthing from my faith, to my relationship with others, even my own personal worth. It has been during this time that I have listened and meditated with this music, and it's been very inspiring and uplifting. This music has made me realize that nothing is impossible if you have faith and put your trust in Him. I've done a complete cleansing of my playlist, erasing any song that brings on sadness or negative feelings, and added music that will inspire and uplift.

You can watch the Mormon Tabernacle choir perform "Consider the Lilies" HERE

"He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,
And He will heal those who trust Him,
And make their hearts as gold."

A Sincere Request

A couple of months ago, my little sister saw her physician for a string of headaches she was experiencing. She had many tests run, and labs done, and the day before her wedding, she was told she has a brain tumor near her Pituitary Gland. Last night she was complaining of a headache and had, what appeared to be, a seizure, and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. She had more tests done, and it was determined she would be admitted to the hospital until the results came back. Well tonight, she had a string of seizures.

We're all encouraged by the fact that she has a great team of doctors, and is in a hospital that specializes in neurological disorders. But, naturally, we're scared as well. I ask you, please, if you say a prayer to please include her in it. Please keep her in your thoughts for a speedy recovery. Please. She's my baby sister, and my best friend.

Health Screenings

My medical insurance requires its members to have an annual screening for your cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure, among other things. If not, your rates would go up $4.25. So I had mine done a couple of weeks ago and, as I mentioned in another post, the results were not great.

I found out yesterday that I have type 2 Diabetes. Hearing this was a bit of a blow to me. But it makes sense. I mean, at a very young age, I began having reflux issues, and was later diagnosed with GERD. Shortly after getting married, I had a mirage of problems. I was experiencing weight gain, acne, amenorrhea, among other things. After several tests, I was diagnosed with PCOS. This is all related and due to metabolic issues.

I have been upset, and sad, and ashamed...all at myself. This is a serious wake up call, and I can't ignore this anymore. I know that if I can control my sugar, and level out my hormones, I can work on other things and get better. So next Tuesday, I get to visit the dietitian. I believe I have been doing better the last few weeks in regards to making good food choices. However, now I'm even more restricted as I can't have anything white at all (breads, rice, flour, etc). But I have to do this. I need to do this. I know it isn't going to go away quickly, and I now I have a whole team of drs. But I know I can do it. One day at a time.

Finally!

When I first moved to the South, I went to get my hair cut and styled. Well, my hair is naturall VERY curly, and I wanted it straight. After the wash, the stylist put the hair dryer on warm and ran it through my hair. I warned and advised my curly hair will not straighten that way. She stated she new now to straighten it. By the time she was done, I had a 1970's afro. I mean an AFRO. My hair was was standing on it's end. The stylist said she didn't know what happened. Well I did! That's not how you straighten curly hair! I mean, I can straigten myself, but it takes 2 hours, and is frizzy by the end of the day. I have searched for a place for a long, long, LONG time. Well, my searched ended last week. My friend referred me a Dominican hair stylist from New Jersey, who is now in our area. Well I visited her yesterday, and viola! I love it!

3 Year Well Visit

Today was Maddy's 3 year well visit with her pediatritian. Good thing we went today because as it turns out, she has a double ear infection. *sigh* Looks like no more swimming for a while for her. She weighs 37lbs and is 39 inches long. The dr said she's in 85 percentile in height, and weighs a bit more than he'd like. =[ He said she's not overweight at all, but with the amount of running around she does, she should be thinner. She does eat a lot, but it's a lot of good food. For example, she'll eats oatmeal in the mornings, she snacks on apple slices, bananas, raisins, carrots. She eats lots fruits and vegetables. She LOVES clementines! I don't buy red meat, and I don't fry food. We'll have to work on her portion sizes, I guess. She's doing great developmentally. Talking in sentences, potty trained, hopping on one foot, jumping with both feet, following instructions (when she WANTS to), vocalizing wants/desires, among other things. She did get a Hepatitis A shot today because it's required in Hamilton County before entering Kindergarten. She's pointing to her boo boo in the photo above. So all in all, a good visit.

What We've Been Up To

I guess I should change that to what I'VE been up to. I know my loyal fans have been long awaiting my posts. I am terribly sorry! Life has been so busy since April. I had to travel to NYC to help my sister with her wedding preparations in April, Lindsay's graduation was in May, and my sister's wedding was in June. So now that life is slowing down, I'll be able to update regularly. Here's what you missed: Maddy's gymnastics program: Maddy Turned 3: My baby graduated 5th grade: My baby sister got married: Glad to be back to some normal life......time for a new adventure.

Happy Birthday, Madeline

Maddy is 3!

Making Progress

Last week was a great week! I stuck to my plan and saw results both physically and mentally. I made a goal of zero eating out last week. The plan was if we didn't eat out during the week, we would go out on Friday night. It wasn't easy, as I am all for convenience. But it wasn't hard to do either. The key, I believe, is good planning. So on the 11th, I made my menu for the week and got groceries. But I didn't stop there. Once I got home, I seperated the chicken in individual bags. I did the same with fruit and veggies. This made it easy to grab what was needed and go. I did some work before going to bed (ie, marinating chicken in the fridge overnight, thawing food, preparing the slow cooker, etc). I was then able to jump in the kitchen the next evening, and prepare dinner in an hour or less. I also made enough to have for lunch the next day. It was great! This saved me a lot of time and physical pain, as I had dinner before 6pm everynight. I was then able to go to the gym or workout at home. I continue to struggle with sleep, but I'm trying relaxation methods and feel this will help me. I am very pleased with my results, and look forward to doing the same this week. I'm going to really stick to it this week, because I will be heading to NYC on Friday and there will be temptations. But I know I can do it.

What Do You Do?

Lately, I have found myself tossing and turning at night. A lot. More than the norm, I believe. I can't sleep. I'm sleepy when I go to bed, but not tired. Does that make sense? I'm sleepy, but my body isn't tired. I feel like I can't turn my body off. This clearly affects me the next day, causing frequent headaches. I don't drink anything caffinated during the afternoon/evening hours. I don't eat past 6pm. So I don't know what it could be. I have gone to the gym 3 times this week; twice in the evening, once in the morning. I found that when I workout in the evening, I am more relaxed and sleep better. But I don't always have time to go in the evening. What do you do to help you relax/sleep?

Happy Easter!