Darryl and I are taking a financial class at church during the Sunday School hour. The biggest thing is being a good steward of what God has given you. So in this aspect of finances and possessions all belongs to God. Everything you own is God's and He can take it away at anytime. So we need to look at our possessions and make sure we don't love them more then what we love God. Also the money Darryl makes is God's. He has in trusted Darryl and I to use it for His glory and in a way that is biblical.
After studying being a good steward of finances I thought what else are we suppose to be good stewards of. Here are somethings......our bodies, our children, the animals, the land, and there are more. The one I want to talk about is the first one our bodies.
When God created us He did so in His image. We belong to Christ and He is the one who gives us life and breath everyday. So we need to be good stewards of our bodies. Here in America we are overly blessed with an abundance of food everywhere we go. Which is why we are a country full of overweight people. Being a good steward of your body isn't something you hear Pastors or others in ministry talking about to much. Why, I ask. Are they afraid of hurting someones feelings and they leave the church or they are overweight themselves as Leaders in the church so they don't talk about it. Gluttony is a sin but it's a sin that is never talked about in the church as being a sin. We all struggle with different things and we all continue to sin daily. Food for some is that sin. Unfortunately it is an outward sin that all can see just like the person who is drunk and gets picked up for drunk driving and their name is in the paper, or the teenager or unwed women who is pregnant, it is a sin we can all see. Many of us have closed door sins that maybe your family doesn't even know about but God does.
But back to being a good steward of our bodies, after studying this based off of finances I have applied this to my mouth and what goes in it. I think before I eat and ask will this nourish my body or just fill a void. I stop eating when I'm content and don't overeat just because it is there.
And lastly I make time to workout 4-5 times a week to keep my body healthy for Darryl and for my children, and for God.
Was your New Year's Resolution to lose weight????
How is it going???
Maybe it will help you when you think about it as God commands us to be good stewards of all He has given us. He has given you your body and life and you need to be a good steward of it. Next time you go for whatever "trigger" food think is this for nourishment or to feel a need I have right now.
This is my life right now focusing on being a good steward not only of my finances, but my possessions, my animal, my children and my body.
It is a daily struggle and I sometimes fail(getting buttered popcorn at the Bijou putting M&M's on top of it and getting a re-fill when I ate it all gone) but I press on towards the goal of being healthy!
The life of Shannon in small town Lisbon.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Hotel for Dog
Today I took the kids to Mt.Vernon to see Hotel for Dogs. To tell you the truth I wasn't excited about going. The last movie I saw with the kids was at Christmas and I was so so bored. So I asked Trevor earlier if he would like me to stay or could I just drop him and Alivia off and come back for them. Unfortunately he wanted me to stay so I went.
I somewhat new what the movie was about from previews but not to the extent that it went. It was a really good story line about a sister and brother who are in foster care with a couple who really don't like them and are just doing it for the money. The foster care mom is played by Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe from friends) and she does a great job...it reminded me of Friends. Anyway she does things like padlocking the food cupboard so the foster kids can't just eat whenever, and the food she serves them is gross.
The kids have a Jack Russell Terrier named Friday who roams around during the day and they try to find food for him. The kids get into trouble and Friday happens to find this abandoned hotel for him and the kids to hind out from.
Over the course of the movie the foster kids and 3 other children rescue dogs from the area so they don't have to go to the pound and get killed.
They get caught and get into a lot of trouble. Their social worker who always made sure they stayed together had to separate them after their foster parents didn't want them anymore because the stole things from them to make items for the hotel where the dogs were.
In the end the social worker and his wife decide to adopt these two kids (I got teary eyed), and the Hotel for Dogs lived on as a adopt a dog program plus.
If you are thinking about it , go see it. A good movie for both kids and adults with a lot of good lessons to teach your kids after it's over with if you want.
I somewhat new what the movie was about from previews but not to the extent that it went. It was a really good story line about a sister and brother who are in foster care with a couple who really don't like them and are just doing it for the money. The foster care mom is played by Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe from friends) and she does a great job...it reminded me of Friends. Anyway she does things like padlocking the food cupboard so the foster kids can't just eat whenever, and the food she serves them is gross.
The kids have a Jack Russell Terrier named Friday who roams around during the day and they try to find food for him. The kids get into trouble and Friday happens to find this abandoned hotel for him and the kids to hind out from.
Over the course of the movie the foster kids and 3 other children rescue dogs from the area so they don't have to go to the pound and get killed.
They get caught and get into a lot of trouble. Their social worker who always made sure they stayed together had to separate them after their foster parents didn't want them anymore because the stole things from them to make items for the hotel where the dogs were.
In the end the social worker and his wife decide to adopt these two kids (I got teary eyed), and the Hotel for Dogs lived on as a adopt a dog program plus.
If you are thinking about it , go see it. A good movie for both kids and adults with a lot of good lessons to teach your kids after it's over with if you want.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Tuesday nights = TV Night
After a busy day in Marion/CR all day I look forward to a relaxing TV night.
I have to flip back and forth between American Idol and Biggest Loser, then at 9:00pm it is my naughty show Nip Tuck and I go upstairs for that and then put the kids to bed and watch the season finale of Real Housewives of Orange County until 11:00pm.
So for now I'm off to make an easy supper of tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches and then get all my chores done quickly so by 7:00pm I'm ready to veg out.
Hope you all have a great Tuesday and remember to relax and enjoy a wonderful night of TV watching.
I have to flip back and forth between American Idol and Biggest Loser, then at 9:00pm it is my naughty show Nip Tuck and I go upstairs for that and then put the kids to bed and watch the season finale of Real Housewives of Orange County until 11:00pm.
So for now I'm off to make an easy supper of tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches and then get all my chores done quickly so by 7:00pm I'm ready to veg out.
Hope you all have a great Tuesday and remember to relax and enjoy a wonderful night of TV watching.
Monday, February 16, 2009
It's too late to blog
It's amazing how many nights I lay awake thinking of things that I should have put on my blog that day. A lot of times it political stuff because those that are in the GOP are really ticking me off but I'm trying not to do to much political stuff.
Although, I did tonight see the first part of Bristol Plain's interview on Fox w/ Greta and I have she say she gives an interview like her mom. In short she sounded dumb and her answers had no truth behind them they sounded prerecorded. She just needs to get away from the camera and focus on being a teen mom.
Then as I was getting ready to workout, and republican friend ( yes, unlike the GOP and others I'm able to be bi-partisan) who had just finished his workout started talking politics with me. He went on about Rush and I went on about what an idiot Rush is and I can't believe he has his own talk show because he sounds like an idiot 99% of the time. But he likes Rush and that's fine I like Keith and how he makes fun of the idiotic things Rush says almost everyday.
Tomorrow will be another day in history as Obama signs the Stimulus Bill @ 2:00pm. I again will be in Marion running kids around.....Vanessa are you having me drive on purpose on Tuesday so I miss my friend Barack when ever he talks??? Just kidding girly I know it just happens to be that way :)
Is this bill perfect??? No. Is it great???? Maybe. Is it good??? YES!! It will help Americans get jobs and create money back into our economy.
The bible says that we should seek counsel from others, this stimulus package has been looked over by a lot of economic leaders and they all agree it will help our economy. Are they Christians... I don't know but they do understand things that we don't about our economy so I put my trust in them and in God that this will help our country and all the people that are hurting out there that we don't see.
What saddens me is how you have those in the GOP who vote against the stimulus bill and then get on camera and say how great specific things in the bill will be for their state. This is hypocrisy and it is coming out on all the news channels. So it raises the question...did they just vote no out of spite or to prove a point to the new President that they don't want by-partisanship, or did they vote no because they believe this was not the best package for the people they represent.
My thoughts are they voted thinking of themselves and of the party, but not for the millions of people in this country that are out of work and losing everything they own. Because they aren't in their shoes.... they have 2,3,4, maybe even 9 houses so they don't know how desperate the middle class in this country is. How desperate we are for something to change and for someone to help us out instead of just thinking of themselves first.
OK wait, I guess I did say I was going to do less talking about politics and then here I go again.
I'm done......for today.
Although, I did tonight see the first part of Bristol Plain's interview on Fox w/ Greta and I have she say she gives an interview like her mom. In short she sounded dumb and her answers had no truth behind them they sounded prerecorded. She just needs to get away from the camera and focus on being a teen mom.
Then as I was getting ready to workout, and republican friend ( yes, unlike the GOP and others I'm able to be bi-partisan) who had just finished his workout started talking politics with me. He went on about Rush and I went on about what an idiot Rush is and I can't believe he has his own talk show because he sounds like an idiot 99% of the time. But he likes Rush and that's fine I like Keith and how he makes fun of the idiotic things Rush says almost everyday.
Tomorrow will be another day in history as Obama signs the Stimulus Bill @ 2:00pm. I again will be in Marion running kids around.....Vanessa are you having me drive on purpose on Tuesday so I miss my friend Barack when ever he talks??? Just kidding girly I know it just happens to be that way :)
Is this bill perfect??? No. Is it great???? Maybe. Is it good??? YES!! It will help Americans get jobs and create money back into our economy.
The bible says that we should seek counsel from others, this stimulus package has been looked over by a lot of economic leaders and they all agree it will help our economy. Are they Christians... I don't know but they do understand things that we don't about our economy so I put my trust in them and in God that this will help our country and all the people that are hurting out there that we don't see.
What saddens me is how you have those in the GOP who vote against the stimulus bill and then get on camera and say how great specific things in the bill will be for their state. This is hypocrisy and it is coming out on all the news channels. So it raises the question...did they just vote no out of spite or to prove a point to the new President that they don't want by-partisanship, or did they vote no because they believe this was not the best package for the people they represent.
My thoughts are they voted thinking of themselves and of the party, but not for the millions of people in this country that are out of work and losing everything they own. Because they aren't in their shoes.... they have 2,3,4, maybe even 9 houses so they don't know how desperate the middle class in this country is. How desperate we are for something to change and for someone to help us out instead of just thinking of themselves first.
OK wait, I guess I did say I was going to do less talking about politics and then here I go again.
I'm done......for today.
Monday, February 9, 2009
6 month check-up
Today was Trevor and Alivia's six month dental check up and cleaning.
Trevor went back and after about 30min. came out with a clean bill of dental teeth. No cavities!!!!!
Alivia went back at the same time so when her appt. took about 10 min. longer I thought maybe we were in for some bad news. And I was correct. She has a cavity on her back baby tooth that will get fixed on Thursday and then she has the beginning of one on the other side of her mouth on a back adult tooth.
After getting her teeth pulled last summer and fainting after they did it she is not a big fan of the dentist because she is scared. Now I told her this is just a cleaning and if she had cavities they would fix them at a different date. So pray for her and her trip in on Thursday. I will probably go back with her so she is more relaxed.
We talked about how she has to slow down and brush better so that way she only has to go to the dentist twice a year. Because she dislikes going I hope that, that is motivation for her to brush better.
Hopefully all will go well on Thursday, if not I'll let you know :)
Trevor went back and after about 30min. came out with a clean bill of dental teeth. No cavities!!!!!
Alivia went back at the same time so when her appt. took about 10 min. longer I thought maybe we were in for some bad news. And I was correct. She has a cavity on her back baby tooth that will get fixed on Thursday and then she has the beginning of one on the other side of her mouth on a back adult tooth.
After getting her teeth pulled last summer and fainting after they did it she is not a big fan of the dentist because she is scared. Now I told her this is just a cleaning and if she had cavities they would fix them at a different date. So pray for her and her trip in on Thursday. I will probably go back with her so she is more relaxed.
We talked about how she has to slow down and brush better so that way she only has to go to the dentist twice a year. Because she dislikes going I hope that, that is motivation for her to brush better.
Hopefully all will go well on Thursday, if not I'll let you know :)
Busy Sunday.....No rest :(
It's not to often I like to be busy from morning until after the sun goes down. That is unless I'm in so warm tropical getaway or even NYC but I wasn't on Sunday I was here in IOWA.
We went to Sunday School, Darryl and I are taking a financial class by the christian finance group Crown Ministries and it is so good but a lot of work to prepare for it. We are learning so much about how we view "stuff" and also of how we treat "stuff" are we good stewards of what God has given us. So with this class I have a lot of time praying, about how we are doing on the way we (mainly me) spends Darryl paycheck. Darryl has been blessed with a job he has been at for a while and so he earns enough for us to pay the bills and then some all without a college education. That is why I do feel so blessed by his employer because he didn't go to college and makes the amount he does. Also they are doing another round of layoffs at his work because the buying of Chiropractic tables is low but his department in the service area is staying busy so I'm thankful he has a job. So anyway we were up early for Sunday School and then into church.
After that we had a birthday party in CR at Chuck E. Cheese. We get inside and the dorky worker said "are you guys ready for some fun?" I said "sure do you have any drugs?". Oh relax it's not that bad. Have you ever been to Chuck E. Cheese on a Sunday afternoon..... it was packed with hundreds of kids running everywhere and let's just say there was more then just me that left with a headache. But the kids had a good time so I guess that's what matters.
We got home at 4:00pm and we had our Care Group from church coming over at 5:00pm. I did all the cleaning on Saturday knowing I would be gone all day Sunday. So the house was clean it just needed a tidy up. So I did that, made punch, dipped strawberries in chocolate and got out cups, plates and silverware for all to use. We had a great time and learned about 3 of our couples trip to Moody Christian college. Everyone left about 8:30 and I plopped down on the couch and didn't move until 10pm bedtime.
Put the kids to bed and woke up at 9:20 this morning. A much needed sleep in after a long Sunday.
We went to Sunday School, Darryl and I are taking a financial class by the christian finance group Crown Ministries and it is so good but a lot of work to prepare for it. We are learning so much about how we view "stuff" and also of how we treat "stuff" are we good stewards of what God has given us. So with this class I have a lot of time praying, about how we are doing on the way we (mainly me) spends Darryl paycheck. Darryl has been blessed with a job he has been at for a while and so he earns enough for us to pay the bills and then some all without a college education. That is why I do feel so blessed by his employer because he didn't go to college and makes the amount he does. Also they are doing another round of layoffs at his work because the buying of Chiropractic tables is low but his department in the service area is staying busy so I'm thankful he has a job. So anyway we were up early for Sunday School and then into church.
After that we had a birthday party in CR at Chuck E. Cheese. We get inside and the dorky worker said "are you guys ready for some fun?" I said "sure do you have any drugs?". Oh relax it's not that bad. Have you ever been to Chuck E. Cheese on a Sunday afternoon..... it was packed with hundreds of kids running everywhere and let's just say there was more then just me that left with a headache. But the kids had a good time so I guess that's what matters.
We got home at 4:00pm and we had our Care Group from church coming over at 5:00pm. I did all the cleaning on Saturday knowing I would be gone all day Sunday. So the house was clean it just needed a tidy up. So I did that, made punch, dipped strawberries in chocolate and got out cups, plates and silverware for all to use. We had a great time and learned about 3 of our couples trip to Moody Christian college. Everyone left about 8:30 and I plopped down on the couch and didn't move until 10pm bedtime.
Put the kids to bed and woke up at 9:20 this morning. A much needed sleep in after a long Sunday.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
A call saved me money.
Darryl and I started last week a Crown Financial class at our church.
For Sunday School they were offering 3 classes this one sounded the most interesting and since I do the finances in our home I thought I might some pointers.
For this class you have to set up a budget and then write down all things that you purchase.
I have been doing this for months to track and see where are money is going and why at the end of the month we have $0 or are in the negative.
One way I thought to save money was to get rid of our landline and just use our cell phones. But our Internet service is through our phone company so I needed to check with them and see if you have to have phone or can you just have Internet with no landline.
I call Iowa Telecom and tell them that I'm looking at getting rid of our landline and can I get just Internet and if I can how much a month.
The nice guy on the end said at this time Iowa Telecom doesn't offer Internet without a basic phone service. Then he pulls up our account and sees that we are at a slower Internet speed then what their standard package is so he bumps us up to almost double the Internet speed for the same price as the lower. Then he tells me they are having a promotion on the package we have and says he can discount our phone from $27.87 a month to $19.99 a month for two years. And then after two years it will go back up to the $27 price. There is no contract so I say sure because although it's not a lot it is an extra 7.87 a month.
So I guess we will stay with Iowa Telecom and keep our cell phones as is at least for a while or until Lisbon gets more then one company for phone service. I was just amazed at how one phone call got me fast Internet for free and $8 taken off my phone bill and it only took about 15 min. to save.
If you all have other money saving tips please let me know or post them on Facebook for all to read. I'm going to watch Oprah (I usually don't) because I saw a preview that she was going to have a lady tell about lots of different ways to save $$$$. So tune in today at 4:00pm if you need some tips as well.
For Sunday School they were offering 3 classes this one sounded the most interesting and since I do the finances in our home I thought I might some pointers.
For this class you have to set up a budget and then write down all things that you purchase.
I have been doing this for months to track and see where are money is going and why at the end of the month we have $0 or are in the negative.
One way I thought to save money was to get rid of our landline and just use our cell phones. But our Internet service is through our phone company so I needed to check with them and see if you have to have phone or can you just have Internet with no landline.
I call Iowa Telecom and tell them that I'm looking at getting rid of our landline and can I get just Internet and if I can how much a month.
The nice guy on the end said at this time Iowa Telecom doesn't offer Internet without a basic phone service. Then he pulls up our account and sees that we are at a slower Internet speed then what their standard package is so he bumps us up to almost double the Internet speed for the same price as the lower. Then he tells me they are having a promotion on the package we have and says he can discount our phone from $27.87 a month to $19.99 a month for two years. And then after two years it will go back up to the $27 price. There is no contract so I say sure because although it's not a lot it is an extra 7.87 a month.
So I guess we will stay with Iowa Telecom and keep our cell phones as is at least for a while or until Lisbon gets more then one company for phone service. I was just amazed at how one phone call got me fast Internet for free and $8 taken off my phone bill and it only took about 15 min. to save.
If you all have other money saving tips please let me know or post them on Facebook for all to read. I'm going to watch Oprah (I usually don't) because I saw a preview that she was going to have a lady tell about lots of different ways to save $$$$. So tune in today at 4:00pm if you need some tips as well.
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