Ready for Your Swimsuit?

Summer is that time of year we all decide we’d like to look at least half-way decent in a swimming suit. Or, for me, to loose those extra pounds before Katie’s wedding. One of my daughters directed me to the Weight Watcher’s Core Plan. This is a new plan from WW and you don’t have to count any points (unless you eat things you shouldn’t). The idea is healthy eating, normal portions, foods containing high-fiber content, and of course, leaving off refined sugar and flour products. It works! And it is SO easy. I started this plan around Spring Break and have easily lost 15 pounds. My husband began about a week later and has lost 20. It is a life-style eating change that works well for the whole family. Check it out!

http://www.healthdiscovery.net/forums/showthread.php?t=125116

This link will send you to a great site that will give you loads of information about the Core Plan, how and why it works, a list of “legal” foods and tons of recipes.

Revitalizing, Renewing

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Besides preparing for a new academic season I try to always have something I’m reading to keep my relationships fresh and my mind renewed.

Currently, I’m reading The One Year Bible (NLT), a great translation if you’ve never tried it. It has been a good discipline for me to read through the Bible from cover to cover again.

Another book I have recently read is Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul by John and Stasi Eldredge.

If you’ve already experienced reading this one, you’ll agree: this is one of those read-every-year books. While some ideas may be a lot to wrap your mind around, I still found the book to be challenging and thought provoking.

Another book that my soon-to-be-married daughter and her fiancée are reading is What Every Man Wants in a Woman/ What Every Woman Wants in a Man by John and Diana Hagee.

Some of my favorite thoughts come from the “What Every Man Wants” side of the book.

· How to put love first to make love last
· Your attitude is contagious
· Happiness is a choice
· Feel great about yourself
· The love you refuse to give you lose



What books are you reading to challenge and awaken your relationships?

Regrouping, Refreshing

For me, the academic year has ended. Our 12 and 14-year-old boys will be working with their dad this summer while I prepare for a July 12 wedding for our youngest daughter. But, in the midst of the wedding plans, my mind also wanders to the subject of next year. What will I do differently? What worked and didn’t work this past year? What subjects and interests do I want to cover?

Summer is a time that I spend reading and renewing my mind for the next season of academics.

One area we will focus on is communication. I’ve begun reading “From Playpen to Podium: How to Help Your Children Develop the Communication Skills They Need to Succeed! By Jeffrey L. Myers

What worked for you this year? What didn’t work? What will you do differently next fall? What books are you reading that will help you make those choices?