These posts written by Todd (Amy’s husband) are designed to model a system of purposeful living. At least once a month, he spends time setting meaningful goals around one of seventeen core priorities.
Formally identify the primary Love Language for each of my three girls.
Thoughts
I have assumed for a long time that I know the primary love language for each of my three girls, but realized recently that I am not certain about any of them.
Whether through a simple test or through conversation (or some other method), I am going to take time to more formally assess and identify the love languages of my girls.
Knowing the primary way my daughters feel loved is super important to me as I set goals every month to try to speak that language for them on a consistent basis. If I am making mistakes or missing the boat in this area with any of them, I want to figure this out.
Seeing as this is such a priority to me, I am thinking it makes sense to purchase and read the following two books which can best provide an overview of this topic. I don’t want to assume just because I have read the adult book that I fully understand how the Love Languages apply to children and teens.
I have been on a journey of health since my cancer diagnosis in 2010. I big part of pursing health has been in what I choose to eat. I strongly believe what we choose to put into our bodies can play a big part in our overall health. After much reading and many small changes in my diet, I have embraced Nutritarianism.
A nutritarian is a person who has a preference for foods that are high in micronutrients.
The term “nutritarian” was coined by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. In his book, Eat to Live, he offers this health equation while describing the nutritarian approach to health:
Health = Nutrients/Calories (or H= N/C for short).
In other words: the more nutrients you consume per calorie, the healthier you will be.
Nutrients in the numerator (top part of the equation) include vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. Since these are found in small quantities in food, they are considered to be micronutrients. Caloric sources in the denominator include the macronutrients: fat, carbohydrate, and protein. We need to meet our caloric needs without consuming excessive calories.
A high N/C diet is also called “nutrient-dense” or “nutrient-rich.”
In the Standard American Diet (SAD), about 6% of the total caloric intake comes from nutrient-rich foods.
Nutritarians eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, onions, mushrooms, whole grains, beans, and berries, and particularly consume leafy greens, which are the most nutrient-dense foods. A nutritarian strives to consume at least 90% of their diet from these foods.
A nutritarian diet will lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and even such conditions as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Nutritarians do not necessarily exclude animal products. Many nutritarians do choose to be vegan (excluding all animal products). Many vegetarians, however, are not nutritarian, if they frequently consume products containing processed grains, oils, sugars, or salt.
It takes a bit of education to become a nutritarian. One must learn the relative nutrient density of various foods. For instance, many people are surprised to learn that bok choy has more calcium per calorie than whole milk, and even than “2% fat” milk. The same is true for many other leaf greens.
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{Dr. Fuhrman’s Website}
I love the idea of getting “more nutrient bang for caloric buck.” I love thinking about food in terms of nutrients, and it feels good to know I am doing something positibe for my health by simply being mindful of the nutrients my food contains.
I have been eating this way for almost 3 years now. It was a gradual change, but especially over the last 2 years, I have been pretty close to being a vegetarian/vegan. I never knew what to call myself until reading Dr. Fuhrman’s Book– Eat To Live. I HIGHLY recommend this book. Dr. Fuhrman has so much knowledge and his words are easy to read and absorb.
Most of the recipes I now feature at the blog reflect the change in our eating habits. My whole family is now eating this way, which happened slowly and over time. With my kids, it truly was educating them as to why I eat the way I do, and they have slowly adapted the changes themselves. When we are home, we eat Nutritarian. When we go to others homes or out to eat as a family we eat more “normal.” When Todd and I go out on dates, we prefer places that allow us to eat Nutritarian. It it crazy how tastes buds change– we have found that we prefer whole, natural, high-nutrient foods.
Other resources that have highly influenced my way of eating:
So…again…what is a Nutritarian?
~They eat lots of high-nutrient, natural plan foods. Vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts & seeds.
~They eat fewer animal products and choose healthier versions of these foods.
~They eat much less or almost no foods that are empty of nutrients: sugar, sweeteners, white flour, processed foods & greasy fast foods.
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Got questions for me regarding the Nutritarian lifestyle? Ask away! It may spur on more posts in this series.
{Website} {Twitter} {Facebook} ……………….. “Through inspiration from God’s Word, a generous dose of humor, and everyday examples, discover the joy-filled, hope-rich way of viewing the past, present, and future.” ………………..
If you have read my cancer story, you will know that something I talked about often with my 3 young girls was how we were going to search for “treasure” while I was in treatment to get better. I so wanted them to have eyes to see when God would show Himself and give us treasures in the middle of a very hard diagnosis and fight. And boy OH BOY, did He ever reveal Himself and give us many tangible treasures, so many that even my little ones could recognize them very easily.
When I saw the title of Michelle Rayburns book,The Repurposed & Upcycled Life, I knew right away that I needed to read this book, and was so grateful for the opportunity to do just that. I knew just from the language of the title that we would jive, for we were already speaking the same trash to treasure language. But OH, how I love, LOVED how she weaved in the idea of repurposing & upcycling. What clear analogies of what God does! I also knew the timing of this book was perfect for me, for it was time to be reminded of just how faithful God is in turning our “trash” into treasure.
It’s funny how being in the middle of a big whole heap of trash (cancer) that I was more clear- eyed to see the treasure, and even trust that God would bring good & beauty out of it. What I have found recently is the trash- whether mine or others or just what this life brings-has been slowing me down. I found that I was losing my focus and my trust would waiver, and my reactions to things showed that I was questioning that there would come something beautiful out of all the yuck.
As Michelle shares her own stories of the repurposing & upcycling process, she is refreshingly real and very funny. She helped me to see that just a little bit of whining & complaining is all it takes to lose my focus & be distracted from the amazing reality that God is IN this with us. That He is busy at work in us, making us beautiful, shiny and new. Restoring, remaking, upcycling. Doing the amazing redeeming work that He does when we present ourselves to Him.
Life is heavy in many areas around me right now. Being in the cancer world, I know of several people who are in their final stages of life on this earth. I watch and my heart breaks. I watch and fear of recurrence creeps in. I recently had the flu and it emotionally it created quite a bit of debris as it brought back painful memories of chemo. Just tonight I chatted with my younger sister whose heart is breaking as she walks through a dear friends last days on this earth. So. Very. Hard. Today I hugged two little girls who’s Daddy was recently taken jail for beating their Mommy, and whose world was turned upside down. LIFE IS HARD. It is dirty, ugly, and downright stinkin’ HARD.
But. As I was reminded in this beautiful book, we have hope. We have One who is nothing but Good, nothing but Love, our Creator God, who is busy restoring, repurposing, & renewing. Those 2 little girls? You should see the beautiful work God has done and is doing in their Mommy. She is being all shined up and loved on by God. She has run into His arms for refuge and strength and boy oh BOY how FAITHFUL our God is. She has so many beautiful treasures raining down upon her right now, and she is this shining, dear one who is delighting in all that He has for her. Is it hard? HECK yeah. Would she say it is worth it and that God is faithful? I know that she would.
Please take a minute and click the video below. It is only one minute, but it gave me chills. If you relate to what it says, then CLICK HERE and buy this book!Also, use the form below and sign up to win a free copy of The Repurposed & Upcycled Life.
One reader from each blog will be entered into a grand prize drawing held on April 14. Bloggers will draw the name of one commenter and send that info to Michelle by April 14. On April 15, she will draw a name using Random Number for the grand prize gift drawing which includes: a copy of The Repurposed and Upcycled Life, a journal made by Michelle, a repurposed and upcycled olive oil jar turned kitchen night light, a framed inspirational photo, chocolate, and all natural skin crème.
About Michelle, the Author of The Repurposed & Upcycled Life
Michelle Rayburn wants to help you connect the dots between faith, creativity, and everyday life and discover the joy of finding God in the most unexpected places. Years ago, she left her career as a registered nurse to raise her family, and along the way, she discovered her true passion for writing, speaking, and singing.
Along that path of discovery, she tried many side ventures, including: a wedding coordinator, rubber stamp demonstrator, custom painter and decorator, craft instructor, craft seller, and web designer. Pile on her hobbies as a quilter, scrapbooker, and avid reader, and that’s a lot of dots to connect! For the sake of sanity, she has exchanged most of those roles for the thrill of putting words on paper.
Michelle has written over 100 articles for publication, and this is her first book. She writes a monthly column for Wisconsin Christian News called “Simply Faith.” Her writing has also appeared in Christian Communicator, Focus on the Family, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Vista, and more. She has also written several Bible studies for ChristianBibleStudies.com.
Michelle has been a speaker and worship leader at women’s events, MOPS meetings, conferences and retreats, and writing seminars. She has her MA in Ministry Leadership with a counseling emphasis from Crown College. She has been married to her husband Phil for 23 years and they have two young adult sons. Their family serves in ministry at a Bible camp in north central Wisconsin.
These posts written by Todd (Amy’s husband) are designed to model a system of purposeful living. At least once a month, he spends time setting meaningful goals around one of seventeen core priorities.
Priority #4 – Social Health – Immediate Family–Spouse
Goal Setting & Reflection Date December 2012
Goal Invest in the social and emotional health and strengthen my marriage by reading and discussing two books with Amy in 2013. The first book must be a mutually agreed upon marriage book. The second book may be any book of Amy’s choice. Specific goals include:
Mutually choose a marriage book.
Amy chooses a book of her choice.
Decide how often to read and discuss each book.
Develop a plan to ensure relevant discussion and dialogue.
Goal Status Partially Completed
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Thoughts – UPDATED Amy & I have identified the books we will read together and discuss in 2013. The goal was to select two books, but we ended up choosing three.
The marriage book we will read is Love & Respect by Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs. I don’t know much about the book, but Amy has friends who recommended it and she liked the parts she came across while browsing through it.
We also chose two additional books to read together both on the subject of nutrition. Both are written by Dr. Fuhrman.
Dr. Fuhrman is a board certified family physician, best-selling author, and nutritional researcher who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. He is the father (creator) of nutritarian eating. A key component of nutritarian eating is the Health Longevity Equation which he also created.
H (Health) = N (Nutrients) / C (Calories)
The first nutrition book we chose to read is Eat To Live. This is the first book Dr. Fuhrman wrote and I wanted to start at the beginning to understand the foundational theory and evidence behind his approach to nutrition.
The second nutrition book we chose is Super Immunity. This is Dr. Fuhrman’s most recent book and focuses on foods that offer the most nutritional benefit according to his Health Longevity Equation.
The first book provides theory and evidence on why nutritarian eating is the most effective way to eat. The second book provides clear advice on the most healthy foods.
We will read and discuss one chapter each week. On weeks we go on a date we will discuss the book over dinner at a restaurant or coffee shop. On weeks we stay home we will discuss the book on a Friday or Saturday night before we start a movie. We will both highlight parts of the books we consider important and want to share or discuss.
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Thoughts – ORIGINAL This goal has become a yearly tradition and one that has proven to be very beneficial to our marriage.
Strong marriages don’t just happen by accident. They need to be nurtured through commitment and sacrifice.
Reading a marriage book together is an opportunity to prioritize our marriage. It will allow us to focus on what is important to keep our marriage strong. Reading a second book of Amy’s choice is an opportunity to enter Amy’s world. It is an opportunity to learn what is important to her and show her I care about the details of her life.
In future posts I will share the books we chose and some things I learned from each selection.
These posts written by Todd (Amy’s husband) are designed to model a system of purposeful living. At least once a month, he spends time setting meaningful goals around one of seventeen core priorities.
Correct Priority Priority #4 – Social Health – Immediate Family–Spouse (Social & Emotional Health)
Goal Setting & Reflection Date February 2012
Goal Invest in the social and emotional health of my wife and strengthen my marriage by reading and discussing two books with Amy in 2012. The first book must be a mutually agreed upon marriage book. The second book may be any book of Amy’s choice. Specific goals include:
Mutually choose a marriage book.
Amy chooses a book of her choice.
Decide how often to read and discuss each book.
Develop a plan to ensure relevant discussion and dialogue.
Most interesting is the idea that each love language has various dialects that differ from person to person. It is not enough for me to know that Amy’s primary love language is Words of Affirmation. I also need to know what specific words are most meaningful to her. I need to understand her dialect.
Through discussion I learned very specifically how I can best affirm and encourage Amy. She doesn’t need me to notice and affirm her in every area of her life. But she does appreciate it when I notice and affirm her in the areas she values most.
I also learned that there are different kinds of affirmation. This love language includes verbal compliments, encouraging words, kind words, and humble words.
{Words Of Affirmation Do Not Have To Be Elaborate or Complicated}
I especially resonated with the idea of kind words. This has to do with the manner in which we speak. There are times in a marriage when it is appropriate to communicate hurt, pain, or even anger. But even these items should be communicated in a kind manner as an expression of love.
I desire to make kindness a principle not only in my own life, but to see it become a part of our family culture. An attitude of kindness should permeate all of our communication.
In addition to Words of Affirmation, I also asked Amy to explain her “dialect” in the other four love languages as well. I now have a long list of very specific ways in which I can demonstrate love for her in a way that is meaningful to her.
I have set some specific goals to improve in all of the five love languages over the coming year, specifically in the area of affirmation. The end of each chapter in the book lists great ideas and I chose some of these to implement.
But I won’t embarrass Amy by sharing specifics. Suffice it to know that this is a priority for me in 2013.
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Thoughts – ORIGINAL The marriage book we will be reading is The Five Love Languages: The Secret To Love That Lastsby Gary Chapman. My plan was to allow Amy to select the book, but instead I decided this is the book we needed to read. Rather, it is the book I need to read. I know Amy’s primary love language (Words Of Affirmation), but I still stink at it. I am hoping that reading the book will allow me additional insight regarding how to do a better job of showing love in a way that is not natural for me.
Thoughts – ORIGINAL The first couple years of our marriage Amy & I read a marriage book together as a New Year’s Resolution. By year three we discontinued this tradition and I’m not sure we have read a book together since. It is easy to get lazy in marriage (especially for men).
During some reflection and goal setting focused on my wife I decided it was time to bring this tradition back.
Strong marriages don’t just happen by accident. They need to be nurtured through commitment and sacrifice.
Reading a marriage book together is an opportunity to prioritize our marriage. It will allow us to focus on what is important to keep our marriage strong.
Reading a second book of Amy’s choice is an opportunity to enter Amy’s world. It is an opportunity to learn what is important to her and show her I care about the details of her life.
Reading a marriage book with Amy won’t by itself lead to a perfect marriage. Reading a book of Amy’s choice won’t by itself patch over all the times I failed to take interest in her day. But they are steps in the right direction. And lots of little steps will eventually get us where we want to go.
In future posts I will share the books we chose and some things I learned from each selection. It might be a few weeks before this goal is completely finished, but I am committed to getting this done this year.
I’m super excited to tell you all about this awesome ebook I just finished reading. I have been in bed most of the day, not feeling quite myself. It DID give me time to catch up on reading, and after reading Clean Mama’s ebook I am SUPER eager to get up out of this bed and take steps to PULL MYSELF TOGETHER!
I don’t know about you, but once the New Year hits, I am always ready to pack up all the Christmas decorations and get my organization on! This year, I really enjoyed the holidays, to the point where I really ignored this house. Now it is such a mess that I feel a bit overwhelmed with where to start…or should I say…”felt” overwhelmed. After reading Clean Mama’s new ebook, I have the tools I need to tackle this house and pull it together! I will be taking photos and sharing my organization progress with you on the blog. Can’t wait for you all to see my nasty ‘before’ pictures!
Do you want to join me? Then keep reading, this is step one! Clean Mama makes it so simple and easy, and will give us you the motivation, just as it did me. Let me introduce you to Clean Mama’s new ebook…
tools to de-clutter and organize your home in the midst of a busy life
methods to implement a cleaning routine that really works for you
strategies to continue with a perfected cleaning routine
5 chapters with step by step methods for jump starting your de-cluttering and starting (or perfecting) your cleaning routine
6 printable guides are included to help you through each step of the process:
De-Clutter Worksheet
Weekly Cleaning Routine Checklist
Week at a Glance
Blank Week at a Glance
Rotating Cleaning Schedule
Blank Rotating Cleaning Schedule
Clutter and chaos taking over your life? Ready to start pulling yourself together? Hop on over to the Clean Mama blog to learn more about Pulling Yourself Together: Implementing a Cleaning Routine that Sticks. Click here to visit Clean Mama – Clean Mama Printables. and to purchase your copy today!
These posts written by Todd (Amy’s husband) are designed to model a system of purposeful living. At least once a month, he spends time setting meaningful goals around one of seventeen core priorities.
Correct Priority Priority #1 – Spiritual HealthGoal Setting & Reflection Date November 2012
Goal I need to always be reading one life giving book focused on growing in my relationship with God. Specifically, I need to develop a process for identifying great books to read.
Goal Status Completed
Thoughts – UPDATED I spent a couple weeks after setting this goal looking through my library of books at home, doing some internet searches, and getting book suggestions from others.
Nothing peaked my interest until I came across a book I read years ago in college – The Pursuit Of Godby A.W. Tozer. Apart from the Bible this is the most influential book I have ever read.
I was excited because he has written many books of the exact type I am looking for. I want to grow in my relationship with God. There are few people write about this topic more passionately and profoundly than Tozer.
After browsing through all of his books I selected Man: The Dwelling Place of God by A. W. Tozer as the next book I will read to supplement my Bible reading. As an added bonus the Kindle version of this book was only $.99 on Amazon.
The first paragraph of the Introduction to this book is fantastic and I want to share it with you below.
The supreme interest in the life of A. W. Tozer was God: He who spoke and brought the world into being, Who justly rules over men and nations, yet deigns to make man His dwelling place. He believed that all that really matters is for man to be in right relationship with God, that his first duty-and privilege-is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” For this reason he delighted to speak to men of God’s majesty and wonder and grace and he ever sought to instruct and exhort Christians to let this be the purpose of their lives. He grieved that they should be content with less.
Thoughts – ORIGINAL I’ve been reading through the entire Bible over the last couple of years which has been a great use of my time. But I also want to supplement that reading with literature focused on nurturing my personal relationship with Him. //
Foundation Post Build Your To-Do List Around Correct Priorities – Purposeful Living #1
