#Mamavation Monday ~ Backyard Gardening & a Reflection for those lost do to Recent Events

Before I begin my post for this week I wanted to take a moment to reflect as most of my fellow sistas in Mamavation have done regarding the recent events from last week.  My heart is breaking for everyone affected both directly & indirectly with the shootings from Newton.  No child should EVER be put in harms way & no teacher should ever have to worry about providing safety in situations such as what just occurred. No parent should ever need to worry if their child is safe at school. Unfortunately, that is what happened.  We may never know what the motive was behind the shooting.  Only God & Adam know that.  Many people across the nation are trying to use this situation as a way to question Gods existence.  Others are arguing that guns are the problem, while still others are blaming the health care system.  Here is my response to those individuals.

God was there at the Elementary School. He was weeping because one of his lambs decided to use his free will to do harm unto others.  He helped guide the shooter to a classroom where the teacher was brave & smart enough to hide her students & he was there protecting them as the shooter took the teachers life.  God was with every police officer, firefighter, first responder, dispatcher as well as all the teachers & staff who put their lives on the line trying to protect all the other students.  Unfortunately, Adams free will was too strong & many young innocent precious lives were taken.  I grieve with the rest of the Nation.  And I too hugged my children a little tighter & let them have that extra sweet on Friday night willing myself, to do anything to keep them happy & safe.  I, like many parents, are questioning if it would be better to home school or have my children attend a private school over public schools.  But than something else in our nation occurs.  Such as the individual out in California who shot off rounds of bullets in a Mall parking Lot.  Another individual who posted on Face Book that he too was going to go to a school like Adam & harm innocent people.

Which makes me realize that you can never truly be safe.  All we can do is continue to teach our children right from wrong.  To give our children consequences when they exhibit inappropriate behavior.  To limit our children's use of the T.V. & internet so that they aren't over exposed to violence.  Perhaps the most important one of all is to be the parent, not their friend.

Yes, I agree that their should be more funding to help with mental health as well as more screenings in school to help the at risk students.  There should also be more funding to help train more officers as well as teachers.  Lastly guns don't kill.  People with guns kill.  That is why I think gun safety should be integrated with in the school system (like senior year)   Also, there is no reason that if you are not with in the military that you can own an assault riffle.  I will continue to pray that answers are found & that the families of all these victims are able to find comfort as time goes on. 


ok I am done with my rant, so on to the Mamavation items....

I grew up on a larger farm & I loved everything about farming.  I still do even thou I married a city boy.  Growing up we had a large garden & preserved all of them.  We also had the animals & yes there were at times where we had a few pigs that were always destined to end up on our dinner plates.   So that concepts that the guest speaker will be covering hit close to home.  Angela England, the author of Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less) helps people figure out how to save or preserve all the bounties that they could grow. 
 As of today I still garden & preserve the harvest of my hard work.  I hope tonight that I learn some tricks to the trade to make life easier.  Be sure to join us
  MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

on to the weigh in...
 Last week I set out a goal to be out of the 200#s by my birthday & to be in the ball park of 195#s.  I am happy to report that I am well on my way to achieving that goal.  **happy dance**  

Last week 12/10 I weighed in at 206.6 #s
This week 12/17 I weighed in at 205.2 #s

I worked my butt off to get those 1.4 #s & I earned every once by myself.  My birthday is in 14 days (12/31)  My present to myself if I can even get down to 195# is to apply to be a Mamavation mom within the next year. The reason I am waiting is because I have done this yoyoing for over 4 years & never stuck to my goal.  But if I can FINALLY reach a goal such as this on my own than, I know, that I will not only have a reason to motivate others but, the strength to help motivate others as well as keep up to the strenuous workouts.  I need to do this one small step on my own.  So I have a little under 2 weeks to drop those last 10.2#s & I know that I will be able to succeed!

This weeks Goals...
This is what is considered an "off week" for work.  So, I plan on hitting the gym almost everyday.  Not just for my goal, but also because I want to be able to eat a slice of cheese cake on Christmas as well as enjoy a cocktail or two without getting a huge set back.   

Monday:  5 miles stationary bike,  3 miles elliptical (total 55 min between the two) 25 min free weights.  45 min martial arts this evening.  (all of these are done as of now)

Tuesday: BODY PUMP™ is a toning and conditioning class with weights for men and women wanting to add strength training to their aerobic workout.

Wednesday: 45 min spin class followed by a 45 min Martial Art class in the evening

Thursday:  BODY PUMP™ is a toning and conditioning class with weights for men and women wanting to add strength training to their aerobic workout.

Friday:  REST (too many appointments as well as my daughters Christmas party

Saturday: Cardio Dance is similar to Zumba but at a higher level of intensity

Sunday: REST

I am really keeping my fingers crossed that I can do all these workouts ladies.  Please wish me luck & encouragement.  

“This post is sponsored Dole and Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway”

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