Settling, not settling.

I can stand to be one:

A better mother.

My heart is so full of love for my son that sometimes I don't think I can contain myself. His big blue eyes fill my own with joy. His hugs make me all warm inside. His minnie mouse voice makes my soul giggle. And the way he dances innocently around the kitchen to Kari Jobe music gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, he'll still be sold out for Jesus when he's on his way to Southeastern the college of his choice.

Every Saturday, unless we have previous plans, is our time to hang out together, because a lot of times Daddy is at work. It's our special time to spend together. To get chicken nuggets and pick out a toy. To go yardsale-ing with red Mimi. To wake up, in our home, relaxed with nothing to do but be together. I get my coffee, he drinks his juice, we snuggle and he watches Peppa Pig while I read or write. They are glorious days that make me truly wonder what heaven will be like. Because if heaven is anything like that, then I'm definitely looking forward to it.

But there are also moments when I think I'm going to go crazy. When he asks me things for what feels like 600 times in a row. And it's THE SAME THING. Over and over and over.

OR, he feels the need to tell me every detail about what he is thinking, or what he wants to do, or what he sees in the car. Truthfully, sometimes it drives me absolutely bonkers.

Sometimes I LITERALLY do not know how I will make it through another minute of his endless chatter. And I think, "And there is only one of him, some people have two and three and four!"

Goodness me, "terrible" two's were a piece of CAKE compared to the three's. Late three's, to be exact.

I'm not going to sit here and write about how hard this is sometimes, being a mother to a chatty three-year-old. But that oh, how gosh, I love him even through his tantrums. YES, that is a given. Of course I do.

But sometimes it is downright HARD and we moms need to scream at the top of our lungs for some straight up help in the sanity department. Yes, it would be harder with two, or three, but right now I have ONE. And ONE is hard enough as it freakin' is.

Especially one who is almost four.

God bless.

I need help. Serious help, when it comes to knowing how to do this mom thing. I'm doing the best I can, but boy is it hard.

The thing, honestly, that tends to get me through, is knowing that I AM his mom. That's me. Levi's mom. Trying to make a difference in his life. Raising him to be godly, pure, responsible, obedient, studious, and a righteous, sold-out Jesus follower.

Of course I AM more than a mom. I'm a human being. A wife, a daughter, a woman who has needs, desires, wants, and even guilts.

BUT, I'm also a mom who knows that my calling in life, right now, is to be just that: a mom.

I'm called to be a mother.

What higher earthly calling (than to first be a wife), could there be?

My job - my DREAM - is to nurture this little one. To fold his laundry. To bake cookies with him, with JOY. To watch him color. To give him a bath. To BE.....his mom.

As hard as it is, and as lonely as it sometimes is, I'm his mom. And that's totally and completely where I need and want to be.

Giving him love, receiving his love, and raising him to be a man of Christ.

Living a dream of many wants just doesn't do it. But living a dream to follow Him and be the mom I was destined to be takes courage. Courage I'm willing to go for. To sacrifice for. To settle for. Because settling, in this case, is not a bad thing. It's a downright beautiful thing.

#WhoWillYouBe

Who will you be?

I never really asked myself this question until yesterday when I received a gift card in the mail from Dick's Sporting Goods.

They found me on Instagram, out of the blue, and asked for my address so they could send me something in the mail. Thinking it was a scam, or SPAM, I direct messaged them my work address so they didn't have my home address.

Turns out it was NOT a scam and I received a physical letter in the mail with an enclosed gift card for $100. I was blown away!

I enjoy what I do as a coach and I love health and fitness. But I often wonder if I'm ever making a difference, if anyone watches my videos or looks at my posts that I put time into, and if I'm actually reaching anyone.

Yesterday, when I received that piece of mail, I was so inspired and felt so thankful. It was almost like God reached down and said "Melissa, I see you. Keep doing what you're doing." I was richly blessed and more motivated than ever to "keep doing what I'm doing." If no one and nothing else, than for my audience of One.

Enclosed in the letter were the words "You're a great example of #WhoWillYouBe" followed by a video.

I watched the video. I got chills. And I realized, women are freakin' strong creatures man, who FIGHT. Every day. For their husbands, their children, their sanity, their bodies, their passions, their goals and dreams, their health, and in some cases, their God.

Earthly life is a physical, emotional, and spiritual battle on a daily basis, I think, especially for women. With the demands of child-bearing and child-rearing, keeping house, planning and cooking meals, working jobs, and somewhere in between trying to fit in an aspiration or two, it is downright TOUGH. And the battle is not easy.

Take heart. We have Him. And He TRULY is all we need.

Who will I be? A fighter. A follower of Christ. A wife, mom, sister, daughter, friend and fitness coach who yearns to be a warrior and hear the pulse of Jesus.

Fixate-ing is Fun!

I really didn't like the word "fix" as it related to the workout program I purchased, at first.

When I think of the word fix it reminds me of an addiction and mesmerization on something other than Christ. For Hebrews 12:2 says "Let us fix our eyes on JESUS, the author and perfecter of our faith..."

I've noticed in my own life that fixing, or fixating, on anything other than Jesus in this earthly life journey can often lead down a destructive path. One that is misguided, irrational, and out of focus.

With that said, I believe that we can allow God to steer us down the path of life through His lenses and be able to enjoy earthly gifts while giving Him the glory and seeking Him through our choices. Remembering that He is the foundation of all our efforts and keeping a humble heart is what will sustain us through this life. Nothing we can do, or say, or accomplish means anything without the joy and purpose He brings to fulfill it.

Autumn's 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme, and Fixate cookbook all have a really neat framework behind them. They're all tested, and they actually work. The theory behind them? It takes 21 days to form a habit. So, devoting three weeks to simple nutrition and simple fitness through these programs will help form good habits and develop a healthy lifestyle for the longterm.

Simple fitness is found in Autumn's workout DVD's, but the simple nutrition part, which is KEY in developing healthy habits and losing weight, is in her portion control system which was developed to be used alongside of her workouts.

In this program, you calculate your calorie needs and based on those needs follow a chart that shows how many servings of vegetables, fruits, protein, carbs, fats, and seeds/oils you can eat per day. It's as simple as that.

After much excitement, popularity, and success surrounding this program, Autumn decided to create a separate, special cookbook to be used with this program, or with general nutrition needs, as a bonus. And so far, I'm loving it.

This blog post is not only to explain what Fixate is, but to share with you that I am excited about it  and WHY. And to tell you that I have been baking away!

Yesterday, I made four recipes! Two of them were actually from the 21 Day Fix Extreme Eating Guide, but they were similar to the ones in the Fixate cookbook.

The reason I love this cookbook are "SIMPLE:"

1. The recipes are simple and easy.
2. The ingredients are generally common things one would know and do not contain a bunch of things that are foreign (like Irish Moss - I mean where could one even FIND Irish Moss?).
3. The dishes don't take long to make.
4. There is a variety.
5. And they are pretty tasty!

A lot of clean eating cookbooks or recipes have tasteless outcomes, but all of the ones I've tried thus far in here are very tasty! And I say that any recipe your husband and kid approve is a win.

Plus, having the cookbook around the house and just looking at it makes me already start to feel healthier. Placebo affect anyone?

So, here are a few recipes I've put my hand to and tried out for starters.



AUTUMN'S BANANA APPLE MUFFINS: A hint of banana and apple make these babies the right bit of sweet and get me in the mood for fall!

TURKEY CHILI: I subbed ground beef for the turkey because my boys are picky and the beef provides a bit more flavor for them. 

HOMEADE SALSA: Chipotle anyone? That's what this tasted like to me! It was so delish! Sans jalapeno and I added a bit of lime juice. Mmmm!

TURKEY MEATBALLS: My heart leaped when I saw that these bad boys call for OATS (you can see them in the photo!). I added a bit of breadcrumbs also, to make them a bit more tasty for the boys. 

Guys, this stuff is so much fun. And not just because getting a new cookbook delivered to your doorstep is fun (which it is), but because I know I'm providing healthy choices for our family. And I'm not spending a boat load of time doing it.  You can incorporate this into any of your fitness/workout regimes at any time. Happy cooking!