Revolution of Love

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Weigh-in Wednesday: 100 Miles in 100 Days Intro

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**Sharing the triumphs and missteps in my journey towards a healthier physical, emotional and spiritual life.**



Spiritual/Emotional Update: I have missed the last couple weeks of my Book Discussion of Style, Sex, and Substance: 10 Catholic Women Consider the Things that Really Matter for Weigh-in Wednesdays because it has been super busy here, especially with these last weeks of school. However, today the last of my kiddos have finished off the school year so summer vacation has officially started. With a more relaxed schedule, I can hopefully post more often. I finished re-reading the second half of chapter 4 and have lots of notes to discuss about sex and marriage (be forewarned šŸ˜‰ and I’ll try to condense it to a comprehensible post for you next Wednesday.
Physical Update: Instead, today I’ll update you on my physical progress. As I mentioned before, I’ve been trying to walk more. This was relatively easy on the three days the boys went to preschool but for the rest of the week I floundered. Now that the boys are out of school and I don’t have much alone time to walk, I have to incorporate my walking with the kids’ day. They can’t walk two miles but they’ve been okay with one. (Although half way through JP starts dragging and Andrew frequently reports to me how his energy levels are running low.)
My sisters BC & JC are already running half-marathons (they and my brother JC are running the Disney 5K & Half-Marathon in Sept) and my sister EL recently started the Couch to 5K program. I looked into that but frankly I am not ready to start running yet since I am barely making it out the door to walk. My biggest problem is consistency so I’ve been looking for something I can do every day, including days when I have all 4 kids with me. I thought I would commit to walking at least one mile a day. On the days when I can walk without the kids I can double it and try to increase my speed. But as long as I get a minimum of a mile each day, I’ll be happy. My goal is to walk 100 miles in 100 days. It may not seem like much to all you physically fit mamas & chicas out there but for a girl who used to count the ketchup on her hamburger and the apple pie for dessert as two serving of fruits and veggies, well, it is a lot for me but not so hard that I can’t do it.
If you are interested in doing something similar, let me know and I’ll start a link up so you can share your progress on your blog. You can go as far/long as you want. You can walk, run, bike, whatever. Some days you can push it and some days you can make it a leisurely stroll. The main thing is to get moving. If you are on Twitter or Instagram you can upload a photo from your walk or update with the hashtag #100milesin100days.
Here are the photos I’ve taken so far:

Day 1: Monday, June 11, 2012

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There were butterflies everywhere on the canyon path we walked.



Day 2: Tuesday, June 12, 2012

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Bella joined me on my favorite walk along the central California coast.


Day 3: Wednesday, June 13, 2012

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The view from today’s walk.



My calendar shows that I’ll hit my 100 days on September 18, 2012. Wish me luck. (and perseverance!) I’ll keep you posted. šŸ™‚
UPDATE: (6/15/12) My sister is going to join me so I will make a Link Up for next week. I’ll post it Monday mornings and we can share how we’ve been doing.

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{pretty, happy, funny, real} – vol 34: My Faves Edition

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~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~



Here are some of my favorite Instagrams from this week


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I took this shot at a friend’s house after the rain earlier this week.



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All these shots made me happy!




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John-Paul




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Andrew and Matthew




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The three boys mesmerized by a bug.




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Bella with Andrew & JP



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It was crazy hair day at school. Andrew was proud of his do.




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I loooove this shot of John-Paul in his James Dean mode but unfortunately it was streaked by the sun’s glare.




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Matthew started out spikey but with everyone rubbing his head he ended up just a big mess. Lol.



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If you visit Monterey County you’ll find many huge life-like murals done by John Cerney. Here are tow of my favorites on Cannery Row depicting cannery workers from the 1930’s.




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CFCA & An Abigail Update


Last year I posted about Abigal, the little girl in Mexico that we sponsored through Christian Foundation for Children & Aging (CFCA).


I shared with you the first letter we received from her and I thought I’d update you by sharing another letter we received last week that truly touched my heart.


The letter translates:

Dear Bobbi,

I am writing this letter to greet you and all your family because you are helping me. Thank you! I love you very much and I pray for you everyday so that you may be healthy and you may always have a job and everyday’s bread. I have the picture of you next to my Virgin of Guadalupe so that she can take care of you wherever you are and she may cover you with her mantle.

I had a great time at Christmas because at the Foundation all the moms organized games for us so we could have fun and we could meet other sponsored children. My mom participated in the games, and then they gave us something to eat, gave us our gifts, clothes and a small bag with candies. All this is possible thanks to you who give us economic support.

On the other hand, I would like to tell you that my mom and my grandparents are very happy because you are helping me and they say that you are a part of our family now.

Let me tell you too, that I am going to receive my First Communion; my grandmother goes to the handcrafts workshops that they give at the Foundation because they teach them how to make bracelets, necklaces, earrings and now they are making a rosary and then my grandmother teaches me and I am making a rosary.

Goodbye to you, letting you know that I pray to God so that He may take care of you. I wish that with all my heart. May He bless you wherever you are!

A greeting to Bella: Hello, my friend! How are you? Do you like to go to school? Do you have many friends?
Goodbye to you from your sponsored,
Abigail

I am blown away that her mother and grandparents consider me a member of their family now and that Abigail is praying that Our Lady of Guadalupe watches over me and “covers me with her mantle.” How beautiful! I love the fact that we are helping Abi financially, yet we are the ones receiving the blessings of this little girl’s love and prayers.

To be honest with you, the other day I was going over the budget and I was wondering if we could afford to have all the kids in Catholic school and still send money to Abigail as well. Reading this letter, though, reminded me of how important this money is to her life and her family’s life. I quickly found a way to make it work by cutting out some other frivolous spending in my budget. Besides, I have already been paid back tenfold by the prayers of Abi and her family.

For more information about the CFCA or to sponsor a child of your own, visit the Christian Foundation for Children & Aging (CFCA) website.


The Simple Woman’s Daybook: June 2012

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Courtesy of The Simple Woman’s Daybook.
FOR TODAY – Monday, June 4, 2012
Outside my window… it is cold, grey and drizzly raining. I don’t think the sun will break through today.
I am thinking… that it has been awhile since I’ve posted to the blog, well, other than photos.
I wish… I wasn’t typing this with one hand because it’s going to take too long.
I am thankful… for the job promotion Brian received even if it means a change in our schedules.
In the kitchen… the boys are eating the last of my banana oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
I am wearing… coral peasant top, khaki shorts, and bare feet. Forget that. The temp has dropped and it’s raining now. Make that a long sleeve top, yoga pants and socks.
I am creating… my family household binder. (I’ll post pics soon.)
I am going… to mail my letter to Abigail, the little girl we sponsor in Mexico and post about her last letter to me. (It’s so touching!)
I am praying… for my friend Tim and his family.
I am reading… emails that are piling up in my inbox, the latest Catholic Digest and I’m wondering if I should download the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy or wait until next year.

I am hoping…
to have a number of new posts this week…if this cranky baby in my arms ever settles down and I get a chance to work on them.
I am looking forward to… summer vacation and sleeping in.
I am not looking forward to… keeping the kids busy for the 100+ days of vacation!
I am learning… how to take a deep breath and “go with the flow” because the day often does no go as you plan it to go.

I am hearing…
Lightning and Mater tipping tractors as the boys laugh hysterically and a teething Matthew settling down into a snore. Finally.
Around the house… there are a number of unfinished organizing projects.
I am pondering… the fact that my sister EL is so far away and I wish I could have been at my niece’s baptism this weekend.
A favorite quote for today… “It is better to give than to receive.”
One of my favorite things… going to the movies. It is so rare these days that going in a major treat!
A few plans for the rest of the week… On Thursday I’ll go to Bella’s end of the year class picnic and on Friday we celebrate Bella’s last day of school and Andrew’s 5th birthday!
From my photo journal… These were taken yesterday. As soon as the sun came out we went for a walk before the fog returned.
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Mamarazzi Moments: A Beautiful Day for a Walk

Okay, I confess, I’m a paparazzi mamarazzi! I can’t help it. I love snapping photos! Here are the latest.
Memorial Day weekend was cold and rainy… yes, rainy! However, on Monday we finally got a burst of sunshine and we decided to try out a new local walking trail. Here are some photos I took along the way.

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Brian leading the pack.




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Wildflowers




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Here is a photo of Bella and Andrew but what I really love is Brian in the background thinking, “Is she still taking pictures??”




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After the first mile John-Paul was ready to call it quits. (BTW, Matthew was asleep in the stroller the whole time, that is why he’s not in the photos.)




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There is a tunnel along the trail and we found a bit of graffiti. This is about as tough as our clean cut city gets. Beware of “El Socko.” Lol. šŸ˜‰




walk1h.JPGWe sort of negated all the healthy walking by going for ice cream afterwards. Anyone for a Mud Pie Mojo? Yum!!


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