Showing posts with label Madridmom (Alice D). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madridmom (Alice D). Show all posts

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Here's a funny for this week.  So glad to have this group to support one another in our quest to meet our goals of fitness and weight loss.


Weight Loss Buddies
My friend Kimberly announced that she had started a diet to lose some pounds she had put on recently.
"Good!" I exclaimed. "I'm ready to start a diet too. We can be dieting buddies and help each other out. When I feel the urge to drive out and get a burger and fries, I'll call you first."
"Great!" she replied. "I'll ride with you."

Monday, February 4, 2013

Get that water intake up!

Here's my first tip post for this week:

Create a plan and follow through!  I know it is always difficult for me to drink enough water because frankly, I don't think about drinking anything for hours at a time.  But when I am doing one of these challenges I am more aware of my water consumption and that helps me remember to drink water.  often, however, I don't think about it until later in the day and then I am pushing to get it all in before bed.  The times that I have been successful in getting the whole 2 liters in is when I have some kind of concrete way to remind myself to drink and a way to track if I have had enough yet.  One challenge I put 4 magnets on the fridge and moved them from one side to the other every time I drank a 1/2 liter glass of water.  This time I was out shopping at the grocery store and needed to buy my daughter some bottled water to bring to school.  I saw a large bottle of water (1.5 liter) which was designed to be easy to hold even though it was a super large capacity.  I picked it up and carry it around with me taking sips throughout the day.  That  combined with the couple of glasses of water that I drink with meals easily gets me to the 2 liter goal each day.  What is your plan to help you get that water intake where it needs to be?

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Introduction Post Alice D. (aka Madridmom)

Photo:  Alice D (Madridmom) on the left and Cindy B. on the right.  Taken on our first day of our recent tour of Israel together by the Mediterranean Sea in Caesarea.  This was one of the few days warm enough to not be all bundled up in our jackets.

Well, it seems I have a hard time saying no when Dani Joy starts a fitness challenge.  It's a good thing because it seems I have much too easy a time saying no to eating well and exercising without the competition/point recording aspect of these challenges.  I am going ahead and posting the intro on the blog but I'm not sure whether I will post mainly here or on the facebook page.  The fb page is definitely quicker and easier for me so maybe I will do the journal posts there but any tips or humor posts here on the blog.

My husband and I are missionaries in the Madrid area (hence my screen name -- Madridmom) and, once again, when we came back from our furlough last January I had gotten right back up to my all time high weight of 153.  Ugh!  In 6 months I had put on 20 lbs!  I got busy and joined in on fitness challenges last spring, summer and fall and by Christmas had finally lost those 20.  Sure was fast and easy to put them on but not to get them off.  My big motivation was an outfit that my Mom purchased for me at the beginning of my furlough which was a beautiful chocolate brown pantsuit.  It was more of a fall/spring weight and by the time fall 2011 rolled around I couldn't even zip up the slacks.  I almost left it in the States when I was so heavy at the time of packing to return to Spain but I am glad I went ahead and packed it.  I would try those pants on periodically as I worked on losing the furlough pounds and this past December 2012 when my husband and I were able to get away for a week alone to celebrate our 25th anniversary I packed those pants and wore the outfit!  Yippee!

Between birthdays and Christmas and winter comfort foods I am slowly seeing some pounds creep back on and in the last couple days saw that number go over 140 again.  Where 150 used to be the number I would have to hit before I had a fire lit under me to make a change, I have changed my thinking and now 140 is that magic "Don't go there" number for me.  So, the scale is motivating me to sign up for the challenge.  I like going back to this point system.  The one back in the fall which limited exercise points was a little counterproductive and I totally lost steam once I got so far behind the rest.  I like the straight 20 minutes for 1 point plan.

My goal is to get back into the 130's and stay there.  I would prefer to be between 130 and 135 over the 135-139 range.  I think a realistic goal for the first 30 days is 137 and then see if I can get below 135 by the end of the 2nd half of the challenge.  During my first year of challenges on this blog I actually got down to 129 which was exciting but I was unable to maintain it for longer than a month or two in the summer.

My HEP plan is greatly affected by our financial situation and that is greatly affected by the dollar to euro exchange rate.  I can't promise that I will always have whole grain products to choose from but whenever there is a WW bread or pasta option in the house I will choose that over the white flour option.  I am going to strive to get my water points each day and will cut out the junk food/empty calorie foods. I will choose "real" foods over things full of chemical additives whenever possible.  I don't know yet if I will count calories or just try to eat healthy and add fresh fruits and veggies back into the diet while cutting back or eliminating those sugary treats.  I do eat real butter over margarine and prefer sweetening baked goods or tea with real honey or molasses over artificial sweeteners even though it means more calories.


Tuesday, April 17, 2012

spreadsheet

Hi, I just made myself a spreadsheet to keep track of my points in all the different categories for this 30 day challenge. If anyone would like a copy of it to use, let me know and I can send it to you by email ...unless someone knows of a way to post it somewhere for download.

UPDATE: I posted the spreadsheet file in my dropbox and here is the link. I think you can click on the link and then save it to your own computer. Can someone try this and let me know if it works for you?

Monday, March 19, 2012

Introductory post-- Alice

Hi,
My name is Alice Dysert and my husband and I are missionaries in Spain. We were in the States from June to January and put quite a few pounds on while we were there. I participated in the 30 day challenge when I came back and was able to bring the rising number on the scale to a halt and start the slow downward trend. I only lost 3 pounds but at least it is a start.
A couple of years ago, through the challenges on this blog, I was able to get from my highest weight of my adult life (aprox 154 lbs) to the lowest weight I had seen since college (129 lbs). I would LOVE to get back to 129 but realistically I would be very content to be under 135. I do have some nice summer clothes that I got that summer that I was 129 that I would be very happy to wear again. :-)
This first week has not gone very well for me. The schedule, our finances, and my weak self discipline has meant very few points earned. I know that I will never even come close to my goal if I don't make some changes and get serious about exercising and burning more calories than I take in on a daily basis.
You can follow my fitness journey through these intro posts from previous challenges: here, here, here (with picture) and here (with lots of pictures). My hope for this first 30 days is to see the numbers on the scale head toward 145 and stay there consistently. I have been firmly at 150 for the last week or so, with the 140's teasing me every few days with a peek at 148 or 149 before landing on 150. Since i lost 3 lbs in the last 30 day challenge without even really working that hard at it for the first couple weeks, I know that a goal of 3 to 5 lb loss is reasonable -- but only if I change my habits.
One bad habit i have is staying up too late and i am doing it again right now. So, i am going to sign off and post this and head to bed. I am finding that posting journal posts and keeping track of my points etc is easier on facebook so I don't know how often I will be on the blog. Is there a spreadsheet to keep track of points? If so, please email it to me. Thanks

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Update from Alice

Hi ladies!

I am struggling. My weight has actually gone up since the start of the challenge, I have been horrible about exercising and eating right. Some of that has been due to the craziness and traveling of furlough but I can't blame all of it on that. I did push and get more exercise in on the double points week but I have been away from home for the last 5 days and haven't fit any exercise in. I thought I would have time to do so during the days of this mission conference but I have been doing sightseeing with the family in the afternoon. At least it has been a bunch of walking .... In the mornings I have been speaking at the Christian school with my husband and then I have been getting some adjustments done by a chiropractor from the church who said he would see me each day we are here if I am interested. He has given me some neck exercises to do and was fairly firm with me that it is essential that I get in the habit of doing them or I am going to be in serious trouble when I am old.

I just read the nix the fix and the thought of the point-keeping at this stage of the challenge especially as I am going to be traveling this whole next week has me thinking I should just not worry about points anymore. I think it is perhaps too hard to try to do the record keeping and I don't want to ruin our family vacation by obsessing over food all the time. The trick will be to not just let everything go to pot just because I am no longer paying attention to winning points. I will still be weighing regularly once I get back home where there is a scale available to me.

I will stop in every once in a while when I can.

Friday, October 28, 2011

A Funny from Alice

In past challenges I got into the habit of doing at least one weekly post in the humor category. I have been travelling since the beginning of this challenge and haven't been able to do much posting (or dieting or exercising for that matter). I feel like I am really getting started this week -- and what a week to start with! I am in charge of bringing dessert to a dinner get together with our closest friends and I can't quite bring myself to bring something sugar free. And I don't think it would just be the 7 kids that would be disappointed. I am going to make something pumpkin and probably just take the negative points for the day but I will try not to overdo my indulging both in the dessert and in all the other snacking options we will have while we either watch the world series game 7 or play Rook and visit.

Here's a cartoon one of my facebook friends posted today. It made me smile.


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

A treadmill in the basement

We got to the home where we are staying for this 3 day conference late last night and the hosts were showing us around the home. After getting the family settled into their rooms I came out and asked the hosts if they would mind if I used their wifi connection to check my mail on my ipod. We had to go down into the basement where the router was to find the password to get online and I passed by a big treadmill! I asked our hostess if I would be able to use it and fully intended to get a workout in if we went back to the house during our free time this afternoon but we ended up just staying at the church all day. I am still hoping that perhaps if we get home at a reasonable hour tonight I may go down in the basement and get a workout in for the first time this week. Now if I were really dedicated I would set my alarm bright and early and get another good workout in tomorrow morning. We got up between 6:30 and 7:00 this morning as it is so I would probably have to get up at 5:30 or 6:00 AM. If you know me, you know that is a REALLY BIG DEAL. I'll let you know if I do it tomorrow.... after I break out the smelling salts and revive my husband who will probably faint dead away if I am up before him.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

The Furlough Fifteen

Remember at college how they would talk about the "Freshman 15" : those pesky pounds the freshman would put on due to the junk food and the extra food intake from the cafeteria and/or the dorm room snacking? Well we have spent the last few days at Maranatha Baptist Bible College so that my son could check out the college (he's just a couple years away from graduating from high school). We ate a couple of meals in the cafeteria and I have to say it would be very easy to put on 15 lbs at that school. The cafeteria is fantastic! There are so many choices at every meal! I did put a large portion of salad from the salad bar on my plate at lunch and only a very small drizzle of salad dressing. I also left off a lot of the options, mainly because I don't like a lot of funky stuff in my salad. I left off the bacon bits too just because I knew I didn't need the empty calories and fat. I did go through the stir fry section of the line where you could tell the cook the ingredients you wanted in your stir fry and which kind of sauce you wanted and which kind of rice. I chose chicken, green peppers, broccoli and onions with soy sauce over brown rice. There were 4 other food lines -- pizza, rotisserie chicken, subs, taco/nachos and I don't know what else. Amazing. I am glad we had other plans and didn't go back for dinner because it was difficult being self controlled. I do feel like I stayed away from the worst of the choices -- the highest in carbs, for example.
We are having breakfast there Monday with a professor .... and I will try to be careful to make good decisions. Probably will pass up the belgian waffle maker and get an omelette instead. I also find that when I can "eat all I want" that I overdo it with things like juice. I drank 2 large glasses of OJ the other day without even thinking about it. Monday I will have water or some hot tea and either leave off the juice or just have 4 oz. We will probably take advantage of the chance to skip a meal while travelling and just eat well for breakfast and then skip lunch. We are on our way to a 3 day conference where we will be staying with church people and probably have our meals scheduled at different homes. Those days are especially hard since I have so little control over my food or my schedule. The following week I will be travelling but it is going to be a girls' getaway with my youngest sister in law to go to Dallas and visit my husband's older sister. The SIL I am travelling with is also trying to be active and healthy so she and I are already planning how we can workout together while the other SIL is at work. We'll see how successful we are. Still hoping to get rid of some of the "furlough 15" before Christmas.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Needing a kick-start

I seem to be so slow getting going on this challenge. The only thing I have done consistently is weighing daily. However the numbers on the scale have bounced around from 131.8 to as high as 134.2. I am still shooting to see 129 again by the time we start furlough, but I only have 5 weeks till I leave so I am going to need to get serious here. Somehow grabbing the tupperware container that had the last of the homemade cookies I made with the kids last week and snarfing the whole thing (I didn't count but there were WAY more than I should have eaten) is probably NOT the right direction..... Argh! I have been dragging this afternoon/evening now too --- I'm having a major sugar crash now.

My allergies are still bothering me but today I did my workout outside and did OK. I've actually been doing a lot more sneezing and dealing with itchy eyes etc this afternoon and I have been inside since noon. It is just really hard to get the workout done inside where everywhere I look there is something that "needs" to be done instead. I could tell I had not been running in a while. I could not do the 30 minute run on my couch 2 5K program. I had to keep switching to a walk because I was getting out of breath. I would like to say it was the allergies but I think it is just because I have let a month go by without being active like I was doing in March/April. Soooooo, back to the drawing board. Hopefully by next week's weigh-in I can be back to my starting weight from this challenge and by June 28 I will be at 129 or 130. I would be ecstatic if I got below 129 but one thing at a time!

This week I am doing better at drinking my water and getting those points. I don't know if I will be able to keep up with the "record keeping" but i am cheering the rest of you on.


Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Alice's first post Sweating off the fat challenge

Hi! I know we have officially started another challenge but this week has been quite unusual and so I really haven't done anything to start yet. I had a throat infection last week and was on antibiotics and spent the weekend of May 1 in bed the whole time. I lost a pound while I was sick but since it was between the end of the last challenge and the beginning of this one there are no points for that lost pound. I briefly gained it back with my celebration of Mother's Day but then today I was back down.
My allergies have really been bothering me and I am very slowly getting my energy back from being sick. The doctor wants me to limit my time outside in the pollen and said to do my workouts inside till the pollen counts go down. I get easily distracted by the house and the computer when I am inside so I haven't had a "real" workout yet. (I did get to count points twice for the walking I needed to do when going to church or other appointments). I should be able to get the water points but for some reason even that is difficult for me lately. I bought some new water bottles at the store yesterday (I threw out my old one since it had germs from when I had the throat infection) so hopefully I can get back on track soon.

Starting weight: 131.8 lbs
Starting measurements are the same as my ending ones from the spring challenge.
Bust: 91 cm
Chest: 82.5 cm
Waist: 83 cm.
Hips: 100 cm.
R Thigh: 57.5 cm
L Thigh: 57.5 cm
R Arm: 29 cm.
L Arm: 28 cm


Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Alice's final post Spring challenge



Here is a screenshot of my spreadsheet with the measurements over the course of this challenge. Remember you can click on the picture to make it larger and be able to read it easier. The weight is in pounds and the measurements are in centimeters.

It is slightly discouraging to realize that I am basically just back to where I was at the end of the fall challenge. Those 5 1/2 lbs that I lost over this challenge were all put on between Christmas and mid February. I have 4 more pounds to go to reach my goal, which is to be at 129 lbs. (where I was last summer) by the time I start furlough on June 28th. I want to start furlough out at my lowest possible weight since I know how easy it is to gain while in the States. I will miss the interaction and accountability of the blog but I will be continuing to work out (or I will never get the last 4 lbs off).

The most encouraging thing for me, besides being in the lead in the points (that was a big deal for me to be ahead of Dani this challenge) was that I did almost 69 hours of exercise over the course of the last 10 weeks! That is a HUGE deal for this diehard couch potato.

As the far as the points go, here is my breakdown on my 603 points:
25 pts for 5 pounds lost
18 pts for 18.5 cm lost
206 pts for 68.6 hours of exercise
41 pts for regular blog posts
313 pts of bonus points throughout the challenge which included 16 days of getting the bonus for drinking my water.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Punching up the cardio

Here is a review and video of the program that my husband and I have been using for cardio workouts, especially when the weather or our schedule makes it hard or impossible to get a workout outside. I try to get at least 1000 punches in before stopping for the day, which takes between 30 and 40 minutes. What I like is that it does make me work up a sweat... much more than I get from walking or even from jogging.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Alice's weekly humor post April 25 -- Miracle Toddler Diet

THE TODDLER DIET

People are always on the lookout for a new diet. The trouble with most diets is that you don't get enough to eat (the starvation diet), you don't get enough variation (the liquid diet) or you go broke (the all-meat diet). Consequently, people tend to cheat on their diets, or quit after 3 days.

Well, now there's the new Toddler Miracle Diet.

Over the years you may have noticed that most two year olds are trim. Now the formula to their success is available to all in this new diet. You may want to consult your doctor before embarking on this diet, otherwise, you may be seeing him afterwards. Good Luck !!!

DAY ONE

Breakfast: One scrambled egg, one piece of toast with grape jelly. Eat two bites of egg, using your fingers; dump the rest on the floor. Take one bite of toast, then smear the jelly over your face and cloth.

Lunch: Four crayons (any color), a handful of potato chips, and a glass of milk (three sips only, then spill the rest).

Dinner: A dry stick, two pennies and a nickel, four sips of flat Sprite.

Bedtime snack: Throw a piece of toast on the kitchen floor.

DAY TWO

Breakfast: Pick up stale toast from kitchen floor and eat it. Drink half bottle of vanilla extract or one vial of vegetable dye.

Lunch: Half tube of "Pulsating Pink" lipstick and a handful of Purina DogChow (any flavor). One ice cube, if desired.

Afternoon snack: Lick an all-day sucker until sticky, take outside, drop in dirt. Retrieve and continue slurping until it is clean again. Then bring inside and drop on rug.

Dinner: A rock or an uncooked bean, which should be thrust up your left nostril. Pour Grape Kool-Aid over mashed potatoes; eat with spoon.

DAY THREE

Breakfast: Two pancakes with plenty of syrup, eat one with fingers, rub in hair. Glass of milk; drink half, stuff other pancake in glass. After breakfast, pick up yesterday's sucker from rug, lick off fuzz, put it on the cushion of best chair.

Lunch: Three matches, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Spit several bites onto the floor. Pour glass of milk on table and slurp up.

Dinner: Dish of ice cream, handful of potato chips, some red punch. Try to laugh some punch through your nose, if possible.

FINAL DAY

Breakfast: A quarter tube of toothpaste (any flavor), bit of soap, an olive. Pour a glass of milk over bowl of cornflakes, add half a cup of sugar. Once cereal is soggy, drink milk and feed cereal to dog.

Lunch: Eat bread crumbs off kitchen floor and dining room carpet. Find that sucker and finish eating it.

Dinner: Drop pieces of spaghetti onto back of dog, insert meatball into ear. Dump pudding into Kool-Aid and suck up with a straw.

REPEAT DAYS AS NEEDED!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

A pleasant surprise this Easter morning

I have been away on vacation without a scale to help keep me in line for the last week and a half. I was afraid to step on the scale this morning and see how much I had gained and would only have 3 days to work off before the end of the challenge. What a nice surprize to see the exact same number on the scale that I weighed in at on Wed. April 13th! Yippee! I did have some Easter treats today (Dunkin donuts for breakfast with the kids and ham and mashed potatoes for dinner) but this morning´s weigh in has motivated me to keep pushing and finish this challenge strong. The kids have the day off from school tomorrow but I am going to try to get up at the regular time for a school day and spend the time I would normally spend getting them to school in a good workout. That will either be outside running in the park if the weather is good or sweating up a storm doing the cardio boxing workout on the wii .... or maybe both?

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

springing on vacation

It is certainly a challenge to maintain this challenge while on vacation. I have no idea what I weigh but I do know that I am pitifully low on any additional points this week. I am definitely giving you all a chance to catch up and pass me in the points. I haven't gotten the water points even as we are out and about and I don't always have the water bottle handy or easy to refill like I do at home.
We walked all over the city of Cartagena today but I hardly even know how to count sightseeing walking like that. It never gets to a good pace but the legs are sure tired at the end of the day.

I did walk/jog over to the parking lot where I can get online via the wifi in an area cafe the other day. I would be doing this much more if my hubby were with us but since he is not here we have all been quite slothful staying up late watching Dr. Who and then sleeping in till the double digits. My early bird hubby would have us all up and enjoying the days much earlier but I guess this vacation is going to have a slightly different feel to it ... the Mom touch. :-)

The weather says we are going to have a couple of days of rain at the end of the week. Boo hiss. The sun has been out but the wind has made it too cold to spend at the beach. Maybe tomorrow will be the day we can be beach bums.

keep up the good work, everyone. I hope I have time before the end of the challenge to lose whatever i am gaining this week.

Alice's weekly humor post April 19

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Resurrection Cookies

This is not a real "diet" recipe as it is a lot of sugar (although since it is only egg white at least you don't have the cholesterol or fat). I translated this and gave it out to some of the moms at my kids' school with all the scripture written out. Kind of like a tract. :-) I'll copy and paste that at the end of this for our Spanish ladies.

Annie's "Resurrection Cookies" Page
~Also known as Easter Story Cookies~

This is a great recipe to teach your Children the REAL story of Easter. That the Lord Jesus Christ
our Savior is not dead but has Risen. We serve a Risen Savior......

This activity can be done as a "family" or for Sunday School. Of course the Sunday School option might
be to hand it out to the class with a note to the parents. Grandparents might considering
doing this with their grandchildren this year too!!!

So Grab your Apron and Let's Get Started!!!!!!!

You will need:
1 cup whole pecans
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
a pinch salt
1 cup sugar
a zipper baggy
1 wooden spoon
scotch tape
Bible

Instructions:
These are to be made the evening before Easter. Preheat oven to 300F.
*** (this is very important --- don't wait until you are half done with the recipe).
Place pecans in zipper baggy and let children beat them with the wooden spoon
to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested. He
was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read: John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 teaspoon vinegar into mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar
to drink. Read: John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life
to give us life. Read: John 10:10&11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest
into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers,
and the bitterness of our own sin. Read: Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the
sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to
know and belong to Him. Read: Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.
Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins
have been cleansed by Jesus. Read: Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper covered cookie sheet.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.
Read: Matthew 27:57-60

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read: Matthew 27:65-66

GO TO BED!

Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight.
Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read: John 16:20&22

On Resurrection Sunday (Easter) morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked
surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed
to find the tomb open and empty. Read: Matthew 28:1-9

~Source for these cookies is unknown. Thank you Sue for sending it to me so that I could share it with others!!!~



Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 cookies

Amount per Serving

Calories 47
Calories from Fat 7.2

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0.8g
1%
Saturated Fat 0.08g
0%
Cholesterol 0mg
0%
Sodium 8.28mg
0%
Total Carbohydrate 9.77g
3%
Dietary Fiber 0.09g
0%
Sugars 9.64g
Protein 0.79g
1%

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat
15%
Carbs
83%
Protein
6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.


Y ahora en Español:

Galletas de la Resurrección


Esta receta es una buena manera de enseñar a tus hijos la historia REAL de la Pascua. El Señor JesuCristo no está muerto, sino que ha resucitado. Es nuestro Salvador y está vivo.


Ingredientes:


50 gramos nueces

1 cucharadita de vinagre

3 claras de huevo

una pizca de sal

1 taza (aprox. 200 gramos) de azucar


Prepara estas galletas la noche antes del domingo de la Resurrección. Precalentar el horno a 180 grados. ****( Es muy importante hacer esto. No esperes hasta despues de mezclar los ingredientes.) Poner las nueces en una bolsa pequeña. Golpear con un s cucharra de madera. Explicar a los niños que dispues de estar arrestado, Jesús fue golpeado y azotado por los soldados Romanos.

Juan 19:1-3 Así que, entonces tomó Pilato a Jesús, y le azotó. Y los soldados entretejieron una corona de espinas, y la pusieron sobre su cabeza, y le vistieron con un manto de púrpura; y le decían: !!Salve, Rey de los judíos! y le daban de bofetadas.


Dejar a cada niño oler el vinagre. Poner una cucharadita de vinagre en un bol. Explicar que cuando Jesús estaba en la cruz tenía sed y le dieron vinagre para beber.

Juan 19:28-30 Después de esto, sabiendo Jesús que ya todo estaba consumado, dijo, para que la Escritura se cumpliese: Tengo sed. Y estaba allí una vasija llena de vinagre; entonces ellos empaparon en vinagre una esponja, y poniéndola en un hisopo, se la acercaron a la boca. Cuando Jesús hubo tomado el vinagre, dijo: Consumado es. Y habiendo inclinado la cabeza, entregó el espíritu.


Añadir las claras de huevo al vinagre. Los huevos representan la vida. Explicar que Jesús dió su vida para darnos la vida a nosotros. Juan 10:10, 11 El ladrón no viene sino para hurtar y matar y destruir; yo he venido para que tengan vida, y para que la tengan en abundancia. Yo soy el buen pastor; el buen pastor su vida da por las ovejas.


Poner un poquito de sal en la mano de cada niño. Dejarle probarlo. Luego poner una pizca de sal en el bol con el vinagre. El sal representa las lagrimas saladas de Jesús cuando lloró en la cruz y la amargura de nuestro pecado. Lucas 23:27 Y le seguía gran multitud del pueblo, y de mujeres que lloraban y hacían lamentación por él.


Hasta ahora los ingredientes no tienen buena pinta. Añadir el azucar. Explicar que lo más dulce de la historia de la resurrección es que Cristo murió porque nos ama. Él quiere que nosotros le conozcamos a él y que seamos suyos. Salmo 34:8 Gustad, y ved que es bueno Jehová; Dichoso el hombre que confía en él.


Juan 3:16 Porque de tal manera amó Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unigénito, para que todo aquel que en él cree, no se pierda, mas tenga vida eterna.


Batir bien con batidora entre 12 a 15 minutos o hasta que quedan puntos de la mezcla que guardan su forma al levantar la batidora. Explicar que el color blanco representa la pureza en los ojos de Dios de todos que han sido limpiado por Jesús. Isaías 1:18 Venid luego, dice Jehová, y estemos a cuenta: si vuestros pecados fueren como la grana, como la nieve serán emblanquecidos; si fueren rojos como el carmesí, vendrán a ser como blanca lana.


Añadir con cuidado los nueces a la mezcla. Poner papel del horno encima de una bandeja para horno. Hacer las galletas dejando pequeñas montonitos de la mezcla por encima de la bandeja. Explicar que cada montonita representa la tumba donde se puso el cuerpo de Jesús. Mateo 27:57-60 Cuando llegó la noche, vino un hombre rico de Arimatea, llamado José, que también había sido discípulo de Jesús. Este fue a Pilato y pidió el cuerpo de Jesús. Entonces Pilato mandó que se le diese el cuerpo. Y tomando José el cuerpo, lo envolvió en una sábana limpia, y lo puso en su sepulcro nuevo, que había labrado en la peña; y después de hacer rodar una gran piedra a la entrada del sepulcro, se fue.


Poner la bandeja en el horno. Cerrar la puerta del horno y APAGAR EL HORNO. Dar un trozo de cinta adhesiva a cada niño y sellar la puerta del horno con la cinta. Explicar que la tumba de Jesús estaba sellada. Mateo 27:65,66 Y Pilato les dijo: Ahí tenéis una guardia; id, aseguradlo como sabéis. Entonces ellos fueron y aseguraron el sepulcro, sellando la piedra y poniendo la guardia.


IRSE A LA CAMA A DORMIR.

Explicar que quizas se sienten ellos tristes a dejar las galletas en el horno toda la noche. Los seguidores de Cristo estaban desesperados cuando la tumba estaba sellada.

Juan 16:20, 22 De cierto, de cierto os digo, que vosotros lloraréis y lamentaréis, y el mundo se alegrará; pero aunque vosotros estéis tristes, vuestra tristeza se convertirá en gozo. También vosotros ahora tenéis tristeza; pero os volveré a ver, y se gozará vuestro corazón, y nadie os quitará vuestro gozo.

Por la mañana (el Domingo de la Resurrección), abrir el horno y dar una galleta a cada uno. Tomar un bocado. Las galletas son huecas por dentro. Los seguidores de Jesús estaban sorprendidos al encontrar la tumba abierta y vacía. Mateo 28:1-9 Pasado el día de reposo, al amanecer del primer día de la semana, vinieron María Magdalena y la otra María, a ver el sepulcro. Y hubo un gran terremoto; porque un ángel del Señor, descendiendo del cielo y llegando, removió la piedra, y se sentó sobre ella. Su aspecto era como un relámpago, y su vestido blanco como la nieve. Y de miedo de él los guardas temblaron y se quedaron como muertos. Mas el ángel, respondiendo, dijo a las mujeres: No temáis vosotras; porque yo sé que buscáis a Jesús, el que fue crucificado. No está aquí, pues ha resucitado, como dijo. Venid, ved el lugar donde fue puesto el Señor. E id pronto y decid a sus discípulos que ha resucitado de los muertos, y he aquí va delante de vosotros a Galilea; allí le veréis. He aquí, os lo he dicho. Entonces ellas, saliendo del sepulcro con temor y gran gozo, fueron corriendo a dar las nuevas a sus discípulos. Y mientras iban a dar las nuevas a los discípulos, he aquí, Jesús les salió al encuentro, diciendo: !Salve! Y ellas, acercándose, abrazaron sus pies, y le adoraron.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

on vacation

My kids and I are on vacation on our annual Easter Week trip to the shore. We drove down Thursday after school and are enjoying just relaxing and sleeping in. Last night we said let's just sleep in as long as we want tomorrow and then go to the beach. Well, I got up at 10 am and the house was silent as a tomb. I assume I was the first one up. What a bunch of bums we are!
I drove over to the parking lot of the supermarket which is right behind a little cafe I found yesterday that has wifi. I wondered if yesterday's code would get me in and it has so I am writing this quickly from the laptop in my car.

I didn't get my water points for the last two days but I will work hard to get back to the water drinking. I need all the help I can get to counteract the odd schedule and food choices of vacation. I am also in withdrawal from my scale. I meant to pack it in the car so that I could weigh in and keep track of myself to not let myself be too bad but then I forgot. So I am going to end up being totally in the dark for 10 days! Yikes! I could be in for a big shock when I get back to Madrid. I hope I have learned a few things from tracking my calories these past few weeks so that I don't sabotage myself too badly.

Last night we all watched a cool show on tv -- a game show I had not seen before. It was really fun and lasted a couple hours I think (we came in after it had started) so I started jogging in place and got 40 minutes in. Today we will head to the beach but I probably won't get any points earned although I will walk along the shore some. I measured the kilometers to the internet place today to see if I could make that my morning run. it was almost 2.5 km to get here so that may be something to shoot for in the morning .... run here, check email and facebook on my ipod and then run home. But I will have to get up and at it before 10 AM.

Last night when I checked mail and facebook I found out that a friend of mine, the mother of 2 of my kids' friends at the Christian school, was just diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She and her family have lots of big decisions to make as they investigate what is available to them at this time. I went home and had a family meeting after supper to tell the kids. It was tough, but we had a prayer time and then, thankfully, that show was on which captured our attention and lightened the mood a little before bedtime. If you think of it, please pray for Jennifer Fields and her family at this time -- they are missionaries that work in the Christian school for mk's. And pray especially for my son, Philip, as he has a very tender heart which is breaking for his best friend, Josiah.

Well, I'm off to see if the rest of the troups have roused yet to start the day.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

balancing act



Today has been a balancing act for me. Trying to figure out how much exercise to do in order to work off the calories from Ben & Jerry's free ice cream day. I worked out for 1:20 this morning and then did 20 minutes of cardio boxing on the wii before we left for the ice cream store. I ate a good breakfast and tried a new recipe for lunch that was good. I'll try to post the recipe tomorrow.