TV or not TV...

Mr. Querido and I have been TV-less for almost a whole month. Wow. For a recovering TV-aholic such as myself, that is a LONG time! But I don't miss it. I have more time to spend reading, *cough* blogging *cough*, working on my writing, and interacting with family. That last part is important because my husband is working full time AND going to school at night (two nights out of the week). We have more time to chat in the evenings or labor in our yard.

I never realized how much time television sucked out of my life until I quit watching. Life is fuller, more vibrant without the blue flickering glow. Oh, there have been times when I felt the magnetic pull toward the Box, but I resisted. I knew that if I ever went back, I would be sucked in to that TV trance again. Besides, I need to set an example for my children. They need to know that TV is not life and cannot become a substitute for life.

My other revelation was that all my favorite TV shows didn't glorify God. Why would I want to spend time doing something that didn't bring Him glory? That is the ultimate waste of time! Not only did those shows not bring Him glory, they did not foster character traits in me that I would be proud of. My favorite "people" became replacements for the real people in my life. Even worse, they became more important. My "friends" didn't require anything from me except for my time. "They" didn't need anything or want anything. I could just sit there and not have to feel or do anything. TV was my drug of choice.

When I think back to how many hours I flushed watching frivolous junk, I want to weep. But I cannot go back and change the past, I can only go forward. And thankfully, I have woken up from the trance of the flickering blue light before it was too late.

Works for Me Wednesday

Yay, I am so excited to participate in Works for Me Wednesday! So here is what works for us...

With two boys under the age of five, we get a lot of boo-boos over here. Lots of bruises, scrapes and bumped heads.



Enter Arnica Gel...



This green goo provides a soothing anti-inflammatory barrier. Works like magic on gooseggs and other cranial injuries. Plus it can double as a blemish creme. Arnica Gel won't prevent the pimples, but it will make them disappear overnight!

We have thoroughly tested the product over here in the FITPH household. It gets our stamp of approval! For more creative ideas check out Rocks in My Dryer!

Dot dot dot

After reading through some old posts of mine, I just realized that I use (...) a lot. Like some bloggers use LOL in excess, I overuse (...). So...what is the importance of this? Not much really, just thought it was amusing...

Avoiding Those Arches, Bells and Crowns...

While reading about Jennifer's impulse splurge I thought about the answer to her query. What places do we avoid now that we have reduced income and are committed to getting out of debt?

Fast food restaurants, or restaurants in general for that matter!

I can recall RARE times where we have had someone that could watch the kids for us and we could go to a sit down dinner in a nice restaurant. Inevitably, the food would be mediocre and overpriced and there would always be a nice big helping of guilt and eater's regret on the side. We might as well have been sauteeing our dollar bills and chopping up our change. After our last dining fiasco, Mr. Querido and I agreed that restaurants are overrated and we would prefer a luxurious dinner at home where there is no side of regret served for dessert.

So this got me thinking about how much we might have spent in one year on eating out. I decided to tally up what we have spent so far this year, average it and then multiply it by twelve for an approximation on what we might have spent.

Average workday expenditure on eating out: $4.61
Average weekly expenditure on eating out: $23.06
Average monthly expenditure on eating out: $92.25! (Holey Guacamole!)
Average yearly expenditure on eating out: $1107.00...ouch that really hurts...

Now keep in mind that we have been on a serious budget since I stopped working after Miss Precious was born...ten months ago. Before that, eating out was a regular event. Especially because I was often too tired from working to actually put a meal together. So I think we could have easily spent more like $2000.00 a year on eating out.

And let's not forget what kind of places we dined at.. "have it your way" on the way to the poorhouse King, gourmet Mexican cuisine that has "you running to the border" from your creditors, and the all American burger joint open late-night so you can snack your way into bankruptcy at 1 am.

Convenience isn't so convenient when you realize that your checkbook is hemorrhaging at the drive-thru window!

Now, Mr. Querido and I make sure that the kids have something to snack on in the car, a bottle of water for thirst and we happily breeze by those golden arches.

***I should mention that no, we are not on our way to the poorhouse or bankruptcy God has provided well for us and we are blessed!***

Fuel Your Faith...

Be inspired...



"You have to choose what you magnify."
~Mike Guglielmucci

Am I going to magnify my situation or am I going to magnify God, Who is infinitely bigger than my situation?



HEALER
Composed by Mike Guglielmucci
Hillsong

Lyrics:

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging sea
You walk with me through fire
You heal all my disease
I trust in You
I trust in You

And I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe that You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

Copyright 2008 Hillsong Music

Defiant faith. Faith in spite of what we see.

Hebrews 10:23
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."

Progress for Miss Precious

Miss Precious in progress...


Learning how to walk with Daddy...



Eating cheerios (if you look really closely you can see one in her mouth!)..

Communication Gap..

Gen 2-3
Within this text, we see the creation of man and woman. The first marriage was instituted by God. We also see the first sin. I was struck by the fact that in Scripture, it never directly says that God reiterated to Eve His command to not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It only states that He told man (meaning Adam) the command. So I cannot help but wonder if a communication breakdown happened in the Garden. Eve states to the serpent in Gen 3:2-3 that God commanded that she and Adam couldn't eat or EVEN TOUCH the fruit of the tree or they would surely die. Why did she add the touching part? Did Adam tell his wife "Now honey, you see that beautiful tree in the middle of the Garden? God said we can't eat the fruit or we will die. On second thought, just don't even touch it!" Why did God leave the command only for Adam and not for Eve? Did he expect the husband to communicate the order effectively and clearly? How was Eve supposed to know the original command if she hadn't yet been created when it was given?

Does the communication gap between the sexes date all the way back to the Garden of Eden? Perhaps the first lie that was told in the Garden wasn't told by the serpent...