THEY NEED YOU!!

Help sponsor this family!  A wonderful organization called FOVC (find their website here) is doing an amazing work in a remote area of  Ethiopia that would not otherwise be getting aid.  They NEED SPONSORS for this family!  Sponsorship is $35 a month per child.  We just took on sponsoring the baby and I am hoping to find help here with my generous readership to help support the other 3!

Unlike most of the big name organizations your sponsorship will go directly to the needy child and not just into overhead or a fund for their village  FOVC was started by a family that adopted from Ethiopia and after seeing Ethiopia could not bear the thought of not helping their adopted children's homeland.  I LOVE IT!!  What an amazing opportunity to help this family and get your family involved as well with letters from your children, and a chance for your children to be involved in making a difference!
You might be wondering who this group is so here is a little info from their website...
FOVC's mission is to educate and support orphans, vulnerable children & widows in Ethiopia, empowering them to break the cycle of poverty and hunger as we offer them hope and independence for the future.

In partnership with community groups and foundations, churches, businesses, families and individuals, FOVC's goal is to assure that all orphans and vulnerable children grow up in safe, permanent families, with access to quality education and the help they need to be successful in life. The future of Ethiopia depends on the well being of children today. Our vision is to enable orphans, vulnerable children and widows to overcome poverty and to have the chance to become responsible, productive and happy individuals. 

Because FOVC is operated entirely by volunteers in the U.S., you can be confident that nearly 100% of your support goes directly to support FOVC's life-changing work in Ethiopia!

I asked Ingrid who is in charge of sponsorship how it works and here is what she wrote...

There are many ways to support FOVC, see below.

 

1) Child sponsorship - our program is $35 a month per child.  The money goes into a fund that helps provide your matched child with schooling, medical care and food.  You are a mentor to that child and have an opportunity to write to them 3x per year.  The children are learning English so it is difficult for them to write full letters back but we do have them send artwork and we are hoping in the future to have them work on letters.  We have 118 children in the program, 18 were just added a few weeks ago, 15 still need sponsors.  As they get sponsored we will be providing them with services.

 

2) Widow's program - I am so focused on the sponsorship program that I don't know all the details about the widow's program.  You can read more on our website www.fovc.org and you can see 2 different fundraising efforts by following these linkshttp://www.acharityproject.com/f/CropsandWater and
http://www.acharityproject.com/f/FOVCcrops

 

Let me know if you want information on a waiting child.  Also, please let me know if you have any more questions about FOVC, our background, how we work, etc.

 

On behalf of 118 precious little children in Ethiopia,

Ingrid Olson

Hope Sponsorship Coordinator, FOVC

www.fovc.org

Please join me in helping to end hunger for at least one child!

10 ways to love

Found this via pinterest.  From Beria Blogs

A convicting list I must say.  I want to do this for my kids and my husband.  I saw this and thought you all might enjoy the encouragement as well.

EASY 3 ingredient Coconut Milk Pina Colada Ice Cream! Dairy & Refined Sugar Free!

This was so delicious!  I made a dairy free, refined sugar free pina colada coconut ice cream.  The best part was I did it in just a few minutes between homeschool and chores.  My kids LOVED it and I didn't mind giving it to them knowing it was full of healthy coconut oil (read more here), and had nothing bad for them in it!  So here it is!  

Pina Colada Coconut Ice Cream

2 cans full fat coconut milk (the kind from Thailand rather than Sri Lanka is creamier and less oily)

I used organic but you don't have to.

2 1/2 cups frozen  pineapple (You can use frozen pinapple in the bag or pineapple from a can frozen)

1/4 cup agave syrup or just some stevia drops.

Just throw it all in the blender and then into your ice cream maker. If you don't have an ice cream maker just throw it in the freezer and when it is half frozen try to stir it a bit to keep it from freezing solid.

That's it!

Want to make berry flavor?  Just swap out berries for the pineapple.  Vanilla coconut?  Just skip the pineapple and throw in some vanilla extract.  The possibilities are endless and the ice cream is DELICIOUS!

The Way of the Peaceful Parent

I read this article and found it very inspiring.  As a parent of 4 young WONDERFUL and very different children. I struggle every day how to bring out the best in each of them.

Grace and love I am discovering go a long way as well as encouragement.  I want to respond to their weakness or bad behavior out of a PATIENT, gentle, loving heart rather than my weakness,  frustration, or anger.  I am a humanly flawed parent but I see the value in aspiring to always acting out of a place of  love and grace even if that leads to a spanking or other punishment.  I want to be the kind of parent that is able to stay calm and discipline WITH LOVE and gentleness when my child acts out or needs guidance.  I want to go out of my way to encourage the good I see and not only jump on the behavior that needs correction.  I pray that I can continue to learn how to encourage each child's strengths and not compare them to each other or let them compare themselves.  In all honesty I am not a naturally calm, easy go lucky mom.  I am a goer (go-er ?) and can be very impatient.  My hearts desire however is to be the best, most loving parent I can be. Please pray for me when you pray for yourselves.  All of us mothers could use each others prayers and encouragement.  We have all been given the unique challenge of raising and loving our sweet little kiddos.  Unique because all children are different, and what works perfectly for one of our kids may not work well for another.  However most of these thoughts in the article below on parenting will bless you and all your children no matter how different they are from one another.

This article was copyright free and the author gave full permission to print it in it's entirety.   Now on to the good stuff.....The Way of the Peaceful Parent

‘… and she loved a boy very, very much– even more than she loved herself.’ ~Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree

Post written by Leo Babauta.

There is no such thing as stress-free parenting.

A reader requested that I share my thoughts on stress-free parenting, as the father of six kids. And while I have learned a lot about being a dad, and finding joy in parenthood, I also know that stress-free parenting is a myth.

Parents will always have stress: we not only have to deal with tantrums and scraped knees and refusing to eat anything you cook, but we worry about potential accidents, whether we are ruining our kids, whether our children will find happiness as adults and be able to provide for themselves and find love.

That said, I’ve learned that we can find peace.

Peace isn’t a place with no stress, but a place where you take the stress as it comes, in stride, and don’t let it rule you. You let it flow through you, and then smile, and breathe, and give your child a hug.

There is a Way of the Peaceful Parent, but it isn’t one that I’ve learned completely. I’ll share what I’ve learned so far, with the caveat that I don’t always follow the Way, that I still make mistakes daily, that I still have a lot to learn, that I don’t claim to have all the answers as a parent.

The Way

The Way is only learned by walking it. Here are the steps I recommend:

• Greet your child each morning with a smile, a hug, a loving Good Morning! This is how we would all like to be greeted each day.
• Teach your child to make her own breakfast. This starts for most children at around the age of 3 or 4. Teach them progressively to brush their teeth, bathe themselves, clean up their rooms, put away clothes, wash their dishes, make lunch, wash their own clothes, sweep and clean, etc.
• Teaching these skills takes patience. Kids suck at them at first, so you have to show them about a hundred times, but let them try it, correct them, and let them make mistakes. They will gradually learn independence as you will gradually have less work to do caring for them.
• Older children can help younger children — it’s good for them to learn responsibility, it helps the younger children learn from the older ones, and it takes some of the stress off you.
• Read to them often. It’s a wonderful way to bond, to educate, to explore imaginary worlds.
• Build forts with them. Play hide and seek. Shoot each other with Nerf dart guns. Have tea together. Squeeze lemons and make lemonade. Play, often, as play is the essence of childhood. Don’t try to force them to stop playing.
• When your child asks for your attention, grant it.
• Parents need alone time, though. Set certain traditions so that you’ll have time to work on your own, or have mommy and daddy time in the evening, when your child can do things on her own.
• When your child is upset, put yourself in his shoes. Don’t just judge the behavior (yes, crying and screaming isn’t ideal), but the needs behind the behavior. Does he need a hug, or attention, or maybe he’s just tired?
• Model the behavior you want your child to learn. Don’t yell at the child because he was screaming. Don’t get angry at a child for losing his temper. Don’t get mad at a kid who wants to play video games all the time if you’re always on your laptop. Be calm, smile, be kind, go outdoors and be active.
• When a stressful time arises (and it will), learn to deal with it with a smile. Make a joke, turn it into a game, laugh … you’ll teach your child not to take things so seriously, and that life is to be enjoyed. Breathe, walk away if you’ve lost your temper, and come back when you can smile.
• Remember that your child is a gift. She won’t be a child for long, and so your time with her is fleeting. Every moment you can spend with her is a miracle, and you should savor it. Enjoy it to the fullest, and be grateful for that moment.
• Let your child share your interests. Bake cookies together. Sew together. Exercise together. Read together. Work on a website together. Write a blog together.
• Know that when you screw up as a parent, everything will be fine. Forgive yourself. Apologize. Learn from that screw up. In other words, model the behavior you’d like your child to learn whenever he screws up.
• Patiently teach your child the boundaries of behavior. There should be boundaries — what’s acceptable and what’s not. It’s not OK to do things that might harm yourself or others. We should treat each other with kindness and respect. Those aren’t things the child learns immediately, so have patience, but set the boundaries. Within those boundaries, allow lots of freedom.
• Give your child some space. Parents too often overschedule their child’s life, with classes and sports and play dates and music and clubs and the like, but it’s a constant source of stress for both child and parent to keep this schedule going. Let the child go outside and play. Free time is necessary. You don’t always have to be by her side either — she needs alone time just as much as you do.
• Exercise to cope with stress. A run in solitude is a lovely thing. Get a massage now and then.
• It helps tremendously to be a parenting team — one parent can take over when the other gets stressed. When one parent starts to lose his temper, the other should be a calming force.
• Mom and dad need a date night every week or so. Get a babysitter, or better yet, teach the older kids to babysit.
• Sing and dance together.
• Take every opportunity to teach kindness and love. It’s the best lesson.
• Kiss your child goodnight. And give thanks for another amazing day with your beautiful, unique, crazy child.

‘You know the only people who are always sure about the proper way to raise children? Those who’ve never had any.’ ~Bill Cosby

 I must also note that the only way to find true peace is to meet the author of it The Prince of Peace himself Jesus, and come to know and revel in his redeeming grace.  Once we are able to receive His grace and love we are better equipped to dole it out.  If you don't know Christ personally and you want to please email me so I can pray with you and share how you can TRULY find Him for yourself.

Hope that this has blessed you as it has me.  Let me know what has helped you to stay calm and parent out of love when that would not normally be the first response from you.

Best FREE patterns with tutorials for Easter or spring dress'!

If you get started this weekend you have plenty of time to make an Easter dress or two (or 3?) for your little girls.  I looked through tons of free online patterns and tutorials to come up with a list of what I think are the best ones out there so you only have to go to one place to find the perfect dress' for Easter.  Most of these are fairly simple and all have a pattern or instructions to create the pattern so there is nothing to buy except the fabric and notions!   We chose the "Party Dress" by The Cottage Home and I already let the girls pick out their fabric.  I am looking forward to making them each a new dress for Easter.  I have never made them dress' before so this is exciting! Hope you find something special for your special little girls!

The Party Dress tutorial by The Cottage Home

Twirl Dress tutorial by From an Igloo

Charlotte dress tutorial from IveyC95

A Line Ruffle Front Dress tutorial by IveyC95

Reversible Ribbon Dress by Couturier Mommy

A very clear tutorial but asks for an A-line pattern.  Just use a simple dress in the size you want to make the pattern by folding it in half and tracing it with a seam allowance. Then put that pattern on folded material to cut out the A line dress.

                 Poppy Sundress tutorial by A Lemon Squeezy Home

Lucky Layers Sundress tutorial by Moda Bake Shop

Project Run and Play Dress tutorial by Simple Simon & Co.

Let's Fly A Kite Sundress tutorial by Craftiness Is Not Optional

Sunny Little Miss Dress tutorial by Made it on Monday

Retro Ruffle Dress tutorial by Simply Modern Mom

Petal Dress tutorial by Ucreate

Hope you were inspired! If you have time add this cute little caplet to top it off.

Sweet Little Caplet tutorial by Simple Simon & Co

Happy Sewing!

3 Calorie Blasting 20-30 minute living room workouts!

So if you know me or have been following my blog you know that I just started a very competitive game of "The GAME ON diet!".  I outlined all the rules in my last post HERE if you want to check it out.
One of the main components is a requirement to do 20 min a day of a hard workout.  I am doing a minimum of 30 a day and so I have been looking up workout inspiration.  I want to use my 30 minutes in the MOST efficient way possible.  One way is to add weights, and work more than one body part at a time.  These 3 living room workouts fit the bill.  You only needs some dumbbells and you are good to go!  I like to use  my kitchen timer as well when I am doing intervals.

All 3 of these workouts burn calories, work more than one body part at a time, and make the best use of your time!

No Gym required - by Health magazine

30 min strength workout! Tone & Tighten.

20 minute double duty toning workout.

Don't have time to go through the whole workouts and copy them now? 

 Do some interval training to use your 30 minutes most efficiently. Here is what I do when I am not doing one of these set workouts.  I start my timer for 30 minutes, then alternate cardio moves at a heart pumping sweaty pace for 1 minute with a 10 second break (stretch), then one weight lifting move for the next minute being sure to keep my heart rate high.  To make this work you need to really push it when you are are in the cardio or weight minute, and do double duty whenever you do the weight lifting moves.

Like this...

1 minute jumping jacks

10 second leg stretch

1 minute walking squats with dumbbell press (pictured on the last workout)

10 second upper arm stretch

1 minute high knees

10 second triceps stretch

1 minute push ups

10 seconds back stretch

1 minute mountain climber

10 seconds leg stretch

1 minute dumbbell rows switching arms in the middle

10 second stretch

1 minute jump rope (pretend you have one :) ) 

10 second stretch

ETC....

Just keep alternating and in 30 minutes you will have had a hard core, super effective, workout!

Bless an orphanage in Ethiopia through an adoptive mom headed over there!

My dear friends Lisa and Matt with their adopted daughter Koral.  They are currently headed to Ethiopia in the beginning of April to go adopt their long awaited son!

I met Lisa years ago when we were both in Vanuatu (an island in  the South Pacific ).   

Modeling the kids apron and chef's hat I made.  Tutorial for the apron and chef's hat here..

We had moved to do mission work there and adopted  our BEAUTIFUL daughter Bella there who is now 2 years old.  You can read her story here. 

Her (Lisa's) brother was working as a missionary there as well and a door opened for them to adopt too.  To date there have only been 5 adoptions to the US from there according to the USCIS statistics.  So this was an amazing blessing to get to have another American girl adopting the same time!  We had some great times and she was such a blessing to my life.  Now they are adopting their 2nd child who is a little boy from Ethiopia!  How exciting is that.  After a year of saving, fundraising, praying and tears they are finally going to go see their little boy in Ethiopia!  Since they are going they are taking the opportunity to be a blessing to the orphanage and collect as many financial donations as they can to take over to fund some of the needs of the orphanage.  
 

Here is the list of orphanage donations needed :

·         nipples for bottles (needed everywhere)

·         hand towels

·         crib sheets – cribs in ET are smaller than standard size so we need small flat sheets.

·         toddler toys

·         chewable children’s vitamins

·         scrubs in size small and medium (for nannies)

·         umbrella for guards (4 centers)

·         shirts for guards (medium)

·         Depends for the widows at the W&OH

·         cloth diapers (pre-folded)

·         diaper covers and plastic pants

·         shorts for boys (size 2, 3, 4)

·         size 1T, 2T, 3T clothes

·         baby wipes

Their suitcases are full as they are already taking over some of the items on the list, but they can bring over cash to fund these needs.  If you are feeling compassion for these little ones and can donate please go HERE to donate and mention it is for the orphanage needs.  THANKS so much.  I know that I have a compassionate and generous readership so I wanted to share this need in hopes that as a community of crafty healthy blog readers we can make a difference even as far away as Ethiopia!  I will be giving too.  THANKS !!! 

Homemade HEALTHY & DELICIOUS blueberry syrup

We love our pancake weekend breakfasts!  I love how healthy and fast they are.  Use the whole grain pancake mix I posted the recipe for the other day or the oatmeal pancake mix I posted a while ago to make a GREAT base for today's CRAZY good blueberry syrup.  My favorite part is that the syrup feels like a special treat I am allowing the kids but it only has 1/4 cup honey in the whole batch.  The kids end up eating WAY less sugar than if I just allowed them to help themselves to the maple syrup, and they prefer the berry syrup!

Blueberry Syrup

adapted form eatingwell.com

• 2 cups fresh or frozen (not thawed) blueberries, or any other berry or cherries.
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Just mix all the ingredients together on the stove while the pancakes are cooking and stir occasionally till the syrup thickens. That's it! Eat up!

Homemade SUPER HEALTHY whole grain pancake mix!

Every weekend we have pancakes for breakfast.  The kids love it!  The mess and time however I could do without.  So now we make this whole grain pancake mix from scratch so we can have healthy pancakes in no time! We found this recipe in a whole foods cookbook called "Feeding The Whole Family" by Cynthia Lair.  Pancake mix is so handy to have on hand.  This recipe is healthy enough that you won't even feel bad serving it for dinner for a quick whole foods solution in a pinch.  The other health concern with pancakes aside from the empty while flour (which we just dealt with) is the amount of sugar that is usually involved.  However, I found a recipe for DELICIOUS blueberry syrup that only has 1/4 cup of honey in the whole recipe that I will post later this week!  So mix up a batch today and you will be ready for the coming weekend!

I must say the kids did not enjoy waiting for me to take the photo before they could eat them!  The steam was still rising and I must say I was tempted myself to dig in, but I held off so you all could see how delicious  they were.  Once the photo was done we scarfed them down in no time flat!

Goldie's Whole Grain Pancake Mix

(makes 6 cups dry mix)

2 C barley or kamut flour

2 C whole wheat pastry flour

(I like to use the white whole wheat flour for a more delicate flavor)

1 C buckwheat flour

1 C blue cornmeal

3 Tbs baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

To make these delicious pancakes I add 2 eggs lightly beaten, 1 1/2 -2 cups buttermilk (milk plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice per cup), and 1/4 cup melted down coconut oil. Do not microwave the coconut oil.  Instead, set the 1/4c of oil in a dish inside a bowl of hot water till it melts like you would for honey. Just mix all without over beating and fry them up in a pan or skillet that has been coated in coconut oil.

Finger lickin' good!  These are some loveable pancakes!

Why the use of coconut oil? 

Read this post "20 New Reasons to Love Coconut Oil".

Want another pancake mix recipe for another pancake mix that is equally healthy? Then check out this post 

"Oatmeal Pancake Mix"

If you are into healthy DIY ideas don't miss the "Homemade All Natural  DIY Cough Syrup" post here.

Now go mix up those pancakes and be ready for Saturday morning.  Your family will love you for it, and so will your health!

DIY EASY homemade all natural EFFECTIVE cough syrup!

I don't know about you, but we have been battling colds and coughs like crazy this winter.  A really vicious cough ran through our town and we are happily finally getting over it!  Anyway, in the midst of that nasty cold we needed a cough syrup.  I don't buy medicines that are not natural, and sometimes the commercial natural ones can be pricey so I made my own from one of my favorite herbal recipe books called "Jude's Herbal Home Remedies".  It is SO EASY and inexpensive,as well as being EFFECTIVE.  Plus you only need a few ingredients.  We whipped it up at 9 at night when we needed it! As you can see I had a hard time getting the light right in the photos that late at night.

 To start you need thyme from your local health food store.  Health food stores carry bulk spices VERY inexpensively.  I believe that big bag of thyme in the picture above was around $1.75.  Then honey, boiling water, and a container to pour your mixture into.  I just used an old agave container.  Then you will need a funnel to get the syrup into your container.

So here is the recipe..

Thyme Cough Syrup

1 ounce dried Thyme

1 pint boiling water

1 cup of honey

Pour one pint of boiling water over the thyme.  Let that steep till room temperature.  Now strain it and add your honey.  Mix well and transfer to your container.  Keep it refrigerated. Take one Tablespoon as needed for coughing, sore throats, and colds.

Thyme is used because of it's stimulant and antiseptic properties on the bronchial system.  It also helps clean out the bronchials.  

Honey has long been know for it's medicinal properties and it's it's ability to calm and sooth a cold but research now PROVES it is actually MORE effective than over the counter cough medicines.  Here is an excerpt from ABC News. (click on the link to read the whole arcticle.)

"The study, published Monday in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that children who received a small dose of buckwheat honey before bedtime slept better and coughed less than those who received either a common over-the-counter cough suppressant (dextromethorphan) or nothing at all."

Impressive no?  Well now you know how to make a simple, EFFECTIVE, easy to make cough and cold syrup.  Let me know if you try it!
If you liked this post make sure to check out One of Nature's Best Healers and 20 reasons to love it! HERE

Freebie Friday- Free swimsuit pattern!

All this warm spring like weather (here in Colorado that is), is making me want summer! So I found this really cute free swimsuit pattern for all of us.  If you start now you will have in done in no time and summer will be fast approaching. Ihardly sew in summer because there is so much going on and I don't want to be tucked in my basement when it is so nice out, so now is the time.  I have never attempted this kind of project but I was just telling me mom the other day how cool it would be to make my own swimsuit.  then I could choose my own fabric, fit it to my shorter torso and tailor it exactly to me!
 

 

Free Pattern HERE!

I love the cut of the back, and the fuller coverage around the legs.  Have any of you ever made a swimsuit?  Any tips we should know?  Please share before we hack into our fabric. Happy sewing!

FREE online "Threads" (sewing) magazine! & a preview of what is coming soon!

I was thrilled to get this in my inbox today!  I love to sew and am really only a beginner but I love learning more and more so that I can advance to more difficult projects.  I am currently sewing a simple sundress and a few workout tank tops.  Anyway I wanted to pass this on to all of you aspiring seamstresses.

Free online "Threads" magazine!

I have only gotten to peak in it as today is crammed full of things I need to do yet.  My younger kids are napping and the older ones are playing play-dough, so I better go get my workout done before I am needed! I gotta stay on top of my points to win the "Game On Diet" game we have going!

Here is a sneak preview of what is coming up soon on my blog...

• Non-dairy triple berry coconut milk ice cream with no refined sugar,
•  DIY cough syrup you can make at home with only a few simple ingredients, 
• DIY makeover including links to makeup tutorials, Free sewing patterns, and DIY hair ideas, 
• A list of FREE homeschool resources available online. 

So stay tuned and I will try to get the ice cream post done soon as I made it last night and it is DELICIOUS!

Get prepared by getting your coconut milk (or anything else you want) now,
Free from Vitacost with a free $10 coupon HERE!!

GAME ON!!

As of today IT IS ON and I pitty anyone not on my team!  I just started a month long weight loss, fitness game called "The Game On Diet! Kicking your friends butt while loosing yours!".  The best part is that it is FUN.  I HATE, ABHOR, etc... any diet or restrictive eating plan.  I have always been a firm believer in eat healthy and moderately and you will be fine. Which is true, but if you want to loose that last 5-10 lbs, and get ripped for summer you need to put a little more into it. And well, to be honest I really want to work on my strength, flexibility, and toning for my hip hop class.  If I want to learn the freezes I need the power and flexibility to get there.

I want to do this! 

So what is at stake and what are the rules you ask? Well there is a whole book to line it all out, but I will try to break it all down for you, so you can play with your friends and shed your winter weight or just uncover your lean muscle.

We have each put in a certain amount of money per person so there is a large prize pot to be split by the winning team.  However it could be a prize that involves something money can't buy like a dinner of the winners choosing plus a loud and embarrassing serenade, car pool duty or a coveted electronic device, or anything you choose that is really worth striving for and painful to loose.  We have 3 teams of 2-3 players each and the scores are averaged weekly so that the team numbers do not need to be even.

Check out the authors website for great tips, food lists, etc..

EXERCISE
A minimum of 20 min of a heart pumping, hard breathing workout. Some of us are playing with a minimum of 30 min per day with weights included. MAKE IT WORK HARD FOR YOU whatever time you choose.
Free food and exercise journal to print off here
FOOD
5 small meals including protein, carbs, and fat plus veggies. Some of us are eating 6 if we are working out harder as you need to fuel your muscle growth.Read this post for ideas of 10 new superfoods to eat. or read this for healthy eating 101.
NO white sugar or white flour (read this post here about natural sugar substitutes)
NO fried foods or fatty processed meats
NO butter or margarine  (Use coconut oil read more here or limited olive oil.)
NO alcohol

NO SNACKS (NONE PERIOD) between meals (celery and cucumbers are the only exceptions)
This is just plain hard when you are making snacks for kids all day long!

SLEEP
You must get 7+ hours a night.

WATER
You must drink 3+ liters a day.

COMMUNICATION
Just be in touch with anyone on your team or even a trash talking email to your opponent will do. Anything to keep you in the game and enjoying it!

NEW HABIT
You get points for completing one new habit you decide on at the beginning of the game.  For example, you could choose 30 min. of journaling daily, a certain number of chapters in the Bible you want to read daily, doing community service, organizing for 20 min a day, or anything you want to work on personally.

OLD HABIT
This is where you get to work on quitting something that you know is not in your best interest.  You could choose anything from smoking to eating after 9 pm.  You know what you can handle and what is just too overwhelming.


You do get one free meal a week and one whole free day a week.
Plus a free 100 calories of whatever EXCEPT soda, diet soda, and alcohol.

You can find scorecards online but buy the book for the scorecards and you get a whole lot of inspiration, a deeper explanation, food ideas, 20 minute workout plans that will leave you dying on the floor in a heap, and a lot more!

If you are like me the one thing that will really make the difference is the TEAMWORK, COMPETITION of it and the MORAL SUPPORT of friends on the same journey.  The facts that I could let my teammate down if I eat that snack adds a whole new dimension to it as does the BRAGGING rights of course! Any of you played this before?  What where your results?  Inspire us!