Keeping Baby Safe!

I can't say it hasn't happened to me, because it did.

Years ago, when my youngest was just around 3 months old, I left him in the car--it was just for a couple of seconds, but I will never forget it. Here's how it happened: My husband and I had left our two older children in the care of grandparents while we went to do some shopping. Derek had to stay with me because I was nursing him. I had just gotten out of the car and I turned to wait for Rich, ready to head into the store. "Aren't you forgetting something?" he asked incredulously.

My baby. I had forgotten my baby!

Talk about guilt and shame! I just started bawling because I realized what could have happened, and I started in on myself with all the "what if's"--What if Rich wasn't with me? What if I had gone in the store and stayed? What if something--something awful--had happened to my baby?

I felt like the worst mother in the world. Looking back on it, it wasn't so much that I was a bad mom, it was the fact that I was a creature of habit. Derek was only three months old. I was used to dropping the kids off with grandparents occasionally and letting my mind rest, knowing they were in the best of care. Now, however, I had another child to care for! I was still "ON," even though I felt "OFF" because I didn't have the other two. Does this make sense?

Summer brings hot weather and hot cars, and the danger of leaving a baby in the car is very real. It can happen. Often it happens because people are so entrenched in their habits. A few years ago, a dad who was not used to dropping his son off at daycare left him in the car. The baby fell asleep, the dad had his mind on his work, and he bypassed the daycare, going straight to his office instead. It was a tragic death.

Check out these reminders to get yourself in the HABIT of doing things to insure that your auto-pilot is always tuned in to your baby:

1. Put your purse next to your baby's carseat in the back. You will get your purse when you get your baby out of the car. A dad can put his cellphone or wallet next to the baby's carseat.
2. Get in the habit of talking to your baby as you prepare to exit the car. Announce, "We're here!" before you even unfasten your seatbelt.
3. Avoid using the cute little car shades on the backseat windows. When those are affixed to windows, no one can see if there is a baby back there.

No one thinks she would ever forget her baby. I would have NEVER thought that about myself. Take precautions this summer! Your baby is counting on you!

When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom." Proverbs 11:2

~Rebecca

What Carrot is Dangling in Front of You?

My son turns 4 at the end of the summer, and he just got a new computer educational program called "Jump Start." When he plays games and answers questions correctly, he earns carrots. When he earns 10 carrots, he gets to pick a car and have a race on the computer. You better believe my racecar-loving son is into that! So he worked for over an hour, doing subtraction and putting together words like "CAP" to get those blessed carrots!

I had to laugh at the genius of the "Jump Start" creator! Without those carrots dangling in front of my toddler, I think he would have said, "Mommy, I can't do this" at his first math problem. But with incentive of the carrots, he says, "Mommy, I can do it. I have to get 10 carrots."

What carrots are in front of you? How will you reward yourself when you reach your weight loss goals? I think we're a lot like my son. We're motivated by rewards too! After my first baby, my husband said I could go on a shopping spree when I lost all my baby weight. That sounded pretty good since I was so tired of my big tops and elastic waistbands! What reward would motivate you?

Whether it's a mini-vacation, time alone, a nap, a manicure, a date night with your husband - plan something to reward yourself when you reach a weight loss goal. For instance, if you want to lose one pound every week, reward yourself with a hot bath at the end of the week if you do it.

You can do it mom! Time to collect those carrots and endure a little hardship for a greater prize!

Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done. Psalm
62:12

-Arlene

What Do Socks Have to Do With Losing Weight?

My 3 year old son Ethan has been in desperate need of socks. Some of his have holes, others are too small, you get the picture. I bought a pack last week but when we got home, they were too small.

Now Ethan is really into Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars. He really wanted socks with Lightning McQueen or some kind of racecar. Of course what I ending up buying today was a standard pack of gold toe white socks.

So when I gave them to Ethan, God gave me a great idea: "Ethan, look at the yellow stripe around the toes. It's a racetrack!" Ethan responded with a big smile, "Wow! That is so cool! I love these socks mommy!"

Marketing. It's all about marketing.

Do you need to lose a few (or more) pregnancy pounds? It all boils down to marketing. What are you going to tell yourself? If you say, "This is going to be fun! I'm going to eat healthy and feel great" - you will be on your way to saying bye bye to all that baby fat. On the other hand, if the commercials running through your mind say, "I'll never get this weight off. Why bother trying? I just want to eat junk food!" - most likely you'll keep the pounds and pack on a few extra each passing year.

So, make a decision to look for the positives! Like Ethan seeing a racetrack in socks, you see the silver lining in eating healthy, cutting back portion sizes and exercising regularly!

"Finally brethren, whatever things are true...if there is any virtue and if
there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things."
Philippians 4:8

-Arlene