A Wise Woman Builds...: One Thing!

Friday, April 23, 2010

One Thing!

I decided a couple of weeks ago that I needed to make a few lifestyle changes, but also knew that they would need to be simple and easy. I am getting to the point, sadly, where it is very hard to teach an old dog new tricks, as we old dogs have tried most of them already and rarely have they become daily habits.

I am a fairly disciplined gal, but find that I often start "something" and then life gets in the way, and since it hasn't become part of my routine to the extent that I do it without even thinking (like brushing my teeth, taking my vitamins, etc.), that "something" just disappears into oblivion. So, having prayed recently for help with some new healthy endeavors, I came up with the idea of adding to or tweaking my normal fitness steps by making a list of "One Things" that I could do on a daily basis. These "One Things" would have to be uncomplicated, quick, easy to remember, and fit into any part of my day. They would need to be in addition to the disciplines that I already do regularly, which are an hour of walking or jogging, a time of devotion and worship, and then just the normal daily chores that go along with keeping a home and family in good running order.

So, here is the list of "One Things" that I came up with, and that I can recite without looking at my cheat sheet that is on my counter to remind me just in case I forget~

ONE set of sit-ups
ONE dose of fruits and veggies (5-6 servings)
ONE serving of water for cleansing and hydrating (6-8oz. glass 8X per day)
ONE apple
ONE playtime of @15 minutes with the doggies

Remember, this is in addition to the normal walking workout and the attempts to eat in a healthy manner every day.

I have been doing pretty well with following through on each one, but if I miss one, I generally have done the others, so at least I'm hitting about 90%. I figure that if I do these things regularly, they will become habit forming.

I'll let you know how I'm doing after a few more weeks. Are there some simple "One Things" that you could incorporate into your day that might add up to some major changes in your life? Let me know what you think!

"...one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 3:13-14

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About Me...

I am a wife, a mom of 2 adult daughters, I have one son-in-law (and a soon to be son-in law!) as well as 2 beautiful grandchildren. I have held several part time jobs in the years since I first married, but thankfully learned early on that the Lord should come first in my heart and life, followed by my family, and then other areas of outreach and concern. The rewards and benefits of keeping those things in their proper order (most of the time :) have been rich, and my prayer is that young moms and wives who read this will be encouraged to do the same.

I would love to hear from you! I can be reached at mherhard@windstream.net.

Did You Know...? Great housekeeping tips

DID YOU KNOW? ~Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little 'stringy things' off of it. That's how the primates do it. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. ~Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold! ~To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, Cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up. ~For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting. ~Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic. ~Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm! ~Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works. ~Easy Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up. ~Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. ~Reheating refrigerated bread To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. ~Newspaper weeds away Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers. ~No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. ~Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. ~Measuring Cups Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. ~Conditioner Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair. ~Goodbye Fruit Flies To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! ~Get Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! ~INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material . I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free ... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box . well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at l east e very six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share! Note: I went to my dryer and tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water and a nylon brush and I had it done in 30 seconds Then when I rinsed it . the water ran right thru the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about!