Well, after I finished my 5K my back has been giving me fits so I quit exercising altogether. Coincidentally, I've gained back the weight I've lost. I want to get in even better shape with some muscle tone in addition to the cardio goodness I get out of running.

It seems that when things are going poorly in my life, I turn to the right place for the right things (spiritual reading). When things are going well, however, I'm less likely to keep the good momentum going. It's even harder when I'm chasing around my babies while keeping a full time job. There are some issues cropping up in the house where I think if I was more spiritually grounded I would have better direction in my decisions as they relate to being a parent, wife and worker. I want to do this to be a better person overall.

My daughter is 3 and has been misbehaving lately. Nothing new for any child her age. I have read somewhere that the BEST discipline you can give is to counteract it with 10 minutes of undivided attention with your child. I'm hoping this helps because the other forms of discipline just aren't cutting it at the moment.

I cherish what little things my Grandmother wrote down before she died. She didn't write much at all. Maybe on the inside cover of a phone book she'd write down all of the birthdays of the family members. Another example is writing down what she wore to her wedding on a grocery store receipt. The majority of her writing is found on the back of pictures. She would write down the names of the individuals and then later she'd change her mind and scratch through and rewrite again. I wish she wrote more about what it was like growing up in 1920's Louisville, traveling to Kansas City or being the 2nd wife of an Italian immigrant.

I have had an on again, off again, relationship. It's an addictive one of sorts and I can't seem to kick it. It usually happens on my way to work in the morning and my, Hostess Donuts 6-pack, calls my name and I come a-runnin'. I have enjoyed these fancy treats since I was a child. My parents would by a bag of them and I'd have a couple in the morning sometimes. As I got older and was in college, I would sneak one, two or three of these mini-delights throughout the day. Now I'm wasted $1.50 a visit for these addictive treats. I love them, and I will miss them, but they have to go. I have plateaued on my weight loss for a few months now. Part of it may be related to the fact that I've been trying to overcome my back issue and haven't been able to exercise like I was but the other part is my nasty breakfast habit.

I don't know when, where or how it happened but I have a horrible inner monologue in my life. It's not the kind of monologue that is based on self-esteem or anything like that, it is an ANGRY monologue. Unfortunately, it reserves itself only for my dearest of family. Someone may say or do something I don't like. I may kindly express my distaste for whatever it was but a fury of foul language and negative inner monologue floods my brain. I MUST rid myself of this "demon." I have no idea where it came from or why it developed but it's unhealthy and it's not nice.

My nails are not attractive in the least. I have a horrible habit of picking or biting them, sometimes until they are bleeding. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason as to when or why I start but once I start on a nail I cannot stop until it's not jagged or whatever it is that's bothering me about it. This year my husband and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary. For a gift, my husband wants to "upgrade" my ring. I am not certain I want to do this but if we do, I'd like to have pretty fingers for the beautiful ring (either existing or new) to sit on. Additionally, it's unsightly and unprofessional. I typically never pick or bite in public but the results are visible by everyone. I shake a lot of hands and need my fingers to be more presentable.

I WASTE a tremendous amount of time on the internet. I could go so far as to say that I have an internet addiction. I would almost say this except I have a bberry that is internet capable and I don't use it for much of anything. This hasn't been because of Facebook and making sure I'm "friends" with everyone. This isn't because of Farmville (although I did have a good stint in that too). It's just whatever suits my fancy is what I waste my time with. Currently, it's working on my genealogy and this site, in particular. I need to be more disciplined about how much time I spend during the time I should be working.

Since my back has been giving me problems, jogging has not been something I have been able to do - unless I want to spend the rest of the week in pain OR, as my husband fears, spend months in traction (haha). So, it's been very deflating. I was on a great weight lose program and since I haven't been jogging I have gained some weight the past two weeks. I MUST do this to 1) keep the weight off and the weight loss coming and 2) overcome the feeling of defeat and do what I CAN do and not focus on what I can't. This must become a habit, even if it's not what I want to do right now.

It seems that the times in our lives when we read the Bible together are when we feel closer as a couple. I believe that in completing this action, we will be better spouses, better parents, better citizens/neighbors/coworkers and better children of God.

There are many reasons... One day my children may want to know their family history and I want to be able to tell them. Also, I find that I connect with my family members, beyond the grave, when I learn about them. I don't mean this in a creepy kind of way but in an empathetic and sympathetic kind of way. I am connected by blood to people who crossed over the Atlantic to the New World. It's a wonderful story. Movies are made based on stuff such as this.