Category: Encouragement

Please Burst my bubble…

……….of moodiness!

I woke up this morning with this verse heavy on my heart.

Mark 12:30-31

Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all you soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no greater commandment than these.”

It was like a big spiritual spanking for me as I have been very grumpy and probably hard to live with lately.

I started this blog to encourage woman and speak truth into their lives. This doesn’t mean that I am above both. I know I am not. So then I thought well maybe someone out there needs to hear this too!

I have been very negative lately about me in general.  The more I try to encourage you how beautiful you are and how awesome it feels to set goals and reach them. I have been walking around with self doubt, and a critical spirit about myself.

I just read Crash the Chatter Box by Steven Fortick and it was a great read. It made a lot of sense but obviously I need to go read it again. The truths that I learned about mindless chatter didn’t seem to take root in my heart.

I will be turning 30 in a few short months and the pressure to be 30 and fabulous is really kicking in. (Why I think you should be 30 and Fabulous sure beats me!)

Why must I live with so many pressures I (me, Ash’Leigh) put only on myself? I hate pressure. It is thick, and heavy, and smuggling. It chokes the happiness out of my spirit. It creates false expectations that I (me, Ash’Leigh) only place on myself. It is like I (Me, Ash’Leigh) am my greatest enemy, my greatest competitor. I sure do get tired of me!

There are a lot of things that I am just not happy with right now with myself but I will not bore you with the details. They are silly anyways but because I have sat and highlighted them in my mind, blowing them up like a Ginormous sized Advertisement Billboard, they have became HUGE and daunting to me. We have a tendency to do this!

Mark 12:31 brought some clarity to my bad attitude lately. I am not really upset with everyone around me. I am lashing out in grumpiness because I am not happy with myself. I am not truly loving myself.

Are you lashing out and taking anger out on random strangers or the ones you love?

Here are some signs to look for.

Unexplained Moodiness.

Unexplained grumpiness towards your children or your husband, friends, family.

Extreme irritability with the WORLD and everyone in it.

Feelings of doubt and insecurities on several areas in your life.

Speaking negative remarks about yourself to others. Example: “I could never do that, I am not smart enough.”

Letting how your body fits in your clothes that day dictate your attitude and your mood.

Majority thoughts on negativity.

Picking out every single flaw on you and every single human around you.

I think there is some insight in this scripture. We are told to love our neighbor as we love our self, but in reality we actually TREAT OTHERS how we TREAT OUR SELF.

Maybe you don’t. Maybe you have learned to fake loving everyone else while inside you are being choked with insecurities and self doubt and hate. I think this can only last for so long. Click here to learn why I am not faking things anymore!

The truth sets you free.

I Love God with all my heart. I have been asking him to change my attitude repeatedly lately. I know when something is off inside my mind. I am thankful for this reminder this morning.

I have to get back into grips with What God thinks of me.

I am his Child. John 1:12-13

I am created in His image. Gen 1:27

I am deeply Loved by Him. Jer 31:3

I am Forgiven. 1 John 1:9

He never gives up on me. Philippians 1:6

I am always on His Mind. Psalm 8

His works are Wonderful so I am Wonderful. Ps 139:13-14

I am not rejected! Isa 41:9

I am the apple of HIS eye. Zec 2:8

We can’t be who God has created us to be with a CRITICAL NEGATIVE SPIRIT.  Satan knows this and I believe that this is his favorite way to drive us insane and kick us of our course.

But THANK GOD Greater is He who is in me, then he who is of this world!

We need to recognize the attack from the Enemy and then rebuke the negative, critical spirit attacking our mind. Then pray by asking God to restore the damage it may have caused in our hearts, help us see ourselves through His eyes, and help us to love ourselves like he loves us. We need faith to believe what his Word says about us allowing it to become our foundation of our own identity; our true identity in Christ.

We need to build ourselves up instead of tear ourselves down. This is important because I believe we will leak what we are filling ourselves up with. If I am feeling nasty and critical inside I will leak this onto my husband, my children, my friends and quickly critize them, but if I am full of the love of God and building myself up in his words, his truth, I will leak this onto others. (Encouragement, love, support. etc..)

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Be True to yourself always!

What helps you come out of a self loathing funk?

Xoxo

Leigh Leigh

Please follow my blog! 🙂 Follow Leigh Leigh Speaks on Facebook here or Twitter here!

Photo credits:pinterest and Socialnetworkvoice.com

 

 

Jump back on

Monday equals fresh start to the week! If you jumped off the band wagon over the weekend why not start back today?

I have learned that when I stop doing what I am suppose to be doing to keep my body in check doubt creeps in my mind! When I am busy keeping up with my running and my work outs, there is no room for doubt!

The more you do something, the easier it gets. The less you do something, the harder it gets!

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Let’s do this!
Leigh Leigh

2 Faced

8879406-winter-vacation-snowman-at-the-beach

 

After a three day cloudy, gloomy, rainy, wet and cold weather spell in the middle of Winter, the sun came out during my drive to pick up my children from school.  I could feel the golden warmth transcending through my wind shield. A brilliant idea popped into my head on this very chill cool January day. I would try to fake Summer! I blasted my heater as if to let myself become over heated,  pretty much how one feels on any hot Summer day here in Texas! As the heat blasted through my air vents I couldn’t help notice the chill I couldn’t seem to shake. You know the feeling when you have been outside for a while and you can’t seem to warm up? My hands turned the freezing hard steering wheel, and I couldn’t help but notice the chilly air reflecting off my driver seat window touching my exposed skin. Even though I tried. I could not fake Summer!

It lead me to thinking….

You can’t fake Summer on a cold windy Winter’s day like you can’t fake feelings!

2 faces I am not!

Being two faced means you are not coming to terms that it is okay to be hurt by someone’s actions and words. You are not being true to yourself or the person you are faking out. You walk around with a big smile on your face and pretend to like someone who has caused nothing but trouble and heartache in your life, and the lives of others you love. You are fake and a phony. You think that by pretending to play nice it is going to make things all better. You think it is going to make the anger from being hurt, violated, or rejected go away. It doesn’t. It festers up, the monster grows elephantine inside your heart.

I have prayed for my enemies. I have forgiven over and over and over again. But still I am left with the same feelings I thought I took care of years ago.

What I realize today are these truths.

When I am weak, HE is Strong and HIS grace is sufficient for me.        2 Corinthians 12:9 (Even if my weakness comes back time and time again.)

HE hears my cry for help, and delivers me out of my trouble. Psalm 34:17

HE understands how I feel. Hebrews 4:15

He will vindicate me, fight for me. Romans 12:19

I am loved, accepted, and forgiven. John 3:16

I am taking my “feelings” to God today. I am being honest with HIM expressing my hurts, my disappointments, my feelings, my hopes, my desires.. as I ask for forgiveness of my sins and ask him to be my rock, my strength, and to love like he does.

No more faking my feelings by forgiving others because I feel it is my “Christian duty,” and feeling resentful to God for it later when I don’t feel better,  but surrendering it all to HIM!

Until the peace HE promises comes, and I believe it will come, I will continue to not fake my emotions and I will continue to not be a Woman of 2 faces.

I will let Go and Let God transform my heart for me by His power, by His Grace, by His Love.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me Strength and so can you!

Do you ever struggle with 2 faces?

Be you, Be true!

Leigh Leigh

Be sure to follow Leigh Leigh Speaks Blog!

Sharing is caring!

photo credit:http://blogs.sd41.bc.ca/buckingham-library/2011/12/02/holiday-borrowing/

 

 

Start at the Beginning

Blank Page

So empty

So calm

Peaceful

Endless possibilities

No expectations

No dissapointments

Nothing

Spottless

Clean

Free from impression

What will you mark?

What will you say?

Something positive?

Something negative?

Something exciting?

Something daunting?

Something beautiful?

Something ugly?

Something colorful?

Something glummy?

Will you write?

Will you doodle?

Scribble scrabble?

Lie or tell the truth?

Pour out your soul or

Joke around?

Your the creator, make it yours.

Don’t sell out, don’t be a fake or a phony.

Just be you!

Be true to yourself always.

Never compromise for acceptance from others.

 

 

 

Super Easy Double Meaty Delicious Beef Stew Recipe

 

 

 

double meaty beef stew

Like most men, my Husband is always craving something hearty and meaty for Dinner. We are a family of 6 and on the constant go for most of the school year due to football and basketball games so I rely on my crockpot to help satisfy my families tummies A LOT! This Double Meaty Beef Stew  is slow cooked all day long in the crockpot, which makes meal time prep a swift breeze! So let’s get right to it shall we?

Instead of regular stew meat you pick up at your local grocery store look for thinly sliced Carne Picada Extra Thin. It is over there by the stew meat. I found it at WAL-MART. To make this recipe double meaty we are going to add hamburger meat as well.
carne picada

Super Easy Double Meaty Delicious Beef Stew Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cans corn (white and yellow mix)

2 cans green beans

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans carrots

1 big can stewed tomatoes

1 tbsp. coconut oil

2 Beef Stew packets ( I like the Great Value packet the best)

2.5 lbs. of Carne Picada Extra thin (lightly floured and browned in skillet do not drain)

1 lb. ground beef ( browned in skillet-do not drain grease)

photo 1 (6)

Directions:

Heat coconut oil in your skillet on Med-High Heat. Lightly flour the Carne Picada Extra thin meat and brown in skillet. Set aside, do not drain.

Brown ground beef in separate skillet. Do not drain.

Empty all your canned veggies, stewed tomatoes, and potatoes into your crockpot.

Empty Beef Stew season packets into crockpot.

Empty your Carne Picada and your ground beef into crockpot.

Now take a look and see if your stew level is lower then the fill line of the crockpot. If it is, add water until you get it to the top!

Slow cook on High in crockpot for 5-6 Hours.

Empty in big bowls and enjoy!

We love to eat our Double Meaty Beef Stew with some yummy sweet cornbread!
In the South we love our TEA and our Cornbread SWEET! 🙂
sweet cornbread
I use the Jiffy Cornbread Mix!
photo 2 (4)
I follow the directions on the box  for my cornbread, but to make it sweet I add a half cup of sugar into the mix. I have to use two boxes because of my family size so I end up adding a full cup of sugar to the cornbread mix before I bake it as the box instructs!

How do you make your Beef Stew? What are some tips or tricks you have learned to make it more hearty? Have you ever tried sweet cornbread?

Photo credits of beef stew and jiffy cornbread  to Walmart.com
Be sure to follow my blog! 🙂
xoxo
Leigh Leigh

All Moms need to know about the Traveling Picnic

 

trays

Especially Busy on the Go Moms!

Are you a super busy Mom who often wishes there was an easier way to feed your kids while you are on the go with out stopping for FAST FOOD? Why didn’t I think of this years ago and the clean up is SO EASY!!!

My week day meal time drama:
4:30pm head to Gym (which is about 15 minuets from my home)
4:50-6:00pm work out (back and biceps day)
6:30 Basketball game 15 minuets away from my Gym
Expected arrival to home after basketball games 8:45/9:00pm
Bedtime- 8:00pm

My solution for said planned drama for meal time: a TAVELING PICNIC!

My kids had a PB&J dinner picnic with meal trays in the mom mobile traveling from the gym to big Brother’s Basketball game this evening!

No excuses get your work out in Busy Moms!

The kids loved something out of the ordinary for dinner and the meal trays made it super easy for them to eat their meal in their booster seats!

Happy Tummies equals no hungry annoying kids bugging you while Mommy watches Big High School Bubba play his basketball game!

Traveling Picnic! Tell all your Mom friends! :0)

 

*Don’t have time for prepare a picnic? Then go ahead and go through the drive through, but leave your meal trays in your car! It helps keep your mom mobile clean and it is a simple clean up!

Xoxo
Leigh Leigh

Be sure to follow my blog via email and join the fun in Facebook and Twitter!

Saying Goodbye to being a Mother of a Preschooler

I feel like I am mixed up in TRANSITION of no longer being a Mother of preschool aged children!

For the past 10 years I have had at least one child who was preschool age at home. My story of a Mother of 4 is a little complicated. I have actually been even if only momentarily a Mother of over 18 children. I know what your thinking so let me answer your question! No, I am not related to the Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe!

I have been a Mother of a preschooler for 10 years!!!

The journey started when I was 19. I married a man who had  primary custody of his two small children 2 and 5. We married when I was 20 which officially made me step mom to his 3 and 6 year old children. At the age of 21 I had my first child who is now 8. We began our foster parent journey while he was 2. We have fostered over 18 children from 2008- until just last month!

The small 2 year old and 5 year old I fell in love with 10 years ago are now 13 (middle school) and 16 (high school )! My baby is 5 (pre-k) and my oldest is 8 (elementary).

Having a preschooler in the house has been a HUGE part of my mom identity for so long I am now having some issues getting use to being a part of the “older kids Mom Club!” (If there is such a thing, because I can’t seem to find one!) I mean I have a 16 year old Step Son for crying out loud! Ha ..not to mention I am only 29!

It seems that there is a high demand for encouragement and advice for Moms of preschoolers! I would know! I served as a leader of the MOPS STEERING team for 2 years and loved every minuet of it. I attended the MOMCONs which we AMAMAZING I like to add!

Where is my child is not a preschooler but not a teenager either Club, or the Club for the Mom who has two sets of aged children: Not preschool/not teenager and Mom of TEENS!? I need help and support when I get asked where babies come from, why there are evil people in the world, why cake is not considered a dinner food, why some people have two mommies and two daddies and I only have one!? The list goes on!

Motherhood is a  journey in itself. As we are raising our children up to be suitable adults, we are growing more mature all the while, and all the wiser! A mother of a preschooler seems to be trapped into that identity and mindset even if she does have much older children she is raising as well! Let’s not mention how Step motherhood is like a whole nother adventure of motherhood!!! Foster Motherhood is bitter, sweet.

To think that this coming fall I will not have any small children at home feels so strange and foreign to me. I work at a Mothers Day Out Preschool three days a week so even while I am at work, my child has been there with me. Next year she will be going to public school, and I will officially be separated from all my children during the school day! 😦

I am basically just rambling, but I am curious if this is just a normal thought/emotional process for a mom who is no longer a mom to a child under 4?

xoxo

Leigh Leigh

Something Free for YOU in 2015

I work out, I run, I watch what I eat (for the most part), and I take lots of gym selfies and bathroom selfies of my body. (Vain I know right?)

I put in the work and then a month later I reflect on the changes. Did my arms get more toned? Muscle growth in my legs? The proof is in the picture remember? Check out that blog post here… Proof is in the Picture!

I am wired to think that I have to put in, put in, put in to gain my rewards. Maybe your thing isn’t working out. Maybe you love to crochet, or paint, or sew, or fish, or hunt, or bargain shop!

You still have to put in, put in, put in the time and the energy and effort, the “work” to gain a finished blanket, beautiful painted canvas, that deer rack for your wall, lots of money saved on clothes, etc. To get what you want you have to work really hard for it!

That’s why my flesh has a hard time believing that I can’t work my way up on God’s good girl list. I can’t earn his love, mercy, grace, favor, etc.. The truth is he will never love me more then he does in this very instant. I can’t even earn salvation. Salvation is a free gift that God gives us because he just loves us and wants us to have a life of victory!

Eph-2-9-350x350

Ephesians 2:9

image found on pinterest
image found on pinterest

 

Don’t let the stress and pressure of pursuing a new you this New Years take your mind and attention off the one thing that truly matters the most, your SALVATION. The best part is, it’s free! All you have to do is acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of a savor, believe Jesus Christ paid the price for your sins when he died on the cross and then rose again, ask for forgiveness and then repent, turn away from your sinful ways. Invite Jesus into your heart to be the Lord and Savior of your life. There will be an eternal inheritance awaiting those who follow Jesus.

If you have never said a prayer of salvation but are now being lead to you can say this little prayer below out loud.

“Dear God I know I’m a sinner, I know I am not where I want to be, and I want your forgiveness!  I believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for my sins.  Please wash me clean from all sin, shame, and guilt, come into my heart Jesus to be my Lord and Savior.  I ask this in your name Jesus. Amen!”

John 3:16   For God so loved the world he gave his one and only begotten son that who shall ever believe in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 10:9   If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

All you have to do is believe it and by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, you will be saved!

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If you said this simple prayer and by faith believe it, you friend are now a child of God forever and my fellow sister or brother in Christ! It’s that simple!

Now continue 2015 getting to know more about God, His son Jesus, and his Holy Spirit! The bible has several translations, find one that helps you understand the text the best. (I like the NLT version myself.)

Remember:

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xoxo

Leigh Leigh

Follow me on Twitter here and Facebook here 🙂

 

 

 

First work out for 2015

This afternoon was my first official 2015 work out! The gym was packed, as expected. We, my husband and I, had to change up our routine as well as all the benches and free weights were in use by the mass gym newbies.

We went ahead and knocked out biceps and back instead of our planned chest work out.

I did the thing I usually never do, if you guessed hopped on the scale you are correct! Yes, I know I really shouldn’t have after 2 weeks of being off work and Holidaying it up! I weighed in at 133. I will more then likely jump on the scale at the end of January and see where I am at. I usually stay around 130, so I put on just a few pounds. Not as bad as I expected so I’m okay with that!

Back to work tomorrow! I have missed my Teacher friends and all the cute kids. My kids however are not happy tomorrow is back to school for them too! They are already counting down the days to Spring Break!

I usually don’t blog about my daily personal life but figured since it’s a new year and it was my first work out, why not!

So was today your first work out for 2015 or ever? How did it go? Did you have any gym fears leading up to it? You better bet you will be sore tomorrow!! I hope you achieve your goals this year and make some new “gym” friends along the way!

Have a fabulous rest of the week! Just stick with it!!

Xoxo
Leigh Leigh

Attention Mom/Wife/Woman/Fitness/Cardio/Stepmom Bloggers

I am lacking community and blogger friends here in the blogging world. Looking for some women who I can connect with to read your blog posts and share mine with you as well with common interest. Please comment below if you are interested!

Thanks 🙂

Leigh Leigh

We can connect on Facebook and Twitter as well!

7 Reasons why your New Year Resolutions Fail


  

#1 You are just not that serious about it. Well you were in that moment when you were caught up in the whirl wind of the ideal of accomplishing something spectacular this new year. You were pumped and excited and feeling like Super Woman!

#2 You are being deceived. Your inner demons are chattering away a million reasons every second of the day as to why you are not going to succeed.

#3 You are Lazy.

#4 Your adult ADD has kicked into high gear and you have completely lost interest, however you are already dreaming up a new resolution you are sure to follow. 

#5 You are a procrastinator! I have 12 months to see this goal through. I will start again in March, May, October…..umm next year!?

#6 You are impatient. If you are trying to change your body or eating habits, the results are just not fast enough! Changing your eating habits will not help you lose 20 plus pounds in two weeks.

#7 You have a million Excuses: not enough time, not enough dedication, not enough motivation. I have 10 kids, 2 jobs, etc…

Read my no excuses post here.

Did you notice the common denominator in all the reasons? They all begin with YOU!

Don’t let YOU DEFEAT YOU!!

 

Have patience, ignore the doubts, don’t give up, be dedicated, keep your faith, and find ways to enjoy your new journey along the way!

YOU GOT THIS!

xOxO

Leigh Leigh

Follow Me on Facebook here and Twitter here!

*Check out my transformation story HERE!

Never again! Bad dreams and co-sleeping with your child! #momstruggle

My babies are older now. It’s been a good four year since we have had a little bitty baby in the house. Some days I miss that. Mine are 5 and 8 now.

Some nights I lay awake day dreaming about how I wish they were still little enough to snuggle with at night. Little warm and lavender smelling heaters to keep you warm and cozy all night. I would long for a night they would ask to sleep with us because they were afraid of a shadow on the wall of some sort.

It just doesn’t really happen here.

In those day dreams this is exactly what I had envisioned……

*image found at www.all-creatures.org
*image found at http://www.all-creatures.org

See isn’t this so sweet!!? Momma Cat is snuggling baby cat keeping her little safe and sound. Awe… No more bad dreams baby, Mommy is here!

Can I just interrupt this mushy moment with a little dose of reality!?

Well it finally happened last night! Our 5 year old daughter came bolting in our room tears and all with that sweet little innocent voice: “Daddy I want you!”

“Okay get in the middle of us!”

That warm sweet lavender scented soft baby has vanished leaving me with a sleepy, whiney, very boney, sweaty ball of a mess child! She didn’t smell so sweet, or lovely for that matter! More like Chicken Nuggets and Cheetos, laced with smelly feet!

I can’t recall much but if I could paint you a picture I am pretty sure my night looked a lot like these pictures to follow..

*image found at www.cuteaholic.com
*image found at http://www.cuteaholic.com

We started the night out in my favorite sleeping position. Momma on her back! Now imagine a life size 5 year old on my tummy, and I am not quiet that wide! 🙂

That position left me winded and uncomfortable so I rolled over onto my side. This is where her sweaty hair was suffocating me!

*image found on www.galleryhip.com
*image found on http://www.galleryhip.com

I manage to push her off my face and try this half side, half stomach position.

*imagine found at www.3b.bp.blogspot.com
*imagine found at http://www.3b.bp.blogspot.com

I suspect we got away with this co-sleeping position for a good portion of the night. Well, until my shoulder started to hurt and my side began to ache!

I decided it was time to give the whole tummy position a run for it’s money! After all it’s probably close to 2 in the morning and I am beginning to feel severely UNCOMFORTABLE!

*image found at www.commons.wikimedia.org
*image found at http://www.commons.wikimedia.org

Oh brother.. I am going Apes, Bananas!!

Why can’t she roll over and sleep next to her DADDY!? It was HE WHO LET THE LITTLE DARLING INTO OUR BED! Why ME, Why ME!? Why am I the only one being pressed down on, kicked, slapped, elbowed, kneed, sweated, and slobbered on!!!!??

She is Child by day, Ninja Warrior by night!

image found on yahooimages
image found on http://www.fanpop.com

HELP! I can’t even breath at this point!

*imagine found at 3.bp.blogspot.com
*imagine found at 3.bp.blogspot.com

And She has the nerve to wake up looking like this!

“Good Morning Momma!”

www.thewowimages.com
http://www.thewowimages.com

I am all like, “Good morning Kenna!”

image found at www.doberdan.com
image found at http://www.doberdan.com

My body feels like I just fought off a bull in my sleep all night!

Dodge this leg, dodge that elbow
Dodge this leg, dodge that elbow
Spanish bull fighter Jose Tomas
Spanish bull fighter Jose Tomas

NEVER AGAIN! NEVER!!!!! My back hurts, my arms hurt, my neck is stiff, I am sore all over!

So thank you DADDY and thank you POPPA for letting her watch that Scary Movie. I think if she comes back again, I am moving to the couch!

🙂 The countless joys of Motherhood!

Here is an actually picture of proof just how crazy our night was last night!!!

goodmorning

Smile,

Leigh Leigh

Be sure to check out MY KIDS ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY HERE FOR MORE LAUGHS!

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