MOTHER OF PEARL BLOG SERIES- WATER SPOT BY CYNTHIA RUCHTI (GIVEAWAY)

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series—a nine-day celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Beth Vogt, Lesli Westfall, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day.

AND . . . do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful handcrafted pearl necklace and a JOYN India bag. Enter at the bottom of this post. The contest runs 5/4-5/13, and the winner will be announced on 5/14. Contest is only open to U.S. residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info, subscribe to our blog, and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith to help support Pearl Girls™.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

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Water Spot Mothering by Cynthia Ruchti

For years, a friend and I met weekly for prayer and Bible study. More than twenty years older, Jackie often prayed for her high school children while I prayed for my toddler children who were supposed to be napping.

As any mother will attest, when we get serious about praying for our children, we can find plenty to pray about.

Jackie and I often laid our Bibles in front of us, open on the table. The day I learned the meaning of water spot mothering, Jackie and I had prayed intensely for our children and their wide variety of crises—large and small. We prayed about their uncertain futures and the certainty that God loved them even more than we did. Tears formed, unbidden, as we poured our hearts out to God.

A series of whispers from the stairway told me my children had found dozens of ways to bypass their naps. But they’d grown to respect the time I prayed with my friend. Even at their young ages, they waited patiently for the “Amen” before interrupting.

When Jackie left and life pulled me into other things, my Bible remained open on the dining room table. I walked through the room a short time later to find my four-year-old daughter Amy kneeling on a chair, tenderly flipping through the pages of my Bible. I knew she was unable to read more than the simplest words on the page, so I asked, “Amy, what are you doing, honey?”

Her answer resonates now, decades later. She said, “I’m looking for the tears.”

She knew I’d prayed for her. Finding the water spots, the tear stains, meant something to her young heart. She wanted to see evidence that my prayers for her had moved me to tears.

How triple true that would be through her teen years! We were just getting started on the water spot mothering concept.

I’ve relived that scene many times since that afternoon. My daughter bent over my Bible, her tiny hands turning the pages reverently, her eyes searching for a wrinkle in the page, looking for the assurance that I cared so deeply, prayed so fervently, and wasn’t afraid to let the tears fall on the sustaining resource for parenting and all of life—God’s Word.

Water spot mothering. Praying with the Bible open. Letting the tears fall on the pages.

I wear the picture of my daughter kneeling on the chair, bent over my Bible, close to my heart, like a silver locket I click open to remind me of my primary responsibility as her mom…even now.

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Cynthia Ruchti tells stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark through her fiction, nonfiction, and speaking events for women or for writers. Her recent release—the novel, When the Morning Glory Blooms, observes the heart-and-faith journeys of three eras of unwed moms. Her July release—the nonfiction book Ragged Hope: Surviving the Fallout of Other People’s Choices—touches on life circumstances that send us to tear-hemmed prayer for those we love. Connect with her at www.cynthiaruchti.com, Facebook, Twitter, or other network spots.

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GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY OF FINISHED BEING FAT BY B. SCHOW (USA)

I would like to welcome Betsy Schow to Books R Us. She is the author of the book Finished Being Fat: An Accidental Adventure in Losing Weight and Learning How to Finish published by Cedar Fort (Jan 8, 2013). Thanks for stopping by.

Guest Post

After many years of being fat and miserable, with a few years of being average and less miserable mixed in, I finally had a light bulb moment. The reason I was unhappy, was not just the extra 75 pounds of pudge I was carrying. It was the weight of all the things unfinished that hung around my neck. I was always having grand ideas. I'd get excited about this diet, or that workout routine. Or starting a new hobby or project. Problem was, within a few weeks the excitement would fade and that little voice would kick in. You know the one I'm talking about.
 

"You're no good at this. You'll never keep the weight off. Why are you even bothering?" And every time I quit, my wall of failures would get a little higher -- making success that much harder to see. The straw that broke the camel's back, was actually the 10 pounds added in a month that broke the scale one morning. Drastic measures had to be taken, I couldn't keep doing this myself.
 

What started out as yet another attempt to get rid of the weight around my middle, snowballed into a year of changing my life, my marriage  and the way I raise my kids. Without meaning to I went on an accidental adventure, learning things that fixed the holes in my life, not just the holes in my eating habits. Now I know how to give myself credit for what I do, I can finish what I start, and I've reached impossible dreams. And once you've done the impossible, anything can happen.

Whether your goal is losing weight, running a marathon, cleaning out the basement, or all of the above, this book will teach you how to achieve more than you ever thought possible without sacrificing your sanity or sense of humor.

 
Buy the book wherever books are sold, or online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Visit me at www.betsyschow.com

Excerpt from Finished Being Fat:

YOU’LL KNOW YOU’VE HIT THE BOTTOM WHEN YOU HEAR THE THUD

Daily routine: Wake up, feed kids, entertain kids, keep kids from killing each other, put kids to bed, put kids back to bed thirty minutes later, and then collapse into my own bed and fade into unconsciousness.

 
Repeat.
My life was a lot like running on a treadmill, a whole lot of effort to get absolutely nowhere. Not that I had much experience with treadmills, mind you, but you get my drift. One morning, I woke up depressed and berated myself for all the things that I wasn’t. Wasn’t skinny, wasn’t accomplished, wasn’t happy. In a fit of masochism, I decided it would be a good time to take on my mortal enemy, the digital scale. The scale and I have always had a hate/more hate relationship. I’ve tried sweet talking it, I’ve tried yelling at it, and I’ve even tried approaching it with cautious optimism. Power of positive thinking and all. Recently, I had given it the silent treatment, refusing to acknowledge its existence. But apparently, I felt the need to punish myself, because there I was again, at seven in the morning, before the children were awake, naked and oh so- carefully avoiding the adjacent mirror (because let’s be honest, who wants to see themselves naked first thing in the morning?) and ever so lightly (because it might make a difference) stepping on the scale. While I waited for the scale to stop blinking 0.00 and pronounce judgment, I began to pray.

“Please, God. Just let it be the same as last month. I’m not asking for it be lower, just . . . please, let it be the same.” God was apparently out of miracles. The scale read 216.4 pounds—ten pounds more than the last month. I looked around just to be sure my fourteen-month-old hadn’t sneaked up behind me, adding her sixteen pounds to the total. Nope, I was alone. So I hopped off and tried again, just in case. Maybe the scale had changed its mind, had a technical error, or something. But no, the evil scale seemed to take joy in my misery and now said 216.6. Ahhhh! I had gained a fifth of a pound in less than a minute. Scenes from my future played out in my mind. I would gain a pound every hour.

Within a week, none of my clothes would fit. By the end of the month, I would have to order everything from an online specialty store, Blobbos. In a year, my husband would need to physically roll me out of the bed and onto a Jazzy scooter because I had gotten so big that my legs wouldn’t support my girth. I was going to be like that woman from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. When I died, they would have to cut a hole in my house just to get me out. Then I’d have to be buried in a packing crate because surely no one would make a coffin large enough to fit me. I back pedaled off the scale so fast that I tripped. That’s when I heard the thud of my life hitting rock bottom. It was so loud it even woke my husband, Jarom. Well, it was either that or the crash from the scale reverberating off the travertine. I imagine he ran into the bathroom, expecting to find that I had slipped in the shower. He probably did not expect to see his naked, overweight wife sprawled on the floor, trying to beat the scale into submission.

 
“Betsy, what the heck are you doing?”
“I’m fat!” I wailed
My husband, always a man of few words, wisely said nothing and offered me a hand up. For a few minutes, we stood there, him patting my back and me sobbing onto his shoulder. After I had quieted down some, Jarom grabbed a pack of tissues and herded me back into the bedroom.  He sat me down on the bed and wiped the tears and snot off my face, then did the same for his shoulder.
“Now start over and tell me what’s wrong.”

For more information about me, the book, or to get a free personalized daily calorie budget - visit me at www.betsyschow.com

Finished being Fat is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Deseret Book and Seagull Books.

About the Book:

Not everyone can win the race, but everyone can finish it. In her quest to wish away an extra 75 pounds, Betsy changed her life for good. Using her Philosophy of Finishing, she snowballed her efforts from weight loss into a bucket list of seemingly impossible dreams. This inspiring account of one woman's journey will help you find the strength to conquer your most daunting goals and unfinished projects.

 

 About the Author: 

 After many years of unhappiness and being unpleasantly plump, Betsy Schow found her way to weight loss success and a better life through the Philosophy of Finishing. She shares it all in her first book, Finished being Fat – available January 2013 from Cedar Fort Inc. Her adventure inspired her certify in yoga and fitness so she could help others achieve their goals. You can find her running around the mountains of Utah, chained to her laptop, or wrangling two small children.


Check out the other stops on the TOUR!

Enter to win a Print Copy of the book: USA Only. See Rafflecopter for rules Contest ends on 1/30/13 @ 11:59pm EST

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JOIN THE FAITHFUL, FIT & FABULOUS 8 WEEK CHALLENGE AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

Faithful, Fit & Fabulous





Filled with humor and “I can relate” life experiences, Faithful, Fit, and Fabulous is the ideal 8-week life boost that will refresh any woman's life. Create a personal and effective life plan, and learn how to readily apply it in your busy daily life. Establish holy habits, feel fit and fabulous, and get organized. Just one goal a week for eight weeks—it's simple and fun.

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Message from Connie

Hi Ladies,

This is the moment. This is the year. You can be your best self, your most beautiful self, your most faithful, fit, and fabulous self. Ever. Twelve months are before you-what will you do with them?

Years ago, after bearing several children and feeling overwhelmed, I created and lived my “Year of the Change.” During twelve months of taking life by the horns, I lost weight, got organized, and discovered more joy. Since then I’ve tweaked and taught the principles I have learned and now share them with you.

So make this your year of fabulous change by joining us on the “8-week Challenge” starting on January 8th! The 8-week Challenge is an online success program of “8 goals in 8 weeks in 8 areas of your life,” including fit and fabulous, get organized, balance womanhood and motherhood, and more. Using the Faithful, Fit and Fabulous book, each week you set and achieve a goal, with help from my podcasts, video segments, blog posts, and motivational emails!

Simple, fun, and productive. This program works (see testimonials below). And this year, we’re giving our new 2013 Fit &Fabulous podcast series FREE to those who sign up with a friend! Both of you receive weekly podcasts and posts on weight loss/energy gain tips and strategies. Jill Holmes, our online marketing director, has lost and kept off 50 POUNDS! She'll share her personal tips and secrets to make weight loss work for you, even eating chocolate daily.

Here's what women have said about the 8-week Challenge:

“I have learned so many things about who I am and what I want to do in my life. I have also gained a new sense of happiness. My husband and girls have noticed just in the last week the change in my attitude and they have told me that it is nice to hear me laugh again.” C.Adams

“Thank you so much for giving me the needed push to do something I've wanted to do for months & never completed. That has never happened for me with goal setting. THANK YOU!” B.Bird

“If I wouldn't have been doing the challenge I never would have thought to [accomplish this goal]. I am so glad I did this 8 week challenge! I want to continue these small goals for the rest of my life.” C. Rose

So join us now and jumpstart your ideal life. Get that closet organized, start that exercise program going, find that joy in daily living!

Join now and, because you’re reading this blog post, receive your 8-week Challenge for only $29, thru Jan. 8th only!

http://8basics.com/store/books/start-the-8-week-challenge-refer-a-friend-discount.

Sign up a friend and BOTH receive the 8 podcast series of “Fit &Fabulous”.

Email us for more information at connie@8basics.com.

Learn more here: http://8basics.com/b2b-life-coaching-support

So what are you waiting for? Join us for a fun and fabulous life-changing experience!




Author Connie Sokol

Connie Sokol is a mother of seven, a national and local presenter, and a regular speaker at Education Week. She is a monthly contributor on KSL TV “Studio 5,” and regular blogger for KSL "Motherhood Matters." She is a former TV and radio host for Bonneville Communications, and columnist for Deseret News and Utah Valley Magazine. Mrs. Sokol is the author of several books including the award-nominated romance Caribbean Crossroads, the 8-week Challenge program of Faithful, Fit & Fabulous, Life is Too Short for One Hair Color Series, as well as talk CDs and podcasts. Mrs. Sokol marinates in time spent with her family and eating decadent treats.

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