Posts by Rachel Spoelhof
Growth and Gratitude
Gratitude is an essential part of health. Gratitude affects your relationships, your health, enhances empathy and reduces aggression, helps you sleep better, improves self esteem, increases mental strength and resilience.
Gratitude for what you HAVE and where you are NOW is an important part of growth. We need to appreciate our blessings and reflect on where we are so we can plan and dream about where we want to go.
A great way to cultivate gratitude is by journaling. Either in the morning, or in the evening as a reflection on your day.
Here’s something I’m working on – once you have that gratitude practice and are regularly cultivating and attitude of gratitude, what practices or behavior can you adopt to GROW and get BETTER?!!
*****
One way to grow is to watch other people. Study people that you respect and notice their daily habits and practices. Think about what they are doing on a regular basis that are helping them grow. Are there some habits and practices that you could model in your own life? Start small. Consistency is key!
Be willing to change. Chances are, if you want to change, you MUST change your habits. Growth requires being willing to try new things. Oh and get ready to fail. A lot! It’s part of the process!
With that willingness to change, you need to stop making excuses. If you don’t like where you are, only YOU can change it!
LOVE YOURSELF. Feeling good inside will make it more likely that you approach the world and others with feelings of happiness too! Here’s where the gratitude comes in again. You might not be exactly where you want to be mentally, physically, spiritually, but finding things to be thankful for – including what make you YOU – will give you …
Read MoreBlender Banana Bread
I am a close personal friend of simple recipes. Blender Banana Bread? SOLD!
This original recipe is from The Baker Mama we added the flaxseed meal and chocolate chips.
Gather your ingredients:
3 overripe bananas
2 cups Oatmeal (I LOVED the results of using our bag of Coach’s Oats from Costco)
2 TBS Flaxseed Meal
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
2 Eggs
1 tsp Baking Soda
(extras: 1 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg, chocolate chips and/or walnuts added to top)
Bake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add ingredients to blender. I recommend adding the bananas and eggs to the bottom, then adding the other ingredients on top.
Blend all ingredients (except chocolate chips and/or walnuts) in a powerful blended. Blend until combined.
Grease a loaf pan and add all the ingredients. Top with chocolate chips and/or walnuts.
Bake at 350 degress for 30-35 minutes.
Let cool. ENJOY!!
The girls had a lot of fun taking turns adding ingredients, then watching them combine in the blender.
The banana bread was soft and moist, and the chocolate on top was a fun treat.
…
Balance vs. Busy
I often wonder if other parents think about how to balance “busyness” as much as I do. Do they wonder how to balance it all? Wanting free time to do whatever sounds good that day, endless days at Disneyland, with wanting to foster their kids’ passions and talents for extracurricular activities? I wonder.
There’s that part of me that knows the fun and enjoyment of sports and activities and music lessons, etc. I LOVED playing multiple sports and taking piano lessons. I want that for my kids.
The other part of me wonders how my parents ever did it?!!! Mine are little and some days I already feel like I’m just driving them around from one thing to the next.
I don’t have any answers, but I can share with you what our family is doing currently when it comes to extracurricular activities. Right now each kid has 1 activity that we pay for. My 3 yr old is in dance. My 5 and 6 year olds are in gymnastics. (All just for fun). The older girls take a free art class once a month at the library and we are also in Girl Scouts (I’m the leader). So far, we haven’t entered the world of sports or music lessons.
Here’s the other dilemma: they don’t all like the same things!! Do we nicely suggest that they all pick the same sport or activity just for ease even if it isn’t their passion or talent? Here comes the “mom guilt!”
I know at the end of the day what is most important is a family that fosters an environment that loves and honors God above all else. At the same time, I do think about how to find a balance in a world of fun possibilities for my kids.
Here …
Read MoreHealthy Snacks, Healthy Habits
Summer is right around the corner, and NOW is the time to make some small changes in your health that can yield BIG results!
A great way to support healthy habits is to make filling and nourishing snack choices between meals, or when you are on the go. The Growing Weisser girls ALWAYS have a snack or two (or 10) in their purses or diaper bags for the kids and mama!
Healthy snacking is a great way to boost metabolism, curb hunger, nourish the body, and manage blood sugar. A healthy snack is a balanced snack – one that provides protein, carbs, and healthy fats. Keeping pre-made or grab-and-go snacks around will help you make a simple, healthy choice when hunger strikes.
Here are some more of our FAVORITES!
4 favorite grab-and-go snacks for grown-ups (and kids)
Peanut Butter Super Powerballs
Rachel’s Favorite Protein Balls pick your favorite protein powder and the possibilities are endless!!
What are you snacking on?!
…
Happy Birthday, Bekah!
Happy Birthday to our favorite little sister, Bekah!
In honor of your birthday, Bekah, here are some things we LOVE about you!
- Your genuine care and excitement in your love for others!
- You are very intentional and thoughtful
- A good friend
- Your faithful, loyal passion for the people and things you love.
- Your devotion to her family
- Loyalty to friends
- Ability to research and find incredible deals on everything
- Your creative flare in decorating
- Your stylish outfits
- You shine for Jesus and draws others to Him in gentle ways.
- Ashkon (That’s from your bro-in-law)
- You love to have fun
- Your excitement for silly ideas
- You make others feel good when they are around you
We love you so much, Bekah, and are blessed to call you family!…
Read MoreHappy Easter!
“Death could not hold you
The veil tore before you
You silenced the boast or sin and grave
The heavens are roaring
The praise of your glory
For you are raised to life again
You have no rival
You have no equal
Now and forever God you reign
Yours is the kingdom
Yours is the glory
Yours is the name above all names.”
-What a Beautiful Name, Hillsong
We celebrate today and everyday that Jesus Christ, our King, paid the price of sin, died for us on the cross, and rose again. “What a powerful name it is. Nothing can stand against.”…
Read MoreFood Science – St. Patrick’s Day Themed
This week is Girl Scout Week, where we celebrate the birthday of Girl Scouts by participating in different activities each day. I love being a part of Girl Scouts, and being a leader for my daughters.
One of the activities to choose this week was to do a food science activity.
I found an activity for “Leprechaun Sand” that looked fun, simple, and I had all the ingredients on hand. PLUS, it is holiday themed, so MOM WIN!!!
You can find the original post here along with fun questions to ask the kids during and after the experiment.
Warning: This activity is really messy. And you do use green food coloring, which stains. So I recommend washing hands immediately following your fun with the sand!!
You will need:
baking soda
vinegar
green food coloring
droppers
a baking pan (with sides to keep the liquid in)
aprons or play clothes
First, pour out the baking soda into the pan. We used A LOT and probably could have used more! Add the vinegar to a bowl or cup and add the food coloring. Use the droppers to slowly add vinegar to the baking soda.
(This took a REALLY long time, so eventually I just slowly poured the vinegar over the baking soda). Don’t use too much though, you want the mixture thick enough to play with. That’s what make the “Sand!”
The girls had a lot of fun with this and it was very easy for me to set up!
Mom approved!!
…
Onward and Upward
It is hard to move on.
It is hard to let go of things we love, even when we feel a tugging on our heart strings to move in a different direction.
This past year (not just 2018…2017 too) has been hard. I can’t put my finger on it, but something is harder. I don’t know if it’s age, or my oldest being in Kinder, but it hasn’t been an easy time. We are happy and healthy and very blessed, yet still, I felt the need to make a change.
So I did.
After 4 incredible years as a Fit4Mom instructor, I said good-bye to a job I loved and a community I cherish. As bittersweet as this change has been, I know I did it for the right reasons. For my family.
No, I don’t know what is next, but sometimes we have to take that first step in to the unknown to see what is coming. To be ready to be used by God. To grow. To find a new purpose. A new passion.
I didn’t always feel this way. Growth is hard. And, yes change is scary. But always worth it. In this season of “what’s next?” I have peace knowing that God is in control. I am so grateful that alongside my fitness job, I have been building an incredible opportunity for my family with my #BlessinginaBox community. I am able to offer health and wellness solutions to families, while also helping families cast a vision for more time and financial freedom. I have met so many incredible people and I am learning valuable life lessons as I create a business focused on serving others. I love that my own journey to make an extra income for my family can impact others at the same time! …
Read MoreGoal Setting for 2018
Do you set goals for the new year? The more I listen to and learn from successful people the more I hear the same thing: When you make goals and write down your goals they get programmed in your mind.
What you focus on, you find.
Let’s start by defining GOALS. Goals are not “dreams.”
The difference between a dream and a goal is dreams are a fantasy, the have no boundaries. Dreams can guide your passions, yes. However, dreams are a goal without legs. Goals are a clear and vivid target that you want to attain. “SEE THE TARGET. HIT THE TARGET.” Goals are always accompanied by a plan and action.
How do you set goals?
- Decide what you want to accomplish
- Devise a plan with small action steps
- Work on the plan to achieve your desired results
This week, I attended a goal setting workshop. I loved how they separated goals into categories: Faith, Family, Business/Work, Fun, Fitness and Health, and FREAKY (goals that literally freak you out!).
Tips for setting goals:
- choose goals that are worthwhile
- opt for goals that are achievable
- make your goals specific
- be committed to your goals
I liked the SMART acronym that we used in my training.
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Relevant
T – Timely
How to start?
Write down your goals for each category. Remember, what you focus on you find. So focusing on your goals is going to keep those goals in the forefront of your mind. You will think of your goals, envision yourself accomplishing those goals, and therefore get into action.
Each goal should have action steps. How are you going to achieve that goal? What is one thing you can do every day to move toward that goal. Here’s another …
Read MoreCHRIST THE LORD – The Name of Jesus
At the name of Jesus every knee should bow … and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:10-11
Jesus is the name above every name.
He is King of kings and Lord of lords.
Because he is the Lord of all lords, we must be faithful servants, submissive and obedient to his orders.
How do we submit to God?
- Salvation. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
- Obedience
- Seek to know Him better through His word. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” Psalm 1:1-2
- Show Christ’s love
- Telling others the Good News