Back to School Prayer Plan

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Where did summer go? How is it August already? If you are a parent or a kid, you’ve probably been asking yourself these questions the last few days. One thing is for sure – as quick as one school year ends, another one is just around the corner.

We spend so much time and money preparing for the new school year:

New backpack. Check.
Lunchbox. Check.
School supplies. Check.
Clothes. Check.
Praying for the school year. Crickets.

If you’re like me, and a good majority of this busy world, extra prayers don’t always make the cut. There are A LOT of things to do. You may work in a school prayer here and there, or say a prayer on the first day of school. But what if we took some of our back to school energy and put that toward really praying for our kids, their school year, their teachers, and friends? I imagine it would do wonders, but sadly I can’t say for sure because I have never stuck to this plan. I have had good intentions but other things get in the way.
Despite my lack of focus when it comes to back to school prayers, we do have a school year routine that works well for our family. Each morning the kids and I read a devotional and say a prayer in the car on the way to school. They do the reading while I do the driving. Then we say a prayer. We do this first thing – before any other distractions get in the way. We have been doing this since Kindergarten so now it is just part of the routine. Back then they couldn’t read, so we would just say a prayer. As they got older we added the devotionals. The last couple of school years we have read The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids by Rick Warren. I really like his messages and this was easy to understand. After reading it a few times, we decided to change it up a bit. This school year we are reading One God, One Plan, One Life: A 365 Devotional by Max Lucado. This is a good tween-age book.

There are so many things we can pray for when it comes to our kids. Here are a few simple things to add to your prayer routine. Just remember SMILE.

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S – Pray for SAFETY for your kids throughout the school year

Dear Lord, Another school year is upon us. I pray you watch over our kids on their way to school, at school, and on their way home from school. Keep them safe in the classroom. Watch over our kids and protect them from harm.

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

M – Pray for your kids to MAKE wise decision and wise friends 

Dear Lord, Thank you for the gift of friendship. I pray our kids will choose friends wisely this school year and be a good friend to others. Help them be respectful of their teachers and treat others the way they would want to be treated.

Proverbs 13:20 Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.

I – Pray for your kids to be an INDIVIDUAL and accept others

Dear Lord, Each one of us are fearfully and wonderfully made. Help our kids to recognize their uniqueness and to be comfortable in their own skin. I pray they follow their own will and not try to conform to those around them. Help them to accept others as they are and celebrate differences.

Psalm 139: 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.

L- Pray for LEARNING and knowledge

Dear Lord, Thank you for the gift of education. Help us to remember there are kids around the world that do not get the privilege of learning. Help our kids to focus in school and get the most out of each day. I pray for good grades and academic growth this school year.

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

E – Pray for the EXCELLENCE

Dear Lord, I pray for our kids to excel in school. Help them to set excellent examples for others and to be thankful and grateful for all their blessings. I pray they are humble and kind.

2 Corinthians 8:7 But since you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in love we have kindled in you – see that you also excel in the grace of giving.

Let’s make it a great school year!

Let’s talk about sleep

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Let’s talk about sleep baby. Let’s talk about getting those zzzz’s. Let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things that we dream. Let’s talk about sleep.

Break it down Emily (and a short cameo by Bo who is fake sleeping)


Isn’t it ironic that the worst sleeper in the house (Emily) is talking about sleep. We all struggle with that from time to time. Some days I am jonesin’ for an afternoon nap about 2:00. Unfortunately my work peeps would be annoyed! When I steer clear of sugar and drink a lot of water, my energy levels are good. But sometimes no matter what I do, I am

Just. Plain. Tired.

According to my smart watch, I average around 7 hours of sleep each night, despite the bathroom breaks and kids coming into our bed. Studies show the average person needs 8 hours of sleep per night. How do we make that happen? I haven’t quite reached the 8 hour goal, but I’m close, and here’s what works for me:

      • Avoid caffeine late in the day. I drink an iced tea for lunch. If I’m feeling a little crazy I might have one with dinner. On a rare occasion I drink pop. Alcohol is a real killer because I often mix with something caffeinated. It seems as though I sleep better after a few drinks, but studies show negative long-term effects on your sleep after drinking alcohol.
      • Don’t nap during the day. Yea, well if I had this luxury, it might interfere but I don’t. However, my kids are living proof though that late day naps do not help out the night-time cause!
      • Put down your electronics. This is a toughy. We no longer have a home phone. So if someone decides to break in and try to kill us, I like to have my cell phone nearby. It is also the only way for my family to get ahold of us in the event of an emergency (anyone else freak out when you see a call from your parents come in late at night?) I have started turning down my ringer and silencing unnecessary notifications before bed.
      • Sleep and wake at consistent times. This one just happens automatically over time if you’re lucky like me. “Sleeping in” means staying in bed until 7:30 at my house. Long gone are my days of sleeping until 10:00am because I was out late the night before. So even though I hate it, I know it is better for my body. I will say that even though I wake up early, it is nice to lay around in bed if I don’t have to rush off anywhere.
      • Oil or soak. I have a few essential oils I use topically or diffuse (until my husband notices the diffuser and turns it off because he thinks it stinks.) Peace and Calming and Lavendar are a few of my Young Living favorites. I just bought Doterra Serenity blend to try as well. Baths are also a good way for my girls to wind down before bed too.
      • Take some herbs. I take 2 Tranquil Mind herbs before bed. I really love these as a night-time supplement.I also take a Melatonin as needed on nights I know I will need the extra help. Valerian Root is another good bedtime herb which you can find in herbal tea. There is some in this Schiff Melatonin Ultra as well!
      • Find a good temperature. When it is too hot or too cold in our bedroom, I do not sleep well. Being too cold isn’t as bad for me as being too hot. If it’s too warm in our room, I always wake up a few times in the night.
      • Breathe! This is an easy one. When I use my Resperate  before bed, I fall asleep so much easier and faster. Take some time for deep breathing or meditation when you get in bed. You can find apps that work as well if you don’t want to buy a fancy contraption. My 2 favorites are Stop Think Breath and Calm.
      • Don’t exercise late at night. One of my favorite workouts is a kickboxing class near my work. I don’t go as often as I would like, but when I do, I am up so late! The class is from 8:00-9:00pm. By the time I get home, shower, and get in bed it’s after 9:30 (which I realize is not that late) but by this point I am WIDE awake! My endorphins are flowing and sleep is the last thing on my mind. I wish I could bottle that energy and pull some out in the am.
      • Have the right amount of noise. For me, that is the TV on a low volume, which I know is a terrible habit! But I cannot sleep without the TV on. I also keep it on a show that I don’t like so I’m not tempted to keep watching TV. For some, a fan or white noise or music works too!20180815_091217_00013810722484128994978.png

      This is what works for me, but everyone is different. Beside my bad TV habit, studies back most of these suggestions. When I stick to my list, I sleep pretty good and wake feeling rested. Drinking a lot of water (about 50-60 ounces per day) helps me wake up easier in the morning. When I don’t drink enough water, I have a much harder time getting out of bed. What works for you?

My 7 day low sugar diary

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If you read my last post, you are probably dying for an update on my low sugar challenge. Your wait is over!Here’s what happened…

Day 1:

Today was a partial fail. It started off good, even though I really, really, really wanted an almond butter biscuit. Since that would break the rules, I stuck with fresh fruit and veggies. I did have some accidental cheats throughout the day. In my snack boxes I always pack nuts. This blend I bought had dried cranberries and red tart cherries. Glancing at the package (after I had eaten most of it) I realized it had 10 grams of sugar with 6 of those grams being added sugar. Oops. The ingredients list showed the dried cranberries and cherries are made with sugar and sunflower oil. Since I was hungry and it was part of my lunch, I picked out the nuts and threw out the dried fruit. By mid-afternoon I was really hungry so I ate some Skinny Pop. I tried the hypnosis from my Sugar Stop app. She wanted me to get comfortable and close my eyes. Um, yea, can’t do that lady. I’m sitting at my desk trying to work. Needless to say I skipped the hypnosis and just drank water.  It was my mom’s birthday so we went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, which was a hot mess thanks to the warm, buttery rolls calling my name. I ate one with the most angelic cinnamon butter I have ever tasted. I did redeem myself with a pork chop and steamed veggies and only drank water.

I finished off the day with a 30 minute walk and the most beautiful sunset!

DAY 2:

It’s only day 2 & I have already noticed a lot of my go-to snacks have added sugar. So I’ve been snacking on veggies and nuts (with no dried fruit) and popcorn. I have been hungry the last 2 days, even though I’m drinking a lot of water. (Got up to pee 3 times last night) I skipped the chips and salsa at work because the salsa had added sugar. Despite my best efforts, between my protein shake and my lunch (soup and salad from Panera Bread) I have still had a little bit of added sugar, but WAY less than normal. I did find myself thinking about food a lot throughout the day.

DAY 3:

Today my lack of low sugar snacks was really pissing me off. I got home to eat my strawberry salad only to realize ALL 7 grams of sugar in the dressing were added sugar. Grrr.
I got very tired after lunch. I feel like my stomach is adjusting a little bit to less snacking. Normally I would be glad it’s Friday but I’m nervous because I will be at my kids’ all-day softball tournament tomorrow. Concession stands are one of my many weaknesses. I have a cooler packed full of healthy snacks and water and ready to go.
I finished off the day with a White Claw and the 2 grams of sugar was worth every sip. Cheers.
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DAY 4:

Proud of myself for making it through a whole day at the field with no concession stand junk food! It was sooooo hot and humid, so I drank a lot of water. I think this helped keep me full. We went to my parents house afterward and I steered clear of the sweet stuff (my mom’s pantry is FULL of junk food and candy) I started feeling withdraw symptoms like a headache and a little shaky but I was able to power through it. Over all it was a very successful low sugar day!

DAY 5:

Well, it turns out I have inadvertently replaced sugar with salt. I woke up today so puffy and swollen. I had a lot of nuts (pretty sure they were salted) and skinny pop yesterday. So I need to rethink my snack choices just a little bit. Individually they aren’t too bad, but eating them all together is way too much salt for me!
Another headache today and very hangry in the afternoon. I am so impressed with my willpower. I know it has only been 5 days but I am proud of myself. Today I held my daughter’s chocolate chip cookie in my hand and didn’t even want a bite.
I’m a little frustrated that the scale hasn’t budged, but hoping I will notice some progress there soon.

DAY 6:

Another day of low sugar. Another day without an Almond Butter Biscuit. Sad face.
I made the rookie mistake of grocery shopping while hungry. I overcame the urge for sweets and ate an apple instead. Normaly I would have gotten something junky from the checkout lane. It was a little surprising at how many things have added sugar. I spent a lot of time reading labels during this trip so it took me a longer than normal. Still had a headache which I was hoping water would help but I can’t possibly drink any more or I will float away!

DAY 7:

I did it! I feel very accomplished and only had a couple of moments worthy of the panic button.  My friend brought the kids some cake today and I didn’t eat any! I held it in my hands and said no. Pretty impressive. I mean look at this thing!
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In the last 7 days I cut down on snacking, drank more water, and survived the sugar withdraw headache. I am much more aware of the sugar content in my go-to foods and have found some alternatives.
I am excited to try another 7 days of low sugar!