Written just for me!

I'm sure anyone of us who have read the Ensign have felt that there have been articles written just for us. For those of you who do not know what the Ensign is, it is a church magazine for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Well this month I felt like at least 50 % of the magazine was written just for me. Let me explain. I have always known that the most important job that I would ever do would be that of raising children. I have no regrets about being a mother yet when I look at our finances, I really miss the income I used to bring home. What I bring home now is equal to what I used to pay in tithing, a huge difference! This has been a major source of stress for me over the past few months. This months Ensign changed that. Instead now I look at it as a good challenge, an opportunity to grow and to learn. I was actually excited after reading the many articles about finance to learn and be creative in ways to make our budget fit our needs, from ways to reduce the cost of groceries to growing a garden to making cheaper, healthier meals to getting a library card. (I feel like I am 9 years old again I am so excited to go get a library membership, probably the age I was when I last had one.) I was even surprised that Jason has agreed to have some meatless meals!! Of course I would still love to have more money and I am still looking for a job that I can do from home but learning to do things such as gardening and relearning how to sew (I haven't sewn since my senior year of high school) are skills that will be life long and valuable no matter what one's income level is! There was also an article about the Word of Wisdom. It's amazing how something that I have known for so long can finally hit me in such a strong way. I was a public health major and almost every single class we had had a nutrition component to it and I have read the Word of Wisdom section in the Doctrine and Covenants several times. I have always known that it is truly inspired writing. It outlined proper nutrition before nutrition was even a concept. I have never been a believer in diets. Like the Weight Watchers commercial says, "Diets don't work". Good health is a lifestyle. I have been worrying about our health as a family. Both Jason and I have family histories of diabetes, I have a family history of heart disease and if Abby eats a diet that is too high in fat it could mean disability or death. People often ask me if Abby has to eat a special diet and I say yes. Now I realize it is not a special diet she has to eat but a proper diet, the way we should all be eating. It is precisely what is outlined in the Word of Wisdom. Even the doctor didn't call Abby's diet a special diet, he called it a heart healthy diet, and who doesn't want a healthy heart?? Now it is time to put all that I have learned from reading this months Ensign into action and I honestly can't begin to tell all of you how excited I am!! Hopefully I can get the SD port working on this computer later today and then I will post new Abby pics!! Love you all!