|
 Dear
Readers:
My family has been going through some changes as of late. Last
year, my two boys moved out together and a few months back, my
oldest moved back home. This week, my oldest moved back out
and my youngest moved back home.
It seems like a revolving door has been installed in my home!
I have some issues with my baby boy. He's
nineteen, dropped out of college and has seemingly no goals for his
life or motivation to do anything. This frustrates me to no
end and I'm not quite sure how to deal with him at this point.
Good thing for me I was sent an advanced reader's copy of
Setting Boundaries with Your Adult Children
by Allison Bottke. I've read a good portion of the
book already and I'm finding a slew of tips that I am implementing
in my relationship with my kids. They aren't too happy about
it, but these changes will help them take on the adult
responsibilities that they will face both now and in the coming
years. Make sure you read the review and I highly recommend
you get yourself a copy!
If you have any tips on dealing with a young adult
child who needs direction in his/her life, send them to me at
patti@beyondthebend.com and I will enter you into a contest to
win a copy of Bottke's book.
Keep me in your prayers!
Until Next Time,
Patti
 |
Devotional
Thought: Living a Life of Purpose |
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares
the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give
you hope and a future."
~Jeremiah 29:11
Today, purpose is a buzzword in Christian
circles. Ever since Rick Warren's Book The Purpose Driven
Life was released in 2002, it seems that people everywhere are
trying to find purpose and meaning in their lives.
When our kids were young, we didn't have any trouble
knowing our purpose. We were to raise our children to know God
and to serve Him.
But as our children grow into teens and then into young adults, we
see that we need to begin letting go and letting our children stand
on their own two feet. If our only purpose had been to raise
our children, then we, as empty nesters, are left with a big whole
in our lives.
Now, I realize that not everyone is in that boat.
Many women, while raising their children, had a clear sense of God's
calling on their lives in other areas. But for those who
didn't, there are some great books available that will help you
discover God's purpose for this time in your life.
A few are listed below. Check out the links to learn more
about them.
Discovering Your Divine Assignment
Fantastic over 40
Follow Your Heart
When a Woman Discovers Her Dream
God truly does have a purpose for our lives. As
the Jeremiah 29:11 tells us, He knows the plans He has and they are
to give us a hope and a future. Spend time today asking God to
reveal His plans to you.
Do you ever consider that what you are eating may impact your
face as much as your hips? Current research is suggesting that for a
glowing youthful radiant complexion, a good start is a well balanced
diet supported by good natural facial skin care products.
As we age, our bodies become more and more reliant on the
absorption of essential fatty acids, essential minerals and
antioxidants.
·
Antioxidants fight off the aging effects of free radicals. Free
radicals are created as a by-product of consuming toxic
products. Accumulation of free radicals results in a process
called oxidative stress, which actually speeds up the aging
process and injures cells. Antioxidants help to keep the free
radicals in check.
·
Essential Fatty acids are the good fat we need to keep a healthy
body and skin. Especially as we age, our skin get dryer and
extra good fats in the diet will help keep the skin supple and
soft.
· Essential Minerals like bromaline, sulfates,
potassium are natural anti inflammatory and improve cells
metabolism. Often overlook, the lack of essential minerals is
responsible for arthritis pain, psoriasis, eczema and other skin
condition. They keep the skin cells in a neutral environment and
restore the natural PH of the skin.
Now, what should you be eating to enjoy these beneficial
effects?
Basically, the more colorful the food, the better it is for
you, and the more likely it is to contain a high percentage of
antioxidants. Great examples are berries, carrots, mangoes, corn,
tomatoes, spinach and cherries. Whole grains are also an excellent
source of antioxidants. Minerals like selenium, beta-carotene,
lycopene, and the vitamins A, C, and E are all ingredients high in
antioxidant abilities. Fish, nuts, seafood, cold pressed olive oil,
avocado are all rich in Essential fatty acids.
You will find that a balance diet good for the heart will benefit
your skin as well.
About Facial Care Products
For healthy skin, choose your skin care products as carefully and
follow the same criteria as you choose your food for a healthy body.
The two are connected.
A good
face cleanser contains no
alcohol. Choose according to your skin type. A cleanser job is to
remove the dirt bee between the cells. It should be gentle yet
efficient.
Facial cream,
anti wrinkle creams are
foods for your skin. They have to be rich in antioxidant, essential
minerals and essential fatty acids. Look for natural or organic
moisturizers herbal based or ocean based.
Your overall health will improve dramatically and your skin will
benefit from a healthy diet.
For great result, nourish your skin from the inside out and
outside in. Improve your diet and choose skin care for your face
rich in nutrients not man made ingredients and chemical.
"Beauty is eternity gazing at itself in a mirror." Kahlil Gibran.
Catherine Potin is a successful entrepreneur and publisher
of
Healthy Facial Care. Her
drive is to create a multi facet program to healthy skin from the
inside out. This concept brings together the interlink of healthy
eating, cooking and
natural facial care. and
time out in your home spa. Each step is unique and with that makes
it easy to choose the appropriate regimen for your skin and well
being.
|
|
Reader's
Write: Planning and Making Goals |
Last month I asked readers to share their ideas on
planning and making goals. Below are some of the responses:
My new year goals change as the days progress! Not
because I fail but because I just "reassess".
In November my exercise routine became less consistent because of
the hectic holiday routine taking hold. I started to beat myself up
about it and then just said to myself, "Kelly, you do this every
year. Why beat yourself up about it? Just give yourself a break."
Because I knew I'd get back into the routine in January, I relaxed
and just let myself off the hook. As predicted, by now I am so sick
of myself I can't help but start exercising again! So that goal
sort of takes care of itself!
My biggest struggle is with time management and prioritizing my
duties. So! With that said, my goals are to assess my stuff each
evening and make a plan for the following day. I covet your
prayers!!
~ Kelly
This year I decided I was tired of all the usual New Year's
goals - lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, get
organized - though I hope to still do all of those things. I
have decided to make some New Year's resolutions that will
make me happier and just might be easier and more fun to
achieve. I guess my theme for 2008 is to focus on the positive
and to let go of all those negative thoughts that so often
invade my head. This year I have decided to pack away the
guilt and do some things for me. I am going to set aside a
little time each and every day to read. I will not read while
feeling guilty that I should be doing "other things" but will
enjoy my 15 minutes or half an hour of just reading a book I
love. I am going to make sure I have time to write in my
journal. Too often weeks and sometimes months go by where I
have not had time to touch it and I truly miss writing. I am
going to eat dessert. As much as I want to eat healthier and
lose weight, an occasional dessert is not going to hurt me and
I will make sure to enjoy every bite. I am going to stop
worrying about everything that I haven't gotten done in a
single day and be happy about the things I did accomplish. My
house may never be immaculate, my chore list never completed,
and I may never be as organized as I would like but I need to
let go and be ok with that. This year I am just seeking
contentment with what is and will not worry about what could
or should be.
~Sammy
I have never really been good at setting
goals in my life. However, the more you age, the more you
see the need to make lists for yourself so you remember that
you need to do!
This year, I made two New Year's Resolutions:
1) To be on time for work every morning,
which I was getting lax in recently and
2) To stop scraping my plate when I am eating
- enough is enough and the food is gone!
I hope I can stick to these two ideas and
make them a habit this year...
Often I sit down at my calendar at home just
to organize myself and put down different things to do on
certain days, so I won't come up short forgetting an errand
or something important. It kind of helps me to keep on
track personally.
~Leslie
Congratulations to Kelly Stigliano who won a
free copy of Energy Zappers by Shaun Blakeney and Wallace
Henley. If you would like to enter this month's giveaway
of a copy of Allison Bottke's book Setting Boundaries with
Your Adult Children, send any tips on dealing with a young
adult child who needs direction in his/her life, send them to me
at
patti@beyondthebend.com
|
|
FEATURED
ENEWSLETTER AND BLOG |
Keri Wyatt Kent is wonderful writer who
has a deep sense of justice and writes on many social issues.
Check out her monthly
eNews and her
weekly blog.
 Setting
Boundaries with Your Adult Children: Six Steps to Hope and
Healing for Struggling Parents
Allison Bottke
Harvest House Publishers - Release Date Feb.1
Retail Price: $11.99
Our Price: $9.59
- S = STOP Enabling, STOP Blaming Yourself, and STOP the
Flow of Money
- A = Assemble a Support Group
- N = Nip Excuses in the Bud
- I = Implement Rules/Boundaries
- T = Trust Your Instincts
- Y = Yield Everything to God
|
Beyond the Bend Review
|
 |
I was given an advanced reader's copy of this book by Harvest
House and asked to give my opinion on it before it came out.
I've been pretty big on self-help books for most of my adult
life as I've had my share of dysfunctional relationships, so I
have a pretty good grasp on self-help principles that work and
those that don't. My gut feeling on Setting Boundaries with
Your Adult Children is that this book is a winner.
Allison Bottke speaks from her heart and her own experience with
enabling her adult son to stay in a destructive pattern of
living and she gives excellent tips and tools for parents to
stop the insanity of living a dysfunctional life. I like the
fact that she doesn't blame the parent for the adult child's
behavior and she gives advice on how the parent can
change....not on how to change the adult child. This book is
about putting responsibility for destructive behavior where it
belongs and coming to the realization that if "nothing changes,
nothing changes."
Another key element that this book has that many self-help
books don't is that Bottke puts God right in the midst of our
struggles and suggests that we yield to Him in everything.
While most self-help book allude to a "higher power", this book
comes straight out and tells the reader the truth: you can't
make these changes without the help of the God of the Bible.
I highly recommend this book. It will change your life.
Order This Book!
You can order this book for $9.59
at our
bookstore.
To SUBSCRIBE to this FREE newsletter, send your request by
email to:
mailto:beyondthebend@pcpublications.org
or you can sign up at
http://pcpublications.org/subscribe.htm
To UNSUBSCRIBE send your request to:
mailto:unsubscribe-beyondthebend@publications.org
or you can unsubscribe at
http://pcpublications.org/subscribe.htm.
If you have a problem subscribing or unsubscribing send an email to
mailto:patti@pcpublications.org
and a real live human being will try to solve the problem. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
