Anyone that knows me knows I hate cooking. I just do not find that much enjoyment out of cooking. When my husband is home (he's currently serving our country overseas) he tends to cook a lot and I am grateful for that. Me, on the other hand, am just content on stopping at Burger King or McDonald's for a salad. When a salad costs about $5.00, depending on location, it adds up. For the price of a sald over a week, I could have money for salads for 2 weeks that I make at home. Not to mention the sizes of those meals in our American society have grown to gigantic sizes!

Yesterday, I was driving home from the gym and I was tired and sweaty, with 2 preschoolers in the backseat complaining because they were hungry (yes, I do feed them regularly). I was quite tempted to just drop in at Burger King or Popeyes because it was right there. It took a lot of self-discipline to refrain from sitting in that line waiting to get my hands on a nice, juicy burger. Instead, I remembered why I am not going to eat out and it made it that much easier. But for that moment of weakness, I really thought I was going to fail this task this week.

It is funny, how us humans are more likely to complete something if there is a purpose attached to it. I used to tell myself that I am not going to eat out but without a purpose. Now that I have a purpose to not do something, the will-power seems to be out of this world! Maybe it is just that I am finally really committing to doing something I know I am sure to succeed in.

As I practice giving back to people, I would like to offer these freebies to you.

Betty Crocker Warm Delights
Simply American Greetings
Free Download of Video Thang
Free Writing Edge T-Shirt and Copy of Turning Right

I have realized that I and most of us in the industrialized countries take what we have for granted. I could sit down at a restaurant and order a plate of food that is big enough to feed myself and my girls, but only eat that by myself. There are people starving all over the world, who would do anything to have a basic meal. Did you know every 7 seconds, a child --not just a person, but a child -- dies from starvation.

If I could start taking what I have and utilize it to understand exactly what these children are going through or even helping them it would be great. It would be my goal to save up the money from not eating out to sponsor a child in a third world country. I usually eat out about 2-3 times a week depending on my shedule. This may become a long term task, but for now, this is what I am refraining from this week.

Yesterday was an interesting day. I went to church as stated in a previous post. It was one of the most eye opening and convicting sermons I have heard. It was as if the message was meant especially for me. The pastor preached on how we need to be more selfless and give back to those who have nothing. It brought me to tears, not because the pastor was emotional, but because I have just started getting back into church recently, and the message was very powerful.

The message reminded me of where I came from. 20 years ago, I was living in a single parent home filled with abuse and neglect. There were days when my sister and I didn't know if we would eat or even be taken care of. One day, our mother decided she could not care for us, well she just didn't want to care for me. She wanted my sister and not me.

Then one day on September 18, 1988 (I was five years old), I was given my family. I was adopted by probably one of the selfless couples I have ever come across. My parents, a very selfless minister and his stay at home wife, already had adopted 11 children and now they had opened their home to me and my sister. We were not the last ones to be welcomed into their home. There are six more they took in after us.

I remember we didn't have a care in the world. Looking back on it, my parents wanted only the best for us. When they were struggling to make ends meet, we never knew about it. It was not until a couple years ago, my Mom told us there were times when the deep freezer was nearly empty and they did not know how they would feed all of us. Every time the freezer was almost empty, God would send someone to help fill it back up. It was either in the form of donated food or checks. My father never does anything without a selfless purpose. When he ran his marathons, it was always to provide some sort of support for those in need. He counsels probono in inner city Milwaukee, not because they can't pay him, but because he loves giving back.

You might be wondering why I chose to tell you this, right? Well, it seems as I grew up and moved away from the nest, I forgot how I even made it this far in life. It was because of having selfless parents that I was given a chance to become a productive citizen. I want to get to that place where my parents are. I do not want to worry about what will happen tomorrow and trust that the Lord will provide for me and my family.

I apologize for the soap box type of post, but I had to get it off my chest.

This week has been quite interesting. I have completed 6 days without watching day time t.v. It feels great! I thought I would be so bored out of my mind that I would just turn on that monster and gaze at it all day long. Fortunately, I have a lot of will power and found other things to do. I really like not being a slave to the tube, although I do miss watching my morning news shows.

In addition to my benefiting from this challenge, my girls have really reaped the benefits of not having the t.v. on all day long. They would rather read books and do crafts and just play nicely together. I should have incorporated this into our lifestyle a long time ago. We still have today to finish up, but I am sure it will be a success. We have church to go to and then we can just hang out together and get them to clean their rooms up.


I am still deciding which activity or thing I will give up next week. I have 24 hours to decide so I will keep you posted!

It was extremely hot here today. I've gotten used to the cooler weather we've been having up here in the Pacific Northwest. It was up in the 80s here today and no A/C except in the car. My girls gave me some trouble with watching t.v. They both kept trying to turn it on after I repeatedly asked them not to. Oh well, they can't be perfect at everything. I was able to get them to help clean up so that is always a plus. Well, signing off for the night.

I forgot to check in yesterday! I did great. I was able to complete tons of tasks on Mturk throughout the day, as well as work on my data/research gig I picked up this week. I really think this is one thing I can incorporate into my life.

Yesterday morning, since we had no t.v. going, the girls and I did a little craft together. It was nice to let them be creative and be part of the activity. I tend to get so engrossed by what's going on through the t.v. that I do not do these tasks often enough with the girls.

Today we have cleaning and grocery shopping to do. That is enough to keep us busy. I have not decided what next week's task will be yet, but I am sure I can think of something!

While I am still working on making a better me, I have taken up some activities to put a little green in my pocket. I am thoroughly enjoying these activities, which don't take up much time or effort. I don't even have to use too much brain power, which is always a plus! The first thing I do is log into Mechanical Turk or (MTurk) which is operated by Amazon.com . I like it there because I can pick and choose what types of tasks I want to complete. Yes, they only pay pennies, but I have only started this yesterday and have nearly $10.00 in payments with many more pending.

Another thing I do is Ticketpuller. I cannot disclose much about this opportunity than it is very fun and based on luck of the draw. If you want a referral, leave a comment and let me know. The other thing I do is work on getting stuff for free via Freebie Force. It's a business of sorts but is so new and lucrative, I decided to give it a try. Doesn't hurt to try sometimes. After all, this is what this blog is dedicated to.

Now it's off to the gym!

I can't believe it's already day 3. Time is just flying by fast. I have stuck to my guns with this challenge so far. The only thing I was disappointed with is not being able to watch the full NBA Finals game. I did get to see the last quarter and watch the Celtics bury the Lakers! I would have been happy with whoever the winner was, but Congrats to KG, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, Paul Pierce, Doc Rivers, and the rest of the Celtics nation. Regardless, I have been keeping my home less messy since starting this so it is a welcomed change. I've also taken up a few gigs to pass time. I'll lament more in a future posting. Off to get ready to be more selfless!

I am amazed at how peaceful my home is without the T.V. running. My girls are playing nicely in their room. Of course, they are a little upset with me for not letting them watch their cartoons, but it's in their best interest. My biggest hurdle thus far was this morning. I normally watch the news when I get up out of bed, but I restrained myself from turning the T.V. on. Once the T.V. is on, it leads to more procrastination and lack of being proactive. Now, I am going to be proactive and steam clean these carpets!

Well, today wasn't that bad, so far. It's only 4:30 in the afternoon. I was able to get the house work done and workout for an hour and a half. Pretty productive I am thinking. It was actually quite peaceful. The girls were calmer and I was too. It's amazing what a t.v. can do to a home! I think eliminating the daytime t.v. is good. Save the t.v. for the evening news or something at night. I am glad I have a DVR though. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

It doesn't sound like much, but I really watch too much T.V. I am a stay at home mom of 2 girls and my husband is gone, so the T.V. is like a friend to me. If I only allow myself to watch T.V. in the evenings, after I've gotten everything done, I can find many other activities to do. So, for one week, bye-bye T.V. until 8p.m. at the earliest. I am guessing I can get a lot of stuff done during this week, like actually read a new book. We'll see how it goes!