Wanna know what this Fit Mom has been up to lately? A lot. A full schedule and a lot of saying no. Just ask Annett I said no to her “Better Me Challenge.” Because right now being a better me required me using my no muscle. It was a great challenge with a lot of great ideas and wonderful encouragement. But it was one of at least 15 Opportunities/requests I had gotten over the last few months – I started counting because I was preparing to teach a workshop at a conference about saying no. All the requests were good things – from blogging requests, to school volunteering and fundraising requests, to speaking requests, to two different fitness challenges . . . NO!

In January and February when all these other requests/opportunities rolled in, I was already leading and team teaching Bible Study at my church on Wednesday mornings (and sometimes Wednesday nights) and hosting a weekly college/young adult life group at my house. And then there is always the everyday life stuff like THREE CHILDREN, a sweet husband, cooking, cleaning, exercising, nurturing my relationship with God, and squirrel watching. Being overscheduled and overcommitted leads to mama meltdowns which benefits no one so I had to say no to a lot of good things.

And despite all my no muscle usage, I still had one solid MBD (mental breakdown day) in there with all the stuff I had previously said yes to. I am a work in process.

So I am here to encourage you overcommitters of the world to feel free to say no. No one will hate you unless he/she is a jerk in which case, who cares? The world will continue to spin and life will go on even if you say no!

After you have evaluated your schedule and made sure your priorities are in line and you have room in your schedule then . . .

Here are five questions that can help you to decide if you should say yes to that opportunity:

1. Does it fit your personality?

2. Does it fit your passions?

3. Does it fit your giftings?

(Chapters in the Bible that talk about spiritual gifts – I Corinth. 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, I Peter 4)

4. What does the sane and spiritual person in your life say about it?

(In my world, that’s my husband.)

5. Is God calling you to it?

(If you don’t believe in God, you’ll have to make up your own #5 )

And with that, I am signing off from being a writer for Fit Moms Fit Kids. While it fits my personality, passions, and giftings . . . right now it doesn’t fit into my schedule. I will be devoting more time to speaking (with more traveling) in addition to trying to keep up on my own blog. Please come visit me in the blogosphere or facebooksphere. And please check out my speaking schedule to see if I will be speaking in your area – maybe we can meet in real life and do some push-ups or something.

Thanks to Annett for allowing to take up space here and for her passion for Fit Moms and Fit Kids!

Wendy Hagen, Author "Totally Desperate Mom: Keeping It Real In The Motherhood"

As I write this it has been exactly one month since my husband and I got on the crazy train. You know the one that doesn’t have sugar on it until Thanksgiving? With the exception of one treat every 2 weeks?

My first treat day (two weeks in) I decided to allow myself two treats instead of one because well . . . I wanted to even though my husband was not supportive of my endeavor. I had an 8 ounce hot chocolate and one chubby hubby bar. It was glorious and I felt great afterwards. For real. Two weeks later my treat was hot chocolate. Because I love it. We originally said that we would not have any natural sugars like honey or maple sugar, but we decided to chuck that out the window. So a few times we had sugar-free breakfast foods with maple syrup and I think my husband had some honey in his oatmeal.

The results?

1. My stomach is a lot flatter. Less bloated. Definitely lost some of my spare tire.

2. I have lost 2 or 3 pounds. (I didn’t weigh myself until a week into and I just don’t track my weight that much. I go more with how I feel and fit into my clothes.)

3. My sugar craving has subsided, but it is not gone.

4. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving time, but I plan on going back to moderation (2-3 treats a week) and I think this mini-cleanse has helped.

For those of you decided to join me in this endeavor in some way . . . how are you doing?

Wendy Hagen, Author "Totally Desperate Mom: Keeping It Real In The Motherhood"

For more of Wendy check out her awesome blog here. She has a great book, and you can check out her speaking schedule there too!

Wanna know how to make your fruit and vegetable life a little easier for you and your children?

The Snack Pack.

Wendy Hagen, Author "Totally Desperate Mom: Keeping It Real In The Motherhood"

For more of Wendy click here.