As if I have time for any incapacitation whatsoever, it now appears I can add vertigo to the list of ghosts in my machine. After some quality internet self-diagnosis and advice from my FaceBook friends, my conclusion is either A: I'm having inner ear issues related to the floating death called pollen that is coating everything here, or B: I've Shredded too much and gotten dehydrated. That may not be the case, but it sounds like a good reason to take a couple days off from it. I finished through Day Ten and can I just say that even though Jillian is a beast, the woman can flat get results. I've already lost a couple pounds and several inches and feel quite a bit stronger - except for the fact I can't stand up without falling over. She may kill me but dern if I won't look buff in the casket.

In other news, I have to tell y'all the coolest thing we are doing as a family during our nightly devo times. I have struggled to find a family devotional that is appropriate for both Luke and me as well as the kids. I think I mentioned the other day that I'd been sent the Fireproof Bible Study to review and included was The Love Dare. As I began reading through it, I realized, "WOW! This could be so easily adapted for families!"

I don't know if your crew is like mine, but can I admit that sometimes we need to reboot? Just shut it all down and start over? Our lives are crazy stressed and it is common for us all to be grumpy, impatient, and generally unloving towards one another. Luke and I have been re-writing the lessons in The Love Dare to apply to the kids - as well as ourselves - and tweaking The Dares. I can honestly say that after only a few days there has been a marked changed in the atmosphere in our home. Praise Jesus.

I've laughed my head off at the kids' interpretations of The Dares. Day One's task is simply not to say anything negative. We also added, 'No Retaliation'. Apparently the boys think that is a license to be silently annoying until the point a brother/sister is ready to lose his/her mind. At the breaking point, the offender will sing-song, "Remember...Nooo Retaliatioooooooon." Obviously, Luke and I are learning we are having to write a lot of qualifiers into The Dares.

An example would be on Random Act of Kindness Day. Each kid was assigned another for whom they would have to do something nice. {Boy Two - the fabulously witty one - asked his assigned brother, "Would you like Roses or Carnations, darling brother?" He's funnier accidentally than I could ever hope to be on purpose.} Here's where another qualifier comes into play. Boy Three - The Stinker - was in a foul mood this morning so we've now added that if you are being unkind to a sibling, you have to do forced Random Acts for the person you've wronged. His list currently includes making his sister's bed two days in a row and cleaning my toilet.

Man, I love this.

Okay, it's time to gently lay the computer aside and try to do household chores that don't involved bending over, turning my head from side to side, or getting up. So basically, I'm going to sit on the couch and catch up on movie watching. And write in some more failure clauses into the Love Dare: Family Edition that will benefit my inability to do housework.

I'm sunk if the kids start getting the point in all this.


Y'all have a Happy Tuesday!