Last weekend, our pastor began by showing off an awesome Lego pirate ship--sails and colors and so detailed. He then reminded us of how that creation started: a bag filled with hundreds of individual pieces. A bag of chaos that eventually became order. He continued on to speak about work and the order than comes from that but my mind couldn't help applying that phrase, "order from chaos," to other aspects of my life.

We're moving in ten...

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"What word would you like to focus on for this upcoming year?" A month ago, I met up with friends for coffee and one of them posed this question. We proceeded to each write down our word on brown paper Panera coffee cup sleeves. Mine? Authenticity--a word that I feel encompasses many different areas of life. For me, authenticity means discovering who I am beyond mother/wife/friend and finding the courage to share whatever that may be....

I've been working on getting out of my comfort zone lately. It hasn't been anything grandiose but I'm learning that the little things can lead to the bigger things. They might not actually lead to the bigger things but they lead to a sense of confidence in our ability to be able to accomplish the bigger things. Want to hear my baby steps so far?

• Using the voice feature on Voxer instead of typing every single thing...

Today was the day. I carried the empty bins from the basement up to the living room to start the task of de-Christmasing (not a word but should be) our house. It's somewhat of a sad job for me. I love Christmas and the extra magic that the season brings to life. I even love the anticipation of the season--once Halloween is done, BAM. Holiday fever sets in. And then we get to today. The family gatherings are done. The holiday traditions...

It's no secret that this time of year is infamous for traditions. Whether it's going somewhere special to get a Christmas tree or eating certain holiday foods with family, very few of us go through the holidays without doing something that created a memory years ago. My childhood was filled with traditions and I happily entered married life & parenthood wanting to maintain some traditions and wanting to create new ones. One new...

I'm a holiday nut. Seriously. I love holidays. I love decorating for each season. I love the opportunity to set a cozy mood in my home and love that my boys enjoy getting out the bins of decor and finding just the right spot for each item. It's one of those things that I never realized I would be thankful for. But I am. And I think that's true for a lot of us. So many of these random moments are where a truly grateful, thankful life is...

Ah, fall. There’s just something so special about the return of sweatshirts and socks, jeans and scarves, comfy shoes and hot drinks. It’s not just a transition time for the weather, though. It’s a transition for so many of us. Moms with school-aged kids are tossed back into the school year that begs for us to be busy and involved and chaotic. (This can absolutely apply to moms with young children, too!) The options for activities are...

Welcome to our FINAL Meet Our Village Monday of not only December (Christmas is next Monday!) but of 2017!! What?? Anyone else trying to figure out how time can fly by so quickly??? I'm excited to see what adventures FIT4MOM Grand Rapids has in the new year!

To round out our year, I'm excited to be featuring Katie Raymond today. Hope you all enjoy learning more about her today!

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Happy December, everyone! A new month, a new week, and a new Monday to celebrate all of YOU! Today we are featuring the wonderful Emily Notenbaum. Enjoy learning more about her today!

How long have you been with FIT4MOM?

Since May 2017.

In what way(s) have you participated in FIT4MOM (Fit4Baby, Stroller Strides, Stroller Barre, BodyBack)?

Stroller Strides!

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Welcome back to Meet Our Village Monday! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and perhaps even started prepping for Christmas over the weekend. My family and house are in full Christmas-mode--definitely spent the entire weekend decorating our house inside and out and then did our first of many drives around our neighborhood to check out Christmas lights. We LOVE this time of year!

One of the things I am forever thankful for is...

Meet Our Village Monday: Meghan

It's Monday! Admittedly, Mondays are not my favorite day of the week but reading something fun and encouraging is always a great way to add some light to the beginning of my week. I hope these posts are a fun way to start the week and that you are enjoying learning more about our members via Meet Our Village Mondays!

Today I have the pleasure of featuring Meghan Holt. Enjoy!

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Welcome to the first Monday of November! Should I also add that Thanksgiving is in seventeen days, Christmas is seven weeks from today, and 2018 begins eight weeks from today? You know...just giving you an idea of how FAST time flies!! ANYWAY, the holiday season is not the point of this post (but maybe there will be a holiday post coming....?). The point of this post is....Meet Our Village Monday!! I'm super excited to be featuring Stephanie...

Welcome to the final Monday of October and another Meet Our Village Monday feature! It's so hard to believe that November is just a couple days away, isn't it?? Well, before we get overwhelmed that Christmas is less than two months away (yikes!), let's take some time to get to know more about the fantastic Becky Williams today! Enjoy!

How long have you been with FIT4MOM?

I have been with FIT4MOM for almost a year...

Welcome to another week of Meet Our Village Monday! It's quite the rainy, fall day here in Michigan, so what could be better than snuggling up on the couch with some tea/coffee/hot chocolate & learning more about our community?? Today we have the pleasure of learning more about the wonderful Jessica Prusa. Enjoy!

How long have you been with FIT4MOM?

Since January 2017

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