Full Belly: Taco Lettuce Wraps

Seriously, if you can make toast, you can make this for dinner TOMORROW. Or maybe even tonight if you haven't had dinner yet. This as SO easy, SO yummy, and literally took me 15 minutes to make. That is my kinda meal.


As most of you know, Jack and I are on Day 4 of the AdvoCare 24-Day Challenge. We were just talking earlier today with one another about how GOOD we feel so far...and we are on Day 4! Our tummies feel flatter/not bloated, we feel more alert and focused throughout the day, and we are sleeping so much better. We have been much better about our eating habits lately as well- not a single coke for four days, and we DON'T miss it! The Spark keeps us going strong all day. LOVE it! Thankfully I made plenty of dinner tonight for us to eat on over several days. Finding new, healthy recipes is kind of exciting, especially when they're as easy and delicious as this!

So here's what you need for this easy, amazing meal:
1 head of lettuce
1-3 pounds of ground turkey
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 package of taco seasoning (don't add water!)
3/4 cup of chunky salsa
shredded cheese

1. Brown your ground turkey (add a small amount of onion or some onion powder if you don't have any.)

2. In a bowl, mix the sour cream, taco seasoning, and salsa.

3. Mix the cooked meat in with the others in the bowl and warm in the microwave if needed. Pull large pieces of lettuce off and wrap up the meat inside like a wrap. Add cheese and anything else you may want.

Enjoy y'all!

Who are YOU looking at?!

What did we do before a time of "social media"?

What did we do before we knew everyone's personal story without even meeting them?

Today our society has come all too use to social media.  There are good uses of social media, and not so good.  But where does it stop?

Some stats about social media and the not-so-good aspects of it: (from www.bullyingstatistics.org)

• Over half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online.
• More than 1 in 3 young people have experienced cyberthreats online.
• Over 25% of adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the internet.
• Well over half of young people do not tell their parents when cyber bullying occurs.

These may not seem alarming, but maybe this will make you open your eyes:

• Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people.
• Bully victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide.
• A study in Britain found that at least HALF of suicides among young people are related to bullying.

Wow.  The stress and crap unnecessary things that young people have to deal with.  What happened to the days where all kids had to worry about is if their flower died, if it's raining- so no playing outside, if their bike tire was flat, or what time to feed their pet turtle?!

The only problem is, it does not stop with young people.  Our society has made it "OK" for adults to do it as well.  Allowing people to air out their dirty laundry and every one is so intrigued by it.  Why do we stoop to name calling?  Why do we feel the need to meddle into business that has no concern or can't be controlled?  Because we like drama.  We like gossip. We like seeing what happens if the truth is stretched.

We as a society are glued to our computers or phones.  Is it our fault or is it the electronic companies' fault?  Technology is so prevalent in our lives now.  Could we live a day without a computer, TV, phone, radio, even a flashlight?

One of my favorite videos, tells the all-so-truth about us as human beings.

But the thing is, it does not have to be this way.  Parents are so busy, overworked, not spending as much time with their children, giving their children iPads or phones to keep them entertained.

We are all TOO dependent on our electronic devices, which leads to social media browsing, irrelevant searches, and just wasting our lives away looking at a tiny little screen.

The world is a beautiful place with beautiful people.  Take the time to enjoy those things because those things will not always be here, those people will not always be here.  How many of you know someone that, after a relative or friend has died, says ,"Just one more day!"?  I don't want to be that person!

I know this is sort of hypocritical because here I am typing an article for people to read.  But if it strikes a chord with just one of you to change your life by getting off Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snap Chat, whatever it is, for just 15 extra minutes a day, I have succeeded.

WE ARE ADDICTED.  It is gluttony, no worse than killing, adultery, etc.  We are over-indulging our lives with item(s) to the point of extravagant waste.  So DO NOT judge me on my sins, when we are ALL sinners.  We have all sinned.  We have to repent and ask for forgiveness, move on, and better our lives.




Kayla's Thoughts:


Now  to make it a little more personal…I love Facebook. Jack will be the first to tell you I can be on it TOO much, and it can be annoying. I love keeping up with my family and old friends from school, who are all hours away from me. It's how I've been keeping up with my sister's pregnancy, my mom's health, and other things going on with my family members. Sure we text and call one another often, but Facebook is a source we use often for communication with one another. I also have an Instagram and a Pinterest. I post things that interest me, that apply to me, things that may apply to others, or just random things that make me double over from laughter. Never has it ever been my intent to offend someone with a post, pin, or like. If it has happened, people are reading way too deep into things.


We have faced some major adversity in our relationship…Like, major major. I would be lying if I said some things haven’t been extremely painful and hard to deal with.  People may or may not have agreed with or liked the decisions we have made, but just know our decisions are just that- OURS. We make our decisions with conviction, after much thought and consideration. (Except for when we eloped, that was kind of an on-the-fly decision, but we knew would happen anyways so why not?!) There have been some people who made some pretty hurtful accusations, and have said some pretty mean, hateful things that couldn't be farther from the truth.  Those "Keyboard Warriors" are the ones who don't know the situation or only know one side of the situation but feel the need to discuss it at length. Don’t take away from the integrity of the blog based on untrue assumptions.


We were fully honest in this blog when we mentioned how and when we met. We aren't divulging EVERY detail of our lives to the world, because frankly, it's just no one's business and some things should just be private. There have been some people who didn’t agree with or like the fact that Jack and I were dating before we were legally divorced.  If you don’t agree, that’s okay. We didn’t seek approval from anyone who doesn’t pay our bills or who didn’t give birth to us. Sorry, not sorry. We are adults and make our own decisions. Just as I don’t agree with everything that others do, everyone isn’t going to agree with what I do. THAT IS OKAY. I wasn’t placed on this planet to please anyone but God, which is what we are working through this life to do. We have made mistakes and have sinned- we are human! But it’s good knowing we have been forgiven of our sins by God, and I only have to answer for me when I get to Heaven. I am thankful for a God who offers grace and forgiveness to those who deserve it the least.


We have so much to be excited about right now: baseball season is coming up, Spring is right around the corner (yay sunshine!), my nephew Jonah will be here soon, and TOMORROW we are starting a 24 Day Challenge with Advocare products. We have several friends who have been VERY successful with the 24 Day Challenge pack, so we are beyond stoked to get started. We cannot wait to see some amazing results ourselves and share our success with all of you. Be on the lookout for updates on our progress!

Making Changes

I am a high school English teacher. My husband, Jack, is a high school Algebra teacher. Question of the day: Teachers should always, sometimes or never marry other teachers? Correct answer: ALWAYS. This is the perfect combination, or at least it is for us. Many, many, TOO many of my friends are teachers and are painfully aware of the insulting discouraging pay scale we endure year after year. However, in spite of that there ARE true moments of "THIS-is-why-I-do-it" and it is worth every cent. Or it is for me. But every month, those cents are seemingly disappearing from us at an alarming rate. We both have student loans, credit cards, a mortgage, fluctuating utility bills (#wintersucks), car payments...we have a life, and life costs money.


Some interesting facts my friend posted on his Facebook page today:
1. 80% of Americans have less than one month's income saved up.
2. The average US household credit card debt is $15,600.
3. Students graduating from college average $24,000 in student debt.
4. The average American spends $1200 over the December holiday season- with 25% of that being on a credit card.
5. 7% of Americans will still be trying to pay off 2014 Christmas credit card debt as the add 2015 Christmas debt.


Geez- those facts can really slap you in the face can't they! I'd be lying if I said one or more didn't apply to us. It's no secret that we both work numerous jobs- first and foremost we are teachers. That is 95% of our income. We also work part-time at Opry Mills Mall- me at Gap and Jack at Converse. Jack also gets a stipend for being the Tech Coach at our school, and he gets a small stipend from overseeing the concessions during the basketball season. Now, that sounds like a great set up right? WRONG. We are in debt. Again, we have loans, credit cards, etc., but not only that, we have time debt. All this time we spend at these second jobs are taking away from time with one another, very valuable time with Camden, and this is time that we can never get back. When I am seventy years old and looking back on the things I've done in my life, I don't want to have any regrets or "I-wish-I-would-have's." I don't like those last several days before a paycheck where we are using change from underneath the car floor mats to buy a loaf of bread. Yes, it has happened.


Disgusted.


Fed up.


Sick. And. Tired.


That's what we are. So, we are making a change. A huge change. A REALLY huge change. Jack and I decided that we are going to embark on a journey to become completely debt free in a year. *Deep Breath.*  I am sure you are laughing right now, and that's okay. But we can, and we will do this- just watch us laughing all the way to the bank on February 2, 2016.  Jack and I are joining the world of Advocare. We have amazing team leaders- Brandon and Amanda Forbes, who are from nearby Clarksville, TN. We met with Brandon last night and have hammered out some details. We start this journey today and already are on track to make at least $1000 this month alone. We could be making 5-10 times that in a year. We want to help any and everyone we can along the way. We know far too many people who live paycheck to paycheck. I know many people putting gas, groceries, and daily necessities on a credit card. Heck, WE are those people! We are just like YOU, and you like US. If we can do this, absolutely anyone on this planet can.

I will be starting the Advocare 24-Day Challenge next week. I will be keeping track of my progress, and I can't wait to share the results week by week with everyone. I have to make a few adjustments due to my severe food allergies (tree nuts, peanuts, soy, fruits), so I won't be able to have the meal-replacement shakes, but I am working closely with our leaders to find appropriate, safe substitutes just for me. They are so kind!


Praise God for companies like this! This is not a pyramid scheme like so many others. We will be working part-time on our Advocare business with amazing results. We get our TIME back. We get EACH OTHER. We get our FAMILY. We get our HEALTH. We get to help OTHERS do the same. Sounds like a good deal to me! Are you like us? Are you time-poor? Do  your debts often outweigh your income? Do you like to help others and see them succeed? We have decided that we do. So we are making the change. The permanent change. Debt free in every way- time and money. Ask us how you can be too!