​This week for group night we welcomed Chris, an RN who is also a licensed nutritionist. She showed us the importance of paying attention to what we eat. It is possible to be at the right weight without medications and just by eating a healthy, balanced diet. At fifty-six, Chris is the same weight as she was when she was thirty-six and had her last child. Your body is a gift from God and we must be good stewards for the gifts he has given us. 

Nutrition is important because we need to have energy to do daily tasks. We need to maintain a healthy body weight and it also lowers the risk of health problems such as heart disease. A few easy things to start doing are to watch portion sizes and eats lots of foods that are dark green, red, and orange. Look on the packaging before eating any food because portion sizes are often smaller than they seem. 

What is exactly is stress? Stress is a chemical reaction in response to a negative reaction. It’s your body telling you that it doesn’t want to get hurt. This isn’t always bad; it helps keep you safe. However, too much stress can get you stuck in a negative state of being. When people are over-stressed, they typically worry too much about silly things or become desensitized to problem areas in their lives.

What are symptoms of being too stressed?
Stress has many symptoms and here are a few: increased heart rate, feeling lousy, feeling overwhelmed, forgetting things, loss of focus, and high blood pressure. Being stressed is much worse for pregnant mothers because the baby feels everything that his or her mother feels.

How do I deal with stress?
A big part of dealing with stress is recognizing it so you can plan for before, during, and after the fact. Many people only recognize what stress made them do after-the-fact. When you feel like you’re overstressed, give yourself a moment. Realize you’re having a rough time and get a fresh start. There are many simple ways to help relieve stress: write in journals, take a walk, bathe, color, listen or sing to music, pamper yourself, use a stress ball or something similar, read, take a nap, make lists, or exercise. Be proactive. When you’re really engaged it’s hard to think about all the extra stuff. Crying may not be a bad thing because it makes you feel better afterwards. It’s easier to spiral than to stay at a bottom. Everybody’s life is different. Everything has different meanings to different people. Hold yourself accountable by doing activities with others, such as working out. Get to a place where you can even compromise. Somethings will come with time. Take care of yourself.

Mind full vs. Mindful
Mindfulness is doing actions with purpose. Your mind is sometimes so cluttered that you don’t realize what you’re doing and live life on autopilot. You’re too busy thinking about the next thing that you neglect what you’re doing in the now. Focus on your breathing two minutes a day. Clear your mind. Learn awareness, self-acceptance, and letting things go. Set apps with reminders to force you to pause throughout the day. Close your eyes and take very deep breaths. Be aware of the noises around you. Open your eyes and say five things you can see, five you can hear, five you can touch, and try to find five things to taste and smell.  Be at peace. Accept things the way they are.

How to prevent stress
Find things that are important to you and make time. Say no to a new responsibility when you need to. Make sure to make yourself laugh every once in a while. Seek out that person who always puts a smile on your face or re-watch your favorite comedy. Intentionally build things into your day to brighten it up. Make your own day. Take long breaths—quickly count 1,2,3,4. Be aware of the right now and intentionally focus on what’s around you. If you need further help with your stress, many hospitals offer courses. A stress-free you is the best you!

​Is spring finally here? Only God knows but now is a great time to shake off the dust from winter and pull up your sleeves. Here is a simple guide to get started:

Out with the old
Get rid of clutter. Sort items you don’t want into three piles: throw away, donate, and sell. Many possessions like toys and clothes can go a long way if donated. Money earned from selling other items can go towards a little pocket money or be donated to your favorite charity.

Having a hard time getting started? Start small. Do a drawer a day. Divide up tasks. Give yourself a reward for everything you check off your list.
​
Reorganize your wardrobe. While you’re shifting out your heavier clothes for your summer line, why not go through your wardrobe to get rid of articles you never wear anymore? If your closet looks appealing, you’ll look appealing!
Organize books and dishes so they are easier to find and look more presentable. 

​Top to bottom
Clean your residence from top to bottom! Clean light and ceiling fixtures. Fans can be dusted with long cleaning tools or get on top of a ladder and brush the dust into a pillowcase.

Don’t forget the walls; even though they are a flat, sheer surface dust still collects on them. Windows can be cleaned simply with a rag and soapy water. Other a good glass solution can be made with water, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and a few drops of peppermint extract. Use a squeegee to get that extra sparkle.

Lastly, buff your wood floors. A D.I.Y. solution can be made with olive oil, white vinegar, hot water, and a few drops of lemon essential oil. Tough tile stains can be removed with baking soda and water. Just make sure to use a non-abrasive scrubber so you won’t scratch your floors.

Deep clean
Here is a list of furniture and appliances to make sure you cover: dishwasher, countertops, cabinets, stove, refrigerator, sink and faucets, bathtub and shower, bedding and mattress, washing machine, silverware, bookshelves, patio furniture, couches, tables, chairs, and other upholstery.

Use salt and soda water to clean inside refrigerators.  This is also an excellent time to go through your entire fridge and get rid of all expired food. Also when you’re finished don’t forget to place an open box baking soda in both your freezer and fridge. Move your fridge away from the wall and clean all the dust built up behind it. This way you can clean the condenser coil to keep your fridge fully functioning and reunite yourself with anything you or your cat have kicked behind it.

Even if blankets and pillows don’t need to be cleaned, air them out to get rid of any winter drab.

​Finally, don’t forget to disinfect your cleaning tools like brooms, vacuums, and sponges.

​Spring is a beautiful time. It’s the season where everything starts fresh. Why not get rid of the clutter in our hearts? Let bygones be bygones. Let go of old grudges and stressors. We are in the Easter season; Christ has washed away all our transgressions! Take this time to start anew and blossom like the beautiful human being that God created.

​Any new parent knows that it’s important to keep a close eye on your little bundle of joy. Baby monitors are a great way to make sure all is well in the nursery. With advancements in technology, these devices have come a long way from being basic audio monitors. But which features are most important? Here are some factors Reviews.com looked at when they reviewed various popular baby monitors:

Nearly 100 monitors on our initial list offered infrared night vision, volume control, and support for additional cameras. To narrow our search, we earmarked particularly useful qualities we saw mentioned again and again on parenting sites. We only considered monitors that met at least two of our four criteria:

​You can check out Reviews.com’s full research and guide here.

Online Resources is something that we make use of here at New Beginnings.  We are blessed to be sent those online resources by members of the community, staff, and volunteers to be used to help educate and learn more about things available to our residents and our readers.

​What do you do?  Some will take a walk while others will sit and have a glass of wine.  What about that small bit of ice cream in the freezer?  No matter what your coping mechanism might be, you were given the skills to take that break and pull yourself back up.  You might have family or friends who you can talk to and help you work through the pain and sadness.  You pray, hope, and look for a better tomorrow.

​What if you didn’t have the skills it takes to cope with your bad day?  What if you didn’t have a strong enough faith to go to God for help?  What if you didn’t have a fridge or freezer to keep that little bit of ice cream or you don’t have the family or friend support to help you work through your problems?  What happens then?  Many people fall into depression.  The hurt and abuse of their past along with the struggle of their today does not bring much hope for tomorrow.

​Did you know that many of the young women who apply and are accepted into New Beginnings admit to be suffering from depression?  They have seen no hope for a brighter future for themselves or their babies.  A kindness from some one only brings a temporary relief from the sadness and struggle.  Did you notice that after a bad day, you are not as productive as you usually would be?  Maybe you don’t sleep as much or you hurt a bit.  For those who suffer from depression, this is an everyday bad day.  Every day it is a struggle to do the simplest of tasks.  When it is really bad, even getting showered and dressed is a task that proves to be too complicated so to ask them to go out and work, would be asking the impossible.  The feelings of worthlessness and sadness just increase after not being productive.  Its an endless cycle.

In this blog I talk mainly about depression due to circumstance and situation.  Of course, there are other reasons for depression and by no means am I trying to overlook or ignore them.  Sometimes it is really a chemical imbalance and your mind is wired different and therefore experience depression.  In this case, seeking out a professional who will be able to treat you effectively would be the way to go.  Another form of depression that we might see a lot at New Beginnings would be postpartum depression.  This is very common in new mothers as there are so many changes happening not only in a woman's environment but also in her body.  For more information, resources, and tips and tricks to help combat these baby blues, check out the website below by clicking on the button called "Baby Blues".  This article was written by Jackie Edwards who had gone through her own baby blues and found ways to help through research and learning.  Take a peek and learn some strategies to help yourself and others you love who may be going through it.

​Christina Pritzlaff is married with two children. She has completed Early Childhood 1 & 2 classes, Infant Toddler classes, and completed the coursework for her Associates degree in Child Development. Christina splits her time between spending time with her family and working at New Beginnings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her children, camping, fishing, reading, and doing counted cross-stitch.

Last Thursday we had the chance to sit down with LeKecia Lovett of Encompass Solutions to learn about how to increase our chances of getting a job by creating resumes that will catch an employer’s eye, along with how to interview like a professional. The following tips apply to any job in any field, and cover a variety of fields, so there is something for everyone to learn. 

Interviewing Like a Pro
There are seven steps to planning an interview. They are:

1. Researching the organization to show your interest and stand out from other candidates.
2. Compare your skills and qualifications to the job requirements.
3. Prepare responses to standard interview questions.
4. Wear neutrally-colored, formal, and neat clothes that are professional.
5. Bring your resume, a notepad, list of references, and any information needed to complete an application.
6. Pay attention to non-verbal communication.
7. Follow up with questions for the interviewer about the company, and a thank-you. 

1. We do the work that we do because we love our God and we love the people we serve.  Every decision we make in our ministry should ultimately be out of love for our residents and with their best interest in mind.  We should constantly be praying for God’s wisdom as He guides us on this mission He’s called us to.  “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”  James 1:5.  Each mother comes in with her own strengths, weaknesses, and story.  They are all children of God and we should strive to learn about them and help them in any way that we can.

2. It is important for us to take care of ourselves as well.  Compassion fatigue is real.  Even if you are in another line of work, the stresses of life or your job can negatively impact your ability love your neighbor the way God expects you to.  Satan uses those moments to creep into our lives and fight against what God is trying to work within us.  So, practice self-care.  When you feel yourself getting bogged down in work or in your personal life, take a deep breath (literally) and say a prayer.  It works wonders!  It can also be incredibly beneficial to seek the help of a professional.  If these negative feelings aren’t going away, they warrant the attention of someone who’s been trained to help others work through them.

3. While the pro-life mission as a whole is far from over, our message is gaining ground and God is working in the hearts of people around the world to further His purpose.  Babies are being saved!  This is one of the many reasons we do what we do.  At New Beginnings, we provide mothers who have chosen life for their children with resources and a stable home.  By changing the life of one mother, we change and shape the lives of generations.  The work we do, with your help, will extend throughout entire family trees.

​On April 6th, we were treated to a highly informative presentation about child nutrition by Jenny Luedke, a senior nursing major at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Jenny, who is a mother herself, walked us through the basics of child nutrition from birth to five years. Everyone learned something new, and Jenny received plenty of questions. 

​Toddler Nutrition: Twelve Months to Five Years

​Once a child is a year old, he or she is ready for cow’s milk. For the first two years of life, children should drink whole milk; however, low-fat milk is also acceptable once the child is past two years of age. Some foods to avoid during this stage are strawberries and honey, because children can choke on the strawberry seeds and honey has botulinum spores that make children sick. 

​On March 23rd, we were able to have a bible study with Wisconsin Lutheran College’s Pastor Wayne Shevy, who works in the campus ministry office. Together, we studied Isaiah 46:7, which reads “They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Even though someone cries out to it, it cannot answer; it cannot save them from their troubles.” Considering the subject matter, one of our most important topics of discussion was all the things that can be idols in our life, whether clothes, food, money, fame, or earthly relationships, just to name a few. 

The 6 D’s of Temptation
We also learned about the 6 D’s of temptation: ways idols can creep into our lives. Whether through disguise, doubt, disagreement, deceit, desire, or destruction. Temptation can have harmful, even devastating, effects on our lives. Worse, there are many times where sin does not even look all that bad at first. However, the worst fact about idols is that when we fall prey to them, we risk our soul for something that can’t even help us when things really go wrong. 

​The most important thing we learned, however, was that God is far better than any idol, and He can deliver us from temptation to worship them. God can rescue us from the slavery sin brings, which one of the most important things to remember about our relationship with Him.