Family Fun

This weekend was the first one in a long time that we have gotten to do something as a collective family! John is only off every 3rd weekend so we don't always have Shelby and Ian with us. Thanks to GOD and the beautiful day HE gave us on Sunday. Saturday was a hectic run here run there kind of day. I would have loved to take some pictures of Shelby in her recital outfits and getting ready and all the fun, but a little mishap with her dance bag threw us off our game. Her dance bag contained her shoes for all 3 classes...which was in my mom's car. Had I found this out earlier in the day, I could have gone to my mother's work and retrieved said bag. However, I had the fortunate experience of discovering this at the point we were getting ready to leave. Not enough time in schedule to permit extra stop out of way. So we made due. When we got to the studio and sorted this issue out it left no time for extra fun. I had to do her make-up and help her through 3 costume changes and also get myself ready for our picture together. Ian was at the ball field helping with a clean-up day and then his baseball pictures in the afternoon. We met for dinner at 6pm with John's mom at Olive Garden. I had a repeat of Easter Sunday lunch. Yummy! Afterwards we headed to Dairy Queen so the kids (and John) could get a Blizzard. Madi and I shared a Banana Split. So this was our Saturday. No pictures to show for it- sorry. :-(

On to Sunday. We all got up early. Well, early as in Madison got up at her normal time of 7:30 and the rest of us got up too. Sometimes we try and get her to sleep just a little bit longer so we too can take advantage of the weekend mornings. Up and on the go we had breakfast, then worked as a collective to clean a few rooms of the house. No need in going over board and cleaning the whole house... :-) Cleaning done, Madi down for nap, and time for a small break. Timing all worked out as we were able to enjoy the park and not in the heat of the day. The boys wanted to play basketball which left the girls to "hang-out" on the playground. I'm a terrible playground mom. I'm overly cautious of tripping, falling, scraping, scuffing, and germs. Parks are hard for me. Shelby was off on the merry-go-round and Madi and I stuck to the swings. After a while, Madison caught sight of the boys on the BB court and wanted to be with them. Shelby and I loaded up like pack mules and away we went across the park. Luckily the boys had already played one round and were just getting ready to start on the second when the girls invaded. We had set our cooler and snacks on a table under the shelter that was near the BB court. The kids kept wanting stuff from our stash, so I decided to move it. Madison went walking with Shelby and I once again to be the mules. Apparently there had been a cook-out or party or another family there before us.... Don't know-don't care, just know that if you have any trash... THROW IT AWAY! Before I could even blink, Madison had helped herself to a cup that was left on the seat of the picnic table. It was full of something (which I now know was Diet Coke) and when I shrieked, she spilled. She was already moving the cup toward her mouth before I could get to her. My shrieking just caused her to move a little faster. The substance went all down the front of her! **sigh** Shelby and I finished gathering our stuff and walked the now soaked Madi back to the BB court so I could change her. John scoffs at my over planning, but thanks to my obsession Madi had clean dry clothes and we had her wet ones in a plastic sack. HA. By some miracle, her shoes were not touched. Dry as the day they came out of the box. The rest of our afternoon was uneventful and I managed to take some pictures of them all enjoying the day.

Week 2... More Difficult Than Week 1

I don't know why, I just know it was. It wasn't difficult to keep up with the work-outs. That actually makes me feel better. I enjoyed going to the Y and making the most of my hour. It was the FOOD. I was craving so many things that are not good for me and what got me here in the first place. So I must say that this week the struggle was sticking to my lifestyle change. It isn't a diet. A diet is what they have at the hospital for people with medical conditions. Low-Sodium Diet, Low-Sugar Diet, Liquid Diet. No, what I am doing is a lifestyle change and approach to food. If I look at it as a "diet", then what motivation do I have to keep it going? A diet is for a period of time. The awesome changes that I am seeing not only in myself are in my husband. I'm not quite sure if I have posted directly about John's CF (Cystic Fibrosis) before, but his calorie intake is quite a bit more than the rest of the family. His fat intake is more too. This makes for difficult meal planning. However, now that I have been fixing lower calorie (better calorie) foods, he has been digesting the fat a lot better and combined with his working out he is gaining weight. So, my weight loss journey is leading to his weight gain journey and we are both winning! I linked to the Cystic Fibrosis website so you can read a little more about that if you aren't already familiar. John's journey is another post all by itself. So are you ready to get down to the results? Last week I lost a dramatic 5 lbs. Okay, maybe not dramatic for you, but for me. This week was 2.9. Not a lot, but the right amount when you are doing it the healthy way. An average weight loss per week should be about 2 pounds. Was I jumping up and down over this? No. Am I happy that I am learning new things and gaining more stamina when exercising? Yes. So my overall loss at this point is 7 lbs.

Temptation

3 days after starting my journey to healthy we had Easter. This is what I had to live with...

Anyone who knows me, knows that I live for Easter when the Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs make their appearance. For some strange reason it is better than a traditional Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. I just know they taste dang good and I haven't had a single one! Matter of fact, my mom has been snatching one here and there. John has dipped into them too. I guess better them than me, but I have sunk so low as to ask John if I could just have one little lick before he dropped it into the blender with his protein mix. I was not allowed. Such a super bummer! Pre-Weight loss, I had been known to devour a six pack of Eggs in one sitting... yup, it's what I would like to call an addiction! The road to gaining weight was so much more enjoyable than the one I'm on now to losing weight. In the end it is all for the better. Maybe Easter next year I'll have learned enough self-control to eat at least just one.

Lost Now Found Easter 2008

So on Easter Sunday 2009 when taking pictures is when I realized my babies had grown up. I was left wondering when it happened. Sounds silly, but really, I don't know how time went by so fast. As promised from **Sigh, I Guess I Blinked**, here are the lost but found Easter 2008 pictures.

Easter 2008 (above)

Easter 2009 (below)

Healthy Here I Come...Week 1 Done

April 10, 2009 Start of Week 1... My "Before" photos.

I did it. One full week of changing my bad habits and starting some better ones. No fast food this week, though I sincerely miss my Chick-Fil-A breakfast & sweet tea. I have replaced my 760 calorie/33 g fat breakfast with a choice of fruit/yogurt/cereal (Kashi Go Lean) at under 300 calories and 3-4 g fat. BIG difference. Lunch has been a little more of a struggle. I am surrounded by fast food establishments. The thing I found helpful about eating at a restaurant is checking their nutrition facts online first before going. I can choose my meal before going and know how healthy it is. Easter Sunday our family tradition is Olive Garden before church. My usual Chicken Marsala, 770 Calories and 37 g Fat. Sautéed chicken breasts in a savory sauce of mushrooms, garlic and Marsala wine. Served with Tuscan potatoes and bell peppers. Super yummy. Instead I found a lighter fare, Venetian Apricot Chicken Grilled.

(Photo Courtsey of Olive Garden.com)

Chicken breasts in an apricot citrus sauce. Served with broccoli, asparagus and diced tomatoes. 280 Calories and 3 g Fat. Amazing. I gave it a try and I really enjoyed it. I did have the salad that was brought to the table, but tried to eat off the top because all the dressing is in the bottom of the bowl. I entitled myself to 1 bread stick. I am a breadaholic. A huge learning experience this week regarding nutrition. On Friday I started off with a bang. Got up, did my Biggest Loser DVD, made my yogurt Triple Berry smoothie and was feeling good. Saturday was so busy. We had a baseball game to be at then a birthday celebration in the park. I didn't exercise with the DVD. I did chase my little one up a very steep incline hill several times. My calf muscles were feeling it on Sunday. Sunday was Easter. I went to lunch at Olive Garden... came home and started preparing Easter Dinner. Ham, Green Beans, Loaded Potato Salad, Deviled Eggs and the appetizers for snacking. Other than tasting the Potato Salad to make sure I had the seasoning right, I did great. No snacking in between lunch and dinner, though the kids Easter candy was SCREAMING out my name. Not calling... screaming. Monday I had my first experience with the YMCA and an Elliptical machine. Thank goodness I was with my team, because I don't know if I would have kept going for 30 minutes without them by my side. I didn't want to seem a quitter so I pressed on. Tuesday is dance night. I look forward to my hour of tap class. I was highly disappointed this week in the fact we only danced for about 15 minutes! UGH. That's another post entirely. Wednesday. I was in touch with my team throughout the day. Yup, we're meeting around 7 at the Y. I got there just a little early to complete the membership stuff I started online. It was around 10 til I decided to go ahead and hit the Elliptical. I kept watching the door waiting for them to come strolling in. 40 minutes later I'm done with Cardio, still no team. No call. Whatever... moving on to weights. Finished workout, still no team and no contact. Oh well, this is for me- right. Tonight is water aerobics. Should be interesting. Nothing like putting a 5 ft tall person in 6ft water and seeing what happens. If you made it this far without falling asleep here are the weigh in results. 5 lbs lost for a total percentage of 3%. If you watch the Biggest Loser at all... you know 3% is pretty good. Go me!

**Sigh** I Guess I Blinked...

Easter 2009

My babies are growing up. When did that happen? As I took these pictures on Easter, I didn't realize at the time how grown-up they looked. Upon downloading them and getting ready to post about Easter, I realized I had a whole new post. Thank you Shelby for your creative input and posing your brother in these pictures. That is what is amazing about them getting older. They are becoming their own persons. Shelby is very artistic and creative. We never know what she is going to come up with next. I love that. She is working on her own cartoon character that she developed. John is helping her think of story ideas. She is really into it. She also loves her family very much. Ian has gone from my sweet, little boy to a pre-teen pest. I love that too. He plays baseball and is involved in Boy Scouts. The proper outlets for him to behave like a boy. He has his "mommy" moments where he can still be sweet. I cherish those. My babies will turn 11 this June. They will start Middle School this fall. I'm here to tell all those new parents out there who may stumble across my blog, enjoy each and every moment because it really does go by in the blink of an eye.

Madison's Egg Hunt at "School"

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NOAH'S ARK CHRISTIAN CHILDCARE CENTER

Tomorrow doesn't pose a problem now that she's had her practice round of egg hunting. I am so thankful that her teachers took pictures so we could see her gathering up the eggs. Apparently she did really well at catching on to the idea. I am looking forward to tomorrow for her "First Easter". Last year she was only 3 months old and obviously didn't have a clue. I would insert picture here, however, I just went searching for Easter 2008 and cannot seem to find it.... I know I took pictures, but maybe they are still sitting on the digital card :-(

At any rate, we are looking forward to tomorrow for it is the day the LORD has risen. The true meaning of Easter. God bless each and every family as they celebrate this joyous occasion.

Healthy Here I Come...

30th Birthday March 2009


So 3 children and 12 years post high school, I weigh about 37 pounds more than I did then. Not too bad considering 2 C-Sections later. Anyway, my weight is not so much the issue as my fitness level (actually lack there of). Before I gave birth to Madison, I vowed no matter how much weight I gained during the pregnancy I would not keep it around after she was born. I at least, if nothing else would get back to pre-pregnancy weight. Accomplished. So what is the deal with dropping the pounds that came along with the twins? It has been the most difficult thing to do- period. I lost some weight in 2001 when going through my divorce. Attribute that to poor eating, stress, and anything else that comes along with a divorce! So now that I am happily re-married and my dear John loves me as is, I haven't had the motivation to get fit. John, sweet man, is one major factor in my relapse actually. Every time I tell him that I want to get healthy/lose weight etc. he lovingly brings me home sweet treats ALL the time. When I am not in one of my "weight loss modes" not one treat is brought. Hmmm, clearly sabotage. This just says to me, "I love you no matter what. Have another Reese Egg." So I am blessed that my husband does love me as is and isn't trying to change me. However, I want to change me for me! I'm 30 now. It doesn't get easier from here, only harder. Madison's School (aka day care) is hosting a "Biggest Loser" competition for parents and workers. I took this as my open door. My opportunity to have the support of people who want to lose weight and get fit too. Tonight is the official weigh in and team building. Tomorrow begins Day 1 of my desire to be fit. I did start taking an Adult Tap Class in December trying to build at least some exercise in my schedule. One hour a week isn't going to produce major results, but it gets me off the couch one night a week guaranteed. Our recital is about 6 weeks away. I want to be able to finish the dance without feeling completely out of breath and in need of immediate hydration. So here we go! Join me on my journey and offer any words of encouragement that you may have! Recipes are good too!

For Nana and Grandpa Steve

This post is especially for John's Dad and Step-Mom who live in Florida and are missing Madison growing up. I put together a collage of recent pictures that I have taken so far this Spring. I hope this brightens their day and brings a smile to their face. We love you both and hope to see you soon!

Attempt #3 Ooops I Forgot to Dropshadow....

Digi Scrapping... Attempt #2