Never Wake A Sleeping Baby

So sweet and peaceful, I just love watching her sleep.

Extreme Makeover: Me Edition Week 2

I am finishing up Week 2 of Extreme Makeover: Me Edition, courtesy of Amber. (Yes, I'm a week behind, people, story of my life ~wink~). So, overall not a horrible week. I gave in to my fair share of food indulgences, but I don't think I'm even going to call them "slips ups" or "set backs" anymore, because number one, that makes me feel bad, and number two, having sweets now and then is normal for me, and I really can't see myself cutting them out altogether. I am on week two of no middle-of-the-night trips to the fridge ~ woohoo! And don't think I don't want to sometimes.

As for the exercise, it could've been better . . . but it also could've been worse. I got in three days of aerobic activity, and overall we were on the go a bit more through the week. Last week I mentioned that I wear a pedometer. I kept it on every day this week and I'm happy to report that I had only one day of around 5,000 steps. The rest of the days averaged around 8,000, and yesterday, (drumroll, please), I hit 10,000 (oh okay, it was really 9,997, but you get the idea!). So, overall quite a bit more activity.

And now, for Amber's Question of the Week: How are you keeping track of your achievements? How do you reward yourself upon reaching your goal?

I keep track with a scale. I'm a numbers gal. And I record my weight each day on my calendar. But, I also keep track other ways. How my clothes fit is an indicator to me, and as I said, I wear a pedometer religiously (see? Numbers, I like 'em). I weigh myself at the same time each day (morning before eating or drinking anything), and sans clothing (blush!)

I don't know that I really reward myself. I guess feeling great, looking better, etc. *is* my reward. And I certainly don't deprive myself. If I want a cookie, I'll eat one. However, if I don't think I can control the number of cookies/sweets, I'll try to stay away altogether.

Now . . . for the results . . . (you are on the edge of your seat, aren't ya?) I am down 1 pound 2 ozs. I debated using yesterday's scale reading, as it looks as though I've gained 4 ozs since yesterday morning. (Oh, did I mention that I took Sierra to McDonald's yesterday? Conveniently left that part out, did I? Yeah, I had the hamburger AND fries, the whole nine yards. I guess that accounts for the 4 ozs, huh?! Okay, that's definitely called a 'set back' not an indulgence!) So, that is a grand total of 3.6 pounds altogether in the last two weeks.

Wanna join in on the fun? Take a look at what other moms are doing to get healthier over at Ambers, and sign up yourself, why don'tcha!

Until next week!

Sunny Days Are Here Again!

We got out in the sun yesterday, and it was just what we needed! Amazing how a few rays can do wonders for your mood. Don't talk to me about how it's supposed to start raining again tomorrow, nope I'm not listening, (hmmm hmmmm hmmmmm hmmmmm, I can't hear you!). Let me just enjoy it :)

The Joys of Spring

Ahhhh, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and for the first time in months ~MONTHS, I tell you ~ the temp is going to hit an all time high of (are you ready for this????) 70! Woo-hoo! Nothing can bring me down, this is the best day ever!

Oh wait, now I gotta figure out what to wear. Hmmmm, this could be tricky. Nine weeks post partum with my third baby means I don't own many clothes that fit all that well at the moment. No biggie, I'll just throw on jeans and a short sleeve shirt, it's not like it's hot outside or anything.

Yeah, only, my six year old seems to have a problem with that. It seems it is very important to her that I sport capris or shorts today in honor of our long lost friend, the sun. Did I mention I rarely wear shorts when I'm *not* carrying around an extra 12 pounds!? She's a persistent little thing. I start to plead my case: hunny, I don't know that I have any that are going to fit so well right now. She counters, Just try 'em on.

(Great, I LOVE trying on clothes I know are going to be too small, it's such a confidence booster)

On go the first pair. Snug, just as I'd thought. I give her the look. Mom, just don't zip them all the way. (Aha, why didn't I think of that?) Ay yi yi. I finish zipping and wait for her approval . . . Aw Mama, you look adorable.

Hope you're all enjoying a nice spring day, every little part of it!

A Day in the Life of a Princess

My little Makenna is quite the spirited child. This last week she has worn a princess costume every. single. day. Grocery shopping, check. Post office, check. Nana's house, check. Tea Party (?), check! She's got the moves down ~ spinning and twirling every chance she gets!

Hey, even a princess is allowed to have a bad day every once in awhile!

Sisters . . .

Sierra, Makenna, Kam, and me with my sister, Annie, and her daughter Sonoma

As a gal with two sisters of her own, I know how truly special the relationship can be. That's why I was so happy when we found out, last Fall, that we'd be adding another princess to our family. These days Kam has two older sisters to protect her, whom, someday, she can tell all her secrets to. I can already see those three conspiring against this mama! What a precious gift a sister is.

Extreme Makover: Me edition - week 1

I'm just finishing up Week 1 of Extreme Makeover: Me Edition, courtesy of Amber, and I can honestly say that I think it went pretty well. Sure, I had a few slip-ups (can you say 'fudge stripe cookies'?), and a couple of days that got away from me without any form of exercise, but overall I am making progress, and that's what counts! Not once did I go to the kitchen in the middle of the night for any kind of snack (those days are over!), and while I did indulge in some treats now and then, I'm not sure I want to cut those out entirely. I don't want to deprive myself. So instead, "moderation" is the key word around here.

I did purchase a new scale. It's nothing fancy, but it is digital so that I can keep better track of weight loss (or gain?!). I'm happy to report that I've lost two pounds since last Wednesday. A pound of that came off pretty quickly (like in a day), and the other pound was lost in 2 and 4 oz. incremements over the rest of the days. As I've mentioned before I am nursing my baby daughter, so weight loss is not my number one goal, nor do I plan on losing all of the weight right away (although I did with both of my older daughters simply because, for me, nursing just shed the pounds naturally). And as far as numbers go, I have about 14 pounds to lose in order to get to my pre-pregnancy weight, but would be happy even to lose 10. This is definitely the longest I've held on to that much extra weight after having a baby, but I am a little older now, and there have been other issues that have played a role. Mostly I would like to feel better and be more fit (and it wouldn't hurt to fit nicely into my old clothes ;)

I also wear a pedometer. I've worn one for a long time. I'm a visual gal, ya see, and I like to keep track of how many steps I'm taking/how many miles I'm walking per day. It gives me a goal to work toward. Before I was hospitalized with Kam I was taking around 10,000 steps per day. That was my goal, I guess you'd say. Once Kam came home from the hospital, that number was cut drastically ~ like less than 3,000 steps. I was literally just holding her all day long. These days I rarely take less than 5 or 6 thousand, but am working my way back up toward 10,000, and have been coming closer and closer to that goal.

Alright, down to business, now for Amber's Question of the Week! What are some methods you use to stave off temptation and/or keep from over-eating?

Hmmm, honestly I don't have a lot of willpower, AND I love sweets (not a good combo, I know). But, I used to drink nothing but water ~ no soda, no juice, nothing. That is definitely on my to-do list now. I hate the thought of "wasting" calories on beverages, so I plan on going back to water-only (or at least, water-mostly). I try not to let myself get overly hungry (typically if I'm starving, I'll just reach for whatever is closest). And if I'm craving something sweet, often times I'll give in to the temptation, but only eat 1 chocolate, NOT 10 chocolates. It may seem basic, but know your limits. I know that I'm weak, so I deliberately don't buy certain sweets. Last week, after my 8 week post partum check, my mom, the girls, and I met my dad for lunch at Shari's. When we were getting ready to leave, my dad bought an apple pie to take home (yep, you guessed it, that's where I get my sweet tooth!). Later that day he brought half the pie over for me. Sierra and Makenna aren't big pie eaters, and Jeremy was at work for 48 hours straight . . . this was not good. I *did* have a slice, but I knew that if that pie sat on my counter it would eventually all get eaten . . . by me. So, I packed up the pie and delivered it right back to dear ol' dad.

Take a look at what other moms are doing to get healthier over at Ambers!

Until next week!

All About This Mama

A good friend of mine sent me this questionnaire that is circulating, and I couldn't help but participate. I asked for answers from both Sierra and Makenna ~ some of the answers I expected, others were quite a surprise. Here goes:

1. What is something mommy always says to you?

Makenna: “I love you” Sierra: “I love you”

2. What makes mommy happy?

M: “When we clean our messes” S: “When Kenners and I are nice to each other”

3. What makes mommy sad?

M: “When we don’t obey” S: “When we have to leave Disneyland” (So true!)

4. How does your mommy make you laugh?

M: “Giving Piggy-backs” S: “When you say ‘What in tarnation?!’”

5. What was your mommy like as a child?

M: “Good” S: “Nice to your sisters”

6. How old is your mommy?

M: “22” S: “28”

7. How tall is your mommy?

M: “10 feet” S: “60 inches”

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

M: “to take care of baby Kameryn” S: “To take care of us”

9. What does your mommy do when you're not around?

M: “clean house” S: “clean up the house” (Yep)

10. If your mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?

M: “Being Miss America” S: “Cause you’re pretty” (What kind of values are my children learning?!)

11. What is your mommy really good at?

M: “making dinner” S: “being a mommy”

12. What is your mommy not very good at?

M: “working outside” S:“I don't know"

13. What does your mommy do for a job?

M: “feed Kameryn” S: “Have an Etsy shop”

14.What is your mommy's favorite food?

M: “salad” S:“chicken”

15.What makes your mommy proud of you?

M: “being a good girl” S: “Cleaning up our own messes”

16. If your mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?

M: “ I don’t know” S: “Angel Cake from Strawberry Shortcake”

17. What do you and your mommy do together?

M: “go nigh-night together” S: “Play games”

18. How are you and your mommy the same?

M: “we have blue eyes” S: “We both like to read books”

19. How are you and your mommy different?

M: “we don’t wear the same clothes” S: “I have brown eyes, you have blue”

20. How do you know your mommy loves you?

M: “Because you always say it to me” S:“Because you say it”

21. What does your mommy like most about your daddy?

M: “That he’s nice” S: “That he’s handsome”

22. Where is your mommy's favorite place to go?

M: “Grandma’s house” S: “Disneyland”

Confessions Of A Not-So-Fabulous Mom

Last night I was on the phone to my mom. We were deep in conversation so Sierra, of course, sees this as an opportunity to start asking a million questions. "Who're you talkin' to? What does Nana want? When's Daddy going to be home? Can I paint my fingernails?" Sneaky how she fits that last question in, so nonchalantly. So I nod and wave her off to the bathroom. I mean, she's six years old, surely she can handle such a task without me hovering over her, right? Fifteen minutes later I was in the bathroom running water for Kenners bath, and I notice three bottles of nail polish on the counter. Two of them had their tops on, one did not. The top for the third was nowhere to be found, actually. "Um, Sierra, where's the top to this nail polish bottle?" (Looking down at the floor) "Uh, it fell" (Me searching the floor for splattered nail polish) "Where?" "In the nail polish remover." . . .

Sure enough, floating in the bottle of now-pink nail polish remover was the top to the polish. Well, it could've been worse. Moral of the story: Don't get so lost in a phone conversation that you can't keep an eye on a six year old with nail polish.

Can I Get A Shout-Out For My Girl, Denise?!

No one makes aerobics fun quite like Denise Austin. I love her, I really do. So you can imagine how crushed I was when Lifetime took her Daily Work-Outs off the air. Good thing I recorded two whole VHS tapes worth of Denise ~ score! (And yes, I do still own a VCR).

Let's Get HEALTHY

Okay, after reading my last post (which I've recently deleted), I realized that I came across as more concerned about weight loss vs. actually getting healthy. Since this is not true, I figured it'd be best just to start over, that way there is no confusion. So here it goes . . .

Folks, I want to get healthy. Am I hoping that I lose a few pounds because of it? YES! Am I okay if I don't? YES. I am, of course, nursing my 2 month old, and her health is of utmost importance to me.

My sincerest THANKS! goes out to Amber for initiating the Extreme Makeover: Me Edition, Challenge. No more trips to the kitchen for Oreos in the middle of the night, no more finding excuses for not exercising. Nope, it's time to get healthy and in shape. Won't you join me?

Waaaay Back Wednesday

Okay, so it's not centuries old or anything, but it does seem like an eternity ago. This picture was taken on our trip to Hawaii, October 2006. Sierra was 4 years old, and Makenna was 19 months. Good times, good times.