So sad to be going home :(
(Don't forget to "enter" the giveaway!!!)
I am finishing up Week 3 of Extreme Makeover: Me Edition, Courtesy of Amber. Let's start off with some honesty, this week hasn't been the greatest. I am a sweets person, and guess what, there were a lot of sweets floating around this house last week. Though really, it seems there has been candy in the house non-stop since Halloween! But I'll save that rant for another day. On a positive note, though, I'm still refraining from visiting the fridge during the night, AND I think I may be gaining some willpower.
Exercise: not so much. I know, bad, bad, bad, right? Exercise is really all that is going to help the jiggle after having a baby. And, let's face it, exercise is just plain good for ya! Yes, it's helpful to cut out some sweets, and I'm happy to be gaining some willpower regarding food, BUT, I need to step up my exercise game. Besides the usual running around (what I affectionately call my "mommy steps") and a couple of "dance days" with the girls, I really have not done any formal aerobic activity this week.
Alright, on to Amber's Question of the Week: What do you do to get yourself back on track?
Yep, I definitely need to get back on track. I like to set goals for myself and write them down so that I'm held accountable. This week my number one goal is to get moving more. I really need to get more exercise in. I seem to be doing better with food. Besides a couple of pieces of candy, I really stayed away from it over the week. I ate a little more at Easter dinner than I normally would have, but didn't have much in the way of dessert. Overall I feel like my willpower is coming back. It just has to be more important to me to be fit and healthy than it is to taste that cheesecake, chocolate bar, etc.
***Update****
(I forgot to mention, silly me!)
Please leave me an email address so that I can get in touch with you. If you are the big winner (hehe), and I don't have a way to contact you, then I will have to choose a new winner (that is sad news, I say!), so please don't forget to leave me your contact info.
Wanna join in on the fun? Take a look at what other moms are doing to get healthier over at Amber's and sign up yourself, why don'tcha!
Until next week!
Whew! Dancing is hard work!
Spring is here!!! *Though I'm not sure if Mother Nature got the memo ~ after our two sunshiney days we've had rain, rain, hail, and more rain coupled with temps in the forties, yuck!* Dance classes have resumed, and we are now feeling more comfortable taking Kam out and about without the great fear of exposing her to something! I must say, it's nice for life to be resembling normalcy.
Chatting away in the car while I fed Kam. And yes, that is McDonalds you see.
All tuckered out after a day at the park
Steph, from Adventures in Babywearing, has encouraged us to post our favorite babywearing shots, stories, questions, etc. How fun! Wanna join in? Go visit Steph's post to link up and read about others who wear their little ones, and also to take a peek at her sugarplum, Ivy ~ what a doll baby!I wore Sierra in a sling all.the.time. I remember one bitter cold day in January (she'd have been about 5 months old) our dog, Grizzly, "escaped" for a play day of his own (for the millionth time, and, as always, on a day that Jeremy was at work). I bundled little Sierra up, plopped her in the sling, and away we went chasing after that silly dog!
Makenna didn't love the sling, and I didn't push it; she seemed happier in the front carrier. Overall I didn't wear her as much, as she's always been the type to like her own space.
Then came little Kam. I was in the hospital for two weeks before delivering our tiniest miracle. I was induced 5 weeks early, and we were all unsure of her future. But the Lord truly blessed us the day she was born. I didn't want to put her down for even a minute. Sitting on the couch all day cuddling Kameryn wasn't an option ~ I have two other children and a husband to take care of. Once again the sling came to my rescue.
Kam doesn't descriminate ~ she loves the sling AND the Baby Bjorn. As long as we're together, she's happy. I wear her while the girls and I dance, I wear her when I clean house, I wear her when we shop, and even when I'm preparing dinner (Preparing, people, I do NOT wear her while cooking over the stove, please don't send hate mail ).
The downside to baby-wearing . . . I am now a little preoccupied with all of the beautiful slings and carriers out there. And I want them, I want them all.
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!
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 :)
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!
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.
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!
