Makeover Monday # 3(on Tuedsay)

-Last week went pretty well. I still am counting calories like a champ, but STILL have a hard time forcing myself to eat the 1500 ish. I like to hover around the 1200-1300 range.
-The weekend trip went fine as far as eating is concerned. I took lots of yummy snacks like, almonds, rice cakes, my bread I use for sandwich's, fresh fruit and veggies, and fiber one bars. We also ate LOTS of fruit, salad, and grilled steak, and burgers. Yummy! I am really proud of how I ate:)
-I didn't seem to get in a lot of work outs last week. I am still having trouble with getting my weights in. I get SO bored at home and I feel cluless at the gym (when I get to go..I think I went once last week!)
-Running is going Awesome! It has by far become of the things I look forward to in this whole journey. I actually enjoy it now (gasp!) While we were in Jacksonville I knew I would have a hard time working out so I asked Matt at the last minute if he would do a 5k with me on Monday. And we did it! My pace was super slow (about 12:30 mile) but I ran the whole thing except for about 20 seconds around 2.5 miles. There were a few more hills than I am used to so it was quite a challange for me. But I am so glad I did it and can't wait for another one so I can try to beat my time. (38:18)

My weight:
May 5th- 176.6
May 16th- 172
May 23th- 170.2
May 31st- 169.4

Uggg. I am super annoyed with the mimimal weight loss. I was so super excited to get up and weigh today. I litterly could hardly sleep I was so excited. And then that. Really? I know a loss is a loss, and with miminal work outs last week and travling I should be thrilled. But I am frustrated. I just want to be away from the 170's. I want when I get on the scale late at night (I always flucate 2-4 pounds in day and weigh more in the evenings) that I am not in the 170's. I also was really hoping to reach 10 lbs weight loss by 1 month. So annoying. I really want to go eat some donuts now. But I will refrain.

Lets hope for a better week.

****Don't forget to check out the new post below!!!

A great weekend, 9 months, and a almost 4 year old!

***Warning, this post is kinda long. You might want to grab some popcorn and get comfortable:)

We decided to head to Jacksonville to visit my aunt and uncle over Memorial day weekend. Matt just happened to have the whole weekend off (only happens every 5 weeks) so we just packed up and went!

Janie had some of her girls (now 22 and 16) old dance costumes that Naomi and Gabs loved playing dress up in.

They are pretty darn cute, although I am not sure about that midriff showing;)
They have a pool that we made good use of. We were in it every day we were there!
Love this bunch:)
Their first boat ride and it was very sunny!
Little C sportin her new life-vest.
Someone is ALMOST 4 and we had a little early celebration.

We had such an amazing weekend. We went to an alligator farm and went on a boat to lunch one day. We grilled out and ate lots of yummy fruit. The girls loved mothering all their animals, swimming in their pool, and watching cartoons in their theater room. It really was so relaxing.

Eli (my uncle) also took us to one of his friends house on Sunday night who feeds raccoons in his back yard. He has been feeding them for nearly 20 years. It is seriously one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen in my life. He gives them cookies and they just come up and take them out of his hands. There were only 10 or so there when we went but he says when it is just him he has seen up to 100! 100 raccoons, seriously??? Unbelievable!

And now, Corin is 9 MONTHS OLD!!! It is so crazy how fast time goes by and sometimes incredibly heartbreaking:(

-Corin weighs 20 lbs exactly and is in the 73 %tile for weight. I forgot how long she is but is in the 83 %tile for height. (Check out those thunder thighs!)

-Sweet girl still does NOT crawl. She is quite the lazy baby sometimes and realizes that we will that she has 4 other people to do the work for her.

-She has been pretty much completely weened to a bottle/formula. This was REALLY hard for me this time. I didn't nurse N and G as long but I guess since C might be our last I wanted to hold on to it a lot longer. We are leaving all the girls in Kentucky in July so I knew I wanted to have her weaned by then so I started a few weeks ago. Well between cutting out two feedings from the beginning and the big decrease in my daily calories and running my supply dried up very fast. I know she has to grow up and I am so excited to watch her change, but there is so much in parenting that is so bittersweet:(

-On a happier note, she is still the calmest, happiest, sleepinest, baby ever.

-Still has NO teeth and not even a bump.

-Loves to babble and mainly says "babababababa" over and over again.

-Has the cutest no teeth smile you have ever seen.

-Still sleeps in a sleep sack (I know, I need to get her out of it)

-Loves her blanket

-Prefers to nap in her own bed

-Tried the swing for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it

-Wants to eat everything (I can't remember when we gave the big girls yogurt, like yo baby, anyone remember????)

OK, congratulations....super long post is over. Go grab yourself a cookie for making it through this one!

Birthday Fun!

We went to a birthday party a few weeks ago and the we had a MAJOR first in this family. I left Corin at home with Matt's mom when she was in town so I could play with the girls and talk to to the other moms. That was not the first though.

The first was....the girls actually DID NOT act like puppies and follow me around the whole time. They played and interacted with other kids from the very first minute. If you are around me and the girls at all you would know this is not the norm! They are SO shy around other people and always hanging on to my legs. It takes them like 20 mins to venture into the playground at Chick-fil-a! I was so proud and so relieved to have some time to talk to other mommies!

This picture of Gabs CRACKS me up. It is so GABBY. Naomi and all the other kids got their pizza, ate 2 bites and went back to playing. Gabby on the other hand was NOT going to rush through her food. She was going to enjoy it until the very last bite. She likes her food! Such a funny kid!
They loved the water balloon fight!
This picture just makes me laugh:)
And I HEART this picture. And I LOVE these girls.

Makeover Monday #2

Well another week has gone by! I think this week has been my hardest week yet. I of course did not go over my calories at all (I am actually still having trouble eating 1500 every day). It is just becoming more and more apparent that "healthy living" really is not the social norm and even resented by some. I realize HOW much of our lives revolves around eating and it is just a matter of true self control to walk away from "yummy" food.

Here are few things I have learned about myself and ways to AVOID eating way too many calories:

1.) No Grazing. I just don't do it at all. I realize that probably consumed upwards of 300-500 calories by just eating insignificant calories through out the day. This means, I can not eat 15 pretzels when I am packing lunch, or finish off one of the girls peanut butter sandwiches from lunch, or lick the bowl of brownie batter, or eat three big bites of macaroni before we have even sat down for dinner. The food I eat has to be part of a "real" meal or a "designated" snack.

2.) No Seconds. I can down some food. For real. I could eat 4 slices of pizza easy. This however is not a great weight loss plan:) So for dinner I make my plate (and we eat real normal food for dinner, lasagna, ribs, grilled chicken, tacos, ect....) and i get enough food, I eat slow and enjoy it and then I am done. No seconds.

3.) Parties/Special Events/Showers/BBQ's are not an excuse to overeat. I don't think I had any idea how many of these things we went to until now, when I am trying to LOSE weight. These might not be quite as big of an issue when just trying to maintain weight (because you can always add a little more cardio that day and make up for those 3 hot dogs) however when losing weight, I can't afford an additional 600 calories for the day. I have learned that you have to come with a plan and stick to it. It is an afternoon party after lunch and before dinner, I just don't eat. Or if it is a dinner BBQ I try to pick foods that are lowest in calories, and have a least some nutritional value. This is by far the hardest thing for me since we seem to ALWAYS have something going on.

Here is an example of how vastly different my day would have been.....

What I ate today:
Breakfast: 1/2 peanut butter (1/2 tbsp) and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread=150 cal
Coffee with creamer=20 cal
(usually have a mid morning snack but was at church and didn't have time)
Lunch: Chicken, steak, shrimp (with LOTS of green peppers and onions) fajitas w/o tortillas. With a small side of beans and guacamole.= 450 calories
Dinner: Went to a bbq.... hamburger patty with lettuce and ketchup w/o bun, small serving baked beans, and a side of fruit that I brought with me:) =450
Snack: Almonds and orange: 150 calories

What I could have easily eaten in addition:
Donut at church=100 cal
Chips and salsa, tortillas, and rice at lunch=~500 cal
Bun, pasta salad, chips, and ice cream at bbq= ~600 cal

That is an additional 1200 calories....almost a whole days worth!!!! Wow!!!


So now for the weight:

May 5th: 176.8
May 16: 172
May 23rd: 170.2

And here are my measurements:
Hips: 39 in
Waist 32 1/4 in
Bust 37 in

I lost 1.8 this week. I suspect it is actually a tad more but I am super sore and heavy feeling from my run last night. I am happy with it. I of course wish it was biggest loser style and about 12 lbs, but lets be realistic people!

So as far as the running is going, I have added a CRAZY amount of distance this week. I don't what has come over me but last night I ran 1.75 miles in 19 min and 10 seconds. I am not beating any records on my pace, but for now I am not concerned at all on how long it takes. I am so super proud! No don't get me wrong, it has been a serious challenge. I want to stop running pretty much the whole time I am going. But I just keep telling myself one foot in front of the other. So crazy. My only issue right now is my knees are pretty sore.

Hope everyone has a great week! I will post again next Monday!

**We are going to Jacksonville this weekend to visit my aunt. I am super excited to go but also a little nervous. It is SO hard to stay focused on weight loss while traveling. Please pray that I will not be tempted or distracted and can at least get in one good workout while I am there!

Radio Guys

I was listening to the radio the other day on the way to wal-mart. I don't even know what station it was on but some show called "free-talk radio" was on, or in other words "Lets bash Christians radio."

I am not even sure what question was asked but basically the two radio guys were saying that just thought it was ridiculous that anyone would believe in some decrepit old book that some guys wrote 100(s) of years ago. And that Christians were just so pushy trying to push their morality on to other people. They said a lot of other stuff that was quite offensive in nature. At first I was shocked. It was just mean and cruel and I just don't think we have to be cruel to get our points across. My second reaction was anger. I was so mad and frustrated that someone would bash my faith like that. But soon my anger was replaced with grief. Serious grief. They are lost. They don't know truth and they live in darkness.

God specifically tells us in his Word that.....

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

1 Corinthians 1:18

My heart aches for those who don't know Him.

***On a side note, I think radio guys might need to rethink the title of their show if they are in the business of throwing out "decrepit old books" because I am pretty sure the Constitution would be classified as old.

Yummo

Little C would like to thank to "Aunt Jenn" for introducing her momma to this most delicious food many many years ago....

Avocados!!!

Makeover Monday

I have decided to start a new series on my blog, with a new post every Monday! This new series is all about WEIGHT LOSS. Woo-Hoo.

No really, I finally decided it was time to get all my extra weight off. The weight I need to lose is not really baby weight (I weigh about 3-4 lbs more than I did when I got pregnant with little C) but more so extra weight that I have been carrying around for years. I have lots 10-15 pounds here and there but never made it to my "goal" weight. Well, this time is for REAL. I am serious about getting in shape and getting fit and fitting into size 6 pants!

I officially started this on May 5th (or ten days ago). I am someone who has VERY little self control when it comes to food so I am trying to increase my chances of success with having a lot of accountability. If I commit to it out loud and have people praying for my success, I know I have a much higher chance of actually getting it done.

Right now, I am working out A LOT. I do some weight or resistance training 2-3 days a week and cardio 6 days a week for at least 30 mins.

I am also training for the South Carolina Marine Mud Run. It is Oct 15th and is a 5 mile course through the woods with 32 obstacles intertwined. You also get REALLY muddy! I am terrified of it and have no idea how I am ever going to run 5 miles. I need lots and lots of prayer.

I just started the Couch to 5K program. I start week 4 today and it will start to get really tough after that. I know some people are natural runners, I am SO not. Running for 2 minutes is a serious challenge so getting up to 5 miles will only be a matter of divine intervention.

I am counting calories and I have finally settled on eating around 1500 calories a day (before exercise.) I will adjust my intake a little when I finish nursing Little C. My goal was 1200 but I have a problem of NOT eating enough when I am trying to lose weight so I would go to bed very hungry after my 1000 calorie day. SO not enough. I also think my metabolism has slowed WAY down since my babies and I need a little extra caloric intake to get it reved up again. I also need to work on eating more through out the day and not hoarding so many calories "just in case." I save them in case I want a big dinner and then I never eat much and go to bed with a surplus.

For breakfast this morning I had:
Egg beater omelet, with green pepper, baby spinach, 2 slices of deli ham, and ounce of shredded cheddar on one piece of whole grain toast, with~ 1/2 cup grapes. = 210 calories of yumminess!
Breakdown
Eggs-60 calories
Toast-55 calories
Cheese-50 calories
Ham-20 calories
Grapes-25 calories

Every week I will document my weight and how I am doing on my 5 mile goal (or currently my 1/2 mile goal!)
*Disclaimer: I am going to post my weight every week. I am not someone that is super self conscious about my weight but I really don't want it to be posted on facebook:) And yes I know, I don't look like I weight that much. (And I was 15 pounds heavier when I got pregnant with Naomi!) But I do. And yes it is so exciting that most my blog readers weigh 102 pounds soaking wet. I attract small people for some reason;)

May 5th : 176.8
May 16th: 172 (Wish it was more, but I am realizing that weight loss is SOOOO much harder post babies! Can I get a amen??)


And Saturday I ran 5 mins, walked 3, ran 5 mins, walked 3, ran 2 mins. I thought I would die three times but I didn't.

My goals:
July 1st: 158-160, 2 miles
October 1st: 142-145 (goal weight) May reassess when I get there! More than 5 miles!

Will update next Monday! If you have any advice, nutrition tips, recipes, thoughts on exerscie, or whatever....please let me know! I have already called/emailed my friend Skylar 1543 times, more or less!

BIG family picture

Back in November we had some family pictures taken of just our family and also some with Matt's parents and sister and her family.

Here were a few that I liked!

Just a day on the farm...

Just a day on the farm... jumping in puddles!



The girls love KENTUCKY so much. I love that even though they are not growing up there, they still have a special place in their hearts for Kentucky. It just blesses my heart;)

8 Months

These days our third born finds herself......

-Almost sitting really really well (all our girls were a little lazy in this area)

-Still rocking on hands and knees and starting to figure out how to move arms and legs, just working on putting it all together.

-Still sleeping like a champ (Most people think she sleeps more than any baby they have ever seen!)

-Becoming very vocal but not quite forming words

-She is busy, busy, busy. She does not sit as still when in our laps and wants to know what is going on at all times.

-She is still quite stoic and only gives giggles to her most favorite people. aka mommy:)

-She loves all sorts of foods but her favorites right now are peaches, pears, sweet potatoes, and carrots. (She most recently tried a new yummy food that is coming in a whole separate post!)

-She just recently moved into a big girl car seat. (still facing backwards of course.)

-She still loves to nurse but I am going to be weaning her in the next few weeks. Tear:(.... (We are leaving the girls in Ky for a few days in July and going to Cedar Point so she will be weaned before then.)

-We love love love watching her grow but is also somewhat heartbreaking. I tried to tell her to stop but she just didn't listen:) ....I have a whole different post on this!!! Stay tuned.

Happy 8 months sweet girl. We love you so much.

Just like old times

I love watching the relationship between these crazy kids develop. It truly blows me away to see how much they really LOVE each other with how little they are together. Logan loving on Corin.
All the big kids coloring together while the adults were playing Phase 10. So much fun!