For Mom Bloggers…

YEAH MOMS! I didn’t realize the money being made from it all. I’m making ZERO! Please donate!

read an article on the Today Show interview
http://www.svmoms.com/2008/05/look-at-what-ha.html

Watch the Today show interview
http://www.svmoms.com/2008/05/watch-now-mombl.html

The mother load in 6 parts!

Ok I tried to be creative with my title. Basically, We’re back from our trip and I have 6 loads of laundry!

I’ve simplified my separating darks and other. I had 3 loads of each - 6 very full loads of laundry! Thanks to our large capacity washer purchased from another missionary couple. Especially thanks to my husband for cleaning the screen in the hose. The water was trickling out and I couldn’t do laundry like that. It would take forever. Actually, before out trip I used the hose in our garage to fill the washer fast. I know I should have taken a phot of that!

So now we’re all clean, well our laundry is. AMEN and Halleluia for our washer and dryer!!! Thank you God for blessing us with these modern conveniences. I see people washing their clothes in “pilas” and I just couldn’t imagine. I mean… I would have NO time to Blog about doing laundry if I has to hand wash each piece. And with my luck, it would rain when I put my clothes on the line.

I so believe, understand, and experience the TRUTH about God not giving us more than we can handle. He wired me and knows my make up and knows what I can handle with HIS help.

What have I been doing?

I guess life happens and this is what I’ve been up to…

DesignUnderground - my self employment business:

• A friend of mine wanted to do a website for his church, so I taught him how to use the templates from his webhost and this is what he’s done all on his own! www.bigtimebbc.org
• A friend of mine needed a logo so I did one for her, see it on her site - www.reflectionsofgracephotography.com - i have also done her business card design and ordered her BCs with my print broker account.
• Annually we do a prayer card, so our prayer warriors can see us and pray. We got a photo done, and designed the card. I uploaded it to be printed and I am waiting for the test run come so we can see how my files work with their system. I need to do one print job a month to keep my broker account. Do you need printing done?
• A paying customer of mine bought a domain name and needed an “underconstruction’ page/graphic - so I did one for him: http://www.money4racing.com/M4R-UC-Splash.jpg it looks better on a black page. He now needs the site up and running along with another site he needs redesigned and a logo graphic from a drawing.
• I also help a church with their graphics. I am working on their letter head.
• now i need to do my own site.

New Eating Lifestyle:

• Doing great! it’s been two weeks and day-by-day
• i have zero clue if i lost or how much - i don’t own a scale and it’s ok, my goal is to do this for life not for ‘measurement’ - currently i know this works for me (my body type)
• I am having fun inventing recipes too. I still use my favorite site allrecipes.com and the ingredient search, then I usually read three similar recipes and then make my own, substituting what i need for my way of eating. then i also try to east smaller portions, still had to do!
• I am drinking so much water! I make sure i drink two of my big cups first thing in the morning - my cup is 32 ozs and so 2 would be my minimum 64 for the day. Water water water before i treat myself to any other drink.
• i feel better and feeling more energy. But through the elimination of foods i used to eat has made me tired at some points. I guess withdrawals and my body learning the do things differently without my ‘bad foods’ heehee
• the mid-day headaches have seemed to have subsided YEAH!!
• and the best thing i like is we all eat at the table for all the meals! Way cool

About to visit family

• we’ll be visiting family soon and we’re setting up our appointments and such. We’re about to drive over 1800 miles in 12 days and visit family members from 1 year old to 94 years young! We do have friends with a new baby we’d like to see if they can sneak us in or vice versa.
• i have also shopped online so when we go home we dont spend/waste timne shopping at stores and more time with family. I hope i got some good catches. I bought some new bras at Just My Size and they seem quality for LOW price woowoo!

Praying for many and us:

• we seem to have many prayers coming our way:
• maybe i will post these separately.

*HUGS*

Routine is good, what a thought!

Since changing my eating habits, this also changed a few more things in out home and it mainly comes down to routine. Not so much a schedule but a routine. I need to make sure I eat three meals. I usually feed the kids breakfast but not me. and so on. Then I need to spend time with the kids more and get off this computer.

So, we eat three meals at our dining table. Way cool. My family’s day seems filled with more quality time and more time in general. This is just exciting to me. I know coming from corporate life to SAHM was huge and it taught me to through schedules and routine out the window and now I have incorporated it back to a point. It’s a start.

This is good. I hope i keep it up!

Kids Easter Pics

Out of 13 pictures of Lydia and Levi II together, these are the best 3, in my opinion. Enjoy!

   

Hear me Roar!

It was an awesome day as a stay at home mom! Sunday morning and Easter! Now I can count on one hand how many times I dresed up for Easter (church) and this will be a day to add. My husband had to go to church early to practice in the band so I was on my own. Well I started early and before the kids got up, I ate breakfast. Then I was about to get a shower then my daughter was up. No prob - i took a shower the night before. So I got her fed and then dressed. Then we got the baby up and fed and dressed. All of this was done at a calm pace! woo woo. Now I know other moms of two know how much of a feat this is. We also packed the diaper bag with snacks and stuff to do, while the music and announcements are made. This is a feat! I even snuck in a quick Easter photoshoot of the kids.

That’s not all. We came home fromt church and I made lunch and cleaned dishes (by hand, ugh) and did the same with dinner. Now this should be the NORM, I know but it’s tough and espcially to clean dishes after each event. Usually I have to attend to ths kids right away. Well it was all possible because my Husband is the best! He halves my work and more!

It just feels so empowering to have yourself and your home in order, even if it’s for a day! Victory!

Good Friday

Well I hope your Friday was a good Friday, but I also hope you know this is a day where we remember that God’s Son Jesus Died for our sins. I encourage you to pray and seek salvation through Jesus Christ. He is the only way to Heaven, otherwise you are making a choice not to believe He died for you and therefore choosing the ‘other place’ and “that other person”. It is your choice!

With that, I wanted to show you some photos of me and the kids (my husband took). We got out today. It was after lunch or so I was getting a headache. I am sure withdrawals of some kind and needed to lie down or get out and I chose to get out! Victory!

This is us and the ‘carpets’ that are made from flowers, pine needles, colored saw dust, fruits, veggies, and more! They are so artistic and it’s wild they only last about an hour. Soon, the float comes by and those carrying it walk on them.

I will say it was great to get out and I struggled tonight wanting some sweets! UGH!!!

Ready to Reboot!

Here I am. And I am ready - mentally and emotionally! Ready to reboot my system - or in my Macintosh days, my favorite terminology “zap my P-Ram”! heehee anyway, you’re probably wondering what am I talking about? I am ready to get back to Eating Right and Exercise. This is what the doctors always tell us to do, but when they tell us to do it… it’s sooo not-fun to do! When it’s a personal, self-motivated choice, I believe the success is more possible and long term.

I did this before (ate right and exercised) and was in a season where it was more work and got off-the-wagon for sure (i had two kids), but now I am ready again! YEAH! So today, I am fasting. I am fasting for my health. I do this every time I’ve changed they way I eat. And I’ve done them all (low calorie, low fat, low salt, low carb, etc). They have all had their individual successful results. I have one I am passionate about - because i know it works for my Body, my Life, my Health and it’s more realistic to maintain.

Why now? Why? Well I had told myself since giving birth in Feb 2007, that I would not go crazy on myself about weight loss until he was one year. Well that time has come and passed. I was kinda ready and the best thing is I am more ‘hungry’ for more activity in my life! Walking or taking the kids to the park etc! So this has helped motivate me. Then, I guess after a few days of eating myself happy - My anniversary and such - I was like … ok that was a fun ride, now lets get back to business!

So the photo was one my hubby took yesterday and thoguht I would post it publically. No I don’t think I look bad, but I know I don’t look too healthy either. Don’t get me wrong, I so feel like a BBW and love my curves. I am just ready to eat better for my life’s sake. I may not (and dont want to) be a size 6, but I do want to be more healthy inside - my heart! With PCOS and a family history of health probs, I want to eliminate or postpone them if possible.

Join me if you want, to eating better - whatever your diet or activity change choice may be! I have a friend who is also making this decision and is doing it in a different way, but we’re doing it for the same reasons and want the same results. For our Health, for our lives!

New Shoes

Yesterday We bought our son new shoes. He’s a year and 2 weeks old and has been taking steps since 9.5 months. We bought him a pair and these are his second pair. They are OshKosh Size 6 (usa). We’re so excited. He still tries to take them off but we hope he gets used to it.