A New Me

My mother started a new weight loss and diet plan.  And yes, the key word in that was new.  Like so many of us, this wasn't the first, third, or even tenth weight loss plan.  We are all like that, we start something, it doesn't work, or it is too hard, and then we stop.  But I was excited for mom.  And in a few days I could tell that this was different.  She was more determined.  More focused.  And she was already seeing results.  She was feeling better.  Feeling stronger.

And it was contagious.  She had gotten a few others on board.  There was talk of a challenge. 

Maybe that is what got me interested.  I love challenges.  I love the struggle of it I guess.  And I could probably write a whole blog post about just that, but I won't.  :)  I can hear the sign of relief all the way from were I sit.  :)

From talk of a challenged it has grown and evolved.  It is now a 17 and counting person Multi-State Biggest Looser Challenge.  Over the next 17 weeks we are all going to be counting calories and exercising.  We are going to be challenging our bodies and our minds.  We are promising to make better choices and try to live healthier lifestyles.

Today is just the first day, but I am already different. I have been waking up in the morning looking forward to my high protein, full of nutritional goodness smoothie.  I get excited about sweating during my workout. I actually had the thought, "I wonder if I could ever run a 5K." 

I joined this site called SparkPeople.  You can track the food you eat, the exercise you do.  It has all sorts of information on nutrition and healthy life styles.  And it has a huge community of people that are all trying to be healthier and lose weight.  It's like facebook for weight loss.  :)

So my goals for this challenge are simple.  I want to lose 18 pounds and get fit enough to run a 5K.  That is just a little more than a pound a week.  And as far as the 5K goes...well, I will just have to figure that out.  :)

What's up DOC?

While making lunch today I was reminded just how much my kids and I aren't always on the same wave lengths.  While adding some carrots to the girls plates, Alyssa came in and asked if they were cooked carrots.  I told her not this time, and she began to complain that she liked cooked carrots the best. 

After telling her that she needed to make sure she had a right attitude, but that I do understand and know that she likes cooked carrots the best, but that today we where eating raw carrots, I wanted to smooth over everything.  Thinking that even perhaps I could help her love raw carrots, have fun eating raw carrots. 

It was at this point that I told her, "We are going to get them like bugs bunny today."

Blank stare.

"You know, 'What's up doc?'"

More blank stare.

"Common, you know, Bugs Bunny!"

She gave me this look that surely meant I had lost my marbles.  "What are you talking about mom.  Do you mean that movie where the kid gets left at his grandmothers house after his mom dies and she gives him a bunny?"

She had not a clue what I was talking about.  Are my kids growing up in a world in which they know what an iPhone is, but do not know how Bugs Bunny is?

I am telling you, different wave lengths.

Beating the Heat

It is hot.  In fact, hot doesn't even begin to describe it in my opinion.  If you are in the south, you know what I am talking about.  Everything is brown and dead.  Nothing will grow.  My poor little tomato plant managed to produce three sickly little tomatoes and now the plant is dying.  (At which point I sliced it into five little slices, one for each of us.  When I presented Bennett with his, I said, "Here my love, I have produced food, we will each again next year.)

There are several parts to this heat that make things hard.  First, I am going to cringe when I get our electric bill.  Our A/C has been running none stop for what seems like weeks.  I awoke in the middle of the night with a night mare that included the thoughts of what in the world we would do if our A/C went out.

Another thing that makes the heat hard, is that the girls can't really go outside and play in the heat.  I mean when the temperature is 105 F (or higher,) it is too hot to play outside.  They have been shut up in the house so much lately, they are practically bouncing off the walls and hanging from the ceiling fans.

It is no wonder then that my nerves are frazzled and I feel like my house is constantly a mess and that I can't seem to get anything done. 

So today while waiting for it to be time to go pick up Bennett from work, I took the girls to McDonald's to play.  The girls get to play with other kids and get all that energy out.  And Bonus: McDonald's has WiFi so I can get online and blog about the experience.  (Shouldn't I now get free chicken nuggets or McFlurries for advertising for them?)

Not that I would eat the McFlurries.  I am trying to lose weight. And so far I feel like I am failing miserably.  I have gained THREE pounds.  Now maybe that weight gain was because I enjoyed a little too much Chinese and Mexican food this weekend.  Or maybe it was because for some reason this weekend the two youngest decided to have a contest on who could nurse the most, so that three pounds could simply be excess booba juice weight.

Okay, well back to beating the heat.  I think that it is just something I will have to manage one day at a time. But with no end in site of lessening temperatures I am going to have to come up with even more ideas. How are you beating the heat this summer?

A Smoothie A Day

So I have been drinking smoothies.  And like so many good things in life...chuckle....it began with a blog, Mountain Moving.  Like this mountain moving woman, I have wanted desperately to get  back in shape, to be able to get up in the morning without feeling like something a truck ran over in the night.  I am only 27, not 97.  I am tired of just wishing I could lose the last of the baby weight.  I am tired of by mid afternoon feeling like I have no energy at all.  Basically, I was just all around tired.

Now I realize that some of this tired has to do with the same reason it has taken me ten minutes to write this much of a blog post.  I have three young kids.  There are always faces, noses, hands, or butts to wipe.  There is always a meal or snack to be made or planned.  Hair to brush and clothes to put on.  Games to play and fights to break up.  And this is just before lunch.  You mamas out there know what I am talking about.  And let me just say that my kids are not the kids that will sit quietly in a play pen while mommy works, as one "wise" woman I over heard lately suggesting to a poor frazzled young mom.  My kids are the kids that at the age of two I find on top of my refrigerator.

I will give you a minute to ask the question begging in your mind to be asked.

(pause)

Common, you know you thought "What?"

Yes, you heard me right, I have found my then two year old on top of the refrigerator.  Why?  Because that is where mommy put the left over Easter candy.  How, you might also ask?  Well it was quite simply actually.  She simply climbed up on top of the trash can to the counter.  Next by simply using my kitchen aid mixer, she climbed the rest of the way to the top.

So I think we have established that I am tired, and we haven't even gotten to how many times I can still be gotten up at night, although thankfully that number has gone down.

But finally I faced the fact that I had to do something.  And some of that something included things that I have done before and I know helped.  One of those things is taking a vitamin B complex supplement.  I personally like the sublingal kind that you put under your tongue and they dissolve.  You can read some more here about the things that a B supplement may do for you.

The other thing that I have started is drinking a smoothie first thing in the morning.  Mountain Moving Woman as I have dubbed her, has been posting about the benefits of the smoothies that she has been drinking everyday, and I though, why not.  So out came my blender, and I began making smoothies. And not just any smoothie.  A super smoothie! (Feel free to insert hero music here...it's what I did in my head when writing this.)

Here is the recipe to the basic smoothie that I have been drinking each morning.

Super Smoothies

2 cups frozen fruit (I like blueberry, mango, peach, pineapple, strawberry)
5 oz super food juice (For example Sambazon Acai with Blueberry and Pomegranate)
1 capsule of the following
     Panex Ginsing
     Green Tea
     Alpha Lipoic Acid
     Omega 3 6 9 Complex
     Cinnamon with Chromium
              All of these you can simply open and empty into your blender, the capsules don't mix well
1 scope of protein powder (I use a simple vanilla whey protein powder that you can get a walmart)
2 teaspoons of Stevia in the Raw sweetener

Place all ingredients into blender.  Add water to blend to consistency you like.  Enjoy!

This recipe is my base that I have been adjusting each day using different fruit.  Sometimes I add milk instead of water and it makes it more like a milk shake.
    
You can add different supplements that are right for you.  There is lots of research about different supplements and the benefits that they can have.  I am not a doctor, and do not know your current medical conditions.  Use with caution.  (If I had a lawyer, they would make me say that.)

I have felt better in the past two weeks than I have in a long time.  I have had more energy, and have even lost a few pounds. Is it the smoothies?  They can't have hurt.  If nothing else the extra vitamins and minerals have to be healthy for me.  :)  Let me know if you have a smoothie recipe that you enjoy.  I would love to try it out.

Better Mom Boot Camp

It has been almost a year ago that I found another blog that really inspired me.  The lady's name was Hannah Keeley. Well she just released a new inspirational series, and it is totally free.  It consists of three days worth of lessons, that include a video, lesson outlines, action steps, and more.  I just finished the first day, and have been so touched.  It is exactly what I have been needing lately. I hope that if you feel lead, you look into it.

Beach Bums

What is that saying about the best laid plans of mice and men?

Bennett had a retirement party to go to.  After failing at getting a sitter for the girls, I decided to stay home with them while Bennett attended the party.  Thinking to make the best of it, after all where up from their naps, I asked if they would like to go play in the sprinkler outside.  It has been so hot lately that I thought the cool water would feel great myself. 

Now getting three girls ready is an event all to itself, even if we where just going outside.  But with only a few cravings for chocolate and a few moments in silence counting to ten, I managed to get us all suited up, and out the door. 

Within moments the girls were enjoying to sprinkler and I even was positioned just so that I was getting a few drops here and there.  The girls were enjoying themselves and I was enjoying watching them.  Memories flooding of days gone by and my own times of playing in the water.  And then something else sparked a memory.

In the scorching heat of a Texas summer everything is desperate for relief from the dry and hot weather, including wasps. Within moments of spotting the first wasp dipping down to play with the girls in the water there were now five, no make that closer to ten wasp all clamoring for time in the water.  And the girls were right there running along with them.  I began  to be concerned, as even more showed up, that the girls would step on one.

So with a bit of grumbling, and even one brave "I don't care if I get stung" comment from my five year old, we went  back into the house.  Quickly racking my brain for some way to recapture the moment, I came up with a spark of pure genius, or desperation, depending on how you look at it.

Grabbing a few freshly laundered towels that were sitting folded on the couch (I knew that me getting the laundry actually folded the same day it was washed was too good to be true,) I said to the girls, "Let's pretend to be a the beach, we will watch a beachy movie too!"  I quickly let the girls pick out a towel, help them spread it on the living room floor, and grabbed for the netflix remote. After typing in "BEACH" in the search box I found a "Barney Let's go to the beach" episode.  Perfect.  The girls watching the movie, Alyssa looks at me and says, "now we need a beachy snack." 

Running (okay so not really running, we have to be realistic) to the pantry, I looked for anything that would work as a beach snack.  Seeing the graham cracker crumbs I had a moment of inspiration.  Below is the recipe for a "Beachy Snack."

Beachy Snack

1 Box Chocolate or Vanilla Instant Pudding
2 Cups of Milk
5 Tablespoons Graham Cracker Crumbs
Various "Beach" items  Example--Goldfish crackers, Swedish fish, Paper umbrellas, fruit roll ups cut to look like beach towels, etc.

Mix Pudding according to package directions.  Pour into four bowls in equal portions.  Top with graham cracker crumbs.  Decorate with Beach items.  Enjoy!

The girls really enjoyed our impromptu beach party, and I did to.  Plus I remembered a very important lesson that I learned from my mother growing up.  There will be plenty of things in life that don't turn out like you want them to.  But there is always the chance to make the best of any situation, and make a lasting memory.

Okay, the girls are done and now arguing over who gets what beach towel.  :)  Time to go mommy. 

Obituary

Yep, organizing the house died.  And from the scene around my house, it was a slow, painful death.  I would like to believe that it is possible to live a clean and organized life, but despite all my efforts, I don't see that happening.  Perhaps I am not trying hard enough, perhaps I have not found the right combination of organizing, cleaning, recleaning, and threatening the kids not to make a mess.

hummmmmm.....


Well, in other news my husband and I took the youth group from our church that we lead to camp last week.  It was a wonderful time, despite the +100F temperatures.  The kids spent the week at my moms, and I faithfully pumped several times a day.  But as many of you may know, when you are struggling not to become dehydrated yourself, when you are dealing with the emotions and tentions of camp, and when you are nursing two older children, pumping just isn't as productive.  But not to worry. As soon as I got my girls back the 19 month old went to work and made sure that my milk supply was revamped and available.  Needless to say now I am a hormonal mess, as my body thinks I have started breastfeeding all over again.

Oh well.  Hear that....it is the endless supply of laundry calling my name.  Should I answer?

It's Happend....Again!!!

Somewhere there is a mom that is sitting in front of her computer, when she should be cleaning something, and she is reading this blog.  And she is just like me.  Time gets away from her.  She is too busy.  She is overwhelmed by housework.  She is trying to get into shape, and by shape I don't mean the round shape.  She is starting on new journeys.  She has discovered new things about herself. I believe that you are out there...somewhere....(insert noisy crickets.)

Some how project get the house organized has turned into chaos.  Some how all the work that I have been doing to get rid of junk and organize our lives has flat lined, and I am not sure it can be resuscitated.  But I must try!

Charging paddles to 200....Clear!

Monkeying Around

January did not go well.  I started with such high hopes and bold plans.  (And we all know how much I love to plan.)  But one thing I didn't factor into my planning.

Bobos

Most of my readers are now trying to figure out the questions that are flying into their heads at this moment. What in the world is Bobos?  Who is Bobos?  Is there any chocolate in the house?

I don't have the answer for chocolate in your house.  I can tell you that there is no chocolate in my house.  We have been trapped at home for the past week and a half, first by sickness, and then by the "Winter Storm 2011."  At least that is what they are calling it around here.  Texas is completely unprepared for 3 inches of snow and ice that doesn't melt the next day.  So no there IS NO CHOCOLATE LEFT IN MY HOUSE!

But back to the Bobos.  I can tell you what the Bobos are.  Or more precisely who the Bobo Brothers are.  (Some moms are hearing the theme song right now to Go Diego Go, and having the strange urge to throw there hands in the air and declare, Freeze Bobos Freeze!)   The bobos are, "A mischievous pair of capuchin monkeys whose cute and innocent faces belie their naughty intent. The Bobos love to get into trouble and cause confusion and mayhem throughout the forest. (nickjr.com)" 

Makayla's favorite show is Go Diego Go.  (In fact even as I wrote that last sentence she came up and crawled in my lap, put her cold little snotty nose to mine, and said, "I watch Diego?")  While watching the show with her the other day, I found myself chuckling.  The Bobos were placing Diego's rescue mission in jeopardy when they where throwing rocks around and making such a large stack of them that they covered the entrance to the cave where the animal that was in trouble was located. 

The more I watched, the more I laughed.  I have Bobos at my house.  I clean one thing up, turn around, and it is back on the floor again.  I organize one area and come back to find it obliterated.  In one Christmas special the monkeys are worried about not receiving any Christmas presents because they had been so bad.  Santa tells them that he knows they don't mean to be bad, but that they just are curious about their environment.  Well, that is my kids.  Everything has to be experienced.  Now if only I could figure out how to making them freeze as effectively as Diego, I would finish my living room.  :)

And so I will start again, with planning that is.  And this time I will factor in Bobos into my equation.  Bobos and more chocolate. 

Couch Cushions--The Final Frontier

Disclaimer:  The following is a very cheesy and nerdy attempt at hummer.  Any similarities to actual overworked exhausted moms is purely coincidental. 

(Que cheesy Sci-Fi music)

Narrator:  (Strong voice) 

Couch Cushions... The final frontier...


These are the voyages of the Star ship Organize.

Its continuing mission:

To explore strange new decorum...

To seek out new clutter and mayhem...

To boldly go where no mom has dared before!"

That is right, I am headed to clean out from under, inside, and around the couches.  If you don't hear from me within the week, you may want to call 911. 

New Year New Life

It was that time again.  You know, the time that we all make and set our goals for the next year.  Lose weight, get in shape, read more books, watch less TV, spend more time with the Family, quit smoking, get out of debt, start a new hobby, go on a vacation, help others, get more organized, volunteer more, recycle more, get a better job, go back to school....I could keep going, but you get the point I am sure.  For some of us, making a New Year's resolution is the same as eating black eyed peas on the 1st--it is just something we do.  Some of us keep these resolutions, devoting a large amount of time, money, and energy into changing something in our lives that we are sure is going to make us happier, healthier, and more content with the life that we lead.  And for many of us, by the time February 1st rolls around, we are already feeling guilty that we haven't done more, done less, or basically changed something about ourselves that we were convinced needed changing.  So we recommit and buckle down.  We get back to business.  And by some wonder of wonders some of us actually make it and follow through with the "a new you" commitment and achieve something.

For a couple of years now I too have jumped, no lept to the "New Year, New You" band wagon.  And like most others, I have ended up, in a muddy pot hole along the side of the road with a bruised shin.  (With the exception of last year, which was my and my husband's "No Babies in 2010" year, and you would just have to know us to fully appreciate.)  Well, inspired by the success of last year's resolution I have started out the gates this year ready to head up my next challenge.  Many different ideas popped into my head, just see above, there are many different things to choose from.  Lose weight, and get fit seemed to be topping out my list. But lets face it, I love food to much right now.  There is a reason that many college students put on extra pounds.  And add to that the amount of chocolate necessary for a mom of three small children, I'd have no chance.  So it was getting organized that actually won out in the end.  Even if getting organized was only number 10 on the Top New Year's Resolution list. 

So armed with a determination to complete this year's goal, I did what I do best.  Started making a plan.  Even as I type this I can hear my husband groaning.  He hates strongly dislikes when I get in my planning mode.  But that is who I am.  I am a planner.  I love to have plans.  The details, the decisions, the writing it all down, putting it on a calendar.  I am a little OCD about it.  Oh, and lets not forget researching about it.  To the computer I went, looking up articles, blogs, resources to help me complete my goal.  I day dreamed for just a moment about having the money to hire a professional organizer.  But then I realized that if I had the money to hire a professional organizer, I would also have the money to hire a housekeeper.  And if I had the money to do those things, well, I would not be sitting here at my computer on a Saturday morning, with the sounds of the children watching Saturday morning cartoons in the background.  Can we say a iced mocha and a beach...

 or a hot cappuccino and a cabin in the snowy mountains...

But I digress.  Organization.  Planning.  Surfing the Internet----something had to change, or I would be making this next years resolution.  So I came up with an easy plan, and I am telling as many people about it as possible.  I need people to help keep me on track. 

So hear it is.....(drum roll please).....THE PLAN.

Eat More Chocolate!

Just kidding, sorry, I couldn't resist.  No, the Plan is twelve months, twelve zones.  Each month I will tackle one zone.  I will clean, clear out, organize.  Finish those things that I have been putting off.  You know, like cleaning the blinds.  Ick!  Can't I just buy new ones?

Hear are the zones:  Living room, girl's room, bathroom/hallway, master bedroom, dinning room, kitchen, attic, classroom, laundry room, outside front, outside back, and shop.  They won't necessarily be in that order, the outside areas, the shop, and the attic will be done in the spring and fall when it isn't to hot or cold.  I will be blogging about each zone and what I have done as a way to stay accountable.

The first zone, the living room.  I am going in folks.  If you don't hear from me within the week, you might want to send out a search party.