Every year at this time I get just a tiny bit frustrated, and I know it's a silly thing to get frustrated about, but it still bothers me.
As a family Nick and I decided not to teach our kids that Santa is real.....he's not. I know some people don't think it's a "lie", but I don't tell my kids that Barney is real, or that The Beast (as in Beauty and the Beast)is real, so why would I tell them Santa is real? Why would I tell them that a big fat man sneaks into our house in the middle of the night? Why would I tell them that Santa brings them toys? I really don't get it. We have wonderful memory filled Christmas' with our kids. We give gifts to each other, we buy gifts for others, we buy gifts for those who don't get any other gifts. We put up a Christmas tree, we read Christmas books (including those about mythical Santa), we watch Christmas movies (inlucing those about Santa). We look at Christmas lights at night, we bake Christmas goodies etc.... The ONLY difference is that we just don't make Santa a part of it (other than the books and movies). In fact I go one step farther and we research how other countries around the world celebrate Christmas (they don't belive in Santa either). This year each week leading up to Christmas we are going to learn all about one country, bake their Christmas dishes, and desserts, make their tradisional Christmas crafts etc.....
During Christmas we put 100% of our focus on Jesus' birth. Yes I know that this wasn't really the date of his birth, but it is the time that the church has set aside to celebrate. We read the advent, we sing Christmas songs, we read from the bible, we talk about the birth of Jesus and the meaning that has for us. It's a very special time for our family. We give gifts to each other and others because the wise men brought gifts to baby Jesus. We read the story of St. Nicholas and the impact that he had on others.
We make it about Jesus and giving, and love, and family, not about a big fat man who sneaks into our house at night. I know it sholdn't bother me what other people choose to do with their family, just like I hope they don't have options on what I do with my family. I just get sad when I here Christian families get so stressed because their kids are starting to not belive in Santa when we have a truly wonderful reason to celebrate apart from all of that. And I just find the statement "If you don't belive you won't receive" so very very sad. Belive in Jesus and receive his love, and his mercy, and his blessings, don't encourage your kids to belive in something false.
Off my soap box........
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
WOW Before/After
Today after looking back at some old journals I realized that from my highest weight to my current weight (lowest in over 8 yrs), I have lost 70lbs. 45lbs of that has been since Easter of this year. I don't know if this picture was taken at my highest or not, but the beach picture was taken about 5lbs above my current, so it's pretty close I'd say. I am AMAZED at the difference in how I look(ed). I never want to be that girl again. I feel so much better now that I ever did then. It's almost embarassing to post, but at the same time I hope maybe it offers some encouragment to anyone who is currently struggling. This change didn't take place overnight. It was something I struggled with for over 8 yrs, and even now at my lowest weight in a very long time it's still a daily, sometimes minute by minute struggle. I know I will be dealing with my weight for the rest of my life. So all I can do is lift of a prayer for anyone dealing with weight issues, and pray that God gives them the motivation to find success in their weight loss journey. God gets all the glory from me, because without him I wouldn't be where I am today.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Running
On Friday night I ran 8 miles without stopping, except to drink some water. I kind of had a "break through" as far as what I think about while I'm running and it was a huge help to me. Normally when I go run it's either getting dark, (because I run in the evening when it's a little bit cooler), or I have to get back because Nick needs to leave, or it's getting ready to storm ect... you ge the idea. There just seems to always be a reason that I can only go 4-5 miles before I need to stop. But Friday afternoon it was cooler, and Nick was home from work that day because his dad and brother were here. So I wasn't in a hurry to get back for anything, I could just run.
About 3 miles into my run I was trying to decide if I wanted to do 4 miles or 5 miles. 5 miles had been my longest up to that point, so that was still a big thing for me. So I took a personal check of myself. I was breathing okay, my legs were tired, but not too bad, I wasn't hot, I had water ...... So I decided to go for 5 miles, but while I was running that 5th mile I did that body check again, and thought I'd go ahead and go for 6 and beat my record. And I did that every mile after that. At mile 8 I briefly thought about doing 10, but I really was tired, and by that time the hamburgers that Nick and been grilling for us were done. So ended up stopping at 8 miles. But still I am AMAZED I was able to do it.
I am training for a half marathon in late Feburary. And I really never dreamed I would run the whole thing, but now I am thinking that I can. If I run 9 miles in October, 10 in November, 11 in December, and 12 in January, then I'll be ready for 13 in Feburary. So I will keep doing 5-6 miles 3-4 times a week, and once a month I will go for a "long run" with that mileage.
Who knew I would actually enjoy running? :)
About 3 miles into my run I was trying to decide if I wanted to do 4 miles or 5 miles. 5 miles had been my longest up to that point, so that was still a big thing for me. So I took a personal check of myself. I was breathing okay, my legs were tired, but not too bad, I wasn't hot, I had water ...... So I decided to go for 5 miles, but while I was running that 5th mile I did that body check again, and thought I'd go ahead and go for 6 and beat my record. And I did that every mile after that. At mile 8 I briefly thought about doing 10, but I really was tired, and by that time the hamburgers that Nick and been grilling for us were done. So ended up stopping at 8 miles. But still I am AMAZED I was able to do it.
I am training for a half marathon in late Feburary. And I really never dreamed I would run the whole thing, but now I am thinking that I can. If I run 9 miles in October, 10 in November, 11 in December, and 12 in January, then I'll be ready for 13 in Feburary. So I will keep doing 5-6 miles 3-4 times a week, and once a month I will go for a "long run" with that mileage.
Who knew I would actually enjoy running? :)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Weight loss
I haven't posted on here in a very long time. Life gets crazy. :) But I did want to come on here and announce that after 5.5 months of hard work I have reached my goal weight, with a total loss of 47lbs. I now have a BMI of 23.8 I started at 33.4. I have also lost 5 pants sizes. From my highest point I have lost 60lbs. I feel amazing!
Many people have asked "how" I lost my weight. Here is my short answer. I cut out processed carbs. I am now eating mostly lean proteins (with the occasional high fat protein), and fruits and veggies, with the occasional "healthy" carb. I dont eat potatoes, white rice, white bread, pasta...anymore I do on occasion treat myself to a small dessert, but it's rare. I have also started running and I am up to 4 miles without stopping 3 times a week. Now that it's starting to get cooler I will increase my mileage. My ultimate goal is to run a half marathon in the Spring.
Now that I am at my goal I really still want to lose another 5lbs or so, but I am not working super hard at it right now. I need a break, so I am just trying to maintain for awhile and be happy with where I am up. I still struggle with my body image. I still look in the mirror and see fat on my body and get discouraged and so I am working on my self image. I've had 3 kids, including a c-section, and I'm not on my 20's anymore. My body is not going to be perfect. I need to be happy with what God has given me.
So that's about it. It's been a long journey. I know I'm not done. I hear all the time "I lost weight and gained it back and then some", which gets discouraging sometimes. I am determined to not let that happen to me. I have changed my way of eating and I am not going back to the Carbs like I use to. This is my new lifestyle.
Many people have asked "how" I lost my weight. Here is my short answer. I cut out processed carbs. I am now eating mostly lean proteins (with the occasional high fat protein), and fruits and veggies, with the occasional "healthy" carb. I dont eat potatoes, white rice, white bread, pasta...anymore I do on occasion treat myself to a small dessert, but it's rare. I have also started running and I am up to 4 miles without stopping 3 times a week. Now that it's starting to get cooler I will increase my mileage. My ultimate goal is to run a half marathon in the Spring.
Now that I am at my goal I really still want to lose another 5lbs or so, but I am not working super hard at it right now. I need a break, so I am just trying to maintain for awhile and be happy with where I am up. I still struggle with my body image. I still look in the mirror and see fat on my body and get discouraged and so I am working on my self image. I've had 3 kids, including a c-section, and I'm not on my 20's anymore. My body is not going to be perfect. I need to be happy with what God has given me.
So that's about it. It's been a long journey. I know I'm not done. I hear all the time "I lost weight and gained it back and then some", which gets discouraging sometimes. I am determined to not let that happen to me. I have changed my way of eating and I am not going back to the Carbs like I use to. This is my new lifestyle.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Some pictures
Our new house
The kitchen
The livingroom
The Family Room
Easter 2010
Capri sleeping in her "big girl" bed
Capri's birthday
Sage's dance class
Daddy and Capri
The girl's at the Easter Egg Hunt at church
Swimming in Grandma and Papa's pool
Capri at a t-ball practice
Sage playing T-ball
Preview of the girl's dance recitalWow time flies.
Lets see since my last post.
1. We have been in our new house for almost 3 months, and LOVE it! We have been having people over like crazy which is so much fun. I love sharing the blessings that God has given us with others.
2. I started a new "diet" and have lost almost 20lbs, and I am so much healthier. I feel great, and am looking forward to losing another 20lbs.
3. I started running again. I am on week 6 of the C25K program and am running 3 times a week.
4. Sage is almost done with VPK. She has her graduation on Thursday night. She can't wait to be a kindergartener.
5. Avery is almost done with 1st grade. She has 13 more days of school.
6. Capri is now 2, and talking a whole lot more. She is every bit of "2" ....which has prooved to be a little bit challanging in all of our end of the year activies. Although I can say that being the 3rd baby she is much easier to deal with even when she's in a "mood". But even though she has her moments of being "2" she is still my sweet baby girl most of the time....just don't take her shopping.
7. Sage has started playing t-ball at the YMCA
8. Both older girls have 2 more weeks until their dance recital so we've been busy with that.
9. We're planning summer activies like crazy.
10. Nick and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. We're busy busy busy. I feel like we are rarely home these days, and when we are we are getting ready for some kind of party or gathering. But I wouldn't change anything about our life. It's great and I am loving every minute of it.
1. We have been in our new house for almost 3 months, and LOVE it! We have been having people over like crazy which is so much fun. I love sharing the blessings that God has given us with others.
2. I started a new "diet" and have lost almost 20lbs, and I am so much healthier. I feel great, and am looking forward to losing another 20lbs.
3. I started running again. I am on week 6 of the C25K program and am running 3 times a week.
4. Sage is almost done with VPK. She has her graduation on Thursday night. She can't wait to be a kindergartener.
5. Avery is almost done with 1st grade. She has 13 more days of school.
6. Capri is now 2, and talking a whole lot more. She is every bit of "2" ....which has prooved to be a little bit challanging in all of our end of the year activies. Although I can say that being the 3rd baby she is much easier to deal with even when she's in a "mood". But even though she has her moments of being "2" she is still my sweet baby girl most of the time....just don't take her shopping.
7. Sage has started playing t-ball at the YMCA
8. Both older girls have 2 more weeks until their dance recital so we've been busy with that.
9. We're planning summer activies like crazy.
10. Nick and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. We're busy busy busy. I feel like we are rarely home these days, and when we are we are getting ready for some kind of party or gathering. But I wouldn't change anything about our life. It's great and I am loving every minute of it.
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