How Do I Feel? Okay.

I keep telling my dh that I feel okay when he asks and finally this morning he asked what that meant. It means that I don't feel horrible, but I don't feel great.

Actually, I have been told that morning sickness can be caused by lack of B6 in the diet. I have been told lots of things, and have tried some, but I thought I would try this. I took a supplement last night and one the day before and today I have felt quite normal, other than tiredness and the cold I seem to have caught. I would much rather a sore throat than an upset stomach. I can’t figure out why I have been feeling quite sick and then the last couple of days I have progressively gotten better. I actually took my kids out today and I haven’t for a week or so. We went swimming with all three boys to celebrate one of them finishing their workbook. Honestly, I am quite proud of that feat. I will keep taking my B6, trying to sleep enough and not do too much and see if that is my solution. My diet has varied so much that I can’t pinpoint anything there. I pretty much eat what sounds good and try to make it as healthy as possible.

I typed up my morning schedule before I became pregnant. Quite honestly it has all vanished. It worked well before I didn’t feel well, but now my main concern is to tidy the house as much as possible, cook as much as possible and do as much laundry as possible. The essentials. I know this time will pass so I’m trying to not get too bothered by things not being as I would normally like them to be.

Today I felt quite capable and probably could have done my normal routine, but since I have been feeling so lousy I thought that I would take it easy and slowly ease back into things. I don’t want to speak too soon and say my morning sickness is over. I just had one good day and I will be happy for that and wish for more to come.

I still haven’t decided about what to do for a doctor. I seem to misjudge how far along I am by the contractions. Baby #2 I started pushing at home, but luckily I pushed for 90 minutes and had time to get to the hospital. AS you know baby #3 there was no chance in getting to the hospital. I do not want to have dh deliver my baby again. Nothing against dh, we actually joke to our friends that he is a midwife now, but I tore like crazy. I’ve thought seriously about a homebirth just to make sure someone is there that knows what they are doing and can monitor the baby, but the biggest down side of that for me is that I want to relax in the hospital after. Some people want to get out as quick as possible and I used to until I realized that I wouldn’t be waited on at home and instead will have little ones to wait on. I enjoy the few days there to just read and relax before the realities of adding one more child to a family kicks in.

Morning Routine

Here is my new schedule that I said I would post
Every Morning
Exercise
MF – treadmill or stair stepper
TTh – pump class
W – boot camp or treadmill/stair stepper
When I get home I start a load of laundry while my kids finish their show that dad set them up with. I check my email and respond to blog.

Then all of the boys and I clean all the bedrooms and make beds and put away laundry.

Breakfast (boys must clear their dishes and table)
I tidy the rest of the kitchen while they entertain themselves
Then I shower and get ready
Here is a new thing I’m doing and has been working great. Just before I get into the shower I clean one thing in the bathroom
Monday – toilet
Tuesday – sink
Wednesday – bath/shower
Thursday – bathroom floor
Friday – all mirrors in house upstairs, TV screen, and sliding door

And there you have it. I have a clean bathroom and only spend five minutes a day.

I will type my nap routine and night routines later.

6yo had the runs - poor kids. They are all watching Cars the movie upstair for family night. I will tidy for 15 minutes and then finish watching with them.

July 29th, 2007

This weekend I have been feeling much improved from how I felt earlier this week. I think it is because hubby is around and I’m able to take it a little easier and have less responsibility. He has been helping a lot.

I’m a little worried to start another week, but I will try to stay relaxed and calm. That seems to help a lot. I also need to keep a balance of staying busy, but not doing too much.

Hubby and I went on a date Friday. It was so nice. He has been working long hours and it was great to be able to talk to him without interruption. We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (very good, first time there) and then drove around before we went back to the kids and the sitter. We talked a lot about moving, etc. Ever since that conversation, I have been able to not focus on it so much. I think we will end up not moving until after the baby. We will offer to take care of the yard and things while the in-laws are away, just to help out. There is no way all of our stuff can fit into their house without us getting a storage unit and they would have to get one too and I think they want to keep a lot of their stuff there. I don’t blame them. I would want to just leave and come right back without the hassle of moving. I would also want to have my house taken care of. We can do that.

Our Home Teachers came over today. (Home Teachers are two people from the congregation of the church that come at least once a month to check on an individual family and to make sure they are okay and to share a spiritual thought. They often become great friends and people whom you can trust to call on in emergencies. It’s a great program.) They were complimentary to the way we are raising our children and teaching them. That meant a lot to me at this time in my life.

Since becoming pregnant I have had the question come to my mind, “Can I do this? I have my hands full already. I think I might be already at my limit of how many children I can nurture and rear.” So, the compliments of the Home Teachers was well timed. By the way, they don’t know I’m expecting yet. No one does except my chiropractor, my best friend and hubby’s parents, oh, and all of you. :) Luckily at lds.org it is easy to search for encouraging thoughts for parents about how God will help us raise our little ones. We are doing His work when we raise our children and He wants nothing more than for our children to know His Divine love for them. We are not alone, thankfully.

Entertainment in a clothes basket

Lately I have been dreading every evening because I haven’t known what to do with my kids. They are tired, but not tired enough to go to bed. It is still very hot outside. And I don’t want them to watch more television because they have been watching a bit more lately since I have not been feeling up to par. (I don’t feel nauseous, but I feel tired and my stomach feels unsettled.) So come evening I feel guilty for adding onto the TV. Today as I was laying on the couch thinking of where to direct their energy they started to play with an empty clothes basket. Hubby had had enough noise and was quite tired as he has been taking over a lot of my responsibilities so I sent them to go either outside or downstairs. Before long they were sliding down about four stairs and taking turns inside the basket. They put pillows at the bottom of the stairs to cushion any fall and it was all giggles. They took turns; no one got hurt and they were all happy. Hubby and I were able to clean upstairs and he was able to have a much needed break watching The Office. When the kids came up sweaty and tired we got them drinks and cheese and let them watch a little of Signing Time to cool down. They are finishing up so we will read scriptures (the picture ones), pray, brush teeth, and then 1yo will go with Dad for books and to be tucked in. 6yo will dress himself for bed and then he will read to me. Then dad reads to 6yo while I play with 3yo and then dad reads to 3yo while I finish tidying the house.

We also got family pictures today and I'm quite happy about that feat.

Big News

I haven’t felt well ever since we got back from Indiana. Here is why, we are currently expecting baby number four. Instead of losing 20 pounds in the next several months I will be gaining. (Notice my goal outfit.) As you can guess, I will be trying to still eat healthfully and stay fit throughout my pregnancy. I am starting 20 pounds heavier than I was with all the other pregnancies. This is not great. The last pregnancy I got into horrible eating habits and I’m determined not to repeat that. I’m determined to look great throughout, or as great as one can under these circumstances. Here is the good news, because of the dieting I was doing previous to conception I feel my body is healthy and I don’t currently eat as many sweets. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables and I feel I’m giving my new baby what it needs nutritionally.

This puts an added complication to our moving plans. I just got done researching all the houses that are on the market right now. The prices are soooo high. You can’t get much home for $300,000. Now is the time to sell, but not the time to buy. Lots of people are predicting a market correction. I hope so. So, hubby’s first choice is to live in his parents house. His second choice is to buy a house closer to work.

My first choice is to buy a nice house that I love that we can stay in for 10 or more years. (This is not possible since all the houses on the market in our price range don’t qualify.)

My second choice is to stay in our current home until after the baby is born (March 23rd) and wait until school is out and then put it on the market and get a house that we could live in.

I’m having a hard time because I don’t like any of my realistic choices. I think I’m just being picky, but I seem to be so confused right now. I feel a little trapped and feel each way I look is not a good option.

Hubby and I are trying to get a babysitter so that we can go out tonight and just have dinner somewhere nice and relax and talk. Plus I have been craving a good dinner salad from a restaurant.

Just a side note, I haven’t been craving all the junk I did with baby #3. I want fruits and protein things. I made beans and rice yesterday and it was heaven.

Also I’ve heard that if you dream about the sex of the baby while you are pregnant then that is the sex you will have. I dreamt it was a girl the other night. We’ll test that theory.

My next big thing to do is to decide what Dr. to go to. Here is a brief history of my births.
#1 c-section – breech baby
#2 hospital birth – 16 hour labor – all natural
#3 hubby delivered baby in our bathroom – oops – 3 hour labor – complete with firefighters rushing in from the 911 call and then the ambulance – we still have the 911 call recorded

Six Year Old

My six year old said to the neighbor, “If I get my colors wrong don’t blame my parents for not teaching me. It’s because I’m color blind.” Poor kid. It is true. Colorblindness runs in my family, but I had to smile at his consideration for my hubby and I (though it wouldn't matter to us if they did think we didn't teach our children colors. There are bigger things to worry about than that. :)

I'm leaning toward moving...

Here are my thoughts on the new plan for the move. We will talk to the in-laws and make sure that we can move all of our stuff in and make the home our own while we live there for 18 months. I do not like the home much nor the decorating style and it would make a big difference to me if we had all of our stuff and little of theirs. If we are on the same page I am thinking of starting my son in the school by my in-laws. My hubby would drive him and then after school he would walk to the in-laws home (literally three houses down) and wait for 1-1 ½ hours before hubby picked him up on the way home from work. We would have to do this for four months. He would do homework or play with new friends in the neighborhood. That is my new idea. (Does that sound doable to anyone who has had kids in all day school or taught school? We are new at this and feel like we are treading on new soil.) We would be able to save about $10,000 extra dollars to put on a home that we will stay in for quite awhile, HOPEFULLY. This would also give us time to know how my hubby’s new business was going. In two years from now we should know for sure which direction business is going. Another thing to add is that many people are saying that the market value here has peaked or will soon and then will go down. It might be a good time to sell our current house and wait for the market to go down.


My husband takes care of all of our yard needs as well as our garden. The one thing he hasn't touched is a little piece of dirt in front of our house that is supposed to be for flowers. It has had tons of weeds growing there. We have had a couple of overcast days where the temperature hasn't been in the 100's and so I took it upon myself to weed. What a workout! It was so much fun though. There was a little bit of rain falling, my boys played in the dirt after I removed the weeds and they were completley content most of the morning. The cats even joined in and had a ball chasing bugs, spiders or anything else that moved. I can't wait to finish it off and get some beautiful flowers growing. I have never done anything like this before and I'm quite excited. Off to Wal-Mart to pick some flowers. We'll see what I end up with. I'm not even sure what any flower names are. Here goes nothing.

Pioneer Day

Agnes Caldwell and her family traveled with the Willie Company (a handcart company of pioneers that were caught in an early storm crossing the plains) and suffered terrible hardships with the others. When the rescue wagons came, they took on all the infirm and those who couldn’t walk, but the able-bodied still had to press forward on foot. Nine-year-old Agnes and some of the other children decided to try to keep up with the wagons in hopes of being offered a ride. Sure enough, after a time one of the drivers asked her if she’d like to ride with him, an invitation she gratefully accepted. As she tells the story:

“At this he reached over, taking my hand, clucking to his horses to make me run, with legs that seemed to me could run no farther. On we went, to what to me seemed miles. What went through my head at that time was that he was the meanest man that ever lived or that I had ever heard of.”

I’ve tried to imagine this scene. I’ve pictured a little girl who had given everything she knew how to give for a cause she had been taught was dearer than life itself. I’ve wondered how it must have felt to finally be offered some relief and then have it just as suddenly withdrawn.
Agnes continues:

“Just at what seemed the breaking point, he stopped. Taking a blanket, he wrapped me up and lay me in the bottom of the wagon, warm and comfortable. Here I had time to change my mind, as I surely did, knowing full well by doing this he saved me from freezing when taken into the wagon.”

I have thought of this story many times when I find myself or my friends in what I would call “running –beside-the-wagon” moments. I have wondered if, at such times, when we have given all we have to give, relying on the promise that the Lord will lift us up, when we are questioning why he doesn’t pull us into the wagon, when we are about to collapse from the sheer exhaustion of it all – what if we stopped and listened to the Spirit? Perhaps we might hear him saying, “Wait. Wait just a little longer. You don’t know what I’m trying to save here.” Maybe the message would even be, “You don’t know who I’m trying to save here. You don’t know whose life might be eternally affected by your willingness to hang on for one more moment, to keep taking step after step. I promise I won’t leave you to drop. I know what you can bear, and your trials will not exceed your capacity.” I have to trust that the Lord knows what he is doing with my life, even in those hard moments when I can’t possibly see what he has in mind.

Grandma Elaine Southwick

I went over on my points toady. I didn’t eat all my fruits and vegetables. I find when I do eat enough of the good stuff then I don’t really have room or want the high point stuff. I will try again tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Pioneer Day when we remember and celebrate the trek of the pioneers across the plains. As per tradition we taught our children about one of their ancestors for tonight’s family night. This year I taught them about my grandma Elaine Southwick. I told them about the gold CTR (Choose the Right) Ring that she gave me when I was 18. I told them about the poetry book that she published and I read them some of the poems that mention my name. I then showed them pictures of when she was honored by a university as one of the key founders. There was a large dinner and celebration and presentation of an oil painting of her that was painted by Del Parsons. She was quite the lady and I hope my children have a glimpse into who she was and what they can accomplish too. We then went to a nearby park where they had pioneer games, pony and tractor rides. We finished the night off with cake in honor of my grandma and sang happy birthday. (I smile when I write that we sang happy birthday because I‘m not sure why we did it, but there was cake and we were thinking of someone special and it just happened.)

To Move or Not to Move

Hubby's parents live about 30 minutes south and about five minutes from hubby's work. They are leaving on a church mission in January of 2008. They will be gone for 18 months. they offered to let us live in their house and only pay their insurance and tax costs which is $200 a month. We were planning on moving within the year anyway. If we lived in their house we could save money and get a better house after the time there. The problem is that I worry about my kids and changing schools for them. My oldest would change schools in the middle of his 1st grade year and then he would go to 2nd grade in the same school, but would have to go to a new school for thrid grade. Anyone who has had school age kids, do you have any thoughts on if this is a big deal for a kid or nothing to worry about. I personally would like to not move so much, it is such a hassle, but it would be nice to save and get a nicer home in the end that we could live in for awhile.

Weigh In

I haven't weighed in for 2 weeks because of travel. Well, I'm down 1.5 pounds. I'm so happy with that. 1 and 1/2 pound loss with travel and delicious food is something I'm proud of. There was such a wonderful meal spread at every meal. I made sure I only put the things on my plate that looked really good and then I enjoyed one plate full and no seconds. I also let myself have one helping of dessert. MMMMMMM! How wonderful that we can live normal lives and lose weight or keep a healthy weight. We just have to keep our portions in check. I counted points when I could, but for the most part the huge meals I lost track and just guessed, but it worked out okay.

Food for Today

I had an apricot before my morning workout. I did stair stepper for 15 minutes and then treadmill walking for 20 minutes. The stair stepper almost killed me.

Then I had one pancake with syrup

I had cucumbers for snack. (We have sooo many in our garden.)

For lunch I had left-over lasagna with extra green onions (from a friends garden)
and green peppers from my mother-in-laws garden. :)

I had a snickers for a snack.

Dinner was a wonderful, easy grilled chicken recipe that a friend gave to me. I put the chicken in an olive oil and lemon pepper marinade and then grilled it. Simple and delicious. My kids kept munching on it all night.
I put a can of diced tomatoes in a pan that had green chili peppers and some other seasonings in it along with garden green onions and banana peppers. We put the sauce over whole grain noodles and had the chicken on the side as well as, of course, cucumbers.

I had LOTS of water today and have felt GREAT.

Today I went to a friends house in the morning to hang-out and chat and to let the kids play. We came home for lunch and then quiet time. After that we went to another friends house for water play. It was fun as we haven't left the house much since getting back from our vacation - except for a tour of a local candy factory yesterday.

We had dinner, fed the neighbor's dogs that we are caring for while they are away and then watched Man vs. Wild as a family. My boys LOVED that show. 3yo is still awake now and wanting to have his nightly play time with mommy and dear hubby is upstairs doing the dishes. I've also got a load of laundry in the drier. I forgot to start it this morning. Oh how I hate when I do that. Luckily it didn't smell so I dried it without rewashing it.

Camille Kimball

I found a great article for mothers. I put some of the quotes below. If you have five minutes check it out it is called A Woman’s Preparation

“Throughout history, nations have been able to survive a multiplicity of disasters, invasions, famines, earthquakes, epidemics, depressions, but they have never been able to survive the disintegration of the family.
“The family is the seedbed of economic skills, money habits, attitudes toward work, and the arts of financial independence. The family is a stronger agency of educational success than the school. The family is a stronger teacher of the religious imagination than the church. … What strengthens the family strengthens society. …
“The role of a father, a mother, and of children … is the absolutely critical center of social force. … If things go well with the family, life is worth living; when the family falters, life falls apart.” (Michael Novak, “The Family Out of Favor,” Harper’s, April 1976, pp. 42–43.)
President McKay said, “[The woman] who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose influence will be felt through generations to come, … deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God.” (Gospel Ideals, Improvement Era Pub., 1953, pp. 453–54.)

Here I Am

I had a great trip to Indiana and want to talk about the fiasco I had in the airport with 1yo, but I haven't been feeling well so I will have to do that in a day or so.

Weight Watchers has been going well until I got sick. I'm happy with the plan and it is still fun for me to do.

I changed my schedule around in hopes of incorporating more cleaning spread throughout the day. The problem is that I changed my computer time and the way I had it I never quite got to my computer. I'm going to tweak my schedule and then I'll post it tomorrow or the next day.

Talk to you soon.

I also read two great books and want to talk about them too. So much to do; so little time!

Tagged

I was tagged quite awhile ago and haven't gotten to it with travel and all, so here goes. This is my first time so I will probably do it all wrong, but oh well.

Rule #1: Remove the blog site at the top of the list below, move all the blog site names up one, and add yourself to the bottom.

Musings from an LDS Writing Mom
LDS Writers Blogck (Connie S. Hall)
Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author
Lords of the Manor
Homemaking Career

What were you doing ten years ago?
Summer of 1997- I was home working for the summer. I was home from attending a University about 6 hours from my home. My brother was attending the University in my home town. He wanted to be on the ballroom dance team so as he was going to try out I asked him what he was doing. He told me and I decided to go along and try out too. Yes, I wasn’t going to that University, but I figured it didn’t matter since I wouldn’t make it; It was a strong program and very competitive. Well, I ended up making the team and then I had a dilemma. I tried out because I LOVE to dance and ballroom is lots of fun to do with guys that know how to do it. A free day of dancing is how I initially viewed the situation. At the last moment I wondered if I should change where I was going to school. My brother made the team too and I thought that would be fun. He is two years older than I. I decided not to change schools and I really have wished that I would have stayed. I thought, “Oh I will have another chance to do these things later.” Not so. I realize now that you need to do those things when you are young and not married. For example, it isn’t practical for my husband and I to do it now for various reasons and I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it with anyone other than my husband. So there you go. 10 years ago I had a pivotal decision to make. Just a side note: my brother made the traveling team and he quite the team just before they started traveling on overnight trips. Here is the reason. He said the guys on the team were gay and he was not about to sleep in the same bed with them. My brother is a 6’3” guy who has always been a football player and quite large. I thought it was interesting that a guy of his size would be so nervous. He said he knew what happened during those trips and he wanted no part in it. This is bringing up a lot of memories. I’ll try to be brief on the next ones.

What were you doing one year ago?
We were in Colorado and Husband was looking for a job in the state that we now live.


Five snacks you enjoy:
cookies
Cake
Cookies
Cake
Maple bars

Five songs you know all the lyrics to:
The wheels on the Bus
Barney Theme Song: I love you, you love me
Nothing Compares to You (Remember that bald lady sang it in the late 80’s or maybe it was the early 90’s – “I went to the Doctor and guess what he told me? Guess what he told me. He said girl you better try to have fun no matter what you do, but he’s a fool.”)
It’s Your Love by Faith Hill
I am a Child of God

Things you would do if you were a millionaire:
Pay off my house
Invest
Buy more fish and organic health food
Pay off my parents’ house
Give all of my siblings and dh siblings money
Relax

Five bad habits:
Eating when nervous, bored or stressed
Raising my voice too often
Eating off my kids’ plates
Too much computer time
Procrastinating cleaning or doing things I don’t want to


Five things you like to do:
be on the computer
Be with my kids and hubby
Learn
Laugh
Be carefree

Things you will never wear again:
Never say never


Five favorite toys:
books
clothes
computer

Where will you be in ten years:
I will have a 16 year old so I will be staying off the road while he drives and probably spying on him on his dates. :) And I will be healthy and thin.

Three people to tag:

Candy at keepingthehome.com
Mama at mamasthoughtsandquestions.com
Emily at gatewaydreamer.wordpress.com

Goals

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams," wrote Henry David Thoreau, "and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

Weight Watchers

I'm finally facing the fact that I do need to be more specific with my plan so I'm thinking about Weight Watchers along with the Beck Diet Solution. My plan that I made up caused me to want to change the rules all the time. I talked to a friend this morning and she is doing it and I think I'm at the point now that I'm willing to give it a shot. I spoke with her after breakfast and that quickly I decided to start - right then. So today that is what I did and I ate way less than I normally do. I was tempted to snack, but then I thought, "That is not worth the points." It worked. Hopefully it will work in six weeks too. I will not attend meetings as I weigh-in at a friend's house and we talk about it all.

I mentioned it to hubby on the phone today and he didn't seem that excited about me doing WW. We didn't have time to talk about it at the moment, but we will tonight.I wonder if he thinks he'll have to eat diet stuff - he loves a good meal.

We have another vacation to Indiana coming up this Friday. That poses a problem. I think I will just try to be aware of what I'm eating and then write it when I have a private moment and calculate the points. I will try to make good choices and only eat the high fat things if they look really good and I really want them.

Oh and a bonus is that you have to have at least 2 dairy products a day for calcium.

Here is what I ate today
Breakfast - Burrito 7pts
Orange Juice 1/2 pt
Triscuits 1/2 pt

Lunch - Kashi Natural Frozen Lunch - 7pts
2c Watermelon - 2pts
Taste of Macaroni and Cheese - 1pt (not worth the point)

Dinner - chicken (5oz)6pts
salad 1pt
green beans 0pt

Total 25 points
Points Banked - O

exercise - 1 hour power pump class

Dust will keep, babies won't

“Cleaning and scrubbing can wait for tomorrow,
For babies grow up, I’ve learned, to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby, and babies don’t keep.”
Author Unknown

I believe our houses should be tidy and clean. I do not believe that they should be immaculate. Just in any area of life, there can be too much of a good thing. It is once again, the balancing act. I work hard to clean my home, but it is not spotless and there are smudge marks on my sliding glass door. I would like it clean, but that can wait. Right now it will show my kids had a popsicle this morning and played in the mud this afternoon. One day they will be gone and I will have time to shine the windows. At least until grandkids come…

I Love My Family

July 8th, 2007

Today is family day. We went to church and I substitute taught the 10-11 year old girls’ class and talked about Jesus the Good Shepherd. They were all pretty shy. But I enjoyed giving the lesson.

After church and lunch 3yo and 1yo went down for a nap. I finished an excellent book called The Glass Castle. (Super good. I read it in two days. I’ll try to post more about it later along with another book I finished recently called I Am a Mother.) Then 6yo and I played Connect Four. I’m really enjoying the fact that he is becoming quite fun to be around. We had fun, had a few laughs and he even won a couple of times.

After choir practice the sleepers woke up, including hubby and we had dinner: Ramen noodles with seasoned tomatoes, chicken chunks and cottage cheese. Can you believe it was quite good? I haven’t had Ramen since college. I’ve always liked them, but they have enriched flour and used to have trans fats. Regression? Maybe, but I’m not worried about it.

We had a family wrestling match that ended when 1yo and hubby bonked heads. I don’t know who was hurt more. We let 1yo hold the cat and he was fine soon and hubby held 1yo. We decided to calm things down and watched part of America’s Funniest Videos. 3yo thinks it is hilarious and it is all worth it just to see him roll with laughter. Then we watched nature. When 3yo got restless then hubby took him to the back yard to check on our garden and to play catch. They came back with a delicious beet. It was tasty, but I’d rather eat them cooked. I’ll have to get some recipes. I wanted hubby to save the greens. When I asked him why he didn’t he said, “I did, they’re right there.” He pointed to the top of the garbage can. What a great place to save them. I had to smile. Such a guy.

A guy in church sat down next to my husband and said, “Is that your son?” He pointed to 6yo. Hubby confirmed. “Is he left-handed?”

“Yes.” Said my husband wondering where this was going. Odd.

“I knew it!” He then went on to say that he worked in some biology field and knew some geniuses and they were all left-handed. My husband said something about our son being pretty bright. The guy corrected him. Telling my husband that is was more than just pretty bright. He said if you just watch him and listen to him it is obvious that he is brilliant. Kind of an interesting conversation – a little flattering, but we both think this man uses the word genius too loosely. We think our son is very smart, but genius and brilliant are strong words. I think it’s too early to tell and I’m not focusing on that right now other than giving him opportunities to expand his horizons. Right now is for 6yo to be a kid. It is a once in a life-time opportunity to be a kid. I want him to have fond memories of growing up so when the storms of life blow him around he can have warm memories to shelter him. (Hopefully he’ll forget the times Mom is really, really tired and out of patience!)

By the way, did I mention that I'm left-handed? ;0

7-7-7 (cool date - heard there were a lot of weddings today

Hubby went with his brother, brother-in-law and dad for a guys weekend. They had a great time with a movie, paintball and golfing. I had the boys and we had quite a good time too with movies, outings, baseball and treats. I’m noticing as my boys are getting older how much easier they are when hubby is gone. I don’t dread it like I once did when they were a couple of years younger.

I stayed the same yesterday. I wrote a longer post about it, but just as I was about to post it 1yo climbed beneath the desk and turned off the main power switch. I’m not going to rewrite it all. The short story is that I need to reevaluate since last week I gained and this week I stayed the same. I know the eating plan will work, it’s just getting the will or desire or whatever it takes to decide that is what I will do. Maybe if I remind myself that it will get easier as I practice resisting going off plan, but sometimes it is overwhelming.

Not sure what will help at this point.

July 5th, 2007

Tomorrow is weigh-in day. I’m worried. I probably ate only at 50% capacity. Meaning that I could have done 50% better, but I did exercise everyday – except on the 4th. I’m trying to monitor my thoughts at this point. I know I’ll be sad if I don’t lose and quite discouraged. I will be discouraged not because I think the plan doesn’t work. I really believe that if I followed the plan I would lose. The plan is good it is my ability to stick to the plan.

If I lose I will be so happy and know that I could lose even more if I try just a little harder. If I get to bed tonight I will workout in the morning – stair stepper to get ready for a huge hike at the end of the summer with hubby.

I am very proud of myself today. I slipped a little, but there were many times that I had rationalized to eat a snickers, cookie, you name it. I came up with great reasons as to why I should eat these goodies, but when it came down to it I reminded myself that it WASN”T on the plan for the day. I succeeded. Hopefully this is getting my resistance muscle stronger and eventually things will get easier because right now they are not automatic and not easy. I just need to remember that it is easier today than it was three weeks ago and if I keep trying it will be even easier in another three weeks.

For exercise I swam. I used to be a competitive swimmer, but haven't gotten in the pool for quite some time. Boy it was hard. Then I took my older boys back to the pool for some play time.

Here are some quotes and ideas I got from other blogs.

The first is from someone named Peter – that’s all I know about him and the second is a challenge that Kim is doing on her site.

As you know already, what determines weight-loss success is not just a blossoming of inner gumption. It's not a raw Triumph of the Will, in other words, so much as it is a whole, fairly undramatic congeries of factors, often environmental as well as internal, that collectively make it possible to first develop a new set of habits, and then to stay uninterruptedly within the groove of those new habits long enough to pay down your calorie surplus.
If you can keep from being interrupted in your good habits, you'll keep off the weight that you've lost. If you are interrupted in them by illness, injury, unhappiness, the influence of another person, forgetfulness, a different job, bad weather, a child, or the like--and such changes are common in many lives, at least over the medium term--you'll have to work at coming up with more new habits that can take account of that changed life situation.
If you can stick to a routine--almost any routine, really--you can lose weight, since the helpful behaviors will become habitual. It's just that you also need to be able to arrive at other, entirely new routines as your circumstances change. And this is where many people stumble, at least a little.
In other words, willing your own sense of urgency not to fade is necessary, but probably not sufficient.
1. Drink a minimum of 64oz of water a day.
2. Depending on your current activity level, complete a minimum of 10 to 30 minutes of exercise everyday.
3. Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day.
4. Keep a positive attitude. If you slip up, forgive yourself and get back on track THAT SAME DAY.
5. Be kind to yourself. In your thoughts, and in your actions.
6. Weigh yourself once a week and report in.
7. Take your measurements to compare at the end of the challenge.
8. Take a before and after photo to see your progress.

Food for Today

B - Nectarine
malt 'o meal
milk

L - salad
plum
beans and rice or whole wheat noodles and red sauce

Before Dinner - 4 carrots

D-buffalo chicken salad
with black beans, cheese, and whatever vegetables I can find

1 piece of Zonya Foco's Banana Bread
(If you haven't watched Zonya' Health Bites on PBS then you are missing out. It is my favorite show and is all about healthy living. And she give recipes too. This will be the first time trying this recipe if I have time to make it today.)

Floaters
V8
egg
vegetables

Food for Today

B –
Nectarine
Egg
Cereal
Milk
Banana

L- ONE serving of whatever

D- ONE serving of whatever

Floaters
V8
Fruit
Vegetables
(I can have unlimited amount of these for snacks on this trip.)


Exercise - 1 hour Power Pump (already did it!!!)
It is okay to be hungry. It is not okay to eat junk. I want to eat like a healthy person. I want to look healthy and it is something I'm willing to work for.

July 2nd, 2007

I had a couple of unplanned eating episodes. I was able to stop at one cookie the first time and I even turned down twizzlers and some other sweets. When I got hungry I went to food on my list instead of goodies – thanks Coach Emily. :)

I did yoga during my boys’ nap times and then after we had a wonderful family night, (Hubby taught a scripture story about Alma the Younger and then we went to a petting zoo.) I ran home from the petting zoo. I had planned to do this, but when it came right down to it I didn’t want to. I still had dinner in my stomach, way too much dinner to be honest, and it was hot and I was sluggish. My family encouraged me so I started on my way. It was about two miles to home.

I was jogging along when there was my family in the van. The boys were hollering out the window along with dad. They were all so excited. They drove away and around the next corner there they were and the entire way they cheered me on. It was such a boost and so encouraging. It actually made me want to train for a 5K or a swim race just so my kids could cheer for me and see their old mom work hard at something and finish. Wouldn’t that be fun? I used to compete in both swimming and running and it might be fun to go down that road again. I guess I’ll start with a small town 4th of July 100Meter race at a little park that we are going to. That will be fun.

Dinner was my problem today. In order to not go into details and beat myself down lets just say I didn’t stop at seconds. I went to thirds and dessert to. I had all the thoughts go through my mind, but I pushed them all aside. I need an action plan. I think Plan A will be to put all leftovers away before I even start eating. That way it will be a huge hassle to get them out of the fridge. The problem with this is if someone else wants to eat more. Plan B would be to leave immediately after eating. The problem with this is that DH would have to help the kids finish and clean up by himself. Plan C just came to me and I think I like it the best. I will eat my dinner. Ask if anyone wants any more food. If they say no, then I will put it all away. If it is yes then I will ask them to put it away when they are finished and I will proceed to clean up. We’ll see how this works.

Tomorrow we are going south into the heat, but to see family. It will be fun and I should still be able to workout there. The trick will be the eating, as it always is. I think my plan will be to eat three meals and three meals only. I will put my food on my plate and eat only one helping. This is going to be hard. I think my plan of action will be to eat later in the eating schedule so that I won’t be tempted to go back and my kids will all be fed and I can relax and enjoy and then I will leave the food area immediately (or offer to help cleanup) after I’m done eating. I’m going to have to print this out and read it the next couple of days.

In summary
After eating ONE plate of food get up and start putting things away or just leave the room. That shouldn’t be too hard right?

On normal days I will stick with my list of food for the day and I will immediately get up from the table and put away food or cleanup.

The thing I like about the Beck Diet Solution is that it is not only very positive, but it helps you feel in control and that is what I LOVE.

Food for Today

"What you eat in private is what you wear in public."
I just saw that quote today and it is perfect for me. I don't have as many problems at social events because I'm busy being social. It is when I'm not busy or putting off being busy that I eat.

B- cereal
banana
milk

L- tuna sandwich
nectarine

Before dinner - 4 carrots

Dinner - 1 chicken twinkie
1/4 - 1/2cup mashed potato
broccoli
cauliflower

Floaters
V8
milk
cookie
egg

Exercise: yoga - if the boys nap well.
I don't want to stress about it, but if the day works out well then I will get in a quick jog or something - maybe this evening. I slept in this morning. :(

A little too much physical activity for me!

I ate 1/2 my breakfast with intentions of eating the rest after I worked out.

I woke up and went to a Pump Class with a different instructor. She about killed us! I lookeed around and several people - the majority - couldn't keep up with her, but we sitll kept trying. I was shaking on my way home.

I got home for about 30 minutes and grabbed some turkey slices and cheese. I have heard after lifting weights that you should eat protein after. So I ate more than I had planned and didn't eat the rest of my breakfast.

I then took my 6yo and 3yo to the city park to find our church float that they would be on. I couldn't find it. We were late since I worked out before hand so I put them in a safe place an ran (literally) around trying to find the float. It was 98 degrees. We found it. I dropped them off, walked quickly back to my car (I've probably gone 1/2 a mile by now) then parked at the end of the parade route and walked the parade route in reverse order until I found them and then I joined them and walked in the parade. I don't know how far I went, but it was about 1 and 1/2 hours of walking quickly in very hot weather. I was beat!

I had lunch and got the kids situated. I wanted to nap, but that didn't workout so after a mid-afternoon snack I took 6yo and 3yo to the pool. We swam and played for over two hours. (We do workbooks every afternoon and when they finish one then I take them both swimming. This was due to 6yo finishing one of his books.)

After swimming and feeding the kids I didn't feel so well. My body was beat. I was going on two nights of only 6 hours of sleep with no naps and such a busy day. I laid down and tried to watch a movie with hubby, but instead went to bed. Hubby took over and put everyone to bed. I was out like a light and slept so completely sound that it was like I was a rock.

I felt better this morning, still a little shaky and a little light headed, but I don't feel flu-like as I did last night. I think after I post this I will take another rest.