Live The Life: Week Six

Oh boy.  Where to start? :)  This week was the hardest week I've had so far.  I hit a mental roadblock, and really started to lose my will to keep doing all of this!  Mostly, to keep with the eating structure.  I really don't have as hard a time working out anymore (which is so cool!)  But as I've mentioned, so much of what we do for fun is centered around food...

We celebrated Valentine's Day by making an AWESOME meal!  And it was delicious!  And I very much enjoyed actually eating dinner with my family.  I thought that would help me feel more motivated to stick with it for the rest of the week, but alas...it did not. :)  I was just so unhappy through the middle part of the week.  Danny had had enough by Thursday night, so we went to Berry Star as a family and Danny "forced" me to eat some dessert.  It was still sugar free frozen yogurt, and I didn't get very much at all.  But I very much enjoyed the treat!  Then Friday was a party with friends, and there was party food.  Who was I to shun our hosts and not partake? :)  Again, I really didn't eat much.  But apparently, all those little cheats added up, and my weigh-in was, well, disappointing.

I've been doing a lot of thinking and talking (thanks, Danny and Mom for listening over and over and over again!) during the last week.  Danny has pointed out to me that even if I were to lose 30 pounds doing this program, I still wouldn't be happy.  My Mom reminded me of when I was engaged (and looked AWESOME), and I still didn't like how I looked and thought I needed to lose 10 pounds before the wedding.  I've realized they have a point!  And I have to admit, I have looked at this Live the Life program as the tool that was going to fix my body for good.  That after this 12 weeks, I would love my body and the way I look and I could quit thinking about it all the time!  And I was only reinforced by those first few weeks of losing 3+ pounds a week.  

But it's not going to fix anything if the real problem is in my head.  Problem is, I have no idea how to fix that one.  However, I have decided something.  I need to look at Live the Life a little differently.  It is one thing that I'm doing right now to get to a healthy weight.  It is something I'm doing to educate myself about calorie intake and work out techniques.  And, no matter how much more weight I lose or don't lose, I'm going to look fantastic when I'm done!  I already look more like myself than I have in a long time...

That being said, I'm going to finish this program as best I can.  I'm going to allow myself to enjoy life as it comes along as well.  And I'm going to work really hard to retrain myself in how I view my body.  I'm going to try harder to do the little things everyday, like wearing jeans instead of sweats and actually doing my hair and makeup, to help me feel better about myself now.  I'm not going to worry so much about where I'll be when I finish.  I'm going to trust that it's going to be good, and I'm going to recognize that I'll continue eating well and working out for the rest of my life.  I'm going to Live My Life! :)

So, are you ready to buy my inspirational self-help tapes now?  :)  Here are numbers for Week Six!  Half way done, Baby!

WEEK SIX RESULTS

.6 lbs lost (total ~ 14.4 lbs)

1/2 inch off my waist (total ~ 5 inches)

1 inch off my hips (total ~ 3 3/4 inches)

Will You Be My Valentine?

Valentine's Day 2011!  In year's past, I've agonized over Valentine's Day.  I felt so much pressure to not do anything exorbitant, but at the same time celebrate our love in a properly over-indulgent American way.  You know?  :)  After ending last Valentine's a little frustrated, Danny and I decided we were going to mix things up this year.  We were going to start a new family tradition!  I've been so excited!

First, let me digress.  This has nothing to do with the holiday, but I caught this little moment on Valentine's Day, so it's going in this post. :)  Johnny has been spending a lot more time on the floor now that he can roll anywhere he wants to go.  And apparently, he can now reach and play with anything he wants to, too!  Claire had left her sippy cup on the snack rug from her lunch, and Johnny promptly rolled to it and got it in his mouth.  He then finished the last tasty dregs of apple juice that Claire left.  What a cute able little guy!

Ok, back to Valentine's Day.  Danny and I decided to simplify Valentine's, and turn it into a family holiday.  Danny would get me flowers, and the girls a Valentine's gift.  The kids and I would get Danny chocolates.  Period.  That way there were no unmet expectations.  No worrying about budgets, and spending weeks trying to figure out something to get that was meaningful and...uh...inexpensive. :)  The kids and I went out last week and got Danny his chocolates, which Claire promptly told Danny about as soon as he got home.  We're still working on the concept of a surprise. :)

The girls helped me decorate Danny's See's Truffles box during the day, and they loved making their hearts for Daddy.  I think they did a really good job!

Danny surprised us by coming home from work a little early, and he was bearing gifts for the ladies in his life.  For the girls, he got them a (milk chocolate) rose, Tinkerbell conversation hearts, and a Minnie Mouse lollipop.  They were totally stoked!

And for me, he brought tulips.  I love tulips!  They are such a happy, springy flower.  And I kind of liked that they weren't roses.  A little out of the box. :)

If that were all our Valentine's Day consisted of, I would say it was a success.  But there's more!  If Valentine's Day is about celebrating love, than we were going to do what we love with the people we love.  Our new Call family tradition on Valentine's Day is making an awesome "Red and Pink" dinner!  I've been planning the menu for weeks, and looking forward to eating some delicious food for weeks.  I spent a decent part of the day cooking, and I have to say, our meal was a fabulous success!  The kids and I even went to Target and got some fun Valentine's dishes...

Isn't it just beautiful?  It may or may not have brought tears to my eyes!  On the menu was Cheesy Chicken Parmesan, compliments of the Neely's from The Food Network.

It. Was. Incredible.  Seriously, it only took less than an hour to make, and it was inexpensive to boot.  And it could have easily come out of a restaurant kitchen.  Presentation isn't bad either, if you ask me. :)

We also had a green salad, Hawaiian Berry Limeade Punch, and Glass Block Jell-o Hearts.  The Jell-o Hearts were an Our Best Bites recipe. Also awesome, and super cute!

And here is my happy family, sitting down to our awesome dinner.  Johnny was taking a little evening nap, which is why he isn't pictured.

I was so pleased with how everything turned out!  I have pretty high expectations, especially when I'm cooking and have actually planned a special meal.  And it all worked perfectly!  I was one happy Mama.

After dinner was over, we got the kitchen cleaned up and did Family Home Evening.  Then it was time for the girls to go to bed.  Johnny got up from his nap about the time we started FHE, so he was in a good mood.  And Danny and I love it when we get some time with a happy little boy when his sisters are asleep.

Johnny is totally a kisser!  Whenever he's been left alone for too long, as soon as I pick him up he grabs my face and slobbers all over me!  I just love it.

Here are my handsome Valentines!  Danny is obviously tired, but it's only because he's the sweetest husband in the world.  I realized late Sunday night that I had gotten evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk for the Jell-o.  And it's not like there is any such thing as a quick run to the store for us!  So Danny got up EXTRA early and drove all the way into town on Monday morning before going to work to pick up a single can of sweetened condensed milk so I could have my perfect dinner.  He's amazing.

Once we got Johnny to bed, there was little time left for just us.  We put in a disc of "Home Improvement" and ate our Valentine's dessert.  Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie with Heart Ice Cream (thanks, OBB!)  It was delish!

I absolutely loved our Valentine's Day!  And I can't wait for next year.  I love my family so much, and I am still so crazy in love with Danny.  I can't believe I married my best friend.  And that through the years we've been together, our friendship and marriage grow stronger.  

Happy Valentine's Day!

Live The Life: Week Five

Week Five was an interesting week for me.  I felt rather accomplished at having finished the first month strong.  I didn't waiver one little bit from my meals, and I only missed one workout in Week One (due to an early doctor's appointment for Johnny), and I made it up the next day.  I've never been so dedicated!

And I was excited to start this week, because it meant a new set of exercises!  I was excited to kick it up a notch, and see what the results would be.  But, it turns out I had a really hard time getting the new exercises to feel right.  And most of them were really supposed to be done at a gym, which is totally annoying since this was supposed to be a "you can do this at home" type of program.  As the week progressed, I got better at adapting the exercises.  But I'm afraid it cost me a bit as far as results go.

I also hit a real rut towards the end of the week.  It was the same thing it's been over the last few weeks: I needed a reward...a break from everything.  So we did our afternoon at the park, which included 2 slices of Costco pizza for me!  I can't tell you how much I enjoyed that pizza.  And what was better was I really didn't feel guilty about it.  It felt good to "break the rules" a bit, and gave me the motivation I needed to see the rest of the week through.

I was, however, rather disappointed with the results from Week 5.  I had the worst weigh-in yet (marginally), and my measurements didn't reflect any change.  But that may be inaccurate, since I did my own measurements and usually Danny does them for me.  Anyway, here are the numbers.  And bring on Week 6...almost half way done!

WEEK FIVE RESULTS

1.6 lbs lost (total ~ 13.8 lbs)

0 inches off my waist (total ~ 4 1/2 inches)

0 inches off my hips (total ~ 2 3/4 inches)

Milestones: Solids in the High Chair

Truth be told, Johnny's been eating rice cereal for the better part of a month now.  But we only just got the high chair, so now it's official!  I tried to wait until he turned six months old to introduce solids, but Johnny stopped sleeping through the night and didn't seemed satisfied after he nursed anymore.  So, I've tried to be smart about how much I give him so he keeps nursing.  I think we've got it figured out pretty good right now.

No surprises here, but Johnny LOVES eating his cereal!  So far, he's only gotten rice cereal, mixed with pear juice or mixed fruit juice.  He loves both, and always surprises me with how much he'll eat!

Before too long, we'll be buying baby food for this little guy.  He really doesn't seem old enough to me to be eating real food (if you can call baby food real food).  Where did my little baby go?  

A Break in the Routine

Danny and I thrive on routine.  I love schedules and check lists.  I love knowing what I can expect the next day before I go to sleep at night.  And I've gotten our lives running pretty smoothly lately, even with three kids under the age of 4 and a husband that works and goes to school and serves in his calling.  Not to mention a new work-out and nutrition regimen for me.  And it's all thanks to a good routine.  A routine that's driving me CRAZY!!!

I've been living in a dichotomy for a few weeks now.  I'm very proud of how I'm managing our household and keeping the kids eating and napping as they should.  But I haven't had a speck on spontaneity in weeks!  I've been craving...something...anything that was out of our ordinary.  And since food was out of the question as a way to calm my nerves , I was seriously in a rut!

So, Danny (who I'm sure was sick of hearing me gripe) came up with a plan.  We were going to have a picnic at the park!  Complete with some delicious Costco Pizza, of which I partook of gladly.  It was a beautiful 70 degree day, and the park was mostly empty.  It was wonderful!

We started out with our pizza picnic lunch.  Claire was making sure she had enough energy to play (thank you, Super Why!)  And Sophie was good enough to keep Johnny occupied while I enjoyed two heavenly slices of pizza.  You don't know how much you can appreciate pizza until you've deprived yourself of delicious things for over a month.

Sophie could hardly eat her pizza fast enough!  This girl loves to climb and swing and...well...anything else that is somewhat dangerous.  I thought she might be a little nervous to go down the slide.  Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking either!  Sophie took that slide like a champ!

Claire, on the other hand, was a little more reserved.  She picked at her pizza until I made her go play!  That Claire is just not into new experiences.  I'm going to love that about her when she's a teenager!

This was Johnny's first outing to a park, and I think he enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air.  I can't believe how big he's gotten.  I just love my Little Guy!

Danny and the girls played and played and played.  Well, Sophie and Danny played.  Claire stood at the top of the slide for a good 5 minutes or more.  Debating on whether or not it was worth the risk...

I don't think she ever went down. :)

Johnny enjoyed some time playing with Daddy on the playground, and then it was time to eat!

(Ok, so they were totally looking into the sun for this picture!  Still cute, though. :) )

We have a niece, Rose, that is one of the most adorable people you'll ever meet.  Ever since she was little, she has loved the simple things in life.  Particularly, rocks and sticks.  This love of rocks and sticks must be genetic then, so Sophie comes by it honestly. :)

I'm so glad that we had these girls so close together.  They are such good friends!  In fact, Sophie is having a very difficult time going to Nursery without Claire.  It's made us realize just how connected Sophie is to her big sister.  She's never done anything in her life, until Nursery, without Claire.  It makes Danny and I so happy to see them love each other so much.

And while Claire may be lacking in a sense of adventure, she certainly makes up for it in imagination!  That girl lives her life in her imagination.  She has been particularly into pretending that she is Rapunzel, from "Tangled".  She spent a decent amount of time by this tree trying to figure out how to use her hair to swing around it while saying "Best. Day. Ever!"  This girl is too stinkin' cute.

It was a wonderful afternoon, and just what Danny and I needed to recharge a bit.  And even though Sophie and Johnny went without naps, we were able to get all the rest of the shopping done and get home at a good time.  But I have to say, once we got home, I remembered why I stick to my schedule.  :)

Post-Worthy

Some things are just post-worthy.  I don't have an amazing or moving story to go along with these pictures.  Mostly, they are just capturing moments.  Moments are post-worthy.  :)

I know I've mentioned ad nauseum how amazing Danny is with our kids.  But he is.  He's been making a point lately to take a few minutes and read a story or two with the kids when he gets home from work.  It helps him feel like he's reconnecting with us after a long day away.  How awesome is that?  You can tell the kids totally dig it.  And Danny is an AWESOME storyteller!

I guess I do have something of a story to go with this picture.  Danny had an overnight Youth Conference in Tehachapi last weekend, which left me and the kids home alone on Friday night.  This was kind of a big deal for me.  It was the first time I've been home alone since we got married!  The few other times Danny had to be gone overnight, I ended up at either my Mom's or his parents.  I can't lie, I kind of liked it that way.

But, I guess I'm going to have to grow up sometime!  Surprisingly enough, I was more worried about being able to stay patient with the kids as a single mom than I was making it through the cold, dark night alone, way out here in the desert where no one would hear me scream. :)  So, in an attempt to make the night fun, seem like a cool Mom, and keep the girls entertained, we built a fort in the front room and made Brown Bag Microwave Popcorn.  The girls picked something to watch, and we made an evening of it.  I think they enjoyed themselves, and it helped to break up the monotony of the day.

I did just fine sleeping through the night without Danny.  Turns out, I didn't have to sleep in a cold bed.  Sophie and Johnny kept it warm for me... :)

As you can see, Sophie is getting REALLY good at helping to keep my bed warm!  :)  Danny took this picture the other morning, and while I may be insane for posted a sleeping, no make-up picture of myself, I couldn't help it.  Sophie never wants to cuddle with me.  But on this particular morning, she was cold sleeping on her little bed we make up for her on our floor (this sleeping in our bed business got old, so now she just sleeps on our floor when she comes in.  Hey, we only have a queen bed!), so she climbed in next to me and fell right back to sleep.  When I saw the picture, I couldn't believe how much we look alike!  And how absolutely precious my little {terrible} two-year-old looks asleep.  I love my Sophie-kins!

Live The Life: Week Four

This is so cool.  Last week, I was 1/4 of the way through this program...and now, just one week later, I'm already 1/3 of the way done! :)

This week was a really hard one for me.  I honestly think my low weigh-in at the end of last week put a damper on things.  But, I pushed on true and didn't cheat!  Except the one bite of Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos with Lime-Cilantro Ranch dipping sauce that we tried for dinner last night. :)

Seriously, I struggled last week.  There were SO many times that I just didn't want to keep doing this!  I honestly don't mind the workouts.  But I miss eating.  I mean REALLY miss eating!  If anything, this program has really opened my eyes to the relationship I have with food.  I miss rewarding myself, or celebrating things.  Because I feel like I can't adequately do either of those things without something delicious to eat!

And then I felt like all of this sacrifice and hard work wasn't really doing anything.  I know, stupid, right?  The numbers don't lie!  But I worried that maybe I was just growing smaller, but staying as disproportionate as I've been.  Does that make sense?  But again, I pushed on true.  I'm going to see this thing through and see where it takes me.

Funny story: Monday was rough anyway because of that stinking weigh-in.  But I thought the silver lining would be a new set of meals for the week!  I was optimistic as I blended up my pumpkin spice shake, but had the hardest time choking it down.  Seriously, I think I literally gagged the last bit down!  I figured I was out of luck for the week at that point.  But then Tuesday morning I happened to glance at the expiration date on my milk.  Yeah...turns out the shake is just fine without spoiled milk! :)

So, all that being said, I'm feeling better now.  I'm getting a lot of comments from people about how thin I'm looking, and that means a lot.  And I really can tell a difference if I don't think about it too hard! ;)

Besides, the numbers don't lie, right? :)

WEEK FOUR RESULTS

3.6 lbs lost (total ~ 12.2 lbs)

1/2 inch off my waist (total ~ 4 1/2 inches)

0 inches off my hips (total ~ 2 3/4 inches)