The triumphant Return!

Good Morning!

Tomorrow is the first day of October!!!

  

So we took a little break from blogging last week because Kyra was having a rough weekend. Teething is really hard on her and we had some long nights followed with some even longer days. So blogging took a backseat to cuddling my little angel and doing my best to try and make her feel better.

This week is looking a little better so I plan on putting post up every day this week!

I am rebooting the workout and healthy living yet again this month. Last month wasn't bad by any means but it wasn't great either. I am having trouble managing my time when it comes to healthy food since our days and nights are all one big run on at the moment. However we are getting into the swing of things I think so I can try and manage a little bit better.

Working out has moved to doing Zumba Fitness on the Xbox daily and doing Blogilates and strength training every other day. Now at times I have to break up the workout. Doing Zumba for 45 minutes straight is really tough. Kyra will usually let me get through about fifteen minutes before getting cranky and I have to stop and pickup later. It's tough but any workout is better than no workout!

The strength and Blogilates is a little easier to fit in. I can do pushups, squats, lunges, and even lifts with Kyra and she gets a kick out of it! Blogilates I put her next to me on the floor and she laughs at Mommy trying to do the poses!

In other news I am working on a "September Favorites" post. I found a lot of awesome and non expensive products last month that I want to share with you all! I am not sure if it will be a normal post or if I will do a Vlog instead!

What do you all think? A post or a vlog? Also would anyone be interested in a makeup favorites video? Or even a possible....tutorial??? Let me know!

Hope everyone has a good Monday!

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So What Wednesday Sept 18th

Good Morning!

Well it's Hump Day (I'm sure your Facebook, Pinterest, and all other forms of social media will inform you of this....most likely with that annoying camel)

So on Wednesdays we take the time to just say "So What?" to the little things that happen to us and let them go. No sense in dwelling on these little insignificant details really....

So here we go:

So what.....if I got all ready to do my Zumba workout only to realize that it is not in fact on the Wii but on the Xbox 360 which has been dead for nearly four months now? I'll figure something out.

So what....if I forgot that I needed to get formula when we were out yesterday and now have to make a special trip today? Kyra will love getting out and about.

So what....if I put on just a little bit of makeup to wear around the house? I will not be a frumpy housewife! I'm going to be a hot mama!

So what ....if we had to buy Luna yet another collar because she has destroyed four of them? Surely one will work right? I mean geez she's already on a log chain when we put her outside....

So what...if yesterday I took a two hour nap with Kyra? We both needed the sleep, she went nearly 48 hours only taking short little cat naps the days before. Besides, my house was clean and chores were done, we deserved the rest!

So what...if I am pouting because I cannot figure out for the life of me what to read next? I am suffering from severe book hangover...I just cannot find something to grab my interest...and I've read all the "popular" stuff out right now...

So what...if I started my Christmas/Birthday list already? Hey I started my list of things to get other people too! I hope to be done by Halloween!

See now that felt awesome! Feel Free to Join in with your "So What?" Trust me, it might just be the thing you need to make today a little better! (Also here is a camel from Google....the post needed at least one picture!)

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Motivation Monday and Why the Scale is going away

Good Morning!

It's Monday morning and if  you are anything like me you need a little motivation to help you get going for this new week. Whether you are back at the daily grind, or like me are trying to start a new routine, everyone could use a little push to get them going. Today's motivation comes to you as always from Pinterest:

 

This little motivational beauty ties in nicely with what is going on with me currently. 

You see I weighed myself last week in the traditional Day 1 weigh in. 

I am not going to put the number I saw up here on the blog. I just can't right now. But I cried. 

I realize I just had a baby three months ago and that drastically changed my body in ways that I could never have imagined, but that fact did not change the way that I felt about myself when I saw the number. It hurt so bad to see all the ground I had lost from when I was losing weight before the wedding. I was so hurt and angry with myself. I still am. 

Now that feeling is still something I had to work on but something else happened too. 

After I weighed myself that morning and was miserable. I weighed myself again. And again. And again. I weighed after everything I did that day. All in all I think I stepped on the damn scale eight times that day. Then the same thing happened the next day....and the one after. Honestly that scale saw more of me last week than it did the entire length of last year. 

I was OBSESSED, not good. 

Each time I stepped on it (and weight fluctuates during the day) I felt more and more miserable. I hated myself. I hated my body. I thought horrible things about myself, tearing myself apart bit by bit. 

I was so angry. 

This morning the process started again. I didn't weigh in over the weekend because I was at my parents' and they do not have a scale. So first thing this morning I stepped on that sucker and felt my heart sink once again. Then I thought...ENOUGH. 

I cannot go on like this. It's just a damn number! I am more than a number. That number does not equal my value in this world and it certainly does not define my body and the fact that it makes me ashamed of my body....that is not okay. 

This body has carried me through 28 years. It has housed a life and given birth to the most amazing miracle in the world. It has been broken and healed. I have asked it to do so many things and it has always risen to the challenge. That number does not make all of those things null and void. 

So the scale is going away.  It is going away until the end of October. October is when I hope to have hit my goal of losing twenty pounds, but I am hoping that before I ever hop on the scale I will see significant differences in how I feel and how my clothes fit....after all looking and feeling good are what really matter. No one in the world ever has to know what that scale says, if you look good and feel good, that is what really matters. After all, I am not doing this for anyone but myself. 

So no more being at war with myself. No more punishing myself for what has already happened. All I can do is take steps to change it from this moment forward. 

This is the only body I am going to get, I pledge to start taking better care of it....and I will never ever again be ashamed of it.

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Friday Five, or Five on Friday

Good Morning all,

So here is another edition of Five on Friday, just five things from the week that I found either amusing, interesting, or just happened.

1) Kyra had her doctor's appointment on Wednesday and she is up to 10lbs and 8oz and is 23 inches long! Baby girl is finally catching up! Plus she just gets cuter every week!!

2) I Started this yesterday. It is a small start but it is something after all. Plus I am walking with Kyra in the mornings, three miles in all, it is slow going but there are lots of hills and again, it is something.

3) This is the most accurate pin ever.....

 

 

4) I have been scouring Pinterest in search of Halloween Costume Ideas....I am loving this makeup....

5) And finally, the Hubs is off at a shooting competition this weekend so the little one and I will be wandering around town with my Mom. Should be fun and hopefully I will actually take some pictures! Also I plan on watching all the girly movies that I know it pains him to watch. On the list:

Memoirs of a Geisha

Fried Green Tomatoes

Chicago

Bridget Jones

Legally Blonde

Under the Tuscan Sun

27 Dresses

Pride and Prejudice

That's just a few of them and to be fair he would watch Chicago because that is the movie that we saw on our very first date! 

So what's your Friday Five? Any big plans for the weekend? Either way have a good one and be safe! 

Cheers!

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Thoughtful Thursday

Good Morning,

Watching Julie/Julia, which combines two things I love...food and blogging.

Now I'm not a huge fan of Julie's portion of the movie. The idea is neat and it makes for good blogging material but honestly it is not as intriguing as Julia's portion.

I love the story of her learning to cook, love to hear about her great love affair with her husband....food and romance, what more could a girl ask for?

However it was the Julie portion that struck a cord with me today.

Primarily the portion where she is sitting at her "obligatory lunch" with her "friends" and they are discussing turning thirty and basically making her feel like crap as they wallow around in their accomplishments.

It made me sad. Mostly because I cannot believe that someone would sit there and take that kind of abuse. It is abuse after all, if even it is only internal.

I will turn thirty next year. It got me to thinking about my accomplishments.

I'm not a career girl, I don't think that I ever was one. Yes I worked, I've had a job since I was 16 years old but never really had a career. I've always wanted to write and that will happen one day but honestly there is no "career girl" in me.

I do have accomplishments however, I am a wife and a mother, and no a stay at home mom which believe it or not is actually a lot of work.

I am not the type to measure my accomplishments by others however. I was lucky enough my parents taught me to appreciate what I have and let me be who I am. In fact other than my insecurities about my weight I think of myself as a very happy and content person.

But I see how others compare themselves. I see these group gatherings and watch them posturing for position, trying to prove who is more accomplished and watch as faces fall with insecurity and doubt as they each try to out do the other.

Why do people do this? Why compare yourself when each of us is different and each of us is experiencing an entirely different set of circumstances? There are always going to be those that have things just fall in their lap without much effort and there will always be those that have to work and toil for each bit of ground that they gain. So why bother comparing and feeling bad about yourself if there is just no possible way for each individual to have the same experience?

Anyhow, sorry to load you down on this Thursday morning but I just got to thinking about the whole thing and felt the need to write about it. Hope you all have a happy day and tomorrow I will be back with the Friday Favorites!

Cheers!

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Finish the Sentence Linkup

Morning!

So today I am joining the massive linkup with Holly and Jake! Finish the sentence with some funny stuff and possibly win a prize! So here we go!

My happy place...under the covers middle of the bed, no sharing! 

Whatever happened to...that channel that used to show Music Videos? I remember watching it as a kid....there were all these great songs and silly videos to go along with them.....I know that there was a whole channel devoted to it once....

 

So what if I....laughed hysterically for ten minutes while squirrels pelted my dog with nuts?

E! needs a reality show about... me running around smacking people for using words like "totes" "adorbs" and "cray" ...yes I know you bloggers use those all the time. STOP IT. 

My go-to fast food meal is...spicy chicken sandwich......I'M SPICY!!!! 

You might not know that I...am the last person on Earth to not have a smart phone. I still have a slide out one that can do two things...call and text. You know you are intimidated by my cool. 

The hottest quarterback in the NFL is...Chase Daniels. Why? Because he went to Mizzou....and he plays for the horrible Chiefs so that means he gets to do nothing but look good all day. 

If I could....I would happily talk only in movie and TV quotes.

My personality is awesome because...I am just super awesome?? Oh a real reason? I'm bubbly and happy most of the time, plus a good listener, everyone comes to me to unload their drama. 

Twerking is....not for white girls who cannot dance. Also should not be in the dictionary. Society is failing. 

I think it's super gross when...my hair tie gets sweaty and I have to pull it free from my hair...it just feels disgusting.

Someone needs to tell Miley Cyrus....to keep her tongue in her mouth, seriously she is like a lizard or something....

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S.O.S.

I am floundering.

Drowning.

Flailing.

Sinking.

I will just come clean and admit it. I am hopelessly lost.

It's the weight loss thing.

I cannot seem to get my mind around it. I read motivational blogs and posts. I read weight loss books. I have done this yo yo thing forever and a day. I have played the game and won....and lost again.

I just have no idea where to begin now. There is so much information and I feel like I am overloaded.

Do I count calories?
Do I go paleo?
Can my body even handle a WOD? (Which apparently means Workout of the Day)
So "diet" is a bad word....but if that isn't what I am doing then what am I doing?
Lifestyle change? Um...I'm a new mom...I am not even sure what lifestyle I have anymore...and I am now a SAHM and it is a big adjustment.....

See? I am spinning. I need help. I need rules and structure.

And I want.......I want to be sexy. I want to feel pretty again. I want my husband to see me and remember the me that I used to be.

I want to set a good example for my baby girl.

I want to be a fit and healthy mommy....and a fit and healthy me in general.

So here it is....my S.O.S. I have got to figure this thing out. I cannot go on like this anymore. I deserve to really love my body and I deserve to have one that I am proud of...I am not afraid of the work it will take to get it....I'm just not sure where to begin.

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Back up to my Weekly Shenanigans

Welcome Back Everyone!

Amazingly enough the weekend is over again, and although I am a stay at home momma now and Monday morning does not hold the same pain that it once did, you could say that every day is  my Monday but since I love my job so much I am inclined to think of every day as my Friday!

Still the weekends are wonderful because the hubby gets to spend them with us and this past weekend was pretty fun!

The garage sales were this past weekend and we did score some deals but sadly a dryer was not one of them, so for the time being I will be continuing to do my laundry at my mom's. However I have a baby to bribe her with so she doesn't mind it at all!

Our garage sale scores included a changing table, a lawnmower, and more picture frames than I really needed.

Here is the changing table...isn't it adorable? I am so ridiculously excited about the storage space. It is just floating around in the room at the moment because I have to do some serious rearranging. In fact I need to do some real purging. I am so ready to just start chucking things to the curb and starting fresh. There is so much gear that comes along with a baby and when you combine that with all the stuff that already is around from two people who keep everything....well it gets cramped quickly! So that is the goal for this week. Start sorting and getting rid of things, I am calling it my Fall Cleaning Extravaganza! (It always sounds more fun if you give it a good name!)

Well I am off to do the daily chores before Kyra is up from her morning nap! Hope Everyone had a good weekend! Here is a cute picture to start your week off right!

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Now We Are 3 months!

Good Morning!

This little angel is three months old if you can believe it! I hardly can! She is so amazing and has the best little personality starting to show through! The adorableness of her is on overload level!

UPDATES:
-She sleeps through the night with one feeding at about 3am and then she is up like clockwork at 6:30am and ready for the day!

-She is finally starting to fit into her zero to three month outfits!

-She is now up to 9 pounds and is 22 inches long!

-Favorites include: Bath time, Her mobile, ceiling fans, raspberries (the noise not the food!), and the dogs

-She rolls over all the time! She would roll right away from me if I let her!

- She tries to scoot herself forward now...the days of crawling are near!

- Loves sitting upright (with help from Mommy of course!) 



 

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The Weight Loss Initiative

That title makes it sound way cooler than it really is...

Yeah I am back on the weight loss thing and this was Day 1...again.

So how was Day 1?

Well let's start with the not so awesome:

--I went over my calorie limit.

--I got no formal workout done.

--I fell into a pity party once I saw how poorly I had done and felt like giving up....it's only day 1!


So now the more awesome parts:

--Day 1 is over.

--I did track every single bit of food that went into my mouth. I didn't skip, even when I knew it was going to be a bad number as a result. I just kept on tracking and dealt with it, even when it sent me into the pity party land.

--I am learning that I over eat in the evenings and under eat in the mornings. That needs to be changed.


So all in all....it was your typical Day 1. Not easy with a learning curve....but hey at least it is a step in the right direction. Also I went over my calories by only 100 calories...not nearly as bad as it could have been if I hadn't been tracking and just kept eating!

Whew! Now that I have come clean on all that it is time to share my goals with you all.

Goals:

-- Lose 20 pounds by Halloween, and 40 pounds by Christmas

-- Workout at least 4-5 times a week

-- Continue to track every single bit of food that I eat

-- Blog about my journey to lose the baby weight plus some more! I am much more accountable when I have to post on here about how I am doing!


So those are the goals for the moment. I know I have a few more but I have to take baby steps right now.

Anyone else starting Day 1 this week? Struggling to get things on track? Leave me a comment!

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Random Weekends are Random

Welcome back!

How was everyone's Labor Day Weekend??

I can only say that mine was particularly random, but in the best of ways! Here are some pictures to show you just what we got up to this weekend!

The fanciest Chicken Coop you have ever seen! My dad built this out of old barn wood and he and my mom did all the painting.

You lucky chickens! ( The red ones are nice...the white ones are really mean...)

Canned Peaches! Mom canned these....there is a peach crisp in my future....

Halloween Preparations....I told you we take this holiday serious!!!

Then there was this little cutie!!!!


Definitely not like anyone's weekend for sure!

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