Eleven pounds in eleven days

Eleven pounds in eleven days.  Not too bad, but I'm still bummed about it.  I lost ten pounds the first week and one the second week. One!  What?!

I started Atkins again two weeks ago. It's my go to diet and has been for years. Info so well when I'm on it, the problem is sticking to it. I'm trying to cut back on carbs and fat while increasing lean protein. It's not an easy task. 

I cut out sodas 56 days ago! I went cold turkey and quit my daily vanilla diet dr pepper from Sonic. This may not seem to be a noteworthy accomplishment? But for me, I assure you it is a great accomplishment. I've also stopped drinking Poweraid Zero. I'm drinking mostly water and a Propel here and there. I've also started drinking green tea this week. 

For those that don't know I've been having pain in my upper right abdomen. It started over three years ago when I was walking the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk, 60 miles in 3 days. 

The pain  comes and goes mostly striking when I've been on my feet for an extended amount of time. It can be 30 minutes of cleaning house or three hours of work. There hasn't been any consistency. For a time I stopped drinking vanilla diet dr pepper and that seemed to solve the problem. But soon the pain returned and I began visiting Sonic again in a regular basis. 

I've had X-rays and a CT scan but nothing has been found. 

I'm hoping I can stick to a healthy diet and lose some weight (ok a lot of weight) and maybe the pain will resolve itself. 

My child's style.

My daughter has her own sense of style. 

It's so hard to stay on track.

I did so well yesterday with my meals, until I left the house.  

First of all, JoAnna had said she wanted to run or walk like Roo.  My sister is a runner, like half marathons and all. (My dad and brother run too, but they are not as serious as my sister). So I got the kids ready and we went for a walk, only 1.5 miles.  It wasn't bad but even with my ankles braces my ankles were just killing me!  

Then we got home and I had eggs for breakfast. For lunch I had baked chicken, steamed broccoli and zucchini with cheese sauce.  It was really good. Even Jacob liked the broccoli and chicken. 

Then I went to work. It was downhill from there.  At work I am surrounded by snacks and junk food. I work at a daycare so there is an abundance of snack food and treats. I think I had three snacks during my 5 hour work day. 

THEN I went to bunco!  We had , dip and crackers, salad, shrimp Alfredo, rolls and cheesecake! It was delicious!

I need to get back on track!  I started my job almost 8 years ago and I'm embarrassed to even say how much weight I've gained since my first day. 

I have stopped drinking sodas. I went from 1-2 a day to none! Which is amazing considering how much I enjoyed my Sonic drinks everyday! So much that when I pulled into the drive thru I wouldn't even have to order, they knew me well. I thought giving up sodas would drop some pounds quickly, but I haven't lost a single pound.

So now I'm trying to eat less carbs and less processed foods. I'm also trying to stick with C25K. I've started it several times but have yet to finish. I signed up for a 5K not a virtual 5K but a local 5K. I hope I can run the entire thing.  The virtual Groundhogs Day 5K I did was a disappointment.  I could run much at all. It's a good thing it was virtual and I could run in the privacy of my home. 

Anyway, enough pity party. I know what needs to be done I just need to do it. And... I WILL!

Healthy eating

I've tried many many diets and most of them worked. The trouble I have is sticking with a plan. After a few weeks or months I slip back into old, bad habits. 

The most success I ever had was with Atkins after JoAnna was born. I did it for a couple of months, then the holidays hit. But right after the holidays I got back on track and lost more weight. I lost a total of 50 lbs.  I was only 38 lbs from my "I'd be happy with that" weight and about 58 lbs from my "I'd love to be, but it's probably not likely" weight. 

Today, sadly I am 125 lbs from my "I'd be happy with that" weight. Yes, I have wasted years and years of my prime being heavily over weight. I look back and think of all the things I would have liked to have done, but couldn't. 

I recently posted this on FB ....

... my answer would be STAY ACTIVE AND EAT HEALTHIER.  Even in college playing soccer I somehow gained weight, a good bit of weight. Even though I was very active my food choices were awful.  After college I continued  to gain weight and my activity level dropped. Not a good combination. 

As I sat down this year to make my "40 before 40" list I realized there were several things I wanted to accomplish but couldn't if I remain in my current shape. 

I'm working on a healthier lifestyle. I've cut out my most favorite drink, a Sonic vanilla Diet Dr. Pepper. For years I had one or more everyday!  

I started keeping track of my food also. I can see where I need to make changes. 

It's going to take time and dedication, but I'm worth it. My children are worth it, they need their mom to be healthy and active and not exhausted all the time. 

Sume- our first Akita

Just before my husband and I started dating his family adopted an Akita.  She had come from a breeder and was a show dog. She was very well behaved and very gentle.  When we got married she came along as well.  She was so much fun.  We'd let her out to do her business, we didn't have a fenced in yard, she just roamed our yard and would come back when she was done. She never bothered anyone and we never worried about her. 

We had her for five more years. She was a great companion. 

Recently I found some pictures of her online. She was a Champion show dog. 

Service project

Our AHG troop made tie fleece blankets for the local children's hospital. We did this a few years ago and it was so much fun!  These are so easy to make and so warm!!

I think we had 16 blankets all together!!

40 before 40

I came across this interesting "bucket list" a few years ago.  Someone took time during their birthday to compile s list of things she wanted to compete before her next birthday.  And the number of items reflected her she on her next birthday. So I started my own list.  I believe my first one was "34 before 34". Well here I am 5 years later and my list has changed so much.  Many things I decided to delete from my list, some I actually got around to completing and others I am still hoping to accomplish. All in all it has been fun setting a goal and trying to get it done. 

Since creating a list can be overwhelming year to year I decided to create  a 40 before 40 list, that way I have a few years to compete it!!!! 

I'm still working on that list but be looking for it in the next few days. 

Minecraft Crafts

I'm I found an awesome website for childrens's art ideas. He has tons of videos of all different art projects.  I chose to reproduce his Minecraft figures and the kids at the daycare had a great time making them. My kids even asked me to print some at home for them to make. So today we worked on Minecraft stop motion animation and Minecrsft people. 

Check it out at http://artforkidshub.com 

I cannot wait to try out more of his projects with my kids and my daycare kids!!

HAPPY NEE YEAR!! 2016

So I haven't posted in a while- shocker!!  So here are a few catch up photos.....

I had a great time making many of the Christmas gifts I gave this year.  Here are a few of the gag gifts I gave!! These were all Pinterest ideas and were so much fun putting together. Most of the things I had around the house so I didn't have to spend much money. 

I also made a few other gifts as well. I attempted to get crafty with the sewing machine. I made a few towels and a few shirts. I also made a few candles- these we made in AHG this year and they were so much fun!! You draw a design on tissue paper and then melt it onto a candle. Super cute!! I also made a memorial ornament in honor of my uncle- this idea I got from my sister in law. I also kept this one for myself!!

Here the little kids are setting up their video cameras so they can catch Santa When he makes his delivery!!  They are too cute. 

Santa has delivered the goods!!

A few Christmas morning photos.  

And then New Year's Eve.....

Growth chart

I finally got our growth chart hung. It turned out supper cute!!  JoAnna did most of the work. 

Now I'll have to go back and put all their measurements from when they were little!!!

Jacob's 11th birthday

My oldest turned 11 years old this week!!

He is such a joy to have around. He is a prankster, always telling jokes and pulling pranks. He loves making people laugh. He is an amazing athlete, always pushing to be better, and such a joy to watch on the field. He is eager to learn although not always so willing to get his school work done. He is terribly shy but extremely talkative once he gets to know you. He worried entirely too much and isn't always sure of new situations. But he can accomplish anything he puts his mind to. I'm blessed to be his mom and thankful I get to watch him grow into the man God desires him to be. 

Mosaics!!

We finally picked up the kids' mosaic projects today and they turned out beautifully!!

The owner was so impressed with JoAnna's dog and how she did the flower around it's eye. Jace was super happy to have another dinosaur- his last one broke. 

They had so much fun making them.  We now just need to find a safe place on the wall to hang them!!

Crafty Weekend!

Friday the kids and I were suppose to go on a field trip to s dairy farm.  I was so very excited!!! We were going to see cows being milked, learn the process of getting milk from the cow to the grocery store and bottle feed a calf!! However it rained and the trip was canceled!  

I knew early on in the week this was a possibility so I began planning. JoAnna has been working on a few badges and has one more week to complete them in order to receive her badges this semester. So we did several things to complete her badges. 

Fun project: napkins

We bought this fabric several months ago and finally got around to making some homemade napkins.  JoAnna tie dyed a few and the others we stamped. They were fun to make and hopefully will help us cut down on our paper towel usage!!

Textile arts: we tie dyed shirts and napkins and we did Batik on shirt. 

Here are the tie dyed shirts, we are still waiting on the batik to dry. 

Batik- we used the gel glue to create a design. Once dry we put it in a bucket of dye. Tonight we will wash and dry to see how it turns out!

Living and Working in Space

We made a replica of the solar system. Jace was very excited about it, until we got done and he realized it didn't spin by itself. Lol. 

What do you think it would be like to be an astronaut? "It would be scary to be an astronaut." 

Love that look. LOL. 

What do you think it would be like to be an astronaut? If I were an astronaut I would be able to see all the planets. 

Our Feather Friends

We made nectar for our hummingbird feeder and we hung a sick feeder. Jacob had made a bird feeder in wood working class s few weeks ago so that gave us three bird feeders to watch. She has to watch them for two weeks and document the birds that visit our feeders. 

She had to measure and mix. She learned there are 8 ounces in a cup and had to figure out how many cups make 32 ounces. 

Then JoAnna and I made a growth chart from an old fence post. We've been talking about making one for months. So I plugged up the Cricut and taught her how to use it. We cut the numbers out, measured and drew lines to determine where the numbers would go, modge lodged them onto the board, then pained the lines. It was so much fun. We still need to hang it and then let the measuring begin!!