We are soooo late getting these out that I decided to just post it to our blog for everyone to see.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
We don't appreciate ours nearly enough
I was just thinking about my body. It's been on my mind a lot lately with this diet. Lately I've been having a newfound appreciation for my body. I realized how much we loathe our bodies because perhaps its outward appearance isn't as we would like it to be. However, how often do we sit back and really just appreciate the skin we are in? Think about it.
My body has created and nourished (with the help of God) two of the most beautiful human beings in the world. My body has put up with me depriving it of sleep time after time. My body has worked for me day after day even though I have overfed it repeatedly and made it carry around extra pounds as a consequence. My body has worked for me even though I have not always given it all the nutrients and vitamins it needs by not always eating a balanced diet. My body has worked for me even though I haven't exercised it as much as it needs. My body has worked for me even though I have dehydrated it too many times. My body comes down with illnesses and always recovers in due time so that I feel good once again. My body has worked for me even when I have overworked it at times.
Our bodies are such amazing machines and it is just now that I am beginning to appreciate mine and all it has done for me. God really has blessed most of us with good working bodies that will provide us years of life if we only take care of it in return.
I'm feeling glad that I'm on this diet. Let's just call it my "thankyou" to my body for all it has done for me. I'm not frustrated with my body, I admire it! It may not always look like I want it too, but that is because of the wrong choices I have made about my diet and exercise. I have done this to my body, my body didn't do this to me. Me and my body, we're in harmony now:) Thankyou body!
My body has created and nourished (with the help of God) two of the most beautiful human beings in the world. My body has put up with me depriving it of sleep time after time. My body has worked for me day after day even though I have overfed it repeatedly and made it carry around extra pounds as a consequence. My body has worked for me even though I have not always given it all the nutrients and vitamins it needs by not always eating a balanced diet. My body has worked for me even though I haven't exercised it as much as it needs. My body has worked for me even though I have dehydrated it too many times. My body comes down with illnesses and always recovers in due time so that I feel good once again. My body has worked for me even when I have overworked it at times.
Our bodies are such amazing machines and it is just now that I am beginning to appreciate mine and all it has done for me. God really has blessed most of us with good working bodies that will provide us years of life if we only take care of it in return.
I'm feeling glad that I'm on this diet. Let's just call it my "thankyou" to my body for all it has done for me. I'm not frustrated with my body, I admire it! It may not always look like I want it too, but that is because of the wrong choices I have made about my diet and exercise. I have done this to my body, my body didn't do this to me. Me and my body, we're in harmony now:) Thankyou body!
Monday, February 9, 2009
I did it!
I made it to the grocery store with two kids in tow, a calculator, and managed to stay in budget and get out the store without any meltdowns from anyone (including me:). The secret, one yummy candy cane for the preschooler, a dry diaper and belly full of milk for the newborn, and some good walking shoes that can burn rubber for mommy (oh and a pedometer so I can log my daily exercise).
In other news, I have been on my diet one week and lost 1.5 pounds. It toggled a little up and down throughout the week, but looks like this loss is going to stick. Yahoo! Weird thing is, it feels like I've lost more, I can tell my pants are a little looser already. I know our scale is off. Last time I went to the doctor I weighed 8 lbs heavier on their scale then I did on our scale at home. So maybe I've lost more. Sure feels like it.
Anyhoo, a week of accomplishments. Go me!
In other news, I have been on my diet one week and lost 1.5 pounds. It toggled a little up and down throughout the week, but looks like this loss is going to stick. Yahoo! Weird thing is, it feels like I've lost more, I can tell my pants are a little looser already. I know our scale is off. Last time I went to the doctor I weighed 8 lbs heavier on their scale then I did on our scale at home. So maybe I've lost more. Sure feels like it.
Anyhoo, a week of accomplishments. Go me!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Better late than never
These were taken last week, now all the snow is almost melted and the snowman is completely gone, but better late than never. For some reason I can't get Kadyn to smile normally anymore as you can see in the pics at the top. She always squints and does weird things with her eyes when I say, "smile." And getting both of them to smile at the same time well......near impossible.
A little bit on everyone
There's nothing quite like a baby's first chuckle. Brennan did hers about half and hour ago while nursing in her sleep. Why is it babies can do all kinds of things ahead of schedule in their sleep. She smiled a lot the first week of life.....in her sleep. Granted it wasn't full out laughter, but I heard a good two chuckles total. Wonder what she was dreaming about?
She is smiling more and more every day. Jeff was very good at getting her to smile at first, but lately I've been getting more and more reactions from her and she is starting to talk to me a lot which I completely adore. Her voice, much like Kadyn's is so subdued. It melts my heart when you can tell she is really trying to tell me something. She does coo more than Kadyn did at this age (which completely baffles me considering how Kadyn can't keep her mouth shut these days).
She seems to be a very patient baby. When she wants something she will let out a couple yelps and then I come to her aid. It's very rare to hear Brennan full on cry. The only times it's really happened have been when she's cold after getting out of her bath and when she has gotten hurt accidently. I feel soooo lucky to have such a good baby. She, no doubt, is such a wonderful addition to our family and I love her more and more everyday.
In other news, Kadyn is getting better with her behavior. I think we have finally settled into some normalcy. We are mostly in our old routine with the addition of taking care of Brennan. I had a new's year resolution to exercise more patience with Kadyn and I am happy to admit I have succeeded. I think part of the problem might have been all those hormones raging through my body before. It seems much easier to keep my cool these days. It must be paying off, because Kadyn is certainly responding better to a calm mama!
She continues to amaze me with her memory skills. Just today she got out a book that I've read to her maybe 5-6 times and recounted at least half the words on each page. The books I read to her now take quite a bit more time to read because she is now able to sit through books that have more words on a page than what I used to read to her. We are working on numbers 11-20 now because she has gotten bored with 1-10. We are also working on lower case letters; she has upper case down pat. She can say her whole alphabet and tell me which sounds each letter gets. She is able to recognize her name on paper and spell it outloud. She can draw a few letters. She can also spell Jeff's name and recognize the words Mama and Dada on paper. I no doubt have a very bright almost preschooler on my hands which I adore and worry about all at the same time.
Jeff is busy plugging away at work. They are still planning on opening a new branch in Branson which he will be sent to when the time comes. They are hoping to have him down there sometime in April. We are anxious to see what this will mean for us. It could mean a move down the road, if it works out, to a little town called Ozark just 15 minutes outside of Branson. We really don't care to ever live in Branson itself. We love our church home in Springfield and love Springfield, so Ozark seemed like a good compromise for us, and the schools in Ozark are supposedly really good. Both of us agree that we want to give the Branson job some time before we make any real decisions, just to make sure it will work out.
And for me, well if you've been keeping up with this blog, you should know what is new with me. I managed to get through day one of my diet pretty successfully and stumbled on a really cool website called nutrimirror.com that has been actually making the diet thing a little more easy and motivating. I have halted with my sewing for a bit until I get some more supplies and also I want to wait a little to see how big Brennan gets before I make her dress for easter. I'm afraid as fast as she's growing, she won't fit in it come Easter time. I enjoy sewing so much, I just wish I had all the money I wanted to really go all out with some of the things I want to make. Maybe someday.
She is smiling more and more every day. Jeff was very good at getting her to smile at first, but lately I've been getting more and more reactions from her and she is starting to talk to me a lot which I completely adore. Her voice, much like Kadyn's is so subdued. It melts my heart when you can tell she is really trying to tell me something. She does coo more than Kadyn did at this age (which completely baffles me considering how Kadyn can't keep her mouth shut these days).
She seems to be a very patient baby. When she wants something she will let out a couple yelps and then I come to her aid. It's very rare to hear Brennan full on cry. The only times it's really happened have been when she's cold after getting out of her bath and when she has gotten hurt accidently. I feel soooo lucky to have such a good baby. She, no doubt, is such a wonderful addition to our family and I love her more and more everyday.
In other news, Kadyn is getting better with her behavior. I think we have finally settled into some normalcy. We are mostly in our old routine with the addition of taking care of Brennan. I had a new's year resolution to exercise more patience with Kadyn and I am happy to admit I have succeeded. I think part of the problem might have been all those hormones raging through my body before. It seems much easier to keep my cool these days. It must be paying off, because Kadyn is certainly responding better to a calm mama!
She continues to amaze me with her memory skills. Just today she got out a book that I've read to her maybe 5-6 times and recounted at least half the words on each page. The books I read to her now take quite a bit more time to read because she is now able to sit through books that have more words on a page than what I used to read to her. We are working on numbers 11-20 now because she has gotten bored with 1-10. We are also working on lower case letters; she has upper case down pat. She can say her whole alphabet and tell me which sounds each letter gets. She is able to recognize her name on paper and spell it outloud. She can draw a few letters. She can also spell Jeff's name and recognize the words Mama and Dada on paper. I no doubt have a very bright almost preschooler on my hands which I adore and worry about all at the same time.
Jeff is busy plugging away at work. They are still planning on opening a new branch in Branson which he will be sent to when the time comes. They are hoping to have him down there sometime in April. We are anxious to see what this will mean for us. It could mean a move down the road, if it works out, to a little town called Ozark just 15 minutes outside of Branson. We really don't care to ever live in Branson itself. We love our church home in Springfield and love Springfield, so Ozark seemed like a good compromise for us, and the schools in Ozark are supposedly really good. Both of us agree that we want to give the Branson job some time before we make any real decisions, just to make sure it will work out.
And for me, well if you've been keeping up with this blog, you should know what is new with me. I managed to get through day one of my diet pretty successfully and stumbled on a really cool website called nutrimirror.com that has been actually making the diet thing a little more easy and motivating. I have halted with my sewing for a bit until I get some more supplies and also I want to wait a little to see how big Brennan gets before I make her dress for easter. I'm afraid as fast as she's growing, she won't fit in it come Easter time. I enjoy sewing so much, I just wish I had all the money I wanted to really go all out with some of the things I want to make. Maybe someday.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The next 5 months, the challenge
Last night I finally broke down and went shopping at target for new jeans. I really didn't want to buy any new clothes to fit my postpardum body. I wanted to just wait it out until I fit in my old jeans. However, I'm tired of wearing the same two pairs of stretchy pants. As I had the pleasure of really examining my new body after two babies in the big huge mirrors in the privacy of my dressing room under good lighting, I was disappointed as suspected. I decided, I really needed to do something about it.
I already tried a little exercise, but I'm just not the exercising type. I like to walk, ride my bike, and swim. However, most of that requires that it be warmer than 20 degrees outside. My membership to the indoor pool I had been using has expired and I will not be renewing it in the interest of saving more money.
When we first moved to KC Jeff and I got gung ho about loosing weight and we did it. I lost 31 pounds and Jeff lost 20 pounds. I did it mostly by counting calories and walking when I could. So....since I know I did it once, I am determined that I can do this again. I figure a healthy loss is a pound a week until I reach my goal. That means I have a good 5 months of watching what I eat like a hawk. And of course, there has to be a reward (non food related) to help inspire me on my journey. I decided a day get away with the fam to Branson to see the Haygoods and stay in the water park hotel would be a fitting reward.
For me, the biggest obstacles will be portion control, figuring out calorie content in dishes with several ingredients, my horrible sweet tooth, and just getting started. I don't know how many times I've told myself that I would start tomorrow and then some wonderful meal would be in front of me and I would decide it would be better to start another day. I've contemplated doing sweet tooth rehab. In other words allowing myself NO sweets for the first month. Sort of a sweet tooth detox if you will. The jury is still out on that one though. I wonder if I force myself to give it up entirely for at least a month if my cravings will go away. Sweets are definitely my choice drug.
So anyhoo, I'm hoping by putting this post in my blog it will hold me more accountable to stick with this. I certainly don't intend on letting this blog be all about my dieting, but if it helps me get through it, you may be doomed to another couple posts or so on my progress. Hopefully I last longer than one day, or a week. It's so hard to get started. Tomorrow is the my official start. Already I'm dreading Jeff's day of cooking. He's making sweet and sour chicken. I LOVE that stuff. I can do this! There never is a good day to start a diet, I just have to do it. Wish me luck!
I already tried a little exercise, but I'm just not the exercising type. I like to walk, ride my bike, and swim. However, most of that requires that it be warmer than 20 degrees outside. My membership to the indoor pool I had been using has expired and I will not be renewing it in the interest of saving more money.
When we first moved to KC Jeff and I got gung ho about loosing weight and we did it. I lost 31 pounds and Jeff lost 20 pounds. I did it mostly by counting calories and walking when I could. So....since I know I did it once, I am determined that I can do this again. I figure a healthy loss is a pound a week until I reach my goal. That means I have a good 5 months of watching what I eat like a hawk. And of course, there has to be a reward (non food related) to help inspire me on my journey. I decided a day get away with the fam to Branson to see the Haygoods and stay in the water park hotel would be a fitting reward.
For me, the biggest obstacles will be portion control, figuring out calorie content in dishes with several ingredients, my horrible sweet tooth, and just getting started. I don't know how many times I've told myself that I would start tomorrow and then some wonderful meal would be in front of me and I would decide it would be better to start another day. I've contemplated doing sweet tooth rehab. In other words allowing myself NO sweets for the first month. Sort of a sweet tooth detox if you will. The jury is still out on that one though. I wonder if I force myself to give it up entirely for at least a month if my cravings will go away. Sweets are definitely my choice drug.
So anyhoo, I'm hoping by putting this post in my blog it will hold me more accountable to stick with this. I certainly don't intend on letting this blog be all about my dieting, but if it helps me get through it, you may be doomed to another couple posts or so on my progress. Hopefully I last longer than one day, or a week. It's so hard to get started. Tomorrow is the my official start. Already I'm dreading Jeff's day of cooking. He's making sweet and sour chicken. I LOVE that stuff. I can do this! There never is a good day to start a diet, I just have to do it. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
My verdict: cloth dipes and homemade detergent
A couple of you have asked me to give you an update how I like cloth diapering and making my own detergent once I had the chance to give it a try.
As for cloth diapering, so far I love it! It isn't nearly as difficult as people think, nor as gross. First off, breastfed poop does not smell. So....for the first 6 months at least I'm not having to deal with smells or rinsing dipes at all. Just toss in the diaper pail (an old kitty litter bucket, which by the way is great for keeping smells sealed off) and launder every other day. Yes, the laundry machine does get it all out. The diapers are quite cute which is an added bonus. About the only thing I don't like about it is how bulky the diapers can be on a newborn. I am cheating at night and using disposables mostly because I already had them bought before I decided to go with cloth and also because they do hold more. You really have to pad the diaper up if you are going to use cloth at nightime. Man does their butt look big if you do that.
As for which type of diaper I like the best. I like the pockets and prefolds the same but for different reasons. Pockets are easier to get on and thus make for a quicker diaper change. However, they are a bit bulkier on a small baby and take more time to launder because of all the unstuffing and restuffing you have to do. Prefolds are much more trim and launder easily, but they can be tricky to get on, especially on a squirmy baby.
The entire reason I chose cloth was to save money and go green. I figure I will have saved 1,000 plus by the time I'm done this time around. If we add to our family it will be even more eventually. Also, in the interest of saving money I am making my own laundry detergent. Do I like it? Does it work? Yes, and yes. The lady I got the recipe from said it costs about 2 cents a load to use. Here's the recipe if you're interested:
3/4 cup borax
3/4 cup washing soda
1 bar ivory soap grated
After your ivory is grated put 6 cups of water in a pot and add the grated soap to it. Set to medium and let the soap completely melt. Once melted add the borax and washing soda and stir until dissolved. Next pour mixture into a 5 gallon bucket and add 1 quart of hot water to it and stir. Then add 1 gallon of cold water to the bucket and stir again. You can use it right away or wait a day. It will turn into a gel like mixture and you only need 1/2 a cup per load. I personally add about 35 drops of lavender essential oil to give it a slight sweet laundry smell. The water and gel will separate over time, just stir and it's good to go again. This batch should make 64 washes. If anyone tries it, let me know. I like it and I think it works great! Easy to make and cheap, can't beat that.
As for cloth diapering, so far I love it! It isn't nearly as difficult as people think, nor as gross. First off, breastfed poop does not smell. So....for the first 6 months at least I'm not having to deal with smells or rinsing dipes at all. Just toss in the diaper pail (an old kitty litter bucket, which by the way is great for keeping smells sealed off) and launder every other day. Yes, the laundry machine does get it all out. The diapers are quite cute which is an added bonus. About the only thing I don't like about it is how bulky the diapers can be on a newborn. I am cheating at night and using disposables mostly because I already had them bought before I decided to go with cloth and also because they do hold more. You really have to pad the diaper up if you are going to use cloth at nightime. Man does their butt look big if you do that.
As for which type of diaper I like the best. I like the pockets and prefolds the same but for different reasons. Pockets are easier to get on and thus make for a quicker diaper change. However, they are a bit bulkier on a small baby and take more time to launder because of all the unstuffing and restuffing you have to do. Prefolds are much more trim and launder easily, but they can be tricky to get on, especially on a squirmy baby.
The entire reason I chose cloth was to save money and go green. I figure I will have saved 1,000 plus by the time I'm done this time around. If we add to our family it will be even more eventually. Also, in the interest of saving money I am making my own laundry detergent. Do I like it? Does it work? Yes, and yes. The lady I got the recipe from said it costs about 2 cents a load to use. Here's the recipe if you're interested:
3/4 cup borax
3/4 cup washing soda
1 bar ivory soap grated
After your ivory is grated put 6 cups of water in a pot and add the grated soap to it. Set to medium and let the soap completely melt. Once melted add the borax and washing soda and stir until dissolved. Next pour mixture into a 5 gallon bucket and add 1 quart of hot water to it and stir. Then add 1 gallon of cold water to the bucket and stir again. You can use it right away or wait a day. It will turn into a gel like mixture and you only need 1/2 a cup per load. I personally add about 35 drops of lavender essential oil to give it a slight sweet laundry smell. The water and gel will separate over time, just stir and it's good to go again. This batch should make 64 washes. If anyone tries it, let me know. I like it and I think it works great! Easy to make and cheap, can't beat that.
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