Lose the Weight Challenge: Week 8

Exercise was limited this week with Sammy, Ariana and I being sick. I'm still fighting a stomach bug, but it's going away. I feel better than I did yesterday.

*Exercise: Bye bye bat wings
    - Do 1-2 sets of 10-15 reps per exercise
          1. Bicep curls
          2. Tricep kick backs
          3. Upward rows
          4. Front raises
          5. Lat. pull downs
          6. Chest fly
          7. Chest press
    - Do this 3 days a week plus cardio
*Diet: Fill up on fiber and protein
           Drink a glass of water before each meal
*Attitude: MIND OVER MATTER, deal withthe soreness

**EXTRA CREDIT**  Plan a 3 day menu with fiber and protein,low cal soups, and lots of fruit.

Previous Weight: 261.6
Current Weight: 259.6
Pounds Lost: -2

On Saturday, I was so sick, that I weighed my self and I went down to 258. I'm hoping that I will get to exercise again this week.

Letter Curriculum: Week 1

Samantha started her new curriculum on Monday. It was 2 days after her 4th birthday, so it is age appropriate. It was a simple Intro to the Alphabet week. I taught her the song on Monday, and by Wednesday, she was singing it by herself with a few mistakes, but doing great. On her birthday, she got a alphabet book from my mom, and we have been working with that all week. We did three scavenger hunts. 2 were inside and we did 1 outside yesterday. We have alphabet magets and we taped those to items that starts with that letter.

Now for some pictures. There aren't many but, I will document more in the coming weeks.

The coloring pages were the first 3 letters of her name. SAM

We were watching a alphabet video. I was singing along with it. Hey, it had a good beat, dont judge.

 

We did a letter bingo on friday night. Sammy of course got a bingo, and Ariana played along so she can start learning.

 

Cayce and I came up with the idea of making a alphabet keepsake board. I'm going to print a picture of her and put in the center of the board, and I'm going to cut out letters each week and tape them to the cardboard and some pictures that go with that letter.

 

We are also counting the number of school days we do. When she gets to 100, I told her that we would have a party. We have done 6 days of school so far. We did school yesterday with the scavenger hunt, so we counted it.

 

I took this pic on the 4th day, because at first,I was putting the numbers on the refrigerator, on top of each other and Sammy couldn't really see the other numbers. This way, we can count and she can recognize the numbers.

This week, she will be starting on the letter A. I have to go plan this week, and I will post it later.

Stomach Bug

It all started yesterday morning. I made Samantha and Ariana breakfast. Sammy didn't want to eat, so She went back into the living room. Ariana was slowly eating and drinking her water and next thing I heard, was this grotesque sound and Sammy screaming that Ariana threw up. It was all over her dress, chair, and table. I had to call Cayce home from school, and he took her to the doctor. They were there a good two hours.

While at the doctor, they thought she was dehydrated, so they gave her some water and it instantly came back up. They took an x-ray and gave her some nausea medicine, and sent her home. She is only allowed to eat some crackers, apple juice and other soft foods. She slept for a good 3 hours yesterday during her nap. She had more crackers and apple juice for dinner and she is better this morning. The only problem now is that Samantha is sick today.

She didn't want to eat anything again this morning, but crackers and water. So, that's what she had and she kept saying that her tummy hurt. I got her pillow and blanket and laid her down on the couch and Ariana laid down with her. Again, I heard the nastiest sounds ever and I knew someone just got sick. Sammy started crying and I walked into the living room and had to rush her to the bathroom. She kept dry heaving, and throwing up. It was all over her and I had to keep myself from throwing up. I tried calling Cayce and he wouldn't pick up. So, I let her finish, and gave her a bath and washed her hair and put her in some cool clothes, and put her hair back so if she got sick again, it wouldn't get into her hair. I gave her a bite of cracker and sent her back to the couch, next thing I know, she is running back to the bathroom. I gave her the same medicine that the doctor gave Ariana yesterday, and gave her some apple juice.

Cayce went back to school this morning and he had to go into work early because there are some people out SICK. I hate it when Cayce brings stuff home and gives it to us. People are all the time getting sick at his job. Now the girls are down for their naps, and we won't be seeing Cayce until tonight. Hoping that no one will get sick tomorrow because we have to do an outside scavenger hunt for Sammy's school.

It's time for me to go bye bye for today and start Samantha's school. Wish me luck.

Lose the Weight Challenge: Week 7

I didn't lose any weight this week, but I didn't gain that much either. I was doing good all week before Saturday, then I ate so much. The exercises wore me out, so I'm going to keep on moving. Thats the best thing I can do for now.

*Exercise: Booty Buster
                  1-2 sets of 10-15 reps per exercise
                          Push ups with band
                          Supermans
                          Straight leg lifts
                          Knee-ups
                          Hamstring curls
                          Fire hydrants
                          Open books
                          Clam shells
                          Front kicks
                          Isolated leg lift
                          Crunches
                          Circle crunches
                          Reverse crunches
                  Continue strength training 3 days per week, plus cardio 2-3 days
*Diet:  Avoid nutritional supplement water
            Take a multivitamin
*Attitude: Shake up your routine and stick it out & DO NOT QUIT!!!

**EXTRA CREDIT**  Find a tasty, healthy alternative to bad drink choices
                                      Plan low cal alternatives

Previous Weight: 260.8
Current Weight: 261.6
Pounds Lost: 0

It's 1 pound but I am motivated to lose it this week. Im just glad that I didn't gain back the whole 5 that I lost the previous week.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMANTHA!!!!

Yesterday was Samantha's 4th birthday. It has been a busy weekend, hence the reason I'm late posting. She went to IHOP yesterday morning, and had a great breakfast with orange juice and ice cream. YEAH, ice cream at 9:30 in the morning.

While Cayce and Sammy were at breakfast, I was at home with Ariana and Adalyn. We watched cooking shows and cooked Sammy's birthday lunch/party food. I made honey mustard chicken salad, cheddar bay biscuits, and strawberry cake.

This was a strawberry cake with strawberry shortcake icing, strawberries and white chocolate chips on top and chocolate chips in the middle. That was the best part because the chocolate chips melted. YUMMM!

My friend Britany came by and we call her Aunt Britany Jo. We also had another friend and her daughter come by.

Looking at her gift from aunt britany jo

We didnt have any birthday candles, so we had to improvise. lol.

Addy and Cayce's friend Budd. The girls uncle Budd

Playing hide and go seek. It was fun, they were laughing and screaming.

Sammy was wearing her Georgia Bulldog pillow case dress that her granny had made for her. She got the barbie back in February from me and Cayce and the pony came from Uncle Budd.

I liked becca's present the most. It was a disney princess greenhouse. This pic was taken today as we were planting the flowers.

We Have A Homeschool Name

Cayce and I have came up with a name for our homeschool. The name is (drum roll) Fox Forest Homeschool Academy. We came up with it last night after thinking all day. It is really hard to name things...lol. We also came up with our school colors. They are going to be gray and hot pink. Gray because foxes can be gray and hot pink for the girls. Our mascot is a fox (of course). When they start their athletics, and extracurricular activities, they are going to be called the Barden Foxes.

I'm going to be working on the creed and all that other stuff later on this week. I got Samantha's letter of the week curriculum started and going to be planning next week on tomorrow or Friday. I'm so excited that we came up with all this information. But I need more people in our support system. We have some family members that think the girls need routine and standardized testing, and then we have some people that say me homeschooling them is a good idea and they will be safer with me.

I don't care about the negative comments, if they don't want to support me and me teaching my children, they can hit the road. I know whats best for my kids, not them.

Top 10 Things That Make Me Hapy

First off, I'm going to start by sending more prayers and thoughts towards the Boston marathon runners and attendees yesterday. It was heartbreaking to see how such a happy event could be turned into tragedy by someone so evil.

Now, onto the TOP 10 THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY!!

1. My kids
      I wouldn't be who I am today without my girls. They teach me something new everyday and they make me laugh and smile constantly.

2. My Hubby
    I have been with this man since 2007 and he is my rock. We have an amazing relationship, and we have our problems, but what happy couple doesn't. He is the best father to the kids, and he is a great husband.

3. Ghost Adventures                                                                                                                                
     This is my all time favorite show and these 3 guys are the best at what they do. They answer my curiosity and give me places to travel to. I never miss an episode and I have to watch it or I will have panic attacks.

4. My bed
     Ever since I gave birth to Samantha, I have LOVED my bed. Being sleep deprived with 3 kids, there is no better place to lay down and have a comfortable nap. Sometimes when I'm really tired and haven't slept for hours, I will look at my bed and talk to it. I know crazy, but I have been doing that since 2009.

5. My Computer
    If I didn't have my computer, I would probably go crazy. It's how I keep in contact with my high school classmates and homeschool affiliates. My computer is everything to me.

6. My Pictures
    Pictures will always be a memory and I have plenty of trips that I've been on. School trips, me and Cayce, the kids, family outings and dinners. I have no idea how people went without having pictures back in the old days.

7.  My books
      I am a book junkie. I love to read, and have tons of books in boxes. I want to pass my books down to the girls someday and my books make me happy.

8. Cooking
    I LOVE to cook. Making homemade meals for my family is the best. Cooking with the girls and teaching them is fun and it makes me happy to see the smiles on their faces when they mix somethings or pour.

9. Zumba
    I love the music and the pace. It makes me smile every time and I couldn't live without it. It also makes me happy that I have it as part of my workout plan and that it is helping me lose weight.

AND FINALLY
10. Traveling
       Since I was little, my parents would always take trips to the beach or baseball games. When I was in 8th grade, I got to go on the annual 8th grade field trip to Kennedy Space Center and Disney World. My first trip out of state without my parents and I LOVED IT. I would be happy to go to more states and explore and possibly go to different countries and give the girls that traveling experience that I had.

Lose the Weight Challenge: Week 6

I did good this week, losing more this week. I have the same amount of motivation and by writing this, I am gaining more. Sammy has her birthday party on Saturday, so I need to look better than today.

*Exercise: Change up workouts
                  Run or jog instead of walk
                  Pump up cardio intensity
*Diet: Plan and prepare snacks ahead of time
*Attitude: Check the scale

**EXTRA CREDIT** Plan week's breakfasts, lunch, and snacks.
                                      Make ahead of time and store for the week

Previous Weight: 265.8
Current Weight: 260.8
Pounds Lost: -5

I have lost 10 pounds so far. It's not alot but it's a big difference to me. I'm loving how i see myself in the mirror and Cayce told me I look a little slimmer. That put a huge smile on my face and I love making him and myself happy. Can't wait to see how much I lose this week

Home Day= NO STRESS

I woke up a happy camper this morning. It was a new day, and I was ready to spend time with my wonderful hunny. The only thing I wasn't happy about was that I fell asleep during my shows last night. I never fall asleep, but I was beyond tired. Maybe because I didn't have any coffee yesterday.

This morning, Cayce and I made ourselves an omelet while the girls had their cereal. The omelet was so delicious. It had green onions, turkey, ham, and cheese. I know soo bad but soo DANG TASTY!!
We watched The 5 Year Engagement today and it was funny and so much like our engagement...lol.

Ariana didn't have a nap today and she lasted all the way to 7:15. She had just got through eating her dinner, and sat down in her purple Tinker Bell chair, and was out. Samantha came into my room and say Airy sleepin...haha. Cayce and I had just come back inside from watering our flowers, and started to watch Think Like a Man.

After that movie went off, Cayce decided to cook me a special dinner. He cooked an italian flank steak with homemade mashed potatoes and brown sugar carrots. It was sooo delicious. I was going to take a picture, but it was devoured. Maybe next time, I will contain myself and take a pic.

Now, I'm enjoying my weekend Ghost Adventures to end my Saturday night. I never go a weekend without my 3 favorite men, if so, I would probably have a panic attack.

1 week until Samantha turns 4. YAY!!!!!

Last 2 Days

The last 2 days have went by too fast. On Wednesday, Cayce went to school, and the girls helped me clean up their room and living room and by the time I looked p, it was time for me to make lunch and Cayce walked through the door. It went by so quick. The rest of the day went to researching homeschool associations for our 3rd option homeschooling. The SC homeschool law gives you three options and the 3rd option that I chose, is everybody's favorite it seems like. There are no district distractions, no standardized testing from the district we live in. Cayce and I had a long talk on Wednesday after he got home from work. We talked more about homeschooling and what extracurricular activities WE wanted to put the girls in now until they are old enough to choose what they want to do. I would like to get Sammy started in soccer and/or softball or cheerleading or gymnastics/dance. I know I want her to have singing lessons when she gets older, because she loves to sing now. Cayce wants to teach the girls how to draw and drive, and I'll teach them to cook, and journalism skills.

Yesterday, we went grocery shopping before Cayce headed to work, and it was soooo hot outside. All of our freezer food that we got was sweating by the time we got it in the house. I still have to get a big bag of grilled chicken strips and tomatoes for Samantha's party.The menu is going to be simple and healthy. We are having a Honey Mustard Chicken Salad, with strawberry cake and strawberry shortcake icing, and water. With the weather being so hot now, I don't know how it is going to be next Saturday, so light menu it is.

We had a horrible storm last night, hence why it was TOO DANG HOT OUTSIDE. And they are calling for more rain today. It's too muddy and nasty to take the girls outside to play, so it's tea party time. Gonna go make some tea and probably some brownies to have after lunch.

Sunday Family Day

We had a family day on Sunday. We woke up, and we did some cleaning and watched a movie. While the kids were playing, Cayce and I started making homemade onion rings. They didn't turn out that great, but were still delicious. Cayce grilled a family pack of hotdogs, about 24. I packed some grapes, and got everything into the car. Before we left, I made a strawberry watermelon slushy, and it was so yummy. We left around 2pm and stopped by family dollar to get some paper plates and we headed to Guignard Park in Cayce. It was a very pretty day.

The 4 most important people to my heart. My Addy baby is so gorgeous!!

Enjoying their lunch and wanting to go play on the slides.

She had just finished her cup of milk, and started eyeballing mommy's plate.

They were having so much fun. I was holding Addy while Cayce was watching Sammy and Airy. Airy flew down those slides so fast that she got a big scrape down the middle of her back and Sammy scraped her knees, and has a big bruise in her back. After, they played for a while, we left and headed to the Cayce Riverwalk Park.

 Looking out at the river. The girls loved looking out at the water.

 Great picture of me. This was before I started my walking workout, so I wasn't sweaty at all yet.

 At the park after we got there. She was a happy baby and loved lounging in the sun.

Adalyn being a lazy baby and drinking her strawberry watermelon slushy.
After we left the riverwalk, we went to K-Mart for a potty break and got some groceries. On the way home, I snapped this pic of Airy and Addy.

My babies were so wore out. Sammy was still awake and she kept trying to give Addy her bottle while she was asleep. When we got home, the girls were up for an hour, before they went to bed.

It was a great day, and I can't wait to have another family day.

Lose the Weight Challenge: Week 5

I lost some weight last week. I tried my very best to lose as much as I could.

*Exercise: Move Every Day.
                  Do cardio 3-4 times a day
                  Add strength training 1-2 days
                  On rest days, try to break a sweat for 30-45 minutes
*Diet: Give up grazing
            1. Eat off a plate
            2. Eat at the table
            3. Don't eat kids leftovers
            4. Don't have seconds
            5. Don't eat after dinner
*Atitude: Mistakes are no defeat
                Stop and refocus on goals

**EXTRA CREDIT** Plan week's snacks ahead of time, and eat only at the table

Previous Weight: 268.4
Current Weight: 265.8
Pounds Lost: -3

It's not much, but I have more motivation this week than ever.

A Ruined Day

Today is just not going the way as planned. Cayce has to go to the will reading soon, and our date night has been cancelled because we don't have anyone to watch the girls. I'm stressed to the max and i'm sick and tired of plans always going down the drain.

I'm just hoping tomorrow isn't a total bust. I'm planning a family day tomorrow and we are gonna grill some hotdogs and make some onion rings and go to a park near the riverwalk and have a picnic and then head to the riverwalk. Then shopping tomorrow night for Sammy's birthday party.

All I can do is get over it and move on. Well, I guess its chore day now. Blah!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

I was thinking today that I really want to put Samantha into some sort of classes or a sport team. I was thinking about gymnastics, or softball, cheerleading, or soccer. Since I have decided to homeschool my children, I want to figure out some extracurriculur activites, and also to get her to interact with other kids.

I know it costs to do gymnastics and pageants. I really like softball, and I would love to see her to do some cheerleading and/or soccer. I know that it is too early for music or singing lessons. I want to put her in singing lessons when she gets older because everytime I lay Addy down or I do, she sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and she is trying to sing The Itsy Bitsy Spider.

I'm going to start research after she starts her Letter of the Week Curriculum.

Uneventful Day

It has been raining nonstop today. It has dampened my mood and there has been a negative effect of the whole day. Cayce and I got into an argument this morning and I was upset when he left for work. I hate arguing with him before he leaves to go anywhere.

Around 5:00, my computer started acting up again. The screen starts getting fuzzy and the colors mess up. I don't know what it is, but I always have to restore it to a earlier date. I will be getting a new computer soon.

Something to look forward to is date night on Saturday. Cayce and I will be going to Pedro's. It is the most popular resturant in Swansea. Then we will be going to The Big Mo drive in and watch Warm Bodies and The Host. We have been wanting to see those two movies for the longest time now. On Sunday, I'm planning a family day to the Cayce Riverwalk.

Next week, Cayce goes back to school. He had last week out and this week was spring break.

I'm hoping that tomorrow will be better than today.

Weekly Goals: April 1-5, 2013

Household:

• Prep closets for deep cleaning on the weekend
• Dust
• Oragnize pantry
• Clean off brown shelf and have it ready to go into Sammy and Airy's closet
• Organize desk, dresser and nightstands in master

Personal:

• Get shopping lists done and be ready for early morning shopping on Saturday
• Finish reading The Vow
• Exceed 3,500 Swagbucks
• Exercise 4 hours
• Work on cookbook
• Plan Saturday's date night: Dinner at Pedro's and then the Big Mo.
• Plan family day for Sunday: The Cayce Riverwalk and picnic

Kids:

• Work on letter of the week curriculum and book lists
• Schedule 1st day of Sammy's new curriculum
• Work on prepatory curriculum and book lists
• Print more pages for countries binder
• Finish planning Sammy's birthday and menu

Yard:

• Water flowers every morning
• Pick up trash from under front porch
• Pick up roots from the front yard
• Prepare to finish painting the front porch on Sunday

Lose the Weight Challenge: Week 4

Last week completely SUCKED! I didn't lose any weight, instead I gained back the weight I lost the previous week. I didn't get to work out and I ate so much. This week is NO EXCUSES!!!!!!!!

*Exercise: I have to do 2 sets of 6 exercises, 10 reps a set, so 20 reps total for 1 exercise.
                 Continue 1 hour cardio daily and 2 strength workouts.
                 Continue pelvic floor recovery
*Diet: Shop with a list and purchase only items that ARE on the list.
           Continue healthy dinners
*Attitude: DO NOT CRITICIZE YOURSELF

**EXTRA CREDIT** Purchase exercise band; light to medium resistance

Previous Weight: 265.6
Current Weight: 268.4
Pounds Lost: 0

I think the stress of the week caused me to gain the 3 pounds back, and I'm going to work hard to lose the 3 pounds and more.

I'm going to do the best I can and become the person I want to be.

Weekend Goals: March 30-31, 2013 Update

Household:

• Clean out closets for spring
• Deep clean bathrooms (cleaned up but didnt deep clean)
• Scrub kitchen, top to bottom
• Organize pantry
• Deep clean master bedroom

Personal:

• Work on cookbook
• Exceed 2,500 swagbucks
• Exercise 6-8 hours (worked out 2 hours)

Kids:

• Plan Samantha's letter of the week curiculum and book lists
• Plan Ariana's prepatory curriculum and book lists
• Plan Samantha's 4th birthday (got a theme and facebook event started.)

Yard:

• Start picking up roots and debris
• Clean out gutters and sweep roof
• Hose down underpinning
• Plant flowers
• Finish painting front porch