Reclaiming My Life

 I want to be completely real about all of this.  For the past 10 years I had just come to accept that I was going to be fat mom.  When I had to buy clothes for myself I knew how to buy loose & big clothes that don't hug any part of my body.  The name of the game was hide within my clothes.  I didn't want to be overweight.  I didn't want to be the frumpy, sloppy mom.  But life seemed to be getting away from me & though I had tried anything & everything I heard about, I was stuck in a depressing cycle.   It seemed that I could only lose 10-15 pounds, hit a plateau, get frustrated, then go back to eating, ultimately gain back what I had just lost.  I knew I needed to try harder, but I did the typical mom thing & I put myself dead last on the priority list.  Honestly, I didn't love myself enough to do what needed to be done.  I didn't realize that I had to take care of myself first in order to take the best care of my family.  In the past year, that has changed.  My family is still my number 1 priority.  BUT taking care of myself & getting healthy is also my number 1 priority & it helps me accomplish the other number 1 priority.  I'm still not where I want to be, but I'm so much better than I was even 6 months ago!!  And what's more, I've got a drive & a reason to get to my ultimate goal.  Not only do I want to get there for me, I also want to get there for my girls.  I want to be a strong, healthy role model for them.    
You know, we can all go along making poor decisions & enjoying lots of junk food & empty calories.  And you'll be okay for a while.  But trust me, this will catch up with all of us!!  I mean, let's face it, in our society it is so easy to do.  We are all so busy that it is much easier & more time efficient to by the processed, pre-packaged food.  I'm not sure how we got to this point.  And I don't even know how to undo this.  Everyone that I talk to is in the same predicament!!  Most families have multiple children involved in multiple activities.  This in turn keeps us away from home a few evenings a week.  So, there is a need to grab food on the go.  It really is just a sign of the times.  In order to maintain control of our health, we have to figure out how to manage all the activities & still consume the right kinds of food to fuel our bodies.  So, how do we do this?  

We started making some of these changes in January 2013. We decided to tackle this with baby steps.......first, we decided to try to get rid of all high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, & other chemicals that are in our foods.  So, we started making our own bread.  Then we moved on to making everything else from scratch.  It was completely overwhelming in the beginning but totally worth it in the end.  I quit buying bisquick & "cream of" soups & butter substitutes & the list can go on & on.  Honestly, there were days that ended with lots of tears shed because I was so overwhelmed & felt that I couldn't keep up with.  And I wanted to so badly..........I truly believed it was what was best for my family.  Well, time marched on & it eventually all got easier & now our diet was mostly "clean". 

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I consider my family to be a very not busy family by regular standards.  My girls are not athletes & they don't participate in too many extra curricular activities this year.  We did more last year.  This year my girls are both taking dance classes & have both signed up for cheerleading.  Now, the days that they both have lessons/practices keep us busy & away from home.  I have found the best way for me to deal with this is to meal plan.  Now, I'll just let you in on a little secret.........I've ALWAYS been a planner.  Sometimes this is a good thing, a lot of times, in fact.  But sometimes it can be a bad thing if things don't go according to "the plan."  ;)  So meal planning just really fits well into my personality.  I try to sit down every week or two & plan our meals for the next couple of weeks.  Thankfully my family is one that eats & loves leftovers.  This really helps me out & most weeks & can cook 2-3 times & we eat leftovers.  Then on the weekends Jim mans the grill.  That will usually provide us with a lot of lean, healthy protein to use during the week. 

Protein & healthy fats are essential for a healthy life.  I love to use Young Living's protein powder.  I use this as a meal replacement after I exercise a lot of times.  Chocolate deluxe is my favorite.  And, IMO, it is its yummiest when I prep it with 1 cup 1% milk, 1 cup spinach, & 1 cup frozen dark sweet cherries.  It tastes like a chocolate covered cherry!!!  YUMMO!!  My entire family has grown to love smoothies.  This is a wonderful way to get a serving of fruits & veggies in.  Now, fruits are no problem for my girls.  But veggies is another story entirely.  They both have certain veggies that they like but they are FEW.  With smoothies, the girls just know that whatever flavor they choose, a cup of spinach will also be added.  It provides a veggie serving without changing the flavor.  This has been a game changer for my girls!!
And my new favorite healthy fat is the lovely avocado.  Jim recently made homemade, fresh guacamole.  Now, I've never liked guacamole.  But I decided to give his a chance.  Boy, am I glad I did.  It is delicious & has become our go to on the weekends. Jim also enjoys using avocado in his banana, pb & YL chocolate deluxe smoothie.  The avocado makes the smoothie extra creamy.

Finally, I'm discovering these amazing supplements from Young Living to support my health & wellness journey.  I love my essential oils, but these supplements are quickly becoming a top priority for me.  A few of my favorite supplements are Super B, Multigreens, Digest & Cleanse, & Detoxzyme.  These supplements keep me feeling my best & my body operating at optimal energy & wellness.  I'm so thankful to have found Young Living. 

My favorite thing about this new journey that my family has been on is watching my body conquer & do things that it used to be incapable of doing.  Once you find your body changing (& I'm talking about capabilities way more than looks) it does truly become an addiction. Last week I ran completed my couch to 10k program.  What does that mean?  Well, it means I finished the 14 week training & can now run a 10k.  For the first time in my life, last week, I ran for a solid hour.  I was in awe of the fact that I finished it.  Not only did I finish it, but my pace didn't stink!!!  After that run, a new fire was lit in me.  All I want to do now is RUN!!  I say all this not to brag, but to hopefully inspire others who may be struggling with body image & self doubt.  YOU are worth it & YOU can do it!!!  All you have to do is decide to go for it.  I would love to hear how you accomplish your goals & take care of yourself!!  

Do You Like You?

I said in my first weight loss post that I have battled my weight & had a poor body image for most of my adult life.  Do you know why?  It's not because anybody ever treated me poorly or told me I was FAT or anything like that.  It is because of the images & ideas we are completely inundated with about beauty.  I remember when I was young having certain movie/TV stars & singers that I wanted to look like.  What I didn't realize at the time is that on the TV & magazine covers, we're only seeing them at their very BEST & perfect appearances.  Not only that, they have assistants & stylists that continue to perfect their look.   The problem is that our idea of what is physically beautiful has been so skewed & messed up by Hollywood's standards.  The magazines & photos that we see online are NOT REAL!!  There is a Facebook page that I follow called The Bright Side.  They recently shared an article that really opened my eyes.  The article is about the Photoshopping of photographs.  In this article they share images before & after photoshop.  I couldn't believe just how much editing was done to the images.  And what makes it sadder is that the editing was completely unnecessary. If you're interested in checking that article out, you can click HERE  

It is no wonder that we have people with eating disorders & people who hate the way they look.  We've all been told that we need to be a certain size & wear certain clothes & fix our hair & makeup to the point that most women are not even comfortable in their own skin.  It's such a shame.  Now, I'm sure you're thinking "well, you say all of that, but you still want to lose weight & look better."   You would be partially right.  I DO still want to lose more weight.  But I have finally reached an age where it isn't all about how I look.  Sadly, I had gotten really comfortable with being overweight.  I had tried (& failed) to lose the weight so many times, that I thought this was just my body now. I didn't want to be an unhealthy mom, but for so long I couldn't lose the weight.  Being over 40 has made me realize how fast time is passing & I do not want to spend the second half of my life overweight & unhealthy & unable to do certain things with my family.  I want to love me & love my body.  So, for me, now losing weight is more about getting & staying healthy.  It's not about how I look.  I wish our society would focus more on health & wellness instead of outward beauty.  This is something that Jim & I try to portray to our girls.  They both know & understand that we're trying to lose weight.  But we always talk to them about doing this for our health.  What they don't understand is that all of this is for our physical health, yes.  But also for our mental health.  ;) So, do you like you?  Something to think about.  

Health & Wellness......MY Journey

For most of my adult life, I have battled my weight & had a very poor body image.  In our society it is in our face every single day, every where we turn that we are supposed to look a certain way & be a certain size.  Thanks to Hollywood & magazines our idea of beauty is so skewed & messed up. Thankfully, the older I get the easier it is to realize that the goal shouldn't be to be "skinny" or beautiful.  The goal should be to be healthy.  If we take care of our bodies with a proper diet & exercise we will make ourselves healthy.  Then a smaller body size & a certain kind of beauty will be ours. 

I'll be 42 in 8 months.  I'm determined to make 42 my healthiest year yet.  I have yo-yo dieted & lost & regained the same 10-15 pounds for the past 10 years.  When I got pregnant with Ava, I was bigger than I had ever been.  Thru both pregnancies, I gained very little weight.  BUT I was still bigger than I'd ever been  & I wasn't able to lose the extra weight after giving birth. 

After turning 40 almost a year & a half ago, I decided once & for all to get my health & weight under control. While I have been excited to figure this out, I have hit a few speed bumps along the way.  I've finally had success & have lost more weight this time than any other time I've attempted to lose weight.  I'm still not where I want to be, but I am well on my way & I am already a MUCH healthier version of myself.  Since last July I have lost 41.5 pounds & 8.1% body fat.  I feel like a new person.....and I've lost what equals to a small person. And now I want to share my story.  I hope you'll indulge me & follow along.  I will be doing a series of posts over the next few weeks/months.  I'd love for you to join me on this journey. 


 I will not even pretend to treat or diagnose anything.  I'm simply going to share information & tips & actions & products that have worked for me & helped me become a healthier version of myself.  I will tell you right now, there has been no magic pill, no quick fix, no "easy button."  Just a lot of work, sweat, tears, & real food.  

 
 
This first before/after picture is me in May 2015 & today.  The next picture is me in March 2016 & today.  As stated earlier, I'm not where I want to be, but I'm so much better than I was.   









They say great things happen just outside of your comfort zone.  I've never been one to share too many personal details about myself.  But I'm going to step outside of my comfort zone on this & share this journey.  I'm hoping that it will help & encourage someone else.  And I'm counting it keeping me accountable.  :)  One of my goals, aside from getting healthy, was to become a runner.  Several years ago, I completed the couch to 5k program & was just starting to understand what people mean about enjoying running.  Then I got sick & the weather turned colder.  That turned into my excuse to quit that time.  So, of course, the weight came back & I got down on myself & let it win.  I'm not going to let that happen this time. I am currently on week 5 day 2 of the Couch to 10K program. We are just coming upon my favorite time of year.  And with my recent weight loss, I'm finally enjoying running.

These cool, crisp, fall-like mornings are ideal for running. I will be sharing more details from this beginning of my journey in later posts.  I hope you'll tune in. 

Bucket List

 

Do you have a bucket list?  You know, a list of things you want to do or places you want to see before you "kick the bucket?"  Do you remember a few years ago there was a movie called The Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson & Morgan Freeman (two men that have always enjoyed watching)........https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bucket_List While this movie has some really sad & difficult parts to watch, it has a very good meaning & purpose.  Maybe this is something that I'm just now learning to focus on. 
I've found in the past couple of years that I'm trying to be very focused on spending my days jam packed with the people & things that make me happiest to be alive & soaking in every moment I can.........whether this means traveling & big trips OR relishing family game night at home. This line of thought automatically lends itself to thinking of things I want to add to my bucket list.
I've been thinking about simple stuff all the way up to extravagant stuff. So, I decided I'd share my thoughts with anyone who wants to listen.  One bucket list item that I'm currently working on is to regain control of my health & my life by healthy eating & exercising. Along with this, I want to LOVE running. I will get there. ;) Another part of this is to teach my girls how to make exercise a daily part of their lives & how to make healthy food choices.

One of my more extravagant items is to release a floating lantern. I'm not sure what it is, but this idea has always appealed to me. Gotta find out where I can do this!! Monique McLean recently did this with her family in Utah. I had the honor of meeting Monique a couple of years ago at the Thrive Conference in Nashville.  She is in my upline through Young Living.  She (& her family) have such a zest for life.  I'm very thankful to her for sharing her pictures with me to use in this post.  Don't these pictures look like such an amazing experience?!  I'm going to see if I can find available information on where to do this!! 

So, now let's grab by life the horns & really embrace & enjoy every single moment!!!  Now it's your turn....what's on YOUR bucket list????
I can't wait to hear from you!!!!

Back To School...........ALREADY????

I'm sure I'm not alone, I cannot believe that it is already back to school time.  It feels like the summers just keep getting shorter & shorter.    There is a lot of excitement that goes along with going back to school.  Summer is such a carefree & laid back time.........so much freedom & fun.  But going back to school brings its own goodness.  Getting back into a routine, football season, hometown celebrations & excitement.  

Going back to school can also bring a few problems......nervousness, temporary anxiety, sharing of germs, etc...  Today I thought I'd share some natural ways of dealing with things.

Does your family have trouble getting going in the mornings?  Check out this diffuser blend. 

Two of the best ways to support your child's wellness & immunity is by using Ningxia Red & Thieves oil blend.  If you're not already using these two, please go get some NOW!!!  You can thank me later. 

The first day of school brings a lot of excitement & a lot of nervousness.  My girls love wearing their diffuser necklaces & taking oily benefits on the go with them.  Stress Away, Valor, & White Angelica are just a few of our favorites for necklaces.

Starting back to school also means getting back into having regular, early bedtimes.  If your kids are like mine, that can be hard after a summer of carefree, late nights & evenings.  Try this relaxing pillow spray & roll on some Tranquil.  These oils will most definitely promote relaxation & peaceful sleep. 

It is never too early to start thinking about teacher gifts. Lots of people start the new year by bring the teacher a back to school gift.  Whether you take a gift at the beginning of the school year or not, there are tons of oily ideas that any teacher would be thankful to receive.    

So, now you're ready..........go out have a wonderful school year!!!

Love From the Kitchen

"Cooking is love made edible."  Our society is all about food......everything we do is centered around food.  I think most people would agree with this.  I mean, what do we do for others during times of grief & loss, recovery, or celebration?  One of the most popular things to do for people is to bake them food.  I have found for most of my life that when I want to do something for someone, I start thinking about what food I can prepare for them.  I tend to get more out of it than the people I'm fixing for. 

For the past couple of years my sweet Ava has really developed at love for cooking.  I'm so excited about this.  And while she's only 10 years old, I can see her following thru with this into adulthood.  I can already picture her with her own little bakery.  Because of this love for it, I try really hard to incorporate both my girls in the kitchen.

During the summer my girls did several day camps.  I believe Ava's favorite camp was culinary camp.  She's already planning to go back next summer.  This camp was Monday - Friday for 3 hours each day.  Each day was themed & they prepared a meal & dessert.  She enjoyed every minute of it & learned a ton of valuable information.  She even received a certificate of completion on Friday.

Right after culinary camp she was eager to share her recipes.  Thankfully Granna & Opa was excited to let her cook for them. 

I've decided to nurture this love of hers & get her in the kitchen helping me.  She loves when I ask her to help.  And Aubrey has even developed an enjoyment for cooking......not the same way as Ava, but she doesn't want to be left out.  

Our first bit of love from the kitchen was a delicious blueberry bundt cake.  I got the girls in the kitchen to get all the ingredients out.  They've learned quickly that it saves time & makes the work flow better if we have everything out & ready to go.  These girls couldn't wait to get started. 

They took turns adding ingredients & mixing them.  We preheated our oven to the convection setting 350*.  The girls greased the pan, then added the batter.

They were so very proud of what came out of the oven.

And don't tell my girls......but this is about so much more than baking.  At this point, this time together in the kitchen means a lot more to me than it does to them.  I'm cherishing every minute I have with them.  Everyday & in the kitchen.  Then one day, they'll be able to look back on our time baking & see what it was really all about. 

My First Baby's 10......Double Digits!!!

Last month my sweet Ava turned 10!!  Seriously.......double digits, 2 whole hands!!!  WOW!!! I'm gonna brag on her just a little.  I watch her move around the house & it is so hard to believe that that tiny baby girl we brought home from the hospital is now this beautiful & grown up looking (too much sometimes) little lady.  We've watched & treasured every milestone that she's hit & yet it still doesn't seem possible that we've had her for 10 years.  It feels like it was just yesterday we were at the hospital.  How does the song go??  "Time Marches On...."  And so it does.  
More & more often when I'm watching Ava I get glimpses of the teenager that's coming.  But even more than that I see this exquisite heart.....she has one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen.  She loves everyone & has a very nurturing "mommy" way about her, especially when it comes her little sister.  Ava, in the past few years, has developed a love for cooking.  She says she's going to be a baker when she grows up.  I can totally see that happening!!  She also LOVES her family.  She's a big time daddy's girl & have been since before she was two!!  She loves being at home together or taking trips together.  She says she's never getting married or even having a boyfriend.  Oh the beauty of being 10!!!  I know that will change in a few shorts years.  But for now we're going to soak up being #1 to her!! ;)  

A few years ago we stopped having birthday parties for the girls.  I'm talking about the big elaborate parties.  They still get a birthday cake of their choice.  This year Ava wanted cupcakes & she wanted them beach themed.  They were super cute & most importantly, she LOVED them!!  Instead of the big party we've opted to let them have their own birthday fun day.  We let them choose each year where they want to go & where they want to eat.  This year Ava chose to visit the Nashville Zoo.  This was followed by lunch at Rainforest Cafe.  This year we let her bring a friend along.  It was a super fun day!! But then again, it always is!!

After watching Ava's love for food & cooking the past few years, we've decided to really nurture that & let her pursue some things with that.  We gave her a personalized apron for her birthday.  It is embroidered with the quote "Cooking is love made edible."  Absolutely perfect for our little baker!!!

 I'd say she had a really wonderful 10th birthday!!  Here's to celebrating many more birthdays with Ava!!