Sunday Morning Thoughts

Hello, Friends!

Can you guys already feel the busy that fall brings? Football games, homecoming, pageants, and just life in general. Like I have said many times, these next few months are my favorite time of the year. I love everything about fall. I'm excited to decorate my house, change the scents in my house, pick out Halloween costumes, I  mean you know the drill and I'm sure you're all doing the same thing. How exciting!

In the life of Brooklynn and I things are going pretty good. She is still going through some of the things I spoke about a few weeks ago, dealing with the separation anxiety. It is not as intense as before and she isn't crying when I leave her at school any more but to be out of my presence for an extended amount of time, outside of school, is still unpredictable. I've decided not to stress about it. She and I have talks about it and I assure her that things are okay when she is not with me. I'm just waiting for it to pass.

I have still been doing great with my clean eating and results are still showing. Yesterday I got on the scale and was down another three pounds so that makes twenty total at the end of week five. Week five I was out of sorts and low on cash. I was not able to buy and eat the things that I do on a daily basis but I still managed to stick to it. I just don't feel confident with out all my fruits and veggies to eat on  all day. I got paid Friday and yesterday I went and stocked up on everything I needed.

Robert, Jamie Lee, and my sweet Lyvi Love were here last weekend. As always, it was so good to see them. Olyvia is getting so big and changing so much each time I see her. She has the sweetest spirit and is such an easy baby. We played babies for a good thirty mins and she was just as content and taking everything in. I cant believe how big she is. She will say almost anything you tell her to. She and Brooklynn are just as close as ever. When Lyv' sees Brooklynn her little eyes light up and she smiles as big as the moon! It's precious. While they were here we went to the West/ South game at South Jones and had dinner a couple of times. I will never get used to them living far away but it was so good to spend time with them.

My sweet family

sweet girls

I love this pic

oh and this one too

sweet sweet

 

love my sister

Paw paw & His girls

 

 

We needed some new pics. These are all super sweet but I cant figure out why they are so small and right now I don't have the patience to figure out how to make them bigger. Either way they are precious right?

 

 

Today/tomorrow starts week six on my journey to a healthy life style. I have tried some fun recipes and of course I have been taking progress pictures. Some days I feel super dedicated and some days I feel like I haven't lost a pound. When I get out the progress pictures they really help me put things in prospective. I don't guess I have really ever "known my body". I was so unhealthy that I didn't even know how to listen to my body. When you start eating healthy you can really tell what your body needs as far as nutrition goes. For example, when I first started this and like the first two weeks into it, I was still eating a pretty big supper. It would be healthy but larger than it should be. This past week I really payed attention to my body and I ate a really small supper almost every night. I cut way back on my portions for the evening. I would just have a cup of veggies or only a turkey sandwich and be satisfied.  I'm still eating it by five o'clock every night but it's just a lot smaller. I fuel my body by eating all day that when it's time to eat supper it does not take much to satisfy me. I have had a few glasses of sweet tea and I even had some carbonation but found that it made more thirsty. It was nice with lunch or with dinner but I do not have it every day or with every meal. I try not to get on the scale but once a week. A couple of those weeks I would get on every few days and my weight would fluxate so much that I would feel defeated so I stopped that and started only weighing once a week. 

 

Being over weight my whole life has taken it's tole on my body, my mind, my emotions, and my confidence in ever achieving any goals I have set for myself. I have dieted so many times and never stuck with it. I have tried every pill, every powder, counted points, and done every challenge out there with out lasting results. What I have been doing the past five weeks is working for me. Physically I  am there, mentally I am there, emotionally I am there and I am confident that what I am doing is what I should be doing. There is no turning back for me. I feel like being and staying committed to this will help me be and stay committed to other things I want to do with my life. Self peace is something I am big on. I have hid from who I really am for so long. I would embrace every other thing in my life but always had this dark lurking shadow of bad health that I would just pretend wasn't there. To face that demon, one that I have repressed for so long, has put me in a much better place with myself. I had to just own it that I had never cared about myself or my health, for a number of reasons. YOU HAVE TO CARE ABOUT YOURSELF! I have not cared about myself in a really long time. I was in a destructive relationship for over five years and disrespected myself on so many levels. I became a single mom and totally devoted my life and everything in me to my little girl, which is great but I forgot to care about myself. Being a single mom and having to work extra hard was almost an excuse to not care about myself. Isn't that awful? I had to dig deep and I had to face how bad I was to myself and then I had to not let that be something negative in my life. I made bad choices, I took wrong turns, I ignored my health, I ran from my demons and it is what it is. I am not that person any more. I do care about myself. I do care about my health. I try to make very conscience decisions in every aspect of my life. When you want a change in your life, you will make one. If you don't want a change in your life, you will make excuses. It's not easy but it's worth it and becomes the new normal!

 

These muffins are so good!

All you need is a box of chocolate devils food cake (I got the moist one)

and a can of pumpkin. Mix the two together and trow them in your muffin pan.

Put them in the oven on 400 degrees for twenty mins.

They are not super low in calories or fat but they are great alternative for something sweet!

My crock pot has become my best friend.

Here I did chicken breast, which I brown a little bit before putting them in and

lots of veggies. Celery, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, and cauliflower. I also steamed these on a very

low heat for a few mins just to soften them up a bit before I put them in the crock pot.

I used a recipe starter from Progresso that was cream of mushroom and I added a pack of

onion soup mix. I let it cook all day. The last two hours I put in a cup of brown rice and y'all 

this was great. I ate on it for several meals. I also brought my mom and Mr. Sid some to eat on.

Use your crock pot!! 

This picture is from day one week one, and day seven of week four.

Progress pictures truly are a good motivator. Use them!

 

I did this progress picture last night.

This is week one, week three, and the end of week six.

I can tell in my clothes more than anything that I am loosing weight.

 

 

 

Some of my friends are like "well I do good all week and then I eat pizza". There is nothing wrong with that. Most of my friends are much smaller and do not have near the weight to lose that I do. Whether you're 200 pounds over weight or 10 pounds over weight, making any healthy choices is what it's about. Reality is that no, not every meal we eat for the rest of our lives will be the most healthy or the best choice as far as nutrition goes but that the fact that you  make more health conscience choices than you do bad choices, when it comes to food,  that is a life style change.

 

I am thankful for all the love and support I have gotten since I started this journey. My family is always encouraging me, especially Robert. He constantly checks in on me and tells me he is proud of me. I have never felt judged by my  brother for my weight but I always knew how much he cared about me and just wanted me to live healthier. My co-workers have been great. They have been supportive and give me fresh ideas when it comes to food. Their daily encouragement keeps me going! My friends, well we all know that I have great friends! Having a team of support around me has been so helpful. The support from my friends on FB, IG, and from those of you who read my blog keeps me accountable. Making a change in your life no matter what it is, takes time. I challenge everyone to look at their life and find the things that need to be changed. May it be finances, may it be a relationship, your job, your role as a wife or mother,weight, priorities, anything that you have been running from and just face it! A few weeks from now you will be glad you cared about yourself enough to face the change! I hope you all have a great week!!

 

 

 





 



 

 



Healthy Is What I Need To Be

Hey guys! This blog wont be to long but it wont be to short either. 

I started my journey to a healthy life style on August 26, 2012. Notice the two words I used HEALTHY & LIFESTYLE. I have been over weight almost my entire life. I can remember at the start of second grade, coming to school and being weighed, and my teacher telling me I had gained eighteen pounds over the summer, AS A SECOND GRADER! That is my first memory of my weight being pointed out to me. Until that point in my life, I had been itty bitty. From then on out, I continued to gain weight the rest of my childhood, adolescent years, and into young adult life.

I have always been aware of my weight but no one in my life has ever been mean or cruel to me because of it. I have always had great parents, siblings, friends and so forth who have never been ugly to me because I was over weight. I was never bullied by anyone but MYSELF and that did not start until a few years back. I now have a four year old little girl and I'm pretty much her main care taker. I know everything about her. I know her moods. She is mine and how unfair was I being by not making my life the best it could be for her. She needs me and I made a vow to  her and myself that my weight would never be a reason that I would be taken from her.

I don't know why it has taken me this long to REALLY change my lifestyle.  I'm lazy that's one reason for sure. I'm tired, I don't have time, I don't have the money... yeah do these excuses sound familiar? These are some of my favorite excuses. The ones I used ALL the time. I joined Instagram back in the summer and in August I found myself constantly looking at people who were changing the way they lived, changing their diet, changing their habits and changing their body. I became obsessed with looking at it and finally after a hard month of August and feeling depressed I knew some things had to change and then I had to actually change them.

I decided I would not pressure myself but I would make choices that would lead to better health. On Instagram the big thing for these people who were changing so much was "clean eating". Clean eating is simple. It's mostly raw veggies and fruits and staying away from processed foods. Shopping organic is another big key in clean eating. I also noticed that most of these people prepped their food days in advance. They did not wake up in the crazy of the morning trying to plan a menu for the day. They prepared and that was something I wanted to do as well. I went through what seemed thousands of pictures looking at what I thought I would like to try and getting ideas to help me stick to what I was trying to do. I went to the grocery store with my list and it's been no turning back from there. I feel better. My clothes fit better. My body is functioning better. I sleep better. I get up better. I AM BETTER!

People have been asking me on Instagram for ideas and questions about what I do. I simply look at other people who eat clean on Instagram and go off of what they post. My grocery list always includes the following items.

• bananas
• apples
• plums
• grapes
• one big bag of frozen fruit (yes this is processed)
• cucumbers
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• carrots
• celery
• bell peppers
• green beans
• black beans
• mushrooms
• lettuce or spinach
• pickles
• eggs
• egg whites
• ground turkey
• turkey sandwich meat (also processed)
• chicken (processed)
• hummus
• sugar free balsamic dressing
• orowheat sandwich thins (100 calories for both pieces)
• brown rice
• sugar free/fat free cool whip
• tuna
• Pico de Gallo
• plain Greek yogurt (taste just like sour cream)
• nuts
• water

I'm sure I left something out and this list also changes and varies every time I go but at any point in time I have to have most of these on hand. Yes, some things are processed. I'm trying really hard to stay away from that but I'm still learning and for now these things are a part of what I eat. I also read the book "You Are What You Eat". I totally suggest getting it!

I found since eating these foods that I eat more now than I ever have. I literally eat a piece of fruit or some cucumbers or pickles almost every hour. I never get hungry because I am constantly feeding my body. When I leave my house in the morning my bag is full of food and when I get home it is all gone. Raw fruits and veggies are so good for your body and still have all of their nutritional value. They give your body fuel and burn fat among other great things. I also try to eat supper by 5:00 pm and all I drink is water! Gonna post some pics that I have been taking along the way.

shop colorful

Prepping is KEY for me!

These are delish and can also be made with egg whites.

Stuffed bell peppers using ground turkey.. delish!!

Lunch yesterday

baked chicken and veggies

These are high is fat but it's the kind of fat your body needs.

I stayed away from these until I read the book I mentioned earlier.

These give me an instant boost of energy!

Salad with all the trimmings is one of my favorites.

I mean do you see it?

Week one and end of week three

Week one and end of week three

Early August and day two of week four.

I hope these pictures are proof of what clean eating can do for you. Besides walking, I have not done any exercising. Mainly because I'm still scared with my broke foot healing. I'm hoping I get some running shoes for my birthday and I'm gonna start Couch to 5K. That is my next big goal. To date, I have lost fifteen pounds. Every day is a choice to eat right. Every day is a choice to care about my health enough to do the right thing. I have not eaten any fast food since I started and I used to eat fast food at least four times a week. (gross I know).  I feel like I am on the right path and I'm really enjoying it. I will be a living example for my daughter and a healthy lifestyle. I will be around for her and I will be healthy while doing so.

I'm a HORRIBLE blogger!!

Hello friends! It has been over three full months since I have written a blog. Awful! Brooklynn and I had such a whirl wind summer that I literally did not stop the whole time, at least not long enough to post a blog.

We are back to school and back to routine and we both have adjusted well. Brooklynn went to summer session but never went more than three days a week and some weeks she did not even go depending on what we had going on. There is so much I want to tell you guys about. I want to talk about what an exciting summer we had, where we are as a family, and all the new things in our life. If this post seems to jump around, just bare with me because my brain is all over the place this morning.

Let me just list some of the "big" things we did this summer.

• family trip with Robert, Jamie Lee, Lyv, and my sister Laura to visit our other brother and his family in Little Rock (had a blast)
• Bentleigh Kate was born <3
• family trip with Mom and Mr. Sid's side of the family to Grenada Lake
• t-ball was in June
• Brooklynn's dad came home twice and she spent several days with him both times
• beach trip to Pensacola with my sister and B. It was B's first time to the beach.
• lots of trips to Meridian to visit Mimi
• trip to Robert and Jamie Lee's new house in Bossier City for a whole week
• water parks, play dates, the swimming pool, getting a tan & sleeping late

Yeah I think that is all of the high points. Like I said, we made the most of our summer. I enjoyed being off so much and being able to go and do as I pleased. It was WONDERFUL!

This post is gonna be like information over load but I loved all the pictures I took this summer and want to share them with you guys.

This is the only pic I got of all four of them.

Reese, Lyv, Boogie, and Jonas

sweet first cousins

This was pic taken in Little Rock too. Sweet family.

All the girls chowing down on some watermelon.

sweetness

Brooklynn Rose sure was worried about her Shona.

She could not wait to meet BK but she was most concerned about Shona.

BK  was a day old here.

We visit BK all the time and Brooklynn thinks she is her big sister.

This was the first day at Grenada Lake

Aunt C and cousin Lee

Boogie and Poppa at Grenada Lake

Mom and I waiting for the firework show.

Excuse the swollen mouth I had just had my tooth pulled!

B with Tiny  before one of her T-ball games. She LOVES her Tiny.

B made this for her Daddy the first time he flew home.

sweet girl

First time to the beach.

We loved it.

sister & I

love this pic

In Meridian at Mimi's.

Hanny and B

(I did not realize how much my child wore this outfit)

At the River Walk

B lived in her "heel highs" this summer.

Bass Pro Shop doing a little shopping

love this pic

sweet cousins

Louisiana!!

Getting Brave

loving it

Grandma and B

How we spent MOST of our summer!

twins

love her

little priss

Oh yeah another big day this summer was when the new Justin Bieber cd came out!

B and Paw Paw out to eat one night

Just playing around

Brooklyn and Kennedy playing at Tiny's

B & Parker Man

cuties

My Dad & I

The best man I've ever known.

Brother and I

Gathering

Nikki & I on her bday!

Sweet Lyvi Love

sweetest kisses

Well all those pictures pretty much cover our summer. There was so much more but seeing how I have waited three months to blog there is no way I can cover it all. I love my job and I love that it allows me to be off during the summer. Brooklynn and I had so much!!

The very first day back to school I broke my foot. Lovely, I know.  Ever since then life has been yucky. I don't know what it was about the month of August but it was not good for me. I feel into a huge slump. I was happy to be back at work but annoyed that I had to wear that huge boot that came along with my broke foot. It was hot and annoying. All of the cute outfits I had bought for school did not look cute anymore when I added that awful boot! Everything was making me miserable. I couldn't shake the yucky mood or feeling depressed.

Motherhood was also challenging for me the month of August. I don't know if my bad mood was just spilling over or what the deal was. Brooklynn is such an easy child. She is smart, she likes to sleep, she dresses her self, she bathes herself, she is helpful, she is funny, and she is very loving. When those things are out of whack, I just don't know how to respond because she is always so easy. This month she has been going through some things that have just left me speechless. Acting out in ways that she never has before. She is dealing with some separation anxiety. I wont go into much detail but normally she would  gypsy off with Grandparents and never think twice about leaving me. The past two weeks that has changed. When invited to go with a grandparent she wants to go but cries to stay with me. Then she stays with me and cries for the grandparent. I'm not just talking about a little cry. I'm talking about a full on aggressive, emotional, break down. It's very hard to watch and very hard to figure out how to help with this.  Once she calms down then she gets angry with herself that she got upset and didn't go, which brings on more tears. This has happened with my dad, my mom, and with Brooklynn's Mimi. Y'all my child loves her grandparents so this is just so bizarre. There are lots of things that go on when she is having these break downs that I cant decide if they are a tantrum or if it's something deeper. I'm having a hard time relating to her and understanding her. This is something I am not used to and that causes me great grief.

This past Friday night it happened after I drove an hour to Meridian and she cried to go back home with me then cried the whole way home to go back to her Mimi's. I was so looking forward to a break and just having some time to myself. That did not happen! By the time we got home we were both crying. The month of August was catching up with me at the same time my child was coming apart at the seams. I got home and put her to bed. I was angry. I was hurt. I was confused. I was mad at myself for not knowing how to respond to her. I ran a hot bath and began to weep. I didn't cry, I wept. I was feeling lower than I have in a very long time. I was feeling lonely. I was realizing I was not as good at motherhood as I thought. The devil was lurking during my time of weakness and my brain began to wonder if I could do this. Am I good at this? I was feeling selfish for even wanting a "break" for the weekend. Every emotion possible was coming out of me and like I have said before, it was at that breaking point that I found relief. I called out to Jesus asking him to help me. I prayed for patience. I prayed for wisdom. I prayed that Jesus would comfort my little girl with whatever she was going through because I didn't know how to. I prayed that He would shake this depression I was in and to renew my spirit.

I went to bed  feeling heavy but at peace. I crawled into bed and snuggled up to my precious little girl and just breathed her in. For several minutes I laid there thinking about the journey she and I have been on since the day she was born. I thought about the day I brought her home. I thought about the first time she smiled at me. I thought about the first time she sat up, crawled, and her first steps. I believe we loose memories if we do not revisit them and it felt so good to step back in time for a few minutes and remember those special times.

It's strange how life can seem fine one second and so overwhelming the next. I like to think I'm a strong person and that I can always find the right frame of mind even in difficult seasons of life. This past month, I have not been able to do that.

Saturday morning I woke up with a renewed spirit. Joy came with the morning just as our Lord promises. I vowed to make this month a much better one. I felt like I had the strength to shake off the dark clouds that had been lingering around in my life that I had actually allowed to be there. I was reminded that life is seasonal. It's not always grand and it's not always horrible. I have made some new commitments in my life and have changed my attitude. Fall is coming and it's my FAVORITE time of year. I promise to get back to blogging as I should!! I end this post hoping that all who read it remember that life is seasonal  and that sometimes we have to fall apart before we can be put back together.