Miracle Medicine

In the late summer of 2014 I decided to give running a shot and try out the Couch to 5K program.  I was terrible! I was definitely a couch potato and seriously lacked the motivation to get up and run.  I didn't complete it.  A few months later some tragic things happened in my life that sent me on a downhill spiral.  I knew I had to do something to lift my spirit and get me back on my feet.  I got off the couch and started running.  I ran my first 5k without stopping to walk on Thanksgiving of 2014.  I was so proud! I found confidence that had been hiding for some time. I soon became addicted to running!  While I was running, I found the beauty of the world, of God's creation, in fact, I found myself having conversations with God while I was out for a run.  After I finished my run I felt like a million bucks, like I could conquer the world.  The addiction grew deeper.  I never labeled myself as a runner though, until one day I realized the excitement I got when I laced up my shoes in anticipation of running.  Running is God's miracle medicine.  Running got me out of a dark time in my life and brought a new better meaning to it.  Running has helped me gain control of anxiety and fear that was affecting my life.  Running has helped me feel good about myself, about my body, about life.  

I realized early on that not everyone has the opportunity to feel what amazing things running can do, and for those people I was instantly sad.  I came across an organization that also realized this same thing and decided to do something about it.  Who I Run For pairs up runners with buddies.  A buddy is a person who can not run due to physical or mental disabilities, but who would love to.  Once matched together through the organization, the runner dedicates all miles to the buddy while the buddy encourages the runner to hit the pavement (or trails...or treadmill).  What a wonderful relationship!  I signed up and 6 months later was paired with Summer. She is a 36 year old with Spina Bifida.  We have just touched the surface on knowing one another, but I'm looking forward to running for her and learning more about her life.  I'm glad I have found a love for running and also a way to give back to those that cannot physically run themselves! 

Five on Friday

{one}

I have to brag on myself for just a second...We had a weight loss challenge this past month at work and I won!!  I am so proud of myself.  I had big plans to workout a lot to lose the weight, but that didn't happen as much as I would have liked.  I did really watch what I ate and I kept walking.  I lost 9 lbs in the month of June.  I have lost 51 lbs since giving birth 4 1/2 months ago!  (I gained 57 lbs while pregnant)  I signed up for the weight loss challenge at work this month too!

{two}

I really want to get back in to baking more.  I always love baking and I don't know why I don't do it more often?! I know my husband would enjoy it if I would make more sweet treats, but it may not help me get back to pre-baby weight!  I am thinking about baking these good looking cupcakes this weekend.

{three}

My husband and I have been talking more about getting a jogging stroller.  He runs a lot more than I do, but I have high hopes of starting to run/jog soon.  It's going to take me a little bit to get to where I can run for any significant length of time, but I have to start somewhere.  There are tons of options for strollers out there, and it is very overwhelming!  Any suggestions??

{four}

I could very easily become addicted to online shopping!  It is so convenient to sit on my comfy couch and buy all the things my heart desires without fighting the crowds and driving all over town, not to mention our city has terrible shopping options.  Lately (this week-yikes!) I have ordered myself a pair of shorts, a dress, and a shirt.  I have ordered a Christmas dress (already?! I know!!), pair of shorts, and more bows for Lillian.  My husband doesn't seem too surprised these days when a package arrives at the door.

{five}

There are still a few things I have left to do in Lillian's nursery.  I am not sure why I have not done them yet because they are simple tasks.  I need to buy and hang 2 white shelves.  I need to order a cover for her changing pad (a blanket is our cover right now).  I also want to use some of the left over fabric from her bedding to make this.  Maybe this weekend I will have the motivation to get these things done.  Once I am finished with those things, I will post a picture or two of her room and how it was transformed into a nursery.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! TGIF!

Baby Weight

What happened to becoming "one hot momma"?  I believe that was just wishful thinking!  I told Jon that I was tired of continuing to wear maternity clothes or baggy clothes so he told me to go shopping to get some new clothes that fit.  Off I went this evening to find some cute new clothes to make me feel good when I would get dressed.  Epic fail!  I didn't like anything I tried on!  I started with some skinny jeans.  I should have known simply by the name of them that they weren't for me!  OMG-talk about awkward looking! They are so cute on everyone else, just not this girl!  I then tried on some shorts and "flowy" shirts.  I looked like a tree stump.  Needless to say it was so depressing to go shopping today!  I am still about 18 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight and trying on clothes made that very clear!  My wedding band and engagement ring still do not fit! I ended up buying a fake ring to wear until I am able to fit in the real deal.   I know that I had a baby not even 3 months ago, but if I don't start doing something I will never lose this excess weight.  I need someone to drag my butt to the gym, or around the block, or somewhere that involves exercise.  I am not a "dieter."  In fact, I LOVE to eat and when I try to diet I feel as though I am starving myself.  I don't mind exercising, I actually enjoy it.  I just need to find time and make myself do it!  Who wants to be my free personal trainer? :)

One Hot Momma

One hot momma is what I would like to be!  haha!  Maybe not "hot" but I definitely want to get back to the weight I was before Miss Lillian came into our lives.  In fact, I would like to get back to what I looked like when I got married.

**GOAL**

I gained a total of 57 pounds throughout the 10 months of pregnancy.  I lost 34 in the first 2 weeks!  Majority of that was fluid!  I was SO puffy at the end of the pregnancy and for the first week after I had her.  I still have 23 pounds to go to get back to where I started, but I would really like to lose 25-30 more pounds.  

Breastfeeding has helped me to watch what I eat, somewhat.  I still have a ridiculous sweet tooth.  It is nothing for me to eat a bowl of ice cream every night!  This can't keep happening if I want to lose 25-30 more pounds! I don't want to really limit my calories too much just yet because I am breastfeeding, but I need to eat healthier.  I have been eating a bowl of cereal or oatmeal for breakfast.  For lunch it is usually left overs or a turkey sandwich.  For dinner I have been eating whatever is available.  We were very fortunate to have people bring us dinner for the first 2 weeks we were home.  This past week we have ordered out a lot and I have cooked just a couple of times.   I did sit down and make out our menu for this next week, so I have plans to cook more.   Unfortunately I couldn't resist buying Easter candy the other day, so that has been a weakness too.  I need to dig deep down inside and find the will power to say no to all these sweets.  Today I did skip on the chocolate Easter eggs and ate some strawberries instead.  It wasn't what I wanted, but it worked for the time being.  

I have been trying to walk as often as possible.  I do wish our neighborhood was bigger so that it was worth it to walk around.  We have to load up the car with the stroller and all the goods, including the baby, and head to the park if I want to get a good walk in.  It ends up working out though, because it is nice to get out of the house, especially on a beautiful day!  Eventually I will get to working on my "core."  It is nice and flabby now that it has stretched to infinity and beyond.  I read that you are not supposed to start doing abdominal exercises until 6-8 weeks postpartum.  I only had to read that once to convince myself that I need to wait! :)  I have my 6 week check up the second week in April so at that time I will ask the doc what I can do and what she suggests I do.  Once I get the clear from my doctor to get a move on I plan to really get after it with this weight loss plan. One work out I did get the other day was toting sweet girl around in her car seat!  OMG!  I should have some toned arms in no time, well at least my right arm since that's the one I always use to carry her.  

For now I suppose I will do my best to eat right and continue to walk...

Time Flies

Time seems to be literally flying by!  I can not believe I have been a mommy for 3 weeks and that our sweet baby is 21 (22 to be exact) days old!  Life has changed drastically in the past 3 weeks and I am loving every minute of it.  Over the past week we've had quite a bit going on.  At the beginning of the week Kelli and Evan came over for lunch.  God definitely had a plan when he decided for Kelli and I to have a baby at the same time.  It is nice to share stories and compare experiences of our little ones. It is going to be so fun to see them grow up together!

[Evan and Lillian]

Her cord fell off so we were finally able to give her a bath in her tub.  She loves bath time!

[so relaxed]

We've been to the park a few times this week for walks.  One of the days she decided she wanted to eat before the walk and she definitely could not wait until it was over.  That was our first experience of nursing in public.  It went better than I had expected, but it was still pretty tough. 

This past Friday we went back to the hospital where she was born for her to have an ultrasound done on the sacral dimple she has.  She did wonderful the whole time and slept.  The rad tech who did the ultrasound initially had me a nervous wreck.  I decided that he must not have to do ultrasounds on babies often and definitely not on baby spinal cords.  By his facial expressions and nervous talking, it was obvious as he was doing the ultrasound he thought he was seeing something bad.  I didn't have a clue what we were looking at on the screen, so I was very nervous.  I ended up sitting back in a chair, sweating and praying.  The rad tech decided to get the radiologist in there for his opinion.  I was quickly put at ease once the doctor came in and looked around.  He said everything looked great to him.  Apparently the rad tech was not getting a good look at a certain area of her spinal cord and was thinking their was an abnormality.  The radiologist assured us that everything looked as it should and our baby was in fact healthy.  I was able to breathe again and immediately said a prayer of thanks!

Our nights have been good for the most part.  She has been sleeping good, only waking to eat every 3-4 hours.  We will have the occasional night when she doesn't want to sleep and just wants to be awake and check things out.  Although it is exhausting, as long as she is not crying and upset, I am fine with her just wanting to be awake every now and then at night.  I know that it will soon get better.  I just have to keep reminding myself that she is only 3 weeks old!

We introduced her to the bottle for the first time last night.  We decided that we wanted to slowly get her used to having bottles every now and then so that when I went back to work it wasn't thrown at her all at once.  At first she was not sure about the thing, but after some coaxing she realized what to do and ended up doing great.  I think Jon enjoyed being able to feed her as well. 

Everyday when I look at her I am reminded of God's love for us!  He has definitely blessed me and Jon with a healthy and happy baby.  I don't know what I did to deserve such a precious baby, but I am very thankful.  I pray now that I will know how to raise her, how to teach her to love others unconditionally, and how to be a servant of the Lord.  

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The next Paula Deen...

Ha! I wish! I sure do love cooking though!  Maybe since I am starting to cook more and experimenting with my cooking, I might be half as good as Paula Deen when I have great grandchildren (yes, I said great grand).  Since the lifestyle change I have been trying to cook more, although they may not be the healthiest meals, they sure are delicious!  Two of the meals I made last week I felt were "bloggable."

One night I decided I wanted to cook something with the okra that we picked up from the farmer's market.  After looking through our collection of cookbooks, I came up with my own idea on how to cook okra and tomatoes.  Then I had to decide what I could cook to go with the okra and tomatoes...I settled on baked chicken.  It turned out pretty darn good! 

The start of the okra and tomatoes...bacon always makes everything taste better!

The yummy okra from the local farmer's market

add in the tomatoes and few other key ingredients

then add the okra and voila...okra and tomatoes!

Dinner is served- baked chicken with okra and tomatoes served over rice! Delish!

The next "bloggable" meal started when I decided to cook some pork chops.  I usually smother pork chops in some sort of gravy, but this time I didn't want to.  So I turned to one of my favorite food blogs, Annie's Eats, and found a recipe for parmesan crusted pork chops.  The recipe was very simple and the chops turned out great!  My next decision was choosing sides...so I went with what we had...sweet corn and asparagus.  I remembered another recipe that I had flagged on Annie's Eats, where you topped asparagus with tomatoes and feta, so I tried it out.  I love tomatoes and feta cheese so I knew I couldn't go wrong!

seasoned pork chops (I took it upon myself to add the seasoning I prefer)

dip chops in parmesan cheese, then egg, then bread crumbs

then drop them in the skillet (P.S. I LOVE cooking in a cast iron skillet!)

asparagus with tomatoes and feta

Another yummy dinner!
(Please excuse the poor picture quality...1 I am not a photographer and 2 they were taken with my iphone.) 

Since the lifestyle change that I previously mentioned, the hubby and I have completed week 1 of Couch to 5K! Woohoo!  We were supposed to start week 2 yesterday, but my crazy sleeping habits/schedule didn't allow me to get out of the bed until after lunch.  We don't like going to the gym after lunch because it's a mad house.  So week 2 of Couch to 5K will start on Wednesday.  

Hope you have a great first week of AUGUST!

Lifestyle Change

DIET...it is most definitely a four letter word, if you know what I mean! Something always motivates me to start a new diet, but never fails, I do not stick with it.  I'm not good at counting calories or skipping sweets or following the diets where you can have this food on a certain day and this food on a different day.  It just doesn't work for me.   I do like to see immediate results when I do something, and dieting never has an immediate result, so that must be why I get discouraged.  I don't feel that I am obese or even that overweight, but I am definitely out of shape.  My clothes don't fit quite like I want them to.  I wasn't super comfortable in my bathing suit at the beach.  I would like to wear one size smaller. You get the picture.   And I will be the first to admit that I eat terrible.  I am infamous for picking up Wendy's breakfast on my way home after work (and of course I don't get fruit or anything remotely healthy).  My biggest weakness is ice cream.  I can't say no to a juicy cheeseburger or a piece of fried chicken! But something has got to give!  I have been having terrible acid reflux.  I eat Tums like they are candy.  I took a round of Prilosec (which I must say did help!)  But the reflux is still happening and it is causing awful nausea.  I should probably get it checked out by a specialist, but the nurse in me wants to try to fix it myself before having to pay an outrageous bill (because the insurance I have now is pretty terrible).   I have decided that instead of a diet I need a lifestyle change.   I need to be more conscious of what I eat and how often I eat.  I love vegetables, so I need to eat more of them!  From this day on I am making a promise to myself to make all efforts to eat right and exercise.  Speaking of exercise...that word is like a foreign language to me these days.  I have a membership at a gym that I can guarantee you has not been put to use in at least 10 months.  I find it very easy to make excuses not to exercise, and being tired is the #1 excuse.  Well heck, maybe if I exercised more I would have more energy and then I wouldn't be so tired all the time. Much easier said than done.  Along with my eating lifestyle change, I have decided to make exercise part of the lifestyle change as well.  Jon has agreed to start the Couch the 5K workout program with me (I always need a side-kick, someone to motivate me and make me go!)  So this Couch to 5K program lasts for 9 weeks.  You work out 3 days a week for 30 minutes each day.  I have downloaded the app, and I'm all geared up to get started.  I have heard great reviews so hopefully by September 24th I'll be able to run a 5K without any problem!  Maybe if I'm lucky I can run in the Race for the Cure 5K on September 17th and actually run the whole time!  Wish me luck!  This lifestyle change can only be a good thing...

Here are a few quotes I read that I had to share...


"People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas. "


I've decided that perhaps I'm bulimic and just keep forgetting to purge.  ~Paula Poundstone


"That's not sweat, it's my body crying!"




Here goes nothing...