What a big girl

We got to the Learning Center early this morning so Karyl got to play on a swing...such a big girl!

Oh the deliciousness...

I love decorating cupcakes....can I do this for a living?

Preschool Activity Bags

One of the reasons I created this blog was to have a central place that I could keep track of all the amazing websites I find with activities and lessons for the kids and crafts for me. Lately I have found SO many amazing resources, but haven't had lots of time to link them on here...well, that stops today!! To make things simple for me and to make sure I don't miss saving an important resource, if I find a great blog or website I am going to make sure and put it on here, even if it is just a quick note with a link. I can always go back and elaborate, but at least I will have a reference point for it!!

So, for today, here is a link for some great preschool activity bags on a blog that I love for MANY reasons.

The blog is Walking by the Way and you can click HERE to go directly to the page with the preschool activity bags.

Almost good-bye

Wow, I can't believe it's almost over!! I apologize for the lack of posts...When I signed up for this contest I totally forgot that we were heading out on the open road the last weekend of the contest!! We went on an RV trip to Joshua Tree National Forest and of course, there was no internet access. We had a great time climbing at Jumbo Rocks and playing baseball with the kids and just enjoying the family time. I tried to watch what I ate but of course indulged in a few S'mores and other campfire goodies!!

This contest has really been an eye opener and has given me the motivation I needed to get started losing all this weight. I may have only lost an average of 1 pound a week, but that's still more than I was losing before, and that's all that matters!! I now have good exercise equipment that I really like, a healthy relationship with food and an exercise routine that will keep the pounds dropping long after this competition is over.

I want to thank everyone who has stayed with us through this journey and supported us - we needed your motivation to really get through this and feel like it was worth it!! Please make sure to check up with us on our personal blogs and please feel free to leave me your blog address or email it to me so I can follow your blogs and keep in contact!! I love that I've made so many new friends!!

I will be here for the mini-contest next season and can't wait to see how everyone's final weigh-in goes...I was pleasantly surprised with mine and sad that I couldn't have gotten into this groove 6 weeks ago!!

Way to go everyone!!!

My email: socalcutie82@hotmail.com
http://lifeafterdiapers.blogspot.com/

The dreaded weight loss plateau

So, I thought people only hit that dreaded plateau after they've lost lots of weight and were more in a normal range, but apparently that isn't so!! I've been exercising every day and watching what I eat - and before, this would have resulted in at least a 3 pound weight loss for the week. But, not this week...the most frustrating part?? I am losing SIZE - yep, that's an easy one to see - but barely any weight!! Normally this would be great because size is all I really care about, but when you're in a WEIGHT LOSS competition it really doesn't help unless it shows up on the scale.

So, for those wondering "Gee, she has barely lost any weight" it's not from lack of trying...This last week was amazing, exercising every day for at least 45 minutes...and I LOVED it!! I was eating great and have visibly lost weight, but barely anything on the scale. The only thing I can think of is that it has to do with the fact that I'm gaining muscle from the weights and cycling, so that's tripping up the weight issue?!?!

It's just so irritating because you work so hard and then you barely get anything on the scale to make you feel like it was all worth it. I'm not going to stop exercising every day with my new equipment, and I'm still going to keep up my new healthy eating habits, but I just had to share this because when everybody sees the weigh-ins they are going to see that I have barely lost anything, and I want to at least give you a reason why! I seem to remember that this happened the first week I did Zumba too, I was burning TONS of calories but nothing showed up on the scale, but then the next week it started showing...since this is the first week I have exercised every day, and it was way more than I ever did before, I'm hoping that this is the same thing...

So, hopefully next week it will all come together and the fruits of my hard labor will be known!!

Hope you all had a great week!!

On a roll

This is just a quick update and short brag session... I have exercised for anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes every day since Sunday!! I love it... And each day I go a few minutes longer!  My daughter comes out in the garage with me and  does her school work and I can watch some of the YouTube videos that I would never have enough time to watch! I love having this elliptical and bike all in one - seriously the best investment we ever made!!

On a roll

Alrighty, I FINALLY have some good news!! Over the weekend my amazing hubby got me a new elliptical/stationary bike!! It's nothing amazing, or expensive - but it works, and that's all that matters!! I have 3 days now of exercising behind me and this week I'm going for at least 45 minutes a day, every day. I have almost half the week done so things are looking good. I have also been weighing myself every morning, first thing in the morning to get a consistent reading on where my weight is. I know, it seems silly, but when you weight yourself later in the day you weigh more, and I need the constant visual reminder that I need to lose and that I am at least not gaining weight.

How many times a week do you weigh yourself? Do you do it once a week to be surprised, or do you do it every other day, or every day to have a constant reminder??

It's a new day...

It's a new week, a new day - a new chance to start over!!

Saturday, after my rant on Friday night, my husband hit Craig's List and found me a new elliptical. Better yet, it's a bike and an elliptical!! It's nothing fancy, but it works...and as a result, I got to exercise again yesterday - FINALLY!!!

I really enjoyed being able to exercise again, and now I can read a book while I exercise!

I also decided that since it's a new week I'm going to break out our camcorder and start making some memories on film with the kids.  Just another angle for weight loss motivation because no one wants to be the fat mom in the home videos.  I am excited that I will be able to document my weight loss through film too and then keep those videos as motivation in the future!! After meeting up with some of my favorite YouTubers on Saturday morning I really got the inspiration I needed to just start filming. I still have to work out how to get the HD quality from my camera to the computer, but I'm sure with time I will get the hang of it.

So...if you want to see our first video and my slightly less chubby face, check us out!!

Rain, Rain, go away - Ep. #1

Hope you all had a good weekend...my weigh-in wasn't super satisfying, but it wasn't disappointing either.  This week I am finally armed with all the tools I need, a good scale, great motivation and new exercise equipment...IT'S ON!!!!!

Peanut Butter Blondies and YouTube

Today is a new day....I decided to break out the camcorder and start recording the craziness that is our life...I also made a new recipe that we showed in the video, Peanut Butter Blondies...and they were DELICIOUS!!! I left for choir practice this morning and came home to quite a few pieces missing - Greg loved them, and if he loved them I KNOW they are good!!

So, here is the recipe...you can check out the video on YouTube to see what they look like and hear Karyl testify of their delicious awesomeness!!

This recipe is a large one, it makes two 9x13 pans. I halved everything and made only one and it worked just fine...You can either just make the 2 pans (which isn't a bad idea, they disappear fast!!) or half the recipe and make just one (and no, I didn't use 1-1/2 eggs - I just used 2 and it was fine!).  I will put the original recipe first for two pans, then my scaled down version below...the instructions are the same for both.  Enjoy and let me know what you think!

PEANUT BUTTER BLONDIES:

Two 9 x 13 pans:

2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening
1 cup peanut butter
1 pound (about 2-1/2 cups) packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 Tblsp. vanilla

Frosting:
1 pound (about 3-3/4 cups) powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup hot water

ONE 9x13 PAN

1 cups flour

3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 pound (about 1-1/4 cups) packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 Tblsp. vanilla (I didn't measure - just guessed)

Frosting:
1/2 pound (a little less than 2 cups) powdered sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/6 cup hot water (just filled a small cup with hot tap water and drizzled in a little at a time)

DIRECTIONS:

-Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat your pan(s) with cooking spray.

-In a large bowl (I used my stand mixer) beat shortening, peanut butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs; beat 3 minutes more. Add vanilla.
-On low speed, beat in the flour mixture.
-If doing the double recipe, divide the batter - then pour batter into pan(s). Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes until lightly browned (my single pan needed all 30 of those minutes). Let cool slightly.
-FROSTING - Beat powdered sugar, peanut butter, shortening, salt and vanilla. Add hot water a little at a time. Beat until smooth. Spread over blondies while still warm.
ENJOY!!!

Finally!!!

I did it...I finally bought a digital scale!!

I have a gift card to Target that I have been saving for something that I wanted - something that I wanted to buy, but didn't want to feel guilty about spending money on.

I have been using my sister-in-laws' scale for weigh-ins...it's a great scale, but it's a 50 mile drive to use it. Not a huge deal since we visit them a lot, but the few weekends that we weren't planning on going down there created a problem since I needed to weigh-in, so at least once I had to weigh-in earlier than I wanted.

Now, I have a scale right here in my own house.  I love this scale!! While I don't entirely understand all the bells and whistles yet (I can use them, just don't know what a lot of those numbers mean) I love the ease of use (despite some reviews from people online who said it was just impossible to use) and I love the design of it.

So, I weighed myself last night to see what I was dealing with...then I weighed myself first thing this morning and it's true - there is a difference between weighing yourself in the morning and at night, it was a 1 pound difference!! That made me feel better because it means that I haven't gone as far off course as I had thought last night. This is good - because after seeing the weight on the scale last night my poor husband got the bad end of a frustration induced rant from me about how I haven't been able to exercise and how I just don't want to be fat anymore, that I know I can lose the weight if I just find time to exercise. He then offered to clean the garage out right then and there if it calmed me down...such a sweetheart!! I eventually came down from my rant and realized that it was probably just the monthly hormones wreaking havoc on my already tightly wound emotions and insisted he didn't need to clear what is supposed to be my exercise space at 11:00pm.

I know he'll get his stuff moved and organized this week so I can have my exercise space in the garage back...and I know that I'm not going to gain 20 pounds in a week because I haven't been able to exercise as much as I would like...and I know that part of the weight gain this past week is because of that time of the month...but sometimes you just forgot to be rational when you're exhausted and your jeans are a little tight and your oldest kid keeps coming into your room every 2 minutes at 11:00 pm using every excuse in the book to NOT go to bed....yeah, I was a little high strung last night, and I kinda lost it.

On the bright side, on my way into our room before losing it I had grabbed a full-size Crunch bar from one of the Trick or Treat bags with that ever-wonderful attitude of "heck, my jeans are already tight and I'm feeling fat anyways, what's another 250 calories" - and after I had calmed down I looked at the Crunch bar and decided that really, I didn't want that - that I might have been upset, but eating that would only be temporary relief, AND it would just add to the "growing" problem.  So, I threw it on the dresser and got into bed.  So, the whole situation did help me to realize one thing - that all this healthy eating and really trying to watch what I eat has paid off because let's face it, if a chubby girl can walk away from a Crunch bar in the heat of the moment, something has clicked in her brain for the better.

Today is a new day....I'm headed to Downtown Disney with just the baby to a meet-up with 2 of my favorite YouTube families and I am excited about it.  Not just because I get to meet Our Little Planet and EZE and Coco Bean, but because I have already planned to park in the structure and walk to the meeting spot...then afterwards I plan on walking the ENTIRE length of Downtown Disney, then walking back to the park entrances before going back to the car. I should cover almost 2 miles this afternoon!!! I can't wait!!! I have to remind myself that every day is a new day, and that a few days of screwing up doesn't mess up everything else you've worked hard for. I'm going to start over today and go from there...I even think that I might try and get my new YouTube channel up and running - I'm hoping that this meetup will inspire me to start vlogging about our family more and recording more memories on film!!

Hope you all have a great Saturday - and if you're anywhere near Disneyland this morning around 11am, I'll be at the fountain in front of the entrances, right where you get off the trams (in front of the La Brea Bakery)!!

Newly motivated

After a week of rationing bite-size Snickers and trying to find ways to get some extra exercising in (it's pouring this morning so no walking today!) I received some new motivation to get moving and hide the bite-size badness my kids brought home on Monday night...

I saw a video of myself a few months before I got pregnant with our third baby, in mid 2010.  Yesterday I decided to go through all our camcorder footage from the past 5 years and organize and move it to an external hard drive so I could edit and organize it all (I finally found the disk that came with the camera to put movies together and burn DVDs).  I found a clip where I had been videoing our daughter dancing around at Disney's California Adventure Park and had asked my husband to video my son and I (I wanted to get him dancing on camera - I try to avoid the moving pictures...) and as I was watching the clip I almost cried...I looked so large. Now, I am 20 pounds lighter right now than I was then, and I have to admit, looking at that video made me feel REALLY good about where I am now - but it also made me realize how much I REALLY don't ever want to be that woman again.  I never want someone to look at me and see that ever again.

So...even though it's pouring outside and my plans for a walk have been derailed, I have the motivation I needed to get out an exercise DVD.  When my son takes a nap I will be putting the baby down for a nap as well, pulling the van out of the garage and exercising out there.  I will have my daughter bring out her school work and she can work on it in the garage with me while I exercise. This is it, I think seeing that video really made me feel like I'd hit rock bottom. I even felt bad for my husband...he's never once made comments to me about losing weight, or telling me I shouldn't be eating junk food when I did. I actually felt guilty that he had to claim that chunky monkey when we were out in public. 

On the plus side, I can definitely see the difference 20 pounds makes - and for the first time in many years I felt good about the way I looked - I might still be chunky, but at least I'm not THAT chunky anymore!! So, today is a new day. I am going to head to Target and get my own scale so I can weight myself every few days instead of having to wait to drive to my husband's family's home on the weekends. One thing I have discovered is absolutely essential to weight management is a good scale.  If you are constantly weighing yourself you will know when you are starting to creep up and can nip it in the bud before it gets bad - unlike the way I was doing it before, which was when clothes starting getting too tight it was time to start thinking about doing something.

I guess sometimes it takes seeing that old video, or feeling like you've hit rock bottom to really get that kick in the pants you needed. I still have a goal of reaching One-derland before this competition is over, and if I can get serious and do this I think it's still possible!!! I am just having such a hard time motivating myself with so much other stuff going on....kids, cleaning, homeschooling, working from home, a new baby - I need to focus and remember that I am just as important and that losing weight isn't a selfish goal. If I lose weight everyone wins because I'll be healthier and have more energy and I'll be a much better representation of our family.

I would love to hear any motivational comments you guys might have - did you have a rock-bottom moment that made you stop and say "enough is enough?"

Awesome Lapbook resource - The Rag Coat

I like to imagine that hundreds of people read my little blog and that every one of them finds at least one resource or idea on here that helps make there life easier or just a little less stressful...why?? Because that's my favorite part of reading lots of blogs, finding even just one thing that makes my life easier. Right now my favorite things to find are homeschooling resources, especially free lapbooks since I have a kindergartner. Lapbooks are amazing for many, many reasons, but the main one is that it gets all your information in one contained folder, AND you have pictures and colors and lots of visual interest for younger kids. Oh, and I love cutting everything out and putting it together (next year I am going to have to give that up though and let Karyl do her own cutting and gluing since she can use that as an opportunity to work on organization and to fine tune her motor skills).

So...with my love of lapbooks hanging over our heads, I give you an amazing lapbook resource I discovered the other day while looking for additional content to put in a lapbook for the book "The Rag Coat" which we are reading with our Five In A Row curriculum.

Aussie Pumpkin Patch - The Rag Coat Lapbook

The link above will take you to the actual post with this specific lapbook, but you can easily hit the "home" button at the top to go to the homepage and see what else she has to offer. I havent' done much exploring to see what else is there, but if the rest of the stuff is anything like the lapbook I found I will be visiting her again!!

The greatest invention since sliced bread

Bite Size and Fun Size Candy

OK, I'll admit, things like penicillin and hand sanitizer kinda trump these sugary tidbits, but this is a weight loss blog - so go with me on this one!!

First off, let me apologize for not being terribly consistent with my blogging...when I entered this competition I had so many creative ideas for blog posts and things I wanted to share with those who would listen - then the time came to produce and life just kinda kicked my butt. It's been 3 weeks and my kids are still coughing, I still have a sore throat and cough, and unfortunately, when I get sick the house doesn't self - clean, the magical meal elf doesn't suddenly show up to make dinner appear, and despite my best efforts the baby still can't feed herself 6 times a day.

I was so pumped about this competition...I really thought I had a chance at losing some serious weight. Then I realized that being a mother of 3 working full-time (even working from home takes some serious work!!) and homeschooling a kindergartner kind of takes most of the free time I might have. So after a few weeks I have realized that even just losing a pound a week is a miracle in itself. I also took a serious look at my weight loss goals and realized that it's OK if I can't compete with the awesomeness of those who are losing multiple pounds a week...while I'll admit I'm totally jealous, I have to remember that any weight loss is a triumph...and heck, even at a pound a week, after 10 weeks, that's 10 pounds. Keep it up and 20 weeks is a whopping 20 pounds...and you can see where I'm going.  I also know that slow weight loss is more meaningful weight loss in terms of keeping the weight off, and I now understand why - because you are creating habits, and skills for eating and exercising that become part of your daily life. You begin to make eating healthy a regular habit and don't have to think about it all the time. Want proof?? Over the past 4 weeks I have developed a new favorite snack - Honeycrisp apples!! That's right - I am truly discovering that fruit is nature's candy. Honestly, I can sit and eat a Honeycrisp apple and satisfy any sweet craving I have.

So...back to the top of my post - why are those bite size goodies such an amazing invention?? Because they are the best friend to calorie counting people everywhere. We all know that when you eat candy, no one wants to eat just one bite of a whole candy bar....AND...who wants to eat just one flavor - we want to eat something crunchy, and something smooth and something with peanut butter maybe, right??

Going through our kids' Trick or Treat bags, we found lots of these tiny morsels and I was really thrilled to see them! I love that when I have a candy craving I can grab 2 or 3 of these little guys and satisfy that sweet tooth without having to waste over 200 calories like I would with a normal size candy bar. You get those few bites you need to satisfy, but you feel like you're eating more because you're opening a few different wrappers.

Anyone else feel like that??

I hope everyone here had a happy and safe Halloween!! We loved it...with 2 kids now old enough to really enjoy the night we had a blast!! Not only did the kids score some serious loot, I got some GREAT exercise!! We took our double stroller with us so we could go further and then the kids could just ride back instead of having to stop and turn back earlier to save sore feet and whining. I also had our baby in a front - facing carrier the entire time which was a workout in itself. I was sore afterwards (the entire walk back to my in-law's house was uphill!!) but it was totally worth it!! I also learned that our baby LOVES that front-facing carrier, and will even fall asleep if she's tired enough, so I can now go for walks with all 3 kids!! That's right, I can put the older 2 in the double jogger and put the baby in the carrier!! There won't be any jogging, or even power walking, but I think that even walking for an hour at about a 2 mile pace is going to burn some serious calories when you're pushing a 25-30 pound stroller with 75 pounds of kid seated inside, PLUS carrying 13 pounds of baby on your chest. I'm sure I look ridiculous, but the fact that I can go out for a walk without having to worry about kids running in the street is totally worth the stares!!

I promise to try and be better about posting - and to try to hopefully lose more than just a pound this week.  With the new walking options I think I should start seeing much better results since I can burn a few more calories!! This past week was a tough one because I did finally have that one lovely visitor that all of the other contestants have been seeing these past few weeks - and I totally forgot how much water you retain when mother nature sends her evil minions to visit. I haven't had to really deal with it in over a year since I just had a baby a few months ago!! So, hopefully by next weigh-in that will be out of the way and I should be a lot more pleased with the scale!!

Talk to you soon!!

The Holidays begin....

In our family, the "Holidays" begin in October....

October is our craziest month for celebrations...it includes:

Our wedding Anniversary on the 15th (we celebrated 6 years of wedded bliss this year!!)

Isn't this the prettiest bunch of flowers you've every seen (I loved it!!)

Our daughter's birthday on the 20th (she turned 5 this year..where has the time gone??)

We headed to Disneyland a few days after her real birthday to celebrate and then had a party with our local family...which I made really cute rainbow cupcakes for!!

And of course...Halloween!!

Last night with church we attend Trunk or Treat to give the kids a chance to play with their friends and experience the Trick or Treat thrill on a much smaller scale.  Seriously, I may be slightly biased, but these are the cutest kids ever!!! Yet another wonderful inspiration to lose weight and get healthy...I want to be healthy enough to enjoy them growing up and see them have children of their own and be healthy enough to enjoy them too!!!

Now, with all these holidays comes LOTS and LOTS of cake and candy and junk food...So, this year I decided to create a plan of attack to handle all the empty calories bound to make it into our home and still stay on track for weight loss...and here are my plans:

#1 - I am not going to deny myself a treat when everyone else is enjoying one...doing so is almost more harmful since you then get depressed watching them all enjoy a tasty treat and in the end will probably end up eating more empty calories because of the emotion. Be responsible, just eat one cookie, or one piece of candy...just a small amount, enough to enjoy the treat and satisfy the craving!!

#2 - I am going to very carefully get rid of a good portion of the Halloween candy we get by either using it for projects we might have, or giving it away to other Halloween kids that come to the door (hey, who said re-gifting was a no-no on Halloween...if it's good enough for wedding presents, why not with candy??)

#3 - For birthday and anniversary situations, I ate conservatively at meal time so that I didn't have to feel guilty about enjoying dessert afterwards...because let's face it - the dessert is really the part we all look forward to!!

#4 - On weeks when I know there will be some indulging, I make it a point to try and exercise a little extra, to compensate for the extra calories.

#5 - THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE - I don't beat myself up over enjoying the season...worst case scenario you gain a few pounds over the holidays...so does most of the world's population.  New Year's Day you get out of bed, stand up tall and congratulate yourself for at least trying to watch what you ate and get back into your routine of eating healthy and exercising. If you're not eating those extra calories anymore you will lose the weight again in the next few weeks with exercise and watching what you eat.  The worst thing we can do is beat ourselves up for enjoying a treat...just do it all in moderation and you'll be fine!!!

I hope that all of you are getting into the Holiday spirit and just as excited as we are to start the season!! October is a crazy month for us, but November is just as bad with both mine and my hubby's birthday and Thanksgiving. When we celebrate the Holidays we like to make it as hectic as possible...it's more fun that way, right???

Nasty germs...

OK, so obviously I haven't kept up with reposting all my WLB blog posts....there is a good reason though...we've been sick and just posting on there was hard enough.  Instead of re-posting them on here right now, I will just direct everyone to my page with WLB so you can read the little I've written!!

Diana's WLB page

This past week was rough with the kids still getting over being sick and me catching whatever it was they had and trying to just keep my head above water.  It's amazing how much being sick can not only wipe you out, but make even basic housekeeping seem REALLY difficult.  I had 5 loads of laundry piled up that needed to be folded that I didn't get to for days because I just didn't have the energy.  Oh well, I told my husband that the most important thing was that the kids got fed and the house didn't burn down....makes sense, right??

I did manage to make my delicious lasagna for dinner on Wednesday night...and even hubby was surprised since he knew I was feeling like a bus rolled over me.  I knew I had to give him at least one decent meal that didn't come from a box in the freezer this week, and lasagna was one of the easier choices.  Have I showed all of you how I make super simple and yummy lasagna?? If you don't know...ask and I'll tell you - it is Karyl and Freddie's favorite meal by far and even Greg loves it!! I can go from frozen meat to lasagna in the oven in about 30 minutes....then it's only about 30 minutes of oven time after that...impressive, right??

I will tell those of you who haven't been keeping track of my WLB page that I have lost about 5 pounds in the past 3 weeks. Once I get better and can really exercise again the weight should start flying off!! Do you want to know my new motivation/goal?? In mid-December my sister-in-laws, mother-in-law and I are going to see I Love Lucy on stage....and I have a pair of slacks from my in-office working days that I want to wear when we go (I don't want to have to wear a skirt) so my goal is to lose about 15 pounds in the next 7 weeks or so...that should get me into those slacks!!

I figure small goals are easier than huge grandiose ones...right?? Help cheer me on, I could use the motivation!! I know I can do this...come on, I work from home full-time, raise 3 kids and take care of the house...I'm freakin' Super Mom - I can do 15 pounds!!!!

Anyone else have unwanted visitors this week??

These nasty little guys have decided to take up permanent residence in our home, more particularly, in my throat!! All of us have officially been nailed with whatever nasty bug is going around. Luckily, the baby and us adults didn't get the "lose your lunch" portion of the virus, but I have one of the worst sore throats I have ever had, and the baby has developed a comical but kinda sad habit of blowing snot bubbles.

While not feeling 100% is definitely conducive to eliminating calories, it makes wanting to exercise 200 times harder because the thought of getting short of breath makes my raw throat burn. It's so frustrating to finally figure out a way to lose weight after all these years and I'm stuck having to watch the weight disappear 1 pound at a time because I just can't catch a break when it comes to exercise.

On the other hand, 1 pound a week is better than no pounds per week, right?? It's that whole idea that slow and steady wins the race....or that quote someone shared about how a year from now you'll be glad you started today...

My husband is sweet enough to remind me that even 1 pound a week adds up - in 26 weeks (6 months) that is 26 pounds, which would put me within 10 pounds of my goal weight!!

So, as of right now I might be stuck watching the weight disappear at the agonizing rate of 1 pound a week, but in 10 weeks, that will be 10 pounds. And, since I've already done the rapid weight loss thing a few years back, I know that losing that much weight really fast has its physical downsides...and after 3 kids, a few C-sections and having all this extra weight, my body will take to being thinner MUCH better if I lose the weight a little bit slower so it has time to adjust.

So, anyone else out there have a house that has been overrun by germs?? At least the older kids are through the worst and at the end of being sick..Hubby and I on the other hand are both snot machines! Hopefully it doesn't last too long - I have things I need to do that require good lung function and no more coughing!!

On a totally unrelated side note...anyone on here share my guilty pleasure of reading the TMZ website?? Well, I saw an article this morning and realized that a few weeks back the Batmobile-ized Cadillac that almost hit me was none other than Justin Bieber. I will admit I am not a fan of his, but the car was too unique not to remember, and when I saw this article on TMZ I recognized the car right away. I did some quick research and discovered that the car was in fact picked up from a Auto Shop located right where he pulled out from - so it was definitely him. I told my husband that this morning and he laughed...that would have been all I needed, to get side swiped by the Biebs in my minivan.

Hopefully everyone out there is having a better week than we are around here and that you're all as excited about Halloween as we are!! This is the first year I'm not super thrilled about all the candy...I think a lot of it will find its way to other homes after trick or treating so we don't have it around the house!!

What a crazy week!!!

Well, this week has been nonstop sickness and craziness!!! I only got one glorious day of exercise (which I LOVED) but luckily I was good with my eating so there was still a decent loss!! I have to ask...how many of you have ever tried step aerobics?? I always thought it was something ridiculous and told myself I'd never be caught dead doing it. Then my elliptical died and I had to choose something from our DVR to exercise to (I'm not ready to pull out the exercise DVDs just yet) and I picked a step aerobics class from BYU TV that I recorded and I have to say...I LOVED IT!!! I didn't have a step board, but they had a pair of women in the class doing all the steps without a board, so I had someone to follow!! I loved doing it and will definitely be on the look out for a step to put in the garage!! I have saved that program on the DVR and plan to use it many, many times!!

Unfortunately, due to all the sickies around here this week that was the only program I got to try for exercise this week. Since everyone is well now I am hoping to get back to at least 30 minutes a day this week...do you think I can do it?? I will try my best!! I have really felt proud about my eating these past 3 weeks...I've had a continuous loss of at least 1 pound per week (more on the weeks I exercise) and it's all because of the changes I've made. The best part?? That I don't really even feel like I'm doing anything different...I am, but I feel great and it isn't hard anymore to pass on large amounts of dessert, or to be satisfied with just one cookie instead of 5 or 6. I love how I fell, and how even after only a few pounds loss I can feel the difference in how clothes look!!

So, this week I am hoping to get lots of exercise back in...and I'm anxious to see if I have a larger loss for week 4 if I do in fact exercise more because that will prove my theory that I lose at least 1.5 - 2 pounds more when I exercise 3-4 days a week!! We'll have to see!!! Hope you all have a great week and that you're having as great of an experience with weight loss as I am...if I can do it, anyone can!!!

The joys of parenthood

So I had great intentions of posting a bunch this week... Then our son got sick Monday morning and that took all my time. Then tonight our daughter came down with a nasty fever. Luckily she's not puking like her brother, but she's still miserable. I'm sitting out here with her and I really do feel bad. I'm still eating well so there should be a decent loss this week despite my lack of exercise!!

Sorry for hiding but I'll be back soon!!

Week 2 results!!!

As everyone has seen, I did pretty well last week and I was so proud of myself!! I lost a whopping 3 pounds last week, which I am sure was due to the fact that I was getting at least 30 minutes of exercise in each day (5 out of 7 days isn't bad!!). I was so shocked when I stepped on the scale, I couldn't stop smiling!!! I think I finally have the hang of this, and the eating right part has gotten so much easier...I don't even have to think about it anymore! I love it!!!

I was going to post yesterday but our boy caught some sort of virus and I spent the day cleaning up after him and watching him to make sure he was OK. Luckily we took our baby in for her 4 month appointment and we were able to have the doctor check out our son too. We were going to go to Disneyland yesterday to celebrate our oldest's birthday, but she was very understanding when we explained we couldn't go because her brother was sick. We had a great Dr.'s appointment with our youngest, she gained 2 pounds and over 5 inches in the past 2 months!! She's our tiniest baby, coming in at about 12.5 pounds and 24 inches at 4 months...it's weird because she's average, but seems small to us when our other 2 kids at this same age were over 20 pounds!! We are finally getting some good use out of our first daughter's hand-me-down clothes!! Ironically, this last baby was 9 pounds, 2 ounces when she was born...the largest newborn...go figure =)

So, today is a much better day and I'm hoping to get some exercise in later while the 2 youngest are napping. I'm thinking about having a delicious salad with some hard-boiled eggs and light Blue Cheese dressing for lunch...and Taco Salad for dinner tonight (at the request of the hubby!!).  What are you having for breakfast/dinner??

Congrats to all the other contestants, we are doing AWESOME!!!!

Week in review

This week has been a good week... exercising daily until my elliptical broke and eating healthy and really enjoying how great I've felt! The elliptical breaking was a bummer, but my ever amazing husband dragged it from the garage so I now have a nice open space in the garage to use for my exercise DVDs that is even carpeted... So I am excited to see how these new arrangements work out!!

Last night we went out and celebrated our 6th anniversary with dinner and a movie, and I was honestly a little worried about packing on too many calories between snacks at the movies and dinner but I was really proud of how well I did!! I only had a little popcorn and maybe 2 handfuls of the best candy ever, Bottle Caps. I didn't even touch the bag of trail mix I had brought!! Then for dinner we decided to try a new place in the shopping center called Five Guys. Since we had snacks with the movie, hubby and I decided to split a burger... It was enough to fill us up and those burgers are delicious!!! We split a bacon cheeseburger with BBQ sauce and I got some grills mushrooms on the side. I let my husband pick the burger since he's pickier than I am when it comes to condiments and it was a tasty choice!! We decided to forgo the fries and we were glad we did!

So, after all that I was prepared to see only a small weight loss when I checked this morning but, as you'll see on Tuesday I did better than I ever would have guessed!! So all that exercise and watching what I ate paid off... And that is better inspiration than anything else when you see it on the scale!!

The good, the broken and the happy...

THE GOOD....
This week I have actually enjoyed eating healthy and watching my calorie intake more closely.

THE BROKEN...
You all wouldn't know this, but I got my elliptical off Craig's List about 2 years ago because we finally had room for exercise equipment in our garage... And this morning while exercising it started making a weird sound and began catching in the back where the magnet and rotator is. My husband then came out and messed with it and apparently that was the last straw because it made a final sound and then both sides lost their traction. My elliptical has officially died and will be buried at the first dump site we can find. This creates a problem... How will I exercise at home?? I am going to have to resort to those fitness videos I love so much... Oh well, we do what we have to do, right??

THE HAPPY...
HAPPY 6TH ANNIVERSARY to my husband and I!!! Today we celebrate 6 years of wedded bliss... In the past 6 years we have added to our family 3 gorgeous kiddos, a minivan and a house. I don't think it gets much better than that!!!

This was on our Honeymoon in Hawaii...I would KILL to fit into that shirt and those amazingly comfy pants again, and to look that good wearing them!!

 

And these jeans...I loved those jeans...just 30 more pounds and I'll be back in them...I'm already half way there!!! If I can lose 30 pounds, what's another 30, right??



And the wedding dress...I felt so awesome in this dress!! I looked thin and pretty and just amazing as far as I was concerned!! I still have the dress...it's been all cleaned and specially boxed so I don't think I'll be sneaking it out to try it on again, but I would love to be back to feeling as good as I did on my wedding day!!


These are the pictures that are my inspiration for the weight loss...this is where I want to get back to. This was 30 pounds over my lowest weight ever when I was sicker than sick, so it is entirely possible!! I may not have been super thin, but I was comfortable and I felt good about how I looked and how clothes fit. Now, I wouldn't MIND being thinner, but I think it's a realistic goal right now...and I'm only about 30 pounds away!!

It feels great!!!

So, earlier this week I mentioned that my goal this week was to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day ... It's Thursday and I am proud to say that I have exercised for 45 minutes every day since then!!! I'm discovering that if you are really motivated you will find a way... I guess I just needed to reach that point where I really wanted to do it, rather than just thinking I should.

So, I here I am... With 4 days of exercise under my belt and really feeling good. I have noticed that I do feel more energized on the days I exercise... and that extra burst of energy was greatly needed this past week!! Of course, as an added bonus I weighed myself today and I am down more weight!!!

So, try to get some kind of exercise in.. You'll love the way it makes you feel!!!

Week 1 weigh ins

Wow...Congrats to everyone!! I was just excited to get 1.1 pounds off, but I have to admit I am completely jealous of everyone else's amazing losses this week!! I've never been able to lose weight quickly, and just as I told my family at the start of this, I'm not so much in this for the prizes as I am for the motivation to get started losing weight again. I have to keep reminding myself that even a pound a week adds up to 50 pounds over the course of a year!!

I wish I had more time to exercise and really focus on losing weight, but with 3 young kids, working full-time from home, homeschooling and taking care of a household I'm at the mercy of life when it comes to exercising. But, I'm OK with that now! I have made a goal to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise every day, and so far since Sunday I have done that, so I'm feeling good about keeping my goal and trying to slowly burn off all this excess weight. I do have to admit though, before baby #3 I was doing Zumba 3 times a week and I LOVED it, and I really do miss that hour of exercise but we all make sacrifices and while it was fun and really helped me lose weight, we now have this new baby to buy formula for a diapers so Zumba will have to wait a while...having some sort of group exercise class really does make a difference - the time flies by and you burn so many more calories because you get into it and forget that you're exercising!! If you have the means and time to take a class like Zumba, give it a try - I used to totally look forward to doing it and it was a BLAST!!!

I can't wait to see how much weight everyone loses over the course of this competition, and I have to say that this has really given me a lot to think about in the future. I have learned already lots of great ideas for exercise and weight loss, and just hope that participating this season gives me the foundation I need to finally get healthy and eat right and get moving!! Keep up the good work!!

New WLB giveaway!!

Head on over to the Win, Lose or Blog page for an awesome giveaway - they are giving away some real (and very gorgeous) pearl earrings from one of their sponsors!!!

Pure Pearls Giveaway

Also click on over to my WLB page to hear about my week last week and check out the other contestant pages too...there are some great women there with some great ideas and stories!!

Reflection...

As I was getting the email ready to send with my weight loss for this past week, it really made me think about how glad I am that I applied for this Season's contest!! I did lose weight this past week (I'm not going to ruin the surprise for when they post it on Tuesday by telling you how much yet) but it wasn't as much as I would have liked to. I did not have a chance to exercise this past week AT ALL!!! Any and all weight loss rested solely on the fact that I have modified my eating habits to get healthy and be more aware of what and when I'm eating.

So, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had lost some weight this past week, even with no exercise!! Things were just really crazy this past week and for those of you that have had lots of younger kids around the house at once, you'll understand! I did however make a pledge to try and work at least 30 minutes of exercise in every day - and this morning before church I told my husband he was responsible for the 2 oldest kids and I took the baby in the garage with me in her swing and started out on the elliptical. I turned on some TV and just went for it....keep in mind our elliptical is probably 10 years old and was a cheap Craig's List find a while back...but it works. I did 20 minutes on there, and then spent 10 minutes with my 5 pounds weights just doing curls and other arm exercises. It felt good and I was glad to get at least 30 minutes in of exercise!!

This week my goal is to keep up my new great eating habits and to get at least 30 minutes of exercise in each day (hopefully more!!). The eating actually hasn't been too bad. How are all of you doing after this first week?? Is your plan working out, or do you need to tweak a few things to make it more effective?? Please share, I would love to get some tips!!

One thing I need to work on is finding healthy snacks that are low in calories but fill me up - I hate feeling hungry!! I have lots of delicious fruit, but I eat a yummy apple and am still hungry!!! Any suggestions??

Ooooh!!! I just realized that I wasn't entirely honest when I said I hadn't exercised...I should have said that I didn't have any organized exercise opportunities this past week - but on Thursday our family headed to Disneyland and we did quite a bit of walking there...that's one thing I love about that place - all the walking!! We even packed lunches so we could eat healthy AND save the money we would have spent - everyone wins!! Here are a few pictures from our day - we had a blast!!

My wonderful husband and our 2 oldest kiddos...they LOVE the Merry-Go-Round!!

I am showing you this picture for 2 reasons - #1 - isn't our baby ADORABLE???
And #2 - I was looking at this picture and realized that I no longer have multiple chins!! I know I still have a ways to go, but this made me feel so good to see that I may not be losing the weight in the areas I want first, but at least it's disappearing from somewhere!!

WLB - Can I Be Honest??

Well, we are halfway through week #1 of our WLB journey and I'm still feeling pretty good about my changes and success so far! I have to be honest with all of you though, I had a weak moment Wednesday night when the kids asked me to make cookies and I *may* have eaten a little more cookie dough than I had intended to. Not my proudest moment, but the kids and I were having fun and I got caught up in the moment. Luckily it was the only major slip-up I've had, and so it's not serious, but it did make me feel a little angry at myself... Then I thought about it and realized that I'm not perfect, and that it's OK to indulge every once in a while. Especially when I've been so good the rest of the week!


So, my message today is not to beat yourself up because you slipped... Sometimes having fun with your kids, or spouse, or friends is more important than checking the nutrition label.... So long as it's only once in a while :-)

Can I be honest...

Well, we are halfway through week #1 of our WLB journey and I'm still feeling pretty good about my changes and success so far! I have to be honest with all of you though, I had a weak moment Wednesday night when the kids asked me to make cookies and I *may* have eaten a little more cookie dough than I had intended to. Not my proudest moment, but the kids and I were having fun and I got caught up in the moment. Luckily it was the only major slip-up I've had, and so it's not serious, but it did make me feel a little angry at myself... Then I thought about it and realized that I'm not perfect, and that it's OK to indulge every once in a while. Especially when I've been so good the rest of the week!
So, my message today is not to beat yourself up because you slipped... Sometimes having fun with your kids, or spouse, or friends is more important than checking the nutrition label.... So long as it's only once in a while :-)

WLB - It's a love-hate relationship

As I mentioned, I don't have a lot of "free" time to go out and exercise....which means the most obvious choice to get me moving would be fitness DVDs.


Fitness DVDs and I have a love - hate relationship. I love that I can exercise in the living room while the kids play in their rooms, or after they go to bed, without having to worry about leaving the house....but I HATE the monotony of standing in the middle of the room, knowing that for the next 30- 60 minutes I am going to be staring at the TV and hoping my husband doesn't magically appear and see how ridiculous I look trying to Cardio Dance like Maxim or get down with Billy Blanks.

I have a few fitness DVDs, but none of them have really gotten me excited enough to forget about the fact that I am standing in my living room because I can't go outside and exercise. If you're asking why I can't just throw everyone in a jogger and go for a walk...first of all, I don't have a triple jogger - and even if there was one that was capable of holding all three kids and priced under a million dollars, I would still have to push almost 90 pounds of kid PLUS whatever the stroller weighs. Yes, great for your arms and back, but it ruins your posture trying to push a heavy stroller up and down the hills here.
Oh wait, what's that you say?? Just put the baby in a stroller and let the rest walk?? Yes, that's great in theory, until you've tried to go on a walk with a 2-1/2 year old testosterone fueled boy. It's a constant battle of "stay away from the street" and "No, don't pick that up" and my personal un-favorite "stop walking directly in front of the stroller, I don't want to mow you over." And besides all that, the kids give up around 1.5 miles...which isn't nearly as far as I like to walk. I have found a lake near us that is PERFECT for walking around with free-running children, and on days when we have the time I will take them down there and push the baby in the stroller and let them walk, but it's a little bit of a drive and it just depends on the day and what we have planned...it has also been WAY too hot for the kids to be out walking that much. Once the weather cools down we will be spending much more time walking around the lake!! We learned about it through an awesome program we are participating in called the 100 Mile Club - and I will talk about that later in another post.
A little tip - did you know that most Cable TV providers have a free On-Demand section with shows that you can watch anytime?? Well, we have AT&T UVerse and there is an entire free fitness video section we have access to....They still fall under the fitness DVD category as far as I'm concerned, but for those who like the fitness DVDs, check with your cable provider to see if you get them....they are convenient and FREE!!

So, to the point of this post....last night I had just put our baby to bed and it was 11pm (an early night...which is sad since I get up to work at 5am most mornings) and I remembered that I had recorded a yoga workout program from a college channel the other day...I know it's crazy, but I decided to put on my PJs and do some Yoga. Surprisingly, this didn't feel like the other DVD - type workouts I've done. I really enjoyed it, they have examples for all fitness levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced) and I loved the opportunity to really enjoy the quiet in my house while everyone was asleep and just be with my thoughts. I LOVED the workout and went on to record on our DVR another week's worth of the show, which actually has a different type of workout every day!!
The show is called Total Body Workout and it is on BYU TV. Below is the link to the show's website and I just discovered that you can even watch the episodes on your computer...so you don't have to wait for one to record AND you can pick which one you want!!

Total Body Workout Webpage

I will definitely be DVR-ing more of these shows and trying to fit them in when I have some spare time. I really enjoy the format and am looking forward to burning some more calories through exercise!!

It's a Love-Hate relationship

As I mentioned, I don't have a lot of "free" time to go out and exercise....which means the most obvious choice to get me moving would be fitness DVDs.

Fitness DVDs and I have a love - hate relationship.  I love that I can exercise in the living room while the kids play in their rooms, or after they go to bed, without having to worry about leaving the house....but I HATE the monotony of standing in the middle of the room, knowing that for the next 30- 60 minutes I am going to be staring at the TV and hoping my husband doesn't magically appear and see how ridiculous I look trying to Cardio Dance like Maxim or get down with Billy Blanks.

I have a few fitness DVDs, but none of them have really gotten me excited enough to forget about the fact that I am standing in my living room because I can't go outside and exercise. If you're asking why I can't just throw everyone in a jogger and go for a walk...first of all, I don't have a triple jogger - and even if there was one that was capable of holding all three kids and priced under a million dollars, I would still have to push almost 90 pounds of kid PLUS whatever the stroller weighs. Yes, great for your arms and back, but it ruins your posture trying to push a heavy stroller up and down the hills here.

Oh wait, what's that you say?? Just put the baby in a stroller and let the rest walk?? Yes, that's great in theory, until you've tried to go on a walk with a 2-1/2 year old testosterone fueled boy. It's a constant battle of "stay away from the street" and "No, don't pick that up" and my personal un-favorite "stop walking directly in front of the stroller, I don't want to mow you over." And besides all that, the kids give up around 1.5 miles...which isn't nearly as far as I like to walk. I have found a lake near us that is PERFECT for walking around with free-running children, and on days when we have the time I will take them down there and push the baby in the stroller and let them walk, but it's a little bit of a drive and it just depends on the day and what we have planned...it has also been WAY too hot for the kids to be out walking that much. Once the weather cools down we will be spending much more time walking around the lake!! We learned about it through an awesome program we are participating in called the 100 Mile Club - and I will talk about that later in another post.

A little tip - did you know that most Cable TV providers have a free On-Demand section with shows that you can watch anytime?? Well, we have AT&T UVerse and there is an entire free fitness video section we have access to....They still fall under the fitness DVD category as far as I'm concerned, but for those who like the fitness DVDs, check with your cable provider to see if you get them....they are convenient and FREE!!

So, to the point of this post....last night I had just put our baby to bed and it was 11pm (an early night...which is sad since I get up to work at 5am most mornings) and I remembered that I had recorded a yoga workout program from a college channel the other day...I know it's crazy, but I decided to put on my PJs and do some Yoga. Surprisingly, this didn't feel like the other DVD - type workouts I've done. I really enjoyed it, they have examples for all fitness levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced) and I loved the opportunity to really enjoy the quiet in my house while everyone was asleep and just be with my thoughts. I LOVED the workout and went on to record on our DVR another week's worth of the show, which actually has a different type of workout every day!!

The show is called Total Body Workout and it is on BYU TV. Below is the link to the show's website and I just discovered that you can even watch the episodes on your computer...so you don't have to wait for one to record AND you can pick which one you want!!

Total Body Workout Webpage

I will definitely be DVR-ing more of these shows and trying to fit them in when I have some spare time. I really enjoy the format and am looking forward to burning some more calories through exercise!!

What DO I do around here??

This is a one picture response to those who find out I'm a stay-at-home mom and ask the ever annoying question...."What do you do all day?"

Well, besides working 40 hours a week I also take care of the house, watch the kids and homeschool our kindergartner

And, so those without children understand the magnitude of "stuff" I have to do, I present the picture above...

This is 2 loads of "kid" laundry, which is about a week's worth of clothes and accessories for 3 children (including a baby which means I again have bibs and burp cloths and blankets.)

So, the next time you think about asking a SAHM what she does all day, just remember this photo...

I will now step down from my soap box and help my son find a "blue car" that he has apparently lost.

Thank you

WLB - My first post...a little background

This was my first blog post on my WLB page...I will be copying all my posts from there to this blog so that I will have a record. If you haven't checked out my WLB page, click HERE to check it out - please subscribe to and/or follow my WLB page so you can encourage me and share your thoughts on my journey through the jungle that is weight loss!!

Hi there!!! I'm Diana and I can't WAIT to get started on this amazing journey with all of you!! I thought I would start with a post telling you a little bit about myself and my weight loss "philosophies" so you can understand who I am and get to know me a little better!!


I'm almost 29 and will have been married for 6 years on October 15th!! My husband and I have 3 gorgeous kiddos...an almost 5 year old daughter (she'll be 5 in about 3 weeks), a 2-1/2 year old son and a 15 week old daughter. I am a stay-at-home mom who also works full time from home as a Medical Transcriptionist and homeschools our daughter who is in Kindergarten. In case you were wondering, yes, things do get a little crazy around here during the week between trying to work, and love on my kids and homeschooling....but as Tim Gunn would say, I somehow "Make It Work!!!"

Personally, I love crafting (sewing, crocheting, cross-stitching, scrapbooking...), cooking/baking and music. As a family, we enjoy going to Disneyland, spending time with our extended family and just goofing off in general.

In high school I was overweight...and not just that awkward-chubby-teenager overweight, but massively obese. In my early 20s I ended up with a mystery illness that cause me to lose 100 pounds in about a year...for the first time in my life, I was able to shop in stores at the mall (I LOVED American Eagle!!) and felt like I was finally a normal member of society instead of feeling like an outcast. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to lose weight on my own, let alone keep it off, so over the next few years it creeped back and by the time I got married about 3 years later I had already gained 30 pounds back. After getting married and having access to an apartment complex gym I finally started losing weight again...and 3 months later we were blessed to find out that we were pregnant with our oldest daughter...and after 2 pregnancies I found myself another 30 pounds heavier and facing a dilemma. We wanted to have baby #3 but I needed to lose 15 - 20 pounds to avoid any complications. So, I made a decision...I decided that I had to take control of my weight and really get serious about losing it. After some research and motivation from family I did it!! I lost 15 pounds in about 4 months!! I then went on to have my healthiest pregnancy yet AND to keep the weight off during the pregnancy...which was not easy considering this baby was almost 1.5 pounds heavier than our lightest baby (and he was 7 lbs. 9 oz.)!! I watched what I ate and tried to stay active for those 9 months, and it paid off when I came home and was 10 pounds lighter than when I first got pregnant!!

So, that leads us to now...I am 15 weeks out from that pregnancy (which was my third C-section) and I am ready to get back to taking control of my weight. After the surgery I did gain almost 10 pounds back because, I'm not going to lie, for those first 2 months I couldn't exercise and I was so busy with 3 kids that I was more worried about them than what I ate. But, I've adjusted and started back to work and have already lost a few pounds!! I am ready to take on this challenge and start shedding some pounds. With all the craziness around here, I don't get as much time to exercise as most people so my weight loss is primarily dependent on controlling what I eat. I will say that I'm not a dieter, I'm not one of those people who decides to cut out sugar, or fat or whatever else the latest fad diet suggests. I prefer, and have found it VERY effective, to just be aware of what I am eating and how much I am eating. Over the next few weeks I will share my tips and tricks with you in the hopes that they will help you in some way to lose some extra weight too!!

So, come back and check on me and leave me comments....if I know people are watching me I'll be more motivated to put down the naughty snacks and pick up a peach!! I hope lots of you join us and participate in the mini weight loss challenge...I can't wait to follow all of you guys too!!


I also have a blog - Life After Diapers - where I will be posting about my weight loss journey and many other things that interest me, like recipes and things that I do.

A little background...

Hi there!!! I'm Diana and I can't WAIT to get started on this amazing journey with all of you!! I thought I would start with a post telling you a little bit about myself and my weight loss "philosophies" so you can understand who I am and get to know me a little better!!

I'm almost 29 and will have been married for 6 years on October 15th!! My husband and I have 3 gorgeous kiddos...an almost 5 year old daughter (she'll be 5 in about 3 weeks), a 2-1/2 year old son and a 15 week old daughter. I am a stay-at-home mom who also works full time from home as a Medical Transcriptionist and homeschools our daughter who is in Kindergarten. In case you were wondering, yes, things do get a little crazy around here during the week between trying to work, and love on my kids and homeschooling....but as Tim Gunn would say, I somehow "Make It Work!!!"

Personally, I love crafting (sewing, crocheting, cross-stitching, scrapbooking...), cooking/baking and music. As a family, we enjoy going to Disneyland, spending time with our extended family and just goofing off in general.

In high school I was overweight...and not just that awkward-chubby-teenager overweight, but massively obese. In my early 20s I ended up with a mystery illness that cause me to lose 100 pounds in about a year...for the first time in my life, I was able to shop in stores at the mall (I LOVED American Eagle!!) and felt like I was finally a normal member of society instead of feeling like an outcast. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to lose weight on my own, let alone keep it off, so over the next few years it creeped back and by the time I got married about 3 years later I had already gained 30 pounds back. After getting married and having access to an apartment complex gym I finally started losing weight again...and 3 months later we were blessed to find out that we were pregnant with our oldest daughter...and after 2 pregnancies I found myself another 30 pounds heavier and facing a dilemma. We wanted to have baby #3 but I needed to lose 15 - 20 pounds to avoid any complications. So, I made a decision...I decided that I had to take control of my weight and really get serious about losing it.  After some research and motivation from family I did it!! I lost 15 pounds in about 4 months!! I then went on to have my healthiest pregnancy yet AND to keep the weight off during the pregnancy...which was not easy considering this baby was almost 1.5 pounds heavier than our lightest baby (and he was 7 lbs. 9 oz.)!! I watched what I ate and tried to stay active for those 9 months, and it paid off when I came home and was 10 pounds lighter than when I first got pregnant!!

So, that leads us to now...I am 15 weeks out from that pregnancy (which was my third C-section) and I am ready to get back to taking control of my weight. After the surgery I did gain almost 10 pounds back because, I'm not going to lie, for those first 2 months I couldn't exercise and I was so busy with 3 kids that I was more worried about them than what I ate. But, I've adjusted and started back to work and have already lost a few pounds!! I am ready to take on this challenge and start shedding some pounds. With all the craziness around here, I don't get as much time to exercise as most people so my weight loss is primarily dependent on controlling what I eat. I will say that I'm not a dieter, I'm not one of those people who decides to cut out sugar, or fat or whatever else the latest fad diet suggests. I prefer, and have found it VERY effective, to just be aware of what I am eating and how much I am eating. Over the next few weeks I will share my tips and tricks with you in the hopes that they will help you in some way to lose some extra weight too!!

So, come back and check on me and leave me comments....if I know people are watching me I'll be more motivated to put down the naughty snacks and pick up a peach!! I hope lots of you join us and participate in the mini weight loss challenge...I can't wait to follow all of you guys too!!

I also have a blog - Life After Diapers - where I will be posting about my weight loss journey and many other things that interest me, like recipes and things that I do.

Win, Lose or Blog

Well, it's official....my bio is on the WLB contestant page and I have my very own page off their blog that I can start bombarding with my wacky-ness starting on Monday!! I weighed myself this week and sent them my official starting weight. Amazingly I had already lost a pounds since I weighed myself last weekend...so that's a good start, right??

Sadly though, I had great plans to jump right in and spend lots of time walking and using our elliptical...but this week has just been against me exercising at all!! Luckily, I'm been REALLY careful with what I eat and I hope that will help since I can't get out and exercise right now. Tuesday night we went to an Angel's Game and I was so proud of myself....I only had a few bites of our daughter's ice cream that she couldn't finish, and I mostly ate peanuts...and most of the peanuts I cracked went right into our 2-year-old's sneaky little hands!! Having kids is like built in portion control since they are always wanting to eat whatever I am eating!! I was so proud that I didn't get my own ice cream or any other junk food!!

My little blue-eyed babe and I watching the game...he LOVES going to baseball games and cheering and screaming with the crowd.  Oh, and he LOVES the peanuts!! In the background you can even get a glimpse of Nicole's team spirit with her pink Angel's onesie!!

During the day is hard though...it just so happens that this week was my first week back at work from maternity leave (thank you California!!) and working from home makes watching what you eat a LOT harder since all the goodies you keep hidden are at your disposal. I've been really careful about when I snack, and when I think I'm hungry I've decided to employ my version of an old trick....If I think I'm hungry between meals I will stop for 5 minutes and do part of a craft, or color with the kids - do something fun - and then see if the craving is still there.  Usually it's gone and I can continue working or doing whatever else I need to do. If at that point I still feel the desire I will let myself have a little something. It's worked pretty well in the past, and just being aware of what you're eating really helps!

So, I am trying my best and hoping to get out tonight to go walk at Dos Lagos with all the other 100 Mile Club members...the kids love seeing all the other kids and I get a nice walk around the lake for as long as the kids can go. Last time we went 1.5 miles before the kids called it quits, but maybe this time we can make it to 2 miles.  I would love to go 3 miles, but while I can handle it, the kids will have to work up to it. And since I can't go without them, I have to be patient and try to get them up to that point. Once Nicole gets a little bigger it will be nice to take the double jogger, then any tired kids can take a break!!

Well, that's about it for now...Happy Thursday to everyone!!

Let the fun begin!!

For those of you who haven't heard...there's an amazing blog I love to read - Win, Lose or Blog which chooses 8 contestants for each "Season" to participate in a new-age weight loss competition. Not only are there prizes at the end for whoever loses the most weight, but each contestant is given a blog page to write updates on and share their triumphs, frustrations and experiences with weight loss through the 8 weeks in the contest.


They also have giveaways for the blog readers and lots of great weight loss inspiration!!

So...why am I sharing this with everyone here?? Because I was chosen as one of the contestants for Season 6 which starts October 3!!!

As most of you are aware, I worked really hard to lose weight before getting pregnant with Nicole, and I am SOOO excited to be a part of this contest and now have extra motivation to work hard...because all the people who read the blog will be able to see how much weight I lose and my weekly picture. That's motivation enough to work hard and really lose some weight now that I'm accountable to lots of people!!

Once the contest starts I will have my own blog page off their main one and you can follow my 8 week journey with me - please check out there blog and see for yourself how neat it is!! And I can't wait to see how this goes and would love to have all of you follow me through the contest!!

I will post my blog address for the contest when I get it!!

Great new blog find!!

So many great places to go for homeschooling info!! Today I found this great blog - Mama to 4 Blessings and as an added bonus to all the great homeschooling info, she is having a giveaway for a PegPerego double stroller!!!

Check out her blog and click the link below to get to the giveaway!!

PegPerego Giveaway

Free Unit Study Download!!

It's amazing how many resources there are for homeschoolers out there....and the more you look around and make friends (even if they are just e-friends), the more stuff you will find!!! Today, HomeschoolShare.com shared this link with us for a free eBook unit study!! The deal comes from a great website called Homeschooling with Heart and I can't wait to check out these books!! So...click the link below and check out this awesome deal and the other wonderful things on their website!!

Homeschooling with Heart - Free Old Schoolhouse Download

I already redeemed my gift set and can't wait to go through and see what wonderful lessons are inside!!! With all these free eBook deals I have been finding I am glad we have an external hard drive to hold it all!!!

My newest favorite educational website....

I attended a parent certification course for homeschooling parents last week and at the meeting there was lots of information and resources shared. One thing they talked about was lapbooks...I saw an example and thought "wow, Karyl would love that!!!" One problem, I had no idea how to make one, or what to even put in one.

So I was browsing some of the websites they had referenced and decided to check out the one they had given us for free lapbook ideas....Homeschoolshare

We use Five In A Row as our Literature/English curriculum and it makes great books into Unit Studies that relate Social Studies, Art, Math, Science, Literature and many other subjects to the story you are reading. The website I mentioned above actually has lapbook resources for the Five In A Row curriculum!! I saw that and just about died...then I looked at the materials for Madeline, which we were reading at the time, and I think I might have actually died for a split second and gone to heaven!!! I printed out the goodies, put them in a file-folder-turned-lapbook and Karyl LOVED it!!! I have since make lapbooks for the other books we've already been through and started printing everything out for the rest of the books this semester.

For those of you thinking "what the heck is a lapbook, and what's the big deal" a lapbook is a folder of sorts with all kinds of pockets and fun activities that are glued into a "base" (we use file folders and staple/glue additional pages in if needed) so that they are all in one place for the kids to work on. The information is concise and you can really highlight the key points with the minit books and flash cards and pocket after pocket full of pictures and activities and facts and anything else you can dream up!!


Here is an example of a lapbook for "The Glorious Flight" that someone made as an example on the website...you could do this and save money on printing, but I like the neat and organized look of  having it printed out!!



 They even have lapbook resources for preschoolers and specific subjects like animals, weather, character development and traits, bible verses and other books that kids love to read!!

Even if you're not a homeschooler, these could be fun to introduce a new subject to your kids, or even to just keep them busy when you need some quiet time!!  That's right, you're welcome!!

So, head on over to Homeschoolshare and check out what they have to offer...oh, and make sure you have lots of paper and replacement ink cartridges for your printer - you have no idea how addictive this website can be!!!

Oh, and head over to Scholastics eBook website - Teacher Express and get 10 free eBooks!! Just enter the code 10THANKS at checkout in the coupon box!! They are having a $1 book Back To School Special and with the code above you get $10 worth of free merchandise...which, if you can't be bothered to do the math means you get 10 free eBooks!!! I went and got mine right away....I got lots of activity books to help with Word Wall ideas, crafts, patriotism, themed writing pages, math activities and much, much more!! You don't even have to enter payment information!! You can download each book 3 times....I'm hoping that I can download the books onto this computer and then save them on our external hard drive so I'll have them forever!!

I hope this information benefits someone that reads it...I loved getting these references and was excited to pass them on to all of you!!!