Christmas Cards

I wanted to share some Christmas cards I created for the BFF.  I had tons of fun playing with these.  Let me know if you want a card created to print or even just to post online.

This boy ...

I need to take lessons is creative blog titling.  Do they exist?  I could sit for an hour trying to think of the perfect title to each post and I still end up with nothing.  Whatever.

This post is actually about this boy and his stomach.  I'm at a loss.  Both of the girls had some sort of sensitivity to milk.  They were both on formula until they were 18 months old.  Both had reflux.  Both still have issues with it.

So, the boy is just doing his brotherly duty and following in his big sisters footsteps.  He's had reflux.  He's on Zantac 3 times a day.  He was on formula.  Then he seemed to tolerate drinking Lactaid pretty well.  I went straight to Lactaid because that's what the girls drink.  I stuck with it for 2 weeks and the entire time he had a crazy runny nose.  So I switched him to Almond Milk.  Now he's had diarrhea for a whole week.  Back on formula we are.  Yes, I'm queen of switching things, but I also believe that if something doesn't work, you make a change. 

See the rash around his mouth too?  It's not that noticeable in this picture, of course.  It's typically really red and bumpy.  He's had that for about 3 months now.  It comes and goes in severity, but it's always there.  I blame it on the thumb sucking.  But now I'm wondering if the rash paired with the diarrhea is some sort of food intolerance. 

I've always just gone with my gut.  And typically, when it comes to my children, my gut has been right.  Not always, but usually.  And my gut says that something isn't right.  He's the pickest of all picky eaters.  He already doesn't eat any dairy.  He eats a lot of fruit, but I've limited those. 

I'm seriously at a loss.  And I'm not a fan of going to the doctor for him to tell me "it's just a phase" or "let it work it's course".  That's 20 bones I could pocket.  So, you play doctor.  Tell me what you would do if this cute boy was yours.  (No, he's not for sale.)

Joy to the World

Saturday Encouragement : Change

These words hit me hard.  For the longest time I have hated my body.  Hated the way I look, how my clothes fit, how no clothes fit.  How my baby belly never goes away.  I fret.  I have spent hours, days, weeks, months, and years with this hatred. 

And now I realized that "If you change nothing, nothing will change."  I could spend so much time hating my body, but that won't change it.  If I don't put in the work to change it, nothing will change.  And I've KNOWN that.  Here's the difference.  I've KNOWN it.  Now I'm DOING it.  I've known that if I just ate healthy, my weight would change.  I've known that if I just exercised, my body would change.  I've taken KNOWING and DOING and put the two together.

And, guess what?!?  I'm actually seeing results.  You have to DO.  You can't think about it.  Just do it.
Someday I'll get the courage to post progress pictures.  In just 1 week of clean eating and doing T25, I can see major changes.  It's crazy.  And it motivates me to keep going and to not give up.

So today, I hope you decided to stop thinking about it and start doing it.  Trust me, it's worth it.

It's my biggest fear

{Heads up.  This is some rambling with no pictures!}

We all have fears in life.  The fear of heights and snakes are two real fears that come to mind.  I'd have to list snakes as one of my top fears and have often said that "the only good snake is a dead one", I would say that snakes are not my number one fear.  You probably wouldn't guess what is either.

My biggest fear right now is that my children will be overweight.  True story.  I actually fear that my children will know what it is like to be obese.  And it's up to me to make that NOT be a reality.  You see, my husband grew up overweight.  It's something that he has struggled with for so many years and is finally facing his weight and punching it in the face.  I'm so proud of him.  He was raised on fast food though.  Raised by two obese parents and never taught the importance of eating healthy.  I wasn't overweight until I was married, pregnant and in control over my own eating.  I literally went crazy on the fast food and eating out.

I won't quote any statistics about childhood obesity, but both of my daughters have shown that if they do not learn right now the importance of eating healthy and exercising, they could be overweight at some point.  Now, don't go thinking that I'm one of those moms who already has their daughters on diets and focuses on their weight.  I absolutely never mention the word "fat" in front of them.  We have weighed them once, just so I could see their BMI, but we just made it a game to see their "number".  We ALWAYS talk about healthy eating and how important it is for our bodies.  We talk constantly about how mommy hasn't always been healthy, but how I'm working hard to be healthy so I can have energy to play with them.

Now.  BMIs.  Mykah is actually "at risk for being overweight".  Karsyn is "a healthy weight".  Mykah only weighs about 5 lbs less than Karsyn and they are 2 years apart.  I used to worry about Karsyn until she started school and she stayed even more active/busy and grew taller.  I do worry about Mykah because she is my child who fights me every chance she gets when it comes to eating fruits & veggies.  She also is my lazy child who hates any form of exercise.  Her actually enjoying soccer was a big shock to us because she has never had an interest in moving in any way.

Sadly, it's only been in the last year that we have actually eaten healthy.  Before then, we did feed our family fast food, cookies, chips, sodas, and whatever else we had that was convenient, full of sugar, and who knows what else.  In all of my pregnant years, I kept my toddlers happy with snacks.  All day.  And movies.  All day.  I could go on and on about the regrets I have for not showing my family how to be healthy from day 1, but the important thing is that we are fighting to be as healthy as we can right now.

What do my kids eat?  We do still eat some processed foods.  If you look in their lunchboxes, you will see frozen Smucker's PBJ sandwiches, but you'll also see organic apple slices, whole grain crackers, and several other healthier options.  Karsyn prefers to take a package of pretzels for snack and actually eats lunch in the school cafeteria almost everyday.  We do get Little Ceasar's pizza every once in a while and eat out more on the weekends than we should.  We are trying.  It's a process.  Tonight for dinner, we did have grilled chicken, asparagus spears, and seasoned brown rice.  The kids eat frozen waffles many mornings for breakfast, paired with some sort of fresh fruit.  We also dig Tyson chicken nuggets.

Bottom line is, I have chosen to let my kids be kids, but doing so in a way that is as healthy as I can make it at this time.  Conveniences is huge.  Price is huge.  And getting them to actually eat is huge. 

It's a process, like I said.  And I'm so thankful we have chosen this path right now and for the rest of our lives.  I feel like I'm giving my children the tools they need to lead a healthy life and to make the right choices later on.  My children being overweight is definitely my biggest fear, but it's a fear that I feel I can now face because of the tools I have to teach them and keep them as healthy as I can.

AdvoCare : the business

As a stay at home mom, I have been in the position where I was constantly on the look out for ways to make extra income.  I still am, but I have found the one thing that works and will continue to provide for our family for years to come.  

AdvoCare is now one of the leading health & nutrion companies in America.  Our President & CEO Richard Wright was just named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and AdvoCare has received numerous awards and has grown to well over 300,000 distributors in just a short time.

I was skeptical at first.  True story.  I wasn't so sure this was a legitimate company that would actually be able to help me earn a real income while staying home.  Most companies that advertise that are a joke.  AdvoCare is real.  It's legitimate work.  I work every single day now to try and build my team and sell these amazing products. 

The income is the real deal.  Everyday I come across news of another distributor receiving the next level pin.  One friend just pinned 6 Star Ruby, which is HUGE.  She was able to quit her teaching job to stay home with her new baby all because of her success in AdvoCare.  Another story I just read was of a distributor in Houston who just started on AdvoCare in February of this year and now makes $5,000 PER MONTH. 

Here are the income levels.  You can see that a 6 Star Ruby earns $98K per year.  That's amazing!  There are tons of stories from distributors who have become stay at home moms and who have brought their teacher/coach husbands home as well.  That would be my ultimate goal.  I'd love to make AdvoCare so successful for me and my family that my husband could come home.  It happens so often with AdvoCare that I know it's achievable.  At this moment, David and I are working towards our Silver pin.  An extra $1,000 a month is HUGE for us and it's what is keeping me home to love on my babies all day.

I became a distributor literally after my first drink of Spark.  I wanted the discount so I could continue to use Spark and have the energy I needed to keep up with 3 kids all day long.  So many people start out just like that.  "It all starts with a Spark" is what I like to say.  There are tons of people who sign up JUST for the discount.  When you first sign up with AdvoCare, you automatically get 20% off of all the products.  You can't beat a discount!  You NEVER have to sell a dime.  I sold enough and built my team enough to be raised to Advisor status and I now earn 40% off of all products I buy.  40%!  That's HUGE.  And I'm there for life. 

That's what sets AdvoCare apart from other direct sells companies.  There is no monthly quota to meet.  You seriously never have to sell a dime.  To make money, obviously you'd need to work at it and actually sell products, but signing up to just use the products at a discount is reason enough to be a distributor. 

AdvoCare is growing tremendously by the day.  You can be a part of it too!  Check this out ... 

After MAJOR National Attention on T.V. AdvoCare is poised to be a billion dollar company by the end of 2014.  That's a $600,000,000 growth they are experiencing RIGHT NOW and it's not even New Year's Resolution time!
It's legit, friends.  And you can be a part of this amazing company too. 

CLICK HERE TO JOIN MY TEAM!

Wordless Wednesday

This Boy

There were so many words I could put on this print, but he leaves me speechless at the same time.  At this very moment, he's sitting under my desk trying to pull the plugs.  He was already successful at that earlier and got in trouble.  Yes, even someone this cute has to get in trouble.  He has also left his mark on every other room in the house this morning; from pulling pans out of kitchen cabinets, to hair spray bottles out of my bathroom, to barbies out of the sisters room.  He.is.EVERYWHERE.  Until today, I had forgotten what it was like to have a toddler.  He's still been a baby.  He's now waddling from place to play, but prefers crawling.  He can get there faster.  And he wants to get there before I see him and tell him "no".  I had to remind myself also that I have not yet gone through the toddler stage with a boy.  So far, it's been MUCH different.  Apples and oranges for sure.

In between all the boy-ness though, he crawls over to me and snuggles, just after he wipes his snotty nose on my shirt.  So although he is everywhere and into everything all day long, those snuggles quickly remind me that he's still my sweet sweet baby boy. 

He'll soon be 14 months.  Next week, actually.  He's become this toddler overnight it seems.  So I'm pulling out my patient card and my time card and trying to slow things down a bit.  He's my last.  He won't always be little.  And that pulls at my heart.  So I'm enjoying every single second I can.

Now, to go grab more of those snuggles ...

My Reasons

Everyone has a reason for starting their journey.  No matter what the journey, actually, there is always some sort of of motivation that sets the journey into play.  No matter how long the journey takes, the reason is always there.  Here are my reasons ...

Aren't they the perfect reason?

I could so very easily dwell on the fact that for the past 8 years I have not taken very good care of myself.  I could dwell on all of the fast food I've consumed, soda I've downed, and lack of exercise.  I could.  But I choose to focus on moving forward for my reasons.  They are more than worth it.

I constantly tell myself, as well as anyone else I have a chance to tell, that the most important part is picking back up and moving forward.  So you have a bad meal, drink a soda, eat bad all weekend, have a bad week eating, have 2 bad weeks.  It's okay!  Pick yourself back up and get back on it.  Giving up completely shouldn't be an option.  Being healthy is a journey.  It's a lifestyle that should never end.  I'm not on a diet, I'm on a journey.  And I'm not quitting now!!

Is that fall I feel?

It was a brisk 45 degrees outside this morning when we took kid1 to school.  I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE everything about this time of year, and I certainly hope the weather stays cool.  With our luck, it'll be 90 next week.  Oh, Texas, why do you do this to me?

In other news ... the Hills had pizza for dinner last night.  Yes, that's important.  I ran into a friend at the grocery store (that was my "me time" for the week.  late night grocery shopping.  i'm glamorous like that!) and she was asking me what we eat, knowing that we were filling our bodies with healthier foods.  I would love to claim that we eat clean 100% of our week, but that's not reality.  Last night, Little Ceasars filled our bellies.  And we enjoyed every bite.  The true reality is, we are eating healthier.  I'd say 80-90% of the week we eat pretty darn healthy.

And by healthy, I mean grilled chicken, fruits, veggies, & brown rice.  We don't get complicated.  We don't get organic and paleo-ish.  We're not there yet.  I try to do my best to watch our sugar intake and make sure we're getting our grains.  But the truth is, we're human.  We don't deprive so that we don't over-indulge later.  It was just a pizza kind of night.

My Journey

I wanted to jump right out there and share with you where I've been, as well as where I am now.  It's been a journey for sure.  Most of you probably already know where I've been, but here's a picture to show you from September 2012 to about March 2013.

I went from baby in belly, to dropping 50 lbs in a matter of months.  I was going strong.  I was motivated.  AdvoCare had helped me and I was so proud of my accomplishments.  My lowest weight at that point was 188 lbs.  Yep.  I was 238 lbs when I delivered Jaxton.  I knew I weighed a lot, but had no clue I was to the point where I needed to lose 50 lbs.  And more.  Yep, I need to lose 50 more pounds to be where I need to be.  How in the world had I let myself get to where I NEEDED to down 100 pounds? 

Summer came.  My mother-in-law was sick and in a hospital 3 hours away, which took my husband away most days.  I was also taking 2 online classes for my nursing degree, plus doing all of my duties at home and raising 3 kids.  To say I was stressed would be the understatement of the year.  I gained 15 pounds back by the end of August and was back up to 203.  I hovered back and forth at that weight for another month. 

Here's the trend I had set for myself.  I do good all week long.  I'd lose 3-4 pounds, then overeat on weekends, putting me back up to where I was.  It was a vicious cycle that I still struggle with.  Now, my father-in-law is in hospice care and I refuse to let stress eating get me again. 

Here are my stats as of today ....

SW (starting weight) - 238 lbs
LW (lowest weight) - 188 lbs
GW (goal weight) - 145-150 lbs
CW (current weight) - 194.5 lbs

 There it is, for all the world to see.  Mentally, I'm there.  I'm on track.  I'm eating healthy, taking my AdvoCare supplements, drinking my water, and I'm focused.

How do you combat stress eating?  Share some of your tips!!!

Changing Lives

You know the story.  Life gets busy.  The blog is left to suffer.  Our life was turned upside down in August when we learned that my sweet mother-in-law would not make it through her 2 months of sickness.  Her body wasn't well and a mere 2 1/2 days later, she went to be with Jesus.  It was one of those completely unexpected, sudden deaths that we certainly weren't prepared for.  David lost his mom.  I lost my mother-in-law, but also my friend.  My kids lost their MiMi, who they truly adored.  She was part of our daily life.  And now she's gone.  Our hearts ache.  But the thought of her rejoicing and her body being completely healed is comforting.

We're trying to pick back up and get our lives moving again.  I answer the weekly "I miss MiMi" pleas that my daughters cry out.  We try to comfort them and explain it to them as best as we can, but that hole we have will be there for quite a while, possibly always.

Now we're at it again though.  David's dad is nearing the end of his journey with us as well.  He's been in the hospital setting for 2 years now and, as the doctor said, he is "failing to thrive".  Our hearts are aching even more now, since not having even started to recover from losing his mom. 

Thankfully, we know where our hope lies.  God does promise us life, but he also promises death.  And to that we cling to. 

This blog is about to get a whole new mission.  I am going to try to focus it on changing lives.  If I've learned anything through losing 2 parents in a matter of months, it's that people make a difference.  People loved my mother-in-law.  We had support and continue to have support from so many people who cared for her.  My father-in-law is the same way.  I want it to be the same when it's my time to go.  I want people to remember me for the impact I had on them.  So, the blog will be about my family; about our daily life; about our journey; about the things we do; trips we take; milestones we reach; school activities, holidays; etc.  But it will also be about our journey to becoming the healthiest family we can be.  We haven't done the best job so far, but AdvoCare has changed our life.  I want to share that journey with you, so that hopefully I can impact your life as well.  My in-laws were not healthy people.  I want more than anything for my husband to live through his 60's.  Not in a hospital.  Not on tons of medication.  I don't want our children to have to go through what we have the past few years.  My mother-in-law was 62.  My father-in-law is currently 69.  I want to live way beyond those years, but do so with the impact that they had on everyone they knew.  My mother-in-law was the sweetest, most caring person.  She never met a stranger and she kept us laughing.  My father-in-law was a giver.  He wanted to help people and he was just a good man. 

So, jump on.  This blog is hopefully going to take you places you never imagined.  If I can help or inspire one person, I've done what I came to do.