Easter 2015

We like to have Easter at our house that way we can have an egg hunt!

 

My mother in law came and spent the night Saturday night and Ava, her and Brody decorated 36 cupcakes.  And decorate they did.  Blue icing was EVERY WHERE!!  I had little blue smurfs by the time they were done!  Thankfully, they didn't consume that much sugar (only because I hovered in the kitchen and watched them!)

 

Ava and my MIL had a "sleepover" in the bonus room, which Ava loved!

 

We got up and went to find what the Easter bunny brought.  Going to brag on Clint.  He is a man who can and loves to shop for the kids.  He went and got all of the stuff (and it was cool) and the eggs for the hunt, while I was working Friday!  Good good man!

 

I made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and then darted to get ready for church!

 

While the kids took a bath, I made sure that they were reminded why we have Easter.  Teaching the kids about Jesus is so amazing as a parent.  You tell the important things to them and don't touch the details.  I feel like that is how we all should live.  Love each other, do what is right, love God.  Keep it simple!

 

Church service was just what I needed to recharge for the week and then it was off to finish lunch before family arrived at our house!

 

On the menu:

Green Egg smoked ham and turkey

salad

green beans

hashbrown casserole

Cajun rice

rolls

cupcakes by the pros

crumb cake.

oh yea it was yummy!!

 

Then it was time to egg hunt!!

 

They had so much fun!  All 4 kids had to "glittery" eggs with money in them!

Picture time!!!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the day!  We took a lot!

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Easter!!!

Cinderella

This past Saturday was an event that we have been waiting on for a while.  We chose to wait to take Ava to the movie theater until she could sit and maybe one day remember her first trip!

Saturday was the day!  Cinderella was the perfect movie for her first experience. 

Clint was working Saturday and my sister was able to watch Brody.  We told her Friday night and I recorded it.  It is a precious movie that I hope we are able to cherish for years to come.  Such sweetness and excitement!  Makes me smile just thinking about it!

We got up and went to the "workout gym" as she calls it and my sister met us to pick up Brody. 

I asked her where she wanted to go to lunch and SONIC was the winner.  It was a beautiful Spring day, so we sat out on the picnic tables and ate lunch. 

Lunch was enjoyed and then it was time to go!!  I wanted to get there early so we could take it all in.  Go potty(we can't pause the movie, Ava) and eat some popcorn. (which was a big treat!) 

The theater we chose to go to is this 1 movie theater in the next town over.  I used to go there when I was little and the prices are cheap! 

The lights went out and she got super excited in anticipation. We knew there was going to be a FROZEN cartoon about Anna's birthday, that we did NOT want to miss. 

She liked it, but said it was too short! haha!

Cinderella was such a good movie.  I recommend it!  So magically and girly!  Ava would sit in her seat, sit in my lap and repeat.  We had to go to the bathroom once.  She did really well and liked the movie!

I am so glad we were able to do this special event with just me and her.  I am going to put her ticket stub in her "hope chest" and probably print out this post to put with it! 

I want her to grow up and appreciate the little things in life.  Her first movie was with her mama after eating lunch at Sonic and sharing popcorn in a one movie theater.

I want her to know that I will hold that day in my heart as one of our special moments!

Change for all

I am writing this post with mixed emotions. Saturday night at 8pm, March 8, 2015 was my last nursing session with our son, Brody. 

Clint helped me make the decision late Saturday night.  It was time for me and Brody.  19 wonderful month of Brody's life I have nursed him and loved the special bond we have.  He is a mama's boy and I hope he stays that way (well until he gets married and then it is his wife's heart that is his). 

Sunday morning. Clint went to get him when he woke up and I stayed out of sight getting ready for church.  Usually feeding him is the first thing we do every day, so keeping him distracted was key.   We have been introducing him to almond milk, so Clint gave him that and some organic cereal to munch on.

Giving him and Ava a bath before church also helped to distract, since they LOVE baths. 

He 9/10 wants to nurse about 9:45am during church service and asked to yesterday and I kept telling him no and Clint again distracted him.

We played outside yesterday afternoon in the 60 degree weather and he napped during our small group. He asked a few more times, but I would just say "no, all done" and he would whimper and then be ok.

We got home and I started cleaning. I clean when I am upset.  So I cleaned the house, to try not to think that the dreaded change in bedtime routine that was about to happen.  I avoided sending him to bed until the last possible minute.  I gave him kisses and hugs and he looked at me like he knew something was about to happen.  My heart broke.  I gave one last hug, went to our bedroom and cried. And cried.  Ava found me in the bathroom peeing.....and crying.  She asked what was wrong and gave me a hug (still on the toilet might I add haha).  I told her that I was sad because I wasn't feeding Brody anymore because he's a bog boy.  I also told her I was sad and cried when I stopped feeding her.  She seemed to understand and asked to cuddle in the bed until it was time for her to go to bed.  Ahhh yes please!

Clint would leave the room.  Brody would cry.  I would cry harder.  He would go check on him and then leave.  Brody would cry.  This went on for about an hour and then he fell asleep.  We put Ava to bed and then I went to bed and cried. 

My boobs are hurting.  They are rock solid.  Heavy, like an elephant is sitting on my chest.  They will stay this painful for a couple to a few days and then be fine.  Your body knows when it is time.  I could pump to relieve the pressure, but that prolongs the process in my mind.  Go big or go home. 

I am sad today. This post is hard to write without sobbing. I probably will be sad for a few days "mourning" the loss of nursing my kids.  Lord, willing we are done having kids, so this was my last time to have that special connection with them.  Brody and I will grow a different bond to replace this one.  Ava and I did.  It is a part of the growing process and the first major strings to release from them.  (I could totally be Beverly Goldberg, from the ABC tv show!)

I love my kids and would do anything for them, even let them go to grow into the people God wants them to be.  It is hard and literally painful right now, but change is hard.  If we don't adapt and change, we die! 

Big step

Well, this past weekend was a first.  It all started out as normal.  Great workout at the gym.  Lunch.  Lounge.  And then.....

We packed Brody and Ava's things for a night at my parent's house!  Yep, big step.  Ava's first night away was when Brody was born (3 years old).  Brody's first time was Saturday (19 month). 

We had planned to take our first ever weekend away from the kids this past weekend and go to Tunica.  It was some where neither one of us have been to and it was only about 4 hours away, but our heating/ac unit finally went to the Big units in the sky.  I felt kind of bad going to spend money and gamble when we just dropped a chunk of money on a new unit. 

We will go probably on our anniversary in April now.

Any way, back to this mama relinquishing the reigns.....for 12 hours.  haha

We got them all packed.  Ava was super excited and had their whole night planned.  My sister still lives with my parent's and she was excited to. 

Ava requested pizza for supper and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast the next morning.  Smart girl.  Brody is still nursing 2 times a day and I was curious if this break would be the final whoorah for us.    We dropped them off....quickly so I wouldn't think about it too much and off we went.

Clint and I went to Opry Mills Mall.  Side note...we walked 2 miles around the mall on our date! (Thanks Fitbit)  We went to a restaurant called Claim Jumper.  Ordered adult beverages and talked.  I really like my husband.  He is funny and sarcastic and we really do understand each other and am ok with that haha!
 
We stopped on the way home and got me a bottle of Reisling and him some Crown Royal Apple for him. (that stuff has a whopper of a kick)

And then we did what all exciting parents do with a night without kids......we caught up on our DVR and I went to bed and he played his game on the Playstation 3.  Exciting!!!!!

I was able to sleep a little longer and get up and run an uninterrupted 4.5 miles on the treadmill before church. Winning!

Good for my heart, my parents brought them to church the next morning, so it was a whopping 14 hours away from them, but we were all so excited to see each other!!

I can survive a night without the kids.   Did Brody stop nursing?????   No.  Nothing changed.  I am going to have to research how to wean this kid.  I will never regret nursing either of my kids.  (Ava 16 months and Brody is going on 19 months) But I am ready to let that part of my life go.  My stubborn and adorable son isn't quite ready yet.   We will see I guess!

Have a great day!!

Crazy snow/ice in

 

 

 

 

This has been our view ALL week long. I know up north is getting slammed with feet of snow, but here in Tennessee, a dusting closes schools.  But this is 4 inches of snow ON TOP of a layer of ice.  So, Nashville was shut down Monday and Tuesday.  We live north of Nashville so we were snowed in until Thursday morning. And even then, yesterday our road was still a sheet of ice. 

 

 

 

Luckily, I was smart enough to request a company laptop, so I was able to work from home.  This made coming back to the office yesterday much easier.

 

Brody was under the weather and was another appendage to me for 3 days.  He is a mama's boy.  I was able to workout, thank the good LORD, but by yesterday I was about to explode from Cabin Fever!!

 

Because Brody was sick and it was so icy, we didn't even go out and play in the ice, which was a bummer, but I didn't want to get him more sick and/or one of us slip on the ice and dip in to our deductible for the year!

 

On a side note, I was going to tell you what supplements I am using!  They are helping tremendously.  Well, with a 90% clean diet, exercise and my Fitbit!! By the way, I think it is pretty accurate and I have figured b/c of my size already, I HAVE to workout just to eat, so it is a win win for me!

 

Ok, back to supplements.

 

Advocare SPARK (amazing!)

Advocare Omegas

NLA for HER vitamins

NLA for HER Aminos

NLA for HER  CLA

NLA for HER Shred Her

NLA for HER Garcinia Cambogia

Syntha-6 chocolate protein powder

 

These I use daily!  And feeling fantastic!

 

Have a great weekend y'all!  We have another line of freezing rain/snow/sleet coming in tonight, so hopefully we won't be house ridden for the next couple of days!

 

 

 

 

It's Friday!

It is Friday and I am so excited!

It has been a busy week for us!  We haven't been home before 8:30pm for the past 3 nights!  Brody's bedtime is 8pm, so it has been out of his routine!

Tuesday night we went to the Nashville Predators Hockey game.  Clint's work has box tickets and we can get them when we ask!  If we didn't get those tickets, there would be NO way on God's green earth that we could take Brody.  He is a hummingbird of energy. The box has just enough room to let him run and be crazy!  There is still chasing and "excuse me's" that happen! 

Wednesday night we went to visit Clint's dad in the hospital. He is a Type 2 diabetic and has an infection in the bone of his big toe. Once you get infection in the bone, there is nothing they can really do except amputate.  So, he will lose his big toe today in surgery.  He will kind of have to learn to balance.  He has already lost another toe on that foot.  Hopefully, this will be the last amputation!

Last night, we went to Clint's church basketball game.  That can be challenging with Brody as well.  He doesn't quite understand why he can't get on the court with "da-da" and play "ball-ball".  So, we have to contain and distract him on the bottom 2 bleachers and try not to let him get a ball and throw it on the court!  He is the best handful in the world!  Although, he is a handful, that boy has got my heart!  I love Ava with my being. She is my sweet sweet girl, but there truly is something special about a mama and her son!   Would y'all agree?

So tonight, we are getting home and catching up on our shows. The house has been neglected too from all of our late nights, but that can be taken care of tomorrow!

Now on to the FitBit!  I have now had it on a full 24 hours and I can safely say, I LOVE it!  It seems pretty accurate!  I was curious to see how sprinting and lifting weights affected my heart rate and calories and I was pleasantly surprised! I know I lift heavy, but seeing your heart rate raise while doing it was a welcomed confirmation!

It is comfortable to wear.  I got the black one in small.  It goes with all outfits and looks like a sleek black band on your wrist!

I was also curious to see my sleep pattern.  Last night I only "slept" 4.5 hours. Which I felt like last night was a "normal" night!  Apparently, I don't need a lot of sleep to survive. I feel fine today!

Until next time!  Happy Valentine's!!

"Plans" and growth

Today, I am not sure what to talk about so I am just going to let this post be whatever it needs to be about!

I  am up on a Sunday morning. Early.  My "plan" was to get in a 4 mile run before everyone got up for church.   As a mama, plans are typically just a fleeting thought.  Ava woke woke me up at 4:30am and crawled in bed with us.  Five minutes later, Brody woke up.  I nursed him and he is now sleeping beside me on the couch.   So my "plan" to run before church has changed.  I will "try" to run this afternoon.
Let me tell you, I have completely changed as a person after having kids.    When Clint and I got married,  I HAD to have a plan.  I HAD to know what was going on, what we were doing.  If those plans changed on a whim or spur of the moments things changed, talk about ANXIETY!  Oh boy.  Big time!


And he's awake...........

In  other news.  Clint has become serious about his working out.  He got a FitBit Charge HR and he loves it.  So, naturally, I just bought one!  Hearing him talk about his for the last week and his super interest in his activity and food intake makes me swell with pride! 

I am excited to get mine and really hit the next level of fitness for me!  I want to drop a little more bodyweight and tighten some more.  I am happy with my progess so far, but ready to step it up.  I think the Fitbit will help me do that, but I will need to be carefuk and NOT get  too competitive with myself.  Been there!  I have come so  far since my ED, wow almost 7 years ago.  I believe balance in life is so important and I tend to keep it that way!

Do any of y'all have a Fitbit??  Like it??

Virus be gone

Hello y'all! It is mid week-ish! Whoop!

This household is getting over some virus (name unknown😷)
Clint and Ava got it on Saturday and yesterday was the first day they have felt like normal!  Their appetites still are 100% back.  I do know that what ever they had had them down for the count for a good 3 days. I am praying that Brody and I don't get it! This mama ain't got time for that! Although, I am not sure how I won't get it!

Y'all know as mamas we take care of our families sick or not, but when they are sick, we are working overtime. Thankfully, Clint and Ava aren't needy sick people. Especially Ava. She's like me and just wants to be sick and left alone.

I got my second installment from Stitch Fix yesterday.  Honestly, I am not impressed.  The first fix wasn't me at all.  I decided to give it one more try. With excited anticipation, I opened the box and was still disappointed.  Out of 5 items,  I would only have 1 maybe.  And that maybe, was WAY to expensive for my taste.  I can go to TJMAXX or ROSS and get 3 cute shirts for the price of one in my fix.  I know a LOT of people love it and I might try it later on, but for now the Stitch Fix was a Not For Me fix.

Today, is my turn at the gym. Clint and I try to take turns, well in all honesty, I go one day during the week and then on Saturdays. I get up and work out at home the rest of the days.  I use those days as my "lift heavy as I can" days.  So, when it is my gym night I get excited. Back and legs tonight!  I haven't had much of an appetite today, which for me is ODD!  Hopefully, it won't affect my lift.
I really hope I am not getting sick.  (go away you nasty unnamed virus!)

Oh and one more, clothes tid bit. I ordered a workout outfit from Fabletics.  This is Kate Hudson's line of clothes. Your first outfit is ~$25 and free shipping.  I am going to try it out on Saturday at the gym and will let you know how it fits and functions!  Excited to try it!

Until next time! Get your sweat on and enjoy your life!

Oh my stars!

Hello!!

Oh my stars, it has been forever and a day since I have posted anything! I am wanting that to change! I went back and read some posts and they are all special to me! It is a way to chronical my life and get my thoughts and feelings out of my body! If all of that bottles up, one day you find yourself kabooming on someone that doesn't deserve it!

Let's see. What to talk about today!!
I am working full time now. I no longer work at the chiropractor. It was time to sledattle put of there. I loved the place, but there was no room for growth. I had stayed part time and part time SAHM for 2 years or so. I loved it, but it was time to help out more financially. And let's face it, as a mama, you can never just be part time. Even working full time now, laundry, cuddles, and choreography of the family still has to be done! Right?!

I am still a Mary Kay consultant and use the makeup religiously. I will find time to get back to having parties when I feel the time is right. But right now, I do reorders for my loyal customers and any new ones by word of mouth. I'm content with that!

AdvoCare is my other "side job". They have fabulous products and Spark is amazing! If you are curious, let me know! 😉

Let's see, working out is balls to the wall. I'm trying to wean Brody, who by the way is 17 months old! I know, right! Crazy how fast it flies. (Ava is 4 1/2🙈)  I have been stable at my weight and fitness level until about Christmas and then it was an "ah ha" moment. I want me back. I want the body I had before Brody and not the little mama-fluff that I had hanging out like an annoying friend who won't leave!
I'm getting up 3-4 mornings a week at 4:15 and working out at home! (If its important, you make time!) Clint and i switch out going to the YMCA during the week and then we go on the weekends.
I took time off counting any calories or macros in my contently fluffy phase. Now, I've cleaned up my  act and am in a mission. I will look fabulous in a bathing suit this year!

Life is great around here! Am I perfect?! Nope, not by a long shot. But I know that I am exactly where God wants me to be! I do the best I can at being a good, in the moment mama, a supportive and loving wife, as well as the Christian I am meant to be. It's a messy, crazy life, but it's glorious!
I'm back and I'm so excited to share our life with yall!😘