Checking in

I haven't reported on my weight loss journey in quite a while. I just haven't had time with the holidays. I am happy to report as of last Friday I had lost more weight, and have now lost a total of 20.5 pounds! :D

Unfortunately, I think the past week has ruined me. Between a wedding all-you-can-eat buffet, a weeks worth of holiday baking (and eating), and Pertussis (McDonalds is much more appealing than cooking when I am sick), I am seriously afraid to step on the scale. Since Christmas is this weekend, followed by a cruise on New Years....I'm in BIG TROUBLE!!! Hopefully I can resist all of the sweets, and make it through!

Thanks everybody!

Nutcracker

A few weeks ago Miss L, Miss A, and I went to see the Sacramento Ballet perform The Nutcracker. Grandma N and GG came up to see it, along with lots of cousins and a couple of aunts. It was such a fun girls' weekend. We got dressed up and went to the Cheesecake Factory. Then we headed off to the show (luckily we got there in time---BARELY). I've seen The Nutcracker before (as a kid), and I remember being confused and bored. I enjoyed it so much more as an adult. However, my girls LOVED it (they got a little tired toward the end). We also managed to pick up a few adorable ornaments to help us remember our fun day together. It was so much fun!

Here are some of our pictures. This probably is going to sound lame, but I'm sad I am not in one single picture that we took. Not that I want to see myself--haha--but because it's such a fun memory with my girls. I just didn't think about jumping into any of the pictures. :(

GG and the girls

Miss A LOVES her nutcracker!

Lunch with Grandma

All dressed up and waiting to go

The entire crowd, minus 3 adults (who were frantically snapping pictures)

Little Singer

Miss L has always LOVED to sing. It is not unusual to hear her singing in her bed when she wakes up; it's typically the first things she does. She sings in the shower. She sings in the car. She sings pretty much all day. She often tells us that she dreams of being on stage, singing for a large crowd.

Here is a video of her first solo at a church talent show (age 3). And then there is a video of her performance at our church Christmas party last week (age 6).

Great job Miss L! We are so proud of your courage and willingness to share your talents!

26.2

We recently had a fun, quick trip to Santa Barbara to support my husband in running his first marathon. It was a completely crazy trip, but luckily my mom offered to watch Baby C and Miss R for us. Thank heavens!!!

G trained hard for his race, spending many, many hours running. This was his first race to exceed a 5K, so it was a pretty big jump for him.

We had the opportunity to meet him at the 18 mile marker to cheer him on. The girls made a cute sign for him. When he ran by, everyone around us was cheering, "Go Daddy!" It was really cute!

It was cold, so the girls wore Gma's jacket.

All of us waiting at mile 18.

And there he goes.....

For the first 22 miles, G was running at an awesome pace...and he expected to reach his goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. However, at mile 23 he became severely dehydrated and all of his muscles locked up. He had to walk (hobble is probably more like it) for a while, and then was able to run the last mile or so (thanks to his sister who went and found him and cheered him on). He was very discouraged when he crossed the finished line, but I cannot even begin to tell you how proud I was. It was so amazing to watch him accomplish something so challenging. It was pretty dang cool!

FINISHED!!!!

Wiped out.

Ouch. Yes, those are blood blisters.

Getting iced up.

After the marathon, G could barely walk for 2 days. But now he has fully recovered and is actively looking at a spring marathon. I've been told marathons can be addictive, and it looks like my husband has succumbed to the temptation! :D

THANK YOU

First off---I want to say thanks to all of you who responded to my last post. It made such a difference in my morale---SERIOUSLY! And you all had great ideas too! Thank you so, so, so much!

I am feeling much better this week. I think part of it was your encouragement and part of it was giving the South Beach Diet "da boot!" Why? Well, I ran into a friend last week who also started the South Beach Diet a few weeks after me. She told me that she became violently ill. After we talked about it, I came home and did some research. Hmmm....seems nausea is a common side effect of the diet. And I have definitely felt nauseated the last couple of months. I kept wondering if I was pregnant or something because about 3 days a week I felt like someone had kicked me in the gut. So I decided to give up South Beach and start Weight Watchers again (informally--on my own). This week went really well. I am happy to report that I've lost 2 of the 3 pounds that I had gained. So I'm back on track and hoping for an even greater loss next week (since it really has only been 4 days since I started WW again).

Thanks again for your help!!!

AN HONEST POST

This isn't the best time for me to post something---I'm in a pretty bad mood. But I've been avoiding this long enough...it's time to blog about my weight loss. Or in this situation, my weight gain. In the last 2-3 weeks I have gained 3 pounds. Lovely. Apparently avoiding the scale doesn't work for me.

I have a bunch of theories of why I have gained weight. But I have to say that in the end I really have no idea what is going on. I am really frustrated. I do feel like I've been giving up a lot of things, and so I don't understand why the scale is moving up instead of down. The most likely truth is that I've stopped nursing---I don't need as many calories, and yet I'm still eating the same amount. I've also been struggling with finding time to eat. Weird, I know. I usually have a good breakfast, but after that I pretty much starve myself all day because I'm running around with my kiddos. When I fix them lunch, I remember I should eat, but we rarely eat the same things since PB & J is full of carbs, and kids aren't exactly fond of salads for lunch. And so I put off my meal, until I realize around 3:00 that I'm STARVING. Then I end up eating something that's easy to grab (and usually not as healthy). So frustrating. My other problem is that the weather has turned cold---so cold veggies don't sound that good to me. Salads are not as appealing, and to be honest....I'm just sick of them.

It's pretty humiliating to blog about this. I mean, it's embarrassing to admit my weaknesses to the masses. But I promised myself I would do it (and believe me, I have thought a million times about breaking that promise). So I'm sorry about the whining. This is truthfully where I am at right now. So please, if you're reading this, please, please, please tell me to shape up and get back on track! And if you struggle with weight loss yourself, please share your experiences. I need some help. And please, if you have any ideas that could help me---SHARE THEM!

Thanks everyone!

School Days

I have been having so much fun homeschooling my kids this year. I was a little nervous to teach two kids at once, but it has been going really well so far. We spend the morning doing "book work" and then the afternoon doing more hands-on, fun kind of learning. Here are some pictures from some recent school days.

A typical morning at our house:

Miss L received some butterfly larvae in the mail. After reading her the "rules" she decided to write them down and post them for all to see. :D

Gross, huh? It was pretty cool though.

We have butterflies!!!

Time to let them fly away.

Miss L working on her caterpillar/butterfly field journal.

This is our most recent science/history project. The girls had TONS of fun with this! They could not believe that it actually erupted!

They were so proud.

Every Friday (and often other days of the week if there's time) the girls get to choose an art project. Most recently they have been having fun doing mosaics. I would have LOVED something like this when I was a child!

Miss A's artwork

Miss L's artwork

We also recently had some field trips. That's one of the fun things about homeschooling. When you go somewhere fun, you can call it school. :D

First the pumpkin patch...

Then pony rides....

Then Apple Hill....I forgot my camera, but we took some pics of their painted faces when we got home.

I never thought in a million years I'd homeschool my children. But I do have to say, we're having a blast!!!!

Do-Over

I would love to have a magic rewind button for this week. I made WAY TOO MANY poor food choices. We had such a fun week, first at the pumpkin patch and then at Apple Hill. How in the world have I lived in Sacramento for 3 years and somehow neglected to go to Apple Hill? Apple Cider Donuts. Apple Pie. Caramel Apples. Hmmm, maybe it's good that I didn't discover this yummy place until now. Haha! :D

This week I am going to take a "pass" on the scale. The numbers are such a mental game for me. I either get discouraged and give-up, or get excited and eat a little extra---neither of which is good for me. So I'm going to try something new---and avoid the scale for 2 weeks. It may or may not work for me. We'll see.

I'm also thinking of going back to Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. I have slowly strayed from Phase 2 of the diet---and have found myself enjoying too many sweets. The good news is that I'm still eating lots of vegetables. In fact I found a DIVINE salad at one of my favorite restaurants (Tower Cafe) that I crave. For all of you locals--you have to try the Thai Steak Salad. YUMMY!!!!

Anyway, I should really stop talking about food....

Big Ideas

I have a dream.

It's simple really.

I'd like to use my bathroom one time without being interrupted by my children.

Do I need to say more?

My Baby is One Year Old

I can't believe an entire year has passed! My sweet Baby C turned a year old yesterday. I am so grateful she is a part of our family. She has such a sweet disposition and loves to tag along after her big sisters. Her favorite activities include playing with dogs, hugging baby dolls, chewing on books, and going on walks. Her favorite foods include black beans, edemame, rice pilaf, blueberries, and juice. I don't have her exact stats, but she is smaller than my older girls were at this age. She still hasn't reached 20 pounds....

We had a small family party with a smash cake (which she would not touch), a few presents (which she loved), and her favorite dinner--black beans. :D

She almost grabbed the candle.

She LOVED being the center of attention! She was a total ham for the camera--posing and everything. It was cracking us up.

She finally agreed to touch (and eat) the cake after I cut her a piece.

Loving the attention...

Love this expression, scrunched up nose and all. :D She looks a lot like Miss A in this picture.

Opening presents (sorry about the red-eye; I should have edited the pics before posting them--oops).

Playing with the Roper traditional 1 year old b-day present--a box of kleenex. She had a blast pulling them all out. And of course, the girls loved helping.

Happy 1st Birthday Baby C. WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Checking In

I have about a million blog posts I need to do. They have been piling up since school started. I'll get around to them one of these days. But I needed to weigh in since I'm almost 2 weeks behind. Oops.

I've lost another pound, putting the total to 17! The weight has been coming off SO SLOWLY, but I'm happy it's coming off instead of going on. :D And 17 pounds is quite a bit when you think about how heavy a 10 pound sack of sugar is!!!! Haha!!!!

In all fairness to the South Beach Diet, it has worked REALLY well for me---when I stick to it. But honestly I cheat regularly, therefore slowing down my weightloss. But what I am eating seems more realistic for me at the moment, and I don't feel like I'm restricting myself too much. I think that's why I've been able to keep moving forward. I'm just eating healthier...and less.

Freedom

Last week Baby C decided to go on a nursing strike. Since she is 2 weeks shy of turning a year old, I decided to take advantage of her disinterest--and wean her. It was a pretty big jump for both of us. At the time she was still nursing 3 times per day, and was not interested in drinking whole milk, so the whole thing was a little stressful (and painful). I'm always a little emotional when I wean my babies. I'm not a mother who adores breastfeeding, but I do think it creates a sweet bond between mother and baby. For me, weaning is a sign that I'm losing my baby; she's growing up! I can't believe she will turn 1 year old next week. Here is a recent photo of her so you can see all of her cuteness!

One of the biggest blessings of weaning is the freedom I have to leave for extended amounts of time. Next month I am going to the city (SF) with my sister to see West Side Story---I can't wait! And I'm trying to schedule a weekend for me to enjoy some spa time (a gift my husband gave me for our anniversary). It's so nice to have the freedom to leave. :D

As a side note, I lost 1.5 pounds this week. Yay! I have decided to change my weigh-in day to Friday, so I can enjoy my weekends a little more. :D So from now on, I'll be reporting on Friday. Thanks for your continued support!!!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's here.

It starts with Halloween, quickly followed by Thanksgiving, and then to top it all off, Christmas. I LOVE this time of the year--so many fun traditions. I have about a million things I want to do with my kids. :D And of course they almost all involve yummy food. This afternoon I've been dreaming of caramel apples, pumpkin shaped sugar cookies, pumpkin pie, peanut blossoms...you get the idea.

I am really proud of myself for jumping back into things this past week (maybe not in thought--haha--but at least in action). I lost 2.5 pounds. But with the holidays on the horizon, I'm a little nervous. AND to add to it, the week after Christmas I am going on a 7 day Caribbean Cruise, so I just know food is going to haunt me for the next 3.5 months.

Growing up our family celebrations revolved around food. I think that's pretty standard for most people. I LOVED it, but it's not exactly the healthiest thing to do. I would love to change this in my own family. I know treats are a fun part of the holidays, but what if there was something even MORE exciting than the food? To be totally honest, it is REALLY hard for me to ignore this part of my upbringing. I need ideas. Something fun to look forward to---besides food.

So what non-food holiday traditions do you have?

First Steps

My favorite part is in the beginning when Baby C tackles Miss R. LOL!

Sorry if the movie is LOUD. We were obviously VERY excited for Baby C. I wish we had better volume control at our house. :-)

You get what you deserve

OK, a good rule of thumb for anyone who is losing weight is to NEVER overeat the night before you weigh-in. :D Yesterday was one of those days for me. I was tired. I was stressed out. My husband was working and I wasn't feeling very well. I had all the kids by myself and for some reason I just snapped. We're all human. So, I ordered pizza. It was delicious; the scale proved it this morning. I gained 2 pounds. I completely deserve this weight gain. Not only did I eat way too much pizza, but I over-indulged a lot last week--cheesecake on Monday, ice cream on Thursday, etc. So I TOTALLY deserve this 2 pound gain. Ugh.

In my dieting past, I have always struggled with the 2nd and 3rd months with will-power. The first month seems to go smoothly. My will-power is strong as I start to see the weight come off. But then I start getting tired of eating healthy foods, or saying no to my favorite yummy things, and I cave. Then I end up gaining a few pounds back, get discouraged, and give up entirely. BUT I'm not going to do that this time. I refuse to give up. I'm ready to move forward. I AM GOING TO DO THIS!!!! Can you hear the cheerleaders in the background, as I give myself this little pep talk? Haha!

Wish me luck--cause I need it!!! :D

No words

I'm having a really hard time posting something today.

Have you ever had an experience that changes the way you view life? That helps clarify what is truly important--and makes everything else in life seem trivial? I had one of those experiences 2 weeks ago when the bishop of my home ward was murdered in the church foyer. I'm having a hard time describing how I have felt, or what I have witnessed. Shock. Heartbreak. Fear. Hope. Love. Courage. The past two weeks I have seen the power of God manifested boldly in the lives of those I love, and it has been truly amazing. Hearing Julie (his wife) bear testimony of the Plan of Salvation and trusting in God's plan for each of us strengthened my own testimony. Truly, I have never witnessed greater faith, than in watching the Sannar family deal with this tragedy.

And so I'm sort of feeling like everything I talk about on this blog is really trivial...

But since I promised to report (I missed reporting last week because I was out of town)---I lost another 2.5 pounds.

A Pinkalicious Party

Miss A turned five years old last week. I can't believe it! The tradition in our family is that the kids have their first REAL birthday party (with friends, decorations, etc) when they turn five, so Miss A has been looking forward to this for months! She decided to have a Pinkalicious Party, which was a total blast. If you haven't read the book Pinkalicious, DO! It's so cute.

Miss A waiting for her guests

We played balloon games while we waited for everyone to arrive.

We started the party by reading the book.

Then Auntie K & I helped the girls get decked out with pink nail polish, eye shadow, & lipstick.

The girls did Pinkalicious activity pages--mazes, coloring pages, & a word search.

And made Pinkalicious wands.

And of course, ate Pinkalicious cupcakes....

We also had a giant cupcake with candles on it. It was absolutely hideous; it completely fell apart. Hence I did not post any pictures of it. Miss A loved it though. What a sweetheart---so forgiving of my cake decorating inadequacies.

opened presents....

and pulled a pinata.

Here is the entire gang with their loot.

Happy 5th Birthday Miss A! I love you!!!