Monthly Archives: April 2011

A little Light on Photos–Saturday Snapshots

Wow, get hit with a cold one week and you find yourself a little light on pictures.  I did take some, but just not what I expected for the week.  We were a little light on photos for today.

I hope you enjoy ours and then check out what others captured.

We went to the zoo a couple weeks ago with some friends.

Patrice loved hanging out with her uncle while he made breakfast.

Caitlyn and Sue had fun with their Aunt

Cuter than any Easter bunny I ever saw at my house.

This one is super adorable too!

Hubby got me roses, it was his birthday and I got flowers!

We celebrated one of our best friend’s birthday today.

So, you are wondering how I have so many pictures if I did not take very many this week…I kind of went back over a couple weeks and found some I didn’t get a chance to share!  Enjoy!

 
The Gypsy Mama hosts a fun blog hop, 5 minute Friday.  She gives us a prompt to write about for 5 minutes flat.  No rewriting, no editing, just honest writing.  She then asks we link up with her site and give comment love to the person who linked right before us.  Here goes…
 
IF I KNEW I COULD, I WOULD
 
If I knew I could handle going back to school and raising kids, I would go back for a whole new career field.  I would go back to school to become a certified nurse midwife, especially if I knew I could be an amazing blessing to women like my midwife has been to me.*
 
I would want to be the blend of midwife I see in my own.  She loves and embraces the women she works with.  She loves and embraces the birthing process.  She blends the natural elements of birthing with what can and should be done medically to give women a successful birth. 
 
Yes, I know in a perfect world, birth would require no “help” but it does.  We are told in Genesis that birth would now be accompanied by pain.  I believe, like all other things affected by the fall, the element of sin continues to degenerate things, so birth is not only accompanied by pain, but can also be accompanied by complications. 
 
I understand birth is not always a medical emergency.  I know people who have carefully and wisely chosen very natural births, but for me and my household, we love the blend of care our midwife provides. 
 
Now it is your turn!  What would you do if you knew you could?!

*Just look under tagline midwife if you have any question about the impact my midwife, turned friend, has had on our family

Health as Important to God

As you may know, I have been trying a few different things to lose the weight I gained with Miss Patrice. I want to do it wisely and safely for nursing the baby, but I also want to see enough progress to keep me motivated.

I started on a points plan, but have realized there is just too much going on in my life to be keeping track of each bite.  So what to do?  Then I looked into doing an elimination diet to see if getting rid of some things would help me overcome my postpartum anxiety.  I read up on one of the right carb diets and was ready to start it, but then had a really rough week with the postpartum issues and felt totally overwhelmed at any type of diet plan. 

But even in my antsiness, I noticed I was reading about the need to get rid of sugar from a number or sources, for a number of reasons.  Over and over I heard the same message…get rid of the sugar foods.

So I decided to take the plunge. It has now been 72+ hours since I last had sugary food.  I am not restricting my diet in other ways; this just seemed to be the message I kept hearing.

That got me to thinking…

How much does God care about our health?  How much does he care about our diet?  I know there are scriptures about gluttony, “Don’t drink too much wine or eat too much food” Proverbs 23:20 and I have always been taught that 1 Corinthians 6:19a teaches we are to take care of our bodies, “You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit who is in you…”

But what does that mean?  Does it mean eating is sin?  Does it mean not exercising is sin?  I don’t know.  But I am getting the message that God wants me to pray about my health.  Not just, “Please Lord, let me lose some weight this week.”  I am thinking more along the lines of offering Him what I eat or how much I exercise and see where He leads it.  Offering Him how much I want to eat the chocolate candies in the trail mix and checking my desires against His will for my health.

For right now, that means taking the junk food out of my diet.  That has been impressed upon me from several directions, including this post.  Where will it take me?  Physically, I pray it will help with my weight.  Emotionally, I pray it will help with my anxiety.  Spiritually, I pray it will teach me more about obedience to Him in my life.

What has you thinking?  Share it here.

Making Ice Cream for Try Something New Thursday

It was suggested by a couple people that us girls might have fun making ice cream.  I’m not sure the girls had fun, but it turned out!!!  I am quite shocked.

I again found the recipe in The Ulitmate Book of Kid Concoctions by John E. Thomas and Danita Pagel.

You need:

2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Cup milk
1/2 Teaspoon vanilla
1 pint or sandwhich size ziploc bag
1 gallon size ziploc bag
6 Tablespoons rock/ice cream salt
Ice

Fill gallon size bag 1/2 full of ice.  Add rock salt.  Mix sugar, milk and vanilla in small ziploc bag.  Place small bag inside gallon size bag.  Shake bag(s) for 5-7 minutes.  Pull out baggie of ice cream. 

* Pictures of cute babies always optional, always recommended!

Caitlyn ate two bites of her, Sue maybe 8 bites and they were done.  Not sure if they were just too tired or it wasn’t fancy enough, but it was ice cream.  Mama is satisfied.

What have you tried lately?  Won’t you link up and share?

Wieght Loss Wednesday Week 8

I have not been able to keep myself motivated a whole lot for tracking my food.  And as anyone who has done weight watchers knows, that is key to the program.  Then I considered South Beach diet, but with nursing I can not do the first phase of the three phases.  Plus, all that meal planning seems very overwhelming, and I just don’t need that right now. 

So what to do?  I have decided to simply cut out some of the crummy food I have been indulging in and see what happens.  I have given up sweets.  Yup, all of them; the last time I gave up sweets was 18 years ago between high school and college when I lost 25 pounds.  At that time I did more than give up the junk, but I was not nursing a baby, working full-time or living much of a life.  For right now, giving up the junk seems to be the most manageable approach. I have made it 45 hours so far…

I got good news on the scale just before I started counting those hours, I stepped on there thinking it would be a real downer, but instead, found I have lost 2 more pounds!  I have broken my weight loss goals into three separate goals and that loss puts me past the first goal!!!!

Life got really busy with Easter and some other family functions, so my running accidentally took a break, but I am back at it this week.  I got to run outside and it was wonderful.  Now if the rain would just go away, or at least come just at night so I could get out there more.

What have you done for your weight loss or health goals?  Come see what others have done.

Random Thoughts

It’s been awhile since I did a random thoughts post.  It seems fitting for today.

I was home with a sick Patrice today.  She was sleeping next to me last night and I started to feel really warm.  I was totally out and confused, but I kept touching different parts of her and it was hot.  I woke up hubby and he thought to get the thermometer.  102.  Thankfully he also thought to get tylenol for our little sweetums.  She’s had three doses today.  She has a runny nose and has slept extra, but most of the time is still a happy, albiet toasty, camper.

I did tons of laundry today.  And folded it.  I have just two more loads to fold and I am all caught up.  Even got most of it put away.  Feels like the weight of the world is off my shoulders.

I caught Sue licking her potty seat last Friday.  Yup, you read that right in all it’s disgustingness.  I was telling some friends that story and one had a great response.  “You have to remember that one when she starts dating and when the first guy comes, tell him, now before you think about kissing her, let me tell you…”  Love it!  Please Lord let me remember that when the time comes!

My sister-in-law did an incredibly creative egg hunt for the older girls this last Sunday.  There were 5 eggs with clues in them, each clue told them where to find the next egg, until finally they got to their present.  It was a ton of fun.  It made this mama feel very blessed that my girls have such a sweet aunt.

Caitlyn often makes me giggle with some of her outfits and antics.  Giggling is good.

Patrice and Sue make me giggle too.  Giggling is awesome.  I hope they make you smile too!

Multitude Mondays 101-106

Easter weekend was crazy busy for our family.  It included 2 church services, a baby shower, date night, a birthday and Easter with family.  I definitely could have used today off to rest, but no, it was back to work for us.  Ah well. I am thankful for my job to go to.  I am thankful my hubby is working.

All three of my girls got lots of lovin’ this weekend.  They got to see a set of grandparents, a cousin once removed, three first cousins, three aunts and three uncles.  I don’t think Patrice got put down from Friday afternoon until Monday afternoon.  She is currently in her playpen detoxing.  She is definitely missing all the attention.

Us girls got to go to a full tea/baby shower.  It was wonderful.

We had a super fun egg hunt with an aunt yesterday (my thanks for making such a fun activity).

101.  My job
102.  Hubby’s job
103.  Support and encouragment on-line
104.  Family loving on my girls
105.  Fun new experiences with the girls
106.  A risen Lord and Savior

Hard Love–5 Minute Friday and Fledgling Friday

Sometimes love is hard. Sometimes it is a choice.  This week the postpartum issues I have developed since Patrice’s birth are kind of hard.  Really hard.  I have cried a lot this week.  I have forced myself to function when my mind says it can not go on again. 
 
Through it all, I have chosen to love my family, by staying here.  By not dropping the girls off to my midwife and running; by not running into oncoming traffic.  By talking to them and singing with them when I would rather retreat into myself.  I have stayed.
 
I have chosen to love my family by getting more help.  By taking my medication when I don’t like some of the side effects.  By seeing a counselor when I would rather run away.  I have chosen the hard way.  The way of being here.
 
What have you chosen this week that is the hard road of love?  Come see what others have to say.
 
I have also posted this on another blog hop

What a Lovely Thing–Multitude Mondays–94–100

As I mentioned in my Saturday post, the girls and I went up to see my family this weekend.  The girls were fantastic travellers.  We did the whole trip up without stopping once.  Not even for a potty stop.  That’s better than we do when daddy travels with us!  It was a lovely thing.

While we were up with my family, daddy stayed home and redid the hardwood floors we found.  He sanded them and put a clear coat on them.  He worked quickly and well to better our home.  It is a lovely thing.

My body obeyed this weekend when I asked it to run.  It listened when I asked it to run up some really big hills.  I finished the race without feeling totally wiped out.  It was a lovely thing.

Sue made my mother very happy this weekend.  My mom got to see Sue throw a huge fit.  The kind I used to throw as a little girl.  You know the kind where your mother says, “I hope when you grow up you have a daughter who does the same thing to you.”  Yeah, that kind.  And my mom got to see it.  It was not a lovely thing.

We travelled back home yesterday with just one stop.  And there was minimal crying from the girls as we travelled.  My first experience travelling with the three of them by myself was all in all a lovely thing.

I am thankful for these many lovely things.

94.  Travelling without incidence with the girls

95.  Running my 3rd 5K with an improved time over the other two.

96.  Visiting with my sister.  Finding more similarities between us.

97.  Being able to handle Sue’s fit with a modicum of dignity.

98.  Sue calming down from her fit and being my sweet loving girl again.

99.  The beautiful hardwood floors we came home to.

100.  Coming home to daddy after  being gone for two days.

What lovely things are you thankful for?  What would you like to share?

Soaking for Saturday Snapshots

I tried something new this weekend, taking all three girls to visit my family, and got some soakin’ pictures of my sister and I!  I did my third 5K ever.  And man did we get wet.  It was poaring rain.  There were four large hills on the course and some cross country running.  But it was awesome!  Took a minute off my time from my last race and got to spend some great time with my sister.

getting ready to run

warm and dry but not for long

soon to be soaked

downtown for some family fun after the race

Patrice in a Barbie apron

my cutie patooties

Check out some other lovely photos at Saturday Snapshots.