Day 4

Woohoo I'm still keeping up with posting!

My favorite childhood memory I think is one Christmas when we did all sorts of fun things. I got to pick out my own dessert to make for Christmas dinner. I had never been allowed full control of something so "important". I picked a brownie triple chocolate trifle. It was rich, ooey, gooey, and yummy. I still had a little belief in Santa. Basically I wanted to err on the side of caution just in case he was real lol. We watched the nightly news that had the "Santa Tracker", and made sure to be in bed before Santa was in our town. There wasn't anything under the tree before we went to bed, but woke up to a wonderful assortment of toys. My mom slipped into my room while I was sleeping, and put a bag of fruit and candies at the foot of my bed. There were so many little things that meshed together to form a wonderful Christmas that I will always remember.

Day 3

What makes me happy?

There's a lot that makes me happy. Off the top of my head there are my kids, Robert, McDonald's chicken nuggets, ice cream, massages, pedicures, music, my recliner, and sleep. I'm usually happy after I work out. Days off with just my hubby bring me joy and happiness. Unsolicited hugs and kisses from my babies always make me smile. Bella has gotten into knock knock jokes, and can actually make me laugh. Paid vacations from work make me happy too! I'm happy that we should finalize our adoption next month :)

Challenge Day 2

Today's challenge is My Favorite Quote. I'm not sure I have one quote that comes to mind as my favorite. I have quotes I like at different times depending on my mood. I think the one I will pick today is:

"You don't have to love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear."
- Oscar Wilde

This is one quote that I feel like really fits Robert and I. We don't "match" each other at all. He loves jeans, t-shirts, and old army surplus vests. You wouldn't catch me dead in something like that. He loves big, old Dodge kidnapper vans. I love all sorts of new cars. I call Rob a Scottish Dwarf Hobbit. I'm a 5'9 hot chocolate diva. But despite it all he completes me. He's the one that was put on this earth for me :)

My Weight Loss

I guess it's better late than never. I was asked a while ago to blog about how I've lost my weight so far. I am down 68 pounds so far, and I have about 80 more pounds to go to hit my goal weight. I started getting serious in July 2012. I tried weight watchers because it had worked for me in the past, but for some reason it didn't work for me this time. I think it's because I was more focused on the points and less on the whole nutrition/exercise picture. So in August I started using My Fitness Pal to track my food. I started eating "cleaner" by getting rid of my dependence on easy foods which was normally processed foods. I went back to cooking as much as I could. I also started a Veggie of the Week. I would buy a new veggie each week and we would come up with a healthy way to cook it.

The tracking of my food really made me take notice of what I was eating. I started to choose things based on more than just calories and fat. I started to pay more attention to my food as a whole.

I also started using my elliptical that I purchased several months before on a regular basis in addition to doing some workout DVDs to keep my interest. I get bored easily so lots of options help me stay on the bandwagon. Also in August I started taking ACE (stands for Appetite Control and Energy). It's an all natural weight loss pill that I ran by my doctor to get his ok on. It helped me get over my cravings for sweets and starches. Plus it gives me that extra boost I need to come home from work, take care of home and the kids, and then put in a workout.

I drink a LOT of water. I usually get in about a gallon a day. Once I started drinking more water the weight started coming off consistently. Now I choose water over just about any drink, all the time. 

I started seeing the changes in my body and my clothes got bigger and bigger. I started to look forward to trying new healthy foods, and coming up with ways to make my favorite foods healthy. The biggest success for me was when my mom told me how proud she was of me. I've struggled for so long with my weight, and for my mom to stop and say that was HUGE!!!!!

Here's a picture of me Easter 2012 and one from Easter 2013. Down from a Size 24/26 to a Size 14/16 :)

30 Day Challenge: Day 1

I found a 30 day blogger challenge on Pinterest yesterday, and guess what I'm already behind LOL. But that's ok. I'm trying to be better. I'm trying to blog on a regular basis again. So here goes:

Day 1: Post a self portrait and 5 random facts about yourself.

This was last night after my walk/jog time outside with the kiddos.

Random Facts:

1. I had a dream I was dating Robert and I was finally happy. I hadn't really had a conversation with him in years when I had this dream. But I decided to act on it anyway. So I got dressed up one night and showed up at the convenience store he was working the graveyard shift at. And we've been together ever since :)

2. Arabella is named after my favorite and most dear to me Dungeons and Dragons character. I looked up the meaning of her name while I was pregnant and knew it was meant to be. Arabella means "Answered Prayer".

3. I pick up songs really easily. It's perfectly normal for me to sing along with the animes we watch in Japanese.

4. My middle name before I got married was Frededrian (try to pronouncing that one). And yes my daddy's name is Freddie. I still thank God my mom didn't make that my 1st name.

5. I collect fairies and turtles. Love them!!!