Living a Purposeful Life and Living with a Terrorizing Toddler

I'm sure there are lots of parents that see things I post about and say, "she'll learn", and, boy, I have and still am!  Parenting has been such an amazing journey for me and through blogging I can see how wildly my views on it have changed.  Back in the early days I used to parrot what other people said about not being your child's friend but their parent.  Well, till my husband told me he'd rather I know my kids than bark orders at them from a distance.  I wasn't a mean parent but I was definitely afraid to build a relationship because I thought it'd be crossing that parent line into friendship.  (Rules without relationship breeds rebellion.)  Now I can honestly say I am enjoying a deep friendship with each and every kid. I might have to hold back on saying that about two year old Juliet for now. She just wants hugs from mommy in between all her terrorizing. 

I'm holding newborn Juliet and Ashley is copying me. Soooo cute.

 I want each day with my kids to be purposeful.  Every day is a new day to learn about stories in the bible and/or something new about God's amazing creation.  A new day to build on the friendships with each other. One of my boys has been extremely hard to train about matters of the heart.  He tends to hold onto things that people did to hurt him.  I realize before I would always focus on the negative when correcting.  This last few months I've turned it around to focusing on all his positives. To show him scripture on the right response rather than using threats and intimidation. Sadly, I've even used the bible as a weapon to scare him into doing what is right.  There is a time and place to talk about the scary stuff but it shouldn't be used in that way.  He would lay awake at night afraid at times.  Makes me sad.  I've gone through a huuuuuge life changing journey in my own faith and personal walk with God.  Now that I see God as an amazing loving father who wants to spend eternity with me rather than this angry being that is on the verge of wanting to flick me into hell, it's completely caused me to change my approach in teaching my children.  The result?  AMAZING!!!!  I saw this boy of mine go from a depressed individual to someone truly learning about love and forgiveness.  Someone who's wanting to help his siblings get closer to God as well.  I mean, it's shocking to see the transformation.  I was depressed and burnt out spiritually and was putting that off onto my kids as well. Thank goodness for new beginnings, right? 

See that mischievous look?  Haha

Juliet the terrorizer is by far the hardest toddler I have ever had.  She makes a beeline for either cat litter, cat food, cat water, toilet A, toilet B, getting on a computer, pouring water on a remote, escaping into the garage, pouring out the bathroom garbages onto the floor, climbing onto the dining table, then back to the cat litter and the toilets.  I mean, she really rotates all of those with no rest in between.  When her nap time comes, and trust me I know when that is, I have to actually sit down with a new cup of coffee in my hand and just breathe. I spend an hour of staring into nothing and sipping my coffee and then the next hour doing laundry because she's not awake to dump my newly folded clothes all over the floor.  Oh, and by the way, she dumps out all of our drawers in our bedrooms as well.  I just know that if I hadn't been raising toddlers for the last 13 years straight I'd be a much heavier woman.  Need exercise? Get a toddler!!  Haha.  Seriously, she's so cute though when she's sleeping.

Speaking of.....Guess who turned 2 today?  Juliet!!!!

Happy birthday, my sweet snuggle muffin!!!

My little innocent newborn Juliet.  :D

Amazing Souperman Detox Recipe

Here is the amazing Souperman recipe that I fell in love with during my 48 hour detox.  Wanted to share!  This lasted me 3 days and it worked!  NOT sure about adding the chicken broth and chicken as far as detoxing but it DID work for me in weight loss so I wanted to share.

 

 

To make exactly without the chicken broth or chicken here is recipe:

 

Ingredients
Makes 5 servings

2 red onions, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 fennel bulb, fronds and stalks included, roughly chopped
2 tsp caraway seeds
2 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup sliced shitake caps
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 cabbage, roughly chopped
2 quarts water
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
8 sprigs parsley, chopped stems and leaves
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Directions
Combine all ingredients, except for the chopped parsley, in a pot. Add 2 quarts of water.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer covered for about 1 hour. Adjust seasoning.

Remove whole parsley sprigs and serve topped with some freshly chopped parsley.

Serve with a side of traditionally fermented sauerkraut and chopped apples (warm or room temperature).

 

 

 

I wasn't super excited about the flavor so I decided to cook a whole chicken in a separate pot.  Once cooked I combined both the vegetable broth and the chicken broth.  Half and half.  I shredded the chicken and added to the soup.  Much better!  Add Sea Salt for taste if desired.

 

 

Yummy!

 

 



Working Super Hard on Weightloss

I tried a 48 hour detox and it went fantastic. My only regret was not doing it for at least a week. I didn't really have much guidance on the detox so I didn't know it was normal to feel so foggy and out of sorts. I got worried. After watching the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead I found out it was normal for everything I felt. In just five days I lost 5lbs but the key note is I kept it off. Since I'm doing lots of weight training I'm gaining some pounds in muscle so it's hard to tell by the scale. The crazy thing is I've gotten rid of some of the mommy lumpiness and get shocked when I pass by a mirror and see myself. I'm lovin' it!  Before I was doing a lot of working out but not changing my eating habits.  They really do go hand in hand.

 

 

It's sooooo much more than wanting to be skinny. I'm changing a lot of things like understanding micronutrients and healing our bodies naturally through God's creation. The way He designed it before all this processed garbage! I've had some really serious illnesses and I realized how poorly I was treating my body. I can work out all I want but if I'm eating pizza, macaroni, and burgers all the time, where are the vitamins?

 

Charles and I are thinking about a 10 day reboot (detox) but I know I'll not get much done around the house the first few days. Last time I was good for nothing the first two days. I wasn't tired but was just foggy. It can be a bit expensive too but so worth it. God gave us one body, right? I need to act like I'm grateful for it and not trash it.

Watch Video for free HERE!!!

 

 

 

I'm No Supermom...Not by a Long Shot

I'm doing some research before I make a final decision about this upcoming school year. Basically, my kids are spoiled.  I think they are spoiled rotten at times.  Deprived you say?  Bwahaha!  My kids have memberships to the huge 3 story science center, a zoo membership, gym membership.  They don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn and they get to leasurely eat breakfast every morning.  While they lazily sip on their morning hot tea, they are either listening to a family bible study by me or watching an educational video.  School comes some time around 10am or maybe starts at 11am.  Depends on when mom's brain wakes up.  That only comes after a good dose of coffee.  They get done in a few hours, maybe only two if they really concentrate, and then they start their chores.  If they are lazy about it they finish in an hour.  When they are really good at it they are done in only a half hour.  Yeah, young ones have dissected and learned the insides of some animals before most kids ever get to.  It's weird having a five year old depressed because her older brother got to dissect a frog before she could.  Yeah, my kids have it amazingly good.  I don't have to worry about late nights at church and having to rush them to bed because of school in the morning.  We have such a good life. 

Do you think my kids would be at my feet thanking me for the good life they have?  Noooooo.... they think schooling takes too long and chores take to long.  They've completely forgotten their days of public school that they hated, hated, hated.  They hated the long days, hunger, and bullying. They hated getting lost in the system because the teacher had moved on before they were ready.  They hated the hurried lunches and the lame 5 minute recess.  Did you know they've cut recess waaaaaay down?  When I was a kid we had a good 20 minutes-30 minutes of recess.  I needed to get all that energy out.  I'm sure my teacher begged the principal to give me Benadryl each day.  Something to knock me out so she could peacefully teach the rest of the class.  A week ago I told them I wasn't sure about another year of homeschooling because they aren't appreciating it.  They all cried and hung on my leg.  Please noooooo!  I took a deep breath.  I thought about it while doing cardio at the gym, I thought about it while lifting weights.  I thought about it while swimming my midnight laps.  I thought about it while showering, eating, and just before dozing off.  I ran into a book that just made my heart leap for joy....

Click here to see on Amazon

Wow!  This is about 15 different families that are all in different situations and all homeschool differently.  I needed a way to keep the attention of my kids and it seems what I'm doing isn't working.  It's just not as exciting for them.  I've been devouring this book and can hardly put it down.  There are those perfect parents who seem like they have it all together and their three year old is learning calculus and then there are the ones.... like me.... that give so much to the kids that I'm just happy to shower that day.  Do you know why I go to workout at the gym after the kids are asleep?  Because that's when I have the time.  When I go it's usually 9:30pm-12:30am.  No, I don't sleep in all day.  Heck, I'm writing this at 2am because it's the only time I've had yet I still have to get up with the early risers.

I woke up to this the other day. Juliet trying to figure out how to get
out of her crib.  Okay, she's 12 months! Help!

I get excited when I find a book that just lifts my spirits when I'm lagging inside.  I don't have a homeschool co-op or a support group.  I wish I could have those cheer leaders on the sidelines but I don't.  I have to just keep my faith in God, relying on His strength, my mind in constant study, and my heart resting in God's grace.  That is the only way I can give sooooooooooo much of myself every day without cracking.  I'm no supermom.  Ha...  By a long shot.  I'm related to some but I'm not one.  I just have to work super hard.

 

Good news!  I'm down 10lbs!!!  Aaaaaagh!  NO CARBS and lots and lots of juicing and vegetables.  White meat more than red meat.  I'm learning to make really yummy food and I can eat LOTS of it!  I will share soon on a great Souperman food I now make. Get it?  It's a soup but man, oh man, is it packed of good stuff.  Superman himself might be knocking on my door soon for the recipe. 

How I Made Myself Sick and Changing It

Wow, the past few days have been super busy that I couldn't even sit down to blog.  I have to tell you why! 

Friday I turned 34!  Wow, time sure flies.  I've been through some serious illnesses in the last year.  One would be Occipital Neuralgia.  This is like a headache in the nerves.  Medicine through the Neurologist cured that.  Expensive. I had thryoid issues.  Big bills for Urgent Care and testing.  I've even dealt with arthritis.  For the first 10 years of my marriage I had major UTI problems that led to kidney damage.  I was one baby away from kidney dialysis. in fact, while pregnant with my sixth, I landed in the hospital for a week completely unconscious. Why did I have my 7th baby after I was told it would kill me?  Complete healing of God.  In  four years, not only have I not had any kidney problems since a pastor praying for me, but I've only had one UTI from dehydration that healed quickly and never returned since.  I've NEVER had a UTI that didn't go to my kidneys.  The next test was having a baby.  I had her free and clear.  Not ONE issue.  In fact, I no longer need a high risk doctor for having babies.  Kinda sad about that because I have one of the best doctors in the state that is hard to get.  So if God is a healer, I have began to look into His very own creation.  Eating better, and exercising more.  He made the plants and the animals.  Why am I going to so much processed foods?  Am I the cause of alllllll my health issues I've had in 14 years?  YES!!!  When I found out I had arthritis I looked up vitamins that could cure it. Well, I found fish oil and glucosamine, calcium, and vitamin D would do the trick.  Sure enough, I am not walking funny in the morning and biting my lip from the pain.  I no longer need my handicap hang tag for my van mirror.  That was embarrassing for me.  I'm in my early thirties and should not be dealing with arthritis. 

My kids visiting sick mommy in the hospital.  I couldn't even talk to them because I was completely out.  Was very sick and could have died that week.



This weekend Charles and I tried a 48 hour detox.  ON MY BIRTHDAY.  (What was I thinking?)  No cake!  We took the kids to Whole Foods and used the recipe from Doctor Oz's website.  Be prepared because its a bit expensive.  WHY does a burger from McDonalds only cost $1 when my healthy vegetables cost me a fortune?  This is sooooo twisted.  It cost $120 for 2 days worth of vegetables.  Whoa!  I did not go to a regular grocery store where I might have gotten a better deal for a good reason.  Plus, some items would not be available at a regular store. 

Here is an idea of what we did.  Just two of them.

 

1/2 cup pineapple

2 large cucumbers

1 bunch of kale, stems removed (4 cups chopped)

1/2 lemon squeezed

1/4 inch of ginger

1 bunch of mint (1/2 cup)

Put in juicer!

 

 

1/2 cup almond or hemp milk (plain/unsweetened)

1 tbsp ground flaxseed or chia

1/4 frozen blueberries

1/4 banana

1/2 ice

Blend!

 

 

It wasn't too bad at first but then by the second day I felt really foggy.  I could hardly do simple tasks.  Turns out it was because my body is getting rid of the toxins.  If I had kept going, the energy and clear mind would of came.  The frustrations of forgetting a few items and having to getting ready for church on the weekend made me give up on the last part of the second day.  Charles and I were just hungry and at least only ate some meat and nothing else bad.  Very costly to do this!  However, I dropped three pounds over night like it was nothing.  Had I kept going, it would have been more and more.  I might not ONLY do a detox for 2-10 days but I would like to do this for breakfast every morning. 

 

 

3 really good documentaries I would recommend:

 

 

Hungry for Change

Fat, sick, and Nearly Dead

Food Matters

 

If you were to pick just one, please watch Hungry for Change!  I'm learning so much about why I made myself sick and how.  Pretty obvious since I'm a fast food junkie.  You can rent it on Amazon to watch for only $3 or if you have Netflix it's available on there. 

One Good Reason to Love My Fat - JUST ONE!

You'll see what I mean in a few. Yesterday I had the most amazing day.  I had gotten some test done to see what's going on inside of me.  You know, blood tests to show how I've been eating and measure other things in my body.  Basically, my stress levels were really high but it's obvious I eat well.  Those are the only two I remember.  The nutritionist told me that my body is not allowing me to lose weight because of my stress and I had to destress.  Okaaaay..... where to start?

At around 9pm Charles told me I could go to the gym and just workout alone and swim.  He said don't worry about the time.  So I didn't.  I didn't come home till 1:30am.  So what did I do all that time?  I had a protein shake in the restaurant.  Amazingly yummy.  The one I got is called Strawberry Sunrise.  I got to talk to a friend I don't get to talk to often while sipping my drink in the healthy restaurant.  No hiding in the bathroom so she can hear me.  Heh heh.  Then I went up to the gym and did some serious cardio for 45 minutes, lifted weights for another 45 minutes.  Then I went down to the pool and swam 10 laps.  I discovered something AMAZING that I've NEVER been able to do.  I floated and I accidentally discovered it!  You see, when you are bone skinny all your life you can't float.  No fat hardly!  So I was just doing some backstrokes and noticed I was floating.  I realized that the hated fat I had finally made it possible to float on my back in water.  YES!

HALLELUJAH!

I just wanted to float forever because I felt so light.  Ha ha.  For once I was thanking my fat. THANK YOU, FAT!  Okay, I can't be TOO okay with that because I'd like to lose some.  Turns out, the reason my tummy especially is holding onto some fat is because my cortisol levels are so high from stress.  It makes your body go into a fight or flight mode.  Holds onto fat around your belly.  I thought it was from having babies but in a way I can still call it BABY FAT.  Ha!  Stress from kids. 

After 3 hours of working out I picked up a good book called The Birth Order Book that I've read 5 years ago but needed to read again and got in the jacuzzi.  It felt amazing!!  Letting all my muscles just relax.

I decided to go into the steam room but I'm scared of rooms where you can't see anything beyond your own hand.  Well, even though it was only for women I was scared!  I opened the door and let it close behind me but held onto the handle.  I figured I was totally alone and HOPED I really was.  Finally, I was too scared so I opened the door and just let allllllll the steam out. I still couldn't see well but just a little better.  I was relieved not to see anyone and figured maybe I would be safe enough.  Just as I was closing the door behind me I heard a voice in the fog that said, "Could you turn the steam back on?"  I jumped so high I ran out of there like a crazy lady.  Aaaaaaagh!  Just glad I didn't fall.  I got home around 1:30, felt amazing, and just crashed.

I woke up to a delivery of flowers.  I didn't see a name on it and only the words MY LOVE.  Um, who is this from?  I got a little worried but was just hoping it was from Charles.  Ha ha.  I got the hint when I got a text from my husband that said, "Good morning, my love!"  Ohhhhhh, so it was my very own stalker.  My husband who's been following me for 14 years!  Lovin' it too. Not perfect but perfect for me.

Finally Dropping Pounds and Working Out Homeschooling Outside the Home

I had been getting so frustrated with my dieting because I was stuck at only a 10lb weight loss.  My mom reminded me about another friend that lost a lot of weight by replacing two of her meals with a protein shake.  Good idea!  I was already having 1 a day but was still eating three Paleo friendly meals.  Well, it was keeping off my weight but wasn't letting me drop more.  So now I've lost 13lbs and super excited.  Every morning I wake up I'm losing more.  Super happy with it and gonna keep it up till I get to my goal weight which is only 10 more lbs.  It gets harder the closer to you get to your goal weight.  My husband thinks I'm crazy and said I'm too strict on my diet but I tell him I love being thin more.  :D  The other night our church had a potluck and it was kinda tough to pick only meat and vegetables since there was so little like that but eventually I found some chicken (without the breading), some pepperoni's, and some soup without any carbs in it.  It was delicious!  :D  I was proud about that because there was food and dessert everywhere.  It was more filling fellowshipping with my friends anyway.

Since we shut off the internet we are homeschooling at our community center.  It is in some ways harder because we need to drive over here but it's better because it's less distractions for the kids.  It keeps the two separate and all kids can be on a computer at once.  We still do some homeschooling at home but take the computer work to the lab.  We are condensing it so we don't have to be here every day.  So far we like it so we'll see.  Charles and I are still loving not having internet at home.  We have been reading books a lot more which is way healthier.  I'm excited! 

My Unpredictable Life

Wow, life has been crazy unorganized, stressful, surprising, painful, and yet it still a good life.  :D  Here is why.

Well, my husband is on his fourth week of no work.  He is a contract worker so if there is no work, he doesn't go into the office.  Yep, every day we are all PRAYING that work just comes flooding in to the office.  It's actually there waiting for signatures to be released.  This is typically a slow time of the year for the company but we didn't know in advance and found out when it was too late.  We would love your prayers!

It's been painful because I've been waking up with headaches almost every morning and pain in my feet when I walk.  It's only for a bit after I wake up but it's like the joints are hurting.  I wonder if I'm missing some sort of nutrient that I need in my body?  I don't know.

I'm still working on the decluttering process in my house but it's a slower process this time because we are pretty busy.  I wish I just had hours to do it really fast like last time but I don't.  I just want a simple, simple, simple house and the TIME to make it that way.  I don't need a lot.  I'm not into figurines and collecting stuff.  However, when you have 8 other people in the house saying they want this and that, it's harder to rid of it.  Ivy likes to have her 5 backpacks and 7 purses.  

Homeschooling has been going well!  Ivy has really struggled in the past but she is picking it up quick now.  I really have finally accepted the fact that my kids are staying home with me.  You have no idea (well, Christine does) of my ups and downs with wanting to homeschool.  I remember my first try back in 2005.  It was the worst 5 minutes of my life.  Later on I tried again. I would homeschool one year and then put them in school the next year.  I've finally gotten used to the idea and truly love having them at home, EVEN THOUGH I have two boys right behind me arguing as I'm writing this.

Good news!  I've lost 10lbs in two weeks!  Whoo hoo!  I'm really loving the Paleo Diet.

Diaper Rashes & Dinosaur Food

Wow, I have gone through a horrible battle with my baby regarding diaper rashes. I've only talked a little about it but it had gotten so bad that I was getting up every hour of the night to change her diapers. When I was nursing her I never had that issue.  Unfortunately, because I switched her to formula and also changed her brand of diapers at the same time, I didn't know the cause.  I wish I could have kept nursing but it just wasn't possible since I ran out of milk.  I tried eating more, which is why I gained weight.  I tried drinking tons of water and even took Fenugreek pills that lots of moms were telling me about.  Nothing worked and I hesitantly did what I always end up having to do.  I had to switch Juliet to formula.  Well, her bottom started to get really pink and it gradually got worse and worse.  Eventually I had to take her to the doctor and get a prescription.  When that didn't work I tried all the different brands of diapers, including switching to cloth,  then tried different formulas.  I've spent so much money buying one here and there, using it only one time and then having to find another.  Then I tried all the sensitive ones.  By now her bottom was bleeding and she was pooping almost every 15-20 minutes.  After being up with her all night to keep changing her after every poop, I had enough and was calling the doctor again.  That's just not right.  The nurse was perplexed since they originally said it couldn't have a link to the formula.  They called a meeting and then called me back to tell me to switch her to soy.  By now I've spent a lot of money on finding different brands of diapers, cloth diapers, switching formulas without even using most of it.  I had recently discovered a hidden shop inside of a church that is majorly discounted so I paid a visit and found 3 cans of soy formula and spent a total of $8.  That's my kind of deal!  Well, she no longer has a rash.  She's happy and mommy is happy having some sleep at night.  :)

Did I tell you I switched my family over to the Paleo diet?  Basically we are meat and vegetable eaters now.  I do have some compassion about it and haven't forcefully taken away all pastas.  My husband and kids are lovers of it.  However, I have GREATLY reduced it.  Last night I made homemade chicken noodle soup and it had mostly the meat and vegetables in it.  I personally didn't eat any noodles at all but I added a tiny bit for the ones that insist they have to have it.  I asked them for a compromise on it and told them I'd at least like to get them special noodles that are high in protein.  I hope to eventually win them all over.  :D  I feel fantastic and I don't have sugar crashes in the day from so many carbs. I will be making visits to meat markets and to the farmers markets on the weekends.  Should be fun.  ;D  Because of this new way of eating my couponing is definitely being cut in half.  Most of all coupons are about bad foods so I won't be couponing for food anymore, only for toiletries and stuff.

Yeah, I know.  I make everything hard in my life rather than taking the easy route.  Lots of kids, cloth diapers, chickens for fresh eggs, couponing for deals, healthy food planning and homemade meals every day.  It'd be so much easier to just go pick up a pizza.  But... it's a good life.  :)

Safe Detergents for Cloth Diapers & Safe Foods for the Body

In my quest for learning more about cloth diapers, I'm discovering how icky most laundry detergents are.  I had no idea there were so many tricks companies use to give you the illusion of brighter or cleaner clothes.  I also discovered that I cannot use my homemade laundry detergent on my cloth diapers.  There are enzymes in it that breakdown the fabric.  That will eventually cause the diapers to leak.  Well, always trying to be frugal minded, I then wondered where I can go to buy some of this all natural, no enzymes, no dyes, no brighteners, no fabric softeners, no scents detergent.  Well,  I found Sprouts has their own detergent with none of the harmful ingredients in it.  This week it was buy one get one free for $14.99 and since I have a front loader, that's 200 washes.  Good deal!  I need to go back and buy more of them.  This detergent isn't even mentioned on the list so I had to just check it out for myself.  If you'd like to see a list of safe detergents, here it is. :)  This is good for allergy issues too.

Detergent Choices

Also..

Safe Diaper Rash Creams

I went ahead and made my own cloth wipes because I figure if I'm already doing a wash for cloth diapers, might as well add in the cloth wipes rather than go and purchase them every week.  That cuts out more couponing for me.  

Apple Cider Vinegar

Sooo, I started my calorie diet but then switched over to The Primal diet (mostly meat and vegetables and keeping carbs low) a week and a half ago.  8 lbs lost so far and I'm finally able to start fitting into some clothes again.  I know it seems nuts but the primal diet just doesn't feel like a diet to me.  I'm having crazy amounts of energy without crashing and dealing with exhaustion.  I've always preferred meat and vegetables so it's perfect for me.  My husband really likes Italian food so I made that a lot for him.  Yeah, um, not as much anymore. My pastor's wife went out and bought me Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother in it and I'm excited to read all of the things it can help with your body ailments.  Let me tell you now though.  GROSS taste.  I take a teaspoon with every meal and thankfully that really, really, really bad taste disappears in about 5 seconds when you wash it down.  Ohhhhh, I shudder.   Pick a strong juice like Orange Juice to wash it down.  Eek!  By the way, it can also help baby's diaper rash problem as it kills the fungus.  

My Big Fat Mistake on Healthy Diets

Whoa! How could I forget the documentary called Fat Head? I searched for it today to watch it since it's been about a year and I forgot just about everything. I found it and watched it after I had already written yesterday's blog on calorie counting. Well, I feel sheepish. How could I forget? It's way too complicated to explain so if you have the time and you want to learn about healthy weight loss, watch this video.  I am busy adjusting all my Sparkpeople settings since it allows me to. I'm such a meat and vegetables person so this diet suits me fine. I'm HAPPY! Whoo hoo!  

Fat Head

I watched the documentary awhile back called Supersize Me. I didn't really agree with it and hated the whole veghan thing that was pushed. But it did worry me and I did start going on a calorie diet. Never was I more starving and had less energy than ever before. Also, the company that did Supersize me will not release records of his actual complete diet. It is obvious that he ate in between meals not shown because according to what he ate, he did not eat 5,000 a day like he said. Anyway, it's hard to explain. BUT, if you watch this new documentary, it'll explain the epidemic of diabetes that has been rising more and more. Even in young children. It explains why lowfat diets are not good and we it's more important to watch our carbs. Boy, Atkins sure was attacked for something that was scientifically correct. The government, however, pushes a diet that is actually not healthy for us. Just watch the documentary and it'll explain it so much better. It's REALLY interesting and an eye opener. This documentary is a MUST SEE for people that have health issues and are tired of struggling with their weight. It even goes into scientific specifics on how your body works and why certain diets work against you.



My Kind of Weight Loss

I started my diet one week ago and I'm relieved.  It's getting a little bit harder to lose weight since I had my 7th baby.  Okay, okay I know I hear comments like, "you aren't big."  I'm big to me so that's what counts.  If I feel uncomfortable then I need to do something.  I just want to be the size I was around baby number 5.  I usually won't drop weight till I'm done nursing and I quit nursing about a month ago.  I didn't want to, I didn't have a choice because I ran out of milk.  Phooey.  The doctor told me she thinks it's because I'm too active.  She mentioned I should sit down a lot more. Ummmm....I can't do that.  LOL.  I have a lovely family to play with!

Every time I diet I use Sparkpeople since it's always worked for me.  It's basically using portion control.  That's what I love about Sparkpeople.   After baby number 4 I just needed a booster to lose weight and it just stayed off after that using that method.  So I found this recipe that is actually Weight Watcher friendly and I made it that very day.  Oh my gosh... so good!  Unfortunately, I didn't have the mozzerella cheese so I used regular chedder cheese.  

Want to know how many calories you ate today? Use this quick search!

Food Search:

Chicken Parmesan MeatloafSource: adapted from What’s Cookin’ Chicago?

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs raw ground chicken breast (if you have trouble finding ground chicken that is breast meat only, do what I do and throw the same weight of boneless, skinless chicken breasts into the food processor and run until ground)
1 large egg
1 egg whites
6 T dried breadcrumbs
¾ t dried basil
¾ t dried thyme
¾ t oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ a small onion, chopped small or grated
¾ t salt
1/3 t black pepper
¾ cup Parmesan cheese
¾ cup pasta sauce
¾ cup 2% reduced fat shredded Mozzarella cheese
Optional: dried parsley, oregano or basil for garnish

  

Directions:
1.    Pre-heat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.
2.    In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, egg, egg whites, breadcrumbs, basil, thyme, oregano, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese and lightly mix together. Do not over handle.
3.    Form the meat mixture evenly into the 12 cups of your prepared muffin tin. Spread the pasta sauce evenly over the tops of each muffin. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from the oven. Top each muffin with about a tablespoon of shredded cheese and then return to the oven for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted. Garnish if desired. 

Yields 12 muffins. WW P+:  4 per muffin or 7 P+ for 2 muffins (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per muffin from myfitnesspal.com: 147 calories, 6 g carbs, 5 g fat, 18 g protein, 0 g fiber

What so awesome is the portion control factor.  I know when I get one exactly how many calories, fat, ect. that I'm eating.  Awesome, huh?  Yeahhhhh, was so good too.  My husband and kids loved them and devoured them.  Portion control was not exactly on their mind but it worked for me.  :D

The Curse of Hollywood

Can you believe this?  Man, time has changed!  I've always thought the models in the runway were waaaaaay too skinny that it was gross.  When I was a teen I would try and drink Ensure shakes because I felt that I was too skinny.  It didn't work and I didn't gain any weight. I probably thought like that because I wasn't raised with a TV and didn't read the teen magazines so I didn't feel that pressure to be deathly skinny from Hollyweird.  I'm telling you, kids get that vibe from those places. When you are sheltered from that, you don't feel that pressure.  Hollywood has really, really twisted our view of what is beautiful.  I bet half the women in America would not even worry about dieting if it weren't for the sick view of what's considered beautiful.  Of course obesity is unhealthy and that's a reason to diet but I see perfectly healthy women worrying about their weight.  I've been frustrated at myself for my weight and I have to keep mentally slapping myself and telling myself that I just had a baby a month ago.  

Have you seen this?  I love it!  I have it printed out for my kids and I'm gonna frame it.  Talk about taking it down to where kids can really understand it.  I read it to my family with a southern drawl and my husband and kids loved it.  Ha ha.

Ashley has been telling me how much she can't wait to be a mommy.  I was sitting down talking to Juliet and Ashley came up with her dolly and was copying everything I was saying.  Later, Ivy joined with her doll right next to me and they were copying every word. It was so cute.  I've been telling Ashley to just enjoy being little but she insists she's gonna grow up, get married, then have lots and lots of babies and she can't wait.  Heh heh... Fine with me since that'll make me a happy Grandma.  Still, I'm  in no hurry for my own babies to grow up.

Crazy Middle of the Night Pregnancy Cravings

Call me desperate but last night at 1am I hopped through one of the windows to get to the chicken pen.  I needed an egg to make brownies in the middle of the night.  LOL.  Then I got out my neat brownie pan my friend got me.  She didn't like it so she passed it along to me and I love it!

Have you used one of these to make perfect cut brownies?  First you back the brownies in the pan.

Then put the divider into the pan.....

Place on top of the rack, since pan has removable plate underneath it so when you push down, the plate lifts up.  

Remove divider....

Pull pan back up and take off of rack.  Perfect cut brownies!  Now all I need to do is just buy 2 more of these so I can make more at one time.

My husband is liking my big pregnancy appetite as he has been reaping from it.  I'm hungry almost on the hour so I have to be careful how much I eat.  I'm not kidding when I say I'm eating all the way up till 1am usually.  I will even get up in the middle of the night.  I don't want to hear about weight gain right now.  Ha!  I'll worry about it when it's a good time to.  My first pregnancy I gained the most at 31lbs. I better not break that record and go above it. That's when I'll panic.  McDonalds has been my favorite but I have been known to drive right back to have the burger made just right.

The odd thing about this pregnancy is that the MOMENT I'm hungry, I have instant nausea.  The only cure is eating something.  Is that a recipe for weight gain or what??!  Holy cow. Charles said he's gonna have to get a second income just for my appetite.  Whatever works.  :D

OH, don't forget about the newest contest out right now to win an Little Angels DVD giveaway!  Just click HERE to enter by leaving a comment on that page.