Weight Loss Journey - 4 Month Re-Cap

Four months ago I embarked on one of the toughest journey's yet, it has been frustrating and amazing at the same time.  Let's re-cap on where I started at beginning of February of this year.  And honestly, I've been struggling with my weight a lot the past decade.  I was doing zero activity/exercise and I was eating basically whatever I wanted.  And you could tell just by looking at me that I didn't care enough about myself to change.  But I decided this was the year for that change, we are done having babies and I want to love myself when I look in the mirror.  Every day I'm starting to love the person I see more and more.  So, here's some pics of me end of 2011.  I honestly, do not recognize myself in these pics anymore. 

NYE '11.

Christmas '11

So I started walking.  I couldn't even finish a mile my first day.  Every day I would walk, I'd push myself just a little bit further and trying to keep my pace up so I was getting in some cardio.  I now can do 4 miles in an hour.  I try to wake up around sunrise once over the weekend and do that walk, it's a great way to start the day and get ready for the next week.  
I also picked up Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, it took me a month in a half because I scheduled in some break days.  I lost 19" from the 1st day vs the 30th day on that video.  I loved that it was challenging and that my workout was done in 25 minutes.  I currently have it lent out to my sister-in-law, but when she's done I plan on doing it again.
I'm currently doing Insanity and am only just in the beginning of my 2nd week of that.  And it really is insane!  But I'm loving it.  There's nothing as great as feeling when you are finished just dripping in sweat knowing that you finished it.  
We also joined our local YMCA tonight, so looking forward to hitting the gym and incorporating some weight training with all of this cardio to help tone.  
Next thing to change has been the way I eat.  So, originally I started on Weight Watcher's online.  It gave me a great stepping stone to get started.  But gradually I stopped writing down my food and points and just started watching what I ate.  I cut out the bad carbs.  Cut back on my sweets.  Am now a water drinker.  I follow the new food plate thing, and make sure 1/2 my plate is fruits & veggies (normally it's veggies).  We've significantly cut back on red meat and have switched to lean ground turkey.  I love that the Hubs' has been completely on board with the majority of the changes I've made (granted I still bake him sweets every week and he gets his "junk" food), and together we are laying the groundwork for a good foundation of what healthy portions and the right foods to eat are, for our girls'.  I want it to be their normal.  I do not want to see them struggle as I have over the past decade.  I've really started to research clean eating and am gradually going to be switching us over to that.  The Hubs' seems a little unsure about it still, but I'm hoping he'll get on board with that too. 
Face shot comparison - 

November '11

June '12

As of this week, I hit a milestone - I'm down 50 LBS people!  I still can't believe all that I've been able to accomplish in such a short time.  I'm officially over the 1/2 way mark of my Goal and Ultimate Goal Weight.  I know there is still a long journey ahead, but every day is a new day and one step closer to reaching that end goal.  

Here's some things I'm loving since dropping the weight - that might not seem like a big deal to most people but to me they are exciting: 

- I can now sit for long periods of time with my legs crossed. 

- A regular bath towel fits completely around me, this is not something that really dawned on me until it happened and then I was so ecstatic! 

- I've dropped 3 bra sizes and 3 clothing sizes and my ring size has gone down 1.5 sizes.

- I enjoy doing more active things with my girls. 

- I actually find myself running up our stairs in the house now with a little hop.  

- We are going to Hershey Park this Sunday with the older two, and I'm not going to be terrified that I won't be able to ride the rides with my girls', like I have been the past two times we went to a theme or water park over the past 5 years.  I was miserable worrying about not fitting.

And now for my current progress pics: 

This was taken last week. 

This comparison was taken Friday 6/29.

I've had a few people ask for my secret - and really there is no "secret".  I work hard, exercising 5-6 days a week (always aim for 6), and I eat right.  There is no magical thing that you can just snap your fingers and things be changed.  I've also found tons of great motivation, inspiration, and great advice on Instagram.  See, I mentioned earlier in the week I was addicted to Instagram.  :o)  
Sorry this turned out to be rather lengthy - and thank you for reading through to the end, if I still have your attention.  :o)

DIY - Jewelry Cleaner

Courtesy of Pinterest I came across an at home way to clean my jewelry.  I was excited to find this recipe as it was all things I had on hand, and nothing harmful! 
What you'll need: - 1 Tbsp Salt- 1 Tbsp Baking Soda- 1 Tbsp Dish Soap- 1 C Water- 1 PC Aluminum Foil 
Directions: - Heat the water up in the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes. - Cut a pc of foil that will cover the bottom of a bowl, like a cereal bowl. - Pour the hot water in the bowl.  Pour in the remaining ingredients.  Place in your jewelry - let it stand for 5-10 minutes. Rinse jewelry in cool water and wipe off with a soft cloth.  Discard solution after each use. 
This has worked great with all of my jewelry - have even used it on some of my great grandmother's pieces that have been handed down to me.  I also use a soft toothbrush to scrub the stones on some of my pieces.  

Here's a picture of the aluminum foil after a cleaning - see that the darkness on the foil?  That's all of the junk it got off my jewelry. 

 

I'm BACK!

Hello Everyone - 
Wow - I've missed you all and blogging everything down.  Thanks to the few of you who checked in with me, it was much appreciated!  Here's what we've been up to. 
In April we got Littlest Miss baptized.  It was a beautiful day with our families and friends who came out to support this journey for her.  And I should mention that the week before it - the whole family got hit with a very very nasty flu bug, that's why Miss A is in her pj's in this picture - she had to stay home.  

I participated in my 1st 5k early May.  It was for Breast Cancer, and my mom, sister, and the younger two girls' and myself walked in honor of an old co-worker of mine. 

At the end of the 5K.

Mother's Day was a wonderful weekend spending the whole weekend with both sides of our families.  Our mom's spoiled me with these goodies.

How cute is this bag from 31 Gifts?  

The 3 who have made me a Mommy!

The oldest graduated from Pre-School in May.   It was an adorable little graduation ceremony that her grandparents and great-grandparents came out to celebrate with us. 

Comparison pic - 1st & Last day of PreK.

All 3 girls, before we left for Emma's ceremony.

Our Little Graduate!

Here's a picture of the presents we made her teachers - courtesy of Pinterest.  These are definitely in my to make pile for some Christmas gifts this year, and put themed goodies in the bags for different people, they were so incredibly easy and quick to make.  Plus her teacher's LOVED them!  

Our latest celebration being Father's Day.  I'm pretty sure the Hubs had a great day with all of us.  :o) 

The blog got a little update as well.  Make sure to check out the icons over on the right, you can see what I'm pinning on Pinterest, check out my latest obsession - Instagram, or there are other ways to check into my happenings between facebook, twitter, or feel free to email me if you have any questions.  

Move It Mondays

Things are going really well here on the healthier living homefront.  I feel like last week I had a great breakthrough with my appetite feeling much more controlled, pushing myself on my walks, and it definitely showed on the scale this morning. 
Since I didn't check in last week, here's the breakdown: - 3/18 - Down -1lb, Total Loss: -11.4 lbs- 3/25 - Down -3.8 lbs, Total Loss: -15.2 lbs
As for my walking, I'm still able to make it out 4 x's a week.  And have been going when the Hubs is home so I can go solo and I'm really starting to enjoy it even more.  I can blast my music, get moving and just think over things.  This past week I decided I wanted to get up to 3 miles.  I've been going different ways in my town to figure out the best route to get that distance and the closest I've come to 3 miles is 2.88 miles and I did that in 46 mins with my avg speed at 3.6. 
For those who run/walk - how did you go about finding the right shoe?  I'm really starting to pay for the 2 pairs I have.  The first pair is the Reebok's Easy Tones (the kind with the balance things on the bottom) but they are really hurting my left foot, it hurts to walk on it the rest of the day.  The last walk I did, I switched to my Nike's, and needless to say - I tossed them out today there was tons of blood on the heels from giving me beyond horrible blisters - blah! Figures that was my best time and distance, probably because I just wanted to get home!  Do you go off of reviews?  Just what's comfy in a store?  Do you go to a special place that looks at your feet and tells you what you should be wearing?  
As for the food part here's two things I've definitely changed or noticed a change.  First off, my water intake.  I've never been a water drinker.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my iced tea.  I still allow myself 2 glasses worth in my daily points, but honestly, most days I only have 1 glass and usually don't even finish it.  And truth be told I don't really miss drinking it, the more water I drink, the less satisfying the tea tastes to me.
Another BIG thing I've noticed pretty much stop, are my late night cravings.  I never snack anymore after dinner and it's honestly because I'm just not hungry for it.  In the beginning I kept figuring out a snack in the evening when doing my points, but this past week I've realized I'm not hungry for the snack, why force it?  So I stopped.
And now I wanted to share a healthier recipe for spaghetti.  I've never liked sauce on my spaghetti, normally just put some butter & parmesan cheese on top.  I stumbled across this on Pinterest actually, and thought it was very yummy!!! Click Here for the link to the pin.  And now for a picture of what mine looked like.  

Here's to another successful week, especially because I only have 15 more lbs to lose by the end of May and the Hubs said he would treat me to new bathing suits - Woo-hoo!!!  

I'm linking up with Ashely at The Domestic Wannabe - click on the button below to check out her link-up. 

My Happy List

I haven't done this in a while so figured I'd write out some things happening around here and I'm linking up to Mamarazzi. 
- The Hubs has some really good leads on some jobs.  Please let one of these pan out, as the company he's with just keeps getting worse!  
- The weather - such an obvious thing, we're having gorgeous mid 60's and low 70's temps here and staying for awhile according to the weather apps.
- That I have a Hubby who loves me unconditionally, with all of my quirkiness. 
- We've been working with A on going potty.  She's about 1/3-1/2 of the way there.  Just picked up some more big girl undies for her so we can try a couple days in just underwear coming up.  I'd be ecstatic if we could be day trained, I'm not even worried about naps or bedtime right now.  
- Another A thing that makes me happy - is her vocabulary is starting to boom and honestly the sentences she's been forming are just hilarious to me! 
- I just got back from a solo Target trip 30 mins ago.  Only a parent can appreciate how sacred and nice that is!!! 
- Grilling season - food tastes yummy and clean up is a breeze!  I'm always for less dishes.  

Move It Mondays

So, last week I mentioned joining WW (aka Weight Watcher's), to hold myself accountable I decided to join in on Ashely's link-up party, called Move It Mondays.  So, let's back-track a little, I got to where I am now and how I plan on working my way back down.  Ever since high school I've been gradually gaining weight, and with each girl I've upped another 10 lbs after their deliveries.  I knew it was getting bad when I started avoiding getting pics of myself with the kids, face shots were ok, but I hardly ever would want a full on body picture with them.  Not only that but it's going to be spring/summer soon and if we decide to hit one of our local amusement parks the thought of not "fitting" in a ride just makes me break out in a sweat all over.  I decided enough is enough, there's no excuse for this.  I CAN make time for ME to make me an even BETTER ME!!!
I'm so sick and tired of being that friend, that member of the family etc.  
I also mentioned us getting an amazing double stroller for the younger two.  So, now after the oldest is dropped off at school I load up A & B, start up this pedometer app (which I completely love, it goes by movement and gps, so it's accurate!),  turn on Pandora and start walking.  I've been walking 3 weeks now, and I go out 3-4 days a week and have worked my way up to 2 miles in about 30-35 minutes.  Which makes me happy with my progress. 
The first two weeks I measured out everything I ate.  I now know when spooning out my portions what they should look like.  Plus I'm loading up on my good veggies, my protein, and really minimizing my carb sides, because let's be honest - those are lots of points.  I weigh-in on Sunday's and as of this moment I'm: -10 lbs.  I haven't taken measurements, but I think this Sunday I'll take them so I have a somewhat starting point when tracking my progress.  

Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap

I like to do one of these a year and joined in on Mamarazzi's Favorite Things Swap.  My partner was Jessica from Duck Duck Cow. If you click on that link it takes you to what I sent her.  Had so much fun coming up with my package and it was just as fun receiving the package I did from her. 
Here's my goodies all wrapped up - the paper choice and ribbon reminded me of Minnie Mouse :o) 

Here's a close up of the ca-ute tags that were on each item, and on the back of them she wrote why it was her favorite. 

And now for everything unwrapped. 

Now for the fun breakdown: 

- some of the softest socks! 

- The Princess Bride

- a cute springy spatula and sprinkles

- nail file and some silver crackle polish

- sweet mint gum, PB Twix, dark chocolate mini Cadbury eggs, a Cadbury creme egg, & some Ghirardelli almond & milk chocolate

 - some bobby pins for the girls

- little travel Tide pen 

- pack of her favorite pens

- a book

- pair of blue earrings

- and a cute little Halloween hanging thing got cut out of the picture.

Thank you Mamarazzi for hosting yet another wonderful swap and to Jessica for sending me this great package! 

p.s. Mamarazzi - that pesky button still won't work for me!  Sorry!!

All Things Loved in February

I decided to do a re-cap of the things I was loving in February! 
First up, here's a screen shot of my iPhone's current homescreen.   Do you know how to take a screenshot of your iPhone?  If not, here's a new tip for you then.  You push the power and home button at the same time.  I swear I use it too much. 

My new game obsession is Scramble with Friends - it's like boggle, I'm totally addicted.  If you play look me up - Kat7205! 

Another thing I'm loving is Weight Watcher's.  I'm finishing up my 2nd week on it.  Doing great so far and love that they have an app - it's the one that says WW Mobile, because it's so much easier for me to track my points on there, instead of remembering and doing it on the computer.  Are you doing WW also?  Let's become friends on their - same username as above Kat7205.  

See that gorgeous background?  Love me some fun yellow to welcome springtime and of course you can't go wrong with chevron!  Go over to Southern Stumble to check out the great free iPhone backgrounds she has available.  They are all gorgeous! 

Blog I'm loving - Karen at Home.  She's due any day now with her 2nd baby a little boy.  Her oldest daughter is a month older than my A.  I've been a follower of hers for almost 2 years.  She shares such great tips for the blogging and the house.  She's also a Thirty-One Gifts consultant.  Check her out here if you have a moment: 

Also, have you heard that they are getting rid of Google Friend Connect?  So sad!  There is now a new way to follow - it's called Linky Followers - it's off to the right hand side, below the old GFC.  

What things were you loving in February? 

Banana Bread Recipe

I got this from a fellow mom in my mom group.  What I love, is that she tried several banana bread recipes over the years and has narrowed it down to this one.  And honestly, it's basically amaze-balls! 
Meghan's Banana Bread1 C room temp unsalted butter2 C sugar1 C vanilla yogurt2 C mashed bananas - 3 bananas4 lg eggs, room temp and well beaten2 1/2 C flour2 tsp baking soda1 tsp salt1 tsp nutmegOptional - 1/2 C nuts or chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350.  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add yogurt, bananas, and eggs.  Beat until well mixed.  Mix dry ingredients and blend, do not overmix!  Pour into 2 greased loaf pans or 1 bundt pan.  Bake for 55 mins or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pan.

Here's my notes: - I use salted butter for everything, still tastes good! - Have made this twice, first time did 1 lg loaf and 2 mini loafs, the mini loafs were done between 25-30 minutes.  Second time I did it in a bundt pan and I had a horrible time getting it fully done and was afraid it'd burn.  So definitely think I'll stick to the loaf pans. - I put in chocolate chips and definitely don't measure it out, just throw in some handfuls.  I like my chocolate. 
If you make this, let me know what you think! 

What a Week - This & THAT

:: This past week has flown by.  The Hubs' had his vasectomy on Monday, so he has been off work all week.  So, that definitely threw a wrench into my normal weekly routine.  He's doing well and recovering well.  - Hubby was a champ and drove himself to the appt - I was surprised when he refused to let me take him. - We went through a jumbo bag of frozen peas. - I'll be glad when the next two months is over and he can send back in his test sample.  - YAY for it being my last month on the pill.  - And I'll leave the discussion of the vasectomy with this one liner I saw:         "I like my men like I like my watermelon - hard and seedless"  <~ Cracks me up! 

:: Also had A's 2 yr check-up and B's 4 month check-up.  Both had perfect check-ups and are healthy and on target for what they are doing.  B is all out of whack from her shots, Friday night she fought me to be laid down in her bed until after 2am, that little stinker would be out and wake up as soon as I'd lay her down.  Saturday night the battle ended around 11pm.  Am shooting for 9-10pm tonight.  
:: Valentine's was a hit around here with some homemade pink pancakes, turkey bacon and pink milk for breakfast.  Older two girls got some Lalaloopsy dolls, B got a book.  E had a great party at school and after going through the cards and separating the tattoos and candy.  We had to keep her crush's card to her, she gets all googly eyes and blushes when we start questioning her about him.  SO not ready for those days.  
:: Hubs took me out to dinner for Vday Friday night.  It was yummy and fun.  While at the restaurant we ran into an old friend of mine from youth group and they have a 1 yr old.  She was saying how she saw the other baby in the waiting area and was thinking how much she missed her little guy.  I just started laughing and was like NOT ME.  It got me to thinking how when it was just E, missed her like crazy when we'd go out just us.  But now with 3, I look forward to dropping them off and just having some adult time.  How funny it changes as they get older and you have more kids. 
:: We didn't get that snow storm they were predicting and today was actually a nice day.  We decided to test out A & B's new double stroller.  Am so in love with it!  We got this one here.  A threw a fit in the store, when we tried to take her out of the one they had out to test.  She just kept saying over and over "MINE!".  It was so cute and funny.  A & B zonked out.  
:: I've been enjoying some fluff reading lately.  And had to share this author, Anna Mara, I got her first book off of the free kindle list back in the fall and have been keeping my eye open for anymore books by her coming out.  This one came out end of 2011, Why Rome Hates Juliet, had me laughing out loud through the majority of it.  If you have a Kindle and want to read it, I believe I can "share/lend" it out.  
:: I made the most AMAZING banana bread this week - recipe to come next week.  
:: Also happening this week, we, aka the Hubs is FINALLY going to finish ripping the carpet off of our stairs ( this has only been on hold for 7 months! ) 

Insta - Friday

This is an assortment of the past two weeks. 

1.  Used a birthday gift card and picked up these super soft and ruffle-y teal blue pillows.  I'm so in love with them!!! 

2.  Miss A's Birthday cake. 

3.  This was on a Sunday, heading to the grocery store around 7am and the sunrise was just so pretty, so drove down to the boat launch, this is looking across the river towards our capital. 

4.  Gorgeous weather, everyone outside to play, this is the Hubs and A. 

5.  Baby B hanging out in the swing for the first time. 

6.  Passed out after some floor time. 

7.  Opened up a bottle of wine that I got for my birthday from the Bestie, it was from Cupcake Vineyards, SO yummy! 

8.  A and me playing around in Photo Booth on the new laptop, this is the chipmunk effect, cracks me up! 

9.  B hanging out. 

10.  Oldest feeding B. 

11.  My gorgeous laptop cover from Gussy Sews came in the mail. 

12.  Hubby mounting our tv on the wall. 

13.  Made a double batch of triple chocolate {used, semi-sweet, milk, & dark chocolate}, one container left with my Uncle. 

14.  Got some snow, about an inch, it was so pretty. 

15.  Hubs taking a nap with B in the afternoon. 

*I'm on Instagram - username Kat7205, let's connect!*

From Pins to Projects

My friend Amber over at Binkertation started this great linky party every Sunday called From Pins to Projects.  I know I have tons of stuff pinned and have done a few of them, but definitely need to take the time and do more of them.  When A's 2nd Birthday was being planned I knew that I wanted to do an owl theme all because of this pin below.

Here's my photo's of the cake I made for A's Birthday Party. Here's after I eyed the photo above and made cuts to copy.  The original post about how to do this, she traced it out on paper and followed it that way.  It was late and I didn't feel like doing that method. 

Next up, I got out my gel food colors to mix up some different colors for the icing.  I pulled the colors from her party plates, purple/pink/orange.  And when I'm putting icing on things, I grab a quart or XL sandwich bag, shove it in a cup with one point at the bottom, scoop in my icing and then snip off the corner for piping.  Here's some pretty purple icing. 

Here's the finished product.  Overall was really pleased with how it turned out and everyone loved it at the party, especially the birthday girl.  

Favorite Things Swap

Mamarazzi is at it again with one of her great swaps.  This swaps theme is Favorite Things, where I get to come up with a package of my favorite things and send it to a new blog friend.  Can't wait to see who I'm paired up with and make a new friend.  Click on the button to see who else is playing along this round.  
*There is a cute button but for some reason I can't get it to work*

Insta-Friday

1. I find the older two like this a lot, and it just melts my heart!
2. First significant snowfall.
3. Battled oldest into a nap – Mommy won!
4. All bundled up and ready to play in the snow!
5. First attempt at Snow – Ice Cream.
6. Hubs set B up with the keyboard and mouse, she looks so excited.
7. Celebrated the Hubs 27th Birthday with a pan of rice krispees.
8. A snuggling on me watching a show.
9. B was fascinated by the Hubs phone the other night.
10. My girls!
11. Taxes are filed – woot woot, looking fwd to the 8th!!!
12. Celebrated A’s 2nd birthday – what’s more fun than a playdough table filled with playdough goodies.

* If you’re on Instagram, come find me @kat7205 *

DIY–Coffee Table

So about a year ago my parents picked up a 5 drawer blue print cabinet for $5 at an auction.  They offered it to the Hubs to re-vamp and sell.  We don’t have a picture of the true before, here’s an in progress shot.

 

At this point in the process, the Hubs had cut the depth in half, re-configured the sides for the new depth, and started sanding.  And we decided instead of 5 small drawers, he should make them into 3.  It looks like five, but drawers 2 & 3 and 4 & 5 were combined to make bigger drawers. 



This is after the piece was sanded, minus the center ovals, those are the original wood color.  Back when the Hubs was with the carpenter’s union he did a job on a cooling tower at Hershey Park.  They were trashing all of this 20+ yr old redwood and said that he could take some.  This is what he made the top and legs out of. 

So, this piece has sat like this in his parents garage for about a year, time got away from him.  I’m so glad he did and he didn’t sell it.  Because one day last week it clicked that we could make this into a coffee table for our living room, especially now that we separated our sectional couches and have room for it (will update on this next week). 

The Hubs picked up the piece and brought it home so he could put some polyurethane coats on it and 4 wheels for the bottom instead of the legs.  Here’s how it looks now.







We all are loving the new addition to the living room and the start of our living room transformation planned for this year.  And I can already picture this in the future, when we move, with the original legs the Hubs planned and it being a great entryway piece.

I'm linking up to HoH, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Craft Envy,

Happy 4 Months Brynlee!

B -

Whew – time is flying by.  Wanted to do this monthly letter last month but the days just slipped by and before I knew it, it was the 20th again and your 4 months.  You are growing rapidly now a days.  New bigger sized clothes you just got for Christmas are already starting to get too small on you.  You had a check-up this week and your stats are as follow – 16lbs 15ozs & 25 1/2” – high 80%, low 90% on the charts, just like your older two sisters. 

You have definitely established a nap and eating schedule, which makes me one happy mama!   You are very particular with how you like to be held, we hold you sideways and you bury your head in the crook of our elbow and against our body and then we pat your bottom.  The past couple weeks you’ve started mostly sleeping through the night.  I say mostly, because some nights you wake up, but if we put your nunny back in your mouth you go right back to sleep.  You did have a couple nights (2 weeks ago) of randomly waking back up for a bottle.  You wake up happy in the mornings and are content to play with your mirror/light-up fish.

The past week you’ve really started to do some new things.  You roll from your tummy to your back.  Have great head control.  You prefer to sit in your walker or bumbo.  You grab the toys on your walker and have started grabbing some rattles and other little toys and bringing them to your mouth.  You also love nomming on your fingers and hands – you are such a little drool bucket.  It’s fun seeing you hit all of these milestones.  I can’t believe you are already reaching them, which makes them even more bittersweet since you are our last baby. 

Can’t wait to see what’s coming in the next month.

Love you so much baby girl -
the Mama