Weekly Weigh In

Posted by Moms Wear Many Hats on May 18, 2012 No comment

I‘ve developed the habit of buying a lot of fresh fruit each week and taking the time to cut it all up and stick it in the fridge so that it’s easily accessible for snacks : )

I didn’t think I was going to lose anything last week because well I had a couple days where I almost fell completely off the wagon. We had a mother’s day dinner at Golden Corral, when our water was down we ate out twice in one day and well when I’m stressed I tend to eat…a lot. But even though I almost fell off, I did keep tracking my points and I did keep walking.

The cool thing about Weight Watchers is that they don’t tell you that you can’t eat something, because we all know that if they did you would automatically want it. Even if it’s something gross like brussle sprouts. You see instead of telling you that you can’t eat something, you just have to decide if it’s worth the points. The program really steers you into making good food choices, not about just dieting to lose weight.

And that’s where I’m really learning my weaknesses. Portion control. The clean plate club. The mentality that if I paid for it, I should eat every bite. The fact that I’m an emotional eater.

I felt very accomplished last night at the meeting. I did lose 2.4 more pounds, bringing my total to 5.4! BUT…that isn’t what I’m really celebrating. Yes losing the weight is showing me that this is actually working, but what I’ve really come to celebrate are things like…drinking my coffee without loading it with cream and sugar, not reaching for a bag of m&m’s when I’m watching tv, and introducing my kids to things like brown rice and they actually like it! Those are the things I’m really proud of this week.

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Ever Feel Like You’re Fighting the Devil?

Posted by Moms Wear Many Hats on May 14, 2012 No comment

This is what I found yesterday when I went to get dog food from the basement stairs (that’s mold…our water heater was letting off so much steam that our basement got moldy in just a matter of days…we don’t go down there often but thankfully I needed to refill the dog food container). Yesterday was mother’s day. You know…the day where I’m supposed to be able to rest? Ha! But I was ready…read on…

One of the biggest things I’ve learned working in ministry is that you can not deny or lighten the idea of spiritual warfare. It’s there, and I’ve learned that not only is it prevalent in ministry…it’s everywhere! Especially…as a mom. Ever notice that your anxiety comes at the worst time? That your children have meltdowns when it’s least convenient? That on a day when you just need to breathe…everything goes wrong? Ever feel like you’re literally fighting the devil to get your kids dressed? To get them to eat? To sleep?

Yep. Maybe I’m crazy, but I just can’t believe in all of these being coincidences…And I’ve found that if I’m prepared for a fight all the time, the battle isn’t so bad. So in the mornings I suit up with a cup of coffee, scripture and normally a good book. I take in the silence and give myself a pep talk to prepare for battle. Yes you can imagine me in my kitchen jumping up and down getting pumped for a fight. No I don’t really do that, but mentally I am : ) I try to make sure that I’m getting adequate sleep and that I practice grace with myself.

I’m not just fighting for myself, I’m fighting for my children so I need to be extra prepared. I have to teach them to put their armor on, to keep their anger down and their patience up. The best way I can do that is to make sure I’m practicing it myself. I have to remind myself daily that there are things out to get me. Things that want to deter me from doing what God has called me to do. Things that want to prevent me from raising my children to love God and to serve others. Things that want Matt and I to fight (I mean c’mon people look at the divorce rate in our country). BUT I am ready for those things. I am making the effort to prepare myself daily for a fight. Because let’s face it, don’t you fight everyday?

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I Went Through a Blender…

Posted by Moms Wear Many Hats on May 11, 2012 2 comments

But I will Choose What I Come Out As…

So…after I had Julyiet I’m pretty sure my metabolism peaked. Yeah. After I had Klaeyton, I was able to wear pre-pregnancy clothes as soon as I came home from the hospital. And I still felt really good about myself. With Jules…not so much.

Now I’m not obsessed with how I look. In fact I think I’m pretty apathetic most of the time. I have very strong feelings about how society tells women they should look. I refuse to buy into corporate media about being overly thin and never leaving my house without makeup on.

With that being said…I am still a woman and I have been raised in America and I can’t sit here and lie and say that when I look in the mirror it doesn’t matter. And for me, it isn’t about what other people think. I married a good lookin’ man : ) I know I got it ; ) But having kids really changes your body and how you feel about your body. Sometimes I feel like I went through a blender and came out a big blob. I know. That sounds ridiculous. But I’m being honest here. We all have confidence issues. We all have something we wish we could change. I don’t obsess over these, but that isn’t to say they don’t cross my mind sometimes. We’d be lying to ourselves if we said we absolutely never cared. And it isn’t all about how we look..

When I dig deeper, I hate that sometimes I don’t have the energy to keep up with my kids. I hate that sometimes I would much rather sit on my butt than run around the back yard with them.

And…I hate that my husband is in better shape than me and weighs less than I do. I know that probably sounds crazy. And if you know my husband, you know he isn’t a giant. But still…

I worry that in ten years, if I keep eating and living the way I do, I will be a giant blob. I worry that if I don’t instill good habits in my children, they in turn will be blobs. I worry they won’t be blessed with good metabolism as I was. I worry that with what our society tells us, my children will be torn between eating Big Macs and starving themselves. I do not want this.

My self-esteem regarding my body is not by any means horrid, but it could use some work. And more importantly my habits and lifestyle need some change. I want my children to know how to make good eating choices. I want them to want to be active because I am.

So with all that being said, I started weight watchers with my mom a little over a week ago. She’s been doing it for almost two months now and I could really sense a difference in her attitude, her moods and her confidence. And when she told me that she wanted to live be 80 it kind of sunk in. My mom is wonderful and she gave birth to six children. Matt and I want a big family. She told me that her small frame shouldn’t be holding all that weight. Reality hit hard. She is my mom. I am a lot like her. Why wait until then? Why not start now?

So I did. And I’ve been doing awesome! And I love it! Sharing it with my mom is awesome!

This is not about dieting. This is about a lifestyle change that is going to prolong my life so that I can see and love my grandchildren the way my mom does with hers. This is a about changing habits so that I can live my life and still enjoy cake without feeling guilty the next day. This is about becoming more active so that I can keep up with my children when they start to play sports. This is about looking in the mirror and liking what I see, not because society tells me I should look a certain way, but because I know that I am making choices that are good for me. I know that I am taking care of the body that God gave me.

Join me on this journey. I will be posting about it each week on Fridays and plan to be including some of the recipes we try, habits we’re changing and how not only am I doing this…but I’m forcing it on my family too : ) Sharing is going to help me stay accountable and motivated.

Last night I weighed in and had lost 3 lbs in a week and a half! Woot Woot! I’m off to a good start!

if anyone has been thinking about making some changes, we should chat. Are any of you in the process of making good lifestyle changes?

 

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Are You a Deal Getter?

Posted by Moms Wear Many Hats on May 9, 2012 No comment

This is not a deals blog :) However, I am definitely a couponer. And today I got a great haul at CVS and wanted to share. But I also wanted to probe around and see if any of my readers are couponers or want to become couponers.

But first what I got:
3 Jumbo packs of huggies diapers
3-pack huggies wipes refills
6-pack Scott Paper Towels
Ajax Dish soap
Children’s Allegra Allergy medicine
U Kotex Tampons

Including Tax I paid $24.60 and saved over $50! I used coupons and also did 4 transactions, which to some may seem like a lot, but when I can get all of that for the price of a box of diapers I consider that to me fantastic!

Now…Let me know…are you a couponer? Do you shop drugstores, like CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid? Would you like to see me post more about deals and couponing?

 

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Spotify!

Posted by Moms Wear Many Hats on May 8, 2012 2 comments

I’ve never been obsessed with music. At least, not like my husband is. Yes he has one of those old school cd binders that could kill someone because it’s so full. But lately I’ve been on a mission to find some more worship music. The thing is that I don’t care for the 30 second preview on iTunes and well I’m so cheap that I have a hard time spending money on music.  I mean that’s what the radio is for right? Don’t let my husband know I said that and no I’m not one of those people who think that artists shouldn’t get paid for their music, I totally think they do! It’s just when you’re on a budget like we are, it doesn’t make the list anywhere near diapers and food.

Well I’ve been seeing this Spotify thing all over Facebook and I decided to give it a whirl, especially since they now have apps for the iPhone and iPad and they gave me a 30 day free trial to their premium service.

Ok…so after a total of eight hours with this, I think it just may be worth the $9.99 a month. I’ve been listening to music all day and of all different genres. I’ve found music I haven’t heard in AGES. I’ve been flooded with memories and I’m loving it. The super cool part is that I can create playlists and then play them offline so I don’t have to worry about going over my data plan on my phone when I’m out and about.

I’ll let you know if we decide to keep the subscription. It’s definitely cheaper than buying hundreds of albums, right?

Do you use Spotify? What do you think? What are the pros and cons that you see?

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