Struggling Again. . .

I am struggling.

There I said it. I know that I am, I have been extremely stressed the past few weeks. One of those I can't really talk about it kind of stress. I will share more soon, I hope.

Last night I decided that I would get up early and make some muffins for my family and have some quiet time to prepare myself for the day. Well, I did get out of bed, have a cup of coffee and some quiet time before anyone woke up. I was patient when I got my girls up this morning, even though they really wanted to stay in bed.

Then the girls started to wake up. Sometimes in the morning they are not very nice to each other. In turn, I get really crabby. This morning was not really any different than any other day. There were tears, there was a little yelling. . .there were apologies.

Does anyone else have Mondays like these?

The older girls are off to school. I am mad at myself for another not so wonderful morning. But, I have to brush it off and tell myself that tomorrow I get another chance.

I am still working on my Mamavation Goals. My vacation to Disney World is getting closer and it is time to get serious again about getting healthy. Two months and two weeks until I am going to be relaxing in the Florida sun.


Free Disney Tickers

Tonight Pete Cohen will be joining the Mamavation Chat. If you need motivation, like I do, check it out. He will motivate you.

My friend Chele over at The Bonafide Life devotes Mondays to Goal Gathering. I keep telling her I am going to join in, so today I am going to share my goals for the week.

So here are my goals for the week:
Exercise! (My hubby has been really busy with work so I have not been getting to the gym. When Dora the Explorer is done, I am taking back the TV to do my EA SportsActive)

Sleep (Lately I have been getting to bed at about midnight and then getting up at 6:30. I need more sleep.)

Home Organization (My focus this week is the bedrooms.)

Quiet Time (If I get to bed at night, this should be a little easier to accomplish in the morning before my kids are awake.)

I am so thankful that everyday is a new day. I am so thankful for second, third. . .chances. I am thankful that my girls go to school and forget all about the crazy mornings. I am thankful for the amazing women that will read this post and give me a little push to get motivated again.

Monday, Monday

Another Monday morning. Do you ever feel that way. My bed seemed so comfy this morning as I started to hear my hubby getting ready for work. I knew that I needed to get out of bed, but I really didn't want to.

I usually jump on the scale right away Monday morning and see if there has been any progress from the last week at the gym. I didn't do it this week. I only went to the gym one day. Life has just been getting in the way.

I might not have been physically exercising last week, but I feel like my mind was working out in overdrive. I have been pulled and stretched. I have been reflecting on the past, dreaming about the future, and surviving in the present.

It is officially 84 days until our Disney World Adventure. That was my ultimate getting healthy deadline. I know I need to get moving a little faster, the days are going by quickly.

Even though I didn't want to get out of bed this morning, I feel refreshed now. I can tell it is going to be a wonderful day. Even with my drapes pulled closed, the sun is shining in. We still have a lot of snow on the ground, but the piles are starting to shrink. I can tell that Spring is right around the corner.

The girls and I are also celebrating books this week. Tomorrow is Dr. Seuss' Birthday so we are going to party all week with reading, writing, drawing & creating. You will have to check out all the fun at Unforgettable Childhood. On the agenda today is decorating canvas bags to take with us to the library.

Oh and I bought my first ticket to a blogging conference. I am going to Relevant! I can't wait.

It is going to be a wonderful week. I am going to get myself to the gym more than once. And I am going to make some amazing memories with my girls. Nothing else really matters. . .I just can't let life get in the way.

Starting Over. . .

Well, I didn't even post last Monday. I haven't been to the gym since the Wednesday before that. I decided that I need to get back on track and start over.

I am holding steady at my weight. I know that I am an emotional eater and when I get a little stressed, I eat. So not only have I been eating horribly, I haven't been able to get to the gym.

We had a Dinner Theatre at church that I did the decorating for on Valentine's Day. 150 decorated sugar cookies later and I was off the healthy wagon for a whole week.

My hubby was out of town part of the week so I let myself get away with no trips to the gym. (Not sure why I didn't just do my EA Sports Active, that is why I got it. For those days I can't get to the gym).

So, I am not beating myself up about it. I know that I just need to get back into the groove this week. The gym is calling my name. No excuses.

Next week hopefully I will come back and have another successful week.

So here are a few of my goals. I think I need to see them in writing:
1. No Soda
2. Eat Breakfast every day (something healthy. . .)
3. Drink more water. (the past couple of weeks I think I have had coffee running through my veins)
4. Get to the gym at least 5 days this week

I can't wait to check in on all of the other Mamavation Moms. I can celebrate their successes and motivate myself to get moving!

Doing the Happy Dance

I was feeling kind of sorry for myself this weekend watching all the twitter feed about the Blissdom conference. Wishing I was there. Wishing I was seeing Harry Connick Jr. But I was here in South Dakota with more snow. . .

So yesterday I decided to jump on the scale before I got ready to go for the day. And I finally got to do my happy dance. The scale read 149.6. One more pound down, my first milestone (below 150) was met! I had to wake my hubby up to tell him.

I will admit that yesterday I did have some treats for the Super Bowl so I will be hitting the gym today hard. But, I am seeing results and it is a huge motivation to keep doing what I am doing.

Last week I bought some new running shoes and I can't wait to break them in. I keep telling myself that I am going to learn to love to run.

We found an awesome new activity to do as a family this weekend. On Saturday night we gave our girls the game Just Dance for the Wii. All five of us danced like crazy. I couldn't believe the workout we got. It was so much fun and it had the benefit of burning some calories, too. I love finding healthy family activities that we can do together.

Thanks to all of the Mamavation Sistas for all of the motivation last week. You are all awesome and I appreciate all of the encouragement. I can't wait to check out all of the Mamavation Monday posts.

Don't forget Mamavation tonight. There are some great prizes and fitness expert Tracey Mallet talks basic fitness for moms.

So Long Soda

Well, I am going on my second week of no Soda. It feels great. I had a great week! I had a few really hard workouts and I watched what I ate.

I am so close to my first goal of getting below 150 on the scale. This morning when I stepped on it was 150.2. So I am down 5 pounds since the first of the year! YEAH!!!

I have stepped up my cardio workouts and I am really seeing the results. I have been able to have a couple of cheat meals and still get a little weight off.

I thought it was going to be a tough weekend. We visited both my husband's parents and my parents. This is always tough, because our families always have hard to resist food around. For example, we walked into my mother-in-law's house and a fresh pan of chocolate chip bars were coming out of the oven and there was a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies cooling on the counter. YIKES!

We are 3 months and 3 weeks from our Disney World trip. That is my ultimate goal date. Hopefully after this week I can report getting below the 150 mark. I am looking to see those 40's on the scale.

I am working on a meal plan for the week. It should be a pretty calm week so we should be able to eat at the tale every night and have supper as a family. I will make sure I share any recipes that are a hit for us.

Like I have said since the beginning, I am hoping to see the numbers on the scale continue to dip as I go, but it really isn't about that. It is about getting healthy and getting my family healthy. I feel good about the results we are having so far.

Don't forget to join Leah and the Mamavation moms tonight on MomTV for the Mamavation show. You can also read all about other moms that are working hard at reaching their healthy living goals, here.

Mamavation Monday - Follow Along Week #1

It is week one of the new Mamavation Campaign and I am starting fresh along with the new Mamavation moms @LisaSamples and @Frugalfemina.

This last week I got a package in the mail from Amazon. It proved to be my nemesis.

I love to cook and bake. I am working on healthy cooking, but I want to be able to do it in a way that I can still occasionally cook from this amazing cookbook.

Luckily, my Amazon package had two more books that will help me out with my getting healthy mission.



I am giving in and starting a food journal. I know it works, I have done it before. I hope it makes me a little more accountable to what I am eating throughout the day.

One huge accomplishment for me this week. NO POP!!! I did get in some good workouts, but I need to be a little more disciplined with that this week, as well. The trainer that I was going to has not been coming to town so I am going to work on a new workout from a friend this week. I hope that it helps with the weight loss.

I actually gained one pound exactly this week. . .but I am not beating myself up about it. I know where it came from and I am lucky it was just one pound.

It has been difficult to get into a schedule since Christmas. My kids are on their 4th Snow Day today. This South Dakota weather makes weight loss difficult in the wintertime. It is all inside workouts for me.

I am excited to chat with everyone on MomTV tonight at the Mamavation Show. Leah has some great giveaways. You should go and check them out here.

Hope you all have a wonderful week! I will come back here next week with a weight loss! It all starts with today.

Mamavation Monday - Little Progress

Well, it is another Monday and I am not doing a happy dance after getting off the scale. I only lost .4 pounds, but I was actually relieved to see that. I actually thought that I had gained weight this week.

We had the flu go through our house so I was home with sick kids and we didn't really stick to our healthy eating plan. I am not beating myself up about it though. It is a new week, a new day and I am starting fresh. I still did not get rid of pop completely. But, I had less than I had last week and it is all gone at home. So this week my goal once again is to have no pop.

I did not get in as many workouts as I would have liked with my sick kids, but I did add a new workout to my week. On Tuesday night I played basketball in a women's league in town. It just about killed me. I have been going to the gym for months, but I am still not in basketball playing shape. It was an amazing workout. I can't wait to play again tomorrow night.

I also decided to sign up for a half marathon in June. It is good for me to have a future goal so that I get myself moving and start training for it now.

My goals for the week:
No Pop
Workout every day: alternating Strength and Light Cardio with Intense Interval Cardio
Eat Nutritious Snacks
Drink more Water

Hopefully next week I will get below the 150 mark on the scale and I can do that happy dance.

Don't forget to tune into MomTV tonight for the Mamavation show at 9pm CST with Leah from Bookieboo. The Mamavation Sistahood is so inspirational and it is helping motivate me to make a difference in my life. Thanks Ladies!!

This is also the week for the Mamavation Twitter Party! Check out more information here. There are amazing prizes and Leah will be announcing the next two Mamavation Moms!

Mamavation Monday - Total Makeover

I decided that since I am focusing on CHANGE in 2010 that my blog needed a little change, too. How do you like the new Girlfriends Get Real? Thank you to Jo-Lynne from DCR Design and Musings of a Housewife. She did a fabulous job. She is working on a few more little details. I am so excited about the new design.

When I was thinking about my Mamavation post this week I was thinking about weight loss. My goal is to get to 135 pounds. However, more than anything I want to find balance. I want to get into an exercise routine, I want to create healthy meals for my family, and I want to feel good about myself.

Last week was an amazing week for me. Check out my vlog to listen to my success.



I am super excited about this week. My focus this week:
*No Soda
*Work-out everyday (either at the gym or with EA Sports Active)
*Recreate a couple more recipes to a lighter version

I can't wait to read all of the other Mamavation posts today. Don't forget to join us tonight at 9pm CST on MomTV with Leah @Bookieboo for Mamavation!

Mamavation Monday - Baby Steps

Well, I finally got myself back to the gym last week. I had an awesome Monday and then unfortunately I slept wrong on Monday night and my shoulder and neck were killing me the rest of the week.

I did my first day with the EA Sports Active but my shoulder prevented me from doing it the rest of the week. I did do intervals on the treadmill at the gym. I have been avoiding the treadmill due to the pounding on my knee, but it didn't hurt my knee at all and it felt so good.

Fortunately I don't think that the working out portion of my weight loss plan is going to be hard. I love going to the gym. Especially because I am a stay-at-home mom and that is my time away from my girls for the day. :-)

Eating healthy is where I really struggle. This week I posted a menu plan on my Unforgettable Childhood site with healthy main entrees for suppertime. That is my first baby step to eating healthy as a family.

I also need to focus on drinking water this week. I never drink water. To be honest with you, I drink coffee all day long.

I don't have a lot of weight to lose, about 15 pounds. My main focus is getting fit, feeling good and changing our families eating habits. I hope next week I can write about getting off a couple of pounds. I know that there are a lot of women in the Mamavation Campaign that are working to tackle a lot larger weight loss goals. You should go and watch their videos here.

I made a deal with my hubby that when the first 10 pounds comes off I am buying a pair of Earth Footwear Shoes. I have had my eye on them for awhile now and I think that it would be a great reward for accomplishing that goal.

Don't forget to tune into MomTV tonight to watch Mamavation at 10pm EST/9pm CST.

This Mom Needs A Makeover

I think Santa's sleigh blew up in my living room. . .Oh wait, that is just the gifts that my very fortunate (aka spoiled) children received for Christmas. Between aunts and uncles, grandmas and grandpas and us, well, I am just not sure where they are all going to go.

Then last night I got on the scale and I wanted to crumble to the ground. It isn't like I didn't realize that all of the food I was eating this holiday season was going to make the scale tip a little, but yikes!

One of the gifts I gave my husband was a photo book of our trip to Hawaii last January. As we looked through it I realized that all of the work I had been doing to get fit had really paid off. I looked better in those photos than in any vacation pictures since we had been married.

After the trip something happened, I kind of gave up. I ate what I wanted, I didn't really exercise, and the weight came back on.

I know it is almost the beginning of a new year and many are setting New Year's Resolutions, but I am not. I am setting Life Change Goals. I am starting today. I wanted to share a few of my secret weapons to reach these goals.

My first secret weapon is my Bible. When I wake up in the morning to start my day I am arming myself with my most important tool.In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:16-18

My second secret weapon is the Mamavation Sistahood. This group of amazing ladies has been reaching their fitness and weight loss goals while I have been still thinking about mine. :-)

Leah Segedie the creator of Bookieboo created this wonderful campaign that has women come together every Monday night on MomTV at 10pmEST/9pmCST.

My third secret weapon is my friend Misti! She is my workout partner. Together we meet with a trainer and get each other to the gym. Without her, I would not have made the progress that I already have. In the new year we can continue to motivate each other.

My newest secret weapon is my EA Sports Active Game for the Wii. Thanks to my hubby, I got this great game as a Christmas present. On the days that my hubby works late and I can't get to the gym, I have this awesome tool to help me workout at home.
We have a lot of work to do at home on our healthy eating. I love to cook and healthy cooking has never been on my priority list. I am looking for help from one of the wonderful Mamavation Team Memembers, Jennifer Leal. Jennifer has the blog Savor the Thyme which focuses on family-friendly healthy food and lifestyle.

I hope to start by adding in at least two new healthy meals to our household each week. Healthy snacks is easy when I have them around. My girls love fresh veggies.

And as for the mess in my house. . .that is a post for another day. That requires a secret weapon, too. Let's just say that I have never mastered the art of cleaning.

With my Martha Stewart Homekeeping Handbook I am planning to turn this house around one room at a time.