I haven't posted in AGES! Life's been busy to say the least!
When I last posted we were still in Minnesota, we've been living in Texas (Rio Grande Valley - RGV - part of Texas, which is wayyyyy south) for almost 5 months now! Prior to moving down here we bought a travel trailer and that is our "house" now. Tight quarters but cheaper then renting a place. We rent our lot and pay our utilities. Sometimes I wonder how all this time has passed since leaving home. Sometimes it feels like we just left... other times it feels like its been years. Its something I struggle with daily. I miss my family and friends back home terribly! I wish every single day that I could see them. I struggle with knowing our leaving wasn't just hard on us, but everyone we left up there that are family/friends. Recently (just last week), we did get to see my hubby's mom. That helped some with the homesickness for me. In over 4 months of being here we never made it to South Padre Island, even though its not that far away. We finally went while she was down here and it was AMAZING. We now plan to do it much more often. The kids had so much fun at the beach! We did too!
I am hoping I can remember to blog more often, but life while busy is typically pretty boring! The 2 bigger kids have school, the youngest is still home all day, hubby's not working yet, and I have a job that sometimes keeps me from seeing the older 2 kids for days at a time because of the schedules we have! They get picked up by the bus around 6:10am and don't get home until around 4:15pm!
Speaking of school, I'm incredibly impressed with the schools in our town we live in! They're quick to call with any problems, and with compliments! They take education VERY seriously. Unexcused absence? See you at "Saturday School!". They focus a lot on their state testings, but also on the rest of the curriculum. In Minnesota it seemed like Math and Reading were the only 2 subjects they cared about. Here, those 2 are important of course, but so is every other class!
As to the weight loss journey I've been on? When we got here - I swear a bunch of the fat melted away from the heat! I'm still losing weight, but I honestly don't know how much I've lost. I haven't used the WiiFit since the last blog post I made about it. Still don't own a regular scale either - no room for one! I quit counting calories, because I became obsessed if I ate too much one day, I'd try to cut those extras out of the next day. Causing me to get quite ill at times from lack of food. The only reason I know I've lost weight is because its obvious. Its obvious in how my clothes fit, its obvious in how I feel, its obvious in pictures... Sometimes I still feel fat, but if I remind myself on those "obvious" things, I realize while I'm not exactly where I want to be size wise - I'm not exactly fat either! Hopefully I'll find time soon to get on the WiiFit and see how I'm doing!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Wonderful deal on diapers!
Let me tell you how I managed to get about $50 worth of diapers, for right around $25 at diapers.com
I bought 1 reusable swim diaper for $8.99, 1 Extra Large Case of size 4 Luv's diapers (180 diapers in the box) regularly $35.99 with a $1 off ecoupon attached making them $34.99, and 1 Jumbo pack of size 4 Luv's diapers (31 diapers in the pkg.) at $7.99. That total was $51.97 Of course there are TONS of options to get you to the required $49 point to make this work, this is just what worked for us.
Then, during checkout - enter in code LILL6624 which knocks $10 off that order (first time members during the first order only, must be a minimum purchase of $49 - free shipping on orders over $49). Finish paying for it and print off the receipt. You're going to spend about $40 out of your own pocket to start with. The savings haven't ended yet!
AFTER you've checked out, go to the rebate form here.
Print out the rebate form (trust me, its a rebate form!) and fill out the bottom part, and stick it in an envelope along with your printed receipt and mail it to the address listed on that rebate form. That rebate will give you another $14.97 off! You'll get a check in the mail for that amount in 4-6 weeks.
So, my total was $51.97 - $10.00 - $14.97 = $27 for all those diapers! Not to mention the savings we'll have on the reusable swim diaper instead of having to buy disposable ones!
I bought 1 reusable swim diaper for $8.99, 1 Extra Large Case of size 4 Luv's diapers (180 diapers in the box) regularly $35.99 with a $1 off ecoupon attached making them $34.99, and 1 Jumbo pack of size 4 Luv's diapers (31 diapers in the pkg.) at $7.99. That total was $51.97 Of course there are TONS of options to get you to the required $49 point to make this work, this is just what worked for us.
Then, during checkout - enter in code LILL6624 which knocks $10 off that order (first time members during the first order only, must be a minimum purchase of $49 - free shipping on orders over $49). Finish paying for it and print off the receipt. You're going to spend about $40 out of your own pocket to start with. The savings haven't ended yet!
AFTER you've checked out, go to the rebate form here.
Print out the rebate form (trust me, its a rebate form!) and fill out the bottom part, and stick it in an envelope along with your printed receipt and mail it to the address listed on that rebate form. That rebate will give you another $14.97 off! You'll get a check in the mail for that amount in 4-6 weeks.
So, my total was $51.97 - $10.00 - $14.97 = $27 for all those diapers! Not to mention the savings we'll have on the reusable swim diaper instead of having to buy disposable ones!
Another awesome giveaway!
My buddy over at Being Me has an awesome giveaway! Its for SnackTAXI. If you don't already know, SnackTAXI makes reusable napkins and bags - sandwich bags, snack bags, produce bags, lunch bags... you get the idea.
So many of us go through many plastic baggies every week, these eliminate the need to buying them. Just wash and reuse.
Check out her giveaway here:
http://beingme-alison.blogspot.com/2010/03/snacktaxi-review-and-giveaway.html
So many of us go through many plastic baggies every week, these eliminate the need to buying them. Just wash and reuse.
Check out her giveaway here:
http://beingme-alison.blogspot.com/2010/03/snacktaxi-review-and-giveaway.html
Thursday, March 11, 2010
YUMMY! Cowgirl Chocolates giveaway, ending soon!
My friend over at Yellow Tennessee is doing another awesome giveaway! This time for Cowgirl Chocolates!
They sound sooo scrumptious! Even if I don't win, I may have to place an order just to taste them!http://yellowtennessee.blogspot.com/2010/02/cowgirl-chocolates-review-and-giveaway.html
They sound sooo scrumptious! Even if I don't win, I may have to place an order just to taste them!http://yellowtennessee.blogspot.com/2010/02/cowgirl-chocolates-review-and-giveaway.html
Monday, February 1, 2010
It's been 5 days...
Since I last weighed myself that is! I've lost 3 lbs! I'm hoping I can keep this up! I didn't want to risk what my emotions would do to me if I weighed myself every day and wasn't seeing "enough" loss.
Now, as far as how... I keep changing my mind on how to go about this... I've found that eating half a canteloupe for dinner is a VERY bad idea. It made my blood sugar skyrocket, then plummet back down really fast and hard. It took a couple hours before I felt somewhat human again. I've also found my stomach can't handle more than one salad a day, which is a huge change since the last time I lost weight that's all I ate for weeks, every single time I got hungry! I've also changed my coffee drastically. I found Splenda Coffee Flavors in the Mocha flavor is pretty good! Yesterday I did have a cup of coffee my old way and went "WOW! wayyyyy too sweet!" Which is good I think that, because I really didn't think I'd be able to give it up so easily!
I've been having fruit for breakfast most of the time, a couple mornings I had Honey Bunches of Oats cereal. Then I have a morning snack, either a snack bar with 90-100 calories or more fruit. Typically a salad for lunch, or if I have Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast I'd have half a canteloupe for lunch instead - but now I'm out of canteloupe! An afternoon snack: fruit, popcorn, veggies or snack bar. And now I've been portioning out my dinners so I can eat what I make for the family, just less of it! I'm fine with that because I know I have another snack coming later on! I have an evening snack, typically something I haven't had yet for the day (even if it means a bowl of cereal).
I still occasionally have problems with blood sugar, but I've always had that.... since I had my first child anyways. Some days I don't space the meals and snacks quite right and I do have to have a little extra of something (that time my blood sugar plummeted so hard and fast I had a snack bar, milk, and a banana just trying to get it back up).
Thanks to a great friend I found a website where I can track all my food AND my calories burned so I see what I'm taking in and what is getting burned during the day. Its a real eye opener, and sometimes I think I'm too obsessive about it. But this early on, I think I have to be... or I'll never stay on track!
OH! And I bought 100 calorie bags of microwave popcorn, and then compared the label with a label of our popcorn we had at home already... as far as calories go - a whole bag (2.5 servings) has barely more calories then the smaller bag (1 serving) does... anyone else ever notice this????
Now, as far as how... I keep changing my mind on how to go about this... I've found that eating half a canteloupe for dinner is a VERY bad idea. It made my blood sugar skyrocket, then plummet back down really fast and hard. It took a couple hours before I felt somewhat human again. I've also found my stomach can't handle more than one salad a day, which is a huge change since the last time I lost weight that's all I ate for weeks, every single time I got hungry! I've also changed my coffee drastically. I found Splenda Coffee Flavors in the Mocha flavor is pretty good! Yesterday I did have a cup of coffee my old way and went "WOW! wayyyyy too sweet!" Which is good I think that, because I really didn't think I'd be able to give it up so easily!
I've been having fruit for breakfast most of the time, a couple mornings I had Honey Bunches of Oats cereal. Then I have a morning snack, either a snack bar with 90-100 calories or more fruit. Typically a salad for lunch, or if I have Honey Bunches of Oats for breakfast I'd have half a canteloupe for lunch instead - but now I'm out of canteloupe! An afternoon snack: fruit, popcorn, veggies or snack bar. And now I've been portioning out my dinners so I can eat what I make for the family, just less of it! I'm fine with that because I know I have another snack coming later on! I have an evening snack, typically something I haven't had yet for the day (even if it means a bowl of cereal).
I still occasionally have problems with blood sugar, but I've always had that.... since I had my first child anyways. Some days I don't space the meals and snacks quite right and I do have to have a little extra of something (that time my blood sugar plummeted so hard and fast I had a snack bar, milk, and a banana just trying to get it back up).
Thanks to a great friend I found a website where I can track all my food AND my calories burned so I see what I'm taking in and what is getting burned during the day. Its a real eye opener, and sometimes I think I'm too obsessive about it. But this early on, I think I have to be... or I'll never stay on track!
OH! And I bought 100 calorie bags of microwave popcorn, and then compared the label with a label of our popcorn we had at home already... as far as calories go - a whole bag (2.5 servings) has barely more calories then the smaller bag (1 serving) does... anyone else ever notice this????
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
My weight....
My weight has almost always been a problem, but most of the time I ignored it. Not hard to do when always told "Oh, you're just big boned!" (I love my family, with all my heart - but I think this was the worst thing to say.. because I believed it, for a very long time) In 2003 I had a "wake-up call" and started losing weight. What choice did I have??? I was about 290lbs. Over the course of 2 years I lost enough weight to start weighing in at 125lb! At 125 though I was too skinny, so when I hit 145 I was happy.
Then, I got pregnant with my youngest, my last baby ever. I gained a lot of weight, right from the very beginning. I was "showing" by 8 weeks - everyone thought I was having twins with how big I got. The day I was induced I weighed 203lbs. I cried when the scale went over that 200lb mark. I knew it was going to be a long road ahead, again. But, I didn't let myself diet. I thought breastfeeding my daughter would take the weight off. Instead, I gained even more weight. Up to 226lbs. I finally made some changes - though not many - to my habits. Brought myself down to 195. I was feeling great, I was making progress. I was fitting in some jeans I never would have thought I would again... But then, eating habits and portions got out of control again...
I ignored the obvious, I don't own a full length mirror - so that makes it even easier to ignore. Except when the once favorite jeans aren't so comfy anymore because they're too tight. I know a couple times with other jeans I've said "hmm must have shrunk in the dryer"... believable to an extent because they are that stretchy denim. But, with my regular jeans? Yeah, couldn't deny it any longer. Also couldn't deny the fact that I couldn't breathe after going up 2 flights of stairs. Both those things happened yesterday. After that, I went to the store and bought better foods for me to eat. With full intentions of losing all this extra weight - even though I didn't know what I weighed. See, I don't even have a regular scale. For the last couple years or so the only way I'd weigh myself was with the WiiFit. And with 3 kids I rarely found time for myself to be on the Wii.
Today, my youngest made it impossible for me to spend time on the Wii, until she went down for her nap. She slept for about 20 minutes but that was enough time to do a body test and some hula-hooping and the stepping arobics.
I'm at 200lbs again... and since finding out the actual amount, I've been depressed. Nothing like seeing that number again and just want to curl up in a ball. Though I may be feeling like crap right now because of my weight, it should also be a motivator for me to get busy and change myself. Because nobody else can change me. I brought this on myself, and I have to do this, myself. I just hope I have the support I had before. Because for some reason, this time its more intimidating. Its less weight to lose, with my goal being around 140lbs at the end of this all... but I can say I'm afraid I'll fail, and I'll revert to bad eating habits.
Today I consumed (things with calories and carbs not couting my diet soda - since it has neither lol) a cup of coffee (with cream and sugar), 2 large salads, half a cantalope, a 90calorie Fiber One snack bar, and drank a 250 cal. Boost drink. I'm a big eater/snacker usually, so I'm trying to change that. I think the hardest things for me to cut back on will be the coffee (usually I drink about half a pot a day), and pasta. I love both of those things, and consume way too much of them. So, I'll be working on learning portion control!
Then, I got pregnant with my youngest, my last baby ever. I gained a lot of weight, right from the very beginning. I was "showing" by 8 weeks - everyone thought I was having twins with how big I got. The day I was induced I weighed 203lbs. I cried when the scale went over that 200lb mark. I knew it was going to be a long road ahead, again. But, I didn't let myself diet. I thought breastfeeding my daughter would take the weight off. Instead, I gained even more weight. Up to 226lbs. I finally made some changes - though not many - to my habits. Brought myself down to 195. I was feeling great, I was making progress. I was fitting in some jeans I never would have thought I would again... But then, eating habits and portions got out of control again...
I ignored the obvious, I don't own a full length mirror - so that makes it even easier to ignore. Except when the once favorite jeans aren't so comfy anymore because they're too tight. I know a couple times with other jeans I've said "hmm must have shrunk in the dryer"... believable to an extent because they are that stretchy denim. But, with my regular jeans? Yeah, couldn't deny it any longer. Also couldn't deny the fact that I couldn't breathe after going up 2 flights of stairs. Both those things happened yesterday. After that, I went to the store and bought better foods for me to eat. With full intentions of losing all this extra weight - even though I didn't know what I weighed. See, I don't even have a regular scale. For the last couple years or so the only way I'd weigh myself was with the WiiFit. And with 3 kids I rarely found time for myself to be on the Wii.
Today, my youngest made it impossible for me to spend time on the Wii, until she went down for her nap. She slept for about 20 minutes but that was enough time to do a body test and some hula-hooping and the stepping arobics.
I'm at 200lbs again... and since finding out the actual amount, I've been depressed. Nothing like seeing that number again and just want to curl up in a ball. Though I may be feeling like crap right now because of my weight, it should also be a motivator for me to get busy and change myself. Because nobody else can change me. I brought this on myself, and I have to do this, myself. I just hope I have the support I had before. Because for some reason, this time its more intimidating. Its less weight to lose, with my goal being around 140lbs at the end of this all... but I can say I'm afraid I'll fail, and I'll revert to bad eating habits.
Today I consumed (things with calories and carbs not couting my diet soda - since it has neither lol) a cup of coffee (with cream and sugar), 2 large salads, half a cantalope, a 90calorie Fiber One snack bar, and drank a 250 cal. Boost drink. I'm a big eater/snacker usually, so I'm trying to change that. I think the hardest things for me to cut back on will be the coffee (usually I drink about half a pot a day), and pasta. I love both of those things, and consume way too much of them. So, I'll be working on learning portion control!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
There are Ads here, for a reason
The ads in my blog are actually there to earn me a little bit of money - so if you see them, please feel free to click on them at any time! Not sure how much it will generate, but every little bit helps!!!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Bravada Nursing Bra Give-Away!
Check out Yellow Tennessee's blog! She's got a give-away for a bravada nursing bra or tank! She's helped me know about many freebies/deals/etc. And I love that she's a friend as well!
First blog!
I'm not entirely sure yet, where I'm going with this blog.... however I've been meaning to set one up for quite some time now.
Possibly some freebies, some reviews, some posts about life as a mother to 3, some of everything I suppose!
Hope I can remember to keep up with this!!
Possibly some freebies, some reviews, some posts about life as a mother to 3, some of everything I suppose!
Hope I can remember to keep up with this!!
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