Time for school...already?!

So I've been really stressing out about Miss E's schooling this year. She is at kind of an awkward place in her schooling and looking at curriculums seriously gave me a migraine. There are SO many different types of curriculum it's ridiculous. And it's not like I can go to the curriculum store (I seriously wish that this existed, it would make life a lot easier) and flip through the books and decide which would work for us. Nope. They expect you to pay the $300+ for a full curriculum set and I guess hope for the best. I didn't feel comfortable with that because she is actually in two different grades right now and I didn't want to have to pick and choose from each set. Plus some of the sites ( like A beka) is very confusing as to what actually comes with what. It's seriously exhausting.

So I asked a friend who has been homeschooling for awhile for some advice. I was at the point where I wanted to pull my hair out. Miss E is 3.5, it shouldn't be this hard. Not yet anyway. If I was freaking out this early, how would I handle when she gets to be in middle school, etc? Then she said something that hit home. She told me that God gave Miss E to me and that He would give me the skills I need to teach her. I thanked her, shut off my computer, and prayed. Then I sat in a hot bath for about an hour. I woke up this morning with a new perspective. I had faith in myself again. I sat down and wrote out our objectives for this upcoming year, did a little research and went out and got what I needed. I pieced together what we needed ( and spent a ton less than what I would have on a boxed curriculum set) and now we are ready. I feel prepared and relieved. Come on August! Well actually we are starting a week early because we are going on vacation in September and will be taking a week off, so come on late July:)

Month 6 update and New church update!

I don't really have much of an update this month. I'm still hanging in there at the 30 lb mark. But I'm not discouraged. I know all about plateaus and how hard they can be to overcome. Plus, I had a personal medical issue the past couple of weeks and I was in too much pain to go to the gym everyday and I was advised by my Dr to take it easy. I still went, but it was like twice a week or three times a week(and I was not hitting it extremely hard, just didn't want to get out of the habit of going). That was only for a couple of weeks and this week I'm focused on getting back into my routine now that I'm good to go again:) So maybe in August I'll have a better update for you as far as the weight loss goes. 

The biggest update I have this month is that we finally found a church to call home. I'm not going to lie, it's not the kind of church I ever saw Brandon and I joining because we both come from conservative southern baptist backgrounds. Well this church is southern baptist(that came from the pastor himself), but it is not really conservative like we were used to. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it just takes some getting used to. We've been going every week since Mother's Day. I told Brandon that was the one thing I wanted to do, go to church. It just so happened that one of my friends invited my to her church that weekend. They were starting a new series and it peaked my curiosity. So we went. At first impression, I had my reserves. Everyone was extremely nice and welcoming, but everyone was SO casual. That was very different for us. Anyone who was raised in a traditional baptist church knows that on Sunday mornings you dress up to go worship. It's just how it was. Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best. And if you weren't, well you were looked at weird and/or whispered about. But here, just about everyone was dressed in jeans, shorts, just very casual and laid back. To be honest, I didn't care for that. The service started and the band started playing. Yes a band. I've been to churches before that had the band and the casual dress(Gracepoint, West Ridge, etc) and we just felt uncomfortable. But I always stick it out to hear the message. That's the ultimate reason I go to church is for the message. None of the other pastors could hold my attention, and I would generally tune out fairly quickly. Well this pastor blew me away. So we came back again and again. Every week Pastor Steve just had this way of delivering his message in a way that it was like he was talking right to me. He didn't talk above me, but just in a straight way that really impressed me and Brandon both. We went to the Next Steps meeting one Sunday night to hear about the background of the church and what the church is all about. Going into the meeting we were still both uncertain that we were going to join, but by the end, there was no question that New Season is where God wants us to be. Now I still can't bring myself to wear jeans to church(that is just a "me" thing, I don't judge anyone for how they dress to worship anymore), but we are really starting to enjoy the laid back atmosphere and the comfort of New Season. I know that no church is perfect and I'm sure that there will be things that we don't particularly care for, but we feel at home here. Miss E LOVES going and when we pick her up, she can't wait to tell us what she learned. They seem to focus on one bible verse a week  in her class and that's the one that I tie into our schooling during the week. I love that we have found a church to raise our daughter in. It just feels right and I feel at peace finally. 

Month 5 Update!

Here's my 5 month update...

I'm down 30 pounds!!

I'm ecstatic to say the least. I worked hard to lose this weight. It's not easy and it's not all that fun all the time. There are days that I can't wait to get to the gym. Then there are days that I need to be dragged kicking and screaming to the gym. 

But let me tell you this. I NEVER regret going to the gym. But I do regret the days I'm supposed to go and don't. 

Since I've gotten my Polar watch for Mother's Day, I've been pushing myself to go even harder. It's like a game to see how many calories I can burn in a session. I love pushing myself and meeting and exceeding new goals. It's an amazing feeling to do something I thought I'd never be able to do. 

I finally took the big step and cleaned out my closet. I bagged up all of my fat clothes. My closet is pretty bare right now, but I'll build up a new wardrobe. I've gone from a size 16 to a comfortable 10. Brandon took me shopping a couple weeks ago and made me try on a pair of size 10 shorts. I fought him about it, but eventually gave in. I couldn't believe that they fit! And not tight but actually comfortable fit. I still tend to gravitate towards the bigger sizes. I struggle with clothes that are remotely tight because when I was big I didn't want anything tight. Now I still try to buy a large even though it's roomy, the mediums fit right but it's a psychological head thing I guess. 

I'll admit that I'm still struggling with my eating habits. I'm not eating near as healthy as I should be. But I'm still losing weight. Going to the gym and getting my metabolism right has helped tremendously on the days where I just have to have a western burger and curly fries. But I don't generally have a whole day of eating bad, just a bad meal here and there. I refuse to deprive myself, if I'm having a craving, I'll full fill it. But I know how hard it is to work off those calories, so the cravings don't come nearly as often as they used to. Plus, bad food just makes me feel bad now. 

 Me in 2010 at 200 lbs.

Me last weekend at 155 lbs.

It's those kind of pictures that keeps me going. I've come so far, I do NOT want to go back to that miserable weight I was before. Only 10 pounds til my goal!

All kinds of updates!

So I posted my month 4 update (down 25.4 lbs, YES!!!), but I didn't go into a lot of detail. I was blogging from my phone, which I hate doing, so it was a short update. But a short update is better than no update, right?!

It's these kind of pictures that remind me of how far I've come. They keep me motivated to keep pushing. I don't ever want to go back to that 2011 picture. 

I had my first personal training session today. It will probably be my one and only considering that it costs more than our mortgage a month to train with a trainer. But I got some excellent tips and and learned some new workouts to improve my core, which is something I really needed. I absolutely LOVE my gym. Body Plex is amazing. Everyone is so nice, all the workers are nice, and I love going in there and being able to talk to just about everyone. It makes all the difference because I look forward to going everyday. 

I'm going to be honest. I've been really struggling with my eating. I've been to Hooter's probably 3 times in the past month(dang western burger and curly fries). I work my butt off at the gym, but I can't out train a bad diet. So I'm really going to be focusing on eating better. I go through phases where I eat great, then I just eat like crap for a day or so. I need to reign it in. But overall I'm ecstatic at where I'm at and I look forward to where I will be in a few more months:) I have my 10 year high school reunion AND a beach vacation in September, so I got to focus and and get it together!

Ok so enough about that. I have a ton more to update on. 

Miss E's dance recital was last weekend and she did great. Their leader however, forgot the moves. The leader is NOT their teacher, it's one of the older members that is brought in and taught the moves to dance with the younger ones on stage. I felt bad for her and bad for the girls. But Miss E still had a great time (anytime she is in front of an audience, she shines!) At the very end of the recital, they had the older company members dress up as Disney princesses and escort the dancers down a red carpet for their trophy presentation. It was by far the cutest thing I have ever seen. Miss E was escorted by Tinkerbell and she did her little curtsy at the end of the red carpet. I got it on video, but I couldn't take pics and shoot video at the same time and for some reason none of the people with me thought to take pictures of her during her dance or her red carpet walk. Luckily the photographer there got pictures(and of course they were expensive) so I ordered some. 

 After she danced, with her flowers her daddy sent since he couldn't be there.

After she walked the red carpet and got her trophy.

She got her dance pictures done by a friend of mine the next day. She was going to be out of town for the actual studio pictures, plus these are SO much better than any we would have gotten done there. They were done by Julianna Grey Photography (https://www.facebook.com/juliannagreyphotography?fref=ts). Miss E and her BFF did a shoot together, so we got some of the girls together and then some of them separate. They all turned out great!

I didn't add any of the ones of the girls together because I would want to get her mom's permission before putting her kids photo on a public blog:)

We added a new dog to our family about a month ago. Yes we are in fact crazy, we now have 4 dogs. She wasn't planned, but things happen like that. God put Brandon in the right place at the right time and I think she was meant to be with us. Her owner tried to drop her off at the shelter and they wouldn't take her because they had just gotten off of quaranteen and she was rescued from there previously. Keep in mind that she is not even a year old. So this guy was just going to dump her on the side of the road. Brandon loaded her up in his truck and brought her home. I couldn't even get mad about it because I would have done the same. Her name was originally Rain, but we changed it to Remi(short for Remington) and inducted her into the family with a camo collar. At first our other big dog Shyla was NOT happy, but after working with them both, now they are great friends. She is a beautiful black lab ( I had one that I adored when I was younger, so I'm a softie for those). She is so smart. I just can't believe someone would be so horrible to dump her on the side of the road. Makes me absolutely angry to even think about it. But now she is happy and has a great home. 

This post is kinda scattered...that is just how my brain works though!

Onto Mother's Day. I had a fantastic Mother's Day. Miss E woke up at 8, she apparently did NOT get the memo that she was supposed to sleep in. But it was okay because we weren't rushed. We had plenty of time to relax and do showers and get ready for church. Brandon laid all my gifts out while I was getting ready. He made a frame and wrapped a canvas picture that I've had for over 2 years, he fixed a canvas that I had made for him on our ten year anniversary 2 years ago( that whole fiasco is a whole other post in itself). He also dressed up Miss E and took three pictures of her holding a frame that says "I Love Mom" and framed it for me. He even took the pictures with my big camera and did some editing. I was impressed. Then lastly, he got me a Polar watch, which I have been wanting for a while. I am in LOVE with this watch and I highly recommend anyone serious about weight loss or getting in shape to get one. We tried out a new church that morning and I really enjoyed it. I think even Brandon enjoyed it (he is very traditional when it comes to church) because he said he would go back. We are going back this Sunday. It has been weighing heavily on my heart lately to find a church home for our family and I pray this is the right one. After church we went to Brandon's grandmother's for lunch with the family. 

 I actually don't shy away from the camera anymore!

Then we hung out there pretty much until time for dinner. I wanted Hooter's (I told you, I have an addiction to this place). Mom's ate for free on Mother's day and it happens to be one of my faves, so it worked out well. We finally got back home and spent the rest of the night relaxing. All in all, it was a great day. 

I think that's about all I want to cram into this blog post! I have some more I'll update on hopefully soon.

Month 4 Update!

This isn't going to be a long post(because I am on my phone), but I realized that I'm a few days overdue on my monthly update. Ready for this....

I'm down 25.4 pounds!!

I can't begin to tell you how great I have been feeling, just overall I feel fantastic. I'm happier(excercise gives you endorphines, endorphines make people happy), and I have SO much more energy. I look forward to getting up in the mornings and getting my workout in.

The difference is amazing!

I'll do a full update tomorrow:)

Month 3 Update

Here it is, my three month update. I wrote last time I wouldn't forget and I didn't....thanks to the reminder on my phone!

So.....I am down 19.6 pounds! It would probably be an even 20, but I ate like crap this weekend. Hooters Friday night, Chili's Saturday night, Easter on Sunday, KFC Sunday night. Yeah....I told you, it was bad. But through some miracle I didn't gain any weight through all that junk I ate. The downside is that I do feel like crap after all that junk I ate. My workout this morning was torture(but in all fairness, I have a pretty bad head cold right now). I'm hoping tomorrow will be better. But I went and that is what counts. 

I am also down 2 jean sizes. I can't believe it. Those jeans that I was talking about a couple of weeks ago, yeah I'm wearing those quite comfortably now. It's freaking awesome. That's the only way I know how to explain it. My pile of clothes that are too big is getting huge and I love it. I love the feeling of putting on jeans that used to be too tight and now they are too big. I love that I have a pile of jeans that I haven't worn in 6 years and now I'm wearing them. 

I love how I feel most importantly. I feel like I can do anything. I'm right at my halfway point and I am more motivated than ever. I love having energy, I love not being achy, I love not getting winded. I love the feeling of knowing I put my mind to something and that I'm accomplishing it. Everyday I work hard. I sweat, I push myself, I hurt, and I do it. I drink a ton of water. I eat healthy (for the most part, I do have my days, I'm only human!) I sacrifice and   I'm seeing the results. I can't begin to tell you how worth it it is. 

So there is my update as promised. I am doing this. It is hard, but it is so worth it. 

19.6 down, 20 to go!

Little bit of this and that.

It's official. I am a terrible blogger. I only update maybe twice a month. I think about blogging often, but then my mind quickly goes somewhere else and it's forgotten. I really hope to get better at it.

This month feels like it has gone by quickly. I can't believe that it's already Spring. I'm ready for some not so cold weather, but I am NOT ready for the boiling hot Ga summer. I HATE the heat, when it's so hot that you open your door and it takes your breath away. I don't do well in the heat and neither does my kid. I want it to be 70 degrees all year round. Is that really too much to ask?

Anyway, Miss E just got over the flu...again.  She had strain A in Dec and she had strain B last week. Luckily we had Tamiflu in her within 24 hours so she was better pretty quickly, within a few days. I've never been a flu vaccine advocate, but I'm thinking that she just may get it next year. This crap was miserable. Especially having it back to back. 

She went to the dentist for the first time a few weeks ago and LOVED it. We have an amazing dentist. Seriously. They were all so surprised that it was her first time because of how well she did. They all loved her because of course she had to put on a show for them. 

She thought it was pretty much the coolest thing ever. The dentist said her teeth were perfect (take that all you people who said the paci would ruin her teeth!) and she had no cavities. She is already ready to go back and is counting down til Sept.

We went shopping over the weekend because I pulled out my capris from last year and they are all way too big(victory!). This is good and bad. Good because I'm losing weight, bad for the bank account and the fact that I hate shopping. Like I loathe it. I can't ever find anything that I like. Everything I saw was floral, I guess that's the "in" thing right now. I don't do flowery crap. I just don't. Brandon has better fashion sense than I do when it comes to my clothes and he will be coming with me next time. My shopping trip for me turned into Miss E getting 3 new pairs of shoes and 2 new tops. To justify it, she really did need new shoes bc her feet went from an 8 to a 9.5 like overnight what the crap???. I also have to build up her spring/summer wardrobe because none of her 3T stuff fits from last year. She is all the way in 4's and we can even shop some from the girls department at Target now. 

It was also St. Patrick's Day and since we are pretty Irish, we had to wear our green!

She spotted the Easter bunny on the way out of the mall and had to go visit...

This is her first visit with the bunny and her recent one. Sigh...when did my girl get so big??

And finally, yesterday at dance the girls got their recital costumes. The girls loved trying them on and running around in them. 

They are doing a tap number to The Little Mermaid's Under The Sea. These costumes are way better quality than the cheapo ones at our old studio. That made me pretty happy. She may wear that sucker for Halloween for what it cost. No kidding. 

My last update is...you guessed it...my weight. I know I usually only do the once a month update, but the rate I'm going keeping up my blog, I may forget to actually update it. But the good news is that I am down 17.8 lbs!! My weight loss is slowing down some scale wise, but I'm gaining muscle and I'm seeing the change in my body shape. If you're trying to lose weight and change your body shape, LIFT WEIGHTS. No joke. You'll lose weight doing only cardio, but you'll see the real change when you add weights into your routine. I've switched up my routine and I'm seeing the pay off and I love it! I'll go more in depth with all that when I do my monthly check in. I marked a reminder in my phone, so it will get done!