Update! I promise to get better!

I have fallen off the blogging wagon!! I have got to get better!We are in the swing of things with homeschooling now! I am 20 weeks along with our baby BOY!!! And it's busy photography season! There is so much to catch up on, but for the moment I will just say that Life is Good!And thanks for checking on me Anna-Lou! :-)

A funny conversation

I'm not much of a texter, but my little sis and I were chatting a bit the other night, here's our conversation that shows that we are both pregnant and a little spazy...

sis: Did you see the show about celebrity nanny school??

me:No! I was busy eating in the kitchen.

sis: Come bring me food! I'm so hungry but everything here is g-ross and we have no food.

me: I just ate 2 bowls of Pops cereal... I don't even like Pops cereal. Need a donut.

sis: haha mmmm. donut sounds good.

That's it.... ugh. now I need a donut.

Pregnancy Induced Irritations....

I find that throughout each of my pregnancies there are things that really bug me. Smells... oh my word... the SMELLS! Here's just a few smells that I can not stand right now:

-my own deodorant (why? I don't know.)

-pee, as in one drop of "miss the toilet" pee from one of my sons

- Most food, the list is too long

-seafood are at the grocery store

Another weird irritation... all things electronic! HA! Like cell phones, tv's, computers, they all bug me right now. As I type, I'm getting queasy. I'll have to quit soon. What is with that??

BUT, let me say this: I am honored to be pregnant. I'm overjoyed to carry this little one for 9 months (more like ten, but who's counting?) I am always humbled when I look at my children and know that there are women out there who would gladly endure anything just to carry a sweet little life. So, while my irritations seem to overcome me momentarily, I am blessed.

A little announcement...

I love their little hearts and minds

We're house hunting right now, we need a home. It's been a frustrating and not so fun journey. However, we KNOW that God has the right home for us and we are excited about what He has in store for us. Through the stress, it's nice to hear things like this from my kiddos:

O (my oldest): "Mom, I'm going to make a bunch of money. I'll make tons so Dad can be home for like 50 years! Wouldn't that be nice mom? No work for Daddy for like 50 years?! .... Is that a long time mom? Or is that little like nap time?"

"Mom, can we give this house to someone who needs it?" (referring to our little rented town home). I assured him that someone else would love our place as much as we have because it's a good home and our landlord is the nicest guy ever.

When talking to out children about house hunting and while visiting homes we've had lots of great comments! Things like,

"Mom, this house smells funny. We won't buy it if it stinks, right?"

"MOM, I HAVE to go POO POO!" (from my middle son at EVERY home because he wanted to sit on every toilet.)

"If we buy this house can we have their toys?"

"Where are the people that live in this house now gonna live?? Are they going to take our old house? We can switch, mom. That'd be nice."

Odd Confessions..

The other day I noticed that I need to exfoliate my face, but didn't have any face exfoliant... so I used foot scrub.

Sometimes I hope that my kids will be too full to finish something they're eating so that I can have it.

When I was pregnant with my oldest child, we were heading to McCalister's for lunch and my water broke... I did not obey drs orders and go straight to the hospital. I sat down and ate a giant sandwich and drank a sweet tea.

There's more, but that's all I'm telling for now.

Questions...

I am not a meat eater, hate the taste! Always have! But I'm fine with my kids eating meat, I have nothing against it. However, I hated knowing that my dad was a hunter growing up. I was always sure that the deer he brought home was Bambi's mother... so here's the latest chat with our 4 year old...

O: Mom, where does steak come from? Does it grow?

(my hub and I look at each other... I really don't want to discuss where meats come from)

me: Umm. no. It's meat, it comes from cows.

O: Like milk?

hubby: Well, not really it's...

Me:(interrupting) Yes. Like milk.

O: hmm. Well, I like steak.

Me: Good honey.

While we're waiting.....

So, life got a bit crazy. We thought we'd found a super amazing deal on a house! It was going to be awesome!!.... and then it fell apart. After much work and hope and excitement... it was not going to happen. So... moving on! We know that God has something in store for us and we're trusting that He has perfect timing for the perfect place.

But while we wait, I enjoy some things that make my time go fast. Things like this conversation that make me laugh:

Me to my 3yr old: "Hey bub, come help empty the dishes from the dishwasher."

Him: "Ok mom.... but just a minute... my buns are itchy so I'm scratching them."

Me: "..... ummm. New plan, meet me in the bathroom and let's wash hands!"

I love being a mom.

Confession

I've been a bit off the wagon lately (the eating right and being healthy wagon).

I've put on about 5-7lbs and I realize that it's not the end of the world, but for someone who has struggled to conquer the weight issue, it's a big deal.

I'm a stress eater and lately I've been eating like a crazy person, no working out and it's time to get a hold of myself!

Boy quotes from the last couple of days...

"Hey mom! I pooped as big as a dinosaur poop!"

Conversation while riding in the car:

"Mom, is this song about God?"

me: Yes it is! How did you know?

"I just know things mom."

While watching a preview for The Biggest Loser:

"Those people are unhealthy, right mom?"

Me: Right, but they're trying to get healthy! You know, mommy used to be a lot bigger and unhealthier and I had to work on it just like these people."

(little giggles...)

Me: What's so funny???

"I don't know... it's just funny mom."

"How do chickens poop and lay eggs... do they poop on the eggs? I like to eat eggs." (that one is from my middle child.... I love him.)

Me: "Sir! You are supposed to be in TIME OUT! No more talking!!"

"But MOM! I'm talking to GOD and you say that we can ALWAYS talk to God!"

(he got me there.)

moments in the car

So, we're riding in the car this morning and trying out a new cd. It's kids praise songs and the song "Jesus Loves the Little Children" comes on and we all sing along. Then it goes to, "Jesus died for all the children..." We've never sang a second verse to that song and we haven't really had an in depth conversation about Jesus actually dying. My children know that Jesus saved us all, but we've not gone into the entire history. Anyway, my middle son hears the song and says laughing, "Mom, they said "Jesus diapers all the children...haha! That's silly." My hubby and I laughed and the next song came on. A bit later, the song comes on again and my oldest said, "mom, I think they said DIED! But that's not right, Jesus is alive and lives in our hearts." My heart jumped and I was quick to confirm, "you are so right! Jesus LIVES and he's in our hearts!" And then I told him that Jesus did die to save us.... as the words roll out of my mouth I feel like time slowed down a bit. It's amazing how truth rings in our ears. Jesus DID die for us, he DID rise and he is my Lord and Savior. I loved explaining to the boys that Jesus was and is the ultimate superHero!

The moment moved on as my middle son argued that the song did indeed say that Jesus diapers all the children and that is that.

I hear you!

There are times in my life when I find myself saying, "Lord, Ican't hear you! I need you and I can't hear you!!"

I know He's there. I know He is on control. Yet, I panic when I have to be still and wait. Lately, the Lord has been answering some long awaited prayers for us and we're just about speechless by the path he's laying out for us. Down to the little things.

As I was coming home from a photo shoot the other day I found this...

The chalk drawing was made by my middle son and myself and it's a picture of Grammy... the heart shaped leaf however, was placed there by God. I find myself noticing His love notes to me. I stopped, dropped everything in my hands and was so glad to have my camera on my shoulder! I snapped this pic and smiled. I love you, Lord. Thank you for loving me so much.

Get a hold of yourself!!!

Lately my 3 year old is all about the DRAMA. I'm a lover of the arts and all things theatrical, but this kid is ridiculous! He screams and cries over silly things... he's learned to over dramatize any situation. It's exhausting and quite annoying. I find myself saying things like, "You've got to get a hold of yourself!!"

However, he's also super sweet, silly and painfully lovable.... Praise the Lord for that.

Debt... go away. You are ugly and rude.

So, here's the deal. We have debt. We've climbed some pretty big mountains and conquered a lot of it, but we're still digging our way out.

My hubs and I were talking the other night about acknowledging where we've gone wrong and what mistakes we've made. We took out way too much in student loans, lesson learned. We relied on credit to get us through some rough patches, lesson learned! We're now in a place where we take our debt very seriously and are determined to get out of it. It's preventing us from owning a home and sometimes prevents us from feeling like we can really LIVE and Breath.

We've been blessed with help along the way, we want to honor that help and those blessings by kicking some booty.

Much like when I was battling my weight, I knew that living in an unhealthy way was not what God intended for me. Living in any debt is not what God has intended for me.

It's hard to feel like we've accomplished so much and yet have a long way to go. Please come along side us with your prayers and encouragement and advice!

Sharing my Weight Loss journey.

I made some new friends recently and when they found me on facebook, they found my weight loss pics. (I went from about 230lbs to about 130 before my third child) I'm always asked "HOW?!?!"

My heart aches for those who's shoes I have been in. Overweight, unhappy, uncomfortable in their own skin. (I know not everyone feels that terrible at a heavier weight, but so many do.)

I used to feel really embarrassed and just trapped. Like I was stuck in this body that was weighing me down! (no pun intended)

So, here's the truth. You are loved. Your Heavenly Father created you and ADORES you. He did not intend for you to live an unhealthy life. It is something you CAN change.... must change. Don't waste time, DON'T.

It was eye-opening to me that I got a call from a producer of The Biggest Loser. He had seen my audition tape and wanted me to come to a final audition! I was over the moon excited!... and Horrified that I was big enough to be chosen. The kicker here is that I had just found out that I was pregnant with my first child so I could not participate. Let's fast forward, two kids and a lot of funfetti cupcakes later, I was miserable about my appearance. I had a talk with my dad and he said some things that really "clicked" for me. Here's one of them, "You've got to look at your food intake as a fuel. Your body NEEDS a certain amount of calories, too much and you've flooded the system (or packed on fat), too little and you can not function properly." So simple. I was "flooding my engine" all day every day. No wonder I felt like poo.

I read one day about how terrible pop is for you (we've all heard it a hundred times). Regular pop is full of calories and so much other crap! Diet is horrible for you! Artificial everything, tries to fool your body, it's just bad. B-A-D!! So, stop drinking it. NOW. This was the first change I made. This was my bottom line, I would not drink pop. None. No matter what else I failed on, this was my one "NO WAY". And you know what, it does something to you. You think more about your choices knowing that you're making one great choice.

So, at over 200lbs I began to get serious. I bought a heart monitor (BEST MONEY I HAVE EVER SPENT). I did the math! Calories in, vs Calories out! Do the math people! You will be stunned by the calories you're intaking. I was one of those people who SWORE that I did not sit around eating junk all day! We have fooled ourselves. We're consuming too much of the WRONG food. Portions are not optional, you have to figure them out. (which is not hard, just kind of annoying)

I went on a 1200 calorie diet and went to the gym everyday for awhile. It's so important to establish a HABIT. You don't have to kill yourself at the gym (or doing a workout at home). I said to myself, "Self, you WILL burn 500 calories before you leave this gym!" And I did. In less than an hour. (I got even more efficient and burned about 600 calories in an hour)

Don't waste your gym time, kick some booty. Get in, worked it hard and get out.

I know I have so much more information to give, but I did want to tell you all that it IS possible, It IS necessary. Don't waste any more time. And please let me just say that motivation is so so so over-rated! It's commitment. You go. Don't feel motivated? Too bad, go anyway. That's how this works.

My Best Friend and I, we've been a good support and enco

uragement for each other!

One of my least favorite pics of all time! LOL....

Wanna be SUPER

mom!

A pic from today (April 10th, 2011)

sliding down a dirt hill with my baby girl,

PLAY!

I love to play. I love pretending with my kids, making up fun stories, creating another world. Sometimes it's hard to slow down and just PLAY. Today we played A LOT! We had cousins here and played our hearts out!

We built a fort:

We also did some serious snacking and running, chalk time... on and on. Fun day! And now mine are passed out from all the fun!

Toilet Paper Foul...

I checked on my 3 year old in the bathroom. He was blowing his nose with all his might while sitting on the toilet. I was about to leave and give him a minute to finish his business, when I realized he was going to wipe his little rump with the same tissue that he was using to blow his nose!

"Oh, Yuck! Wait honey! You can't do that."

He says, "Mom... it's toilet paper!"

True.... but no.

Listen to your kids... they know what they're talking about.

P-man (my 3year old) asked in the car today,

"Does Jesus love me?"

My hubby and I grinned at each other. "Oh Yes!!! Yes he does!" I said.

Daddy said, "So, so much buddy. Jesus loves you."

Later while driving home he randomly asked, "Mom, does God talk?"

I said, "Yes! He does buddy! And you can talk to him anytime, anywhere!"

A bit ago after nap my little guy came out and said, "mom, Jesus love me. You know that?"

Love it.

The faith and sincerity of a child blows me away! The ability to view things in black and white. Truth. It's beautiful. Lord, help me see as my children do!

^{Matthew 18:2-6}

² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. ⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

My mom is cooler than Martha Stewart... for real.

I called my mom one day and was telling her about all these super cute crochet hats that I see in infant photography pics. LOVE them, but they're expensive! Especially to buy several of them. So I ask her if she can make one. "I don't know, I will try." She says... and then she BLOWS me away with making the CUTEST hats you've ever seen! Here are just a couple! Mom, you are AMAZING!!! Thank you for my first crochet lesson today and for being so willing to dive into helping your daughters with whatever we feel passionate about!!

This photo session got me thinking!

J&A engagement photo:

I had an engagement session today with a gorgeous couple. Young, beautiful and so in love! It reminded me of what it felt like to be engaged and the excitement! You know that time in life where you feel like you're floating in a bubble! A love bubble that only the two of you live in?? It also reminded me of the advice we got... some good, some bad. I remember people saying that the first year is awful, so much to adjust to, so difficult. We were constantly warned about getting married young... "can't you wait till you get done with college?!" "You're just so young! It will be hard!"

It scared me... not enough to wait on marrying the love of my life, but still! I remember a guy cracking jokes about how all the romance and fun is gone the minute you get married and even worse when you have kids. Some of the worst advice we got was from people from church and fellow believers. I think people's intentions are good... hopefully.

But the truth is this: (and I told this to J&A from the photo session) It DOESN'T HAVE to be that way. Marriage is tough, it's also AMAZING!! It's fun and silly and intimate and romantic (yes even after kids people!) It's sweet and safe and should be kept that way.

So, my advice to J&A is this, Seek your Heavenly Father, seek him FIRST. Share the love you have for the Lord with each other, passionately! Be kind (even when you argue... I'm not good at this but I want to be), LAUGH whenever you can, every day. Write each other love notes, even when he/she is only in the next room.

And tell those who want to give you their marriage horror stories to stay out of your love bubble!!! Just make sure that you include the Lord in there too! (that way no one can pop it!)

Mrs. Dash... more like Mrs. Dumb

Here's the deal. I've tried to give up the coffee..... I was not successful... I'm a little sensitive about it so let's move on. I was making a tasty cup of coffee the other day, added my creamer and added a bit of cinnamon.... only it wasn't cinnamon. It was mrs dash chicken seasoning. Holy Moly that was gross. Lesson learned. Keep the cinnamon with the coffee, not with the spices.

Following a Passion for Photography

So, you know when you get to that crossroads with something in your life and you need to either DIVE in or move on? (sounded better than "poo or get off the pot")

I love photography. LOVE it. More than my love for the camera (and all that I can do with it) is my LOVE for blessing people with it. To make getting family photos done an enjoyable experience, fun even! To play with little ones and photograph them being kids!! To allow a nursing mom to take time to nurse her baby between shots, no stress, no time constraint.

I see people differently than most do. I mean literally. I SEE people in a beautiful way. And my hope is to capture that person and give them a glimpse of their beauty.

So, my problem is the diving in! Finally setting up a website, figuring out some prices, things like that. I'm getting there! It's just hard to put yourself out there for everyone to judge, but hopefully to love and appreciate. I continue to learn everyday. That's one of the things I enjoy most about photography.

I'm diving in... I think! ;-)

Miscommunication

So when my boys (and their cousins) say the word girl, it comes out GRIL (as in grill) so when we were at a restaurant the other day my middle boy was trying to decide what to order. When the waiter came to us I said, "Hey! How about a grilled cheese sandwich?" To which he replied, "MOM! I don't want gril food, I want boy food!"

I tried to explain the difference... he gave up understanding and said, "ok, ok. I'll eat a gril sandwich!"

I love him.

Do you know what SHHHH means???

There are times when I'm on the phone or having a conversation and I will gently shush my children. Then there are times when I not so gently, "SSSSHHHH!!!" Especially when they are saying something or are about to say something that may sound offensive to some one. Like when a neighbor was over at our home and was staying to chat for a .... looong time and my kids were waiting to run errands with me and my oldest is saying, "Ok... BYE! ... Goodbye!" (all while waving in this person's face). Or when at the store a very large woman on a motorized cart was passing by and my child starts to say, "MOM! Can she not walk??"

Soooo... I had to laugh when I heard my boys chatting and my oldest said to my other son, "Can you please SSSHHH?? Do you know what SHHH means???!" It was an excellent impression of me. Big eyes, vein popping out on the forehead, SHHHH!!

Motherhood is like a mirror. Right there in your face.

HAHA!

Keep your cash, Mommy.

I love my kids. They are so funny. I could blog on things that are said in this house about every half an hour!

Recently my mother in law bought the kids some play food and the pretending is in full swing! We've been playing restaurant a lot lately and while ordering my meal (cheesecake with extra cheese LOL), I asked, "how much do I owe you sir?" to which my 4 year old said (in a very serious voice), "Oh no. You can keep your cash in my restaurant, Mommy."

I thought that was so sweet. What I loved more was about 5 minutes later my hubby ordered his food and my son said, "That'll be $50 dad." HAHA! Moms eat free!

Well... that's true.

My boys are obsessed with making robots out of their trio blocks they got for Christmas. Every morning they dump them all out and get busy building.

So, they were building as usual when my 3 year old came running into the kitchen to tell me, "mom, come see my robot! He gots a 'peenuss'!!"

I did my best to laugh on the inside.... I said, "well... that's true. Although, I don't think robots have a penis." He said, "oh. That's funny." He removed the unnecessary part and building went back to usual. Oh, I love boys.

6 AM Photoshoot....

What am I wearing? haha!

Oh, Motherhood. You are fabulous.

Caffeine... (might as well be crack)

I've become a pretty healthy eater. I fight it everyday, but usually I win! Today begins a day of no caffeine... ugh.

I'm having trouble with endometriosis and one of the suggestions is to give up caffeine because of the negative effects it has on your body. (especially women and hormones)

I love coffee. Love it. Love it. Love it.

This morning I made my decaff... not the same. However, still tasty. It wasn't until about 1pm today that I realized I may die from lack of caffeine.

My head is pounding, I feel fatigued, and I can't believe how much I've depended on caffeine to help get through the day!

I will keep you posted... some people say that when they gave up caffeine they got energy like you wouldn't believe. If they are lying I am going to personally hunt them each down.

So, here goes nothing.

You better get happy in the same pants you got mad in!

I have a lot of favorite quotes from my dad. I may have to do several blogs to cover my favorites! For today, "You better get happy in the same pants you got mad in!" is my go-to quote.

I've been struggling lately with not feeling well, which makes me grumpy. We had a doctors appointment today and it left us with some decisions, but the point is, I'm going to be wearing "these pants" for awhile and I may as well be happy in them. :-)

If you can't say nothin' nice....

I've been in a bit of a funk lately. I'm having a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on many things lately.

However, I do know that God is in control. So, life goes on and the kids make me laugh several times a day! You can't beat that.

Hibernation...

So, my kids love the PBS Cat in the Hat cartoon. It's very cute! They did one recently about bears and hibernation. The bear ate and ate, burped and ate some more to get ready to hibernate. Later that day I was making dinner and munching on food as I cooked. My middle kid, P came in and said, "Hey mom, are you going to hibernate?" I said, "ummm. no."

He then asked with all sincerity, "Then why are you eating and eating?"

I put my food down.

Where did all the Girliness come from???

I was sure that I would have all boys. I was good with that! I love boys! I love the roughness, the naughtiness, the bravery, and so on.

So, when we went for a sonogram with our 3rd pregnancy I was floored when the tech said, "That is definitely a baby girl!" It's not that I was sad, just stunned. Then my husband leaned down and whispered, "That's it. You're homeschooling." HAHA! He was already having visions of our little beauty and the boy trouble to come.

So, here she is. One year old and just about the girliest little thing you've ever seen. She's dainty, she's sassy, and she's fabulous.

I love her.

Can it get any more girlie than checking your weight? ;-)

Ummm. akward.

My oldest boy, we call him O, is so sweet. He used to be extremely shy and nervous. He's got a huge heart and loves people so much. For the last few months he has made sure to smooch just about everyone he is around. The problem is that he will smooch you anywhere. If you have your hands full or your heading out the door, there's a good chance that you're gonna get a kiss right on your rump. He has no idea that people may find that weird. I've tried to explain that it's more common to give people a kiss on the cheek, but he says, "Well, MOM then it's not really a suprise!" True. It does seem to be quite the surprise to get a kiss on the booty. My sister, Farm Chick says to leave him alone! She said, "He's little and sweet! Leave him alone!" I, on the other hand, am tired of feeling embarrassed when people look at me like, "what are you teaching this kid?"

My hubby thinks it's funny that he generally kisses his hand. As O reached for daddy's hand and smooched his knuckles, my husband said "I feel like I'm in a russian Mafia!"

Sweet. Man we are cool.

Surely they're exaggerating...

So before I became a mom I remember hearing things from parents that I thought could not possibly be true, I thought they must be exaggerating when they said things like:

I was up ALL night with our little one.... I now know this to be true.

I even had it in my hair! ("It" can be whatever you imagine) and yes... this is true.

One time I even read a quote from a mom saying that she finds it depressing that after her baby, when she's goes to sleep on her side her tummy now lays next to her like a small pet.... *sigh*... this one is proven true. (If you're one of those freakos who leaves the hospital wearing your skinny jeans then please stop reading and slap yourself for me.)

I'm just constantly amazed at motherhood. It's exhausting and sometimes smelly. It's also the most beautiful thing in all the world. I thank my Heavenly Father for allowing me to be a mom.

My SUPERMAN and his Birthday

My hubby's birthday is this week and it makes me want to sing and dance! He is AMAZING. He loves me. Like for real. Loves me when I'm grouchy, when I'm not looking so hot, when I'm being a nut... doesn't matter. He loves me. All the time. He's my best friend, my prince charming.

He is an amazing father. Like the kind of guy who plays superheros for hours, chases them when he's exhausted, plays tea party with our little girl, and loves them unconditionally.
He's crazy Hot too. Gets more attractive to me by the minute. I love his strong arms, beautiful eyes and pretty much everything else! And he's all mine! ;-)

So hubby, Happy Birthday. It's one of the best days of the whole year. I literally praise God for the day you were born and the man that you are. I love you more than I can say.

You smooch your babies with that mouth?

Ok so as a mom I am sensitive to what people say around my little ones. I'm likely to reach for soap if you have a potty mouth in front of my bunch! But another thing that makes me crazy is how people talk about their children, in front of their children!

I was shopping with all three kiddos a week or so ago and a woman with one kiddo said, "You must be brave to take all three kids shopping by yourself!!" I replied that although it can be difficult, I am proud of my kids and their general good manners. She went on to tell me all about what a nightmare it is to shop with her kid and how awful he can be.... Lady, you're kid is listening to you... every word. As you are ranting and raving about how awful he is, he's standing there patiently. I believe that kid has much better manners than you seem to have.

We all need to vent about our lives, but not in front of the little ears that God has given us. It was a reminder to me to watch what I say all the time. I remember my mom talking to another mom one time. The woman said, "THREE teenagers?!?! What's that like?!" and my mom said something like, "It's wonderful." That left a major impression on me. Thanks for that mom.

skunk?

So, my middle kiddo has some serious tummy issues. He decided long ago that he is not a fan of pooping and he just won't do it anymore. He got some wisdom from my oldest a while back, "Brother, I know it's not fun to poop. No one likes it, but you have to do it. So, just go."

Our Dr. suggested some fiber gummies.... it's working great except for the horrible side effect of having the worst gas on earth! He's decided that to save himself a little embarrassment he'll just blame it on the skunk. You know, the imaginary one that smells so bad that we need to open the windows. Poor kid... poor me.

My mom always said, "trash in, trash out"

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23

I am very careful about what my kids see, hear and do. I want to protect their little hearts and minds. I'm their mom, that's my job. My sis and I had a conversation a while back about how you can't "un-see" or "un-hear" things so it's better to take our time when it comes to exposing our kids to things. My oldest has a very sensitive heart and my middle is not one who enjoys being scared. (I don't either!!) No tv show is considered totally safe to me. I don't turn on cartoons and walk away. I am responsible for what they hear and see! It's my job to protect them!

So, why don't I censor what I see and hear? I don't go around looking for trash to view, but I don't tend to shut off the tv if something comes on.... GUARD YOUR HEART, FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FLOWS FROM IT. It's time for me to set my mind upon things that are GOOD, PURE. Things that have real value, not just entertainment. I love movies, I love getting lost in a good movie or show, but I need to ask myself, "Am I guarding my heart?"

One of my kids' favorite songs is one my mom taught me years ago,

"Oh, Be careful little eyes what you see! Oh, Be careful little eyes what you see! For the Father up above is looking down with love, so be careful little eyes what you see!"

It goes on to do, "Be careful little mouth what you say", "Be careful little ears what you hear" and so on.

I know that I tend to be more calm, more patient, more "Supermom" if I am spending time with the Lord and setting my heart and mind on Him.

Talking to a cupcake

If you know me, you know that I have struggled with weight. I have been well over 200lbs and down to about 128lbs. Currently I'm about 135. The big issue isn't the scale though, it's the battle with the food. It's the wanting to eat anything and everything till I'm stuffed to the brim!

I love cupcakes. I had a conversation with a cupcake right before I began my journey to lose 75lbs, it went something like this...

"I have a problem. I am too attached to you, cupcake. I can't eat just one of you, I have to eat 6. That is unhealthy and wrong. You're going to have to find someone else to pick on because I'm done. Don't even try to smell good or look tasty. It's over. I know you're made of funfetti goodness, but I deserve better."

This was me that day... enjoying one last cupcake binge. yuck.

I really want to encourage you if you're struggling. Make a change. NOW. Don't wait till a monday or the first of a new month, don't wait for anything. I'm talking to myself right now too. I've gotten really relaxed about things lately and it's time to get a hold of myself! Come along with me peeps!

Trapped inside!!

We are getting creative. It's too cold to play outside, we don't have money to go to crazy places, and we are feeling BORED and Trapped inside! My hubby and I got quite a workout yesterday pulling the kids around on a blanket! We also worked together to make a hammock and swing them around. They had a blast, my arms are sore!

What's that smell?

Ok so if you know my oldest son, you know that his unfortunate super power is SMELL. He can smell anything that stinks for miles around. I had to share my favorite smell story.

I took the kids to Dillons to get several things and decided to go by the bakery area to look at the goodies. Apparently, it was too close to the seafood. My son said, "mom, it smells bad over here. REALLY bad. We gotta get outta here!" I took him very seriously because he also has a super gag reflex. Before I could even look at the donut I had my eye on he puked... a lot... everywhere. All over the floor smack dab in the middle of the bakery at Dillons. Ugh.

He then started to cry out of embarrassment and frustration so I scooped him up, squeezed him with a "mom" hug and then got out the wipes from my bag. I cleaned up as fast as I could (all the while listening to more gagging and threatening to puke more) and then we ran outta there! My oldest was sad, the second was angry (he wanted a donut as badly as I did) and I was laughing to myself about fun story I would get to share.

Weaning.... or not.

Isn't it funny how God helps us grow? Before I was a mom I remember saying a lot of things like, "Well, I'd never let my kids do that!" or "I'll never do this or that!"

One thing I used to always say was that I would not be nursing my kids till a year and I certainly wouldn't nurse any longer than that! My first baby had issues with a milk allergy and I got so nervous about everything that I switched to formula at 6 months. (I know now that there are things I could have done, but it's ok!)

Then came baby #2. I remember our pediatrician asking if I was only nursing and was pleased when I said yes, the benefits are HUGE. I was so glad that I was nursing when at 2 weeks old, my little spiderman got RSV and was hospitalized. It was horrible. There just are no words to describe that experience and the understanding that babies die from this virus. My little man was probably the only baby in history to actually gain weight during this trauma! I attributed that to the frequent nursing and apparently the very high calorie milk that I make! HAHA! My boys are big boys and by the time they're 9 months old they look like they're a year! They also both walked at about 10months so I was afraid of looking like I was nursing my babies well beyond the necessary time!

Anyway, he nursed till right about one year and it was lovely. Here I am with my baby girl, she's 13months old and shows no signs of wanting to wean. She is so little and sweet and such a mama's girl. Although I am so ready to have my body back to myself for a while, I am counting my blessings that I can nurse my babies and that it has been an amazing experience. I know that not all mommy's get to experience it.

So, I certainly feel like every time I say, "I will Never....." then inevitably it will happen. So, just to put this out there, "I'll never be a millionaire who lives on my own private island!"

Elastic... my love.

Ok so I have had three beautiful children and although pregnancy can be hard, I loved it. I loved bonding with my babies as they grew, feeling their kicks and movements. It's a beautiful thing. Here's the thing though. I really really love maternity pants. Oh the freedom!!

Maternity pants have ruined me for life. I hate jeans now. I find them restricting, annoying and dumb. So, imagine my joy when I saw these....

https://www.pajamajeans.com/flare/next

Don't hate. I'm gettin' some. When you run into me at the store or wherever, you can judge. Thing is though, I'll be comfortable and happy. You will not be... and you have to unbutton those jeans of yours just to pee. Not me, not in my new fabulous pajama jeans. Aaahhhh.

My husband doesn't know that he's buying me these yet.... I figure this is ok since he won't let me buy the adult footie pajamas....

Really... too busy to say Hi????

My four year old is sweet. He's tender-hearted and genuinely LOVES everyone. It's possible he's even inherited my "MUST HUG EVERYONE" disease. Anyway, when we're at the store or anywhere for that matter, he tells EVERYONE near him, "Hi!" Usually followed by his name, age and any other information he can think of. (which is why I have not taught him our home address yet, LOL)

So, it PEEVES me when people ignore him. Seriously, lady are you so busy choosing your new nail color that you can't give him a smile or a wave? It always shocks me how many people walk right past his smiling, friendly face and go on about their day. It's hard explaining to a kid why some people are too busy to say hi. Or too busy to give a quick smile.

On the other side, I love the people who not only say hello, but take the time to SEE him. Maybe shake his hand (which an older man did the other day and he's still talking about it), sometimes people are so happy to talk that eventually I have to say, "It was so nice meeting you! We better get going!" Although, truth be told, usually I could stand there and talk as long as we can. I love people. My kids love people. Jesus loves you, just so you know... even if you're a snotty looking lady who doesn't think children should be allowed in the grocery store. I love you anyway and some day there is a good chance that I'm going to tackle you, snuggle you and help you pick out your nail polish.... because I love you.... so there.

Confession

I started my day off with some very good intentions. Had my coffee, a protein bar.... and then things went down hill. My hubs brought home pizza from my favorite place and I said to myslef, "Self, I know you love this pizza, but we have to have some control here. Two pieces is sufficient. Let's do that."

After that little pep talk.... 5 pieces. FIVE people. Who does that? I just watched Biggest Loser last night and was feeling so very excited about getting back on the wagon. Frick. (my main word for all things that make me mad)

Here's to doing better at dinner...

Wait. The truth is I did have 5.... but I also had about another half that my son did not finish. That's embarrassing. Frick.

Caged Animals

Ok so it's freakin' freezin' outside. We're stuck inside. My children have not been out much lately and now ones got a cold so we're really stuck. I don't usually get cabin fever, but lately this house is crazy! The boys are literally bouncing off the walls! (well, if it's literally it's more like smacking into the wall and falling)Anyway, it's like being stuck in a cage with wild monkeys! I do pretty good at finding fun things to do. We've built forts, danced to music, lots of art, etc. Yet we're losing it! Time to get OUT!!!

Mom Hands

I was doing the dishes this evening and turned to put a dish in the dishwasher, my 4yr old reached up to wash his hands and yelped! "Mom! That is way too hot!" I remembered that same scenario when I was a kid. I used to think there was something wrong with my mom's hands that she could stand the water that hot! I believe I just earned a mom medal of some sort... cool.

Freakin' Food

For those who know me well, you know I dubbed the name RockStar from my sisters and friends by losing about 75lbs... I had my third kiddo and gained a lot of that back... now I've lost it again! Woo hoo! The problem is that I lately I've been slipping. I like to eat. I like it a lot.

I'm currently on a quest to eat more naturally, but somewhere along the way I forgot that you can't eat 100lbs of food every day (even natural foods) and still lose or maintain your weight. It's a daily struggle for me.

I'm asking God to help me continue on the healthy life journey. If I'm gonna be a Supermom, I can't be running out of breath every time I chase a kid or... you know, stand up. ugh. 

Who doesn't have a blog?!

I've been trying to decide if I want to start my own blog or not. When I found out that you can use your blogs to create a scrapbook, I knew it was GO time. I am not sure that I have anything spectacular to share, but hopefully I will make you laugh every now and then! 

My life is always changing and I feel like God is constantly teaching me to grow and change into the woman I want to be. I have three kiddos: Superman is 4, Spiderman is 3 and Supergirl is 1 year old. They are pretty much the cutest kids ever made... no really. 

So here's my first post of many to come. Nice to meet you. ;-)