Singer is off to "Puppy Kindergarten"

Singer will attend his first puppy kindergarten class this evening:-) I am so excited...and know that he will do very well. He is a smart boy! I am going to try to get some pics...but not sure I will be able to.....going to be busy getting trained myself. Hmm.....I will probably need more training then Singer. LOL Isn't that usually how it works??

Weekly Menu 3/28/11

It's been a while since I posted a weekly menu. I have realized since I quit posting I am not as good at cooking all week. Posting a menu really helps me stay on track with our meals. With all of the changes that will be taking place in our diet...I have decided to start posting weekly menus again:-) I still have quite a bit of food that will not be in our diet once the full transition is made...but for now...we have to make due and eat what's in the kitchen:-) By next week we should be on track with our new "heart healthy" diet:-)

Monday: Meatloaf, green beans, black eyed peas, rolls

Tuesday: Grilled BBQ Chicken, peas, small baked potatoes

Wednesday: Salmon, roasted broccoli, brown rice, salad

Thursday: Grilled Chicken salad

Friday: leftovers ( I am having a sister night....the boys will have to take care of themselves)

Sat: Chicken Quesadillas with black beans, corn and a tomato/avocado salad (having some good friends over for dinner that night)

Sunday: Pork sliders on wheat buns...with cabbage/tomato salad and baked chips

You never know what tomorrow might bring..........

Wow...it's amazing how quickly life can change.

Joel went to the doctor last week because I had been nagging him to go get a physical....just to get checked out...I mean we aren't getting any younger...and I don't know that he had ever been to a doctor "just to get checked out". So, he decided to go and we were surprised by the outcome.

We found out that Joel has really bad heart disease. He is only 32 years old....so it was kid of a shock to us. He does have family history of heart problems...so I am really glad he went to get checked out and we found out about this now. Later might have been too late!

Long story short the doctor made it very clear to Joel how sick he is...and that it's time to make some major changes in life or he might now be around much longer:-(

It scared me when I first heard the news...but now....it's just a push to get healthy and stay healthy so that we can someday see our grandchildren:-)

It's been a week since Joel met with the doctor and he has done a WONDERFUL job at making progress in the right direction of saving his heart:-) He lost 7 pounds in just one week!

If you watch my food blog....the posts are about to change A LOT! I have been doing a lot of research and getting information from friends...etc... Joel and I are both ready to make a 100% change in our diet to get his heart healthy and to help mine stay that way! It sucks that something like this has to happen to really push you to make the change....but it did. I am just glad we found now.

This is just another chapter in our life that we will pull through together!

Singer 12 weeks old!

Singer is growing like a weed:-) He is now 12 weeks old and weighs 33 pounds! He is such a sweetheart and we are so glad to have him as a new member of our family! He is a just perfect!!!

Day 23 - 30 Day Challenge

Today was my free day....but I was still pretty good:-)

Day 22 - 30 Day Challenge

Today was a good day! I met all of my goals:-) GO ME!!!!!

Day 21 - WEEK 3 - 30 Day Challenge

Well....I am moving back in the right direction...but not enough! I lost one pund this week. It's because I haven't been working out like I should be. I have one more week in this 30 Day Challenge....we will see what the final outsome is:-) All in all I am proud of myself. I have made a lot of changes over the past few weeks! Still need to make some more...and I will be good to go!

Day 19 & 20 - 30 Day Challenge

Well, I am slacking on the blogging part for sure...but doing pretty good with my challenge. I haven't been working out as much as I would like....but have been doing very well in all of the other areas:-) I am just going to keep on truckin'

Day 18 - 30 Day Challenge

Ok...today wasn't bad either! I did have two little scoops of ice cream while watching a movie with T-man...but that's it:-) Enjoyed a great walk with my family as well! Looking forward to another good day tomorrow....and hopefully some good results this weekend! We shall see!

Day 17 - 30 Day Challenge

Today was a great day!!! I plan to keep it up!!!!

Day 16 - 30 Day Challenge

I did ok today....eating good...getting back on track!

Day 15 - 30 Day Challenge

Today was a "FREE" day and I enjoyed it with my friend Stacey shopping. Tonight I am going on a date with my hubby...and get to wear one of my new outfits!!

I am going to work really hard the next two weeks....I want more results!!!!!

Day 14 WEEK 2 - 30 Day Challenge

Well....I am back to 160....I gained the 2 pounds back. I am really not suprised because I slacked way too much this week. I have 2 more weeks to make a difference....I CAN DO THIS!!!!!

Method Laundry Soap...Greener????

Have you ever tried this stuff?? It's supposed to be better for the environment...and work really well. I bought some today and will let you know what I think of it. I LOVE the small bottle....the one that does 25 loads is $7.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond....and I had a 20% off coupon:-)

Here is some info on it:

Our high-powered, plant-based formula is made using 95% natural and renewable ingredients. it's readily biodegradable and non-toxic in use, for skin-friendly clean clothes. curious? we're completely transparent about our ingredients, so check them out for yourself.
thanks to our ultra concentrated formula, we could design a teeny package that requires less energy to produce and creates less waste. our bottle uses over 36% less plastic compared to traditional 2x detergents and 50% of that comes from recycled plastics.
the result? meet the world's first Cradle to CradleCM certified laundry detergent, thanks to its comprehensive green design. and like other method products, it's recognized by the US EPA's DfE program for its safer chemistry.

Day 13 - 30 Day Challenge

Today was a good one!!!! I am back on track!! Whoooo Hoooo. Yoga was awesome!!! I ate good portions....and treated myself to about 1/2 of a small vanilla shake this evening:-) I feel good! Looking forward to another great day!

Breakfast: toast and oatmeal
Lunch: 1/2 piece of pizza
Dinner: The other 1/2 piece of pizza
Dessert: 1/2 milk shake
Drank all my water!! More then 8 cups today!
No snacks today
No soda


LIFE IS GOOD!

A REAL Chicago Style Deep Dish....YUM!

Joel LOVES deep dish pizza's. We have been trying to find "the place" to get a real deep dish. After trying lots of pizza places close to our new house we have FINALLY found "our" Pizza place:-) It's called The Chicago Corner. It's a little whole in the wall place in Arlington...close to our house. The pizza takes 45 minutes to cook...we will order ahead of time next time we go...but this time it was worth the wait! It was DELICIOUS!!!! The cheese and meat is in the middle and the sauce is on top....YUM!!!

The people that were sitting in the booth behing us said it looked good...so we gave them a peice of it....they loved it too. It was also their first time at the restaraunt. It's nice to meet good people. We had good converstation with them too:-)

If you live in the Dallas area...and will make the drive to Alrington....you will love this deep dish!

http://www.thechicagocorner.com/index.html

Day 12 - 30 Day Challenge

I totally blew it today...ugh! That's ok...I will get up tomorrow and start all over again. I can do this! I have such a hard time staying motivated. I want it just as badly as I did the day I started this...but staying motivated is really tough.

"Summer 2009"

Here is another page I did a while back and forgot about:-) We took Haley and Brenden to the Great Wolf Lodge in the summer of 2009 and they had a BLAST!!!!!!!! Joel had just as much fun being a kid as they did:-) That is a really cool place...the kids were almost too old to really enjoy it...so I am glad we took them when we did!

"Girls Night Out"

It's been too long since I scrapped...and I have decided to get back into it. It's something that I LOVE and have TONS of pics to use....just need to make the time. Today I took a vacation day....got a few things done and then decided to take some time for myself:-) I put this page together. I like the way it turned out:-) It's just a start to lots more pages!!!! I am super excited!!!

Lady Gaga - Monster Ball 2011

Last night Thomas went to his first "big" concert. I really wanted to go...but I guess it's not cool to take your Mom to a concert at 14 huh? Darn:-( I love Lady Gaga! He took his friend Azaria and they had a great time. Thomas said it was the best night of his life!

Gosh, I remember going to concerts at that age...and it was the coolest thing to do,....so much fun! I am glad he was able to go. Some said it might be a little wild...but Thomas said it was fine. He isn't a baby anymore...so I knew he could handle it. You can't keep your kids sheltered too long!

They had a freaking blast and are now proud to call themselves "little monsters" LOL!

I love that boy!

Day 11 - 30 Day Challenge

I didn't do well with my portions at supper...but other then that today was a good day!!!

Day 10 - 30 Day Challenge

It's getting better...hoping for a good result at the end of the week. I feel good today!!!!

Day 9 - 30 Day Challenge

I did ok today.....still slacking in the working out department though. I worked around the house all day...and was sweating my butt off....does that count?? I am doing good with my water...eating...portions...etc:-)

Spring Forward!!

I LOVE Spring. It is by far my favorite time of the year:-) I really love it when we can move our clocks forward! There is nothing worse then leaving for work when it's dark outside...and getting home...and it's dark outside:-( I like to do stuff after I get home from work! NOW WE CAN!!! The weather is nice.....the days are long.....it doesn't get much better:-)

This will be my first Spring in our new house:-) I look forward to it! I really enjoy taking care of the yard...plating new flowers....and enjoying time out on the patio:-)

Day 8 - 30 Day Challange

Day 8 I took my FREE day for the week! I still wasn't too bad though:-) I ate a few things I should not have...and didn't work out....but drank all of my water....portions....vitamin.....breakfast....no sweets....:-) Not too bad!

Day 7 - WEEK ONE - 30 Day Challenge

I didn't make it to Yoga ....but I did everything else....I also weight myslef for the first week progress...and even though I got off track a little...I still did ok! I lost 2 pounds...and hope to see that number continue to drop over the next 3 weeks!

I am now at 158
I worked really hard on watching what I ate and controlling my portions. I was almost religous about drinking 8 cups of water a day and getting lots of sleep! I ate breakfast every day...didn't have ONE soda...and NO sweets!

I am going to work really hard on meeting my goals with working out this week...and see what type of progress I have as of next "weigh in" time....in 7 more days!!

LET'S SEE!!!! I am pumped:-) It's always nice to see some type of progress....even if it's a little...it's a little in the right direction:-)

Power Thought of the Day

I listen with love to my body's messages

My body is always working toward optimum health. My body wants to be whole and healthy. I cooperate and become healthy, whole, and complete.

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Day 6 - 30 Day Challenge

Today was another rough day for me....I stayed on track with most things....but am not working out tonight....and ate more then I should have for supper:-( I will start fresh tomorrow morning....can't be perfect right? I knew that the exercise would be the hardest part for me. At the end of the day sometimes I am so drained...and sometimes I feel great. The past few days I have been soooo drained. We have a lot going on right now....it's got me a little stressed. But, you have to keep pushing! I still have 24 days to make a change!!!! I will do my first weigh in day after tomorrow. I hope my slip for the past few days doesn't keep me from seeing any progress:-(.....We shall see!

Day 5 - 30 Day Challenge

Well...today was just ok. I was really drained by the end of the day and didn't make it to work out. Other then that I did ok:-)

Going to get back on track tomorrow....after a good nights rest:-)

Breakfast: cereal
Lunch: salad
Snack: Granola bar
Dinner: Ramen Noodles...I know that is NO KIND of dinner...but like I said....I was drained...and just ready to crashout.

"The Hunger Games"

So...this is about all my son has been talking about for the past few months. He keeps telling me that I should really read this series "The Hunger Games".

Thomas is really into sci-fi stuff...and way out there kind of fiction stuff...so I didn't think I would really like it. I don't usually like the same stuff he does. He kept insisting that I at least try it...so I finally did a few night ago.

I am only 3-4 chapters in....and I really like it. It helps that Thomas has kind of filled me in on the basics...but overall...so far it's easy to follow...and keeps you wanting more:-) I really like that in a book.

It's a series of 3 books...and I am not a very fast reader...but I will let you know what I think of it once I am done with all three books.
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Synopsis

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival.

Wish List

Do you have a wish list? I started one a few months ago and it's growing rather quickly! There are so many things that I want to have one day. It's full of little stuff...not big, crazy, over the top stuff. I pick it up and look over it every once in a while and it pushes me to work hard so that I can have it all!! A lot of it is stuff for the house...and some of it is just silly stuff that I want:-)

It feels good to check things off the list when I save up for them and am able to buy them! Even some of the smallest things. I have been wanting a running jacket and running capri's for a while now....so I put them on my wish list....found the ones I wanted....saved for them....and got them! They didn't cost much....but buying a new house...having kiddos....and lots of bills....I have to put EVERYTHING in the "budget".

I know the day will come that I don't have to be so strict with my money....but until then...I enjoy the little things.....that's what life is about...the little things:-)

Next on my wish list.....a new pair of slippers:-)

Day 4 - 30 Day Challenge

Great day!! I met EVERY goal on my list!! Whoooot Whooot. It feels good!!! Yoga was awesome...and drinking all of this water makes me feel so good! It's not easy to eat small portions...but today was easier then yesterday...so hopefully it will keep getting easier!

Time for book....then bed! I am pooped:-)

Weekly Goals 3-7-11

1. Stick with the 30 Day Challenge
2. Work on scrap page
3. Read every night!!!
4. Get up earlier


It's going to be a great week!!! I can feel it:-)

Weekly Goal Results 2-28-11

1. Yoga/Jogging 3-4 times this week - YES!!
2. Vitamins - YES!!
3. Eat healthy and pay attention to portions - YES!!
4. Do a scrap page - No
5. Finish Prayer box - NO
6. Keep up with laundry!!!! - Somewhat
7. Make time to read every night this week. - Yes!
8. One on one time with T-Man - Yes, had a great day with him Sat...went to our favorite place for lunch...then to a movie that evening:-)
9. Nails and Toes - Not yet
10. Start working on designing the office space:-)- Yes, it's going to look awesome!

Day 3 - 30 Day Challenge

Day 3:

I did great today!!!!

Breakfast: 2 pieces of bacon, toast and 1 egg
Lunch: Chicken nachos (very small portion)
Snacks: carrots, granola bar, 8 cups of water
Dinner: spaghetti and one roll (small portion)

Exercise: 30 minute jog

I feel good today:-) Looking forward to seeing some results soon!!!

Day 2 - 30 Day Challenge

Today I took my "free" day. I allow myself one "free" day a week that I can do what I want. I did still manage to drink all of my water...take my vitamins and go to Yoga!! But, I also went to a movie with T-man and ate popcorn and had a cherry icee...YUM!

Day 1 - 30 Day Challenge

Today was the first day of my challenge. I did really well! I hope I can keep it up for 30 days!

Breakfast: toast with a little butter
Drank 8 glasses of water!
Took my vitamin
Going to bed early
Snacks: Peanut butter and crackers/yogurt covered raisins
Dinner: Grilled Chicken/roasted potatoes/black eyed peas/ 1 piece of bread
NO EXERCISE TODAY :-(

I am looking forward to a great 30 days!!!

One of the girls at work decided to do this with me...so I have some competition! YAY! Whoever loses the most weight at the end of the 30 days will buy the other lunch:-)

30 DAY CHALLENGE

I am giving myself a 30 day challenge to see if I can break this slump and make some changes in my life. This is the health portion of my challenge. We will see how this goes...and maybe I will do another challenge after this for other areas of my life. I always like a good challenge. I wish is was against someone else instead of myself...I can be pretty competitive:)


I will post daily about how the challenge is going. I think I will enjoy what I want for dinner tonight:-)
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30 Day Challenge

I am going to set up a challenge for myself and see how I do. I need to make some changes in my life and sometimes that is easier said then done. We all get so caught up in the “norm” that it’s hard to change! I will be the first to admit I am horrible at it. I like things a certain way and I don’t like making an effort to change them….I just want the end result….but not have to put in the effort. I assume a lot of us are like that.

My biggest challenge is losing the weight that I want to lose and staying motivated to exercise. My current weight is 160. I want to ultimately be at 140…but know I have to take it one step at a time.

Below are the changes I will make for 30 days straight. If I stick with it…maybe….just maybe…. I will get closer to reaching my goal!!!!

1. Drink at least 8 cups of water a day!
2. Exercise every day in some way! EVERY DAY! NO QUESTIONS ASKED…even if it’s just a walk…every day!
3. NO SODAS AT ALL (this one will be easy)
4. Only 1 cup of coffee a day (NO MORE)
5. 8 hours of sleep every night
6. Only snack on fruits and veggies ……no bad snacking
7. Small portions for dinner
8. Eat a healthy breakfast EVERY MORNING!
9. NO Sweets!
10. Daily vitamins

11. Allow yourself one day a week to enjoy yourself...and break the rules:-) You need some freedom! LOL

Amazing how much your views change as you get older:-)

Wow...it's amazing how songs have totally different meanings as you get older. I love this song...always have. I heard it on the way home from work today and it hit me in a different way then it use to.

I fell in love with my high school sweetheart and we became pregnant when I was 16 years old. My Mom and Dad told me he wasn't the one for me...and that he would be a "walk away joe". Funny how different I felt then. You could have NEVER convinced me that he would be anything more then a loving husband and father. Even when things were bad I still new that he would change:-) Of course my parents were right and me and my high school sweetheart haven't been together for years and he also chose to never be a part of our sons life. So sad....but it's true:-(

Now I am at a point in my life where I see my son with the same thoughts. Not getting a girl prego or anything...but he thinks he knows everything about life. I finally realized that there are some things you just have to let your kids find out for themselves...because nothing you do will make them see it....nothing.

One good thing came out of a sad story and that is my son. On October 7, 1996 I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! I haven't always been the perfect mother...but I have grown as a mom so much since I was 17. I live my life every day to do nothing more then love and raise him and help him turn out to be the best man he can be:-) He is my world and has turned out to be a wonderful young man and is absolutely perfect to me:-) I love him more then he will ever know:-)