Decorating

I've been working on the "MIND" aspect of my fitness lately. After moving into a new home and dealing with Christmas, my mind is pooped! But I still have so much to do, so I keep on trucking.

I am going to be writing a post about my New Years resolutions that include all aspects in my blog description. I am pretty excited about it. I've been thinking about it over the past week, I'm getting excited for 2010!

For now, I just wanted to post some pictures that I like and will be taking from to decorate our house. I am not going to copy any ONE picture, but there are things I like about each one.

I LOVE the simple elegance of this room. I like the bright colors contrasting with the dark brown/black. I light the light walls, use of a rug, and the mirror.


I am not into coastal decorating, but I love the color of this room. It's like a light tan with a hint of green. I love the wood tones and want to bring the same colors into our living room.


I love the color combination here. Again the light colors with dark accents of wood. I love the frames.


I like the idea of fun furniture. I would like to do two small chairs with some awesome fabric.

Again I love the colors here. The light walls and fun colors.

I love this room as well. My favorite part is the curtains. I want to have some awesome colors in my curtains that reflect the style in the room, not just complement it.

picture found here

This is so cool! The headboard is wallpapered! I am so doing this in our bedroom. I am also going to do this as a frame in our living room. I am going to make it huge and then place one or more frames inside it. It's such a cool design idea, I'm excited to try it.

I decided that I am going to have a budget of $100 for decorating a month. (This excludes big pieces like an entertainment center and a TV, I have to say this or Jared will make me stick to it! :) I think that this will help me from overspending in one month and work harder to find good deals. I'm so excited!!

The first thing I want to do is paint. I decided that I am going to do a light tan that you can see in most of these pictures. I can't decide if I want an accent wall or not. After painting, I will focus on the entryway. It is so long, and it needs to be inviting first. So I am going to put a shoeshelf/case thing in there, decorate above it, and then put pictures of us before marriage, our engagement, wedding, over the years, baby... and then I am pretty sure Ryan will take over the rest. There will be lots of places left for other little ones that enter our lives. I am thinking about doing empty frames (with something cool in it showing that it's supposed to be there) along the rest of the wall. I'd like to also put in a LONG hallway rug and finish the 1/2 bathroom. I think just the hallway is going to take up 2 months budget, unless I am super awesome and get good deals!

Anyway I am excited for this journey and I hope you're excited to enjoy it with me! :)

What a deal!

Trying to stick with the "Provident Living" mindset, I bought all of Ryan's next batch of clothes second hand. The DI and kid-to-kid here in Provo were awful so one day last week I made the trip up to Sandy to go to the DI and kid-to-kid there. I totally scored some awesome clothes!

I got 2 pairs of pajamas (bummed because I was hoping for more), but I got each of them for a dollar, 7 shirts, 5 pairs of pants ALL for the grand total of $29!!! Most of these things are brand name too! Most people spend that much or more on ONE outfit. I am so happy I was able to get all these awesome clothes for such a good deal. If only clothes shopping were that easy for me! :)

Christmas Holiday

I LOVE this time of year. I am sure most people can agree. There is nothing better than singing christmas songs and thinking of what to get for your family and friends and serving those who are in need. I definitely need to do better in that department. This holiday is about the birth of Jesus Christ and it's so easy to get caught up on the material aspect of it, which is okay! as long as you're remembering to be Christlike as well.

I haven't been very good at posting lately, because I've been super busy with moving. I'm actually halted right now in unpacking because I am working on some Christmas presents that are taking up a TON of my time. I am so excited to post about these after Christmas. Let me just say, it is definitely great for the fitness of my mind. Although, it has a lot to do with Ryan and my patience is wearing thin! Let me just say I LOVE when daddy comes home!

Another thing I wanted to write about was a lesson we had in Church last Sunday. It was on Provident Living. It was a check point lesson, so we missed the first one, but it still was a good reminder on what I want in my life. Life is definitely not about the material things we possess or how other people view us. There are so many things I think I need for my new home, and I just have to put my brain on hold and wait until our credit cards are paid off and money is saved to buy those things. Why is it so easy to say "I'll just charge it?" I HATE being in debt, and with car debt, student debt, and credit card debt, I feel like we are up to our eyeballs in it. BUT I want to decorate my house into a home. I want a piano. I want a new SLR camera so I can try to become a photographer (and make money to pay it off, which is my excuse if I do end up getting it.) I want to go on a cruise for our 5 year anniversary. I want a new dining room set. I want a new bedroom set. I want to buy Ryan more babylegs.

These are definitely all WANTS, but they aren't going to make me feel better about life. In the end, I'm always going to want something. Isn't it better to be able to afford the things you want? I can't wait until we are at that point, where we've saved and consciously worked toward these things. My goal is to have all our credit card debt paid off by Ryan's birthday, and then save for an SLR camera for my birthday. In between all of that, I am going to do the cheap things that will make this house mine, like painting and making my own decorations that will cost a fraction of what I would buy in a store. It will be quite the trip, but hopefully it will be fun. Debt-free freedom, here we come!

I have learned a lot about myself physically, but that's a new post for ya. Until then...

Finished!

OK - I totally have learned another lesson. If something doesn't work perfectly, it still can work. :)

I actually am in love with this cover. It's got the cutest monkey print that is perfect for my little monkey! It isn't what I wanted exactly, but it works. I think I fell in love with it when I first used it as a cart cover. The place for the legs isn't where I would love for them to be, but it works! That's the point right?! So I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

First, what I did was put one fabric over the carseat and then just pinned along where I thought I should cut. Second, I cut it. Then I placed this fabric over the other one and pinned and cut. This is where the mistakes came, but I worked through them with only SOME unstitching. After I sewed the outsides I cut the middle and just guessed on what I thought would work.

One thing I learned is that if you want to have elastic in a double sided thing like this, you have to sew the outside partially, turn it right side out, then sew a place for the elastic to go. You can't sew it before you turn it right side out. Well you can, but I don't think it will look as good. :)

I am not going to go through all the details on how I made it, but if you would like me to, please leave a comment and I will put in a more thorough post about it. For now, I just wanted to express how happy I am that it is done and how cute it is!

I LOVE this inside. It is so soft and such a pretty rich color. I am happy I did it this way, so when I have a girl, I can use this side and just add some pink/purple if I want. Or if one side gets really dirty, I can just turn it around.

I added the ribbons so it could tie to the sides and be used as a blanket that can't get kicked off. I tried it with Ryan and it didn't really work very well. That's okay. It works awesome as a cover for the car seat (which we won't use since he would freak out, next baby!), cart for the store, and restaurant infant seats. It doesn't fit perfectly, but it does it's job and keeps my cute baby from touching all the grossy stuff that can be out there. I love it!

And here are some cute pictures of Ryan using it at Costco. He was super tired so because I had the cover I was able to lay him down and keep him really comfortable. I think he loves it, too! :)

Learning Experiences

I haven't finished my little project yet, I am planning on it today, but I just wanted to say what an experience it has been. I tried it out without it being finished and it doesn't work that well. I think I have WAY too much fabric for it to be stretchy. I've learned that if you are going to do a sewing project, try it out with crappy fabric and not the cute stuff you bought. I feel like it was a waste of time and $25 so it would've been better for me to just buy it. I haven't tried it in the cart yet, I am really nervous, but I will try it today and let you know. I am going to post pictures in my next post. Hopefully the toys I make with the scraps turn out MUCH better! :)

Failure?

I know nothing about sewing. Nothing! I might as well go and put my head in the sand, because this is embarrassing. I have spent more time undoing things than actually getting something done. Ah!!! Since I am making a double sided cover, it is much more difficult to do. It would be SO easy to do just one side.

1st mistake: Sew all the sides together. I started sewing a 1/2 inch inside for the elastic when I realized that would look funny. Then I realized there was no way for me to get it right side out.

2nd mistake: I am trying to figure out what I want to do with the middle (so the feet can stick out in the cart) and realized that I put the ribbon (to tie on the car seat so it stays as a blanket) on wrong. When I turn the cover right side out the ribbon will still be inside. More unstitching! So frustrating. (Edited to add: I can just cut the ribbon! It's on the inside so who cares! See why I shouldn't be doing this... haha!)

Maybe I am not cut out to be a crafty person. Seriously, my mind is having a hard time wrapping around what steps I should take. Oh well. Still better than spending 40 bucks on a new one, right? RIGHT? I hope so... we shall see.

So I walked, and walked, and walked, and walked...

AND walked today. :)

Ryan was almost asleep by the end. It felt great. I really do like walking. I realized I really like exercise that takes no prep and hardly anything to clean up either. I am not so sweaty that I HAVE to shower right then, which makes it nice when other things come up. It's so warm right now, that I am out there. Hopefully, I won't let the mommy worries get me from going when it gets colder!

My mind was wandering today about how trials make us come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. As we have these trials, we look to them for strength or just some arms to wrap around us and hold us when we weep. They understand everything we have been through and will go through, because Christ has gone through it already for us. I was just thinking about how I haven't had any really hard trials in a while and maybe that's why I am not as close as I'd like to be. But then I realized that I need to be going to them for much more than the really hard trials. There are small trials we face everyday that can affect us in the long run.

I constantly question myself as a mother and wife. I know that I can be better and stronger and happier with who I am, if I lean on them. I can do this by prayer and studying scriptures, or like I said, read the Ensign. Another thing that really helps me study and grow closer to Heavenly Father is journaling. I haven't done this besides blogging for a really long time. I was pretty consistent at it when I was dating Jared (and what great memories those are to read!) I feel bad that I haven't done much about motherhood and how it really feels. This is why I am glad I have this blog, because it will help with that.

So what I have decided to do is to ASK Heavenly Father to help me with something at least once a week. I can even ask Him to help me with getting in the habit of good eating and exercise. I can ask Him to help me be a better mother, as well as giving myself the time I need to be a person. Some of these things may seem silly, but they help us grow either way so I am sure that I will get the help if I truly ask for it. It will be an interesting experiment, for sure! We'll see how it goes.

Maintaining

Since it got colder, I've been kind of in a rut. I say that we can't go outside to walk, but I know that we probably could AND even if we couldn't, I have things I could do inside. I think I am just in a rut. I want to be healthy, but I also am becoming more okay with my weight and body. Maybe part of me is getting used to being a mom and an adult.

I don't look at pictures of me in High School and wish I were that skinny any more (okay, that's a lie... part of me does say that!) But mostly, I see me as a young girl and now I'm a woman. I have the hips, flabby skin, stretch marks, and much more to prove it.

My problem is that I can pretty much eat what I want and maintain my weight of about 140. If I cut out a lot of bad carbs and sweets, I don't see too much of a difference. How much weight do you lose just by doing this, and how long does it take? Is the only way for me to lose weight, exercise? Maybe I should do some research. That way I can know how much I need to exercise, how long, and what results I can see from it.

Anyway, that's where I am at right now. I feel like if I do anything, it's not going to show, so why bother? But I know it's an overall health issue that will be with me for the rest of my life. The Halloween candy gets thrown out tonight! :)

On a brighter note, I realized that instead of just reading scriptures to help me with feeling the spirit everyday, I remembered there is a church magazine! The Ensign! If I read one or two articles a day, this would definitely help. I was so excited to realize this. I used to read the Ensign cover to cover and it's been probably 2-3 years since I've done that, even though we have been subscribers the entire time. There are so many great articles and good ideas to build me up and in turn, help me be a better daughter of God and follower of Christ. I'm excited to start doing this.

Also, I've bought stuff to make a carseat blanket/cart cover. I have nothing to copy to make it. It's just an idea ripped off of a lot of other ideas. I want to get it done this week, so we'll see how it goes. Hopefully I get it done, and it looks awesome!

I Want To Be Crafty!

OK, I know it's WAY late! I have the flu, (I think it's just the regular one!) and slept a ton today. So naturally I am loving my time to be awake without having to take care of Ryan's every need. I read my friend, Jill's, blog where she made a crafty cover for her daughter's car seat. She works full time, has two girls, is/was the primary president, so where did she get her time to make that? It looked WAY good, too!

I just wonder if I can be doing things like this or for myself while Ryan is awake. I don't have to be doing something to help him grow at every time of the day. Right? I don't know. I feel like I should only reserve "me" time for naps, and let's face it, when I need a nap, there isn't much time!

I think when Jared gets paid on the 1st, I am going out and buying the stuff to make my own car seat cover thingy. I am going to get it done no matter what. (In addition to the million scrapbook pages I need to make!)

How do you guys get "me" time in? I just feel so guilty. I feel like the time I do spend with him isn't even that good, so how do I shorten it and still feel happy about the mother I am. Please any suggestion would be helpful. Thanks!!!

Now I Know...

...to never plan anything on the day of getting a massage. OR if I get one, to get it in the afternoon or evening.

I had one by my friend, an old co-worker at PCS who needed some more hours, and it was AMAZING!!! I am always needing a massage! She did such a good job, and I was so relaxed and calm all day. I didn't even care to get anything done.

When we got home, Ryan had had two short naps so I laid down with him for a long one. We slept for 2 1/2 hours! We woke up at like 5 pm! This is why this is being posted after midnight. :) I didn't care though. It was nice and relaxing. We did end up going to the grocery store, and I worked, but that was it!

On a good note, Renee (who did my massage) suggested walking at the mall so it would be warm. I live pretty close, but I do like the easiness of going outside. If I have to drive to the mall and then walk, I might not be as good about doing it. We'll see. Or I could just revisit Wii Active while Ryan crawls around. I'm going to have to play it by hear and hopefully something sticks as well as walking did. If only I started it MONTHS ago! Oh well, you can only control the present, and even then your control is limited. :)

Monday Blues

Body Fitness

Last Monday was great and I got so much stuff done. I had the same expectations for today. In fact, I was looking forward to Monday the whole weekend! I kind of give myself a break in being so scheduled to get stuff done and go with the flow. It was weird after a week of not wasting a moment to not be doing anything in particular! I was excited to get back to it!

Then Monday came. I admit I went to bed WAY too late last night. This made me be extra tired when 7:00 am came and Ryan wanted to eat. Jared also went into work late because he slept in. I almost couldn't get on with my day because he was still in bed. Seeing him lay there in that nice warm bed made me so jealous! So as soon as Ryan's nap came, guess what I did? Yep took a nap!

He napped too short and ended up crying a ton, so I brought him into my bed and we napped together. We ended up napping for 2 1/2 hours! Yikes! We had some carpet cleaners come today (since Ryan is a crawling machine now) and I had to do a bunch with that. While they were cleaning though, I took Ryan for a nice walk. We walked down to the elementary school to go play on the swings and slide (it was such nice weather!) and when we got there I saw the kids. The first thing that went through my mind was what holiday was it that kids were out of school?! When I remembered, it WAS a school and of course there were kids there! haha! So we turned around and walked back. This actually was a little bit longer of a walk than normal. I didn't power walk, but it was nice.

This and showering were the only things I did today. Yay for showering!! :) I didn't read scriptures or scrapbook. And really the walking was a fluke. If it wasn't for the cleaners, I wouldn't have gone. But it's okay! I don't mind. It just felt like a Monday where you don't want to do anything. But tomorrow will be better!

I want to get a heart rate monitor for my walks. I haven't done any really good research yet, but I was talking to my brother and he said that it's a certain heart rate when you're walking you want to achieve to burn fat. I like this idea a lot! Doing this will be so much easier and since it is easier I will be more likely to go walking! I think eventually I'll be more fit to run. Especially when I'm used to the walks in my schedule so I won't skip out on exercising.

Also - how cold is TOO cold to take your baby on a walk with you in the morning, or even during the day? Are there stroller carriers to keep baby warm? I really love the idea of going in the mornings. It stinks that it's turning winter though!

GOAL: Go walking everyday! Time the walks to be at least 30 minutes. Try to get in other body work outs like sit ups/push ups. See what works best.

Soul Fitness

Jared and I went to the temple on Saturday. It was so amazing. I learned much more than I ever have. I have been the longing wife lately. You know, "My husband never does anything nice just because and I totally deserve it so why doesn't he do it. Yeah he does stuff I ask him and he tells me he loves me, but why can't he just call out of the blue and say he loves me or send me flowers or do something special!!!" This was me last week. Men are Men. And I had a boyfriend who was the romantic type and did make me feel that special feeling, but he also treated me like crap! So which is better? I would definitely take the typical man that really takes care of me and I know he loves me with all his heart over the romantic.

Anyway, there was a part in the temple where I realized what my role is in this marriage. It isn't about just doing everything for Jared or giving giving giving of my time and, well, everything. There is a purpose to my role. Realizing this purpose has been the best thing that has happened to me in a long time in our marriage. Don't get me wrong, I still nag and find things to be mad about; I'm a woman. :) But I am choosing what I need to bring up and making sure I support Jared and help him realize his purpose in this life as well. It was such a wonderful feeling!

We are going to try and go to the temple once a month. We were planning on going to the Draper Temple, but they don't have rental clothes and my dress doesn't fit and Jared doesn't have pants or a tie. I'd like to get these things soon. Maybe they'll be Christmas presents!! :) We ended up going to the Jordan River Temple. It was amazing how small the group was for the session. I guess having two new temples open up has decreased numbers a ton! I sat by an older lady, probably 45-55, and she was so sweet. She had the sweetest smile and when I sat down after a certain part, she held my chair down and patted my hand. I love that! I love feeling like we are a heavenly family. It's really weird, but when there are these small sessions a lot of people won't sit next to each other. You find your typical one chair in between each person. This is typical of me... but since I am wanting to be less shy and more outgoing and friendly (let's face it, shy people can seem really rude!) I sat down next to this woman. Even though I know nothing about her, I felt love and friendship from her. It was a great feeling. I hope I can be more like her.

GOAL: Try to be the type of person that makes it to the Celestial Kingdom. I really don't feel like I am keeping my covenants enough to go there. I need to be more like Christ, and I am really trying to do that. I really think this will make me happier and my family happier and better off as well.

Mind Fitness

I did another page for scrapbooking over the weekend. I used my new stuff I've had for awhile. I don't LOVE how it looks so I am going to try and do more stuff to it.

Goal: Do a ton more pages and get ready to paint the entertainment center. (I may need advice on this!! :)

Over all - it was a good weekend and a good day. I am stoked for this week, and I hope I can keep my goals and keep doing great!

Morning Walks

I decided that our walk yesterday was so much fun that I'd like to do it in the morning when it's cooler. It's so quiet and peaceful. Except for all the dogs barking! haha. I take my mom's dog with me and I'm sure that doesn't help with the barking dogs. Ryan seems to like the walks and I like it a lot more than running. Eventually I think I'd like to get a jogging stroller. If any one has one they'd like to sell or let me borrow until I can buy one, let me know! :D

Here is a cute picture of Ryan on our walk this morning.



I did my best to get some scrapbooking in. Ryan woke up early from his nap so I didn't get as much done as I wanted, but I wanted to show that I did make an effort! Here is the page I finished today.


I did everything I needed to do today, and wanted to do. Ryan kept himself busy today with trying to crawl. Pretty soon, I am not going to be able to put him on the floor while I do some other things quick. I wonder how it would go for working out. Maybe it's time to get a playpen to put him in for 20 minutes.

Anyway, things are going great! Now I just need to keep it up. I'll post next on Monday with my goals for that week. Thanks for reading!

Substitutions

Today my goal was to not take a nap so I could get everything I needed to do done. Well when nap time came around, I longed to lay in bed with Ryan and sleep. I love sleeping with my little baby. I kept going back and forth whether I should do what I am supposed to or follow my longing for a nap with my bubs. You wanna know what I did? I compromised.

In my compromise, I substituted running on a treadmill for taking Ryan for a walk. We have a HUGE travel system stroller, which is pretty heavy, and I figured that could be my exercise. Power walking burns more calories than running, right? Please correct me if I'm wrong. I did double our normal walk, took the dog, walked as fast as I could and walked the hills in stride. I was definitely panting in some parts and got home sweating. Ryan had a blast being outside, so two birds, one stone. My compromise worked!

Taking a nap also meant I didn't get my scripture studying in. To fix this I substituted reading the mail to Ryan with reading my scriptures to Ryan. It sounded really funny saying it out loud and reading TO Ryan. I felt like I was screaming Repentance to him. I had to stop and tell him that it wasn't directly to him because little babies are perfect in every way. I know that he can't understand it, but reading is good for your baby no matter what it is. It will be hilarious if he starts talking scripture language. He will be like Stewie from Family Guy. Scary!

I just love to read at least one chapter because it gives me reminders of how I want to be. I want to be a good person. The end of Moroni practically screams Charity! Charity! Charity! As of right now, I don't think I can make it to the Celestial Kingdom. For the past three years, my heart hasn't been in the right place when it comes to service and charity. I want to be kinder and more friendly. I am extremely shy and meeting people (new or acquaintances) scares the crap out of me! Visiting Teaching scares me. The thought of calling up someone I don't know to set up an appointment or be partnered with to set up appointments scares me so bad. I have always wanted a partner who was very active in calling people themselves and would let me only do it once or twice. This never happened and what resulted was a lot of women never being visit taught. I know I missed out on a lot of great friends. Hopefully this studying and trying to be more like Christ will help me step out of my bubble of comfortability and not only enrich my life, but others as well.

I still haven't gotten around to scrapbooking. I am going to do it tomorrow though. I WANT/NEED to do it tomorrow. I'll even post what I make. This way I am accountable. :)

Today was great, because my day didn't go as planned. It was okay, because I changed things around to do what I wanted and still be successful. Thinking ahead makes a big difference. I am sure that is what I will have to do to get some FUN scrapbooking in!! :)

Priorities

What are your priorities?

I think that it would be best if I write them down and refer to them everyday. Let's face it, as a mom, I am not going to get everything done everyday. Monday was a complete fluke, right? So if something doesn't go a certain way, what things do I need to let go?

This is really hard for me, because I see so much that HAS to be done everyday. I need to start being honest with myself and a priority list will help me do this.

Today, the baby woke up 45 minutes into his nap. He was pretty restless so I laid down with him to help him fall asleep. It took about 15 minutes, I think; I am not completely sure, because I fell asleep too! When I take these naps, this totally kills the full completion of my "things to do" list. I was trying to see how much I could fit into his next nap. I need to be honest with myself or else things that aren't that important (Facebook and vacuuming) will get done and my fitness will slide. That is exactly what happened today. Although, I am glad I vacuumed because the little stinker is almost crawling and he needs to be able to be on the ground exploring.

I decided I would get my priorities list together for WHEN, not IF, this happens again.

1. Ryan. He will always come first. If I can incorporate my responsibilities with fun time then great!

2. Eat. As a nursing mama, it's very important that I eat a good meal and take the time to make one.

3. Shower. If I need one, and I did today, I need to take one.

4. Work. I need to be a good employee by having my work done before 4 pm.

5. Study scriptures. This only will take 15 minutes. Forget facebook or blogging if this needs to be done.

6. Physical fitness. If needs be, use Ryan as a weight.

7. Clean. Only one thing a day. If something needs to be done that day, the others can wait until tomorrow or later in the week. (Cat litter is something that usually should come first!) and this can be interchanged with #6 if there is no more underwear left!

8. Scrapbooking. Do not get on facebook or blogging unless this has been done. I need to be caught up before Ryan's 1st birthday!

When I read this, it doesn't actually look that bad or that hard. Hopefully, I don't fall asleep again with the baby. It's so much fun cuddling with him. Maybe I'll let myself do that once a week. :)

There are some things that you don't do on a daily basis that have to get done. I'd like to have those things (bills, mail, etc.) done before the baby wakes up from his first nap. Along with exercise and a shower. If I don't get the exercise done, I can read scriptures and do Wii Active with the baby when he is awake. That pushes my shower until later too, but that's okay as long as I get it done.

If you have any suggestions, or have a different list of priorities you follow, I'd love to hear them. I'm new in all this so the suggestions and reminders are wonderful! Wish me luck!

Wanted To Throw Up

Today was a great day! I went to bed early and after Ryan woke up, he ate/slept for an hour and a half, which I LOVE. Since I got such great sleep, I didn't take a nap. During Ryan's first nap, I read my scriptures AND did some running AND took a shower. :D I did this all before 11 am! I also wrote a letter to my niece Kaysi and tidied up our bedroom. I even made dinner as well! A friend of mine stopped by and we chatted for an hour. I got so much done today and it was great!

So why the title to the post? Well I ran. I put in my max speed of 5 mph. I did the fat burning mode where it makes you walk and every two minutes it goes up a speed. I ran for two minutes at 5 mph. After it was over and went down to 4.5 mph, I hopped off to get a drink of water. That is when the fun sensation hit. I couldn't run any more. Did this happen because I didn't cool down and just hopped off? I don't remember this happening when I started running back in May. I think tomorrow I will make my max speed 4.5 mph. Hopefully, tomorrow I will also wake up with sore legs. Even though I quit, I still ran for 11 minutes. That's pretty good in my book!

Reading scriptures was nice. I decided that I haven't read D&C since 9th grade, so I'd start there. Before I went to it though, I wanted to read Moroni. I have such a respect for Mormon and Moroni. I can't imagine living the way they did and having such strong faith. These men knew that this life is just a small moment compared to eternity. I want to remember that often. When I'm thinking about how I need all these worldly things and I wish we just had more money, I have to sit back and realize these are just things. They will not help me get to the celestial kingdom or bring me closer to Christ. There are so many good people in the world and the church. They see things in an eternal perspective and don't waver. I am so thankful for their examples. I need to focus on how my marriage is and rearing my child the right way. Anyway, I am just amazed at Mormon and Moroni's strength and love for us. It definitely builds me up to read their words.

I don't know if I'll be posting everyday, but I was excited that I actually met my goal today. It was fun and I'm happy that I did it. I also got my facebooking and blogging in! So somehow I made time. Yay!

Changes

I guess it's pretty obvious that fitness has taken a back seat in my life. Right now my excuse is I am waiting until we move so I can feel more scheduled. But when we move, we won't have a treadmill in our home, so I am sure more excuses will come.

One thing that has been really inhibiting me is the amount of sleep I get. It's like you go go go all day long with the kid that when he goes down to bed, you just want you time. Going to bed is the end of you time and the beginning of go go go all day long. I seriously get like 4-5 hours of sleep a night. I have ALWAYS needed at least 8 hours. Why am I doing this to myself?

So my schedule is usually like this: Wake up at 6ish am, yes when it's still dark outside and Jared is still in bed and the rest of the house is quiet, feed Ryan and hope hope hope he falls back asleep for at least another hour. Some times I get this, lately I don't. Then I get up with him, let him play while I eat breakfast and be a zombie since I only had 4 hours of sleep. Once he's tired we both take a nap for about 1 1/2-2 hours. Then we get up, play, eat solids, get dressed, play some more. Then he goes down for a nap and I get my 2 hours of me time. I try to shower during this time, but let's be honest, I'd rather not. I may stink, but it takes so much time to shower and who do I have to be beautiful for? lol. I also am working for my sister-in-law and during this time I have to work for about a half hour. I am also addicted to social networking sites such as facebook, reading babycenter.com, and reading other people's blogs. So I must do a little of that. Then Ryan wakes up and we usually do something outside like errands, I get home and then make dinner, he goes down for a short nap, Jared gets home, we spend time as a family, get Ryan ready for bed around 8:30 pm he goes down, and then I have to work about 2 hours. So did you get that? I have about 2 hours of my day that I get to spend some time on me. So after I do my two hours of work, I usually end around 10:30-11 pm, I have to do some more me time. Some times this me time goes well until 2:30 in the morning. Then I go to bed and just lay there listening to Jared snore for about 45 minutes. My favorite part is when Ryan wakes up and I get to do the whole thing over again.

I DON'T want this to be my life. There are so many things that I want to do. Exercising is one of them! I also have so many projects I want to start for my new place, but "I don't have time." What a load of crock, huh? I want to start reading and studying scriptures. I used to do it all the time and I felt so uplifted. I want to be a better daughter of God, serving others and being a good wife and mother to my family. I want to volunteer and give of my time (that I apparently don't have). I can't do all these things unless I get some things straight in my life.

I have lots of friends and family who are into healthy living and fitness. I read their blogs every time they post and they have helped me a lot. I haven't started, but it gets me thinking. My friend Ashley has a dieting blog and one of her posts was about working out with baby and doing it is for them as well as for you. Another friend, Lauren, recently started working out almost everyday and schedules her day around her work out. My cousin who has a fitness blog called Fit Me Pink, Robyn, does the same thing. My cousin Lyenna also has a blog where she talks about her fitness endeavors and it helps me a lot. My friend Emily loves to run and writes about her marathons, yes marathons!, on her blog. These women all have children and the same responsibilities I have, and probably even more. I have got to stop being so lazy and start living my life.

Robyn does a lot of running and talks about her experiences on her blog. Just recently she did the Ragnar Relay in Las Vegas. She hasn't written about it yet, but I can't wait to see what she writes. She is so inspiring. I realized that if I want to make running be a habit, I need to set more goals than just weight goals or time goals. I need to have a goal on my calendar. I need to sign myself up for a race. This scares me to death. But I will probably get Jared to do it with me, since he wants to get more fit, too. I don't even know where to find out about races or how to train for one, but I am sure I can find out through comments or the World Wide Web. (I love these quick answers at our fingertips at home!) Once I sign up, I can't back out. This will help me do it. I am also competitive so hopefully this will make me work harder so I don't come in last place! :)

Anyway, I have a goal in mind, and I want to thank all of my cousins and friends for inspiring me to be a better me. I know I have it in me and the reminders everyday or here and there really do make a difference. You are all amazing and hopefully one day I can do the same for others.

Update

So Michelle was wondering how I am doing. Let me just say, I'm maintaining. Not horrible right?! :)

My schedule has been really full and exercising has gotten to the bottom of my to do list. I really wish I could find the time though. The only time I can think of is in the morning before Ryan gets up, but lately he has been only sleeping for 5 hours and I feed him and then he wakes up in another 3-4 hours, and I am still so tired. I think that rest is as necessary as exercise is. So really right now I am just struggling to find the time in my day for exercise. I can't neglect Ryan or my work so after making dinner, eating, and if I'm lucky, showering, there just isn't much time! :) I'm working on it though. When I find a balance, I will gladly post about it!

Another thing that has been getting in my way is sweets. I just LOVE sweets! I try not to buy them, but if I am somewhere like a party, I can't have just one. I have to have two or three of each kind! I think my mindset lately has been that it won't hurt me, I just won't lose any weight. So I really am going to try better this week. I can say no, there is no reason to take it. If I have to think about eating it, then I shouldn't eat it at all. I still have a treat once a day, but once and a small treat will be fine.

On a positive note, I am still eating healthy when it comes to drinking only water and eating whole grains instead of white bread. If I have the option of low-fat, I take it. I think this is really helping, but it's the sweets that are setting me back. (Every time I say sweets I think of the chocolate cake my grandma had wednesday night. I had two pieces and it was SO good. Even though it's good, it's not helping me get to my goal. I just need to remember that). I thought this was my positive section? :) We can be so hard on ourselves, huh?

Anyway, that's the update. I know I can work on the sweets and I am trying to work out my schedule to include exercising. This week I will work on a plan and report on it next week. Thanks Michelle for checking up on me! love ya!

Wii Active

I haven't been exercising for like a week and a half. Jared asked if I planned on using the Wii Active game again. At first, I was like, it was so hard! Then I remembered why I quit it in the first place. I can't do it because I exercise when Ryan is napping and he sleeps right below where I would play the game. It is extremely loud in our bedroom underneath. That was my reason for running instead. So I feel bad I am not really using it, but I will start it up again once we move. For now, I need to keep on running.

Also, I just wanted to point out that I may be under my prepregnancy weight, but technically I think I have lost more fat than that. See I am breastfeeding and these things are HUGE. If they were normal size, then I would probably see more of a drop on the scale. :) Just thought I'd point that out. :)

Weight Lost

I weighed myself today and I am at 139! This is awesome, but I am not sure how I did it. I took a break from exercising and eating completely healthy this last week and decided to start fresh today. (I didn't start today either. Just too tired! I need to make sure I follow my goal of going to bed early with the baby.) Anyway, I am not sure why I lost weight, but I'll take it! :)

Also I have this way cute white maternity skirt that works for when you're 6 months pregnant or under the belly. I was still wearing it for church and yesterday I put it on and it was too big! I was so disappointed! and then I thought, why am I disappointed?? That's a good thing right! :) It is a cute skirt though and I guess it will be another year and a half before I can wear it again. :)

Vacation = Packing on the Pounds

We went to Island Park this weekend with Jared's family and I ate horribly, exercised none, and I am sure broke every single one of my rules. Actually, I drank water mostly and only had one Fresca. Oh and maybe half a mountain dew on the way home that I am paying for because Ryan is so fussy. Anyway, I really have to get a hold on my weekends, home or on vacation. Tomorrow I am going to weigh and measure myself. Should be exciting after the weekend I had. :)

New Day 1

I am just going to make mondays my new day 1 since it is the beginning of the week and much easier to remember. With everything else going on, I am sure one less thing to remember will help!

Today was great! I planned on working out, but I couldn't find any batteries that would work in the Wii controllers. So I was way bummed that I couldn't work out. My mom has a treadmill in a back room and I didn't know what stuff it had on it. My brother suggested I just do some running outside, but I hate running outside and immediately thought of this treadmill. It has a bunch of settings, and I did the first one which is weight loss 1. It was gradually getting faster and then once you hit the middle of the time it gradually goes down. So I ran/walked for 20 minutes today and burned close to 100 calories!

Can I just say that right after having a baby, running without peeing my pants is almost impossible! Does any one else have this problem? I really, really, really should've practiced my kegels. I am definitely practicing as I am running. :)

I did well on food too. We had turkey hot dogs today and baked lays. I also drank diet root beer instead of the lemonade just for the calorie sake. Lots of fruits and veggies and only three small mini pumpkin cookies for a treat. I am sore, but very proud of myself. Tomorrow, I plan on running and then choosing my own work outs on the Active. I don't like running in place so I will just choose work outs that give me a little aerobic, but mostly help with toning. I am not sure if it has anything for abs either. If it doesn't, then I need to start doing some sit ups as well. Fun stuff! :)

I really think this blog is helping me continue. I've really changed my eating habits and have a lot of confidence that I can do this. I can be fit by September! :)

Is It Bad...

that I don't know which day it is? lol. Everything kind of went downhill after day number 2. My mom accidentally bought some Chex instead of Crispix for my brother Steven and it had a recipe for muddy buddies (or something like that) on the box. Chocolate, peanut butter, and lots of butter chex covered with powdered sugar. They are delicious and horrible for you! I also didn't find time to exercise because I was so exhausted from being up too late and having to get up early with a baby. So here is my goal for this week:

Go to bed earlier!! If I can do this, then I'll have more energy and be able to exercise instead of napping.

I really want to exercise in the mornings so instead of waiting until Ryan is asleep, I am going to try and do it while he is awake. We'll see how it goes.

I am still doing pretty good on not drinking anything, but water and getting my fruits and veggies. I just had way too many sweets this weekend though. But luckily it is a new week and I am back on track! (I hope). :)

Day 2 - 5/21/09

Today was a pretty good day. I met all of my goals so I feel pretty good about that. I did drink some orange juice, but that's still a lot healthier than fruit punch, which I am SOOOO tempted to drink! I didn't go out to eat and ate vegetables with lunch and dinner and fruit with breakfast.

I worked out the whole time for the first time today. My legs are killing me! It has you do an exercise called inline skating where you squat and then jump off these lifts. I could barely finish it. It has you do it twice, and I didn't do it the second time. So I guess I didn't do the whole thing, but I feel like I did! Yikes! I didn't realize how out of shape I am. Hopefully this will help and I can look good by September! :)

Day 1 - 5/20/09

Today was a tough day for me. I didn't get good sleep last night, which is very important in the energy department, so I'm really drained right now. I got up with all good intentions of working out. I was 5 minutes into my work out when I got a phone call from a friend from my old apartment telling me she was pregnant! It was very exciting news and anyone who's been pregnant before knows how easy it is to talk about everything pregnancy and baby. By the time we had finished talking, Ryan had woken up from his nap. He didn't even sleep an hour and normally he sleeps about 2-2 1/2 hours in his late morning nap. Ugh.

I left the game on all day so I could get to it when I had time. But Ryan never had a good nap today and I had other things I needed to do: cat litter, add pictures to print for Ryan's scrapbook (have to finish it before I go back to work), and it was Ryan's 2 month birthday today so I needed to blog about that. This pretty much took up all my free time during the day and by the time evening came I was exhausted. So I guess my fitness isn't a number one priority right now. But to be positive, I at least worked out for 5 minutes! I can even feel it in my legs. :)

Other positives for the day: Drank only water, had about 3-4 servings of fruit, 3-4 servings of veggies, and no fast food. My main goals with eating are to eat more fruit and veggies and no drinks but water, and no fast food. So in the food part of my goal, I did well today. Hopefully tomorrow goes better!

Why The Blog

I got this game for the Wii for my birthday and am so excited to use it. It is a personal trainer that I put in what I eat, exercise, and then it helps me exercise 20 minutes a day. This, combined with good eating habits, will hopefully help me reach my goal of losing 10-15 pounds by the end of the summer.

I am starting this blog to write about my progress and to sort of be accountable to someone (readers). So I will write daily about what I did that day and how I feel. I've never really been into fitness and exercise and am hoping that it won't be too difficult to get used to. The game has a 30 day challenge, and if I can finish that, I should be well on my way to being used to it.

I have always been really skinny and never tried very hard to stay that way. When I was 14, I was on the Simi Valley High School cheer squad and actually started to tone up with all the running and toning exercises that were required. In high school, I was about 110-115 lbs and a size 2-4. In college, I was much less fit and started not fitting into my clothes. I did get down to 105 my freshman year because of some emotional issues I had, but I don't think I want to lose weight that way again. :) When I got married, I was 120 and a size 5. Now I am 143.5 (5 is baby weight) and who knows what size. :) Probably an 8 or 10. I would LOVE to be 130 by the end of summer and be more tone and a size 6-8.

Here are my beginning pictures. I just need to look at these for motivation. :/



So know you know why I have this blog and what my goals are and how I am going to achieve them. Wish me luck!!