Road to the Fittest Mom

Baby don't hurt me...no more. Why yes, I am sitting here bopping my head back and forth to this amazingly hip song. In case you want to, click to enjoy: What is Love Song . Now, back to business. I was washing dishes tonight (because Chris's usual idea of "cleaning" the kitchen is to put some dishes in the dishwasher and the rest in the sink...does he think these magically get washed on their own?) and I started thinking about this song and what it's saying...what is love?? I'm getting anxious about the holidays; I always do. This is a time that should be spent relaxing and enjoy the true gift of love, Christ. Instead, I am often times wrapped up in buying gifts, volunteering at church, taking the kids to see Santa, and an endless list of other things that fill my calendar, that I forget to remember what Christmas is all about. Most often I stress over stupid family stuff...people and feelings I can't control. I stress over money and how we are go...

One of my friends recently posted this, from another person's blog so I figured I'd play along. Maybe you'll learn something about me...if you do, let me know! A. Age: 26, though my birthday is Jan 7th...I love presents. B. Bed Size: King. Once you go king, you never go back. C. Chores you hate: Cleaning the shower. UGH. I'd rather clean 50 toilets than 1 shower. D. Dogs: 1, Maddie. She is a bichon. I actually despise her and somewhat look forward to her going to heaven. She just peed on my carpet after I spent $85 to get them cleaned. E. Essential start to my day: If I have the money, a diet coke from McDonalds. Best. Thing. Ever. Best $1.09 spent. F. Favorite Color: I'm not partial to one color, I enjoy them all. Gold or Silver: Silver. I feel like gold is for old people. H. Height: 5'5" I. Instruments you play: I dabble on the keys, though I wish above all that we had a piano in our house (remember questions "A"...) J. Job Title: Mom...

I feel like the list of items I need to get rid of grows on a daily basis. So, here are all the things I want to sell that I no longer need! 1. Graco Silhouette Swing. ($70) Holds babies up to 30lb. Has 6 swing speeds with auto shut off. Nature sounds or classical music options. 3 seat recline positions.   2. Evenflo Expressions High Chair. ($40)  3. Diaper Genie Elite system ($25)  Has step open lid. Used, but like new; NO odor. Also includes 1 NEW refill.   4.Fisher Price Rainforest Activity Gym ($25) 5. Changing Pad - Contoured ($10) 6. Bebe Pod Seat & Tray ($10). I am missing the white pommel, but it isn't a necessity for the functionality of the seat.  Adjustable tray included. 7. Fisher Price Go Baby Go Kickin' Bobbin Bear Gym ($10)  

If I may be transparent with you, I am battling some tough situations within my extended family. There have been many times when I have really wanted to react in a very negative and un-Godly manner. And I have; in my own home, with my husband. I can't tell you how badly I have wanted to call some people up and give them a piece of my mind...but, I can't let my flesh have control. I just can't....so, tonight I was reminded of a poem a friend of mine shared...maybe it will encourage you in some way. Anyway, by Mother Teresa People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway. If you find s...

Wow. I didn't realize it had been FOREVER since me last post. I'm sure no one really cared...but, in the event that there is someone out there that did, here is what has been happening... In mommy world, Isaiah is rolling all over the place. I can tell he wants to pull up on things, but hasn't figured that out yet. I don't think he has a strong desire to crawl. He does get up on all fours and sort of, humps the air, as if he's willing his body to move forward. He still has no teeth and I have a feeling that when they do come, it will be all at once and my life will be miserable for awhile. Avery is doing good. She's potty trained, though needs help wiping and getting her pants on. She has been taking things into her own hands lately, and tries to go "all by herself"...in which case there ends up being poop smeared in several spots in the bathroom and lots of toilet paper used. We'll get there. As far as my own personal, non-mommy world goes, I'...

Owen: Nikki, God will give you the desires of your heart. He will give you anything you ask for. April: Well, my desire is to be rich!! Owen: What are you talking about?? You are rich! Have you seen your house? You have 2 beautiful kids, you're alive! After having this conversation with some of our best friends, I reflected on it further, which is something I don't usually do. For some reason though, I just couldn't shake what Owen had said. It really made me think about my life. Unfortunately, I've had a couple close friends (or people who I thought were friends) break off our friendship simply because of what we have; our things. Possessions; here today and gone tomorrow. I can't even describe to you how hurt I was (and still am) over this falling out. Everything we have, everything , is simply because God has given it to us. I have done nothing to earn or deserve what I have; I am a sinful human who screws up all the time. But, I know that the "...

I was reading one of my favorite magazines, "The Week" and came across an article on the rising famine epidemic in Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya). Then again tonight on the NBC Nightly News, there was another story about this dreadful problem. It was so difficult for me to watch the images of people being driven from their homes in search of food and water. My heart broke over the thousands of children who are dying because of this; little aid is being provided and with nothing else left, they simply die from starvation. Coincidentally, I was in the middle of feeding Isaiah his bottle and looked down at him; my chunky baby, who has formula and food at his disposal. His cheeks look like they could explode, he has fat rolls on his thighs that are worse than mine and, as my brother says, he has "rubber bands" around his wrists. I have several friends who have adopted and who are wanting to adopt a child from another country. I know so many wonder why anyone would e...

I saw yesterday on Good Morning America a story about a girl who was 6yrs old and was worried that she was fat. Here is the link to the video and article...PLEASE WATCH! (Body Image Issues: 6-Year-Old Girl Worries She Is Fat - ABC News She came home and asked her mom why her tummy was so fat? Her mom responded with "Why would you ask me this" and the daughter replied that a girl in the bathroom said that she had a fat tummy. In a recent survey, half of girls age 3-6 were worried that they were fat. Doesn't this outrage anyone else but me?! How is it that these young girls are concerned with being fat, when they should be worried about how to tie their shoes or which swing to play on at the park. The 6yrs turns out to be totally normal and healthy according to her pediatrician, who said her BMI is completely okay. I found myself worried about what sort of message I am going to send to my kids regarding body image. I have a song that I sing to Avery when we go to the gym ...

This past week I have spent quite a bit of time outside doing yard work . While I enjoyed getting a good tan, I did not enjoy the back breaking work of laying mulch, spraying for bugs, cutting grass, and pulling up vine ground cover. Lame. However, I was out spraying weed/grass killer around the driveway and sort of had an epiphany. I saw these weeds growing along an area of our driveway and wondered how in the world they were able to grow there! In an area of poured cement, sealed for years, how in the heck could a small piece of weed find itself in such an isolated area? It made me think about our lives...we can feel and look put together, but given the tiniest and minute of space, a weed can weasel itself in and cause an ugly space. We must constantly find ourselves at the feet of our Gardener. Thankfully God doesn't prune us as often as I tend to my yard. How thankful we should be that we don't have to live with those weeds...that God is always there to accept us and forgiv...

I recently heard about an acquaintance who was under investigation for sexually abusing his 4 year old little girl. While my mouth hit the floor, I was in shock at how something like this happens. Sadness, anger, disgust, sorrow...so many emotions for that family. And combine it with the recently news about Elizabeth Smart and her abduction and assault, it makes me sick. How does anyone person trust another person to watch their kids? Or how do you ever let your child our of your sight? I know we live in a sinful world but I struggle with how such horrible things happen to innocent children. I think about when our kids get older, meet friends at school and want to have sleep overs or go and play at their house. I'm certain that I will always say no and they will be forced to have their friends over here. I remember when I was a kid, my parents would let my brother and I ride our bikes all over the neighborhood. We'd be gone for hours. Did they worry too or just trust us and our...

I wanted to dedicate this blog to our friends, Kyle and Nancy. We have known them for about 5 years now and have become even closer to them over the past year or so. We live just down the street from them and even have a weekly Tuesday dinner date, which is awesomeness because every other week, I get a night off from cooking. Nancy makes some pretty amazing meals too, which is of course an added bonus. However, this weekend they are moving back to Nashville, TN. *insert sad face here* When they told us awhile back that they had been praying about this move and that it was basically inevitable, I told myself that it probably wouldn't happen. I figured, even IF it did, and that was a big IF, it wouldn't be for at least a year or two. I hate when God's right and I'm wrong...because it seemed like only days went by and they said it was a reality. Kyle had been offered an amazing job and with their house on the market and close to selling, they were shipping out. The decisio...

This year on Mother's Day, I had an extra special gift...we dedicated Isaiah to Jesus! I was very excited to learn a month ago that the next dedication at Lakeview would be Mother's Day. How awesome is that?! Our family and friends, whether present or not at the service, I know have been and will continue to pray for us. I love that on a day where I am honored, I was able to give back to God what he has so generously given to me. I can only pray and hope that Isaiah is like David, a man after God's own heart.

Well, my little man is 2 months old! Whoa...crazy how fast it's gone. He is 11 lb 4 oz; chunky monkey. So far, he's a healthy baby. My only complaint is he's been fussy and crabby for awhile, especially during feedings. I finally couldn't handle the craziness anymore. The Dr. thinks he has some mild reflux, so he's been put on some med to help with it. I can definitely tell a difference being that I don't smell like baby spit up after every feeding. Nice. He's been on formula now for a couple weeks. It has definitely alleviated pressure and stress on me and I am very grateful. Now that Chris can help, especially during the night feedings, I am very happy. I wish I could have breastfed longer, for the health benefits, but I figure 6 wks is good. I feel loads better and it has improved my mental status greatly. Other than that, things are going good! Until next month...or breakdown, whichever comes first.

Just wanted to give an Avery update! My little girl is slowly growing up. Eesh . I love it. Every day I look at her face and think it has changed in some small way. She is almost 2 and I can't believe how fast it has gone. I look at Isaiah and think it's going to take forever before he's at the same stage Avery is...yet I know it will go by so quickly. Avery is talking up a storm. I realize almost daily that she uses a new word, one that I haven't even "taught" her, yet she hears me or Chris say it and then says it later. Weird. She is also combining words to make "sentences" and I love to hear all the funny things she comes up with. She is definitely gaining her independence. With nearly everything, she always says "Avery do!" because she wants to do it. When I put her diaper on, "Avery do", when I wash her in the bath, "Avery do!". I asked her if she needed help getting on the swing yesterday and she said, "No, Av...

I decided that I need to be doing more craft projects with Avery...rather than having her watch Shrek or Toy Story all day, we need to get our hands dirty! I found some recipes for edible play-dough online and thought this was a perfect way for us to work together and create something awesome. I wanted to make the peanut butter one, but it required honey which I didn't have enough of. SO, we made Kool-Aid play-dough. It was super easy to make and smelled just like Kool-Aid. Though it is edible, I don't think anyone would be caught eating it since it has 1/2 cup of salt and tastes disgusting. Here is what it looks like when you mix all the ingredients together After it heats up, it forms into play-dough. I then put it on waxed paper to knead it until it was cool enough for Avery to handle. Avery loved it! It felt JUST like actual play-dough. I figure it's a great recipe to keep on hand, in the event we want to make different colors (especially for themed color day, which is...

I'm certain that I have professed my feelings on the topic of breastfeeding, however, I'm sure it's okay to relive them. After the 1am feeding this morning, I was lying in bed thinking about all of this and couldn't shut my brain off. So, in order to sleep tonight, or rather, have something new placed on my brain to think about, here was what I was thinking: I feel that there are 2 kinds of breastfeeding moms: Type 1: Breastfeeders who do it for the "bonding" with baby. I have found that more often than not, these moms are also the crazy ones who have their kid on the boob when they are 4yrs old. Gross. Type 2: Breastfeeders who do it begrudgingly, and merrily for the health benefits. Oh and it's free. Now, I'm sure you can guess which one I am... I for one hate breastfeeding. It is such a pain in the butt (or boobs). I probably feel this way since my milk supply is on the hyper-active setting but regardless, it sucks. I hate constantly feeling tied ...

I wanted to write a bit about me...my feelings and thoughts post-pregnancy. I don't AT ALL want anyone to think this is a sob story nor am I "fishing" for compliments. I simply want to be honest and real and share what I'm going through. Maybe it might help someone else who may be going through the same thing...and maybe someone has gone through it and can relate! Either way...here goes... I am now 4 wks post- partum ...while I realize this is a short amount of time, on the other hand, I feel like "Gosh, 4 wks is long!". I don't feel like I've accomplished much of anything as far as a diet or exercise plan goes thus far. I am still a bit sore where my incision is, but regardless, I'm still WAY out of shape. Like, scale from 1-10, I'm 1...or 0 even. It's so hard to get motivated when I am sleep deprived from having a baby attached to my boob, chasing after Avery, cleaning up after Avery, Chris and myself, grocery shopping, making dinner...

Finally, baby boy Mason is here! My little man arrived Feb. 24 th at 7:49am via c-section, 7 lb's 4 oz and 20" long. Chris and I still weren't even sure what to name him as I was getting prepped and ready for the c-section either, which only added to my nerves about the surgery. The night before, I was driving home and heard a song on Klove. At the end of the song, there is a little boy who reads Isaiah 40:28-31: "The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. I can't even begin to describe how this moved my heart. I was so anxious and nervous about having my belly cut...

I was driving the other day and just had one of those "God moments". You know, times when you get this overwhelming feeling of his presence and I was oh so grateful for it. Let me explain... As I was driving home from dropping Avery off at my mom's, I looked in the rear view mirror at her empty car seat. Ahhh , such a quiet place now that she is gone... Anyway, I had a flashback to being in high school and remembering all the things that took place in my back seat, or someone e lse's . Now, most I'm not proud of and will spare you the details of those moments, but other's were fun and innocent. I remember being piled into Joe Venn's SUV with a group of people, and Candace and I "dancing" and acting a fool, on our way to a basketball game. I remember my spring break trip to Florida, with Candace, her sister and friend all in my car, and the idiotic stuff we pulled that vacation. I remember proms, other vacations, and other crazy moments spent i...

I don't really have much to say today or recently... I've just been really anxious about having this baby. I'm ready and waiting. I found out yesterday that he is in fact breech, which is really worrying me. I know it's not a big deal but the thought of having a c-section is frightening to me. I think it's the fear of it all; the unknown. Plus, I just have this vision of a scar on my stomach that makes me have a bulgy non-flat stomach. Like those contestants on the Biggest Loser who have surgery and afterwards they just have this huge indent where the scar was and then all this fat that sort of caves inward. Gross. I also watched a c-section when I worked at the hospital and it's frightening to me! The tiniest incision is made then all these retractors are put in with people pulling hard. The thought of being conscious whilst I'm being cut open is also not so appealing, regardless of the spinal. I just hope he turns on his own and I don't need to have t...

I was lying in bed last night thinking about this blog post. I almost got up at 2:30am to write it but decided I'd wait. I just have so much to say and my mind was racing! Here is how it all began... I sat down to read a lovely magazine, "American Baby" and happened upon an article "Life's Better with Baby". As I skimmed through it, the summary was basically looking at the benefits of becoming a mommy and looking on the bright side. Here were some of the examples: 1. You've got an adoring fan 2. You belong somewhere 3. You'll make new friends 4. Your heart opens wider than you ever thought possible Can I just say, LAME. Let's talk about a little thing I like to call, reality, for a minute. While I agree that the outcome of pregnancy is totally worth it, it's by no means fun. Now, being that I am on #2, I think I have some good insight. First time around, it's all so new and exciting...you have that "glow", you enjoy your growing...

Finally! We have reached January! Alas, I only have 8 weeks left until I birth this baby...hopefully he even comes a bit early and then it will be a bonus. This pregnancy has been great and I am thankful that I haven't had any issues. With that said, I have never been more ready to be done with this pregnancy. With Avery, I think it was all so "new" and "exciting" that I really enjoyed it. Second time around, the newness has worn off. Quick. I'm ready to rid myself of all the squirming and moving, especially at night. I want to be able to not have heartburn all the time. To not pee when I sneeze. To not feel like I'm turning around the Titanic when I roll over at night. The list is literally, endless. I'm actually terrified of the challenges that await me though. I guess that's one reason why it's nice I haven't popped yet. I know I've said it before, but caring for 2 kids, 2 dogs, 1 cat, a husband, a house, and myself...that's go...