weigh down wednesday :: weighing in

This is an often debated issue.

One that I believe has no right or wrong answer.

It all comes to down to what works best for a particular person.

The issue I'm talking about is :: how often to weigh in.

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I've personally done different things.

I've weighed myself once a week.

I've weighed myself daily.

And I've forgone weighing myself completely.

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For me, weighing myself daily is not only best in keeping track of weight loss,

but it also helps immensely in keeping me on the straight and narrow.

Now I know that weight can fluctuate daily.

There are many factors that can lead to either a stalemate or even a slight gain.

And I take that into consideration everyday.

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All of that aside, I find that the daily weigh in helps most when I start slipping on my diet for a few days.

If I can easily lose a few pounds in a week, then I can just as easily (or easier) gain a few in that same amount of time.

The number on the scale is often what I need to give myself a swift kick in the rear in getting back into my healthy eating habits.

If I don't have that visual reminder everyday, then it's really easy for me to under calculate my "cheats" on one day (or two) and convince myself that I really didn't do "that bad", so I can treat myself an extra day (or two).

Thinking like that is bad news for my waistline.

And I know myself well enough to know that I will think that way EXACTLY,

unless I have the proof in front of me.

And to me it's just easier.

I can tweak everyday accordingly.

And I feel like I get to celebrate my accomplishments more often.

It's a win, win for me!!

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What is your preferred method of weighing in?

Why does it work for you?

xoxo.

jen

weigh down wednesday :: thursday addition

Here I am, closing in on my first MAJOR goal.

I have now lost 35lbs and am right at 10lbs away from my wedding weight!!

My goal is to ultimately be at that weight in time for my 9th anniversary at the end of October.

Oh yes! I *can* do it!

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One thing I've realized as the numbers on the scale recede, is that my body has unfortunately reshaped itself.

And NOT in a good way.

Having two kiddos (by c-section) in the last 6 years seems to have ruined my tummy.

And things have just shifted.

I've got pouches and pooches and saggies where I've never had them before, even when I was heavier.

But, alas! It was well worth the body change to have those two stinkers!

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So, I'll just need to work that much harder to get things tighter as the weight falls off. 

I'm planning on beginning to exercise sometime in the not too distant future.

I haven't started working out at this point because the weight has been coming off pretty steadily with just a diet change.

BUT, I'm not stupid and I know that eventually when I get to the point where I'm happy with my weight I will need to add in some form of exercise to help maintain as I add in a bit more to my daily calorie needs.

Plus, I don't just want to be thin(ner). I want to be fit.

And that isn't going to happen without the dreaded exercise.

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So now I just have to decide what I'm going to do.

I've thought about a Couch 2 5 K program, although the thought honestly scares me, as the last time I tried that (4 years ago?) I sprained both of my knees in week 3. OUCH!

There's also the 30 Day Shred, which I did pretty regularly at the end of last year. 

And IT WORKS!!

Then there's normal gym stuff, like the elliptical or stationary bike.

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Whatever it is, as a busy mama (who is just going to get busier this fall), it needs to be something that gives me bang for my buck.

Hmmm....lots to think about.

Until next week!

xoxo

jen.

weigh down wednesday :: motivation

Okay, time for me to fess up.

I've had a rough couple of weeks.

No, I haven't fallen completely off of the weight loss wagon.

BUT, I haven't been giving it my all either.

I've still managed to lose a few pounds, yet I know I could have lost more.

My "free" days are becoming more and more frequent.

Time to nip that in the bud.

Even though I know I've lost a huge chunk of weight, I'm not done yet.

So, it's time to take this trotting horse back to a full on gallop.

In an effort to motivate myself, I have turned, yet again, to Pinterest.

I have a health and wellness board that totally gives me a little extra push when I need it.

It's amazing how far a picture of an in shape person and a few motivating words can push me.

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See what I mean?

Now I know that I'll never be thin as the girls in those pictures, nor do I want to be,

but the point gets across.

Another motivating factor is that I have recently fit into jeans that I've haven't worn in over four years        (the last time I had weight loss success).

And I have more in my closet that I'm *this close* to fitting into.

And, boy do I want to fit into them SOON!

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What motivates you?

xoxo.

jen

coffee date

Hey you! Yes, you. Would you like to come over to my place for a little coffee date?

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If you were to come over, I'd tell you to bring your kiddos (if you have any), as mine love anyone new and my daughter is constantly begging me to let her have friends over.

Being that both of my little ones are home all summer, you will definitely be stepping over all of the toys that are strewn around, while I apologize and explain that no matter how many times I clean them up in a day, they always find their way back onto the floor (or couches, or tables, or counters) before I can blink an eye.

I would then offer you coffee, or hot tea, or a chai latte (Oregon, no Tazo for this girl), and while I was making it I'm sure that Audrey would be dragging you to her room to show you her new bed, and her toys, and her summer reading challenge bookworm, all the while talking your ear off about all of her plans for this summer.

Finally, once the kiddos are settled (does that ever really happen?!) and we are settled onto my couches with our beverage of choice, we could start to talk.

I would probably start off by talking about the kids WAY too much. You would hear about how Lawson has been super fussy lately due to teething. And how we are currently sleep training him and in doing so have basically been kicked out of our own room, since that is where his crib is. I would tell you that since Lawson is now a year old, and I know MANY people having babies, I have been getting the fever. Baby fever! You would hear how, even though I already have my hands full at the stages my kids are in, I still long for another one.

About this time Audrey would run in to sing a little song, or show you how well she can read. She would tell you that even though the start of school is still two months away, she has decided that she wants to be homeschooled, solely to remain home home with mommy. Quickly she would move on to the next subject, which undoubtedly would be how she just lost her third tooth. This would be followed by a firsthand display of the spot where her tooth used to be.

At some point in there I would remark how it all goes by too fast. That before you know it your oldest is a Kindergarten graduate and your youngest is a year and on his way to walking.

Eventually I would realize that I've talked for too long about my children, so I'd try to smoothly change the subject, so not to bore you.

I'd show you the little pots of seedlings I planted that will hopefully grow to be basil and cilantro, if my black thumb doesn't get there first. I would confess that I would love to have my own vegetable, herb and flower gardens one day, although I can never keep a plant alive.

At some point you would probably comment on the mountain of books piled on top of my bookcase, to which I would respond how at 28 years old I rediscovered the joy that is the public library and have been reading like a crazy person since then. 48 books completed in 2012 so far!!!

I would ask if you have any big plans for the upcoming weekend and when you eventually respond in kind I would tell you that we will probably do what we always do. Stay home and read and relax and watch tv and eat good food. And I would tell you that it is my FAVORITE thing to do on the weekends, since my home is my favorite place, my husband is my absolute best friend, and my kids bring me so much joy.

By this time Lawson will be getting whiny and I'll probably hint that I need to put him down for nap. So we'll say our good-byes and with my kiddos at my feet I'll hug you at the front door and tell you to please come by again soon!!

xoxo

Thanks to Casey, Maggie, and Ashley for inspiring me with their previous "coffee date" posts.

weigh down wednesday - a history

Hello there! Long time no write!

Today I'm writing the first post of what I hope will become a weekly series.

Bear with me, this post didn't turn out the way I had originally intended.
It ended up being a bit of history, and felt almost like a therapy session.
Sorry for the rambling in advance. :)

The focus? Weight loss.
Most of us, at some point in time, have struggled with our weight.
Personally, this has been on off and on roller coaster ride since puberty.
As a teenager, hormones/emotions mixed with a bad diet and a sedentary lifestyle cemented the fact that I spent my adolescent years unhappy with my body.
Of course, there were times when I would go on some crazy crash diet and lose a few pounds, but being that those diets couldn't be kept up long term, I quickly gained those pounds back, and then some.
I went into my adult years at my thinnest, but the blissful "newlywed" stage of my life led to lots of takeout and overeating. Quickly the weight piled back on.
A year and a half after getting married I was given the (wonderful!) opportunity to go on the Jenny Craig weight loss program. Over the next 3+ months I lost a bunch of weight (5lbs away from my wedding weight) and started exercising (yay, swimming!) regularly. Then, I got pregnant.
The first part of my pregnancy I had some morning sickness. But that morning sickness was basically just nausea that would go away when I would eat. So eat I did, quickly falling into the "I'm pregnant, I can eat WHATEVER I want" mind-frame.  All in all, I ended up gaining about 70lbs while pregnant, although, in my defense, a LOT of that was water weight due to pre-eclampsia.
In the following two years my weight fluctuated a lot. At one point I was only 10lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight. Then I hit a slump, I went through a "quarter life crisis" in the months leading up to turning 25 and since I had never learned another way of coping outside of "eating my emotions", the weight piled on yet again. This time it got out of control. At not even 26 years old I  hit my highest weight of all time (outside of full blown pregnancy). I was severely unhappy with myself and I feel like that affected my relationships with others, especially those closest to me.
Over the next year I lost a decent amount of weight without really trying. I started a full time job, where I was on my feet all day, which I think helped tremendously. But being that I had gained SO much weight, I was still FAR from any kind of "goal" weight.
Then, SURPRISE!!, a month before I turned 27 I  found out I was pregnant again. I remember being TERRIFIED, since I was no where near where I had started when I got pregnant the first time around. I was so fearful of gaining a vast amount off weight. This time around things were a bit different though. I was still working on my feet full time, PLUS I was SO SICK!! There were times when I could barely eat at all. And it wasn't for just my first trimester (the "normal" sick time for preggos), my all day long sickness lasted my WHOLE pregnancy. In the end I only gained 7 pounds, and that was all in my final month. My baby weighed more than that!!
After he was born I lost some and then gained some. And then, when he was 10 months old I finally buckled down and started a diet plan that has proven to work for me. This was started the last week of March 2012. And, I'm SUPER proud to say that since then I have lost 30+ pounds and am now less than 15lbs away from my wedding weight. I am bound and determined to hit that weight by our 9th wedding anniversary, which is 4 months away. After I hit that MAJOR milestone, I don't plan on stopping. I turn 30 in October of 2013 and I know, with hard work and determination I can have the figure and health that I've always wanted by then.

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Stay tuned for a look at how the last three months have gone.
What have I been doing?
What am I planning on doing in the future?
It will all be answered in the coming weeks.

8 years ago today....

....I married my best friend.

We had a whirlwind romance and got married less than 8 months after starting to date.

And we were young, he was barely 23 and I was a fresh faced 20 year old (barely).

But we knew that we loved each other and that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.

 

It hasn't always been rainbows and sunshine.

Life has thrown us our fair share of curve balls, but by God's grace we have made it through each and every one.

And have come out stronger in the end.

Bryan is everything to me.

He is my best friend; my favorite person.

We have the best time together.

Sometimes in deep conversation; sometimes in belly laughter.

He is the father of my two beautiful children, and dang it all if I don't see his face EVERY time I look at theirs.

 

I can honestly, without a doubt in the world, say that I love him more and more as each day passes. 

There is absolutely no one in this world that I would rather wake up next to every morning.

No one that I would rather go to sleep next to every night.

No one I would rather raise a family with.

No one I would rather make a life with.

Happy Anniversary, B!!

I love you!

inspiration workshop! - red

I'm a day late getting this out, but I guess it's better late than never, right?

This week's prompt for the Inspiration Workshop! put on by Gussy Sews is RED!

While thinking about this prompt the thing that kept popping in my head was, hair.

I distinctly remember when my fascination with red hair began.

The year was 1997. The movie was 'Titanic'.

Yes. I fell in love with red hair after seeing Kate Winslet with it in 'Titanic'.

After seeing the  movie in the theater multiple times, I tried (successfully) to emulate the color on my own head.

Over the years I've gotten red put in my hair multiple times.

So far, my favorite was a couple of years ago when my sister, who is a hairdresser, did my hair really dark all over and put streaks of bright red in on top.

I loved it!!

The picture doesn't really do it justice.

Trust me when I say that it was BRIGHT red and AWESOME!!

One day I WILL get the nerve to do an all over BOLD red.

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SO pretty!!!

If you could do any color in your hair, what would you do???

weekend update :: birthday edition

This weekend was BUSY, yet AMAZING at the same time!

As you can probably tell from the post title, my birthday was this past weekend.

All of the celebrations kicked off on Friday.

The hubs took the day off, that way we could celebrate and go out to lunch together while Kid A was in school.

I absolutely LOVED spending the day with wonderful husband. 

We got to have a quiet lunch at Chili's, during which Baby LL napped. 

And later that night, after Kid A went to bed we just relaxed on the couch, had a few drinks and watched 'Bridesmaids'.

Then, on Saturday, my aunt and uncle (who live out of state), and my mom and grandma came into town a we had a great lunch (completely with a delicious margarita) on the lake at a local  restaurant called The Oasis.

On top of that my mom  and grandma took Kid A for the night, so that the hubs and I could relax a bit more.

Later on that night, the hubs endured my love for Paul Walker by renting (and watching) 'Fast Five'.

Sunday was my actual birthday and it started off tremendously.

I woke up to an iced coffee (my current obsession) and donut holes from Dunkin Donuts.

As the morning progressed, Baby LL took a super nap, and the hubs and I got to sit out on the balcony and enjoy 2 hours of great conversation on a nice, cool, rainy morning.

Later that day I had a birthday lunch with my in laws (pizza and pineapple upside down cake!), which was wonderful! 

Our time with them is always full of fun and laughter.

And, Sunday night, I went out to  Pappasitos for a girls' night with my sister, mom and grandma.

Mexican food and margaritas = YUM!!

I was definitely spoiled this year with gifts too.

Two bottles of wine, a Barnes & Noble gift card, and an Anthropologie gift card were among my spoils!!

All in all, this was most definitely the best birthday I've had in recent years.

Thanks to everyone (especially my SPECTACULAR husband!!) for making this birthday SO special!!

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3 faves :: a music post

One of the things you should know about me is that I LOVE music.

 

There is a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche that I adore,

"Without music, life would be a mistake."

So true, so true.

I can look back at so many points in my life and define the time by the music that I listened to.

I love the feeling of nostalgia that so many songs bring.

Not only do songs make me think of different times or feelings in my life,

they also make me think of people.

The power of music really is amazing.

 

And, in saying all of this, I wanted to share my favorite 3 songs of all time.

1. Everlong by Foo Fighters

                             

2. Electric Feel by MGMT

          

3. Gimme Shelter by the Rolling Stones

                            

I can listen to all three of these songs on repeat.

Time and time again.

Love them!!

What are your 3 favorite songs?

inspiration workshop! - inspiring books

This week the Inspiration Workshop!from Gussy Sews prompt is Inspiring Books.

If you read this previous post of mine, you could probably already tell that I'm a bit of a bookworm.



Reading is something that I grew up loving to do.
Some of my fondest memories revolve around bookstores.
As a kid, my uncle (who was/is also a book nerd) used to take me out on a Saturday morning to brunch and then Half Price Books.
He would go his own way, probably to the sci-fi section, and I would go mine, most likely to check out which Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley Twins books they had in stock.



And as an adult, with a family of my own, some of our best Saturdays have been spent eating pizza from Little Caesars ($5 Hot 'n Ready, baby!) and perusing 3 or 4 different Half Price Books around town.



A love of reading is definitely something that the hubs and I hope to pass on to our kidlets.
So far we're succeeding with A, in that regard.
At 5 years old, reading is in her blood.
Sometimes she will drag a huge stack of books into whatever room I'm in, find a spot to settle into and just read, read, read.
And, two of her favorite places just happen to be the bookstore and the library.
Between the hubs and I, there is really no hope for our kids.
I just counted the books that I have on 2 small-ish bookcases, the total was 140.
Add to that 3 more (larger) bookcases, a dresser full of stacks and multiple small boxes of books, and we are well on our way to having our own library.
Oh, and A has a bunch of books too.



All if this to say, I love to read.
Always have, always will.
And, if you aren't a "reader", I strongly encourage you to become one.
You won't regret it.

Check out my books on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/profile/jen_l_06



All photos via Pinterest.

busy bee

Photo via Pinterest.

So, there obviously hasn't been a new post here in the last week.
This is because I just recently started working part-time again.
Add that to dropping off/picking up A from school, having an infant and keeping up with stuff around the house, and I am one busy lady.
This past weekend we also had birthdays in the family, including my wonderfully, fantastic hubby's!!
Needless to say, I'm having to (re)get used to being busy again.
After having the summer "off", I need to prioritize my time to make sure that I not only leave time for the aforementioned things, but also family time and leisure time.
Blogging has become both a creative and personal outlet for me and it is definitely one of the things that I will be making time for.
I have many post ideas swirling in my head, now I just need a block of time to get them "on paper".

Do you have any time prioritizing/organization secrets?
How do you make time to "do it all"?

5 things i did today

1. Painted my nails and toenails.

2. Changed an explosive diaper. Yuck.

3. Finished a book.

4. Gave both kiddos a bath.

5. Vacuumed.


What did you do today?

worcestershire sauce

One of my favorite condiments of all time is Worcestershire Sauce. When I use it on a food, my consumption of it can be a little on the excessive side. I douse my food in it, time and time again.

I do, however, pronounce the word worcestershire "wrong". The correct pronunciation is 'woos-tar-sher', but I say it like it's spelled (I've only met one other person that pronounces it like I do). And let me tell you, my way of saying it is more fun. It is probably one of my favorite words to say, and often the "sauce" part of the phrase worcestershire sauce, comes out sounding like shauce, which I find myself giggling at.

Oh, and my favorite thing to drown in a pool of this condiment from above??



A yummy steak, preferably cooked by the hubs. On a sidenote, I ate SO MUCH steak when I was pregnant with Baby L. I am normally not a huge meat eater, but boy did I crave it when pregnant.

What is your condiment of choice for a steak?