Mommy @ Weight Watchers

So maybe you have noticed the side bar... ooorrrr maybe I'm the only one who cares about the number on my scale.

Either way. This is my place and I'm gonna talk about it.

Mostly here I talk about my kids, but the way I see it this involves them since they did this to me...

that's right, they put the chocolate in my mouth and held a gun to my head.

Ok fine. I did this to me. AGAIN. 

Let's rewind, pre- Vivian, but post- Daniel, I signed up for Weight Watchers. 

I was miserable with myself after three babies in four years. I needed to change for them and for me.

So I did. Something just clicked and I did.

For the first time in my life I had found what worked for me.... it was helping me to lose the weight and make better choices.

Fast forward to May of 2010, I have lost 40 pounds! I have 40 more to go to get to my ideal weight but I was so happy, I felt wonderful. So happy in fact that I had kind of stalled out. 

What can I say.... when I'm happy I eat. I had been gaining and losing the same five pounds for a few months but I was determined that as soon as we were done celebrating our five year anniversary I was going to get back on track.

It was a beautiful romantic weekend.

Kids at Gram's for two nights, 

Candlelit dinner in the city. Skyline view at sunset. 

Roses, jewelery, breakfast in bed!

An amazing memory.... and it even came with a souvenir!

Just allow nine months for pain and suffering....

 

So of course all thoughts of "goal weight" went out the window.

At first I thought I'd be fine because for the first three months I don't want to even think about food.

But I forgot about the last six months.... which for me are full of cravings.

I gained back all the forty I had lost.

  This is me on the morning of Vivian's birth...

And this is me a few hours later after my first epidural free experience with childbirth...

gee this photo brings back memories. 

Fun people... let me tell you.

I am not one of those women... you know?

The ones wearing makeup in the first picture, hair brushed, smiling.... 

we really are just lucky I'm not still screaming at anyone who can hear me.

But it was all worth it... especially once they cleaned all that goop off her and made her cute....

Anyway, the look on my face in that picture is very much symbolic of the way I have felt for these last four  months since her birth.

"What day is it? ...why these children all screaming again? ....Where is my coffee?"

So it has taken me awhile to get back on the weight loss train... but our recent trip to the beach helped a lot. Being around a bunch of skinny people in bikini's will do that I guess.

The shirt I am wearing this this picture was big on me last summer even when I was pregnant with Vivian... now its way tight.

This is a horrible picture but it gives you an idea...

So here we go again I guess.... I want to get back to where I was first of all. So my first goal is to get from 270 (Yikes!) down to 227... because the lowest number I saw before getting pregnant with Vivi was 228. I am down 8 pounds as of right now, I am four weeks in so I am right on track losing just about two pounds a week!

My long term goal though is to MAINTAIN! I don't enjoy having to lose weight I have already lost once! Its very annoying to lose and gain constantly... so I want to get "there"... whatever number feels good. And then stay there. If this means I have to count points forever then so be it.

If you want to read about my last bout with the scale... or your really bored.... you can go here.

And if you know of any good weight loss blogs or have a story yourself share it and keep me motivated!

We are hoping to head back to the beach again next summer, and when my feet touch that sand I want to be a more confident, healthier, happier me. I want to be stronger, have more stamina, and be a better example to my kids and husband, cause you know whatever I am eating they are too!

A Typical Weekday

Awake to cold toes in my rib cage, or playskool power tool in my face.

try to force two year old and five year old to sleep with me until a reasonable hour.

Get up... sadly.

 Get breakfast, 

get bottle

start the laundry,

feed the baby

read my bible,

sweep the floor,

cuddle with still sleepy Tommy,

make a grocery list, 

renew drivers license online, 

make a dish for the party,

take vitamins,

count weight watchers points,

break up a fight,

Direct older children to clothes.

Dress Baby and toddler.

Plan a healthy, yet easy dinner that most of my children will at least try,

get the kids home in time for nap... keep Daniel awake in car or else nap is shot.

get the kids out in time for church/store/Grandma's/random errand/ect.,

find the shoes,

find my keys,

break up a fight,

find my cell,

feed the dog,

fill the sippy cups, 

get the snacks, 

give the baby her bottle,

change a diaper,

change another diaper,

 make Tommy go potty,

make Bella go potty, 

make them both wash hands, 

make Daniel get out of the bathroom,

Tell Daniel to stop screaming... futility.

Go out.... come home.

clean bed rooms

change peed on sheets.... for the fourth time this week, 

change another diaper on the child who poops three times a day,

put on a movie,

do more laundry,

give another bottle,

break up a fight,

Vacuum,

put away laundry,

break up a fight, 

get out play-doh to curb fighting,

get out vacuum again five minutes later when playdoh becomes boring to all but my most docile child.

Start dinner.... that I KNOW will not be eaten.

break up a fight,

get dinner on the stove,

break up a fight,

clean stove from boiled over mess,

put on a movie,

calm children with promises/ threats of Daddy coming soon,

call Daddy for reassurance that back up is in fact coming.

Celebrate or cry depending upon Daddy's eta.

Eat chocolate either way....

Finish cooking dinner.

Eat,

Bath, 

Bed... bed... bed.... I SAID GET IN YOUR BED AND STAY THERE SO HELP ME.....!

aaannnddd.... couch :)

 Thank the good Lord it's Friday!

June

June was a beautiful busy month....

Hard to believe it has come and gone. As I write this I am listening to freedom ringing through the Pennsylvania hills.... in the form of firecrackers.
Happy Birthday America, lets blow something up!
Gotta love this country :)

We have been spending lots of time in the great outdoors, the weather has been beautiful.
So I have been a bad blogger, not documenting the  many memories we have made.

We went to the Beach... and we celebrated our baby turning two.

We played with sparklers, went to vacation Bible school, and ate s'mores.

Caught every lightening bug in the yard.... twice.

Vivian loves her little swing, and Bella loves to bring her all her toys.

 

  

She also loves being on a blanket just watching everyone run around her.

And we tried out the Jump-up!

We have so many things we want to accomplish that we decided to make a list to keep track.

We were inspired by this awesome blog.

Did I mention that I celebrated a birthday? :)

And I started back to weight watchers, I was half way to my goal when we found out Vivian was coming in nine months. So I am excited to get back to it.... and maybe eventually write about it.

Tom had to work but I woke up to post it notes he had hidden all over the house...

This was my favorite....

It was a great month! Lots of fun, sun, and celebrations!

And lots of sleepy kids at the end of the day...

I'm loving the list idea, so far it really is helping us to get in more of the fun summer things we have been wanting to do.

I am looking forward to checking off more of those little boxes! 

Everyone is another fun memory waiting to be made.

Ocean City

We ended up finally getting out to the beach because of Tom's cousin's getting married in Ocean City New Jersey.

The picture above is us at the wedding on our last night there, it was the most amazing sunset.

The wedding was a beautiful celebration, for such a sweet couple.

I think that this was not only the beginning of their life together but a great new tradition for us!

Tom's family goes camping every fall, and its something I have grown to love.

But when I was young my family went to the beach every year... 

and it is something we have let slip away.

Never again will I let so many years get between me and the sea.

I loved it so much, and I had forgotten that.

It felt like the salt and the sand scrubbed me clean, and the fresh breezy air on the boardwalk cleared my head. I came in every afternoon feeling like I had just been to a spa.

Now I couldn't have that feeling being spoiled by less than perfect accommodations could I?

We checked out the hotels that were reserved for the wedding and quickly decided that we needed some place with a kitchen. Eating out gets expensive quickly for a family of six.

  So we found The Flanders.  It's an "all suites" hotel.

It was built in the 20's. And it retains so much of that charm.

It's so beautifully decorated. All the lobbies and the ballrooms are just amazing.

I felt like I stepped back in time. There was always great old music playing in the lobby, upbeat swing music, and Jazz.

And the Ballroom's were awesome, Bella wanted to go back again and again!

They were open to wander through during the week, and on the weekend there were at least three weddings.

This is the "Garden Room".

Just outside those windows is the heated pool.

I didn't get pictures of it but it had awnings all around for shade, and cushioned wicker furniture.

There were three cute little boutiques in the hotel that I avoided going into so as not to spend all Tom's hard earned money!

Temptation at every turn!

Some amazing old furniture... hold onto your toddlers people!

This is in the main Lobby, lots of history here. Even a ghost story I found on You Tube... funny and a little creepy. More creepy when I found myself all alone in the ballroom!

This is the Grand Ballroom.

Bella left a little bit of her heart here I think.
So did I.

The ballroom was actually four rooms with this mirrored hall in the middle.

My pictures do not do it justice.

Many beautiful murals.

This was from a wedding the night before.

The best part of the hotel is that you get all this history and beauty and then we could go back to our modern, kid friendly suite, and really unwind.

For us it was a great compromise. We could never stay in a place like this if the rooms were decorated in the same way.

We ended up getting a tour of some other rooms we were interested in booking for next summer.

They are all privately owned and then rented out so they are all decorated in different ways.

But I have to say that they were all beautiful.

So next year it's back to the beach for me and my family! Hopefully all of us, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, just like we used to. Days in the sun and sand, nights playing goofy golf and cards, laughing till we cry.

“The beach is in our blood. Everyone in our family returns to the beach instinctively, 

just like the sea turtles.”

--Sandy Archibald

Daniel

Darling, Crazy, Sweet, Funny, Wild, Obstinate, Wonderful Daniel.

This morning on the beach you were one, and this evening in your bed you are two.

You are two years old today and I am feeling sad, I feel like I blinked and missed this whole year of your life. I guess being pregnant for much of it could be to blame. We found out Vivian was on her way just before your first Birthday. But I think its more than that. I can't believe you are about to be two because you have always seemed older than you are.

You have seemed like a two year old since you started walking shortly after  you turned one.

It was like you stood up and said,  

" Ok! I'm in the big kids club now and I would like to be lumped in with Isabella and Tommy please. Don't worry about me... I can keep up."

And of course you said please because its your way. 

You are ornery and rambunctious unlike your siblings but after you defy me and do it your way, you always apologize. And when your Daddy is helping you get dressed you always thank him repeatedly.

And if someone sneezes you will yell blessings at them until they acknowledge you properly.

Yes communication is the one thing about you I see changing as you were approaching this milestone.

Suddenly you could talk. And boy has that helped you to not be frustrated lately.

We all knew that you knew what you wanted but we couldn't figure out what and you couldn't tell us.

That must have been hard and I feel bad for the many times I let myself get nearly as frustrated as you were.
Today in the car you chatted away, growling when we misunderstood. Telling us "Appy Biwday" when we said it to you first. Yelling "I am Twoooo!"
Shouting "Dere it is!" when you would see a truck or an airplane.

You are never in the middle with your moods my sweet and sour boy.
You swing wildly in every direction, excited to angry, laughing to crying.
Life with you is like a roller coaster of emotion. But I am proud of the spitfire in you.
I love that you are who you are, and you feel what you feel, and everyone else has to accept it.

Many days I wish to be more like you wearing my heart on my sleeve. And many times in the middle of a meltdown on a hard day I quietly admit to myself that I want to sit on the floor and scream too.
Often when you give your brother or sister a good smack I find myself laughing under my breathe thinking that "yeah they had that coming!"

We have to harness your wild side, tame it a little.
Teach you to control your reactions.
But never lose that spirit, I hope you always go after what you want with this same passion.
It won't always work out, there will be failure and heartache. But when I imagine what life holds for you I am excited and imagine that it will be quite and adventure.

Maybe the reason I can't believe you are already two is that time flies when your having fun.
And you my little boy are the life of the party.
Happy Birthday Baby.