New Wave!

Hope everyone year an awesome Christmas! I know I did, I got a tablet (which I'm using how).
I'm still on the no poo bandwagon! As far as my skin I know for fact I'll never use a oil stripping soap again! Since I've been using coconut oil my skin is softer, clearer and more radiant. I went to my Mom's house for Christmas and she noticed my skin right away, she went and bought coconut oil for herself and and a dry spot She has been battling for about a year now is gone after just a few days! The stuff amazing!
    I'm also really loving my hair although I am defiantly still in the adjustment period! Im playing with measurements and such but my hair is so much healthier its almost unbelievable! I know it sounds weird but I'm not "shedding" so much and my hair seems to be growing or maybe its just not breaking as much. I don't know but I like it! I'm also getting used to my hair in its natural state I've discovered my hair is wavy which is interesting. I'm brainstorming on how to embrace the new waves. We will see!
A funny thing happened yesterday I decided I wanted  to do a coconut oil mask in my hair so I got online read how and put the oil in my hair. I'm not totally sure how I thought it would go.....I let the oil sit for about an hour then jumped in the shower. From what I read you just rinse with hot water then rinse with a vinegar and water mixture. NOT THE CASE! I have no idea what these grease balls are doing but hot water and vinegar does not take coconut oil out of your hair! So tried my  "shampoo" well baking soda didn't  get it out either! I seriously contemplated shampooing my hair (but I didn't). I got out of the shower braided my hair and decided I'd try again tomorrow. Anyone that is familiar with  coconut oil knows that  when heated it's liquid and when cold it's solid so for the rest of the day every time I took out my dog my braid turned into a coconut oil popsicle! On an up note I  got up today and washed my hair again, the oil came out no problem and my hair is pretty amazing! Maybe next time I won't use so much oil!
With the new year coming I've got a few resolutions: 1.) Less cussing  (unless I'm crossfitting) 2.) Less screaming (unless I'm lifting) 3.) Complete " The Whole 30" which I'm going to blog about to help keep me accountable( I'm going to try to blog more as well).
I hope everyone has a safe New Year and I'll be back on then 1st for mesuments and weighing in!

Day 6

Ok so I'm going on 6days of no soap or shampoo. My hair is kinda fuzzy but much softer and my ends look and feel wayy better! My roots seem to be getting oily faster but I'm guessing that my hair is still adjusting! My face is healing really well and I haven't noticed any new blemishes! A few things i didn't expect I wear contacts and usually my eyes are sucked dry by mid to end of the day. Since I started using oil to cleans my face my eyes no longer get dry! Also the circles under my eyes are fading which I LOVE! My hair is easier to brush and I don't seem to be "shedding" as much (my hubby is super happy about not finding my hair everywhere lol) I'd say operation no-poo is a success so far!

Cutting the crap!

I’m not quite sure what is up with my body lately but it is totally out of wack! Seriously my skin has gone nuts along with my hair! I’m not sure what’s up maybe stress, change in training, hormones, change of seasons and I honestly don’t care what it is but I have to do something about it! The fantastic part is it seems the more I piled the expensive acne treatments and leave in conditioners on the worse it got! so I decided to “Google” after reading through a few sites I stumbled upon the “no poo” concept. I read through a few blogs and I was intrigued! Most articles I found used a mixture of water and baking soda for “shampoo” and vinegar and water for “conditioner”. The way I understand it is that the natural oils your body produces are “supply and demand” the more you wash your hair with harsh sulfates stripping the oils the more oil your body produces in result you need to wash your hair more. when you stop using harsh shampoos your body regulates and only produces the amount of oil it needs to! HOW COOL! I mean there where so many people that were doing this and all for different reasons some where wanting to cut out the chemicals and sulfates, some wanted to save money, some were just plain curious. The coolest thing is most had the same results! There seems to be an adjustment period for your body to get used to the poo-free lifestyle …but the ones who lasted through this period all said pretty much the same thing! Individuals that have taken the plunge rave that their hair has never looked better, that they no longer have to use product , their hair is healthier and growing faster! I decided that if I’m cutting the poo I might as well cut the rest of the crap too! So after a little more searching I found ways to cut out the soap and face wash …..As far as my face I decided to go with a method called “oil cleansing” the basic concept is that oil clears pores of dirt and bacteria without stripping your face of natural oils and good bacteria. strange I know but worth a shot! So if I’m not using soap or shampoo what am I using? I promise I’m not going full on primal on ya’ll! For shampoo I’m using baking soda and vinegar. You can use either apple cider or white from what I gather white is better for oily hair and apple cider for dyer hair. For soap I am using baking soda and olive oil or just plain baking soda. For the oil cleansing of my face I’m using olive oil and for moisturizer (body and face) I’m using coconut oil!

Getting started … It seems there are a few ways to mix your “shampoo” some made the baking soda in to a thick paste, some pre-made the mixture, the way I decided was best for me is to just make it in the shower. I jumped in my shower right after the gym I was nice and sweaty I started with my face. I did exactly as directed

1)Apply oil to dry face (whatever oil you decide to go with ) I used olive oil. rub oil into your face for a minute or so.

2) Take a wash cloth get it wet with hot water and lay it over your face to steam your pores remover when cools.

3) Massage face again for about a minute

4) Steam again

5) Wipe face clean removing excess oil

I thought for sure after I did this my face would be oily and full of un-removed make-up and sweat! In fact it was quite the opposite my face was squeaky clean and fresh!

Next I did my body with olive oil and baking soda making a paste and washed my body! It was pretty much like a mild scrub about what I expected

Last but not least my hair ! I was pretty nervous about this I mean what was this going to do to my hair!

1) Mix 2 table spoons of baking soda into one cup of water pour over wet hair (mostly on the scalp)

2) Scrub your roots just like you are washing your hair (its pretty strange with no lather or bubbles) leave the mixture in for about a minute or so

3) Rinse

Now for the “conditioner”

1) Nix 2 table spoons of vinegar and one cup of water pour over head starting at the ends

2) Massage scalp and hair just like you were using conditioner and let it sit

3) Rinse

Now I’m going to be honest when I did this it felt strange and smelled weird. By the time I washed the vinegar out my hair felt like heavy dry straw and I was concerned! I wrapped my hair in a towel and moisturized (with coconut oil) anyone that knows me knows that I’m tinder headed and I was preparing for a full on fight with a brush! Towel out brush to head and I braced myself BUT the brush went right through no problem and again and again! This made me pretty hopeful! I walked around smelling I little bit like pickles (the smell goes away as soon as your hair is dry) once my hair was dry it was soft and shiny and all around pretty nice!

I’m on day 5 now my face is soft and all my blemishes are healing with no new ones.

My hair is a tiny it oily at the root today ( adjustment period) but I have noticed I big difference in my ends which are now softer and smoother compared to the dry mess I was experiencing 5 days ago!  

Taken on day one all I did was towel dry and brush :)

Rest Day!

OK so its been a really long time since I posted last ... I could blame it on school, kids, my Long workouts or life but really I have just been lazy when it comes to blogging that is. Its a quiet Sunday(a rest day) so I decided to take advantage of the Hubby being in the field to give y'all alil update! I mean that's not the only reason lately I have been in-boxed with LOTS of questions about crossfit, paleo, recipes and just advice. Also I have been receiving messages about how my posts have inspired others to get up and get fit! How amazing is that! With that being said I want to send out a HUGE Thank You to those who have been giving me feed back y'all have inspired me to take a minute and sit down to blog again!! Today I would like to share with y'all a picture I'm 9 months out and in a two piece it feels amazing to be comfortable in my skin! while my surgery defiantly helped this I have crossfit, weight lifting and great fitness friends to thank for lots of HUGE revelations Ive had in the past few months. I no longer want to be a size 2 I see a "skinny girl" in the gym and I take comfort in the fact that I could squat them for reps with no problem( no offence to my lovely thin ladies just be cause I embrace myself as a thick chick doesn't mean I don't think y'all are beautiful or love you any less lol) ...I  no longer stress about  the number on the scale (pure freedom). There is something about picking heavy stuff up or knowing you can get through a crazy intense wod that is so empowering! I literally face problems like this "Well I can back squat ## so I know for a fact I can face this head on" or " I got through this wod so I know I can get through this"...strange maybe? Many may not understand. But others don't have to "get it" today I stand up alittle  A LOT straighter because I love me... not just my body... I love me :) Today I would also like to share a variation of a recipe I got off paleomg.com( amazing site) I was craving something sweet and didn't have all the ingredients I need so I just kinda winged it and came up with something yummy!!!

    Sweet potato apple cakes
1 sweet potato shredded
1 apple shredded
1 spoonful of fat of your choice( I used bacon fat)
2 eggs
tiny pinch of nutmeg
dash of Cinnamon
drizzle of raw honey

Shred your apple and sweet potato mix them together with eggs, Cinnamon and nutmeg.
Then heat fat in pan and make sweet potato mixture in to pancake like patties. Cook patties in pan for about 3 minutes on each side or until brown...put them on a plate sprinkle with Cinnamon and honey ...ENJOY!!

3 months

Just figured I'd post a few pictures since today is exactly 3 months! Everyday gets better still not a lot of feeling in my tummy....but I'm slowly starting to see tiny parts of the scar fade to flesh color. I started back my normal exercise routine and I'm even seeing definition(wish u could see it in the pics) I'm still swollen for the most part its BAD on the days I do abs. My belly button is out most days but some days I notice its in and you can't see the scar around it. I love my tummy now scars and all everyday gets better I almost wish I could fast forward a year to see the results!

Quick update

Well just a quick update my computer is broken and I have to use my phone so this is gonna be short and sweet. I'm at the end of my 7th week and loving my results! I saw my doctor yesterday who said at this point in my recovery I'm doing about as good as he has ever seen someone do! He also told me that I'm still REALLY swollen(normal but I didn't expect it I thought it was down alot) so this means that even though I feel amazing and think my results are more then I hoped for IT GETS BETTER! I will be watching my tummy get flatter for at least the next 6 months! My scare is getting lighter by the day and will fade almost all the way with good time. I'm also back at the gym almost full force. Although it is a little frustrating not being able to force certain muscles to work like they used to,but I'm getting there!

Finding A Doctor

Lately I’ve been getting emails asking some great questions about my process I wanted to take a little time to touch on how I personally chose my doctor and things that I think helped me in my process!
Choosing your doctor is obviously the most important part in your experience!
First things first call around and ask questions. You want to make sure your doctor is Board Certified you also want to ask if there is any cost for the initial consultation. I chose not to see any doctors that asked you to pay for the consultation, Even though most put the payment toward your surgery. I feel like it almost obligates you to go with that doctor because you have already made an investment no matter how small! In my opinion a good doctor will make you feel confident in their ability during that first consultation and do not have to take your money so your obligated to go with them. Trust your gut not your pocket book! You will know when you are sitting in front of the right Doctor for you! Sadly sometimes the price is higher then your budget… SO pony up the doe!! It's worth it to go with the right Doctor. You can not put a price on results and excellent bedside manor! You may have to pinch pennies or save for a few extra months but like I said it's well worth it! Do not be afraid to ask questions!!!
Are your Board certified?
What Hospitals do you have Privileges at? ß that one is important because in some cases (like mine) the Doctor will have privileges at different hospitals who have competitive prices. You may find choosing a hospital can make or brake your bank!!
How many times have you preformed this procedure?
Can I see before and after pictures of previously preformed procedures that you have done?
What are the risk involved with this procedure?
Asking questions will help you get to know your Doctor and a good Doctor will not be inpatient or have any problems answering your questions!
Do your research! Google! Google! Google! Read reviews and ratings on your doctor and their staff! Find out if there are any malpractice or sanctions against your doctor! A good site to go to is health grades.com.
 Don’t limit yourself to seeing just one Doctor see several then weight your options. I saw Three before I chose the Doctor that made me feel absolutely 100% comfortable! The most important thing is that you have NO reservations about your doctor!! Go with your gut and DO NOT settle no matter how many doctors you have to see! Do not rush through this process and your reward will be amazing results and a wonderful experience! I hope this Helps! If your are reading please hit the follow button on the right side of my blog I love to get feed back and know who is reading : )! Good Luck Ladies!! Keep the Questions coming! Posting updated pictures as requested!

30 days out!

Today is officially 30 days since my tummy tuck! I’m loving my results its amazing looking down and seeing my feet and not sad helpless hanging skin!!! Week two I got may drains out I felt like a new person but by week three I had developed a seroma. What is a seroma you may ask?? A tummy tuck seroma is a pocket of fluid that forms in the body after tummy tuck surgery. During the surgery small blood vessels are ruptured causing seepage and pooling of blood plasma. Tummy tuck seromas are common after surgery and do not affect the end results of the surgery. So this meant I had to go back to the doctor and get it drained. Not a big deal right? Until I saw the turkey baster they were about to stick in my stomach ( how appropriate considering the up coming holiday). Seriously the needle and syringe they used looked exactly like the ones sold at Wal-Mart to inject marinade in to turkeys!!! I almost passed out! It really wasn’t as bad as it looked the Doctor gave me a numbing shot and pulled 125cc of fluid out of me. This Monday I had to go back and he pulled out 80cc which means I’m producing less fluid and my body is absorbing more the way its supposed to! Hopefully I won’t have any taken out next week. He said I still have a lot of swelling but that wont start going away for 6 to 8 weeks. My Doctor and his nurses were all very impressed with my scar he said for 4 weeks out its incredibly light and smooth which made me feel pretty good. One thing I have not seen explained in other tummy tuck blogs is how uncomfortable it is when the feeling starts coming back in your stomach. I have been virtually numb for the past three weeks and now I’m faced with dull aches and sharp twinges but it’s more then worth it! I’m looking forward to the day when this recovery is a distant memory and I can see the full results!

14 days out!



Bandage is from the drains.



Still swollen but looking pretty good! I'm not even sucking in!

 Today is day 14 I’m feeling pretty dang good went to the doctor today and he FINALLY took my drains out (thank God) they were starting to get painful! When they were pulling my drains out I thought I was going to jump out of my skin it felt like a snake was slithering through the inside of my body sooo gross! On the up side almost the second the devil drains came out I felt like a new person! I can stand up straighter(although not all the way up yet), move better, my clothes fit better and most of all I can sleep in my bed and cuddle(kind of) with the hubby! My incision is healing nicely Doctor says that he thinks most of it is going to disappear altogether(yay!) he also gave me the go ahead to start putting coco butter on it! I’m putting up some pictures of the incision now because it doesn’t look as scary as it did as you can see I’m still pretty swollen BUT well on my way : )!

One week out

still really swollen but getting better!!

side view again swollen and bruised

So today its have been officially a week since D-day and I feel a lot better! I went grocery shopping(not for long) and even walked Boo home from school! I also have laid off the meds. a lot I still need the muscle relaxers to relieve the muscle tightness. While today I felt amazingly better, Sunday I over did it I went to Wal-Mart and was out all day! By that night I was helpless and I defiantly found out what the pain-ball was for, my incision site and drains(that are sewn in) are incredibly uncomfortable! lesson learned. I’m going to focus on what I can do not on what I cant. Mil is here taking over for Mom and she is cooking 2 weeks worth of meals and throwing them in the freezer for the family! Big shout out to Mil and Mom they have been such a huge help I’m so grateful and big shout out to hubby for putting up with my cranky butt! I’m so blessed to have such an amazing family and support system! Tonight’s Halloween and I’m going to take Boo and Boogie trick or treating but I’m going to work hard to not over do it we don’t want another Sunday! I have another appointment Friday my drains are draining less and less so hopefully Doc will go ahead and take them out. That would be awesome!

Day 5

before

before side

 after side

after( keep in mind im still super swollen)

So today is day 5 the 1^st day I have felt well enough to blog. Today was also my 1^st Dr. appointment and the unveiling of the tummy tuck. The past few days have been a bit of a blur I’ve been in and out of a drug induced coma trying to keep the pain at bay its actually not as bad as I expected! What I did read about but didn’t really give a lot of thought or worry to was the tightness of my abdomen, it burns, I cant stand up straight(which makes my back hurt) and its abit hard to breath kinda like someone is sitting on your belly. To me this is by far the worst part! OK back to my Doctors appointment today. I was super nervous not only because I was getting to see my tummy for the 1^st time but because he was removing stitches and pulling my pain ball out( pain ball is a tiny tube that was sewn in to my groin area that administered pain medications) Anyway I was worried about that for absolutely no reason it didn’t hurt at all!!! When all the bandages came off to my pleasant surprise besides looking like I was beat in a gang initiation my tummy was amazingly flat no rolls, no stretch marks no tattoo! My Doctor said I looked awesome and its only going to get better! Hopefully I will be able to get my drains out next week(another pain in my ass) but I cant wait to see how things smooth out in the next few weeks!

Last cup of coffee(for the night anyways)

Sooo tomorrow is the “big day” I thought I would be crazy excited and raring to go. I have been looking forward and working toward this for a long time. Its just the opposite tonight I’m still excited but more nervous then anything. I’ve come to the realization that its really happening. I’m really gonna be cut open poked, prodded and carefully stitched back together! There is along road ahead and if you would have asked me yesterday I would have told you how ready I am ….BUT tonight ummm yea no turning back! Right? I called my Aunt Terry who knows from experience she told me what to expect(lots of pain) but assured me it was well worth it! So I think I’m going to enjoy my last cup of coffee (they wont let me have any tomorrow) and prepare for a long (well worth it) recovery ahead! Wish me luck …………..Before and after pictures will be up as soon as I’m functional again.

To cheat or not to cheat???

Today I got up and I’ve lost another pound! I’m so excited things are going in the right direction even if its only a pound or 2 a week! Good morning dilemma today is my cheat day! I have a “cheat day” once a week I still do my normal work out but I eat whatever I want for one day …Tonight we will be getting together with friends having a few drinks, some good food and I face the internal fight I normally do every week! Do I really want to cheat this week I know tomorrow I will wake up and have gained at least a pound in water from all the beer I will drink tonight…is it worth it? Then again I know if I deprive myself Tuesday night at midnight I will be stuffing my face with carbohydrates and chocolate for an unplanned cheat and I wont be able to have a good cheat on Saturday when everyone is wanting me to…………..So the big question is to cheat or not to cheat? I usually look forward to my weigh- in and cheat day every week even though I love eating healthy! I love my fruits and veggies, proteins and whole grains but sometimes it feels good to just eat junk, or work really hard for something you have been craving all week. I rationalize during my work outs “If you just push a little harder then you can have Freebirds and a beer on Saturday” it really does keep this food addict working hard! But on weeks like this when I don’t have any cravings its like as of today I feel like I could go another week with out cheating but, what am I going to feel like tomorrow? Then again there are weeks that I cheat and I gain one pound from it but the next day when I’m back on it I loose 3 lbs by the morning! I haven’t really been able to explain this its happened often the only thing I can think it might be is the sudden change in diet from good to bad right back to good again spikes my metabolism tricking my body ? So maybe cheating is not always a bad thing ???
Decisions..... Decisions?

CQ Boo Hoo?

Ok, so its not Cq anymore now that hubby is a sergeant its staff duty but staff duty doesn’t rhyme with a anything! Now I know some of you are wondering what Cq or staff duty is? Cq is a 24 hour duty that most all Army service members have to pull every once in a while! I feel bad because I should be really missing my hubby while he is working! Most of the time I really do miss him and would be bitching about the army, but tonight I’m kind of enjoying the down time. Again I feel like a horrible person because I’m seeing on face book where my friends husbands are deployed and I know they would give anything to have them home, here I am wanting alone time! While I love my husband sometimes its just nice to have a day where I don’t have to worry about a set schedule like when he will be home for lunch or when I have to get my workout in so I can get dinner cooked etc. etc.…So when the cats away the mouse will play! I didn’t workout till almost 11pm last night I took all day to do the laundry and clean the house I even let Boo stay up she helped me clean and slept with me, we watched bolt and left the TV on all night that would never fly if Daddy were home! J I did miss Hubby as soon as I slowed down enough for my head to hit the pillow it reminded me of the lonely nights of deployment. I will be glad to have him back today ……On another note I have some very exciting news my CAA got approved so I submitted my FA last night and if all goes as planed I should be starting school around July 8^th !! I’m so excited to open this new chapter! I know I have A LOT of work to do before I can call myself a “Master Personal Trainer” but what awesome motivation to finish my weight loss journey!

Fiesta Turkey Burgers
What you will need:
I small can of green chilies
1 packet of taco seasen
1 lb of ground turkey
Pepper jack cheese
Red onion and avocodo
Buns or ice burg lettuse ( I prefer to wrap my burgers in lettce)
Drain green chilies then mix together in a bowl chilies, taco season and turkey
Form into burgers cook on the grill or stove …then top with pepper jack, red onion and avocado they are SO simple and SO good gives you all the flavor without all the greasy crap J ! Like I said I prefer to wrap mine in ice burg lettuse but good whole grain bun is just fine ENJOY!!

please don't feed the lonley ( I wrote this blog a while back just found it on my computer it's kinda funny)

Sitting in my living room relaxing after a busy day, both of my angels are asleep! This should be the time of day I look forward to. “Me time“ but that is the problem “me time” is alone time nobody here to share the Ahhh rest moment with …When this house gets quiet is when the loneliness sets in. I try to avoid this feeling as much as possible I’ll tell you why. Loneliness in my world is a “eat” emotion along with a lot of my other emotions but, this particular emotion has scary strong cravings that come with it ..Sadly loneliness is something I can’t really avoid with hubby gone L ..So feeling lonely tonight and the second I start feeling it I have this over powering craving for chocolate ..I mean the type of craving where I want to stick my face in a bucket.. UH NO WAIT! the kind of craving where I want to stick my BODY in a tub of chocolate and drink it through my pores! What do you do with yourself when this kind of thing comes over you! How sad that food or any object for that matter can be so powerful! I realize while feeling this sad feeling FOOD is an addiction a terrible one! This leaves me wondering why I can’t be one of those people that CAN’T eat when they are upset God knows as a Army wife I would be a size 00 by now! Better yet why can’t I just eat whatever I want and stay thin? For whatever reason that’s just not how my body works! Just like any addiction I have to exercise will power and that’s exactly what I do! I made myself a cup of coffee and rationalized with myself, I really thought things through, I mean did I really want to un-due my whole day and cancel out a wonderful workout for a tiny moment of self-gratification? I also thought about the goals I have set and why I want to reach them! So I decided if I gave in and ate that chocolate the food wins and I could not let the food win ! Me 1 food 0! On a amazing note today I weighed myself I’m 150lbs 3 lbs down 20 to go J

Baby steps in the right direction!

　
  I’m Back!! I took a tiny break (ok like 6 months) but I’m back! So much has happened, hubby is home from Afghanistan! I knew what to expect I have done this before it still doesn’t make it any easier the 1^st month together is sweet like ice-cream (literally I gained 5lbs another story) but then reality sets in it starts with little things. I wake up early Thursday mornings to take out the trash after about a month of doing this hubby expresses the need to take over this task along with a few others and I reluctantly relinquished my title as daddy and let him take over some of my burden. Last week right before boogies 1^st birthday I woke up a little later then usual making my coffee at the window thinking about the errands I need to run to prepare for big first birthday weekend, I’m blankly watching the trash truck coming around the culdesac when I realize he doesn’t stop at our house that our trash is not out so I spill my coffee and run outside trying to catch him before he goes… epic fail!! I’m enraged this is not the 1^st time hubby has not forgotten to take out the trash a responsibility he wanted to take over and now we have a full stinky trash can for an outside birthday luau! I was sooo mad what’s the logical thing to do here…yea I didn’t do it I went the opposite of logical and called my working husband in an enraged bitch fit I’m sure my neighbors could hear! We fought it out and worked it out but the fact is we are facing something that’s bigger then us something that makes military relationships fail after deployments all the time! You see my husband has been gone on and off for 4 years his deployment time comes to over 2 years! I had no choice but to become independent doing things that mommy and daddy both do! Hubby on the other hand has been in a war zone and I’m not even going to try to understand what he was going through! All in all 2 different worlds and when they come together again its hard he feels like he should take over the man work but at the same time he feels out of place life has gone on with out him….and I feel like my toes are being stepped on, my schedule is being interrupted and this man is coming in and changing everything from how the kids are disciplined to the way my uh I mean our living room is rearranged the truth is absents does make the heart fonder but it does other things too we have both gotten so used to using words like Me and my instead of words like us and ours! So after I few larger blow outs and some smaller ones we decide communication is limited he is on the am frequency and I am on fm ! We came up with a plan 1^st we are getting God back in our marriage we haven’t been to church in forever next we are reading The 5 love languages together a chapter a night before we go to bed in attempt to better understand each other marriage is hard enough without spending half of it apart this is the life we have chosen and we are not willing to let each other go so we are working on it BABY STEPS IN MY MARRIGE…..Again hubby is home he has been starving in Afghanistan well apparently because all he wants is FOOD (well he wants other stuff too but ill spare you the details ;) ) Since January it has been restaurants, his favorite fried food, Cookies and cakes ..DQ at midnight I was 144 when he came home with in 2 weeks I was 148! I would get dedicated again only to fail shortly after at a bbq or block party or really anywhere the siren call of food is soo strong! About 2 weeks ago I made up my mind boogie was about to be a year old and its time to finish! I’m on it hot and heavy I am now 141lbs and about 10lbs away from my goal! I have decided that I enjoy fitness and helping others become healthy has become a true passion something I look forward to, so as soon as my CAA( a $4,000 grant given to military spouses) comes through I will be starting school to become a master personal trainer! It will be a 15 month journey but I am so excited about helping others give the food addiction the boot and introducing them to an exercise that they truly enjoy (lets hope I keep this passion when I’m neck deep in school work)BABY STEPS IN MY LIFE! So the 20^th boogie turned a year old amazing how time flies! She has been expressing some interest in walking but not much yesterday she walked right into the arms of my neighbor it hurt my feelings a little she wont walk for me or to me L but none the less it was BABY STEPS FOR MY BABY!

Pj day!

This last Saturday I HAD to go to walmart! I try to avoid this place and even more so when I have both girls! It was freezing and I didn't feel like doing anything but we were out of COFFEE and diapers, both of which we can not make it through the day without! So me being lazy tell Boo we are going in our PJs I really didn't want to dress myself much less 2 wiggly girls! Boo LOVED the idea of this! So we went in to Walmart Boo and I in out pjs and Boogie in her sleeper! Boo was happy to show off her pjs and I mean hey its walmart we fit right in!

How La La Loopsy broke my bank!

Boo wants a LaLa Loopsy doll for Christmas! I looked at Walmart but they were out so I started looking on line. Well Loopsy is very popular because every store I went to online was sold out! I finally found this crazy little doll on Amazon ....I was soo happy to finally find little Loopsy until I saw her price! La La Loopsy went from $20 to 50 BUCKS! Guess what folks I bought it anyways!..I feel alittle bit robbed..jipped ...bambuzled AH the things we do for our kids! Spending money makes my want to shove a pint of chubby hubby in my mouth but that's a blog for another day!

A pink Christmas tree for Daddy's Girls!

How can I sum up a deployment? In 2 words IT SUCKS!! The first time Hubby deployed was to Iraq for 15 months, I didn’t handle it very well(that’s another story) Boo on the other hand didn’t really notice she was 9 months when he left and a little over 2yrs when he came home ….This deployment however is the opposite. I have learned how to get along with out Hubby around (although I do throw the occasional pity party) all in all I’m KINDA o.k.… BUT Boo is having a hard time missing her Daddy! At first she was ok thinking Daddy was just gone for a few days, then she started understanding. So Boo came up with her own ways of dealing with missing Daddy and one of those ways was screaming at helicopters …For some reason Boo got it in her head that Daddy is in the helicopter! When Boo sees a helicopter she jumps up and down while waving and yells “ Hi Daddy I love you I miss you!” the first time this happened It shocked me, but if it made my 3 yr. old feel better about this deployment O.K! So I have been caught many nights at Wal-Mart or where ever a helicopter might happen to show up jumping up and down waving screaming “ Hi Daddy we love you we miss you!” For all to see! So with this said I was determined to make Boo and Boogies(my 5 month old) Christmas special in its own way some how even if we are missing daddy! I had planed on getting a few hundred Army wives together to pull out our monstrous Christmas tree, But one day while wondering around Wal-Mart’s Christmas dept. looking for something useless to buy I spotted a mini metallic PINK Christmas tree! Pink is Boo’s very favorite color and she let out a squeal as soon as she saw it! Once I saw her face I knew this was the little something extra that could make this Christmas special …We had a blast picking out tiny glittery ornaments we even got a princess pink tree topper! Every night when I turn on our trees lights Boo almost explodes with excitement! Tonight after we turned on the lights of our pretty pink Christmas tree Boo looked at me and said “ Mommy Christmas is Jesus’ birthday” what a amazing gift God has given me ….proof that my 3 year old is NOT deaf !!!!

Army wife…….. Mother of 2.……Self proclaimed emotional eater!

Today I found out my Grandmother has Breast Cancer. I was at the grocery store at the time of this terrible news my immediate reaction was like a reflex, I hauled butt to the candy isle where I opened a bag of dark chocolate truffles and shoved three in my face! It’s such a strange feeling to feel over whelming satisfaction and shame at then same time! I’m boxing my shadow here ..I’m at war with myself ! With a 3 yr old, a 5 month old, a husband that is deployed to Afghanistan and a fast food place on every corner in this God forsaken military town. I feel like I might be fighting a losing battle how the heck am I a self-proclaimed emotional eater going to expect myself to not emotionally eat when everyday is a emotional rollercoaster? So I started this right after the delivery of my 2^nd daughter weighing in at a whopping 203 lbs my goal is to get to 130 lbs after about 5 months of spin class, yoga and fighting my urges to stop at McDonalds get 3 hamburgers and eat 2 before I get to where ever I’m going so people think I only got one (true story I’ve really done that) I am weighing in at 152 lbs and I have found that exercise and healthy food is not the way I’m doomed to live the rest of my life like I originally thought! Fresh food and a good work out has become a passion! While I still get hit with the over whelming need to shove my face in a cake when I get some bad news it’s getting better everyday…. I’m boxing my shadow and I’m winning!!
Rose Mary chicken and mashed sweet potatoes
What you will need:
7 Tbsp. olive oil4 sweet potatoes(peeled)
1 pkg. chicken breast
3 shallots chopped
2 tbsp. of fresh rosemary chopped

Lightly Salt and pepper chicken and simmer In a pan with 1tbsp. of olive oil until cooked through.
While chicken is cooking boil the peeled sweet potatoes until soft ,save about a ½ cup of the water and drain the rest mash the potatoes with a masher adding in the ½ cup of water saved from boiling ( I also add a little pepper)
In a different pan put the remaining 6 tbsp. spoons of olive oil, chopped shallots and chopped rosemary in a pan on med. Heat simmer and stir until shallots are light brown
Put cooked chicken and mashed potatoes on plate and spoon the caramelized rosemary mix over both and ENJOY!!