Friday, June 24, 2011

Big Decisions This Week

This last week we have been contemplating a lot. My husband has not been able to walk on his left foot for 6 months now. We have seen a bunch of Dr's and it is still not resolved. We have another appointment on Monday with a foot specialist and if that doesn't work then we will be scheduling with a Rheumatologist. My Mother-In-Law has multiple auto-immune diseases and we have watched her heath go down hill. Now I have to worry that there may be something really wrong with him and we missed it.

I am now exhausted. I have had to up my care for my husband since his foot is getting worse. Luckily I have a teenager that helps a lot but even then she can't help me work 40+ hours a week, then do my blog or personal business, clean and cook, and take care of the little ones. I have been so busy my teenager told me she misses me and she is lonely (talk about breaking my heart) The little ones try and block the door so I cannot leave. They have also been acting out which causes me to lose more energy. I start classes for my RN pre-req's in the fall and that will be another block pulled out of my already wobbly Jenga tower.

So we have decided that I will be continuing my job through the summer and then leaving my position. I need to be home with my family and take care of them, work should never come in between my family. I will still take my classes and get my RN by then life will hopefully have calmed down.

Big Decisions This Week

This last week we have been contemplating a lot. My husband has not been able to walk on his left foot for 6 months now. We have seen a bunch of Dr's and it is still not resolved. We have another appointment on Monday with a foot specialist and if that doesn't work then we will be scheduling with a Rheumatologist. My Mother-In-Law has multiple auto-immune diseases and we have watched her heath go down hill. Now I have to worry that there may be something really wrong with him and we missed it.

I am now exhausted. I have had to up my care for my husband since his foot is getting worse. Luckily I have a teenager that helps a lot but even then she can't help me work 40+ hours a week, then do my blog or personal business, clean and cook, and take care of the little ones. I have been so busy my teenager told me she misses me and she is lonely (talk about breaking my heart) The little ones try and block the door so I cannot leave. They have also been acting out which causes me to lose more energy. I start classes for my RN pre-req's in the fall and that will be another block pulled out of my already wobbly Jenga tower.

So we have decided that I will be continuing my job through the summer and then leaving my position. I need to be home with my family and take care of them, work should never come in between my family. I will still take my classes and get my RN by then life will hopefully have calmed down.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Life of a Mommy

A while ago I gave up trying to potty train my almost 4 year old son. He is as stubborn as a mule and smart as smart can be when it comes to going potty in the toilet he is the boss and will have the control. We were at a point where he was awesome pooping has never been a problem. He was going in the toilet every time, then he started to regress.

I know boys are harder then girls for the most part and when I asked my Pediatrician when I should expect him to be potty trained. His response "anytime from 3 to 53" LOL I believe him now. As a mother it is hard not to have everything perfect and to listen to everyone who's child potty trained exceptionally fast and with no effort at all. Boy those stories get old fast when you are on the other side of the fence.

A long time ago I decided not to be the mom who forces your child to potty train in anyway that is not of their own free will. My son will potty train on his own, we have given him the tools and now it is up to him to use them. It may take a while but he will do it and when he does it will be done the right way with full confidence on his part.

When you talk to someone who is in my position just remember that we are trying our best and your super success stories make us feel like failures.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Oh what a week!!

I have been working non-stop this last week. I am on day 6 of 7.5 and still going strong but will for sure fall flat on my face at the end of it. I love my job and the people there so it makes it all worth it.

Besides that I have been fighting a migraine for the last 2 days and ugh it kicked my butt this morning. Thank the lord I work NOC tonight and I had time to puke my guts out and recover. My poor son though woke up this morning at 11am!! and I knew just from that he was sick. He woke up and just started puking as well. I don't know what he had but he puked up pink on the bed and then white milk on the floor. Mommy had to go out and buy some carpet stuff for both the bed and the floor. I am hoping next week is slower.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

BBQ Pork with Parmesan Asparagus

This is a great Weight Watchers meal (9 points) or just a healthy meal in general.

We have a family of 5 but baby had already eaten and was in bed.

The shopping list
Hormel Always Tender Pork Chops (no bones)
18 Asparagus Spears
Low Fat Parmesan Cheese
Canned Beans
Watermelon
Seasoning for the pork (BBQ rub is good) or just a smidge of BBQ Sauce
Olive Oil


I cooked the pork (seasoned) at 425 until done (time depends on the thickness of the chops) Then change the oven to broil and put the spears on a cooking sheet brush on the Olive Oil and add Parmesan. It should look like this
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Then broil till the cheese is a light brown color. Take out and serve.

Add Watermelon and 1/4 cup beans
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The end product should look like this...Enjoy
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Another Grey Seattle Morning

I must say that living in Seattle has its ups and downs. The cloudy, raining weather is the downside and being kinda spendy. On the other hand Seattle has an amazing outdoor community. We make the best of any weather and love to live outdoors. My favorite outdoor activity is taking the kids to our local parks. Our local parks have tons of nature trails. My son loves walking along these trails and pointing out all the plants, trees, animals, or flowers.

We are proud wearers of flip flops in the rain and snow. Shorts when it hits 50 and socks with sandals. I personally don't wear socks with sandals but I have seen those people out and about. When walking in Seattle you will notice the large amount of foot traffic around and that is always there. Walking here is just a way of life especially if you live downtown and parking is at a large premium. One or no car homes are very common but fear not everything is in your walking reach or on a quick bus ride.

Where I live is in a suburb off of Seattle but one day I would love to move downtown and live a true Seattlite life.

Meet the Fam

Since they will be a huge part of this blog I thought I would introduce everyone.

We will go smallest to biggest

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Those are the 3 I live for and who I am trying to create a healthier happier lifestyle for. 

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

So Excited

I am building my blog and I hope I have started out on the right foot. Thankfully I have my hubby to help with some of the technical stuff. I am looking to change my background and format to make it look more professional.

Today we went and had a BBQ with friends and as much as I enjoyed it I could not wait to get home and start working on my blog again. Every time I learn something new I feel a sense of accomplishment. I hope you all enjoy the new blog and will love the recipes and posts I make. Welcome to my new home :)

Delicious Healthy Breakfast Recipe

You might even be able to slip this one to those kiddos. As most of you know I am doing the weight watchers 

program and I love it. With this program I am watching what I eat and making sure I track my daily points. I have found a new favorite breakfast food and this is only 6 points and covers everything. For Breakfast I made a Egg white omelet with broccoli, chives, low fat feta cheese, low fat Mozzarella yum. 








Egg White Omelet


3 egg whites
Dash of fat free milk
fresh chives (to taste)
1/2 cup broccoli 
1/8 cup low fat feta cheese
1/8 cup low fat mozzarella cheese
Olive oil pan spray


First I separate my eggs from the egg whites. Then I add a dash of fat free milk and beat together. Then I use Olive Oil pan spray and get my pan nice and slick add the egg mix. Cook on Medium heat. Chop chives and broccoli and add to pan then add feta cheese. It should look like this
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Cook until you can safely close the omelet. Then cook on each side for about 1 minute The end result should look something like this
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You can of course add different veggies or more to it. I have used olives, tomatoes, spinach, and asparagus. I also added blueberries and a banana on the side.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Two great places to find fun activities for Kiddos

Like any other mom I am constantly looking for activities for my three kids. I love looking around to see what the wonderful North West has to offer and believe me we my not have tons of sun but we do offer great activities for the kids. One of my favorite sites is Seattle Childs Calendar this is local and gives you the opportunity to check or un-check areas. They also let you know if the activity is for free or a fee.

Another great website that is national is Go City Kids from Parents Connect. This website offers activities nationwide and local which makes it an amazing tool when you are traveling. I would love to head down to Houston to visit my sister and her husband and I need to find some cool places to take the kids. If you are looking to move they also offer you many different options to look up; schools, restaurants, doctors. Just about anything you could imagine as well as community forums where you can find support if needed or just want to talk to others who have similar experiences to you.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Its amazing

I will admit I was a processed food junkie. This year I made the pledge to eat healthier and we have slowly been removing the processed foods in our house. At first this was an unthinkable act, now I don't even miss them. No pasta-roni, rice-a-roni, hamburger helper, mac n cheese. I will admit I do let the kiddos have some fun cereal, granola/cereal bars, and fruit snacks. If you look at my house you will see a fridge full of dairy and produce. A freezer full of meat and veggies and a pantry full of garden veggie pasta, bean, canned tomatoes, and misc other foods.

My teenager and son are cooks in training. My daughter can make almost anything from scratch, it amazes me!!! she even makes photo worthy BBQ. Bubba is only 3 and loves to help me cook and I encourage it. He cuts fruits and veggies with a plastic knife. I look forward to every week making new recipes with them (maybe someday bubba will actually eat the food)

Now I know a lot of people say it is more expensive to eat healthy and I will honestly tell you it is not. I have the same food budget and just replaced the bad with good, sometimes it is even cheaper. Amazon and Amazon Fresh have great prices on organic food and fresh produce. If you are from the NW area look into Zaycon Foods they have delicious organic free range chicken much cheaper then the grocery stores. Right now I bought a case at $1.64 a pound. The breasts are huge and never frozen. Also always look into your local produce stands that support local farmers. You get great produce at a good price while helping to support your local farmers.

I have decided

To renew my dedication to this blog. My life was so busy and my poor blog was neglected because of it. I am back and ready to give myself my release from blogging. Since the birth of my last babe I have been working at losing the baby weight and making huge lifestyle changes. Processed foods have almost been completely eliminated from my life and the family has been very accommodating. To lose weight I have started Weight Watchers and have lost 6lbs in the two weeks of doing it. The flexibility of the plan is the best, I can still eat foods I love and lose weight. So far I have gone down from 226lbs to 200lbs!!! My dear friend Ginny introduced me to all natural wraps that detox you and help melt away the inches. The first wrap I did was a total lost of 1-1/2 inches on my waist, 3 inches on my tummy, and 2 inches on my hips!!! to say the least I am now a loyal member. I plan on using this blog as a general blog for life, weight loss, and living a natural life with a coupon budget. I hope to expand and invite new adventures into my life and on this blog.


Summer