...seriously, I think I write about 10 posts every single day, but they're just in my head. No time! This morning I obvserved my 5 year old daughter being quite the drama queen about what she wanted to wear to school. Bing! Another post. About how it's been a long time since I've had to deal with that sort of issue, seeing as my next oldest daughter is 10 going on 15. The only time I have to talk to her about what she wears is when it's immodest, but for the most part she does really well and gets herself up & dressed, fed, and out the door all by herself.
Next after that I have 2 boys ages 8 & 7 - they are sooooooo easy in that regard! They of course love shirts with spiders or bats or jack-o-lanterns or transformers - but I also buy them any shirt that is a good deal and looks nice, including those with themes they're not interested in like baseball, shirts with GAP on them, etc. But they raise no fuss whatsoever when I lay out their clothes for them in the morning. All they want is "Mom, can you get me a shirt?" (cuz usually the laundry is on the couch - yeah, I'm normal!). Then they're happy.
But Grace? Ooooooh, boy. She already is a drama queen about stuff, no matter what it is - that girl can turn her little attitude on & off like a switch, it's so weird. "I hate, HATE, HATE that Highschool Musical shirt!" she said this morning. Crosses her arms in front of her, her eyes glaring and her mouth in a tight little scrunch.
We got over it, because I happened to be also letting her wear her new school shoes today since it's the first coldish day we've had. She turned it off like it had never happened, eyes dancing, "Oh, thank you Mommy! I looooooove you, Mommy!!". Yeah, sweetie....love you too. =) I decided it's better to talk with her the night before about what she's going to wear so there are no conflicts in the morning - it's already chaotic enough.
The key is for ME not to come out of rest during this. That is what I've thought about alot. Like last night, Rachel (11) goes to bed at 9:30 and I was soooo tired, I'd been going a million miles per hour for most of the day. She had this nit-picking attitude going on, picking on her little brother and when I asked her things she would reply with that "I know much, MUCH more than you, Mom" sort of tone. I finally told her she needed to just go to bed, because I needed it to be quiet and she was getting annoying. Yes, I said that! Ouch.
Later as I reflect....first, I never want my children to feel like they're annoying to me!! That is so not the way to make them feel loved. No matter what I'm feeling like, it is my heart's desire to not let any irritation come out so that they can only experience joy & love coming from me. That I LOVE to be with them. That I LOVE the quiet time we can have at night together - those have been my thoughts today. My time is not my time - yes, it is good to have alone time sometimes, but the ministry that God has given me right here, right NOW in my life is to be a sacrifice for them. And in that, I am so happy! And not so happy when I'm being selfish with my "ME" time.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
I'm so silly...!
I kind of grundged (is that a word? Well, it seems to fit) through the morning today, really tired from another sleepless night and kind of hung out on the computer, taking care of the needs around me but not working on much else. Actually I held the baby most of the morning too, does that count?
Anyway, I started to surf blogs as I was eating lunch and got really inspired to get off my duff and really do my homemaking duties with joy and not get stressed out (thus burying my head in the sand and pretending like I didn't have any work to do all morning!) but just dive in and start somewhere.
Harmony & I unloaded the dishwasher, cleared the counters, were generally picking up things when I realized it was getting late. So I quickly threw together some zucchini bread together and calculated that it would be perfect timing - ready right when we got home from getting the kids at school. I put Harmony in her carseat where she cried herself to sleep (as usual, but I checked on her every 5-10 min and put her binky back in which she spit right out!) which freed up my arms to do the dishwasher. I was hurrying as fast as I could so the load would be done and unloaded in time for the dinner dishes. I knew if I waited until after school the busy-ness would catch up to me and delay it too long.
3:00, 3:05 I was putting the last dish in and quickly gathering up the kids to put in the car. I woke up Jack and carried him to the car - Grace (5) was dawdling and I was impatiently trying to herd her into the car. The boys are usually waiting for me and wondering where I am if I'm any later than 3:10 and it takes about 5 minutes to get into the parking lot where they're waiting.
I got in the car somewhat frazzled but we were there....and looked at the clock. No, that can't be right! Can it? Is it really 2:10?? TWO ten? I hopped out of the car and ran in the house - sure enough, all the clocks also confirmed this. Aaaaaaaahhh I felt so dumb!
So I quickly brought Jack back in to his bed (poor guy was all shaky and had woken up from a deep sleep) with a bottle and hoped he'd go back to sleep. Harmony was also stirring and I tiptoed back into my room and left her in the carseat so she could just continue to sleep in there.
HA HA!! I had a good chuckle out of it - that's a first for me!! And now I have another hour - yay!
Anyway, I started to surf blogs as I was eating lunch and got really inspired to get off my duff and really do my homemaking duties with joy and not get stressed out (thus burying my head in the sand and pretending like I didn't have any work to do all morning!) but just dive in and start somewhere.
Harmony & I unloaded the dishwasher, cleared the counters, were generally picking up things when I realized it was getting late. So I quickly threw together some zucchini bread together and calculated that it would be perfect timing - ready right when we got home from getting the kids at school. I put Harmony in her carseat where she cried herself to sleep (as usual, but I checked on her every 5-10 min and put her binky back in which she spit right out!) which freed up my arms to do the dishwasher. I was hurrying as fast as I could so the load would be done and unloaded in time for the dinner dishes. I knew if I waited until after school the busy-ness would catch up to me and delay it too long.
3:00, 3:05 I was putting the last dish in and quickly gathering up the kids to put in the car. I woke up Jack and carried him to the car - Grace (5) was dawdling and I was impatiently trying to herd her into the car. The boys are usually waiting for me and wondering where I am if I'm any later than 3:10 and it takes about 5 minutes to get into the parking lot where they're waiting.
I got in the car somewhat frazzled but we were there....and looked at the clock. No, that can't be right! Can it? Is it really 2:10?? TWO ten? I hopped out of the car and ran in the house - sure enough, all the clocks also confirmed this. Aaaaaaaahhh I felt so dumb!
So I quickly brought Jack back in to his bed (poor guy was all shaky and had woken up from a deep sleep) with a bottle and hoped he'd go back to sleep. Harmony was also stirring and I tiptoed back into my room and left her in the carseat so she could just continue to sleep in there.
HA HA!! I had a good chuckle out of it - that's a first for me!! And now I have another hour - yay!
Monday, September 21, 2009
RAVE Turns into McDougal!
So the RAVE diet is very similar to the Dr. John McDougal diet, and I'm going to be following that instead, since it has a HUGE forum/support system in place and also lots & lots of books, DVD's, etc. I have found in the past that if I want to stick to something I MUST seek out others who are doing the same and learn as much as I can from them. Ask questions, encourage each other through the hard times, etc. It is absolutely imperative - as far as my track record goes, anyway.
I was so thrilled when I learned about the John McDougal site! He has a program that is also plant based, and another program within that program for those who want to lose weight faster. That would be me! I was concerned about the breads that were allowed on RAVE, knowing that for me personally, those are always what bring my weight loss to a standstill. On the Lose Weight Faster side of his diet, those are not allowed - which makes much more sense to me. So it's basically a half raw-half cooked diet but the things that are allowed that are cooked, are very healthy and low calorie/low fat/high carb. We'll see how it goes!
So far it is going great! At least, it seems pretty easy to stick to it because I don't feel deprived. If I want to have chocolate cake, I have all the things I need (including whole wheat pastry flour, thanks to DH!) to make a yummy, healthy version if I really want to. Basically my days look like this:
Breakfast: 2 cups Oatmeal with almond milk, raisins and/or blueberries
Snack: 2 Bananas or juiced vegetables
Lunch: Potato, with yellow or green veggies (steamed broccoli, or salad, or green smoothie)
Snack: Watermelon
Dinner: Brown Rice or Potato, with yellow or green veggies (steamed broccoli, or salad, or green smoothie)
Snack: Leftovers from dinner
I LOVE that I'm getting alot more greens/veggies in my diet and I also love that I am able to include cooked food but it's healthy for me. I plan to incorporate alot more soups and stir-fries with rice when the weather gets more cool - for right now I'm trying to keep it simple and learn this new way of eating.
I had DH get a bunch of Millet and Quinoa (both whole grains, similar to rice), lentils, and split peas at the store yesterday. I'm excited to see how this goes for me, especially with the fall weather coming and the comfort of warm, homemade soups. I LOVE LOVE LOVE yummy, warm, rich vegetable stews and soups. The absence of oils or fats of any kind as per this diet, won't bother me in the least in those soups...yes, I'll miss my bread but I can also pour the soup over a potato and/or rice and it'll be a complete, nourishing meal.
My long term plan is to 1) see if this works for me, if I am able to lose weight on it and 2) learn it very well and then introduce DH to this way of eating. He has told me before that if I were to make the food for him, he would totally diet, even raw food, but that was too much for me to think about in the past. Too much on my plate. But with the cooked foods mixed with green smoothies and big salads which he loves, I think it'd work! Plus, he's not really a breads sort of guy....he doesn't really care, as long as it tastes good and it's filling. So I've got high hopes for this new chapter in our lives!
I was so thrilled when I learned about the John McDougal site! He has a program that is also plant based, and another program within that program for those who want to lose weight faster. That would be me! I was concerned about the breads that were allowed on RAVE, knowing that for me personally, those are always what bring my weight loss to a standstill. On the Lose Weight Faster side of his diet, those are not allowed - which makes much more sense to me. So it's basically a half raw-half cooked diet but the things that are allowed that are cooked, are very healthy and low calorie/low fat/high carb. We'll see how it goes!
So far it is going great! At least, it seems pretty easy to stick to it because I don't feel deprived. If I want to have chocolate cake, I have all the things I need (including whole wheat pastry flour, thanks to DH!) to make a yummy, healthy version if I really want to. Basically my days look like this:
Breakfast: 2 cups Oatmeal with almond milk, raisins and/or blueberries
Snack: 2 Bananas or juiced vegetables
Lunch: Potato, with yellow or green veggies (steamed broccoli, or salad, or green smoothie)
Snack: Watermelon
Dinner: Brown Rice or Potato, with yellow or green veggies (steamed broccoli, or salad, or green smoothie)
Snack: Leftovers from dinner
I LOVE that I'm getting alot more greens/veggies in my diet and I also love that I am able to include cooked food but it's healthy for me. I plan to incorporate alot more soups and stir-fries with rice when the weather gets more cool - for right now I'm trying to keep it simple and learn this new way of eating.
I had DH get a bunch of Millet and Quinoa (both whole grains, similar to rice), lentils, and split peas at the store yesterday. I'm excited to see how this goes for me, especially with the fall weather coming and the comfort of warm, homemade soups. I LOVE LOVE LOVE yummy, warm, rich vegetable stews and soups. The absence of oils or fats of any kind as per this diet, won't bother me in the least in those soups...yes, I'll miss my bread but I can also pour the soup over a potato and/or rice and it'll be a complete, nourishing meal.
My long term plan is to 1) see if this works for me, if I am able to lose weight on it and 2) learn it very well and then introduce DH to this way of eating. He has told me before that if I were to make the food for him, he would totally diet, even raw food, but that was too much for me to think about in the past. Too much on my plate. But with the cooked foods mixed with green smoothies and big salads which he loves, I think it'd work! Plus, he's not really a breads sort of guy....he doesn't really care, as long as it tastes good and it's filling. So I've got high hopes for this new chapter in our lives!
I Love Mondays! (and 2 month PostPartum update)
Ah...a fresh start to a brand new week! Never mind that the laundry is piled on the couch, the dishes are piled in the sink, the kids need baths, and I severely sprained my toe so I'm hobbling around. IT'S MONDAY!! Weekends always find us getting off of our weekly schedule - I mean, who would want to get up at 7am when they can snuggle with DH and basically just hang out in the big king size bed with various kiddos and their blankies for a few hours? But as much as I like the leisurely, sometimes "lazy" weekends - I do so love my Mondays when I can whip things back into shape, start a savory dinner in the crockpot, catch up on my favorite blogs, and renew my determination to stick to my diet and exercise for yet another week.
Harmony, Harmony, Harmony.....what shall we do with you, child? I think looking back, I will be like wow, she really was a handful as a newborn! But right now, while I'm in it, I can't think that because then I will dispair, thinking how I just can't handle this right now! But I have to keep my head up, always hoping that today, tonight, tomorrow will be a better day and in the meantime, enjoying the moments as they come *today* and right now.
Nursing is going really interesting. I can see with my own eyes that she is growing, she has lots of wet diapers and poops about once per day now - so I know that she is getting nourished and thriving, although still pretty skinny with little rolls to speak of except for some kissably fat(ish) cheeks and a cute little double chin. But when she nurses, it's so weird - I start her always on the left side because she does NOT like that side for some reason. If I ever end with that side she'll completely refuse it. So she nurses for seriously, 2 minutes on that side. Then on to the other one where she'll nurse about 5-8 minutes or so. She is a very fast nurser, sits up, is done, and sometimes (but rarely) will burp and then fuss until I put her back on where she finishes up for about another minute. I'm faithfully taking my Mother's Milk Tea 3x per day, also Fenugreek 4 tablets 3x per day, and the Postpartum multivitamins 2x per day.
Last night, though, was another rough one. She is such a listless sleeper at night, dozing for 20 min or so, then waking up fussing. It seemed like she was hungry, since at about 1.5 hours after her previous feeding she would nurse hungrily again. After doing that until 3am, I was so tired and I knew she needed something more - so I gave her some formula and she drank 3oz. then promptly fell into a deep sleep and slept until 7am! So I don't know - I feel like I'm doing everything I can to continue breastfeeding and I DO want to, but we'll see. This is dragging on and on, and the sleepless nights (Saturday night she finally went to sleep at 5am after dozing on & off, plus I had to let her cry in the other room while I slept for a bit - I didn't know what else to do!) are really wearing me down.
I have such a huge responsibility here....but then, so did so many mothers especially in the past. How did they do it, those Moms who lived on hundreds of acres and had big families and had to do everything by hand in the old days? I'm assuming babies are mostly the same - I guess you just survive, then look back and think, "How did I do that?".
I'm going to post this now and then write about my diet in a separate post.
Harmony, Harmony, Harmony.....what shall we do with you, child? I think looking back, I will be like wow, she really was a handful as a newborn! But right now, while I'm in it, I can't think that because then I will dispair, thinking how I just can't handle this right now! But I have to keep my head up, always hoping that today, tonight, tomorrow will be a better day and in the meantime, enjoying the moments as they come *today* and right now.
Nursing is going really interesting. I can see with my own eyes that she is growing, she has lots of wet diapers and poops about once per day now - so I know that she is getting nourished and thriving, although still pretty skinny with little rolls to speak of except for some kissably fat(ish) cheeks and a cute little double chin. But when she nurses, it's so weird - I start her always on the left side because she does NOT like that side for some reason. If I ever end with that side she'll completely refuse it. So she nurses for seriously, 2 minutes on that side. Then on to the other one where she'll nurse about 5-8 minutes or so. She is a very fast nurser, sits up, is done, and sometimes (but rarely) will burp and then fuss until I put her back on where she finishes up for about another minute. I'm faithfully taking my Mother's Milk Tea 3x per day, also Fenugreek 4 tablets 3x per day, and the Postpartum multivitamins 2x per day.
Last night, though, was another rough one. She is such a listless sleeper at night, dozing for 20 min or so, then waking up fussing. It seemed like she was hungry, since at about 1.5 hours after her previous feeding she would nurse hungrily again. After doing that until 3am, I was so tired and I knew she needed something more - so I gave her some formula and she drank 3oz. then promptly fell into a deep sleep and slept until 7am! So I don't know - I feel like I'm doing everything I can to continue breastfeeding and I DO want to, but we'll see. This is dragging on and on, and the sleepless nights (Saturday night she finally went to sleep at 5am after dozing on & off, plus I had to let her cry in the other room while I slept for a bit - I didn't know what else to do!) are really wearing me down.
I have such a huge responsibility here....but then, so did so many mothers especially in the past. How did they do it, those Moms who lived on hundreds of acres and had big families and had to do everything by hand in the old days? I'm assuming babies are mostly the same - I guess you just survive, then look back and think, "How did I do that?".
I'm going to post this now and then write about my diet in a separate post.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Lost 3 lbs already....
I was surprised and happy to see that the scale was already down 3lbs from yesterday's RAVE diet day. I don't expect that to be the norm, it was basically because my body was shedding the extra lbs from the previous days of eating lots of junk. So I went from 148 to 145 this morning.
That was really interesting for me to see, because yesterday I had that cooked meal of 2 ww tortillas, corn, beans, and salsa. I struggled with guilt over that because I wanted to be 100% good on my diet yesterday (which I was according to RAVE) and since I'm such an all or nothing type of person, it was kind of hard to keep that mindset that I WAS 100% good even though I was not 100% raw.
This morning I made myself such yummy oatmeal cereal! I think I actually ate to much, I'll have to do better next time. It consisted of 2 c. rolled oats cooked in 2.5 c. almond milk with 1.5 T. pure raw maple syrup, sprinkle of cinnamon, and handful of raisins. It was thick and chunky like I love it, and I think I only ate like 1 cup before I was totally TOO full. I've also been told that oatmeal helps with your breastmilk supply, and that it is really filling. We'll see how long it holds me through today.
I haven't been able to exercise yet - yesterday DH went wakeboarding after work with the guys and came home at around 10pm. It was pretty stressful and crazy with all the kids by myself but we did it, I really struggled to remain in rest. It's funny how you can have these plans and in the midst of them, thinking you're such a good Mom and blah blah blah, then all of a sudden everything goes wrong and you end up getting upset at the kids and then the whole idea goes to pot. LOL!
The boys have been really into the Magic Tree House books, so James wanted me to read the one that he checked out from the library at school. Usually we put the little ones to bed, then get cozy in my bed for some "Mommy & James time" as he puts it, sometimes with a few of the other older children listening too. Since it's been getting darker earlier I called them in from playing outside at about 7pm - their bedtime is 8pm. I told them if they got their pajamas on then we could have popcorn and sit around the table reading the book. They were really excited and got all ready.
Problem was, the little ones were still up - Jack is just 21 months and he kept climbing ON the table and getting into everyone's popcorn. I tried to give him his own, but he spilled it and/or didn't want it because it wasn't a BIG bowl like theirs. Then Harmony woke up and was crying, so I had to nurse her but they were all sitting at the table waiting for me...so I nursed her there. But I couldn't hold the book, so I had someone else hold it for me but they kept moving the book so I couldn't read very well, then Jack got ON the table and spilled the little vase of flowers with water in it...and then Marie (3) decided to dump her water into the bowl of popcorn to see what would happen.
All the while, James is getting frustrated because of the little kids and wanting me to read the book. Harmony is still not nursing THAT great, so she kept pulling away and crying and I was just getting really overwhelmed! And started getting upset at them, I was so tired....DH was gone and I still had the big task of getting them all in bed ahead of me.
It's funny how you look back and are just like wow, I can't believe I was so out of rest about that! How dumb! But in the moment, you just WANT that picture-perfect moment with them and it's rarely how you think it'll be, lol.
Anyway, my point was that I didn't get to exercise last night, although I was tempted to just go running at 11pm. Just to be hardcore, to really make this work, to be able to say that "I did it" and exercised 5 days a week! Tonight is a church picnic so I most likely won't get to go then either. That leaves the weekend which I need to be diligent to go - I have no excuse for not going on the weekends, when DH is home most of the day.
This post got really long and I have a million other things to do, but I plan to come back and update on what I ate to hold me accountable. Ice cream and popcorn have had a small pull on me yesterday and this morning but I was able to firmly say NO and that was that! One thing is for sure, the LAST thing I feel like doing right now is eating, with this oatmeal making my tummy full. I love that feeling!
Food eaten today:
2 bowls of oatmeal w/maple syrup, cinnamon, raisins, almond milk
big plate full of steamed broccoli
1 potato w/lots of herbs
1/2 a banana
smoothie with big bunch of spinach, 1 banana, 1 pear, 2 T. ground flax and 1 T. of green powder (spirulina, chlorella, etc)
I'm thrilled with how my diet went today - I really enjoyed the oatmeal ALOT and it kept me full for almost 2 hours. Not enough raw, though - I'd like to see my breakfast start out with either fruit OR juiced veggies and then possibly a bowl of oatmeal, just one though. More raw and/or greens - but not bad for my 2nd day of eating healthy! =)
That was really interesting for me to see, because yesterday I had that cooked meal of 2 ww tortillas, corn, beans, and salsa. I struggled with guilt over that because I wanted to be 100% good on my diet yesterday (which I was according to RAVE) and since I'm such an all or nothing type of person, it was kind of hard to keep that mindset that I WAS 100% good even though I was not 100% raw.
This morning I made myself such yummy oatmeal cereal! I think I actually ate to much, I'll have to do better next time. It consisted of 2 c. rolled oats cooked in 2.5 c. almond milk with 1.5 T. pure raw maple syrup, sprinkle of cinnamon, and handful of raisins. It was thick and chunky like I love it, and I think I only ate like 1 cup before I was totally TOO full. I've also been told that oatmeal helps with your breastmilk supply, and that it is really filling. We'll see how long it holds me through today.
I haven't been able to exercise yet - yesterday DH went wakeboarding after work with the guys and came home at around 10pm. It was pretty stressful and crazy with all the kids by myself but we did it, I really struggled to remain in rest. It's funny how you can have these plans and in the midst of them, thinking you're such a good Mom and blah blah blah, then all of a sudden everything goes wrong and you end up getting upset at the kids and then the whole idea goes to pot. LOL!
The boys have been really into the Magic Tree House books, so James wanted me to read the one that he checked out from the library at school. Usually we put the little ones to bed, then get cozy in my bed for some "Mommy & James time" as he puts it, sometimes with a few of the other older children listening too. Since it's been getting darker earlier I called them in from playing outside at about 7pm - their bedtime is 8pm. I told them if they got their pajamas on then we could have popcorn and sit around the table reading the book. They were really excited and got all ready.
Problem was, the little ones were still up - Jack is just 21 months and he kept climbing ON the table and getting into everyone's popcorn. I tried to give him his own, but he spilled it and/or didn't want it because it wasn't a BIG bowl like theirs. Then Harmony woke up and was crying, so I had to nurse her but they were all sitting at the table waiting for me...so I nursed her there. But I couldn't hold the book, so I had someone else hold it for me but they kept moving the book so I couldn't read very well, then Jack got ON the table and spilled the little vase of flowers with water in it...and then Marie (3) decided to dump her water into the bowl of popcorn to see what would happen.
All the while, James is getting frustrated because of the little kids and wanting me to read the book. Harmony is still not nursing THAT great, so she kept pulling away and crying and I was just getting really overwhelmed! And started getting upset at them, I was so tired....DH was gone and I still had the big task of getting them all in bed ahead of me.
It's funny how you look back and are just like wow, I can't believe I was so out of rest about that! How dumb! But in the moment, you just WANT that picture-perfect moment with them and it's rarely how you think it'll be, lol.
Anyway, my point was that I didn't get to exercise last night, although I was tempted to just go running at 11pm. Just to be hardcore, to really make this work, to be able to say that "I did it" and exercised 5 days a week! Tonight is a church picnic so I most likely won't get to go then either. That leaves the weekend which I need to be diligent to go - I have no excuse for not going on the weekends, when DH is home most of the day.
This post got really long and I have a million other things to do, but I plan to come back and update on what I ate to hold me accountable. Ice cream and popcorn have had a small pull on me yesterday and this morning but I was able to firmly say NO and that was that! One thing is for sure, the LAST thing I feel like doing right now is eating, with this oatmeal making my tummy full. I love that feeling!
Food eaten today:
2 bowls of oatmeal w/maple syrup, cinnamon, raisins, almond milk
big plate full of steamed broccoli
1 potato w/lots of herbs
1/2 a banana
smoothie with big bunch of spinach, 1 banana, 1 pear, 2 T. ground flax and 1 T. of green powder (spirulina, chlorella, etc)
I'm thrilled with how my diet went today - I really enjoyed the oatmeal ALOT and it kept me full for almost 2 hours. Not enough raw, though - I'd like to see my breakfast start out with either fruit OR juiced veggies and then possibly a bowl of oatmeal, just one though. More raw and/or greens - but not bad for my 2nd day of eating healthy! =)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The R.A.V.E Diet - my new thing =)
In my last post, I wrote that I was really excited about being 100% raw and had been for 3 days! Yeah, that was awesome and I felt so great! But not very long lived. I did a challenge with my friend for 3 days which held me accountable, and on the 4the day it was just too easy to give in. I really fell off the wagon, so to speak - and proceeded to eat really badly for 3 days in a row. Mostly bad stuff, hardly any raw at all. The more I ate, the worse I felt about myself and it was so frustrating that while I really wanted to eat healthy, I just sabotaged myself!
So then, the other day, a friend of mine sent me a link to a guy who talked about eating low-fat vegan - emphasizing the raw fruits & vegetables, but also eating cooked low-fat vegan. I felt really hopeful because....I have to be realistic.
While I KNOW that eating raw is 100% the best and what I hope to strive to, after 3+ years of struggling I'm trying to really take a look at my life and what is REAL for me. It is not realistic for me to assume that I can be 100%, since all I've done is struggle after it for years...and always going to the other side of the ditch, as in, eating big bowls of ice cream and popcorn and just JUNK for 2-3 days, then going 100% raw for 2-3 days and repeating that cycle. I know this can change, I mean, I HAVE gone 85 days 100% and also 45 days...I can do it. But for right now, the swinging from one extreme to the other is really unhealthy and during this turbulent time of adjusting to another baby, I just don't have the hard-core in me right now.
What is the RAVE diet? It stands for:
No Refined Products
No Animal Products
No Vegetable Oils
No Exceptions + Exercise
Basically it is a vegan whole foods lifestyle. It is an old-fashioned, plant-based, whole foods diet based exclusively on whole fruits, whole vegetables and whole grains. The only thing that confuses me a little bit is that I'm used to eating whatever I want, however much I want, as long as it's raw. But I don't think that's okay when it comes to eating things on the RAVE, even though they're okay. Like eating 4 whole wheat rolls at dinner time doesn't really seem like it'll help weight loss, lol.
Today so far I have been hungry just because I am bored with the raw food I have and don't want to take the time to make anything. So I had like maybe 2 cups of watermelon for breakfast, then 1 banana a little later, then 2 apples for snack. Then I had 2 whole wheat tortillas stuffed with pinto beans, salsa, and corn with tobasco sauce. I plan to incorporate as much of eating raw as I can, but also make some yummy things that are *ok* because they don't included sugar, dairy, meat, and refined stuff.
I'm still looking into it, I have the book and have had it for years, but always kind of ignored it since I was always striving to be raw. I'm excited about this and plan to give it at least 3 weeks to see how I feel and if the weight comes off. He recommends exercising at least 30 min every day, or 45 min. 5x per week which is what I already try to do. So that fits well.
I'm having a hard time being 100% on the RAVE without feeling guilty and/or like I'm sabotoging myself when I eat whole wheat stuff, especially the breads, tortillas, etc. But at the same time, I have to realize that these things (in moderation, meaning NORMAL people amounts, not 6 of them!) are sooooo much healthier than popcorn doused in butter, salt, garlic, and parmesan cheese! And of course much healthier than tons of ice cream doused in fatty cheap peanut butter (my vice lately!).
Also - WAKE UP CALL. I weighed in at 148 this morning! OUCH OUCH OUCH - I've been steadily at 144 for the past 3-4 weeks on an 85% or so raw diet, even down to 141 when I was 100% for a few days. I know that my body GAINS like crazy when I eat the sweets, like 10lbs in ONE MONTH from eating brownies every day after baby #5!
Last night I went shopping, DH told me to go do something while he watched the kids after dinner. =) So I went to Old Navy, and it was really stressful actually! I had no idea what size I wore - everything I have is pretty much stretched out and/or maternity....and the things from last summer that seem to be a size to small are like size 4. So I assumed maybe I am a size 6? Nope, how about a solid size EIGHT. I was dead tired (but glad for the break) and after trying on the shirts that make me look all lumpy with big boobs (for me) and squishy tummy, the size 6 pants that looked ridiculous.......I ended up walking out of the store with exactly nothing. I felt pretty disheartened - I think because I don't have a full-length mirror so I guess I was sort of going on how I "felt" that I looked.
Oh well, life is too short to dwell on that type of thing - I mean, I did just have a baby 8 weeks ago. So no worries but my point is that it kind of motivated me to get my butt in gear and start running more, and start eating much better. I just don't want Christmas to come and I'm sitting there wishing I'd done more. Christmas is my goal to be back in the size I was last summer, size 4.
Today is day #1 - Jen, want to do another challenge? =) I'm up to it now, I think, with this newer way of eating...a little more freedom.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Eating Raw & I'm Getting Excited!
I'm currently quite excited about being 100% raw again. Basically the last week I ran 3 days in a row (40 min powerwalking/sprinting 7x) and have been *trying* to stay as raw as possible but the more ice-cream & garlic parmesan popcorn I ate, the more I wanted more. LOL! So yesterday morning was the last straw when I ate a good sized piece of vanilla chocolate chip cake, and then proceeded to have two big bowls full of ice-cream with lots of peanut butter added (my new thing lately!).
I had that for BREAKFAST! Which is really rare for me - but we were out of bananas and watermelon, my two "grab and eat" emergency foods when I'm super hungry and Do. Not. Feel. Like. making anything or even eating raw, for that matter. It's hard because I am breastfeeding so I know I need nourishment but when I eat food that is SO bad for me like that, all I want to do (naturally, my body tells me I am NOT hungry) is fast for the rest of the day! Or at least, until I feel hungry again. So I basically fasted until about 3pm when I had a bite of an apple, but then still didn't eat anything (I was really busy with dinner) until about 5pm when I downed 32 oz. of freshly juiced vegetables: carrots, beets & greens, celery, and zucchini. Later I had about 8 dates and 2 bananas, and that was it for the day.
But anyway, the reason I'm telling you this is because yesterday I texted Jen and asked if she wanted to do a weekend challenge to be 100% on our diets. We're both trying to lose about 15 lbs but are each doing our own diet - still trying to be 100% at it, though. So it worked! I got out of my week-long sugar/popcorn funk as of yesterday, and have now been 100% raw for over 24 hours. You have to celebrate small successes!
I'm really proud of myself because we still have ice cream in the freezer and I am not eating it, and I also have a big bag full of Molasses Crinkle Cookies I made for the kids after school yesterday that I have not eaten ONE of. Hurray!
So today I am scouting out new recipes to make - currently, here is what I eat on a regular basis when I am raw (plus other random fruit, but these are the regulars):
Bananas
Watermelon
Chocolate Avocado Coconut Pudding
32oz. of juiced veggies (any or all of these: carrots, beets & greens, celery, cucumber, green beans, tomatoes, apples, and zucchini)
Mother's Milk Tea + Postpartum vitamins, fish oil, and fenugreek
Now I'm going to add in some fun recipes - these are what have kept me raw for long periods of time in the past. I just have to be careful because one recipe can cost as much as $65! So I have to go simple, especially using the staples that I already have. Here are the things I pulled out of my big recipe binder that I want to make within the next 24 hours (we're currently in the middle of a 2-day conference at our church so it's a bit busier than normal):
Chocolate Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Veggie Herb Pizza Crust with Rich Cheddar Sauce and piled high with my favorite veggies
Nini's Cheesy Sweet Potato Chips
Veggies Marinated in Orange Sesame Sauce
While these "meals" are not going to necessarily keep me full all day, lol, they are fun to make and offer a little more variety than the fruit mono-meals I've been eating. I also LOVE zucchini slices sprinkled in herbs and parmesan and broiled in the oven. So I'm going to see if I can come up with a raw comparison in the dehydrator, using nutrional yeast instead of parmesan.
NURSING - aaaack!!! I am having such a hard time with it since last night and today! After going to my doctor's appointment, she said it sounded like Harmony is hungry alot of the time - and I agree with her, the way she cries after I've fed her. But there is also the problem of the left breast, for some reason she refuses to empty it, even though there is obviously more milk. She nurses more contentedly on the right side, emptying it completely. So I start her on the left every time, otherwise she'd just refuse to nurse hardly at all on that side. It's becoming so painful to nurse her on that side because she pulls away so much, she just doesn't like it!
But anyway, my point is that after the appointment (she has gained though, and is growing so she's doing good in that regard) I received my vitamins from UPS in the afternoon and started in on all my supplements. So this is my regime - and I could already tell there was more milk within 24 hours:
2 cups Mother's Milk Tea 3x a day
4 tablets Fenugreek 3x a day
1 fish oil 2x a day
3 PostNatal Vitamins 2x a day
Today, though, I ended up having DH take the four older ones to our church conference. I didn't get much sleep last night and the thought of nursing makes me stiffen at the pain it brings nursing on my left side with that almost cracked nipple. I am smothering it in cream which always heals, I just have to be consistent. And trying to nurse her in another place just adds to the stress so...hopefully I can settle things down a bit through the first half of this day at least, because I really want to go tonight.
I'm off to start soaking some buckwheat for the pizza crust! =)
I had that for BREAKFAST! Which is really rare for me - but we were out of bananas and watermelon, my two "grab and eat" emergency foods when I'm super hungry and Do. Not. Feel. Like. making anything or even eating raw, for that matter. It's hard because I am breastfeeding so I know I need nourishment but when I eat food that is SO bad for me like that, all I want to do (naturally, my body tells me I am NOT hungry) is fast for the rest of the day! Or at least, until I feel hungry again. So I basically fasted until about 3pm when I had a bite of an apple, but then still didn't eat anything (I was really busy with dinner) until about 5pm when I downed 32 oz. of freshly juiced vegetables: carrots, beets & greens, celery, and zucchini. Later I had about 8 dates and 2 bananas, and that was it for the day.
But anyway, the reason I'm telling you this is because yesterday I texted Jen and asked if she wanted to do a weekend challenge to be 100% on our diets. We're both trying to lose about 15 lbs but are each doing our own diet - still trying to be 100% at it, though. So it worked! I got out of my week-long sugar/popcorn funk as of yesterday, and have now been 100% raw for over 24 hours. You have to celebrate small successes!
I'm really proud of myself because we still have ice cream in the freezer and I am not eating it, and I also have a big bag full of Molasses Crinkle Cookies I made for the kids after school yesterday that I have not eaten ONE of. Hurray!
So today I am scouting out new recipes to make - currently, here is what I eat on a regular basis when I am raw (plus other random fruit, but these are the regulars):
Bananas
Watermelon
Chocolate Avocado Coconut Pudding
32oz. of juiced veggies (any or all of these: carrots, beets & greens, celery, cucumber, green beans, tomatoes, apples, and zucchini)
Mother's Milk Tea + Postpartum vitamins, fish oil, and fenugreek
Now I'm going to add in some fun recipes - these are what have kept me raw for long periods of time in the past. I just have to be careful because one recipe can cost as much as $65! So I have to go simple, especially using the staples that I already have. Here are the things I pulled out of my big recipe binder that I want to make within the next 24 hours (we're currently in the middle of a 2-day conference at our church so it's a bit busier than normal):
Chocolate Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies
Veggie Herb Pizza Crust with Rich Cheddar Sauce and piled high with my favorite veggies
Nini's Cheesy Sweet Potato Chips
Veggies Marinated in Orange Sesame Sauce
While these "meals" are not going to necessarily keep me full all day, lol, they are fun to make and offer a little more variety than the fruit mono-meals I've been eating. I also LOVE zucchini slices sprinkled in herbs and parmesan and broiled in the oven. So I'm going to see if I can come up with a raw comparison in the dehydrator, using nutrional yeast instead of parmesan.
NURSING - aaaack!!! I am having such a hard time with it since last night and today! After going to my doctor's appointment, she said it sounded like Harmony is hungry alot of the time - and I agree with her, the way she cries after I've fed her. But there is also the problem of the left breast, for some reason she refuses to empty it, even though there is obviously more milk. She nurses more contentedly on the right side, emptying it completely. So I start her on the left every time, otherwise she'd just refuse to nurse hardly at all on that side. It's becoming so painful to nurse her on that side because she pulls away so much, she just doesn't like it!
But anyway, my point is that after the appointment (she has gained though, and is growing so she's doing good in that regard) I received my vitamins from UPS in the afternoon and started in on all my supplements. So this is my regime - and I could already tell there was more milk within 24 hours:
2 cups Mother's Milk Tea 3x a day
4 tablets Fenugreek 3x a day
1 fish oil 2x a day
3 PostNatal Vitamins 2x a day
Today, though, I ended up having DH take the four older ones to our church conference. I didn't get much sleep last night and the thought of nursing makes me stiffen at the pain it brings nursing on my left side with that almost cracked nipple. I am smothering it in cream which always heals, I just have to be consistent. And trying to nurse her in another place just adds to the stress so...hopefully I can settle things down a bit through the first half of this day at least, because I really want to go tonight.
I'm off to start soaking some buckwheat for the pizza crust! =)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Nursing not going well...
I know this seems to happen with every baby. And it seems like with every baby, it concerns me just as much and I get just as worried. And it turns out fine! But I also know that each baby is different so...
I ran out of my postnatal nutrition pills - the ones that are really good quality, costing about $35 per 1 month of supply. I also broke my tea maker so stopped doing the Mommy's milk tea, and also slacked off on Fenugreek and Cod Liver Oil. Goes to show - don't take those things for granted!
But now Harmony is doing this frustrating thing where she won't drink all the milk! I KNOW there is more in there, I can feel it, but she pulls away and cries & cries. She is no longer content and gets all stiff and jerky moves while crying. My nipples are also getting really sore from her doing that, which doesn't help things much. So she doesn't drain them, but stops crying with a pacifier at least (but continues to suck and then pull off with milk dripping everywhere if I put her back on) and then falls into a fitful sleep, often waking after 30 minutes or 45 minutes.
This is not good timing with back to school because I am so tired after her doing that most of the night! She seems to do that until about 3am, and then sleeps okay until about 6am or 7am at which time I have to wake her up anyway to nurse so she won't be crying & hungry while I'm getting the kids ready. She sleeps pretty well most of the day, but then around dinner time the fussiness starts again. She's pretty happy when I'm holding her, at least that is good. Doesn't like the Ergo carrier at all, either.
What I just described sounds to me like a colicky baby, so I think I'm going to look at the health food store today for an herbal remedy. Last night I felt so bad, but I was getting almost irrational I was SO tired. To the point where I needed to be separated from her in order to keep my sanity. So I made sure she was changed, her tummy was as full as she would let it be, and that she was tired - she hadn't slept for quite a while. Then I laid her on the couch in the living room making sure she was safe, and left her there while I slept for a while in my room. Yes, she cried...when I came back she was all sweaty and hadn't slept a wink. My heart about broke seeing that she'd been crying so much, and with the frustration of it all! I don't know what to do! Mom's are supposed to be able to calm their babies, they're that ONE person that the baby knows and is always happy to see. I'm tearing up now as I write this (but then, I cry about everything these days, lol!) - I hate to see her like this.
I did give her formula the other night after she had truly drained my milk and seemed to be still hungry. She drank another 3oz. of the formula, but then that was when it started, the staying up late and crying and crying. It really was like her tummy hurt, the way she'd fall into a fitful sleep and then squirm and jerk awake crying like something was hurting her.
Today I have to take the four younger ones to the store to get more school supplies that we missed, some groceries, and things for Isaac's birthday tonight. He's turning 7 and is soooo excited because his birthday falls at the end of the summer - all the other kids have birthdays in April, May, June, and July so he's been waiting a long time. Then I have a doctor's appointment at 4pm which I am so so so tempted to cancel. It's Harmony's 6 week checkup, though - and I need to have her weighed and make sure she's doing okay. But I'm so exhausted, and really don't even know how I'm going to get through this day. I've already been short with the kids and I hate that! I don't want to be that Mommy....! I finally just picked up Jack (21m) and put him in his bed for a little while.
Tonight he has requested broccoli chicken casserole and whole wheat rolls which he loves, and a cake with a transformer on it, lol. Fortunately he wants a REAL transformer on top, not just decoration, so that makes it a little less costly. Then at 7pm we'll have his party - not many people are coming so that makes it less work for me, but it's still another "thing" that must be done today.
Yesterday DH called to ask how I was doing and I almost started crying, it's just been so overwhelming! I was trying to make dinner and the kids were in the front yard while I was doing that, playing with the hose and making rivers all in of his nice flower beds getting barkdust all over the sidewalk and driveway. AND getting muddy and wet. Of course, once chastised, Isaac informed me that it was my fault because I was making dinner and wasn't watching them. Ha ha, nice try little buddy. =0 I thought that was funny.
I read this on a new blog I found and it was so good to be reminded. She has a 4 week old and 3 other little girls, and wrote a post about not looking back into the past and how it used to be. Here is her post.
I ran out of my postnatal nutrition pills - the ones that are really good quality, costing about $35 per 1 month of supply. I also broke my tea maker so stopped doing the Mommy's milk tea, and also slacked off on Fenugreek and Cod Liver Oil. Goes to show - don't take those things for granted!
But now Harmony is doing this frustrating thing where she won't drink all the milk! I KNOW there is more in there, I can feel it, but she pulls away and cries & cries. She is no longer content and gets all stiff and jerky moves while crying. My nipples are also getting really sore from her doing that, which doesn't help things much. So she doesn't drain them, but stops crying with a pacifier at least (but continues to suck and then pull off with milk dripping everywhere if I put her back on) and then falls into a fitful sleep, often waking after 30 minutes or 45 minutes.
This is not good timing with back to school because I am so tired after her doing that most of the night! She seems to do that until about 3am, and then sleeps okay until about 6am or 7am at which time I have to wake her up anyway to nurse so she won't be crying & hungry while I'm getting the kids ready. She sleeps pretty well most of the day, but then around dinner time the fussiness starts again. She's pretty happy when I'm holding her, at least that is good. Doesn't like the Ergo carrier at all, either.
What I just described sounds to me like a colicky baby, so I think I'm going to look at the health food store today for an herbal remedy. Last night I felt so bad, but I was getting almost irrational I was SO tired. To the point where I needed to be separated from her in order to keep my sanity. So I made sure she was changed, her tummy was as full as she would let it be, and that she was tired - she hadn't slept for quite a while. Then I laid her on the couch in the living room making sure she was safe, and left her there while I slept for a while in my room. Yes, she cried...when I came back she was all sweaty and hadn't slept a wink. My heart about broke seeing that she'd been crying so much, and with the frustration of it all! I don't know what to do! Mom's are supposed to be able to calm their babies, they're that ONE person that the baby knows and is always happy to see. I'm tearing up now as I write this (but then, I cry about everything these days, lol!) - I hate to see her like this.
I did give her formula the other night after she had truly drained my milk and seemed to be still hungry. She drank another 3oz. of the formula, but then that was when it started, the staying up late and crying and crying. It really was like her tummy hurt, the way she'd fall into a fitful sleep and then squirm and jerk awake crying like something was hurting her.
Today I have to take the four younger ones to the store to get more school supplies that we missed, some groceries, and things for Isaac's birthday tonight. He's turning 7 and is soooo excited because his birthday falls at the end of the summer - all the other kids have birthdays in April, May, June, and July so he's been waiting a long time. Then I have a doctor's appointment at 4pm which I am so so so tempted to cancel. It's Harmony's 6 week checkup, though - and I need to have her weighed and make sure she's doing okay. But I'm so exhausted, and really don't even know how I'm going to get through this day. I've already been short with the kids and I hate that! I don't want to be that Mommy....! I finally just picked up Jack (21m) and put him in his bed for a little while.
Tonight he has requested broccoli chicken casserole and whole wheat rolls which he loves, and a cake with a transformer on it, lol. Fortunately he wants a REAL transformer on top, not just decoration, so that makes it a little less costly. Then at 7pm we'll have his party - not many people are coming so that makes it less work for me, but it's still another "thing" that must be done today.
Yesterday DH called to ask how I was doing and I almost started crying, it's just been so overwhelming! I was trying to make dinner and the kids were in the front yard while I was doing that, playing with the hose and making rivers all in of his nice flower beds getting barkdust all over the sidewalk and driveway. AND getting muddy and wet. Of course, once chastised, Isaac informed me that it was my fault because I was making dinner and wasn't watching them. Ha ha, nice try little buddy. =0 I thought that was funny.
I read this on a new blog I found and it was so good to be reminded. She has a 4 week old and 3 other little girls, and wrote a post about not looking back into the past and how it used to be. Here is her post.
Monday, September 07, 2009
7 Weeks ~ Musings about Postpartum Body
It's strangely quiet around here right now! There is a BBQ potluck out at our church for the afternoon, and DH got ambitious and took ALL SIX of the older children! Wow - I am impressed, he usually takes the older four and maybe the 3 year old. She's not potty trained all the way yet, so he usually tells her that when she learns how to go potty on the toilet all the time, she can go. Little Jack is so cute, he just waves goodbye to them every time, content with his lot in life to stay with Mommy right now.
But Jack and DH are BEST buds, it's so cute, we've never had such a Daddy's boy before. Daddy makes EVERYTHING better, and he'll follow him around all day if he could. Big cheers are heard from Jack when Daddy walks through the door after a long day of work! So today, DH decided at the last minute to take him too. You should've seen his big blue eyes sparkle with excitement! "Bye-bye, I Bye-bye!" he kept saying as he followed the big kids down the sidewalk and into the car. So so so cute! Harmony and I are staying home today because she has a cold and it's been on the chilly side here today, raining off & on.
So here's what I get to work on:
That's not all of it - here's what I already got done today during naptime (and was hoping when Jack woke up that he wouldn't demolish it, lol!).
So I've been thinking about body after baby. I think that for me personally, the whole idea of fitting into my clothes after the baby is just a pipe dream. But not for the reasons you're thinking. For a while now, I've been frustrated that my skirts and cute capris, shorts, jeans, etc from pre-pregnancy don't fit. They're just like 1 size too small, and some of them are *almost* okay but truly would not be modest in public; just too tight in the wrong places. My shirts fit me okay but just not the bottoms.
What I realized is that my HIPS are actually different. As in, the actual size of them - and it's not really because I have more fat. I do have 15lbs left to lose so yeah, there is some of that - but I am definitely more curvy in that area than ever before. I have a different body shape! I remember noticing this after Jack, too. So it's not so much that I have to lose the weight and WHY.IS.IT.NOT.COMING.OFF - but it's more like my body has changed for right now, so go with it, woman!
So I talked to DH and I am going to go shopping. Not hardcore $500 spending bash or anything like that, but I am no longer going to be dressed in stretchy yoga pants or when it's too hot, wear fancy skirts around the house just because I don't have anything else! No more shirts that are TOO short and don't cover up the squishy belly when I bend over, lol. I'm not going to wait around until I lose the weight to have a decent wardrobe again.
I'm excited because this is really freeing for me. I think that it is necessary to feel good about yourself and have a few nice outfits that you feel compliment your body as it is NOW, not "it's a little tight but will hopefully fit better in the next week/month when I lose the weight". Because it's just so depressing when that doesn't happen!
But Jack and DH are BEST buds, it's so cute, we've never had such a Daddy's boy before. Daddy makes EVERYTHING better, and he'll follow him around all day if he could. Big cheers are heard from Jack when Daddy walks through the door after a long day of work! So today, DH decided at the last minute to take him too. You should've seen his big blue eyes sparkle with excitement! "Bye-bye, I Bye-bye!" he kept saying as he followed the big kids down the sidewalk and into the car. So so so cute! Harmony and I are staying home today because she has a cold and it's been on the chilly side here today, raining off & on.
So here's what I get to work on:
That's not all of it - here's what I already got done today during naptime (and was hoping when Jack woke up that he wouldn't demolish it, lol!).
So I've been thinking about body after baby. I think that for me personally, the whole idea of fitting into my clothes after the baby is just a pipe dream. But not for the reasons you're thinking. For a while now, I've been frustrated that my skirts and cute capris, shorts, jeans, etc from pre-pregnancy don't fit. They're just like 1 size too small, and some of them are *almost* okay but truly would not be modest in public; just too tight in the wrong places. My shirts fit me okay but just not the bottoms.
What I realized is that my HIPS are actually different. As in, the actual size of them - and it's not really because I have more fat. I do have 15lbs left to lose so yeah, there is some of that - but I am definitely more curvy in that area than ever before. I have a different body shape! I remember noticing this after Jack, too. So it's not so much that I have to lose the weight and WHY.IS.IT.NOT.COMING.OFF - but it's more like my body has changed for right now, so go with it, woman!
So I talked to DH and I am going to go shopping. Not hardcore $500 spending bash or anything like that, but I am no longer going to be dressed in stretchy yoga pants or when it's too hot, wear fancy skirts around the house just because I don't have anything else! No more shirts that are TOO short and don't cover up the squishy belly when I bend over, lol. I'm not going to wait around until I lose the weight to have a decent wardrobe again.
I'm excited because this is really freeing for me. I think that it is necessary to feel good about yourself and have a few nice outfits that you feel compliment your body as it is NOW, not "it's a little tight but will hopefully fit better in the next week/month when I lose the weight". Because it's just so depressing when that doesn't happen!
Thursday, September 03, 2009
6 Weeks Update
Still hanging in there! Harmony is getting so cute, her features are starting to become like a little baby instead of that wrinkled little old man monkey look they have for the first few weeks. She is adorable and is starting to coo and smile sometimes, to the other kids' delight! (and mine =)
I'm still at that really weird place in my life where I am so overwhelmed I don't even know what to do. Like yesterday I was nursing in the living room, and I had told Marie like five times to go get another pullup AND the baby wipes and bring them to me so I could change her poopy pullup. So I look up and here she is coming down the hallway with the pullup AROUND HER ANKLES and yes, practically dripping poop, it was on the verge of getting ALL over.
Then when I was changing her (baby is crying cuz of being interrupted from nursing) here comes Jack from the little pool in the backyard carrying my Pectin box, all soggy that I had just bought at the store for $2.75 (a splurge for us, but worth it cuz I was going to make Jam!). I just kind of freaked out and started crying - everything was happening at once and I was so frustrated when I saw that Pectin ruined. About an hour before that I had run into my room in tears to fall on my knees and cry out to God to help me and why was I crying? I didn't really even know, but just that everything was too much that I was going through. Or seemed to be too much.
But I'm realizing that this is just a stage in my life. Next week school will be starting and we'll get on a routine - for some reason it has been so hard for me to be without a schedule. I'm going to have four gone and three at home in the mornings, so hopefully I can get alot done by the time the children come home so I can spend time with them.
Weight-wise, it's been interesting! Here is what I have done so far exercise wise, and personally if I have another baby, here is a message to myself: "STOP thinking about losing your weight until at LEAST 2 months!!! It's too stressful!" That being said, lol:
2 Weeks - T-Tapp Primary Back Stretch
3 Weeks - Powerwalking 4x a week
4 Weeks - Interval Running 4x a week
5 Weeks - Weight lifting 4x a week, interval running 3x a week
So at 5 weeks I started this hardcore workout routine where I do weight lifting and 40 minute running/walking combo. I've been able to lose a little weight but not much - I am at 143 lbs now but I'm pretty sure I've gained muscle because in one week of doing this, I lost 3.75". so here's how it's gone:
End of Pregnancy Weight: 162
3 Days PP: 154, 8 lbs
4 Days PP: 152, 10 lbs
5 Days PP: 150, 12 lbs
6 Days PP: 149, 13 lbs
1 WEEK PP: 148, 14 lbs
8 Days PP: 147, 15 lbs
9 Days PP: 146, 16 lbs
2 WEEKS PP: 145, 17 lbs
6 WEEKS PP: 143, 15 lbs
~ 16 lbs left to reach my pre-pregnancy weight of 127!
The belly band, it's been interesting. Basically a friend & I were talking and we figured out that what it does, is helps your ab muscles stay sucked in. Once you take it off, like I did for a few days, it goes back - if you do so prematurely before the 40 days is up. So my stomach went down but now it's kind of normal again - I got so tired of wearing it and just wanted to be NORMAL again, as in not having this hot canvas around me all the time. Including in bed, not so condusive to cuddling, you know. =)
Nursing is still going well, I seem to have enough to satisfy Harmony but she is also staying very skinny and not gaining much weight. I weighed her on the scale the other day and she's still at 9lbs, at 6 weeks. This is what happens to all my babies so - we'll see. As long as she is pooping, peeing, and happy after eating then I'm not going to worry UNLESS she is definitely getting skinnier. I'm sort of slacking off on the postpartum vitamins, cod liver oil, and fenugreek, and tea so...yeah.
Healthy eating wise - I'm sticking mostly to raw and vegetables, with the occasional carb during the day. Like today I had a big bowl of Gypsy curry vegetable soup (made with chicken broth, but full of sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, black beans, onions, garlic, and bell peppers. With it I had 2 small slices of homemade herb bread. For breakfast I had 3 bananas and water. Then I'll eat raw the rest of the day or at least definitely after 7pm. This had seemed to work well for me - I have found that the days I eat 100% raw it's hard for me to eat enough and I don't lose. The days I eat a bit more normal food but keep it healthy (void of meat, dairy, and as much processed food as possible) I lose the weight the next day.
That's it for now! =)
PS Tereza, you'll be happy to know I found my very own Bumbo! I observed Tina using one at the pool this summer, and also asked her about it and both of you have only rave reviews. So I was garage saleing and of course, snatched one up when I saw it! It's blue and comes WITH a tray, in like new condition - marked at $15 and I talked her down to $12. Woohoo, can't wait to rescue it from it's lonely place in the garage and give it some use very soon! =)
I'm still at that really weird place in my life where I am so overwhelmed I don't even know what to do. Like yesterday I was nursing in the living room, and I had told Marie like five times to go get another pullup AND the baby wipes and bring them to me so I could change her poopy pullup. So I look up and here she is coming down the hallway with the pullup AROUND HER ANKLES and yes, practically dripping poop, it was on the verge of getting ALL over.
Then when I was changing her (baby is crying cuz of being interrupted from nursing) here comes Jack from the little pool in the backyard carrying my Pectin box, all soggy that I had just bought at the store for $2.75 (a splurge for us, but worth it cuz I was going to make Jam!). I just kind of freaked out and started crying - everything was happening at once and I was so frustrated when I saw that Pectin ruined. About an hour before that I had run into my room in tears to fall on my knees and cry out to God to help me and why was I crying? I didn't really even know, but just that everything was too much that I was going through. Or seemed to be too much.
But I'm realizing that this is just a stage in my life. Next week school will be starting and we'll get on a routine - for some reason it has been so hard for me to be without a schedule. I'm going to have four gone and three at home in the mornings, so hopefully I can get alot done by the time the children come home so I can spend time with them.
Weight-wise, it's been interesting! Here is what I have done so far exercise wise, and personally if I have another baby, here is a message to myself: "STOP thinking about losing your weight until at LEAST 2 months!!! It's too stressful!" That being said, lol:
2 Weeks - T-Tapp Primary Back Stretch
3 Weeks - Powerwalking 4x a week
4 Weeks - Interval Running 4x a week
5 Weeks - Weight lifting 4x a week, interval running 3x a week
So at 5 weeks I started this hardcore workout routine where I do weight lifting and 40 minute running/walking combo. I've been able to lose a little weight but not much - I am at 143 lbs now but I'm pretty sure I've gained muscle because in one week of doing this, I lost 3.75". so here's how it's gone:
End of Pregnancy Weight: 162
3 Days PP: 154, 8 lbs
4 Days PP: 152, 10 lbs
5 Days PP: 150, 12 lbs
6 Days PP: 149, 13 lbs
1 WEEK PP: 148, 14 lbs
8 Days PP: 147, 15 lbs
9 Days PP: 146, 16 lbs
2 WEEKS PP: 145, 17 lbs
6 WEEKS PP: 143, 15 lbs
~ 16 lbs left to reach my pre-pregnancy weight of 127!
The belly band, it's been interesting. Basically a friend & I were talking and we figured out that what it does, is helps your ab muscles stay sucked in. Once you take it off, like I did for a few days, it goes back - if you do so prematurely before the 40 days is up. So my stomach went down but now it's kind of normal again - I got so tired of wearing it and just wanted to be NORMAL again, as in not having this hot canvas around me all the time. Including in bed, not so condusive to cuddling, you know. =)
Nursing is still going well, I seem to have enough to satisfy Harmony but she is also staying very skinny and not gaining much weight. I weighed her on the scale the other day and she's still at 9lbs, at 6 weeks. This is what happens to all my babies so - we'll see. As long as she is pooping, peeing, and happy after eating then I'm not going to worry UNLESS she is definitely getting skinnier. I'm sort of slacking off on the postpartum vitamins, cod liver oil, and fenugreek, and tea so...yeah.
Healthy eating wise - I'm sticking mostly to raw and vegetables, with the occasional carb during the day. Like today I had a big bowl of Gypsy curry vegetable soup (made with chicken broth, but full of sweet potatoes, corn, green beans, black beans, onions, garlic, and bell peppers. With it I had 2 small slices of homemade herb bread. For breakfast I had 3 bananas and water. Then I'll eat raw the rest of the day or at least definitely after 7pm. This had seemed to work well for me - I have found that the days I eat 100% raw it's hard for me to eat enough and I don't lose. The days I eat a bit more normal food but keep it healthy (void of meat, dairy, and as much processed food as possible) I lose the weight the next day.
That's it for now! =)
PS Tereza, you'll be happy to know I found my very own Bumbo! I observed Tina using one at the pool this summer, and also asked her about it and both of you have only rave reviews. So I was garage saleing and of course, snatched one up when I saw it! It's blue and comes WITH a tray, in like new condition - marked at $15 and I talked her down to $12. Woohoo, can't wait to rescue it from it's lonely place in the garage and give it some use very soon! =)
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