A Week in My Life - Day One

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Ali Edwards is doing another "Week in My Life" series and I've decided to participate with this one. I'm going to take random pictures of my daily life all week, then make a book. Just a little snapshot of what my life is right now. Here are the pictures from day one.

i love you too

i love you too
Originally uploaded by jah-kay jellybean

Happy Fifth Anniversary Jeffrey!

Brenna and Tigger

Ms. Bren went for her two month appointment on Thursday. She's now 23 inches long and 12.5 lbs! She's definitly growing so fast. She had her first round of shots and hasn't done so well with them. They didn't seem to phase Riley when he was that age, but my little girl has been crabby and running a fever. Hopefully she'll feel better soon. I took a picture of her in her swing - it's the only place she would sleep when I brought her home.

And here's a funny picture from about a week ago.

Riley found the Tigger suit Grandma Nog got him a while back. He wanted to wear it to Carla's this morning, but mom said no. (Yes, I'm that mean...he had already worn his pajamas there this week. I didn't want her to start thinking I had no control over my kid...but I'm sure she's already figured out that I'm a pushover when it comes to him!) So anyhoo, here's pictures of my Tigger.

Weight-loss Wednesday!

The scales this morning read...*drumroll please*



214! Down another two pounds! And I'm officially ten pounds lighter than I was before I got pregnant with the Tiny B. It feels so good to watch the number creep down. I've been pretty good about watching what I eat. Avoided the vending machines at work sucessfully (except for the coffee machine - I need my coffee!) And I haven't bought any sweets for the house and no one seems to really miss them. I did have a stand off at Martin's with the double chocolate muffins last night. If you've never had a muffin from Martin's, RUN - don't walk! to get one. They are the BEST. My personal favorite is the double chocolate. yyuuummmm. And they NEVER have them when I actually want to buy one. They are always out. But not last night. A whole tray of them. Just staring at me. I KNOW they have to be so extremely unhealthy and I've done so well at avoiding stuff like that, I knew if I let myself have "just this one muffin" it could cause a backslide and I'd be back at 224 lbs. in no time. So I took a deep breathe, said, "Thanks, but no thanks" and walked away. And knowing I resisted temptation feels so much better than that muffin could have tasted. I know it's not always going to be easy. I know there will be times when the muffin may win. But I'm in this for the long haul this time.

Today..(a.k.a. Boys are Gross Pt. 2)

Me: Riley, can I take pictures of you helping mommy fold laundry?

Riley: Yeah, mommy.

Me: Okay, show me how you do it.

First you get it out of the basket.

Then you shake it out.

Then you fold it.

(Note the orange thumb from eating cheetos...didn't catch that until now...)

*******

Riley: Mommy, pick nose?

Me: You want me to take a picture of you picking your nose?

Riley: Yeah!

Ah, he will make some lucky woman a fine husband someday!

I am HILARIOUS!

I don't know what kind of Zen mood I was in when I wrote the previous post. But today I took a hard look at my life, re-read that post and LAUGHED! In what world did I think it was possible for a working mother of two (both under the age of 3!) to do just one thing at a time? Seriously. Of course I wish things were less hectic. I wish my house stayed clean. I wish I could go to the bathroom without little fingers reaching under the door. But I also wish for a million dollars, world peace and Jessica Alba's body - we know none of that is going to happen!

My life is crazy, cluttered, hectic and sometimes stressful. But it's also full of lots of fun and lots of love. And I wouldn't trade it for all the enlightenment in the world.

I'm off to meditate. Or crash as soon as my head hits the pillow. Whatever.

Do One Thing

471486781_3564bca14d_o
Originally uploaded by mariecoppla

One thing I've noticed about myself is that I am completely incapable of doing just one thing at a time. I can't remember when this started - maybe I've always been this way. Or maybe it was a habit that was built out of necessity once I started having kids. On a typical day at home there are so many things that require my attention all at once. While feeding Brenna I'll play a game or check e-mail on the computer. While making dinner I'm loading the dishwasher and dancing with Riley. While trying to have a conversation with my husband I'm cooking dinner, feeding Brenna, patrolling Riley, letting the dog out, washing dishes, remembering laundry in the washer....you get the idea. I remember after having Riley that for the first few months of his life, I felt like I could not keep up. So overwhelmed. At that time, there were medical issues wrecking havoc with me and I just couldn't deal. Now, with a full time job, a lively toddler, a demanding newborn, a husband who I don't get to talk to near enough, a house that always seems cluttered and a dog that always finds her way under my feet - I can still feel that overwhelming feeling sometimes. Not nearly to the point it was back then. But still, does a woman ever learn to just stop and breathe?

I'm trying. Working on focusing on the task at hand, then moving on to the next. Trying to unplug (which is hard in our house with my gadget loving husband!). Shutting the radio off on my way to work and just listening to myself. Playing trains with Riley - and actually playing instead of thinking of the dishes/laundry/vaccuming that needs done. Using the time I have while feeding Brenna to meditate/pray, feel grateful, and be very present in those moments with her. They aren't going to last long!

Sneaky Snake

I don't know how many times I've told Riley to stay out of the baby's chair. Today I turned around and found his little body scrunched up and sleeping soundly in the pretty pink bouncer. Little stinker.

Two Steps Forward

So today begins week two of the journey to a smaller me. Nothing lost this week, but nothing gained either so I have that going for me. This is totally the time when I would throw my hands in the air and say, "You know what? Big is beautiful! I'm just going to embrace myself!" And pretend that I believed it. Not this time.

This week I did the typical thing of going all gung-ho. I ate mostly fruit all day, which is great, except by 5 pm I was STARVING. And I'd hit the ol' vending machine at work. My trusty cookies and milk were always waiting for me. (with the exception of one day where I got a Mountain Dew and a fruit pie - ouch.) I did this not once...but three times. I also did not exercise at all.

But....

here's what I did right. I didn't eat anything at McDonald's when we stopped on Sunday to avoid a total child meltdown. I didn't drown my frustrations in a box of Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies when things got stressful. I didn't order Papa John's when I just didn't feel like cooking. All things I would have completely done just a few weeks ago. So instead of beating myself up for making a few poor choices and not losing anything this week I'm choosing to feel hopeful. I'm learning and that's what this is about. Learning how to eat correctly. Learning to make time to move my body. And deep down I can hear a little voice singing, "You're gonna make it after all...."

Sick - A Haiku

Sunday afternoon
Originally uploaded by yugoQ

Strep throat has found me.
Feel like my throat is on fire.
Tea and honey for me.

Slow and Steady

Outdoor Treadmill
Originally uploaded by darin11111

Week one into my journey and I'm down two pounds. (Actually, it's 2.5 but who's counting?). In the picture from last week, the scales say '224'. But the camera adds five pounds. No, seriously. I have a big camera - an Olympus E-35 I think - and it weighs five pounds. So, I started out at 219. How am I doing it? Eating things I know I should be eating - avoiding things I know I should. I'm also making a big effort to move for 30 minutes every other day and I've been successful at that. I'm also breastfeeding - which is a big help. Instead of using those extra 500 calories to feed my intense love affair with Bonnie Doon (girl, if you only knew what your mint ice cream does to me...), I've tried to use it to my benefit. But I can't rely on that forever so I'm hoping to have good diet and exercise habits in place before I stop.

Goal wise, I have a few things in mind. A healthy weight for me would be 150. My doctor said it should take a year for that type of weight loss. So short term, I'd like to lose 10 lbs by my birthday on 10/20 and a total of 22 lbs by Christmas. Short term - continue to hit the treadmill. Long term - run a 5k - maybe more!

Gonna post this picture in front of the treadmill...I can hear my feet on the pavement now...

It's Fashion Week in Goshen

Brenna modeling the heirloom pieces made for her by great Aunt Terri. From her goofy smile, I'd say she liked the pink one best. :-)

A Riddle

What weighs 12 lbs, all pink and only giggles for daddy?

The Tiny B!

Not even two months old and she's gained 4 pounds since birth. I think she knows she'll have to be a tough cookie to handle her brother! If anyone knows a mommy-to-be having a girl, I have some barely worn newborn (and soon 3 months!) size clothes to pass on!

The Journey Begins

I've been thinking a lot about this post. How much information do I want to share? How embarrassing will this be? Will people support me or laugh at me? I'm scared and excited.

I'm throwing caution to the wind and laying it all out there. I'm fat. Shocking I know. Thankfully I've never really had 'body issues'. I'm comfortable in my skin and even though after two kids things certainly aren't where they used to be I would still walk outside nekkid and not think twice. But I'm tired. And not just in the literal sense - I'm tired of shopping in the plus size department. I'm tired of things jiggling when I run around with my son. I'm tired of feeling like I'm going to die when I take the stairs at work. I'm tired of thinking that I'm not doing anything to make my short time on this planet the best it can be. 30 is just around the corner - and while that's not old by any means, it's still a milestone. I'd like to be proud of where I am at 30.

I read the blog Zen Habits regularly. Leo always has thoughtful and useful things to say. A few days ago I read this post. These are his suggestions for success in changing behavior:

- Do a 30-day challenge, focusing on just ONE habit.
- Write it out on paper, along with your motivations, obstacles, and strategies for overcoming them.
- Commit fully, in a public way.
- Log your progress.
- Remain publicly accountable — report on your progress each day.
- Have support for when you falter — either in real life or online.
- Reward every little success.
- If you fail, figure out what went wrong, plan for it, and try again.

And so this is my public commitment. I'm fat. I want to change that. I'm going to track the journey on my blog for accountability, documentation (that scrapbooker in me wants to make sure it's all down somewhere!), and maybe some inspiration for someone else who is going through the same thing. You'll have my honesty - I hope I'll have your support.

And so it begins.

A Change Would Do You Good

I've been doing lots of thinking (I like to think of it as blogging in my head) about some things I'm undertaking and whether or not to share them with you. My faithful readers. And I think it's gonna happen. Starting tomorrow you'll see a new feature on the Blog 'o Bethany....what? you want to know what it is?

You'll just have to wait. All 4 million of you. Or ten. Whatever.

My Superhero

Super Riley and his sidekick "B-Bear". (Who made a cameo in the video a few posts ago.)