Weight Loss UPATE

I am now 182! And I have lost another 1/2 of an inch. Not that much...but it is more.

This was a hard week for me. I cried alot and always felt hungry. It didn't matter how much of the *free* stuff I ate.

I really want to see a big loss next Saturday.

More Geocaching fun!

Yesterday Daddy was home from work and a day off for daddy is a "weekend" day for us! :) We decided to have some Geocaching fun. Laura, I am still going to do that "how-to" post for you in the future. ;)

Here we are Ready to go. Elijah has his camera at the ready!

We went to 5 but only found 4. One was very hard as there were so many people around. I guess that is just how busy a college is. *laugh*

The first find of the day was fun. Daddy found this one.

That darn container almost did me in. I broke the latch and Matthew had to fix it! Eek! The next person to come along will think it was them. *sorry people* I signed the log and we were on our way.

The kids knew right where to go for this one! Good old light post hide! :)

After we were done we found our way to a store and the boys bought these little spy "ears".

"Hey Remy Show me your spy ear."

"Remy show me the whole thing."

Week 6 ~ Poundage Loss Update

I don't have much to report in the LOSS area.

Last week I was 182.8 and today I was 182.4.

My measurements are the same as last week as well.

This is GREAT because atleast I didn't GAIN!

This week was very easy on all fronts. There was one day I desired to eat. To eat until I was full. And to eat whatever it was that I wanted. I just focused my attention on other things. :)

I really wanted to be really close to 180 pounds. That is just going to be a good day. I also want to focus on toning up my belly this week.

Garden Goodies, Daddy Draws, and a Singing Cicada!

Today was a GREAT day. :)

I woke up to Eli having already done his Math and his language. That folks is just SWEETNESS! :)

Elijah got in on the drawing of the little itty bitty creatures.

In Science we talked about the praying mantis and the origin of its name. How it of course looks like it is praying and the word "mantis" means "false prophet". Because that critter is in waiting, sure he looks peaceful, but he will eat YOU if you are a bug! Elijah says, "yes, but its food is always blessed", HA HA! Yes son, his food is always blessed. They know that fall is right around the corner and to be on the look out for an egg sac. Mom may order them a kit.

When he was done with his work I told Eli that he could go and be free, do as he wishes. This is what I see...

He is ALL into this cake decorating book. The second time he has checked it out. I MUST get him some supplies and let him loose!

Remy and I had our time in the garden today.

We weeded the broccoli, I am having little faith that we will have the actual veggie to eat. And we harvested more okra. Here you can see the flower and okra pods.

I am SO READY for these guys to ripen!

Remy started on his 8th reader today. Snuggly couch reading, nothing is better!

Here is one of the stories he read. He doesn't need me anymore. He reads it and then I ask him what he read about. *sigh* Man I need a new baby!

Remy loves for Matthew to draw with him. This is a recent fast portrait Matthew made of him as they snuggled on the couch. 10 minutes of super fun with his daddy! He aspires to be just like him. :)

I took a photo so you could judge Matt's work. :)

We were at the thrift shop on Wednesday on one of daddy's off days. I found this! Well, Matthew did.

I am a sucker for Indians. When I gave birth to Remy at home years ago I pretended I was an Indian in a warm and snug teepee, with a glowing fire playing off of the walls, giving birth with gentle ease to my second little papoose. It was a magical moment in my head...that I think of often.

When I saw this book I freaked! It is a curriculum of Indian stories that weaves nature study into it! LOVE IT! I hope to start it in the fall with the boys. This is SO up Remy's line of thinking. It is really meaty stuff too! The book was only $1.99.

Well folks, I head out with a song. Remy's singing Cicada! Or crying as Remy says. Enjoy your days each and everyone one of you! :)

Remy Should be Starting Kinder This Week

Today's photos really highlight my little one and all of the changes I have seen. He would have started Kindergarten this week had he been in public school. But we started Kindergarten on our own about a year ago. He is almost finished. It is strange. This little one has just come into the world like a dream (he was born at home) and continued to live up to his birthday. He is just a force. And I adore him. :)

He got these little animals out of a gum ball machine yesterday. Daddy was off for Tuesday and Wednesday so that is why we were absent from school. :) Anyway, he drew them. Hee hee...

Gator:

Monkey:

Tiger:

They used to all have the same hair but Remy has cut and styled them the way he would like. *laugh* Again, if you knew my children you would know that they love tiny little toys. Which is great for this mama of boys who aches for a daughter. They are so good to me. *laugh*

Remy does all of his work on his own now. I listen in or sit there as he finishes a sheet in what can only be expressed as lighting speed! So while all the other 5 year olds started school and the letter A and number 1. We trucked on...

This is what my kinder was doing today.

All by himself. With joy. And begging for more. How did this kid come out of me???

Elijah and I just roll our eyes and try to keep him happy all day! Thanks Eli!

I then find him sitting on a stool by the fridge doing this, again without my help.

When I take the photo of his sheep he made today he blows a bubble. Another thing he has learned to do well. He bought a big pack of gum at the dollar store yesterday. :)

He loves to check the garden for cucumbers. This is what it looks like daily from his picking.

And everyday should end with 2 puppies curled up by you as you sleep in your mother's bed. :) Life is good folks! :)

The Family Revised - Blog of the day

When I am having one of "those" homeschooling days, this mama named Brenda can just life me up! She was a public school teacher turned homeschooling mama. And I love every word this woman types out on her blog!

Today Eli decided to DWADDLE!

Had you asked me about homeschooling I would have told you to run to the nearest public school and sign your children up.

Then I had a moment, the day ended, and while I held two sweet little puppies I read these words: http://familyrevised.blogspot.com/2008/08/for-love-of-reading.html

May they soothe your homeschooling mama soul as much as they did mine. *wink*

More Puppy FUN...and maybe some actual schooling?

Life with TWO puppies is very fun. They wake you atleast 1-2 times in the wee morning hours for a WALK! They chew everything they can put in those little mouths. They eat on a schedule of 3 times. You have to walk them before they eat, after they eat, after they play, after they wake up, and well even after you walk them. *Laugh*

But they are snuggly and sweet. Both are trying really hard to become good girls.

Piper has somewhat claimed me as hers.

She is very playful and was the ONLY puppy at the place that came and sat IN my lap. This is the one that Matthew fell in love with. She loves him, but she adores me. :) She is so long. I have been meaning to measure her against Rommie.

Piper also likes Remy most out of the boys. One night they fell asleep together.

And they even dance by pool side together.

Rommie is more sweet tempered. She is happy to just sit with you, but she will play too. She just has to be in the mood. This baby falls asleep in FUNNY positions.

Matthew bought them a blue crawfish toy. It was a hit right away.

Now how can there be puppy tug-o-war if you only have one? :)

I know I haven't made an actual SCHOOL post in some time. We haven't just been sitting around and in the pool or playing with puppies.

I promise!

We have had our first batch of OKRA from the garden.

The sweet potato has GONE WILD!

Remy has been hard at work. He reads as well as some children I know who are 3rd grade age. I will have to tape him soon for you all to see. There is such a satisfaction in hearing YOUR child read, love to read, and do it well. :) When I started homeschooling I never thought I could actually show someone how to read. But as it turns out it is one of the fun things that I will always cherish.

Elijah is zooming along as well. I just can't say enough about his materials this year. He LOVES them.

I leave you with one photo. One photo that makes me crack up! Remy came to me one night and he has on a magic top hat and a build a bear tie. He sits down and begins to read to us. CRAZY boy I tell you! I enjoy every moment. :)

Sad News

Yesterday I was given some really sad news.

When I was a young doula, very new, I met Jared and Summer. They were my second doula clients to serve. They were 15 and 16ish when they gave birth to their first child. Summer and Jared were so young, dear, and sweet. I enjoyed our meetings and they worked very hard for the birth they knew they could have. They had so much stacked against them as young parents.

It was a pleasure to serve them when I was so new to serving mama's and daddy's.

They had a natural, epidural free, simple birth in a small Arkansas hospital. Jared, his Sister in law Amanda, and myself loved on Summer and carried her through the waves of labor that rushed through her young body. And we rejoiced when that little baby was born.

I witnessed two very young people bringing in new life that night long ago.

Jared passed away yesterday. His funeral is tomorrow.

I am so very sad.

He and Summer did not make it as a couple. They were just so young. She has another child and has moved on in her life. And Jared was married with 2 more little babies of his own.

I hear Summer went to see Jared before they took him off of the artificial air supply he was on. I can't even imagine how that was for her. She is such a sweet woman. :( I have never met Jared's wife and newest children. I ache for her as well. She had a grown up love with Jared. And I can understand how it would feel to lose that. :(

Kay and Doug are the parents of Jared. I worry about Kay. I just want to hold her. If you knew Kay you would just adore her!

I can't even imagine the pain and sorrows right now of this family. As they bury a son, a husband, a father, and a young sweetheart flame of yesterday past.

I remember him bouncing on my birth ball. I remember his glee to experience fatherhood to the fullest! I remember seeing a young boy become a man.

You may have died young Jared, but you lived a lot of life in such a short time.

For me the emotions are so strange. When TJ was taken from us it was so hard. And now here I am shaken. Two of my past clients have passed away. Clients that I shared a deep emotional tie to because of the way I served them in birth. Two in one year having left this earth. Both of them younger than me. Both of them the parent of more children than I. So much they have left behind.

Two people gone...that taught this doula and student midwife so very much. I thank them for the lessons they gave me. I am thankful for the short time they allowed me into their lives, to be a part of their families. To share life's greatest moment, the birth of a child.

You never know when you leave here folks. Be ready. Live like you could be gone in an instant! Don't take this life for granted.

Be in prayer for this family.

Week 5 POUNDAGE LOSS update!!!

I am still going strong in my goal to release these excess pounds off of MY body!

I know you don't want to hear me ramble so I will just quickly give my stats first. And then if you want to stay for the rest...feel free.

Start Weight: 194 - Now: "drumroll" 182.8!!!!

Start arms in inches: 14.5 - Now: 13.5

Thighs: 26 - Now: 24

Bust/Chest: 43.5 - Now: 40

Waist: 41.5 - Now: 35

Hips: 48.5 - Now: 45

Low belly fat: 47 - Now: 45

High belly fat: 37 - Now: 35

I have lost 11.2 pounds and 18 inches OFF OF ME!

Can you believe that?

I am really excited to be under 180.

It really hasn't been hard. Those first 2 weeks were BAD! I cried for my late night snacks and the sugars I wanted so badly. I mean it HURT! It was painful in every way.

I know that the sugar and late night snacks were to feed something. And I am working on those issues as well. I find that I have started to replace my eating with the control of my weight loss, counting those calories, saying no to cake, etc. But it is something Matthew and I are both watching because I cry if I feel I don't eat well enough for the day. I am a control freak. And now that I can't eat to stuff that down, it is coming up more.

Just be in prayer for me. :)

I am enjoying that when it is meal or snack time that I am actually hungry. To eat again because I am in need of food is a neat feeling. And then to eat to hunger is another neat thing. I am starting to not feel deprived. And planning what I want to eat is FUN! When you really think about your meals and plan for them it is like Disney World plans. HEE HEE.

When your smallest son comes to you as your dressing and says, " WOW MOMMY YOUR TUMMY IS WAY SMALLER", you can't help but feel good!

When your husband thinks he has the wrong car when you meet him somewhere because your jeans look "different" on you, that is delightful!

I can't wait to have lost 20 pounds. I am going to reward myself with a new piece of clothing. CAN'T WAIT!

Alright, I will leave you guys with that weight loss update.

I do have some sad news to share...but I will most likely wait for a few hours so I can wrap my mind around it. Just know my family is okay.

More babies!!!

So...I have yet more new baby announcements! HEE HEE!

If you remember me saying that I didn't eat emotionally for Reese when she passed, that is true. But that isn't the whole truth! I think I just replaced the habit with these:

I was such a mess over Reese. I just blinked out really. I don't care if she was "just" a dog. She wasn't to me. She was my baby. Really.

Matthew called the breeder that gave us Reese. Reese's mama had a new litter. We went to just see them as Matt put it. HA HA!

And we came home with TWO sweet little girls! The Dapple is from Reese's mother. We named her Rommie. The chocolate dapple (she has dapple on her chest) is named Piper. Matthew loved her and he couldn't leave her behind. I wanted that dapple from Reese's mama. Piper and Rommie have the same father.

Matthew said, well Dewy is old and that way we will just have two who are close and trained. HA HA! Love that sweetheart of a man!

Anyway, I still cry almost everyday over Reese. But the first morning we had the twins as I call them, I was up and living again. Matthew says that was worth 10 puppies! But he is glad it only took 2. :)

How do I look to be the proud mama of two new girls?

They have quickly claimed our family as their own. Rommie is almost potty trained, Piper is more of a challenge. But I adore training animals and teaching them. The kids are a big help too!

Feel free to call me CRAZY! But I am loving those babies!

Had a birth!

Sunday morning my VBAC doula client called me and I headed on my way. She was having contractions every 4-5 minutes and they were lasting a minute. We did that for a little while and then she decided we neede to make the 45 minute trip to the hospital.

Now I knew the huge storm we were having was to blame for the labor starting. But I prayed that her body would just keep the pace and she could have her vaginal birth this time.

We arrive and she is only 1 and the contractions space out to 10 minutes apart. We stay the night and she contracts like this. By lunch the next morning they are gone. And she is 2 cm's.

Her doctor suggests that she go home. She does and the contractions come back with the next swell of the storm. She labors through the night and we are back at the hospital that morning. Contractions are 5 minutes apart and we still don't see progress. The baby starts to have decels and the decision is made to have a repeat section. There was thick mec surround baby and she had aspirated a lot of it. Mom's uterus was also bleeding and very thin at the previous incision site.

This was the first section that I am okay with. That is a strange feeling. But this mama was so informed and ready for a birth that she so desired. Her doctor was very supportive and we all tried so hard for that VBAC. Mama and baby are doing really well. Her first baby was a NICU baby who never nursed right and she pumped for 10 months. This baby is not sick and nurses and is bonding with her mama really well! :) You can't ask for more.

Mabry Claire is as cute as a button. She kept me up from Sunday morning to Monday morning...but she was well worth the loss of sleep!

I also got the boost to keep losing weight so I can have my own sweet girl some day.

Happy Birthday to you little baby girl!

Update on my poundage loss....HEE HEE!

I have to say that even when Reese passed I still didn't break my new eating habits. There was a day or two that I wanted to eat to make myself feel better. My exercise did suffer as I was more of a napper after my cries for a few days.

On day 10 Matthew BROKE my scale! I got a new one and I was up in pounds. *sigh* I went to the mall and paid for my weight to compare with my new scale. And they were both the same. I was so crushed. SO, I went with my weigh in the Friday before I started this journey and it was 195 and I took off 1 for clothes.

Today on week 4 I am proud to show you this:

Starting weights and inches with the new ones:

Weight - 194 / now - 185

Upper arms - 14.5 / now - 13.5

Thighs - 26 / now - 24.5

Bust or chest - 43.5 / now - 40.5

Waist - 41.5 / now - 36

Hips - 48.5 / now - 45.5

I added in some measurements on day 8:

High belly fat - 37 / now - 35.5

Low Belly Fat - 47 / now - 46

I added the high and low measurements with the waist because for a few days I wasn't seeing a loss with inches with the pounds lost. I think I found it in my fat deposits above and below my waist!

Add all that together and I have lost 9 pounds and 16.5 inches!!!!

When I am 184 I will FREAK OUT! It is so nice to have a full belly and clothes on and weigh around 186-187. I mean that is a good day! To be fully clothed and my hunger satisfied and to stand on that scale and still be below 190! HECK YEA!

When I lay on my side I don't feel the "bend" as much on my waist and hips. I don't know if that makes sense. I can pull my pants on or off without unzipping! The sugar cravings are gone! That detox was the answer in so many ways. I don't cry anymore over the sugar or taco bell. HEE HEE! I log all of my calories over at this site: http://caloriecount.about.com/account . I set my burn meter on lazy mode, ha ha, and then I log all exercise. I eat around 1200 calories to 1300 calories a day and I am not hungry! I plan my meals for the day to allow for all the nutrition I will need and even 1-2 snacks! I count everything I put in my mouth!

I had one of the boys pringles and was like OOPS! Had to log it and ONE PRINGLE is 10 calories! There is like 100 of those things in a can! If a woman ate 120 pringles she would have consumed 1200 calories! Her basic total needs for ONE DAY! I sat there upset that I had to log 10 of my calories on a gross thin NOTHING of a chip on my calorie meter!

If you start looking at the things you eat one can see where that weight comes from. I was making better choices then other ladies I know and it still wasn't good. :(

Anyway, that is where I am, detoxing, taking my vitamins, eating a planned day of meals and snacks and logging it all! It is also fun to exercise and then put in those numbers into your burn meter! It is nice when you see that you can have a little extra snack because of it too!

Amy Lanelle

I know I am late...but here is my sweet new niece! My sister had a good birth and is now the proud mama to TWO little girls! Blessings are abound in her home! :)

Amy Lanelle (my own middle name is Lanelle :) )

I am very proud as my little sister has shown such love and strength with each baby she has grown and birthed. She births naturally without medications or epidurals and she nurses her babies!

I am one PROUD sister!

HUGS Tabby! Enjoy your girls!

Remembering My Sweet Little Pretty Princess

We are not sure by any proof what happened to Reese. She was fine and the only thing we did different was to use an "Adam's Flea and Tick" shampoo on her. She did lick Matt's hands which he quickly rinsed off and told her no. I had always used my shampoo, but at the new house she was outside more because it was easier to just open the door and send her out as she wanted.

I am just trying to let her go. I cry everytime it rains. I have this image I can't get over. I feel like she is still really alive and under the ground. I KNOW she isn't...I just don't feel very sane right now. I can't believe she isn't coming back. I cry everyday.

But now the good memories are coming out more than the painful last moments. She would have hated her adoptive mama to be so sad.

Reese was my little baby. She bugged everyone else...I adored everything about her. She wasn't a dog of many tricks and she did naughty things ALL the TIME! But I loved her. I loved her so very much! I had wanted a little tiny doggie for a long time and when Matthew bought her for me I was over the moon. I got up and down with her during the nights for the first few weeks. She would sleep in a box next to my bed. I would rock her asleep and put her in her "bed". If she woke up and cried I would dangle my hand in the box and sometimes she would just lick my hand and lay down to sleep again. Other times she would howl and whine. I would then pick her up and rock her to sleep.

She would fit in my hands and I adored her and she adored me from the start. :)

She was a wonderful playmate for my boys. She would run around them like she had just eaten a pound of sugar! I loved my full of energy little girl. She loved giving us all kisses and she would be very pleased with herself if she snuck in a kiss for daddy. HEE HEE!

She really was a BOLT of lighting! I could NEVER capture her on still photos while running!

Reese was a SNUGGLE BEAR! This is one of the things I miss the most. And one of the things I cry over the most.

She was always beside me...even with computer time. Hee hee...

Juliet (Dewy) was her best friend, mother figure, and of course archnemesis! The were always fighting or snuggling...they were a pair!

She put up with such silly boys! They miss her so much! She didn't mind it at all when Remy would treat her like a "wrestle" doggie!

She was very quick to help with messy homeschooling time cleanups...even better if it involved peanut butter! Hee hee!

Did I mention HELPFUL? I meant NOSEY!

My last memory is of her scrambling into my lap while the whole neighborhood set off fireworks! I was on the computer and she was getting into my lap. Matthew had the camera and caught this sad this little face with a glint of happiness to be in her mama's arms. :)

Another last memory is of Remy using her as a real life model in his artistic pursuits!

I love you my sweet girl! I miss you so much! You were a beautiful pretty pretty pretty princess! I miss your dancing for cookie treats!