Being Cheap

Let's all be honest with ourselves, there are moments in our lives when we LOVE to be cheap. Okay, maybe that's not the nicest way to say it, let's rephrase. There are moments in our lives when we LOVE to find a GREAT deal. Especially when we are young, poor, newly married, etc. While I've finally come to a point in my life where I don't have to be cheap with everything I buy, I still love the feeling you get when you SCORE a great bargain.

 

For instance, near my work they have a great consignment/thrift store. One of the reasons it's great is because it's next to a military base. When families have to move, they often try to get rid of "extras" so they come to this place and leave their stuff. I cannot tell you how much I have purchased here and the items vary. I'm pretty sure half of my son's wardrobe was purchased here (I also purchase for the future: he has a whole wardrobe for the next two sizes up!), but I've also purchased a desk chair, books, decorations, the list goes on. My most recent score was yesterday, I purchased: 3 pairs of shorts, 2 tank tops, a sweater, a jacket, a polo shirt and a child's desk for less than $20!! How awesome is that?

 

While at times being cheap and finding a great bargain is the best, there are some things that I just CANNOT purchase for cheap. Here's my list: feminine hygiene products, toilet paper, deodorant (I sweat like crazy, I'm a HOT MESS at the gym!) and for the Love Bug lotion (he has eczema) and diapers (he has a HUGE butt that only a certain brand will cover!).

 

What are some items that you just can't buy on the cheap? Where are some of your favorite places to find great deals? I'd love to hear your input!

Healthy Learning

I'm sure you're aware that I have been on a bit of the health topic lately, if not see my previous posts. However, I wanted to get a discussion started on how you educate your children on healthy living. My family has some seriously picky eaters in it, my brother survived solely on ketchup sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. Luckily he's seemed to have grown out of that stage and is willing to try more foods. Citing the example above, I didn't want the love bug to have that type of experience. I want him to enjoy a large variety of foods and cultures. So how does one do this?

 

While I know many of you will groan at this prospect, I take the Love Bug to the store with me. Whenever we pick out a fruit or vegetable, I tell him what it is, let him hold it and smell it. If he's sneaky enough sometimes he even tries to get a bite in! I caught him doing this on Monday with cilantro. I handed him a piece and told him to smell it, the next thing I know it was in his mouth!

 

We are lucky enough to live in an area where agriculture can be seen while driving through town. I explain to him what the farmers are doing, how things grow and when it's time for harvest that we'll get to eat those vegetables. When he's a little older, I'd love to take him to pick his own fruit or vegetables at one of those places. He loves being outside and enjoying nature, so I think he would really enjoy seeing how it comes full circle.

 

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Attribution: Marek & Ewa Wojciechowscy [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

For me, the most difficult part is trying to get more cultural food experiences. We try to provide a variety of food that he can be exposed to; however in our little town it can be hard because we are limited. We make curry about once a month (which is great! I didn't have Indian food for the first time until I was 22!), I try to incorporate my Hispanic heritage (which can be difficult as the Love Bug has a tomato allergy) and then the rest is usually meat with veggies. Lucky for me, he seems to enjoy veggies a lot, always eating them prior to his meat. Any suggestions on how I can incorporate more cultural food experiences with the Love Bug? I would love to hear from you on your approach to sharing healthy living habits with your children.

 

Chicken Curry with Rice
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Eating

Is it just me or does Eating/Dieting seem to be the item to discuss these days? I feel like everywhere I turn the discussion has turned to nutrition, the latest diet trend and eating healthy. Could this be due to soaring obesity rates in the U.S. or is it just because I'm at that age where 1) we are losing our youthful bodies or 2) we have had kids and are now facing the challenges of getting the baby weight off? I'm not sure which it is, but these definitely seem to be the top two among my group of friends. As I have joined the Healthy Living Trend and started a journey, I figured this would be a great discussion point. If you haven't read about my journey, please check it out here.

 

Let's start on why I decided to start my journey; there is definitely more than one reason. First, I was becoming LAZY and I'm not sure if it was due to the weight gain and not just having the energy or if it was just plain laziness. After the Love Bug was born, I was so consumed with taking care of him and our family that I just didn't take care of myself. All I wanted to do when my day ended was sit, eat and watch TV. Then there came a point where I wasn't happy with what my life had turned into, what I looked like and how I felt. I needed a change. This flows into my second reason, the Love Bug. I was a really active kid; I played sports and was outside a majority of the time. I wanted him to have that sense of adventure in climbing trees and exploring nature. I want to be a better example for him, so I can have a relationship with him while he's engaged in activities. I want to be able to keep up! The final reason, which I kind of discussed in my previous post, is genetics. Obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol run in my family. I know at least 4 family members who have had gastric bypass surgery. I DO NOT want to get to the point where I have to have surgery to be healthy again and I definitely do not want it for my children (not pregnant! But hoping for more in the future).

 

That being said, what I have done to lose weight? I've tried multiple things and I'll tell you what has worked best for me. Everyone is different, so what might work for me might not work for you. A few years ago I joined Weight Watchers and it really worked for me. I lost 25 pounds in 4 months and felt great. I was still able to eat out, go to fast food places and enjoy life being a young twenty something! I kept the weight off for a while and quit the program, slowly the weight started to pack on again and then I got pregnant. With my pregnancy I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, not fun. After the Love Bug was born, I tried to keep up the diabetic diet, but yet again slowly started to get away from the diet and started to gain. After a few months, I decided to try Nutrisystem, I figured, hey they send me the food, all I have to do is eat it. Wrong! I spent the money on the food and barely ate it; it was to difficult for me when my husband was eating way yummier looking food. Quit that one pretty quickly. I was going in a downward spiral until I was given a challenge this past November. With that incentive I joined a gym, got a trainer and started an eating routine.

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Attribution: By Todtanis (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or
 GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

I credit a lot of my success to a combination of my trainer and my hard work. I must admit, I’m not perfect and definitely have slip ups. My trainer has me on a variation of carb cycling, my plan is to really try to kick this into high gear in the next few days. For a few examples of what this looks like, check out Chris Powell on the Dr. Oz show here. Doesn’t that look amazing! The other thing I try to stick with is no/very little processed foods. My goal is to eat as close as farm to table as possible. The few exceptions I make are with frozen fruits/veggies. With fruits, I get frozen mostly to blend with protein drinks. I do this because usually the fruit will go bad before I have a chance of using it. With veggies, I tend to get frozen for the vegetables that are not in season (frozen veggies usually picked and frozen at peak of their season). I also do this so I can play with new vegetables I haven’t ever used before that are in season at the time. Now to the hard work portion (which has been slipping a little lately), I go to the gym 4-5 times a week for around 1.5 hours a day. When I train (3 days a week), I do a 30 minute strength training session followed by a 30 min to hour cardio session. On my non-training days, I do 45 minutes to hour strength training and 1 hour cardio.

 

Trust me, I KNOW it’s difficult to find the time to get to the gym with a busy life. Depending on the day I may cut more than usual and do the exercises I can at home. It’s about finding a balance with your life and what works for you. Again, I started out over 230 lbs. so what it takes for me to lose it may not take you as much.

 

Before starting ANY diet or exercise routine consult your doctor. Prior to starting my own journey I had a routine checkup with my doctor. There were some anomalies in my blood work, after a few tests I was diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism, for more information on parathyroidism, check here. Which has a major effect on your energy levels, I had surgery and before I knew it, I had energy like nothing else! If I had not found this out prior to starting my training, I’m not sure how successful I would have been.

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So what are your healthy living secrets? Do you do the Paleo diet? Are you a vegetarian? Do you eat clean? I’d love to hear your input, eating habits and any thoughts you have.

Exercise!

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you know that I've been on a weight loss journey (New Readers, please refer to these posts: The Journey and Results). Well, I'd like to revise that statement and call it a Healthy Lifestyle Revolution! I do not only want to incorporate these changes in my life, but my family's as well. Prior to the move, I discussed these changes with my husband, he wasn't too thrilled but he understood why. Unhealthy habits tend to run in families and are passed through the generations and that needs to stop with me. I want to make sure the Love Bug has every opportunity to live healthy and understand what a healthy lifestyle looks like.

 

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Attribution: By SusanLesch (see below) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

As I have made that decision, I wanted to incorporate the Love Bug. Not only so he could see the changes within me, but so that when he has the opportunity to make a choice he makes the best choice possible.

 

That being said, I try to incorporate the Love Bug into my exercise routine and show excitement when preparing to head to the gym. That’s right, I take the Love Bug to the gym with me! You know what the best part of this is? The child area at my gym is all glass walls, so he can see me work out and I can see him play! So when I’m in my cardio zone and have hit a wall, I just have to look over and see what I’m working for, that smiling loving boy looking back at me with awe and pride in his eyes. So worth it!

 

I’ve noticed this has started to spill over into how he is communicating and learning. When I do routines at home, he joins in and often mimics the movement I’m doing. He’s so proud that he’s able to “exercise” with Mommy! While it often makes it more difficult for me, I know that the impact it will have on him is worth it.

 

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Attribution: By Everkinetic (http://everkinetic.com/)
[CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

Here’s a classic example, I went to pick the Love Bug up at my mom’s after work one day when she told him earlier in the day that he was going to the gym with me later in the afternoon. He then proceeded to do a few unusual movements, my mom asked him what he was doing. “Exercise!” with proud enthusiaum was his response. That holds so much promise for me, I hope he is always eager when pursuing fitness and can appreciate the physical benefits it brings him.

 

What physical activities do you share with your kids? How do you get them involved with an active lifestyle? Would love to hear your inputs! Stay posted for the next edition from Insights of a Modern Mom where we will discuss Healthy Eating Habits.

I Love You So Much

It's official, we have moved! What a whirlwind! So last week I wrote a post promising some great upcoming posts, but that was prior to the move and realizing that we wouldn't have internet for a week! So let's just say I'm doing this covertly at a undisclosed location!

 

The Love Bug has been at it again, being his lovey dovey self! Thus the title of this post. The last few weeks he has been constantly telling me, "Mommy/Mom, I love you SO much!" I absolutely love this! However, I noticed the trend has moved over into other aspects of his life. For example, "Mommy/Mom, I love it/this SO Much". Let's be honest, I was slightly jealous that it wasn't just me he loved so much. But I guess I can share the love, after all he is a little love bug!

 

What makes you feel loved/special? Share your comments would love to hear!

Inspiration

So it’s been a while since I’ve written a post and for that I apologize. There’s been a lot to do with the upcoming move (tomorrow!) and I’ve been preoccupied. I must admit there has also been a lack of “inspiration” in my mind as what to continue writing. It’s hard when you throw yourself out there and do not know if what you are writing means something to the reader.

Where do you draw inspiration?

I decided to take a step back and reflect upon what “insights” I want to share and how I really want this blog to evolve and be about. Maybe I should have taken a little more time before jumping in head first to the blog, but I have no regrets. Needless to say, I have some sweet moments to share in the upcoming days and a post coming up about Eating/Exercise that I would love feedback on!

Faith

          The concept of this post I’ve debated internally for quite a while now. First of all, faith/God is VERY controversial and was an aspect of my life that I did not want to necessarily divulge or discuss on this blog. My goal with this blog is anonymity, keep the details of my personal life separate, but at the same time give you the flavor of what a modern mom experiences. However after reflection and the experiences I’ve had the last few weeks, I felt I wasn’t being genuine to who I am and what I believe. Here goes…

          With the economy not in the shape it’s been in my family has struggled a bit. The last three years I have been the primary supporter for my family. After my husband’s contract ended with the Marines, he pursued his education, while I supported us. It was a MAJOR discussion we had towards the end of his contract, as I put myself through college I knew how difficult it was to work and complete a degree. I wanted to give him the opportunity I did not have, by letting him forcus on his studies. We both realized it would not be easy to live on one income, even with the GI Benefits he received. Nevertheless we pushed forward.

               A little over a year ago I was hired with a company near our hometown (the husband and I are from the same area), however it was going to be a financial strain as he would not be going to school (thus not collecting the GI Benefits). My in-laws offered to let us rent from them at a reduced rate until we could get on our feet, so for the last year we’ve been living with SIX other people! During this time my husband got a part time job and things were starting to look up, then he was given a full time position. However, it was not where we would be able to support ourselves. As it was full time, his educational pursuits started to suffer and he started to apply for his dream job.

Needless to say, the last six months in my personal life have been pretty difficult. I’ve supported our family to the best of my abilities; I’ve supported my husband through his educational and career pursuits and have worked hard to raise a wonderful child, at the same time trying not to alienate any relationships while with the in-laws. I was ready to go.  After my husband landed his dream job we were able to get out on our own. I’m proud to announce that in 10 days we will be in our own place!

There have been a few close calls that I can only describe as divine intervention. First, with the husband’s dream job came a few expensive purchases that dipped into our savings (for our security deposit). The second issue was the husband’s paychecks have been smaller than we were expecting. Finally the Love Bug’s child care is really expensive (but REALLY GREAT!) and it was getting hard to justify, so we started to look at other less expensive options for him. With all these items mounding as we were preparing to take on a large rent payment, was having me doubt myself and our financial future. It was really scary!

Being faithful individuals, my husband and I prayed about it. Real, honest, soul searching prayer. We both felt we were still doing what was right, so I (can’t speak for my husband on this part) turned it over to God. In the most humbling experience I’ve ever had, I went broken, scared and unsure of what the future would hold, but asked Him for guidance and told Him, that whatever he had in mind, I would follow and trust in Him to provide.

Boy did He ever! We followed through on the promises we made to him and he followed through on providing for us. A large payment we had, was forgiven (unexpectedly and out of nowhere), we resolved the issues with my husband’s paycheck and had discovered that a few months ago we opened a Child Care Savings Account with his employer. So this entire time, he was having deductions made for the Love Bug, we just forgot! So now we do not have to pay for child care for the rest of the year, because we have enough in the account to cover through December! Yes, I’m sure it may seem like coincidences to the average person, but to someone who has been through what I’ve experienced the last few months; this is nothing short of a miracle and a true blessing.

So, whatever your religious affiliation or beliefs may be, know that there is someone out there who loves and cares for you and will never leave you alone. I encourage you to seek for truth and knowledge from things that are lovely, peaceful or of good report, by doing so you can’t go wrong.

Achievement

           This weekend the Love Bug attended his first gymnastics class. Now don’t give me all the credit for getting my son involved in an activity so young, it was actually Grandma’s idea! She has my sister and I in gymnastics at a young age, it was a good way for us to learn discipline and achievement. Not only that, but it got us out of the house and let us run our energy out on unsuspecting gymnastics teachers!

            The Love Bug has endless amounts of energy and he is constantly running, jumping or climbing on anything he can. I’m sure if we had anything remotely close to swing on, he would be all over it. At a recent trip to a friend’s house he was able to experience the joy of jumping on a trampoline. Needless to say, I literally had to climb into it (had enclosure for safety) and pull him out screaming! He DID NOT want to leave. So when grandma suggested the idea, followed by the fact that she would pay for the classes, I was ALL over it!

The following individual does not necessarily endorse my blog or the way this image is used on my blog.
Attribution: By Andreas.Trampolinspecialisten (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0
 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

            The class was advertised as a Tots class and falls between the Mommy&Me and beginner’s class. However, it was the only class that had no description with it. So we spoke with one of the coaches and she said he could come and try it out, if we BOTH agreed that he was comfortable and fit in the class we would make our 6 month commitment. Well, I’m not sure what you consider a tot age, but I was under the assumption anywhere from 2-3… apparently that is not what the gym considers a tot class. There were kids there that were at least 4, maybe 5 who could already do cartwheels and back handsprings! He was definitely the youngest and least experienced.

         Don’t you think that stopped him though! He was so excited, while we were waiting for the class to start he kept repeatedly saying, “Mom I’m SOOOO EXCITED!” Once the class started, he was off and was so proud to be keeping up with the “big” kids! His sense of accomplishment and achievement radiated through him, it was such an adorable sight to see. It makes me wish that we all could feel that way about at least one thing in our lives.

 

         So here’s the thought for you today, despite all that may be going on in your life, think of one thing that you did today and take a moment to beam with pride and accomplishment for being able to do that one thing as AWESOME as only YOU can!

July Health Results

            For the month of July, my trainer gave me a challenge: try to lose 17 pounds! I did pretty well. There were a few times that I could have eaten better and definitely more times I could have gone to the gym, but sometimes that piece of chocolate or day off from the gym to recover is worth it. With that being said, here are my results (amount is inches lost in 4 weeks, unless otherwise noted):

Total Weight Lost: 11.5 pounds

Body Fat Lost: 0.8%

Bust: 0.2 in

Stomach: 0.5 in

Hips: 1.8 in

Thigh: 1 in

Bicep: 0.5 in

           While I didn't make my goal, I still think I did an amazing job. I can't believe some of those numbers! I mean, who loses almost TWO INCHES in their HIPS in ONE MONTH?!! Apparently I can!! I also can't believe my body fat loss, to give you a reference I've only lost about 1% body fat in 5 months... so the fact I almost lost this much in July is insane!! I'm so proud of my body and what it's doing.  August/September are going to be great months for me, because I'll finally be able to control my eating environment completely! I can't wait until I hit my final goal! Any words of encouragement or excitement are HIGHLY encouraged!

Next goal, set by me: try to lose 7 pounds in 30 days... I'm hoping to lose 10! Wish me luck!

 

 

Mommy or Mom?

            Its official, I no longer have an actual baby. Although this has probably been the case for over a year (the Love Bug is almost 2.5 y/o), it was solidified today. I feel like I’ve almost lost a piece of my identity and my son has lost a piece of his innocence.

            While getting ready to take the Love Bug to school, I was getting him dressed and he called me Mom. He’s NEVER called me Mom, but ALWAYS Mommy. He didn’t do it once, but TWICE! I didn’t know this would affect me as much as it has… I guess I just thought he would be calling me Mommy a lot longer than this! Or (let’s hope) he’ll use Mommy when he needs comforting. Either way, it makes me sad and I now realize that he’s truly growing up and won’t be my little boy forever.

When did your little ones start calling you Mom v. Mommy?

THAT Mom…

            This is mostly addressed to all the other fellow mom’s out there, have you ever felt like THAT mom? The one with the unruly child(ren), hair unkempt and looking like she’s ready  to be admitted to a “loony bin”? I’m not even sure that woman really exists, but I sure felt like her the other day! I’m also pretty sure we’ve all had those days.

            For this story to make sense, you’ll need a little background. About a year ago during the Love Bug’s routine check-up his pediatrician noticed an abnormal heartbeat. Every 12-15 beats, his heart beats faster than it should according to its normal rhythm. She did an EKG and it was there too, she wanted to wait until his next check-up to see if it was still there and then make a decision from there. Fast forward to April, it was still there and she contacted the pediatric cardiologist. Well, we finally had our appointment where he did an ultrasound of the Love Bug’s heart. Much to my pleasure the anatomy of his heart is completely normal, but the electricity in his heart is where the problem may be. So the cardiologist decided that he wanted to schedule a follow up later that week to perform another EKG and put a 24 hour monitor on. The Love Bug was an angel at this appointment despite the fact that he was feeling under the weather.

This is a picture of what the results of an EKG look like, but ARE NOT the Love Bug's.
The following individual does not necessarily endorse my blog or the way this image is used on my blog.
Attribution: By Michael Rosengarten BEng, MD.McGill
[CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
 

 

Well two days passes, I’m at home with the Love Bug because he has a fever, we take him to his normal pediatrician and discover he has a pretty severe ear infection. Two more days pass and he’s on antibiotics and semi back to his normal self, although now suffering for diarrhea because of the antibiotics (can I please get a break!?) and we now have to go back for the monitor.

Well we end up running late, but make it before the office closes. Love Bug is not happy, he has really sensitive skin and usually breaks out when they put the EKG “stickers” on him. Needless to say, when he sees the machine he flips his lid! He goes into full on terrible two’s tantrum with kicking and screaming. My angel child disappeared and I’m trying to hold him down so they can get a good result on the EKG, which requires him to be still. Can you say NIGHTMARE? Then they had to pull the “stickers” off him to put the monitor “stickers” on. At this point he’s screaming bloody murder, I was sure someone from the other doctor’s office was going to come in. Finally he starts to calm down as he gets used to the monitor being on his body. My angel child then returns when he gets to choose a sticker to put on his shirt.

What EKG "sticker's" look like and how they are placed.
The following individual does not necessarily endorse my blog or the way this image is used on my blog.
Attribution: By Rennett Stowe from USA (Heart Monitor  Uploaded by russavia)
 [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

As we were on the way home (it’s a one hour drive from the doctor’s office), it was later than I was expecting, due to my own tardiness. I realized we would have to stop for food for the Love Bug somewhere. He currently has an obsession with McD’s, I know go ahead and judge me as a bad parent but with the week I’d had with him, it was one of those weak moments where I would do about anything to get him to be calm and happy. That assumption would be the mistake that led to me becoming THAT mom. We stopped about half way, went inside and ordered his food (see previous dieting post on why I did not order anything). As he is still working on his coordination skills I asked him if he wanted to drink out of the jug or if he wanted me to pour it into his sippy cup. Being the big boy that he is, he said what I thought was, “Want to drink out of jug Mommy”. Great, we sit down, I open his milk place it in front of him and meltdown ensues. While he’s doing this I proceed to set up the rest of his meal, breaking up his meat, cutting his apple slices and putting a few fries out there. Once I finish I try to understand what I could have possibly done wrong.

Attribution: By Lucas, catched from PDphoto.org (PDphoto.org) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 

I soon realized it has something to do with him milk as he pushes it across the table at me, yelling, “No Mommy! I want jug!” Trying to figure out what he wants, I ask if he wants his cup, “NO!” At this point I’m probably looking desperate as I try to calm my screaming child. Then the sweetest thing happened, a gentle old man brings over a high chair and suggests maybe that’s what he wants. So I ask the Love Bug, in a much kinder voice, “No.” Finally, I look up from where the old man came from and see napkins, straws, etc. I realize he probably wants a straw. Sure enough, as soon as I plopped that into his milk he was a happy camper. Thus ends my journey to THAT mom.

The following individual does not necessarily endorse my blog or the way this image is used on my blog.
Attribution:By P.J.L Laurens (Wikimedia Commons)
[CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

If you are confused how jug and straw sound similar, they don’t, however the Love Bug’s “J’s” and “S’s” sound the same right now. I’m just grateful that there was someone else there who realized I might be struggling a little bit and willing to help me out. That doesn’t happen very often in this world and I think we especially as fellow mom’s need to not pass judgment. We don’t know the personal circumstances behind someone’s day and what life might entail for them. So when you see a fellow mom out there (or anyone in general) who looks like they could use a hand, don’t hesitate, it might be the saving grace they need.

Growing Up… Why Haven’t I Figured this out Yet?!

Recently, my husband has started the adventure of venturing out into a new career, in which he must endure numerous hours of training. I must admit I’m pretty excited for him, after all this is his dream job; it is also pretty interesting material. It’s made me really consider my career path and education, along with my goals for the future.

Now don’t get me wrong, I loved my college experience. I was super involved: sorority, student government, 3 part time jobs, a few student clubs and even a semester abroad! I loved my major and all the wonderful and interesting people I got to meet. I loved my college, small, private and intimate. I wouldn’t have changed anything about my college experience or my major.



Amsterdam, 2007
See end of Blog for more College Adventure Pictures!



 

However, I almost wish I would have continued. With all that I was involved with by the end of my undergraduate degree, I was burnt out. I was ready for a change and to make my mark in the “real” world. I really was one of the lucky ones, I graduated before the student loan markets really started to tank and I was able to get a great job within 4 months of graduation with an organization that I had moderate interest in. I’m currently with my second job since I graduated and I love the people that I work with and enjoy my job. However, both of these positions are not in a career field that I imagined I would be in. Is that a bad thing? No. Am I grateful? Yes. However, I often go back to thinking this one question I was asked as a child, “What do I want to be when I grow up?”

This really is a scary thought, especially as a get closer to the big 3-0. I feel that by the age of 30, I should have an established career, a house and know what I want to do with my life. Where I stand now (a few years shy of 30), I feel nowhere close to knowing what I want to do with my life. I have numerous interests and have even contemplated going back to school for a graduate degree. The problem is I can’t seem to make up my mind. I’ve considered teaching, social work, law (lawyer & peace officer) and nursing. I think I could do any of those things and be excellent at them, but just as I get really excited about prospects and am about to engage reality hits.

Where will I get the money to go to school? How will we get out of debt if I go to school? How will we care for the love bug if I’m going to school full time? Can I work and go to school full time? What about my dream of eventually being able to be a stay at home mom (SAHM)? Wouldn’t that be a waste of resources to go to school/training for a career and then after a few years decide to be a SAHM? And the ultimate question, “What do I want to do with my life?”

So that’s where I am, clueless. I want to find something I’m passionate about and get involved. I don’t want to be one of those people that just goes to work because they have to. I want to go to work and love what I do. Anyone else out there feeling the same? I’d love to hear your thoughts or resolutions if you have them!

 



Vienna, Austria. 2007



 

 

 


Budapest, Hungary. 2007

 


Budapest, Hungary. 2007

 


Budapest, Hungary. 2007

 


Central Park, New York, USA. 2006

 


Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. 2007



Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. 2007

Iwakuni, Japan. 2007

Iwakuni, Japan. 2007

 

Vysehrad, Prague, Czech Republic. 2007

Vysehrad, Prague, Czech Republic. 2007



Vysehrad, Prague, Czech Republic. 2007



Prague Castle, Prague, Czech Republic. 2007

United Nations General Assembly, New York. 2006

United Nations, New York. 2006

Vienna, Austria. 2007

 

The Love of a Child

   The love of a child is best described as unconditional and never ceasing. Being a mom is one of the greatest adventures I have experienced. You never know what is going to happen, you are in charge of another human being, who has their own thoughts, actions and independence. What a ride! I’m lucky enough to be blessed with a loving, caring son who has boundless amounts of energy and love. I call him my little love bug.

 

   Often as a parent, you get to experience their love through the eyes of another person. My love bug and I have a pretty good routine, he comes with me to work in the morning (there is a child care center right next to my office) and I pick him up in the afternoon. We ride home together singing songs, talking about the how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful (yes, he uses that word!) part of the world and the things we see (usually cows, horses and agricultural lands).

 

   On this particular day, he was pretty quiet, so I was pretty

much having a one way conversation, until we reached landmark’s he recognized as being close to grandma’s house. He lit up with excitement. He LOVES grandma and grandpa’s house, it was all he could talk about. Later on that evening, I was talking to “grandma”, aka: my mom, about the love bug and his day. She went on to state she had asked the love bug what he saw on the way home, his response in the most charming and loving way was, “Mommy”. She said the look he had when he said this was one of complete love and care, he was gushing on me! He melts my heart when I hear or see him do things like this. It breaks my heart to know that when he grows up his unconditional love will be broken by others and life. I wonder if we all started out “bright eyed and bushy tailed” and eventually fell a notch or two because of our life experiences.

 

What are your thoughts?

Starting Over... My Weight Loss Journey So Far

This was the post that really pushed me to start a blog, it's the one I wrote on my weight loss community. Thought I'd share to give you some history and background. I hope you enjoy!

I'll admit it... we fell off the wagon and we fell hard. You see, my husband and I are both former members of the military. We took the "time off" to heart and enjoyed it... maybe a little too much. We were enjoying life and started a family, we have one son.

During my pregnancy I had gestational diabetes, was that ever a wake up call! After the birth of my son, I dropped the weight pretty quick (breastfeeding helped a ton). However, when I stopped breastfeeding, I kept eating those "extra" calories I used to need. It got out of control and before I knew it I was 230+ pounds!

I'm sad to admit that I wasn't even aware of how large I was and it wasn't until my "crazy" (and athletic) family decided on Thanksgiving (of all days!) that we wanted to train and prepare to run a half marathon together. When I get an idea in my head, I'm stubborn and determined. It had been years since I was in the military and I realized I needed help if I was going to be running with my family, rather than cheering on the sidelines. As soon as we returned home, we went to one of our local gyms and joined. A few of our friends went there and highly recommended it.

At my gym, when you join you get a free health assessment and free session with one of the personal trainers. Again, I had NO IDEA how bad it really was. When I stepped on the scale I was in disbelief, which was made even worse when I found out what my body fat percentage was. I went home and cried, I had never been so out of shape in my life! What had happened? How did I get there? After trying out a few classes and careful consideration, we decided to get a personal trainer. We realized with the goals we had in mind as a family and individually, there was no way we would get there on our own without help.

It has now been 7 months, in the first few months I dropped weight like crazy! In three months I lost 25 pounds... then the plateau hit. We adjusted a few things (exercise & a tiny diet plan) and I started losing again. I completed my first 5k and finished 7 minutes faster than I was expecting. Things were going great! Then my grandmother passed away unexpectedly and being an emotional eater, I gained a few pounds back. My trainer sat down and had a heart to heart with me, if I wanted to get where my goals were I was going to have to buckle down hard.

I started a pretty intense "diet" plan and an even more intense exercise routine. However, I wasn't happy with what I was eating, it felt the same and there seemed to be no variety. That's why I started WW again, I had done it successfully before and lost. I knew I would have tons of resources (meetings, recipes, blogs, etc) to help with my "dieting".

It's almost been a month since I've been back and I feel so happy! I have so much more energy and I'm actually enjoying what I am eating! My trainer can tell a difference in my exercise level (due to more energy from better eating) and he is able to push me harder. I tell him I feel like a machine... if you told me 7 months ago, I would be running 12+ miles, plus walking 3+ miles, plus 3 30 minute training session every week I would have told you that you were insane! But I AM really doing it!

Here's to the machine in all of us, keep going and until next time know that I know YOU can do it!