The Girl I Used To Be

I just read this recently and wanted to post it. I think all too often we (those who choose to stay home and raise children) end up apologizing for our lack of ambition or intelligence or whatever we feel such a choice requires in the eyes of others. I too had dreams that didn't revolve around two beautiful, demanding children, there will be time for those dreams-- now is the time to fulfill this dream....

She came tonight as I sat alone

The girl I used to be.

And she gazed at me with her earnest eye and questioned reproachfully:

Have you forgotten the many plans

And hopes I had for you?

The great career, the splendid fame,

All the wonderful things to do?

Where is the mansion of stately height with all its gardens rare?

The silken robes that I dreamed for you and the jewels in your hair?

And as she spoke, I was very sad, for I wanted her to be pleased with me,

This slender girl from the shadowy past

The girl I used to be.

So gently rising, I took her handand guided her up the stairs

Where peacefully sleeping, my babies lay,Innocent, sweet, and fair.

And I told her that these are my gems,

And precious they are to me,

The silken robe is my motherhood

Of costly simplicity.

And my mansion of stately height is love,

And the only career I know

Is serving each day in these shelteredwalls

For the dear ones who come and go

And as I spoke to my shadowy guest,

She smiled through her tears at me.

And I saw the women that I am now

Pleased the girl I used to be.

Haven't heard that one before...

Ethan was sitting on the couch after his nap watching 1/2 hour episode of Max and Ruby. They have now started putting commercials in the middle of two 15 min episodes. I almost always fast forward them for him but this time when I said "hold on Eth, I'll grab the remote and fast forward those for you." He said 'it's okay mom, I love commercials." Wow... Bet you haven't heard that one before.

Biggest Laugh of the Day!

Tonight I asked Ethan what he wanted for dinner and he thought about it for a minute and then replied "Shiny Food." I asked him what on earth shiny food was and he said "you know mom, from panda spress." OHHHH.... Chinese food... got it. Stinkin funny.

The Abs Diet

So I am going to try this new diet thing. The author of this book/way of life proposes that if I follow his pretty easy looking food and exercise plan that I will not only be pounds lighter in 6 weeks but that I will reshape my body and actually be able to see muscles in my stomach not just stretch marks and flab. It involves 2-3 smoothies a day with berries, milk, yogurt, flax seed, whey protein powder and a few other things. There are about 70 recipes just for the smoothies and then you eat a meal 3 times a day as well. There are lots and lots of recipes for those meals as well and they definitely sound edible. The thing that I like about this plan so far is that it encompasses all the food groups, it doesn't starve me to death and i can feed a lot of this stuff to my family as well. The author also proposes that you plan one "cheat" meal a week where you can eat whatever you want. Jesse is going to do it with me (he doesn't know it yet) I have thought about just not telling him that we are going to do this diet and just handing him a smoothie for breakfast instead of scrambled eggs and bacon. Anyway, I will tell you how it goes. I did all the calculations for my weight, BMI and stuff last night and even though it is a little embarrassing I am going to post it on this blog-- just one more way of being held accountable.

Current Weight: 177 lbs ~Optimal weight for height and build: 160 lbs
BMI: 24.68 ~ A BMI of 25-30 indicates you are overweight-- BMI 20 is desired
Waist to Hip Ratio: 0.88 ~Women should have a waist to hip ratio of 0.80 or below

I didn't have any way to measure my body fat percentage, you need a machine. So I essentially have 17 pounds to lose, but more than that I just want to reshape my body and be able to see my abs for the first time since I was 17 and I don't even have to starve myself to do it-- in fact the author states that drastically reducing calories will only work for so long-- especially because your body is always screaming at you to eat. It isn't necessarily how much you eat it is what you eat. So we will see. I love that there is a lot of information about all of this-- being able to hold the book in my hand makes it well worth it. Here is to a healthier, more muscley me!

A yummy new discovery...

K, so I love popcorn... not just any popcorn. I would have to say that I am pretty picky when it comes to this amazing whole grain. My favorite way to eat it is when my husband makes the homemade version. But this requires a bit longer than two minutes, a few dirty dishes and a large interuption in the middle of a Jazz game or American Idol when I am feeling "munchie." I hate movie theater popcorn and microwave movie theater popcorn, it makes my house REEK! plus it pretty much tastes like cardboard with fake butter globbed all over it. So here it goes, the new discovery-- Orville Redenbacher's Natural popcorn-- buttery garlic is my favorite, but I like the salt and cracked pepper one too. It does not make my house stink, it tastes completely fabulous, is good for my body AND it only takes 1.5 minutes to pop (this is the individual serving size bags). Woo Hoo! I really do love it... so if you feel so inclined, next time you are grocery shopping or at walmart or wherever. stop by the popcorn aisle and snack a box of this delicious stuff.

Pictures by Ethan

Random Pics by Ethan

I had to hurry and put together a post of Ethan's random pictures before I erase them all. If I leave my camera out next thing I know Ethan is taking pictures of everything in my house-- mostly himself. At first it was funny, now... not so funny. Some of the pictures are totally crazy-- like the eyeball one. And yes, my three years and 10 month old son still has a binki for nap time-- (don't tell his dentist.) It is the much beloved green binki, this there are quite a few pictures of that. So here goes....