New Year, New Hopes

Every year, I always say the same thing.

"[insert year here] is going to be my year!"

I'm not doing that this year, because I feel like, when I DO, I jinx myself. I hate jinxing myself.

With that said, I want to reflect a little bit on 2013. 

It was a pretty decent year. Minus the car accident (which FINALLY is getting resolved!) and some health problems, it really wasn't that bad. I got to meet Hanson, pulled off a pretty kick ass Christmas, and I turned 31.

The BEST thing to happen? My husband adopted Boy and Girl Child and they legally became his.

2013 brought me many new friends, mostly met through blogging. It brought some trials and some worries, but really, it wasn't that bad. I'm shocked. It was one of the better years.

I DIDN'T get the weight off me like I vowed I would.

You know what though?

That's okay.

So what do I hope 2014 will bring me and my family? Continued success for The Hubs at his job. Boy Child, Girl Child, and Lil Bit nothing but happiness and continued awesomeness at school (Boy and Girl Child will be in 5th grade in August and will turn 10 in July and Lil Bit will start Kindergarten in August, as well as turn 5!). I hope that, financially, we will become even more stable than we are now and that I can get us on a decent budget.

For me? I hope that this blog continues to grow, as well as my other blog Out Of My Mind. It's a new blog where I'll tackle current event type things. I want to keep Momisodes strictly for my family. I'm also considering starting ANOTHER blog called "The Book Review" where I'll review books I read. That's just an idea I'm tossing around though. I hope to successfully lose weight, but if I don't, I won't beat myself up over it.

Here's to 2014 being an even better year than 2013 was. And here's to a better year for all of you!

Scream and Be Free

"If you’re always living for tomorrow you’re gonna miss right now
If we’re only looking in the mirror we’ll never see ourselves"

Those are the lyrics to a song that is running through my head right now. It's by Hanson and it's called "Scream and Be Free".

Last month, I told you guys about the Hanson concert I went to. I was able to get my picture taken with two of the three guys and, to be honest with you, I hated both pictures, because of how fat my face was and how huge I looked. If you frequent this page, then you'll know that I am not a fan of my body. I'm often really hard on myself. I don't mean to be, but I am.

A couple of friends recently posted on Facebook that I need to start seeing myself as other people see me. This isn't something I can do. Because, in my mind, other people see me as I see myself. Huge. Fat. Overweight. Ginormous.In my mind, people see this hideously ugly woman, because THAT'S how I see myself. I project my feelings about myself on to other people.

This is something I'm going to work on over the holidays. I'm going to start trying to find the positive in me. After the holidays, I'm going to start (again) trying to workout and lose weight. But I'm doing it on my own terms. I have to. I know what works for me and I have to do that. Otherwise, I am setting myself up for failure. I know I'm going to have to ease in to it, but I HAVE TO DO THIS. And I need you guys to hold me accountable....

Here's to me trying this AGAIN.......and hopefully, I won't fail this time.

Oh Yum! Poop!

Did you guys miss me last month for "Fly on the Wall?" I'm sorry I wasn't around, but I was buzzing my little heart out at the Hanson concert. Oh, the life a fly!! But I'm back and I'm hoping to provide you with some laughs!

Let's not waste any time and jump right in to the fun, shall we?

*We decided to give Boy Child a War Head to see how he would handle it. Of COURSE I was equipped with my camera to catch the hilarity. Oh, it was so fun to watch the faces he would make. But he handled it like a champ! Here's one picture.

Ever had something so sour, you turn into a Velociraptor?

*Halloween came and went and my crew wracked up! Lil Bit has this horrible, nasty habit of sneaking candy, knowing she isn't allowed to have anymore. One day, she had so much that she either passed out or fell into a sugar coma. I was watching TV with her while she was laying in the floor (she dragged a blanket from my room into the living room to lay on). Next thing I know...she's passed out!

No....I'm not as think as you sugar high I am!

*I'm not entirely sure why, but Boy Child has this horrible habit of sleeping with his toys in a pile on his bed. It's usually his most treasured items. So I wasn't surprised when I went into his room and found this:

If there is ever a snatching of toys, these guys are safe.

That's every Skylander character he owns, plus his big Transformers toys. It looks horribly uncomfortable.
In this mess, however....love was found. I'd like to say congrats to the Green Ranger and Megatron on meeting and finding romance.

True love!

*My favorite spoon has gone missing. It was my pasta spoon. That thing was versatile and made an AWESOME back scratcher. I'm not entirely sure WHERE it disappeared to, but it's gone and that made me sad. So I went to Dollar Tree one day and I found me a new one. I was entirely too happy to have this device......

Welcome home, baby!

*The hubs and I were in Walmart with Lil Bit when she let out this squeal. She goes "MOMMY!! DADDY!! LOOK AT THOSE JAMMIES! THEY HAVE A TUTU!!!!!!!!!". So we look and, lo and be hold, there are some Princess jammies that make the wearer look like they are a ballerina and it comes with a tutu. Naturally, we had to buy them. She's insisted on wearing them every day since.

She loves ballerina stuff....doesn't want to take ballet.

*I wanted some new pictures of my kids, but I'm cheap and didn't want to pay anyone. So, I didn't....I took them myself, then edited them. I'm not a professional by any means, but I think I did a decent job.

Girl Child, Boy Child, and Lil Bit

*Girl Child was surprisingly un-embarrassing these past few weeks. But she DID make it into her school spelling bee, so I'm really proud of her for that. She was one of 16 kids and, though she was out in the first round, she worked hard.

*Finally, I'd like to take a moment and say congrats to my Momma. While she was here in July, she told me that she wanted to lose weight. I gave her some ideas (that I should really practice myself), like walking around Winn Dixie. She went home and utilized these ideas and since has lost a staggering 46lbs! Congrats Momma! You've inspired me to make the changes I need to to lose weight. Though I'm starting after the holidays, I hope the next time we see each other, we'll both be thinner and, more importantly, healthier. Love ya mama!!

Look at my skinnier mama!!!

Okay, I'm gonna go buzz around and see what else I can find!

http://BakingInATornado.com                                     Baking In A Tornado

http://www.justalittlenutty.com/                                Just a Little Nutty

http://followmehome.shellybean.com                          Follow me home . . .

http://stacysewsandschools.wordpress.com/                  Stacy Sews and Schools

 http://thesadderbutwisergirl.com                            The Sadder But Wiser Girl

http://www.menopausalmom.com/                                     Menopausal Mother

http://mooreorganizedmayhem.blogspot.com/                Moore Organized Mayhem

http://spatulasonparade.blogspot.com/                      Spatulas on Parade

http://www.therowdybaker.com                              The Rowdy Baker

http://sorrykidblog.com/                       Sorry kid, Your Mom Doesn’t Play Well With Others

http://momsdontsaythat.com                            Moms Don’t Say That

http://www.juiceboxconfession.com                      Juicebox Confession

Let's Get Physical.....

I have a personal trainer!

Okay, so we all know that I'm on a quest to lose weight. Well, my sister just happens to be in the midst of a career change from RN to personal trainer. So I thought "Hmmmm" and approached her with an idea. You be my personal trainer for free and I'll be your study guide/guinea pig. I didn't think she'd agree, but she jumped on it, so that's cool.

She had me log my food for a week and today came over and went over some changes I need to make. Evidently, I was throwing my body into starvation mode, because I wasn't eating enough calories. I thought that I was doing the right thing, but I guess not. She also gave me some ideas for meals and ways to up my protein, because I wasn't getting enough. 

So basically, I can have more calories and I can eat peanut butter. Score points for this fat girl.

After that, she gave me my workout plan. She's taking it easy on me because I'm so out of shape. Upper body, lower body and core. In 3 months, we will re-evaluate my strength and bump it if needed. But my 3 month goal is to lose 12 pounds.

I think I can do that. In addition to eating more calories and things and my workouts, I'll also still be walking a mile or so every day, doing Zumba on Thursdays (so long as baseball and softball for the kids doesn't interfere), and I'm trying to work in some yoga. I think I got this licked....I can TOTALLY do this.

Evidently my weight loss is already showing, although I don't see it. I'll let you judge.

March

January

March

January

Both my sister and my husband has said they can tell a difference. I'm not sure, but whatever.

Tomorrow, I weigh in and I measure myself. Wednesdays are my new weigh in/measurement days. I'm not sure how I'll do tomorrow, because I've kinda slacked off, but I guess I won't do that anymore, huh?

Here's to me really getting this done.....

I Think THIS Time...It's Meant To Be

I'm sick and tired of being tired, worn out, exhausted, lazy, whatever you want to call it. I lack energy, I lack self-esteem to create energy. I lack confidence. I just lack.

What I DON'T lack is fat.

It's true. I'm a lardo. I have been all my life. But it's something that I've finally found the strength, the courage, and the determination to change.

On our Facebook page, we are doing a Biggest Loser challenge (January sign-ups have already ended and the challenge has begun, but keep an eye out for February.). I started this because I need a support system to help with my weight loss. I've lost the weight before...not all of it, but 30 pounds. Then I had surgery and gained it all back.

THIS time, I'm determined to lose more that that, to reach my goal weight of 150 (TECHNICALLY, it's between 150 and 175. Any number in between those I'll be happy with.). Why? The biggest reason is because I'm 30 years old and if I don't get this weight off NOW, I'll NEVER get it off. The second is because I've been having some health issues that are scaring me and I know that, to avoid being put on a ton of meds, I need to lose the weight.

This time, I see it in my cards, because of little signs I've noticed. It may sound silly, but to me, these are signs that this is the time for it to work out. I'd been thinking about joining Weight Watchers, but it's so expensive. Yesterday, while we were at Goodwill, I found a complete Weight Watchers kit. Everything I need to do the points, etc, etc. $3.50. Yes I snatched that right up, thanks! Then I was reading my Woman's World magazine and came across an article about switching up your calories each day. One day have a high calorie day, the next, make it low calories, etc, etc. This is suppose to rev up your metabolism and trick your body into thinking something new is going on, because you keep alternating your days. Some of the foods they suggested for each day was totally doable! Last night, I was looking on Amazon Prime to see what fitness videos they have and there were 4 that was free. I figure that I can alternate them with the Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss edition DVD I have. That's 5 days of workouts, plus my Walk Away The Pounds DVD's. I'm joining a gym soon, I plan to walk to older two to school 3 days a week (once it warms up) and I'm getting a Wii with all the Just Dance games, plus the dancing games for kids. I'm going to have a lot of options!

I know this isn't going to happen overnight. I know that I'll have bad days. But I CAN do this. I WILL do this. I HAVE to do this.

"You can't give something up unless you WANT to give it up. If you don't WANT to give it up, you'll fail" - words of wisdom from my wonderful husband, Matthew.

And he's right. In the past, I didn't really WANT to get healthy. This time....I do.

Birthday Blog.....30...REALLY?

Today, I leave my 20's behind and turn the big 3-0.

I figure I could look at it one of two ways. I could be all like...

and be grumpy the rest of the day OR I could try to make the best of it.

I admit, I AM a little bit bummed, because when I turned 29, I vowed to make changes in my life, both mind, body, and soul, to make me a better person in my 30's than I was in my 20's.

I didn't do that.

This has been a very trying year for me and I failed on that aspect. Instead of losing weight, I actually gained. Well, I guess that's the only way I failed. I'm doing more to pay it forward this year. I feel like I'm doing a better job of taking care of my family and home.

This year, I'm making a vow and I'm sticking to it. 2013 is going to be my year and, on my 31's birthday, I'll be a new, better Sarah. I think I'm truly in a place in my life where I can lose the weight I need to be healthy. I'm going to spend 2013 and my first year in my 30's improving.

I feel like I'm in the right state of mind, for the first time in a long, long time. I'm going to be taking steps into things that I'm not sure if I'll succeed at, but if I do could probably be pretty huge for me. It might also give me direction on what I want to go to school for...score! lol

Instead of looking at it like this:

I'm looking at turning 30 like THIS:

So here's to turning 30.
BRING IT ON!

On another note, I am reminded of this episode of Friends.

Weight Loss Update

So, if you remember, recently I posted about my weight loss bucket list. In it, I listed what I want to do as I lose weight, as well as my plan.

Well, I have been without excess salt and excess soda for a little over a week. I DID have salt with dinner the other night, when I had corn on the cob. And I have had two soda's. BUT.....

I LOST 5 POUNDS!

I know, right! I actually LOST weight...a significant amount! This has me excited and really motivated. I'm proud of myself! I have stuck to my guns and it hasn't been that bad. At first I had REALLY bad headaches, because I wasn't having soda and I was out of coffee. I have a headache right now, because I haven't had coffee today. Caffeine headaches are SOOOO painful....I hate them! lol

But so far, I'm doing pretty good and I'm really happy that I'm making progress. This is the most progress I've made thus far, so I'm feeling pretty good. 

My next step is working on my portion control and water intake.

My plan for the water intake is to basically take a measuring cup, fill it up to 8oz and drink it every hour that I'm awake. I think that's the only way I will for sure get my daily water intake. I mean, I drink a lot of water anyway, but I it's not near where it should be. That's going to be my challenge for next month.

I think I'm going to get up with my sister and see when the first 5K is in our area for next year and see if she'll do it with me. I'm not sure how to even find that info out, but she does a lot of them, so I figure...why not, right. 

Besides, running a 5K IS on my bucket list!

Back To The Diet

I was doing so well on my diet, then I fell off hardcore. When I started, back in April, I weighed right around 300 pounds. I got down to 269. I've gained back 6 pounds since my surgery and the weeks leading up to it.
I know I won't be able to work out for while, but I AM getting my eating back under control. I started this morning.
If you aren't part of MyFitnessPal, then you REALLY should join it. It's a great tool for weight loss. It's helped me out in my journey. I like it better than sparkpeople.
Every night, I'll post how I did for the day, what I ate, etc.
My goal weight is 175. I'd like to be halfway there by the time my birthday rolls around in December.

Sarah's Low Fat Homemade Pizza Bagels

When we are dieting, we tend to get cravings for stuff we know we shouldn't have, right? Well, one day, I got a craving for pizza. It was INTENSE! So, I walked around Wal Mart for literally an hour, trying to find an alternative. EUREKA! I found it in this easy and DELISH recipe that your whole family will love (including the kids!)

Homemade Pizza Bagels

1 package of Thomas Plain Bagel Thins
1 jar of pizza sauce
2 or 3 bags of Kraft fat free mozzarella cheese
1 tray of mushrooms (sliced or whole)
1 large onion
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of minced garlic

Chop up onions, mushrooms and any other veggie you like on your pizza. In a skillet, heat the EVOO and garlic over medium heat. Add veggies, salt and pepper and any other seasonings you like (I usually use dried pasley and basil). Cook until tender
Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Take bagels apart and let them on the tray. In my house, I usually have 4 "slices" of this, which is really only 2 bagels total. For each bagel half, use about 2 tablespoons of sauce. Add veggies and any other toppings you like, then add about 1/4 cup of cheese to each one half.
Put in oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted at about 400 degree heat.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (roughly, based on my food diary on MyFitnessPal and on my pizzas being strictly cheese and veggies)

CALORIES: 383
FAT: 4
CARBS: 59
SUGARS: 11
PROTEIN: 24

30 Pound Weight Loss

I have lost between 25 and 30 pounds since I started my diet back in April. I've had my bad days and I've had my good days. Lately, there have been a lot of bad days, but I guess that's just life, right? Life has a way of getting in the way and you really can't do much about it except go with it and not beat yourself up when you fall.
I am going to get back to the whole weight loss thing. We ran into some money issues, which put a damper on my mood and food budget. But I've worked things out and I'm getting back to it.
I thought I'd share pictures with you, to show my progress so far.


^^^In this picture, I weighed roughly 300 pounds^^^


^^^In this picture, I weighed 276ish^^^

My ultimate goal is to get down to between 150 and 175..either number I'll be happy with. It will be a long journey, full of successes as well as fails, but I'll get there!
Keep checking back for updates!