A Decade in Review

Hard to think that a decade has passed, let alone the first decade of the 21st Century.
The last week of December 1999, I had just got back from spending Christmas in Canada with my family, the last one we all spent together. That New Years Eve, Brandon and I spent the night watching MTV's footage of Times Square while I was scared to death that all technology was going to cease working. Y2K Bug anyone? It didn't help the fact that a few seconds after midnight, MTV's cameras glitched. Scared the crap out of me.

I thought it would be fun to recap the last 10 years.

1999: Brandon and I started dating in October. I was 16 and a Sophmore at North Surry High School. I was in AFJRTOC and French club. My french teacher was from Laval, Quebec. I spent that summer and Christmas in Canada with my family. It was the last one that I spent with family, or in Canada.

2000: I turned 17 in October. Still no driver's license. This was the year that my Dad got into some legal trouble and I had to move in with Brandon's family for a while. I think my older sister moved to North Carolina that year.

2001: My Grama died June of that year, and I spent part of the summer in Canada. I started my Senior year in High School that fall, and graduated "early" in December. I got my license about a month before I turned 18.

2002: Started working at Walmart in April. Did the whole "Graduation Ceremony" thing in May. Started computer programming courses at the local Community College that fall. Quit before the end of the semester.

2003: My little sister moved back to North Carolina from Canada. My Grampa bought me my Dodge Stratus (which I only paid him back a few payments on). That's the New Years that I had planned on spending with my little Sister, but we went to Pizza Hut after church and didn't get our pizza until 1 am. Everyone else in our party got theirs around 11 pm. I still feel bad about making plans and missing New Years with her.

2004: Started going to the gym. My sister moved back to Canada. Got pregnant with Brye. He was due December 27th. Quit Walmart in June of that year. Brandon finally finished moving in with me, and we both lived with my dad.

2005: Gave birth to Brye January 7th. Found out that weekend that my Grampa had lung cancer, and later brain cancer.  No one told me until after I had Brye. When Brye was about 3 weeks old, I drove to Canada with him, and my dad, to spend time with my Grampa. We spent a little over a month with my family. I was bit by the cloth diaper bug.  Brandon and I got married November 5th while my Dad was back in the States. He was taking care of my Grampa. I attempted to go back to school, didn't last long.

2006: I finally went back to work. My Grampa passed away in May. That marked Brandon's first time ever leaving the States. I ended up switching jobs in October. My dad decided to stay in Canada.

2007: Lived with my inlaws for the first 6 months. They were buying a house and we were supposed to be getting their old house.  Bought a truck. Took my cousin to Carolina Beach and almost moved to Canada.  Worked 50+ hours a week, as a waitress. Loved the tips. We moved to a huge house in town in June, and my dad moved back. Got pregnant with Freedom near the end of September and quit.

2008: In January, we finally moved into my inlaw's old house.  My family from Canada visited and I had a baby shower. We spend half their Vacation at Myrtle Beach.  Got into a huge fight with my older sister. Freedom was born May 28th at 38 weeks. Brandon was laid off... a lot.  Brye started preschool, but we pulled him out due to behavior problems. My little sister moved back down shortly after Freedom was born. She went back to Canada in October.

2009:  Brye started preschool. He loves it. Brandon and I have both lost a lot of weight.  We bought a minivan.  Brandon was laid off a few times this year too. In May, I opened a branch of Teeny Greenies. I started working at GNC in October. 

My older sister and I, December 2009 at Aunt Karen's house

Body After Baby 2010 : My Personal Goals

Samantha over at Mama Notes is hosting another Body After Baby Challenge.
(Thank You)

I've been struggling with weight loss for the past 8 years. Since I've had my son 5 years ago, it's been worse. I've managed to lose 57 pounds, 23 pounds thanks to the Body After Baby Challenge that took place a few months ago.

I've been thinking about my weight loss and overall health goals for next year.
I would like to lose 1.5 pounds a week.
Being 210 pounds now, that would put me at 132. Which would put me at a very healthy weight, and what I weighed before I started packing it on.
I would love to lose the "evil" hunk of flab that is otherwise known as the remnants of two "baby bellies". I know my body will never be the same, especially since I was overweight before I even got pregnant, but a girl can dream. Right?
I would love to participate in some type of "run". I'd also be stoked if I could get in the habit of doing 100 crunches a day.

Why do I want to lose weight?
I want to be able to run around with my kids. I want them to know what it's like to live healthy. I don't want them to grow up and think it's normal to be fat and unhealthy. I hate having to pay extra for my clothes. I want to be able to go into a store and buy from the "regular" section. Another reason is for my self confidence. Yeah, I'm one of those people who have low self esteem. I feel like if someone looks at me for too long that they're ridiculing me. You know when you're walking past a group of people and they look your way and giggle? I always think they're laughing at me. I have no confidence. I've always suffered from Social Anxiety and Panic Disorder. It's only got worse since I gained weight.

How am I going to achieve my goals?
I've had great results in just counting calories. I'm going to keep that up! I've finally got in the habit of taking my multivitamin everyday. I need to incorporate more fruits and veggies into my diet. After the first of the year, I'm going to start running. Yeah, I said that last time. I've started the EA Sports Active 30 Day Challenge again, and I intend to complete it this time.  I am debating buying a gym membership. Brandon and I had talked about buying a year membership once we get our tax return in February, but that's two months away. Brandon got an MP3 Player for Xmas, and we've talked about starting to run.  The main problem is child care. His parents love to watch Brye, but never offer to watch Freedom. I did happen upon a jogging stroller on Craigslist for $50. I got money for Xmas, so I'm not sure if I want to spend it on something like Wii Fit Plus, EA Sports Active More or just buy the jogging stroller.

I've also planned on taking a picture the first day of each month to compare progress.
Since I was brave enough to post the before and after pictures from the previous Body After Baby Challenge, I will be posting the "Before" pictures this time around.

Friday Fluff: Husbands and Cloth, A Carnival

It's Carnival time over at Cloth Diaper Bloggers.

At first, Brandon was really hesitant to use the cloth diapers. He thought that you still had to scrape poop and rinse them in the toilet. Since I was chief diaper changer in our house, I jumped right in.
That inevitably led to me changing every single diaper.

Then the dreaded day came when I started back to work.
He had to change cloth diapers.
I once came home to find that he had a fleece wrap on as a diaper, with a prefold added "for extra absorbency". I believe he had a bumkins cover over it all.
It was funny and cute. Poor Brye could barely toddle to the door.

The day the doctor told me I was pregnant with Freedom, I started buying diapers.
He knew this time around there was no use in arguing.
Brye was in diapers until shortly after Freedom was born and guess who suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum. I spent 5 months on the couch. Brandon was charged with diaper duty.
He had to learn the hard way. By this point in time, we used mostly pocket diapers.



Freedom is now 19 months old. I have resumed my chief diaper changing position.
Brandon's not quite as anti-cloth diapering as he once was.

The Origin of the Word Xmas

I live in a pretty conservative Christian area.
Every year around Christmas, there's a bunch of people who claim that we're destroying Christianity by writing Xmas instead of Christmas.

What people fail to realize is that χ was used to represent Christ in in ancient languages. Christ was often written as XP as far back as 1021. There are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. χρ was used often in ancient Christian art.
 

But where does the χρ come from?
The χ and the ρ are of Greek origin.  χρ was used as an abbreviation in ancient times for χριστός, Greek for Christ. The Labarum (☧) is often used to represent Christ in Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christian Churches. Once upon a time, in the 15th Century, Christians were referred to as χρians.

Even in the 20th Century it was common place to use Xmas. Postcards and advertisements routinely used Xmas.  Although, in 1948, Vogue's Book of Etiquette states that "Xmas' should never be used" in greeting cards.

Some people see using Xmas as taking Christ out of Christmas. Others as a way to honor the Martyrs. Personally, I do too and see it as an historically correct form,

A Four Year Old's Top Five Christmas Wishlist

Here are the top 5 things my son has been asking "Santa" for Christmas this year.

5. N Force Nerf Swords NO WAY! Those suckers hurt. I know...
4. Zhu Zhu Pets
3. Skate Board
2. Ice Age : Dawn of the Dinosaurs DVD
1. Jack in the Box




I'm still slightly boggled as to why Brye wants a Jack in the Box.

Happy Winter Solstice!

 

Icelandic manuscript depicting Odin who slew the frost giant, Ymir.

Image from Wikipedia.org

Tonight marks the longest night of the year.
It's the Winter Solstice.
While I've always been intrigued by the traditions surrounding Holidays, ones that are tied in with my heritage are all the more fascinating. The majority of my ancestors are Irish and Scottish.

The Saints are Coming!

After almost two months of waiting, The Boondock Saints II : All Saints Day finally made it's way to Mount Airy. We braved the snow and possibility of the icy roads to catch it.

We've watched the trailers like crazy in hopes of trying to see a bit more of the story. We were scared that we would never have the chance to see it on the big screen.

It's a customary that we each rate the movie and discuss it.
Brandon gave it 8 out of 5 stars. Personally, I gave it about 4, maybe 4.5.

The thing that bothered me the most was Julie Benz's accent. It was a faux Southern accent. Enough people around here play up their accent for tourists.

I really liked how "Rocco" was wrote into the movie. When I had first heard that he had a role in the movie, it intrigued me, especially since he was shot in the chest in the first movie. Troy Duffy pulled it together nicely. Other than the black and white flashback scenes there are a few things from the original movie that avid fans will notice.  What's the symbology here?

In a way, I feel like Troy Duffy tried to hard to be "artistic". Remember the "... and there was a fire fight" scene from the original? He tried too hard to out do himself. I enjoyed the bits of Il Duce's background. After the first one I had many questions. Who was he? Why was he such a bad ass? If you wondered the same, you'll get the answer from watching this one. I'm not a huge fan of movies whose endings scream "we're making a sequel". This movie hints towards (another) sequel. I'm torn. I would love another Boondock Saints, but wonder if Troy Duffy is getting greedy and is exploiting the story.

From a chick's view point, the MacManus are still easy on the eyes 10 years later. On an interesting side note, Rob Wells from Trailer Park Boys and Peter Fonda are cast in the movie. Oh, and Julie Benz plays Rita on Dexter. My son loves to watch Fraggle Rock and I can't help but expect to hear a "F**K...ASS" from Doc. Yes, I just crossed the f**k barrier.

There is plenty of humor and lots of "gratuitous violence".
I think this movie meets, or even exceeds the fans' expectations.

Oh, and for the true fans, there's an awesome surprise at the end of the movie.

Monkey and the Engineer Children's Book Review

I was asked a few weeks ago to review "Monkey and the Engineer".

When it arrived, my 18 month old daughter was captivated by the book.
She keep flipping through the pages and pointing at all the images.

My four year old instantly wanted it read to him.
He has a Curious George train toy, and he decided that the money's name was George.

The book is based on the lyrics by Jesse Fuller, and if you look closely, you can find him illustrated in the story.
The song has been covered on tour by The Grateful Dead.

The story is about The Engineer's pet Monkey who takes off with the train and gives him a "troubled mind".

At the end of the book, you can find the original sheet music and information about Jesse Fuller and the illustrator David Opie. Along with the sheet music, the book also mentions where you can go to hear the original song.

Being a fan of folk music, I really liked the way it's presented in this book for a new generation of children to enjoy.

I tried so hard to get a picture of my husband reading the book to the kids, but we had a hard time trying to coordinate everyone. 

Head on over to www.monkeyandtheengineer.com and order a copy!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it SNOW!

We don't get much snow here in Mount Airy, NC.
They foretasted a winter storm in which we were supposed to get 12-18" of snow.
I was so excited. Last year, we got maybe an inch.
We got around 12" of snow! It's supposed to start again this evening.
There is so much snow that last night, Brandon made a Snow Angel in the middle of the road.
Living is such a "warm" area, we don't bother to buy snow suits or anything.
Thank goodness for Long Johns and Baby Legs!!
Freedom was so bundled up, she reminded me of Randy from "A Christmas Story".
She didn't like it too much.
I didn't get too many pictures of Brye this year. He was sledding by himself down a small hill while Brandon helped his sister make a huge snowman.
I was charged with "Baby Duty".
As always, everyone else had a great time.

Friday Fluff: Cloth Diapers, The Eco-Friendlier Choice

It's estimated that there are 27.4 billion disposable diapers thrown into landfills each year. Which, according to the EPA, is about 3.4 million tons of waste. No one knows for certain, but it has been estimated that it takes 550 years to decompose. That means that the v-e-r-y first disposable diaper that was thrown away is still around somewhere. And most people do not realize that even with disposable diapers, the poop is supposed to be flushed away.
So that leaves us with human excrement, plastic and nasty chemicals in our landfills.
Nasty chemicals you say?
Disposable diapers contain Dioxin, Tributyl-Tin, and Sodium Polyacrylate.

What about the actual production of the diapers?
Over 300 pounds of wood and 20 pounds of chlorine are used in the production of disposable diapers.
And that's only for a year's worth.
Did you know it takes one cup of crude oil to make the plastic for one disposable diaper?
Crude oil is extracted from petroleum, which is a non-renewable, non-sustainable resource.
In one year 250,000 trees are cut down for diapers... just to end up in the landfill.
You know, not that we produce enough trash as is. In a household with children in disposable diapers, the diapers accounts for 50% of the trash.

There's the argument that you "waste" water by washing and re-using diapers.
Yes, while you do use water and electricity to launder diapers, you use significantly less. If you use energy efficient or high efficiency appliances then you save even more. You can also line dry diapers to save energy.

What about the detergents?
Many detergents are phosphate free and completely biodegradable.

I will admit, cloth diapers don't magically appear on your baby's bum.
It takes water to grow the plants, resources to turn raw materials into diapers and then there's the transportation. Which, some of those things need to be considered with disposables too. Trees don't just magically appear from thin air. What makes disposables worse are the chemicals and chemical by products. Oh, and the plastic that is used, and the fact that it takes over 500 years for a single excrement filled diaper to decompose.

Giveaway Contest: 100 Free Postcards from UPrinting.com

Post cards are great to use as invitations, thank you notes, or note cards.

They can also be used to advertise your business.

I have even had some postcards made in the past featuring photographs that I've taken and sent to people through Post Crossing.

I am pleased to announce that Uprinting.com has offered one of my readers a chance to win some postcards of their own.

One lucky winner will be able to win 100 postcards from UPrinting.com.

These postcards are 4x6 inches and printed on 14pt Cardstock Gloss in full colour on both sides.

The winner must pay shipping.

I hosting this giveaway, I am eligible to receive 100 postcards myself.

How will I use mine?

I am thinking of using mine to advertise Gnome Grown Teeny Greenies.

It's a free cloth diaper lending service that I manage here in Mount Airy.

So how will you use your post cards?

To enter this giveaway, go to UPrinting.com and leave me a comment telling me how you would use your postcards if you won.

This entry is mandatory.

Be sure and leave your email address with your comment, that way I can contact you if you win.

Want more chances to win?

Do each of the following, and leave a (separate) comment for each.

Don't forget the email address.

-Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect

-Subscribe via Email (and confirm)

-Follow my blog through Networked Blogs

-Grab my button, leave a comment with the location (2 entries, leave 2 comments)

-Follow me on Twitter and tweet "Win 100 Free Postcards from @uprinting and @mckomet http://bit.ly/8ayRuy #giveaway" Leave a comment with the link to your tweet. You can do this once a day.

-Blog about this giveaway. Leave the link. (5 entries, leave 5 comments)

-Enter this giveaway in any "Linky" for another 5 entries. Leave the link, and 5 comments for each one.

Now for the technical details.

Giveaway is open until January 3rd 2010 at 11:59 PM.

Winners will be chosen using Random.org on January 4th 2010.

Open to US residents, winner pays shipping.

Christmas Pictures

I am really hoping that next year both kids cooperate.
Heck, I might even be able to get a shot of the whole family.

The problems we had this year?

Freedom kept running past the backdrop.
Brye kept trying to watch everything else that was going on.
Freedom moved so much and I didn't have time to reset my camera's settings between pictures. Most of the pictures you can see her moving. Both kids were in their own little world, oblivious to me.

I am a master procrastinator, and didn't have time to get them printed through the pro lab that I use. I had heard that Walgreen's was decent. Erm . . . not really. At least their photo lab here isn't. The kids are severely tanned. Think fake spray tan looking.

I did manage to snag a deal and get 50 4x6's for $5.00

Good enough to hand out to coworkers and close friends to whom I can explain the printing situation to.

Not that they haven't heard it before.

I uploaded the pictures to my photography website, and I'm letting family choose which prints they want. Better they get  photograph that they like, or at least I think so.

Friday Fluff: Unshrinking Shorties (or at least trying)

For my legal needs... I use Murphy & Murphy.

Last week I wrote about wool.
Murphy's Law.
Over the weekend my mother in-law (with good intentions) washed and dried some of Freedom's diapers. She was wearing a pair of shorties that day which my friend had crocheted for me.I pulled them out of Freedom's bag and freaked. They had felted and looked small enough to fit a small baby.

I had read online that you could rescue wool by using hair conditioner, but that there was no real help if they had been felted. When you agitate the wool fibres with water and soap (or heat them, or add pressure) it will felt. It causes the fibres to essentially bond together.
While it can sometimes be beneficial, it makes it stiff and doesn't really have a lot of give.
And I don't have a smaller baby who can use them.

Preparing for the worst. I set out to reclaim the shorties.
Please excuse the quality of the pictures. I used my Blackberry.

Before 7" long with no give.

9.5" wide with no give

My conditioner. I measured out 2/3 of a cup to begin with.

It was hard to get it dissolved into the water

Looked really weird.

Washing out the conditioner.

So, I got about an inch or so.

And it looks like and inch this way too.

The shorties are still felted. I gained about an inch in each direction. They also give a bit more now.

They're still drying. I am hoping that they will still fit Freedom since they now have some give. Not sure if it works this way or not, but I am hoping that she can stretch them out a tiny bit.

Vote for the winner of the Body after Baby Challenge

The finalists are in.
Visit mamanotes.com and vote for the moma who you think should win.
The poll is at the bottom of the sidebar on the right hand side.

I'm #2, and it would be awesome if you voted for me.

Searching for a Geeky Gift? Try Craftsquatch's pillows

I came across Craftsquatch tonight, and thought it was too cute not to share.
I am a geek. Plain and simple.
Some may say more along the line of nerd.

I have never seen it before, but Justin of Craftsquatch has created a line of geeky pillows.
They are 12"x12" and 100% handcrafted.
I got a kick out of reading the item descriptions.

Facebook is hard work, between the friend-ing and poking and tagging and stalking, it doesn't take very long to get all tuckered out. That's where this comfy icon pillow comes in. Now you can take your pokes offline and onto this perfectly plump Facebook pillow!

I am always connected to the internet (thank you Blackberry).
They would go really well in my house, but also give my real live friends one more thing to hound me about.
I could also see myself buying one of these for Brye to use for nap time at Preschool.
Not that he's into social networking. Just to show how geeky his family is is.
I can see his tweets now "gieayiygagbgtebafy brye" 
Yes, he can now type his name.

One that I thought was neat was the anonymous pillows. They made me giggle a bit.

For those of us without a picture of ourselves as a baby, or who don't own a bathroom mirror, or don't go to bars with 9 of our closest friends, or have snoopy employers, or who have a slight stalking habit- there's this anonymous silhouette to keep us hidden.

Check out Craftsquatch on Facebook!
And in true geeky fashion, Twitter too.
I think I found the perfect geeky pillow on Facebook. Unfortunately it's no longer available.

Just to mention.

I didn't receive anything for writing this.

No freebies, no samples. Just thought this was cool/awesome/share-worthy.

The Mystery of Barnyard's Otis' Udders Explained!

Cover via Amazon

I might be one of the few who thinks this, but ... what is up with "Back at the Barnyard"?
Otis is a male bovine, otherwise known as a bull or steer.
Why oh WHY does he have udders?

The episode I caught today, the Farmer was about to milk Otis.

Seriously?

I guess I could go into the conspiracy theorist mode here and suggest that "they" are trying to emasculate males.

It just bothers me that they have a male "cow" with udders.

Technically... A male bovine can not be a cow. The "Cow" is the female of the species. Unless she's not had a calf or is under two years of age. Then she be would be a heifer.

Males have teets, but they don't grow the udder unless they have a weird and extremely rare hormonal disorder.

So here's my answer.

Otis has a rare hormonal disorder, but is handling it quite well. 

Pearl Harbor

December 7th, 1941. A date which will live in infamy.

Today marks the 68th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan.
It resulted in The United States entering WWII. 

The attack sank four battle ships (two of which were raised and used later in the war), and damaged four more. Three cruisers, three destroyers, one mine layer, and 188 aircraft were damaged and/or destroyed. 2, 402 personnel died, and another 1,282 were wounded.

Image via Wikipedia

Take a moment to remember all the fallen service men, not only Pearl Harbor but all of the wars and "conflicts".

Friday Fluff Talk: Wool

Wool.
In a word : Awesome!!
With my first born I was intimidated by anything other the recycled bum sweaters.
I mean, the price, the special washing and the lanolizing?  
Ummm . . . No thank you!

As all things go, I started reading more about wool. Did you know that it's absorbent and breathable. It can hold like 35% of it's dry weight in water, and is usually recommended for night time use. That's when most of your leaks occur. Wool has natural lanolin which makes a natural waterproof barrier.
It's naturally antibacterial. You can air dry/rotate wool covers and go weeks between washing. If there's a urine smell after changing a diaper, it will usually dissipate. If the smell is still lingering after it's dried (or there's some poo on it) then it's time to wash. The lanolin has probably worn thin. The lanolin is what gives the antibacterial properties and also makes it waterproof.


I had a friend who gave me a pair of shorties. I was hooked!
(Okay probably a bad pun)

Image via Wikipedia

I bought some Eucalan no rinse wool wash and used the Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream.

To wash, I feel the sink up with warm water and a bit of the wool wash. I just kind of push the cover down, then pick it up a few times to let the water pass through it. I let it sit for a few minutes then roll out the excess water between two towels. I bought a little bottle that I use to melt lanolin. I put a pea sized amount of Lansinoh and a teeny tiny squeeze of baby shampoo and fill it up with water. I either use a bit boiling water (with cool water) or cheat and use the microwave. Shake it like crazy. It will be kind of cloudy. I try to get it back to room temp so the cover doesn't shrink or felt.
Then, I fill the sink up with warm water again. Add the lanolin that was just mixed up and swish it around. I put the covers back into the water and do the pick up/put down thing to try and get the lanolin all the way through it. My sink has this awesome ability to loose water, and it takes about 15 minutes or so drain. Magically, that's the number of minutes I had planned to leave it soak. I roll it out between towels and lay them flat to dry. It has taken a few days to fully dry them out before.
I've never had a poo slip up. For that, it's recommended to gently use Olive Oil Soap (Kiss my Face makes a good choice) to wash it out before lanolizing.
Speaking of which, you really only to lanolize about once a month or so. Or if the diapers smell like pee or leak.

Works great at night. Since using wool at night, we've not had any leaks. I only have shorties and pull on covers. I would love to get my hands on (an affordable) pair of longies. When we go out on longer trips, I always use a wool cover.

Wanted to take a moment to mention an awesome giveaway going on over at The Cloth Diaper Whisperer! I came across it earlier today. You can enter for a chance to win a Goodmama in an exclusive print, a kiwi pie one size fitted diaper and a thirsties duo wrap cover. Pretty awesome!

About Me

Hi, I'm Melinda.

I am a mom who works part time at a health and nutrition store. I also dabble in photography.
I have a love for history and philosophy. I consider my self a "crunchy like granola" cloth diapering, baby wearing co-sleeping mom. My son was born in January of 2005, and my daughter in May of 2008.
I met my husband in highschool back in 1999. We married November 5th 2005.
We currently live in Mount Airy, North Carolina. Have you ever heard of "The Andy Griffith Show"? The fictional town of Mayberry is based on Mount Airy.

I am geeky, random and a kid at heart.
I still love to watch cartoons.

I started this blog in October of 2008, and switched it over to Hippie-Mommy.com in August of 2009.
My blog is a journal of my journey through motherhood, interjected with advice, reviews and giveaways.
I routinely blog about cloth diapering, and love to post pictures.

I manage a local branch of Teeny Greenies called Gnome Grown Teeny Greenies. We are a FREE cloth diaper lending service.
Our mission is to help get cloth diapering back into mainstream parenting by providing diapers and diapering support to any and all parents who wish to cloth diaper their babies. We serve not only needy families who cannot afford their own diapers, but also families who would like to try cloth diapering but aren't sure where or how to start.

You can email me at melinda@hippie-mommy.com or follow me on Twitter!
Click here to see my blogger profile.

Battle of the Bulge

Since the end of the Body after Baby Challenge I've not been doing so hot... or at least in my mind.
My weight is fluctuating from 216-219 pounds, depending on the day of the week. I honestly think I stayed at a reduced caloric intake for too long. When we went to the weight-loss clinic, we were told that every 3rd or 4th week to increase the amount of calories. With the last couple of week's "plateau" I decided to try this.
But to do it in true Melinda fashion, I had a Mc Donald's triple thick milkshake last night. I am pretty sure they meant to add in more veggies or protein. Oh well, my 770 calorie milkshake hit the spot . . . probably my love handles.
I did finally buy a new pair of jeans. Size 16! I've not bought anything smaller than an 18 since I had Brye. After Freedom, I refused to buy any pants. I had to break down and buy a pair once I wore out the maternity jeans. They were a size 20 (gasp). I had a few "fat clothes" that I started to find too tight in the last year and a half. A size 22w skirt, a juniors size 24 skirt. I tried on some juniors 17 jeans the other day. I would have bought them except the rise and inseam both seamed to short.
You would think after this much of an improvement I would be happier with myself.
In reality, I am not. I still feel the same, and at times, bigger than I ever have.

A Mom's Work is NEVER Done.

Just a few ways to sneak in some some "me" time.

-Hide in the bathroom with a book
-Take a few extra minutes in the shower
-Declare that you're taking a bath and lock yourself in the bathroom. Use bath salts.
-Take the baby for a walk. Hopefully she will fall asleep and you get some easy exercise while enjoying nature.
-Go grocery shopping without the kidlets
-Let the kids play in the yard while you read a book under a tree
-Go to the gym
-Get a hair cut
-Convince your husband to take the kids to visit his family