A Package

Elee got a birthday package in the mail today from Uncle Tom and Aunt Netta. She was so excited for her final birthday surprise. Of course she had to try it out and the boys thought it would be fun to join her.
Elee says "Thanks!" and "It's the best tea party ever!"

It's Time For...

Vacation! Bronze is off this week and we planned our school year out according to his vacation time. We don't have any big trips planned this year but have some things we're going to do in town. We decided to start off Saturday with the Dillons salad bar for lunch. The kids have never been able to get the salad bar before so this was very exciting.

Cool Morning

Eliad and I were up early this morning as usual and went about our normal routine until about 8:30 when I went to put the dog outside. As I opened the door I realized that it was actually cooler outside than it was in the house! I ran to shut my ac completely off and opened up all the windows.  I just love the times during the year when it is nice enough to have the house all opened up. We don't have a good screen on our back door so I'll usually just leave it cracked open if the flies aren't out. Eliad had been meandering in and out and after a bit I could hear him saying, "Scoot over puppy!" I guess he was lonely out there and decided he needed some company because this is what I saw when I looked out.

A Journey

Where to start, that is a question I have asked several times over the last few months. It feels strange for me to blog about myself and I suppose I do it indirectly by blogging about my family but I feel awkward having a post that primarily revolves around me.
That being said, this past year has been quite a journey for me. I set out not knowing what to expect, and definitely not expecting the outcome I've had.

It started out at the end of last summer, I had lost a few pounds since the spring, it wasn't much but enough to light a little fire under me. Between that and just being sick of being over weight it gave me the desire to actually make another attempt at weight loss.

I've struggled a lot with my weight over the last 10-12 years but my biggest struggles were always AFTER having a baby. Unlike what you'd normally expect, I would always loose weight through my entire pregnancy and about 4-6 weeks after having a baby the weight would just start to pile on. I got to the point where I thought the only way to loose weight would be to get pregnant again. Even though we would love to have another addition, I wasn't a prime candidate after 3 complicated c-sections.

I started doing some serious research into a couple of weight loss options, I had tried several things in the past but had never really invested into a program. In the middle of my search I came across an ad for a weight loss program that a chiropractor was offering. I recognized the name because it was someone Bronze's sister was a nanny for, a few years back. I asked her about it merely out of curiosity because It seemed unusual that he would have a program like this, little did I know what I was getting myself into. She of course researched it for me and set up a time for us to meet with him to find out more about it.

At the first 'meeting' we sat in a room and watched a video of people who had been successful on the program then visited with the doctor for a short while. He said he'd let me think about and to get back with him if I was interested. I must admit, I was very skeptical. True, I didn't completely understand everything that was involved in the diet at the time, which is probably a good thing, but what he was offering still seemed like a stretch, 20lbs guaranteed in a month, yeah, right!

I left that evening less than thrilled with what I saw but decided I would talk it over with family before I made my final decision. After going over all the different options and cost associated with other weight loss programs this one was dubbed the best since it was, after all, guaranteed. What did I have to loose?!

If I wanted to start the program I was suppose to call the doctor's office the next Monday and set up a time that week to get started. As I was making plans to call I suddenly realized that my birthday was the following weekend with Elee's 4 days later and that if I started on a restricted/very specific food plan, which this was, I wouldn't be able to celebrate with all the yummy things that come with birthdays. Things like my mothers amazing chocolate sheet cake that has been a tradition with my family since before I was old enough to truly appreciate it! I questioned my commitment briefly but after a certain, pushy sister-in-law ( who I thought was going to join me in the program ) told me it was just 1 birthday and that there would always be something I decided to proceed as planned.

I will say, it was rough. Especially the first few weeks but as the weight kept coming off I was encouraged to keep going and I hit the 20lb guarantee at a month. The next 2 months after that I lost 15lbs a month and the weight kept coming off gradually. It was hard work, as weight loss usually is, I worked out 7 days a week and took up running after losing 50lbs. I have reached 70lbs so far and now consider myself an avid runner, something I never would have dreamt possible before and feel like I've made a complete lifestyle change.

Starting out on the diet I told Bronze that I was after all getting a little older and that I would never get back down to the weight I use to be, especially since I'd had 3 children. But after being able to get back into my wedding dress in May for our 10th anniversary I realized this was just a myth and felt like I could conquer the world.

Losing the weight and getting healthy has had a huge impact on my life, I am able to be a better wife, mother and person in general. I was able to be successful not just by my determination but by the encouragement and support of our families, the 'great job' texts after my weekly weigh-ins and my mom watching the kids so I could keep those appointments.

Now, a year later, I will be able to enjoy this birthday in shape and healthy, and yes, be able to have my cake and eat it too!

Water World

Sometimes it's a bit of a challenge to keep the youngest 2 entertained while Ardon does his school work. We do lots of different things but playing in water always seems to be a good distraction and keeps them busy and fairly quiet for a while.

My Little, Early Morning Man

All of my kids have changed their sleeping patterns from time to time. Right now Ardon and Elee are my late nighters, even if they go to bed early it takes them time to get to sleep and they usually don't wake up very early, anywhere from 8:30 to 9 ish. Eliad is more cooperative at bedtime, his routine is very consistent. He sits in the rocker and drinks his milk just before bed then lays down and goes to sleep, but I think this is also why he gets up so much earlier, as in 6 ish. Soo, a lot of times he will sit out and watch a show in the morning with me while I do things around the house. A lot of times he'll just watch whatever program I have on but I think he was actually watching Super Why or something of the sort this time.

How We "Faired"

Yesterday was free day at the Kansas State Fair and since Bronze was able to finish up with work at a decent time we loaded up and headed to Hutch.

 We walked around a bit then headed to check out some of the animals.

Elee is a lot like her dad,

 the sounds and smells are a little much for her.

But unlike her dad, cute bunnies seem to make it all worth it.

 My boys on the other hand,

 are a lot more like me,

 happy to see and touch all the animals.

 Even happy to feed them which is extra exciting.

 Then there were the rides...

We hadn't planned on spending any money while at the fair, it was 'free' day after all, and I had packed snacks and drinks to take with us. While we were meandering through the carnival area we came across a couple of girls who were done for the day and they offered the kids the rest of their ride tickets, SCORE!

Elee had a panic attack on the way up to the first ride and even though I had to drag her crying up the steps (yes, I'm that kind of mom) she settled down as soon as we took off and her crying turned to laughter.

 The first ride was calm and pleasant, it was a school bus that looped up and down, nice and slowly.

Another ride was the Wiggle Wurm. It was a lot of fun too, it went around in circles and bumped up and down. Here the boys rode together because...

 someone only wanted to go if she could sit with me, again, a nice calm ride.

 Then there was this ride, it should come with a disclaimer,

NO SMALL CHILDREN UNLESS NEXT TO THEIR MOTHER WHO CAN CLING TO THEM SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEM FALLING OUT!

Again Elee only wanted to sit with me. Let's just say that through this ride I worried enough about my youngest (hence no pictures) to last him well into his teen years! As I sat through the ride holding onto Elee I was yelling at Ardon the whole time to make sure his brother was hanging on and to smash him into the side of the seat so he wouldn't fly out, he did a great job but I still suffered a slight panic attack.

It may not be too much of a ride for an adult or even bigger kids but definitely not for a 2 year old, especially without someone hanging onto them!

 After being slightly scarred from the last ride (just me, the kids were fine) we opted for one that we could sit together. This was fun, but loud, and definitely not for those who get dizzy easily.

 Ardon sat by himself since there was an actual seat belt this time,

 and these 2 rode with me since I wasn't risking my sanity again.

 Bronze, who cannot handle carnival rides to save his life, was our faithful picture-taking bystander

 To finish up our time we headed for the more laid back activities like milking cows,

 or feeding them hay.

 The big bug exhibit of life under ground is always a hit as well.

We stopped at the gas station for special drinks (it didn't matter how much money we saved on our 'free' day, I couldn't justify $5 for a fair drink) before heading home. We had a nice time as a family and the kids had a blast.

A Hole-in-the-wall Pizza Place

Lately Bronze and I have been thinking about pizza, you know, from one of those little brick oven places. Now this isn't unusual for Bronze to think about, pizza has been his 'thang' since he was old enough to eat a slice, me on the other hand, well let's just say sometimes I enjoy an occasional slice but I'd rather have a bowl of yummy soup, a loaded salad or something of that sort. Lately however,  we've been talking about how much fun it would be to go to a little pizzeria, just the two of us, for a date night. Finding time away from our busy schedule along with trying to stay budget friendly hadn't gotten us very close to our date though. Tonight we decided to create our own pizzeria date night at home, we put the kids to bed early and rummaged through the kitchen to see what toppings we could drum up. I made some pizza dough and we threw our creation in the oven, holding our breath that the kids wouldn't come out to see what the enticing smells were associated with. We sat down in our little eatery, aka kitchen nook, with our yummy pizza and just hung out, it was a nice evening!

Art by Elee

Elee would like me to share her artwork with you today. While Ardon and I were finishing up school she sat at the table and worked diligently on her picture. When she finished she promptly came around the corner to show me her picture of a witch with her grandchild at her side making tornado soup out of a baby. I'm not quite sure where she got her concept from but I think Dora the Explorer is partly to blame!

A Tasty Craft

Since Bronze works on Labor Day we keep our regular school schedule and save our days off for when he gets to be off work. Today we decided our craft would double as a snack for after lunch.

You'll notice all of the kids have a different approach, my oldest is more worried about precision and the artistic outcome than the actual eating of the project, my middle is slightly obsessed with chocolate (note her facial expression in her last picture), and my youngest can't seem to keep his tongue off of his project, as soon as I snap a picture I hear him mumbling "tasty".