Smaller is Better

I awhile ago, I mentioned my struggles with losing baby weight. I do avoid writing about this topic because, as you remember, I really hate talking about weight. Honestly, the scale can say whatever number it likes, I just want to feel good and look healthy...and fit into my favorite clothes.

It's been about 7 months since my first post. At that point I had lost about 2-3 lbs since attempting to lose the baby weight (about 3 months). Not impressive, not exactly encouraging.
Well, here we are over half a year later, and I have some more encouraging news. Since my September post, I have lost an additional 10-12 lbs (yes, it varies on the day). I don't want to share my exact weight, because that is not the point. The point is how much extra weight I have kicked to the curb, and how much more I need to get rid of. Right now I am about 10-12 lbs away from my pre-Lorelai self.
I drink one glass of soda a week, no diet stuff (artificial sweeteners are yucky!); I limit my intake of empty snacks like crackers, pretzels, or chips to a rare event; I have started eating large amounts of plain greek yogurt; I drink a full glass of cold water every time I feel hungry, then see if I still need to eat something; I buy very few frozen items, if I do, they are usually vegetables; I buy fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables; I wear clothes and shoes that encourage me to move more; and I do light weight training and short bursts of exercise throughout the day. I am down 2 pant sizes, and have lost a total of 6 inches from my tummy, arms, and waist.

It seems small compared to "The Biggest Loser" results, but thankfully, I was not starting from where those people do. I do enjoy, and will never eliminate, chocolate from my diet. I mean, a couple peanutbutter cups in the evening will not wreck any of my success. I feel better about my food intake, and I feel better that my clothes just fit better. I actually had to by smaller jeans a couple weeks ago, and it was an awesome feeling.

I took for granted my lifestyle and body type before kids. I assumed that getting back to that point wasn't going to be that hard...I was wrong. It has forced me to really evaluate how I look at my life and how I want my kids to see me and themselves.
Eating vegetables isn't always something I like, but the more you do it, the less you think of it. Before this change, I would search for cheese-its or chips when I wanted a snack, now I grab and apple or some baby carrots. Breakfast would have been a poptart (or two) or a muffin, now I have a fiber-rich cereal or a bowl of yogurt. Now I am not talking about those sweet, fruit on the bottom yogurts, I am talking about plain greek yogurt with 6g of sugar and 22g of protein. Warning. This stuff is hard to adjust to. It is almost sour tasting...not at all what I think of when I hear yogurt. But, with a quick drizzle of honey and a handful of oats, this concoction has become a staple in my routine. Chris started with this yogurt, and I have joined in...it's been worth it. Lunch and dinners are more about portion control, but also about making something so I know what's in it, and what it will do for me...and the other people eating it as well.
I want Lorelai and Adalaide to see that eating healthy is not a chore, it's not this horrible task you force yourself to do. It's just the right thing to do. It's what you should eat...and if you never get in the habit of eating junk all the time, you will not feel like you have to sacrifice anything later.
Hard to snack on junky stuff when you don't buy it.
I'm not insane, I do buy my kids crackers for snacks. I buy them chicken nuggets, and I let them drink strawberry flavored milk occasionally. I mean, they are kids; french fries are their favorite, and that's ok. They have them a couple of times a week, and that's absolutely fine with me because the other days they eat bananas, apples, peaches, carrots, and other veggies I hide in other things. *Pureed anything in ketchup works well.* ;)

My expedition to lose baby weight has become a healthier outlook for my whole family. Mainly because I make their food most days, but also because it's important to start off life feeling good and doing good. Chris has also made some amazing progress with new eating and exercising habits. I feel this is our new normal now, and we can only get better and healthier from here. Who wants to spend their time sulking on the couch feeling gross, embarrassed, and tired all the time? Get up, make the change, and go with it. Don't be lazy.

I will not be stock footage if overweight people walking around for health stories on the news. Never, never. Here to the next half of the year, and hopefully, the last of the baby weight...until the next kid. :P


M.LEWIS

Oh Hi

I have been lacking in the blog department again. Not for a lack of trying however...it's for the lack of time sans children, laundry, and dishes.

I have ideas, I want to write, I get a strong urge to write, but writing with the kids Adalaide around is impossible. She cries, she screams, she wants to sit in my lap, she wants to bang the living daylight of my laptop.
So I am left with the hours from 7:45pm to 10:00pm...which I tend to share with other household chores, and the wake-up fussies of little girls. Oh, and I'm usually pretty tired by then.

So, this is my long-winded way of saying: I haven't gone anywhere; I will write something soon...but not tonight.


M.LEWIS

The Deck Reveal

Now, I will preface this post with: I still need to touch up some spots, so technically I'm not 100% done; AND it's windy outside, so I couldn't "setup" the space exactly how I want...but here you go, the deck reveal ;)

My deck. It was old, worn, dingy, and not pretty.

The "white" lines and spots you see here is wood filler. And yes, we needed a fair amount. I probably used too much by the time I figured out how to best apply it, but the spaces were filled, and that's all that matters. I used an exterior wood filler by Elmer's from Lowe's for about $12 a tub. That and a plastic putty knife since I killed the last one we had with rust.

We already had a sander, but I purchased heavy duty sandpaper and a protective mask. I also ended up using plastic latex-like gloves since I hate sanding and this helped keep the chalky dust off me...a bit.

I also bought my stain...which I might need to go and purchase another quart or so...we'll see. It's an semi-transparent stain and sealant in one by Olympic from Lowe's for about $36/g. I have a rebate around here somewhere for it too. We choose the color "tobacco".

Then came the hard work. Sanding and scrubbing, washing and treating, and even more sanding. Like most of my projects, this process took a while since I can only squeeze work in an hour at a time here and there. I purchased some new outdoor items and reused pieces we already had to make an "outdoor livingroom" feel.

I had to close the umbrella...it was too windy today!

We owned the chairs and the firepit, along with the tables and the pillows. This Spring we bought the rug, the umbrella and stand, the storage bench, the lanterns and the plants. It's far from perfect, and I will be touching up certain spots this weekend, but for our little backyard, I think this deck still has something to add to our home. The totals? Deck resurfacing supplies (not including power tools): less than $70. Accessories/new furniture: less than $230.

Now to tend to the lawn! ;)

M.LEWIS

Spring Cleaning

Every year, about twice a year, I get this need to clean out things. Sort through, organize, purge, remodel, etc. The first round is around fall, and the second, naturally is around spring.
I am pretty good at keeping up with this task on a monthly basis actually. With kids that grow out of their clothes every few months, and my never-ending task of improving our house, I am happily underwhelmed by the spring cleaning bug.

I do need to buy more containers for the outgrown clothes, and I am always picking out places for an extra shelf or storage bin, but other than that I think we are in pretty good shape. This leaves me room for another project.

Previously, I mentioned my goal to makeover my backyard deck. Well, the process has begun, and is inching along...slowly.

Now I haven't taken "before" pictures...even though I have already started...sort of. But I do plan to take some this weekend when I really get into it. But here are the few old pictures I found of our lackluster deck.
(Look how little Lorelai is!)

Even my planting skills suck.

Those pictures are from spring 2012. And while I've killed numerous flowers, and moved the furniture around a bit...the general feel is still this bare-minimum, needs-a-lot-work, be-out-here-for-five-minutes kind of vibe. 

This is the most recent picture...from December 2013. Encased in inches of ice and sleet. Thoroughly dead, and thoroughly sad. The spring sun has not cheered up this area too much. We go from ice to 105' heat and back in a year, and this uncovered outdoor space has taken a beating over the years.

So far we have bought some new pieces to make the area seem more inviting and more comfortable. It's a mind trick really. If it looks pretty, I will be willing to hang out there more. Until July. Then nothing can entice me...but I have kids, and they kind of like this whole run-around-outside thing. So I press on.

I have begun filling in the larger cracks and splits in the wood with exterior stainable wood filler. This is about half way done, then I need to sand it down, and touch up any needed areas. Then it's just a couple coats of stain and sealant. It *should* take me a couple more weekends, but life has a way of laughing at my plans...so we'll see.

We also need to do some more weed control, grass seed some bare spots, plant some more bushes and such, but hopefully by the end of the month we will have another asset to the property.

Especially because we are already thinking about moving in a couple years. More to come on that later. ;)

Deck updates coming soon!

M.LEWIS