Week 49 of Healthier Living in 2015

12/30/2015
For week of: 12/23 - 12/30/2015
Weigh in Weight: 148.4 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 147.6 lbs gain of 8 oz

Goals for Week 49:
1) Make healthier snack choices
2) Drink at least 80 oz of water daily
3) Nap whenever possible
4) Finish setting up Etsy shop
5) Crochet more scarves for Etsy shop and custom orders
6) Read 30 minutes to 1 hour a day

It is the second to last day of 2015 today.  Because I started my healthier living journey a few weeks into January 2015, I have to continue into January 2016 for a few weeks.  I'm still going to refer to this journey in terms of a 2015 journey since almost all of it took place this year.

What a crazy year it has been.  So many ups and downs.  I did well with some goals and completely failed in others.  I learned a lot about myself in the past year, but I will reflect more on that in my very last Healthier Living in 2015 and early 2016 blog post.

As for my week 49 goals, I finished setting up my Etsy shop, I worked on making healthier snack choices, which is something I need to continue to work on.  I drank more water daily, but still need to work on that as well, drinking at least 80 oz of water a day.  I finished another scarf that I need to add to my Etsy shop listings and post on my Facebook hobby page. 

I did not get much napping in this week and am exhausted daily, nor did I do much reading.  These two things need to become a part of my daily routine if I am going to make it through this time of recovery and transition.  I miss reading and am so behind on my TIME magazines I don't know if I'll ever catch up.  I have several books I want to read too, but I am so tired by the end of the day the most I can get myself to do is watch some TV and quickly check Facebook before going to bed.

Therefore, I need to figure out how to get some cat naps in everyday, so I have the energy and brain power to read. 

My goals for week 50 will be a continuation of the previous couple weeks with a change or two.  Goals I have completed or feel like I have a handle on will be changed to things I really need to work more on in order to have an overall healthier living week.

Until next time, Keep on keeping on and Happy and Healthy New Year to you all!!!

Goals for Week 50: 12/30/2015 - 1/6/2016
1) Read 30 minutes to 1 hour a day
2) Nap whenever possible
3) Crochet more scarves for custom orders and Etsy shop and post to listings
4) Make healthier snack choices
5) Start 52 weeks of gratitude challenge blog on 1/1/2016

Week 48 of Healthier Living in 2015

12/23/2015
For week of: 12/16 - 12/23/2015
Weigh in Weight: 147.6 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 148.8 lbs loss of 1 lb, 2 oz

Goals for week 48:
1) Continue to recover from c-section
2) Make healthier snack choices (more fruits and vegetables)
3) Drink at least 80 oz of water daily
4) Work on speech therapy with my oldest son
5) Nap when youngest is napping or whenever possible
6) Finish setting up my Etsy shop and continue marketing my book

I did not do very well on my goals for week 48.  The only one I did was to continue to recover from my c-section because that is what my body is doing.  I needed more rest, more naps, more bonding time with my kids.  I needed to drink more water and eat healthier.  I wanted to finish setting up my Etsy shop and continue to market my book. 

I did bond with my kids the best I could but I did not get the rest or naps I needed.  I didn't drink as much water or eat healthier like I needed to.  And I did not finish setting up my Etsy shop or market my book.  It was not a complete dud of a week, but it wasn't great either. 

My parents have been staying with us since 12/18 and it has been wonderful to have their help with the kids.  But the rest and relaxation I was hoping for have been elusive.  What I really need us an empty house or a quiet house where I can lay down and take a nap.  I won't get that opportunity until Monday afternoon. 

I can tell that I am pushing myself too hard because my body hurts and I am overly tired.  But sometimes we don't get to choice what is going on around us so I will just have to deal with it the best I can and pray the next few days go by very quickly. 

Because I did so poorly on my goals for week 48, I am going to keep the same goals for week 49 and see if I can do better at least working on my goals.  The most important goals will help me to physically and emotionally feel better so if I can at least do those 3, I will be very happy with myself. 

Until next time, Keep on keeping on!!!

Goals for week 49: 12/23 - 12/30/2015
* 1) Make healthier snack choices
* 2) Drink at least 80 oz of water daily
* 3) Nap whenever possible
4) Finish setting up Etsy shop
5) Crochet more scarves for Etsy shop and custom orders
* 6) Read for 30 mins. - 1hr daily

Transitions: Going from a family of 3 to a family of 4

On Monday, November 30th at 9:43am our son Michael was born.  I had a scheduled repeat c-section that day set up for 10am, but I ended up going into labor naturally that morning, so my c-section got bumped up about 30 minutes. 

When they lowered the curtain and showed him to us, he looked so tiny.  He ended up weighing 6 lbs 2oz.  He lost some weight, like all babies do right away after they are born, but I'm pretty sure he's gained it all back, plus some.  He eats like it is his last meal, just like his big brother did, minus the screaming when we had to take the bottle out of his mouth for burping.

Our oldest son, who is 3 years, 4 months old now is getting better everyday with the transition of being a big brother.  It will take some time and constant conversation and encouragement, but he will eventually accept and get used to his new normal.

Having a newborn in the house is a transition for all of us.  Once I get my staples out on Monday morning, I should start to feel better and be able to participate in raising our boys more actively than I have been able to since Monday.

I did end up having complications from the surgery and needed to receive 2 units of blood on Tuesday afternoon/evening.  I immediately felt better, but the soreness and air pockets in my shoulders were excruciating for a couple of days until I could really get up and move around.

And after all the challenges immediately after giving birth, we are all home.  It is wonderful to be home.  My mother-in-law is here to help us out too.  She has been a Godsend! 

We will continue to be in transition for a while, each of us in our own way.  I have made some pretty significant discoveries about myself in the last several days too, but those I will share in a future post.  For now, I think I am finally calm enough and tired enough to try to go to sleep.  Better take advantage of it before the insomnia kicks in again.

Weeks 46, 47 and most of 48 of Healthier Living in 2015

12/19/2015
For Weeks of: 11/25 - 12/16/2015
Weigh in Weight: 148.8 lbs.
Previous Weigh in Weight: 162.8 lbs lose of 14 lbs.

Goals for Week 46 (extended to weeks 47 and 48):
1) Patience
2) Recovery and relaxing as much as possible
3) Snuggle and love up on my two sons
4) Be joyful and spend quality time with my husband as we await my release from the hospital and when we get home

This is the third time I've attempted to post for weeks 46 - most of 48, so I am going to make it brief.

We have been home from the hospital since December 3rd.  We had help for about a week and then were on our own until my parents got here yesterday afternoon.  I think we handled the 9 days on our own pretty well. 

Since I am in the middle of recovering, my husband has taken on the major care taking of our oldest son.  I can't lift him or keep up with his activity level right now so my husband takes him to the church office in the morning or afternoon, while I stay home with our newborn and take care of him. 

The transition is challenging to say the least but joyful as well.  I love my husband and sons more than words can express. 

Since my number one goal is recovery and relaxing so I can fully do what I am normally able to do, I need to focus on making healthy choices for the rest of week 48.  Therefore, my goals deal with eating, fluid intake and bonding, as well as marketing my creative endeavors.  Until the next time I blog, Keep on keeping on!!!

Goals for week 48: 12/16 - 12/23/2015
1) Continue to recover from c-secton
2) Make healthier snack choices (more fruits and vegetables)
3) Drink at least 80 oz of water daily
4) Work on speech therapy exercises with oldest son
5) Nap when youngest son is napping if possible, or nap whenever possible
6) Finish setting up Etsy shop and continue marketing my book

Week 45 of Healthier Living in 2015

11/25/2015
For Week of: 11/18 - 11/25/2015
Weigh in Weight: 162.8 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 162.6 lbs gain of 2 oz.

Week 45 was a good week.  I accomplished all of my goals I set for myself amongst the chaos of preparing for our youngest son to be born on Monday, November 30th.

I think my favorite goal was completely some more handmade crocheted scarves, taking the photos of them and advertising them on my Facebook page and Pinterest.  I've caught the small hobby business bug.  I think I'm going to save up some money and open an Etsy shop and see if I can get more sales that way.  I currently have one order for three scarves.  Two in my favorite gray yarn and one in a fun multicolored white yarn.  I'll post a photo of it on this blog when I am finished.

I also did some more advertising for my book and might possibly make my goal of selling 7 books this month.  So far, I have sold two from my own stash and at least one more on Amazon.  Hopefully I will be able to sell 4 more tomorrow at church and then I will make my goal.

I continue to struggle getting our 3 year old son to do his speech therapy exercises some days and with my energy level in the toilet, preschool activities have gone by the way side for now.  We did stick to story time though and then I'd let him watch a movie or TV shows for a bit for his quiet time so I could take a nap. 

It was a chaotic but good week.  For week 46, my goal is to be patient with our guests, my in-laws and to finish getting ready for baby boy to arrive Monday, November 30th.  And since my post for week 45 is halfway through week 46, I can say we are as prepared as we are going to be.

I go into the hospital Monday morning and have to be there before 8 am.  I hope the weather doesn't suck and the roads are decent.  As for goals for week 46, patience, recovery, joy, love, express when I am feeling stressed and need help, and love on both my sons as much as humanly possible. 

I am currently watching my oldest sleep as I type this.  The second to last night I get to do this with it just being the three of us.  It is such a blessing, these small, quiet moments.

I might not post again until we get home from the hospital with baby boy, so until next time, Keep on keeping on!!!

Goals for Week 46: 11/25 - 12/2/2015
1) Patience
2) Recovery and relaxing as much as possible
3) Snuggle and love up on my two sons as much as possible
4) Be joyful and spend quality time with my husband as we are awaiting my release from the hospital

Week 44 of Healthier Living in 2015

11/18/2015
For the week of: 11/11 - 11/18/2015
Weigh in Weight: 162.6 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 162.2 lbs gain of 4 oz

Week 44 was a good week for working on and completing my goals I set for the week.  It was an emotional week.  My moods were up and down.  Dang pregnancy hormones.

But despite that, I made time to read everyday, I wrote several times during the week.  I completed one crocheted scarf and one crocheted decorative belt.  Both I am going to take photos of an post on my hobby Facebook page and Pinterest.

I didn't get as much exercise as I wanted to, but I did get some form of daily activity in each day.  As far as speech therapy and preschool activities with my son, it was a challenge to get him to do it and I didn't have the energy to argue with him about it.  I will continue to work on doing more fun activities with him and find some that he can get into and have more fun with.

This is going to be a short post this week.  My energy level is not what it was and I don't have much to add at this time.

Since I am a week and a half from my c-section with my second son, week 45 is going to be all about getting as much rest as possible while being in charge of taking care of our oldest son.  Until next time, Keep on keeping on!

Goals for Week 45:
1) Get as much sleep each night as I can while dealing with insomnia
2) Do some form of physical activity each day
3) Work on book selling strategy and hobby business strategy for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday
4) Take quality photos of items for sale and post them on my Hobby Business Facebook page and on Pinterest

Blessing in the Midst of Transition

Very soon, in fact, two weeks to be exact, we will be welcoming our youngest son to the outside world and our family.  In the midst of this upcoming transition in our lives, our oldest son has been displaying some strange behavior due to anxiety about his whole world changing.

But even though it has been challenging lately with keeping up with our 3 year olds ever changing moods, it has been a blessed time too.  I am enjoying the little moments with him, snuggling watching a movie, his daily bedtime ritual complete with story time and more snuggling. 

We lucked out with our oldest.  For the time being, he is still a big snuggled, hugger and overall compassionate, caring kiddo.  Of course he can turn into a bear at a moments notice, but it helps to remember the snuggly times in the midst of the chaos.

The transition of going from three to four is going to be challenging and exciting for all of us.  It will be hard and a blessing for each of us in different ways.  And once our youngest is a little older, we'll all really get to have some fun, especially our oldest son, because he will be able to teach his brother so many things, both good and bad. ;)

Transition always has its scary moments and blessings.  It is focusing on the blessings in the midst of transition that make transition easier for all involved.  Thanks be to God for all the blessings he has given our family and continues to pour out upon us daily.

Week 43 of Healthier Living in 2015

11/11/2015
For Week of: 11/4 - 11/11/2015
Weigh in Weight: 162.2 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 160.6 lbs gain of 1.6 lbs

Goals for Week 43:
1) Sell 1-3 of my books for the week, continue to build $1000 emergency fund through various avenues
2) Read book and magazines for 30 minutes to 1 hour each day
3) Spend less time on facebook and pinterest
4) Finish Samantha's baby blanket and start crocheting more scarves to sell online, etc...
5) Write for 15 -20 minutes at least 3 days a week
6) Do more fun preschool activities with my son as well as speech therapy homework

I completed and worked on 4 out of my 6 goals for week 43.  I am changing things up a bit for week 44 because I need a change of pace for the next couple of weeks until baby boy is born on November 30th unless he comes earlier.

I have to make an adjustment to my completed goals for the week of Oct. 28 - Nov. 4.  I got confirmation that the lady at the local coffee shop would carry two of my books to sell but wasn't paid for the books until week 43, Nov. 4 - Nov. 11.  Therefore, I was able to sell 2 of my books during week 43 and accomplish my goal of selling 1-3 books for the week.

As for the $1000 emergency fund, I have decided to put it on hold for a little bit, unless I end up getting some money from my publishing company, sell more books I have on stock or sell a decent number of scarves and baby blankets.  The money I've saved up so far is going to go towards paying off some of the credit card debt I accrued for marketing costs to publish my book.  So I will have a lot of work to do to rebuild the emergency fund but for now, the money needs to go elsewhere and pay off debt.

Each day I made time to read for at least 30 minutes and I made time to write 15-20 minutes 3 days out of the week.  I was able to finish our great niece's baby blanket and will be starting to make more scarves to sell online and maybe even at the local holiday walk in town.

I failed at my goal to spend less time on facebook and pinterest.  I spent too much time on both over the last week, mostly when my son was having quiet time or wanting to have alone time.  I need limit my time of both facebook and pinterest to 30 minutes a day and not allowing myself to be on either at least one day a week.

Doing preschool and speech therapy activities didn't happen as much as I would have liked with my son.  My energy levels and his energy levels were pretty lacking during week 43.  I am going to make more of an effort to do more crafts and fun activities with my son, instead of allowing him to watch tv shows and movies for quiet time in the afternoon.  He and I both need to get back into the routine of story time, fun activities and quiet time with minimal tv in the afternoons.  He seemed to be much happier and more confident when we were doing those kinds of things together.  I'm hoping that I have the energy to get back into it the next couple of weeks because my son deserves it and I love the bonding time with him.

Speaking of lacking energy, it has taken me almost an hour to finish this blog post because I keep zoning in and out.  I better get my act together so I have enough energy for the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening to take care of and interact with my son.

For my goals for week 44 of my healthier living journey, I am going to focus on the different aspects of my health; intellectual, mental, emotional and physical.  I'm sure there are others but these are the ones that help me get through the day and be an overall healthier person, wife and mom.  Until next week, Keep on keeping on!

Goals for week 44: 11/11 - 11/18/2015
1) Read 30 + minutes a day (intellectual, mental, emotional)
2) Write 15 -20 minutes most days of the week (intellectual, emotional, mental)
3) Do preschool crafts and speech therapy exercises with my son (bonding time, emotional, mental)
4) Be creative about getting daily exercise (physical, mental, emotional)
5) Crochet/make scarves to sell online and other venues...and take good professional looking photos of them to post (emotional, intellectual, mental)

Week 42 of Healthier Living in 2015

11/4/2015
For week of: 10/28 - 11/4/2015
Weigh in Weight: 160.6 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 161.8 lbs lose of 1 lb, 2 oz.

Goals for Week 42:
1) Sell 1-3 books and continue building up $1000+ emergency fund
2) Do fun preschool activities and work on speech therapy homework with my 3 year old son
3) 15 to 20 minutes of writing 3 days this week
4) Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night


It was another mixed week for me this past week.  It was very emotional and at times I felt like I was going crazy.  At other times it was peaceful and everything seemed to be right with the world.  Many discussions were had that moved things forward in a positive direction for certain things and other things took a step backwards.

My 3 year old son has been very unwilling to do certain things that I know he can do on his own the last few days, which is very frustrating.  He knows how to get himself dressed for the most part, but in the last few days it is like he has forgotten or is just too lazy.  He won't listen to simple directions and purposefully dumps snacks on the floor.  He wants attention but he is trying to get it in a negative way and see how far he can push before he gets into trouble.  I know it is a phase and my husband and I are dealing with it in an appropriate manner, but I hope it ends soon.  It's really starting to piss me off.  He is also getting very anxious about his little brother arriving at the end of the month.  He knows something is going on that will change a lot of things around here and he isn't the best at dealing with change.  Frankly, neither am I, so I can empathize with him a great deal right now.  I just wish he would knock it off with the attitude.

As for the goals I set for myself for week 42, that too was a bit of a mixed bag.  Since my son was being defiant most of this last week, doing fun preschool activities and working on his speech therapy homework went well some days and were a total bust other days.  I think he'll get back into doing his speech therapy exercises once he starts doing them again with his teacher.  Lately she has been doing some testing with him to see how extensive of services he'll need as they continue to work together.  So he's really gotten out of the groove.  At the same time, his verbal confidence is growing leaps and bounds which is so wonderful to witness and be a part of.

I completely failed in my goal to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.  I was far too anxious about what was going on with our son as well as things being continuously put off by my husband because he wouldn't set aside the time to finish it.  After several break downs and discussions, he has finally finished and we can finally move onto the next step.  It doesn't help that I caught a cold and for a night or two was so uncomfortable that I didn't get much sleep.  And this whole being pregnant thing is such a drag.  I can't get comfortable and baby boy likes to get his dance groove on from 2-3 or so in the morning.  Not only am I excited to finally meet this kid, but I'm excited to get my body back too.  November 30th can't come soon enough at this point.

Okay, the two goals I did do and complete for week 42 were to sell 1-3 books this week and continue to build our $1000+ emergency fund and to write 15 to 20 minutes 3 days this week.  I ended up selling by consignment 2 books to one of the local coffee shops in our town.  She still has to pay me, but I'm counting it because she said yes.  I'll be dropping them off today and getting paid for them.  I plan to talk to the owner of the local clothes consignment store as well to see if she would be willing to carry a few copies of my book in her store.  I also have to check back with the drug store to see if they sold the last copy they had and if they would like to try and sell more.  So overall, slight improvement on the book selling front.  I would like to try and get a table during our local Winter Walk this year, but I think it will be too soon after baby born is born for me to participate.  Bummer too because I'd not only be able to display my book but also try and sell some of my scarves that I am in the process of making to sell for some extra holiday income this year.

My 15 to 20 minutes of writing 3 days this past week went well.  One of my pieces was the blog post last week for my healthier living journey and for the two other writing exercises, I wrote in my journal.  I want to start working on some more creative writing like short stories or outline novel ideas.  But mostly, I want to start working on researching and outlining my next big nonfiction project that I am pretty excited about.  I'll have to stick to the outline for now because I don't have access to the resources I need at this time to do any decent research.  Hopefully that will happen within the next year. :)

For week 43, I have pretty much the same goals as week 42 with a little added on.  At this point, the more goal oriented I am the less time I have to think about or be anxious about baby boy's arrival.  Again, I can't wait to meet him and not be pregnant anymore, but it is still an anxious time for me, for all of us.  Hopefully this week, with a good attitude adjustment on my part will be less of a mixed bag and more of a peaceful week.  Until next time, Keep on keeping on!

Goals for Week 43: 11/4 - 11/11/2015
1) Sell 1-3 books this week, continue to build $1000+ emergency fund through various avenues
2) Finish our great niece Samantha's baby blanket and start crocheting more scarves to eventually sell through my new facebook page and at various holiday shows
3) Spend less time online on my phone, especially pinterest and facebook
4) Read the book for book club and my Time magazines for 30 minutes to 1 hour each day
5) Write for 15 to 20 minutes 3 days this week
6) Attempt to do more fun preschool activities and work on speech therapy exercises with my son.  But if he refuses, don't pick a fight about it with him.

Week 41 of Healthier Living in 2015

10/28/2015
For week of: 10/21 - 10/28/2015
Weigh in Weight: 161.8 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 162.0 lbs lose of 8 oz.

Goals for Week 41:
1) Sell 1-3 books this week and continue to build $1000 emergency fund by various avenues
2) Daily exercise/physical activity
3) 15 to 20 minutes of writing, including timeline project, 3 days this week
4) 30 minutes to 1 hour of reading daily
5) Do fun preschool activities and speech therapy homework with my son

It gets harder and harder to want to do anything as I progress in my pregnancy.  Only 4 weeks and 5 days to go, unless baby boy decides to show up earlier than November 30th at 10 am.

Again, despite my discomfort, I was able to accomplish quite a lot during week 41.  My goal of selling 1-3 books and continuing to build our $1000 emergency fund went really well.  I ended up selling 5 books both full price and through book consignment getting 70% of the retail price of my book per copy.  For week 42, it looks like I will easily be able to sell a couple more books through consignment so to stay motivated, I am going to include this goal in my goals for week 42.  By selling the 5 books this week I am almost half way to $1000 for our emergency fund.  I am so excited about this that I am going to keep going with my current endeavors of book selling.  I also am strategizing how to sell my scarves that I am planning to make or have made online.  I'm leaning towards eBay, but Facebook might be a good avenue too.  I haven't decided yet, but am going to by the end of this week.

Every day during week 41, I walked or did some for of daily physical activity so I could get some form of exercise.  I did skip Sunday, which I have no excuse for doing.  But since daily physically activity has become a major part of my daily routine, I can confidently say that I can take this off my goals list, unless I back slide and have to add it again. :)

I finished my timeline project this week and wrote for 15 to 20 minutes at least 3 days during week 41.  I will have some revisions to do on the project over the next few weeks, but I am confident it will be completely done before baby boy is born.  Writing in my journey was my other main writing activity as well as writing this blog, so overall, it has been a good week of making intensional time to write.  I plan to continue to make finding intentional writing time a priority and one of my goals each week until it becomes part of my daily routine.

I have made reading each day such a part of my routine that I am actually catching up on my reading I have been behind on for a long time.  I am for the time being going take reading off my goals list.  I am happy to say that reading is now routine and I make sure I have time to do it everyday. :)

Throughout the week, I have made a great effort to not only have story time with my son, but to do a fun preschool activity with him each day as well as work on his speech therapy homework.  I want to keep it up even though my energy level is at an all time low these days.  So I am going to keep doing these activities with my son as part of my goals so I hold myself accountable to do it even if I don't feel like it some days.

So there you have it.  That's all I have to add for now.  Until next time, Keep on keeping on! :)

Goals for Week 42: 10/28 - 11/4/2015
1) Sell 1-3 books this week and continue building $1000 emergency fund by various avenues
2) Do one fun preschool activity with son each day as well as speech therapy homework with my son
3) 15 to 20 minutes of writing at least 3 days this week
4) Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night

Week 40 of Healthier Living in 2015

10/21/2015
For week of: 10/14 - 10/21/2015
Weigh in Weight: 162.0 lbs
Previous weigh in weight: 160.6 lbs

Goals for Week 40:
1) Daily exercise (treadmill, stairs, walking outside)
2) Sell 1-3 copies of my book and continue to build $1000 emergency fund, Dave Ramsey baby step #1
3) Work on having a more positive attitude about where I currently am in my life
4) 30 minutes to 1 hour of reading daily
5) 30 minutes to 1 hour of writing daily, including timeline project

Week 40 was a mixed bag week for me.  I managed to sell one book to accomplish my book selling goal for the week, but I didn't make the time to write or work on my timeline project. 

As far as getting to a place where I can be happy again by just the daily moments in life in order to survive my current situation in life, I am doing much better on that score. 

I physically have been feeling worse, but was able to get plenty of fresh air and exercise this past weekend while up at camp chasing my 3 year old son around.  It was a seriously hellish weekend, but there were some really great things that happened too.  Always the ying and yang of life.

I found plenty of time to read this past week too, which was a wonderful distraction from the terrible heartburn, indigestion and general ickiness one feels the last few weeks of pregnancy.

I discovered that walking on the treadmill will not be an activity I can do until after baby boy is born.  My heartburn and nausea in the mornings make it too difficult to do for any length of time.  So, I am going to bundle up and walk to the post office and around town in the mornings with my husband and son until baby boy is born.  It won't be as intense of an exercise routine, but I will get some activity in daily and some much needed fresh air each day.

I am dealing with some water retention issues, which accounts for my almost 2 pounds of weight gain, but I am hoping that after a brief walk outside with my son to the library tonight and our walking around town in the morning tomorrow some of it will be alleviated.

Again, week 40 was a mix of good and bad for me.  I'm trying to come up with more realistic goals for week 41. 

With my husband's schedule being so busy and looking after a 3 year old who doesn't take naps, I am limited in the time I have to really sit down and write or work on the timeline project.  Luckily, I am almost done with the timeline, so I can work on others things I've been wanting to start soon.  So, instead of having a goal of writing 30 minutes to 1 hour everyday, for the time being I am going to give myself a goal of 15 - 20 minutes at least 3 days this week.

The reading is easier to do while my son has his quiet time each day, so that goal will stay the same.  I also want to keep working on having a more positive attitude and focus on the good not the bad in our current situation.  Too many wonderful things on the horizon to focus on the bad.

I already discussed my daily exercise and activity goals, but I need to figure out some more fun, creative activities to do with my son in the afternoons.  The hard part is that I am at my most tired right in the middle of my time with him in the afternoon.  Lately I have been defaulting to TV after we have a substantial reading/story time together after lunch.  I was doing really good for a while with doing a joint craft or water coloring.  I need to get back to doing that with him, so I am making it one of my goals for week 41.  Preschool activities and speech therapy homework daily, during and after story time.  It doesn't have to be a long activity, just something we can do together that allows him to be creative that is fun.  And that means less time in front of the TV.

I am looking forward to a better week for week 41 of my healthier living journey.  So until next week, Keep on keeping on!!!

Goals for Week 41: 10/21 - 10/28/2015
1) Sell 1-3 copies of my book this week and continue building $1000 emergency fund by various avenues
2) Daily exercise/activity
3) 15 to 20 minutes of writing, including timeline project, 3 days this week
4) 30 minutes to 1 hour of reading daily
5) Do fun pre-school activities and speech therapy homework with my 3 year old son.

Week 39 of Healthier Living in 2015

10/14/2015
For week of: 10/7 - 10/14/2015
Weigh in Weight: 160.6 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 159.8 lbs. gain of 8 oz.

Goals for Week 39:
1) Sell 1-3 books this week and continue building $1000 emergency fund (baby step #1 of the Dave Ramsey method)
2) Speech therapy and preschool activities with our 3 year old son
3) Daily exercise (outside weather permitting)
4) 30 minutes to an hour of reading a day
5) 30 minutes to an hour of writing a day

Week 39 was an okay week.  Emotionally, it was not a good week for me.  I was very depressed and felt isolated from the world, people and my family.  I was upset about having to come back to less than decent circumstances and being alone a lot.  And although I am still upset and unhappy, one of my goals for week 40 and beyond is to get back to a place where I am okay with even contemplating "fake it till you make it".  Right now, I can't even do that, which is affecting my marriage and my son.  He knows something is amiss with momma and so he has been super clingy since we returned from our trip to Minnesota.

Despite my, "I could give a crap less" attitude this past week, I managed to work on and do each of my goals for week 39.

I sold one of my books, which helped in a very small way to contribute to our $1000 emergency fund.  We are starting our journey with the Dave Ramsey baby steps to financial freedom.  So far, through my direct selling book sales and presentations, I have been able to pay off the purchasing of the books I have on hand from our credit card and save over 1/3 of our $1000 emergency fund goal.  I'm working on coming up with some other ideas to save along with continuing to sell 1-3 books each week until I run out of my on hand stock.

Each day, my son and I worked on his speech therapy homework and did some fun preschool activities I have found on Pinterest and other online sources.  His speech therapist has also given us some good preschool activity ideas that we have been doing together too.  It has been so much fun to watch him learn and grow and to do it together.

My daily activity for week 39 was a bit more limited than it should have been.  Each day, I did get some form of exercise, whether it was going up and down the basement stairs, walking outside, or walking on the treadmill.  Third trimester exhaustion is really starting to hit me, so some days I just took a nap and stayed rested as much as one can stay rested with an active 3 year old.  But again, despite the exhaustion, I managed to get some form of decent exercise each day.

Part of my resting time each day went towards reading for about an hour each day.  My mom bought us two books and I have been reading "The Highly Sensitive Child" and trying to catch up on my Time magazines.  The book is great.  I will write about it more in the coming weeks.

My writing time was limited week 39.  In fact, that is the one goal, I almost didn't finish but I took time away from my husband most nights after our son went to bed and wrote in my journal.  I need to take more time this coming week to write so I can finish the timeline project I've been working on.  I also have some blog post ideas floating around in my head that would be nice to type up and post on my blog. 

My goals for week 40 of my healthier living journey are just like those of the past several weeks.  They will probably continue to be goals for me until they just become part of my daily and weekly routine.  Once I don't have to look at my goals list anymore because these things are just part of my life, I will start working on new goals.

Until next Wednesday, Keep on keeping on!!!

Goals for Week 40: 10/14 - 10/21/2015
1) Daily exercise (treadmill, stairs, walking outside)
2) Sell 1-3 copies of my book that I have on hand this week.  This will help with continuing to build our $1000 emergency fund Dave Ramsey baby step #1.
3) Work on having a more positive attitude about life.
4) 30 minutes to an hour of writing a day
5) 30 minutes to an hour of reading a day

Week 38 of Healthier Living in 2015

10/7/2015
For week of: 9/30 - 10/7/2015
Weigh in Weight: 159.8 lbs.
Previous known Weigh in Weight: 160.6 lbs. lose of 8 oz. over a 2 week period

Goals for Week 38:
1) Speech therapy homework and preschool activities with my 3 year old son
2) Daily exercise, stairs and/or walking
3) Continue to build $1000 emergency fund
4) Sell remaining books mom has on hand

My week of vacation was wonderful.  So wonderful, in fact, that it has been a struggle to be back in Fairfield, away from my parents, my brother, many of my friends and the places I love.  So for this week of week 39 in my healthier living journey, I am going to try getting back into a routine that seemed to keep me functioning and in a more positive frame of mind than I have been lately.

I was so busy having fun that I didn't do anything to work on building a $1000 emergency fund or sell the remaining books that my mom may or may not have on hand.  In fact, I didn't even ask my mom if she even had any more on hand that needed to be sold.

I was able to figure out creative ways to get daily exercise.  Whether walking, dancing or doing stair exercises, I found a way to get my heart pumping daily and not suffer from water retention or swelling in various parts of my body.

We worked with our 3 year old son on his speech therapy homework and some fun preschool activities together.  It was a lot of fun to do together.  And it is one of the many things I plan to continue to do as part of our daily routine with each other.

I am planning my goals for week 39 to be emotionally, mentally, intellectually, and physically healthful.  I am labeling each goal with how I hope working on and fulfilling said goal will help me in the areas mentioned, and see if it ends up working out that way.

Goals for Week 39: 10/7 - 10/14/2015
1) Sell 1-3 books this week and continue building up $1000 emergency fund (mental, emotional, financial)
2) Work on speech therapy homework and preschool activities with my son (emotional, mental, bonding activities)
3) Daily exercise (outside if weather permitting) (physical)
4) 30 minutes to 1 hour reading daily (emotional, mental, intellectual)
5) 30 minutes to 1 hour writing daily, including timeline project (emotional, mental, intellectual)

Week 37 of Healthier Living in 2015

9/30/2015
For week of: 9/23 - 9/30/2015
Weigh in Weight: n/a (no access to a scale)
Previous weigh in weight: 160.6 lbs

Goals for week 37:
1) Preschool activities and speech therapy homework with my son
2) 30 minutes to 1 hour reading daily
3) 30 minutes to 1 hour writing/working on timeline project daily (or when I can)
4) Daily exercise/walk on treadmill or outside (weather permitting)
5) Start a $1000 emergency fund Dave Ramsey style

The entire week of week 38 we are on vacation in Minnesota, visiting family, friends and going to one of our best friend from seminary's wedding on Saturday. 

The finally two days of week 37 had us traveling in the car to Minnesota, so not much in the way of daily exercise took place.  We did stop frequently for bathroom breaks and to get out of the car and walk around, but no really exercise. 

Overall, daily exercise was lacking for me most of week 37.  I did my best on Friday and Saturday during the conference I attended with my husband to get out of the building and walk for 10 to 20 minutes after meals and before I had to check my blood sugar.  It didn't happen after every meal but I tried to get up and move around throughout the days of the conference so I wasn't sedentary the whole time. 

I also did not have the time to write for 30 minutes to an hour each day, or work on my timeline project each day either.  It should really have taken the time to at least journal for a few minutes each day.  I think it would have really been a good distressor for me.  My timeline project is slowly coming along and I have at least 7 more weeks to work on it before I'm out of commission for a while.

It was easier for me to find the time to read for a decent amount of time each day and I made the time and was very motivated to do bonding time speech therapy homework and preschool activities with my 3 year old son.  So of my favorite moments of my week 37 journey were doing fun educational activities with my kid.  Of course, he was just having fun, but learning at the same time, but mostly having fun. :)

And despite the craziness of the last several weeks, I was able to start an emergency fund savings ala Dave Ramsey style.  I'm pretty excited about this.  I'm already just over a third of the way to $1000. :) Yay!!!

Okay, since I am on vacation the whole of week 38, I am setting a few less strenuous more vacation friendly, and yet still healthier living related, goals for myself.  So until next time Keep on keeping on! :)

Goals for week 38: 9/30 - 10/7/2015
1) Speech therapy and preschool activities with my son
2) Daily exercise, stairs and/or walking
3) Continuing to build $1000 emergency fund
4) Sell remaining books mom has on hand

Week 36 of Healthier Living in 2015

9/23/2015
For week of: 9/16 - 9/23/2015
Weigh in Weight: 160.6 lbs.
Previous Weigh in Weight: 159.6 lbs. gain of 1lb.

Goals for Week 36:
1) 30 minutes to an hour of writing daily.  Includes writing for the big project I'm working on for the Montana Synod of the ELCA and parish newsletter.
2) 30 minutes to an hour of reading daily
3) Work on speech therapy homework and some other educational activities with my 3 year old son
4) Upload more photos on the site for my side money gig
5) Daily walking either on treadmill, outside or both (weather permitting)

I posted late for week 35 so I ended up discussing a little bit about how stressful the first half of week 36 of my healthier living journey was.  It is too personal to share on this blog, but the situation is much better and my mental and emotional status are much better.

Unfortunately I am starting to deal with some water retention issues again mostly stress related, which will hopefully ease up by drinking more water, getting more sleep, and continued exercise.  Some of the weight I put on is baby boy and that is good because it means he is growing like he needs to be. :)

Despite the extreme stress I was under, I was able to work on and complete all of my goals except uploading more photos onto my iStock account, otherwise known as my side money gig.  I was especially proud of the work I've been able to do with minimal time on the Reformation timeline I am working on for the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation for the Montana Synod of the ELCA 500th committee.  I was intellectually stimulated which helped my mental and emotional health.

I wrote in my journal quite a bit as well.  My daily reading consisted of doing research online, reading blogs on various subjects, and catching up slowly on my TIME magazines.  Again, with this goal I was able to feed my intellectual side, which in turn helped my mental and emotional health.

Working on my son's speech therapy homework and doing fun educational activities together has been such a blessing for us.  We have had some wonderful binding time and he seems to be feeling much more confident with his verbal skills.  Working with his speech therapist has helped him even more than what we can do with him at home, but I love watching him bloom when he learns a new skill and can express his excitement about it now.  Slowly but surely he'll be speaking and people will understand him in turn. :)

I either walked on the treadmill or walked outside each day.  Some days I was able to do both.  The weather has mostly been favorable to do so.  What will happen when it gets too cold to walk outside, I have no idea, but for now, I am happy to be able to continue walking outside with my family or just my son, when my husband can't join us.  The physical activity has really helped me with my energy levels.  Though I am in my third trimester and exhaustion is creepy back in, getting some form of daily exercise helps me a great deal to keep going each day.

My goals will continue to be similar to previous weeks for week 37.  Until next week, Keep on keeping on!

Goals for Week 37:
1) Preschool activities and speech therapy homework with my son.
2) 30 minutes to an hour of reading a day
3) 30 minutes to a hour of writing a day, including working on my timeline project
4) Daily walking on the treadmill, outside or both (weather permitting)
5) Start working Baby step #1 of the Dave Ramsey method, save $1000 for emergency fund.

Adventures in Box Gardening.

I had every intention of blogging and posting photos of our garden from the start of the gardening season to the end, but didn't.

So instead, I will share some of the photos I took at the different stages of our gardening adventures this year as well as some of our bountiful harvest.  We will save a lot of money not having to buy all of our fresh vegetables. :)

It looks like we will have a lot of zucchini and various kinds of tomatoes.  We should also have a decent crop of spaghetti squash and acorn squash. 

Our eggplant might be a bust again this year, but there is potential to get two or three as long as it stays on the warmer side this week.  Our cucumber wasn't great this year nor our peas.  We are hoping for a few more cucumber before we dig up the plants for the winter.

Our yellow summer squash haven't done well, but we only ended up planting only one of those plants for some reason and there is potential for more production depending on the weather the next couple of weeks.

Our peppers are a variety and some varieties are doing well but the Bell peppers might not produce before we are hit with colder weather.

We have harvested, blanched and frozen several quart sized Ziploc bags of zucchini already as well as eaten it fresh throughout the summer.  So overall, I think we will have a decent garden harvest this year.

Now if only the tomatoes would hurry up and ripen so we can pick them and can them or make them into sauce.  They have about a week to turn before we leave for a week vacation in MN.  Here's hoping.  Photos of our garden from the start to now will be posted on future posts. 

Week 35 of Healthier Living in 2015

9/16/2015
For week of: 9/9 - 9/16/2015
Weigh in Weight: 159.6 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 159.2 lbs. gain of 4 oz

Goals for Week 35:
1) 30 minutes to an hour of reading daily
2) 30 minutes to an hour of writing daily
3) Continue to be better about being in contact with friends and family
4) Take at least 5 photos daily for my side money gig
5) Clean the house and laundry


Week 35 was a mixed bag for working on and completing goals I set for myself for the week.  I made time to read each day for 30 minutes to an hour.  I wrote for a project I'm working on and wrote in my journal and between the two things, wrote 30 minutes to an hour each day.  Through text and facebook I did better about being in contact with friends and family and with the help of my husband, we cleaned the house and I did all the laundry.

I keep forgetting to take our nice camera with us wherever we go to take photos for my side money gig.  I have been taking them with my phone instead, but still need to download them onto my laptop so I can upload them onto the site.  I have not been doing well with my side money gig daily, so it will continue to be on my goals list until it becomes part of my daily routine and I don't forget anymore.

I am definitely getting towards the end of my pregnancy.  I am a walking, talking hormonal mess.  I try really hard to not be, but at least once a day I lose my patience, especially with my husband.  It is the new program year at both churches (did I mention my husband is a pastor in the ELCA) and he isn't around as much as he was over the summer.  This means that I am single momming it a lot with my 3 year old son.  We love each other very much, but that much time together drives us both crazy.  Add on top of that, that I am in my third trimester of pregnancy and am exhausted all of the time and it creates a less than good situation in our household.  So I am trying to hold it together and not be stressed, take care of our son and be as supportive as I can with my husband.  Needless to say, week 35 was not a banner week.  Week 36 was even less of a banner week, but I'll get into that hopefully this coming Wednesday, like I should.

Okay, enough ranting and onto a new set of goals for week 36.  For week 36, I am going to label how each goal will help me live in a healthier way for the week.  So far week 36 has been one stressful situation after another, but if I stay focused on living healthier, the second half of the week will go much better than the first.

Goals for Week 36: 9/16 - 9/23/2015
1) 30 minutes to an hour of writing daily.  This includes writing for the big project I'm working on for the Montana Synod of the ELCA, and the parish newsletter.  (emotional/mental/intellectual health)
2) 30 minutes to an hour of reading daily.  (emotional/mental/intellectual health)
3) Work on speech therapy homework and some other educational activities with my 3 year old son. (bonding time/intellectual/emotional, mental health)
4) Upload more photos on to the site for my side money gig (creativity/physical health)
5) Daily walking either on the treadmill, outside if weather permits or both (physical health)

Week 34 of Healthier Living in 2015

9/9/2015
For week of: 9/2 - 9/9/2015
Weigh in Weight: 159.2 lbs
Previous weigh in weight: 160.6 lbs lose of 1 lb 4 oz

Goals for Week 34:
1) Get outside with camera and take some everyday life and nature photos for iStock
2) Daily walk (exercise) outside (weather/smoke permitting)
3) Coloring and writing with my son for 10 minutes each day
4) Set aside 30 minutes to an hour to read daily
5) Set aside 30 minutes to an hour to write daily
6) Be in better contact with friends and family this week

This is going to be a super short post because I am losing time with my husband who I haven't seen very much of this week to quickly type this post.

I worked on and completed 4 out of 6 goals for week 34.  I did not end up spending 10 minutes a day coloring and writing with my son and I wasn't able to write for 30 minutes to an hour daily either.  The writing was hard to find time to do because a good friend of ours from our seminary days was visiting us from Saturday to Tuesday this past week.  Last Friday was our 5th Wedding Anniversary so we spent the day together as a family and then my husband and I went out for a wonderful dinner.  Well, as wonderful as it can get with gestational diabetes.  I am looking forward to going back to that restaurant again to eat a full meal with one of the yummy desserts on the menu. :)

As for why the 10 minutes a day coloring and writing with my son didn't happen, I have no excuse except that I didn't feel like dealing with my kid attempting for two seconds and then getting bored and throwing the coloring/writing utensils on the floor and leaving them there for me to pick up.  Yes, I realize that I should have him at least help me, but he's been sick and extremely cranky and I just didn't have the patience or energy to deal with it.  So no coloring or writing took place this last week.  I plan to try again with him soon. ;)

I did get outside and with the help of my husband took some pretty great photos this last week.  I also was able to get in daily walks either on the treadmill or outside.  One day my friend who was visiting and I did some mall walking too.  I read for 30 minutes every night before going to sleep so I completed my reading goal for this last week and I've been messaging and texting many friends and my family over the last week as well and making a better effort at staying in touch with them.

Overall, week 34 was a good week.  Many of my goals are the same for week 35, so I'm going to quickly type those up and get back upstairs to spend some quality time with my husband. :)

Goals for Week 35:
1) 30 minutes to an hour of reading daily
2) 30 minutes to an hour of writing daily
3) Continue to be better about being in contact with friends and family
4) Take at least 5 photos daily for my side money gig
5) Clean the house and laundry (the nesting stage is starting to set in big time)

Week 33 of Healthier Living in 2015

9/2/2015
For week of: 8/26 - 9/2/2015
Weigh in Weight: 160.6
Previous weigh in weight: 160.2 gain of 4 oz.

Goals for week 33:  8/26 - 9/2/2015
1) Arts and crafts, coloring, writing with my son
2) Daily exercise (get creative if stuck inside)
3) Set aside 30 minutes to an hour to read each day
4) Set aside 30 minutes to an hour to write each day
5) Get outside with camera and take photos to upload onto iStock account (weather/smoke permitting)

For week 33, I did three out of my five goals.  Actually, two out of my four goals.  I decided at the last minute to split the reading and writing into two separate goals.

I didn't end up doing really any arts and crafts with my son, which I need to get better about.  I, at least, need to get some writing and coloring time in with him for a little bit each day.  Hey, he may even start to enjoy it once it becomes part of our daily routine.

I didn't get outside with our nicest camera to take photos because it was too smokey and I couldn't be outside for any decent length of time to do it.  Now it is supposed to be cooler and rainy the next few days, so I more than likely won't have much of an opportunity then either.  I have picked out some photos that I already have on hand to upload to my iStock account.  So until the weather and smoke start to be agreeable, I'll have to do what I can with what I have already.

Each day, I figured out how to get some exercise.  I had one really bad blood sugar day this week.  It was hot and the smoke was terrible.  I didn't get enough exercise that day.  We spent part of the morning and afternoon in Great Falls doing errands and we ate out, which typically doesn't go well for me, unless I am able to walk around quite a bit afterwards.  My blood sugar went down the in the later part of the day.  I ended up taking a long nap while my son napped and then later in the evening got some much needed exercise in our basement den while my son also got exercise jumping on his small trampoline.  We exercised together, separately.  It was a lot of fun.  :)

I have made it a point to read 30 minutes to an hour a day as well as write for 30 minutes to an hour a day.  My writing is usually done in my journal, although I am starting to branch out a little because I am working on some projects that require me to type up a few different timelines for the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation that is coming up in two years.  I also have some poems and short stories swimming around in my head that I really need to start writing down.  As for my reading time, I am finally catching up on my TIME magazines and I am getting further along in my book club book for September.  I should have it finished within the next week.  I am a very slow reader when it comes to books, but I remember everything I read in great detail.  Yeah for having a photographic memory.  Forcing myself to find the time each day to do these things has helped me to relax in the midst of the chaos going on around me.  My son in his crazy, bi-polar 3 year old stage, my husband being absent more because the church program year is starting again, and my crazy pregnancy hormones and the stress of having gestational diabetes, have really put a lot of stress on me.  Taking some time for me each day has become part of the daily routine and has been a great blessing in this time of chaos.

For week 34 of my healthier living journey in 2015, I'm pretty much going to stick to the same goals as the previous couple of weeks.  I want to make each of these part of my daily or at least part of my weekly routine.  Until next week, Keep on keeping on folks!  :)

Goals for week 34: 9/2 - 9/9/2015
1) Get outside with camera and take some everyday life and nature photos
2) Daily exercise/walking outside (weather and smoke permitting)
3) Coloring and writing with my son for 10 minutes each day
4) Set aside 30 minutes to an hour to read each day
5) Set aside 30 minutes to an hour to write each day
6) Be in better contact with friends and family this week

Check out these websites that you can order my book on....

You can now officially order my book, "Crisis of Identity: Christians as Minorities in the Holy Land (1798-1948), a Brief History",  on the following websites:


My personal Tate Publishing Author website
meganpratola.tateauthor.com

Amazon.com (can be found in Kindle e-book format)
http://www.amazon.com/Crisis-Identity-Christians-Minorities-1798-1948/dp/1681422298/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440714964&sr=1-1&keywords=megan+pratola&pebp=1440715415849&perid=1EEN3WMQ22HSNDX5Y24T


Barnes&Noble.com (can be found in NOOK e-book format)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crisis-of-identity-megan-l-pratola/1121822022?ean=9781681422299

Check it out and purchase a copy for yourself, family member, member of your congregation, etc....

Enjoy!!! :)

Week 32 of Healthier Living in 2015

8/26/2012
For week of: 8/19 - 8/26/2015
Weigh in Weight: 160.2 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 158.8 lbs gain of 1.4 lbs

Goals for Week 32:
1) Do more arts and crafts with my son to work on writing and coloring skills
2) Daily walk outside (weather permitting)
3) Set aside 30 minutes to 1 hour each day to read and also to write
4) Journal at least twice during the week
5) Get outside and take photos to upload on my contributor iStock account

Week 32 was a bit of a roller coaster for me.  I had some emotional breakdowns and I was stuck inside more than I would have liked to be because of the unhealthy air conditions due to smoke from the many wildfires in our part of the country.  I ended up having some water retention issues, which are starting to get better.  But mostly the weight gain is from my pregnancy.  It is a good weight gain and means baby boy is healthy and growing, so I'm not concerned with gaining weight at this point.  If I gain too much weight that will be a problem, but for the most part, I have gained a healthy amount and continue to fluctuate slightly depending on if I am having water retention issues or not.

Today I braved the outdoor air twice with my three year old son because neither of us could stand being inside anymore.  Our first short walk was this morning to the post office and our afternoon walk was to the bank.  Both short enough to get outside and not have too many problems with the terrible air quality.

As for my goals list for week 32, I am going to keep things brief.  I worked on four of my goals.  I kept forgetting our nice larger camera on the evenings that we went for walks so I didn't do much with my goal for taking photos to upload onto my contributor iStock account.  On the other hand, the most recent photos I submitted were accepted and are now up on the website for anyone to purchase and download, so I'm slowly getting my head on straight and will remember to take our camera on future outings.

I did do some arts and crafts with my three year old son, but not as much as I would have liked.  We spent more time in our den in the basement playing and relaxing this week because of the heat and smoke outside.  Most of the arts and crafts, I picked up for us to do together are quite messy and are better to do outside than inside.  The whole idea of nagging him to not make too big of a mess the whole time is just not appealing to me, so we did other play activities together instead.  Both my husband and I continue to work with him on writing, drawing and coloring, the latter two just for fun, the former because it is a basic skill he needs to learn.

I had to take shorter walks this week because of the smokey conditions outside.  Last night the air cleared a bit so the three of us took a longer walk during which our son fell asleep.  I really love taking walks with my family in the evening because we get to talk to each other, especially my husband and I.  It is a good bonding time for us and I will miss it very much as cooler autumn and winter approach.  Even when it is just my son and I on the walk, we get some good bonding time and chat a bit.

The best thing I've done for myself in a long time is to set aside 30 minutes to an hour to read and 30 minutes to an hour to write everyday.  I am getting caught up on my book club reading and TIME magazine reading.  I am writing in my journal, writing possible future blog post ideas, or just free writing which has been such a boon to my writers block the last few years.  I am actually motivated and believe that I can open up a new WORD document and start typing a story.  Or in my case, I have to continue working on a timeline for the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation for the Montana Synod of the ELCA and I don't freeze when I open the document to start typing in more information.  Setting aside the time, to especially write has kicked my writer block to the curb for now.  Setting aside the time to read everyday has also been wonderful for me.  It helps alleviate anxiety about getting too far behind in my reading as well as allowing me to enjoy some great writing too.  The adage, "The more you read the better you write," is very true.  So I will be continuing to have this time for myself each day, even if it means that one of my son's shows is on in the background and he is making a mess of the living room while I do so.

I have been writing in my journal a lot lately because I've been anxious about the future.  Adding another member to the family can have that affect on a person.  How am I going to handle two kids in the middle of winter with no place to take them to escape the house?  How is it going to change my relationship with my husband?  How am I going to survive the winter and the church program year?  Where are we going to be in a year from now?  Knowing that I'm not cut out to be a stay-at-home-mom, what are some steps we can take as a family to move forward?  Transition is scary but I thank God that I am not alone and that through his grace he has put people in our lives that will help us through this time of transition, whether that means continuing where we are, or starting anew elsewhere.

Okay, so much for being brief with my comments on my week 32 goals.  I will bid you adieu for now with my list of goals for week 33.  Until next time, Keep on keeping on!

Goals for week 33: 8/26 - 9/2/2015
1) Do more arts and crafts with my 3 year old that help him with his writing, coloring and drawing skills
2) Daily exercise (get creative if stuck inside)
3) Set aside 30 minutes to an hour to read each day and 30 minutes to an hour to write
4) Get outside with our nice larger camera and take photos to upload onto my contributor iStock account

Week 31 of Healthier Living in 2015

8/19/2015
For week 31: 8/12 - 8/19/2015
Weigh in Weight: 158.8 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 159.2 lbs lose of 4 oz.

Goals for Week 31:
1) Drink at least 80 oz of water daily
2) Daily walk outside ( weather permitting)
3) Research and apply to sell stock photos online at iStock
4) Make a daily list of at least two things I am grateful for each day of week 31

Week 31 of my healthier living journey was both good and bad.  I completed all of my goals, but it was a hot, emotional week too, with a lot of frustration dealing with the heat and my gestational diabetes.

The extreme temperatures absolutely affected how my body was processing the sugars I ate.  My inability to take longer walks because of the heat didn't help either. 

Half way through the week, on Saturday, it started to cool down outside and for the most part my body is handling processing my sugars better and I have been able to get outside for longer walks with my son and husband in the evenings and with my son in the afternoons.

Smoke from the fires in Montana, Washington, Oregon, and California has made it hard the last couple of days to spend much time outside, but we still get out for our walks even though they are much shorter than usual.  I continue to pray for all those affected by the wildfires and that the smoke starts to clear up soon.

One exciting thing that has happened is that I applied to be a stock photo contributor on the website iStock.com and they have accepted my work.  I will now get paid to do something I enjoy, taking photos of nature and daily life.  It will probably take a while to make some real money, but it will give me something super fun to do and hopefully make some money every now and then too. :)

On another note: I attempted to do a craft project with my son during week 31.  It went okay.  I bought the wrong paint pens for the project and they were so messy and we had to do the project inside because it was rainy that day.  I ended up calling it a day after about 10 minutes because the paint was getting all over my son, the carpet and the table.  It was supposed to say, LOVE YOU DADDY.  Instead it looks more like LOVE OU DAD.  I think for our first major arts and crafts project together, it turned out great and my husband agrees. :)

Week 31 had some great up moments with craft time with my son, getting a work from home job doing something I love to do and hopefully get paid every once in a while for my work, and the weather cooling down so we can all get back outside. 

The downs mostly had to do with the heat and my body reacting badly to it.  My anxiety was kept in check a little by daily writing down a few things that I am grateful for each day.  After looking at my lists for the week, I was able to see once again that God truly provides us with all that we need in our lives at all times.  Thanks be to God!  Amen!

Goals for Week 32:  8/19 - 8/26/2015
1) Do more arts and crafts with my son and work on his writing, drawing and coloring skills.
2) Daily walks outside (weather permitting) and take nicer camera along to take photos to upload on iStock.
3) Set aside 30 minutes to 1 hour a day to write.  Do the same for reading.
4) Journal at least two times during the week.

Week 30 of Healthier Living in 2015

8/12/2015
For week 30: 8/5 - 8/12/2015
Weigh in Weight: 159.2 lbs
Previous weigh in weight: 159.2 lbs gain/lose of 0 lbs

Goals for week 30:
1) Daily walk outside (weather permitting)
2) Journal two times during the week
3) Read book for book club and 2 TIME magazines
4) Spend more time outside with my son (weather permitting)

Well, 3 out of 4 isn't bad for working on my goals.  Actually it is more like 3 1/2 out of 4 goals worked on and done throughout week 30.

Every day, despite the heat, my 3 year old son and I went for an afternoon walk outside.  It was exhausting and ended up with both of us hot and a bit cranky after each walk, but we were also happy to be outside and not stuck in the house all afternoon.  The hotter the day, the shorter the walk, but we were able to spend more time outside, which took care of two of my goals for week 30; daily walks outside and spending more time with my son outside.  And over all, we had a great time together on the cooler days, playing at the park and meeting people we know on the street and having conversation.  For people like my 3 year old son and I, there are not a whole lot of worse things than being cooped up inside when it is either too hot or too cold to go outside.  We like the sun and need the fresh air to keep us from getting too bored and cranky.

I started reading the book for book club this past week.  It is really good but takes a little while to get into.  I liked Kate Atkinson's other book with the same characters "Life After Life" better.  This one, "A God in Ruins" drags a bit, but it is picking up now after the first 70 pages.  I am hosting the discussion for this book, so I have to finish reading it quite soon and get some discussion questions together.  I don't have much time to read during the day, unless my son decides he just wants to be on his own and do his own thing for a while, so I end up reading before bed most nights.  I am also a slow reader too.  The fact that I get through one book a month, usually a book club book, is quite an accomplishment for me.  Once I finish reading the book for September and get discussion questions printed out, I immediately have to start reading the book for October or I won't be able to finish it.  Such is the life of a mom with a very active son.

I decided to focus on reading my book for book club this last week whenever I could find a few minutes to do so, so I didn't get my 2 TIME magazines read that I wanted to.  I skimmed through most of one because I wasn't interested in a lot of the articles and I am half way through another.  I'm not going to put it as a goal, but I would like to get through the magazine I'm reading now and two more if possible by this time next week.

I spent a lot of time blogging and writing in my journal during week 30.  It was an emotional week for me on many levels and I needed to get rid of some of the thoughts that kept popping up and making me anxious.  It was a very good thing for me to do because I was able to process and let go of or discuss with my husband some of the things that were making me anxious and I am feeling much better emotionally now.

My goals for week 31 are of a somewhat similar vein to the goals I set for myself for week 30.  Intellectual and physical stimulation are the theme for week 31.

Goals for week 31:
1) Drink at least 80 oz of water daily
2) Daily walk outside (weather permitting)
3) Daily list of at least 2 things I am grateful for each day to share on next healthier living blog post
4) Research more information about selling stock photos online for extra income
5) Continue to read book for book club and catch up on reading TIME magazines
6) Spend time outside with my family and be more active together

Write What You Know, Part III

It has been very hot outside here lately.  When it gets this hot, it's not a good idea to spend a lot of time outside, especially for pregnant women like me.  So, much like cold winter days, my very active 3 year old son and I have been trapped inside the last few afternoons and it is starting to drive us both a bit batty.

For two people who easily get antsy when we are inside too long, it has been a hard few days.  The heat has also affected my blood sugar levels.  They seem to spike and then get low and then spike again.  So I have to be very careful to eat less carbs later in the day unless my blood sugar is low.  It is very obnoxious and annoying.  It is supposed to cool down again over the weekend, but until then, eating and exercising will be interesting.

But honestly, the heat and blood sugar stuff aside, I have been doing better about making and sticking with decisions regarding going back to work and being more patient with myself and my family.  I am not cut out to be a stay at home mom, but that is my role for now, so I have to do the best I can and learn to be more gracious and patient with myself and my 3 year old son.  Soon we will be adding another boy to the mix and I'll again be faced with transition and will again have to learn to be patient and gracious with myself and my family.

 

So for now it looks like just making it through the next few days of this heat and being trapped inside with my overactive 3 year old without going insane will be a miracle.  Wish me luck! :)

Write What You Know, Part II

I have often been told to write what you know.  I still haven't figured out what that means exactly.  But this is one thing I know: I love my family; I love that I am very active in raising my son, soon to be sons, as a stay at home mom. 

I know with absolute certainty that I am not cut out to be a full time stay at home mom.  Days that I am completely in charge of taking care of our 3 year old son all day by myself are torturous for me. 

I find myself fantasizing about working outside the home in a job I enjoy with other adults.  Sometimes I even envision working in an office setting like the law office I worked at before we left Minnesota.  I picture myself dressed in business casual or nice outfits, working in an office with other people.

Then I come back to reality and enjoy the fact that I have such a free schedule to be able to travel with my family all the time and not have to worry about getting time off. 

I think if we lived in an area where there were more job opportunities, I would go back to work without hesitation and pick the kids up from daycare after work every weekday.  But we don't.  The nearest larger population center near us is not known for its job opportunities.  Plus, the commute alone, daily wouldn't be worth it unless I found an amazing job. 

So there you have it.  I'm not cut out to be a full time stay at home mom, but I haven't  found a job position that would be worth the commute or losing my freedom to go wherever, whenever with my family.  I am completely stuck in a situation that at times almost drives me to the point of insanity. 

I will keep looking for a great job opportunity and maybe someday soon, one will come my way.  Until then I will be trying to focus on the freedom of schedule that I have now and raising my 3 year old the best I can, even though, I am absolutely not cut out to be a full time stay at home mom.

Week 29 of Healthier Living in 2015

8/5/2015
For week 29: 7/29 - 8/5/2015
Weigh in Weight:  159.2
Previous weigh in Weight: 160.0 lose of 8 oz

Goals for week 29:
1) Journal at least 3 times during the week
2) Take a daily walk outside (weather permitting)
3) Be more active with my son
4) Make a daily list of what I am grateful for to include in blog post for week 29

I did really well on my goals for week 29, considering my mom was visiting and I could have completely blown off doing any of them while she was here.  The only goal I didn't complete was to write in my personal journal 3 times during the week.  I did write in my blogging and list journal though daily.  Each day, I quickly jotted down a few things I was grateful for that day.  It was refreshing and really made me appreciate the good things in my life and not focus on the tough stuff.  And since one of my goals was to make a daily list of what I was grateful for and share them in this blog post, this post is going to be a longer one.

7/29 - Things I am Grateful for:
1) My husband who supports me and comforts me when I am feeling out of control
2) My son who makes everyday a new adventure
3) My friends near and far
4) My intelligence and my ability to read people and situations quickly

7/30 - Things I am Grateful for:
1) My resilience to make it through tough situations and still be standing on the other side
2) My faith
3) My husband and sons, who I would do anything for.  After God, my family is the most important part of my life
4) My extended family and friends who support my crazy dreams whether I succeed or not in fulfilling them

7/31 - Things I am Grateful for
1) My mom coming to visit us until August 5th.  Enough said.
2) My energetic and dramatic son, who makes life a daily adventure full of surprises
3) My wonderful husband who calls me out on my crap and is supportive when my crazy pregnancy hormones take over
4) My in-laws for hosting my son's 3rd birthday party at their house so I don't have to think about entertaining a bunch of people at mine

8/1 - Things I am Grateful for
1) Today is my oldest son's birthday and I can't imagine my life without him in it.  Love you kiddo!
2) Walks outside with my mom
3) My wonderfully patient husband

8/2 - Things I am Grateful for
1) Living close enough to a larger population area so I don't go completely insane.
2) Minor league professional baseball games
3) My family
4) My friends

8/3 - Things I am Grateful for
1) Great doctors like Dr. Key and his amazing ultrasound technician who provided us with some much needed answers about our youngest son's health in utero today.  Baby boy is doing very very well by the way
2) Having access to a Target within 40 miles of where we live.  Many of our friends in Montana have to drive much further
3) Walks outside with my family.

8/4 - Things I am Grateful for
1) Living in a geological paradise where we have easy access to all things dinosaurs for our dinosaur loving 3 year old and ourselves
2) Summer rain showers that keep the dead looking brown away a little longer
3) Our garden, which looks pretty healthy and will help us save on produce groceries, hopefully for a long time.

8/5 - Things I am Grateful for
1) My mom only being a plane ride (with a connection) ride away.
2) Quality time with my family
3) My realism about being a stay at home mom and that I'm really not cut out for it, but love being with my kid.
4) Having a healthy family.  Two healthy children and a healthy husband


Clearly, my family and friends are a big part of what holds me together each day.  My faith is a huge part of my life, even though I only mention it once.  My faith is what holds me truly together and allows me to look outward towards my neighbor instead of focusing only on myself.

Switching back to the rest of my goals for week 29, I was able at times to be more active with my now 3 year old son.  Pregnancy can really zap the energy out of me some days, but most days I was able to get down and play as well as be active outside with him too.  It helped that my mom was here to take over at times when I became tired.  I'd rest for a little bit and then get right back to playing and being active with him.  Sadly she left yesterday the 5th, so I don't have that help anymore.  Someday we will live closer to each other.

And despite having my mom visiting, I was able to get a daily walk in outside with my husband and son.  The only day I didn't walk outside was the 3rd of August, because my mom and I went to book club and we had all had a busy and long morning.  So we took the afternoon off, chilled and watched movies, while my husband went to the church office to work for a while.

Over all, week 29 was wonderful and I am so happy that we all got to spend some quality time with my mom/grammie this week.

For week 30 my goals are going to focus on being active both physically and using my brain.  I have started to feel very bored lately and need to exercise my brain power some more as well and keep up my exercise so I don't have to go on insulin because my blood sugar levels get higher.

Until next week, Keep on keeping on!!!

Goals for week 30: 8/5 - 8/12/2015
1) Daily walking (outside if weather permits in the afternoon and evening), treadmill walking (if I get alone time some mornings)
2) Journal at least 2 times during the week, more if time allows
3) Read the book for September book club and at least 2 TIME magazines
4) Play outside more with my son

Week 28 of Healthier Living

7/29/2015
For week of: 7/22 - 7/29/2015
Weigh in weight: 160.0 lbs lose of 8 oz.

I am posting almost a week late for week 28 of my healthier living journey.  My mom has been visiting and we have had something going on everyday.  It is hard to get away and blog when so much is going on.  I had an entire blog post written out for week 28, but since I am so late in posting for that week, I am just going to briefly discuss what goals I worked on and what I goals I made for myself for week 29.  I'll post about those goals tomorrow or Thursday.

The only goal I completed for week 28 was to come up with a marketing strategy for my book locally.  I have a book signing coming up on Saturday, August 8th in Fairfield.  An article about my book was printed in the July 22nd issue of the local paper so the word has gotten out about my book that way.  I will also be doing presentations in September and October at one of our churches and the whole community and surrounding area are welcome to attend.  I will be selling books at the presentations.  So that is what I have come up with so far.

I abandoned my idea to sell my mudroom rug and scarves for now because they have too many noticeable flaws.  Well at least not the rug.  I'm still on the fence about the scarves.  I'll have to finish the one I'm working on now and decide.  I definitely won't be opening an Etsy store at this point, but I might take my friend, VB's advice and doing something on Facebook. 

So that's all I have for week 28.  I will share my goals for week 29 and let you know how I did in the next few days.  For now, I have to go help my husband with dinner and make sure our son doesn't completely destroy the house.  Until tomorrow or Thursday, Keep on keeping on!

Write What You Know...

Recently, I have been discerning about going back to work outside of the home.  I am pregnant so it would not be until after baby boy is born, more likely at least a year after baby boy is born, as was my original intent with our oldest son.  But living where we do, I could not find a job that would pay enough to make it worth working outside the home.  I have been a stay at home mom since our first son was born in August 2012. 

I have liked staying at home and being the one to raise our son with my husband who is a pastor in a small rural town in what is referred to as North Central Montana.  But I often feel very isolated most days.  Being a city gal in a small rural town has been a challenge.  I am often at a loss for things to do and places to go with our son that don't require driving long distances or spending money.  I am thankful that our son is easily entertained by a trip to the town park or a walk around town.  Otherwise things would really be tough.

The idea of working outside the home is appealing for a couple of reasons.  For one thing, it would force me to leave the house.  Getting out of the house is a lifeline for me.  Even if I don't see anyone, the fresh air and nature are reviving.  But it would be nice to interact with more people, even for a few moments at a time depending on the work I do.  Another thing that makes working outside the home appealing is the second income.  With how bogged down we are in student loan debt these days any and all extra income will be helpful.

Then there is another part of me that loves staying at home with our son, soon to be sons.  I love the fact that I am raising my kids along with my husband.  I love the flexible schedule and not having to accrue time off or lose a days pay because we decide to go somewhere as a family.  The big downside is figuring out how to sanely live on one income with all of our student loan debt.

For the time being I'll be staying at home with our sons.  So what to do then about my anxiety about money?  Well, we have a budget that I meticulously keep track of every month.  I am also looking at work from home options but with my time constraints it is hard to find options that pay well and are flexible time wise. 

One option that I keep coming across is to monetize my blog, which I have already done, or to write what you know and self publish on Amazon.  I love to write and blog, so I am going to see where I can go with this option.  Writing about what I know and sharing those things with others will be an interesting experiment in time management, but I am going to give it a shot.  Maybe I will be successful and I will be able to continue to stay home with the kiddos and alleviate some of my anxiety about money at the same time. 

I have a lot of work to do to get started, so I better get started. 

Week 27 of Healthier Living in 2015

7/22/2015
For week 27: 7/15 - 7/22/2015
Weigh in Weight:  160.8 lbs
Previous weigh in weight on 7/15: 161.2 lbs. lose of 4 oz

I met with a diabetes specialist on Tuesday, 7/21 and we worked out a comprehensive sane strategy for me to follow to keep my gestational diabetes under control for the rest of my pregnancy.  Every day I have to write down everything I eat and count my carbs.  I have to check my blood right away in the morning when I get up and two hours after I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I was suggested that I go for a 10-15 minute walk sometime during the two hours after I eat my main meals of the day to help regulate my blood sugar levels.  I have been going for walks and they are working to keep my blood sugars at a good level.  I don't have to take insulin yet, and it looks like diet and exercise are working really well so far for me.  I'm praying this trend continues the rest of my pregnancy.

Okay, now for my goals for week 27.  I worked on and completed all of the goals I set for myself for the week.  I even found time to write in my journal two times during the week.  I was able to speed walk on the treadmill one day during the week too.  I continue to drink at least 80 oz of water a day which helps keep the water retention and constipation at bay.

Overall, I am in good spirits and am feeling good.

This is a short post this week, as I don't have much more to add to it at this time.

For week 28, I plan to work on some of the financial goals I want to accomplish by the end of the year.  I at least want to get started on some of the projects I have in mind.  Hopefully I succeed in my endeavors, but if not, I'll feel good about trying something new.

Goals for week 28: 7/22 - 7/29/2015
1)  Set up an auction on facebook for the mudroom shoe rug I finished and the scarves I plan to crochet.
2)  Finish crocheting at least one scarf to put up on facebook auction.
3)  Come up with a logo for my products so people know they were made by me.
4)  Come up with a local marketing plan for my book (goal is to sell through all avenues available at least 2,500 books)

My Toddler vs. Crowds

Today one of the churches in our parish Grace Lutheran Church is celebrating its 75th Anniversary.  With a tired toddler, we headed over to the church a little before the service to help set up last minute things.

And then my son imploded.  Note to anyone who is not the parent of said toddler, don't make ridiculous demands or drag them around to areas they don't want to go and not expect a complete meltdown, especially when said toddler is growing, active and exhausted.  Just leave him or her the hell alone.

Okay, rant over.

And so after spending 15 minutes trying to calm him down in the dark church office, I made the decision to take him home.  Thank the Lord that the parsonage we live in is right across the street from the church. 

After getting home, my son went into a calm down timeout in his room for a few minutes until I felt he had calmed down enough for me to rejoin him.  We then talked (did I mention that he has speech issues so he has a hard time communicating verbally?  He'll be starting speech therapy at our local school this school year which hopefully helps him feel less frustrated with life.), we read a few stories and he fell asleep during the last one.  I took advantage of the situation and took a much needed nap myself.

Needless to say, this Pastor's spouse is slacking in her spousal duties to be present at the 75th Anniversary celebration.  I am still laying in bed with my son as he is snuggled up right next to me and finger typing this post on my droid phone at this very moment.

One thing about my son is that he gets overwhelmed when people get in his face (don't we all?!) but he can't verbally communicate is a polite way to tell someone to back off and let him be.  Speech therapy is going to do him wonders.  It is just so painful for me to watch him get so frustrated with himself because he has such a hard time communicating verbally. 

And so, I am sloughing off my pastor's spouse duties today to be with my son.  It would have been nice to participate in the celebration a little bit today, but getting snuggles from my kiddo and doing what little I can to help him while he deals with his communication and general other toddler problems, is much more important to me right now. 

If people are sad about us not being there then I am flattered because it means my son and I are missed.  If they are upset because they expect my son and I to be there because we are the pastor's family, they will just have to get over it.  I will always do what is best for my family first and this time it was to be at home with my son who needed a nap and for my husband not to have to worry about us on this day of celebration that he is a very active participant in.

My toddler doesn't like to be in large crowds of people, so I typically miss out on a lot of things especially church related activities to help him through his meltdowns.  It makes me feel really lonely at times because the adult interaction is a lifeline for me, but my son comes first, so we carry on and make the best of a tough situation. 

I thank God everyday for my family.  But when it comes to my toddler son vs. crowds, my son wins the battle very time.

Week 26 of Healthier Living in 2015

7/15/2015
For week 26: 7/8 - 7/15/2015
Weigh in Weight: 161.2 lbs
Previous weigh in weight for 7/8: 161.2 lbs gain of 0 lbs

Well it looks like I made it half way through my year long journey of healthier living in 2015.  It has not been easy.  I have prayed many times about why I even started this whole thing in the first place.  This journey has been a blessing and a curse.

The blessings of this journey are:
1) feelings of accomplishment when I complete a goal I set for myself
2) being healthier physically, emotionally and mentally or working on ways to be healthier in these areas
3) persistence and resilience through tough weeks when I have wanted to quit
4) prayer and deepening my understanding of my faith.  This kind of year long journey is not for the weak and I pray often to God to keep me going on this path to living a healthier and more meaningful lifestyle.

The curses of this journey are:
1) remembering and making the time to blog weekly about how I'm doing with my goals and in general during the previous week
2) sometimes it feels like just one more thing I have to do each week.  There are some weeks that I barely have time to think about myself because my husband has a lot going on and I have to take care of my extremely active toddler son.
3) to expand on #2, I get overwhelmed by the whole thing and sometimes I just don't feel like blogging one week.  I am getting better about it though, especially since we aren't travelling as much right now.

Looking now and the blessings and curses of this process, I see that there are far more blessings and benefits, which propel me to continue on this crazy year long journey I set for myself back in January.

On Friday, July 10th, I took the 1 hour glucose test to determine if I have gestational diabetes again.  I failed that one and went in again on Monday, July 13th to take the 3 hour test.  And since I am not posting this blog like I should have on Wednesday, I can write here that yesterday, Thursday, July 16th, I got a call that I was being referred to a diabetes specialist because I have gestational diabetes.

I am upset of course; not so much about the diet and exercise part.  I will have to write down everything I eat thereby counting my carbs.  It's a pain in the ass, but nothing compared to having to check my blood and possibly have to do insulin with it again.  That was the worst part, the shots several times a day.

And so, I now wait to find out when my appointment with the specialist will and figure out the best course of action to get me and baby through the rest of this pregnancy in a healthy way physically, emotionally and mentally.

As for my goals for week 26, I accomplished all of them to the best of my ability.  I worked on and completed all of my concrete goals for writing in my journal at least twice during the week, I filled half my plate at meals with fruits and/or vegetables and I started planning and working on some side projects that will hopefully bring in some extra money to our household.  I need to work on eating healthier snacks mid-morning and in the afternoon, but now that I will be put on a special diet, I won't have any other option.  One good thing about gestational diabetes is the specific diet that baby and I are going to be on.  It helps us maintain healthy weights as well as forces us to have only healthy food and watch portion sizes.

I really want to get back into speed walking on the treadmill while watching episodes of General Hospital again.  It has been months since I have been able to do it, either because I wasn't feeling well earlier in my pregnancy or because we have been so busy.  I do have the option of getting up really early in the morning and working out then, or waiting until later at night after my son goes to bed to work out, but I value my sleep too much to give it up.  One of these days I am going to kick my husband and son out of the house by 10am and do my speed walking.  I need to start getting some really good sweat exercising in, especially now with my gestational diabetes.  Again, it sucks having it, but in a way it is also a blessing because it is going to force my family and I to make exercising and diet a priority again.  For almost 2 months it has gone by the wayside because of many different reasons, all excuses and poor at that for the most part.  So now we have to change our way of thinking again and make it a priority for all of us.  In the end, it will be a very good thing.

Life is certainly one crazy journey and I have added to it with my healthier living year long journey in 2015.  I will continue on this journey with the blessings and the curses.  Until next time, Keep on keeping on!

Goals for week 27:  7/15 - 7/22/2015
1) Write in my journal at least once a week
2) Speed walking on the treadmill at least once during the week
3) Make sure to drink at least 80 oz of water a day
4) Meet with a diabetes specialist and come up with a reasonable plan for the rest of my pregnancy that will be healthy for baby and I physically, emotionally and mentally