Friday

My dad, step mom and sister came from Houston to visit us for the day.  The boys just love them to pieces and enjoy getting to see their Papa Jeff, Nana and Aunt Gabby.  This particular day we even got to hang out with my brother, John, who lives in South Austin. 

My dad came and picked me and the boys up and we met my brother at Red Lobster for some yummy seafood.  I was still on my cleanse, so I just got a salad and soup.  It was delish. 

After lunch we went to the Georgetown Wooden park so the boys could burn some energy and we could fellowship together.  I really enjoyed our topic on this day.  I know my dad loves me!  After our great conversation, my brother wanted to try an Acro Yoga move on me. 

And we finished our special day at Sonic.  =)



Happy Easter

Today was filled with God's presence.  I had planned on taking the boys to my work which was having a Spring Fest and Open House but when I looked online to register tickets for Sundays Easter service they were sold out and had requested Celebration Church members to attend on Saturday.  So, we got all spiffy-ed up and went to our church service at 5pm.  I just have to say, Pastor Joe Champion always has the most powerful sermons.  It's like God is completely speaking to me.  Worship was perfect.  Cody was able to enjoy a helicopter egg drop with his class but the younger boys did not.  They were ok with that because they got cotton candy after their little service. 

After service, we had dinner at one of our favorite places to eat Pluckers and then came home put the boys down for the evening.  Prayers and kisses is our evening ritual. Then me and the hubby cuddled up and watched our yearly veiwing of The Passion of Christ.  This movie is for us to experience just a small glimpse into what happen 2000 years ago, what Jesus endured for us to be freed from satans bondage.  I encourage anyone who has not seen this movie to please do so.  Your life will change to see what this man did for you.  How much he loves us, is beyond our comprehension. 

We ended the evening watching the little Easter Bunny hop through the house to find the perfect spot to lay his lute for the boys.  The Easter bunny left a letter for the boys and Initialed buckets, initialed cups with silly straws, sun glasses, and bug kits. Hayden got floaties since he is the only one of the 3 who doesn't know how to swim just yet. 

HE IS RISEN!!!

Cleanse Funnies from the Family

I was on the phone last night with my husband, Jacob, who was at Walmart getting a few items when he was checking out proceeded to ask if he needed to pick up any butterfingers, snickers, twix?!  Um, NO thanks!

This morning, my son, Hayden, was done with what he could eat of his Honey Bun and asked if I wanted to eat the rest.  I just laughed and said, NO thanks! 

I am down 1 full pound!!!!  I am completely proud of that pound being gone.

 

Day 1 on Cleanse

First day of cleanse was a piece of cake kale! First thing this morning besides the normal rush to the bathroom to pee (sorry I have warned you in earlier posts my filter doesn't work very often, too much TMI moments) I heated up my big coffee cup full of lemon and water.  It was different from my normal just cold water but it's do-able.  Got dressed and right before I left the house- toasted my sprouted bread and added almond butter.  It was quite tasty.  God knew what he was doing when he made this delicious healthy food. 

For my snack, I brought the hummus I made the night before and it was also very tasty with the green bell peppers and carrots.  For lunch, I ate my sprouted tortilla with avocado, bean sprouts, cucumbers, spinach and tomato.  As a side, I had a baggie full of mango, kiwi, and cantalope. It was very juicy and full-filling.

For another snack, I had a banana and a vitality booster (sprouted almonds, almond milk, chia seeds, coconut flakes, flax seeds, mixed fruits (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries), and kale.  It was good, even Mason (my 5 year old) enjoyed it's yumminess. 

Dinner is my favorite, I made sweet potato fries (look at blog post before this one for recipe).  I am going to make 1/4 cup quinoa and a side salad and drink more water.  It's a good thing I love water! 

Sweet potato fries

Another favorite of mine is french fries with salt and pepper.  Of course, I can't have that during my cleanse but I CAN have sweet potato fries!  I peeled the skin and cut in half.  I cut some like fries and some in circles.  I sprinkled olive oil, sea salt and peppercorn pepper on top.  Put in at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  DELISH, I tell ya!

Kale Chips

I needed to make something that was crunchy yet all natural for my cleanse.  Therefore, I made Kale chips.  I snipped off the stem into whatever size chips I wanted (I made big ones) and placed them in a bowl.  After I finished snipping the stems off, I sprinkled olive oil on the kale and mixed around.  Then added sea salt and peppercorn.  Placed kale on a pan and put into the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Crispy texture, perfect for my chip needs.

Day before Cleanse

Starting tomorrow, I will be given up breads, chips, and sweets, not because I'm crazy (despite what you think!) but to be able to re-start my body in the right direction.  Today, I met with my mom, Aunt, sister-in-law, and a friend at Sprouts and we got all the essentials to begin our cleanse.  We purchased unique items to me called chia seeds, mangos, kale, and other great produce that God created.  I chose this cleanse over others because it truly is just eating things that God made natural to be healthy for our bodies.  If you take those suppliments, it's just not natural.  I plan to blog about this cleanse to help keep me accountable but I will also keep a food journal.  I will be weighing in the morning and hopefully will see some sort of change by the end of the 5 day cleanse. 

When I first wake up I will heat up my lemon water and drink first.  For breakfast, I have sprouted bread in which I will toast 1 slice and add organic almond butter. Mid morning snack; almonds and fruit, Lunch; Ezekiel tortilla, avocado spread on tortilla, spinach, cucumber, sprouts and tomato with kale chips.  Afternoon snack; hummus with veggies (carrots, cucumbers, and green bell pepper) and for dinner Quinoa with a salad.  Of course, with a lot of water. 

My 2 key bible verses I plan to meditate on this week are:

"There the child grew up healthy and stong. He (she) was filled with wisom, and God's favor was on him (her)." Luke 2:40

and

"Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God." 2 Corinthians 7:1

Cody's 7th Birthday Pictures

First, I want to thank my sister-in-law, Becky from Mamarazzi Photography, for taking time out of her day to spend it taking some really amazing shots of my oldest son.  Here are just a few of my favorites, enjoy!

This little boy holds a very special place in my heart!  I love you, Cody.

Eating CLEAN and getting FIT!

Since before January 1st, 2011, I told myself I am WORTH getting my health and fit back.  Since the birth of my 3rd son (who is now 4), I have been at a plateau at 175 lbs. for the longest time.  I decided that I would be very commited to going to zumba class twice a week, run, do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, Boot camp on fridays, and softball 3 times a week.  I am now down to 168.5 lbs.  I am putting myself out there so that I can be reliable for myself and rely on others to help me on my journey. 

Starting this Monday, me and a bunch of ladies are inspired to do a 5-7 day Cleanse (thanks to The Vitality Empire for the resources) and jump start our plateaus and getting our minds re-focused on getting healthy and fit. I will post during the Cleanse and show what I'm eating and how it's all going.  I can use all the encouragement I can get.  Thank you!

5k - Jarrell Rock Solid Spring Fest - Girl's Night Out

April 9th, 2011, I scratched off one of my many items listed on my bucket list.  I ran a 5k.  I told you in one of my posts that eventually I would like to run a marathon.  Well, I just began my journey to that bucket list item.  Woohoo!  I ran with my sister-in-law, Danielle.  She's very fit and is a long distance runner.  Me, not a long distance runner and working towards getting fit.  With her encouragement and zumba music we completed the 5k WITHOUT STOPPING! I even came 4th in my division with a time of 35.03:13. 

After our race, I ran walked, to my sons baseball games.  They did so good.  I am just overly proud of them.  While the game was going at the Jarrell Community Center, they were having their annual Rock Solid Spring Fest with all the goodies such as; bounce house, face painting, food, crafts, etc.  The main thing the boys wanted to do was the Bubble Ball. 

We had been planning on a Girl's night out for the longest time and even after our 5k run and long day out in the sun we managed to get all dolled up and go to Hardtails Bar and Grill. I was so worn out that after dinner and 1 adult beverage, I called my husband to come pick me up (I rode with my sis-in-law there).  It was a great day! 

  

Artwork

Here is a few pictures of the boys recent art work. Cody colored and made an origami bird.  Mason made a painting of 'Mason's World'.  Hayden made a grass head out of panty hose, dirt, and grass seeds.  Very proud of my little artists.

Domestic Goddess - Food Edition

I LOVE to cook (I HATE doing dishes! <----sorry, had to throw that in there to make a statement! ).  I am now a HUGE fan of making homemade tortillas. Here are the lovely stack of 16 I made last night.  We had deer sausage wraps with these yummy tortillas and they were a hit with the family.  I could make (and eat) these everyday!

Today, I was in the mood for Fire Crackers Saltines.  My mother-in-law makes the BEST Fire Crackers, but today, I am using a slightly different recipe.  Trying to tone it down for my boys.  I used a whole box of Zest crackers, 1-1/2 cup 100% Pure Olive Oil, Ranch Packet, and 1 teaspoon Crushed red peppers. 

ingredients

mix oil, ranch packet, and crushed red peppers

add whole box of crackers into a zip lock bag and pour liquid over crackers.  Every 20 minutes turn bag over.  The crackers will eventually absorb all the liquid and taste AMAZING! Enjoy.