Laugh, Love, LIVE

Laugh, Love, LIVE

As I embark upon my last few weeks of my 30's, I find myself reflecting on the first 40 years of my life and pondering on how I would like to live the next 40. When my father was 28, he had more years behind him, than he had ahead of him. No day is promised. So for however many days I have left-  I am officially adopting the mantra to Laugh loud, love hard and live life. Those who know me may say this has always been my mantra, well, I'm making it official! I plan to spend this entire year and years to come enjoying life and creating memories.

I want to surround myself with the things and people who offer those three precious things to me. In return, I too will offer my best to them. Now, for those who threaten to take those things away from me... well, you can guess where they will be placed.

My best friend of 30+ years is also turning 40 this year. She thought it would be cool for us both to come up with 20 things we'd like to accomplish this year. I realize that so much of my life stopped after I had my son 5 years ago. I'm feeling a rebirth coming! I want my list to include not only the things I want to change, but also the things  I've lost along the way. Twenty seems like A LOT. I'm going to start typing and see where I land.

1. Find a church home.  This tops my last because when my spiritual house is in order, my physical house gets in order. I have not had a church home since I returned to Atlanta at the end of 2011. I hadn't realized it had been that long until I typed it just now. Yes, I have been heathen. Now I've been to church since 2011, but I've not been in regular attendance at any single church. When I first came to Atlanta, I visited churches for 3 years until I found the right place of worship for me. With that track record I need to get on the ball fast.

2. Give back. Through work, church or on my own, I have always served. With my son turning 5, now is the perfect time for him to see first hand what it's like to offer a hand.

3. Financial Freedom. This is actually a goal I started last year. I hate debt. It is sometimes a necessary evil, but I still hate it. Last year I implemented zero based budgeting (Dave Ramsey) and paid off my car and all credit cards. This year I am tackling my student loan. Although I have a home loan that is not going away any time soon, I don't plan to have any more loans and my next car will be paid in cash.

4. Run a 5k. I'm in physical therapy for my knee so I'm hoping to be cleared for take off!

5. Play tennis. This may be a lofty goal and totally based on my knee therapy, but it is something I enjoyed doing. When I purchased my house, I had to have a  community with tennis courts because I've always planned to get out there again, I need to enjoy my hard earned HOA fees!

6. Limit Social Media. My bestie says I have a love/hate relationship with social media. It is true. I see how it reconnects people and builds bridges for others who may have otherwise never met. But I also see how it stifles interactions among people who are in the same room. I can easily burn an hour reading updates from people who I don't care about and who don't care about me. There is nothing worse than seeing a group of people out together and everyone is on their mobile device (I hope my bestie is reading this because she is a big offender). That time could be better spent doing all the other things I haven't been doing for the last 5 years.

7. Enjoy a hobby. Once upon a time, I had hobbies. Everyone needs to take time to unwind. Other than travelling, I can't name a single hobby that I have. That my friends, cannot continue.

8. Lose 40 pounds. I actually would like to lose more, but lets stick with the 40's theme. I've already been working on this goal. I'm in a bootcamp 3 days a week, I finally assembled my elliptical and I just enrolled in a food delivery service. Lets just say- I'm pretty much out of excuses.

9. Take 5. Weekdays I find myself rushing home from work to pick up my son, rushing him into the car, rushing through homework, rushing through dinner, rushing through bath, rushing through story time, rushing to bed... rinse and repeat. Hardly ever do I slow down to enjoy the journey. I will make a conscious decision to do things out of the ordinary.

10. Keep in touch. Even with the conveniences of social media, I am horrible with staying in touch with people. This is reflected in my personal and working relationships. I have met and lost touch with some amazing people. I have to do better.

Well, that completes my first 10. Check back for the other 10!

GYM TYME!

My bestie told me that blogging about my weight-loss journey would keep me motivated and hold me accountable... lets see if she's right.

I'll start by talking about the gym first. This is where I shine!

I started going to Lifetime Fitness in August. LTF is like the Cadillac of gyms. I know my blog is about being practical, but this gym comes with a lot of great perks and has an outstanding childcare facility. I usually make it to the gym 3 to 4 times a week.  I haven't been able to run in at least 6 years due to knee problems. Since I started strengthening the muscles around my knee, I'm now able to run for 14 minutes straight! LTF offers anabolic metabolism assessments (AMA). I took it to find my specific fat-burning and cardio heart-rate zones (instead of the generic ones that uses your age to calculate your zones). I entered my customized zones into the LTF app and use the apps predefined heart-rate workouts 3 to 4 days a week. I recently took re-assessment (recommended every 3 months) and the results are raveworthy!!

The first graphic shows my change in hear-rate zones and the second one shows my VO2. . VO2 or "Volume of Oxygen" is the standard measure for cardiovascular fitness potential. The score indicates the maximum amount of oxygen your body is capable of using at any one time. The more in shape I become, the more oxygen my body will be able to use and the longer I'll be able to workout.  Notice how I moved from POOR to GOOD in this area!!



BEFORE

	AFTER

You like how I started with the good news first? Now for the bad...  There was a time when I could eat whatever I wanted and still lose weight as long as I worked out. That time has obviously passed.  the scale is not saying much, I have to eat right and exercise. My eating habits are still very inconsistent.  I have to start somewhere, right? I promise to do better with my food on my next post!

Guess who's back?

Yes, It's me! After taking a 2 errrr, 3 year hiatus, I'm back. Being a mom is hard work and time consuming!! A lot has happened since my last post, I've moved twice, purchased another home and Elijah is now 4 (and a half).  Some things have not changed... my weight (sigh) and I am still very PRACTICAL. I've been making laundry detergent, learning to coupon, even making shelves for my washer and dryer (those stands cost $300+ EACH!!). Don't worry, I plan to get you all caught up and update you with the progress of my weight loss journey. Thats all for now. I just needed re-familiarize myself on how to to post! See you next time.

PARTY, PARTY, PARTY

A year ago I was told that the years past quickly. They were not kidding! I guess I can officially stop blaming him for the extra weight right? The first birthday party went off without a hitch.
The theme was Thomas the Train, so Elijah came dressed for the occasion in an OshKosh conductor jumper with a red bandana.

I resisted the urge to go all out, but I did manage to do a small arts & crafts project of his monthly pictures. Before Elijah, I enjoyed scrapbooking so it was nice to use the tools that I spent so much money on. Maybe oneday I will start scrapping again.

Made by Barb the Cake Lady, the cake tasted as good as it look! (Barb has been making cakes for me and my friends for years now) Elijah enjoyed his first taste of cake. I would say he enjoyed his first sugar high, but my mom was here for 10 days before his birthday and you know how grandmas are!

We rented a moonwalk and a sno-cone machine. Both were big hits with the kids. We also had 'Pinky Panties' and Peach Ciroc.. both were big hits with adults :-)

 Note to self always designate a picture taker. Unfortunately, I don't have many picures from the party! So to you new mom's, don't forget a photographer (unless you have a good memory)

A Year in Review

Every month I chronicled Elijah's growth by taking a picture. Every keeps asking me where I found the numbered onesies, well here's the secret.... they are actually stickers. I ordered them from Etsy before he was born. Although he is always willing to smile, depending on the time of day, he grew a bit restless and did not want to stay still. It was a lot easier when I propped him up using pillows. Now he is bigger than the pillow!

Looking back at the pictures, it is unbelievable how much he's changed over the past year.

Fastest 10 months ever!

I can't believe Elijah is already 10 months old! check out the pictures of my big boy. It was kind of late and he didn't feel like smiling much. Since I was already 2 weeks behind on taking the picture, I happily accepted whatever I could get out of him.

I've officially gone from hanging out at the latest hot spots, to planning a kid friendly atmosphere. I feel like he won't remember so I can relax and save all my ideas for the latter years. My girlfriends are already riding me about the 'event of year' so I'm exhausted just thinking about it

Mama needs a new pair of shoes, pants, shirts, etc

I've had the pleasure of working from home in my pajamas since I was 20 weeks pregant. Elijah is almost 6 months and it is time for me to head back into the office. Although I am back down to my pre-preganancy weight - lets just say, some things have shifted.  My old clothes aren't fitting the way they used to. Where is a personal shopper when you need one? Well, I have some one in mind. A few years ago, I wanted a wardrobe makeover and one of my besties allowed me to sit in the dressing room while she worked her magic. I don't know how she did it, but everytime I looked up there was something for me to try on. Well luckily my 'personal shopper' is still around. My stylish friend at Baby Shopaholic OFFERED to find the perfect pieces that can be worn in the office, out on the town and at CHURCH. I asked for clothes that are not too pricey and can be mix-matched to create new looks.  I am in love with so many of things she's chosen for me. I will be one STYLISH mama when I return to work. Check out her blog to view the collection. Let me know what your favorites are. She doesn't know this yet, but I plan to drag her out to the stores with me again. Hey, I have to try these clothes on.

Got SPOILED Milk?

*************UPDATE*************

 Since my last update, I left my crate of milk out after taking the picture below!!!! The deep freezer has this crazy suction so you have to wait a few minutes before it can be opened again. Being the multi-tasker that I am not, I went back in the house to do some other stuff first.  Well, I forgot to put the crate back in the freezer and did not discover it until the next day.  I was sick for the rest of the day just thinking about it.  I know you aren't supposed to refreeze food once it has been thawed (I'm guilty of doing it all the time) but I was really fearful of Elijah's immune system not being handle bacteria that could be present. I did some research and got some mixed opinions. I marked the bags and put them back in the freezer.  I'm thinking about continuing to pump for a little longer to build my stash back up. I'm not sure if I will use those or not.

Oh, and the cabbage idea only lasted about 2 hours, I could not take the smell!!

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Operation- Reduce Milk Production is underway!

Elijah isn't quite 6 months yet, but I am in the process of relocating and starting a new job so now is a good time to transition. Although I am a proponent of breastfeeding, I am eager to get this phase of my life over with!  Taking care of a newborn is hard enough, factor in the amount of time spent pumping and the stress level goes through the roof. Not to mention having to plan around my pump schedule (my brother hates when I use the P word).  I am fortunate to have been able to work from home since he was born. I'm not sure I would've lasted this long if I had to go into the office everyday. I know that would've been more stress than I could've handled! 

I have 2 of these in the freezer, do you think they will last for 2 months? I'm hopeful.

Back to the Operation... So, the plan of attack has been to reduce the number of times I pump every week. I've gone from pumping 5 times a day down to 3. I hear cabbage leaves help. I'll start that this weekend. What has worked for you?

5 Months, already?

I can't believe Elijah is 5 months! Seems like yesterday he was sleeping day and night and I was doing my best to keep him up so I could see those handsome eyes! Now those little eyes curiously scan the room and twinkle when he sees a toy he likes (or his bottle).

Buckeye Nation

The Ohio State Buckeyes played their second game of the season against the Toledo Rockets 27-22.  Man, that was a tough one.  Considering the suspensions, Tressel's resignation and Pryor's unexpected departure I'm just glad we pulled it off.  Hey, a win is a win, I'll take it. BUCKEYE NATION FOREVER!!

Here's Elijah, showing his buckeye love.

Frugal Mama... in training

I'm sure all of you moms out there know, babies come with a lot of baggage! Your hands are full carrying diapers, bibs, extra clothes, blankets, and other baby necessities. Unless you are an alien, there are not enough hands to carry all of this and mom's handbag too. After several outings with Elijah, I realized I had to downsize my handbag for something that could fit inside his diaper bag. Being that I am so practical these days, I figured I'd hit up the discount stores first. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't have the patience to do discount stores. I will pay extra for the convenience of an organized rack, NOT anymore. Well I didn't find anything at TJ Maxx, Marshall's or DSW. Luckily I had a roadtrip coming up that passes directly through an outlet mall. Seriously, you have to go through the outlet mall before you can proceed. At least that's what the little devil on my shoulder told me, I didn't ask him any questions, I'm just telling you what he said. Anyhow, I ended up going to the Coach outlet to find a wristlet. 2 hours later (I had to go through a lot of stores before finding Coach) I came out of my shopping coma holding these goodies. I got all of this for under $200! I could not have purchased a Gucci for that amount so I applaud myself for saving so much money! I'm trying to be frugal, but I'm not crazy. That was a good deal. You can't tell from the picture but the bag is huge and will make a perfect 'Mommy & Me' bag when Elijah gets a little bigger. Oneday I hope to reunite with Gucci, but right now, I am crushing on Coach! There are so many fabulous bags out there, it shouldn't take a fancy name and big price tag to look good, right? Have you made any changes in your choice of  handbags after having a life changing experience?

So Many Gadgets, so little money!

Practical Parenting Tip

I can't tell you how many times I've gone into a store and seen something Elijah just had to have only to get it home and he finds the ceiling fan more interesting. No baby is the same and you will never know what your baby will like. Before buying these 'must haves' yourself, try them out on some one else's dime. Try borrowing  them from your friends first. Daycares are also a good source. They usually have most of the common items. let your baby try them out while they're away at daycare. I recently was considering buying an excersaucer for Elijah. I wasn't sure if he would like it or even if he was ready for it.  I had the daycare teacher put him in it. Glad I did, he did not like it.  I'm having her try it again after a few weeks. - This reminds me... never get rid of anything your child doesn't like. Keep trying it, oneday your picky prince may surprise you.

Are you a swinger?

Well some babies do, while others don’t.

Every baby is different and you wont know if your little darling is swinger until you try it out. The old me immediately fell in love with the MamaRoo (pictured left). I first saw it on 'Keeping up with the Kardishians'.  It really looks cool. And of course it boasts 'mom-like motions' to better soothe your baby.  I'm not sure if this thing is supposed to take the place of a swing, bouncer, or both. I just know it immediately caught my eye.  Once I talked myself down from the ledge and decided not to spend $200 on a swing/bouncer/both (I had already received a bouncer at my shower so I decided to go the traditional route and buy a swing) I went to the local 'Once Upon a Child' to see what they had.  Well, one look at the selection and it was apparent that only swingers had contributed to inventory! The swings were so dirty I could not imagine nestling my little darling into any of them.  I went back a few times hoping to score a ‘like new’ swing but was not successful.  I ended up getting a smaller travel swing. He enjoys lounging in it, but it does not allow him to sit up and now that he is getting older, he does not like laying back (he's just growing up so fast).  The fullsize swing allows the baby to lie back and sit upright. Next time, I will probably opt for the full size. Did I just say next time?

Cribs, Cribs, Cribs

My quest to find the perfect crib was long and exhaustive! I didn’t know much about crib manufacturers other than Jenny Lind cribs from circa 1980. You remember them, right?

So my first stop was to Babies R Us to take a look at cribs.

The first to catch my attention were made by Sorelle and Davinci

They were pretty stylish and well priced at under $300. Baby Cache is their high-end brand costing $500. After (gently) running my fingernail across the bedpost and leaving a dent, I quickly concluded I would not be purchasing the Baby Cache line.

Well… I then went to Georgia Baby as suggested by my friend at Baby Shopaholic. After seeing the Cadillac of cribs, there was no turning back for a recovering shopaholic! I quickly familiarized myself with brands like Munire and American Baby.  These cribs were a lot heavier than those at BabiesRUs and they did not have tons of visible screw holes. At $1600, this crib and dresser set was the one I fell in love with. The old me would’ve bought it immediately, no questions asked. The new me had some tough decisions to make.

1. To convert or not? Well it depends, How long do you expect to keep the crib? For me, I like change. Once Elijah is 3 or 4, I know I will want to re-do his room. Paying extra for a convertible was not a priority for me

2. How should I pay? Again it depends. How long do you plan to use the set. Some people will want to use it until little Bobby goes away to college (if it’s a converter of course). Others plan to have another child who will use the crib. Both circumstances will undoubtedly require a more sturdy crib and justify investing in a more expensive crib.

I like buying high quaility items but I didn't feel right about paying $1600 on a set I would probably give away after a few years.

My goal was to find a middle of the road crib.  High enough quality that it doesn't look cheap; durable enough that it will last longer than 4 years if I need it to.

Here are pictures of Elijah’s nursery

I wandered back to the clearance section of Georgia Baby and got the crib, dresser and armoire for $899.  As far as I’m concerned, I saved $700 and got a free armoire! I still like the Munire set better, but for $900, I can't complain!