MommyWeighLess

Whenever the time changes, my internal clock goes crazy. It takes a week or so for my body and mind to adjust, not only to the actual time change, but the amount of daylight change too. I love that we gain that extra hour to sleep. I have toddlers. That hour is heavenly, especially on Monday morning. Photo courtesy of:  mazumafykc.com But coming home at 4:15 and it getting dark by 5:30...totally kills the evening for my family. My kids loooooove to be outside. They have bedrooms full of toys that rarely get played with because they would much rather play outside. They cannot stand that it gets dark so early because we are forced indoors earlier than we prefer. They are adjusting, but they are not happy about it one bit. They have watched more T.V. in the last two evenings than they have all summer. But I decided to take advantage of being indoors to get my house organized before Christmas. My goal has been to clean and re-organize at least one major room of the ...

I have been battling to get myself together and get these last pesky 50 pounds off. I have lacked motivation for a while. Between busy 40-50 hour work weeks, school, kids, dinner, house chores, family time, etc... I could make countless excuses ...I have neglected myself yet again. I stopped working out, but I have done my best to keep my eating in check. Essentially I have been maintaining for the last 8-12 months. All of that changed dramatically on Wednesday, September 30, 2015. This is my restart date. And there is a very rude man I want to thank for that. I have always been overly critical of myself. There aren't many women that don't judge themselves on a daily basis. I have always battled with my lack of positive self image, even though I've never had a reason to be so hard on myself. My parents taught us to love ourselves no matter what, and Dustin has never done anything to make me feel less than beautiful. My body has done some amazing things in the last ...

I recently wrote a post about how I have changed since having a son , but what I didn't talk about was the amazing person my little guy is growing up to be. Evan will be 2 years old in a couple of weeks. I don't even know where the time has gone. All I know is that it flew by... way too quickly . And I also know that is one of the most over used cliches by every parent in the world, that times fly. But it honestly does. I feel like we were just trying to get pregnant with Evan; that we had just decided that Scarlett needed a sibling, and we wanted to try, our last try, for a boy. Thankfully that is who we got, because boy or girl... this was it . I hope that as my son grows, he will grow to be a good man like his father and grandfather before him. You can read about those amazing men here and here ! They have been exemplary in teaching Evan what a good man is and how one conducts himself. Even if he is only two, I hope that some of the things they are showing hi...

Like I mentioned the other day, I am spoiled. Completely and utterly so. I can be smelled for miles around. There are a select few men in my life that can be held accountable for it all. The other day I wrote to tell you about one of the greatest men in my life: my dad . He was the perfect example to my sisters and I, in how we should expect a man to treat us. He has always loved and respected my mother, and taught us to expect nothing less from other men in our lives. He made a point to make sure that we were raised to be independent and head strong women, that could also accept the kindness of men. When I brought Dustin home to meet my father for the first time almost nine years ago, I was more nervous than he was, I think. My dad is a good judge of character, and he usually pegged our boyfriends for whom they were, whether it was good or bad. The couple of guys I brought home prior to Dustin were not well received by dad, and while his opinion didn't make my decision ...

I am spoiled. Rotten. Completely and entirely loved and doted on by the men in my life. I am lucky. I know this without a doubt. Every girl loves their father in ways that no one can ever understand but you and your father. He is the first love of your life. He gave you life. He is there to protect you. Provide for you. Support you. Punish you. Congratulate you. Push you. But most of all... LOVE YOU . My father has and does all of these things, even now that I am an adult. He showed me what I should expect from a man in the way that he treated my mother. He taught me how to be one of the guys (he has 3 daughters, no sons), while being his girly girl. He made sure that I was tough and could take care of myself, all while being able to let others in to help me take care of myself. He loved me even when I was doing everything in my power to drive him insane. He was always there when it mattered most. But most of all...I have always known his love for me. He's never said ...

So on Monday, September 14th my sister gave birth to her first child, a little boy. I was blessed to be a part of his delivery into this world, and I am so proud of the hard work she put into getting him here. John William . A good strong name, for a beautiful little man. That is the newest man in our lives. He is chunky, and gorgeous, and pink, and smells like baby heaven. I could snuggle and love on him all day. My baby, Evan, is officially a toddler. He is my last baby . We decided on sterilization after he was born, because it was the right choice for our family. I don't regret it, but I have recently had to come to terms with the fact that I won't have another "baby". Ever again. So, with that being said, I am going to hoard all the baby loving I can while John is tiny, because we all know they really do grow up too quickly. Now the reason I am here isn't just to gush about John, even though I could all day, but instead to praise all of the amazin...

My sweet little Scarlett Rose turned four a couple of weeks ago. My sweet little Scarlett Rose started Pre-K on Monday. My sweet little Scarlett Rose started showering all by herself. My sweet little Scarlett Rose now puts herself to bed at night. My sweet little Scarlett Rose.. .please so down ...you are growing up way too fast! Mommy can't pick up the pieces of my heart quick enough to keep up anymore. Becoming a parent is amazing. But being a parent sucks... a lot . It is like we go from holding these beautiful little bundles of baby goodness that rely on you for every. single. tiny. thing ...to BOOM! ...little persons all their own that don't require your services anymore. Tossed to the trash like a used tissue. But I love that feeling. Confusing, right? I know. You should... or could ...be in my shoes. I love seeing her blossom into this amazing person. I love that she is hard headed and independent. Those things will take her so far in this life. I lo...

I am a mother . I have two absolutely beautiful, amazing, full of life and wonder...toddlers. Scarlett is vivacious. She is a red-headed spitfire with a daily goal of trying to argue her father and I into oblivion. And Evan...well he is a person all his own too. He spends his days climbing, toddling, falling, yelling, hitting, playing, eating...and well...he is just a very busy little man. After a 10 hour work day, I come home to these marvelous little creatures., and I look forward to it all day. But once I am actually home, and chasing those little tyrants...I often have selfish thoughts. I have seen and heard enough to assume that most parents do. It is only natural to want to do things, or have things just for yourself. Yet, being a mother, when I do want to do things, or have things (even just alone time)...I feel incredibly guilty for it. You are taught from a young age that when you "grow up" and have children, that you are supposed to sacrifice and do ...

We wanted a boy. Every couple wants a boy. And if they say they don't...I call total bull. Yes, everyone wants healthy and happy...but deep down when asked, " Do you want a boy or girl? "                                                                                                                      ...most think boy. It is encoded in our DNA to want a son so that there is someone to carry the "family" name. It is only natural. It is only human. Originally I did not want  a second child. I love my little Scarlett Rose more than life itself, and felt that she was more than enough, and she would have been with or without Evan. But we decided that she needed a sibling...a friend...a...

Ever been so tired that it feels like your eyelids are sand paper...and with each blink you lose another layer of moisture...? Toothpicks just are not enough to hold these steel doors that keep slamming together on my face. Yea . That's me today. Monday. Hope I don't nod off. *Startles awake* No... I was not snoring. Just checking that my nasal passages are clear. Ugh. Monday. Have I said that yet? I decided that it would be a great idea to stay up until three this morning. But now, I am really questioning my abilities to make good decisions...                                                ...especially when I know that I have to get up for work at six! I have never felt more inclined to the saying "Old enough to know better." My body is screaming for sleep. I wonder if I could sign up for a sleep study today? Will they give doctors notes...

Most women love going to the salon and being pampered but it is hard to find the time and sometimes hard to spare the extra money to do so. I for one, love the beautiful feeling I get shortly after getting my nails done. It makes me feel relaxed, pampered, and like I could grab the bull by the horns. ..                                                                             all because I got some badass nail color!           .. .I will take a side of Superwoman with that coat of teal polish please! Anyways... I just cannot justify spending twenty five bucks every two weeks to get a gel polish manicure especially when Christmas is fast approaching, and my entire family has birthdays in the next several months! That and I am cheap.  Really cheap. ...

I have recently returned to work after taking about a year off to stay home with my babies again. I work in an office full of men, I am literally the only female , other than they occasional customer. And even then those are far and few between as I work in what most would call a "heavily male populated workforce". It doesn't bother me, except where bathroom issues are concerned. We all know that men and women have very different bathroom practices, as well as expectations when it comes to cleanliness. Not saying all men or women are the same with bathroom hygiene, just different. But that's not the issue I am trying to get to...another blog another day! No I am talking about that time of the month. The most dreaded week of every woman's month. SHARK WEEK ... !  ... DUN DUN DUN ! Well that's what we have deemed it in my household anyways! To the point ...there is nothing more embarrassing than being the only female in an office and bein...

I honestly don't know many people that just love water and its lack of flavor. It is work for everyone to make sure that they drink adequate amounts of water, not just to have something to drink, but to remain hydrated. I live in the grand ol' " Sunshine State ", (Florida for those that don't know) and it is HOTTTT ! Not only is it ridiculously hot in the summer, but it is so humid that you pour sweat while sitting on your derriere. I have watched my hardworking and wonderful husband Dustin work in this heat with sweat just running down his arms. You can dehydrate in as little as a couple of hours in Florida due to the humidity. I cannot even begin to explain how important it is for all of us to drink adequate amounts of water. All of that being said, I have decided to share some facts about water consumption and dehydration while drinking my Fiji Water infused with Mio Water Enhancer (Acai Berry) and some fresh blueberries! What are the benefits ...

Melanie is one of the most kind, caring, and loving women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She never has a bad thing to say about anyone, and she ALWAYS has a smile on her beautiful face. She loves Rich with every fiber of her being, and I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it must be for her to see him so down on himself. Rich and Melanie lost their home to a fire . Melanie lost her home. She also lost her sweet dog, Abby. As a woman I know that our homes help to define us. We make them a representation of our lives and our happiness. Our homes are our sanctuary. Melanie had a gorgeous home, and the doors were always open to visitors. Her home was inviting and warm. Now her home is gone. The brick still stands. But it is no longer warm and inviting. It isn't a happy place. It is scary. It is heartbreaking. It is overwhelming. She worries that no matter what they do...they will never get the smell out. In all honesty I don't think it is a smell any o...

Rich is one of the most driven and ambitious people I know . He has worked hard his entire life to achieve all that he has...all that he had. He had a beautiful home that he and Melanie designed together, and put their own blood, sweat, and tears into. He had an amazing garage full of tools and equipment. In that garage was an old school VW van painted blue with flowers, for he and his Flower (Melanie), and a truck that Rich was rebuilding from the ground up. He was excited to get it finished and take her for a spin. It was cherry red. Painted by none other than himself. He never got to experience the joy of taking that sweet ride. He never will. That truck, VW van, garage, house...it is all gone. Lost to a horrendous fire . The van is now sitting on top of a scrap pile. The scrap from the fire paid enough to have a construction dumpster brought out. The remnants of the house are being piled in that construction dumpster. He lost everything that he and Me...

Sunday marks one week since the fire at Wood-B-Ranch in Reddick, Fl that completely engulfed Rich and Melanie's home. They lost everything, as you can read and see here . Everyone made it out alive and unharmed, except a beloved dog, Abby. The heartache is still unbearable as we continue to dig through the rubble, but there is still so much hope. They have learned that the walls of the home are reusable, and Rich and Melanie are determined to rebuild. It was their home . It is their home . And they will have it again . I have heard talk of floor plans and things that they are going to do differently this time around, and that is exciting! As exciting as that is, they will need help financially. They were self insured, but they never imagined that this would happen, and their savings won't cover the repairs and rebuild. They had no homeowners insurance . They won't get a payout for this. Right now though, the main concern is getting everything cleaned o...

I'm sure you all are thinking just like I did. You assume that Rich and Melanie have insurance that is going to cut them a big fat check.   I wish that I could tell you that was true. I really do.   They had no insurance.   They had what they called self-insured insurance.  Meaning that the house and it's belongings were all paid for, and there was a little money set aside in case any repairs needed to made. But there is not enough self-insurance money for anything catastrophic like this. No one...ever expects this to be them.   There is no big payout. No check. No insurance.   The car insurance does not cover the vehicles that have been lost because it falls under homeowners...which they do not have.   That is why we are desperate to get money together for the Atens. If you have a little to spare, please visit the gofundme  account set up by Anita and donate. It is beyond appreciated.   Share their story. ...

I usually try to keep my blog positive and uplifting, but not this time. On Saturday, January 31st at around 10 am we received a picture of a house on fire from Richard Aten, Dustin's uncle. It took us a minute to determine if it was their house, or someone else's...as we just could not believe what we saw. It was their home . Their home was engulfed in flames. The fire originated in the garage, sometime early in the morning and spread quickly through the whole house. The home is a total loss. Rich, his wife Melanie, their son Alex, and two of their dogs made it out. Abby , a very beloved pet of many years, was not so fortunate. Not much in the home is salvageable, but we are digging. Every little thing that is found, is a little beacon of light, in what seems to be an impossibly dark tunnel. Our family has never experienced anything close to this, and we are heartbroken. But even through the heartbreak and devastation, life must go on. They have laid sweet Abby ...

My battle with food is a battle I will fight for the rest of my life. I know this. I hate this. But I can win at this. I traded one eating disorder for another it seems. I went from overeating and eating my feelings, to obsessing over calories. MyFitnessPal helped me to lose weight. But I realize just how much calorie counting has consumed my life. So I am deleting MFP. I refuse to fall victim to a life of calorie obsessing.  These questions have plagued me daily for several years now: What my intake should be? How much did I burn? Does it fit my macros? Should I eat back my burned calories? What is the calories in this bite? Will I have enough for a small dessert? Will this blow my daily sugar/salt/fat? It is an endless bombardment of obsession over calories! I am done! I don't want food to run the rest of my life. I want to enjoy food without fear. But also respect my body to only give it what it needs, with the occasional treat on the side. I have decided I am going t...