Success!  My goal yesterday was to write everything I put into my mouth and add the calories.  It was hard!!  I have a couple different food journals at home.  I prefer the pencil and paper style, but I have tried some apps.  I had an email from a friend who is having success with an app on her phone.   Whatever works!

Well, first things first.  I needed to assess the damage.  I went and found a weight chart to find where I am at.  Now, I have heard in the past that you can't go by those.  I have found them to be just brutally honest!  So, I found a chart online and mapped out my goal weight.  If I am going to be on the very high end of the curve, one pound away from overweight, 126 lbs.  I found a number that WORKS, not just looks good.  I still want to eat cookies every now and then.  When you're only 60 inches tall, it's the pits!  I also found a calorie counter.
A. Your weight, in pounds: ____
B. A x 15 = _____
C. B - 500 = _____
I go by calories.  Some people go by points, carbs, or whatever.  This has worked for me so I will stick with it.  I use a food journal.  I think it is a must!!!  You need to write everything down and be accountable.  You have no idea how those handfuls of little things add up.  So, I will be locking up the bag of chocolate chips that I polish off handfuls at a time!

My other goal is to exercise, or just sweat, everyday except Sunday.  I am taking that Sabbath rule literally! Also, everyone needs a break so I will celebrate it on the Lord's day.  I will talk more about that as the days come, but I will not be going to a gym.  I did get a treadmill at home, but if you don't have a treadmill......I lost 20 pounds a few years ago by going to the wonderful gym called OUTDOORS.  I hit the trails and gravel roads and had great success.

Well, my baby is napping so I need to get going.  The next 30 minutes are for me.  That's all!  Once spring REALLY comes, I will go back outside and spend more time or I might find a zumba class once in a while.  For now, I just can't.  I think that is the key, you have to work with what you have.  Don't have money, no problem!  Don't have a lot of time, no problem.  I find myself just making an excuse because I'm not in the situation I want to be.

Thanks for the emails on facebook yesterday!!  I love to hear from you and I hope that we can encourage each other.

I need discipline in my life!  I love all the freedom I have, but there comes a time, (like when you can't get your last 10 pounds(or so) of baby weight to come off by baking and eating cookies every few days) that I need to make some changes.  These are changes that I have done in the past and they work!!!  I have lost weight before, so here I go again.  I am going to try, that is the key word as I get so busy at home with life, to keep a journal so everyone can look into my misery.  Before I lay it all out for everyone to look at I do have some rules.
1. Don't judge!  I am considering putting everything out there like my weight and everyday struggles.  Once I post those things, it may seem to some that my weight is fine and silly to think I am overweight. To others, they will be shocked and think it's about time I get it together.  So, if you are one of my skinny friends, or not :), let's just agree that I need to do this.
2.  I have held off posting so much because I am getting caught up in editing.  I am just going to throw my thoughts out there, give it a quick once over, and POST!  So if you are the grammar police, this blog is NOT for you.
3.  Be encouraged!  I keep reading a friend's journey on facebook and it is encouraging me.

Well, here I go.  I have already started my journey at home so I have a head start.  I will try to post a little something everyday.  I may not link it to facebook always, so be looking and send me a note if you are interested.

Six months ago I weighed just shy of 180lbs.  I of course was pregnant, but it doesn't just melt of anymore at 36 like it did back when I was 24 having babies.  I am 36 and I realized today that I have to stay healthy for me and my kids!  I will be 54 when my baby graduates from High School.  So this journey will not be about how "hot" I want to be, (which I am sorry I really hate that word), but how healthy I need to be.  This isn't about vanity, it's about vitality!  I want to be healthy, so here I go.

I just actually measured out a TBSP of peanut butter, seriously, that is it?

Check back tomorrow!

I have a sick child at home today.  It's the pits!  "B" has a sore throat, temp, and coughing.  Are there any other moms out there that hate this as badly as I do?  I have found that I have certain behaviors when my kids get sick.  The first thing I do is start to clean like a mad woman.  I started washing sheets, laundry and organizing.  I am going through the medicine cabinet trying to find what ever I can, from tylenol to honey elixir and vapor rub.  The next thing I do is much more uglier and disturbing.....I worry.  I start to think of the worst case scenarios.  Having a 14 week old baby at the house doesn't help.  I start to think of all the terrible stories I've heard in the past and feel anxious by things that aren't even happening.  So today I had to stop those thoughts.  (2 Corinthians 10:6)  I just began to be thankful.  No, I am not thankful she is sick.  I am praying she will be better, but I began to be thankful for other things.  I am thankful I had some medicine in the house.  I am thankful I am home with her tomorrow and I don't have to work.  I am thankful we have a great doctor that she can go to tomorrow if needed.  I just began giving thanks in ALL things.  Even in trials, I can find things to be thankful for.   She is still sick tonight and I pray she feels better.  But until then, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God."  ( Philippians 4:6)  

OK, I am going to do it.  I am going to start blogging.  I am starting to feel guilty putting all my business out there on facebook when not everyone wants to see or read it.  So, I will put it in a blog so you can read it if you like.  I need to warn you....my style is to type quick, no proofreading, and use lots of commas and exclamation marks.  This blog will be about my life.  I tend to talk to myself, so now I will post it so you can read it.  You will read about motherhood, marriage, my faith, my failures (and some are really funny), food, exercise and lack of it, and whatever else runs through my head!