Busy Weekend

My friend Leigh-Ann joked on Facebook this weekend that she as looking for the energy to do stuff around her house and I asked her to share with me if she found it...well, I may have stolen it. I was way more productive this weekend than expected, especially considering we have a sick baby too.

Saturday morning was mostly spent with Kenzie; poor thing is so congested but still very happy, which is surprising. Her nose is still both runny and stuffy but she's eating and sleeping normally so I'm not too worried. I went on a "Cook for the week" rampage Saturday afternoon. As I've been really digging into the Simply Filling plan through Weight Watchers (and seeing awesome results), Mike and I have committed to cooking/preparing our lunches to take to work rather than eating out. Typically we do this together (which I also love) on Sunday evenings. I started early...

I tried out three new recipes this weekend (and highly encourage you to try them as well):

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Oatmeal

I am not a huge fan of large chunks of pumpkin so I substituted with Honey Crisp Apples (yum!) and I decided to am up the flavor with Pumpkin Pie Spice instead of just the cinnamon and Nutmeg (highly recommend). 

Sweet Potato Pudding

This was for Kenzie- I used actual Sweet Potatoes rather than yams, which is clearly what is used here (the orange color). I chose the Rice Milk over the Almond milk just because I haven't introduced nuts to Kenzie yet. I doubled this recipe and added a little more milk than the recipe called for.

Baby Bolognese

I couldn't find the alphabet letters so I used Arthur shaped noodles from a box of organic macaroni and cheese from Spouts. 

Altogether, each recipe made 5 meals so I froze and stored them in containers for dinners for a couple weeks (the oatmeal made 6 one cup servings). It's true that Kenzie is also getting to the age where she can eat many of the things we can (for some crazy reason the kid loves Salmon!) but I don't always want her eating our meals because the meats can be tough for her (we love our red meat) and sometimes our spice or salt content is too much for her. I have noticed that keeping an assortment of roastable veggies and fruits make great combos for her at dinner time. She will plow through a couple bananas, half a roasted sweet potato and half a pear in a meal. 

I'm not ashamed to admit we are also prepared baby food people. We prefer the Plum Organics brand and are blessed with Grandma and Nonni who help supply Kenzie her yummy food. And of course we are not above all the Gerber snacks that Kenzie loves loves loves... like Puffs, Wheels, breakfast bars, fruit leathers, and Mum Mums. We keep all of those stocked constantly. I find myself in a content mix of making Kenzie's food and having some prepared stuff on hand. 

Today, I focused on meals for the week. For lunch I decided to take a break from my salads and embrace some lean sirloin with roasted onions and yellow peppers paired with steamed edamame. It's fun to keep things new and fresh. So Leigh-Ann, maybe I did steal your energy :)

Simply Filling, Simply Fabulous

Ugh...you ruined my groove. I have seriously felt like Emperor Kuzco for too long now. Something ruined my groove and I could not get it back. Most of you know that I successfully lost 46 pounds on Weight Watchers before I became pregnant. I tracked, I counted points, I lost. When I was pregnant I figured that I would gain the necessary 25-30 lbs and then quickly lose it by nursing afterward...

One year later, I wear a larger pants size than I did before I lost weight the first time, I still weigh has much as I did after having Kenzie (which was 50 lbs more than before I got the great news that a baby was growing inside me). Circumstance after circumstance, excuse after excuse, time after time...I gained I lost, I gained I lost. I jumped on the 5 lb roller coaster and have been doing loop the loops for 12 months.

But then two week ago...I found my groove!

Weight Watchers has a less known component of their program called Simply Filling. Based on Weight Watchers extensive research, there are certain foods that are considered to be high in protein and fiber, low in fat and low in simple carbohydrates; these are called the Power Foods. I like to use this analogy to describe power foods vs. non-power foods: imagine that you want to build a fire. You can make fire using newspaper or wood. Newspaper catches quickly but burns out instantly and if there is no other fuel, the fire will be gone. However, if you burn your fire using wood, the fire will stay warmer and sustain longer. High sugar, low protein/fiber foods are easy for the body to burn and therefore don't stay with you long. You will be hungry again soon. Foods that have more protein and fiber with complex carbs take longer for the body to burn and therefore ward off hunger.

Simply Filling operates on the principle that you make the majority (and I mean large majority) of your daily intake come from Power Foods. This basically eliminates ALL processed foods (anything from a box, fast food drive, and a lot from jars). It may seem like this makes things much harder but in fact, I've learned that Simply Filling has made my life just that: simple. Power Foods include:

• most non-fat dairy products (your choice to go organic)
• many lean meats/proteins
• all fruits/veggies
• true whole grains

Going Simply Filling has given me the opportunity to be way more aware of what I eat and even better...why I eat it! For example, wild, sock eye salmon is a power food but farm raised is not. Rolled oats, steel oats, and even quick cooking oats without any added sugar, maple flavoring etc are power foods but many instant cooking oatmeals have additives and hidden (or unhidden sugar) that adds points. I also learned that the phrase "Whole Grain" is deceptive. You really have to look at labels to learn what is in fact whole grain. Boxes can say whole grain but if you look at the ingredients they are a mix of part of the grain and usually something else like Semolina (in pasta). Semolina isn't necessarily bad but if the only ingredient isn't whole wheat then you are eating other stuff.

In my first week I learned to just stock my fridge and pantry with awesome power foods. Coincidentally, they are also foods I like giving Kenzie. We eat many of our meals together because I know what I'm eating is good for her too. Yes I still eat out, yes I still enjoy my glass of wine but I've found my groove again and lost 4.8 lbs the first week on it.

This week I am trying several new recipes (including some for Kenzie). Check them out:

Baby Bolognese

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Pumpkin Slowcooker Oatmeal

 I weigh in again on Monday and I don't expect another 4.8 lb loss. I have relished feeling more energetic, more in control of my eating and at the same time less focused on it.

Boom Baby!

Product Review: Proactiv and Wen Hair

Over the summer I succumbed to my consumerist tendencies and my susceptibility to advertising. I decided to try Proactiv and Wen Hair by Chaz Dean. I did research about both, sought feedback from people I know who use both products, and understood the financial commitment that both required before starting either product. I've decided to stop using both products but I thought I'd share my results in case others are interested in considering using Proactiv or Wen Hair.

acnetreatment.net

I have occasional break outs and thought that Proactiv with all of its celebrity endorsements would be the solution. I used the basic three step line, which should be done twice a day. I had to immediately cut back to once a day because my skin was tight and felt so dry. I could only use the acne medication as a spot treatment because it dried out my skin. Overall, I've decided that the price of the product was not worth the lack of results and serious change in skin moisture. I still have my sporadic break outs so perhaps Proactiv just isn't for me. I've used almost every type of skin care out there. I've used every variation of Clean and Clear, Neutrogena, Origins, Clinique, and the Say Yes line (in blueberry, cucumber, and tomato). My favorite by far will always be Mary Kay. I wish I knew someone who sells it. I wish that I still sold it just so I could get the product. Nothing has ever worked better or been more worth the price than the Time Wise line by Mary Kay.

marykay.com

I have thick, frizzy hair. I thought that Wen Hair might tame it and give me the silky Asian style, straight hair that I can only achieve with tons of product and a flat iron. The Wen Hair line is different than most other shampoos because there are no sulfates so there is no lather. I realize that I actually wanted the lathering. Because the shampoo has no sulfates, it won't strip off product, build up, or dirt and grime. Wen Hair continues to coat the hair and I believe that is what gives the slick, soft feeling that people reportedly love. I decided to stop using the product for a few reasons:
1. I have to use so much product and a tiny bottle is $30. One little bottle only lasted 3 weeks and I only wash my hair every 3 days or so.
2. The washing process is tedious. You have separate your hair into sections and use a comb to move the product through you hair. I just don't have time for this.
3. My hair felt heavier than it already is, it felt constantly oily, and was not smoother and silkier at all.

wenhair.com

So...I cancelled both subscriptions and luckily it was easy to cancel both. I can't say don't use them but I wasn't a fan.

The Real Superheroes of Phoenix

This post has been on my heart for a while but honestly it's difficult to write and I've been praying about the words before publishing them in ink (as Erica Albright says in Social Network). Now that our family is back together and life is getting back to normal, I've been able to actually process this experience with CPS and I can say with all sincerity that the phrase, "you will know who your true friends are" became so relevant.

As my life and Mike's life unraveled around us, there were two forces that carried us through. I've blogged about the most obvious one, God; I want to share about our friends and family, our real live Superheroes. Some of you may be familiar with the idea of the Christian Church in action, let me describe what this really looks like:

In Matthew 25 Jesus tells as a story (a parable) about the sheep and the goats and he describes a time when he will recognize those people who fed Him when He was hungry and clothed Him when He was naked. In response to their confusion (because they could not remember ever feeding Jesus when He was hungry), he replied, "whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." This truly describes the sacrifice that too many people made over the last 6 months for Mike and me. 


Start in Phoenix Children's Hospital where my pastor's wife, Stacy, and my great friends Holly and Kristy visited not just once but several times. In addition, we even had the support of my sister and brother-in-law Christie and Kevin who were only in town for the weekend from Denver, my father and mother-in-law who were getting married that same weekend, and my mom and Bek who drove back and forth from Tucson everyday for four days (sometimes in the middle of the night). My co-workers Rose, Jessica, and Kristin worked over the weekend to plan lessons for a last-minute substitute teacher in my absence.


The night Kenzie was taken, I was surrounded by the love of my mom (who was furiously cleaning my home to manage her own pain), my friends Kristy and Dana and pastor's wife, Stacy who sat and cried with me all night while we waited for an absolution that did not come. 


Two nights later, friends from all over the valley crowded into my livingroom to pray with me including Sarah, Kristy, Christy (my previous pastor's wife), Holly, Jessica, Lindsay (who was already uncomfortably pregnant), Tami, Stacy and her husband Frank (my pastor), and more that I'm forgetting. There were so many unexpected and appreciated gestures such as Tami bringing dinner for anyone who was hungry. 


Only a week later, almost 40 people took time off work, drove from other cities, and sacrificed their time to sit in a court room all day. There were people there I had never met and Mike hadn't seen in years but they heard of our plight and wanted to come and show their support in the courtroom. Two of my pastors (including one from my last church) came to stand in testimony. There were families, friends, church members from both CCS and Chaparral, Tres Dias, and co-workers sitting in Juvenile court. We were even supported by people like Kathy, who by all rights should have never wanted to be there for me (after my appalling treatment towards her), and she came all morning with her three month old son. 


Without diminishing the divine power and intervention of our Heavenly Father, we must attribute our daughter's return to Jim Padish with Padish and Wells Law, who fought for our case relentlessly (and working his influence even when we didn't even know his maneuvers) pro-Bono. 


Additionally, I can't forget my father and mother-in-law who opened their home to Kenzie for 10 weeks while we waited for justice. 


This is the Christian Church in action. These are real superheroes. If anyone ever asks me how I can believe in a God I can't see, I will say, "I have seen the army of God encamped around me."

Being 30 ain't for the feint of heart

Turning 30 kind of means I'm roughly 1/3 completed with my life and of the three decades I've lived, this last one has been the most monumental (in my opinion).
In 10 years, this is what's happened:
1. completed undergrad at ASU
2. started my first career in teaching
3. met, dated, and married my husband
4. had my first daughter
5. had my first daughter taken away by CPS (never could have anticipated that)
6. First time being a bridesmaid and maid of honor
7. completed my first master's degree

I'm sure there are more events I forgot but looking back on this, I cannot possibly anticipate anything that might happen in my 30's. Since I spent most of my 20's looking like I was 17, maybe I'll spend most of my 30's looking like I am 27?

Bucketlist updates...excited!

100 Things to do before I Die

Academics/Career:

1. Be a principal
2. Be either a superintendent/district administrator
3. sing/speak at a public event8th grade promotion May 2012
4. Be a grade level team leader
5. Get my master's degree (so close I can taste it)
6. Get a doctorate degree
7. Teach a college class 
8. Start my own business/support my husband starting a business Epic fail with Mary Kay but at least I tried

Family:

1. take my daughter to get a pedicure
2. Make baby books every two months for the first year of my children(s)' lives.
3. attend a mother/daughter sleepover
4. go to grandparent's day
5. have ALL my children and grandchildren come home for Christmas
6. french braid my daughter's hair 
7. Be a mother-of-the-bride
8. watch Mike walk our daughter down the aisle
9. hold my baby in my home in her Aunt's blanket
10. offer my engagement/wedding rings to my grandson/granddaughter
11. serve on a Tres Dias weekend with my husband
12. speak to my grandfather about his experience in the Holocaust
13. Dedicate Kenzie at church 5/13/12
14. Adopt a baby with down syndrome

Personal

1. weigh less than 140 lbs
2. Have no need for contacts or glasses
3. come up with 100 items for my list
4. VBAC
5. Rectora/Head Cha
6. Own a black pug
7. Own a MAC/Ipad
8. get married 6/19/09
9. have a baby 10/14/11
10. buy a home
11. see someone accept Christ
12. become a member of my church
13. Host a bible study at my home
14. Write and publish a children's book
15. Write and publish a novel
16. Complete a pull up
17. Do a hanging sit up

Travel/World Experiences: 

1. Cruise to Alaska
2. Live in England for a year
3. Take the Lord of the Rings tour of "the Shire" in New Zealand
4. See my husband baptized in the Jordan River 
5. Meet a president
6. Go on the Disneyland Cruise
7. vow renewal in the church Mike's parents were married in
8. Visit the tribes of my Native American heritage
9. Live in a "Stars Hollow" town

DIY/Activities:

1. Collect all the Cinderella stores from around the world
2. Have an entire room in my home with floor to ceiling libraries
3. Own all the Caldecott winning books
4. take a drifting class
5. Make the hair bows for my daughter's sport's team (volleyball, cheer etc)
6. learn to hip hop dance
7. solve the rubic's cube in under 4 minutes
8. Read all of Jane Austen's book
9. Go to the midnight release of the final Breaking Dawn movie the date is set 11.16.12
10. Complete a parallel study of the Gospels
11. Take a ride on the light rail- Thanks Joann!
12. learn to use a sewing machine 
13. trash the dress in water
14. relearn and "speak' sign language fluently
15. Shoot a gun Happy Birthday to David!
16. Learn to ride a sport bike
17. Learn how to do a fish tail braid 
18. Run a 5K 11.17.12 Dirty Girl!

Finances:

1. Eliminate all debt
2. Pay off all student loans
3. Learn how to invest 

Total: 69
Completed:8

Can I really do this?

My friend Kathy (total rockstar when it comes to getting me motivated by the way) mentioned her love/hate relationship with running (she is planning a half marathon in November). I don't have a love/hate relationship with running; I have a hate/could care less relationship with running. I also have a hate/could care less relationship with my weight right now too.

In a random rummage (yes, alliteration!) through some pictures last week, I came across a collage I made of my 2010/2012 weight loss journey with weight watchers. I lost a total of 47 lbs over 14 months and went down 4 dress sizes! Yes, I actually had a pair of size 8 skinny jeans...what?! When I got pregnant with the best thing that has ever happened to me and somehow gained 74 lbs. Yes, 74, there it is. I'm sure you're thinking, "wow, that's more than anyone I know." Yes, it probably is. Anyway, I saw what I looked like in February 2011 and it wasn't just the number on the scale that I mourn. My neck and face were thinner. My pants didn't leave painful creases in my belly. I did not perpetually pull my shirt down over my butt hoping to make it look smaller. I did not have constant rashes and chaffing in multiple places. I did not worry if the yucky sweaty smell was coming from me. I wanted to go swimming. My wardrobe was larger simply because I had more shopping options. I didn't get that look from Mike or anyone else every time I treated myself to a cinnamon roll...mostly because I had no desire to eat them. My back did not hurt every time I walked, sat down, or stood up.

What if something could change? I'm not making huge claims and stating the "here's where it all changes" promise because it is very likely knowing me and my apathy that I may do nothing. But, what if I could. Kathy's honest and transparent struggle with her weight loss makes me feel like I'm not alone. The difference is that she actually tries to do something about it. Could I actually try running? Could I get off the couch? Could spend more time doing something rather than watching TV?

Here are some things that are motivating me to try (or at least think that I might):

Source: fatgirlrunning.co.uk via Sandi on Pinterest

Fat girl Running Blog- yes I am a fat girl but what if I didn't have to be?

Source: amazon.com via Leah on Pinterest

Bob Harper is obviously doing something right. I mean look at the results he spurs people towards.

Source: Uploaded by user via Leah on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Leah on Pinterest

instead of the tire that falls over the pants, creates the gross sweat line, and makes my pants button dig into my belly.

What if I could just get up three times a week (having a baby to take care of isn't an excuse because I am also blessed with a husband who loves spending time with her). How do you dispel that horrible voice that says, "you cannot do this. You've tried before and you failed."

What if I could though....