Month: April 2013

Kai is 19 months old now.  He is a heavy wetter at night.  I usually use cloth diapers on him, but it doesn’t work so well for night time since he sleep for 10-12 hours at night.  Either he leaks, or wakes up with ammonia smelling diapers and a rash.  I switched to disposables (pampers, huggies, luvs), but that didn’t work well either.  He still leaked.  I tried the night time diapers made by Huggies and Pampers… still leaked.  Then I remembered a brand of diapers I used on Mia.  It is the brand that Smith’s/Krogers sells, and they are processed chlorine-free and seem to use a different type of absorbing stuff (that’s the technical term).  They cost $6-$7 per pack… at least $2 less than the brand names.  The great thing???  They don’t leak!!!  Yay!!!  I’ve gone a whole 3 days now without having to change Kai’s bed sheets!  I love when a problem gets solved, and it’s cheaper than you thought it would be!

So far, I haven’t skipped any workout days since April 8, 2013.  Yay!  This is the longest I’ve gone.  I almost didn’t work out tonight, but Nathan said we could take turns on the the elliptical machine, so I had to do it.  I don’t usually like working out so late at night (I finished at 11:10 pm).  If it’s too late at night, I have trouble getting to sleep at a reasonable time.  Oh well… at least I got my workout in.  My calf is doing much better.  It still feels tight sometimes depending on what I’m doing.  Also, if I come down on my leg too hard, I still feel a little pull in it.  I’m still trying to stick to mostly low impact cardio, weights, and abs.  I just ordered a new workout by Ellen Barrett… one of her new 30 minute, full-body cardio/toning workouts.  Can’t wait to try it out!

I lost count of what number workout day it is.  I guess it doesn’t much matter since I’m hoping to just keep it up long-term.  Yesterday I did Ellen Barrett’s old “Burn and Firm Pilates” while the littler ones were napping.  Today I worked out with Ellen again and did “Slim Sculpt”.  She really likes to work the shoulders.  I like her workouts because they really help my core strength.  After 3 pregnancies and 3 c-sections, I REALLY need that.  🙂

Yesterday was a “fail” in terms of eating healthy.  There were ranch flavored chicken fries on clearance at the store and I totally succumbed to the temptation.  They were tasty.  So was the frozen pizza that we had for dinner.  Like I said, FAIL.  Hopefully I’ll do better… especially since the pizza leftovers are gone now.  Dinner should be good.  Italian chicken, green beans, and salad.  Of course, after eating like that yesterday, I’m totally bloated.  I’m so thankful for elastic pants on days like today.  Ha!!!

Pressing on in Homeschooling:

This time of the school year tends to be my hardest for homeschooling.  I keep hearing everyone else count down their days until they are done with school, but we homeschool pretty much year round, so there’s not too much of an “end” in sight for us.  But when it gets difficult, God knows just what I need.  It is also around this time of year that I’m able to get the encouragement that I need to press on.  This weekend was the Christian Association of Parent Educators (CAPE) Annual Homeschool Convention.  There were nationally known speakers from all over the country that came to speak, as well as some well-known local homeschoolers.  There is always a wealth of encouragement, tips, tricks, humor and advice to be had from each speaker.  It always serves as a reminder that I’m homeschooling my children for more important reasons than making sure they know all their addition facts, or how to diagram a sentence.  I homeschool them because I want to help lead them to a life in Christ.  I homeschool them because I want them to not just be filled with “academic” knowledge, but I want them to be even more filled with the wisdom and love of God.

I fall short on that everyday.  I have the tendency to push the minor things, like multiplication flash cards, thinking that we HAVE to get through this math book!!!  Then I neglect sitting down and reading the Word with the kids.  One of the speakers reminded us parents that we are teaching our children 365 days a year, and not just when we “do school”.  I know that I have taught by example things that I didn’t want my children to learn.   I know that in order to step up and do a better job teaching and training my children that I need to teach and train myself.  I need to seek out God’s wisdom more in my life.  I need to make more time for Him.  I’d appreciate prayers on my behalf in this area in my life.

Pressing on in Fitness:

I’m still trying to press on in trying to get into better shape.  Some days (only the ones that end in “y”),  I really don’t feel like it.  We have comfortable couches, ya know?   Yep, I am pretty lazy.  I’m working on that problem I have.  Sometimes I’ve had to force myself to workout out because my husband threatened to post it on Facebook that I skipped a workout.  Sometimes I tell myself that I’m just too tired.  I noticed though that once I get started, within 5 minutes, I’m glad I’m getting my body moving.  It seems to be a battle in my mind whenever workout time comes up.  Today, I really just wanted to get to bed early.  The problem was the delicious prime rib I had for dinner.  I just couldn’t be idle after eating that.  BTW, why the horseradish with the prime rib?  Just say “neigh” to the horseradish.  Yep, I really did just say that.  🙂  Working out everyday and trying to get in to a healthy habit is HARD for me!!!  I can act so weak and lazy.

Day 11 was a “Slim Sculpt” workout DVD by Ellen Barrett.  I got to workout with my hubby and my sis-in-law who was spending the night to attend the homeschool convention as well.  It’s fun to workout with my husband, mostly because he thinks some of the workout leaders are so silly.  For example, he gets annoyed that Ellen refers to the “heart center” instead of the “chest”.  It is also fun to see him do “girly” workouts because they can be tough on him.  They apparently focus on muscle groups that he doesn’t generally workout. They don’t just work the biceps or make you do tons of push-ups or pull-ups;  They make you work all these little muscles that apparently cause him pain to work.  It’s so cute.  🙂

Day 12 was a quick workout because I had to get up early the next day for the convention. Some quick cardio, abs, weights… 20 minutes, then to bed I went.

Today (Day 13 of working out in a row) was a quick 1 mile “accelerated” walk DVD with Chris Freytag, then some weights on my own.  Chris is so cheerful. I like working out with her.  In that video she does a “hula walk” as part of the workout.  It makes me want to get back to dancing hula and teaching Mia (and Sean and Kai) for the sole purpose of performing at nursing and rehab homes.  I always loved that.

Sometimes I like to try to go through the workout DVDs and  smile the whole way through like the ladies in the videos.  That usually doesn’t work out though because  it’s hard to smile when you have sweat running into your eyes or your deltoids are on fire.  I don’t know how they do it… they just press on and SMILE!

So let’s try to remember to always persevere and press on.  Mia likes to chant a song she heard in a kids show (Yo Gabba Gabba), “Don’t stop!  Don’t give up!”.  Isaiah 40:29 says “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”  I know I am weak and sometimes weary and I need HIs strength daily.  With His strength, I won’t give up.  I will press on in teaching and training our children and seek His wisdom in doing so, and I will continue on my pursuit of better health and less laziness (even though our couches are really comfortable).

I have’t been able to do any high impact workouts since I strained my calf on day 8 (jump roping got me!).  Last night and today, I did weights, abs and low impact cardio.  I still broke a sweat.  My calf is still sore, and now the knee on my other leg is starting to get sore from compensating for the other leg.  I’m walking with a slight limp, but it feels better today than it did yesterday.  Thinking back, I’ve always had issues that would pop up from doing high impact cardio.  Previously it was plantar fasciitis, knee pain, etc.  I think that was why I ended up shelving the Jillian Michael’s videos previously.  Instead started biking, elliptical training, and doing more “gentle” workouts.  My favorite “Buff Girl” is Ellen Barrett.  I just found out that she has a few new videos that recently came out.  Her workouts are dance/pilates/yoga inspired, but they make you sweat.  They were also great to help get my mid-section strong again after my first c-section/pregnancy.  I will try to get back to that same sort of workout pattern.  Maybe once I’ve dropped some pounds, and strengthened some more, the high impact workouts will not be so taxing on my body.  So yeah.  I’m still planning on working out everyday, like I had planned while using the 30 Day Shred (even beyond day 30, of course), but I’ve got to re-shelf the high impact workouts for now.  Gotta take a more gentle approach.

Aside from working out, I’ve really been trying to change my eating habits.  I’ve almost completely stopped drinking soda.  When I do, it’s diet soda, and that’s maybe once a week.  I’m at the point now though that I’d rather have a nice glass of water, herbal tea, or coconut water.  I’ve started to try to add more fruits and veggies to my diet.  I also noticed that when I go to the Farmer’s Market, my kids eat better, and they even choose vegetables to eat willingly.  I stopped buying white rice, much to the dismay of my mom who feels white rice should be served with every meal (sorry, Mom!).  I’ve found that I’m not so carb addicted lately either.  We used to go through a loaf of bread every day and a half.  I also used to make pasta at least 2 times a week sometimes  and it would last us for a couple days.  Now I’m completely satisfied with veggies and some protein (preferable fish) on my plate.

Since I started 10 days ago, I’ve lost 3 pounds overall.  Initially I gained 2, but I lost those 2, plus 3 more.  Whoo-hoo!!!  I first started working out because I didn’t like the way I looked and wanted to lose weight and not look like I was still pregnant.  But now there are so many reasons to continue.  This video by Ellen Barrett  says it well.  “Weight loss is not a big enough dream.”  When I work out regularly, I have energy to get through the day and play with the kids.  I sleep better at night and also I don’t need as much sleep.  I wake up refreshed (as long as the baby sleeps through the night!).  I’m not as much of a grump-a-lump.  At least I don’t think I am.  🙂  I know I’m doing something good for my body and I am reminded that God blessed me with with a very capable body.  I feel more capable of doing things and handling stresses.  I feel STRONG!  I am setting an example of leading a more active life for my kids.  So yeah… I’m gonna keep on keepin’ on.

Over the past few days of working out, my calves have been a little tight.  I’ve been trying to stretch them out really well before and after the workout.  I didn’t do that much today because I was in a rush to get the workout done before it was time to get the kids to bed.  Well, that was obviously a mistake.  Midway into circuit 2, during the jump roping,  I felt a sharp pain in the lower part of my calf, just above my Achilles tendon in my right leg.  I couldn’t put weight on that leg for a little bit.  I can put some weight on it now, but it hurts if my foot flexes past a half pointed position.  It is painful to flex my toes toward my shin.  I may have to wear heels instead of flats for the next few days if it keeps up.  Anyways, it hurts.  I’m icing it right now and took some Motrin plus trying to elevate it.  I’ll see how it’s going tomorrow.  I may have to modify my workouts if the pain continues.  Grrr.  Too much too soon?  Maybe.  Too little stretching/warm up?  Probably.  Am I going to call it quits if this ends up being a major setback?  NO!!!  I will modify my workouts and pay more attention to taking better care by stretching, warming up and cooling down.  I need to remember that my goal is lifestyle change and not a quick fix since quick fixes tend to not be permanent.  After I hurt myself, I tried to finish up the workout since Nathan was doing it too… I didn’t want to just call it quits.  I didn’t want Jillian Michael’s to pop out of the TV and call me a quitter! I finished cardio by doing one leg jumping jacks and jump roping and just did the upper body strength and ab work.  It wasn’t a great workout, but it was a workout.  🙂

Today was day 8 of my 30 Day Shred.  I can’t do push-ups and they don’t seem to get any easier!  That’s the main part of the workout that really gives me a hard time.  I used to be able to do real push-ups, but now I can barely get 5 done then I have to drop to my knees for the lady push-ups.  I find it annoying and frustrating that my body is so unbalanced.  I’ve always had very strong legs and pretty weak arms.  I need to work on getting a better balance.  Other than the push-ups, I’m actually enjoying the workout now.

Mia had a great idea to go to the Aquarium today to check out the new Pacific Coral Reef exhibit.  Unfortunately, everyone else in town also had the same idea.  We couldn’t find a single place to park.  Instead we ended up at Tingley Beach.  We walked around the crowded ponds for a little while.  We saw some guys sailing their RC sailboats, zigzagging through the water.  We watched people ignoring “No Parking” signs and signs that said to feed the ducks only in the grass so that you don’t pollute the pond water.  Then we decided to head into the adjacent Bosque area.  It was nice to get away from the crowds and the sound of traffic.  We walked around the 2 “Wildlife Management” ponds back there.  There is no fishing in them, so it was pretty much empty and the water was so clear.  Sean found some cat tails and had fun spreading out their seeds in the wind and getting them all over us.  After the ponds, we walked over to the Rio Grande.  The kids threw sticks into the lazy river and waved “bye” to their stick boats as they floated slowly away with the current.  Kai would throw his twigs in and say, “Di-Di”.  A pair of Canadian geese were watching us from a nearby sandbar.  It was a beautiful afternoon with the sun playing peekaboo with the clouds floating overhead. After leaving the river, we waded back through the crowds of people.

I love afternoons like this with the family.  I told Nathan that we need to take a trip up to Jemez soon, now that it is getting warmer.  I love driving up there and through the Gilman tunnels.  After our afternoon of walking we ate at Subway, made a quick trip to Tar-jay, then back home.  Subway has become one of my favorite places to eat.  If you haven’t tried their flatbread, you should… it’s like soft pita bread… so yummy, but I wish they had whole wheat flat bread.

I wanted to ignore the Shred workout (day #7) for today since we walked so much, but Nathan and I went ahead and got it done.  I’m glad I didn’t chicken out like I originally wanted.  The workout is definitely getting better.  Also it’s to the point where I pretty much have it memorized.  I’m not looking forward to moving up to level 2 on Wednesday though.  I previewed the workout and it looks tough!  I guess if it doesn’t kill me it will make me stronger?  As of Day 7 of “The 30 Day Shred”, I’ve gained 2 pounds then lost 3.  So it’s an overall loss of 1 pound.  That’s not much, but I feel good.  I notice that I have more energy, I’m sleeping better at night, and I’m getting through the cardio portions of the workout much easier.  Yay!

I’m surprised at how the workout is improving with each passing day.  The first day I wanted to barf.  The second and 3rd days, not as much.  Yesterday, not at all.  Today, I felt strong aside from a little knee pain.  I’m not so mad at Jillian Michael’s anymore and I didn’t pretend I was punching her when we did the cardio punches.

I didn’t want to workout today because I had a slight headache and I was SURE that working out would make it worse.  I decided to give it a go and then stop if it kept getting worse after a little while.  During the workout, I realized that my headache was gone!  I think the  headache is from being dehydrated.  I need to remember to increase my water intake since I’ve started working out.  I bought some coconut water (my favorite-est drink ever!) to drink only after my workouts… It’s my little reward for sweating like a pig.

I like how quick the Jillian Michael’s workout is, but I’m finding that it leaves my muscles really tight.  There’s not enough stretching in the cool down for me.  I’m thinking about adding in some pilates and/or yoga into the mix.  Maybe not necessarily a full workout… Just some quick exercises or positions.

Accomplished day 3 of the “30 Day Shred”.  We are still on level 1 for 1 more week, then bump it up to level 2.  I didn’t feel like barfing at all today, so that’s encouraging.  Does any one else get a beet red face when they workout?  It’s really odd how red my face gets.  It’s not just my cheeks… it’s my whole face… beet red… If you know how tan I am, then you know it has to be lot of color to show up that much.  I tried some 3 pound weights during a small portion of the workout, but it was too easy.  I think I’ll stick with 5 pounders.

I haven’t taken measurements, but I have weighed myself.  I’ve gained 2 pounds since last weekend… that’s weighing in the morning before eating anything.  That’s how things go for me… I put on muscle really quickly, but shed fat slooooowly.  It’s annoying, but what can you do?  I know after continuing this for a while, the extra muscle will help shed (or “shred”) more fat.

So I finally decided to start working out more (that means more than “not at all”) and eating better because Kai is now almost 19 months old and someone asked if I was expecting again.  I pointed at my pooch and said, “No, this is just leftover from the last one.”  🙂  I totally do look like I could be well on my way to having another baby… and I have to admit, I still have kept some maternity shirts around because most of my non-maternity clothing is really not that flattering on me.  I was wearing a maternity sweater when I was asked if I was expecting again… it has been banished to the back of the closet since then.

I also need to get on track health-wise because a whole slew of bad genes runs in my family… you name it… diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol… I’ve already had high cholesterol, but was able to get that back to normal without meds.  Right now I have borderline high blood pressure, so I need to try to get that under control.  As for diabetes, I’ve had gestational diabetes for my last 2 pregnancies, but thankfully, things returned to normal after having the wee ones.  But that also puts me at even greater risk of getting diabetes as I get older.  My doctors tell me that it’s not “if” I get it… it’s “when” I get it.  So maybe I can delay it as long as possible???  Hope so!

I’m feeling strong and I’m liking the slightly sore feeling in my arms… it makes me feel like I accomplished something.  But let me just say… Ab work is really killer after having 3   c-sections.  Oy!