A Bad Day for the Better

First off, let me say so sorry I haven't posted in so long.  I was constantly thinking, "I should blog about this," but never getting around to it.  My plan is to make it a habit again.  Like I said, my PLAN. :)

There have been a lot of changes around our house in a short time.  6 weeks ago Harrison was born.  2 weeks ago we did a MAJOR overhaul of our eating habits.  And, as of yesterday, we have drastically cut tv time.

For the most part, Reagan has done really well adjusting to her new little brother.  But there has been an increase in the whining and crying when she doesn't get her way.  We had finally gotten it under control and now I feel like we're staring all over again.

We now eat mostly non-processed, whole foods.  I've even been buying organic when possible.  This isn't a diet, it's a life-style change.  No more fast food 4 times a week (or any times a week for that matter), junk food, or frozen meals.  Now we eat lots of fresh veggies and fruits as well as lean proteins and a few whole grain carbs.  Justin has also started the Focus T25 workouts.  He lost over 10 pounds in just 2 weeks as well as several inches.  I lost about 3 pounds while still drinking lots of Dr. Pepper (which I will be weaning off of).  We want to be healthy and we want our kids to be healthy.  As you can imagine, it's hard taking an almost 4 year old from chicken nuggets, twinkies, and cheese-its to baked chicken with onions and red peppers.  So hard, in fact, that Reagan will be eating said baked chicken for her 5th meal in a row for breakfast.  She refused to eat at all Sunday night and has been getting the same plate of food at every meal since then.  She is one stubborn girl, choosing to take punishments rather than eat the food she doesn't want.  I'm really hoping she will finish it in the morning.  Every meal time she cries and whines about it and takes at least an hour to eat three bites.

Yesterday we implemented a rule of one hour of tv or computer time during the day. It's for myself as well as Reagan.  I want to make an effort to be more present, stay on top of household duties, and spend more time actually doing things with her.  I don't want her spending all day staring at a screen.  We need to be learning about God more.  Learning in general more.  We are going to homeschool so we need to get into the habit of doing some activities related to that.  After a few activities Reagan spent the entire day asking what we can do while we take a break from the tv.  All my suggestions were followed by, "I don't want to."  Even my suggestion to go play outside which she normally loves.  She moped on the couch and whined and cried about it.

Oh yeah, and during all this I was tending to a 6 week old who was screaming if he wasn't being held while cooking and attempting to work on a few other things.

I don't say all this to say "poor me."  I say all this because even though it was a REALLY hard day, I know we are doing what's best for our family.
We want to take care of the bodies God gave us.
We want to grow closer together.
We want our focus to be on God, not this world.
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:15-17 
We are trying to remember what things actually matter, and what things don't.  We want Reagan to grow up knowing that God is first.
" But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."  Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) 
We need to show her that example of spending time in the Word of God, in prayer, in teaching her about Him.
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."  Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NKJV) 
It has eternal importance not only for us, but also for Reagan and Harrison.

 So while this day was a bad day, it was for the better.

Weight Watching

I mentioned in my last post that I have started Weight Watchers. I'm the type of person who needs to have something or someone to be accountable to. I'm not good at making myself do it. I need a coach. But not my husband as my coach or I get mad at him. :) I started the program on January 9. I took advantage of the free sign up when you pay for 3 months in advance. I think this offer goes for another week if you're thinking about doing it, by the way. It's around $19 a month. Paying for it makes me feel like I have to stay on it or I'm just wasting money. That's a good motivator for me. Who likes to waste money? It's a good program. You don't have to completely deprive yourself. In fact, they actually give you extra points in addition to your daily points to use over the week however you want. There are some days, though, when I wish I could drink a whole 2 liter of Dr. Pepper, eat a whole chocolate cake,

and not have it count. The points are based on fat, carbs, protein, and fiber. I've also been working out. I've done some toning/light weights, some walking (when it's been warm enough), and some Zumba. I ordered the videos with b-day money and it is definitely a workout!

So I guess you'd like to know how it's all going. In the first two weeks I lost 6 pounds, then another pound the third week. The next three weeks I didn't loose any, but I was definitely getting smaller and could feel a lot more muscle than before. It was pretty discouraging to do all this work and not see the scale move. This week I finally lost more weight, a little over 3 pounds. So far I've lost a little over 10 pounds and several inches. I've got 17 pounds more to meet my goal. If I can keep up my motivation I know I'll get there, eventually.

I didn't take an official before picture but here's one from Halloween. You can't see all of me but you can see from this one and the next that my middle is definitely getting smaller.

This was taken the other night. I couldn't wear this shirt before because it stuck to my "back fat." :)

This is from the summer of 08. I want to look like this again!

Weight Watchers and working out is definitely working. I wish I could just make it work faster! :)