Thursday, February 29, 2024

My Health Journey

 If you have read any posts previously you know that I have a large (by today’s standards) number of children—5. And that’s all well and good by itself but then you realize that I had them all within 7 years. And that makes it more interesting on my body. Then throw in the fact that I’ve bounced around each pregnancy with either being borderline diabetic, having nothing wrong, or having gestational diabetes. The last pregnancy I was only borderline diabetic but I had a massive amount of extra fluid—as if I was diabetic—and it was so concerning that they made me take the sugar test THREE times! And never figured out what was wrong or why I had so much fluid that I was basically carrying twins. It was only this last year (over three years later) that I discovered my thyroid had gone out. When I first started taking my thyroid medicine I was so amazed at how I actually felt like myself for the first time since before I got pregnant. Then about two weeks in the feeling was gone. I guess I still have energy but it doesn’t seem like enough, I still drag and get tired but can make it through the day. While discussing it with a friend she was talking about her low estrogen issues and I thought—maybe that’s what’s wrong! So I did what every woman who has an older sister does and I called my big sis. She just happens to be in medical school—I know, I’m lucky—and we discussed how I got my gallbladder removed before we had Gabby and it had been packed with stones. She told me that it was caused by my body not processing cholesterol correctly and that made sense because the thyroid hormone is a cholesterol based hormone. I was floored. I asked her what her opinion was on if I could have low estrogen and she said it was highly likely since that was also a cholesterol based hormone. 🫠 I immediately ordered an estrogen cream and an accompanying progesterone supplement to begin taking that in my daily routine so I can test my theory out. So far it’s working. My mood seems stable, I’m not rubber banding all over the place, my level head has returned. I have decent energy and motivation and I just feel more like myself. πŸ₯° but I’ll be honest, I’m still tired a lot. However, I feel like a big portion of that is due to my weight. Every pregnancy my weight has gone up, and then I loose it after the baby starts nursing—until about three months in and then I gain everything back plus more. After Gabby (#5) was born I was dedicated, we joined the YMCA and I did Zumba and weightlifting courses and was there 5 days a week. I lost about 27 lbs and then plateaued for a month. Then I gained every pound back after a holiday break turned into a longer break and us canceling our membership. As of right now I’m almost 300 lbs. 🫣😳 I have gained 100 lbs over the course of our 14 year marriage and I hate it. Don’t get me wrong, I still look mighty fine. But I can feel the toll it takes on my body. I had been walking at the park 3 days a week for 4 months with no significant change. But I haven’t been able to do it lately due to scheduling conflicts and haven’t seen any change from that either. This is where I am right now. I feel like I need some real help and don’t know where to look. My doctor caught my thyroid but hasn’t done anything else and it’s not helping. I want to drop my weight so my body can start properly processing the things it needs. I want to avoid diabetes and as many other health concerns as much as possible. So in that attempt I have signed up for a two week trial for Noom. I don’t receive any sort of compensation for using them, I’m just trying something different to hopefully jump start my weight loss. I get very discouraged if I don’t see significant change over a month. Let’s hope I see something happen in the next two weeks. 🀞🏼🀞🏼 I am always hopeful-I know I can do it, I just haven’t found the thing that works for my body. Hang in there with me, we can do this! πŸ₯°



Back on the Bandwagon

 It’s been so long and crazy since I’ve posted here. I was looking through the posts and couldn’t believe it had been about 6 years!! In that time we’ve had two more children, we’ve moved three times, and I have even started substitute teaching in our area! I can’t believe that I’ve dropped the ball this much and I feel terrible that I used to be so involved and invested just to let it fall by the wayside. But I get why, we ended up having 5 kids in 7 years and to be honest that is crazy insane! However, I wouldn’t choose another life for anything! I love each and every one of my adorable children! They brighten the days and annoy the heck out of me simultaneously. πŸ˜‚ And that’s parenting in a nutshell. If you’re in that rut, remember, you’re not alone. I can honestly tell you that I have felt the guiding and uplifting hand of angels as I’ve struggled through the tough times. This job is worth every second! Not only because you are raising the new generation but also because I have learned so much about love and how God works as I’ve done my part. And I’m so glad that I will never be done learning with my family. πŸ₯°


But that’s not really why I decided to come on here and post again. It’s been a long journey this last year with my health. And yet I know that I have a longer road ahead. Right now I’m in the thick of this “through” season. And I had the thought, “I bet there are people with stories just like mine. Maybe they’ll appreciate knowing they’re not alone in it too.” That’s when I remembered that I have a blog! πŸ₯°πŸ˜‚πŸ«£πŸ˜… So don’t hate me, but I thought this would be a great place to talk about my struggles, what’s working for me and what’s not, and how I’m doing in my journey. If you love it, I’m so glad! And if you don’t, then you are free to click over to another site—I’m sorry it didn’t resonate with you, thanks for coming by! So while I hope that you get something from this, I’m really doing this for me. I am hoping that maybe I can start to see the difference in myself while holding myself accountable in some regards and not make it as widespread as Facebook. πŸ˜³πŸ˜… With that being said I hope you take this journey with me! We might laugh together, cheer together and probably cry together too. Thank you for coming along with me, I look forward to seeing you soon!

Saturday, November 18, 2017

Rental Adventure

Wow, guys. Seriously, I just fixed our computer so that we can finally use it again. It has taken me this long to do it, but I'm just glad it's finally working!!! Now I just have to figure out how to fine-tune my fix. But anyways, what y'all stopped by to actually see!

These photos are straight and not touched up!! :) We are super pleased with how it all came together! And don't look too closely in a few places because I still have to do the final once over.

                                                                                                                                                                    House Front



I don't have the before for the hallway but here's how it looks now.



 Stairs ;)
                                                             Half Bath













              

  Living Room



                                                                     

 Master Bedroom


                                                                              Master Closet ;)

Kitchen Before














                                                                     After





































So it's kind of hard to see in the before pictures but it was trashed. The previous tenants had smoked inside when they weren't allowed and it had permeated a lot. We painted all the walls/ceilings/base boards, put in all new lighting, and installed new carpet. It was a lot of work but I'm glad it's done and I'm glad we have some nice tenants. We are excited about the future!

Have a great day!!

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Adventures and Updates

I feel like if I had a theme song on this blog it'd be "Wow, it's been a while." But seriously, I can't believe it's been so long since we've had a working computer. And yes, technically our laptop does work. But that doesn't mean that I can get pictures off my camera via it. For some reason it does not read the SD cards anymore {it's really old}.
Anyways, update! We are currently in the final stretches of purchasing the duplex that we live in. Yay! After closing and when it is officially ours we will be doing some minor cosmetic renovations and then renting out the other unit. I very much look forward to closing in a couple of weeks. You can not knock the wind out of my sails about becoming a property owner {even if it comes with being a landlord too}. I will say that this news probably takes a few people by surprise due to the fact that we haven't really been talking about it a whole lot. I think to a certain extent we just didn't want to jinx it and have to tell everyone that it fell through. But believe it or not it's happening! And it has been quite the roller coaster of emotions.
Blaine, my sweet little boy is finally one! Officially has been for a couple weeks. He is super funny and super smart! Everyday he learns something new and surprises me. He walks, says small words like "Mama," "Dada," and "Stop it." And he loves to make noises with his mouth--which is new, the girls had minimal interest in it. He really is a cutie and I can't wait to post more fantastic photos of him soon.
We went on vacation in April. So I'll have to post photos of that too....
Y'all, seriously. Thank you for staying with me on this whole blog thing. It's a juggling act and I'm still trying to perfect mine. ;)

Promise to write soon!!

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Life be crazy

As I'm sure all of you can relate, the holidays were crazy. This past year they took a new level of energy out of me and I'm still not 100% sure that I've recovered from them. But I think that probably has to do with our computer crash. Mostly because nothing is easy to do technologically anymore. I mean seriously, when I can't print a coupon from the laptop we are using as a desktop and it won't print from a mobile app (thanks, Disney) you go a little crazy. I even went so far as to call customer support on that one, and they just said, "Sorry, sucks to be you. Go somewhere that you can print from your computer." No coupon code or nothing.

But anyways. On a brighter note, I'm am excited for our sweet little girls! They started gymnastics a couple weeks ago and are loving it! They have done really well and their teachers tell us every week that they are doing great and fit right in. They even love it so much that Hazel will be having her birthday party there, and I'm looking forward to it :) There's a lot of prep work that I'm trying to get out of the way--so the big day runs smoothly--but at least I've got a month to do it. Cross your fingers with me that it all turns out!!

Blaine is crazy fast, now! Especially considering that he used to just sit in one place. Now he crawls, has 2 teeth, and says "Mama" & "Dada". He is really getting there at 8 months now! It's hard to believe but it's true. Sorry there aren't any pictures. I really hate that, but alas I have to get creative to get them off of the nice camera. ;) It's a work in progress--such is life, lol. I have decided that to be the mom of a boy you can't take things too seriously. Because that little boy will laugh at everything you do. And if you are being too serious, he will just provide the comic relief himself with some farty noise. Yes, it has been my experience that this little trick starts early. So just go with it when you don't absolutely have to be serious. That is one of the things that I love Jamie for. He keeps me light-hearted. Being a mom is tough enough, just have fun with it.

So, yeah. We are having fun in our chaotic little corner of the world and are glad that you're still wondering. Stay tuned for when I can finally get our pictures up. Hope you are having a bright and sunny day! :)

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Decorations!!

Whew! I tell you what. There is no judging here for busy moms. I keep up with the holidays in real-life, but my online presence is a bit lacking. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you our porch decor for this Halloween. To tell you the truth, I've already turned our pumpkins into pumpkin-mash perfect for pumpkin rolls and pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas (or just whenever I feel like eating a delicious pumpkin treat ;) ).


Here's the porch on a whole :)

 These were the best of the pumpkin carving, etc.


And of course, the handsome boy and his cute mom ;) In the background is my amazing Super Saturday craft from last year getting a call-back. 

Now we are gearing up for Thanksgiving and Christmas here in our house. We might go ahead and set up the tree, but I have a stalwart tradition of decorating it on Thanksgiving. Don't worry, it won't be completely plain because it's pre-lit.I think I'm gonna take a day with the girls and do some Christmas ornaments, they had a ton of fun last year doing that and I think we'll make some more (the cat broke most of the clay ornaments last year). 

Be on the lookout for our Christmas decor and our 6 month photos! Both should be up soon! :)

Friday, October 28, 2016

Scripture Reading Chart

Today our computer crashed with my efforts for a scripture chart. So what did I do? I downloaded an app and made a new one on the iPad, lol. With that said I want to share it with all those who might like it. It's just a simple print that you can print in whatever size you want. I'll be posting it in jpeg format and PDF so you can use whatever format you like best. (I prefer the jpeg so that all I have to do is click print and my printer options will let me change the size...) At any rate, here it is!

As soon as I figure this out, lol...

UPDATE!!!  Here is the Google Drive file. It's the best I've got! Hope you get it!!