Ok so in tracking my wt. loss I am now down 20lbs (3 dress sizes) WOO HOO!! I have not been to the gym this week because of having to work extra to cover for a co-worker who is on vacation (last day is today & I am so happy!!). I will start back with cardio next week & strength training soon afterwards. I am so lovin the new (improved) body! Its weird how working on your body, & seeing results, makes you realize how many other parts of your life need work, I have used it as a life lesson. Working with the trainer took dedication & commitment. I had to make a decision and say 'I am going to do this, no matter what'. Ill admit it wasnt dramatic, I was like 'you know what? I wanna look better then this in my clothes' & from that thought the trek began. I didnt see results for a while & I did not like the diet change that came with it either but when my husband looked at me and said " are you losing weight?" it was awesome! I have stayed strong ever since. I have found other things in my life I want to improve & I am setting my course to do them as well. It seems easier to perfect the physical things then the spiritual but I will not be discouraged. I now know Gods plan for my life & even though I look at him & say 'you want ME to do that?!', I trust Him... just like I trusted my trainer. I followed everything the trainer said to do; ate the foods he said, did the machines he told me,etc... Because of it I feel better, I look better & I have had a positive influence on other women. They assume I know what Im doing & I know the way when in reality Im just following good directions. I plan to have the same results spiritually. I admit a few times I have resorted to my old thinking(spiritually- by being tempted with unpleasant thoughts & physically- with that new bacon cheeseburger at Wendys, which I havent eaten... yet, lol)But I have to recognize it & shut it down quick or I will lose all of the ground I have gained. Its not always easy & it does take sacrifice (I mean have you seen the bacon cheeseburger... mama mia!!) but if I want to perfect myself it takes sacrifice. I look forward to fulfilling my purpose & I refuse to look back on the time I wasted.

Ok scratch the 2nd flu on my previous. My recent illness (in order of appearence) are flu-sciatica-strep throat, all with no rest days. Good news is when I get rid of this junk I will be done for good with being sick, right?

OK well its a while, i know. just popped in to do a quick update. ok lets see whats happened 'of interest' in my life? Well for starters with my workouts I have lost 2 sizes!! I am quite excited, I must say. I was very dedicated to my routine. Now for those of you that caught the word 'was' lemme just explain... I was working out the exact amount my trainer advised me to & was trucking along just fine. I mastered my eating (which I still do very well with) & was doing the exact machines for the exact times he said until... my back totally 'went out'. I could barely walk much less known, workout so for the past 2 wks I have been paranoid to eat, lol. I did manage to get to the doctor who 'fixed me up' (I was told it was sciatica) & i was then able to go back to part of my routine, well for one day then I was so wiped with the flu it was very difficult to go back. I am still quite motivated & plan to return to my regular gym activities asap. I will say I do NOT like going to the gym I am doing it because I am seeing such awesome results, again I do NOT like it, lol... Another good thing that has come out of it is that 3 ladies that I work with have been inspired to join the gym themselves! So I was excited about that.
Now on to other events. lets cover the recent illnesses. Jack- fine, Sydney- flu like symptoms, Casey flu like symptoms, ear infection & oh yeah a busted eardrum... yeah you heard right. Its still draining a good amount (yes I have googled it & consulted her peds) apparently its not that big of a deal so I wont worry. I had flulike symptoms, back pain then the rest of the flu like symptoms (you know because it wasnt completely done). Of course Bowie hasnt had any problems so thats good cuz he has to work ;-D.
Well our Summer has come to an end & we are preparing the kids for private school this year which is a big change for all of us. We are nevertheless, all excited. My little Casey will probably have to adjust the most because she will be all alone all day while the kids go to school. But alas she will be fine. Well kind folks this is all for now. Perhaps my nexte wont take as long to come ;-). goodbye to all... for now.

Last day of swim class!!!

Well yesterday was the last day of swim class, HALLELUJAH!!!!! I am quite exhausted to say the least. Sydney didnt make it thru the class, I pulled her out after the first week since she was taking WAAAY to long to 'catch on' & was tying up the teacher too long with her trying to coax Syd into the water day after day (after day). In the beginning she was very nonchalant about being pulled from class & gave a 'whatever' attitude when I announced that she was not going back, but neither one of us were prepared for the [mini] 'fanfare' that they get on the last day. All parents were allowed in & they taking pics while the kids showed their stuff. I suspect she was a little jealous but kept her cool very well. My Jack Jack did SOO good. Yes he was nervous but he rocked the house! He did a cannon ball, showed his 'backstroke' & did his 5 'bobs' all by himself! I am still gleaming. Whew!
Now to switch subjects. I have been working out with personal trainer assist for 3 weeks now. I have joined a great gym & I am determined. I am now up to doing pull ups (yay!) & am seeing such results. The results are not just physical but I am noticing discipline as well. I am getting up much earlier that I used to (I still dont like it but I am doing it), eating much better & per a co-workers suggestion, I am considering taking up running, a sport which I used to hate. I feel like the exercise Im doing is never enough (even though I am doing exactly what Im told) so Im trying this to see if it is something I may like... we'll see. Maybe another thing to get involved with.

First day of swim class

As is common among my peers @ this age, a lot of my friends are having babies. I have myself on such a schedule that I kno another baby is in 'the works' for us soon I just dont know when to 'schedule it'. I have certain criteria for my pregnancies, so to speak. I do not want a December or January baby (too busy that time of year & I dont want the babys bday to get lost in all of that). I have one in Feb, March & April already so those months are out. May is great but my grandmother says too many other bdays r then so its 'not good for her'. June is decent (its in the running) & July & August are TOO HOT to be 9mos pregnant!!! September is also 'ok' but youd still be in the final trimester in the heat (not an option). October is actually a decent month & November is my bday month so I wouldnt mind having a lil one then either. So to review: the months I am 'open to deliver' are June, October & November. That puts me getting pregnant in September, January or February. hmm now that I look @ it like thats its do-able... ok well one of my future post may be in direct relation to this one.

In other news the kids started their swimming lessons today. I was excited in the beginning but once I saw their fear & knew I couldnt swoop down & comfort them immediately I became nervous. Jack started crying with fear over the part where they have to put their heads in the water & although Sydney usually pounces on the opportunity to show him up by making sure she shows everyone she can do better then him, she didnt this time & followed in his footsteps of crying. I figured when he got over it & started participating that she would follow in those footsteps as well but... well she didnt. She was very upset with herself for that & needed some TLC after class. After dinner I had them put their swimsuits back on (with goggles) & we played 'who can hold their face in the water the longest' in the tub. Sydney won, of course. I cant wait to see how much this little excersize has actually helped tomorrow in class.

the Tooth Fairy

Ok yes my children believe in the tooth fairy- dont judge me, lol. Do I wish I hadnt told them... yes sometimes but whats done is done rite? OK well because 'the tooth fairy' kept forgetting to put the money under the pillow @ night 'she' came up with a plan. 'She' told me to tell the kids that 'she' was only paying for the first 4 teeth & none after that. The kids, not knowing any better, were ok with it. Well yesterday Sydney lost her 4th tooth & last night when she put the tooth in the envelope she wrote her name in cursive. She made such a big deal that the tooth fairy commented on how nice her handwriting is. Well this morning she was soo excited on the comment that was left. She got $3 &when I asked if she was happy with her money she said " When I opened the envelope I just saw $1 & then I opened it a little more & saw the other $2 & I was happy." I said what would you have done if you only got $1? She said (with the straightest face) I wouldve left a note for the the tooth fairy that said 'I dont care if you like my cursive, you owe me money for my 5th tooth!" I almost lost it trying not to laugh...

Well today is the first day of... well i kno Im supposed to say 'the rest of my life' for this time alone I will say something different. Today is the first day of...of... well ill just say of my blogging life. I have never done this before but I have been told by a few people (mom & Beki) that I should do it. I think because they dont want to miss any of my humorous family moments, or my take on those moments anyway. Ill warn u ahead of time I am an avid texter so if I slip into txt tlk (text talk) then youll just have to overlook it, especially if I am updating this from my blackberry (aka the best phone ever).
I guess I should start with a minor introduction for those who dont know me that well but were, somehow, sucked into this blog. I am a 32 y/o married, Christian, mother of 3 (so far) who was homeschooling but is probably putting the kids in private school this year, well see (a different blog for a different day). I work part time as a nurse (LPN) at a local 'Mental Wellness Center'. I am the 2nd of 10 kids (yes, same parents) & I am the oldest gurl (I shouldve been the only gurl but why bring that up right?). Im really grateful for the wonderfulness that is my life. I have an AWESOME [tolerant] husband, 3 WONDERFUL kids, great family & friends & I belong to a radical, on fire church! I love humor & making others laugh... usually @ the expense of others too!
Here is where I will detail the people in my family so when I speak of them you will have a small glimpse in to who I am talking about.

Dennis- My husband, numero uno, head honcho, my rock, head of the house, king of the castle, tha man (looking over shoulder to ask him- "is that good enough honey?"). If you kno anything about the temperaments he is a Phlegmatic/Melancholy 50/50 split (if u dont know what im talking about google Tim Lahaye &/or temperaments). He is a honest to goodness "good man". Hes an awesome husband, wonderful father & loyal friend (sounds like a eulogy doesnt it... but its all true). He a country man that learned the hard way why his family stayed away from [us] city folks & raised him in the country (we are truly from a different plant). He is a man of many words with few jokes. He has a dually (truck) & I have often commented that it is his 1st wife, as much time as he spends with it. He enjoys cleaning, making others clean, seeing what others (namely I) havent cleaned & cleaning some more. When hes done with that he enjoys cleaning other peoples stuff (or telling them how to), caring for his truck, lawn care (doesnt have to be our lawn)or looking over the checkbook with a fine toothed comb (or what i like to call 'my sick days'). He does actually hav other hobbies but he doesnt do them as much as he does those...

Jackson- my 7yr old son who is very quiet, sweet, reserved & comical in his own way. Temperament wise (yes I will be using them a good bit) he is a [primary] phlegmatic 80-90%. He loves video games, carbs, almond milk, teasing people occasionally, video games, his family & being comfortable. oh & did I mention video games?

Sydney- My 6 yr old dtr who is my clone. She resembles me so much with the way she acts, talks, orders people around, & even looks (except she has her dads chin). She is extremely family oriented & is NOT happy if we do not eat dinner together as a family (a ritual I sometimes wish I had not started, lol). She loves to go places, getting her nails done, hates dresses (although she has informed me that she will wear skirts for June & July & if I wanted her to wear a dress I could tell her in Aug bcuz thats 'when shell think about wearing one' & then it has to be a summer dress that she has pre-approved... lets just say she wore a dress that day. It went perfectly with her pout & red eyes). She is so cute & sweet [most times] & she is thinking of taking dance lessons... she has informed me. She is an excellent big sister to the next child...

Then theres Casey...sigh. I have often said she has the 'most interesting traits' from both my husband & myself, which say with as much sarcasm as possible. Casey is my 27 month old. She is very funny, cute & sassy... & she knows it. She loves being the center off attention, likes going places with daddy & the 1st wife (aka the truck). She is late to bed & early to rise & she was just potty trained. It went so well that I think she actually knew how to do it & was secretly going on her own all this time & when she saw she could get some gummy bears out of it she played the role of the 'potty training toddler'. She is a bit dramatic (a lot like my sister, Cat... more on her later) & can cry on cue...no tears yet but the noise is all there. My siblings have taught her to say 'yo mama' but instead of it she says "my mama!", so if someone calls her a name instead of saying 'yo mama!' she says "My mama!". I am tired of trying to correct her... & really who cares.

My other family consists of my siblings, whom I will not go into to detail bout, will be referred to by name & rank (# in the family) but to give you a heads up I will list them in order of appearance. Hasani (the loner) #1 (just break down the word phonetically, it rhymes with Dasani, u kno the water), Me #2, Jared #3 (aka occasional thorn in my side), Quincy #4, Chris #5, Frank #6, Cathy #7, Ebony (aka Eba) #8, Wilbari (sound it out folks. I may occasionally refer to him as Wilbur, our grandfather whom hes named after) #9 & Veronica #10. My Parents who after 10 kids & almost 30 yrs of marriage are divorced, when people ask why they did I just say they finally found a hobby besides... well refer to the amt of kids. Dad is now remarried, how anyone could marry a man with 10 kids is beyond me, he would so be in the friends category if it were me ( and by that I mean 'other people friends, not mine). Anyway as if that werent enough I am going to stop for now. I look forward to journal-ing my life & the comments I get from others about it. I will try to update often even if its a short one. Thanks for taking this journey with me. Enjoy!