12/01/2011

Lots of catching up to do :/

I know I promised pictures of our North Pole breakfast with our elf the morning of, however it has been such a whirlwind week and I try to settle in my new role as a Preschool Teacher, yep, that's right! I am a PRESCHOOL TEACHER!!!! I am so excited about this new role and responsibility that God has lead me to. Everything is falling in to place and I just love every minute of it. The best part of all this, its through our church and the Children's ministry and also the same preschool the girls attend, that I already love. I thank the Lord daily for his gracious blessings and this one has fallen into place nicely. Rylee was even able to pick up a spot in the other class so that she can attend every day that Charleigh and I are there!  THANK YOU, LORD!

This was my first week of work, My Lead Teacher Kai is the most amazing person I could have been teamed with, I feel that we vibe well together and know that the rest of this semester and next will be so great, and the kids in each of our classes are the best! Their personalities are so awesome and they are all the cutest! The class I co-teach with is the 2 and 3 year olds, I am reminded daily of how amazing this age group is and I am enlightened by their joy and excitement in everything they do. I greatly appreciate this blessing so that I am able to get this experience while I continue work on my degree.

Now as promised....here are some pictures of the breakfast and what our elf Dash, has been up to!






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11/26/2011

Family Photos

I wanted to make a quick entry with a few sneak peaks at some shoots we did :)

Chris and I won a Cutest Couples contest on Facebook and here are a few little snip its from that shoot:

And here are a couple from our Family shoot we did :)

This one is one of my Favorites, I love these little girls with every ounce of my being, I cant believe how big they are getting! Cant wait to order all our prints!!!
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Ef on the Shelf

This year we are beginning a new tradition with our daughters, The elf on the shelf. Tomorrow morning our girls will wake up to a Breakfast introducing our elf! I am so excited to start this with them!!!
Here is the letter Santa sent with our elf to introduce him:
                                                                                                Christmas 2011
      My Dear Charleigh & Rylee, 
This year I have chosen to send an elf to some very special homes to help me keep an eye on the children living there and this year the Nelson’s are on the magic elf list! This magic elf comes with his own notepad, and will keep a report for me and pop into the North Pole every night while you are sleeping to report to me what you have been doing, and if you have been naughty or nice. These elves help me make the naughty and nice list, so you can be sure that this elf is watching you! I’m sure you’ll be put on the nice list! To be sure you make it on the nice list, you must remember to be kind and loving to everyone and everything. Sharing and talking nicely to others are a great ways to get on the nice list!

This elf is so excited to come to your home! Elves love surprises, this elf decided to surprise you this morning with a breakfast from the North Pole! Complete with Snow covered doughnuts, and hot chocolate! He even brought his favorite hot chocolate toppings, white and chocolate marshmallows!  He comes with a book that explains more about him and why he is spending this holiday with you. Have Daddy read it to you while you eat your North Pole breakfast from your elf.
I hope you will take care of my little elf. He is a new elf and still has a lot to learn. You get to name him as a family, make sure it is a name that everyone agrees on. Be gentle. Although he is a magic elf, he is not a toy. You can talk to him (he is a very good listener) but, there is one rule that Santa must tell you about your elf, you MUST not play with him or touch him. Too much touching will cause him to lose his magic, and then he will not be able to return to the North Pole! Although he is magic, and loves children and surprises, be careful! Some elves are known to get into some trouble or go on some great adventures! Every morning he will move places in the house, so be on the lookout for him every morning when you both get out of bed!

On Christmas Eve, I will be stopping at your home to deliver your toys, this is when your elf and I will talk about how good or bad you have been, then I will bring your little elf back to the North Pole with me. If you do a good job taking care of my precious elf, I might send one to visit you again next year!
I left a note on your plates for each of you, some things I want you to work on. Your elf will let me know if you have been improving on Christmas eve. Take care of my elf, and I’ll be checking in on you!

Love and kisses,
Santa
p.s. Please don’t forget to leave me milk and cookies on Christmas Eve! I loved the ones you left me last year! Rudolph especially liked the carrots and reindeer food!!

Tomorrow I will post pics from our breakfast!
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10/20/2011

New Goals

My goals have really helped me on my journey to stay on track, I have completed almost all of them except 2.
1. Hitting the batting cages with Chris. - I have yet to do this, mostly because his schedule is so hectic that we never have time, or time with out the girls very often.
2. Register and Run a 5k.

I am going to keep these two goals but add a new one.

3. Run every other day. - This way I can improve my time and get into this habit. I run very seldom now mostly because it hurts my knee and hips, but I if I stick with it I will improve!

4. Tone. I really want to tone up my legs, parts of my arms and my abs. I dont want super cut abs, just noticeable ones. I am very proud of how my body looks now, but just a little more wont hurt ;)


I recently had photos done for Chris for Christmas, and I am very happy with the way they turned out! Makes me very proud of all my work!

Here's a little sneaky peak!












Check out my Photographer's page if you are local!
CK Imaging
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10/13/2011

It Works Body Wrap Review

It has been a while since my last update, I have been working hard at maintaing and have even lost an extra 8 pounds! Which means I have reached my very last goal! This week I decided to purchase and try out a new weight loss technique that has become more and more popular. I first heard about It works! about 5 months ago and at the time I was so into doing this the "right" way with out any help from crazy schemes, but the more and more I heard about this product (and seen picture results from those who have tried it) I was more interested.

The “new” trend in weight loss is It Works! Wrap’s. An all-natural infused cloth that you wrap around your trouble areas, to detox, tone and tighten.  I decided to purchase a few wraps from a local distributor to try them out and see if they would really work.  Brook is a Mom of 2 and chose to become a distributor to help support her family.

I found Brook on facebook  on her business page https://www.facebook.com/brook.itworks

I asked Brook a couple questions concerning the wraps,

·         How long do results last?

“The results are just as if you went to the gym and got the results that way, they are going to last as long they would if you burned off the fat with exercise. Everybody is different but average is 3-6 months considering that most people do not eat right and exercise regularly, if you do then your results should be pretty 
permanent.”

·         How Long do you recommend leaving the wrap on?

“We recommend you only leave them on for 45-1hr your first time. The wraps are working by lipolysis which is the breaking down/shrinking of your fat cells, it also is detoxing your body as well as tightening, toning and firming up the skin. Some peoples bodies can be really toxic and if they keep the wrap on to long the first time it can make them a little sick to the stomach, if you do ok the first time then you should be safe to leave it on longer the next time but no longer than 8 hours. Also they should be left on for 45 minutes the first time in case you had a reaction, since the products are all natural I haven't ever heard of anyone having a reaction however everyone is different.”

·    I have heard of some people leaving wraps on overnight, will you get better results the longer they are left on?

 “For most people the majority of the lotion is aborted in during that first hour so it really doesn't mean you will get better results if you do leave it on longer. Once the lotion gets into your skin and starts doing its magic, it can take up to 72hrs to see the full results since it is working at a cellular level. I do notice when I wrap myself that my skin doesn't seem super absorbent so I leave mine on overnight so that it can get into my skin more. If you do unwrap and still have lotion on the wrap you can take it off and just rub in the extra lotion, 
just try to make sure you let it absorb and dry before you shower.

     How often should you wrap?

 “Since the wraps are working for 72hrs, it would be a waste of product to wrap too close together, however wrapping every 3-4 days is safe and I actually recommend wrapping once a week until you hit your goal to insure best results, the more often you keep the product in your skin, the better it’s going to work just like taking supplements-if you take them for 3 days then quit for 2, then take them again your body isn't going to get the full effect as it would if you were taking them every day. I do want to point out though that even if you 
only wrap once or twice, the wraps do work every time.”

         What is the best way to see you results?

 “I think taking before and after pictures and measuring helps you see that they are working. I always notice a big difference in my post baby tummy plus they help my stretch marks.”

·         It works! Offers a lot of other weight loss and health benefit products, what are your top favorite?

“ My other favorite products would be a tie probably, The greens-a supplement that is 8 servings of fruits and veggies plus 38 herbs and super foods that keep your body alkalized and detoxed, it just makes me feel so much healthy, kept me from getting as sick and gives me an extra boost of energy. Also the stretch mark cream, the wraps work well but since they have many uses, I like that I can use the cream every day to focus on my stretch marks, mine have went from a dark purple to a light pink/white.”

So now onto my Review, I took my before pictures, measured myself, then applied my wrap. My stomach first, then the back of my thighs. Once you place the wraps on you can feel a tingling sensation, that turns into a cooling sensation, which reminded me of the application of icy hot! Then I sat down to start the review, I ended up making dinner and taking care of my 3 and 5 year old, so the wrap is something that you can do during your daily activities. Be sure to drink LOTS of water while and after wrapping. It is detoxing your system and you need water to help flush out those nasty toxins J I felt no different during the wrap, no sickness, no change in body temp. nothing of that sort.

Here are my results:

In the past 3 days I have lost 4 pounds, I went from 135.6 to 131.8, I only worked out the day  of the wrap and on the 3rd day, both workouts were on the treadmill, the first workout I burnt 600 cals, then second workout I burnt 400 cals. I ate like normal and even went to Freddy’s for a cheeseburger and fries, and a regular soda. I have been drinking the same amount of water all 3 days as well (3-4 bottles)
Starting Measurements                                   After Wrap Measurements (Have stayed the same)
Top of Stomach (Under ribs): 27 in                            26.5 in
At Belly Button: 32 in                                                 29.5 in
Under Belly Button (waist)    34 in                            33.5 in
Left top Thigh            22in                                        21.5 in
Left bottom thigh       19 in                                        19in
Right top thigh            22 in                                        21.5 in
Right Bottom Thigh    19.5 in                                     19 in

I believe in my pics there isn’t much of a difference, just a slight, but I was so close to my goal weight (2nd goal after my 50 pound goal) that there wasn’t much left to lose in inches. More of a difference in my butt area!





If you are interested in how you can get wrapped contact Brook on her business page, or come to my wrap party this Friday evening. Message me for details J

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8/24/2011

Crossing a Few things of the 'ol 101

                                             Start Jan. 1st 2010 completed by Sept. 28th 2012

1.start a journal for each of the girls and write them a letter once a month.
2. Finish Charleigh's scrapbook
 3. Make Rylee's scrapbook
 4. Do a walk for a cause x2
 5. Put away $1.00 a day for 1000 days then spend it on a trip.
6. Learn to play golf.
7. Put away $1.00 a day for the girls for christmas next year 2010. Repeat for 2011 and 2012
8. Tell chris & the girls I love them when Im upset with them.
9. Read 50 new books (11/50)
10. Try 10 new recipes (5/10)
11. Exercise everyday except Sunday (In progress)
12.join and attend church
13. Get the girls involved in chruch
14 Write my friends a letters
15. Take more me time
16. Find a sitter & go on date night once a month.
17. Make a list of my 101 favorite songs
18. Blog at least once a month
19. Make a family scrapbook
20.  Take a picture of the 101's that mean the most
21. Go for a hike
22. Take a picture of myself every 30 days to see my work out progress
23. No more soda
24. Learn how to crochet/knit
25. No eating out during the week
26. Take a picture of my girls at least once a month
27. Make homemade cards for b-days and holidays
28. Find a pen pal
29. Volunteer 10 times
30. buy a fireproof box, fill it with personal items like the girls hospital bracelets and t-shirts
31. Keep a journal and write in it everyday
32. Make another 101 list before the end of this one
33. Send a card to: someone I know, someone I don't, and someone I love
34. Explore Kansas
35. Donate to charity
36. Take a cake decorating class
37. Dance in the rain with my girls (Do this more often!)
38. Have a dinner in with chris
39. Drink 2 glasses of water a day( Keep this up)
40. Throw a party other than a b-day party
41.write a love note and mail it to chris
42. Find something to collect
43. Campout in the yard 3 times
44. Have an outdoor movie night
45.make 3 new friends
46. Ignore the negative, concentrate on the possitive
47. Go on a weekend get away just me and my mom
48. Perform 5 random acts of kidness
49. Do something good for the earth
50.do something I haven't done since I was a kid
51. Write my mom a letter
52. Start and keep a girls night out once a month
53. write my memere a letter every month
54. Lose the baby weight!!
55. Be more confident
56. Attend story time at the library once a month
57. Get another tattoo (Plan for Christmas?)
58. Go to a dance class
59.go to a wine tasting
60. Buy 10 new nail polishes
61. paint my nails once a month
62. Send a care package to a solider I don't know
63. Read the bible front to back
64. Find 20 bible verses that mean something to me
65. Complete 200 miles in 300 days
66. Make a list of 100 reasons of why I love chris and give it to him (In progress)
67. Teach Charleigh a dance routine and let her perform it (Does the Dougie Count?)
68. Dance like crazy 1 day a week
69.sing at the top of my lungs to my favorite songs
70. Start a chain letter for kids with stickers! (In Progress)
71. Have a spa day
72. Try a new resturant
73. Buy a new ipod
74. Learn a new word every day and use it
75. Go on a honeymoon finally!
76. Be able to run a mile without dying
77. Pray everyday at meal time w/the girls
78. Take and send out a family photo
79. Decorate for every holiday
80. Stop living in sweat pants (can only wear them 1 day a week)
81. Host a cookie exchange party
82. Read a night time story every night
83. Rekindle an old friendship
84. Host a playdate once a month
85. Go back to school for early childhood edu.
86. Get charleigh and rylee in a mommy's day out program (Preschool) 
87. Take vitamins everyday
88. Get the girls baptized
89. Go on a double date 5 times
90. Do not buy any more sweats (I take this one back....I lost weight I HAD to buy new ones lol)
91. Spend more on my self
92. No more impuls buys
93.buy and wear more earrings
94. Buy and learn to walk in heals (again)
95.lose 50 lbs and reward myself
96. Follow through with # 95
97. Spend a whole day in bed as a family
98. Learn to not stress out so much
99. Realize that its ok that the laundrys not done, toys all over the floor and dinners not ready and its 7pm....its OK (Finally I am ok with this!)
100. Pay myself $1.00 for every accomplished item
101. Pay chris $1.00 for every item I don't





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8/18/2011

I DID IT!!!!!

Ladies and Genetlemen, I have reached my goal weight! In Jan I started a journey to lose 50 lbs before the next new year, To go from 189 lbs to 139 lbs.

Today, Aug. 18th I weighed in at 138.6 lbs!

This journey has taught me a lot, there were times I wanted to give up, and there were times I thought I was never going to reach my goal. But I am proof that hard work and determination will get you to where you want to be! I am so excited and so very much proud of myself!

As a little challenge, I want to keep up the hard work and lose 4 more pounds. Just to keep up the momentum! I will be posting Before and After Pictures in the next couple of days :)


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8/14/2011

Workout

When ever I start to work out (or mid workout) I start to wonder how I look. Im sure most people wonder how they look when they workout, but I always wonder if I have correct form, or mostly if I just look like an idiot! LOL
Last night I decided to have Chris take pictures of me working out....I am on Level 3 of the Shredded in 30 by Jillian Michael's. Its one tough workout!
Lung w/ab twist

Sledge Hammer


Squat Jumping jacks

"Washing Machine" like they made you do in Elementary!

Plank Twist

Stork pose with rows?

Same


Downward Dog push ups

Lunge Jumps :/

Ab Hold
So I guess I don't look tooooooo bad working out :)



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What is the reason behind it?

One of my most asked questions that I get whenever I run into someone I haven't seen in a while is, "Where did you find your motivation?"  "What made you want to lose weight?" or "Why". I guess its hard for people to understand why or my reasoning behind my weight loss, but its a question I get regularly. What is my answer? It's kinda long but I haven't really found the "short" answer to it.

Growing up I was always skinny, skin and bones for the most part. It wasn't until the end of my senior year that there was more meat on my bones, but even then I was still skinny. Toping the scale the summer after graduation at 124 lbs. It wasn't until after that first year after high school that I slowly started to gain weight. I probably hit about 145-150 before I got pregnant with Charleigh. After Rylee was born I took a back seat, here I had a newborn and a 16 mo. old. Last fall/winter I hit a rough patch, I think I went through a little bit of depression, and just quit caring about myself. I ate everything in front of me and hit a whopping 189 lbs. One day I was shopping for an outfit and I had a breakdown and cried in a dressing room, the size 16 pants were getting tight, and the XL shirts were barley fitting me. I couldn't believe how far I had let myself go. I sat crying in that dressing room for about 10 minutes. Left the clothes and vowed to NEVER go shopping again!

About a week later I stumbled across a blog post, Glamour Glory, This exact post. Here was a girl, about the same age as me, with a child the same age as Charleigh, She had lost 51 lbs. and looked amazing, and she was local! I started to follow her blog and by the end of the month I had realized that I too could do the same.  I decided that I was done with being sad about how I looked, tired of not looking the way I wanted and was done with the excuses. I found myself hiding from people I knew in stores, hiding from camera's, and not really leaving the house. I wanted to be my old skinny self again and have confidence in myself instead of hiding from myself. I was just sick of myself. I think that it was necessary for me to hit my low point to really want my transformation. Reyna kept me motivated with her blog and video's, my own weight loss throughout has kept me motivated and my followers, friends and family have kept me motivated. I am 1 pound from my goal that I started on 1/1/11, but I feel amazing, I love being in my own skin, I love the way I look and I have confidence again.

I am always getting messages and emails from people asking for my help and advice to get started, I tell them some great workouts, supplements, and diet advice, most understand that part but the one piece of advice that is most important always seems to be overlooked.....You have to be ready to NOT accept excuses from yourself. You have to want it more than anything, you have to MAKE yourself go out and workout or eat right. NO MORE EXCUSES!!!! You have to be hard on yourself and have willpower. If you can't do this then its not worth anyone's time or money to start. It's tough advice but it's the truth!

Now 8 months later I love to try clothes on, am obsessed with taking pictures of me, and can't wait to see someone I haven't seen in a while! Its amazing what a little willpower and motivation to be healthy can do!

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8/08/2011

101 Update

I found my paper list today, it has been hiding from me....I was looking through it and I realized that I have more to cross off!

Start Jan. 1st 2010 completed by Sept. 28th 2012

1.start a journal for each of the girls and write them a letter once a month.
2. Finish Charleigh's scrapbook
 3. Make Rylee's scrapbook
 4. Do a walk for a cause x2
 5. Put away $1.00 a day for 1000 days then spend it on a trip.
6. Learn to play golf.
7. Put away $1.00 a day for the girls for christmas next year 2010. Repeat for 2011 and 2012
8. Tell chris & the girls I love them when Im upset with them.
9. Read 50 new books (11/50)
10. Try 10 new recipes (3/10)
11. Exercise everyday except Sunday (In progress)
12.join and attend church
13. Get the girls involved in chruch
14 Write my friends a letters
15. Take more me time
16. Find a sitter & go on date night once a month.
17. Make a list of my 101 favorite songs
18. Blog at least once a month
19. Make a family scrapbook
20.  Take a picture of the 101's that mean the most
21. Go for a hike
22. Take a picture of myself every 30 days to see my work out progress
23. No more soda
24. Learn how to crochet/knit
25. No eating out during the week
26. Take a picture of my girls at least once a month
27. Make homemade cards for b-days and holidays
28. Find a pen pal
29. Volunteer 10 times
30. buy a fireproof box, fill it with personal items like the girls hospital bracelets and t-shirts
31. Keep a journal and write in it everyday
32. Make another 101 list before the end of this one
33. Send a card to: someone I know, someone I don't, and someone I love
34. Explore Kansas
35. Donate to charity
36. Take a cake decorating class
37. Dance in the rain with my girls (Do this more often!)
38. Have a dinner in with chris
39. Drink 2 glasses of water a day( Keep this up)
40. Throw a party other than a b-day party
41.write a love note and mail it to chris
42. Find something to collect
43. Campout in the yard 3 times
44. Have an outdoor movie night
45.make 3 new friends
46. Ignore the negative, concentrate on the possitive
47. Go on a weekend get away just me and my mom
48. Perform 5 random acts of kidness
49. Do something good for the earth
50.do something I haven't done since I was a kid
51. Write my mom a letter
52. Start and keep a girls night out once a month
53. write my memere a letter every month
54. Lose the baby weight!!
55. Be more confident
56. Attend story time at the library once a month
57. Get another tattoo (Plan for Christmas?)
58. Go to a dance class
59.go to a wine tasting
60. Buy 10 new nail polishes
61. paint my nails once a month
62. Send a care package to a solider I don't know
63. Read the bible front to back
64. Find 20 bible verses that mean something to me
65. Complete 200 miles in 300 days
66. Make a list of 100 reasons of why I love chris and give it to him (In progress)
67. Teach Charleigh a dance routine and let her perform it (Does the Dougie Count?)
68. Dance like crazy 1 day a week
69.sing at the top of my lungs to my favorite songs
70. Start a chain letter for kids with stickers! (In Progress)
71. Have a spa day
72. Try a new resturant
73. Buy a new ipod
74. Learn a new word every day and use it
75. Go on a honeymoon finally!
76. Be able to run a mile without dying
77. Pray everyday at meal time w/the girls
78. Take and send out a family photo
79. Decorate for every holiday
80. Stop living in sweat pants (can only wear them 1 day a week)
81. Host a cookie exchange party
82. Read a night time story every night
83. Rekindle an old friendship
84. Host a playdate once a month
85. Go back to school for early childhood edu.
86. Get charleigh and rylee in a mommy's day out program (Preschool) 
87. Take vitamins everyday
88. Get the girls baptized
89. Go on a double date 5 times
90. Do not buy any more sweats (I take this one back....I lost weight I HAD to buy new ones lol)
91. Spend more on my self
92. No more impuls buys
93.buy and wear more earrings
94. Buy and learn to walk in heals (again)
95.lose 50 lbs and reward myself
96. Follow through with # 95
97. Spend a whole day in bed as a family
98. Learn to not stress out so much
99. Realize that its ok that the laundrys not done, toys all over the floor and dinners not ready and its 7pm....its OK (Finally I am ok with this!)
100. Pay myself $1.00 for every accomplished item
101. Pay chris $1.00 for every item I don't

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