The Highlight of my Day: September 2008

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in September:

September 1, 2008: Brad and I bought a new computer to replace our old one. The new one is GREAT!

September 2, 2008: I started reading "The Girl with the Pearl Earring," by Tracy Chevalier. Very good book!

September 3, 2008: I went to see my new OBGYN doctor and got a helpful report back. Scott's and Emma's parent-teacher conferences turned out well, too.

September 4, 2008: I did a lot of research today on diets and other health issues. I learned a lot of new things.

September 5, 2008: My highlight of the day was walking with Scott and Emma to school. They brighten up my day. :)

September 6, 2008: We went on a special family outing to the Tracy Aviary today. I bought a peacock feather for Emma and a 3D bee puzzle for Scott.

September 7, 2008: I lost 5 pounds in the last couple of days! Plus, my body is showing other signs that my fitness plan is working great. :)

September 8, 2008: I prepared and presented a great Family Home Evening lesson tonight. The topic was on making good choices.

September 9, 2008: Emma and I played a matching game with her spelling words. She won the first round and I won the second.

September 10, 2008: Brad and I went walking in the evening with Rosie, our dog. It was nice being outdoors in such beautiful weather.

September 11, 2008: I enjoyed helping Emma with her spelling words tonight. She wrote them on the sidewalk with a piece of chalk.

September 12, 2008: Today I was happy being an aunt. I love my family.

September 13, 2008: I lost 6.6 pounds in one week! Yipeee!

September 14, 2008: I liked snuggling on the couch with Emma today. She's such a sweetie.

September 15, 2008: I took Scott to his orthodontist appointment today. Scott is almost done with Phase 1 of his treatment!

September 16, 2008: Gave Brad a massage while watching "Camelot." It was nice being together.

September 17, 2008: Today was Scott's birthday! He turned 11 years old. I made him brownies and we sang Happy Birthday to him.

September 18, 2008: I passed my 20 pound mark today! The scale and I are friends. :)

September 19, 2008: I enjoyed reading "The Maidstone Lighthouse," by Sally Smith O'Rourke. A great ghost-story/romance.

September 20, 2008: Today was Scott's birthday party with the family. Brad and I went with Bruce and Loralee to the Conference Center to listen to the O.C. Tanner's Gift of Music 2008 concert. 'Twas wonderful!

September 21, 2008: Played "Nerts" with Bradley. I like giving him a hard time. He makes me laugh. :)

September 22, 2008: Emma's reading is improving greatly! I am so proud of her.

September 23, 2008: All four of us walked to school this morning, taking Rosie along with us. It was the first time we've done this all together. It was fun.

September 24, 2008: It was nice going out to eat with my mother-in-law and Amanda's family at "Joe's Crab Shack."

September 25, 2008: I enjoyed making a poster of camp photos for the young women in our ward. It brought back fun memories.

September 26, 2008: Played "Blockus" with Bruce, Loralee, and Brad.

September 27, 2008: Spent all day with my Bradley! We went shopping, out to eat, long drive... It was nice!

September 28, 2008: We celebrated Bruce's 40th birthday today! Loralee did a great job planning the surprise.

September 29, 2008: We had a great Family Home Evening on "Graditude."

September 30, 2008: I got my teeth cleaned! Scott, Emma, and I all went to the dentist today.

My Mother

My wonderful mother turned 58 today. I just wanted to post a small message of love and gratitude to her, for I am indeed grateful for all the things she's done for me. My mother has always been a fine example of true motherhood to me. She blessed and influenced my life tremendously while I was growing up. She always made me feel secure and loved, and she always took very good care of my sisters and me. There were times when I felt she loved us more than anything in the world, because she always prioritized her time with us. She spent hours everyday with my sisters and me, forming routines to keep us happy and occupied, and to help us learn new things.

When I think of my mother, the first few words that pop in my mind are: selflessness, endurance, and love. I still have memories of her coming home from night-outs when I was a young child and always bringing my sisters and me something special. I remember thinking how unselfish she was, not keeping anything for herself. Her actions had a huge impact on me.

I am grateful for my mother. I know that her example of motherhood positively shaped who I am today. Her love, trust, and devotion taught me that love is real, and that I should never be afraid to devote my time and energy to those I love most. She taught me that love is action-- that love is a verb. She taught me that love can last forever.

Thank you, Mommy! Happy Birthday!

Simple Joys: Walking to School

I walk with Scott and Emma to school almost every morning on school days. It's a new routine that we established last May, mainly for me to get some extra exercise, but also so the kids could spend time with me. They like my company.

Yesterday was a special morning, because Brad and Rosie joined us on our walk for the first time. Brad normally goes to work early in the morning, so he has never had a chance to come, and I normally don't take Rosie on our school walks due to competition issues (the children fight who will walk next to me). But Brad was home from work and wanted to walk with us, and that meant there was enough side-space for Rosie to come along, too.

We had a wonderful time! The kids liked having Rosie and their daddy come along, especially when they got to show off Rosie to their friends. We heard many children yell out, "LOOK! There's a huge poodle!" It was entertaining to see the reactions. I guess standard poodles aren't very common around here.

Never Tasted Better

I finished Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet yesterday! Going two weeks without any fruit or carbohydrates really got to me. I was surprised that I did not crave high fat foods, like I thought I would. Instead I craved bananas, grapes, pasta, and cereal the most. This morning I had my first taste of carbs: strawberries and plain oatmeal. Believe me, they never tasted better! The strawberries were so sweet and soothing, and the oatmeal was filling and completely lov-er-ly. Who'd ever thought I'd be obsessed with oatmeal?

20 Pound Mark

I finally reached my 20 pound mark today! I've lost exactly 20.6 pounds since March 3, 2008. Almost half of the weight I lost happened this month after I started the South Beach Diet (exactly 9.6 lbs). My clothes are starting to get baggy now, and my wedding ring and watch have become more loose. My energy level has also increased. Overall, I feel healthier than I did several months ago, and I'm happier as well. :)

20.6 pounds down, 64.2 more pounds to go.

11 Years Of Scott

Scott turned 11 years old today!

Here is what Scott likes as an 11-year-old:


Favorite Foods: Pepperoni pizza, cinnamon toast, cereal, ice cream, plain hamburgers with ketchup, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
Favorite colors: red and blue
Favorite activities: building with Legos, drawing, doing art projects, playing video games, playing with cousins, playing with pet rats
Favorite subjects: science, astronomy, art
Favorite movies: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Ratatouille, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., W-A-L-L-E
Favorite animals: rats, rabbits, cats, dogs, penguins, chickens

What I have to say about Scott:

Scott is a goofy, yet lovable boy. He has a great sense of humor, and loves to tease and make others laugh in a fun way. He's an introvert by nature, but he's not quiet around close family members and friends. Scott is very detail oriented. He loves creating things with his hands, especially if it involves Legos. He loves to cuddle and kiss, and will never hesitate to say "I love you" to me or his daddy. He and I get along very well together because we have so many things in common, including our love for art and interest in biology. Scott is very smart, and always excels in school. He loves learning new things and asking questions. I love having discussions with him, because he always has interesting viewpoints about things. I admire him and love him dearly.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SCOTT!

Weight-loss

The idea behind weight loss is simple--burn more calories than you eat.

Exercise more and eat less.

Then why is it so dang hard?

I have been in huge battle with my weight ever since my late teens. I was able to lose weight several different times, the most being 65 pounds when I was twenty, but I always ended up gaining the weight back-- sometimes gaining more weight than before.

The frustration of gaining weight after trying so hard to lose it sometimes feels unbearable. But I have learned to not beat myself up about it. Right now I am in the state of mind to “never give up, never surrender.” I’m on my own personal weight-loss quest, and it sure is not easy sometimes. Losing weight can be a struggle for me-- a constant battle.

I decided to conquer my weight earlier this year in March. I came up with a brilliant plan that included a regular exercise routine, no soda, lots of water, and healthy foods. The first month I lost 6 pounds. HOORAY!!! But the second month I hit a plateau and neither gained nor lost weight. Frustrated, but still determined, I continued to keep away from soda and bad foods, and I exercised daily (except on weekends). Sadly, despite my efforts, I did not lose a single pound during the month of May.

Once again, I was frustrated and downhearted, but I still remained determined to conquer my excess weight. I began keeping a daily journal to record my fitness progress. I wrote down everything I ate, how much I weighed each morning, what I did for exercise that day, and how much water I drank. I discovered through my record keeping that I did MUCH better when I had to report what I ate every day. I was very careful not to add that extra little snack when I thought I was hungry, because I felt guilty writing it down, so I ate better. I decided to add more fruit to my diet. I replaced my breakfast meals with only fruit and stopped eating starchy foods. From the end of June until the end of July I lost another 7 pounds. HOORAY!!!

But when August came around, I fell off the band wagon once more, hitting a four week plateau, and only losing one pound during the entire month. I began to get the old feelings back of frustration, sadness, eagerness, and downheartedness.

Things began to get better in September. I was finally able see my OBGYN doctor on September 3rd, after waiting two months to see him. After he examined me and asked me questions about myself, we began to discuss health issues. When it was time for him to counsel me about what I needed to do to improve my health, the first thing he said was “You need to lose some weight.” I felt like saying, ‘DUH! Obvious! I’ve been trying to lose weight forever.’ He then proceeded to tell me that I had a condition called PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), which is basically a reproductive disorder of my ovaries and hormones. My condition has been affecting my hormonal levels, causing me to be infertile, pre-diabetic, and unable to lose weight easily. ‘WOW,’ I thought. ‘That actually makes sense.’ So he put me on several medications, including fertility pills, and told me to start going on the South Beach Diet.


THE SOUTH BEACH DIET
I had heard the name mentioned before, but I had no idea what the South Beach Diet was. My mother-in-law became interested in the diet as well, so she checked out a couple of books from the library. We learned from reading the books that the South Beach diet is a high vegetable and protein diet. The first two weeks are very strict and difficult, but definitely worth it in the end, because you lose the most weight during the first two weeks than you do at any other time. The first two weeks are designed to help you stop craving, so you don’t eat any starchy, sugary, or foods high in carbohydrates (no bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, corn). Basically, the only foods you are allowed to consume during the first two weeks are green vegetables, meat, and a few dairy products.

I started the South Beach Diet last week on September 5. Within seven days I lost a total of 6.6 pounds. My mother-in-law, who is an avid white bread, bacon, and popcorn eater, lost about 8 pounds in one week. And even my husband, who isn’t really on the diet, lost 5 pounds because our dinner menu had changed. INCREDIBLE!

So, my quest to lose weight continues to move forward. I am confident that I will succeed in reaching my ultimate goal-- to get pregnant-- within the next several months. But even if I don’t get pregnant right away, I won’t mind losing the weight in the mean time. I’m looking forward to wearing some of my old clothes again.

17 pounds down, 67 more to go!

Liberty Park and Tracy Aviary

Last Saturday our family went to Salt Lake City's Tracy Aviary inside Liberty Park. We had a picnic lunch at the park before we went to see the birds. After lunch, Scott and Emma took off running to the large hill over by the lake. They kept racing up and down the hill, and Emma even tried rolling down it. I took lots of photos.

My favorite birds inside the aviary were the South American cuckoos. I liked them mainly because they were very, very friendly and curious. We walked up to their cage and they immediately came flocking down to see us. We could pet their feathers through the cage, and feed them leaves. They were so cute!

We saw many other gorgeous birds inside the aviary, including owls, eagles, flamingos, condors, parrots, and peacocks. Emma collected a bunch of feathers during our stay there. She loves collecting them. At the end of our outing I bought Emma a bird whistle (which turned out to be broken, unfortunately) and a long peacock feather. Scott got a 3D wooden bee puzzle, which he immidiately put together shortly thereafter.

We had a wonderful family outing. It was nice being all together again.

Ariel's Dress

Have you ever said an usual phrase and then realized, after you said it, that it was completely original, and may never again be repeated in your lifetime? I had one of those moments early this morning.

It was an ordinary morning. Nothing unusual. Brad and I returned from our workout at our local gym, ready to start another busy day. I immediately went inside the bathroom after we got back to freshen up. While I was in there, I noticed that Emma left her Ariel toys inside the bathtub. I sighed when I remembered that I told Emma to put away her toys when she was done with her bath last night. She obviously forgot. When I returned to our room, Brad began changing out of his gym clothes and started heading for the opened bathroom door.

"I'm going to take a shower," he announced casually.

"Okay," I replied. "Make sure to take Ariel's dress out of the drain."

Brad paused abruptly when he heard my words. I heard him chuckle and turned to look at him.

"That sounded reeeally strange," he said with a grin.

I began to laugh, not realizing until then how weird my previous comment had been.

Life sure is entertaining when you have kids living at home.

"Make sure to take Ariel's dress out of the drain."

My Daily Highlights in August

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in August:

August 1, 2008: I babysat my niece and nephew today. Charlotte and Aksel are a handful, but they are adorable!

August 2, 2008: Helped Rachel pick out her engagement photos. She's so beautiful!

August 3, 2008: Spent time with my wonderful hubby. :)

August 4, 2008: My "Breaking Dawn" book arrived!

August 5, 2008: Went to girls camp with the Young Women. I got lost hiking, but found my way back again.

August 6, 2008: I had a great time camping, playing games, making fires, laughing!

August 7, 2008: Returned home from camp and reunited with my family. Scott and Emma are home!

August 8, 2008: Played "Clue" with Scott and Emma.

August 9, 2008: Took the kids to Bruce and Loralee's house to play with cousins.

August 10, 2008: Amanda and her kids came for dinner tonight.

August 11, 2008: My body is adjusting well to my weightloss! :)

August 12, 2008: Read "Breaking Dawn." Loved it!

August 13, 2008: The scale was very nice to me this morning.

August 14, 2008: Played games with Scott and Emma.

August 15, 2008: Played "Tomb Raider" with the kids. Had fun making them scream. :)

August 16, 2008: Went swimming at Aunt Marian's house.

August 17, 2008: Scott beat Brad and me at "Clue" for the first time.

August 18, 2008: Went to the library and Walmart with my hubby. I liked the one-on-one time.

August 19, 2008: I called my mommy and talked to her for a while.

August 20, 2008: Snuggled up with Brad and watched "Sense and Sensibility."

August 21, 2008: Finished reading "Keep Your Mouth Shut and Wear Beige," by K. S. Seidel.

August 22, 2008: Bought a new updated printer so I can print out photos!

August 23, 2008: I enjoyed watching the Olympics with Brad.

August 24, 2008: It was Margaret's birthday! We had a party at our house and invited all of Brad's siblings over.

August 25, 2008: The four of us watched "Nanny McPhee" together as a family. Emma particularly loved it.

August 26, 2008: I absolutely loved helping the kids with their homework tonight. I missed that over the summer.

August 27, 2008: Had an ice cream sundae party with Miss Emma-Roo.

August 28, 2008: Drove to a "Where's Waldo" activity with Chelstien and Corinne in the car with me. Hilarious girls!

August 29, 2008: Went to the fabric store with Margaret, Loralee, and Jessica. Loralee is making dresses for Emma and me.

August 30, 2008: Our last pool party for the summer! Brad and I went to the Harman's and had a wonderful time. Later we took Uncle Gordon to watch "Dark Knight" at Jordan Commons IMAX theater.

August 31, 2008: Brad and I enjoyed watching a kids movie without the kids. We watched "Meet the Robinsons."