BAM!

The weight is still coming off and as a result, I can now wear my wedding bands with ease!

And just in time for my husbands coming home tomorrow!

I know I've been off the radar for a good 2 weeks. I've had family in town who left today and then, like I said, the hubby is coming home tomorrow after being gone for 4 weeks. So I'll probably be gone for a while longer.

Don't have too much fun around here without me!

When I come back, I will be updating y'all on my over all weight loss. The program I'm following, as promised. A detailed update and pics of Sugarcube. ANNNNNNND a bubbly post about our up coming anniversary weekend!!! Yeah, it's 6 months past due, ha! I wanted to celebrate after the baby arrived and where I was finally starting to feel good about myself again;)  

My Plastic Saved The Day!

Oh my goodness. Why do they make it so hard to activate someone else's credit card!

HAHA!

I know, I know...But seriously...My husband is gone for another 2 weeks and still doesn't have his phone back, in order to PLACE me on his account...I'm trying to activate it, to make the first purchase! My sister told me about this card where you can basically get a free airline ticket just by signing up for this card, paying the $70 annual fee, making a small first purchase and BAM! Free ticket...BUT NOOOOOOO! We're kinda on a time line people!

We're seriously attempting to fly home to Rob's side of the family mid August. He has summer block leave, which he never really uses, but this year is different. He's deploying this fall and I want him to see his family before then. As well as introduce his daughter to his dad and grandad who has yet to meet Sugarcube.

Speaking of credit cards...Kind of unsettling that my front door is so easily jimmied by one of those plastic devils...But it seriously saved the day. My sister and I took Sugarcube and the puppies to a dog park today and left our house key locked inside. It was either scale our 2 story house and break into baby girls nursery window or pick the lock...It was a snap! I will, for now on, be locking the dead bolt when we leave...  

I'm working on a vlog post for y'all explaining the weight loss plan I'm on. It's really awesome and makes you feel so good the entire process! I'm hoping to have it up in a few weeks as some friends on Facebook are very interested too:) They should be. It rocks! I've already lost 2 more pounds since my last post!

P.S I guess I just told on myself....I've returned to Facebook before loosing that 20 lbs...It was just too tempting and I missed my friends and family on there! LOL. I know. I'm weak;)

Getting There!

   Today is a VERY good day! 

I've lost 5 lbs in 2.5 weeks!

Collectively, since my weight plateaued in March, I've lost 7 lbs. However, I'm only counting from where I got serious, which was me weighing in at 163 instead of 165.

I was ABSOLUTELY starting to believe I couldn't get my body below the 160's! It was so frustrating! Now that I'm sitting at 158 lbs, life is good and I have confidence in my body again. Everyday I feel stronger and more motivated, which is key. A strong mind can achieve great things!

I see a slimmer face in the mirror now and a flatter tummy! I can fit into my wedding band, but still a no go on my engagement ring...I'll get there though! I have more energy and more smiles and slowly, I'm loosing interest in sugar and the bad foods I crave. I want to be healthy and eat healthy and I am! I've done it for 2.5 weeks now. Gosh, it feels like a huge mile stone, lol! I know myself. If I can stick something out for 2 weeks, it's like a resolve washes over me and I become so much stronger. I've put too much work into this to turn back or fail.

I really have my sister Autumn to thank for this success though. Sure, I've put in the hard work and I'm the one talking myself through weak moments where I want a brownie, or soda or you name it. But she motivated me with a diet and exercise plan that fits my life right now. And I'm EXTREMELY inspired through her success!

 My sister really understands the NO TIME thing being a mother of two, while running an at home daycare. She's had 34 lbs of excess baby weight to loose since the birth of her first child five years ago. However, at the beginning of this year, she decided it was time to invest in herself and loose the weight. She started educating herself; picking the brains of personal trainers and nutritionists, formulating a program that would work for her! My brother in-law was so supportive also and bought her a second hand treadmill. It took only EIGHT WEEKS! And she did it! She lost all of those 34 lbs y'all and has kept it off through simple portion control! I am so proud of her. I can't wait to see her skinny little booty in a few weeks! And to also thank her for sharing, what obviously works!

I will definitely write a blog post on this diet and exercise plan to share with you. I know I have a lot of new mama's on here, in the same boat as me, trying to loose the baby love:) I plan to give it another 2.5 weeks before I weigh in again and at that point I will divulge all! I think I'll have very good news by then. Hoping to make that 5 lb loss into 10!

Wish me luck!

 

Did I Miss Something?

So ummmm...

Was I so disconnected from Blogger, Facebook and the Internet in general last week that I missed everyone's raving reviews on the new movie

AHHHMAZING!!!

Of course it helps that I love all the main actors and actresses! Mainly, eye candy Chris Hemsworth who I refer to as "Thor" Lol!

A LOT off track but I was super bummed I didn't get to see Thor and Natalie Portman seal their love with a kiss in the Avengers....Yes. AWESOME action scenes and a really good movie. Fantastic movie actually. It doesn't disappoint.  But I wanted my kiss! What. I'm a girl...Don't tease me with a really good love story then leave me hanging! Lol  

I'm also now in LOVE with Florence + The Machine's new song Breath Of Life...

 

Holy cow I could sit and listen to this song for hours at a time! I actually came home at a little past midnight and went straight to my computer so I could download it for my iPod.

Beyond that, was I the only one surprised by all the beautiful, artful scenes??? Wow. The movie was really good but BEAUTIFUL to watch! I loved it!

I'm really glad I decided to brave it with my sis and the kiddo!!! I was so afraid of Sugarcube screaming, squawking, fussing, farting, coughing. You name it, through the entire movie. I obviously would have been a decent person and just left or taken her to the bathroom had that happened, but thankfully it didn't and my plan worked. We went to a late showing, past her bedtime, and she slept the whole way through. I know I'm not the only one who thinks it's rude to let your child scream or cry the entire movie...Not cool for the baby or paying customers...

In other news, I MISS MY HUSBAND! It's only been a week and I still have about 3 more to go...Ugh. He had to turn in his phone last night for 2 weeks which really sucks. I hate not being able to throw him a text, knowing that I'll get a response back at some point throughout the day... I'm looking forward to his home coming for sure! I have an awesome date planned for us, where I'm whisking him away for an entire weekend; just the two of us! Of course, I'm enlisting my sisters help with the baby to pull this off. She's seriously the best sis; so helpful with the transition as a new mom and always making sure that R and I have husband and wife time. I'm definitely not looking forward to the rude awakening, that I'm positive, will follow once baby number 2 arrives and my sis isn't around, ha!

So tell me I'm not the only one who thought this movie was

FABULOUS!?

I'm A Cloth Mama!

I freakin love cloth diapering and feel so awesome having almost closed on month four! So I thought I would share our cloth journey and experiences for any of my interested readers! You might be a reader, wondering who in the world would ever WANT to mess with dirty diapers in such an intimate way. Well. Point fingers here!

  

I mean, look at this adorable baby in her cloth diaper! Who wouldn't want to have color options and style, just to name a few perks, for their little bean?

Not to mention negative cost to YOU when compared to disposables. I will be the first to say, that cloth diapering is CERTAINLY not for everyone. Probably not even for 1/3 of the baby pooping populous. But if it IS for you, say hello to extra money and new shoes? Just sayin;)

Shoes for mommy baby girl. Shoes for mommy;)

Lets take a flippin moment to talk about Flips! Flip diapers are seriously bad ace peeps, and the brand we use--- Before we invested in a stash, I did months upon months of research, trying to decide what brand would work best for our family. OMG, there are HUNDREDS out there. From big corporate companies to SAHM businesses. I would have loved to throw money at a SAHM but Flips is where it's at and we're staying.

So why did I choose cloth over easy peasy disposables? 

Lets see...

Love aspect number (1) Cost. They're inexpensive because they are reusable! We also chose to go the cover and insert route over some of the other cloth diaper systems out there. This system is even more cost effective then the others because you can reuse the cover several times before washing as long as nothing gets on it. This means you don't have to buy 12+ diapers just to get through one day. Score! 

Love aspect number (2) You have color to play with! I love the Flip colors. Bubble gum purple, blossom pink, grasshopper green and more! It's fun! I hardly think about the poo factor because I'm too involved picking out which color she'll wear that day;)

Love aspect number (3) Style, design and function. I realize those are three things but they kinda all go together. Gone are the days of safety pins and those big, awkward plastic pants ladies!

Look how uber chic and cute these are! Definitely nothing like this on the market with disposables, that I'm aware of.

Because of the well thought out design, this cloth diaper functions VERY well.  I haven't had ONE leak since using these and trust me, Sugarcube has some serious poo, ha! And notice the buttons? Not only do they secure this cutie patootie diaper to your babies hiney, but underneath are rows of other buttons, meant for sizing. This is where I swoon and commit myself to cloth diaper heaven. No buying the next size up for your growing baby. This fashion piece goes from newborn to potty training all in one swatch of cloth! So a one time investment and you're done!  

 Love aspect number (4) Absorbency, a.k.a the stay dry insert! 

Okay, sure , it's important that a diaper hold IN the goup, but this piece of the puzzle IS the power house of the whole sha-bang. It holds SO MUCH! Seriously. Ridiculous and genius-- After Sugarcube's long 9.5 hour stretches at night, the thing will be sopping wet, however my baby's bottom is powder dry. Can you say that about a disposable? Whatever they use for the top layer of this insert, is a miracle worker. And in case you haven't figured this out...A dry bottom means a healthy happy hiney; diaper rash free! Baby girl has never seen the likes...Except for those 10 days we had her in Pampers Swaddlers, waiting for her umbilical cord to fall off...I immediately put her in these and in less then 12 hours, the developing rash was gone...True story!

One plus I will give team disposables, over Flips and all cloth diapers--- is the trim fit. I love the trim fit of a paper diaper. After using Pampers for 10 days, then switching to our Flips, I ALMOST gave in and boarded the disposable train. However, I decided that was a dumb idea (for me) because everything else was working and we were saving bookoo bucks!

Now, after almost 4 months, I'm kinda diggin her cute badonkadonk;)

Now you're probably wondering--- Sure, that all sounds find and wonderful but what about the up keep and stink factor...

Really not that bad! First off, if you're breastfeeding, this cloth diaper thing is a breeze...Their poo doesn't stink as bad and there's no spraying chunks off in the toilet. (Sorry for the gross image)
You just remove the diaper and throw it in a wet bag, like this one. BING!

 I bought this exact bag at Earth.Wise.dot.com. If you do have stinkie diapers, I would consider this bag for that. It's seriously the "Hulk" of wet bags. It has kept the smell out of Sugarcube's nursery entirely! I've not had one issue with stinkies--- Formula fed babies, there's a bit more to the stink equation. For THAT poo, you can buy a sprayer that will attach to your toilet. This gets most the gunk off before you toss it into the wet bag. And you're done!

 Well not quite--- Then there's the up keep... This is really the easy part in my mind.  I do a load every 3 days where I preform a cold rinse to lift stains, then I do a hot wash for cleaning and 2 extra rinses to reduce detergent build up (detergent build up weakens absorbency.) Dry on low heat or hang dry if you have that ability. We live in Washington where it rains everyday so a dryer it is!

 You can't use just any detergent though. I use the brand Planet which does an alright job, in my opinion. I'm thinking of switching though, because I feel it gets them only fairly clean, but only if I do one or two extra rinse cycles and use bleach once a month for the stains. However, I've heard people complain of major stinkies with major cloth diaper detergent brands too. I've not had the stink problem, just stains that wouldn't lift without some extra work. So maybe this is a good one to consider! 

And there you have it! The reason I cloth diaper, a little insight and review on this particular brand and some words on my cloth diaper routine! If you're considering this route for your baby and have any questions that I left out, feel free to ask! Cloth diapering is definitely worth a shot if you're up for the challenge!  

Oh, and I did NOT get paid to write this or say such nice things about the Flip system. This is solely my opinion based off experience using them.

Let's Have A Chat!

I'm feeling very much like a chatty cathy tonight. And ya know, blogging from Sugarcube's nursery isn't such a bad gig...I've got good tunes, a comfy chair and cheerful colors to pull inspiration from! Sugarcube's taste in music is pretty rad too, if you ask me. It's mostly country music mixed with a few of your typical lullabies. Right now we're listening to Luke Bryan skillfully and alluringly say, "Shake It For Me." I'm sure baby girl would if she wasn't sleepily tucked in her crib for a 5 minute power nap and I...To comfy and cozy in my FREE Craigslist glider... 

Being up here also beats running up and down the stairs every time Baby Girl needs her paci replaced. I'll hear her over the monitor LOUDLY sucking on her three middle fingers. So cute, but I'm afraid all that noise will wake her up, lol.

I love this time of night. In 30 minutes I'll wake Sugarcube and feed her the last bottle of the day before she falls into 9.5 hours of blissful sleep. Yes. That's right. 9.5 HOURS PEOPLE! She's been doing this for a good 3 weeks now and I love it. It feels so good to finally start seeing repetition in her schedule. Knowing that I can depend on a typical bed time of 8:00 pm where she sleeps so long helps with my anxiety during the day. Before she started sleeping so well I was a wreck, trying to figure out how to do my daily chores etc when I had a baby that never slept. Well not any more!

All the magic happens in the evening now. This is where I usually complete my 30 minutes of p90x, daily shower and blogging. I'll also finish that basket of laundry that is ALWAYS full, needing to be put away. Pick up after the invisible 20 other people that live in this house, because seriously, there's no way that 3 people could make such big messes daily! Right? I'll scrape dirty dishes and load the dish washer. Feed the dogs because I almost always forget to do that at their usual time of 6:00 pm and then the most important and coveted part of my day; share some snuggles and talking with the hubby:)

I might fit a warm cup of tea and an episode of Hart of Dixie in there somewhere, but rarely. I'm usually in the bed by 11:30 pm so I can wash and repeat;)

Tonight's a little different though. I don't have my hubby here to snuggle and talk to. He's been gone for 2 full days of a 3 week stint, training for this upcoming deployment. Ugh. I get an anxious, sick feeling every time I think about the real thing sneaking up on us all to soon. I guess he'll be loosing his phone in a few days so I'm doing a lot of texting and sending cute pics of Baby Girl. She's making so many changes. I want to keep him in the loop as best as possible. Which reminds me. She'll be turning 4 months old on the June, 12! I still don't have her doctors appointment set for this month. I hate those well checkups though, because it inevitably means needles and one pissed off Sugarcube. But they're necessary I guess... Y'all are gonna to be blown AWAY by her 4th month update. She's changing so much and getting so big. It's breaking this mama's poor pea'pickin little heart...

OKAY!!! Enough of that. It's magic hour y'all! Time for p90x. I always look forward to my 30 minute sweat session. It's oddly relaxing and I always feel so much better after having completed it. Tonight's workout is Kenpo.

 "Do your best and forget the rest!"

Because I can never resist posting a pic of my beautiful baby!