Oh, January! You are always full of surprises.
We had some fun days like our American Girl/Lego Land/Rainforest Cafe excursion...
Grace with Grace!
So excited to use her Christmas money to get the new Girl of the Year, a baker named Grace! Thank you Mimi & Aunt Marilyn!
Such a gentleman...
So much pint-sized cuteness!
(and elephant-sized price tags! We better admire this one from afar.)
Twins!
My kind of Legos!!
Sorted. Contained. By colors. OFF the floor - ha!
My kind of horror-movie nightmare...house of mirrors. Aaaaaaaaah!
Loved celebrating Noonie's birthday...
And hanging out with dear friends during a hometown visit...
I even snuck in a haircut and loved saying goodbye to the ever-growing number of grays...
But then, the dreaded stomach virus hit. And it hit HARD! Lance had it first, but when it hit Grace, it came with a vengeance. Poor baby girl ended up in the ER. I've said it before that throwing up is my kryptonite. Well, I had 32 chances in 12 hours to get over my little phobia. It was not pretty y'all. Seeing the little pumpkin like that was heartbreaking. 4 days later, she was finally on the mend. Thank you God!
So although I love your cozy sweater days, I'm happy to say Sayonara, January!
We're ready for all things pink + red around here!! And Spring SOCCER!
I talked a little bit about my weight loss health journey {here} but I've gotten several emails asking about the program I followed so I thought I would kick off 2014 sharing a bit more about my progress.
I lost 40 lbs. in 3 months, 3 days following the Take Shape for Life program and went from this to this! Woo hoo! It's still so hard to share that before pic. I was very unhappy with my external appearance and I felt so sluggish. But one of the things that motivated me in the beginning was seeing pictures of others who had succeeded in achieving their goals so if I can inspire someone else to take that first step, then it's more than worth it!
I'm still amazed at how fast the weight came off. But the TSFL program is no joke - you HAVE to be mentally ready to do it. It takes a lot of willpower at first, but once you start dropping pounds and feeling better, you are so motivated to KEEP GOING! All in all, I lost 40 pounds and 4 dress sizes. I lost 20 lbs. the first month and the other 20 over the second and third months.
I followed the 5 & 1 program religiously the first two months. That's 5 Medifast meal replacements and 1 Lean & Green meal per day. In the third month, I modified the program to 4 & 2 (4 meal replacements/2 lean + greens) because I was feeling hungrier and I was still able to lose weight, but probably at a slightly lower rate. I like that there is a transition and a maintenance phase to the TSFL program.
My goal was 40 pounds and I achieved that, but I still want to lose 10 more and tone up. I'm working on those on my own, using the principles I learned on the TSFL program. Clean eating...mostly. The holidays have been tough, but today, I'm back on!
Just yesterday I was having a pity party over not having anything to wear {I need to go shopping!} so I kept digging and digging in my closet and found this pair of jeans from my freshman year of college. That's 1995, y'all! And guess what??? They FIT!!! I promptly sent the hubby and my mom a pic - ha!
Funny thing is I remember wanting these jeans SO BAD. They were very spendy and definitely not in my college freshman budget. But for my birthday, my mom bought them for me. She told me I better wear them every.single.day. Well Noonie, here I am 18 years later STILL getting to wear them - ha! See...they *were* an investment after all!
So no matter what plan you decide to follow, visualize where you'll be and make the change for YOU! Everyone else in your life will benefit too from your new, healthier, more energetic outlook. If you decide you want to give Take Shape for Life a try, I have a fabulous health coach for you...my friend Eileen! Here is her {page}.
And here are my favorite TSFL Medifast meals:
Do it for you.
Take that first step.
Make it count.
Be the best you...mind, body, and spirit.
Happy New Year!
Hudson's preschool class went on their first field trip the other day and I was able to go with them - yay!
This is one excited little boy!!
First up, the pet store!
All these littles had such a fun time learning about and petting all sort of critters!
Thank you, PetSmart!
Onto Papa John's to learn about making pizza...and to have a yummy snack!
This being a field trip all about the letter "Pp", we were supposed to go play putt-putt, but we were rained out so bowling it was!
Sooooo super excited because Daddy was able to meet us during his lunch break!
So cute to watch all these littles bowl!
Teeny tiny bowling shoes...
...and BIG personalities!
I LOVED going with you, Hudson!!
And this crazy little selfie...dusty mirror and all...was me jumping for joy after reaching another weight milestone! :)
Excited for this Fall!
THANK YOU to all of you for your encouraging words on my {last post}! I'm still working toward my goal, but I do feel so much better knowing I'm headed in the right direction.
For those of you that asked, I'm following the {Take Shape for Life} program. I've learned a lot reading the books and really, it was just eye-opening for me {the biology major in me appreciated the medical info. the plan is based on!}. I also like that the program focuses on preserving lean muscle, eliminating adipose reserves, and has transition and maintenance goals that are doable.
But to be 100% honest, I think that what's helped me the most is just being mentally READY to tackle this challenge. There have been times I've tried to make changes in my life (not just weight) and I wasn't 100% committed, and that's just setting myself up for failure. I'm not a wishy-washy person...I want to see results!! So for me, I have to give it 100% or not at all. I believe you just have to be in the right mindset for it to work...no matter the program followed...and I was tired of the same old, same old, so when I decided to make a change, I was ready to give it my ALL!
These pics are from our girls weekend in Dallas last weekend. I resisted {Sprinkles cupcakes}...now THAT is dedication if you know me and my sweet tooth! ha!
Finding the right balance has also made me cut back on {Lulu & Co.} orders...and don't even get me started on emails!! {Sorry!} Bittersweet, but my family comes first. Here are a couple of recent orders that were a lot of fun to make...
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
Geaux Tigers!
I came home from our girls weekend with waaaaaay too much just enough fabric...
Some super fun party supplies for our annual North Pole Breakfast...
{I'm thinking "Nutcracker" for this year's theme!}
A super cute door wreath...
And the best "souvenir" $14.99 can buy! I mean LOOK how excited they were!!
Cutest lemAnade stand I've ever seen! he he he
It was so wonderful having a little break to refresh and enjoy leisurely dinners and fun shopping with some dear friends, but I sure missed my usual cuddle sessions...
...and time with my favorite girl!
So I'm working on balance and enjoying a little more "me" time here and there...
All with the ultimate goal of being a better wife and mother...progress not perfection...that's what I'm striving for.
Thanks for being a part of our journey!
Happy weekend!
