Shredding

All right, I know I said I was going to do couch to 5k but I work out best in the morning after Rowynn's feeding. So, instead of couch to 5k I am doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.

It is a 3 level workout DVD that has 3 ~20 minute workouts that combine strength training, cardio and abs.

So far I have done it two days and I'm really feeling it! I look forward to tracking my progress on here. My plan is to do level one for another 5 days, move to level 2 for seven days and then finish it out in level 3. I'll have to see the intensity level when I get to 2 & 3, but it is my plan for now!

Balloon Found!!

I woke up this weekend to an email from a gentleman that found the remains of one of Abigayl's birthday balloons. Needless to say, it was very emotional for me. It was so moving that almost one year after releasing 130 balloons for my baby girl, one was found an hour southeast of Kansas City. That's probably a four hour drive for us!

His email said that he and a friend were scouting turkey hunting spots DEEP in the woods. He said that he found the string and tag almost a mile from the road in very thick trees. I'm just so thankful that he took the time to email me. It means so much to know that one of Abigayl's balloons made it into the hands of such a nice person.

Busy, Busy, Busy

It has been a jam packed week and weekend! Thank goodness Rowynn is such a good baby.

This past weekend we had a birthday party, my coupon class, dinner with friends and we finally made it to church!

I thought Rowynn was doing some tummy time... nope, he fell asleep!

Rowynn's first trip to church!

Tummy time on daddy...

Bath with mommy...

Kaitlyn and Ivan... thanks for my sweet clothes! I think I look pretty cute!!

and they kept me pretty warm on the cold Oklahoma day!

I had an eye doctor appointment yesterday and my vision was the same as last week. I am still on the oral steroids and the steroid eye drops plus he added the antibiotics back in. I will not have another appointment for 10 days. Let's all pray that my vision is better by then!

As for my working out. I have been doing the elliptical machine and my workout DVDs this past week. I worked out 6 days!! I'm pretty proud of myself but have felt discouraged because the steroids are affecting my weight. I swear that my face is rounder now than it was while I was pregnant! That tends to have an affect on my self image.

The coupon class that I attended was really good. I learned a lot of neat things but I'm still not good at having a good shopping trip. I really want to become one of those women who cuts out a large portion of my shopping bill. I guess it will all come with practice. I just hope to be able to blog about some $100 purchase that I get for $20. That's when I will know I'm saving us some money.

7 Weeks!!!

I can't believe that it has been 7 weeks already. Where does the time go?! I must say, I am really enjoying my little boy A LOT. He just lights up my world every time I look at him.

I figured out that God answered one of my prayers. Before Rowynn arrived, I prayed and asked God to allow Rowynn to resemble his sister. Well, we were looking through some pictures of Abigayl the other day and it is amazing how much they look alike. God is good and he answers prayers. I may not have gotten the girl I was praying for but I got a SWEET little boy (that looks a lot like his sister) that makes me so happy.

And by the looks of these pictures, I think I make him pretty happy too!

Rowynn is smiling up a storm lately! Plus, we think he giggled for the first time the other day. It is SO much fun getting to watch him hit milestones.

Mommy is a little obsessed about the picture taking. I wonder at what point he will get tired of having a camera in his face?

Below is a video of some "talking"

WOW!! Thanks Jude (and Carrie)

It was a pretty amazing surprise when my mail lady brought me two big boxes yesterday. What was even more fantastic was ALL of these clothes inside!!

My friend Carrie, who has a 9 month old son, sent all of this to us. It has been so much fun getting to hang it all up and look through it all. I think Rowynn is one of the best dressed boys I know!!
Sporting a pair of new overalls from his friend Jude!

Thanks Carrie for such a generous gift! It is MUCH appreciated.

Week-end Update...

After a gorgeous seventy degree day on Friday, this is what happened Saturday!
Yes, that is snow outside the window. Here in Oklahoma, we spent our first day of spring watching snowflakes fall. And fall. And fall. Until we had 6 inches on the ground!

Being that we like to panic at the first sight of precipitation, my coupon class was cancelled and it is now supposed to take place THIS Saturday. One problem, I have had dinner plans with two of my friends for over a month now! I'm going to have to see what they think about a later dinner. Or, I'm going to have to sign up for a different class. We shall see what unfolds.

He's my little rock star! I love these velour pants. They just make me feel cozy looking at them.

Today I have an eye doctor appointment. I would like to ask that you lift up a prayer for me and my vision. I am really wanting to hear that there is a VAST improvement and that my eye sight will be back to normal SOON! I feel that if I have many prayers being lifted up, this thing can get on a better road to recovery.

As for my little Rowynn, he is a GOOD baby! This boy has spent the last 4-5 days sleeping from ~9 or 10 pm until ~5-5:30 am!! Yes, you read that right. We are blessed with 6-7 hours of sleep at night. Other than that, he smiles a little more now and he enjoys "cooing" at his toys and even us every now-and-then.

I'm really enjoying the smiles. It melts my heart every time. I am so excited for when he smiles at me when I get him out of bed. As of now, I will be ecstatic with every little grin I get. Whether they are gas bubbles or because he likes my voice. I don't know. I just know how blessed I am.

As for the working out, I haven't started the "couch to 5K" thing yet. I have been using the elliptical machine and my workout DVDs this week. I don't plan on weighing myself for 3 weeks. I feel that if I weigh to often it will discourage me and any progress.

I am moving right along with my Bible readings. I am currently in Genesis and have really enjoyed reading and learning.

Tonight, Rusty and I are going to begin our first lesson with Dave Ramsey. I'm excited to start our journey to financial freedom. Scared, but excited!

Happenings

Thankfully my amazing and sweet husband has started taking over bath time for me. I love that he and Rowynn get some bonding time but then I also get a break to do other things around the house.

Daddy's a pro at bath time and massage time!

I think Rowynn like hanging out with his daddy....

looking cute, of course!

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful here in the great state of Oklahoma. I think it got up in the low 70's!

My friend Ricki and I decided to taker her daughter, Abie (8 months), and Rowynn to the zoo for some mommy sun time! It was really nice. We got in some walking and talking and sun soaking.

Thankfully, both kids were GREAT! Abie was so patient while we stood in line for ~45 minutes for me to buy zoo season passes. And, she's cute as a button!

Once inside, we ran into our friend Katie and her whole family! So, we sat with them while our babies ate (drank) their lunch.

Rowynn enjoying some cuddle time with Miss Katie!

Parker is just SO good with Rowynn! I love having them around him. Also, Rowynn got his first mail from Parker! He will be attending his first birthday party next weekend!! Parker wrote out Rowynn's name on the invitation. It is SO cute!

Katie's husband, Shaun, held the little guy and helped him do his business! I should have had Shaun change the diaper since he was holding him!!

In the back of the picture is Chandler. He is also REALLY good with Rowynn. He likes to give him kisses on the cheek. It is SO cute.

All-in-all, it was a GREAT day. Ricki and I are planning on going as often as possible. Seeing we both have zoo passes and we are both stay-at-home moms, it will give us a "free" outing to do. I'm looking forward to many more walks through the zoo!

One Penny at a Time

I just received this kit in the mail yesterday. Starting Monday, Rusty and I are going to buckle down and go on a 90 day journey of gaining financial peace. We decided that there is no better time to get a handle on things and learn the proper way of spending than right now. I'm 28 and he is 30. Why wait?

So, along with my updates on weight/working out and my progress in my Bible reading, I will also keep an update on how this program works out for us.

As of now, I try my hardest to save where I can. One way that I do this is with my grocery shopping. I chose not to shop at a large Walmart but I do find that Walmart's Neighborhood Market is cheap and non-crowded. Plus, Walmart will price match and that saves gas.

For example, yesterday when I went shopping I made my menu and wrote out my list. I then flip through all of the adds to see where I can save. Here is what I found:

12 pk Pepsi products are normally $4.98 at Walmart and Reasor's is having their 12 hour sale Saturday where they are listing them fro $2.25 per 12 pk!
Kraft 8 oz chunk cheese is $2.60 at Walmart and Reasor's has it listed for $1.25.
Wolf brand chili is $2.00 and I snagged it for $1.33.
Lettuce was $1.49 and I got it for .99 cents.
Strawberries were $2.50 and I got them for $1.50.
Carrots were $1.79 and I got them for .99 cents!

So, when I added up my savings by just flipping through some adds, it does add up to quite a bit per shopping trip.

I'm taking a seminar with the 918 Coupon Queen tomorrow and I am hoping to learn to not only use my price matching to save but how to best utilize coupons on cleaning products, hygiene and paper products. I know that if I can save money in that area it will be the biggest bang for my buck!

I have looked through a few couponing websites and quite a few people use a binder to keep tabs on their coupons. I found a woman who makes a VERY stylish coupon holder that is super sturdy and it folds to be half the size of a binder. Check out Coupons With Style to see if her coupon organizer would be a better option for you!

Some of the websites I like to frequent are:

www.918couponqueen.com - local to the Tulsa area
www.totallytarget.com - lists all the GREAT deals you can get at Target
www.couponing101.com - great advice for starting off and she tells all the good deals with printable coupons
www.hip2save.com - great deals and printable coupons
www.freebies4mom.com - tells about "free" offers

I know that once I take the coupon seminar tomorrow I will be able to better utilize all of these websites. Right now I don't have a very good handle on my best way to use the coupons and so I am hoping to gain A LOT of knowledge tomorrow!

I am excited for the journey that I am beginning. I have this wonderful little boy that lights up my day every second. I am diving feet first in my journey with the Lord by learning his Word and letting Him show me His way. We are going to get our finances on track so we can live a prosperous life with less financial stress and I'm going to reign in my baby weight so I can feel great about myself.

I'm looking forward to getting to share my journey with all of you (that want to read about it!).

Before/After

Yay! I finally got a much needed cut! Seeing that I haven't had my hair colored in 9-12 months and it is a little on the drab side, the cut helped make me look edgier and the color not as bad.

I'm aiming to only get my hair colored once per year. So, come May or June I will go get some highlights and then let my natural hair color come back for the fall/winter. I figure that will save us some money each year.

A little green....

Happy St. Patty's Day from my little monkey to you!

Below is a little video of Rowynn "talking". I couldn't resist. When he is down on his mat he really enjoys "talking" to the fireplace, TV and toys. Sometimes, he will even talk to me! But not very often.

Chocolate Sheet Cake...

After stopping in for my daily read at The Pioneer Woman's blog, I couldn't get this cake out of my head.

She had blogged about making her chocolate sheet cake but using an icing recipe from her Tasty Kitchen's website.

I decided to take a page from my friend Jill's playbook and make one dessert every week. Well, what a great thing to start off with! I know, I know.. my last post was about wanting to lose weight. But, I know I will fail if I deprive myself of things I love. I would rather be a few pounds away from my goal and be happy then eat a salad and chicken all the time.

This cake was a PERFECT combination for Rusty's taste and mine. It was nice a chocolaty but had the yummy vanilla frosting. And the frosting!! OH MY GOODNESS! So simple and so good. I have never made a frosting like this one before.

If you are looking for a yummy dessert, I say try this! The cake only takes 20 minutes in the oven and it is SUPER moist. Plus, that vanilla frosting is AMAZING!

Accountable...

I figure one of the best ways to stay on track is to tell others what your plans are and then you have to feel like a goober it you don't follow through. So, I have a couple of things I would like to start and I figure if I share them with you I have a better chance at succeeding.

First, I want to read the Bible all the way through. I have always wanted to and have tried many times but end up getting distracted. My plan for achieving this goal is to read at least five pages of my Bible each day. If I read five pages each day I can finish the Bible in less than a year.

Second, I want to lose my baby weight. I am currently nine pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight from Rowynn but I am fourteen pounds away from where I started with Abigayl. Therefore, I would REALLY like to lose 15 pounds over the next few months. I am not trying to get into a bikini or anything, I just want to feel good about myself.

To achieve this goal, I am going to take on the "Couch to 5k" program. My sister-in-law and my mom have both done it and became runners from this program. I have seen what running did for their bodies and their energy and feel that this is something I can stick with.

Along with the 5k program, I am going to use my postpartum Lisa Hart workout DVD. I only plan on using the yoga and Pilate's parts since I will get my cardio from running.

I started the workout DVD today and I am going to try to get out and run tonight. I will keep you updated every Monday on my progress with both goals.

My Boy...

Rowynn was asleep! Such a happy sleeper.

After his cat nap he was ready to interact...

Smile! A blurry smile but a smile none the less.

His partial smile. He doesn't smile all the time but he does a few times a day.

He was tuckered out after our walk in the park. Look how proper he is with his hands folded in his lap. He likes to have his hands folded or up by his face. I'm not sure how we swaddle him with out issues!

Eye Update and Experimental Eating

I know it sounds like a wonderful combo!

First, I had an appointment yesterday about my eye and it did not go as I would have hoped. The inflammation is still really bad and he felt that it would be best to give me another shot so I could come off of the oral steroids soon.

Lets just say that the 12 days ago when he gave me the shot was better than yesterday. He didn't numb the injection site this time and he went much deeper than last. OUCH!! All day yesterday I felt as though I had been punched. It is still tender this morning but I'm hoping it will go away soon!

Along with the shot, he also increased my oral steroid for a few days in hopes that "hitting it harder" will do the trick.

I just ask for a lot of prayer. I know the power of prayer works and I am really ready to have my vision back. It has been very scary and frustrating.

On a lighter note! I was watching Good Eats on the Food Network and Alton Brown was giving advice and recipes for how he lost 50 pounds. I was pretty intrigued on one of the recipes because it looked kind of good and it was something I had never tried before.

It was this:

He toasted bread and then put smashed avocado on top. He then layered on marinated sardines.

Well, it was my first time trying sardines and though they taste like tuna, I really couldn't get passed the scales, tail and reddish stuff that is comes out of the inside when you bite it. Needless to say, the two bites are all I took.

I'm pretty proud that I tried something new though. I am such a food lover that I would rather try it once and know I don't like it than miss out on something I might LOVE.

Check-up

Rowynn had his one month check-up today and he is healthy and happy!

He weighed in at 10 lbs and 6 oz with a length of 23 in! Yay, a 3 pound weight gain!!

I can't wait for next Thursday so I can get a much needed hair cut!

Eye Update...

Since having the shot in my eye, the inflammation had gotten worse and Dr. Peters felt that putting me on an oral steroid, prednisone (steroid) eye drops and antibiotic would do the trick. Well, 4 days later and my eye sight went from a 2200 on Friday to a 2150 this morning (I normally have 20/20 or better). I guess that means we are on the right track?!

I'm hoping that when I go back and see him on Friday that there will be VAST improvement. Please keep my eye in your prayers. I really don't want this to become a permanent issue to deal with and I am having a hard time not being nervous about it.

Zoo Fun

Oklahoma had some amazing weather today. Instead of spending the day inside, we decided to venture out on our first family outing. We headed for the zoo for a little animal viewing and scenic walking.

Thanks to his aunt Marcy, Rowynn was styling in his little golfer outfit.

As soon as we got there he was ready for a refill. He got to eat next to the elephants in the great outdoors.

Daddy and son

I loved that the kangaroos slept on their backs. It was pretty funny to walk up on.

Our little monkey

We really enjoyed Rowynn's first trip to the zoo and I'm sure it is just the first of MANY! I love that we were one of the couples getting to push around a stroller. It feels good to be those people again.

We were blessed with a beautiful day and a beautiful little boy and a sweet girl. God is good.