Thank you Sis for the Award

My sister at mormonmamabear.blogspot.com has awarded me with the stylish blogger award. 

I am supposed to type 7 things about myself and then pass the award onto someone else. 

1.) I LOVE LOVE LOVE being a mother and wife. I have three beautiful boys, Parker (9), Talon (6), and Hunter (2). I also get the honor of being a 2nd sub mom for 4 other kids that I watch. I love these kids and it is such and honor to me to get to be an influence on their lives. I love my husband and couldn't live without him. 

2.) I am a "head held high" home schooler!!!! No I am not a crazy religious zealot, nor am I a neglectful parent leaving my kids home to do my cleaning (although that's not a bad idea). I am just a mom who wants the very best for her kids and did lots of research and found home schooling to be just that. I am proud of it and YES MY KIDS ARE SOCIALIZED. 

3.)I absolutely love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and my Gospel. I love that I am in the primary presidency and once again get to work with children. I feel the scriptures, and Gospel principles breathe life into me as I read them and I love the feeling I get when I am doing the things I know I should do. I have lived the non religious life a big portion of my life and I regret every moment of it. Happiness is not found in living strictly for myself, it is only found when living for the Lord. 

4.)I am a huge Karate lover! My husband and two of my boys are very much into karate. My baby can't wait to get his hands all over it. My oldest son and husband compete locally. I love the principles karate teaches my family. I love being a part of the All-Star family and I consider it a huge blessing that they are helping to shape my boys. 

5.) Two of my greatest treasures besides number 1 is my mom and my sister. They are the most amazing, strong, and uplifting women and I get the privilege to call them my best friends. I am so grateful to have them as my support system. I am also very blessed with the most amazing sister-in-laws that I consider to be my sisters. They are all so very beautiful and strong. My handsome wonderful brothers picked amazing mothers and women. 

6.) I have ADHD! Sometimes it's a curse and other times I love it. I can get a lot done because my mind never stops racing. I take my kids lots of fun places and do lots of fun things because when I get the impulse to do something I drop everything to do it. This part can be a curse and a blessing. I am grateful however that I have learned how to manage and organize my life to fit my uniqueness. My six year old was diagnosed with it as well and I just love his creativity and excitement to life. 

7.) I am a survivor of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse by the hands of my father and ex-husband. I am so very proud of the person I am today. I am not one of the statistics of women who are stuck in the victim roll their whole lives and can't find a way out. I am free from the abuse because through the atonement I have been able to forgive and face my abusers. My father will never be allowed in my life and around my children because he can't be trusted, but he is forgiven and that is something I never thought I would be able to say. I am thankful for my family and an amazing kind gentle husband that has helped me through the rough times. I am especially thankful to the Lord and my Father in Heaven for comforting me when comfort was needed and strengthening me when strength was no where to be found. 

Now that I have bored you with facts about me I want to pass on and award this award to my friend Jadie at jadiejadenandjack.blogspot.com. She now has the title of stylish blogger award and needs to post a blog that has 7 things about herself.

Still going strong

Well I haven't posted on here in a while so here is an update. I am still kicking butt on my new healthy lifestyle. I have lost a total of 22lbs and I haven't at all wanted to look back. It has been amazing to see the amount of control I have on my life right now. I even had girl scout cookies sitting around my house and only had two. I love those so usually I would eat them until they are gone. I am very proud of myself and the example I am setting for my kids.

I quit my data entry from home job and started watching two of my old day care kids that i used to watch. I love them so much and I'm thankful I get to be apart of their lives again. I watch them full-time every day. It is hard to get used to taking five kids everywhere you go, but it is way better then having to wake up at 4am in order to fit in the data entry job. Now the kids I watch go home by 5:30 and I have the whole night to myself and my kids. Before I was trying to cram in my data entry hours every spare chance I had. My kids are loving life because mom is back to playing super Mario brothers with them and going for family walks.

I have also been on a spiritual path lately strenghthening my testimony. I am learning so much about myself and how strong I am. I am learning that I can overcome weaknesses and be the person I have always wanted to be. I feel very blessed in my life right now. I love being around children and it seems I surrounded by them. I love my calling in my church in the primary, I love being a mom, I love being a 2nd mom to the kids I watch, and I love knowing that my Father in Heaven needs me to use my talents to help his little ones feel loved. I am also very blessed to have a husband who is amazing and supportive in every endevour I take. This life is good!!

A sigh of relief!!!

Ok so Dayne and I are way new to the pine wood derby world. Dayne took charge like every father does. HE worked long and hard on a car for both Parker and Talon. He decided to go with the super hero theme. Parker was the Black bolt car and Talon was Flash. It was so much fun! My boys were such good sports as thier cars went down the tracks pretty slowly. Next time we wont have all the weights put on the very front so it doesn't weight down just the front end (you live and learn lol!). I was so proud of their sportmanship and Dayne did a great job on the cars.

Parker won two awards, the most unusual paint job, and the best award of the night in my opinion which was the most courteous driver. That award was given to him by the track owners after watching him be such a good sport and being kind to everyone.

Talon won the Greese Lightning award! He was so excited about the whole ordeal!

The ups and Downs of this path!!

Ok, I have to admitt I'm a little discouraged. I know that weight loss is going to be a long, long, lifelong path, but I swear my body just loves my fat so much it holds onto it with everything it has. I have been kicking butt and taking names on my diet (for the most part), however I only lost 1lb last week and 1lb this week. Dang! 1lb? After counting every point and exercising about 1hr 6days a week. I have lost a total of about 9lbs in four weeks. I very proud of that 9lbs and its better then loosing nothing or gaining weight for four weeks. Its just my body has always done this. I have been on so many diets, and each and everytime I do I crawl along. I usually give up on a diet after about 2month of working my butt off and loosing hardly anything. This time is different though, and here's why. Every diet I have ever done I did for some one else. I would get into competitions with family to start loosing weight and I would only do it because those family members were counting on me. This time I started this on my own, and im doing this for no one but me. I have complete motivation that this time there is no turning back. I dont care if it takes me 10 years to loose it, I feel great. Just 9lbs off and I feel wonderful already. Also I love doing Weight Watchers! There program is wonderful! So although im a little discouraged I will pick myself up and continue forward with a feeling of hope that this one way road im traveling on has an amazing ending.

Today is going to be really fun (sort of)! As you all know I am a very busy mom with a schedule that starts at 4am. I work a full-time job and two part-time jobs, raise and home school three boys. So I bet you can guess what gets put on the back burner. Yup, my house. So today is a serious spring cleaning day. In effort to get my family motivated to help, I wrote small jobs down on ping pong balls. Each person will grab a ball and do the task. Once the task is done they put that ball in there pile. Whoever has the most ping pong balls at the end of the day gets to choose the fun thing we get to do as family tonight. Yay! I get my house cleaned in a way that motivates my whole family. I let you know how it goes.

Just my two cents!!!

I heard the saddest thing on Dr. Phil yesterday. It really made me thankful for my situation. Bullying in schools is hitting an all time high. No one is doing anything about it, in large part because no one knows what to do about it. Its like a mother watching her children bicker and be cruel to each other day in and day out. You work hard and pray hard for them to stop and they still do it. The difference for the mom is she is around her children all day and can give her kids more one on one. therefore she can put a stop to cruelty quickly before it gets out of hand. In schools that isn't the case. There is no one on one and in fact there are 30 kids to one teacher in a lot of cases. Even Child Care laws state limits on kids vs. adults yet we continue to pack school children in class rooms like sardines. How can one adult watch and keep on eye on 30 kids? How can that teacher make sure the cruelness doesn't escalate and get worse? The answer is they cant. This girl on Dr. Phil was a drug addict, had a destroyed relationship with her mom and brother, and was completely lost in her life. All due to bullying she endured for two years. She didn't tell her mother about it that often and the few times she told her the mom would still make her go to school and was at a loss as to what to do about it. The school officials knew as well and in her words stood by and did nothing about it. She had things thrown at her, she was laughed at on a daily basis, and she was made fun of. Due to her pain and no one understanding her she turned to drugs as a way to numb the reality of her life. This is so sad to me. What are we doing to our children? I was harshly bullied myself all through school and we still don't have programs or answers to stop it. For all those out there who say kids need to go through this in order to grow, pardon my language, but that is crap. Kids who go through this halt growth. It fosters low self esteems, loneliness, distance from adults, and a high risk of turning to drugs or sex to medicate their wounds. I am so thankful I home school my kids. I'm grateful for the daily opportunities to be apart of their lives and wonderful education they receive. I'm so glad they can focus on education and not what should I wear today so I can be accepted. I'm so thankful for the chance to be close to them and be someone they can come talk to. I know a lot of mom's cant home school due to time, but if you can don't hesitate. It is wonderful, and who is more qualified then the mother?

Wednesday I was able to go through the temple again with my mom and my sister. I haven't had a recommend for about five years. It was so wonderful and the only thing that would've made it better is if Dayne could go with me. He was watching the kids for me this time, but next time it will be him and I. The temple is such a warm and peaceful place to be. You don't want to have to leave once your there. I'm so grateful for the progress I have been making in my life. I feel so confident and good about myself. My weight loss is going good also. I'm learning so many things about myself. I always loose weight slow which is one of the obstacles I've faced in the past that gets me discouraged. This time is different! Something has changed in me. There is no looking back!!!

This is Parkers fourth year doing karate. He loves it! He, in our opinion is a natural at it. We have had him competing for two years. This Friday was his team tryout and he made the team again for another year. We look forward to watching him grow and work hard at a sport he loves. He is a green belt now and has a goal of becoming a Black Belt by the age of 12.

WE DID IT!!!!!!

Today we are one step closer to our dream of becoming an eternal family. Tonight Dayne and I went in and were able to get our temple recommends. We can now figure out which temple we want to be married in and set the date. I cannot express what this means to me. I have seen the Lords hand in so many things to get us here and it is very humbling. The Lord truly does listen to and answer our prayers. I cant wait to be sealed to my husband and children. I have faith in the temple covenants and I know that family can be eternal. I also know that when we have lost all hope that is when we need to pray harder for hope to return. Just 10 months ago I had lost all hope in this dream ever being a reality. I was perfectly content in what I had and grateful for my family and husband. Then a very special person reminded me that we should never loose hope.

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the words of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

I took this scripture to heart and really started having hope again and praying for our family to be able to be sealed. Now here we are and my heart is filled with joy.

I'm still rockin the diet with zero mistakes, but this week has been harder. I'm realizing just how much I turn to food to cheer me up or to unstress myself. I really want to be successful at this so I just keep pushing through. I'm super excited that my mom, sister, and niece are all doing this with me. I pray we will all be able to break these chains and realize we deserve so much more for ourselves. I have watched my Mom struggle with weight her entire life. She has gone way up and way down on this path. Now its so much harder for her to accomplish this goal because of her injuries, but I know she has it in her. I know my sister and I have it in us as well. We have fought through many tough obstacles throughout our lives. I will show myself and my family that when you put your mind to it and you partner with the Lord all things are possible. :)

Great weekend!!!

My baby was a crack up this weekend. After a horrible trip to the store, where he literally screamed his head off the entire time I was shopping. I took him home and gave him a nice nap. When he woke up we went to the IHOP. He thought he was so funny!! He was making all of us laugh our heads of with his silly faces. It was so dang cute.

I lost 4.4 lbs my first week on the new healthy lifestyle. WAHOO!! that feels awesome. I am excited and very proud of myself. I hope I can do just as wonderful this week.

A day of reflection and enlightenment

Even among a busy day of work, children, and school the Lord hears and answers our prayers. He loves us so personally and cares about each and every thought or concern we have. The Lord said "For I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you to bear you up." That is exactly how I felt today. I have been concerned about a matter important and personal to me. I have been on bended knee praying about this issue several times. Today an answer to this prayer literally and miraculously just fell into my lap. As I received the answer I realized just how much the Lord orchestrates intricate things in your life just for you, his child, that he loves so purely. The best part of feeling his love in your life is the perspective it gives you. You start to notice that you in return love more all around you. It's infectious and all consuming. I am very overwhelmed with gratitude to my savior and to the blessings and miracles I have in my life, and all around me.

My children are adorable. I know all mothers think that way about their kids, but it's true. Hunter loves dancing and anything with music. He loves to hand you a Wii remote so you can have a dance fest with him. Our family is really enjoying the Just Dance games on the Wii system. Its great exercise and a lot of fun. Hunter has the moves down and puts a smile on our face every time he gets going. I also enjoyed seeing Talon's face light up as he is learning how to read. He is reading full level 1 books and just loves showing off his skills. I love the look children get when they learn something so important in their lives, that gives them a new found freedom. Today Parker was a very loving and forgiving brother. Hunter has an issue with hitting or pushing away anything or anyone in his path. Today he hit Parker pretty hard with a plastic tube he found. Parker started to cry and Hunter was put in time-out. My heart melted as I saw Hunter realize what he had done and gave Parker this look of sorrow and then Parker's heart in return melted and went to Hunter with a hug. It was so special and a moment that Mom really wasn't needed. They taught, forgave, and healed each other on their own. These magical moments are what I live for.

Healthy life is rockin!!!! I feel wonderful and I can't wait for my weigh in tomorrow. I'm not expecting huge numbers because my body doesn't loose weight quickly, but any loss is wonderful. I'm excited to go grocery shopping tomorrow as well. I'm going to try two new healthy recipes each week. I'm out to prove to myself that healthy eating can also taste delicious.

New Year New Goals

This is the start of a new year and new goals. Everyone always sets the goal of loosing weight. This year it's my turn. I am a proud mom of three beautiful boys. I work at home doing data entry, I am a crossing guard, I take care of my paralyzed mother who lives with me, and I home school my kids. I am married to a hunk of a man and we have beeen married for 10 years. One big problem in our lovely life is that I'm unhealthy and unhappy with how I look. This is the year for change. Im not ashamed to put pictures of myself on here because I will no longer be that woman.

I am four days into my new healthy life and I feel great! I have been working out and eating healthy. One of the biggest changes in my life is water. I usually hook myself up to an IV of diet coke, but I have been drinking lots of water. GO ME!!! Im excited for each new goal. I love to live by the idea of "baby steps in all things and you will get there." Thats how im handling this change. My first goal is to loose 10lbs. Once I acheive this then I will celebrate and reward myself with something other than food. Im hopeful, and excited for this journey.

We have another very big goal in our family we are ready to acheive. Our family is going to get sealed in the Temple this year. We have waited for this day for a very long time. It is finally here!! The date hasn't been set, but we are ready. I am nervous and excited that this dream is finally coming true. Our family has been through many hurdles and we have stayed strong through all of them. It is because of our faith and our love for each other. God is good and he has blessed our family greatly.