OOPs! Here is the pic of the front room!

Just some random happenings

THis will be a quick update, but a good one. Mike has been done working his 2nd job for 3 weeks now! I haven't been so happy in ages! I enjoy having him home more. The kids are happier too! Most importantly Mike is so much happier! He is more energetic and more flirty and it feels like when we were first married in some ways...except it is better since we know eachother so much better in so many ways now. I am so happy!

We have started on our remodeling. We have laid the laminate wood floors in the front room. I found the cutest rugs at Target!(here's a pic)

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/thepriceisrite/frontroom1.jpg[/IMG]

We have also done the hallway, and Dawson's room and Emm's room. It looks awesome! This weekend we will do the kitchen and family room and maybe the play/guest room, we'll see! Then the weekend after that our bedroom and lastly the dinning room! It looks so classic and totally mystyle now! We are getting the high victorian baseboards and we are gonna add wayne'scoat to the guest/kids bathroom and Emm's room! I am having so much fun decorating, it is a huge passion for me.

I also got my new stove, washer and dishwasher. All of them work better than the old dinosaur appliances we had. I LOVE them all!

School starts next week. I am only taking 6 credits instead of nine. I am taking Math and Communications. It will be fun, not! I am thankful that I can slowly start to finish my degree I started over 10 years ago though. I still don't know for sure what I wanna major in, but I am glad I'm back. I am glad both Mike and I are going back. We will both be the 1st college graduates in our families! I wan to be an example to our kids and really show them that a college education is so important!

We have had alot of sickness around the house. A few weeks ago Mike had the stomach flu, then Dawson had an ear infection and Mike and I both got nasty colds and the kids got mild colds, then Saturday thru MOnday Emm had the stomach flu. I got thrown up on again. I guess it is like a badge of honor for a mom, or something, lol! I did enjoy how cuddly Emm was while she was sick though. I knew she was feeling better today cuz she didn't want to be held.

Emm is talking in 3-4 word sentences now! It is crazy she seems a little advanced for her age. I enjoy listening to her cahtter away all the time. With Dawson he was hardly talking at this age and it worried me. I know he is okay now, but when you a first time mom that can worry you and you can feel like it's your fault. I know it isn't now. Then I see how she can't do some things Dawson did at this age like put puzzles together and recognize all his shapes and colors (ofcourse he would point to the right one instead of saying it). Anyways it is funny how different they are! Emm is so into CInderella right now. She watches it all the time, talks about her all the time and wears her Cinderella dress up stuff all the time. It is too cute!

Dawson is talking more clearly everyday. His preschool has really helped him. They tell me how ell behaved he is at school too. I wish he would always be that way here! He is looking like he might be able to start kindergarten in the fall if he keeps progressing like he is. I also want to start teaching him to read. He recognizes letters and names of kids in his class that starts with certain letters and I am feeling like he is ready I just want to try to find a Phonics program that is fun, yet eduactional. He is such a sweet boy and I love seeing how much he is maturing lately!

Well, that is it for now, I am off to sleep!

School is OUT!

I am so happy! I feel like a huge weight is off my shoulders..well atleast until mid January when school starts again. I just got my grades. I have an A in my Music and Culture History class, I have a B in my Computer lab class ( a B is fine in there cuz I worked my butt off and I know I did my best). My computer teacher gave killer tests, test that I gopt C's on, but I got A's on all my labs! I got a C in my Intro to Theater Class. I would have a B, but I had a play critique to turn in. WEll I thought it was due last friday, Wrongo! It was due last Thurs. So yah, I lost 100 points on that one :(. All in all am pretty happy with my grades. I have a 3.5 GPA tgis semester and I think my cumultitive GPa is still between 3.0 and 3.5! I am glad I will only be taking 1 or 2 classes next semester! It has been so hard to get enough time to study and do my essays and labs with little kiddos, and a house to clean. So a lighter load should ensure better grades. I am not in a rush anyways. I can't transfer to ASU until all the kids are in school anyways, so I will spend the next 3-4 years getting my associates and maybe take ASU entry level classes for awhile.

I am on a baking frenzy today! I have made 4 batches of cookies and two batches of fudge (the best and easiest fudge recipe ever!)I still have 2 more batches of cookies and 2 batches of brownies to make. Then Mike, the kids and I will decorate and deliver tonight. I had a goal to actually get all my holiday cards and goodies out this year. I have half my Christmas cards out and the goodies will go out today! I feel so accomplished, lol!

Mike and I also have to detail the jeep today. We have given in and plan on selling it. We never use it anymore. It was our fun toy before we had kids. Since I have my van (That I absolutely LOVE) we are gonna sell it and get Mike a newer SUV. Wefound a '99 Isuzu Rodeo for like $5,00 on the auti trader today. I hope we can get atleats $5,000 out of the Jeep! It was a pain in the butt to wait and save for our vehicles, but it has been so nice to not have car payments. We paid off the jeep a year ago and I hateed the payment, it was almost $400 a month..ouch! So I don't mind getting an older, but still nice vehicle if it means no car payment.

We will have our Home Equity money by next Wednesday (my birthday!)I am glad about that. I am getting a new stainless steel stove! Our stove sucks! I hate that the knobs are where the kids can get them, plus the thermostat is so off by like 10 or more degrees, so nothing cooks right. It will be nice. Then we will get our wood floors (laminate ofcourse, lol!) and carpet! Oh and a new leather sectional and *drumroll* the backyard done! I so want the backyard done so the kids can go out and play. It can get boring in the house!

Well, my oven timer went off, gotta go!

The Price Family 2005 Christmas pictures!

We had these taken last week. While Emm did not smile, I was very happy that she behaved wso well the whole time. I scheduled this appointment in the morning instead of afternoonn or evening. She never whined cried and the kids didn't fight. I walked away unstressed for the first time after getting their pictures taken. It was wonderful! I cannot believe how much my kiddos have grown. It makes me feel so bittersweet to see them grow.

Holy Canoly!

I have lost 72 lbs so far! Only 35 to go! Yipeee!!! I am getting so close! I just did a before and after pic on PW and I couldn't believe how much I have lost! The first pic is Dec 04 and this one was 2 weeks ago. I cannot believe how different I look!

Before:



After:



I have to say I feel so great! I can play at the park with my kids, and swing and go down the slide. I have never been able to do that with m,y kids. I saw such a look of happiness in Dawson's eyes as I was playing on the slide w/ them it totally warmed my heart!

Looky, Looky!!!

I can't believe it! I have lost 70 total and 50 since I started weight watchers!! I am so happy. I cannot believe it 37 lbs to go! That is not much at all!! I can totally do it before we start TTC!!!

I have been so busy with school! I cannot believe that the semester is almost over! So far I have all A's. I just have to ace my last 3 tests and I will have straight A's for the semester!

Going back to school at this time in my life has not been easy. I have been amazed at the discipline that I have had! I had a few days here and there were I was overwhelmed and burnt out. I wondered why in the heck I went back to school and I also wondered if I was gonna survive this semester, but so far so good!

I am still babysitting. Not my fave thing, but it keeps me home with my kids. I have had some hard days with Dawson. He is really testing his independance. I have had a few days where I thought that maybe I couldn't handle another child yet, because of the way he has been acting. He is getting better though.

Through it all, Mike and I are still planning on TTC at the begining of the year! I cannot wait to have another baby! I love my kids so much and can't wait to have another one to be amazed by. I seriously don't know how I was so lucky to get the kiddos that I got. I sometimes sit and watch them and just think how lucky I am!

Hopefully in the next few weeks, we will start redecorating the house! WE have been approved thru 2 places for a home equity loan. However one has an option of a 30 year variable rate that will start at 6.26, but who knows how high it might go. They gave us the option of a 15 year @ 7%, but we do not want the payment that we would have. So we went ot wells fargo and got approved, but the lowest rate we could get was 8%. I cannot believe how high the rates are getting. We are gonna try Lending Tree I have heard they have really great rates. So we shall see. All I know is that I want my berber carpet, laminate wood flooring, painted walls, new furniture and finished backyard soooooooo bad! Please cross your fingers for us that we can find the loan that we want.

Wow, it's been ahwile! I hope I still have readers..lol!

Finally, I have time to post....

I so wish that I would have finished school before I had kids! I kept procrastinating and changing my major, so I ended up giving up last time. I am glad I am going back, but it has been hard. I have to find uninterrupted time to do tests, study, etc. I tried to finish an essay while the kids were up, never again will I do that. It was way too hard. I did finish it tonight though, yipeee!!! By tomorrow, I will have a few days of no homework! That sounds so good to me. I have straight A's so far. My 1st 2 essays in my Rock and Roll History clkass have gotten 98%! My computer class is just getting started, but seems like I will be able to do decent in it. My Intro to Theater class is really easy. I am done with the 1st module 2 weeks early! I might finish up on the 2nd next week to free some time up for my other 2 classes.

I started going back to the gym last week! Mike is happy since I will be using what we have been paying for again, lol. I just finally feel comfortable going there again. I have been doing weights and cardio. I wake up so sore in the mornings, so I know I must be doing a good job. My little Bro is going to go with me on Monday and get a workout routine going for me. He is Mr. Muscles, so he should know how to help me.

I was able to really make the Gym sound enticing. I have been so stressed and needing time alone lately, but with babysitting, my kids and Mike in school and working 2 jobs, it has been so hard. So I decided that the Gym is my time alone. They have a daycare there, so my kids love that! I do my workout and have time to think by myself. I also get some of my school reading done while I am on the bike or treadmill. It has really been nice and makes going to the gym feel like a reward or a get-away.


I am pretty happy, but I am still finding myself being too judgemental on myself. Losing weight has made me feel better, but it ahs been hard too. I am having to notice some of the problems taht I used to escape by eating. Sometimes, especially lately I have noticed that when I get stressed or feel inadequate, I grab for food. I need to really focus on other solutions. Sometimes I am afraid to face the problem or try to change though. I just ahve a lot of faults and it is hard to change them.

Mike and I did have a good talk about that a few weeks ago. He did help me put some things in perspective. He told me to think of the problems I have in terms of things I can control and things I can't. It has helped. It helped me realize I am doing better than I thought I was. I have always admired the way that he can brush tings off and not let them bother him. Also I wish I could speak my mind the way he does. We decided taht together we would make the perfect person...we could speak our mind, but be tactful..lol.

I am at 51 lbs lost since January! It is harder lately. I have days that I totally mess up. I just need to start over sooner and not let it ruin my whole week. I finally got back to my W meeting this last week and that ahs helped alot. I am at a size 16, just one size away from being out of plus sizes. YIpeee!!!!

Total Inches Lost since April 2nd!

Junes inches:




Waist: 36 "(2 inches lost) (Onlt 7 inches to go!)
Chest: 42"(same as last time) (Only 6 more to go!)
Hips: 45” (lost 2 Inches) (9" to go)
Arms: 13” (lost 2") I hit my goal, but would like to lose 2 more inches)
Thighs: 25” (lost 2") 3" to go

Total inches lost since last measured: 8


Total left to lose: 27
Total lost since I began: 27

Wow, I am halfway lost on my weight and my inches!









Here are my Feb and April stats!

Here are Feb's measurements:

My measurments on February 16th 2005:
Waist: 44” (lost 3") 15" to go
Chest: 46.5” (lost 3.5") 8.5" to go
Hips: 52” (lost 2 Inches) 14" to go
Arms: 15” (lost 0") 2" to go
Thighs: 27” (lost 2") 5" to go


Here are today's!

Waist: 38" (6 inches lost in 6 weeks. I had to measure it 3 times before I believed it)
Chest: 42" (4.5" lost)
Hips: 49" (3" lost)
THighs: 26 and 3/4" (1/4"lost)
Arms" 14" (1 inch lost!)

Total lost this 6 weeks: 8 and 3/4 " lost!
Total lost since Jan: about 19"!
Total left to lose: 35 left to lose!!

Hooray for Lauren!!!

I am just so happy. There is a little from my March 2004 birthclub that was born with heart problems. She had surgery a month ago, and it wasn't looking good for a few weeks there. In the last week she has recovered so well that she is going home finally! It makes me so happy. I just cannot imagine what she and her family have gone thru.

I finally hit a weightloss milestone!

Yesterday was such a breeze babysitting. JOnathan went to San Diego w/ his grandparent's. So I just had my 2 kids, Kaitilyn and Allie. When one kids is gone, doesn't matter which one, it is always a little easier. MY son had no one to whine with or yell with or run all over the hhouse with or fight. It was alot more quiet! They are all here today and so far so good.

I finally talked Mike into exercising with me. After it cooled down last night (It cooled down to 90..so sad!), we went to our favorite park. WE walked a very brisk mile around the Park. Mike had the harde5r workout, he had to push the kids in the double stroller. My legs burned, and we definently had a good workout. Then we played at the park with the kids. THat's my milestone!


I did something I haven't done since before we had kids, but always wanted to do. I swung on the swing! I took Emm on with me. She still isn't too sure about this crazy swinging thing. She whined a little and the clung to me. Then I gave her to Mike and I swung some more. It was actually a good workout. Obviously Dawson had never seen me swing before. WEll, he got off the slide and came over to watch me. He looked so excited to see Mommy play on the playground too. IT almost brought a tear to my eye. THis is one of the reasons that I wanted and still want to continue losing weight, so I can play with my kids on the playground and anywhere else.

Well that's it for now. Please go back to your regularly scheduled lives..lol.

Stuck at 35 lbs lost..grrr!!!

I am up .4 lbs, grrr!! I was very faithful with my points and charting them. I was talking to my WW leader last night. I was saying how even though I am still losing I feel somewhat stuck. Since April 1st I have only lost 8 lbs. Usually I lose 8-10 lbs a month. I have been within a few pounds of being under 200 lbs for weeks now. I just wanna get under. She suggested that I might wanna get more faithful with exercise and also since I am within 3 lbs of lowering my daily points from 26-24, that I might as well do it now. I started today and I hope that it makes a difference. I wanna be under 200 next week.

I want to be close to 170 by labor day. We go up camping up north with Mike's family every labor day. I was thin only the first time I went up in 2000. So I haven't been in condition to Hike or do anything fun since I have had kids. So if I can be close to 170 by then I know I could handle hiking again.

I also wanna be atleast 150 (my WW goal weight) by December 21st, my birthday. Mike wants to take me to the Hyatt Compass room for dinner. But only if I fit into my bridesmaid dress from my Best Friends wedding by my Bday. I am sure I could fit into it at 150 or even 160 lbs. I think I was 145 at the time of the wedding and it was a little loose.

I also need to be more dedicated to exercising. I am always so tired from the kids that I can't get myslef in the mood. Isn't it funny you have to exercise to get extra energy, but where do you get the energy you need to start? I am trying to talk Mike into exercising with me. He is fine how he is to me, but he tells me he wants to lose the extra 5 lbs in his belly (I think it's cute!). So I am trying to get him to do it with me. He just s doing workout tapes. So I am trying to talk him into buying a home gym and a treadmill. Walmart has a knock-off bowflex for $200 something dollars and we could probably find a used treadmill for $100. Since we cancelled my gym membership..no time to get there now...We could put the gym dues in saving and make up for buying the stuff in about a year. Mike is really hard to talk into taking money out of savings though. BUt I am getting closer to him agreeing to it.

After I hit my WW goal wait I wanna lose an additional 5-10 lbs. Then Hopefully by this time next year I will be preggo or atleast trying. I can't wait to have another baby. Emmalee is still so my baby, but she is getting big fast. So while I am not totally ready for another one (I have to lose this weight for health reasons before we have another baby) I am really starting to miss the sweetness of a new baby. It is such a special time.

Well that's all for now. I feel more inspired after writing new goals down.

Good-Night!

I forgot about my weight loss...

I have lost 31 lbs so far!

Inches lost in March 2005!

Wow I lost alot this month!

Here are Feb's measurements:

My measurments on February 16th 2005:
Waist: 44” (lost 3") 15" to go
Chest: 46.5” (lost 3.5") 8.5" to go
Hips: 52” (lost 2 Inches) 14" to go
Arms: 15” (lost 0") 2" to go
Thighs: 27” (lost 2") 5" to go


Here are today's!

Waist: 38" (6 inches lost in 6 weeks. I had to measure it 3 times before I believed it)
Chest: 42" (4.5" lost)
Hips: 49" (3" lost)
THighs: 26 and 3/4" (1/4"lost)
Arms" 14" (1 inch lost!)

Total lost this 6 weeks: 8 and 3/4 " lost!
Total lost since Jan: about 19"!
Total left to lose: 35 left to lose!!

WE had such a nice night last night. Yesterday was our "eat Out" night. We have 2 of those a month. WE went to a nice little mexican restaraunt called Top Shelf. A in my weight watcher's class suggested it. They had a light menu. It was really good. I only ate 3 tortilla chips (It was so hard to control myself but I did it!). I left feeling satisfied but not bloated or super full. I was proud of myself! Then we wewnt to golfland. It was Dawson's first time goofy golfing. It was so cute seeing him golf. It was so much fun. We just don't get out enough as a family. We have decided that we need to do stuff like that more. We had coupons for the restaraunt and golfland so it was super cheap..Thank You Entertainment book! They also have a kids playland at golfland now. We let Dawson play in it for about 20 minutes. Mike went in and played with him. There was only like 1 other kid in there, so I let Emm play around the entrance of the gym. She liked climbing up the gym mats! We got a lot of cute pictures of it. If I can ever figure out how to post pics I will add them. Actually I think I figured it out. We'll see.. Then we went to Cold Stone creamery I was able to get a nice sized ice cream w/ candy and a waffle cone for 10 points! I had to use flex points, but that's what they are for! It was a lot of fun! I really like doing family outings.

Babysitting is going better. The little I watch is getting easier. I was gonna start watching 2 more kids, a brother (2.5 yrs) and a sister (16 mos) from 7 am to like 6 pm. I was feeling iffy about it. Mike could tell I was tense thursday night and I ended up crying and telling him that I just didn't think I could take on 2 more kids. He said if I feel iffy don't do it. So I have to call her (I wouldn't be starting for a few more weeks) and tell her no. I feel bad, but I just can't do it. Their dad just left them and she admitted that they are very hard to handle and fussy because of that. I just can't do it. I feel like my 2 kids and the little I am watching are alreday almost enough. I could handle one more kid, but that is it. So I am going to put some new ads up and hope to find one easy full time kiddo. I am so relieved that Mike understandfs. I just didn't want to become a basket case and cry all the time like I did last time I babysat 2 years ago. I was watching 3 kidsplus my own son and it was hard. One more kid and that's it. Mike can quit his 2nd job then and we both will be happy!

I am going to try to post our pics from last night now. I was looking at them and I was shocked. MIke took a pic of me. He said that we need pics of all my stages of weight loss. I really have lost a lot of weight! 27 lbs so far!!!!


The men in my life, Mike and Dawson golfing:


Emmy our audience!



Dawson has learned to cheat just like Mommy! I am so proud! He drags the ball to the hole..lol.



All done with our fun filled night of golfing!




Here is a pic of me golfing weight 211:


Now here is a pic before I started losing weight. Dec 2004, Weight about 238-240 (yikes!):

The Math....

I went in for my Weight Watcher's weigh in today I am down 2 more pounds! I am down to 221 lbs. That is 4 lbs from prepreggo w/ Emm weight, 5.5 lbs to my 10% goal and 76 lbs to go. I have lost 17.6 lbs in 6 weeks. That averages out to about 3 lbs (it is rounded up a little ;). So if I keep an average of 3 lbs a week, then by Labor Day (we have a campout/family reunion w/ Mike's family labor day every year) I should be either somewhere around 170-145 (or less! I might go beyond my goal weight when I hit it, I'll decide then!). That is only 6 months away! I have been playing with the numbers and it is exciting. Ofcourse I know that I might hit a few plateaus, but I know I will for sure be below 200 lbs by then. I want to go hiking and just do the things I used to enjoy while camping (before I had all this extra weight on me). I am so excited about this. I will feel like myself again. I am so glad that I finally said enough is enough.

I have been takingthe kids for walks atleast every other day. I haven't felt up to that in ages. Not just because of my weight, but my mood. I am feeling better in some aspects :).

I know the weight alone won't make me feel better. I am also trying to better myself. I am trying to be a better mommy and a better friend. I am having a hard time in one aspect with losing weight. I don't eat as much as I used to for emotional reasons. So now I have to face some of my problems and things I don't like about myself. It has been hard.



Well, until next time..buh-bye!

My current Stats!

My Begining Weight: 238.6 lbs
My current Weight: 223.2
Total Lost: 15.4 lbs
Total left to lose: 78lbs
My current Goal: to hit my 10% weight of 215.6, 7.8 lbs to go!

My measurements on Jan 12th 2005:

Waist: 47”
Chest: 50”
Hips: 54”
Arms: 15”
Thighs: 29”

My measurments on February 16th 2005:
Waist: 44” (lost 3") 15" to go
Chest: 46.5” (lost 3.5") 8.5" to go
Hips: 52” (lost 2 Inches) 14" to go
Arms: 15” (lost 0") 2" to go
Thighs: 27” (lost 2") 5" to go

Total Lost: 10.5"
Total left to lose: 44.5"

Week 5 weigh in:

I lost 4.6 more lbs. My grand total for 5 weeks is 15 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not too shabby! I am feeling a lot better. I have more energy and I am happier because I feel in control!

The Schedule Day 1......

It is almost 1 pm here. We have gone by the schedule all day. So far so good! I cut my computer time down. I have almost all my daily chores done, except my flylady missions for the last 3 days..lol. I will do those when I get back from my Weight Watcher's meeting tonight. I have spent more time with Dawson today..it has been nice. I usually eat lunch standing up and grabbing a little here and there or infront of the TV. Today I sat at the table and ate with Dawson, it was really nice. We talked and laughed!!! WE did preschool too. I had a lesson on body parts and how they help us to see, hear, run and play. WE did some songs about the subject, then I put one of my walk away the pounds tapes on and had him do some of the workout with me so he can notice how his joints bend, etc. Then we cut out parts of faces from magazines and made a person collage. It was really fun and he loved it. He and Emmalee are in her room playing right now. Soon we will do story time and then it is nap time for Emmalee & quiet time for Dawson. Then I can fold clothes and make a few bracelets. I haven't felt like a chicken with my head cut off today..like I usually do..lol. I will admit, I yelled at Dawson once today. But then apologized and he apologized for not listening.

All in all it has been a peaceful day so far...there is still 5.5 hours till the kids bed time..lol.