OOTD

I found some old OOTD that I didn't post from last winter. Here are some ideas for this fall! I am ready for fall weather. It has been soooo hot lately. Now come January I will say how I just can't wait for summer.

Old Navy outfit! Everything except the shoes came from Old Navy

Jacket: JCPennys

Tank: Old Navy

Skirt: Gap

Shoes: Target

Another Old Navy outfit! I think the scarf might be from Target, but everything else including the shoes are from Old Navy.

OOTD

It has been a long time since I have posted OOTD. Lately I feel I am super casual on the days I work from home. Usually I am trying to get as much work in while G is at the nanny or sleeping. When I go into the office I try to put together a cute outfit.

Top: Van Husen

Pants: Old Navy

Shoes: Target

Top: Old Navy
Skirt: Cassie LulaRoe
Shoes: Target
LulaRoe is my new favorite brand of clothing. They are so comfy and cute!

Top: Gap
Sweater: NY & Co
Pants: Old Navy
Shoes: Target

Top & Sweater: Old Navy

Pants: Gap

Shoes: Target

I am as tired as I look in the picture above! I bought the pants for $5 from Gap super clearance event online. They are SUPER comfy, great quality and nice pants.

Kale Chips

I had a bunch of kale in my fridge a couple weeks ago. I washed the leaves, laid them on a cookie sheet, drizzled coconut oil over the leave and sprinkled parmesan cheese over the top. Baked at 400 for about 10 minutes. I had planned to have it along side of our dinner. Well half the pan was ate even before dinner was finished. They were AMAZING!!! 

I had to make them again just so I could get a picture. Art even loved them! Please do not used the powdered container of that so called parm cheese.  That is NOT parm cheese. It is a can of chemicals. Buy some REAL parm cheese in the cheese section of your grocery store. You will thank me later you used the real stuff on these kale chips! 

It's HERE!!!

The book was delivered today!!! EEEKKKKK!!!

I have been reading different stories from the book today. I read mine first. I've read it many times but it was crazy to me to see my words in a book. I wonder if my own words would have been in a book without cancer?  

Then I read my friend Bill's story. We lost Bill about a month ago. I still miss him every day. I miss seeing his midnight snack of grilled cheese. Or reading his encouraging words. He always knew what to say to people. Had great stories to share. 

Then I went to story 1. Perfect story to start the book. The first story sums up a day with MTC. 

The book is overwhelming. No way I could sit down and read this whole thing. Maybe because I know most of these people. Maybe because this is my reality. I understand what these people are going through each day. 

BOOTD

I am late to the flat lay posts. I recently bought a white board to do some baby OOTD. George wears such cute clothes. It is hard to get a picture of him cooperating in his outfits each day. I am hoping I can teach him to stand still for me soon, so I can get a picture of the outfits. Here is my first try at a BOOTD. Stay tuned for some future posts!

Shirt: Target

Pants: Thrift

Shoes: Kaleb's hand me downs

Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream

I can't wait to take George to Disney on Ice Dare to Dream! Earlier this year I took him to Disney on Ice and he LOVED it! He was only about 5 months old then. I think now that he is a year old he is going to really love watching all the characters.



Nothing can stop a princess from a celebration of royal proportions when Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream Presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt skates into to your hometown. Join your hosts Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse for a princess-packed adventure. Laugh along with Disney’s hair-raising escapade, Tangled, as Rapunzel, Flynn and Maximus embark on an uproarious journey that takes adventure to new lengths! Travel to the enchanted forest with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as she escapes from the Evil Queen in her search for her one true love. Dreams become reality as Cinderella meets her Prince Charming, with a glass slipper fit for an unforgettable fantasy come true. Boogie to the beat of the bayou with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, in a magical, musical journey that begins with a fateful kiss. The whole family will delight in the beauty, sparkle and spirit of the ultimate Disney Princess event of a lifetime!    

You can save 25% off tickets by using the code MOM. Buy your tickets HERE.

We Need Research!!!!

Today is an amazing and exciting day!  A few months back I wrote a story for a new book. I wasn't sure if I should write about my cancer struggle for the book, but this nagging feeling inside me said do it!  You will regret it if you don't take this chance. I'm so glad I took the time to do it. Today the book was released on Amazon. 

September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness month. Did you know MTC does not currently have a cure?  I have a disease with no cure. Every birthday is a huge milestone. I like getting older. It means I am winning this battle. 

My cancer is currently stable. I go for tests every 3 months. Each time the numbers change the doctors aren't sure why. They don't know where the cancer is growing, but the numbers tell them it is. CT scans and MRIs are done annually to monitor the "spots". 

This year we've lost many people in the MTC family. Every loss is hard and some are harder than others. There are some you become very close with and then the disease takes them. It's heartbreaking. Never gets easy. 

There is so little research that is being done. It sort of angers me how much money is wasted on stupid crap by our government when they could be spending money on cancer research. Let's research moving bears from one state to another to see what happens. Really?  That's what our money is spent on?  Instead there are 1000s of people with a disease with no cure. 

It's time my voice is heard. I'm good at being loud, pushing my weight around, so it's time to make it known for MTC!!! 

Wordless Wednesday

Healthier Weight Loss

Recently someone commented to me that they had read my blog about my weight loss. You know at times I completely forgot about the HCG diet. I knew once George was born I wouldn't be able to the HCG diet and nurse. I was concerned how I would get all the weight off.

Well the first 25 pounds came off early fast. I think within a month it was gone. That was great because I only put on 19 pounds while I was pregnant. After the holidays I decided it was time to get the extra weight I had gained prior to getting pregnant. I wanted all my clothes to fit again.

I joined a Facebook group. I had to eat 1/2 cup of fruit, 3 cups of veggies, exercise 30-45 minutes per day 5 days a week, no sugar, and a weekly challenge. I lost 20 pounds within 6 months. I have now lost an additional 10 pounds. I am now down 50 pounds in a year...having a baby helped get rid of some of that lol. I did it a lot safer and healthier this time around.

I also learned that my body can't handle sugar on a daily basis. When I have sugar on a daily basis I get really run down and weak. I noticed this change after I had my thyroid out. It was so strange. If I give up sugar I feel human again. I am glad I figured this out! Sugar is so addictive and harmful to our bodies on a regular basis.

I do allow myself 1 cheat day a week. It is usually on Sunday. I will go out to eat, have ice cream, M&M's or whatever else I am craving. This really helps me eat clean too. I don't feel deprived or that I can't ever eat things again. I just remind myself when Sunday comes I can have a treat.

My goal is to lose another 25 pounds. I would like to have 15 of it off before vacation, but we will see if my body cooperates. I have struggled with losing weight because of nursing. There were times I just had to eat food to keep my supply up. Now that I have cut back on nursing I have been exercising a lot more.

I also don't think of this as a diet. This is a lifestyle change. Yeah, I know what you are thinking....oh people talk about these life style changes all the time...blah blah. Seriously though for me it is because of my health. It is very important to me to be the healthiest I can possibly be for my family. I also want George to eat healthy and see us eat healthy. Hopefully he will make wise food choices.

Happy Birthday George!

One year ago this little boy came into the world after 52 hours of labor. It was the longest 3 days of my life. Once he was born it was totally worth the past 3 days. The past year has been amazing! I would happily trade the prior 33 years of my life to relive the past year over again.

I LOVE watching George grow! I remember the first time he rolled over. It was sooooo exciting! Then he learned to scoot around, then crawl, pull himself up, sit, walk around furniture, eat, talk etc. It has all been so exciting!

Last night I put my 11 month old to bed for the last time. He will now be so many years for this point forward. I wanted it to be a cuddly all emotional bedtime....he had other plans. He was over tired, didn't want to sing our songs, and just wanted in his bed. lol Story of my life. He is so my child! He has a mind of his own, determined and stubborn.

I know George won't remember this time of his life, but I will cherish it forever! I remember being about 5 years old playing in my room with my dolls. I was sitting there thinking how I couldn't wait to have my own baby one day. That desire to be a mom was so strong in such a little girl. As I grew up the desire to be a mom only grew more and more.

Holding him in the hospital for the first day was a little strange. I couldn't believe he was mine. It didn't seem real. Then they told us he had to stay because of jaundice. I laid on the hospital bed with him next to me just crying. I was so worried I wouldn't be able to stay right beside him or something might happen to him. The whole jaundice thing is a distant memory now.

 

A couple hours old

George only wore 4 pairs of pants for the pictures. The first pair was a teeny tiny premie pair that he could wear until about 2 months old. Then he wore some pretend jeans that came with another outfit. Once he was able to fit into his Lucky or Gap jeans he wore those until the end. In the 11th month picture you can tell his pants got too short. Around 11 months he had a growth spurt and almost all his pants became too short. His Gap skinny jeans made it through from month 5-12. Gap clothes might seem a little pricey...shop their sales and look how long they last!

I have spent the past 4-5 months planning out G birthday. Looking at Pinterest for ideas and working on making things. We are one week away from the big party! I can't wait to share all the details.

Happy Birthday to my amazing son! I am so lucky to be your mom!

Almost a year old!

It's hard to believe one year ago today we went to the hospital to be induced. What a rookie I was that night!  I thought George would be here by the 4th.

I remember we were so excited!  Anxious most of the day. We got to the hospital to check in and they didn't have a room. WHAT!  We had this day scheduled for 3 weeks and had called ahead 4 hours before arriving. Well we were about to find out why there wasn't a room. 

Labor & delivery at my hospital was a revolving door. I sat there for 3 days or in labor for about 52 hours. Arrived Wednesday at 7pm and left Saturday around 5:30am to go to a regular room lol. I might have set a record there.

Inductions are no joke. Something I didn't want and something I hope doesn't happen again. 

I remember looking at that little bed thinking OMG that's for us!  My dreams are about to become a reality. This is still a favorite picture. The anticipation of waiting for my little miracle! 

I didn't give up faith that we would have a baby. I knew one day it would happen. Being determined can be a good thing. 

In a couple days we will celebrate George first birthday!  I can't believe he is one, but on the other hand I can. It's been an amazing year. Lots of laughter!  I love the little personality coming out. Last night I was laying on my bed and he was crawling around the room. He got to the door, turned around, smiles super big and waved. Then he proceeded to open the hall closet to just look inside. 

Motherhood is one of best things in the entire world!!!  I just love being a mom!  There are moment it's hard, but to me totally worth it!