Finally, Some Progress!

I've been going to the Y pretty regularly, and in the last month I've lost 6 pounds! Okay, if I was a contestant on the Biggest Loser I'd probably be kicked off the show, but I think it's glorious! I need to get a belt because my pants are getting to loose, and that is a wonderful problem to have. I'm not done yet, but at least I'm starting to get somewhere. Besides exercise, I've gotten better at cutting back the calories. Despite the fact that it's so hot, I've become obsessed with soup. It makes me feel so much fuller than most diet meals, and I've figured out a decent recipe for french onion soup that I could probably eat every day!

YMCA!

Last week we got a membership to the Y, and I can't believe I didn't do this sooner. I can do some cardio, swim, sit in the steam room, and get a nice workout. Meanwhile the girls go to the kidzone, which has an outdoor and indoor playground. They can spend time with other kids while I can be around other adults. I'm so out of shape I'm only going every other day and keeping an eye on my heartrate, in fact the cardio machines have heartrate monitors built right in so it's super easy. Well it's still hard to do the actual exercise, but I've lost two pounds this week and feel pretty damn good! My back is not real great, but after cardio I sit in the whirlpool and that seems to help. I hope I'll have less pain after I get into better shape but at the very least I'll be healthier and have more energy. I have my ups and downs about losing weight and it feels good to know I have access to a gym with childcare. I like my workout videos but I can't make it through one without having to stop a million times to take care of the girls.

Fun with tents

We have a megaland play tent that includes three tents and a couple of mini tunnels that can be connected in a variety of different ways and came with a bunch of balls and a storage bag. This was only fourty dollars and the girls love to play with it. It's got a basketball hoop, soccer goal and a beanbag throw/ball toss. It's super easy to set up because the tents just spring open and twist flat when we're done with it. The only hard part about cleaning up is finding all the balls because they go everywhere. It's a great way for the girls to be active when we can't (or just don't want to) go to the park.
In these pics I set up one tent with their music stuff, which is so cool I'll probably write a blog about just that. The biggest tent got filled with stuffed animals for them to roll around in. I even got in there with them for a bit, and they laughed and crawled all over me. They also gave me their favorite stuffed animals to play with. It makes me smile just thinking about it. So worth squeezing into a little tent.

Activities With The Girls

I mentioned the dry erase crayons in an earlier blog and found another activity to do with them that the girls absolutely loved! After making sure that the curtains were out of the way we decorated the windows with the crayons. Maybe it was the novelty of drawing on something other than paper but both girls were enthralled with this and clean up was a snap. This would be even better if you had glass patio doors, which would make a much bigger canvas.

Happy Happy Joy Joy Garden Blooms

There's nothing like watching the buds start to form and all my perennials return all green and bushy. My oregano is turning into a decent sized patch (at least 2' by 1') and it's hard to believe that it's grown from a single plant a couple of years ago. This year I got two poblanos, a red bell pepper and a cherry tomato. I also decided to try growing a stevia plant, and planted some basil seeds, but the kids and dog won't stay out of them so I might just go out and buy a plant.
My chives are blooming like crazy, but the columbine is hardly blooming at all this year. I've decided to move my spearmint to the back of our yard, away from everything else. Those roots seem to strangle anything they come into contact with. If they survive the move, then I'll be happy because mint comes in handy for so many things and thrives in our yard. The irises are purple and yellow this year, they've been getting more color every year since they were given to us and are now getting quite beautiful.
I also got a bunch of petunias and sweet potato vine, as well as some perennials like dianthus and lilies. For mothers day I was given a gorgeous planter that I put in the center of our biggest garden bed. All that and some mulch given to us by a generous freecycler and I've got the most fantastic garden in the works! I'll put some pics here, and post some more as the season progresses and things fill out.

Exercise and Losing Weight

Still working on getting in shape, and I'm happy to say that I'm making progress! I'm down about half a jean size. This puts me about half way between one jean size and the other so all my pants are either to tight with a muffin top or to loose and make me look bigger than I am. What a nice problem to have! If I keep going then the tight ones will start to fit great! 

I'm exercising more often, the last few weeks I've been focusing on things like crunches to build up my muscles, and today I added in one of my favorite cardio videos. My back is killing me, but what the hell! If I get in better shape then it'll be worth it.

Potty Training

Jaydra's almost three, and she's finally starting to get the hang of using the potty. She was initially reluctant to try it, and she still needs a lot of encouragement to stop what she's doing and use it. I've started using a few different rewards because when I was using just one she'd get bored with it and start resisting again. I got her a book that came with a princess crown and stickers. We let her wear her princess potty crown when she's sitting on the potty and when she goes in the potty she gets another jewel sticker to stick on her crown. Also I got her some kandoo flushable wipes and she likes to open it herself and wipe, then throw it in the potty. This is a BIG DEAL because she loves to do things for herself.

I have to keep saying and doing things to motivate her because she says she wants to be a baby and wear a diaper. I've tried pointing out that if she uses the potty she's DOING IT HERSELF, but apparently I just don't get it. I'm sure I'm not the only one out there with a kid that struggles with this, so I thought I'd share some other things that have worked for her:

-Telling her that it makes her potty happy when she pees or poops in it. Also that it makes Mommy and Daddy happy. When she succeeds, I make a big deal about it and how happy and proud I am. Do I feel ridiculous? Yes. Is it worth it. Oh hell yes!

-Letting her play the zoodles app on my phone while she's trying to use the potty. It keeps the kids locked in the app so they can't make calls or anything, and it has a variety of age appropriate videos and games in it for free. You can also add any apps or games you want onto the menu. *note- I have her sitting on a little potty on the floor when she plays with my phone, so don't worry my phone won't be taking a toilet bath any time soon.*

-Stickers and tattoos when she uses the potty. She likes the crown, but switching it up with a temporary tattoo now and then helps to keep things interesting for her.

-www.pull-ups.com has info and helpful tips, apps, coloring sheets and all sorts of great stuff. You can even set up a phone call for them from Cinderella or Mater to remind them to use the potty.

-I got some reusable pullups that have plastic on the outside that help to contain some of the mess, but don't absorb everything away so she can be more aware of when she's peeing. Plus they are much cheaper than buying packages of disposable pullups.  

She's just about gotten the hang of it now, and only has accidents when she's sleeping. If she's doing something extra fun like playing outside or watercolors I still have to remind her to take potty breaks, but at least we're making progress.

**My younger daughter Alicia used the potty twice today and she's not even two yet. Woo hoo!**