Tales From The Little White House: My Life

2017

Taking that first step...

9:52 PM

How has it been almost a year since I have taken up the pen so to speak and shared my life on this blog?

The older I get (I am approaching 27 faster then I care to think about lol) the faster time goes by. How is it that the days can seem to last forever but then the years just move so fast?

The last time I blogged Clara was not even born yet (dont worry I will be sharing her birth story soon) and here almost a year later there have been some definite changes!

Jason FINALLY has a diagnosis-he has been chronically ill our entire marriage and in July 2016 we found out what he is sick with and has been sick with for at least 8+ years.

Lymes Disease
Bartenella Disease (which is a co-infection of the lymes)
Chemical Sensitivity (so going chemical free and organic as much as possible
A suppressed immune system
Multiple mineral deficiencies

That baby girl that was in my belly the last time you heard from me? Well she is almost 11 months old!

We started a family business selling Lularoe clothing out of our home (we also go to peoples homes as well). Six months in we have been doing so well Jason resigned from his job as a corrections officer to come home for good and work together selling clothing (what a journey that has been wow)!

I have been struggling with my weight and health in a whole new way this past year especially after having Clara. I have been learning a lot though and with the help of some amazing counselors am growing and learning each week...sometimes I feel like there is no progress but the struggle is making me appreciate this journey and any victories no matter how small they may seem. Also, since I have started wearing Lularoe it has helped me to find beauty in where I am at not where I want to be (at least 30 pounds lighter) and that is huge for my confidence as I continue to work on becoming as healthy as possible!

This past year I have really had to come to terms with some really deep deep struggles in my walk with God and ,as a result, I have been learning all over again who God is. Who He REALLY is not just who I have made him out to be in my mind...

Elijah is four years old and Micah is three-how did that happen? I will be starting to homeschool soon and I cant wait to share that with all of you (as well as have it help me keep on track LOL).

We have started to delve even deeper into Essential oils as well as food for fuel and health and that is a huge way we are going to be attacking Jason's health issues. I am excited to learn as much as I can about it!

I feel like this past year I had to go through a lot of painful stripping away and I was numb in the midst. Now even though I feel like we are still treading water a lot of the time-I have started to process and feel ready to share the good, the bad and sometimes the ugly!

So are you ready? I am! Let the crazy journey begin!

2015

That whole 21 day fix thing...

6:54 PM

So all the sudden here we are at a new month! The last month of the year 2015 and I find myself asking how on earth that went so fast?

So last year around this time I was on my journey with the 21 day fix. It was amazing and really did change my life in a wonderfully healthy and encouraging way.

People I have never felt so wonderful in my life.

I did two rounds and honestly-I did not even do them perfectly! The first round I was all into the excercise and did not do perfect on the nutrition piece. I lost one pound and 6.5 inches in 21 days. Not only that but I felt stronger and more confident.

Then my foot went out on me.

The second round I could not excercise. At all. So I was almost as perfect as I could be with the nutrition aspect. 21 days later I lost almost 8 lbs and 5.5 inches!!

It was amazing!

Then life began to happen. Stress began to build. I allowed excuses to take over and all the sudden I found myself falling back into my old habits of turning to food instead of God.

Binging.

There I said it. I really really struggle with making food my idol and looking to that for comfort and fulfillment instead of the Lord.

Does it make sense? Nope. Not really. And yet I continue to struggle with my addiction to food.

Then I got pregnant. Surprise! I thought that having a baby growing inside of me would help-but honestly-when there was a few months time of insanely stressful things (life Gram passing away) that I could not control-my turning to food for comfort got more out of control then it has ever been in my entire life.

I got embarrassed but continued to hide. I did not want anyone to know and honestly-I was too ashamed to let people know.

The plus side of being pregnant is you can camouflage weight gain a lot easier for a lot longer.

But the last week of November I realized how out of control I really was. And it scared me.

Because I know that I am not making healthy choices for myself and that truly does effect those around me.

So, I decided to make a change.

Starting with getting things back on track with the Lord and my eating habits.

I also believe in accountability. Is it embarrassing to write and admit I totally fell of the band wagon these last few months? Uh, yes.

But I believe in the power of my God and the importance of accountability.

So what are my goals for December?

Glad you asked! :)

Do the 21 day fix nutrition program (I upped my calories a bracket because of my pregnancy and have done a lot of research it is totally safe for the baby). Basically-I will be eating good, clean food and ALOT of it!
I will not be eating deserts. Do I believe deserts are wrong? Absolutely not! But for me personally-the just one turns into oh look I ate the whole bag. So I am cutting it.
Work out at least five days a week for 1/2 an hour. I love Leslie Sansone and her walking dvds! They are low impact but I really do get a work out in! And they are safe for the baby. Plus I own like, ten dvds so need to get going on those!

My goal is NOT to lose weight. Instead, I want to, with God's help, break some very bad habits when it comes to my relationship with food. I also want to be healthy. For me and my family!

So there you are-my big secret I was too ashamed to write about for an entire year! I will be posting more frequent updates and recipes on my facebook page so if you would like more frequent updates head on over and hit like! :)

So what about you? Do you ever feel so embarrassed about something you would rather hide it then let people know you struggle? Does it make you feel better when people are vulnerable about their struggles so you do not feel like you are all alone in yours?

What are your favorite things to do health wise? Do you have suggestions for exercising with kiddos around? I would love to hear them!

2015

To Just Breath Again...

6:22 PM

2014

TODAY is the day!

10:20 AM

Today is the day! The first day on my journey to a healthier and more honoring to the Lord lifestyle. My beachbody challenge pack is en route and due to arrive today and I can not wait!

This past week since I made the decision to really change my lifestyle has been difficult. I have fallen but then the Lord has helped me get back up. I do have some guidelines that I am going to incorporate over these next 21 days.

Ready? Ok here we go:

Always lean on Jesus because really-I have tried to do it without Him and it hasn't really worked out all that well. I will be continuing to do The Lord's Table everyday as well.
Do not weigh myself! I did this morning and I am 158 pounds exactly so we will see how that number changes in the next 21 days!
Prep all my food. This is a HUGE one! I went on a shopping trip yesterday and got stuff for smoothies for both Jason and I. I was inspired by pinterest to assemble them all for the week and freeze most of the ingredients so I can make the process that much faster when we do need our shakes. I pinned my inspirations on my 21 Day Fix board.
Early to bed and early to rise. Jason has to leave for work by 6 am or earlier most mornings. My goal is to get up with him and make him breakfast then, once he is gone, do my devotions and my workout before the boys get up.
Take it one day at a time. I am nervous (just being real here) because I have never started then finished a weight loss thing. However, my motivation is completely different then it ever was so I am excited to see what the Lord does but-I am going to just take it one day at a time!
Use my to-do lists and check lists. I have my food portions posted on my fridge (I got the printable here) and I am going to be writing the rest of my goals in my notebook. I love lists and checking stuff off that I have finished. They keep me motivated!
I will drink a gallon of water a day along with watching my portions using the container system that is going to come in my challenge pack. The 21 day fix is really simple in that it is clean eating, portion control and exercise.
Speaking of exercise-I will exercise minimum 30 minutes a day-following the plan for the 21 day fix for this first round.

The next 21 days of my life will be life changing and I truly believe that. Funny thing too is that I will not be alone in this. Jason will be joining me but instead of trying to lose weight he will be trying to gain weight! I am excited to see what these next 21 days will bring for him as well!

So that is my action plan! I am so excited to share this journey with you!

What about you are you starting your journey to a healthier lifestyle? I would love to hear about it! Maybe we can work on it together :)

2014

When Food Becomes Your God.

10:23 AM

It is something that has gone unspoken for so long. Something I have hidden for years-content to continue on in my...sin.

I had an idol that was literally taking over my life and yet I refused to see it until I was forced to open my eyes and see the toll it was taking on every area in my life.

My weight has been something that I have really struggled with these last few years. Everytime I looked in the mirror I would shudder but there was always the just had two babies and I am nursing now excuse.

Then that moment came when I had to look in the mirror and tell myself the truth. It was NOT because of my babies or that I had been nursing for years that my weight was still not where I knew I was honoring God...

It was the sin of laziness and gluttony that I had allowed to overtake my life in every single way. It was sin.

That was an eye opener for me and all the sudden I realized that I did not want to be a slave to these sins any longer! I did not want to be so obsessed with food that all I could think about was were that next snack or meal would come from.

I used food to escape from reality. When I was bored or stressed or exhausted or upset-quite simply-I would turn on a movie and binge. And when I mean binge I mean bags of chips or 1/2 gallons of ice cream. And yet, I was so ashamed and so disgusted with myself but I could not stop no matter how hard I tried.

I was lost and miserable but did a really good job hiding it. No one, even Jason, knew the extent of my addiction to food.

Then one day I realized how far gone I was and how far from the Lord I was. I was desperate because I had tried so many programs and eliminating certain foods and diets and nothing lasted. I cried out to the Lord and He led me to a website called Setting Captives Free. Basically it is a website that has FREE Bible studies and accountability for different strongholds that people are struggling with in their life. I started to do The Lord's Table which, according to the website:

...will teach you to enjoy a newfound relationship with the Lord. You will find freedom from the sin of gluttony, by learning to follow biblical and practical ways, as you daily proceed through this course.

So I began, and the Lord began changing my entire mindset in regards to food as well as my motivation for losing weight.

Before I had always wanted to be that "hot Mama" one that would walk in the room and people would be in awe and whisper: "She had how many children?"

Now, I started to realize that Jesus Christ and bringing honor and glory to Him needed to be my motivation. It needed to stop being about looking this way or that and start being about Jesus.

Over the weeks I would try and fail but instead of just giving up like I used to I slowly began to run to Jesus for help.

Then something else happened that I believe is the next step in my journey.

I had been working out for 30 minutes a day for a week (I hit four times) and trying to watch what I was eating. It was really not as hard as I thought it would be because I kept running to the Lord instead of food and what a difference that made!

At the end of the week however, I had not had the results I really wanted. My cousin had been on her own journey and had lost so much weight and I asked her what she had been doing and she told me about beachbody's 21 day fix (modesty warning: there are women in some revealing workout clothes so wanted to let you know).

It was something you could do while nursing and it looked amazing but we just did not have the funds for it at the moment. So I let it go and tried to implement as much as I could on my own. Enter a Mary Kay party. I was so blessed with a fun evening with some absolutely wonderful women AND I earned enough to get my challenge pack and then decided to go one step beyond that!

I decided to become a Beachbody coach and share my own journey as it happens! I am so excited and praying that I will be able to inspire people and encourage them as I move forward on my journey of health and fitness while keeping the focus on Jesus Christ and bringing honor and glory to Him!

So what is the 21 day fix?

Well, I am still waiting for my challenge pack to come! Basically though it is clean eating, portion control and working out 30 minutes a day!

No crazy diets or foods you are not allowed to eat-just learning to practice self-control and choosing to not be lazy.

So here a journey begins:

I feel so vulnerable posting those online but in MOPS this year the theme is "Be You Bravely" so this is me being brave and not hiding anymore but being willing to be truthful and then, by God's grace, make a true change!

I will let you know when my challenge pack comes in and my 21 days officially begins-until then-I will be working out everyday for 30 minutes a day and practicing clean eating and self control in portion size.

Would you like to join me on my journey and find freedom? Check out my Official Coaching Page.

Also, I will be posting on my facebook page daily updates and pictures if you want to follow along there :)

So what about you? Do you struggle with your weight for whatever reason (I know some people have health issues that cause weight gain). Is there anyway I can help you or pray for you?

What part of my journey are you most interested in? Progress pictures, updates, meal plans? I would love to know so I can know how best to share with you :)