Okay guys.. I want a challenge, and I want to share it with you.
I received some wonderful comments on FB and on the site, when I shared my continuing weight loss journey with you all. Here's the thing. I am starting to lose a little bit of my motivation, so I want to have a little bit of fun with the fitness aspect of it, and I'm really hoping that you can help me. I'm hoping that you'll share it with your friends so that I can be pushed a little extra hard!
Here's all I want you to do. If you work out fairly regularly, please comment with your routine. Let me know what you do, how much of it you do, and stuff like that.
As I get comments, I am going to spend some time with each one (if it's something requiring DVDS or something that I don't have in my possession, it may take a little longer to get to yours since I'm definitely practicing weight loss on a budget, so routines mainly using your own body and a treadmill are a plus for me.) I will then post about them as I complete them, if I saw results, what they were, and if I recommend it to others.
This will do two things. For one, it will definitely motivate me to keep my fitness up, and continue getting into shape, thus helping me to reach my own goals. The second thing that it will accomplish, will give all of us a few more workout/fitness ideas.
As I said, share, share, share. I want to be challenged, and I want to challenge and share with all of you also. If you don't want to comment, you can use the contact tab on the bottom right hand corner of the page (it should have popped up for you a few seconds after you got to the site.) and that will message me personally.
I will try anything that I physically can (and if I have the materials, or it just requires my body, I can guarantee that I will at least try it.)
Read about the daily trials and tribulations of a modern mom and housewife, including tips, and ideas on crafts, and other leisure activities with your children, saving money tips, and how to deal with daily issues and situations.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Friday, June 7, 2013
Snack Smart with Crunchmaster Crackers!
I am so glad to have found Crunchmaster crackers! They offer both adult and children's flavors that we all like.
The Kids Crisps come in Cheezy Crisps (cheddar flavor) and Grammy Crisps (cinnamon flavor), and both of these have both my daughter, and MY seal of approval in the flavor department! Both are made with 100% whole grain, and are gluten and peanut free, as well as free from cholesterol and saturated fat. Both of these products are a healthy snack that I felt completely confident feeding to my daughter.
For a more grown up palate, they offer various products, all delicious and also fairly decent in the calorie department (most of them were roughly around 160 calories a serving, but I often split up the serving size and still felt satisfied.). These are all gluten free and have no cholesterol as well, which is good. There are Multi-Seed Crackers, Multi-Grain Crackers, 7 Ancient Grains Crackers and Baked Rice Crackers.
My personal favorite (and I believe that my husband said that he agreed with me) were the Multi-Grain Crackers. They were just the most like other crackers that I have had. I will say that the Multi-Seed Crackers had great flavoring and were really light also, which I liked, so I guess you could say that both of them were my favorites.
Also, right now, if you go to their website, you can find the closest retailer that sells these crackers. If you join the Crunchmaster community, you can also save $1 on your next Crunchmaster purchase!
Disclaimer: I received one or more products above for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. My opinions as always are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. All images on this review are from Crunchmaster's Website.
Weight Loss update, and my back story
Since before Christmas, I have been posting about wanting to lose weight, and the journey I have been taking with that. I kind of stopped posting for a while, because I've been focusing on it so hard. I have lost a total of 32 pounds since I started posting about it. This brings my grand total (I kind of have a somewhat interesting story about my whole journey that I'm about to share with you also.) to 65 pounds lost. I now weigh 45 pounds less than I did when I got pregnant with my daughter five years ago. I am proud of my progress, but am suddenly feeling stuck, and I know exactly why, I just need to fix it. Right now, I am at 208.
Now, for a little bit about my story. About two years ago, I weighed in at a whopping 270 pounds (I am actually still really ashamed of that number, but you need to hear it to know where I was, where I started.) at only 5'4. I was huge, sluggish, and I was severely lacking in motivation, confidence, and any kind of self love. I don't know what happened, but something sparked and I decided that I really wanted a change. I started eating right (let's face it, if you weigh that much, no matter what you tell people, no matter what you eat around them, you're NOT eating right. Just like anything else in life, admitting that you have a problem, and what those problems are, is the very first step in fixing them. I will write more about that in a moment also) and working out every day. When the weight started coming off, I was proud of myself and the things that I accomplished.
Then, after a few months of doing great, and losing over 30 pounds, we had some terrible neighbors move into our apartment building below us. EVERY sound that they heard, they felt warranted either a knock on our door, or worse, written and verbal complaints to our rental office. They eventually began, desperately trying to get us evicted, and for a while, we nervously thought that their efforts would pay off for them. I don't have a babysitter, I am the only caretaker for my daughter, and we weren't able to afford a gym membership with childcare. We didn't live in a place where we could just go work out outside, and I just didn't have the support system to have workout buddies or anything else. These were all my reasons for ceasing my weight loss. These were all my excuses. Because, you see, not only did I stop working out, I was no longer eating right. I had excuses for that at the time also I'm sure, but I do not remember what they are at this time. I still had a two year old at the time, so I did still have problems with the neighbors despite the fact that I was no longer working out. Life was tough for us for that short while.
We dealt with those neighbors for almost a year while finding a house, and then waiting for it to be built. Then we moved. When we first moved in, I had lost a few of the DVDs and stuff I was working out with, so I had more excuses. Eventually, I got tired of having those excuses, and started again, but when the weight wasn't coming off (honestly because I wasn't trying hard enough) I would give up.
Finally, this past December, I just hit rock bottom emotionally. It's something that I really believe just has to happen for some of us in order to really make a change. You probably won't even realize that this is what's happening until you begin to change and feel better. I can't explain it, but if when you get there and work through it, you'll know. This happened, and ever since, I have been really trying hard, eating right, working out. I realize my motivation issues, and when I need to, I seek help from others. I post on Facebook to keep me accountable, and have even asked my husband to act as kind of a "personal trainer" on his days off. I realize now, that I need help to keep me motivated. I am in another stuck place, where the scale and my body aren't changing much, so I realize that it's time for me to find a way to push harder. I will find it and begin moving and pushing harder again. But until I do. This is where I am.
What's your story? Do you feel comfortable sharing? I (as well as others who may need motivation, or can help motivate) would love to hear it in the comments!
Now, for a little bit about my story. About two years ago, I weighed in at a whopping 270 pounds (I am actually still really ashamed of that number, but you need to hear it to know where I was, where I started.) at only 5'4. I was huge, sluggish, and I was severely lacking in motivation, confidence, and any kind of self love. I don't know what happened, but something sparked and I decided that I really wanted a change. I started eating right (let's face it, if you weigh that much, no matter what you tell people, no matter what you eat around them, you're NOT eating right. Just like anything else in life, admitting that you have a problem, and what those problems are, is the very first step in fixing them. I will write more about that in a moment also) and working out every day. When the weight started coming off, I was proud of myself and the things that I accomplished.
Then, after a few months of doing great, and losing over 30 pounds, we had some terrible neighbors move into our apartment building below us. EVERY sound that they heard, they felt warranted either a knock on our door, or worse, written and verbal complaints to our rental office. They eventually began, desperately trying to get us evicted, and for a while, we nervously thought that their efforts would pay off for them. I don't have a babysitter, I am the only caretaker for my daughter, and we weren't able to afford a gym membership with childcare. We didn't live in a place where we could just go work out outside, and I just didn't have the support system to have workout buddies or anything else. These were all my reasons for ceasing my weight loss. These were all my excuses. Because, you see, not only did I stop working out, I was no longer eating right. I had excuses for that at the time also I'm sure, but I do not remember what they are at this time. I still had a two year old at the time, so I did still have problems with the neighbors despite the fact that I was no longer working out. Life was tough for us for that short while.
We dealt with those neighbors for almost a year while finding a house, and then waiting for it to be built. Then we moved. When we first moved in, I had lost a few of the DVDs and stuff I was working out with, so I had more excuses. Eventually, I got tired of having those excuses, and started again, but when the weight wasn't coming off (honestly because I wasn't trying hard enough) I would give up.
Finally, this past December, I just hit rock bottom emotionally. It's something that I really believe just has to happen for some of us in order to really make a change. You probably won't even realize that this is what's happening until you begin to change and feel better. I can't explain it, but if when you get there and work through it, you'll know. This happened, and ever since, I have been really trying hard, eating right, working out. I realize my motivation issues, and when I need to, I seek help from others. I post on Facebook to keep me accountable, and have even asked my husband to act as kind of a "personal trainer" on his days off. I realize now, that I need help to keep me motivated. I am in another stuck place, where the scale and my body aren't changing much, so I realize that it's time for me to find a way to push harder. I will find it and begin moving and pushing harder again. But until I do. This is where I am.
What's your story? Do you feel comfortable sharing? I (as well as others who may need motivation, or can help motivate) would love to hear it in the comments!
Thursday, June 6, 2013
What are your thoughts on this?!
It's been a while since I've posted anything and asked for you all to participate a little. I am really curious as to what you think about this.
I just read an article that another blogger posted on Facebook. It caught my attention, because this particular issue (that I am sure occurs nationwide,) occurred and is being written about in Maine (It is rare that there is a lot of newsworthy stuff up there.. Part of the reason I love it so much!), which is where I grew up.
The article, which you can read here, and another one here; is about children being denied lunch at school when money is owed for previously consumed food.
Basically, the article spoke about an 11-year old student, who owed about $53 on their lunch account, so he ended up sitting in the cafeteria among his peers who were eating, with no food. According to both articles, their policy states that during the last week of school, children who owe on their lunch accounts are denied school lunches. The article also stated that this policy is only in affect for middle and high school students.
I have mixed feelings about all of this. Ultimately, parents are responsible for ensuring that their children are fed, and if they are opting to allow them to consume school lunches, than they are responsible for making sure that those lunches are paid for. I understand where the school systems are coming from. When lunches aren't paid for, the money to provide them has to come from somewhere, but at the same time, I feel like kids are being punished for their parents not providing.
At between $2 and $3 for a lunch, $53 seems like a lot to owe. That's a lot of lunches that weren't paid for, and free and reduced lunch pricing options are available (I believe in most places?) for parents that legitimately cannot afford lunch, so there's really not an excuse. I do, however, know that when I was old enough to get a job, I either brought lunch from home, or I bought it myself.
I want to hear your thoughts on all of this. Do you know what the policies are for your children's schools? What's your opinion? Share in the comments!
I just read an article that another blogger posted on Facebook. It caught my attention, because this particular issue (that I am sure occurs nationwide,) occurred and is being written about in Maine (It is rare that there is a lot of newsworthy stuff up there.. Part of the reason I love it so much!), which is where I grew up.
The article, which you can read here, and another one here; is about children being denied lunch at school when money is owed for previously consumed food.
Basically, the article spoke about an 11-year old student, who owed about $53 on their lunch account, so he ended up sitting in the cafeteria among his peers who were eating, with no food. According to both articles, their policy states that during the last week of school, children who owe on their lunch accounts are denied school lunches. The article also stated that this policy is only in affect for middle and high school students.
I have mixed feelings about all of this. Ultimately, parents are responsible for ensuring that their children are fed, and if they are opting to allow them to consume school lunches, than they are responsible for making sure that those lunches are paid for. I understand where the school systems are coming from. When lunches aren't paid for, the money to provide them has to come from somewhere, but at the same time, I feel like kids are being punished for their parents not providing.
At between $2 and $3 for a lunch, $53 seems like a lot to owe. That's a lot of lunches that weren't paid for, and free and reduced lunch pricing options are available (I believe in most places?) for parents that legitimately cannot afford lunch, so there's really not an excuse. I do, however, know that when I was old enough to get a job, I either brought lunch from home, or I bought it myself.
I want to hear your thoughts on all of this. Do you know what the policies are for your children's schools? What's your opinion? Share in the comments!
G and L Clothing -- Guest Post
G and L Clothing is the name to remember for all of the top brands in clothing, shoes and safety wear for hard working women, men and children. Whether shoppers are searching for rugged women's T-shirts, womens thermals or women's sweatshirts or they are searching for men's shirts, men's thermal underwear or men's pants, G and L Clothing offers tough clothing at its best. Women can expect to find comfortable and curvy-fit jeans from Carhartt and Wrangler, while men can find loose fit jeans and signature denim from brands such as Riggs, Lord Daniel, Grand River and Dickies. G and L Clothing also carries women's and men's work clothing accessories, including work gloves and knucklers, high performance socks, hats-beanies-hoods, work aprons and suspenders and belts. Shoppers can count on G and L Clothing to provide easy shipping and affordable prices for Dickies Clothing, including premium and hooded jackets and windbreakers, stay-dark jeans and double-knee utility jeans. From Dickies Women Carpenter Pants to Dickies Hooded Pullovers, the selections at G and L Clothing are offered at phenomenal prices. Furthermore, G and L Clothing does its best to provide a wide variety of sizes for brands such as Dickies, Dockers, Savane, Levi and Wrangler. Hard working customers and gifters can also browse G and L Clothing to find many flame-resistant products, including bib overalls, jackets and pants, as well as men's work boots, ice track accessories and women's footwear. Whether shoppers require clothing for a 26-inch waistline or an 80-inch waistline, G and L Clothing can match their customers' fitting needs.
Disclaimer: This is a guest post, for which, financial compensation was provided.
Disclaimer: This is a guest post, for which, financial compensation was provided.
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