No words.

Back to Square One

When Caleb was born I did not lose as much weight (or inches in my belly) as I would have liked. I tried to start eating better (cut out the sweets!) but I've been a little stressed/depressed--to be expected--and sweets are my weakness in those situations. So, I've been waiting for my body to feel like it's healed so that I can start exercising again. I think that happened a few weeks ago...

First, Justin and I fixed up his parents' old 70's road bikes. We planted $80 bucks into them because we thought they'd be a great thing to have! Well, they are so old, they work just fine, but mine is a bit too big, so I don't actually ride in the drops at all (Just on the flats..which is not ideal). They also shift via these two little knobs that sit on the front post (Justin might know what they are actually called, but I don't.) Like these...

You just move them forward or backward to shift...but there's no "clicking" for the gears. You just have to fiddle with it to get it on the right gear. It's really inconvenient and annoying! It's not very efficient either. So, bike riding has kind of died...

So, I decided I was just going to have to go for walks and runs on my own. See, Justin has to stay at home to help with the house, or if I'm on a run, he gets to watch Caleb. He knows it's important to me to get back into shape...so he fully supported my exercise every morning.

Well, so then the excuse to get over was "I don't have time." Time? What do I do all day? I stay home. With Caleb, of course. How can I not have time? I finally committed to going running this past Monday morning after I did my teaching. I went. Yes! First accomplishment! haha
I only ran ONE mile. that's it. Yes, it was 1/2 uphill, and 1/2 downhill, but it was only ONE mile. I've been achy since then. It's mostly my calves, but not the calf muscle I'm used to being sore. and it doesn't hurt to use, only to touch. But what hurts the most is my right hip! Man, it's like my hips haven't gone back together again or something! Basically, this is what I felt like:

Whereas, this is what I WANT to feel like. I like to look good, but mostly I like to feel good. So, since I've now joined the club of "Moms," I am hoping there are some other Moms who can share some insight or give suggestions on how I can work out. Here are my obstacles:

1. Sore body: knees, hips, shoulders


2. Scheduling time: I feel bad requiring someone to watch Caleb when there is so much else to do here at the house...


3. Motivation: I want to feel good, I want to be able to wear at least a few more of my clothes (mostly because we don't have money to buy more!), but like I said, sweets are really easy to come by here and when I'm stressed, depressed, bored, or uncomfortable chocolate becomes my best friend.

I'd LOVE to hear what y'all gotta say!! :-D

Creative...

...Is what I was going for, right?
So I got bored with my hair...and I've been really thinking about some bangs...and we own real hair-cutting scissors...so I decided to save some money that we don't have.



But I forgot about the fact that I really have no idea how to cut hair! This is the finished project...it's not horrible, but it's not quite what I was going for. Maybe next time will be better!

Have you ever had a personal "let's-save-money" hair-cutting attempt gone wrong? Please share! :-D

2 Months Old!

Already!?!
It seems like we just got him...and that we've always had him at the same time. Caleb was 2 months last Saturday. He's gotten so big and he just keeps growing!
And YES- that is the same stuffed animal this time! :D



We love him!! He brings so much joy to our lives!

I don't know why this is underlined??

A Day Get-away

So last Tuesday we took a day trip up into Vermont so that I could see the leaves turning up there. It's supposed to be the best state in the East to see the colors of Autumn. I was not disappointed!! Even though it was a few days before peak (when the colors are the most brilliant), the country side all around us was breathtaking! The pictures on't quite capture it, but you get an idea.



We also stopped at the Joseph Smith Birthplace. There is such an incredible spirit there! It was so peaceful and comforting. It's incredible how a piece of land with a monument, a visitor's center, and some music can communicate the spirit so well. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. The land even bears testimony! Having our little family there made me so grateful for the Plan of Salvation and so many other truths declared in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, restored by Joseph the Prophet.

Then we visited some factories (Cabot cheese and a cider place), but honestly the best place was the Joseph Smith memorial. Caleb did quite well, really. And thank goodness for GPS! We had planned to see some covered bridges, but by the time we got to that part of our trip, it was quite dark. and Vermont roads are very confusing!! It was an almost-fruitless attempt (we saw 2), but the detour took us far away from the road we needed to get home. And after our experience of how unreliable the Vermont roads are, especially compared to the maps we had, we were so grateful for Lola who got us home safely.

It was nice to have a day with my two wonderful boys, and so lovely to see so much nature! I loved it, but boy were we tired when we got home!! :-) I love my family!