Gaining a stronger, healthier body: Battling Sugar

Growing up I was told many many times "you are so lucky, you can eat whatever you want and it won't do anything to you!" I knew certain foods weren't good for you, but i was the exception; I could eat whatever I wanted! That's what everyone told me and I believed it. 

So, because of my giant sweet tooth, I felt that I could indulge freely in all the goodies I wanted to. In fact I became quite the candy connesiour. Every Sunday I would either make fudge or caramel or cookies or something else yummy and deliciously sweet. 

I do have a high metabolism which honestly does help keep weight off. I also have been an active person and a runner, but the wrong foods still does damage. In fact I gained 10 lbs my freshman year of college and for the first time in my life I had love handles. But it's not just about the way you look; it's about the way you feel too.

Of course I gained weight when I was pregnant and had to loose it after being pregnant so I would go running. Then I had Silas and only gave myself about six months to recover before I was pregnant with Adam. I didn't even loose all my pregnancy weight with Silas before I started putting on weight with Adam. My body was really out of shape because I didn't do well exercising while pregnant and I would crave sugar like crazy. After having Adam I really wanted to get my body back in shape. I started training for my half marathon. But I still had a hard time with giving up sweets and I would not change my sweet eating habits. 

It's not just a physical thing to change your eating habits, it is social and emotional too. This makes it harder to change the way you eat. Then I had a dear friend enter my life a year and a half ago who was the healthiest eater I have ever met. I was able to observe her eating habits, learn from her how to create nutrient dense foods, how to say no to sweets in social events, and how to change unhealthy things into healthier foods (like waffles with syrup to whole grain waffles with unsweetened applesauce) I learned from her that the food you eat is the fuel for your body and your body will truly function better on the right fuel. I learned that refined sugar is definitely NOT the right fuel. 

So, I decided to go one week without refined sugar. I was totally shocked with the results. Not because I was feeling amazing, but because I was feeling quite the opposite. I was having headaches, I wanted sugar so bad! I felt kind of sick! It dawned on me ...my body was dependent on sugar....it was a real addiction!  

I started replacing refined sugar with honey and eating more whole grains. It was becoming easier to go a week every once in a while without the sugar. 

Just before this last thanksgiving I went ten days without refined sugar and when thanksgiving came, I was so ready for the pie! Christmas season starts right after Thanksgiving and I just blew it by eating tons of junk again. My body didn't like that and when New Years rolled around I knew what resolution I needed to make.

 I was doing fairly well after New Years and then I went on vacation and I took a vacation from my resolution too. You can bet that after I got back was right back on healthy eating habits and limiting small treats to the weekend. The last three weeks have been awesome with how I have been feeling! I have not been craving sugar. I feel like I am free from the dependency I was having....it feels so good! I still want and do have sweets, but way less frequently and when I do have it my body feels kind if icky afterwards. 

Education on what refined sugar does to your body was a big reason why I started to change. Too much sugar will metabolize as fat and be stored in your liver. Sugar is addictive. Sugar will trick you into thinking you are still hungry so you eat more food. Too much sugar over time will cause insulin resistance and lead to type 2 diabetes. There's more, but that's what I will share for now. 

If this post does anything for anybody, I just hope it gears you in caring more about the health of your body and your body doesn't need refined sugar. 

I feel really good about changing this habit of mine and I feel like I have more energy. It certainly takes time to change and I am still working on it myself...a lot. Good luck to all endeavoring to change their sweet eating habits!

Conmen, Comedians, and Cops

So, all four of the boys in my house have been one more of the following today: a conman, comedian, or cop. So, do you want to make guesses as to who was what? 

Let's start with the conmen. If you guessed that Silas was one you might be right most days, but he is such a tease that this seems typical of him, so today I have two others; Adam and Doug.

Adam had a cup and came up to me and said, "ont water, ont water". I gave him about an inch of water and he drank it and asked for more. I gave him another little bit and he walked off with it. He kept coming back for more and more and realized something was up. Sure enough, that little innocent baby was tricking me. He kept taking the water to the living room and dumping it on the carpet.

Doug has been tricking me too. I don't know if he is going to be home or not. He was supposed to be at a campout tonight so I was prepared to be alone this evening, then they cancelled it and so I was excited to have him home, but then he took off to pick asparagus and ended up making visits to people. He just likes to trick me and make me happy to finally have him home. Which I really am!

So the comedians are Brigham and Silas. Brigham was telling Silas a knock knock joke. 

Brigham- knock knock

Silas- who's there?

B- Silas

S- Yep that's right!

B- no! Your supposed to say, 'Silas who'

S- Silas Dad!

I was downstairs doing an insanity workout and I come upstairs to see Silas blocking my way and saying, "don't see the mess!"

Cops: Since early this morning, I have been put in jail several times by Silas and Brigham. I was in the bathroom putting my contacts in and Brigham comes in locks the door, then goes out and shuts it. He says, "your in jail mom"....."mom, can you unlock the door?"

Helpers and Hinderers

Boy, this week it has seemed that I just can't catch up on everything. I was planning on getting the laundry done on Monday, but I only did one load. I am finally really getting to it today and now it's a bigger pile. I guess that's how things go sometimes. Also, it seems that every time I turn around there is new clutter.

I keep finding clothes everywhere and laundry baskets dumped over (due to Silas wanting to wear a pair of shorts again). Brigham keeps cutting up paper and it ends up all over the floor. Silas was building a "house" with all sorts of random things like towels, books, and chopsticks. Adam gets done eating his food and then he hurries and throws the rest if it on the floor. It's worth it if they are having fun though right?

Well, these little cuties are not just mess-makers. They have been little helpers lately too. They especially like to help with the outside chores. Brigham and Silas helped me rake the garden today. Rakes and dirt can make any work seem fun for boys, although I would say they played with them more than they worked with them. Then I asked Silas if he saw any rocks in the garden to pick them up and put them in the bucket. He filled his bucket full of dirt clods...that's good too:). 

We had French toast for dinner and Brigham wanted to make them. So, I dipped the bread and put it on the griddle and then let him do the rest. He watched and waited, then flipped them over. He did a great job! Silas set the plates on the table too. Adam can be helpful; he likes to help put toys away (but then you have to hurry and get it out of his reach before he dumps things out again). 

Well, the hubby is out helping finishing planting spuds so I guess I better be helping too by doing the dishes. 

I'm walkin on sunshine

The sun shined the whole day today! It was so warm and beautiful outside that we spent the entire afternoon and into the evening outside. My arms are sunburned! I love the sun shining on my skin and I also love sunshine in my soul. Here are some things that bring sunshine in my soul.

My little brother just got back from his mission last Thursday! He went home to California so I haven't seen him in person, but I got to chat with him on FaceTime yesterday! Little brother, it's awesome that you are home! I love you very much and I am so proud of you for serving your mission so faithfully. Can't wait to actually visit with you in person!

Laughter also brings sunshine in my heart and my kids made me laugh today several times. Like when Silas says, "mom! Help us save the bug!......it's dead!" 

Brigham was putting letters from our alphabet puzzle in an Easter egg and then wanted me to guess which one was in there. He gave me some hints; he said, " it's either A, F, B, or G" then he looks in the egg and says, "I mean F".  

I was getting dinner ready and the car alarm goes off. Silas comes running in the kitchen doing his low kind of evil laugh and he's hopping up and down excitedly. He said , "I push the red button and it went beep! beep!" 

Adam makes me laugh because he says no to everything. And he says it drawn out and makes a little scowl on his face which is very cute. "Did you play outside?"  "Noooo!"

Enjoy the sunshine!!!!

Easter Understanding

One of Adam's Sunday shoes was missing. Where is that other shoe? "Come here Adam, let's find your shoe!" So we looked in the office and no luck. On our way out of the office I shut the door nearly all the way when Adam's scream stopped me to notice he had his finger in the door hinge. Oh, my baby! His nail bed was purple and his finger was bleeding. I hurt my sweet little baby. I felt so bad and just wanted the pain to stop. I wanted to take his pain away. I started crying too. The emotions of a parent are strong when your innocent child is hurt and especially when you know you inflicted the pain.

All the way to church, all I could think about was that little finger. Then a small understanding came over me. I realized that I felt a tiny portion of how our Heavenly Father felt when He allowed His Only Begotten Son to suffer so great an agony. I realized that Heavenly Father wanted me to reflect on the Atonement, on His love for me and all of His children and how the Savior's gift was the greatest gift ever given. The Savior sacrificed for us to give us the greatest gift of all...for us to be united Eternally.

Visit from the Banks

My sister and her kids came to stay and play with us for a couple of days. We had so much fun! Here are som pics!

Getting ready for our guests to come for dinner by making homemade tortillas.

We had a a blast playing capture the flag. The pics are of a different flag game though.

Playing at sandy downs. We love that big sandbox hill.

Painting/dying eggs and painting faces.

Adam's Apple

Adam was carrying around an apple, so happy of the treasure he found that his brother left on the floor. I have only given him slices. He has never chomped on a whole apple before. When he showed it to me I said, "you can eat it!". He stared it down, then scrunched up his face and opened his mouth wide only to make the tiniest little mark in it. He picked out the little bit of apple skin from his mouth and handed it to me. Soon he goes after it again and again and keeps trying to feed me the peel. Then he was shoving the apple in my face saying, "taste taste". I decided I would eat the peel off for him and he loved the rest of the apple. 

Poor little apple boy had a little accident tonight. At Fhe he was spinning around in circles and it was so cute watching him explore dizziness. I thought maybe I should move the piano bench, but no he wasn't close enough. Sure enough he falls right barely close enough to it for the corner of the piano bench to give him a very small gash above his eye. Ugh! I could have prevented it! I am sorry baby! He's ok though, it wasn't very deep and once I got a bandage on it, he didn't seem to mind. I will listen to that thought next time!

Quick family and friends weekend update

Saturday morning we enjoyed a lovely breakfast with the boy's great gramdma and grandpa Bitter. Such a sweet invitation...the boys love being with them. We all love being with them. There was also an Easter egg hunt which of course was a hit. Adam doesn't understand it yet, but he sure loved holding his basket!

That evening we had a wonderful time with friends singing karaoke and a wonderful dinner. It was such a fun party! 

Sunday was our nephew, Logan's baby blessing and it was really special to be there. What a sweet little boy! And it was fun to be with family.

By the end if Sunday they were exhausted!

"Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God"

The title comes from The Family: A Proclamation to the World" 

Today I celebrated my sixth wedding anniversary with my dear husband, Doug. I am so grateful to have him by my side. There is no doubt about it how much I need him. We each have different talents and abilities that compliment each other. He has the ability to open my eyes to different perspectives and helps me be a better person.

I wouldn't call the last six years perfect. We have had our ups and downs. It's a journey we go through together. We stay side by side during the hard times and the happy times. It's hard work to keep a marriage in good shape. 

We didn't think we would be able to go on a date for our anniversary tonight so we went on a date last week. It was so much fun! We went rollerblading around the greenbelt. We got a few interesting looks. Doug thinks it's because you never seen anyone on blades anymore, but I think they were looking at how goofy I look when I rollerblade. Anyway, we did end up getting to go on another date tonight too! Score! It was wonderful to be in the temple and reflect on the amazing blessings promised to those who keep their marriage and temple covenants. 

It just gets better all the time!

A magic little pair of Shorts

Tuesday, I asked Silas if he wanted to wear his new blue shirt. He said, "yah!" He loves his new colorful shirts. So he put on his shirt and a pair of jeans. Silas had disappeared for a few minutes and when he appeared he was wearing his black sports shorts and Brigham's tater trot shirt. He even put on his shoes and socks. He seemed to be ready for anything. The outfit seemed to give him powers or at least make him feel mighty. We had to go to the store so I tried to convince him to change back into his jeans. Finally I gave up and decided he could wear them. 

Yesterday he fished his shorts out of the hamper and put them on again. He told me, "I wanna esercise with you, mom" well, how can you say no to that?

Today I hurried and grabbed them before Silas could see and threw them in the washer. 

The funny thing about this is that it is a total flashback to two years ago. These shorts used to belong to Brigham. Brigham wanted to wear them every day too and would find them in the hamper and put them on. When Brigham would put on those shorts, he would become a professional athlete. He was ready to take on anything that came in his way. 

I am totally serious that these boys feel special when they wear those shorts. They feel like it's their uniform. It's like putting on a super hero cape. Well, maybe I need to find some more special athletic shorts for these kiddos!

Enjoying Playtime: how moms can make the most of it

Playing with your kids is time well spent. Kids will remember that you played with them (so I have heard several times) so I hope my kids remember that I took time to play with them. I have always felt that I should play with my kids frequently and after listening to conference yesterday I feel even better that my priorities should be kids over housework. 

Please don't think I am trying to tell you that I am good with playing with my kids because the truth is a lot of times I do it grudgingly. There are some days where I feel that it is a chore to play with them; I just don't feel like it. 

Today I noticed some things that make a huge difference in enjoyment and reward of spending quality play time with your children. 

I reflected on the times when I felt like it was a chore to play with them and realized that it was because I was only thinking of myself. I was thinking of what I needed to do or I was thinking about how this was supposed to please me. (This all sounds so awful spilling out but it's true and I need to learn from it). I also was pretty sure that the days I felt like that were days that I probably forgot to read my scriptures that morning. Days that I wasn't as in tune with the spirit as I should have been. Also, lately the weather has been warmer and we have been playing outside. I find it easier and more enjoyable to play outside than inside with my kids. During the winter, I don't want to go outside and play in the cold and it's tiring to play inside all the time. 

So, after learning from a good play day today and reflecting on some mistakes in the past...here are some tips on how to truly make playtime with your children a wonderful, enjoyable, and rewarding experience. 

#1: Start off right. Wake up in the morning and read your scriptures and pray. You need to do this to invite the spirit with you as the spirit is a necessary play mate to have. Also, it gets you out of a selfish mindset and helps you think more upon what God wants from you and the needs of your precious children.

#2: Set aside a time as playtime. A lot of times what holds me back from enjoying playing is that I keep thinking that I need to sweep the floor or wash the dishes or fold laundry. But today I said to myself that after lunchtime for 1-2 hours is designated to the kids and I am not worrying about anything else. It helped that I was able to get quite a bit done before lunch and I told Brigham that it would be mommy play time after lunch.

#3: Wear play clothes: for playing outside with Brigham is requires sports shoes. And of course kids get messy so it's good to wear clothes that you don't mind getting messy. Like later this evening during our activity for FHE we went outside on an exploring walk around the farmground and Adam stopped to throw rock with Silas in a muddy puddle. I picked him up and didn't realize how muddy his feet were and soon my pants were covered in mud.

#4: Be open to kids ideas and frequent change. When I play with my boys they come up with all sorts of pretend ideas, just play along. They also can go from one different thing to another. Be open to how they want to change.

#5: make suggestions. If you really don't want to something they suggest, come up with a fun idea of your own that you would enjoy doing with them and chances are they will go for it. 

Now go have fun playing with your children!!!