Walking the dog

We have a dog, Lacey, who is a little over 6 years old. She is the best dog I have ever known. Lacey doesn't really bark, she will cry. When we put on our shoes or grab our keys, she heads to her kennel. When our DD came along, I think she was devastated. She went from being the only princess in the house to being close to nonexistent. When DD walks into the room Lacey looks for the fastest escape route. About a month ago she had and ear infection and I took her to the Vet. at the place I had her groomed at. The told me that she was overweight and we needed to work on that. So, I have been walking her the last few weeks at night. This last weekend while DD and I were walking her, our neighbor commented on Lacey "boy she never misses a meal". Now, I took this comment a little personal!! She had been on some medication over the winter that made her gain some weight. I said "hints the walk" and we moved on. That comment had bothered me some over the week. We used to walk Lacey daily... when we got away from that I am not sure. I know that I feel better when I am getting out there and walking her. So, I hope that we will get back into a routine and get her back in shape because she deserves the attention and exercise!

Cook chicken in the microwave?

Yep - it can be done, and the end product is quite tasty. So, I have been looking at ways to eat more healthy to help keep my blood pressure under control. Unfortunately, the best way to do that is to cook your own meals. While I love to cook, I don't always have the time or energy to do so. While watching one of my favorite shows, Biggest Loser, I saw them microwave some chicken. This got me thinking, if I can microwave chicken... I can have fresh chicken for lunch at work. So, yesterday I ventured into the isle at the store that has the Ziploc 'zip'n steam' bags. They come with a whole list of recipes that I am excited to try out. Yesterday I just bought some seasoning, sprinkled the chicken, nuked it for a few minutes and there is was... a healthy, tasty lunch. I also steamed some veggies to go with it! I am so excited about this!! There are instructions that tell you how long to microwave depending on what you are cooking and if it is fresh or frozen. This means at the end of the day when I forgot to get the chicken out of the freezer, I can still have a healthy meal in just a few minutes... AWESOME!!

Oh and by the way - the chicken was nice a moist and not dried out like I expected!

I love you dear...

Well through our infertility quest, I feel we are starting to have some closure. We are hopeful that our next steps will result in a baby, however, I am more comfortable then I have ever been if that does not happen. What I have come to understand is that my relationship with my amazing husband is the most important relationship to nourish. He is the man I am in love with and the one I truly want to spend the rest of (and I hope LONG) life with. I feel my husband has always been my rock, and made me a stronger, better person. Because of him, I feel I am able to confront infertility head on and embrace God's plan, even if I don't fully understand what that means. God has blessed us with one remarkable little girl who fills our life with more love, laughter and excitement then my wildest dreams. We have more then enough in our lives to make it full and for that I am truly thankful. While I am eternally optimistic that we will add to our family, I am finally at a place of peace if that never happens as long as I have my husband - my best friend at my side. Thank you honey for being the amazing man you are!

Happy Mother's Day

This year for Mother's Day we decided to celebrate Saturday night. We spend most of our day Sunday doing things for my mom and DH's mom - so we decided to celebrate this mom on Saturday. We went to a Japanese Steak house for dinner. It was fun to watch DD try to eat with chop stix (they were the kiddie kind that are held together with rubber bands). It was very entertaining for her - and I would love to go back again! They also surprised me with a Garmin Nuvi 255W. I am HORRIBLE with directions and always calling DH for directions on how to get somewhere or home... so this is perfect for me. The other cool thing about this, it will take your destination & traffic and calculate an arrival time. I LOVE this feature. Now I will always be able to find my way back to my family... thank you DH & DD!!

Shred Day 2

Today DH and I completed JM's 30DS - Day #2 - 28 more to go. I am really enjoying this bonding time with DH. I feel I have a new commitment to working out as I feel held to a different level of commitment. We are a little sore but optomistic this is going to help make us more healthy!! I have also noticed a change in my mood... I have been a lot more happy the last few days and I think a lot of that is due to the exercise. I feel more full of energy and am getting more done around the house. I am excited to see how I feel at the end of this adventure!!

Cooking for my family

A few weeks back DH and my cousin were talking about 'women of our generation' not knowing how to cook!! DH said that what I do cook is good but I don't have a large selection...ouch :) My friend, TS, and I decided to start a blog and post recipes & pictures of the new things we try. This will encourage me to try something new every week... maybe even two things when I feel ambitious. We are just getting this going so there is not much out there but look for it to grow. If you are looking for something to make and struggling check it out!! If you have something you think we would like to try, send it our way. There is a link to the new blog - Things That Make You Go MMMM...

What's Next?

DH and I were happy with the appointment today. We had our tests and went over our results. We felt comfortable and that everyone in the office was helpful. This month we are working on my Blood Pressure - want to get it a little more stable and both taking antibotics. The antibotics are routine before they will start any treatment. We will patiently wait through this month to see what the future brings...

Thank You!!

There have been several of you that have reached out to me to let me know that you are thinking and praying for us today. As you all know we have our first appointment with our RE is today. I can not express how belessed and thankful I am to have you all care enough to reach out. It is comforting and feels like we are not so alone!! I will post later today after we meet with the doctor to keep everyone updated!!

A new workout partner...

Tomorrow my DH and I are going to start a new journey. Our goal? To be more physically healthy. We want to live a long and healthy life growing old together. So, this is the start of that healthy journey. We are starting simple with 30 days... that's right, I am back to Jillian Michales 30 day shred. We are going to do 6 days a week with Tuesdays off (DH has Bible study Tuesday mornings). We talked tonight about what our goals are. The main one of course it to complete all 30 days. At the end of those 30 days we want to build mental strength and have more phystical stamina. We are wanting to move into a more aggressive program and this is to get us there. I am excited about this new journey we will be doing together!! Having him here by my side will make it hard for any kind of excuse... so here we go!!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

How do you teach a 4 year old respect? I am struggling to teach her at her level what respect means. I know that I lead by example and am not always the best. There are times where I raise my voice. Then, when she does it, I am taken back and wonder why? This morning she was yelling at me because she wanted to wear a dress. A few weeks back I sent her to daycare in a dress... she came home with pants on under it because she couldn't keep her dress down. So, naturally when she asked to wear a dress today I said 'no' (not to mention it is not very warm outside). Well, this didn't go over well! She preceded to yell at me. Then while I am fixing her hair she says... "You have ruined my life!" I asked her if she even understands what she is saying and she says "doesn't matter my life is already ruined!" At this point I decided to take a break before it escalates even further. I know in my heart that she doesn't mean nor understand what she is saying. What I want to teach her is two things... 1) we show respect for our mothers 2) if you treat others that way you will not have any friends. So I am asking for your advice or suggestions!!