Sharing My Jennarocity

So, this weekend was pretty cool. We went to a family reunion Saturday, then were able to go watch a movie in a movie theater that was for adults, without children. That doesn't happen very often :-). Today was church, then we spent the afternoon cleaning. I got off my diet today and had a chocolate chip cookie sundae for dinner. Probably shouldn't have, but oh well.   A few months ago, Jason picked up a carpet steam cleaner at a garage sale for $10 and it turns out, it works great! Best $10 we ever spent. It doesn't clean stains on the top of the carpet, but it does get the dirt and dog hair out. I cleaned Avery's room today - can I just tell you how bad of a parent I feel, knowing she's had to breathe all the crud in? Yuck. I want to get a Shark Duo, anyone know if it's worth it? I know it doesn't deep clean, but I've heard it does great things for the stains on top of the carpet.   The other day, I was at my desk working and Jason and Avery g...

Before Jason and I started dating, I'd never really had to lose weight. At one point in my life, I did lose a lot of weight, not because I had to, but because I was depressed and going through a guy-thing and ended up losing about 30 pounds, which at the time, put me right about 127 pounds. I am almost 5'10. I'll just say, that wasn't a healthy weight. I never want to be that small again. I looked emaciated, and I was, because I working out all the time and barely eating anything. So, I gained about 20 pounds and was happy right at that weight. I didn't have to do a ton of stuff to maintain that weight, I was after all, 25.   Well, now, I am 34, and to the point where I really have to lose some weight. I never thought I would be at a place in my life where losing weight was really necessary, but at this point, it really is. In September, I had somehow gained 20 pounds and was about 6 pounds away from my heighest pregnancy weight. When I saw that, it broke my he...

Cobli came and stayed with us the other day and I guess I forgot to post some pictures!!     I am so glad Colbi loves coming to our house! It means she gets to do it a lot. And that makes me happy.   Avery is the bossiest thing around Colbi. She reminds me SO much of Sophia when Avery was really little, and then when she learned to talk. "Colbi, say Jenna! Colbi, say Jason! Colbi, say Avery!" All. The. Time. It's pretty cute though. One of these days, Colbi is going to tell Avery what's up and not let her boss her around anymore, kind of like what Avery did to her sister when she learned to really fend for herself. :-)   I took this picture the other day of Jordan and Avery. Avery hasn't always taken to Jordan, but Jordan has always loved, loved, loved her. Lately, Avery is really loving him, and wants to give him hugs and kisses and play with him. I think having an older big brother is pretty cool.   And by the way, when did he get so...

Today, Avery's school had Muffins with Moms. I was glad to go and eat breakfast with her, except, the second we got there, she was like, "I want to go to my class." I was like, "If I give you a chocolate muffin, will you hang out with me for a minute??" She agreed.   In all seriousness, though, the child is really my shadow. I really love that she just loves me so much and more than that, loves to be around me. She really is a mommy's girl, for sure. We've been going through a not-so-great stage of the 3's lately. I am really ready for her to be out of this stage, it's hard negotiating with a strong willed, smart 3 year old, who is fickle, stubborn, and independent. Sounds like someone I know. Who could that be???   Well, today, I pleasantly surprised to step on the scale and see that I'd lost 5 pounds! This weight loss challenge is going really well and I am doing really good at sticking with it. Jason and I joined the YMCA a cou...

Yesterday, I woke up in a horrible mood. I was so, so tired. For whatever reason, for several nights in a row, I had terrible nights of sleep. I usually will have a stretch of nights every once in a while where either I can't fall asleep at all, or I wake up several times throughout the night, or I wake up super early and I can't fall back asleep. I can do it for a few days and be fine, but yesterday. Yesterday, all I wanted was to take a nap. I never want to take a nap. But yesterday, I longed for rest, and knew it wasn't going to happen. Instead, we took down Christmas decorations in the morning. When Avery napped, despite the fact that my husband was doing the laundry, I told him I needed some sleep and needed to nap when she did. I laid down, and while I did, my daughter, for over an hour, stayed awake, talking to herself, yelling to herself, singing to herself. We share a wall and it was very loud. Every time I would drift off, she would bang on the wall or shout. Aft...

This is the 5th day for my weight loss challenge and I feel great. I can button up my jeans without wanting to kill myself, which is a good step in the right direction. So, what did I do differently this week??   1. Cut out cokes/sweet tea and drank more water. I hate drinking water, like, literally hate it. Because mostly, when I have to drink water, it's to lose weight and it feels like I am just drinking it to get to "8 glasses." I add a squirt of Crystal Light flavoring, and voila, I can drink two very large bottles in a day without even blinking an eye. I don't care if it's not the best thing. It's better than coke and I am still drinking the water I need. So here's a tip - don't start a rule about something for weight loss if you are going to literally hate doing it. Ignore comments about "what's best" and do what's best for you!!   2. I stopped eating complex carbs, limited my carb intake daily, and switched to multi-g...

Colbi got to spend the night last night and go to church with us. She loved kids choir! She just wanted to get up and dance. Loved it.   I love having these two munchkins together. As they get older, it's just more and more fun.     I also got this picture of Avery eating lunch at school. Love her.      

This week has certainly started off well for my 6 week challenge!!! I started a challenge Monday and have been very proud of myself so far. I decided that no matter how much I hated it, I was going to actually put on jeans every day, even if I had to be uncomfortable. I am happy to report that today, jeans that were tight Saturday are actually fitting fine, and not cutting off my circulation at my waist. Woo hoo!!   Monday, I took Avery to a local mall so we could get out of the house and I could do some exercise. We made a pit stop at the little train. She really loved it. Who needs Six Flags, am I right???   I was super surprised to see how many other moms with strollers were doing the exact same thing. I guess because it was cold and it allows you to window shop a bit. Plus, they do have those great playgrounds for 3 year olds.    

Happy New Year, everyone!   So far, this year has been a year of change for me, and I hope the trend continues. Not a change in many things, just a change in my mindset and habits. Of course, isn't that true for the start of every year??   Well, I start a fitness challenge today that will last six weeks. I am really hoping this is something I can stick with. I saw something on Pinterest the other day that said, "Be stronger than your strongest excuse." I liked that. Challenge accepted.   I also have been trying to put my finger on these last four months, why while I've been at home and not working, I still have only been gaining weight and not losing weight. Marie Osmond was on TV for NutriSystem and she said it best. "You wear stretchy pants because it makes you feel more comfortable and you don't realize how out of control you've gotten." Ding ding ding - guilty as charged. I have worn elastic waist pants basically since August 31, ver...