Is Exercise Really The Answer???

If you read my post entitled "The Belly Fat Cure", you already know that my husband and I have started following a new diet plan by Jorge Cruise. We finished up three weeks and are now into our fourth week. The most amazing thing is that neither have us have cheated once! Not even over Valentine's day when we had oodles of chocolate in the house! That is some kind of record for us! I even make crepes for the kids for dinner last night and sprinkled cinnamon sugar on them and I didn't even lick my fingers! I'm really quite impressed with our stamina and will power on this plan.

Despite a fantastic will to succeed and power to overcome things that we shouldn't eat, our weight loss has slowed down significantly. Keith has now lost a total of 18 pounds and I am at 11 and I find myself looking for ways to help speed up metabolism and for some reason, the word "exercise" keeps coming to mind. Gosh, just looking at the word makes me cringe and causes my muscles to ache. Is exercise really the answer? Isn't there some kind of magic pill I can take that would do the same thing without causing excessive sweating, heart palpitations and heavy breathing? Unfortunately, the more I think about it, the more I realize that there really isn't a better way to optimize our weight loss efforts and ultimately acheive better health then getting off of our butts, putting Jillian Michaels Shred DVD in and entering the depths of hell as we try to follow along.

I know what is coming and I can't believe that I'm about to embark on the journey of exercise once again. Will it be tough? YES! Will it be painful? YES! Will it be worth it? Gosh darnit, it had better be! =)

Liars & Drama Queens & Whiners Oh My!

My word! How does one survive issues like lying, drama, whining and attitude? We have four children, Morgan (a boy) 18, Madeline (estrogen) 14, Amanda (estrogen) 10, and Megan (estrogen) 3. Each has their very own little set of issues and struggles. Being a girl myself...I never ever thought that I would be pro boy but I have to tell you....after my many years of experience and as estrogen continues to flow through our home, I find myself wishing we had just a little more testosterone!

Today, after a morning that consisted of lying, major attitude, a bunch of "gosh...this is the worst family ever" outbursts and a melt down because someone had to do a "chore" of all things....I am ready to find a new family. My tubes have literally tied themselves in triple knots this morning.

I will continuously repeat this mantra in my mind this morning as I try to unclench my grinding teeth: "I love my children, I love my children....REALLY, I love my children!"

To all of you who have a house full of estrogen.....my prayers are with you! =)

The Best Thing Ever!

There is this awesome site called Swag Bucks where you earn points simply for searching the web through their search engine. How amazing is that? Actually, the truly amazing part is that you can then cash these points in for great prizes like Amazon Gift Cards. I actually know people who have earned so many points throughout the year that they literally paid for Christmas using the Amazon Gift Cards they received by cashing in the Swag Bucks. I joined about 3 weeks ago and I already have enough points to purchase two $5.00 Amazon Gift Cards. Very, very cool! It's completely free and totally awesome! Join today by clicking the Swag Bucks Banner below.

Make Money For Shopping Online!

I'm not usually into internet deals that sound too good to be true but I have to tell you about a discovery I've made! There is a great site called Big Crumbs that pays you for shopping online. It sounds too good to be true but it is 100% for real and it's completely free to join! When you make a purchase, simply log into Big Crumbs first and then choose the store you are going to shop from using their links. You earn a percentage based on the total amount of your order before taxes and shipping. Depending on how much I shop, I earn an average of about $15.00 a month just for using their site to navigate to my favorite stores like The Children's Place, Aeropostale, Gap, Crocs, Old Navy, etc. My highest payout amount so far has been $39.11 in one month. There are no strings attached! All you have to do is remember to log into Big Crumbs and choose your store of choice from their links. It's as easy as that! If you are interested in joining, simply click the link below. It is totally amazing!

The Belly Fat Cure

So...my husband and I don't exactly look as fantastic as we do in the picture that adornes this blog. There's really no kind way to say this....we are fat. Marriage and take out cuisine have been a little too good to us and it shows! I have come to the harsh realization that it's not my clothes making me look fat...it's simply the fat making me look fat. We've tried many different diets which eventually wound up leading us to a corner, curled up in fetal position with a pint of Ben & Jerry's.

Nothing has made a permanent dent in the extra inches of fat that surround our waistlines until now! I found a miracle diet book called The Belly Fat Cure. It is AMAZING! We've had pita pizzas, bacon, sausauge, breakfast burritos, Tacos, delicious grilled chicken salad with cheese and full fat dressing and we've lost weight! We started this program on February 1st and both weighed in this morning. In 9 days I have lost a total of 10 pounds and Keith has lost 15 pounds!!! I honestly feel like doing a little happy dance!

Apparently….Teenagers Know Everything

I am 38 years old and the mother of four…two of whom happen to be teenagers. I honestly thought that I was quite clever. I realize I’m not a brilliant Einstein but I do have a good idea now and then and I must say that I would do quite well if I were ever a contestant on the television show Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader.

Well, despite all of these fantastic facts, I had forgotten something very important! I had forgotten that age, experience, and intelligence do not hold a candle to the so called knowledge of teenagers. They know it all and have figured out the conspiracy plan that all parents have…the conspiracy plan to ruin their lives.

Now, if you just so happen to be a parent to one of these brilliant, all knowing teenagers, you might ask yourself…”is there anything I can do to appear a little wiser to my children?” The answer is a resounding NO. Don’t even try to fight it. Honestly, the harder you fight it, the brighter they become.

If you happen to be in a daze, shaking your head, wondering how to deal with these all knowing creatures, I offer a few words of advice….not wisdom because apparently, now that I have teenagers, all of my wisdom has left my body….but rather advice. Learn to smile and nod in agreement. My favorite saying is this; “yes, I know….or rather don’t know…I know nothing but I’m okay with that and you are still grounded.” The ability to take away fun privileges from all-knowing teenagers really has helped me deal with the fact I know nothing.