Cook Yourself Thin......

I have been watching some episodes called, "Cook Yourself Thin." They have been awesome and I have been learning so much. Some of the things I've learned I have already known and some things have been new. One thing I learned today was to use parchment paper when baking cookies because it's not only makes clean up easy, but saves you some calories with not using the spray stuff, which really is not good for us anyway. Another problem I have is the amount of butter I use in foods and baking. I have seen some really great recipes that don't use any butter or oil. I am going to have to try out this Oatmeal Raisin Cookie recipe, which sounds awesome. Lastly Olive oil is also the best oil to us when you want to use an oil.

To find some of their other recipes you can go here. I will be checking them out here over the next few months and when I find one I love I'll let you know.

I have been challenged by my husband to workout at least 30 minutes every day, no coffee in the morning, since I like to put to much cream and sugar in it and lastly no sweets or I am hoping to make some healthy cookies and deserts to curve my craving, which I know I will have. The kids make cooking a challenge because we know how much kids like sweets and treats. I do have one thing going for me is that I am not a snack person.

So this is my challenge and now I need a lot of accountability. I not only want to do this for myself, but for my kids. I want them to see the importance of exercise and eating foods that are good for the body. Another reason I need to do this is because in I Corinthians 6:19 the Lord tells us our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and also our body is not our own. We need to keep ourselves healthy because that is what the Lord would want us to do. I hope I have encouraged another and set up some accountability also for myself.

Happy Mother's Day.....

The hubby went out early this morning and brought me home some tulips and yummy donuts the for the kids and I. I'm not sure what else we will be up to today, but I hope it's relaxing. I know the kids want to get out for a walk. Thanks hubby for all your love & help.

Mouth Pain.....

Last Thursday morning I called the dentist with mouth pain. I went in and they started a root canal, and sent me home with antibiotics and pain relievers. Then by Friday evening the pain was getting worst. I was able to get some sleep that night, but by Saturday evening I was going crazy with pain. It was bad if not worse then labor pains and so we called a friend and had him come over to stay with the sleeping kids. Brandon then took me into the ER and we waited for about an hour and then we got to see a doctor. He gave me a nerve block, which helped for about 4 hours and then a prescription for stronger antibiotics and pain relievers. I got good sleep that evening, but by morning I was having really bad pain again. We then went back into the ER and they did another nerve block, but said there really is not much else that they can do. I just have to wait for the antibiotic to work enough, so then the pain relievers will work. I was thinking to myself how much longer can I take this. Thank the Lord we had some friends who watch the kids for us on Sunday, so I was able to come home and sleep and Brandon was able to get some homework done. Then by Sunday evening the pain meds were working and the pain was bearable. What a weekend it was and not one I would like to revisit anytime soon.

First Appointment.....

On Friday I had my first OB appointment. The kids all came with me and did a great job. I had some informational paperwork to fill out, a physical examination and the most exciting part was hearing the babies heart beat. It was tough to find, but we did hear it for a bit, which the kids thought was neat. I am due on October 17th and so I am 13 weeks along so far.

After the appointment I treated the kids to McDonald's. They love to go there because of the play land and mommy loves it because they can play forever without fighting. Then after McDonald's we met daddy at Borders. The kids love to do there and look at books at least the older ones.

Pregnancy Update......
I have been feeling better these days. I am now 12 weeks and am about past the morning sickness. I still have some not so great days, but mainly it's because I am tired. I'm not sure what I can do to get my energy up a bit. I have been trying to eat healthy and keep up on snacks so that I don't feel hungry. Also in the last couple of days I have like this pinched nerve in my upper leg area. I can still get around, but it's a bit uncomfortable at times. I am looking forward to this going away. Lastly I am showing, but have not had to break out any maternity clothes yet.

We will be heading out to visit my parents for the weekend. Brandon's on spring break and it looks like it's going to be a nice weekend. We are looking forward to spending lots of time outside with the kids. I am hoping to get lots of great pictures this weekend to share with you next week. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend:)

Tooth......
Well for the past week I was having tooth pain on & off, so yesterday morning I called the dentist and was able to get a appointment. I took all the kids with me and they did great. After they took the x-ray and took a look they ended up doing a root canal . I thought I had pain before I went in, but after the numbness wore off I really had some pain. They also gave me a prescription for Amoxicillin for any infection I might have and then also Hydrocodone for pain relief, but unfortunately the pain relief medicine makes you tired. I took a couple last night and it didn't take long to make me really loopy. I guess I will be sticking to Ibuprofen for the daytime so that I can at least function. I am just really praying that everything will be better in a couple of weeks and that took care of the problem.

Birthday Fun ......
Here are a few pictures from last month. My birthday was on Dec. 19th and the kids helped me make some birthday cupcakes. They then played with some play dough for a while and used crayons for candles. Play dough is so great for the winter time and my kids love to play with it and create. It even keeps little Noah busy for quite some time.

The kids make birthday's so much fun. They have so much excitement especially my little Anna.

Ouch......
I had myself a little accident on Wednesday. I was trimming the bushes out back and cut off the tip of my left pointer finger. It hurt and bleed like crazy. I called my hubby right away and he tried to calm me down. I then called a friend who came over for a while to help me out. When Brandon got home around supper time he decided that I should go in to Urgent Care to have it looked at. They cleaned it, wrapped it and then gave me a tetanus shot. I am still in shock that I did this , but am just thankful that it looks like it will heal up well. I guess I just won't be playing piano or guitar for a while, which is a bummer.

Women's Conference......
This last weekend I had a chance to get away for the day. The speakers were Patricia Appleby who has a ministry called "Women of the Well International Ministries" and Lisa Griffin who did the special music with her daughters. It was a very encouraging day and was nice to see friends that I have not seen in a while. Thanks to my hubby for taking care of the kids for the day. Below are pictures of some of the lovelies at the conference.

Flowers from a Friend......
These are the exact flowers that I had for my wedding. I just love them and they brighten my day.

Doll Cake....

Here is the beautiful cake that my Grandma Beulah made for me for my 30th birthday. I requested a doll cake because I knew that Anna would like it so much. The cake also brings back such wonderful memories from when I was little. I think I may have to try and make one sometime.