Hello October!

I can't believe it is already October, I have been walking every morning and love it, but out of nowhere it goes from 60 degrees to 30 degrees in the mornings, I think I will need to wait til 10ish to walk, it was freezing thins morning. Well back to the subject of weighing in, I weighed in on October 1st at 228, I was so excited to be in the 20's. I take my measurements on the 1st of every month and the difference it showed was awesome. My rings are looser my clothes are looser, I feel better. I have lost a total of 24 pounds and the goal for this month is to get to the teens! 219! So I am bound and determined that I can and will be successful.

I am so excited I just Can't Hide It!!!!!!!!!

I have the best news to tell you all, You might want to sit down for this lol! Starting weight 252, todays Weight 232, that is a WHOOPING 20 pounds! I am so excited, I feel great. I also ,this week full filled a goal of walking 5 miles. It was a huge accomplishment for me. It may be a while before I can do that again lol! It was a wonderful feeling when I made that last step, it was like a gush of pride came over me and for a special moment, I felt that inner skinny girl say YOU GOT THIS! I know I have a long ways to go, but I am happy that I am on the right track. Even though I don't have many followers 1 to be exact, THANK YOU LORI POTTER:) I want to keep writting my blog so I can go back and look at what I have accomplished and know how hard I worked to get where I AM going to get there! I will not give up, I will lose this weight! So far I have lost a 1 year old! Now to lose a 2 year old, that is my next goal 32 pounds by New Years!

On a Different note:
So I am about to throw a **** Fit. Hehe! Why is it when ever you are proud of yourself, someone wants to bring you down, I hate that. Can I not feel happy at all without some sort of stupid questions game. I have always been a girl with a mouth on her I am very sarcastic, it came with my personality! Maybe I have always used it as a defense mechanism against **** people who try to intimidate me. Well let me just say, I am not easily intimadated, I do not run away with my tail between my legs. I am a human hear me ROAR! I like a challenge I will work my hardest to acheive that goal, but I am human I do make mistakes, but some people seem to think that being human isn't an excuse for failure! I do not know why I have let this get under my skin which is usually as tough as shoe leather, but it has. I am tired of people always thinking I am going to fail because I am fat. I do have feelings and I am a smart person, my feelings are what got me hear obviously. I never have an never will think I know more than anyone else or that I have been through anything you will never go through. Everyone learns from experience, You have to make mistakes to know how to be right. No one is perfect, we are all perfectly unperfected! I know I have flaws and it may take me 5 years to get to where I wanna be, but I will get there. Not because you said I wouldn't but because I said I Would! So instead of heading my way with your Bad **** Mood, and Your Intimdating Attitude towards Fluffy Girls, Take a Freakin U TURN!
Melanie

5 lbs of Fat

This is what 5 pounds of fat looks like I know I feel better since I have lost 3 of these 3 more pounds til I will have lost 4 of them. It is scary to see a visual of said fat.

Weigh Post September 15th

Well I am weighing in a day early this time. But I am down to 235, that is a total of  17 pounds, I have been walking, my hinny off lol! I have worked up to 4 miles, but normally do 2 or 3. I am really enjoying walking. It gives me so much peace. Well I am a bit busy today so we will catch up later..

Weight Post.. September 4th 2011

This is just an update this week I weighed in at 238. I am so proud of myself. Down 14 pounds.

Update on Weight..

I weighed in on Tuesday at 242, A total weight loss of 10 pounds... Very happy, now to just keep going so I can reach my goal of 40 pounds before Christmas, maybe if I keep up the good work I can lose 50 by then If I was under 200 pounds by January 1st I would be so happy...  I have been eating 29 points a day but decided that maybe I was not eating enough so I went up to 33 and when I get down 10 more I will go to 32 and so on... Well there is my update... Thank you..

New Favorite dessert recipe Weight Watchers approved.

Any flavor cake mix
Any flavor Diet Soda
Mix together do not add anything but the diet soda, put in 13x9 baking dish cook on what cake box says.
If you want to spice up with some icing use different flavors of Sugar free jello, This dessert is 4 pts for a Huge piece.. And who said we couldn't eat our cake too...
So far my favorite has been Devil's Chocolate Cake with Diet Dr. Pepper, and Vanilla SF pudding.
My girls love yellow cake with Diet Rootbeer.

By the way I have eatin this several times over the last 4 weeks and have still lost 10 pounds so kudos, to my friends at Hungrygirl.com

Schedules.. Follow up on Me..

So School has officially started and my schedule went from Not to A lot. So now that I am busy 5 days a week, I don't have a whole lot of time. It is really hard to keep up with every ones everything.  Anyway I am still on my Life style change, I have been on it 3 weeks and lost 8 pounds I feel like I try so hard I stick right to it no cheating, Water only! Weight watchers meals! Chicken and veggies! I walk and exercise. I have a problem with weighing myself everyday, but that is just more incentive to try harder if the numbers don't look good right. I don't know sometimes it feels like a big smack in the face. I do feel better though healthier and more energetic. I just have goals big Goals, and I want to reach this one Bad. I always give up every diet I give up on, I am not giving up on this one. Not even for holidays this year. My Internet research says 40 weeks that's how long it takes to make a baby. So if you can have a baby in 9 months I should be able to reach my goal of dropping 80 pounds. So I keep on truckin on. Some days are better than others, but I know I can do it if I just keep it up find my balance... There is hope. I found that if I schedule everything it is a lot easier to follow so I do, from appointments to eating. 
Weighing in today at 244.

Back To School.... Weight Watchers..

Well School is back in session, Rieli and Autumn have been going everyday since Wednesday, and Makenzie will start Monday for her first day of Kindergarten, then she will go Friday and then full time starting on 23rd. I don't know exactly how I feel about all of them being gone, but its a new chapter I am ready for. I have been at home with one child at least for 10 plus years and am ready to take part in my "New Me" campaign. I have pretty much been fat my whole life, so I am excited to be going on not just a weight loss journey but a Journey to make me feel better. I started on the first of August, I have several goals that I would like to achieve, but I am going at it strategically. I started with doing weight watchers (WW), I meet with a friend of mine who lost 106 pounds on WW, She has inspired me. So she sat down with me and went over a number of things to get me on the right track. She gave me a Weekly chart ,to chart what I eat how many steps I walked and a set date to weigh in. As scary as this is to announce, When I started this I weighed 252 pounds, I am currently weighing in today at 246. It has been 12 days. So hopefully I am on the right track. I purchased a WW points plus calculator. It does the majority of my Grocery shopping. Without it I would be screwed. I actually feel full 90% of the time. I only drink water, thats it. I decided to do 29 points, I feel like on 39 points it was way too much. I am also walking every night and sometimes in the morning if its not to hot, if it is Comcast has a fitness On Demand that I use for excercise, and Just Dance is a Good way to get motivated. I try to get 10,000 steps a day or more. I am trying so hard, but I always let myself down, so I am trying to go by this rationally. My 1st Goal is to lose 40 pounds by Jan,1st. So I need to lose 2 pounds a week for the next 20 weeks, I started with 22 weeks. So My weekly goals are to lose 2 pounds. One of my problems is I weigh myself everyday instead of on Saturdays. Or Sunday Mornings, I can't seem to understand that if I work out on Tuesday it might not show up til Friday. I am an impatient dieter lol.. But I keep telling myself this is a lifestyle change not a Diet. I am treating myself like I am Diabetic. My goal is to lose from 75 to 100 poounds. Every 20 pounds I lose I am going to get a new outfit, and when I reach my overall goal I am taking a huge vacation to Las Vegas or on a Cruise... And I am going on a shopping spree, for the first time in my life that the department doesn't start with PLUS..

Vacationing in Tennessee

We took our vacation last week to Sevierville, A friend of mine let us use her time share there to stay a week. It was super nice. It was a Wyndam Resort, We stayed in a Villa. It has really nice pools and places for the kids to play. We went to Dollywood one day and Took a Drive through the Mountains. We really like to try new things, but we also decided we are homebodies, But it is hard to stay home, and my husband be able to rest. Here are some pics from our vacation.

                                          Makenzie Learned to swim..

                                            Daddy and Makenzie at Dollywood...

                                            Rieli striking a Pose...

                                          Autumn is an Egyptian...

The Past, The Present, The Future.....

As we look at our pasts, we might see Happy blessings, or Sad moments, we all perceive things differently. This is a normal way of life. We want nothing more than to be Happy and Safe. But as we look into our Futures, we don't always see in color, we are gazing in black and white. When I was little like ,all little girls, I would dream about my future. What are we really on earth to do? Do you have a purpose that you are full filling? What are you Presently doing that full fills Happiness for you? Is it teaching, or mothering, or preaching, maybe guiding, or helping? I think its safe to say, we more than likely will do one of these in some since.

I Presently am having a hard time finding my Happy place. With Father's Day approaching, I am feeling sad, hurt, angry and just blah. I really don't think I ever grieved for my father after he past. Yes we all have different ways of doing this, I have always felt like he was gone on a trip out of the country, something he often did. I keep waiting on his return. I have dreams of him being in a button up Hawaiian looking shirt, and waving me to come on. I often have conversations with him in my childhood home (which is were I live now with my family), which is where he passed. I believe he is here somewhere trying to help me, and guide me .

That Forrest Gump saying.. " Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gunna get." Well its definitely my motto. I can't change the Past or Fix anything I broke, or bring any of the people I loved back to life, I can however, Learn from my mistakes, Smile and live in the Present, and stop worrying about what my future will hold.

 Hold your kids, talk to them. Give them the feelings of Hope and encouragement, It is so important. Tell them you love them, even when you are about to pull your hair out. I don't want my kids to remember me as their mean old momma, who always said NO! and never let them play in the mud. I have to learn to let Go, and stop worrying, baby steps.. How ?is it possible to have a clean house, and feel carefree? is it possible? 

 I feel like I am being selfish by not doing some of the things I use to do, But I am going through some changes in my life, Where I am putting myself, my kids and my husband needs first, I have spent most of my life doing for others, or helping others, or asking others what can I do to help. Well I am done with all that right now and I am giving my life a much needed makeover. TWANDA THE AVENGER..  

Movies of the week to watch are:                                

Just Another Manic Monday.. Wish It Were Sunday Thats My Fun Day...

Why is it that Mondays are always so Yuck.. I use Mondays for catching up on all the things I didn't do all weekend.  I usually spend the first half of the day running around like a chicken with its head cut off, finishing up laundry and cleaning up messes. Sundays are so peaceful and nice that I just want it to never end. Even if we don't do a thing but sit around the house and watch movies all day, it is still so peaceful and relaxing. I think my husband Procrastinates a lot, he works so much that a lot of times our plans get put on the back burner, because he has to work. I use to be a planner, and I am for the week, but on weekends we never know. I remember when I was little we would all pile into the car and go on Sunday Drives. I use to act like we were on an adventure, going to a place we had never been before, it was exciting I thought, I still like to do that, but kids like way more exciting things nowadays. Going to Amusement parks, and to a friends house or to the lake, or out to eat. It seems like they don't really like family time, unless it involves them getting something. I really never imagined that I would raise selfish children. Its upsetting to think they only care about themselves. I am sure I was the same when I was little. I am thinking about some activities I can do with them to show them family is important, and its not OK to be selfish all the time, there is a time and place for it.  I learn more everyday about being a mother, they teach me more then they know. Life is like a book, you have chapters in it, and its up to you to write a new chapter, or you will be rereading the same chapter over and over.

Trust Your Instincts....Like A Chameleon...

I have always been a pretty good judge of character. I guess throughout my life I have let other people pull me in places I did not really want to be or feel comfortable. Over the last few days I have watched my family and listened closely to how we all adjust to one another. Really I think its all about Adjusting, It made me think of a chameleon. I have noticed a lot of things lately, as I have been trying to slow down my life before it passes by. I have noticed that people act different ways when put in different situations. Like a chameleon would change colors. I guess what I am trying to get across is we all try to fit in to our surroundings whether they be right for us or not. We evolve into what we have or What we have been taught. If you hear a bunch of ladies, talking about the weather, you will chime in and say a piece about the weather, so that you can feel accepted into the conversation, not because you want to know what the weather may be, but because you don't want to stand alone. I realized today, I seem to be doing this a lot. But I realized we don't have to be alone, we are only alone if we allow ourselves to be. I have been struggling with a few things lately that had me feeling alone, like I was the only person in the world that could feel this way. Then back to Mondays blog, out of nowhere a person came into my life unexpectedly, leaving footprints, and in a moment just one moment somehow we were able to connect ourselves to a specific thing going on in our lives. God was watching me, knowing I needed some guidance to handle this. As I sat and listened to her speak I was floor boarded, by how I began to feel. Was this anger, Was this sanity, Was this True. NO, It Was Real Life. My Life.. As I listened very carefully to her, I felt a moment of peace. As Tuesday past, I thought a lot about what we had talked about and what she had said. Then this morning as I began to second guess myself, my phone rang, it was her she had invited me to sit with her and talk, at first I was hesitant and thought, it was a perfect time for me, so I accepted. I do not think I have laughed or cried so much at one time in my life. I learned so many things as I listened to her tell me her story. I thought could this be possible, could I not be crazy. At one point I found myself sobbing as she tried to comfort me with a hug. She explained a lot to me and I have gathered a bunch of information. So hopefully I will be able to understand more soon. I should have trusted in myself along time ago and did what my heart and what my gut or instincts were telling me. I should have followed through. Now as I get ready to go on a Journey in Life, I will never again second guess myself on matters that need to be addressed. I will always handle things, knowing that my judgement is probably for the best. Don't let other people or even Doctors, change your mind about things that you know in your heart to be true. Just because you think you are alone on them does not mean you are. In the end it all comes down to YOU.. What YOU can do, First Trust in Your Instincts, Secondly Be Yourself Not a Chameleon. If people can't see the real you, then you will never know who your real friends are. You will never know who you really are. Be true to yourself..

Right Place Right Time...

Ever Been at the Right Place at the Right Time? Ever Meet a Person randomly and then wondered how weird it was that they came out of no where when you least expected it. I like to think of this as Fingerprints that are left in our hearts. Someone or something that has touched your heart for what ever reason at that time, and it makes an instant impact on you from then on. Or even Music or Movies may do this to you. Its like a vulnerable feeling that we have when we breathe in, and then exhale as we open our eyes widely and then close them slowly. I have had several people come in and out of my life at different times, never knowing when they would leave or something would happen. But they were there at that specific time for a specific reason. Either as a Friend, or to show me something I couldn't see on my own, or to feel something, that my heart needed to feel. As Mysterious as it all is, It is what it is. I can remember being a kid and having the bestest friends ever, and then wondering why we had to move and how I would never have friends like that again. But once we moved I would meet new friends ,but when you are young, you don't remember to write or call you just went on with your life.What is our excuses now as adults, busy, kids, work, LIFE. We lose connection, with all of the technology available why is that. I feel like we have all lost connections. Example, The other day A friend was visiting and she has a very small cute baby, my husband was in the garage when a man pulled up to talk with him, the man happened to know my friend, so they spoke, the man asked his wife to get out of the car and come see the cute baby, when the wife replied, "I don't see why I have to get out, I seen that baby on Facebook." O.k. Really we have came down to a life of No communication in the Physical since. I realized at the very moment that I saw all this take place for a reason, the reason being that I myself do not communicate well, I text, I e-mail, I Facebook, I send ecards, or I mail cards, but I don't call or visit. Is this acceptable. Do you feel unconnected at times? Do you feel you Have been in the Right Place at the Right Time? Please Share.. You could, Text me or e-mail me, or write me, or Facebook me..lol

Take Time To Know You.....

How many of us can honestly say that we know who we are. I have decided that with everyday that goes by I learn something new about myself. I use to be an impatient person, but the older I get the more impatient I become. Ha Ha... Really I use to be a very unorganized person, But now with the Fly Lady I am extremely organized. I make charts for the kids, and for me. I have certain days for certain things. I have begun to get my life back on track. So Starting next week I am going to start taking a little time for me. Waking up earlier than the Family to get a few minutes for me. Computer time, or TV, time, or workout time. As long as its me time. I have also started doing a nice deed for my Husband on Fridays, whether it be making his favorite Dessert or straightening the garage for him, I try to find something nice to do for him. All of my children will be going to a Kiddie Camp next week from 8-11. I am trying to plan a few things for me during that time.  Soon I will be home by myself all day. So its a good time to start a bit of research for that time. I always have tried to take a little time for me, but over the last 10 years its been a struggle. There is only one WIFE and one MOTHER so you have to split your time around, and then when you add in Family and Friends you wind up with ZERO time.  It is So important to take time for yourself, its important for you and your family. If you are turning in to a coocoo bird then they are probably feeling that wrath also. Also if you don't feel pretty or attractive then you won't feel like being romantic with your significant other either. So it is so important to add in your routine some me time.  So Get to it...

Celebrating Life.....

Seriously is it June, The 6th Month of the year.  I saw ads today for Christmas Layaway, I thought are these people serious. Then I realized it is 6 months away. Time seems to fly by so fast anymore. It seems as though our lives are no longer ours, they belong to other things. Like it is so fast, we can't catch up. Some days I think about how many things I have to do that the day is gone, and I didn't enjoy one moment. This past weekend I tried to enjoy myself more without thinking about all the things I was putting off, just for 3 days only. I still tried to do my 15 minute house chores. Saturday, I went to the lake and I hung out with my main squeeze and my Makenzie Eve, driving around in the boat and swimming a bit. Then while we had a babysitter, we enjoyed going to the movies on Saturday night, and watching the new flick Hangover 2, which by the way is AWESOME..                                                    

THEN....

 We went Monday to Fort Loudon Dam and Rock fished with a couple friends.www.ftloudon.com.

We also ate at the all too famous Calhoun's on the Lake there. The food of course was delicious. Pricey of course. The Marina had a wonderful area set up, with Volleyball and picnic tables, very nice. Alot of debris from the storms, it needs alot of clean up in the water. We went through the reservoir to get to the Marina side, it was a wonderfully beautiful sight. If you live in Tennessee and Have not done it. Go...  It was like being in a castle and you were waiting on the gates to open.. I loved every minute of it.

We caught several huge Fish, Stripper, and Catfish.  I had a very relaxing 3 days, and now its time to get back to the gest of things, like laundry, you sure can run out of towels going to the lake for 3 days. 

READY FOR SUMMERTIME!

I am so suprised how fast this year has gone. It really seemed to sneek up on me for sure. But I am sitting down and thinking about what all I can do to keep the kids entertained. My children are all 3 years apart , 12, 9, 5, the little one will be 6 at the end of the year. Its hard to accomidate all of them equally. The little one obviously likes things the other two don't and vice versa. The 12 year old, only really wants to talk on the phone, cheer, and lay around all day. I was thinking of trying to find things to do around home, this summer, like the lake. Cheap, easy fun.My sister and I have also decided to take all of the kids together a few friday during the summer to other activities to. But i was thinking how nice it would be if I could plan a few things around home, so we didnt have to travel to far or spend alot of money. We live really close to Big Ridge State Park and Norris Lake http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/BigRidge/. I also decided to cancel some of our expensive cable channels and pay $11 for Netflix. It is wonderful and we can get DVD's or watch movies on the days it rains right from our Wii console. I bought some of the new Window Crayons by Crayola. All the girls love them, and Windex cleans it right off. The Sidewalk chalk is great too, exspecially the new  Glow Chalk, I even love playing with it. Who ever doesn't love to color must be crazy. LOL! I have been writting down all the things that I need to make summer fun from home. If you have any ideas, please share them. I love a good Idea.

The Fly Lady Recipe for Shinning your sink....

Shine Your Kitchen Sink

This is your first household chore. Many of you can't understand why I want you to empty your sink of your dirty dishes and clean and shine it, when there is so much more to do. It is so simple. I want you to have a sense of accomplishment. You have struggled for years with a cluttered home and you are so beaten down. I just want to put a smile on your face. When you get up the next morning, your sink will greet you and a smile will come across your lovely face. I can't be there to give you a big hug, but I know how good it feels to see yourself in your kitchen sink. So each morning this is my gift to you. Even though I can't be there to pat you on the back, I want you to know that I am very proud of you.
Go shine your sink! - FlyLady

---

Shiny Sink 101

Many members have asked "How do I clean my sink until it shines?". So, just for you, we have posted FlyLady's "Shiny Sink 101" essay. Here's to a great shine!
Note: Follow this procedure the first time you shine your sink. You do NOT need to follow this method everyday. Just keep up the shine with a little window cleaner.
Dear Friends,
I want you to smile from ear to ear when you gaze upon your shiny sink.
I have heard every excuse in the world. Even old sinks can look new again with a little elbow grease.
Here is how you do it:
BE SURE AND RINSE WELL BETWEEN EACH STEP OF THE WAY!

1. Take all the dishes out of the sink.
   
2. Run some very hot water into the sink. Fill to the rim. Only do one side at a time. Then, pour a cup of household bleach into the hot water. Let it sit for 1 hour. Now, pull the plug with a pair of tongs. If you don't have tongs, then scoop some of the water out of the sink into the other sink and use your hand to pull the plug (wear gloves and don't get the bleach-water on your clothes).
   
3. Rinse your sink well.
   
4. Use some cleanser (Comet, Ajax, or Baking Soda) and scrub your sink. Ensure you rinse ALL of the cleanser from the sink.
   
5. Take a sharp edge and clean around the rim of the sink, just like you would clean dirt out from under your fingernails.
   
6. Clean around the faucets too. You may need an old toothbrush or dental floss.
   
7. Now, get out your window cleaner, I use Windex, and give it a good shine.
   
8. If you still don't like the way it looks, then you could try some car wax. Just know in your heart that you have cleaned it very well now and it doesn't have to be perfect. Our perfectionism is what got us in this situation in the first place.
   
9. Every time you run water in your sink, take your clean dishtowel and dry it out (I lay out a clean one, every night with my before bedtime routine). Before you know it, you will be doing this everytime you leave your kitchen. The rest of the family will too. No more water spots. You will have a clean and shiny sink.
   
10. Don't have a fit if someone doesn't take as much pride in your sink as you do. It is very easy to fix. You have already done the hard part. You will never have to go through this process again. Daily maintenance will keep it looking this way all the time. Nasty hurtful word are not as easy to repair. Just be sure and tell your family what you are trying to do. They will think you have gone crazy.
    
11. If you don't have a dishwasher, don't worry. A dishwasher is just a dirty dish disposal. Clean out a place under your sink and put a dishpan in there. Teach your family, that instead of putting their dirty dishes and glasses in the sink, place them into the dish pan. Get into the habit of putting your dishes away as soon as they have been washed and are dry. No more leaving the dish drying rack on the counter or in the sink. Put it away under the sink when you have finished. If your old one is nasty, you may want to soak it in the sink full of bleach water at the same time you soak the sink or go buy a new set.
    
12. To insure that your family remembers this, put a note in the sink. It will get their attention and remind them where to put the dishes. Be patient! They have never been taught either. It is going to take some practice.
    

Now if you have a stainless steel sink, I recommend all of the above directions with one extra instruction added: after you soak your sink, rinse well, and use SOS pads to scrub it. This will buff the finish. It will look like new.
If you still can't get it to shine after the Windex, put a light coat of lemon oil or olive oil on it. I mean just a tiny bit on a cloth and rub it. This will make you smile. Some people have had very good results from Bar Keepers Friend.
Go Shine Your Sink!
FlyLadyLast note: ensure you don't mix cleansers like Comet, etc. with Windex (or other ammonia based cleaners), you can create dangerous gases! It is worth repeating: rinse well between each step.

Whats for Dinner?

So what are you cooking for Dinner. Its Wednesday so you may have church or a ballgame, I like to have sandwhiches or tacos. Its easy to prepare ahead, or a casserole or meatloaf. Something that can be heated up easy to eat and run. Paper plates are a must in this house. No cleaning required. A good tip is to make sure you unload your dishwasher every morning that way you can just throw your dirty ones in it so there is no mess for later. Then before you go to bed turn it on. Walla! I like to name the Dinners of the week by the days of the week to make it fun for the kiddos.
Examples:
Monday- Meatloaf Madness
Tuesday- Taco Tuesday
Wednesday- Whiches Wednesday (sandwhiches)
Thursday- Thankful for chicken Thursday
Friday- Fish stick Friday
Saturday- Stay out of Kitchen Saturday ( Go Out)
Sunday- Super Supper Sunday:) ( Family Day)

 We switch it up alot but thats just an example. We like to try new things too. Tell us your favorite Dinner...

About Me....

I am a 30 year old Home Maker, with 3 children and a wonderfully busy husband, he keeps our family a float working day and night. So I mantain the home, and take care of my children. I have been doing this for 10 years. In the mean time I have lost my identity. You know ,who I am, who I thought I was before I was a Mother and a wife. And then the other day it dawned on me, That is who I am. No I never thought I would be a Stay at Home Mother. But Here I am and I am not to bad at it. I went through a bout of depression the past year, it got so bad that I didn't want to do anything or clean anything. I did what I had to do to get by. Then when this year started, a few things happened that opened my eyes to the choices I was making for my self that were affecting me and my family. In January A very good friend of mines Father past away ,He had a heart attack. He was a wonderful man that always lived life to the fulliest, 6 years ago my own Father past away from a heart attack. So of course it brought back all those memories. I thought about all the people that had past on, and how I wanted to be here for my family, so I started to think of things I could do to make me healthier.  I had been smoking off and on for the past 10 years but never while I was pregnant, I had always stopped cold turkey. I wanted to quit for good. So I did February 1st. Cold Turkey. I have been smoke free since then. It was easier than I thought but , there are certain occasions that I really want one so I try to keep out of those situations.  On The last day of February ,I had gotten so depressed that I had not been doing my part as a mother or a wife, My house was unpresentable even to my family. I was playing on facebook one day when I came across a friends blog, that had posted a comment about shinning your sink, and of course out of curiosity I looked, when you clicked the link it took you too a website called The Fly Lady. I sat there at the computer the rest of the day reading and reading, I made a journal and printed papers off, and when I woke up the next morning I shinned my sink. Since March 1st, My life has never been the same. Who ever thought shinning your sink would make you feel accomplished.  For the next 31 days I did exactly what The Fly Lady said I should do, a few things different, but by the last Day of the month my house was so clean , I just sat in it crying tears of joy of course. I have maintained it ever since and always will. She taught me about Routines, and I taught my kids and Husband. My kids have a chore chart and make there bed every morning when they get up even my 5 yr old. I can honestly say I am amazing now, I take out the trash 3 days a week, I have errand days, and It only takes me 15 minutes to do all my chores now, so I have all day to play with my girls, and relax knowing its all done. I also have put on quite a bit of weight in the past 10 years also. I can remember meeting my husband and wearing a size 13. WOW to wear that again. So I went on the Atkins diet in February too, I did good I lost 12 pounds but I felt sick all the time. I have been on every yoyo Diet they have ever had. So I thought why not stop dieting and start making good decisions, so I eat half and I eat healthier, no I don't lose 12 pounds in 12 days but I have lost 5 since starting which is better than nothing.  I like to find new recipes, that my family also loves. We use No real sugar now, just Splenda. My kids Drink Crystal Light and have no clue. My Husband has even switched to Splenda tea. We don't drink coke or keep any in the house. I make healthier snacks for them and me. I am trying to stay low calorie, instead of low carb, so I do 100 calorie snacks. Well I have about covered it all. I don't want to overwhelm you. Thanks for reading... Comments or Questions are always welcome.