3 of my worst traits

Sorry.....not tryggn to bore you to death with these pics but I haven't really had much time to take more!

1. I interrupt people ALL.THE.TIME   Uhhhhh Hello RUDE girl, please stop interrupting me!!!!! Yeah, I do it CONSTANTLY!!!! I am very aware of it but I can't stop. I've done it, always!!!!  It;s like I get so excited when I;m talking to someone I have to interrupt them mid sentence to ask a million questions. I want to know every last detail of the story whether they intend to tell it to me or not so I have to stop them every few min and say, "wait, what about this, what about that" I can tell it doesn't bother some and REALLY bothers others. Either way I really don't like that I do it but can't seem to stop myself!  2. I'm messy. I'm not very organized AT ALL!!! I mean I am in my brain. I could tell you all the appointments we have lined up for the nest 3 months, times, days and all but when It comes to my house.......Hmmmmm.....it;s kind of a wreck. I know, I have 3 kids but it is actually much cleaner now that I have 3 kids. Before we had kids it was worse. There boxes and pile of stuff laying around everywhere. My husband is a borderline hoarder so this make things pretty hard for someone who is already a crappy house keeper. I just throw everything away and he just keeps everything.  Le Sigh. It could be worse. 3. I am VERY impatient!  I know I telly you all about this constantly but seriously it is obnoxious how impatient I can be. My poor husband!  If things don't get done fast enough to my liking then I just take it upon myself of do everything. But it;s not just mu husband, it applies to ,my kids, my co-workers, whoever is in the direct same vicinity of me. I end up doing way more work than necessary because I'd rather just do it myself then wait for someone else to do it in their own time. Also my impatience gives me pretty terrible anxiety on a daily basis. If I could just calm down and learn to wait in peace things would be be a heck of a lot easier.  I AM WORKING ON IT!!!  Pin It

Learning THE HARD WAY; It's my specialty

Things You Can't Learn in School! This post is part of "The Blog Everyday in May" challenge. Almost every important lesson I've ever learned in life I've learned THE HARD WAY!  Yup, I'm stubborn to a fault!   Everything my mother told me not to do I did anyway and boy did I end up in a mess of trouble EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. My poor mother!  I am a pretty different person than I used to be.  Of course my spirit is the same but I was a real trouble maker when I was young. I didn't have the desire to be good, to have faith, to lead a happy, simple life of humility until it was falling apart of course. And all those lessons I didn't learn in school or because my mother told me. I also didn't learn after the first one went A-rye. I had to go right down the "mom said never do this" list until I proved to myself that yes, indeed she was right and I should have listened to her! It was exhausting, very painful and incredibly time consuming.
 Did I mention I'm stubborn? So what I'm telling you is essentially I learned everything I know this way. So it;s more like what DID I learn at school?  Hmmmm............To socialize I guess!  Honestly most of my wisdom comes from living life. I am very street smart. I can just about fix anything, navigate anywhere or jimmy rig any and everything!!!!  I could read before I went to school. My mom taught me when I was 4 and I dropped out when I was 16, a sophomore in high school.  You probably didn't know that about me did you?  I was bored!  High school to me was incredibly boring. I think I ditched geometry 42 times and still passed with a "B". I'd show up, take the to take the test and that was it. I never went to class. It was too easy. I was bored so I dropped out and went to college a year early! No, I;m not a genius but the New Mexico school systems are 2nd worst in the nation! LOVELY! No wonder I was bored!    Yes, I am a critical care registered nurse now.  Yes, I went to college for 7 years, maintained a 3.8 GPA and graduated nursing school with honors and let me tell ya nursing school is not exactly a cake walk. It was one of the hardest, most disciplined times in my life. I had to be extremely dedicated. But I learned to study on my own, to study very, very efficiently on my own.  I experimented until I found ways that I could memorize quickly without having to read 700 pages of text books a night. It worked!  Also I have a visual memory. Meaning that if I construct a study graph  that looks a certain way, a grid if you will, then come test day even if I can't remember the answer I can actually visualize that study guide in my mind and all I have to do is zoom in on the area where that information was written and I can read it right off the study guide in  my brain. Sounds crazy right? Granted I had to spend about 6 hours staring at that study guide but it worked for me!  Anyway, the point is, I can honestly say that almost every great lesson I have ever learned in my short life has NOT been  learned in school. Here are some of the most important lessons that I am working on every single day that I did not learn in school:  Gratitude Grace Humility Love Compassion Patience Discipline
and again Patience!!! 
It's the one I struggle with the very most!!!  This post didn't come out at all like I intended it to but here it is none the less, my thoughts and feelings.  I've been pretty darn sleep deprived and exhausted lately so that might explain my hap hazard posts:)  Have a great weekend if I don't see you before then!  Pin It

thirty five

I'm not sure where to begin with this post!  Lately I have been feeling kinda all over the place.  HELLO post partum hormones.  As I have mentioned in a few previous posts I have been kind of dreading this number 35,  for some reason. Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to be healthy and happy and have a beautiful healthy family but 35 just seemed really BIG to me; if I'm honest, it seemed OLD. Having 3 babies in 3 years has TRASHED my body. I mean really. It looks like an elephant that got attacked by Freddy crougar. Don't worry I'm not all down on myself at all because I KNOW I'll get it back. I ALWAYS do. I'm just being honest. It's CRAZY what having 3 kids in 3 years will do to you!  I ALWAYS get my body back and I'll probably be more fit than ever because I am one determined woman; doesn't mean it's easy for one second!  I'm not the type to let myself go. The good news is it is rapidly getting better, these CRAY CRAY feeling I'm having!!!  With the assistance of my work outs I am starting to feel really great again. I'm still very overweight but I'm getting there and am feeling like I am getting more and more endurance everyday.  I know I have already lost INCHES AND INCHES but I am waiting till the full 30 days are over measure or weigh so I can really be wowed!!!!  UPDATE on that coming!!! Plus my wonderful mama got a whole year's membership to  the gym! HELLO SPIN CLASS!!!! PLEASE WHOOP MY BOOTY!!!! Things with my hubby are getting stronger and stronger too!  Overall I cannot complain one bit.  In fact I suppose I can just say how grateful I am to have the support group I do with my family and that over all things are really looking up.  WAY UP!   I don't have a single grey hair and not  many wrinkles yet and I haven't slept in 3 years so I guess I'm not doing too bad!  It's a weird time for me.  I had my tubes tied so the season of small babies will officially be over now. That makes me sad and scared at the same time.  This year holds a lot of change for me. I'm going to do my absolute best to make it all good!!! GOOD CHANGE. I am going to try and embrace it, all of it, regardless of what life brings to me Easier said than done!

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just because

One thing I really enjoy is giving gifts......JUST BECAUSE!!!!  I like giving them to for an occasion like a birthday or an anniversary but to me the best kind are "Happy Day Gifts"  The kind of gifts that you just bestow on someone to make them smile! To make their day one tiny bit better for absolutely no reason!  This past month I've been doing a  lot of "just because" giving and I'm loving it. I think the joy I get from it is better than receiving a gift myself. Seriously. You should try if you don't so it often. This month I: Sent my best girlfriend a pair of beautiful knee high leather boots and a spiked gold bracelet. JUST BECAUSE Sent my OLD friend from high school who I haven't seen in 18 years a can of Protein/Espresso powder and a shaker because he's a boxer and I just thought he'd like it. NO REASON Sent A lady that I am in a fitness group on Facebook a pair of nice Italian compression socks because she couldn't afford any and really wanted to try some. I have never even met her. JUST BECAUSE
Sent my niece some hot rollers. JUST BEACUSE
Sent another long time friend a running skirt and a different kind of compression socks because she is also a runner and I just wanted to. Also haven't seen her in 15 years. JUST BECAUSE Right now sitting on my dining room table is a pair of red skinnies that I am planning to send to a good friend  I saw not too long ago but she doesn't have a lot of money and they are from a designer she loves. JUST BECAUSE. It always comes full circle!!!!  I have had so many blessings sent to me by all of you lovely readers "JUST BECAUSE" I was struggling and it took my breath away.  DO IT!!!  Surprise someone with something nice, JUST BECAUSE!!!! Pin It

my birthday in pictures

Getting Ready to go no where 

Ready to celebrate

Luxurious gift from my mother

We had a carpet picnic with the kiddoes and grandma

This may be my favorite picture of all time. Milton praying that I get my birthday wish

Poor Daddy had work all day and night. He finally gets home

Just being me

I baked 2 tiny sugar free chees cakes. DEEELISH

My only birthday request, LOBSTER TAIL. *heaven*

Sugar Free Cheese cake. Not one person noticed:) Recipe coming!
 Happy Birthday To Me.

I will have a "real" post about my feelings and such coming up in a day or so but I had such a lovely day I couldn't help but share all my little moments! 
So blessed. So Grateful.
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Three months

My Baby! My last Baby is already 12 weeks old! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

It seems with each child the time has gone by faster and faster. Maybe it's because I am getting older and older. Who knows!

Life with 3  kids is still hard but totally doable. Things are getting easier and easier or at least I am letting go more and more of the unnecessary worries.

We're full. We're busy. We're happy. I love our new and last edition to our family!

I am so grateful!

I'm turning 35 on Sunday.......dun...dun...dun. I'm requesting home cooked lobster and a sugar free cheesecake:) That's all! Oh and time to workout of course!

I'll have a birthday post ASAP!

Have a great weekend my friends!

Take Your Power Back

It is official!!!! 
I am taking my power back!!!!! 
You do not have to be depressed, anxiety ridden, sad, lonely, scared, helpless, overweight, unhealthy, susceptible, afraid, or angry, all of which I have certainly embodied for some of or most of my life. 
You choose!!!  It's your right to choose how you want to live your life. No, it's not going to be easy and it most certainly is NOT going to be fair!!!! Don't you remember being told as a child over and over again that,  "life isn't fair"? 
I hated hearing that!  I mean it really irritated me; really chapped my hide in fact. I just wanted to say, "oh Shut up, I know but I don't care. I'm going to throw a little fit anyway." 
Yup...that was me. I think the entirety of my teen years and early twenties were spent that way.  I had a chip on my shoulder, A BIG ONE! No,  my life has been  FAR from easy. Most days I am very surprised I survived those years in fact BUT it doesn't mean you can go through life with a chip on your shoulder. I mean of course you CAAAAN but you'll never have peace or happiness! You will always retain anger!  I don't want to live that way! And so I'm not going to! 
I finally learned that "life isn't fair" it isn't just an annoying saying it's VERY, VERY true and you cannot escape it. Like I told you before in an earlier post I wrote, I thought I was smart enough to take the high road, the easier way. But time and time again God reminded me that NO I would be just like everyone else, chip on my shoulder or not, I would have to go THROUGH.
There is only one way through life!!! You cannot go around. You must go THROUGH!!!

Endorphins are like a miracle drug and I want to be your drug dealer!!! If you've never tried them boy are you missing out on the best time of your life! Trust me I've tried it all and these ones, the natural ones, the ones your body wants to produce anyway, they are the best high you'll ever get! 
So we all know that I had the worst pregnancy ever right? Yes I am sure you remember millions of posts about the agony of the nausea, the weight gain, the nervous breakdowns; the list goes on and on. Well I have realized that a lot of it may have been because I stopped exercising. I stopped getting my daily dose of beloved endorphins.
For me vigorous exercise makes me a better wife, a better mother, a better person, PERIOD. I have more patience. I have more endurance. I have more energy. I feel better. I am just HAPPY! 
I started Jillian Micheal's 30 day shred 18 days ago and at first I drudged through it everyday feeling like I was going to keel  over and die and I belonged at the fat farm with all the other poor souls who felt miserable about themselves but then slowly day by day by day I started feeling better, realizing I could do it! And not only could I do it lugging an extra 50 pounds but I could do it well! 
Now by day 18 I feel AWESOME!! I finally have that "MAGIC" endorphin high that you can only get from vigorous physical activity. 
I'm starting to feel good about myself again and it feels AMAZING!!!!
I am writing this because I want to share this feeling with you! I want you to have It to!!! I don't want you to suffer more than you need to.  All you need is the strength to put the DVD in the player everyday. That's ALL. Even if you are so out of shape you can hardly do it, just keep trying everyday, keep plugging away! Eventually you wont feel like your doing to die. In fact you will feel on top of the world and it will radiate to every single part of your life.  I promise you!!!  You will have a stronger relationship with your partner and your children! 
YOU WILL BECOME A BETTER PERSON not just a better looking person. 
Alright, I'll spare you any more lectures!!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!! 
TRUST ME and TRY IT! I will be starting Jillian's Ripped in 30 in June and I welcome you all to join me for it!!! I promise you I will not let you down. Once I commit to something it is in stone!!! I will help push you through!!! THAT IS A PROMISE FROM THE HEART!!!  And please email me f you want. If your scared or need encouragement. There are safe places to talk about this. Don't be embarrassed. I used to weigh 245 pounds remember???? I have been there and I have also been 126 pounds and on top of the world! 
I love you guys!!! BE HAPPY!!! 


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geeking out, freaking out

Any of you that follow me on Facebook know that I just got a mini iPad for mother's Day and since I haven't had a smart phone or nay cell phone in 2 years I was unable to participate in Instagram! 

Well, now that I have it I am TOTALLY OBSESSED with it! 

I LOVE IT!!! 

CANNOT GET ENOUGH!!!! 

I also just wanted to mention that I found the most spectacular app on the planet and you MUST get it if you instagram. 

The ladies over at {A beautiful Mess} created it and it's genius! So all the photos you see here are edited with that  app. 

Go to this post on their blog to find out more and how to purchase it. It's only .99 cents!!! 

I also wanted to let you know that I will be posting daily pictures of me after I complete my 30 Day shred workouts on instagram and also when Juneathon rolls around I will will doing a the same and basically if you really want to stalk me, Instagram is the way to do it:) 

So my question for you is do you post "INSTA LATELY" posts on your blogs or is that too redundant? Should they remain separate?

Advise Please!!!!

 LOVE THIS SOCIAL MEDIA SITE!!! 

MY NEW BEST FRIEND!!!! 

YOU?

wear: polka dots and tortious shell

Cardi: Forever 21 Sunglasses: Karen Walker Knock Offs {HERE}


I just have to tell you I fell head over heels in love with these Karen Walker Sunglasses. One problem; they cost $280 bucks. Um No way I'm paying that or could ever afford that!! 
So I found AMAZING knock offs for $50. I mean every single detail down to the leather box, the cloth, the engraved gold detailing. These are definitely quality knock offs and worth every penny of the $50. Honestly no would EVER know they are not the real deal. If I was a bad person I could easily sell these on ebay and make a fortune. Thank goodness I'm not:)
So what do you think? Aren't they the cutest darn things you ever did see? 
I will be wearing them everyday form here on out! 
AND I gotta admit it! I am in love with my darn Ombre that I thought I didn't like. 
I LOVE IT!!!! 


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These Days

Remember how I was so excited that Tosh took a pacifier? Yeah, well it only lasted like 2 days and now he hates it just like my other 2 did. HA!!! Go figure!

Ginger is back in diapers full time. I've decided to stop fighting it and just let her do what she wants and we'll try again later when she's closer to 3.

Little Milton is such a big boy and helps me more and more everyday. Now he says, "lets clean up mommy. What can I help clean up?" ANGEL!!!

Remember how I told you I was doing a little marriage challenge. I got derailed for about 4 or 5 days but now I'm back on track so don't worry my little secret is still coming eventually just a little late!

I am thinking MORE and MORE about looking into what it takes to become a personal trainer. I could never completely forgo my career as a registered nurse. It was too much work to get there and I do love it when I can dedicate enough time to it but the fitness thing just comes so naturally to me. One of my greatest passions in life is not only push and inspire myself but push and inspire others to realize what they can accomplish if they really work it.
I;m going to pray about it everyday until I get a little nudge one way or the other. I know it would be a little bit expensive but I probably have all the courses already done that are anatomy based. I mean, I know I do. What are your thoughts on this? I am living on a pipe dream? Or could I really make that work?

Well....It's a beautiful day. Maybe I'll go do a little photo shoot!

Love you guys!!! Happy Tuesday!

Oh and I am totally obsessed with Instagram now!!!! PLEASE come follow me if you want. I added the little button on the upper left:) I would love to see you:) xoxooxxo

Health Update

I love this shirt!!!  Just a little reminder of who is in charge here and what I intend to do with it, that body of mine!!! 
Find it {here}
So  I have been really committed to Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred.  I am on day 16 and on level 2 now. I haven't missed a single day!   I find the workout is still pretty tough but totally doable even 50lbs overweight and I am rarely sore these days and if I am it's no big deal. I will also say that I am AMAZED at how quickly my endurance has improved! I mean literally I can tell a difference every single day I do it. 
I am still completely gluten and grain free!! I am also still eating sugar free yogurt and cheese. I haven't been able to ditch the dairy totally yet but I'm getting there. 
I decided not to weigh myself or take any measurements until I've finished the 30 day shred so I can be surprised with the results. I REALLY hope they are spectacular.
I don't really feel like I'm loosing weight but I never do when I'm this overweight. It's almost like 10 pounds wouldn't even phase me either way. I went ahead and ordered her Ripped in 30 DVD as well which I plan to do every day in June with my husband. 
Which brings me to Juneathon.
I just received confirmation that it is officially open for registration. It's free of course. It's just a group of runners/fitness junkie blogger that come together to support one another in our quests to get more fit.  Here are the basic rules:

Rules? We prefer to think of them as guidelines.

Juneathon is, after all, (to quote Highway Kind) 'an annual festival of activity and excuses', so there aren't really any rules as such, but, it's nice to have a few guidelines.

So here they are:

Run or do some form of exercise every day.

Blog about it within 24 hours.

Join the Juneathon group at the Running Free website and log your runs/exercise.

Visit other blogs and leave comments, giving your support.

Link to the Juneathon website and display the 'Juneathon Participant' logo (above).

And that's about it really. Simple, huh?

So I will definitely be participating this year. I plan to do Jillian's "Ripped in 30" PLUS a power walk or maybe a jog everyday too!

Juneathon

 I did Juneathon last year and LOVED it!!! I mean it really, really motivated me (I had a broken leg and was pregnant. I needed some darn motivation)!! I think my readers might have gotten sick of me posting my workout everyday but I certainly had a blast with it and I tried to take as many pics as I could as not to bore you too much!!! 
It's great motivation and I highly encourage you to join in if you like!!! And sorry for all of you who are totally not interested in fitness I will try to get in some good regular posts too:) You can Read about my experience last year {HERE}

 Sign up {HERE}
ANYONE GOING TO JOIN ME???????? Pin It

Mother's Day Twenty Thirteen

WHOA!!!! As I sit down to write this I am EXHAUSTED in THE.BEST.WAY.EVER. I don't want to say this Mother's Day was better than any of the others because they have all been spectacular in their own way. I was telling a friend of mine who is pregnant that I can remember that mother's day the clearest, my very first one. The one when I was pregnant with little Milton, my first born. There is nothing in the world like the excitement of being pregnant for the first time. My husband and I were living in Brooklyn New York. I was 4 months pregnant. We had a gorgeous picnic in the cherry blossom orchard at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. I took about 1 million photos. I was so excited to be becoming a mother. Now I am so happily the mother of THREE beautiful children and I am so grateful!  Today was amazing!  Since Tosh has been born I had quiet a few rough patches the first few weeks and since then it's just been go, go, go and learn, learn, learn how to have more patience and multitask even better; clean faster, cook more efficiently, no time for ANY nonsense. This holiday totally snuck up on me. I hardly gave it a second thought for myself. I thought of MY mother who has been so monumental in our lives the past few years but didn't think much of what we'd do here as a family. Anyhow, I woke up to a gorgeous orchid on the dining room table. I collect orchids and this was a new color. So beautiful!  Then my kids each handed me a gift. I definitely was not expecting a gift. My husband and I stopped really giving each other gifts a few years ago because honestly we just don't have the money. Needless to say I was surprised.  My son helped me open the wrapping and as we tore it open my son says, "look mommy it's an apple" and of course I knew that was the Macintosh symbal but I was completely puzzled. Once we got it all the way unwrapped I realized it was a mini iPad.  WHAT????? I felt like I was loosing my mind. I was in total shock. I just looked up at my husband and didn't say anything. Maybe I said, "NO WAY" I have been using the same desktop computer for 11 years. I know that it's hard to believe that it even still works and some days it doesn't but yes when we ran from hurricane Katrina in 2005 one of the very few things we brought was the hard drive to this ancient computer because it had a lot of my hubby's music files on it. I've been using it ever since.  You  know we don't have a lot of money. We don't even have cell phones so this was HUGE!!!! My husband said he had saved up for months to buy it for me because he thought I deserved it for being such a great mom to all these littles. Well, you can just say I was floored and so excited I could hardly speak. The first thing I said was, "OMG now I can get Instagram". If you don't have a iPhone or iPad you can't use instagram and I have been seriously depressed about it for months(well not really, I'm exaggerating). Then I said, "oh and I can tag my pictures with those "HASH GRAMS" and my husband couldn't stop laughing. He said, "babe we're getting really old. I'm pretty sure that is something you buy in Amsterdam and they are called Hash Tags." OOPS!!! Anyway I couldn't put the thing down. I took about 1 million pictures with it. Then My hubby went to church and played with the worship team while I did day 14 of the 30 day shred. Then we met at my mom's house and had a nice lunch. We got my mom some flowers and a tree for mother's day. A decorative plum tree I believe and my husband dug the hole and planted it for her while the kids played in the pool and I walked around with Tosh asleep on me.  It was wonderful!  Then we all came home and after nap time my sweet hubby grilled us some wild king salmon and asparagus; pretty much my dream dinner.  I loved every second of my day today.  I got spoiled beyond belief and I am so grateful for my mother,  my beautiful children and a husband who treasures me.  So if you want to follow me on Instagram you can do so {HERE} since I'm so excited!!!! I haven't posted many photos yet but don't worry I WILL!!!!! WOW....What a day!!!!!! Pin It