Liebster Award

 

 

The New Adventures of Jessica had nominated me for the Liebster Award. WOW thank you so much!

This is what her blog said about the Liebster Award: It is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  “Liebster” is German for sweetest, valued, welcome and/or favorite.

Here are the Rules:

Each nominee must share 11 things about themselves.  

Answer the 11 questions set for you and create 11 questions for the people you nominate.

Nominate promising new bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

11 Things About Myself: 

1. I have been married for 5 years.

2. I have a 4 year old son.

3. I was born and raised in orange county California. Moved to Louisiana for 3 1/2 years and now I am living in New Mexico.

4. This is my first semester back in school in about 6 or 7 years.

5. I have a older brother and sister and one little brother.

6. I am not going to lie, I enjoy watching teen based movies and tv shows. They are things you can watch and you can just let your mind relax because they are no thinkers. (I'm keeping her answer for this....I love high school movies and shows)

7. I want a dog so bad but my husband doesn't want any animals. I did convince him to get a fish. His name is blue and he's a beta. We got him in Louisiana and now he is here in New Mexico.

8. I love playing sports. I was a cheerleader and softball player in high school.

9. I love Sharks!!!! 2 out of 3 of my tattoos are shark related.

10. I do not like coke. Stopped drinking it in like 1st grade. Every big once in a while I will drink some but only if they don't serve Ice tea or water.

11. My friends and I use to always make up dances as kids and put on shows for our family lol.

 

 

11 Questions I had to answer:

1. If you were stranded on a desert island, what 5 things would you bring with you (if you already had the bare basics of food, water, shelter and clothing)? My husband my son my computer my phone and a golf cart lol

2. What is your favorite movie? Grease or thriller. My mom said when I was a little girl she had to replace the movies because I watched them so much.

3. Which would you rather experience firsthand - space exploration or underwater exploration? Under water exploration!!! I love the ocean

4. What is a huge fear of yours? Dying or anything bad happening to my family. oh and spiders I HATE spiders.

5. Do you have something you love but are embarrassed to say you enjoy it? (For example, you love Justin Beiber, you enjoy eating baby food because it tastes good to you, you like to collect your toenails, etc) Brittany Spears love her and always will!!

6. What is something you love about yourself, non physical? I have a love hate relationship with the fact that I care so much. Sometimes its good but sometimes its bad.

7. What is something you love about yourself, physically? I love my color. It just fits me. It's not blue and its not green its both lol.

8. Pet-peeves about people? Being late...omg my husband drives me nuts because he wait until the last minute!

9. If you could go anywhere in the world, money and time wasn't an issue, where would you go? The Caribbean I love the beach and I just think it would be fun.

10. If you could eat only one type of food (mexican, italian, thai, etc) for the rest of your life, what would it be? Mexican! It my comfort food.

11. Favorite dessert? I really don't care for desserts maybe vanilla ice-cream. I'm not a sweets eater.

My Questions to my nominees:

1. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
2. Who or what go you to start blogging?
3. What is your guilty pleasure?
4. If you could pick anyone living or dead to have dinner with who would it be?
5. What is your favorite make up product?
6. What is your favorite meal to cook for the family?
7. Winter in the cabins or summer at the beach?
8. Do you have a family tradition and what is it?
9. What is your favorite type of movies?
10. How did you meet your best friend?
11. If school and money didn't matter and you can just snap your fingers and do it what career would you choose?

My Nominees:

Tales from the Smith's
A Body that Won't Break
Shelly No Belly
  

Biggest Loser Week 3

Miss me?

I have been so busy with trying to get all of our stuff in storage. My husband had to go back to work Monday so I have been doing it by myself. We have to be out by tonight. On top of all that school started on Thursday and all my classes are online. This wouldn't be so bad but where we are staying I do not have the internet. Our friends saved our butts so I am not complaining. I am very grateful. If it wasn't for them we would be in a motel room. oh and did I mention I still have to babysit during the week. This actually works out because I am babysitting at the little boys house and their family has wifi so I can do my homework. It just takes up a good part of the day when I could be finishing the house.

On to the Biggest Loser.
I will not be weighing myself this week for a couple reasons:
1. my scare is packed
2. I have been eating a lot of fast food since my kitchen is packed away
3. the only work out I've been doing is moving for 4 days.

Maybe I will have a little bit more for you next week.

OOOOH! How could I forget. I finally check my mail today and got my prize for operation red bikini. The head band is soooo cute. I will take a picture later.

Biggest Loser Week 2

This week was very bad! Not only did I not watch what I ate, I didn't workout at all.

Hey lady how do you expect to lose weight if you don't do those things.

I know and I don't have any good excuse because excuses are like butts everyone has them but they all stink. (my coach use to tell us that all the time). This week I will tell you my highs and lows.

Starting with my lows:
~Didn't eat healthy
~Didn't work out
~Found out our apartment won't be ready until the beginning of February and they won't know the exact date until January 25 (we have to be out of this house because the owner wants to move in January 22) So we will be in limbo for a couple of weeks.

The Highs:
~I signed my 4 year old up for Tball Saturday! It will be his first year and I am sooooo excited (he is too)
~I won the Sweaty Band Giveaway! Thank you so much!!!!! I can't wait to rock it.
~I got a new toy! I can't wait to try it out this week.

 

~After all that negative.....I lost a pound even though I didn't do anything. Just imagine if I get off my lazy ass and move.

 

Week 1

Starting Weight: 210

Goal Weight: 150 (I know it is not realistic to reach by the end of this challenge but it's my over all goal)
Weekly Goal: 2lbs a week
Pants Size: I'm a 16/18 depending on the brand. mostly 16s.
Pant goal: Single digits!

 

Week 2

Weight: 209

Pant Size: I'm the same. 16/18

 

Goals for this week

*Watch my portions

*Get at least 3 work outs in (does moving count? lol)

 

On a silly note!

 

My husband says this is me.



 

I say this is him! lol

 

 

 



Biggest Loser week 1

Sorry this is so late folks!

Monday our internet went out so I couldn't post my blog.

Then, all day yesterday, I had to deal with the school (yes I am going back to college, woohoo). Anyways, by the time I got home and cooked dinner I was so stressed. My nerves were shot.

Lastly, I had to deal with the damn DMV today. I was expecting a long stressful event but, surprisingly, I was in and out in less then 20 min.

Ok I know I know get on with it.

The Biggest Loser Challenge

Every Monday we are supposed to link up and post our results. I love doing stuff like this because it keeps me motivated. Now, I just hope with all this stress and bad news I keep getting it will get me started.

Starting Weight: 210
Goal Weight: 150 (I know it is not realistic to reach by the end of this challenge but it's my over all goal)
Weekly Goal: 2lbs a week
Pants Size: I'm a 16/18 depending on the brand. mostly 16s.
Pant goal: Single digits!

I am so tired of being over weight. Growing up I was always the biggest friend but I was always in shape because I played sports. Things just went down hill since then. I am tired of feeling gross and sluggish. I am tired of always feeling sick and having stomach problems because I only eat junk. I really want to have another baby but not with this body. I don't want to start off horrible and then it get even worse. I want to finally feel comfortable when I go swimming. I don't have to be in a bikini (well that would be nice) but just something I feel comfortable in.

My first 5k Dec 5, 2009 Just lost 30lb. Weighing 160lbs.

 

 

Warning these next pictures your about to see are very disturbing!

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 These pictures were taken October 2012. First family photos in two years because of my weight.

I was weighing 210 lbs. The sad part is the lady took wonderful pictures but out of like 50 I only like maybe 2 with the ones of me in them because they weren't body shots. I just don't like how I look and I'm ashamed.

 

Time to get moving. I did it before and I know I can do it again.

 

Oh, I was looking for a good heart rate monitor. I have been looking up a lot of them. I want one that is for more then just running. I was looking at the body bug like the one they use on the biggest loser but the ratings look bad. Please let me know what you use.

Goals for 2013

I know what your thinking,
 
Wow Amanda, this is really late. Lazy much?!

Yes and Yes!

I first saw this on a YouTube channel I follow called  CandidMommy. Go ahead check it out. I will wait.

Tic Toc Tic Toc

OK you back?

Good!

I also started to read a lot more blogs and kept seeing a pattern with goals instead of resolutions. Also, some of them had mentions of going back to their goals every 3 months and revising them. Things happen and sometimes goals need to change.

I broke my goals up into categories just like CandidMommy did.

So here are my 2013 Goals:

Me:
~Do my hair and make up more often. I love how I feel doing my hair and make up but I hardly do it. Being a stay at home mom and living in a small town, sometimes I feel like I have no reason to do it but I do have a reason and it is me.
~Me time. I never have me time. My me time is every great once in a while I can go to the grocery store by myself. The grocery store doesn't really count but since I have started this blog and a YouTube channel (which is a work in progress) they will be my new me time. Something that makes me happy and sane. Ya hear what I'm saying?

Son:
~Do more arts and crafts at least 3 times a week. (I will also try doing blogs about them)
~Read more bedtime stories to him.
~Make a more solid schedule for him. (May do a blog on this as well)

Husband:
~More date nights. We used to go to the movies all the time but we hardly ever go now. My goal is to do at least 2 date nights a month. This can be movies, dinner, or just a drive but there isn't much to do in this small a$$ town. Ya! I said it.
~Do two unexpected nice things for my husband a week. For example, leaving notes in his lunch for work or giving him a back rub. Who knows, that can lead to other things.

 

 

Health and Fitness:

~Portion Control!! This one is a big one for me. It is so hard to stop eating if the food is so damn good. Girls, you know what I'm talking about. With this goal I will start counting my calories again.

~Cut down on eating out. Now, I am not going to cut it out completely because that is not realistic for me. Besides, I just said I need to do a date night with hubby twice a month. I just need to be smarter about it and cut back. I feel if I cut something completely out it makes me crave it more. Makes me think about it more often.

My Precious!!!!

~Work out 5-6 days a week. Now, I was supposed to start insanity again but since we have to move into an upstairs apartment I don't think I want to piss off my new neighbors. On the upside, there is a 24 hour gym in our complex.

~Start running again!

~I will also be joining Operation Red Bikini. I changed mine to Operation Little Black Dress.

 

Thanks to Southern Girl Gets Fit for introducing me to the challenge.

Go check it out I will wait but hurry back.
>
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Great you came back!

Finance:

~Pay off credit cards. Our credit is good. We always pay on time. I just want them to be paid off. When my husband graduated in May we had to live on our credit cards until he got his job in July. This also included moving from Louisiana to New Mexico. This is the only debt we have. Cars are paid and we don't own a house, YET!

~Buy a house!!!!! Our mortgage lender said we could buy a house after 6 months of my husband working at the mines but the underwriter said a year. So I am hoping to be able to buy a house this summer. Wish us luck!

 

Family:

~More family outings. We don't get out much because my husband works a lot and when he's off I'm babysitting. He does get 2 Saturdays off a month and we could dedicate these days as family days. This can be a picnic or a trip to Roswell or El Paso. These are bigger towns about 1 to 3 hours away.  They actually have Target and Starbucks unlike here.

 

I know what your thinking. "How do you survive?" Honestly I don't know!

 

~Try doing game nights on the weekdays my husband has off (he does shift work). Games like elefun or match games. Something our 4 year old can do. On game nights, TV has to be off and phones in another room.

 

 

WAKE UP!!

 

 You still with me? I know, long boring list ,but I had to get it in writing or I won't try and follow it (my laziness will kick in).  So, if your still with me let me know if you made goals for 2013. I would like to read them. Thanks!

 

Have a great weekend!

 

~Amanda

 

 

 

 

Snow Fun!

It finally snowed!

My son was on cloud 9 when it started snowing yesterday. He has only been in snow twice but it was very little snow and he didn't see if fall. We had so much fun playing in the snow.

 

 

 

Moving Again

Hey guys and gals!

So, of course, life has hit my family again. The only thing you can do is laugh really. At the time we got this information I cried but I have the most amazing husband and he said "Baby, the only thing you can do is laugh. This always happens to us but we always get through it and it always works out for us in the end."

Ok, so this is the story, on December 22 my family comes home from Christmas shopping and taking pictures with Santa.

 

(This is the picture and it was unexpected. Santa just happened to be at the store.)

We get home to an eviction notice on the door saying we have 30 days to move out because the owner wants to move back in. I broke down crying. Just a couple of days before Christmas and it ruined my holiday. Not only do we have to move but my husband had to work Christmas Eve, Day, and the day after. I can't really complain about that though because there are many  people out of a job who would love to work and there are many military families that can't see their families at all so I do feel blessed. My husband on the other hand was laughing at the notice. I felt better after my husband told me why he was laughing because he is right. We have been through so much but we always get through it together.

In addition to all that, we were told by our lender a couple months ago we could buy a house after my husband had been working for six months at his job and January will be 6 months. I call the lender after getting the eviction notice and he said his underwriter said it now has to be a year.  Now we have another set back.

See the little town I live in has zero houses to rent. We found the one we are in by luck. I looked in the newspaper for a week and drove around but nothing. We have 2 new apartments being built but one is always full and the other has a waiting list. I called anyway and sure enough someone pulled out of their lease because they didn't want to wait for the apartments to finish being built. I had put our deposit down but they said they don't know what the exact move in date is yet because our unit is still in the process of being constructed. They said it is possible it could be mid January to the end of January. I am hoping for mid January because we have to be out of here by January 22. I am trying not to stress and worry because that's what I do best but my husband is right. Everything will work out, it always does.

Happy New Years

~Amanda~