Learning to Let go

 

 

so many times when our children are young, we think to ourselves

 

"I can't wait until...."

 

they sleep through the night

they can use a sippy cup

they start walking

they are potty trained

they go to school

 

until that day comes along and we quickly realize just how fast time flew by

then we wish we could turn back the hands on the clock and wish our children to be little again.

 

it's not easy...this thing called parenting.

 

watching our children grow older and learning how to live without us, realizing that the crutch that we consider ourselves is no longer needed as much.  and even though it hurts and we know they will make mistakes, poor choices and the like, we must let them go.

 

two years ago, amanda went off and flew our nest by going to college.

 

 

damn did we all miss her.

 

last may, she moved into her own apartment.

 

a few weeks ago she turned 20.

 

20

 

again, i say...where did that time go?

 

i cannot stress enough how proud we are of her.

 

this is a 20 year old kid, who when she was 16 went out and got a job on her own

went off to school on scholarships, that she researched and made sure to apply for on her own

that found an apartment and saved up the deposit, the first and last month's rent all on her own

who pays her own bills every month, always on time.

paid for her own car and pays for her own car insurance

buys her own groceries

has held down the same job for over 3 years

knows exactly what she wants out of life, including her career and she plans for it and makes it happen all on her own.

when i was 20, i was married and pregnant with her....but, i think i knew way less about life than she does.  i thought i knew, but looking back i didn't.  does that mean i would change things....no way. my life turned out pretty great in spite of the mistakes and things i did.



anthony graduated high school last year, and he took a year off to work and save some money.
is that a decision that his dad and i agreed with...not really, but he needed to find his way, just like his sister did. 

and while, he lives at home, he works full time, saves his money, buys his own food and entertainment, his own clothes and shoes, paid for his car and his insurance.

this fall, he is going to college.  he decided what he wants to do and he is making plans to follow through.  so far, i think he is choosing to stay nearby. 

i know one day, my children aren't going to be as near to me....they will choose colleges or jobs in other states.  they will raise families and go to work and live their lives.

as much as i would love to bottle them up and keep them on a shelf and never let them go, i know they will leave.

one
by
one

as much as i would love to buy a huge parcel of land and build a compound and make everyone live on it or close by.  i know they won't...it's just wishful thinking on my part.

i dream of big family dinners on sundays with my children and their children....squeezing around dining room and kitchen tables.  i dream of big family thanksgivings and christmases.  i dream of seeing my grandchildren grow up before my eyes and not through photographs.

but i know that deep down life isn't always like that.
and as heart wrenching as it is...i know that i will eventually have to let them all go.

just how do those momma birds push their babies from the nests and watch them fly away?

all you can really do is pray you did the right things, made the right decisions, taught them well, and loved them through it all.

and just let go.

and let them fly.

no one ever said parenting was easy.

but here's a little secret....

no matter how old they get
or how far away they go
you will always be their mom
and they will always be your child

that job you started all those years ago, when you looked into those precious newborn faces...
it never ends.

just like your love for them,

 it never ends.

happy 20th birthday amanda!
and happy soon to be 19th birthday anthony!

 

 



Hey Mom, Look What I Did (#66)

Welcome to the 66th edition of

 

 Hey Mom, Look What I Did!!

 

The boys and I were busy last week with Valentine's Day activities.

 

They made these valentines for their classmates...

 

 

Nathan wanted a puppy box this year, it was as simple as we could make, since we were pressed for time. 

 

 

Nicholas was going to make something different and then decided he wanted the exact same thing as his brother.....whether he actually liked it or figured it was easier and faster than what he had in mind, remains to be seen.  I think it was a little of both.

 

 

They also wanted to take a sweet treat with them to share, so we made these heart marshmallow pops that we made last year as well.

 

 

 

here's a look a couple of links from the past week that I loved...

 

Valentine Crafts for Preschoolers

 

(seriously adorable...)

 

 

V is for Valentine

 

(perfect little craft for toddlers)

 

 

now, it's your turn to show off all your super cute crafts, goodies and activities.

 

Please share your craft projects, baking activities and other fun kid friendly adventures. Grab the link button and put it on your blog, if you like, so that others can find us and share in the fun too.

 

There are no requirements, but I would love if you would follow this blog via GFC.

 

I also would like to invite you to come hang out with me on facebook, pinterest and twitter, where I feature and share some your fabulous projects during the week.

 

 

Thanks for joining us....Hope to see you again soon!!

  

<center> <a href="http://adventures-in-mommy-land.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd385/jfamilyofeight/art_supplies-3.gif"/></a></center>    

Nutrisystem #43

I'm not going to lie...I really try to stay positive about my weight loss.  I have done really well with Nutrisystem and I'm not sure I would have done as well if I were on my own.  But this past month has been really trying for me and to be totally honest, I'm frustrated that I've been stuck at the same weight for a month.  Now, whether I'm platueing or just made a few bad choices as far as food goes (which I know I did one day, and I'll explain in a bit) or the lack of exercise or maybe just a combo of the three, I'm not sure...but something's got to give.  I'm not giving up, just feeling a wee bit defeated.  I think my positivity decided to fly the coop for a bit...

 

 

At any rate, I'll explain my poor diet choice now....

 

my mother had this treadmill that my sister gave to her.  And my mother decided she didn't like it and offered it to me.  My mom lives 3 hours away, so I already figured it would be a 6 hour round trip.  Zach went with me as my wing man.

 

We left a little later than I wanted to, and got to her house just fine.  Loaded up the treadmill, chatted for a few short minutes and off we went.  Now, I always, always, always get lost coming home from her house....I have no idea why that is.  I usually do it close to her house too, which makes it convenient because I can call her and tell her where I am and be on my merry way again.

 

So Zach and I get about an hour from home and I was telling Zach..."wow I can't believe we didn't get lost this time, we're only about an hour from home, we got this"....well, I should have kept my big mouth shut, cause no sooner did I stop talking that I missed an exit.  And it was an off ramp only, which means you can't just drive a bit and turn around and get back on.  I ended up driving around in circles, before the panic started to set in....crap, just how lost are we???

 

I called Amanda, who was able to find us on her GPS app on her phone (I have a dinophone, so no cool gps for me) and get us back to where we needed to be.  I told Zach I bet this car has GPS and we don't even know it....Sure enough Rich told me later, if you would have pushed the onstar button and gave it an address the directions would have shown up on your radio display and talked you home....So, I guess reading those little booklets that they give you when you buy a car really are meant for reading and not just shoving in the glove box, eh? LOL!

 

At any rate, we drove around for an eternity and Zach said I'm hungry, we missed dinner...at this point it was around 10 or so (way late for me to eat, but I didn't eat since lunch)...nothing was really open, so we went through a fast food and got sandwiches.  I ate some crappy sandwich, which was turkey but had melted cheese on top and was on some roll, which I'm sure wasn't good for you and some fried potato wedge things and a milk shake....I'm sure I could have better choices, but in my panicked "we are lost and never getting home" state of mind, I just wasn't thinking clearly.  Plus, I never eat that late...so that certainly didn't help.  Add in the stress of being lost....well, you get the picture.  And our supposedly 6 hour trip? Yeah, that turned into a 8 plus hour nightmare.

 

So, I did get a treadmill which makes walking in this cold weather much nicer...I'm still struggling with other factors. 

 

No one ever said losing weight is easy and I can tell you they were right!

 

In the meantime, just because the number on the scale isn't budging doesn't mean I'm not still losing.  I can wear a size 6 in pants now and a small/medium in shirts.  I just bought myself a new coat the other day which was a medium.  And my underwear and bras are all too big again.  So something is happening, even if the scale isn't.

 

And I'm seriously loving this new confidence that I have in myself.  Of course, it helps when you have people pointing out how great you look and your husband calling you a hot mama.  hahah.

 

(this is me, after walking in the door from classes all day, it was pretty and sunny, but cold, so I wore my new coat)

 

 

Oh and something fun.....me and the girls signed up for The Color Run in Philly (in July).  We will be going on a girls' weekend and hanging out with each other and some friends.  I seriously can't wait! This is something I never would have tried if I hadn't lost the weight.  I'm sure you will be bombarded by all the cool, colorful photos and details when the time comes.

 

do me a favor, and keep your fingers crossed or maybe say a little prayer that I can get passed this little stumbling block and move forward with my journey...I'm no where near finished with it.

 

 

til next time...

 

 

If you would like to learn more about how to get healthy and lose weight on Nutrisystem - Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting http://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog

 

 

My Stats
 

4/27/12 - 180 (starting weight)

05/04/12 - 175 (week one)

05/11/12 - 174 (week two)

05/18/12 - 172 (week three)

05/25/12 - 170 (week four)

06/01/12 - 169 (week five)

06/08/12 - 169 (week six)

06/15/12 - 168 (week seven)

06/22/12 - 166 (week eight)

06/29/12 - 166 (week nine)

07/06/12 - 166 (week ten)

07/13/12 - 164 (week eleven)

07/20/12 - 164 (week twelve)

07/27/12 - 165 (week thirteen)

08/03/12 - 163 (week fourteen)

08/10/12 - 160 (week fifteen)

08/17/12 - 160 (week sixteen)

08/24/12 - 160 (week seventeen)

08/31/12 - 159 (week eighteen)

09/07/12 - 159 (week nineteen)

09/14/12 - 157 (week twenty)

09/21/12 - 155 (week twenty one)

09/28/12 - 155 (week twenty two)

10/03/12 - 155 (week twenty three)

10/12/12 - 154 (week twenty four)

10/19/12 - 153 (week twenty five)

10/26/12 - 153 (week twenty six)

11/02/12 - 152 (week twenty seven)

11/09/12 - 152 (week twenty eight)

11/16/12 - 151 (week twenty nine)

11/23/12 - 150 (week thirty)

11/30/12 - 150 (week thirty one)

12/07/12 - 150 (week thirty two)

12/14/12 - 149 (week thirty three)

12/21/12 - 148 (week thirty four)

12/28/12 - 148 (week thirty five)

01/04/13 - 147 (week thirty six)

01/11/13 - 147 (week thirty seven)

01/18/13 - 145 (week thirty eight)

01/25/13 - 145 (week thirty nine)

02/01/13 - 144 (week forty)

02/08/13 - 144 (week forty one)

02/15/13 - 144 (week forty two)

02/22/13 - 144 (week forty three)

 

*Disclosure ~ I am receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan. All opinions herein are my own and were not influenced by Nutrisystem

 

 

 

 

 

 



Nutrisystem (#41 and #42)

Yes, I'm a bit behind on my Nutrisystem posts so I'm doubling them up.

It's so hard to focus sometimes when you have a family and a full life of responsibilities, I'm guessing that's one reason why the people of the Biggest Loser do so well while at the ranch...they can focus on nothing more than getting healthy.  They don't have the commitments of family, friends, life, work, etc. bogging them down....all they have to worry about is how badly the trainers are going to beat them up and whether they will make it through to the next weigh in.

 

here in the real world it's a bit different, but we'll muddle through it

one day at a time.

 

this is my favorite pic of the week....

 

 

this is a pile of clothes that no longer fit me (it's actually even bigger now and taller than my dresser).  is there a reason that I'm keeping these clothes? not really.  it's not like I'm fearful that I will gain the weight back (because I'm not)...it's not like in the past that I plan on boxing them up for storage in anticipation that I will eventually need them again (because I don't see that happening).

 

for me, it's basically a visual reminder of just how far I've come.  I like looking at this huge pile on the floor and thinking to myself...Wow, I did that.

 

It makes me happy, in some weird way to see all those clothes in various sizes...all too big for me.

 

I suppose one day I will bag them up and give them away....but seriously for now, this big ole pile keeps me motivated to keep going, as weird as that sounds.

 

what's your motivation?

 

 

 

 

Would like to learn more about how to get healthy and lose weight on Nutrisystem - Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting http://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog

 

 

My Stats

4/27/12 - 180 (starting weight)

05/04/12 - 175 (week one)

05/11/12 - 174 (week two)

05/18/12 - 172 (week three)

05/25/12 - 170 (week four)

06/01/12 - 169 (week five)

06/08/12 - 169 (week six)

06/15/12 - 168 (week seven)

06/22/12 - 166 (week eight)

06/29/12 - 166 (week nine)

07/06/12 - 166 (week ten)

07/13/12 - 164 (week eleven)

07/20/12 - 164 (week twelve)

07/27/12 - 165 (week thirteen)

08/03/12 - 163 (week fourteen)

08/10/12 - 160 (week fifteen)

08/17/12 - 160 (week sixteen)

08/24/12 - 160 (week seventeen)

08/31/12 - 159 (week eighteen)

09/07/12 - 159 (week nineteen)

09/14/12 - 157 (week twenty)

09/21/12 - 155 (week twenty one)

09/28/12 - 155 (week twenty two)

10/03/12 - 155 (week twenty three)

10/12/12 - 154 (week twenty four)

10/19/12 - 153 (week twenty five)

10/26/12 - 153 (week twenty six)

11/02/12 - 152 (week twenty seven)

11/09/12 - 152 (week twenty eight)

11/16/12 - 151 (week twenty nine)

11/23/12 - 150 (week thirty)

11/30/12 - 150 (week thirty one)

12/07/12 - 150 (week thirty two)

12/14/12 - 149 (week thirty three)

12/21/12 - 148 (week thirty four)

12/28/12 - 148 (week thirty five)

01/04/13 - 147 (week thirty six)

01/11/13 - 147 (week thirty seven)

01/18/13 - 145 (week thirty eight)

01/25/13 - 145 (week thirty nine)

02/01/13 - 144 (week forty)

02/08/13 - 144 (week forty one)

02/15/13 - 144 (week forty two)

 

*Disclosure ~ I am receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan. All opinions herein are my own and were not influenced by Nutrisystem

 

 

 

Hey Mom, Look What I Did (#65)

Welcome to the 65th edition of

 

Hey Mom, Look What I Did!

 

here's a look at some of our favorite valentine's day crafts that we've made in the past....

 

Nathan's Valentine Robot Box
 

 

Monster Box and Robot Box

 

 

 

Heart Marshmallow Pops

 

 

 

Heart Shaped Animals

 

 

 

Sponge Heart Paintings

 

 

 

Silly Heart Boy

 

 

 

there are more cute crafts located in the arts and crafts and kids books and themes sections of the blog

 

 

now, it's your turn to show off all your super cute valentine's day crafts, boxes, goodies, etc.....

 

Please share your craft projects, baking activities and other fun kid friendly adventures. Grab the link button and put it on your blog, if you like, so that others can find us and share in the fun too.

There are no requirements, but I would love if you would follow this blog via GFC.

I also would like to invite you to come hang out with me on facebook and twitter, where I feature and share some your fabulous projects during the week.

 

Thanks for joining us....Hope to see you again soon!!

<center> <a href="http://adventures-in-mommy-land.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd385/jfamilyofeight/art_supplies-3.gif"/></a></center>    

determination

all you really need in life is determination

 

good things come to those who work their asses off and never give up....

 

these are words that I never paid much attention to before.

I always gave up....always.

 

then I started to realize that life doesn't and shouldn't come easy...if you really want something in life, you have to work for it

 and when you work really hard...I mean, give it your all...

 

 blood

 sweat 

tears

 

 it's totally worth it.

 

 

a year ago, I would never have considered giving Nathan a piggy back ride.

with my health problems and asthma, I would have thought about asking him for a ride before I offered one.

 

now, I not only offer him a simple ride for fun...but I occasionally throw him on my back for the exercise - oh yes, I do.  he just happens to weigh almost as much as I've lost so far....doing this really helps put things into perspective.

 

 

of just how far I've come

 

my kids have always thought I was a fun mom.  even though I tired easily, I tried to keep up.  I played with them and colored with them, I walked with them, I took them to the playground, I baked treats, did art projects, supported them, etc.

 

but now...

 

I'm so much more.

 

I don't just go to the playground and sit on the bench watching the clock or reading a book.

I chase them, I swing with them, I go down the slide.

 

sometimes I think they get tired before I do now.

 

we have dance parties and dance offs in the living room

we race while we run during exercise

I may not be winning (yet - anyway), but they have so much fun seeing me coming after them.

and they know that I am coming.

 

 

I don't throw in the towel and quit anymore.

I don't give up.

 

in the past, if I was facing a huge amount of stairs, I'd say point me to the nearest elevator.

 

now I run stairs for fun.

 

who would've thought that.

 

when I first decided to go back to school, I was scared witless.

it took years for Rich to convince me that I was smart enough.

 

now that I'm in school, I think what the hell took me so long.

I spent years thinking I wasn't...

 

smart enough

good enough

 

but, you know what....I am!

 

I can do anything when I put my mind to it.

 

believe you can achieve...and through a little hard work and determination

 

you can

 

 

the support and encouragement my family gives me is amazing.

 

they see things in me that I don't.

they are my biggest cheerleaders.

they run beside me, they hold my hand, they pick me up (quite literally)

they make my life brighter.

 

these two girls of mine....make me so proud to call them my daughters.

 

I get asked all the time, if they are jealous of me losing weight.

 

the girls say jealous of what?

she's our mom, not only do we love her, we are damn proud of her.

 

do they get upset that I weigh less then them, or almost the same as them now...no.

 

for them, I think it comes down to me being happy and healthy.  which makes them happy too.

 

I may just be ---- actually I know I am

the luckiest and most blessed woman on the planet.

 

 

Nutrisystem #40

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up (and I have another one coming right around the corner too)...classes started back up for me, Nathan had dental surgery (and was out of commission for a few days), we're still dealing with him and his pinky finger thing, Zach and Nick are busy with basketball (Nick is playing and Zach is coaching 2 teams), it's just been super busy around here lately.  But that's how it is when you have a big family and you are a mom of 6...life is always busy!

 

So this last week on Nutrisystem I lost another pound...I'm down to 144 - Yay - Go ME!!

 

And Nutrisystem sent me a whole bunch of new foods to try.

 

I am absolutely loving their cheesecake bar...the nacho chips...the chicken pot pie...the chocolate covered pretzels...the cinnamon streusel muffin and even the tuna noodle casserole.

 

Sometimes when you are dieting or making a life style change with new foods, you can get a little stuck on the same foods.  You find something that you like and you tend to stick with it (I did this with the pizza - I love pizza and I love that I can eat it on Nutrisystem, but even I can get a little burnt out eating it all the time).  So, the new variety that they added to their menu, came at the perfect time for me.

 

Make sure you come back in a few days, I will be posting another update and another video as well.

 

'Til next time....

 

 

 

Would like to learn more about how to get healthy and lose weight on Nutrisystem - Join today by calling 1-888-853-4689 or by visiting http://www.nutrisystem.com/nsblog

 

 

 

My Stats

 

4/27/12 - 180 (starting weight)

05/04/12 - 175 (week one)

05/11/12 - 174 (week two)

05/18/12 - 172 (week three)

05/25/12 - 170 (week four)

06/01/12 - 169 (week five)

06/08/12 - 169 (week six)

06/15/12 - 168 (week seven)

06/22/12 - 166 (week eight)

06/29/12 - 166 (week nine)

07/06/12 - 166 (week ten)

07/13/12 - 164 (week eleven)

07/20/12 - 164 (week twelve)

07/27/12 - 165 (week thirteen)

08/03/12 - 163 (week fourteen)

08/10/12 - 160 (week fifteen)

08/17/12 - 160 (week sixteen)

08/24/12 - 160 (week seventeen)

08/31/12 - 159 (week eighteen)

09/07/12 - 159 (week nineteen)

09/14/12 - 157 (week twenty)

09/21/12 - 155 (week twenty one)

09/28/12 - 155 (week twenty two)

10/03/12 - 155 (week twenty three)

10/12/12 - 154 (week twenty four)

10/19/12 - 153 (week twenty five)

10/26/12 - 153 (week twenty six)

11/02/12 - 152 (week twenty seven)

11/09/12 - 152 (week twenty eight)

11/16/12 - 151 (week twenty nine)

11/23/12 - 150 (week thirty)

11/30/12 - 150 (week thirty one)

12/07/12 - 150 (week thirty two)

12/14/12 - 149 (week thirty three)

12/21/12 - 148 (week thirty four)

12/28/12 - 148 (week thirty five)

01/04/13 - 147 (week thirty six)

01/11/13 - 147 (week thirty seven)

01/18/13 - 145 (week thirty eight)

01/25/13 - 145 (week thirty nine)

02/01/13 - 144 (week forty)

 

 

*Disclosure ~ I am receiving access to the website and food in exchange for reviewing the diet plan. All opinions herein are my own and were not influenced by Nutrisystem

no longer a "mini van mom"

Did I share that I got a new car in December?
Yep, I'm super excited....can you tell?

 

 It's a pretty red one that I named Ginger.
 

 Ginger is one cool car, she not only has onstar, remote starter and sirus radio, but her own phone number and some other fun features...like she actually talks to you (it's just basically onstar and the phone dialing that she repeats and stuff, nothing too crazy).  The first time Nathan rode in it, he said "this car is kinda creepy, cause it talks to you and cars aren't supposed to talk to you." haha...I guess in a way he's right.  But I grew up watching KITT and the Knight Rider and I've been wanting a talking car ever since!
 

When Rich asked me what kind of car I wanted this time, I said...definitely not a van. I've been a mini van mom for over 15 years (since being pregnant with the twins). I was ready for something different. And since we don't all ride in the same car anymore and the older two have their own cars now, I got a sedan. More specifically a Chevy Sonic.

I'm in love....

 

We got the car in the middle of December, it was supposed to be my big Christmas present.  Rich joked around by saying since it was a Christmas present, maybe I shouldn't be "allowed" to drive it til Christmas (I'm thinking someone had a premonition).  I drove it a total of 3, maybe 4 times and then......BAM!!!

 

Rich drove it to a friend's house to show it off and hit a deer.

 

Totally smashing in the front end.

 

I was crushed!

 

I didn't even want to look at it, but from what I could see, it wasn't pretty.

 

With the holiday season and our big fat stupid insurance company it took until February to get her all fixed up.  I finally got her back and I secretly keep thinking that Rich isn't allowed to touch her....hahaha, even though I know it wasn't really his fault.

 

But, she's back and she's pretty....her little face lift did her wonders and I'm one happy lady again.

 

I would say it feels strange not driving around in a big old minivan, sitting up higher in a car and all that room.....but to be totally honest, I'm too enamored by my new crush to give a hoot about that old mini van (Sorry Gracie - you did a good job, enjoy your retirement, that is until the twins get their licenses and come knocking on your door).

 

This mom is no longer a mini van mom and loving it!

 

 

 

Hey Mom, Look What I Did (# 64)

Welcome to the 64th edition of

 

Hey Mom, Look What I Did!

 

here's a look at some of my faves...

 

 

The Mitten Activites

 



 

Polar Bear Play

 

 

The Letter C Activities

 

 

Winter Sensory Box

 

 

it's your turn....

 

Please share your craft projects, baking activities and other fun kid friendly adventures. Grab the link button and put it on your blog, if you like, so that others can find us and share in the fun too.

 

There are no requirements, but I would love if you would follow this blog via GFC.

 

I also would like to invite you to come hang out with me on facebook and twitter, where I feature and share some your fabulous projects during the week.

 

Thanks for joining us....Hope to see you again soon!!

 

<center> <a href="http://adventures-in-mommy-land.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd385/jfamilyofeight/art_supplies-3.gif"/></a></center>   **Be thinking about next week's....special week for Valentine's Day.  All your crafts, goodies and more, just for Valentine's Day.  Can't wait to see what you come up with!!**