The Sensible Mom

Food, DIY, Chicago Mom Blogger

Losing the Baby Fat Weight Loss Update

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losingthebabyfat weight loss update

I’ll start by saying I know I said in my last weight loss post that I’d post pictures this time, but those are going to have to wait until next time. Sorry, guys! I don’t have a body picture that I like and in which I’m wearing makeup. Those are two requirements that I have for posting a picture of myself in these posts. πŸ™‚

I think my makeup problem is that I’m trying a new mineral makeup for foundation, and it just isn’t really working for me. I don’t love it. I need to find a good, natural liquid foundation. I promise to post pictures as soon as I get some decent ones that show more than my face.

Anyway, I do have good news. I now weigh 193 pounds, and that means I’ve lost 3.5 pounds since my last update a month ago. Yay!

I’m also down to a size 14 in pants.

I haven’t bought any new clothes, but I can fit into clothes that I haven’t been able to fit into in years. I’m actually going to go clothes shopping this week, because I have a couple of blog conferences coming up. I’m planning on shopping at Target and Kohl’s and hoping to find some nice black slacks on clearance. We’ll see.

I think I probably could have lost a bit more weight had I actually exercised this past month. If you follow my goal’s posts, you know that I’m struggling in this area. Basically, I’m sitting a whole lot more than I want to, and I’ve been skipping fun outings with Ruben and the kids in order to have quiet time to work on stuff — again, while sitting.

I am eating three meals a day, so I am in NO WAY starving myself. I eat!

Ruben makes me breakfast every morning, and it is usually oatmeal with granola, coffee, and sometimes juice that he makes fresh in our juicer. For lunch and dinner, our whole family almost always gathers together around the table, and we eat. Our meals are normally meatless and contain plenty of veggies, which is why I’ve been losing weight. When you are eating a more whole foods, plant-based diet, it’s hard not to get to your body’s ideal weight.

I probably could cut back on the coffee and chai tea, but I’m just not right now. I love my coffee, and I love my tea. The End.

Just kidding.

Here’s an update of what my progress looks like:

Beginning weight:Β 220 lbs.

Current Weight:Β 193 lbs.

Goal Weight:Β 170 lbs.

# of total pounds I want to lose in 2012:Β 50lbs.

# of pounds to go until I reach my goal:Β 23 lbs.

Total # of pounds lost to date:Β 27 lbs.

How are you doing on your weight loss journey?


10 Goals for the Week

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10 Goals to Tackle This Week

Last week, I did okay on my goals.

Here’s my recap:

Family/Mothering Goals:

1. Memorize a verse of scripture as a family – we’re working on memorizing Titus 3:2 (to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people)

2. Read aloud to Isaac and David at least 4 times this week

Personal Goals:

3. Drink juice at least 3 days this week

4. Read my bible everyday this week — while I did read scripture in some form or another…on my phone, facebook, white board, verse on the bathroom mirror, I didn’t actually OPEN my Bible everyday and read it, which is what I really want to do. Daily.

5. Walk on the treadmill at least 3 days this week — I got on the treadmill once last week, and that’s actually real progress for me right now. I keep making excuses, like I have to watch the baby, or, if she is asleep, I make the excuse that as soon as I get on the treadmill, I’m going to have a 3 year-old trying jump on with me.

On Sunday (yep, I waited all the way ’til Sunday! :-)), I decided to put the excuses aside, I put the baby in her high chair and wheeled it to the room with the treadmill, then I got on and started walking. My husband helped to keep my 3 year-old son off the treadmill while I was on it. He did stay nearby, though!

Home Management Goals:

6. Declutter kitchen counters

7. Clean the school room (I never got this done the last time I posted it.)

Business Goals:

8. Sign up for e-junkie – I didn’t get to this yet.

9. Finish first draft of the ebook (almost done) – So close to being done.

10. Blog at least 4 times this week

And now for this week’s goals:

Family/Mothering Goals:

1. Work on putting into practice (more often) the verse of scripture that we memorized last week – Titus 3:2 (to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people)

Because we homeschool and work from home, our little family of 7 is together all the time. That’s not always easy, and we really want to work on making this verse a reality more in our family before we move onto a new verse.

2. Be off the computer from 8-9pm when the kids are getting ready for bed

Personal Goals:

3. Drink juice at least 2 days this week

4. Read my bible everyday this week…starting today

5. Walk on the treadmill at least 3 days this week

Home Management Goals:

6. Help the kids get a handle on the LEGO mess in their room. It’s LEGO city, literally.

7. Work on child-proofing, because Elisabeth is officially mobile.

Business Goals:

8. Sign up for e-junkie

9. Finish first draft of the ebook and send for editing

10. Blog at least 4 times this week

What goals do you have for this week? How did you do on last week’s goals?


Latest Blog Redesign: A Million Skies

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A Million Skies

I recently had the privilege of working with a return client, Debbie, to migrate her content from Blogger to self-hosted WordPress and give her blog a new look!

You may remember that I designed Debbie’s old blog, Heritage Creek, and while she loved that design, Debbie was ready to move over to a more robust self-hosted WordPress blog.

So she rebranded her site from Heritage Creek to A Million Skies, and we created a design for her that fit with her new blog’s name and her goals.

One of my favorite parts has got to be the social media icons.

a million skies

Debbie wanted to keep the mason jar from her old blog’s design, so I thought up a creative way to incorporate it in her new design by using it for her social media icons. Aren’t they cute?

Head on over to A Million Skies to see the new design for yourself.

Thank you, Debbie! It was a pleasure working with you.


Review: Baby Einstein Count & Discover Treasure Chest

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treasurecollage

Fun, colorful, educational, and not-too-loud is how I’d describe the Baby Einstein Count & Discover Treasure Chest.

Our family was recently given the opportunity to review this toy and, let me tell you, from the moment we opened the box this toy has been getting lots of attention.

At first, all the attention this toy was getting was from a very excited 3 yr. old boy, but after I explained to him over and over that this toy belonged to his baby sister, Elisabeth, she was able to experience it.

This toy is an experience, too. It sings (at an acceptable volume – not at all like some other loud and obnoxious baby toys – you know, the kinds of toys kids get from the grandparents), it lights up, it speaks in other languages, and, as you can see, it’s a treasure chest.

The one thing I didn’t like about this toy is that it is top-heavy. That means it shuts when you want it be open sometimes. Other than that, it’s a great toy.

It honestly has been getting played with every single day since we got it, and I like it. So does baby girl.

Here’s a bit more information about this toy:

Capture your little one’s imagination with the Count & Discover Treasure Chest from Baby Einstein. It introduces Baby to counting, shapes and colors in English, Spanish and French. It features classic melodies and Fun Ocean sounds.

Manufacturer’s Suggested Age:Β 6 Months and Up
Includes:Β Coins
Educational Focus:Β Shapes and Colors, Teaching Aid, Motor Skills, Letters and Numbers
Number of Pieces:Β 11
Dimensions:Β 6.0 ” H x 7.9 ” W x 6.3 ” L
Product Weight:Β 1.83 Lb.
Care and Cleaning:Β Hand Wash Only

If you are interested in purchasing this toy, you can find it on Kids II and other online retailers. Kids II is a fast growing toy company, and I just saw on their Twitter page that they’re located in Georgia. I had no idea, but that’s cool!

Anyway, you can keep up with them and get their latest updates on Twitter, too!

Β Disclosure: This review was made possible byΒ Double Duty DivasΒ and Kids II, Inc. I was provided the featured product free of charge to facilitate my review, and all opinions are 100% mine.