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Monday, January 31, 2011

Another McFatty Monday

This week went a little like last week. I ate really well 90% of the time, and 10% of the time, well not so well. On Saturday night I had the happy hour sized chicken fajitas, Saturday included sharing a scoop of Rocky Road ice cream with Hunter and a couple very small slices of pizza. But those were my only cheats all week! Woo hoo!

The big difference between this last week and the week before… the results! I was so excited to see that I had lost a more significant amount of weight this week.

Last week- 164.4lbs

Today- 161.2lbs

-3.2lbs Buh-bye, hope to never see you again.

I got all signed up for Crossfit’s On Ramp class. I originally thought that it started on February 4th, but just found out that it really doesn’t start until February 7th. I was actually really bummed; I had it in my mind that I was starting this Friday. Oh well, I suppose I can wait until next Monday. The class will be for an hour every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening for 4 weeks. I can’t wait to be in a class where I am expected to show up every time, I need this accountability. I will admit that I am a little nervous, that’s alright because I am committed and will not back out!

Friday, January 28, 2011

When the Cat's Away, the Mice Will Play

Jesse left last night for Eastern Washington to go duck hunting for the next three days. I'm not going to lie, I'm not thrilled about him leaving for hobbies when he's already gone 200+ days a year for his job. But that is a whole other story...

We can pretend that Jesse is the cat and Hunter and I are the mice. I have packed our entire 3 days with fun! I've done this to keep me busy so that I don't sit around and be grumpy at Jesse for being gone AND so that he can realize how much he misses out on when he leaves. Aren't I just such a peachy wife?

Anyways, Hunter and I had a fabulous day. Hunter slept in for me until 8 and then I pulled him into the bed with me where we cuddled and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. After breakfast we got bundled up and I put Hunter in the jogging stroller for the first time in a long time. Let me tell you, I HATE running, but I am sooooo envious of people that are "runners". So I tried. I only barely got out of the neighborhood when I realized that the funny noise I was hearing was due to a flat stroller tire. Boo! I was surprisingly really bummed about having to head back.

We then drove to Seattle to meet my friend, Kaisha for lunch. I lived with Kaisha during college and considered her my best friend during college. We have such opposite schedules now that I'm lucky if I get to see her once a year... I miss seeing her so much. We had a great lunch and then headed to the Seattle Aquarium. Hunter loved seeing all the fish!







Think Jesse is regretting leaving this weekend after seeing these pics??? :)

On the way home from Seattle, we stopped at Target to pick up some things for the house and also get some last minute things to add to a baby shower gift. I have realized that I am obsessed with baby and kid things. I end up going crazy with baby shower gifts. It is so much more fun than shopping for bridal showers and weddings!

So yeah, it was a nice relaxing day that Jesse missed out on. The next two days are even more packed with awesomeness...

Shutterfly Giveaway Winner!

It's time to announce the winner of my very first giveaway, 25 free Valentine cards from Shutterfly. I used www.random.org to choose the winner from the entries, and the winner is comment #5, Aly! Aly please e-mail me to get your promo code for you free cards!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Thankful Thursday

It's a good day to remind myself what I am thankful for. I have had a kind of crummy week at work, haven't had my husband to myself for 5 waking minutes since Sunday afternoon, and I just kind of feel like I am in a funk. I need to focus on the things that are going wonderfully in my life.

1. I am super thankful that I don't work on Fridays. I don't think I could get out of bed for a 5th day and drag myself in.

2. I am thankful for the bible study that I am part of with some e-friends. We really opened up to each other this week and I know that we have a bunch of prayer warriors praying for our needs. Thank you, girls!

3. I am thankful for Emerald City Smoothie. I've had 2 smoothies there this week for lunch and it's such a great way to get full at lunch without having to go to Taco Time, McDonalds, etc. They even have protein powder that is egg based so that makes it 100% Paleo friendly!

4. This is silly, but I am thankful for my tv shows. I've been alone the last two nights AND in my funk. They have really kept me distracted and entertained after Hunter goes to bed.

5. I am so thankful that my little boy is such a laid back, happy, and fun boy. I just can't seem to get enouugh of him. I looked at the pictures of him and Henry from yesterday's post like 10 times at work yesterday and everytime it brought a huge smile on my face. I can't wait to spend 3 full days with him starting tonight.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

He's All Boy!

I've said before, but I'll say it again, Hunter is definitely his father's son. He seems to be drawn to anything having to do with hunting or tools. He carries around Jesse's duck and goose calls often while tooting on them and recently he found one of Jesse's duck decoys and carries it around saying "duck, duck, duck, duck". Silly little man.

Well, Jesse got a new dog blind this weekend. He brought it into the living room on Sunday night... Hunter and Henry wasted no time getting into it. Sometimes it feels like these two together are just crackups. They are like a two man comedy show and can put a smile on our faces no matter what type of mood we may be in.





Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Weekend at the Ocean

We spend a 3 day weekend at our timeshare in Ocean Shores this past weekend. We had a pretty good time despite the rainy weather and constantly having to make sure Hunter didn't touch the fireplace or climb the spiral staircase.

We went out for Mexican food the first night and discovered that Hunter loves salsa! He got his love for spicy food from both his mom and dad!





The next morning, we caught Hunter dancing along to a country music video and then he decided that he was going to ride his doggy.





Later in the afternoon, we all bundled up and took a stroll on the beach. Henry is a wild dog on the beach, he runs and runs and runs!












On Sunday, we took Hunter to the pool. He hasn't been swimming since last summer and I knew he would love it.





Monday, January 24, 2011

McFatty Monday: Week 2

So, we spend 3 days at the ocean this weekend. We had a pretty good time despite the place being a nightmare for small children and the weather being rather wet and cold. I wrote on Thursday that I was worried about eating healthy while we were out there. Hmmm, I wouldn’t quite say that we completely failed or succeeded. I stuck to the Paleo diet every meal except for Friday night and also a few ice cream stops. Whoops!

We ended up being tired from the long drive on Friday night and decided to go out to Mexican. I ordered a chicken dish that came with rice and beans. The chicken was really dry….so what did I do? I only had a little of the chicken and then proceeded to eat ALL my rice and beans. I did avoid the tortillas and did not have a margarita. Fail? I don’t know.

I don’t know what the deal with the whole sudden ice cream cravings are! I never crave ice cream, usually Jesse gets ice cream and I just go along for the drive. Not this weekend! On Sunday, I was the one asking for an ice cream stop…I HAD to have a scoop of rocky road! Jesse keeps joking that I better pee on stick soon! Eh, I think that would be pretty unlikely.

Other than that I ate pretty healthy the rest of the week. I had a lettuce wrapped chicken burger at Red Robin on Thursday night, made chicken breasts and sweet potatoes on Saturday night, and some green curry without rice last night. I’ve been snacking on raw hazelnuts, dried apricots, and celery these days.
So how did I do?

1/17/2011 – 165lbs
1/24/2011 – 164.4lbs
.6lbs gone… not great, but I will take it!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Self Esteem Vs. Self Respect

I have been reading the book "Parenting by The Book" by John Rosemond. I'm about a third of the way through the book and absolutely love it. It is written by a physiologist that is a born again Christian.

He's got me convinced that Postmodern Psychological Parenting is a bunch of... well, crap! Nowadays, there are all these guidelines. Don't punish your children, simply reward with good behave. Have a democratic family where children and parents are peers. Children act out because of how they were treated as a child. Don't bruise a child's self esteem, it is the most important thing for a child to grow up to be a successful adult. The list goes on and on. I can't stand these ideas.

Children are children, parents are parents... it is not an equal relationship! We are called to guide our children and raise them into followers of Christ. Children are born sinful, just like we were. It is the job of the parent to discipline them and have harsh enough consequences so that they do not repeat the negative behavior.

Self esteem boils down to love of one's self. I do not find this an important thing to ingrain in a child, in fact, it does them a disservice. Self esteem is what breeds selfishness, entitlement, and aggression. It leads individuals to look to be served rather than to serve others.

Self respect on the other hand is developed by treating others well,serving people regardless of who they are, and being humbled. It involves respecting others and knowing that you are doing the right thing. Success for someone with high self respect is less about material objects and more about loving your neighbor. Jesus told his disciples that they must first "deny himself" in order to become a true follower of his. It's not all about us, it's all about Him! "For everyone who exalts himself with be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 14:11

This was a great eye opener for me in the way that I want to parent and also what I strive to become myself. I want to parent Hunter in a way that teaches him to respect his parents and all other authority figures, teach him to serve others before himself, and also accountability for his own actions. That might mean that I need to spank my child, bruise his ego, and in turn be criticized by other parents. But I say bring it on, Jesse and I are called to a duty of raising our children in a way that glorifies His name.

Shutterfly Giveaway!

Valentine's Day is approaching! I know some of you may dislike Valentine's Day and claim that it's just a Hallmark holiday... but it's just so darn fun to celebrate!

Jesse and I don't go too crazy with this famous day of celebrating love and passion. Last year Jesse's mom was in town and offered to watch Hunter so that we could go out for a few hours. We ended up going to the casino and losing our money in record time and then going to a yummy sushi restaurant where we enjoyed raw fish, a stiff drink, and good conversation.

For me, Valentine's Day is a great day to reconnect. It's a reminder of how we are supposed to love each other everyday of the year. I can't wait to include Hunter in this holiday this year. I am a huge believer that Valentine's Day is not just a day to show your love for your significant other, but for all the people you love.

I was already planning on taking some pictures of Hunter wearing a cute Valentine's outfit that I had purchased at Baby Gap and making up some photo cards on Shutterfly to send to Hunter's grandparents and great grandparents and even his great great grandmother in Minnesota!

I love these ones!


Check out their awesome cards: Valentine's Day Cards

They also have great gifts: Valentine's Day Gifts

Or if you have a birthday party coming up: Birthday Invitations

Shutterfly has so generously offered me and one of my lucky readers 25 FREE Valentine cards from their website! I will be randomly choosing a winner for this giveaway on January 28th.

You are eligible for up to 3 entries... here's how:

1. Follow my blog and leave me a comment telling me that you follow. If you already follow, simply leave me a comment telling me so.
2. Leave a separate comment telling me what cards you would order from Shutterfly.
3. Follow me on twitter @doylesdays and leave me a separate comment telling me that you are following.

Friday, January 21, 2011

He's Growing Up So Fast!

I can't believe how much Hunter has changed in the last month! He is understanding so much more of what we say to him and also talking much more. He throws his diaper in the garbage after each diaper change... this is his Daddy's favorite thing ever! He will go find specific things when asked like: his blanket, milk, book, sock, etc. In the last week he has also started to make specific animal noises when asked, he knows cow, cat, dog, and bear. We started teaching him body parts, but so far he only points to his ear and mouth.

How do they seem to grow from babies into little boys overnight? I love the age he is at right now. He is so fun and interactive. I can't wait to leave for the ocean in a couple hours and see him introduced to new things!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Get Ready!

So, I just got my book order from Barnes and Noble last night! I ordered The Paleo Cookbook and Parenting by the Book. So get ready for some Paleo diet recipes and also some of my insights from reading about parenting using the Bible as guidance. I read through the cookbook last night and learned some new information and am feeling very motivated to eat a clean diet.

We are going to Ocean Shores this weekend for 3 full days, can't wait to leave tomorrow morning! I think we will have plenty of time to read, cook, play board games, go swimming in the heated pool, etc. Our family is in desperate need of some down time.

I'm kind of worried that Jesse will want to eat out most of the time there... which would completely ruin my motivation to keep up with Paleo. I'm thinking that I should menu plan and then go grocery shopping tonight or tomorrow so that I can bring everything we need with us.

Where do you go when you just need to get away from it all?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Wordless Wednesday

Monday, January 17, 2011

McFatty Mondays

Okay okay, I think I am finally ready to link up with Beth Ann over at The Heir to Blair. She does a weight loss post every Monday. You should check out her blog. If you are like me... you will love her, roll your eyes at her, relate to her, sometimes not get her at all... but she will suck you in and you will likely follow her.

I have been on a weigh loss journey since Hunter was born 15 months ago and slowly but surely lost quite a bit of weight. I am ready to be candid about where I was and where I am now.

February 11th,2009 (found out I was pregnant with Hunter) - 187lbs
October 9th, 2009 (the day I had Hunter) - 225lbs! Eek!
October 11th, 2009 (home from hospital) - 205lbs
March, 2010 - 187lbs (back to pre-pregnancy weight
Last week - 163lbs
Today - 165lbs

I have been able to shed 20+ pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, but I just don't feel like I am where I want to be yet. I really don't know what my goal weight is, but I'm guessing I will know when I get there. Maybe around 150ish?

I have been able to lose most of the weight by loosely following the Paleo diet. It consists of eating meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and berries. Sometimes I follow it much more strictly than other times. I kind of go through my phases. It's commonly associated with the Crossfit workouts, which my husband does, and introduced me to this way of eating.

I am mostly going to be writing these posts to hold myself accountable and encourage others. I plan on joining the Crossfit gym that my husband goes to on February 6th- that is when their next beginner class begins. I have been able to achieve this much with just diet and very little exercise. It's time to kick it up a notch, right Emeril? Bam! By writing this, I am hoping it makes me feel like I cannot back out of this commitment. Haha.

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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Last Tuesday

So now you know about last Monday and what a horrible evening it turned out to be. Well, I needed a relaxing Tuesday evening desperately. I got home about 6pm, played with Hunter, and even put him down by 7pm for the night. I had started watching the rest of The Bachelor that I had fallen asleep to the night before and had high hopes of watching the first episode of The Biggest Loser. About 10 minutes into the Bachelor, at 7:30pm, the power went out. It flickered back on, and then went back out. You have to be kidding me?! Tuesday is the best TV night ever!

I looked at my cell phone that I had JUST plugged in a few minutes before and I was down to 10% battery. I kind of freaked out because that is my only contact with the outside world at this point! Jesse called from New Zealand and I kind of freaked out on him because well, I only had 10% battery left! “Just tell me where the flashlights are! Hurry! Why aren’t you responding faster?!” He told me that they were somewhere in the garage. Lovely, there will be no problem finding them in the state that garages look after your husband has been away for 3 weeks and you have gone through Christmas with a toddler. (That means that the Christmas tree, decorations, cardboard boxes that once housed toys, etc. were all scattered around the garage.)

I rummaged through the kitchen drawers in the dark for a good 15 minutes before finally finding a lighter, to light a candle, to begin searching in the garage for a dang flashlight. I went through shelves and drawers and on top of the refrigerator with no luck! Oh yeah, did I mention that it was only about 30 degrees outside, too? So finally I gave up and headed upstairs and God shed some mercy on me and quickly led me to a bookshelf that had a flashlight in it! Yay!

I headed outside and started my car’s engine (so I thought) and plugged my phone into the car charger. I went back inside and realized that there was absolutely nothing to do in an empty cold house with no power. So I paced. I finally went back out to my car, only to find that I so dumbly had drained the battery by not starting the engine. Whoops!

Thank goodness our friend and neighbor had gotten back from taking his daughter up to her mom’s house and had returned with some candles for both our places. Pete then jumped my car. I was so thankful for his help. The night got less eventful after that, I tucked another blanket over Hunter in his crib, crawled under 3 layers of blankets in my bed and fell asleep. I woke up several time during the night wondering if the power was back on… it finally came back on at 4am and lucky me, got to get up with my alarm at 4:45am and start a whole new day.

Friday, January 7, 2011

It's Been A Long Week!

I've been horrible about blogging lately. It just seems as though I have been too busy and worn out to write or take pictures. I have not used my camera in over a week! That is almost unheard of for me. Let me tell you about my interesting week...starting with Monday!

I worked all day and it was a very busy day because it was the first working day of the year, a big day in accounting land. After work, Hunter and I joined my parents at the Snoqualmie Casino's buffet for their sushi night. It was amazing, they have the freshest raw tuna, salmon, octopus, etc. They also have crab on Monday nights, too. Yum! And it's perfect for the Paleo diet that I have been pretty good about sticking to for the last few weeks. Perfect! Right? Well, they also have the best soft serve ice cream ever! So I cheated and had TWO servings of it. Whoops.

Well on my way home... I was talking to Colleen on the phone and I started to get horrible stomach pains. I tried to breathe through them and compared them to labor since they were getting more frequent and more painful. Of course Hunter had fallen sound asleep in his carseat. I had to stop in Maple Valley at the McDonalds, yank Hunter out of the car, and pretty much ran to the restroom. Let's just say it wasn't pretty.

I got back in the car and was feeling grand... until have 2 minutes later. I had to stop at the very next exit. The closest thing was a small gas station. I run in with Hunter and ask where the restroom is and the lady tells me they don't have a public restroom. I was desperate... so I pleaded with her to please let me use their restroom. She must have seen the anguish on my face because she agreed. It was just a small closet of a bathroom with a vacuum blocking the sink, but at that point I figured it was better than a paper bag in my car. LOL.

I finally made it home and continued to have a few more episodes, but that was fine, because I was in the comfort of my own home.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Let's Talk about 2010

I am not a big fan of having New Year's resolutions or thinking that a new year is a new start. I kind of just see it as a continuation of my life. But with all the Facebook posts on it being a new year and reflecting on the year that was just left behind, I couldn't help but reflect.

My first thought was only that I was a mother all of 2010... and that was the only change. But I was so wrong, 2010 was a huge year in my life. I changed a lot as a person. I grew tremendously in my strength, in my relationships, as a mother, and I changed my life to a healthier lifestyle. Wow... a lot did change!

I have always considered myself a Christian, but the degree to which I trusted the Lord had always varied considerably. 2010 is the year that I felt like I gave it all to Him. I have let go of my anxiety about planning for the future. I can honestly say that I do not know if our family will be here or in a different state or country a year from now... and I have complete peace regarding that. I do not know God's plan for us and I fully accept that He has a more beautiful plan for us than I could ever try to put together on my own.

My relationship my Jesse, my family, and my friends have grown into deeper ones. I have become less critical and also deeper in those relationships. I am so thankful for that, I am the worst sinner I know, and my judgements were holding me back from knowing stronger relationships with the ones that I love.

Motherhood... I guess some would argue that becoming a mother changes a person. I would argue that it has simply held me accountable in acting more like the person I know I am in my heart and less like the person I let the "outside" see. When you have the responsibility of guiding the way for an infant to become a man... it changes the way to act. I am extremely blessed to be Hunter's mother and I want to do the best job I can in being a good role model for him to grow up to be a man of God.

It's been almost one year since I have changed my lifestyle to reflect a healthy one. I have not been very good about getting to the gym, but I have stayed active and have changed my eating habits. In doing so, I was able to shed about 30lbs in 2010. 10 of those were to get back to pre-pregnancy weight, but I am now 20lbs lighter than I was the day I found out I was pregnant with Hunter. I am so relieved by this and hope to be able to shed 10-15 more in the coming year.

What do I hope to come with 2011? I really do not have many specific goals except to keep living in a way that betters me and the people around me. I want to be a good person, a good wife, a good mother, a good daughter, etc. For me that involves more growth in the area of letting go of negative thoughts which turn into critical words. I pray to God that my words start being blessings to others and that I bite my tongue when what is about to come out of my mouth simply is not nice. We also have hopes of being debt free (besides our mortgage) in 2011, so that we can give more freely to our church, to those in need, and whatever else we are called to give to.

I know these are big goals and they are not going to happen overnight, but I hope that I continue to have the desire to change those things and the ability to forgive myself when I slip and fail miserably. Hopefully, next year when reflecting on 2011 I will be able to look back and see that it was another tremendous year of growth and contentment.

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Jesse is active duty Air Force and is originally from southern Minnesota. He has also managed to become a follower of just about every hobby known to man (which drives his wife crazy!).



Henry was born on July 4, 2007. His hobbies include playing with his squeaker toys, barking a little girls, dock jumping, going to the dog park, and being spoiled rotten by his grandparents.

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