Long Time, No See

Well HELLO!  It has been eons since I have written anything.  So many reasons and excuses but nonetheless, here I am!  We have since lost our sixth baby, several times over.  That has been a serious blow to me more than anything.  Our neighbor's daughter has lost the fight and succumbed to cancer.  Lots of sorrow that year.  Matty still gets in a funk over his lost love.  I really do feel for him.  I can't imagine our neighbor's feelings.  They are managing and seem to really be doing alright as one can be after all they have been through.  I admire their strength.  They are tough as nails.

As for us, we are plugging along here.  I have decided that our family needs a major shake up.  We are all going down a very bad health path if we do not change our ways of eating.  I got a book at the suggestion of a good friend.  At first, I was less than impressed.  It seemed a little complicated at first and too much religion.  After a summer of craziness at our house and everyone still pretty hefty, we decided we needed to do more about it.  So, I finally picked up that book I tossed aside and started reading.  What an eye opener!  It seemed more like a cross between South Beach Diet and Atkins with much more info on how to do this properly.  Very doable!  So, immediately, I started to change out stuff in our pantry and cook more.  What a difference it makes!  My daughter is starting to feel a difference in her clothes, my husband is losing weight, I'm not sure where Mark is in this because he is oblivious to anything and I am dumping weight like crazy now that I have some particulars figured out.  I have lost more than 10 lbs as of this very moment.  I am beyond thrilled!  Having PCOS and hypothyroidism, which is a double whammy in the weight loss world, this is huge!  This is NOT a diet plan but a LIFESTYLE.  You ask, "What is it?"  Well, it is none other than Trim Healthy Mama!  What a game changer for us!  I am cooking, baking and mixing awesome tasting foods and beverages, even DESSERTS!  YUM!  There is a bit of a learning curve but we are wading through and I think I have a handle on this.  I have had some flops too but this will all get worked out as I go.  I couldn't be more excited about this.  I have already noticed some great health benefits!  My BP is coming down, I have more energy and in general feel better.  I have only been on this for nine (9) days!  My family looks forward to my next creation in the kitchen.

As for exercise, my friends and family will tell you how I view this is, it is nothing short of a four letter word to me.  I would rather have a root canal!  Well, maybe not but you get the gist.  I have been hearing little things here and there about this program called T-Tapp.  I am starting to see it pop up more and more.  I got my hands on the book and an intro video from my library.  I am reading the book Fit and Fabulous in 15 Minutes.  Who wouldn't want to look fit and fab in a short amount of time?  I am all set to start this plan on Monday after my husband and minions are all out of the house for the day.  I hope to hook my family on this because the program is proven.  Heck, I hope to like this a lot!  I need to get off my knitting, crocheting and reading butt and get moving!

So, here's to eating and drinking healthier and and getting moving.  What a great way to restart my blog!

How Lucky Are We?

Recently I found out that friends of ours are going to lose their youngest daughter to brain cancer. She is only 9! How horrible is that? I have been walking around the house and crying so much. My kids only know she is sick. I don't know how this will go when she passes. Matthew really wants to marry her. She said she would. I'm so sad for them. But it got me to thinking just how lucky I am. I have 5 perfectly healthy kids! I love them all.

Today, I found out I am expecting my 6th child. Completely by surprise for us! Well, maybe not completely, since I had surgery to fix problems and have used meds to get me here. Just when we thought it wasn't going to happen, that it was impossible, I got to see a 2nd line on a HPT when I wasn't expecting it. We have been trying to have a baby for 16 years without any help and have only succeeded with IVF up until now. I am so excited, I can hardly contain myself! But it is shadowed by the bad news we received.

I am unsure how to balance the happy and the sad right now. I could not imagine how horrible it is to know you are going to lose a child and I hope that I never have to do that. On the other hand, I am being blessed with another of God's wonderful creatures! I am bubbling over with joy. I find myself counting more of my blessings but feeling so guilty. Whenever I find myself feeling bad for our situation, whatever that is at the moment, all I have to do is think about what Jenna and her family are going thru. It makes me feel so lucky to have what I do! These gifts that I have are all wonderful no matter how bad things get.

Blogging?

So, here I am finally blogging. I can remember living in CT and hearing the word for the first time and not understanding what it was. I was always thankful that I had some younger friends that I knew I could ask. It is such a reach for me to keep up with technology. It took me forever to get a cell phone and then when I got my cell, another eon would pass before I would finally text. Now I have that and don't know what I ever did without it! I love how easy it is to keep up with family and friends now!
Now, I don't know if what I have to say is ever going to be interesting but this seems like it might be fun! Haha! With 5 kiddos, ages 11, twin 7 yo's, 5 & 3, four of which are boys! Life sure is interesting in this house and maybe I will have the opportunity to share some funny things or proud moments but I am sure most of this will be a ramble, like now! LOL Keeping this up will prove to be another challenge for me. I hate to write but I'm hoping my love of sharing will overcome this. I always have something to say whether it is positive or negative or somewhere in between. I'm a type A personality so if it comes to mind it comes out of my mouth as well, most of the time.
As for now, I am a SAHM to our 5 kids, I have a wonderful husband who bends over backwards to keep this family going and one really dumb dog! I get out once a week during the school year to teach knitting at our local Rec. Dept. I live for that day no matter how tired I am because I love the opportunity to socialize! I am a den leader to Wolves this year in Cub Scouts. Boys are definitely a challenge! We have a lot of fun tho. I am looking forward to this summers camping trip! That will prove to be interesting!