The Simple Woman's Daybook

Please feel free to join in by getting details from Peggy: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
FOR TODAY, Tuesday, November 30, 2010.

Outside my window… it's very nice & breezy outside in the 60s

I am thinking… about how much Christmas shopping we have accomplished & how pleased I am about that & what's left that we need to do still......

I am thankful for… holidays, it gives us a great excuse to spend time with our families & friends

From the learning rooms… still daily Bible study with Lil J & been doing some reading in Spanish as well lately

From the kitchen… we're honestly STILL working on Thanksgiving leftovers!  and we even gave TONS of leftovers away as family left on Thanksgiving day!

I am wearing… a black & white striped sweater, a white cami underneath, jeans, & socks

I am creating… ???? I ALWAYS seem to be lacking in this area......and I am always the first to admit that creativity is not my strong point.......soon I am planning to start making tamales, that's pretty creative if you ask me ;P

I am going… to a chiropractor this Saturday (yay!!)  a friend of mine recommended this chiro & he charges $20 per visit & she says he's amazing & I've been really hurting for a while now, so I'm eager to go & I'm really hoping he can help with my hip as well.

I am reading… nothing at the moment, although I really want to read about the 5 love languages, especially the one that's for parents relating to their kids, or at least that's how I understood the book to be, perhaps I'm mistaken, I need to look into it more

I am hearing… the wind blowing outside......Lil J went down for his nap with no complaints, in fact he was practically begging me to put him down!

Around the house… we need to do the Christmas decorating

A few of my favorite things…the holidays, especially Christmas

A few plans for the rest of the week: hoping to take Lil J to a park or something fun like that

I am praying… that God will show us His favor according to His will, lots of friends & family too

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Please feel free to join in by getting details from Peggy: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/





FOR TODAY, Tuesday, November 23, 2010.



Outside my window… it was a very nice day today.....with dark clouds coming in, I can only hope for more rain


I am thinking… about Thanksgiving & how much work it is, but it's worth it to have all the family together


I am thankful for… family & friends


From the learning rooms… just daily Bible study with Lil J, no extra reading for him lately


From the kitchen… been working hard in the kitchen doing prep work for Thanksgiving; still got lots to do tomorrow & then it's the big day  :)


I am wearing… a yellow sweater, jeans, & socks


I am creating… a home-made, completely from scratch stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving; I LOOOVE stuffing & have always wanted to do this, I am praying it's yummy!!


I am going… to finish Christmas shopping earlier than expected  :)  I LOVE to get it done early so I can sit back & relax & enjoy the holiday season with no stress


I am reading… I just finished reading "Unbearable Lightness" by Portia de Rossi--an amazing book that I highly recommend to women in general, but specifically to those who have struggled with accepting themselves.


I am hearing… Lil J throwing toys around, making as much noise as possible, which is his entire goal in life



Around the house… no house cleaning has gotten done cuz I was really sick the past couple of weeks & this week I am stuck in the kitchen all day every day in preparation for Thanksgiving


A few of my favorite things… playing with Lil J


A few plans for the rest of the week: Thanksgiving :)


I am praying… that God will show us His favor according to His will

19 month update on Lil J

So Lil J is now 19 months old.  The big 'year & a half' mark has been passed up.

He now weighs:  28.4 lbs (50-75%), is 33.5 inches tall (50-75%), & has a head circumference of    20" (>95%).

I have to say this past month has been one of the most amazing & exciting so far.  In the past I have witnessed A LOT of PHYSICAL milestones, but I think this month I have seen the most MENTAL milestones occuring & it has been fascinating to witness.  He has also physically continued to develop, but he's done so much of that in the past 18 months that it's just not as exciting as the mental stuff this time.

He is now fascinated with his shape sorter toy & his star stacker (it's like the classic ring stacker, but has stars instead of rings).  In everything he does this month you can just see him looking at things & really thinking & problem solving.  At the beginning of this past month he finally reached the point where if he pulls a toy out of the toy chest & it's turned off he will bring it to me, as if to ask me to fix it (& of course I do happily).  And now he has recently reached the point where he can even turn some of them on himself.  If he isn't able to (some of them are harder than others) he will still bring it to me.

He still says "Gizzy", "hi", "daddy", "ball", & "Jesus".  Now he also says "muh, kisses" (which I say when I plant a kiss on him), "star", "sock", "duck", "ouch", "woah, woah, woah", "ow".  There might be others that I'm forgetting..... 

It's hard to put into words, but I also clearly see in him a level of comprehension that I've just never seen before.  When I tell him things I can tell that he really understands what I'm telling him sometimes.  In the past I would tell him things & was unsure if he knew what I was talking about.  And he is also much more obedient now than he has been in the past. 

Another big step for him now is that he knows how to blow his nose.  I know that's a silly thing to be proud of & consider an accomplishment, but I think it shows intelligence.  I just have to be quick with a tissue because if he feels like he needs to blow his nose he will just do it in his hands, LOL, but if I hand him a tissue he will blow into the tissue.

I think that's all the updates I have for now......

More Ramblings on Weight, Dieting, Body Image, etc

This is a topic I ramble on about quite often.  I am always interested to learn something new on this topic.

I analyze EVERYTHING, that is just my nature.  Especially myself.

I do not have an eating disorder & I never have had an eating disorder.  I have never starved myself & have never made myself throw up.  Yet I still struggle with my body image tremendously.  And when I hear someone that does have an eating disorder tell their story I can totally understand what they're talking about.

I struggle really hard to remind myself that weight is only a number & that physical looks aren't everything.  But it's a constant struggle to stay in that mindset for me.

I recently stumbled across a website that listed celebrity heights & weights.  It was truly totally accidental that I stumbled upon such a thing.  I was googling something else entirely (I've always said that I am the world's worst googler!  I am totally google-challenged for some reason)  Of course once I found it I had to look though.  Of course I didn't know hardly anyone on the list.  But of course I searched out everyone that was my height & looked to see how much they weigh. 

I was in awe of how little they all weighed!!  The only one that weighed more than me was Jennifer Lopez.  And I was comforted by that cuz she is also built like me, carrying weight in her butt & thighs.  And yet I still think she looks good.  The rest of them were all more than 10 lbs less than me.  The lowest was 50 lbs less than me!! 

Now in late '07 & early '08 I was on the South Beach Diet & at the end of it I weighed about 12-14 lbs less than I do now.  But I was VERY thin, I was wearing a size 4, sometimes even a size 2.  Why do I feel like I should have zero fat on my body to be normal weight?  I am sure it has to come from seeing models & actresses that look like that.  But you have to wonder what it takes for models & actresses to look that way?  Just because they look that way doesn't make them normal or healthy.

The South Beach Diet was the first diet (& still the only diet) I had done.  At this point I don't want to do another diet, ever again. 

For some time after I had done the diet & lost the weight I found myself thinking that that must be what I'm supposed to weigh.  And since it was do-able that's why I thought that.  But now I find myself questioning if the reason it was sooo hard to lose that weight was because I didn't need to lose it in the first place.  And just because it was do-able doesn't mean that it should be done.  Anorexic people starve themselves down to skeletons & yeah it's do-able, but that doesn't make it right.

I feel like in following the South Beach Diet I focused too much on the rules of the diet & my self control.  And that's what I see celebrities do, the ones who have enough self control are the successful ones that make it in the business.  Again, just because they are doing it doesn't make it right & doesn't mean that it should be done in the first place.

I know people who have gone from one diet to the next their whole life.  After having done just one diet for less a year I have to wonder about doing it for so long.  I feel like I lost common sense, just basic eating sense.  Like I just wanted rules to follow.  I didn't want to think anymore, just to follow rules.  None of that seems normal or good to me. 

I am now just focusing on eating healthy & stopping when I am full.  I am not following any rules, just using common sense.  And even though I weigh more than I'd like & I wear a larger size than I'd like I have to admit when I look in the mirror & try really hard to be objective I honestly think I look really good.   

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Please feel free to join in by getting details from Peggy: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/


FOR TODAY, Wednesday, November 17, 2010.

Outside my window… it’s a very nice day--not too hot & not too cold


I am thinking… about Lil J's cold & how awesome our doc is :)

I am thankful for… my almighty God & my hubby & kids


From the learning rooms… not much here, I have even skipped daily Bible study with Lil J the last 2 days, he got me sick & reading out loud is difficult, hopefully I will be able to today


From the kitchen… need to make another loaf of bread today, haven't made much lately since I've been sick

I am wearing… a pink Hummer t-shirt, jeans, & socks


I am creating… I am just not creative I guess, but I did get all the photos I printed out arranged in the baby book & photo album with captions


I am going… to get some more Christmas shopping done as soon as hubby gets paid again :)

I am reading… nothing still, but I really want to look for a new book called "unbearable lightness" (or something like that), it sounded really interesting to me

I am hearing… the neighbor kids playing drums, aside from that it's total silence, which is actually pretty rare

Around the house… no house cleaning has gotten done this week yet cuz Lil J got me sick :(

Some of my favorite things… spending time with friends & family, taking Lil J on outings, curling up with a great book

A few plans for the rest of the week: nothing planned as of yet, aside from weighing & measuring Lil J on Saturday for turning 19 months & getting that blog posted

I am praying… that God will show us His favor according to His will

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY, Tuesday, November 9, 2010.

Outside my window… it’s NICE, upper 60's with crisp fall air

I am thinking… about the holiday season that is upon us.....I LOOOOVE Thanksgiving & Christmas & enjoy the holiday season more than words can express

I am thankful for… my husband & kids, words cannot express how much I love them & how grateful I am for them

From the learning rooms… not much new here, still daily Bible study & reading, some YBCR, some Spanish, gotta pull that keyboard out again!

From the kitchen… need to make some more zucchini bread, everyone LOVED it

I am wearing… a black Harvest t-shirt & jeans

I am creating… I really need to work on this area, but I did just order photos to be printed out to put in the baby book & photo album of Joseph

I am going… to a baby shower this Sunday :)  Always so exciting

I am reading…  nothing still, except for a few recipes occasionally

I am hoping… to figure out what to get my stepdaughter for Christmas! 

I am hearing… Lil J crying, he's taking his nap & for some reason woke up crying, but it's too soon for him to wake up, I am sure he'll fall back to sleep & finish his nap

Around the house… still working on my laundry marathon today

Some of my favorite things… having fun with my family

A few plans for the rest of the week: a baby shower on Sunday

I am praying… for my family on lots of different issues, & lots of friends & extended family; that I have Godly wisdom when it comes to raising Lil J

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY, Wednesday, November 3,, 2010.

Outside my window… it’s hot, it's supposed to be in the upper 90s today & the next couple of days, come on fall, get with the program!!

I am thinking… about the election & that I'm glad I joined my church in fasting & praying for it; I think I'm going to start fasting & praying for Joseph one day each month, I've been thinking about it for a few months, I think it's time to take action

I am thankful for… being able to vote on things, things don't always get passed, but at least we get a say in the matter, except for the dreaded prop 8, I still have a REAL problem with the fact that we voted on that & protected marriage & now ONE judge has the right to reverse what we voted......

From the learning rooms… not much new here, still daily Bible study & reading, some YBCR, some Spanish, some keyboard.....

From the kitchen… yesterday made more horchata & a lime zest cooler that was SUPER yummy!  hubby really liked it too

I am wearing… maroon tank top with denim shorts, I thought I had packed away my shorts til next summer, but I was mistaken!

I am creating… been working on J's baby book & wrote a letter in the baby journal for him, & still printing out the blogs about him & putting them in a binder.  I asked hubby if he honestly thought Lil J would ever look at or read all of this stuff, LOL, but he insisted that he would; at least if I die while he's young he'll have all this stuff to remember me by!

I am going… to Tijuana, Mexico, whenever mine & Lil J's passports arrive; I always get retin-A & go through the market (soooo different from our markets here, I love it!) & I want to get a vitamin for Lil J that they don't have here, really good for teeth & bones.  I also want to look around some of the shops, we've never really done that, & of course we always eat, hubby always knows the best places to eat!

I am reading…  nothing actually, except for reading with Lil J; my book of the month from church that looked so interesting really isn't, at least so far, I do want to still give it a chance & get further into (still in first chapter) before I give up on it, but it's so uninteresting to me that I honestly just didn't pick it up at all this whole last week

I am hoping… to figure out what to get the kids for Christmas soon!  I don't like waiting til last minute & have no clues so far.......

I am hearing… Lil J playing with his toys, such a noisy boy!

Around the house… got the laundry done yesterday, still need to dust & clean for the week

Some of my favorite things… being in & around nature; we took Lil J to a park last weekend to do his 18 month photo session & it was sooo nice, felt like we were miles away from the city, even though we really weren't!

A few plans for the rest of the week: a birthday party on Saturday, but nothing else really yet.......

I am praying… for my family on lots of different issues, & lots of friends & extended family; that I have Godly wisdom when it comes to raising Lil J