The Simple Woman's Daybook

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



FOR TODAY, Tuesday, December 28, 2010.



Outside my window… it's clear blue skies & in the 60s, very nice weather, but tomorrow is supposed to be heavy rain.  I love all weather really, though the summer heat is my least favorite, mostly I just like VARIETY, so bring on the rain I say!!

I am thinking… about what a great time we had over the Christmas weekend

I am thankful for… My family, friends, & for what a good sport Lil J is

From the learning rooms… daily Bible study with Lil J, we are back in I Corinthians now (following my church sermons), & still doing Proverbs each day as well.

From the kitchen… made stuffed bell peppers last night for dinner & they were a big hit with the fam, even my stepson liked them; tonight planning to make chicken paprikash, hopefully it's a hit too.

I am wearing… a heather grey top with a pink cami under it, jeans, & socks

I am creating… thanks to my brother & sister in law Lil J now has crayons & a coloring book & I've spent a little time showing it to him.  He does color a little each week at church.  So far he hasn't been paying much attention when I try to show him, so I think I need to put him in his booster seat & sit him at the table & show him that way, so he can't run around & be distracted; that's how they do it at church, he's at a table.

I am going… to Babies R Us again, to get something to keep Lil J's bath toys in.  He got bath toys for Christmas & I want to keep them organized in the tub.  I got one at Target, but it has suction cups & suction cups never work in our tub, so I need to return it.

I am reading… the 5 love language of your children book--haven't had time to read lately, so I'm still working on this one
I am hearing… a plane flying over & Lil J playing with his toys

Around the house… yesterday I took down the Christmas tree & all the Christmas decorations in the house

A few of my favorite things…chocolate :)

A few plans for the rest of the week: gotta return the bath toy organizer thing to Target & need to go to Babies R Us to look for one that will work for us, that's about it, we are loaded up good on groceries still

I am praying… that we can stay on our tight budget so that I don't have to return to work outside of the home & I can focus on raising my son & homeschooling him when the time comes

The Simple Woman's Daybook

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


FOR TODAY, Tuesday, December 21, 2010.



Outside my window… it's been cold & rainy for several days now, I LOOOOVE it!  

I am thinking… about Christmas coming up this weekend

I am thankful for… my family & good friends

From the learning rooms… still daily Bible study with Lil J--doing "Leading Little Ones to God", Proverbs, & the book of Luke this month.  He's still playing around with the keyboard too.

From the kitchen… I need to make some more zucchini bread--wow, I STILL need to do this!  but I also need to go grocery shopping tomorrow, then clean house Thursday, & make Friday a fun/relaxing day for me & Lil J

I am wearing… a blue henley with light blue cami under, jeans, socks

I am creating… I've been focusing on creating Christmas traditions, does that count?  I think it does.  I have been reading the Christmas story in Luke on my own for many years now.  Last year I read it to Joseph on Christmas morning & then I sang Happy Birthday to Jesus as well.  This year I added on reading the book of Luke this whole month.  There are 24 chapters in the book of Luke, so we read one each day starting on December 1st & finish up on Christmas eve.  Then on Christmas morning we go back & read the Christmas Story in Luke.  And I think I'm also going to have a bday cake for Jesus as well, at least a cupcake or something like that.  I LOVE traditions.  It didn't seem like we had very many as I growing up, I had always wished we had more, but those that we did have I loved.

I am going… to Babies R Us tomorrow to look for a bath tub mat & to look at sippy cups.  Lil J is much too big for his bath tub.  It said "newborn to toddler" on it, but his legs are too cramped at this point.  So I am planning to get a slip=proof mat to put down in the tub & just bathe him in the tub.  I also want to look at sippy cups.  I want to try once again to switch him to another brand, a brand that he can't break so easily.  He bites his nuby cups & breaks the no leak valve on them & we are spending way too much money on sippy cups because of this.  I tried once before to switch him, but the ones I got were really hard to get the drink out & he hated them & I gave up.

I am reading…  the 5 love language of your children book--haven't had time to read lately, so I'm still working on this one

I am hearing… my stepson eat lunch & watch TV

Around the house… my stepson is on Christmas break from school, a full 3 week break, feeding him adds to my already busy day with Lil J

A few of my favorite things…going for walks, sipping hot chocolate in front of a fire, reading a good book

A few plans for the rest of the week: Babies R Us & grocery shopping.  I'm going to try to get all the groceries tomorrow, but I have 4 grocery stops I need to make, it might have to get split into tomorrow & Thursday

I am praying… for our legal battles (we got rid of one but gained another), for our family, for my stepson going through the teen years, so tough, & for lots of friends & family members

20 month updates on Lil J

So Lil J is now 20 months old.  It feels like he is getting so close to being 2 now.  He now weighs 28.4 lbs (50-75%), he is  34" tall (50-75%), & has a head circumference of  20" (>95%).  He still weighs the same as last month, & he's been looking thin to me, a tad too thin.  But in the last couple of weeks he has become a bit of a bottomless pit, which I am happy about & I just let him eat & eat until he is full.  In the past I have seen others with toddlers & they say how much their toddler can eat & I've always wondered why Lil J wasn't like that, he barely ate anything at all.  I guess it's just timing & now his time has arrived, LOL. 

As soon as he turned 19 months he went through a phase of throwing outrageous tantrums & major separation anxiety (separation anxiety had first started right after he turned a year old, but it passed quickly).  But these have mostly passed.  He does still throw tantrums & he does still struggle with separation on occasion, but it's not as severe as it was as soon as he turned 19 months.  In the 18th month I saw a lot of thinking going on, he was doing a lot of thinking & making decisions & figuring things out.  It was a problem solving month.

He also [finally] became "slightly" more adventurous with food once he turned 19 months old.  He started accepting some bbq chicken breast & he now LOOOVES turkey bacon.  He also has been willing to taste a few more things that he usually won't.  He is still definitely picky & mostly refuses without even knowing what it is or what it even looks like or smells like, but he is slightly improving in this department.  He has been willing to eat clementines (has always rejected fresh fruits & veggies in the past), pasta (he previously HATED pasta), potatoes, ground turkey, hummus (he LOVES hummus!), & lots of other stuff.  His appetite has also inreased TREMENDOUSLY.

And another big change is that he doesn't want to drink as much milk & kefir as he used to.  (this is probably why he's eating so much now)  He usually drinks 8-16 oz of goat milk with breakfast (before he was drinking over a quart a day between kefir & milk) & that's all the milk he has for the whole day.  I had believed that he would let me know when he didn't need quite so much milk & kefir & apparently I was right.  There's a lot of people who insist that you have to force them to decrease the amount of milk to make them eat food, etc.  I was sticking firmly to the belief that he would do it on his own when he was ready & I do believe I was right. He drinks 20-30 oz of VERY diluted juice daily & a veggie juice that is half juice & half water, usually 8-16 oz of that one & the rest of his drinking is water.

I took him to the doctor for a check up & we did a lot of testing for food allergies & lead & H/H.  But we are still waiting on results.  I had a lot of blood work done myself too, so between the two of us I am anxious to see our results.

At church he now brings home artwork each week.  There is always a page of coloring & yesterday he brought home a Christmas ornament that he made (with help I am sure).  I am so excited each week to see what he did.  It's funny because right before he moved to this group at church I had been thinking that I should start working with him on writing & artwork maybe.  That is one area I've never even touched on with him, yet most of my friends with toddlers do art stuff with their kids on a regular basis.  When my stepdaughter asked what he needed for Christmas I had told her pants, something to write or draw with (I know I once saw one where the marker only marks on the special page, so he can't make a mess), & nerf balls (he's getting too strong & dangerous now to play with his balls in the house, so we need to replace them with nerf type ones).  That was all I could think of.......that & more stuff for him to think & problem solve with. 

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

The Simple Woman's Daybook

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


FOR TODAY, Tuesday, December 14, 2010.



Outside my window… it's been way too hot for this time of year recently, but today it's finally starting to cool down

I am thinking… about what dinners to make for the rest of the week

I am thankful for… the Lord & all that He provides for us

From the learning rooms… still daily Bible study with Lil J, pulled out the keyboard again, he's having a blast with it

From the kitchen… I need to make some more zucchini bread

I am wearing… a blue top with crocheted cut outs & a white cami underneath, jeans, & socks

I am creating… ummmm, still lacking in this area

I am going… to take Lil J to a park later this week & am hoping he really enjoys himself

I am reading…  the 5 love language of your children book

I am hearing… a plane flying overhead

Around the house… we are all set for Christmas

A few of my favorite things…playing with Lil J, spending time with my hubby

A few plans for the rest of the week: taking Lil J to the park, a nice relaxing weekend, I always make sure we are totally ready for Christmas prior to the last weekend before Christmas cuz that's the craziest weekend there is

I am praying… first I am PRAISING God for putting an end to one of our legal battles, not exactly the results we wanted, but could be worse, so one down & two to go still

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Please feel free to join in by getting details from Peggy: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
FOR TODAY, Monday, December 6, 2010.

Outside my window… it was a very nice day, not too hot, not too cold

I am thinking… about Lil J's food allergies & that I need to do more research on this topic

I am thankful for… my awesome hubby, our great doctor, good friends

From the learning rooms… still daily Bible study with Lil J, pulled out the keyboard again, he's having a blast with it

From the kitchen… I made home-made chocolate chip cookies on Saturday & they were YUMMY (I always love my chocolate chip cookies, no one else's compare in my book, LOL), but they are all gone now

I am wearing… a long sleeved pink tshirt, my Monterey pullover (cuz I was kinda cold), jeans, & socks

I am creating… ummmm, I wrapped all the Christmas presents we have so far (still need 3 more I think) & "creatively" toddler-proofed them, does that count?? (we have a ledge up near the ceiling around the outside of the kitchen & I put them all up there!)

I am going… to get my hair cut this Saturday morning!!  Yay!  I like to trim my hair every 2 months, but I usually end up stretching that to 3 months for financial reasons, but this time I think I've gone close to 6 months & am WAAAY overdue!

I am reading… I finished the 5 love language book & am now reading the 5 love language of your children book

I am hearing… Lil J sucking on his sippy cup

Around the house… we need to decorate our bare Christmas tree!!

A few of my favorite things…playing guitar, reading, cooking

A few plans for the rest of the week: we have THREE parties we've been invited to, one on Friday & two on Saturday

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