Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Figuring things out...
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
3 is way more difficult than 2!
First let's talk about my first little princess. She loves her little sister and constantly wants to hold her and kiss her, BUT she is also very jealous of her sister. She has went from a sweet little girl to this little monster that is hard to recognize. We are slowly working on getting our sweet little girl back but have yet to see but glimpses of her since we came home from the hospital. She turns 3 in January so I know some of it can be linked to the 3's but also a lot of it is that she isn't the baby anymore. She is talking more now, and most of it you can understand.Also I now know when selective hearing begins. Her attitude is showing through very clearly and all I have to say in regards to that is that we are going to have our hands full.
Now let's look at my young prince. He is having a shock right now because he is acquiring a lot more responsibility around the house. He also tried to play the needy child card like his 2 year old sister, which i nipped in the butt right away. He loves his new little sister and constantly wants to hold her. He is a big helper when to comes to getting things for her and helping out with Fiona.
An update on the leave situation, well they denied my claim as far as the pay is concerned. I was approved for the time off, which is great but I haven't received a paycheck since the middle of September. We haven't been in a situation like this for a very long time. It is not making postpartum any easier. I feel like I'm fighting against a brick wall sometimes, just trying to stop it from closing in. I know what that brick wall is and I don't want to let it close in all the way. Having dealt with postpartum depression in the past, I don't want to go through it again. It is a very real and difficult issue to deal with. With the financial troubles that we are having right now, I feel like I'm right on the edge. According to my insurance and employer, I will be getting a check on 10/31 but it will not be a full check, because the first week you are out is on you. I used the PTO I had saved for the delivery back in September when I was told to take leave. So this first week of my leave is unpaid. We will see what 56 hours gets me once taxes and deductions are taken out. In the meantime my day consists of making arrangements and dealing with the phone calls from everyone. We just have to make it through another week.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Ok so we are down to the wire. I have to be up in 4.5 hours to leave for the the hospital.
We met up with Christine and dropped the kids off. Dareon well he was fine with it and besides he's been begging me for the last month and a half to spend the night. Fiona on the other hand wasn't happy at all. She wouldn't let go of her daddy and then wouldn't let go of me and started crying. This made me start crying. I know that I'm not just leaving her and that her lil sister will be here tomorrow but it broke my heart. I just don't want her to hate me and think that I've just up and left her. That was definitely one of the hardest things I've done in a while. And it took me 15-20 minutes to calm down myself after they drove away.
The last time I was away from her like this for this long was when we went on our cruise. The difference is that she was young and didn't realize what was happening. No crying, nothing. Tonight she knew that something was going on. That made it harder.
I just pray that things go well tomorrow.
The Day Before A New Beginning.
So I've been MIA for the last 10 months...here's what's been going on.
Today is the last day we will be a family of 4. It's hard to believe that tomorrow lil Lea will be here. I'm a bundle of emotions right now, ranging from excited to scared shitless.
We never planned on having another kid after Fiona, but it happened anyways. When I first found out I was pregnant yet again I freaked the fuck out. I took 4 at home tests and then made the dr do an additional test to make sure. I cried for days and had anxiety attack after anxiety attack. Looking back on it, the attacks probably came from coming off of my depression medicine. I eventually was able to calm down and then started feeling about having another kid.
I was diagnosed with gall stones within the next 3 weeks. We thought we were losing the baby when we walked into the emergency room, but after a battery of tests and ultrasounds they determined that the baby was fine but I had gallstones. They said that my gallbladder was going to have to come out sometime after the baby arrives. Needless to say with the gallstones there was added stress and complications. This pregnancy was very hard on me over the last 10 months with the additional pain and gallbladder attacks.
In April, Tony's mom started having seizures and blackouts. She was rushed to the hospital. They admitted her and she was in ICU for 3 days. We weren't sure if she was going to make it through. They got her stabilized and then started their battery of tests to find out what was wrong with her. After about 3 weeks it was determined that she had stage 3 lung cancer. Add stress. Things have been very rough. She doesn't have insurance so we have had to do what we can in order to help them with expenses. Unfortunately Tony hasn't been making a lot like he did the year before so our finances have no wiggle room at all.
Speaking of Tony's job, it will be over more than likely at the end of October or November. More stress. So we have been looking for more options for him. He has offers to move to NY to work and that's what we were planning on for a few months. But that fell through and then he started getting offers from TX to come and work. Right now that is the plan. I just wish that he was able to go there before hand and get started but he hasn't been able to since I am pregnant with some serious complications. The plan is to move as soon as I am ready to after the baby is delivered. But he has to still finish the application process for these different companies.
I decided to go back to the same dr that delivered Fiona back in 2012, Dr. Lewis. Everything was fine up until 2 weeks ago, when out of nowhere he retired without notice. So at 37 weeks I had to find another dr to do my C-section. Queue additional stress. I found and met with Dr. Sporn and was feeling a lot better. He looked at ultrasounds and tests then moved my due date from 10/26 to 10/17. They called the hospital and scheduled my surgery for 10/10. But since Dr. Lewis took me out of work as of 9/9, I have been fighting with the insurance company for compensation.
So needless to say we are very anxious for Lea to make her appearance. It will be the beginning of a new life for us. If and when Tony gets this job in TX we will be moving and for someone who not only hates change and also has never lived anywhere else, it makes for a very stressful situation. I like to plan and know what is going on. I hate flying by the seat of my pants like we have had to for the past 3 months. I'm scared that we won't have any money to move out there. I'm scared that in the meantime we can't pay our bills and we are going to lose everything. Trying to stay calm through this whole process has not been easy and I have broken down too many times to count.
Anyways….I feel like I have so much stuff left to do. Not to mention that with Fiona I was able to buy stuff and get ready for her. For Lea, we haven't been able to buy a lot of stuff at all. The stuff we have bought isn't new and it makes me feel horrible. I just want her to feel loved like Fiona and Dareon. I know that stuff doesn't determine love but I don't like feeling she's getting the raw end of the deal.
I hope Fiona likes her little sister. She's definitely into the 2's right now. Lol. Well I better get to work on what I need to have finished today. So much to do so little time.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Long Time No See....
Friday, January 31, 2014
And It Continues
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Funk
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Weigh In Day
BUT drumroll please......
Weigh In Day was Tuesday 1/21/14 and I had a loss!! About a 3lb loss. So I am down to 228.8 lbs. See I got all worked up for nothing.
I have managed to work out at least 3-5 times a week. It is typically some body weight exercises and then a treadmill walk @ 2.8 mph. Now I have an old treadmill not one of the fancy ones where you can set intervals and inclines. I am able to set the speed and that is about it. But it is something.
I have gone from grasping the handles at 2.8 mph to being able to walk it, which I am proud of. Last night I got brave and for the last 5 minutes or so I bumped it up to 3.0 mph, which doesn't sound fast but let me tell you its not ass easy as it sounds. I managed about 5-7 minutes at 3.0 and even ran for a little bit of it. Which I was very proud of.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Weigh-In Day (again)
Chile-Rubbed Chicken Breast with Kale, Quinoa and Brussels Sprouts Salad
Recipe courtesy of Marcela Valladolid
Prep Time:40 minInactive Prep Time:5 minCook Time:25 min
Level:
Easy
Serves:
4 servings
Ingredients
1 cup dried quinoa
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground chipotle powder
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
2 small garlic cloves, grated on a rasp, separated
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced shallot (from about 1/2 small)
2 large bunches kale, center stems removed and leaves thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
12 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cored, finely grated or shredded with a knife
1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped (about 2 ounces)
1 cup crumbled Cotija cheese (about 4 ounces)
Directions
Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the quinoa, season with salt and cover. Reduce the heat to a simmer over medium-low, and cook until the quinoa has absorbed the water, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the chipotle powder, oregano and 1 grated garlic clove. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper and rub the chipotle mixture evenly over the meat.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, Dijon, shallots and remaining grated garlic until combined. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil until thick and emulsified. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.
In a large mixing bowl, toss the cooked quinoa, kale, Brussels sprouts and almonds together until combined. Add the dressing and cheese and toss lightly until coated; season with salt and pepper.
Divide the mixture among 4 serving plates and top each with a sliced chicken breast. Serve immediately.
Copyright 2014 Television Food Network G.P.
All Rights Reserved
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_732166_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html?oc=linkback
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Weigh-Day
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Frustration and Trigger Foods
Hi everyone! I want to start off with a warning and apology here. This is going to be a venting post because I need to vent about frustrations that I have been dealing with over the past couple of days...ok years. I appreciate all the love and support that I get from my family, friends and those who read my blog. This blog has really helped me become accountable to myself and the decisions I am making. But this blog as also caused me to look at myself and my decisions more critically.
I started this off guns a blazing and full steam ahead about 3 weeks ago. I had ALL this steam behind me and all these plans. But all that steam was all that it was...STEAM. I am finding myself falling back into old ways yet again and its only the 6th of January. Why? I am clearly not happy with myself at all yet I am still struggling with the simple day to day actions of healthy eating and decisions. I find myself grasping at straws and finding loop holes to have 2 cookies here or a piece of pizza there. Even if it does fit within the PP program for WW, I shouldn't be making those decisions or trying desperately to find/create those loop holes. Yet the other night I sat there on the couch watching "Don't Trust the B**** in Apt. 23" opening package after package of the Lance Vanilla crème cookies and dunking them into my fat free milk. There are 4 cookies in a pack and I ate 4 packages of them. THAT'S 14 COOKIES!!! Then after that since I already screwed myself for the rest of the evening I opened the bag of tortilla chips and the jar of salsa, bought the other night for a recipe, and proceeded to eat chips and salsa at 1:30 am. Mind you the salsa wasn't enough, I had to add a dollop of sour cream to that salsa to make it more creamy. This vacation week has been a week from hell. I have been sick with the plague all week so the food and pas consisted of condensed chicken and noodle soup or chicken and dumplings plus crackers or grilled cheese. Being sick shouldn't been an excuse for bad eating, and I understand that. I made those choices and put that food in my mouth. BUT WHY DID I DO IT?!? There was other food that was healthier in the house but I chose that food because it tasted good.
What was I expecting when I stepped on the scale? A loss because of the lack of appetite? A stale mate because in my mind it could've been worse? Honestly I don't know what I was expecting but I know that I didn't like what I saw. The lack of nutritious food and lack of exercise didn't help me this week when it came to weigh in day. I just want to scream and pull my hair out every time I think about what I did this past week. Being sick isn't an excuse but I cant come up with anything else. I just want to take myself in the corner and knock some sense into her.
This caused me to start thinking again about food addiction. Thanks to 2 special blogs, Fit and Free Emily and Authentically Emmie , I have started doing more and more research into this disorder. I think I am going crazy honestly because I felt that I was the only one suffering from this problem. My drug isn't a substance of any kind. Its not meth, pot, alcohol, or pills. It's food. People need food to survive, but I don't look at food merely for survival. I enjoy food. Food changes my mood and emotions throughout the day. I literally feel like I'm going through withdrawals if there is something that I desperately want to eat but can't. I feel stupid even saying it out loud. It sucks being this way and it sucks being overweight. Every night I look in the mirror trying to figure out a way to like myself the way I am, but I can't find anything that I like about myself. I am 29 years old and weight 233 lbs. I am paving the way for heart disease, diabetes, or worse. But I am still struggling with liking myself for who I am. And struggling with trigger foods. When I think about what foods are my trigger foods it hurts. It hurts because I know that I need to stay away from those. BUT ITS ONLY A FOOD!?! Food shouldn't have that power over you.
Hi everyone! My name is Ashley and I am an emotional and binge eater. I am addicted to food.
My trigger foods:
- Cookies
- Pizza
- Processed sugars
- Soda
- Chocolate Syrup
- Fast Food from any restaurant chain
So here is to Day 1 of not having my trigger foods.