All about the love, baby!

It is the final day in January (duh!) and I was going to share our progress towards those goals we set way back on the first. However, it is still January so I'm taking advantage of that and using all day today to meet any goals that have just a little left to do ;)

Instead I'm taking today to share our FEBRUARY goals. You may notice we are cutting back on them some. You'll see why tomorrow... It's all good, though.

Family

We are going to again try some new recipes and have movie and game nights.

• 4 new recipes
• 4 movie nights
• 4 game nights - video or board game this month
• 1 family outing
• A Valentine's day craft 

Jackson

• Practice Choi 10 times
• Practice writing "J"
• Potty at least 2x a day.

Alex

• Read 3 books.
• Practice Choi 10 times throughout the month outside of class
• Write pen pal 2 times each.
• Ohio pen pal
• Finish the 2 belt loops he's working on.
• Geography
• Maps & Compass
• Do first 2 lessons in Parvuli Dei.
• Do the 2 religious requirements (not Parvuli Dei) by the 10th so he can earn his Webelos badge.
• Test for Orange Belt.
• Choose a family activity. It can be a place we go visit, a restaurant to eat at, an event we attend, or an at-home activity.

Ethan

• Read 4 books.
• Practice Choi 10 times throughout the month outside of class.
• Write pen pals 2 times each.
• Ohio pen pal
• Arizona pen pal
• Choose an activity for family time.
• Test for Orange Belt.

Mom

• No pop for 28 days.
• No candy for 28 days.
• Exercise 5-6 days a week.
• Menu Plan Monday - whether or not I remember to link up (oops!).
• Read 2 books.
• 365 HDG - and actually share a post on here every other Sunday. Look for one tomorrow for the last few weeks.
• New hairstyle. My hair is getting long again, just past my shoulders, and I'm ready for a change. The plan is to get it cut and colored. 
• Get a tattoo? (This is posed as a question because a. I don't know what I want for sure, b. Not sure where I want it, and finally c. I'm a chicken-s*#%.)

Jason and I also have a little wager. We are going to spend February doing a "Biggest Loser" style competition. The rules are simple. Starting weight tomorrow. Final weigh-in Saturday Feb 28, with weekly check-ins on Saturdays. Each week whomever loses the highest percentage of weight wins for the week. At the end of the month, the highest weight-loss percentage is the overall winner. Weekly winner will get a small "prize", TBD, and the overall winner will decide what we are doing in April when my parents have the 3 boys for a few days! Or maybe something else. That's just one idea for now. He says he doesn't need it to be fun or exciting, but I personally like the idea of a motivating factor! And hence, my title: All about the love. The love for my husband (wanting him to continue getting healthier), love for myself - wanting to be healthier, and finally, the love of BEATING THE CRAP OUTTA HIM!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

2014 Goals: Part 4 - The little Hamers

*A quick note about these goals. I have asked the boys for their input on these, but they have yet to get back to me. I am writing up some things that Jason and I would like for them to achieve as well as things we know they can achieve. I will add more as they share their own selections. *

Ethan

1. Complete Level 2-4 of swimming lessons. Currently enrolled in Level 2 as part of our Winter Fun List activities. We are hoping to "graduate" to the next level and finish Levels 3 and 4 over the spring and summer.
2. Read 50 books. He will be keeping a list to share with mom and dad.
3. Start learning a second language, his choice.
4. Participate in a play. There is a school musical in March, and he has auditioned. We should know something soon.
5. Learn to cook at least 3 recipes/meals/foods. Considering signing up for a cooking class at the rec center.
6. Take a video game design class through our rec center.
7. Make a comic book and share!
8. Volunteer with mom.
9. Go to overnight camp.
10. Go to a school dance. This will be easy as there's one coming up!

Alex

1. Complete Level 1-4 of swimming lesson. Currently enrolled in level 1 but as he has previously taken and was *this.close* to "graduating", they may move him to level 2 (it was in late 2011/early 2012 when he and Ethan took their first classes, so he has had a couple of years of practice in his grandparents pool.) Hoping to finish Levels 2-4 throughout the spring, summer and fall.
2. Earn his Bear badge for Cub Scouts. He has actually finished all his requirements, we are just waiting now ;)
3. Become a Webelos Scout.
4. Earn 5-10 belt loops for Scouts. We just found out last night that as of March 2015, they are discontinuing the belt loop program, so he is hoping to earn a few more before then.
5. Participate in a play. Same as Ethan, he has auditioned for the school musical and should know in the next few days.
6.  Read 50 books. He will also keep a list for mom and dad.
7. Start learning a second language of his choice. He takes Spanish still in school, so he may consider expanding on that using Duolingo.
8. Learn to cook at least 3 new foods/recipes/meals. Also considering a cooking class at the rec center.
9.  Practice and master fractions. He can do it but seems to be having a bit of a hard time with them.
10. Go to overnight Cub Scout camp!
11. Go to overnight camp with E. 

 Jackson

1. Potty-training!!! YAY! ;)
2. Move to his own room. Yes, he's currently still in our room, but in his crib most of the night from bedtime till 3am or later. He's been sleeping better every night, and last night, not even a peep from 8:45pm till 6:15am! Thankfully we have a guest/extra bedroom, we just need to clear out the queen bed and E's desk. I have some ideas on how to rearrange the house to still allow E a "private area" for homework.
3. Transition from crib to twin/toddler bed. I'd LOVE to get him a car or fire engine bed or even a train!!
4. Level A and B swimming lessons. This month's sessions for his age groups that are at an open time are full, so he isn't enrolled yet. We are hoping to enroll in March, and continue through the summer. He can't take Level C until he's 3 but then may be able to repeat to keep learning/practicing.
5. Learn some simple words in German. I chose German for him, because of my own knowledge of the language and ability to teach him some objects, foods, colors, etc. It will truly be simple words, as my skill level, especially for teaching, is beginner/intermediate. Should be fun, though!
6. Learn colors. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, brown. Currently working on.
7. Learn basic shapes. Square, Rectangle, Triangle, Circle, Oval, Star, Diamond, Crescent. Somewhat knows most, and is able to actually name them. Can point to correctly most of them, when asked, most of the time.
8. Learn to count to 10. Currently counts to 2 consistently and occasionally 3 and 4.
9. Learn his ABC's. He currently knows A-G of the ABC song :)
10. Spend the night at his grandparent's house. This may be harder for me than him...

First day of November and NaBloPoMo!

Today's prompt over on BlogHer for NaBloPoMo is:

If you found one million dollars in the morning and had to spend it by nightfall, what would you do with the money?

I would have to say I'd start by paying off all of our bills, house, and vehicles. After that, I'd give the boys' school $250,000 to upgrade their classrooms and add on to the school (technically I would have spent the money in that day, even if the school didn't ;) ).

I'd buy Jason whatever truck he wants, a 1987 Buick Grand National and a boat. For me, a 64 1/2 blue convertible mustang, an RV, and an iPad and a new wardrobe. The boys would each get a (small) shopping spree at a toy store or wherever they wanted.

We'd pay for 3 vacations - one to Disneyland or Disneyworld, one to Europe and one to Australia.

We'd definitely buy cars or homes for siblings and parents, depending on what they need/want.

Land for us - several acres - and a nice house. ATV's and mini-bikes or dirt bikes.

Donate to autism therapies and medical costs for families, and some good charities.

Nothing really unusual. I'm sure given more than 1 day, I'd come up with even better ways to spend it ;)

Day 1 of a 30 day challenge - Where am I starting?

So, in case you didn't know yet, I am now an Independent Team Beachbody Coach, or fitness coach. Not a trainer, or a nutritionist, but just someone to give you support, accountability and a little help to reach your goals. I will listen if you're struggling and cheer you on as you work towards your goal. I can help you find a workout program that will work for you that will get and KEEP you motivated.

The best part? I'm on the journey to getting fit, losing weight and getting healthier, too! I'm right there, where you are. Weekly, daily ~ heck, HOURLY ~ I struggle with making good choices for my health and body, whether it's with food or exercise, or just making sure I go to bed at a decent time so I'm not tired and crabby the next day!

I'm starting this journey, not only by becoming a fitness coach so I can help people, but by being in a 30-day challenge to work towards a goal and get healthier, with tons of support and accountability. (If you're interested let me know via FB or comment here on this post. I'm planning to hold my own challenge group starting in June. We can talk and I can get you more info on what it all entails :) )

So where exactly am I starting?

Well, in all honesty, I started out weighing 187, down to 179.5 after 2 weeks on last Friday. However, after not making good food choices 3 days in a row, I stepped on the scale for an accurate, beginning weight for the challenge and was a little disappointed with myself. I am currently 183.5.

My measurements are as follows:

Chest: 43"
Right Arm: 13.5"
Left Arm: 13.5"
Abdomen: 41"
Waist: 43"
Hips: 43.5"
Right Thigh: 24"
Left Thigh: 24.5"

Clothing Size: 14/16 pants, XL/18 top
Starting Weight: 183.5

I'm drinking ShakeOlogy for breakfast each day, and starting workouts. HipHopAbs and Rockin' Body are the two DVD programs I'm doing. I plan to update these each Monday, so I can see my results!

If I can figure out how to add pictures (it's not working right now :( ), I will share my before pictures today or tomorrow.

Julie's testimonial about artificial food-dye

Anybody who knows me pretty well knows that I am always ranting (HA!) about food dye and why it's not good for us, etc. Today, I want to share a guest post from my friend Julie. This is her family's story and just one more reason I know I'm doing the right thing for my boys. :) If you follow us on FB, then I'm sure you have already read it, but I wanted to share it on here, too.

*Guest post, by Julie*

Before this past January I really never gave much thought to artificial food dyes or the effect they had on our bodies. I had heard tid bits about red 40 and yellow 5 & 6. The brighter and more colors, the more likely my kids would eat it, and they did.
I chose to try dye free for a week to see if it would help with some behavioral problems I was having with my son. He had been having an increasing hard time focusing in school, almost no impulse control, extreme mood swings, and was only getting 3-5 hours of restless sleep a night (which probably contributed to his mood swings). Many of his problems were possible side effects to his ADHD medication. He was diagnosed in kindergarten (4 years ago) with ADHD and promptly put on medication. The medication worked wonders, and when it didn't then his dosage or medication was switched. However it seemed the meds have stopped working and his doctor had started talking about my son having more than ADHD going on, because he was out of ideas of what other meds to try.
I had shared with Crystal some of what was going on and how I was at a lose for what to try next. I really didn't want my child diagnosed with a life altering label. She challenged me to try removing artificial food dyes for a week and to look into how food dyes effect behavior. Over the weekend, I looked into it and was first shocked then angry. There was so much research about the link between ADHD and dyes and hundreds of testimonies from parents. How could I never heard about this?! I couldn't believe there was a alternative to medication, and how could our doctor never offer this as alternative before he had me give my 6 year old pills. I decided it was worth a try, at this point I felt I had nothing to lose.
That Monday school was closed due to extremely cold temperatures. I told me kids we were doing an experiment and that we weren't going to have anything that had a number in the ingredients for one week. I didn't tell them what results I was hoping to see. They helped me box up all the foods that had dyes. We went shopping to restock our cupboards and they actually had fun reading labels and finding new foods to try. We were all surprised my how much stuff has dyes.
I was nervous about how they would do at school when I wasn't there to monitor what they were eating and about them feeling left out at snack time. The teachers were very supportive and had dye free alterative that I sent in.
Three days into the challenge I saw the first sign of improvement! My insomniac child fell asleep only after and hour of being sent to bed and slept all the way to morning!! I was so excited, but still cautious that it may have been a fluke. The following days he continued to fall asleep easier and slept through the night. His teacher told me that he was more on track than he had been in a long time. At home little things that would have sent him into a tailspin didn't seem to phase him. The other boys had also calmed down, had more impulse control, and better ability to handle their emotions resulting in less arguing amongst them. My son's eczema had started clearing up. The changes weren't only with the kids; my migraines were gone, I had more energy. When I slipped up and had a Mt. Dew, I would get a killer headache and would be more irritable and short with the kids.
Seeing the results removing dyes has made for us, we have chosen to stick with it. It didn't turn me boys into perfect little gentlemen. They still bicker and argue, the still run through my house and are loud; but they aren't completely out of control anymore. We have been dye free for just over 3 months. I know there are other reasons to avoid artificial dyes, but Crystal will have to elaborate on them she is more knowledgeable than I am on the topic.

I also commented with the following challenge in my comment to her FB post: Thank you so much for sharing, Julie!! I'd love to hear from any of our readers, too. 1.) Would anyone be willing to take up the challenge for a week (or longer?!) and go dye-free? or 2.) Are you already dye-free and can you share your testimonial here in the comments? ~ Crystal