lost.

I am feeling some strong emotions today, and I just wanted to write them down. I'm not sure where this post will go, because it is an "emotional dump" if you will...

I feel like I have lost sight of myself. Tears stream down my face as I realize that I have somehow become trapped in a cyclone of bad behaviors. I am selfish. Somehow tragedy always makes you take a look at your life under a magnifying glass and wonder... what if. I know by looking at my facebook page that many of my friends feel as strongly as I do about the terrible events that happened at Sandy Hook elementary.
 I know I try to do too much. I heap my already overflowing plate to the point where it spills over onto the ground, creating even more work to be done.
I used to be the kind of mom that was patient. My kids would throw fits and instead of yelling I would TALK to them. I used to be the kind of mom that would help. If my kids were lacking motivation to clean up, I would turn up the music and do it with them. I used to go "all out" on birthdays and holidays, trying to sneak in every tradition I could. *pause for a small breakdown* I am not that mom anymore. I have become so involved in other things and somewhere along the way I changed the order of my priorities.
I often have people say to me, "I just don't know how you do it all!" and I smile, and shrug it off. Well I figured it out... I have sacrificed so much precious time with my family. When I saw what those families went through my heart truly broke for them. I simply could not imagine... I have resolved to do better... not just better, but my very best to get back to being the mom that I want to be, the wife I want to be, and the friend I want to be. I will be selfLESS again, somehow. I know I am never going to be perfect, but I have lost sight of what is the very most important. I will still continue to juggle all the crazy aspects of my life, but my family will be my top priority.  I love my family with every piece of my heart, and I can't tell you how hard it is to look back at the past year... 2 years really, and realize that most of it is a complete blur. I have been going through the motions without really LIVING. Well today is a new day and I intend to make the most of it. I hugged and kissed on Annie for at least an hour last night, I really LOOKED at Drayden and Chantel this morning and realized how much they have grown. The very though of Brittany puts a lump in my throat the size of Texas... She is going to be a SENIOR  next year. Life is just hitting me like a freight train today. I need to go say a little prayer and get a hold of myself. THANK YOU SO MUCH to those people in my life that love me in spite of my faults, to those people that call me a friend, even though I haven't done a thing to earn such a title... <3 nbsp="nbsp" p="p">

Catching up... week 6

O.k. First and foremost I am a cheater. I admit it. I ate a tootsie roll on Halloween, and I ate soup WITH BREAD... {let the hand spanking commence} However, I have committed to Brittany {who has been straight as an arrow} that I will get "back on the wagon". Everyone loves a good comeback story. ;)

So the weigh in comes as no surprise

Lynnette: This week I weighed in at 167 LBS. Which is really not impressive... but at this point I am just glad I haven't gained anything... lol... so that brings my total weight loss for 6 weeks to 12 LBS. Aside from the cheating it really does feel like the weight is just hanging on for dear life... but I am going to melt it off this week... you just watch!!!

And Brittany... the star of the show: weighed in at 243 LBS... are you sitting down because this number is amazing... in 6 weeks she has dropped 29 LBS!!!!! She is so committed and she is amazing at keeping me on track.... {sort of} lol... I know how badly she wants this and she is doing it. PLEASE if you see Britt tell her how amazing she looks... because she really does. She is at the point where all of her clothes fit quite loosely and her pants are literally falling down. She is and always will be my beautiful little girl, but it is so nice to see her feeling confident and really knowing her self~worth.

A huge thank you for all of those who are keeping up on our progress... It really does help to have people who care! <3 p="p">Tune in next week to see me finally kick Britt's butt on a weekly weigh in!
~Nettie

Weigh in Week #3

Brittany is down another 4 pounds to 252. Making her total weight loss for 3 weeks 20 POUNDS!!! 

Lynnette is down 3 pounds to 169. Total weight loss for 3 weeks... 10 POUNDS!!! 

I am proud of our hard work. It is getting much easier to stick to. I was sick for a few days this week, so we really got off track on exercise... I keep saying we will start back up tomorrow... It is such and easy habit to fall out of! Life is good though, and I cannot wait to see what we look like by Christmas! #hotmammas #sexybeasts 

Week 2 weigh in.

We weigh in every Sunday morning. Today we were greeted with these results:

Brittany down to 256 {down 5 pounds} for a total of 16 pounds down in just 2 weeks!
{Brittany is also down 1 whole pant size!}
Lynnette is down to 172 {down 3 pounds} for a total of 7 pounds in 2 weeks!

I would say we are seeing GREAT results for our efforts. We are still plugging away at our "Ripped in 30" exercise routine. {starting on week 2 tonight} I think better than our physical transformation is our change in MENTALITY!
A few days ago we bought a giant bag of apples, and Brittany said, "Our fridge is starting to look like a normal family fridge now. Full of fruits and vegetables" I love it!
We are also starting to rub off on the the littler kids... Drayden and Chantel have been asking for apples as a snack, and strawberries... Mitch is yet to jump on the bandwagon, but he is being very supportive about OUR goals. Thanks to everyone who has offered us encouragement. This seems like a very daunting task... but I know how important it is, so I will stay strong. Tune in next week =)
~Nettie

Exercise... BOO

We are almost half way through week 2. On Sunday we started the DREADED exercise. I bought a Jillian Michaels workout DVD and boy does it kick my trash! I am so sore I think I might die. Brittany is going strong and keeping me motivated and in line. I am doing fine with the diet portion of our life change... but the exercise... not so much. Every time I sneeze my abs hurt so bad I cry just a little. I have also been trying really hard to get out and walk in the mornings. Even if I only go a few blocks, it seems to help get my day off to a good start. I will check back in at the end of the week with our weigh ins... I better lose a whole bunch, or I'm taking exercise off the menu!

Weighing in...

photos courtesy of MitchWB Photography

O.k. Here are the "BEFORE" pictures... we decided to spare you the traditional bikini shots... lol... 

After one week of hard work and sticking strictly to our diet plan we weighed in...

I am 5' 1" tall

I started out at 179 pounds...

and I weighed in this week at..... {drumroll please}

175! woohoo!!! down 4 pounds! I am not really noticing any difference in how my clothes fit or how I look at this point, but I am noticing that I am feeling much better. I am not feeling so tired all the time, and I am still enjoying my food. We will see how long that part lasts. 

Brittany is

5' 6" tall

She started out last week at 272 pounds

She weighed in this week at 261

That is a WHOPPING 11 pounds in just one week! 

I am so proud of our hard work. I know we both have a long way to go to reach our goal weights... but I KNOW we can do it!!!

Lynnette's goal: 125 LBS

Brittany's goal: 180 LBS

So far so good! Check back next week for more progress!

The battle of the BULGE

ahhh where to begin...
 well lets start in the middle, since the beginning is a little too far back.
 A few years ago at work the dress code was Black, White, and Grey professional. This was when I was a size 9. When I went back to work after Annie was born they changed the dress code to simply. "professional" no color exclusions. Well last week they decided to go back to the black, white, and grey... um... yeah... The problem is not that I don't own clothing that fits into the new dress code... {I swear I am a bit of a hoarder} it is simply that I have expanded to a voluptuous size 14 and I cannot fit into any of it. So what is a girl to do? Go shopping and buy all new clothes in size 14?
I decided NO! Enough is enough!
Annie is turning 2 {sob} in just a few months, and I cannot use her as an excuse any longer! The time has come to face reality. I cannot live off carbs and sugar and expect to be a size 9.
I also wrangled my daughter Brittany into my new life change. She is 16, and well, she lives with me, so she eats junk food constantly.
I did HCG Pre- Annie and lost about 30 LBS... I felt AMAZING! However, I think I am permanently ruined on eating the food that fits into that diet plan. 6 weeks of the same thing gets pretty old. So this time I switched it up a bit, and this is what I came up with.
 OUR DIET PLAN:
 Breakfast: aprox 1 cup of fruit
 Lunch: 4oz. lean meat vegetable (I don't put a size limit on the veggie... eat until you are full)
 snack: aprox 1 cup of fruit
 Dinner: 4 oz lean meat vegetable (again, no limit)
Exercise regimen:
HAHAHAH... One battle at a time kids... lol...
 I figure we are bound to loose weight eventually, but more importantly we are going to be taking much better care of our bodies. I long for that size 9... at least... and I want my energy back!
So this is actually Day 4 of our "life change" and it is going well. I am feeling the withdrawals of sugar, but hopefully by next week it will be just a distant memory. I will be posting "before" pictures soon. And I am hoping by this time next year I will be posting some pretty amazing "after" pictures.
Wish Brittany and I luck on our journey! Any advice, life lessons on the subject, or kind words will be appreciated. Please keep the fat jokes to a minimum...;) lol

My feelings on various social issues...

Please do not be offended by what I write, because I, like you do not have all the answers, just opinions. Take it all with a grain of salt and please remember to LOVE ONE ANOTHER... =)

WE CAN'T LET OBAMA BE RE-ELECTED:
BULLSHIT. We can choose to vote for him, or not vote for him, but as a God fearing member of these great United States, I feel that all the drama and FEAR is ridiculous. There are a great many scriptures that speak of the "last days". Well surprise surprise... we are living in those very days. I feel like anyone who is FEARFUL of what is happening in our country is simply lacking faith. I KNOW that things are going to get much, much worse... it says so in the good ol' Holy Bible. So the answer is not to spend our time fearing and trying to control things that have been decided since the beginning of time. The answer is to be prepared. The 'Mormons' have been told for years to plant a garden, have food storage, and learn to live simply. If you are choosing not to come up with solutions to your mind's "worst case scenarios" then you are choosing your own fate. I have no idea if Obama will be re-elected or if some other poor sap will get the job, but in my opinion it doesn't matter... The ball has been set in motion, long ago if you really look back, and I don't believe anyone can stop it... nor are they supposed to if you believe what it says in the bible.

HOMOSEXUALITY:
Ooohhh a touchy subject for some. I would like to state first and foremost that I have a great many friends and family who are homosexual. I love them with all my heart, and I do hope that they love me in spite of my many faults. I believe that a great number of people are born with homosexual tendencies. I also believe that a great number of people CHOOSE to seek it out. I believe that homosexuality is much like other vices that people face in life. Some people have very addictive personalities, and are drawn in to drugs or alcohol. Some people are inherently angry, and they hit or belittle others to build themselves up. I believe that some people are consumed with a "worldly" attitude, and they live every moment trapped in a nonexistent battle of who they are better than. My point is that I believe homosexuality is a "cross to bear" some people choose to fight it, some people choose to embrace it. I pass no judgement either way. I leave that to GOD. Because I am guilty of so many things... I have my own crosses to bear, and I hope that God will be merciful to me because I know I fall very short of perfection. Some people might raise the argument that "You should be yourself." I find this statement hypocritical. Would we tell a drug addict to just go ahead and be themselves? I think not. There are many facets that make up who we are, and none of them alone should define us as a whole. I know that many will disagree with me, and that is fine, but please keep the comments clean, and kind.

Just had to get that off my chest...
~Nettie

To the man I love...

It's been 40 years today since you landed here on earth
a bouncing little ball of jokes... I hear it starts at birth.
It's been up and down, and sideways; quite the stormy sea,
but a buoyant little vessel, you've turned out to be.
It's been 10 years since you and I tied a little knot,
Now we have a jumbled mess... looks like I've got you caught.
It's been joy, and it's been love... it's been laugh until you pee.
Can it really get any better? I guess we'll wait and see.


Happy Birthday OLD MAN!!! I freaking love your guts!!! {hey at least you have a young wife who will take care of you in your old age. ;)}

Day 3 & 4

Day 3 was a total bust... it rained so hard I thought for sure we would be swimming home! So we will eliminate that from our memory and move on to:

Day 4... We started it off at the swap meet. I am in love with the swap meet. We got so much worthless crap for very little money. ;) Not to mention all the free entertainment... lol... so redneck... I loved it.

Then it was FINALLY off to the beach. It was still very cool from the previous day's rainstorm. But we were anxious to dip our toes in the mighty Pacific.  I told Chantel to go stand close to the water for a picture... apparently she was a little too close... but it did make for some fun pictures. =)

Brittany and I agreed that the beach was the best part. I can't wait to go back.

Next was the HORRIBLE drive to Los Angeles... it was only 40 miles but it took all freaking day! I could never live in a big city with lots of traffic... it was so nerve racking!

Now to my story of how amazingly perfect our trip up to the Griffith Observatory was.

So the observatory is up on the hill above LA. As we started the winding drive up the mountain {aprox 3 miles from the top} I noticed cars parked on the sides of the road... the closer we moved to our destination the more packed the cars started to get. I was thinking to myself... SHIT! I really don't want to have to walk 2 miles up the mountain, but after that drive we are going to the observatory come hell or high water!... when we got to about a mile from the top the cars were so packed that we had no choice but to keep driving, there was nowhere to turn around. There were signs all along the way saying "Parkinglot Full" Anyway we finally pull up into the parking lot and sure enough it is packed full. Then suddenly there was a parking guy in an orange vest. He directed us to pull over to the side. I thought for sure we were going to get reprimanded, but to my pleasant surprise he was actually guiding us into a parking stall that was literally 10 feet from the entrance. Talk about LUCKY!!!

Then Brittany spotted the HOLLYWOOD sign so of course we had to strike a pose!

The Observatory was amazing. I have a thing for astronomy so I enjoyed every second of it.

My 2 favorite parts of the observatory were watching the giant telescope open and rotate and the Tesla Coil. I decided I really need a tesla coil of my own. ;)

We got to look at VENUS through the giant telescope. It was very very amazing!

An amazing view to end an unforgettable day!

California Day #2: DISNEYLAND

6:00 a.m. The alarms went off. Once again I could not believe how quickly the kids jumped out of bed and immediately began getting ready. We wanted to get to the park nice and early so we could go on alot of the rides before it got too busy. 

There really is NEVER a dull moment with my family. LOL... Mitch is going to straight up MURDER me when he finds out I posted this picture, but dang it, he posed for it! lol... Chantel, my little protege' captured this one. I think if this photo had a name it would be "creeper".

We made it to the park at around 7:30, only after going up and down the escalators 3 times for things that we had forgotten in the car. Jackets, Tickets, Water... heavens, you would think after 28 years I would have learned how to use my brain, but alas... it seems to be getting worse, rather than better.

Through the gates we go!!!! WOOHOO!!! We are all smiles and excitement!! Right away a sweet little lady scooped us up in her bus and drove us down main street so we could get right to the rides. We told her we were celebrating birthdays and she took that ball and ran with it! She got on her loud speaker and we all sang happy birthday and she tooted the horn... it was awesome. She dropped us off at the "information" booth and told us to go get "buttons"... and get buttons we did! So fun!

Then we hurried on to the rides. Indiana Jones was the first ride we came to. There was no line whatsoever... SCORE! As we walked down the windy corridor that leads to the ride Drayden's face went from excited... to FEAR!!! He was crying and saying he didn't want to go and we had to physically FORCE him onto the ride. He proceeded to tuck his little head down and squeeze his eyes shut... 

After the trauma of Indiana Jones we decided to go on a relaxing Jungle Cruise. Everyone really like it. The tour guide was pretty silly, but it was all good and fun.

On to the HAUNTED MANSION... *dun dun dun* Yeah, Dray was pretty scared of this one too... once again we had to beg and plead and poke and prod... I couldn't remember this ride very well, so I didn't have much to offer in the way of what to expect. He was uptight through the entire ride, but about the time the ghosts started hitching a ride with us we got a smile out of him. =)

Winnie the Pooh... Yeah we had already begun mocking Dray about being scared... hence Brittany's face... lol... I guess you can tell how much fun Mitch was having... HAHA... After Pooh bear we hopped over to the infamous SPLASH MOUNTAIN... I am sure you understand why I didn't get any pictures on that ride. Drayden was once again protesting... {at this point I was wondering if we should have left HIM with grandma} But he braved up and decided he would go with us.  Drayden said that his "butt cheeks puckered" when we went down the big drop, but it was "pretty cool". Next was Thunder Mountain Railroad... well you can really SEE the screaming people on that one and Drayden flat out REFUSED to go on it. I was done fighting him at that point and told him we could sit it out. The line was long and so Dray and I busied ourselves with feeding the birds and mapping out what we would do next. After about 30 minutes we walked over near the exit of the ride. Drayden and I were discussing how he needed to quit being a big baby and "what did you expect Disneyland to be?" when Brian {a very nice Disneyland worker} overheard us. He could clearly see that I was not getting through to this child and he needed to intervene. Brian proceeded to tell Drayden all about how Thunder Mountain was his very favorite ride and so on and so forth... He even offered to take Drayden and I straight to the front of the very long line... Drayden was still not convinced. Then Brian walked away for a few minutes and came back with 2 fast passes... good for any ride in the park! The only catch... Drayden had to ride Big Thunder Mountain. At this point I am ready to just pick his little butt up an put him on the ride... we still had lots to see and those fast passes would be mighty helpful. Drayden and Brian talked things over for about 5 minutes, and after MUCH convincing he was ready to RIDE!!! Of course as soon as he got off he said that was his new favorite ride... lol... what a silly kid. But I guess I shouldn't complain because his being a big baby got us 2 fast passes... lol

After lunch we decided to slow things down a bit with the carousel... It did not do kind thing to my tummy.

Then on to star tours. This was the longest line we waited in, about 45 min. Which, from what I am told, is really not that bad. It felt like an eternity. Drayden LOVED this one... I am leaving out everyone else. It was Brittany's ACTUAL birthday... I think they all loved wearing their birthday buttons because at least 100 people told them happy birthday. It was really cool. Chantel was an absolute doll all day long, and Brittany is always pleasant. Mitch was VERY VERY tolerant. Disneyland is NOT his idea of a vacation. =)

Next we went on nemo which Mich and I both fell asleep on... lol...

Then we cooled it down with pineapple soft serve... AKA my new most favorite thing ever! The kids LOVED the Tiki room {of course}.

Then we wandered over to TOONTOWN and got a churro... went on inspector gadget's roller coaster... and best of all........

MICKEY MOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3

We played around in the little cartoon houses and had a really good time.

Then we hit AUTOPIA... the kids LOVED driving the cars!

Then we went over and watched Mickey's music parade...

HERE is a video of the kids... and HERE is a video of a few minutes of the parade.

By this time it was almost 9:00... We were FAMISHED, so we walked the 3 miles... {it felt like} to Goofy's Kitchen. It was so much fun for the kids! They had PB & J pizza, yummy icecream, and so much fun food! Plus they got to see alot of the characters they missed in Disneyland. 

The kids got even more buttons at Goofy's Kitchen... I think they ended up with at least 5 each. 

All in all it was worth doing. But I have to break some hearts here and say that Disneyland was NOT even close to my favorite part of the trip. I suppose there are ways to make it more fun, and we did cram everything in, but I still don't think I could do it every year... maybe every 10... Who knows, maybe it was just a once in a lifetime thing. Maybe Disneyland is like child birth, you forget all the bad parts and that is what makes you crazy enough to do it again? 

TO BE CONTINUED... DAY #3... FLOODING???

California Day 1... The Drive

Well... I suppose there is no better place to begin than, well, the beginning. The alarms went off promptly at 7am. I have never before seen the children LEAP from their beds. {seriously, it trumped Christmas morning} They were dressed and standing ready long before mom and dad had even finished packing. With one last glance to make sure we hadn't forgotten anything {oh ya know like moms toothbrush, dad's shoes, Drayden's underwear... I forget, but we forgot much more.} We were off. We didn't even make it out of St. George before the "I'm Hungry" bug bit. So we stopped for the first of MANY fast food meals.

I was Dreading the drive. We all get car sick and I made every last person gag down a Dramamine. Thankfully we dodged the barfing bullet. I was also dreading it because our family doesn't generally travel well. We can't even make it to Costco without several hollow threats against their lives. "If you hit your sister one more time I am gonna tie you to the bumper." So 7 hours in our rented Nissan was daunting.

We got just outside of Primm when the fighting really started. {which was pretty good if you ask me.} We had to do something to distract them. To take their minds off the fact that their little butts were getting permanently stuck into the seat with every passing mile. *Side note: The first 4.5 hours of the drive to California are desolate... I would recommend taking a laptop for movie watching in the future. Anyway, So we decided to give them their birthday / spending money to get them excited.

IT WORKED!!!! for about 4 minutes... lol...

We hung in until Barstow where we stopped at the Train Car McDonalds. It was super fun for the kids. I didn't enjoy it much because I would rather eat gum off the bottom of high school desks than McDonalds, but I humored them.

Brittany and I ventured off into the other train car areas... I just love hangin' with my Britt. We are alike in so many ways. She makes me laugh.

And well... Laughter makes the best memories.

Then I spotted the JELLY BELLY stand!!! I freaking LOVE LOVE LOVE Jelly Bellies. I got 1/2 pound of cantaloupe and juicy pear... *aaahhh pause for the bliss

This is the "ok, now lets stand in front of the train car and get a picture." moment. I swear if I gauged my photography skills on my own family I would be a hopeless failure. They are all jaded and don't listen to me anymore. So here is our "BARSTOW, CA" picture. lol... after this I gave up and put the camera away, but we made it to our hotel safely and it was actually really nice. I would definitely stay there again. We got to go relax in the hot tub, where my husband actually said out loud, "I should have brought my test kit, so I could make sure the PH isn't off." lol... The man can't take a day off, I swear.

TO BE CONTINUED..... Chapter 2... DISNEYLAND