After our usual Monday morning and getting ready, we headed out to pay some bills then went grocery shopping. I sat down at the blood pressure cuff to take it like I have been every week. Eek… last week It was 110/74 and well, this time It was 100/67? I pushed myself too hard last week and I could definetly tell it and that reading gives me even more proof that I need to step back and just REST. I get so eager and go all out when I get to feeling the least bit good and then keep pushing. Last Monday I did a little over an hour of exercise, Tuesday was 25 minutes of intense kettlebell, Wednesday was an hour, Thursday was a little more than Mondays time and Friday was 30 minutes so yeah… I probably undone some of the rest I had done previous to this last week and I can tell a diff in the way I feel. Instead of trying to push and push myself like I did last week, this week and probably the next few weeks I’m going to use my walking at the grocery store on Mondays as my exercise, take off Tuesday, do a little bit on Wed, Thurs and Friday and of course nothing on the weekend. I’ve thought about even taking completely off exercise for this week because my body needs to “recharge” and store the iron and If I exercise hard then my body doesn’t get to recharge. To make matters worse, this last week I was also PMS’in so that’s even more iron loss daily.

I guess I’m just so ready mentally to get back into my usual exercise routine but I’ve got to give my body what it needs… iron and rest. Also- I bought chocolate covered almonds at the store… YUMMY! Katie has been miss temper tantrum all day long and I have to say I’m thankful that she is in bed! It was a gloomy, rainy day but It atleast wasn’t really cold! It’s supposed to drop in temp tho in the next few days. Last day of January… roll on February!

I wish I could find the quote I read a while back… It was something like- almost every illness, sickness and disease can be traced back to a vitamin or mineral deficiency! That totally makes sense. We run off of vitamins and minerals so therefore, If we don’t get the right amount plus we eat all kinds of things that our bodies don’t exactly know what to do with?… then we run into some bad stuff. As I did! It’s so important to evaluate our health and lives and KEEP SEARCHING for answers If you feel It’s something ELSE other than what you’re Doctor is trying to convince you to believe like in my case! Obviously, It’s not usually this complicated or “mysterious” as my case but yeah. Point is… VITAMINS AND MINERALS ARE SUPER IMPORTANT! They make you vibrant, happy and healthy!

Today was excellent. I was sleeping sooooo good this morning and did not want to get up BUT after a big ole yummy bowl of oatmeal, I was ready to go to church! I had a wonderful time teaching a song to the kiddies in Primary and then we had visitors come talk to us the last hour then It was time for POTLUCK! We all sat, ate and talked. Brad, me and the church Pres were the last ones to leave at around 2:45PM! Katie went straight down for nap when we got home and she did not want, lol. Brad played the Wii and we just hung out then he zonked out on the couch for a few hours! I played super mario bros wii for a bit then got Katie up, fed her and let her play while I continued to play on the Wii while Brad continued to nap then eventually got up. A little after 9PM, Brad put Katie to bed while I started dinner. I just finished eating and have a very tall glass of hot lemon/lime water… YUM.

A very good Sunday indeed!

TODAY WAS SOOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL. I was STOKED when the temp on my browser said 72 DEGREES!!? I made sure to open the WINDOWS today since the house hasn’t been aired out with FRESH AIR in foreverrrrrr. I did my usual cleaning of the house today PLUS even more! Finally getting back into my usual organize/cleaning groove. I went through a bunch of drawers, organized and threw away. After I was done, I got a shower then fed Katie lunch and fixed my own too. I decided it was TOO pretty outside to stay inside so Katie and I went outside in the SUNSHINE for a little over an hour. The sun felt sooooo good. I had a delicious raw veggie and lentil salad for lunch plus an apple! LOVE ME SOME APPLES. In fact, I’m eating one as a snack now… NOM. After our bask in the sun, we came in and I fed Katie a snack then put her down for nap.

This evening I haven’t done too much. I called Mom earlier in the day when we were outside then called her again not long ago. I’m going to finish this apple then get Katie ready for bath+bed! Last night Brad and I watched BONES!!!!!!!!! Tonight will be FRINGE and possibly The Office! Also got interested in the new series Perfect Couples! Watched it last week and hoping to watch it again. I wish tomorrow would be as pretty as today but looks like It’s gonna be a high of 60 with RAIN… boo! Also- my church friend called me this evening and said her husband and his Dad were out hunting this morning and her husbands Dads gun accidentally went off and shot her husband in the leg! He’s okay but yikes!!!

Hope your weekend has been good thus far! :cute:

Yes. We all have the potential to be anything we want to be If we can just find that potential and let it shine in our lives. We made a choice to come to this Earth and gain this body and I look around and see all this beauty in front of me. The beauty of nature, the beauty of life itself. If more people reached out to others and also worked on building their potential then the world would be so much more peaceful but where there is light, there is darkness so we have to take the good with the bad and try to find a BALANCE.

Balancing life is hard, isn’t it? I’ve really been trying to focus on that since I changed my life in 2009. Balance between family, exercise, housework, religious callings and duties, personal religious study and everything else that life throws in there. Then you can break it down even further.. like balancing out the right foods and still having a treat here and there. We can all find the right balance but it takes practice, time and consistency.. just like anything else. If we keep climbing, keep trying, keep reaching then we will get to where we need to be. We deserve happiness and balance. YOU DESERVE IT! Don’t give up the fight for a balanced life… It’s worth it!

I’m excited to see what 2011 will bring. February is so close… wowie! Life goes by faster and faster each year. You never know how true that is when you hear it as a child from your parents until you grow up and one day turns into another YEAR then you realize… It’s so true. I’m so thankful, grateful and blessed for everything Heavenly Father has given me in my life. I’m thankful for opening my heart fully to God and the comfort I have found in Him and HIM ALONE.

Sending out the love to you! God loves you and so do I. We have potential. We are special. We are children of God. We can do anything and everything we set our minds to as long as we have faith and believe.. never give up hope. When times seem so tough just remember that this too shall pass and you will smile again.

Life is beautiful.

I will slowly but surely get back to running the way I used to be able to! I’ve gotta get my full energy back I think before I can accomplish that though. I’m just trying to be careful with my body. Last night after Brad got home, he attempted the P90X arms workout and then the ab ripper.. lol. That’s intense! I tried a few things and would of done more but I was/am already pretty sore.

I did the treadmill Monday and decided to attempt once again today! Instead of doing intervals between speed walking and jogging, I just stayed at around the same space and changed my incline. I also did a few jogging intervals but not as many as Mondays workout. I stayed on longer and burned more today than I did Monday, woot! I had a banana afterwards then got my shower then fixed lunch for Katie and meeee. I ate a big bowl of oatmeal and waited a little bit and was still hungry so I made another! I’ve found this is KEY for me to keep myself fueled between lunch and 4PM or else I feel a good bit of fatigue but it seems if I make sure to have enough food then it really helps. I finished my online work and played more super mario bros wii! Katie threw a ridiculous fit at nap time… haha. At 5PM I took my liquid iron and had one of Katie’s banana cookies. That oatmeal really held me over and It should considering I had 2 big bowls, lol.

I got Katie up, fed her, fixed dinner and am about to play more….. can ya guess??? YUP, super mario bros wiiiiiiiiiii!!! I think Brad is gonna do the P90X yoga tonight so I’ll probably attempt a bit of that as well. Well I am off! One of these days I’ll get back into more interesting blogs!

WOOOOOOOO. I am a bit sore all over, WOOT. This morning after breakfast and such, I did my resistance rope DVD for the first time in a looong time! I used to do that DVD religiously EVERY Wednesday so I’m trying to get back into the swing of things! Then I decided to get on the exercise bike for 30 minutes and It felt good! Once I was done, I went in the kitchen and danced around – haha. I also laid in the floor and did some stretches and random movements. I grabbed a banana sandwich with a tiny peanut butter then studied my scriptures for just a little bit before getting a nice, refreshing shower! I fed Katie her lunch once I was done and then started to fix mine. I had a big ole bowl of raw veggies, an apple, spinach, little bit of these: baby clams, lentils and then a small piece of cooked chicken. Oh and also put a few mixed nuts in there. Gotta have some crunch!

The rest of the day has been the usual Wednesday routine…. my online work! I’ve had a few snacks throughout the afternoon and just finished eating a sweet potato with cinnamon and peanut butter, YUM! I’m done with my work for tonight and will continue tomorrow. Tonight = BIGGEST LOSER, YEAH!!!!!!!!! Also, hubby downloaded P90X and is wanting to get into it so we’ll see what he does! I’ll probably attempt some of it too once I have more energy.

I’m gonna post this, post my Dailybooth pic then play some more SUPER MARIO BROS WIIIII before It’s time for Katie to go to bed and my lovie to come home! Have a great evening and know that you are WORTH IT! We all have great potential – we just have to search for it and put it to good use!!! God loves you!

How was Tuesday for ya??? We got to sleep in a bit later this morning and then got up and after breakfast, just hung out. I eventually played super mario bros for the wii for a long while and Brad played with me too a little bit. I let Katie stay up longer this morning since we got up later this morning and so after she went down for nap, I played for a little while longer then we studied scriptures for 30 minutes then I wanted to get my exercise in for the day and was going to do my kettlebell workout DVD that I’ve had a long while but then Brad reminded me of the Jillian Michael’s Shred It With Weights workout DVD he got me as an anniversary present back in December. I haven’t been able to try it out before because of my health situation but now that I’m feeling better and in the right direction — I decided to open it up and give it a try! WOW… I really loved it but It really did me in! It was I think 25 minutes? I tried to keep up the whole time but my legs felt like they were about to give in! I got really shakey but held in there until It was over! Brad left for his church meeting and I was feeling pretty tore up, lol. I felt sick to my stomach and tried to eat a few nuts but I had to breathe and just focus so I wouldn’t get sick! I got a hot shower and eventually felt a bit better. Thanks Jillian! Hahah. I can’t wait to be able to keep up the WHOLE DVD liked I used to with other workouts.

Anyhow. After shower, I got Katie up, fed her dinner, cooked our dinner, played mario some more until 8:30PM then Brad came home and I bathed Katie then dressed her… she threw a big fit too. Brad rocked her for a few then she was down for the night.

I’m about to eat dinner!!!!!! Can’t wait because I am feeling a bit hungry, nom nom. Have a great night!

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Excellent start to the week INDEED! We got up and ready this morning and out the door for Katie’s WIC appointment. We got rained on a little bit on the way in but she had an appointment and then we got our vouchers and was done! Next stop.. Wal-Mart for our weekly grocery run. I wanted to check my blood pressure since I’ve been checking it for the last 2 weeks.
– 2 weeks ago it was 101/64
– a week ago it was 102/66
– TODAY IT WAS 110/74 !!!!!!!!!!

Also… I weighed myself on the 15th (Saturday) and I was 163. I weighed myself this morning and 161!!! SO GOOD TO SEE WEIGHT GOING DOWN. SO HAPPY! That just proves my liquid iron is really working and I feel much better! Both with weight loss starting again and blood pressure getting back to a good normal instead of low! After shopping, we came home and Katie played then I fed her lunch and we all went outside for just a bit! Then it started raining so I had to bring Katie in and she DID NOT LIKE IT ONE BIT. She threw a 20 minute fit and almost fell asleep in the floor… she was getting way tired. I played new super mario bros wii for a bit and she sat and watched then Brad came back inside and eventually put her down for her nap while I started some.. EXERCISE! I did a speed-walk on the treadmill mostly but also some sprints! I decided I wanted to exercise for atleast an hour and wound up doing an hour and 7 minutes! WOOOOOOT. I ate a banana and some raisins afterwards and also took my liquid iron. Brad had laid down on the couch and went to sleep, heh. I got a nice shower and then filled up the tub for a hot, relaxing bath. NICE!!!

This evening I have felt warm and content. Usually I’m sitting around the house pretty much ALWAYS with a sweater or jacket since I’ve been getting cold so easily but after my shower and this evening? SHORT SLEEVE BABY! Oh and I’ve also taken off my socks so It’s nice to be WARM instead of cold all the time like I’ve been for the last 9 months. After Katie got up and had her dinner, we all just hung out until It was her bed time then Brad put her to bed while I started dinner- like usual! Once he started cooking our burgers, I folded a load of laundry. We just finished dinner and gonna study our scriptures together then possibly watch a movie!

I’m excited to see how good I’m gonna feel as each day goes by! WHEEEEEEE! :cute:

Church was great as usual. I talked to my Mom for over an hour this afternoon! Later on, Brad and I played NEW Super Mario Bros WIIIIIIII together, heh. It was a lot of fun and then after a bit, Brad put Katie to bed while I got started on dinner. We just finished eating not long ago and just hanging out! Feeling cozy and content… awesome!

I got up in hopes that my liquid ANGSTROM IRON would finally arrive after ordering it Tuesday. The mail usually runs at 9:30AM on weekdays but I had remembered that a different mail lady comes for Saturday and I thought they might come at a later time too but I wasn’t sure. I got up, fixed breakfast, fed Katie, got her set up with a movie then started to clean house while keeping my eye out the window on the lookout! 10AM… 10:30AM… I thought well, the latest I’ll keep on the lookout will probably be 12-12:30PM. I finished mopping and went to take some trash out to the back porch then stepped to the edge of the porch to get a little sun AND THERE CAME THE MAIL LADY! It was a little after 11AM I think. I had already slipped on my Crocs when I got up this morning so I could be ready to go out the door just incase. She pulls up to the mailbox (there’s ours and the neighbors across the street) and so I wait to see If shes just gonna drive off or what? NOPE SHE BACKS UP……… YES! Sure enough, my package finally came! I brought it in and giddly tried to open it and took me a bit since there was so much tape! They gave me a pen with the order, heh. I went ahead and opened it and took a teaspoon then took more Vitamin C with it even tho It has a little in it. Mmm, tastes like metal! Hah. It left an after taste for just a bit until I got a little nibble of food then It went away. YAAAAAAAY !!! Can’t wait to see how I’m gonna feel in a few days or a week with this stuff! WOOT. I’m probably gonna be taking 1-2 teaspoons a day. I took one when I got it this morning and one this evening.

When Brad and I studied our scriptures together last week we read a passage about faith, diligence and patience. Those are 3 POWERFUL things. I think you must have faith first though before you can truly be diligent and patient enough to do whatever it is that you’re wanting to do. If you use all 3 of those things together then I know it will take you far in your goals and dreams.

Reach for the stars! We are all WORTH IT. We are all special, unique and important!!! No matter what Heavenly Father is going to love us. He wants us all to be happy but we must repent and live the commandments and then the blessings will come. Believe me, they will and they do If you live The Gospel.