The Healthy Lifestyle Wheel

I am tired.  Not just from being pregnant!

I am tired because I have not been exercising or eating right.  I am an emotional reck!  I know exercising makes me tired but in a totally different way.  Eating healthy can be hard and money has been tight lately so I haven't had my usual's, as the kids call them, on hand.  Of course eating sugary foods in  is not helping and also making me tired and emotional!  Eating is a challenge that I have to battle constantly! 

 

These are my excuses over the last couple of weeks "I can't exercise because it is Holy Week, I am exhausted and I am really busy getting ready for Easter.  It is Easter and a Feast so I can eat (insert your favorite food here)." Then I can't exercise but I am worn out because I am so tired because I have not been exercising.  And I'm not eating right because I crave crap because I have been eating crap.  This is a horrible cycle.

Does anyone else see this cycle in there lives? 

I just need to "DO IT!!!"  Get up in the morning and exercise.  Today is the day I stop eating crap I tell myself.  I plan on it but then I don't and I'm tired again and plan to start again in the morning.

My promise is to start NOW!!  I'm getting off the computer taking the children to the park and I will walk!  Tomorrow I will set my food goal but for today I am going to exercise! 

Will you join me?  This is important for me and Baby Niall #6.   

Begin Again and Be Positive

This has been a low week.  There is no real reason.  The children have been sick since Monday but that is part of life as a mom.  I have spent most days in bed and the house is falling apart around me.  What am I doing? 

I am not being positive.  I am not living life.  I am not being a good mom.  I am not going to beat myself up and I am going to pick myself up.  I am going to begin again tomorrow. 

I will set my alarm., do my prayer and go to the gym.  I am going to live my life.  Life is hard.  God never said He would make it easy for me.  Suffering is a part of our journey to heaven.  Part of my journey to meet Him one day. 

What do you need to do to pick yourself up and begin again. 

Please continue to pray for our family as we pray for your family.  God Bless. 


P.S.  This as nothing to do with the Taylor Swift song with I have never even heard and just ran into when looking for a photo but should be accredited to my spiritual director who is always telling me to begin again. 

Mama's Favorite Things

One of my favorite things has always been morning snuggles.  This pregnancy I love my bed.  Maybe it is because it is so cold I don't know.  Most mornings the kids come and snuggle with me.  This is when we do our morning pray and sing praise and worship songs. 

I love that during snuggle time Thomas wants to rub, kiss and talk to Mama's belly.  He loves the baby.  He makes me laugh when he says "your baby is cute" as if he can see the baby.  The other children also love to rug my belly but they don't get to do as much rubbing because Thomas doesn't share Mama well.  Snuggle time is the best! 

What are some of your favorite things?

Please continue to pray for me as I continue to pray for you.  God Bless. 

Being Postitive

Loosing Peter was without a doubt the most difficult and tragic event to ever happen in my life.  This pregnancy is also difficult, but I am trying to just be positive.  I am not one of those people who believe life has to be perfect.  Life is not perfect, right.  If life were perfect Peter would  be running around me.  Life is not perfect but instead of letting it get me down or take over my life I accept God's will for me accept His perfection for me!  My life is His design.   

What I am saying is this blog is meant to help families, especially Catholic families, move forward after they loss a child at any point in life stillbirth baby, infant, toddler, preschooler, and right on up to adult.  We are trying to move forward, not forget our lost family members.  We want to help people take the memory of their loved ones into their journey forward. 

I shared singing a joyful noise as a positive way keep us going.  We also have a Peter garden in the spring/summer.  I will say I have more things I need to work on daily.  One being getting up when my alarm clock goes off in the morning. 

What does your family do to stay positive?  Is there any thing your family is working on to be positive? 

We remember our Peter Francis now and always. 

Fun First~ 18 weeks

Thanks you Lord that I have made it another week closer to meeting baby Niall

Little belly that you can hardly see. 
Wait 18 more weeks then I'll show

The children and I were talking about the baby after morning prayer the other day.  We were talking about who wants a girl and who wants a boy.  I think everyone is hoping for a girl (mostly for Adriana.)  We discussed baby maybe names.  Thomas was kissing Mama's belly and so sweetly talking to Baby.  Then I started to feel the baby move!  Yes, I have been feeling the baby move for a few weeks now, so comforting!  It is usually at night but lately it happens all the time.

While we were snuggling in the bed Baby started to move.  They all put their hands on Mama's belly and they all felt the baby move. " Daddy hasn't even felt the baby move yet," I said.   This week they got to feel the baby move and hear the baby's heart beat for the first time, fun firsts.

Mango the size of an 18 week baby in utero.

We also talked about how big the baby is now and how the baby is developing.  They love having a solid image of the size of the baby so we looked up the comparison.  Our 18 week baby (in utero) is the size of a mango (5 to 5 1/2 inches) and weighs as much as 1 small to medium banana (5 1/4 ounces).  When we were at the grocery story we weighed a banana and took a picture of a mango! Teaching them about baby week to week is a lot of fun and so homeschool! 

What do you (have you) do with your children to teach them about the baby your are (were) growing? 

{Prayer Shawl and More}

{Pretty Special}

 

This prayer shawl is pretty in so many ways.  The color of blue chosen for this shawl is perfect with a dark and light mix.  A great Marian blue.  I love that it was knitted with love and prayers just for me.  This prayer shawl was made for me by one of Adriana's friends.  The fact that she though of me and prayed for me is beautiful and very special.  Thanks Kaleigh for making this prayer shawl for me. 

{Choosing Happy}

This week I wrote about choosing happiness.  I have reason not to be happy but I am happy (we all do right), truly happy.  I am choosing to be happy.  I am working on smiling as much as I can because this makes me happy.  Smiling at everyone also makes me less likely to be grouchy and grumpy when I don't like the way someone is doing something, usually making my coffee!

{Unintended Family Freak Show}

Earlier this week I had a doctors appointment and our family became the family of freaks.  In our 2 children culture walking in a doctors office with 3 children is out of the ordinary.  Walk in the doctors office with 3 children and 1 on the way well you are crazy.  For some reason you add dad to that picture and I just see people pointing and laughing.  We were on stage entertaining even though that was not our intent.  Yes, we are the funny freak show family with 3 children and 1 on the way.  I can't imagine bringing more into a doctors office and I know that there are many of you out there in that exact situation. 

 

{Emotions are super real}

My emotions are super real.  Being pregnant and hormonal is super real.  I am still trying to figure out what all my emotions mean and why I am behaving the way that I am in some situation.  I am going to have to do more soul searching on these emotions and write more about my real emotions. 

Why do we have pregnancy hormonal emotions?  Isn't it enough that we grow this baby inside of us?  I guess this is one of the designs God made that I will never understand and the suffering I receive will get me to heaven. 

Today's post is linked-up to: 


Thank you for reading.   Please pray for me as I will be praying for you.  God Bless. 

It Is Real

Yesterday we had our first appointment with our new/old doctor (obgyn).  It was a family trip because Michael  wanted to be there to ask the doctor some questions he had.  I usually feel like the crazy lady bringing three children to my appointment but then add dad.  Now I feel like people are pointing and laughing.  I know three children seems small but in our two children culture going to my doctor's office with three in tow and one on the way makes me feel like the freak show.  Then add dad and for some reason I feel like we are just over doing it.

The visit was quick.  We were seen with minutes of arriving (lets get the crazy people out of here) and the doctor was shortly behind. 

It was confirmed that I chose the correct doctor, Dr. B.  I am, apparently, unforgettable because six years later she remembers me well.  She remembers the good, the bad, and the ugly.  So do I.  As I shared before, in Doctor Dilemma, the good outweighs the bad and the ugly. 

What do I like about Dr. B.  She has a great bed side manner but at the same time is straight forward.  The fact that she remembers me (really remembers me) and she is still willing to work with me is helpful.  She said, I know you had wanted to go as far as you could (without interventions with my other pregnancies) in past pregnancies and a natural birth but that is not an option now.  We will have to be sure to take precautions, not to say that we did not with the other pregnancies.  Now that I am at advance maternal age, diabetic, have had 4 previous pregnancies (not sure what this has to do with the price of beans) and have had a baby with fatal demise we need to deliver this baby when his/her lungs are  fully developed.  Guess what she didn't say?  We will have to deliver this baby at 36 weeks.  In fact she said the opposite, we will need to start increase ultrasounds in the third trimester and watch all the signs that this baby is ready.  In the end, I walked out feeling like she was going to be respectful to me and cautious at the same time.  This along with the vision I have in mind for delivery and holding my baby after birth are all I ask.  Dr. B is meeting both of those needs. 

The most difficult part of this, and every, appointment I have will be when they try to find babies heart beat.  My fear that she won't hear it will always be there.  This time we were all there waiting to hear the baby's heartbeat.  Everyone's reaction was different.  Adriana smiled with joy, James said "what was that noise, and Thomas was excited to hear the baby moving.  Finally Michael said "Now it is real!"  Really, now it is real. I guess that's what it took for his reality to set in. 

Well now it is real and next week we have our 18 week ultrasound.  Please pray for us as we continue to pray for you!  God Bless. 

This post is linked up to: