Operation Hot Mama SOS

Ladies. 

I'm 10 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight and I am in a jam. 

I am eating ok, well as ok as I can. I'm staying away from bad carbs for the most part but tonight's dinner was pizza and since I was starving and had no other options I wasn't passing that shit up. I had 3 slices of cheese. Deal with it. 

I would love to do all the fancyschmancy cleanses and shakes and crap y'all do but I am a SAHM of 3 boys, so all my money goes to feeding them, clothing them and Starbucks {for me and the husband, duh}. I am broke. Advocare ain't happening honey unless someone wants to be a dear and gift it to me. 

I workout every other day {or at least try to} and I do my elliptical and crunches and a few other exercises but I'm starting T25 tomorrow because I need to ramp it up. 

I need your help. I need foods, workouts, cleanses, rain dances that are DOABLE. I'm so close and yet it still feels so far away. HELPPPPPP MEEEEEEE. 

A Little Fluff For Now

So, I realize I have a few people waiting {hopefully patiently...} for my couponing posts. I PROMISE they will be done soon, they take a lot of focus and concentration so I don't leave anything out and right now I don't get a lot of that. So in the meantime, I'm gonna give y'all a little fluff and filler to keep your interest.  

As some of you know, C isn't talking. Like, AT ALL. He makes lots of sounds and noises and can sound out most of his ABCs and can make the sounds of a few words like "cheese", "bread" and "juice". That's all we get though. So, with the help of one of my lovely sisters-in-law I was able to get set up to get him evaluated for speech therapy through the state. He qualifies for the program and today the assessor comes out to find out what help he needs specifically and then hopefully in a few weeks we will have our own therapist out here with us once a week for the next year. We might also need other therapies too because he has some other developmental delays that we weren't aware of. I am nervous and excited and hopeful that soon my sweet boy will come to me and say actual words so that we can cross this frustrating bridge. 

I get a lot of people telling me that he will talk "when he is ready" but what they don't understand is, he IS ready. It's almost like the words there on the tip of his tongue but they are stuck. When you have a child who talks early then you can't understand at all what we are dealing with because you don't know what it's like. B was my early talker {and walker and sleep through the night-er...} so I wasn't expecting this to happen but it has and we just want to move past it so that we can help him be less frustrated when he needs something and WE can be less frustrated because we will understand him. 

Other new developments? I am now only 10 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight goal. I'm not doing anything drastic or pricey {I'm a SAHM of THREE so I am broke all the time} but I have made some big changes for myself. I had to drop my YMCA membership before I had Noah because we couldn't afford it anymore but I am exercising at home and once the weather is nice again we will go for walks at the park. I have also cut wayyy back on carbs {which is REALLY hard for a carb-aholic like me} and cut out most of the junk. {I cannot and will not give up my Grande Mocha Light Frapp from Starbucks}. I'm trying to eat more veggies, fruits, lean proteins and I also started a {simple and yummy} detox from Pinterest last night. I give props to all of you out there who can afford Advocare or any of those other detox/cleanse programs but it's not in my budget now and probably never will be, and that is OK! 

1 cup of fresh or frozen strawberries

1/4 of a lemon or 2 tbsp of lemon juice if you don’t have a lemon

1/2 cup cold water

5 ice cubes

1 tbsp Honey/Agave Syrup/Maple Syrup or any other liquid sweetener

Blend all ingredients together until smooth, and enjoy!

I am doing it with/as my breakfast each morning and after dinner each night. I did it for the first time last night and I kid you not I had to pee 3 times overnight! I don't remember peeing that much since I was pregnant with Noah! I woke up feeling good and not heavy or bloated and did it again at breakfast. So I will keep you posted on how it goes after a full week! I'm just doing what works for ME and working to make ME happy. Right now when I look in the mirror I don't hate what I see but I don't love what I see either and I want to love what I see again. 

Lastly, I'm going through some serious hair drama and have no idea what I want to do. One day I want to cut it and the next I want to leave it long. Here are some of the looks I'm thinking of:

The first and second picture are for color ideas only if I keep my hair long. The third is my absolute favorite cut ever and the last pic is the color I might do if I cut it. I am not sure what to do and keep going back and forth about it so maybe one of these days I will make up my damn mind! 

Xoxo, 

M

Disconnecting

As most of you reading this might know, my husband and I decided to give up Facebook for Lent. I cannot tell you how hard it was to delete the app off my phone last night but this morning I am feeling pretty good about it. 

Facebook for the longest time was just something I glanced at for a little while each day, just scrolled through to see what my friends and family were up to and to post a status or a picture to share. That is until this last year or so. It's become so much more to me on a daily basis. Like an addiction. I had to know what was going on with people constantly and as soon as I wake up in the morning it was the first thing I would check after email and Instagram. If I had to do something or go somewhere I was wondering what I was missing, what were people saying? An hour would go by and I had already checked FB a few more times. Multiply that through the whole day and I think you see where I am going. 

It had consumed me. Completely. I knew it was not healthy and I didn't care. 

Recently I have had a few things occur that have affected me personally and emotionally and that is when I knew, I needed to break up with FB for a while. That shouldn't happen. They are just WORDS on a screen. People's posts shouldn't bother me deeply, but they did. I won't get into details but they affected me and that was enough for me to wake up and see I have a problem. 

I am positive and hopeful about this break and while it may sound silly to some, we are very serious when we say we need this. I don't need to see what is going on in someone else's life to make me feel complete, I need to be happy and content with what I have going on in my life first because that is really all that matters. FB is supposed to be a fun social place to share and reconnect, but it shouldn't be a place that takes over your daily life and leaves you feel like you need it constantly. That's the bad part about how smart our technology is these days, everything is so accessible and right in your face. They don't want you to miss anything, to be able to enjoy life a little disconnected. 

Although I will rejoin the FB world In a few weeks, hopefully a little healthier, right now a little disconnection is just what I need. 

It's On Like Donkey Kong

Well I know it has been a hot minute since y'all last heard from me and I'm sure y'all missed me and didn't know how you would go on, right? 

Anyone? 

*cue the crickets*

Anywayyyyyy....I'm back and this time it's on. I stopped blogging after I had Noah because well, I didn't really have the time or energy to think of anything good to write about. Sadly, my life isn't that interesting. I don't liftalltheheavythings or run marathons, I don't eat 100% clean {but I'm working on doing what works for MY body} or do all the crap I pin on Pinterest {@ncmommyofthree BTW hint, hint}. I do, however chase around a 2 year old boy all day, clean up endless messes made by said 2 year old, smooch endlessly on my {soon to be 6 month old....ack! When did that happen?} baby boy and give myself more gray hairs by my 8 {going on 18 year old} son. 

Yes, you read that correctly, I am the mother of not one, not two, but THREE boys. 

That makes me the queen by default. {Now...where did I put my crown again?}

It's definitely an adventure and comes with a lot of stress and ZERO free time but it is the life I wanted and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. 

I will save the rest of my thoughts for another day but I have lots to talk about and I hope you will join me! 

The Million Dollar {ok maybe just $5} Questions

In case you've been missing me, and I know you have {not}, Mama is in the hizzie {that means house...I think...}.

At least for today.

I put out a question on my IG {@thismommyofthree} asking y'all what you want me to write about! After an overwhelming response from...2 people {shoutout to my homegirls @loveandcrayons & @themrscicero}, here ya go lovelies!

How do you manage to be a...

1.) Beauty?

I have to give major props to Instagram filters for this one...cause trust me peeps, I ain't that beautiful. After not showering for a couple days, walking around with spit up and graham crackers on me and barely getting to brush my teeth and wash my face every day...Instagram filters are my savior. However, on the rare occasion I actually GET to make myself look halfway presentable, it can range from a minimal amount of makeup to ALL the warpaint. If I am just running to the store or something quick, I only use my BB cream ( Olay Fresh Effects is the ONLY kind I will use, it's $12.99 but is a big tube so it lasts), concealer, mascara and a little blush to give my ghostly white face some color. If I am going somewhere where I actually care what people think, which is rare these days...I pile on ALL the war paint.

Moisturizer

Primer

BB cream

Foundation

Concealer

Blush

Bronzer

Eyeshadow

Eyeliner

Mascara

Eyebrow pencil

Lip gloss

It takes me about 30 minutes to get my face on and I am a big perfectionist so I have to make sure everything looks good or you best believe I will wash my face and start over! The biggest issue for me is my mouth. My lips are very pigmented so I have to put concealer on them to mute them in order for my lipgloss to look good. I don't like for my natural lip color to show through and will never wear sheer lip gloss. I love my full coverage, sparkly nude or pink gloss {so if anyone wants to be a doll and mail me some, I won't turn it down...kidding...kinda...} I am also always on the hunt for the perfect mascara. Right now I use CG Clump Crusher and/or VS Volume Plump. I also have to use blackest black to make my eyeballs "pop".

2.) Mom To An Honor Roll Sweet Boy?

I just have to say that when I typed that out all I saw was "sweet roll"...is that a bad thing? 

So, B didn't make honor roll this first 6 weeks but only b/c his writing was a 2 and he needed a 3. His teacher said he just needs to use more detail in his writing and needs to use better punctuation. I am forever telling him to add a period to his sentences. He really is the king of run on sentences at this age, no lie. He is reading at a 4th grade level and I can't tell you how awesome this is. I was worried when he started learning how to read, I wasn't sure if he would keep up with his classmates but it looks like he is flying past them now! I am so glad school is going well this year and we have finally broken through the "homework wars" which were a total bear since Kindergarten. He HATED having to do homework and I hated having to help him because he acted like it was torture and most days we were both in tears after trying to get him to just DO THE WORK. I don't know what happened this year, somehow the light bulb just went off and he has no problems. Makes this mama so incredibly happy. 

3.) Have a newborn, toddler and bake cakes mid-day?

I have a personal chef, maid, and a nanny. 

Oh wait, no I don't...I was just daydreaming. 

To be honest, I am not sure how I made that cake a few weeks ago during all my normal daily madness...maybe I blacked out? 

Either way it was yummy and everyone liked it which was my goal. 

I have learned that having a baby and toddler all at the same time requires balance, patience and learning to accept that my house will NEVER be clean the way it was before {but it does get cleaned little by little}, laundry will NEVER get done in one day like it did before {who needs clean clothes anyway}, until baby is a toddler, dinners will NEVER be eaten as a family {which we already went through with C so we are used to that}, and my house is ALWAYS loud and crazy. I am pretty OCD about my house and laundry so it's definitely taking getting used to not being able to do everything when I want to and I can't say I am always happy about it because I don't like knowing my bathrooms haven't been cleaned in almost a week but that is just the reality I face for now. I get done during the day what I can when Noah is napping but I will tell you that right now, that isn't much because I have a 20 month old who needs mommy's attention so I put the duster down and let him climb all over me and we practice our ABCs and watch Bubble Guppies. It's really hard when I have to tend to Noah and C wants me to play because right now I can't do both at the same time and it kills me. I literally get the death rays from this kid multiple times a day, so I make it a priority to spend time with him even if it's for 10 minutes while the baby power naps or is just happy in his swing. I love having a little baby but I will not lie, life will definitely get easier when he is a toddler too because C will have a playmate and BFF and maybe I can get my bathrooms cleaned {and 10 minutes later have to clean crayon off the walls}. 

Lastly...

4.) An amazing wife? 

I don't know if I would call me "amazing" because if you ask my husband he will tell you I am always freaking out for no reason, am very controlling and I have been known to burn dinner once or twice {thank goodness for fast food...}. I have to have some things done in a certain way {i.e.The laundry...} and it's just easier for me to do them than to have someone else do them. 

Now, I am not all "no more wire hangers!"  controlling, so don't worry. I just get it from my dad and it's part of my personality. Like it or lump it. 

I just try to be a good wife and keep my husband happy. I know I don't always succeed but I try as hard as I can and I know he loves me no matter what. I make mistakes, I freak out for no reason and he has to bring me back down to reality, but I am human and that is ok. I am married to an amazing man and it is I who am the lucky one. 

Boom. Done and done. 

3 Boys, Baby Weight & Bling

A lot has changed since my last post....the biggest thing being that I am no longer the mommy of 2 boys...I am now a mommy of 3 boys. Yes, you read that correctly, 3 BOYS. No need to adjust your monitor or refresh your iPhone...sometimes I have to say it a few times myself before I realize that I am talking about ME, not someone else. I have to be honest that I NEVER thought in my entire life that I would be the mommy of 3 children, let alone 3 boys. Before Noah came, this house was 70% crazy and 30% peaceful. Now, it's 99% crazy and 1% peaceful (and that 1% accounts for naptime IF both littles nap at the same time...) It's not a bad crazy. Sometimes it's a stressful crazy and other times its just CRAZY crazy, but I wouldn't change any of it for anything in the world. I love all my boys and feel so blessed that God chose me to be their mommy. I know that my life will never be the same now that there are 3 and we might have to buy a 2nd refrigerator once they are all a little older because they will be going through food like starved cavemen but it will be totally worth it. Every. Single. Crazy. Sleepless. Coffee-fueled. Moment.

I have recently started my journey back to "hot mama" status and if you follow me on MyFitnessPal (I am thismommyofthree) you can see my journey there. I'm gonna be real open with everyone and actually post my weight and my goal weight. Don't expect any pictures just yet but maybe if I am feeling brave over the next few months I will post some. My goal weight that my body is happy with is 130-135, and my current weight is 159. I am already down over 20lbs just from having Noah and all the lovely swelling that made my legs look like tree trunks with toes. My good friend Caity and I try and get to the park a few times a week with our kiddos and we are logging about 4 miles walking and pushing strollers up and down hills (I have a double stroller we affectionately refer to as "the boat"). It's a great workout and we get time to chat about things and vent and laugh. I love that girl! I'm on a 1200 calorie/day limit and let me tell you, that's not a whole lot of calories when you think about it. Unfortunately I am not able to get on the Advocare, paleo or clean eating band wagon because it is pricey and when you have 5 people in one house and a tight budget you have to stick to what you can afford. I try and make good choices and we don't keep junk in the house so I do the best I can. My husband and I are also going to be starting the T25 workout DVDs this week or next which I am hoping will help a lot. I know it's only been a month since I had Noah and I am not gonna lose all the weight overnight, but it's still frustrating when your normal pants are too small but your maternity pants don't fit either because there is no baby belly anymore. I'm trying to be positive and remember that it took almost a year for me to lose the weight I gained with C and it will probably take the same this time around. I will say though that working out through my entire pregnancy (give or take a few weeks at the end due to medical reasons) was the best thing I could have done because I can tell my body isn't nearly as "fluffy" as it was after I had C. I didn't workout at all with him because I was sick and couldn't. So, I will keep y'all updated on my journey as I make progress and get back to my "hot mama" status! 

Lastly, if you follow me on Instagram (@thismommyofthree) you know I posted this picture last night:

Now, the watch retails for $20 and the earrings were on clearance down from $17 to $5.08. Guess what I paid for both? $5.08. 

Yep! 

"How did you score such an AWESOME deal?!", you ask. 

This is how! 

I receive Target mobile coupons through my text messages. If you don't get these you NEED to! Just text OFFERS to 827438 and follow the steps. You will get a link texted to you that will have this coupon in it which is good till tomorrow, Friday October 4th.

The coupon will give you a BOGO deal on any jewelry, watches or sunglasses and you will get the higher priced item (up to $58.99) FREE. That's right! If you find a $20 watch and a $2 pair of earrings all you pay is the $2 for both! Target isn't fixing this either so RUN, don't walk to your nearest Target and take advantage of this deal by tomorrow! 

Have a great weekend! 

My Recent Life Discovery Using Word

Whether you are a working mommy/daddy or a SAHD/SAHM like me, we all have routines. Every day we do the same things, at pretty much the same times and go through the same motions (possibly because we are sleep deprived zombies...) without giving any of it one second thought. With the impending birth of baby #3 within the next couple of weeks (but we all know he is coming NEXT week since both my other boys came around 38+2), I had to type up a "daily routine" for Michael's grandmother who is driving down from Wisconsin this Sunday to stay with us for a few weeks and help take care of the older boys and make sure my house doesn't burn down while I am recovering and getting the new baby added into the mix. I must say that I am ever so grateful that she offered to help us, I haven't ever had anyone stay with me previously to help with things and I am really looking forward to her being here to help and to visit and spend time with B and C. She is an angel and hopefully won't hate us by the time she is ready to leave very generous to do what she is doing.

So this morning while updating and revising our "daily routine"...I noticed that I am on page number 5. Page 5 of a DAILY routine. I didn't use double spacing or a large font....but since when did one normal, typical, not out of the ordinary day of our lives take up FIVE PAGES OF PAPER? I had to stop and review it and make sure I didn't type the same thing 14 times and maybe it should all fit on 2 pages? No...it's 5. Good gravy. It's so amazing when you stop and think about every little itsy bitsy, teeny tiny, mundane and tedious detail that goes into a day of caring for not only your children but yourself and your home. I said to myself, "self? do I really do ALL of that? Every. Single. Day?" (Thankfully I didn't answer myself or we would REALLY have problems).

Whether or not you work outside the home or stay at home like me, you should be proud and amazed at yourself for all that you accomplish in a 24 hour span. Some days I feel like a slug (and it could just be because I look like one right now with my baby belly) and like I don't do anything, but I now see just how much goes into my day and that I can't let people who think SAHMs or SAHDs are lazy or don't do anything bother me. I may not be bringing in a paycheck, but my job is JUST as important, if not more at times. I am responsible for other little people. I am responsible to keep my children safe, healthy, fed, clothed, comforted and loved (until daddy comes home and then it's shift change...just kidding...kind of). Some days my greatest achievement is just making sure we don't wind up at the ER and that is OK. I love what I do...and while yes, some times I want to pull all my hair out and lock myself in the bathroom because I can't take another episode of Blue's Clues or having to try and translate what my 18 month old is trying to tell me but I CANNOT understand him because he hasn't started talking, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Add to that another small human being who will be 100%, COMPLETELY dependent on me for the next 12 months until he figures out what his big brothers are doing....and yes, I may just need to be sent to the looney bin, but I am looking forward to it and all the challenges it brings.

It is pretty safe to say that my "daily routine" will go from 5 pages to 10 pretty soon.

Bring it.