DIY Saturday Chai Tea

My awesome neighbors bring us this amazing Chai tea every few weekends. It tastes so good that I would seriously pay big bucks for one right now. Instead I decided to make my own. It turned out so delicious, my husband tried drinking all of it {key word was tried. I won. Haha.}

I'd like to pee on my own.

My mom use to lock herself in our bathroom when I was little. She would lock herself in, and us out so she could talk on the phone with her friends and take a breather. It was her time and her space for alone time, even though we knocked on that door and asked question after question. I am sure her sanity about snapped at times. The bathroom was her me time. This is completely untrue for me...


P.s. The lock on our bathroom is broken and we still haven't fixed it.


Hence, the need to pee on my own.


 


Yes, that is my daughter who climbed on the toilet behind me. I am a very relaxed person, but I really like my privacy. I know she is learning and I am so open to that, but I want to option to lock the door at times.


Anyway, this situation got me thinking. Where is my me time and what do I do with it? Me time is limited, just like you I am sure, but when I do get it I use it to work out when kids sleep, shower and maybe paint my nails. If its night time and I am chilling with my husband I turn into a robot in front of the TV while putting my multitasking skills to good use and "pinning" everything I want to make... Not sure how the thousands of pins plan on taking part in my life, but that doesn't mean I can't try. I will admit that I am kinda ashamed of my "me" time. It sounds like such a waste of useful time, but it is what makes me happy and allows me to de-associate from longs days and stressful situations. Do you share my "me time" habits or are you way better at using this highly valuable time? 


So where is your "me time" located and what do you do with it?

no money + Whatever was lying around = DIY Toe Rings

I am bringing you a simple DIY today. I am going to be busy sewing today and thought I would sare something I made in less than 5 minutes using only two items!


I made some heart toe rings out of half a paper clip. I have been loving sandles and the relaxed look, and back in the day when I was a youngin' I use to <3 toes rings. 


no money + Whatever was lying around = paper clip toe rings


Here's what I used and how it turned out. 


Step one. gather items
Step two. use the pliers to pull wire apart from the wood middle part. 
Step three. shape around finger or toe and then use the pliers to make the heart and loop endings. 
Step four. Wear a lot.

Some serious parental ramblings....

Why is parenting so hard? My daughter Chloe has been having some speech issues. She use to talk and since about 7 months ago started regressing intellectually. She stopped talking and now I can barely get any communication going between myself and my daughter. She was recently just enrolled in a speech therapy. Her speech pathologist is amazing and she is coming once a week to come and work with us. Currently my almost 2 and a half year old is at a 9 to 12 month level of speech. Due to her speech problems, somethings other kids can do she does not. I do not know when she wants something because she only throws temper tantrums. When I ask her and show her and help her its a mess. She can not tell me when she is tired or wants something specifically. She can not express herself and I am left to guess with body language and just "knowing" my daughter, but this is unacceptable. She is a bright and intelligent girl and the more and more I work with her she is slowly picking things up. In just a few weeks she can now sign when she is hungry, so I know when to feed her besides the normal feeding schedule. She can sign and say "all done" so I know to take the food away before it becomes a food fight. There are others she has learned to either sign or say and this has brought me great happiness.


Today's lessons were  hard. Not just for Chloe but for me. Her speech pathologist taught sharing and what is "mine" and yours. These are normal lessons for parents and I am sure are not always easy, but today was difficult. Watching Chloe throw tantrums {which consist of head banging the floor and kicking and screaming} over and over because she didn't get her way and could not communicate what she wanted. The exercises were great and I am so happy to practice these with her, but in my heart I was on the verge of tears. Every time she could not sign or say "more" of this certain game, she would head bang the tile and the crying and screaming and such... My heart was breaking. I know that this is a must learn situation and I am again so happy to teach her to speak and communicate. I want this more than anything. I am not sure if it okay to admit that this is so hard for me. I am feeling so many things as a mother. I feel like a failure for not knowing these "games" and learning tools in the first place. I feel ashamed that as a stay at home mother, their teacher that I am failing her. I feel like I am her biggest problem. If I just knew more and practiced more and tried harder, I could be a better mother and not have a child who is not communicating any more.


I feel ashamed that I let her lose her speech. I hear everyone else, they say this is not my fault, but I sure feel this way. I am not wanting pity. This is something I need to get over myself. Feelings are not always logical. Jealousy is one of the feelings. I see all my girlfriends kids thriving. They are sweet and angelic and can say so many words. I see them adapting and learning and just making their parents so proud. I see normal happy kids at play. I am jealous. Every time I hear someone else kids count to 10 or sing a song or speak full sentences I want to cry. Its such an awful feeling because I want to be happy for them, and I am and so proud of their kids. I just also look over and see my kid running is circles around a toy and laughing. I love that she is a free spirit and just a super happy kid, but I also worry what was different. What can I do to help her learn more. I want my kid to have friends and play well with them. I see her falling behind and this kills me. I see her not making new friends at the park because people look at her weird and ask why she doesn't talk. I cry on the inside every time this happens.


So I know that this is totally not my writing style. I am never this jumbled and I never rant. Please tell me, are these feeling normal?


What I do when I feel jumbled, and sad and unsatisfied with myself, I list. I love lists. I list want I can do to get back to happy.


::Buy learning toys to practice speech and learning skills
::Read more learning books
::Check out learning and tips and tricks sites for teachers
::Practice and learn more sign language
::Learn sign language songs
::Sign up for weekly play dates
::Keep the TV off when kids are up
::Go to park Monday through Saturday
::Start my own morning meditating and doing yoga for stress free living
::Listen more intently
::Try harder

Weight Loss Monday + What I want to pull off when I'm skinny

Weightloss Monday has been fast approaching and I am so excited to share that my weightloss journey is paying off again. This past week and 2 days I have been on the whole9 30 day challenge and I finally got over the 162-156 teetering I have been dealing with. I am finally at 155! I am amazed at all the changes in my life from this diet/lifestyle. I had this terrible problem with anxiety and I'd break out in hives all over my body and it would itch so bad that I'd get bruises from itching in my sleep. This problem is gone. I use to be good all day and binge eat in the evening. This is also gone, because I am never too hungry. I am no longer bloated and didn't even notice the "time of the month" because all my normal bloated and crampy symptoms were gone. No pimples either. My mood has been fantastic and I haven't gotten too sad as I was down in the dumps before this food change and so so much more. I am amazed at how my joints done hurt and I done ache as much as I use to in the hips area. I feel like a completely changed woman. If you haven't heard of the Whole9 30 day food challenge, please consider trying it. It's changed my life! {check it out HERE}

Anyway lets get to the best part... Lets see how fat Mandi was and how she looks today.

Weightloss this week: -1 pound
Start Weight:228
Current Weight:155

Start Picture

Current Picture {Sorry I'm all dressed. Its a busy day}




{What I want to pull off when I am skinny}

Date Night.

My aunt took the kids yesterday afternoon and is keeping them until today at 3pm. Needless to say my husband and I are in heaven. We haven't had a break in a month and a half and were in desperate need on one. As soon as the kids left I finally picked an outfit out {the bed was covered in clothes that didn't make the cut}, fixed my makeup {the slobbery teething baby is really into faces right now. lol} and when the hubs came home, he threw on a sweater and we were out. We should have made a plan on were to eat, but we went out to this meat place called  Texas BBQ. It was covered in cowboy, Texas decor and our waiter I am sure was using a fake accent {I tipped extra for trying} With my diet/lifestyle it was hard to pick something to eat, but I am very happy with myself. I ended up ordering lean cut brisket and I found that they had baked sweet potato chips!!!! It was very delicious and for the first time after leaving a restaurant, I didn't feel over stuffed or sick. My husband who ordered the same meat, but had beans and a huge bake potato was feeling sick/full after we left. I felt bad. We were going to go to a movie, but were both tired and got excited with the idea of going home and just messing up a bottle of wine or two... Sometimes its necessary to act like the youngsters we still are. I'm only 25 once right? Needless to say once we finally fell asleep we were out.

It is only 11:30am my time, and I woke up a half and hour ago. Can you say AWESOME!!!!

As parents, as hard working, it never seems to stop parents. Order a babysitter {if that's possible} and let your hair down. Get a little crazy. If needed tell someone your doctor ordered it. lol.

{WIW}

{This is just how happy we were}

A little motivation can change everything

I have been feeling so much motivation lately that I feel like sharing some. I believe that motivation is the key to any success be it small or big. Usually people change big things when they are faced with big circumstances. My husband only started exercising when his blood pressure was so high it's scary. I only quit smoking years ago because it was an ultimatum. Get married and quit smoking, or be a nasty smoker and not married. Me and my husband both quit then before we got married {which heightened our fertility and we got pregnant on protection. Lol} people change when not changing has a bigger risk. Recently I decided not to be that person. I want to change now before I have some kind of health problem, before something bad happens to me. These are the things I want....

I want to feel healthy. I don't want migraines, bloating, that nasty way too full feeling, no sugar crash, and no always tired feeling....

I want to feel less stress and manage what stress I do have in a healthy manner...

Lets face it, I want to be able to look amazing...

I want to make my husbands jaw drop...

I want to look good naked...

I want to see this and smile because I'm gonna dominate this run...

I want to unleash a happier artist...

I want to teach my daughter confidence...

And here is how I am going to get there...

{Silent Wednesday}

{We went to the pool on Fathers Day, because it was over 100 degrees out}

 

{I've always been a terrible cook, but I am trying really hard to learn}

 

{This is stuffed bell pepper}

 

{I was a terrible Grand-daughter because I forgot lunch out with my Grandma. She Came over to my place instead}

 

{my kids with their Great Grandma}

 

{We indulged in a treat}

 

{Papa and baby love}

Weightloss Monday + a 30 day challenge

Mondays. Usually people hate the word. I feel this way to at time, but not this Monday. This Monday, I am excited! I am excited because I finally decided to stop putting bad things into my body. This Saturday I started the {Whole9} Nutritional lifestyle. I say lifestyle because I hate the connotation that the word "Diet" comes with and I don't do diets. I do lifestyle changes. I was vegan for 5 years and vegetarian for 4 years before that. I definitely don't do short term diets that don't work. This Saturday {06/16/12} I started the 30 day challenge. I am doing this challenge with one of my favorite blogger friends {Party_of_four}. Both of us will be showing our results once a week over the next 4 weeks {It's our new Mini-series}.


This is the program.

"We eat real food – meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, healthy oils, nuts and seeds. We choose foods that were raised, fed and grown naturally, and foods that are nutrient-dense, with lots of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals.

This is not a “diet” – we eat as much as we need to maintain strength, energy, activity levels and a healthy body weight. We aim for well-balanced nutrition, so we eat animals and a significant amount of plants.

Eating like this has helped us to look, feel, live and perform our best, and reduces our risk for a variety of lifestyle-related diseases and conditions." {Whole9 Website}

In the past 2 days I have felt fantastic, physically. It has definitely been hard not eating grains and flours and sugar since sadly it was part of every meal... I have been forcibly strong as my body detoxes off all the bad food I have been consuming. I am not to going to lie and say it's been easy. It has been hard but I just keep thinking that I don't want that bread or cookie in my body, my body deserves better. 


If you want to read more about this lifestyle and the 30 day challenge, read {HERE}


Here is a peak at what I have been eating this weekend...

{orange and lemon chicken with sun dried tomatoes and cucumber}

{Believe it or not, but I have never BBQ'ed myself. I've only watched}

{Free range angus beef with lemon zest, and seasoning. Topped with avocado and lemon zest}

{Sausage, carrot, sun dried tomato's, wrapped in egg = Burrito}

And of course here is my weight loss update.


No weight loss, but I can see definition and toning from my work outs and I am way less bloated. 


Current weight 156
Start Weight 228

{Starting Weight Photo's}

{Current Weight Photo's}

I am so ready to be feeling better and looking fitter, aren't you? Wanna join our 30 day challenge? Let me know. Comment below.