Change is Good...and Contagious!

James and I are nearing the end of our first week of our new fitness program! I have stuck with my running and already 5 days in have lost 3 lbs! It is amazing how when you work your body, it seems to rise to the challenge. It WANTS to be strong and healthy. It's like giving a plant water and sunshine...it can't help but flourish.

I have really enjoyed reading up on health (especially nutrition and diet) these past couple of years. I feel like it is part of my mission to help others realize the joy and freedom that comes from being truly healthy. However, I have learned from one of my favorite sites www.greensmoothiegirl.com, that health is like a 3-legged stool. Two of the legs are diet, and the third is exercise. So although diet is EXTREMELY important, what happens if you chop off that third leg by neglecting your fitness? Doesn't work out so well. I have been able to control my diet pretty well, but have not until recently created a regular habit of exercise. I can't tell you how much better I feel doing both...AND, James and I even had a cheat day where we ate some treats and I am still losing weight (more on that in a minute).

Because of my desire to help others as I journey along this road of health, I have decided to sign up to become a Beachbody coach. What exactly does that mean? I have the opportunity to share my success with others and give them encouragement and support to fulfill their fitness goals. I have a built-in community of coaches and members to receive support and encouragement myself. Plus, accountability really helps a person stay on track. If others will be "checking up" on me or looking to me as any type of example, that will motivate me to keep my goals firmly in place and keep striving towards them. It's fun, and it's SO up my alley. :)

If you or anyone you know would like my help, advice, support-whatever- please share with them my coaching website. My coaching services are completely FREE. I have an awesome coach (who happens to be my Sis), and she has been a great motivator and mentor.

www.beachbodycoach.com/holliwyett

To sign up for complimentary coaching, just click "Join" and then click the free membership option and you will automatically be assigned to me. I will contact you, and we can discuss your goals and ways I can help!

Along with our daily workouts and my running, James and I have started what Beachbody calls a transitional diet. Each week we add a new component to our diet, eventually weeding out all the bad habits and ending with a whole foods, well-balanced diet just 6 weeks later (for all the details on our personal journey and diet, go to my coaching website, click My Profile, and then click on Transformation Story). This week all we had to do was cut out all the junk- candy, soda, chips, ice cream, etc. This was much harder for my hubby! But, we also get 2 FULL cheat days! Saturday was our first cheat day, and I have to say we went a little overboard. We've decided that our next cheat day will be much more mellow!

We are excited also to try some Beachbody's health products. We have recently ordered one of their premier health shakes called Shakeology. Normally, I am not into buying pre-made, meal-replacement type foods. I like eating real whole foods, like God intended. However, the more I read about Shakeology, the more impressed I was. It is a whole foods/superfoods shake complete with a ton of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes, and probiotics (all from real food sources). It is raw (not heated too high during the dehydration process to cause damage to the nutrients) and pesticide free as well. Because it is so rich in nutrients, it is like a multi-vitamin adding energy and life to your body on a cellular level. It also aids your body in the process of elimination (the process that is primarily responsible for removing excess FAT and other toxins that may lead to disease). My sister sent us samples, and it was fabulous. We have heard so many success stories from people who drink this regularly. Our shipment is due to arrive on Friday, so I will keep you posted on how we like it. For more details on the Shakeology, visit:

www.shakeology.com/holliwyett

James and I are also drinking 1 quart, yes 1 QUART, of green smoothie per day! That also really speeds up elimination (sorry if this is TMI), and adds hydration, protein, and a TON of nutrients. For more info on green smoothies and recipes, click my dinner blog on the right-hand side of this blog.

Change is coming...and we are hoping it will be contagious! :)

*For those of you not familiar with Beachbody, it is a fitness and wellness company that provides workout DVDs, nutritional supplements, meal-planning and diet advice, gear, an online community for support- it is very extensive and has something for everyone. You are probably familiar with some of their exercise programs- p90x, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs, etc. Check them out at www.beachbody.com.*

July 19, 2011

It's Been TWO Weeks?

It seems like I just blogged, but then I looked at the last post date and it was two weeks ago! Well, you can tell we have been busy! I will once again, give you the highlights (plus, a ton of pictures of Emma!):

Emma is growing by leaps and bounds. She recently started talking. She will mimic many sounds and words such Mama, Dada, Dog, Nigh Nigh (night night), Hi, and Up. Her little voice is seriously cute!!

Can you tell that she likes to stick her tongue out a lot? :)

Her sleep training is going SO well! I can't tell you how much I love my Sis Wendy for helping me so much with this overwhelming task. Last night Emma slept from 7pm to 3am with no crying (she has NEVER slept this long in her entire life!), and then went back to bed until after 7am! A couple more nights like this and I will feel like a new woman. :)

This is Emma's favorite thing to play with- our DVD collection! Out goes the DVDs one by one...it's never-ending fun!

Emma loves crawling around in our front yard. She especially likes all of our new rocks. She will pick one up and then another and another. She hates our grass, however. She will crawl over and touch it, but she refuses to sit on it! Very funny.

Trip to Costco!

This is a funny story. A couple days ago we get a picture and a text of Bradley's cousin Hannah hugging a giant teddy bear. It looked like she was in a store, but we couldn't tell where. In the text they wrote, "Hannah loves you THIS much!" When we saw the exact same bear in our Costco, we had to send them a picture with the text, "Well, Bradley loves you THIS much!"

We got a killer deal on strawberries so we spent an entire Saturday (and I do mean an ENTIRE Saturday) making jam, syrup, dehydrating strawberry slices, and bagging up the rest in freezer bags for our smoothies! I wish I could say we'd be set for awhile, but we only ended up with 8 jars of jam and 3 of them turned black...not sure what I'm doing wrong here...I hope they taste good!

Big Goof with Lil' Goof. :)

Well, our big news is James and I are finally sick and tired of being sick and tired (and fat)! We have committed to a fitness program and we are starting tomorrow at 5:30 am sharp! I am very excited to get back into shape both exercise and diet wise. I am reading the classic nutrition book "Fit for Life," and have been applying it's principles for the past 2 weeks. It's right up my alley as far as being a whole foods, high plant-based diet/lifestyle. It also focuses on eating foods in the right combinations and at the right times to facilitate digestion and thus free up energy to burn fat and detoxify the body. It's fascinating.

James and I are doing another Tony Horton program called Power Half Hour. It is a 30 minute workout targeting your arms, abs, thighs, and buns, 6 days per week for 4 weeks, followed by 1 recovery week (mild exercise plus lots of stretching). I am going to continue my running 3 times a week as well. Our hope is to shed some pounds and inches, and be prepared to start p90x or a comparable program in 5 weeks! Thanks to my Sis Heath and her hubby Nelson for all the support and advice! They are both coaches for the company Beachbody that produces all of these great in-home workouts. James and I are going to sign up on Friday to become coaches as well. They have an incredible line of health supplements in addition to their DVDs. We are hoping to utilize their products to maximize our results, and then share our success with others. It's time to start practicing what I've been preaching, folks!

Peek-a-Boo!

Puzzle Time!

Okay, so we now have a huge Spiderman tent in our living room. Why, you ask? We were, for a short period of time, a normal family. We even had a large couch and coffee table in our living room (like normal families have). However, we discovered two things this week that have caused us to be less than normal. The first was that we have mice scurrying around our house, and the second was that there was large tear in the bottom of our couch where mice could easily crawl up and make a perfect nest! So out went the couch, and in came several mouse traps. We have gotten a couple mice, but I fear there are more. I really don't like having mice crawling around...I love animals, but let's face it, it's creepy and gross.

So, Bradley designed our new empty living room. Hence the Spidey tent. He also added a mini Foosball Table, books, and toys. It's basically a playroom. I'm fine with it. Emma adores it, and we put a rug and her soft puzzle mats in there to cushion her falls. And it's not like we aren't going to move everything around in a couple weeks any way like usual! But just a heads up if you come to visit, we have no couch! We do have a love seat in our den/nursery/school room or you can relax in our lovely dining room with your pick of 5 cushioned chairs!

Savanna survived her trek! The whole time she was gone, Benjamin was making up songs about her and the trek. My favorite was "Savanna's gonna be eaten by a crocodile!" He's a funny kid. But, no, fortunately she was not eaten by a crocodile. She actually had an amazing time. She was tested physically and emotionally, and surprised herself as she rose to the challenge and finished the trek strong! She even had hurt her knee a few days before and managed to walk the entire way while many of the other girls opted to get in some of the vehicles that went along with the companies. Savanna gave a really sweet talk about her experience at both Girl's Camp and Youth Trek on Sunday during Sacrament meeting. And, she really has changed since she has been home. She missed her siblings greatly and has been very sweet with them. She also has been extremely helpful and SO grateful.. I like!

We hit the beach on Sunday for some much needed R & R. Savanna has made good friends with a 14 year old Swedish foreign exchange student named Anni. Anni is a very sweet girl, and we enjoyed talking with her and learning more about her country. She informed us that everything here in the U.S. is bigger than in Sweden. The people are bigger, the cars are bigger, the stores and food portions are bigger...ah, to be remembered for that! Another reason we are starting our exercise program!!

Emma loved the beach! She loved all the different textures, and any time anyone would dig a hole she would crawl over and sit right in it!!

Emma loves her new toy- Thanks Auntie!

Emma's Belly Laugh!

I've never heard her laugh this hard- so priceless!

June 30 - July 13, 2011

More Milestones...And Sickness

Well, no sooner had we all gotten better from our stomach bug, than we got hit with colds and poor, little Emma had her first ear infection! It was a miserable week or two, with almost no sleep at all for me. Emma has never been a good sleeper, but during this last bout of sickness she began waking up every 45 minutes to an hour all night long...even after she became well!

In hindsight, it was actually a good thing for three reasons: 1.Every sickness she gets builds her immune system. 2. I was able to call on our homeopath, Dr. Fine, for some remedies which completely handled the ear infection and cold without any drugs, and he put her on a remedy to help with sleeplessness and teething (she is also getting two more bottom teeth)! And, 3. It brought me to my threshold of sleep deprivation, and made me finally commit to a sleep training schedule (and back to Dr. Fine, his remedies for the sleeplessness and teething have been a HUGE help in making this plan successful).

In order to make this plan work, we finally moved our princess into her very own room downstairs (We moved just her crib into the school room- hence, the map. We still have a porta-crib upstairs so she can nap there during the day and the older children have access to the learning closet and school room). I was sick the first night and must have laid awake half the night watching that monitor...but, she did well and didn't seem to mind it at all! In fact, having her milk source out of her direct sight and smell seemed to help her sleep much better.

My wonderful Sis-In-Law is coaching me through sleep training Emma. She did this for her work, and is very knowledgeable about this subject and is also very inspired by the Spirit. I have been following her advice exactly for 7 days, and Emma is doing wonderful! She is still getting up about 3 times per night, but only for about 10 minutes, and pretty soon I hope to eliminate at least two (possibly all) of those feedings. Oh, what it will feel like to sleep through the night! I have forgotten what that is like, but I long for it. :)

The major part of this sleep training that I think I naturally did with my others, but for some reason never got around to with Emma, was creating a very strict schedule for naps and bedtime. We have just carted Emma around with us everywhere we go, not paying any attention to time or schedules. Some days she would nap once, some days twice, some not at all- and never at the same time! Since I have implemented a strict morning and afternoon nap time, and bedtime, I have a completely different baby. She was always happy, but she is happier! We all have consistency in our day, and I can really plan it out. Plus because she was so overtired all the time from lack of consistency, it was taking James or I literally an hour to get her to sleep every night! We would have to rock her until she was dead asleep, and if she woke up when we tried to leave herwe would pick her up and start all over again! And this is our FOURTH baby, people! We know better than this!

Ah, at any rate, I do not regret the hours of cuddles and kisses, but I love that it literally takes me 5 minutes to read her two short board books, sing our sleep song, lay her right down awake, say goodnight, and leave the room. It is to the point in just a week that she doesn't even cry when I lay her down...at all. She smiles up at me and feels so safe and content that she knows what is expected of her and has time to rest her growing body. It also feels good as Mom to allow her the opportunity to learn how to fall asleep without my help, and to have special cuddle/reading/singing time several times a day with her feels very comforting (for both of us). I don't do the cry-it-out method very well. I have done it a couple times this week, but if she gets real upset we go in and rub her back and assure her that we are still there. It has only happened once or twice- she is really taking to the schedule!

She also had her first bath in the big bath tub this week. I have been bathing her in the sink since birth, but now that she is crawling around EVERYWHERE, I am going to have to start bathing her more often. She wasn't too sure about the bath tub. She liked it for about 10 minutes and then wanted out. I think tomorrow I will have one of her brothers go in with her to keep her company.

Couldn't resist this picture. I love the back of babies' heads, especially with the little duck tail.

Another milestone- Emma is finally eating! Just in the last few days she is finally showing some interest in real food. Right now she just has one small meal (about the size of an ice cube) around lunch time. Today she had her first green smoothie- spinach, apples, and bananas. She absolutely loved it! An ingenious way to get raw greens into your baby. I wish I would have known about this with my other three. Raw greens are so nutrient dense and practically digest themselves (raw fruit too), that there is practically nothing better to feed new eaters. I'm also hoping that feeding her solids during the day will tide her over better at night- every little bit helps!

Benjamin wanted you all to know that he drank his shake too!

My friend Jen bought these baby leg warmers for Emma. They are so darn cute! And I've been putting them on her and pulling them up above the knees to cushion her little legs as she crawls on this tile. And yes, she has had a few spills already. I knew it was coming! But, she is pretty tough and if you look away or smile at her she only cries for a second.

She pulls herself up on everything and has begun walking hanging onto to furniture. I really don't think it will be long until we have a walker on our hands. She sees her brothers running around and she goes crazy! She can't wait to chase after them!!

Oh, and she just learned to wave too (see the videos below)! Whenever you say hi to her she will smile big and wave with one hand (sometimes two), and she sometimes says "Hah"...which I think is baby for "Hi." :)

June 16 - 29, 2011

Busy Saturdays

Savanna and I had another "food prep" day in anticipation of Emma's arrival. My boys have been playing on the patio ALL DAY, so we were able to get a lot of food made to save and for this coming week. They are still so happy outside that I have time to update my blog (And check out my food blog because I am going to put some of these recipes on there today too)!

Okay, so today we made:

Lentil Stew

I love my crock pot. I use it several times a week. One of my favorite cook books is called "The Vegetarian Mother's Cook Book." Has some fabulous recipes for pregnant women and moms with young kids. Basically they are whole food recipes, but they are simple and quick. What pregnant mom has time to whip up gourmet meals every night?? Savanna and I have been using the crock pot for months for breakfasts in the morning. Mornings were not so good for me for a long time, so we would put some steel cut oats and water in the crock pot before bed, and oatmeal would be ready for the kids in the morning! Savanna would just dish it up and add some fruit and nuts, and I could stay in bed a little longer. We also started making parfaits the night before or muesli (cold cereal made of different grains, coconut milk, dried fruit, nuts- whatever you have on hand). My boys are starving when they wake up, and now they don't have to wait for a really hearty breakfast.

Kale Salad

My kids love kale. We used to make kale chips, but now they don't even make it to the dehydrator!

Green Salad

Simple, but pretty- had to put in on here!

Banana, Orange, Flax Crackers

Okay, bad picture, but I'll take another when they are done! I'm always trying to figure out how to get those omegas into my kids. This recipe is a winner (I'll put it on the food blog for sure!).

OJ Pops

Strawberry Freezer Jam

We finally ran out of our year's supply of jam that we made last summer! We didn't make quite as many jars this time, but I think it will last us at least 6 months. And I tried the no/low sugar pectin recipe. I added a little bit of agave and fresh apple juice. Turned out REALLY good!

Trail Mix

This saves really nicely in the freezer.

And, Avocado Chutney!

This is also a fam favorite. My husband even requests it- SO good (on the food blog as well)!