My 35th Year

I am excited to get my life going the right way again. Since I have started working things have been insane. I will be working so many hours over the next month that I don't know how I will survive, but I am going to do it and then smile when the paychecks come in. It is crazy to think that I am now 35. Life flies by. My girls are all doing so well in school and I am so proud of them. I love being a mom and can't wait for January when I can start really having fun again.

Long Days and Nights in Paradise

Well, the good news is I am down an additional two pounds which is absolutely amazing. Only 1 pound from my next landmark so I am extremely excited about that.

Bad news, I have absolutely no idea what happened to my dog. Rocky is really good at finding escape routes from our fence line and well once again he has escaped only this time he hasn't returned home and it has been three hours. I don't know how I feel about this. I am tired of the extra work that comes with three small children and a dog but like the girls I am really attached to the little guy. I just don't know what to do about it this time. To say the least he has lost all of his running free access in our yard. This is a shame because it is such a nice backyard for the little guy to play in.

I am exhausted to the point that I just want to curl up in my bed and sleep the rest of the day. Unfortunately, last night I was out driving around searching for Rocky at 2 am and then I got up at 8 to go to the gym and have been searching for the pup since. I have to work tonight and tomorrow night and then my normal schedule begins. This will be much nicer since it will be M, W, F, & S nights so I will pretty much have a night between each.

I am proud of myself though, because even with my insane schedule over the last two weeks I have still managed to eat right and workout almost every single day. I have lost more weight and am still well on my way to reaching my ultimate goals. I am just shy of being half way to my goal. Hip hip hooray.

Well, I need to go finish getting things ready for the zoo since I will be going straight to work from there. Have a great night.

Tuesdays in August

Ok, so nothing special happens on Tuesdays in August but I couldn't think of a title for the day. Today is a normal crazy day in the Halvorsen household. I got home from work and decided that I would try and go straight to sleep, but well, the crickets drove me nuts and kept me up. I think I fall asleep faster on the couch watching tv. I got up and got Aspen out the door on time which is an accomplishment on five hours of sleep for somebody that needs eight.

Emma is quick it is now 10:30 and Emma just came in worried because she can't find Aspen. She was concerned because she wasn't in any of the beds. Imagine that she was asleep when I left to take Aspen to school. It will be interesting to get her out to school. Eek.

Well, anyway I dropped Aspen off at school and she was like, "Mom, I go meet my friends in line to go in." Ok, don't you want me to watch and make sure you make it.... Boy, she is growing up. This is her first full day so it will be interesting to see how she likes being in school all day. It will be interesting to see how mommy likes having her in school all day.

Well, after adding a couple of pounds over the weekend I am again at a low and it feels so great. I am feeling better than ever and really enjoy how much better you feel when you take care of yourself. I am so much happier and more self confident which makes a world of difference. I really am liking the changes in me physically and mentally. I feel like the old me is here to stay at last. Watch out Boyd.

Well, I have a million things to catch up on since I have slacked off with my working schedule. Laundry is coming out of every corner of the house. Ok, so not exactly the truth but I have a lot of it to do. Have a great day.

I hit my first 30 lbs today so I figured it was time for a Hip hip hooray.

It is so crazy. I had really started to slack off again and things went downhill quickly. I gained all of my weight back and I mean all of it to the same high I was a year ago and said I would never hit again. I really didn't like myself at all and crawled back into my shell of none existence. I stopped calling friends again, I became the unhappy mom, my girls really suffered from this down fall but then Boyd made the stupidest comment and it totally hit home. I think I have always felt like I fail at everything because I never finish things. (Ok, so this is not entirely true but we only see the worst in ourselves.) I know I have set myself up for failure every single time I have tried to get rid of these dreaded pounds since I got married. I am not ready to share all the facts, once I hit my goal it will be a huge accomplishment but until then let's just say I had put on way too much weight. I refused to put on a size 20 though I really had to stuff myself into a size 18 pant. This was not something I would have ever thought possible as a thin teen. I really had it easy then but I think that that was a curse because I never had to learn how to eat healthy and take care of myself physically. I ate what I wanted and didn't gain a pound. Then PCOS hit me with a bang and I gained 50 pounds right after I got married and the weight continued to creep on.

Anyway back to my excitement of what I have accomplished. In the last month I have worked my fanny off and lost 30 pounds and have dropped to a pants size 12 or 14 depending on the brand but the 12's are becoming more of a regular thing. And all of this because Boyd told me that I have finished a lot of books. I know, I know not much of a statement but you have to realize that I was at an all time low and not really thinking clearly. The very next day I started taking TAIslim again, started doing the South Beach diet since this is what my OB said was the way I should eat for the rest of my life with PCOS, and started working out every day. I can now run 3 miles and have shaved 5 minutes off of my mile. I started at 15 minute miles but this is after being in such bad shape that I hadn't been able to make a half mile run without walking in between.

I think the best part of this whole experience is that I know that I am well on the way to finishing the race. (as well as being a good mom once again.) I now allow myself bad days, even bad weeks, but I get right back on and go strong. I have also realized that sugar makes me really sick so although I do allow days of indulgence I pay the price the next so it is becoming much easier to just not have things I shouldn't. I have begun doing research on line for new recipes and like always enjoy trying new things. You learn to get very creative. My new favorite breakfast is scrambled eggs with cottage cheese mixed in. I know it sounds gross but it is really satisfying.

Now, I don't have to ask if "these jeans make my butt look fat?" because well, they are really starting to make it look cute. And just you wait until the end. It is funny how weight works. Last year when I lost 40 pounds I felt great, was 10 pounds less than now, but I couldn't fit into the two pair of goal pants that I had hanging in my closet as a constant reminder.... I can now wear both pair, I wore one a pair of board shorts to the pool today and the other a really cute pair of capris that Cindy gave me a few days ago to work. What a sense of accomplishment. I guess I need to go get another pair to keep working toward. This time I will get my ultimate goal size an 8 and keep those in site.

Have an amazing evening, I am going to go enjoy some time with the fam since I don't have to work tonight and Boyd should be walking in the door any second.

Happy Days are on the Way

It is amazing how things change. I have been so stressed out with finances and everything else in the last few months and now all of a sudden things are looking up. Boyd is finally getting a raise that is fair and I am working so we will finally be able to get our priceless but very expensive daughter paid off. Heck, isn't it normal to still be paying for your seven year old? I started working on Saturday and though it is a change and will be tough at times it is a great change. I have been feeling like I am not contributing to the family. Ok, bad words for a mom that works 24/7, but sometimes you just feel so complacent and like things are just on a stand still. I am so grateful that I have been able to stay home with the girls for the last seven years and wouldn't change a thing but I think it will be a sense of pride to be able to say that I am doing something to help out with the finances and with my own growth. I will be working four days a week at night and it is fortunate that Boyd works for such a small dealership because I will be able to drop the girls off for an hour twice a week and he is off one of the times so Saturdays are the only day that he will not be with them. I was asking Aspen if she is glad that I work at nights and she said yes because she likes having that special time with her daddy. It will be interesting though over the next week and a half because Aspen will be starting school on Monday and Boyd will be the one getting the girls ready for the nighttime routine. Aspen and Emma will go to opening ceremonies Monday and then the kindergartners will be testing at some point next week. Emma will then start school on the 31st. I also was fortunate enough to finally find a preschool for Dylan she will be going to school three days a week. What am I going to do when all three of my girls are in school. It is so crazy to see how much things have changed. I have been home almost all day with three girls with minor breaks (am kindergarten and two days of preschool) to Aspen in school all day, Emma in am k, and Dylan in three days of preschool.

I guess there are absolutely no excuses for not getting my workouts in. I actually have only had three days off in the last four weeks and most of those have included some form of activity. Man, my lifestyle has really taken a change since moving to Bountiful. I finally have realized that the headaches I have suffered from for the last oh.... let's not say years and age myself.... since I was five are brought on by sugar. WHO'd HAVE THUNK? My dad, he told me to limit them several times over the years. I don't have the sever headaches when I don't have sugar and when I take a break and do I pay the price for the next few days. I have learned to make some pretty interesting food options. I have found a pretty good recipe for egg buns. Ok, so it taste nothing like real bread but when you don't get a headache from them it is worth it. I made the best burger with onions and mushrooms on one the other day and as long as you haven't had bread for several days it is heavenly.

Well, I have been really taking care of myself and am gradually getting to my weight goals. I am hoping to reach it by my 35th (there it is:)) birthday so I have about three months to reach it. I want to have this year be the start of the best years of my life...

I had better go I have a lot to get done and have to get to the gym before too late. Boyd will be walking in the door any minute and if we want to do a family activity before I leave for work at 5 then I had better get on the ball.

Have an amazing day.

Wow It's Been A While

Well, I finally have internet for the first time in two months and it is great. A lot has happened since then. We moved to Bountiful, I got a job, and am now working hard again on getting into top shape. I have lost 25 lbs and am on my way to my goal. I hope to make it by my 35th birthday. I want to be older and wiser and in the best shape of my life. Things are turning around for the better in the Halvorsen household. I have lots to do but wanted to say hi once again as I am starting to get things up and running again.

TGIFriday... I am so ready

Well, things just keep getting crazier and crazier in the Halvorsen household. I am waiting for details on when we are going to move but in the meantime I am working on getting things going with Pampered Chef, my workout sessions, and life in general. I feel so much better about myself these days and am so ready to move on to bigger and better things.

Aspen will be finished with Kindergarten next week and I am so ready for it to be over with. She is suffering from Summer Fever and just doesn't want to cooperate in the mornings. Granted I don't blame her. I am just ready to have a bit of a break from getting her to school. It is just not worth the struggle anymore. We will miss her school next year though. Bluff Ridge has been amazing and I have loved Mrs. Henderson. I, however, cannot wait to move into our new house, get organized at last, and just move on to our new life. I am really liking the positive changes I am making but just want to be settled in not in the state of utter caous that I feel like I am living in with moving boxes surrounding me and the endless stacks of stuff.... My goodness where did it all come from.

I better go get my workout in before more boxes come my way so that I can get more packed. Eek. Will the stuff ever disappear. Have an amazing weekend.