Sweet tooth...

Since I can't indulge in sweets as much as I want to or used to, I can at least talk about them! For fun, I'd like to know the following....

What's your favorite:

1) candy bar

2) type of Girl Scout cookie

3) kind of Blizzard

4) all time favorite dessert

Week 3

One more pound down!! I've TOTALLY slacked this last week (and most of week 2). Our anniversary celebrations allowed for some indulgences (but not as much as I expected to give in to). So I was happy that I actually lost weight this week! Tomorrow, I am back on the treadmill first thing!!

I am happy to welcome 3 new friends to Spark People! SP, DM, & ND...I was SO HAPPY to get the email from SP informing me that I had a new friend join my page! It is so motivating when you know you aren't in this alone! I look forward to keeping up with all of you during your journey and having you keep up with me! I have a total of 7 friends on my spark page and it is so fun!! Check out www.sparkpeople.com if you want to join us. My user name is skinnyjme

The main lesson I am learning about myself with this is that I HAVE to workout FIRST thing in the morning. Otherwise, no matter how good my intentions are, it just doesn't happen. My eating habits are so much better too (when I workout in the morning)! I am more likely to watch my calories so that I don't "ruin" all my efforts on the treadmill.

Biggest Loser had a great episode this week. All the contestants went home for the week. It was a good reminder to still stick with my plan no matter what my circumstances are (anniversary, etc.... I can still have a great time, but I don't have to go nuts just b/c I am celebrating something.)

Also, I really liked my friend, ND's goals she put on her spark page....
#1) plan my meals.
#2) exercise.
#3) stick with #1&#2

That about sums up my plan and the bottom line of what actually works! It's simple but not always easy!

Anniversary with Alec

So Murray and I spent the night at an adorable Bed & Breakfast this weekend in a TINY town called New Palestine. We drove to another TINY town about 15 min. away to have dinner at "the nicest restaurant east of Indy all the way to Columbus, OH." It's located in the basement of an old Public Library in Greenfield, IN. I cannot stress how tiny this town is. I mean, no one has ever heard of it. Nothing big is around...anywhere.

We are enjoying our dinner when our waitress stops by and calmly says, "Don't freak out, but I wanted to tell you that Alec Baldwin is sitting two tables behind you". We do the casual look see and can't believe that she's right. It was such a bizarre sight. (Major fish out of water experience). He's sitting 10 feet from us having dinner with 5 college students. We asked our waitress if she knew why he was in Greenfield, IN (this town wouldn't hardly show up on most IN maps!). She wasn't sure but guessed that it was b/c he was writing a book about the mistaken identity case involving 2 college students from Taylor Univerity (which is located about an hour away from where we were). He's spoken in some churches about that event. I am not sure what his connection with that story is but I want to try and figure that out.

Anyway, we aren't big celebrity freaks (well....I'm not, Murray tends to get pretty excited about meeting someone famous...). But we both couldn't get over how odd it was to see Alec sitting so close just having dinner like he lived here. He was the first celebrity I've met that actually looked like he does on TV (the other ones looked so much smaller than they do on screen). He was pretty robust, barrell-chested and tall.

We didn't bother him. He sat with his back to everyone so it was obvious he was trying to lay low. He must be either really funny or very intimidating b/c the people at his table were laughing loudly every 5 minutes!

4 years!

Yesterday, I got to celebrate the BEST day of my life! 4 years ago, just before midnight, I walked down the aisle to the most HANDSOME man in the world!! Since then, my life has continued to be filled with countless blessings! (two of my favorites are named Faith & Eli)! I am so thankful for my husband, Murray and the way that he loves me.

When I met Murray, my faith in God was renewed. Meaning, it went to a new level. I saw in such a remarkable way, how well God knows me and cares for me b/c Murray truly exceeded my hearts desires! He was not only what my heart was hoping for, but also what my heart NEEDED! He has made me a better person (even though I don't make that the easiest job most of the time!).

I love you, Murray! Looking forward to 50+ years with you!!!

Week 2

Well, it's been 2 weeks since my "new day" began. Sadly, I have no weight loss to report this week. Gladly, I have no weight gain to report either! I totally slacked with my workouts last week. I only completed 1! I wasn't as disciplined with my eating either. I DID log my calories and workout every day last week which is one of my goals on Sparkpeople! I told Murray that I can't imagine how many calories I used to consume each day if I am STRUGGLING to get by with my allotted 1200-1550 each day. I usually end the day around 2000 (that was last week's average).

My goal this week is to get back to my workouts, especially the strength training ones! I've already gotten one in today!!! I am also going to do better at staying within my range of calories! Late night snacking is getting the best of me! I am going to go to bed earlier (as long as Eli cooperates). I've been staying up TOO LATE (I'm such a night owl)) and that's when the late night snack binges come into play!

I'm happy to report that I've had 2 new friends join sparkpeople with me. It's been fun to chat with them, give them spark goodies, and share the struggles and victories with them! I'm not sure if they want me to mention their names so I won't but I'll still give them a shout out by using their initials!! Way to go CS, KG! Another shout out to my 2 friends that joined me during week 1....KF, JH--keep up the good work! EL--I still can't find you on sparkpeople!

My username is skinnyjme if you want to join sparkpeople look me up! We'd love more friends!!! ( www.sparkpeople.com )

I'll be back next week with another update! Thanks for all the encouraging emails and comments. They really do help a lot!

Rain, Rain, Go Away....

Needless to say, we are ready for the rain to stop!!! Here's a view of our backyard....

Week one!

Well, I am 2 pounds lighter!! Yep! I am happy to report a 2 lb. weight loss this week. I forgot to take my measurements last week so all I can compare is my weight. Overall, I am VERY PROUD of my progress. I set 2 main goals and stuck with them 100%!!! Here are the "tools" that I am using...

1) sparkpeople.com You've GOT to check out this website!!! It's the coolest thing for helping you set up your goals, nutrition plan (it even makes your grocery list for you), fitness routine (figures how many calories you need to burn per week to reach your goal), allows you to track your daily nutrition & fitness activity...not to mention all these special teams you can join for extra encouragment and support...some not even related to weight loss (fave tv show, etc). Anyway, there's a silly reward system that I am embarrassed to say motivates me to try to earn "spark points". My sister and friend, Jerri have joined. If you want to join us, go to the website and sign-up. It's FREE!!! I seriously have never had anything help motivate me more than this site. My 2 main goals are to track my food intake and fitness activity daily. Knowing that I have to write down everything I eat has saved me from eating WAY more than I should! BTW--my user name is skinnyjme if you want to look me up!

2) the treadmill! I LOVE having one in our house now. Going to the gym was such a chore (packing up the kids, etc). I love hopping on the treadmill and being done with my workout in aprox. 30 min!

3) Biggest Loser Cardio Max and Power Sculpt DVDs. Another home exercise that I've REALLY ENJOYED!! The trainers are great and the workouts are set-up to increase as your cardio/strength increases. I love seeing REAL people working out!! Make no mistake...the workouts are hard...even at level 1...Murray and I got our tails kicked!!

4) Dove Dark Chocolate Hearts...I REALLY enjoy having something sweet a couple times a day. (It used to be after every meal and for several snacks). I eat 1 or 2 of these a day and they don't take up many calories (about 40 each). It helps give me that sweet "fix" without spending too many calories.

5) Support....I have to give my sister, Kim, the prize for this one! She's right there with me and we talk every day about what we did well, didn't do well, etc. We've swapped a few recipes. But somehow just knowing she's sticking with it, helps me to do the same. I really appreciate all the emails and comments you guys sent me last week. They are super encouraging too!!

I did have 2 setbacks this week. A snack binge at 11:00 Thursday night and Superbowl Sunday dinner. I did WAY better on Superbowl snacking than I thought I would but I still consumed more calories than I should've! The best news for me to report is that I immediately got back on track after both setbacks. I would've just scrapped the whole week and then said "next Monday I'll start over" but I didn't do that this time!! I restarted the next morning!

My two biggest challenges are drinking enough water and NOT snacking after dinner.

Well, that's it for this week's weight update! Thanks again for helping keep me accountable!

Prayer of Faith

Hands together, head bowed, eyes looking around.....

God,

Mommy, E-I (Eli), Daddy, Sydney, Al-kicks (Alex), Tiffy, PJ at work, lots of jibberish, E-sa (Lisa), Benny, Jack, Mark, Wow (Will), lots more jibberish. (Mommy helps remind her about the food)---food, JE-sus, BIG SMILE....AMEN!

It THRILLS our hearts to hear this precious prayer every day (the names vary). Faith started praying totally on her own. We love to hear the prayers in her heart! What a special gift that is to parents!!

New Day....

I can't believe I'm about to do this but I feel like I need to so here goes.....

I am overweight. (I can already hear some of you saying, "You are not." "You just had a baby.") But the truth is I am. I feel it when I put on my clothes. I see it when I look in the mirror. I confirm it when I eat. (lack of self control: eating portions that are at least double what my body needs and having NO CONTROL over my consumption of sweets). I don't think I am honoring God with my eating habits. So therefore, I finally realized it's time for a "new day".

I currently weigh 165 pounds. Isn't that crazy?!?! I remember reaching 150 in college and thought that was INSANELY high. My goal weight is between 135-140. I am not focused on that number as much as how I look and feel. I want to be fit and feel good in my skin again. I've definitely slacked off WAY TOO LONG!! So there it is....the big ugly number and I am owning it today and working to lower it by the choices I make each day.

So here is my plan. (I am sharing it on this blog so that I will actually follow through. I can't count the number of Mondays I've started over. It's definitely time to just do it!)

1) keep a daily journal of the food I've consumed each day and set a goal to consume no more than 1400 calories/day.
2) complete at least one 30 minute workout 5-6 days a week.
3) allow myself a "free day" with an extra 500 calories allowed that day.
4) give a weekly update on this blog with my successes and setbacks.

I am typing this after just hopping off of our newly purchased treadmill (Thanks, Wax family!). I just jogged for 2.5 miles, burning 368 calories. I feel GREAT!!

So here I go! I am off with the Biggest Loser theme song ringing in my head..."What have you done today to make you feel proud????"

Anyone care to join me??? You can post your successes and setbacks with me each week if you want! I'd love some company!

Good book...

First of all, thank you so much for Murray's birthday wishes! They meant a lot to me as well as to him!

Secondly, I am on the hunt for a GREAT book to read. I am burnt out on reading magazines and parenting "how to" books. I am looking for a GREAT novel that's easy to pick-up AND put-down (I've got two little ones that demand a lot of attention). Great story, good characters, clean, etc. My favorite author is Francine Rivers but I've read all her books (I think).

We are taking Faith to the library tomorrow so I know this is late notice but if you have any suggestions please leave them fast!!

Thanks!

Happy 40th, Murray!!

My sweet, sweet and incredibly handsome hubbie is 40 years old today!!

My life is so much richer because of you, Murray! I thank God for you daily...hourly...even by the minute! Looking forward to celebrating you today!!

Faithy and Eli are THRILLED beyond words to have you for a Daddy! They love you SO SO SO SO SO MUCH!!

We love you!!!!

Eat your dinner!

Any suggestions on how to get a strong-willed, carb loving 2 year old to eat a well balanced dinner??

We are all ears!

Favorite Things...

Unlike Oprah, I won't be able to give these things away but here are a few of my favorite things from this past year!! (In no particular order...just the order blogger posted the pics)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this show!! It is SO INSPIRING! I didn't catch onto it until season 3 (to be honest, I was quit turned off by the "previews" not really understanding what the show was about, besides overweight people with their shirts off). I happened upon a Biggest Loser marathon one Saturday and watched the ENTIRE THING!! I was sort of embarrassed but it really changed me. I know that sounds cheesy and weird but it did! So check it out some Tuesday night on NBC! (I got the Cardio and Sculpting workout DVDs for Christmas...can't wait to try them out!! I've been sick for 7 days but I've watched them and can't wait to join the "team" and trainers!)

One of my favorite features of our new home are these bad boys!! We had to purchase our own since the W/D didn't convey. These guys make doing laundry almost enjoyable. If only someone would invent an automatic clothes folder and put awayer!

Of course, OUR FAVORITE NEW "thing" from this year is this little guy! Eli Burkhalter, born June 12th. We LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this little guy!

This smile!!!! We've never seen a child smile so much and he has captured our hearts!!

This other little guy in red is the direct result of countless prayers (four years worth). His name is Cade and we loved him WAY before we ever met him. He is the first tangible answer to years of prayer that I've experienced and I will NEVER forget the phone call from his parents announcing his arrival and the day I walked into the hospital looking at him for the first time!

Blogging! I really like catching up with friends and learning about their lives, interests, etc. My favorite new blog is this one.... http://www.namefreak.blogspot.com/ Check it out. It's super fun! My friend, Kelli has an obsession with baby names and this blog is one of her outlets! It's super fun....did I say that already???

The Go Fish Guys! Anyone with kids MUST check them out. I HIGHLY recommend their DVD, "Showtime" AND their cd "Superstar" Their C'mas album was great and we've heard great things about their cd, "Splash". You really will like them, I promise! http://www.gofishguys.com/

Meal planning! This surprised me as I used to view this as a burden of sorts but I think God's helped change me and now I really enjoy it. Each week I select a cookbook from my cabinet (or checkout one from the library) and I choose about 5 dinners I want to make (I allow 2 days for leftovers since most recipes make 6 servings and we only have 2 "real" eaters.) It makes me feel like I am providing for my family and it gives my grocery store runs a specific purpose (not to mention the money I save buying things I KNOW I'll use instead of things I THINK I might use. I plan to dedicate one day a week on this blog sharing a trusted recipe (and allowing readers to post a recipe for our family to try).

Having a 2 year old! Yes, I really mean that. Discipline has been a challenge but we are finding that if we are consistent and fair to Faith (i.e...playing with her, giving her a loose structure to her day, making nap time at the same time each day, letting her be active, etc.) her behavior changes DRAMATICALLY! It's funny how so much of how she acts is based on how we act/treat her (if we let things slide too much, let household tasks become too important, etc.). I've been really convicted to give her more structure and FOCUSED time. It's made a world of difference.

My favorite part of having a two year old is watching her language skills EXPLODE! I know it's the speech pathologist in me but I just can't help wanting to do a toe touch every time she says a new word or learns a new concept. It is SO MUCH FUN!!

There are tons of other favorite things but that's all I can think of right now (it's after midnight).
So what are some of your favorite things from this past year????

2 Years of Wonderful!

Faith Kinder Sanderson, born on December 20th, 2005

Her first birthday came so quickly!!

18 months old and such a pretty girl!!

Faith turned 2 years old last week. It is so hard to believe that she's been with us for that long and yet it feels as if we've always known life with her! (To be honest, we do have pretty fond memories of life before Faith when we go out to eat at restaurants....we NEVER imagined what a gift that was to dine together without any distractions!!)

Here are a few things we LOVE LOVE LOVE about our precious 2 year old, Faithy....

Her smile....it lights up a room as well as our hearts! Her giggle is even more infectious!!
She LOVES her Daddy! My favorite part of the day is when Murray comes home from work. It used to be just so I could see him and hug him but now it's also because Faith drops whatever she's doing and RUNS to Murray yelling "Daddy, Daddy". I can't describe the joy it creates in our home but we all LOVE seeing Daddy!
She LOVES her brother, Eli! EVERY morning she starts the day saying "Shhhh "I" sleeping" (she calls Eli, "I") she immediately does the sign for sleeping and then says "shhh" again. When Eli wakes up she RUNS to him and says, "Morning "I", "I morning". It's so cute. She showers him with hugs and kisses all day long and doesn't mind (too much) when he pulls her hair. She LOVES to share with him which we've discovered isn't always a good thing as we've had to quickly remove chicken nuggets and playdoh from Eli's mouth.
She has started to care for her baby dolls. She wants to diaper them, feed them, clothe them and read to them. She seriously teaches them as she reads. She'll say, "Baby, camel see. Baby, camel." She'll pick up her baby so the baby has a better view of the camel if she's not convinced the baby has understood her.
She loves to read and do puzzles. Her favorite book to read is her Rhyme Time Bible. She flips through her Bible for 20 minutes or so and "reads". It's SO cute. She even gets more passionate as her lesson goes on (we're still trying to catch this on video). Her other favorite book to read is the church's pictorial directory. She LOVES to look at pictures and name the people she knows. She'll sit and flip through the directory for what seems like ages in toddler time.

She LOVES her cousins. We are blessed to live near many of them and she talks about her cousins and asks for them nearly every day.
She LOVES her cousins in Texas too. Being the only girl, she's had to learn how to hang with all the boys (she has two older cousins Bennett & Briggs). It was SO FUN to see her play with them. She really gets along with all of them and loves to play chase!

*she is quick to apologize and does the sign for "sorry" when she's apologizing. The cutest part of her apology is that she ALWAYS apologizes to Aunt Kimmie. If Faith has screamed at me, I'll say, "Faith, we don't talk to Mommy that way." She'll immediately say, "Sorry, Kimmie". I'll say, Aunt Kimmie isn't here. You need to tell Mommy you're sorry." Her response is, "Sorry Kimmie. Kimmie sorry." We are happy to see a tenderness in her heart! We smile at her "Sorry Kimmie" all the time!

*she RUNS everywhere she goes. I hardly ever see her walking. She is super fast too! We're getting prepared to sit through a lot of track meets in the years to come.

*she loves to label things by who they belong to...."I's paci", "Faith's diaper", "Daddy's shoes" All day long she goes through and labels things she sees!

*she LOVES to dance. Her favorite song to dance to is "Superstar" by the Go Fish Guys (check them out at gofishguys.com if you've never heard of them. They have "great music for kids that won't drive their parents bonkers." We all LOVE their music and DVD). She calls the song "Na Na Na" and does her hand in a dancing motion like the guys do on their video.

*she loves to sing. Her favorite songs are "If you're happy and you know it", "Head shoulders knees and toes", "Patty cake Patty cake". "Jesus loves me". Her friend, Annika recently taught her "The wheels on the bus" and she likes that one too.

*she loves all her grandparents...."MaCa" (her great grandma she named her MaCa), "NayNay" (my mom), "Nana" (Murray's mom), "Grandman & Mimi" (my dad & stepmom) and "Granddad & Granlyn" (Murray's dad & stepmom). Lots of grandparents and she enjoys them all! We feel blessed to have so many grandparents loving our children!

*she's always been a great sleeper! She takes naps well and goes to bed without any fuss (most of the time). It's been a blessing for all of us!

*she loves sweets. She'll ask for a sucker. I'll say no. Then, she'll ask for a cookie. I'll say no. Then, she'll ask for candy. I'll smile big and still say no. Then, she'll ask for a treat. I try to convince her that yogurt or graham crackers could be her treat! She sometimes will fall for it.

*there are, of course, many many more things we LOVE about Faith but those are treasured up in our hearts and I'm certain we couldn't find the right words to describe those things so we'll leave them bursting in our hearts.

Faith Kinder Sanderson you are dearly loved!

6 More Months of Wonderful!!

A year and a half ago, we presented "6 months of wonderful" when our precious daughter, Faith, turned 6 months old. How is it possible that now our little boy has given us "6 more months of wonderful"??? He was just born the other day....wasn't he????

We can hardly believe that Eli has been with us for 6 MONTHS. He has been a delight to us in SO MANY ways! He is the most smiley child we've ever seen. A friend at church recently told us that he has an "infectious smile". We totally agree. No matter what mood I'm in, a smile from Eli melts my heart and brings a smile to my face as well. He smiles at EVERYTHING!!

Eli Burkhalter Sanderson, born June 12th, 2007 at 3:59 p.m.

Thank you God for giving us 6 months of wonderful-ness in the form of Eli!! We LOVE LOVE LOVE you, baby boy!!

Mommy & Daddy (and Faithy)

Cute kids

The weather has turned colder. I LOVE this picture of Faithy in her fleece pjs, tennis shoes and hat. She still LOVES going outside....even if it's only to get the mail.
Faith loves being in the pack-n-play with Eli. Here she is eating a graham cracker in front of him.
Eli decides he'd like to have a bite!
Faith figures out how to save her cracker without much incident. (How sweet of her to decide to hold her brother's hand!!)

Look-alike meter....Eli

I saw this on Amanda, Jennie and Kelli's blogs. Thought it looked fun. Not sure how accurate I think it is. Most say equally like both (or close to it). I'd be interested to see some of my friends' meters who have kids that definitely favor one parent over the other (CNS, BT, Holly O., Laura S., Ramona, Chelsea, Becky B.). I'll be checking your blogs to see if you tried this!!

Look-alike meter--Faith

Where's Faith???

Where's Faithy????? (Doesn't this picture remind you of when you where a kid??)
She's inside her indoor fort with her Daddy reading her favorite books!
A picture I just couldn't resist!!!!
While Faithy plays in her little fort, Eli practices rolling around.

Nana's visit!!!!

We had a great visit with Nana last week. It was so nice to get to spend a whole week with her. We got to go to a lot of really cool places and enjoyed spending a lot of time at home with Nana too! Mommy got a lot of items checked off her "to do" list while Nana took care of us. Here are a few highlights.....Going to the Indianapolis Zoo. We saw a swimming polar bear, lions, giraffes, kangaroos, elephants, dolphins, a tiger and so many other cool animals!!!
Faith and Daddy with the penguins
Eli really enjoyed his "Nana time"
Faithy loved looking at pictures on Nana's camera. She also liked all the stories Nana read to her.
Thanks, Nana for a great visit! We love you!!