Seth's 5th Birthday

Well, we survived the Birthday celebration for our 5-year old. It was a fun-filled day, which started out with a small gathering at our house for Seth and a few friends from preschool. The kiddos played and also created a birthday poster for Seth to hang in his room to memorialize the occasionl. That evening, we had a family party which included the Cooper's, the Watts', and the Rathke's. We ate pizza, cake and homemade ice cream. Seth even helped mommy decorate the cake! Seth had a blast and received many nice cards and gifts. We also took the immediate family to Chuck-E-Cheese the Sunday before his birthday and celebrated with 3 hours of arcade games!!!

Happy Birthday to my Seth Ryan!!! Mommy loves you!!!

Daily Tip - Menu Planning

Disclaimer: I must first say that I am not a licensed professional. My tips and ideas should be implemented at your own risk. I cannot make you lose weight. I cannot make you eat healthier. I cannot make you exercise daily. What I can do is offer you motivation and perhaps a little bit of inspiration.

Menu Planning is MUST for me. Not only to aide in my weight loss ~ body transformation journey, but also because it gets pretty busy around the Cooper house and if I don't plan ahead, we would end up eating popcorn for supper. Now, I don't just plan for supper meals, I also plan for my lunch time meals because we both take our lunches to work. This is mainly to cut back on the cost of food, but also to help me have some control over what I put in my mouth. I basically have this HUGE list of meals that I know my family will eat. I have it written down and posted on my fridge. I normally do my grocery shopping on Sunday morning, so Saturday night I look through my cabinets and freezer and see what I have in stock that I could use for meals the next week. Then I cross reference that list with my huge list of meals on the fridge, and then write out on another list (can you tell I am a list maker????) what the daily meals will be. Then I can create my shopping list. I try and plan meals that will provide leftovers so I can take them the following day for my lunch, as the hubby does not usually eat leftovers. I also love to utilize my crock pot, so if can cook my meal or at least the meat portion of the meal in the crock pot, then when I get home from work, I can add a couple of vegetables and a starch and be ready to feed the family.

Now, if someone were really diligent, they could also track the coupons that are in the Sunday paper and plan their meals around the most savings they can find. However, I don't have the time to be that organized. I just usually buy the store label or generic brands when possible.

Poo-Poo'd on the POTTY!!!!

That's right folks....my daughter who is barely 18 months old, actually pooped on the potty. I seriously think she is a genius. I mean seriously, look at who her mother is!!! Check out this candid photo of the proud little girl!!!

Okay, so take a closer look.....she actually pooped on the toilet seat lid!!! Well, better than nothing!!! (yeah, kinda gross)

Preparing for a PARTY!!!

My middle child, Seth Ryan, will be celebrating his 5th Birthday on Tuesday, July 29th. I am in a mad rush to get the house cleaned up before the big party. On the morning of his birthday, we are having a small gathering with just a few friends from preschool. Seth wants a race car themed party, so I am going to decorate the house to look like a pit stop at the races and I am planning some race track themed activities. I am also serving chocolate chip cookies and juice boxes. After the guests leave from he morning party, I will be in a mad dash to get his Race Track Cake decorated and reorganize the house for the evening, family party. Both sets of grand parents will be on hand, so beware!!! We are having pizza, cake and homemade ice cream. All I can say is YUM-O. I will post photos after the big event.

Probably the MOST exciting thing about celebrating his 5th birthday is that our immediate family is making a trip to Chuck-E-Cheese on Sunday. That is all Seth asked for, so we are going as a family to let the kiddos run around. I imagine that Seth's head will just about explode when we enter those doors. Plus, I am certain that Karah Jo will be running around like a striped ass ape for the entire time we are there. Afterwards, we need to make a stop at Target and then back home.

In the meantime, I feel like a crazed maniac trying to get the house organized and cleaned up and some what presentable before the day-long adventure on Tuesday! Wish me luck!!!

Going the the Dentist....SUX!!!

Okay, so does anyone know why they recommend that you have your teeth cleaned every 6 months???? Well, I do.......to avoid the need to have 10-12 cavities filled. YES, you read correctly.....I have between 10 and 12 cavities. It had been at least 3 years since I had been to the dentist. Why you ask.....well, I hate the dentist. I hate the scraping and the flossing and the gritty mess left inside my mouth. I hate it. But, after I could visibly see decay in my mouth, I decided it was time. PLUS, I want my kids to get into the habit of going, so I wanted to be a good role model. We have dental insurance, so I bit the bullet the made the appointment.

I went to John C. Patton, D.D.S. and his LOVELY hygienist, Kerry Bruce. Let's face it, you spend most of your time with the hygienist, so we hope that they are friendly to you and kind to your mouth. This woman was fabulous and we had a great conversation. PLUS, I learned a lot.

Did you know that your teeth, both baby and permanent teeth, develop in utero. So, if your mother does not drink enough water with fluoride, your teeth (namely enamel) may not develop properly. Also, during the first year of life, your teeth continue to develop, so again, fluoride fortified water is crucial to a newborn. Also, if a baby is on a lot of antibiotics during their first year, then their teeth suffer as well. We got into this discussion because I have very rough teeth and I asked why. She explained that it happened in my mother's womb and that my teeth have some enamel, but I am lacking what the normal person would have. Thus, the many cavities. I was born in Wichita and lived there during my first year. Kerry told me that Wichita does not have fluoride in their tap water. A fact that I pointed out to my MOTHER last night. However, the water in Emporia, KS is like within the 5th percentile in the nation.

I am not sure that I will ever have a beautiful mouth, like I would love. However, that won't ever keep me from smiling!!!!

Daily Tip

Disclaimer: I must first say that I am not a licensed professional. My tips and ideas should be implemented at your own risk. I cannot make you lose weight. I cannot make you eat healthier. I cannot make you exercise daily. What I can do is offer you motivation and perhaps a little bit of inspiration.



Daily Weight Loss Tip:

ALWAYS eat breakfast!!!! Okay, so this DOES NOT mean stop at the closest Krispy Kreme or drive thru McDonald's and order a #1 with a large coke!!! Nor does this give you permission to drop 75 cents in the vending machine for those 'oh so delicious' chocolate covered donut gems.

Here is my healthy tip. You need to schedule time in your morning routine to eat a healthy and filling breakfast. This is the first meal of the day and it starts your metabolism. This may mean that you have to get up 15 minutes earlier than normal. STOP HITTING THE SNOOZE BUTTON! You want to eat a balanced meal, which includes fruit, whole grains and some protein. Another great addition to this meal is to drink a cup of brewed green tea. If you want it sweet, add splenda or honey. No longer is a Diet Coke and Snickers bar the breakfast of champions!



Despite what you might think, skipping meals does not help you lose weight. I actually harms you. When you skip a meal, your body thinks that you are starving yourself and it goes into survival mode. By doing this, it stores FAT, rather than burning it.



Your body is your vehicle. You could not drive your car without putting fuel in it. You could not run your A/C without paying the electricity bill. So why would you not fuel up the most important tool in your life....your mind and body????



Here are a few suggestions that I rotate for breakfast:



Old Fashioned Oatmeal. I add in some golden raisins, brown sugar splenda, cinnamon and vanilla. It tastes like a cinnamon roll.



All Bran Cereal with Strawberries. I cut up fresh strawberries and sweeten them with a bit of splenda and then add in 1 cup of All Bran Cereal. This is filling and has tons of fiber!



Nutri-Grain Blueberry Waffle with strawberry all fruit. For an added bonus, I also add a dollop of Light Cool Whip. This is filling and also curbs my sweet cravings!!!

BACK by popular demand!!!

Okay, so one friend mentioned that they missed the blog. I go in phases and this summer has been crazy, so my blog has suffered.

Here is the UPDATE:

Currently in yet another weight loss challenge. I am working out daily and following the Fit Yummy Mummy routine. I have a SparkPeople.com page and I use those resources to track my food and exercise daily. I am also constantly running after a 5 year old and toddler, so I am busy. Here is my Spark Page link: http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=JEWELY33

On the career front, I am winding down my summer schedule. I worked part-time this summer teaching summer school, but I also enjoyed some long days and sunny afternoons with my kiddos by the ghetto pool in the backyard.

I am also a full time student myself. I started taking online classes through Colorado Technical University to complete the degree!

My other big interest is Love Letters: Random Cards of Kindness. Check out my website for that: http://lovelettersemporiaks.webs.com/

Needless to say, I am one busy momma!!!!