Scenes From my Saturday

Today has been a roller coaster of a day!  

I did fix my hair today with all its wavy curls. I got mostly positive feedback and it is definitely easier to fix this way. It is hard to straighten when you don't see very well. 

We decided on a family date day and headed to French Lick. We had a delicious lunch at the winery. 

And I had three handsome dates:

And then things turned south and everyone got grouchy and started bickering, so we headed home. No worries, we all made up and it's all good now!

Then there were puppy snuggles:

And puppy begging for veggie sticks:

And then (bright, blind woman that I am) decided I could drive myself to Walmart. Hubby had me take my oldest with me just in case. Needless to say I didn't make it out of the driveway. I got stuck in the snow because I got just a little off the path. Ugh. But hubby saved me and drove me into town. We were in desperate need of milk and bananas and there is a possibility of more snow tonight. 

Tonight has been relaxing and now getting ready to diffuse a new oil combo (I'll share if I like it) and curl up in bed with a book. 

Hope you all had an amazing day!

Sending you all love and healthy wishes!

Keep Losing,

Kari

Friday Failure

Happy Friday! It has been a busy day. I started off the day getting my hair that I have grown out for 4 years chopped off. I really like it. But I'm nervous at how it will look when I have to fix it myself!

I am writing this quickly and late tonight. So bear with me as I vent a little. 

We went to our high acho basketball game tonight. Our oldest son was playing in the band. Tonight was a fundraiser for a boy in our community battling leukemia. The students all raised money for one of the teachers to kiss a pig, they held a silent auction and other things. 

ANYWAY, my oldest was recognized tonight for a good deed that he performed during all of this. Now I have never really talked about my oldest and all of his quirks and issues and I won't tonight but it will be coming up in another post. 

But as he walked down onto the basketball court tonight, I was in tears at how proud I was of his generous heart. But a part of me finally realized what a failure I have been at teaching my kids about getting healthy. My oldest has gained quite a bit of weight and it finally hit me tonight that I have enabled him to become so heavy. How could I do that to him when I know how hard it is and especially in high school? I feel awful about letting it go so long without finally doing something more about it. 

I don't want to be a food nazi and I can't control what he eats at school, but I can control what I allow to be brought into my house. 

Tomorrow the two of us are sitting down and coming up with a plan!

I'm not going to let him make the same bad choices I made. 

This will be difficult, but it must be done!

Okay, vent over!

I love you all!

Sending love and healthy wishes!

Keep Losing,

Kari

For My Daddy!

Since this is my blog, today I am going to use it to wish the best Dad and Papaw in the world a very Happy Birthday!  Even though I am a little jealous that he is in the Florida warmth while I watch the snow flurry out my window! 

Wasn't he a cute baby!

I have probably never told my daddy how much I love and appreciate him!  Growing up, my daddy always made sure us girls were taken care of, even if that meant he had to work out of town and not see us for days.  We never, ever went hungry or lacked clothes to wear.  He worked his tail off to provide for us.

My daddy taught me the value of hard work and unconditional love.  No matter how stupid we were as kids, he always loved us.

My daddy takes the time to love his 5 grandsons every day and they ADORE him and look up to him so much.  I am blessed that my 2 boys have such an amazing role model in their Papaw.

My best memories growing up with my daddy is watching basketball games on the TV.  I was the only daughter that really cared to watch the games and it was such a special time that we spent together (and he may have taught me to yell at the TV just a little bit).

One post can in no way describe my wonderful daddy to all of you, but he is the best! 

I love you daddy and I hope you have an AMAZING birthday and I wish I could be there to share it with you.  I miss you!

Sending love and healthy wishes!

Keep Losing,

Kari

Transformation Tuesday - Death to the scale!

Happy Tuesday! No new Transformation Tuesday story this week, but I have a few hopefuls coming up!

Today was a stressful day! I had an MRI on my foot that took forever! And then my SI injections. I think I spent more time waiting on medical appointments today than I did doing anything else. 

By the time I got to the center for the injections, I had worked myself into a full panic. My blood pressure was through the roof and I could barely breathe. It was awful! BUT, the procedure was not too bad. A little pain, but I definitely worked myself up for no reason. I was feeling good when I left the office, but I'm sore now, which he said I would be. He said the steroids may take several days to relieve the pain and inflammation. So, I'm hopeful!!!!!

And, I had to step on the scale. What you don't know is that the past few months I have had to take rounds of steroids to treat my back. I guess I didn't realize they can cause weight gain, BUT WOW THEY DID! I was shocked and ready for chocolate. Isn't it funny how the first thing I thought of after seeing an almost 20 pound gain was chocolate! Ugh! But I was good and took some time to reflect on the big picture. 

I can't exercise because of my back, but I can eat right. I have tried every natural treatment and the steroids were a last resort before the injections (which were also steroids). I'm looking at the broader picture, I have to go through this to get well so I can continue on my journey. I have been assured that this gain is common and should go away easily. 

So my strategy (besides wanting to quit and eat candy):

Continue to eat healthier!

Work back up to exercising!

NOT ALLOW A NUMBER ON A SCALE TO DEFINE ME!

Face the number at Weight Watchers and move forward!

And just to make me feel better, a few of these:

And, how are you doing getting those 4-6 servings of veggies in everyday?

I am still on the search for more stories to share for Transformation Tuesday! If you would like a chance to tell your story, click here to fill out the form. I LOVE seeing all of the inspiration and we have to lift each other up! We are all in this together!

Sending you all love and healthy wishes!!!

Keep Losing,

Kari

Make A Change Monday - Week 8

Happy Monday!  After a week of being snowed and iced in, the kids went back to school today (after a 2 hour delay).  I actually got out of the house for a little bit today as well.  My doctor called me and moved up my injections for my back to tomorrow! I am nervous, but oh so ready to get some pain relief and get back to exercising!

Before the close of 2014, I signed up for a 52 week challenge that was based on making one small change per week to become a happier and healthier person. This is hosted by a "new to me" site I have been following called the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.  Click here to go to their challenge page, and check out their site for some other awesome stuff while you are there. This challenge is based off of the book "52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You" written by Brett Blumenthal.

This week's change may be a challenge to some of us.  This week, we are challenged to eat 4-6 servings of vegetables per day! 

A serving is 1/2 cup of a non-leafy green vegetable and 1 cup of a leafy green vegetable.

Vegetables provide our bodies with vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients. They help fight disease, obesity and aging.

Fibrous vegetables (peppers, carrots, and leafy greens) help with weight management.  They fill you up and help keep you full longer with very few calories.

Vegetables come in many different colors.  The book had a nice chart that showed how the different colors were different phytonutrients and how they benefit our bodies.  Here is one I found on google that gives some of that information:

So EAT THE RAINBOW (and not by eating Skittles, LOL)

One way I try to get veggies in is by sneaking them into my breakfast.  When I make eggs, I put in peppers, onions, and spinach or kale.  If I don't start at breakfast, some days I struggle to get all my servings in.  

Also, if you struggle with keeping fresh veggies, try frozen.  I keep frozen peppers and frozen chopped kale in my freezer all the time to throw into my eggs every morning.  The steam bags of veggies are convenient to toss in the microwave to add to a quick lunch if you are in a hurry!

So here is a summary of our weekly changes so far:

Week 1 - Drink half of your body weight in ounces everyday.

Week 2 - Get 7-8 hours of GOOD sleep each night.

Week 3 - Implement regular and routine activity into your lifestyle.

Week 4 - Keep a food journal.

Week 5 - Develop an optimistic outlook.

Week 6 - Take a multi-vitamin.

Week 7 - Keep the outside out. 

Week 8 - Eat your vegetables.

By making one small change each week this year, we will be making huge steps towards becoming happier and healthier!

I am still on the search for more stories to share for Transformation Tuesday! If you would like a chance to tell your story, click here to fill out the form. I LOVE seeing all of the inspiration and we have to lift each other up! We are all in this together!

Tell me what your favorite veggie is and how you like to eat it. Mine is cucumber and I can eat it anyway, I LOVE IT!

Sending you all love and healthy wishes!

Keep Losing,

Kari

Make A Change Monday - Week 7

Happy Monday! I hope you all had an amazing Valentine's Day weekend. We went out to lunch at Applebee's and then rented movies and stayed in Saturday night. Town was CRAZY BUSY and snuggling at home was much better than fighting traffic and crowds. Here is a pic of me with my 3 loves:

Last night the snow started and it hasn't stopped! 

The boys were already off school today, and they have already cancelled for tomorrow. We have gotten about 8 inches so far and the kids are loving it, the puppy not so much! We did make it out to go to my chiropractor appointment. Not much progress to report on my back. I'm scheduled for injections on March 2 and I'm praying for some relief. Tomorrow I see my foot surgeon to see if I need to have an additional surgery on my foot. 

Before the close of 2014, I signed up for a 52 week challenge that was based on making one small change per week to become a happier and healthier person. This is hosted by a "new to me" site I have been following called the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.  Click here to go to their challenge page, and check out their site for some other awesome stuff while you are there. This challenge is based off of the book "52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You" written by Brett Blumenthal.

This week's change is titled "Keep the Outside Out" and really focuses on creating a buffer space in your home for family and guests to take off their shoes and outerwear to keep the allergens from being dragged into your home. I try to have my kids and husband do this, but it doesn't always work. My oldest son and I both have allergies so I know this could help! You can go to the link above for more info about this change. 

One thing we do in our home is diffuse essential oils to help purify our air. I truly believe this makes a huge difference. Here are my top 3:

So here is a summary of our weekly changes so far:

Week 1 - Drink half of your body weight in ounces everyday.

Week 2 - Get 7-8 hours of GOOD sleep each night.

Week 3 - Implement regular and routine activity into your lifestyle.

Week 4 - Keep a food journal.

Week 5 - Develop an optimistic outlook.

Week 6 - Take a multi-vitamin.

Week 7 - Keep the outside out. 

By making one small change each week this year, we will be making huge steps towards becoming happier and healthier!

I am still on the search for more stories to share for Transformation Tuesday! If you would like a chance to tell your story, click here to fill out the form. I LOVE seeing all of the inspiration and we have to lift each other up! We are all in this together!

Sending you all love and healthy wishes!

Keep Losing,

Kari

Transformation Tuesday

Happy Transformation Tuesday! I sadly have no new transformation stories to share with you today, but I'm quickly going to share a few thoughts. Most of our sharing on Transformation Tuesday comes from pictures showing the physical changes in our bodies while we are on our journey to be happier and healthier. 

Today, I want to talk about a different type of transformation. I have always loved this verse found in Romans 12:2. 

Here is how I sum it up:

The world if full of enticing, pretty, tempting ideas that persuades us to engage in those thoughts and that lifestyle. And I'm not saying there is nothing good in the world and we should isolate ourselves from anyone who has different beliefs, but we also don't have to conform just to feel like we belong. God wants to transform us into a new person by changing the way we think. Helping us to realize that just because the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition shows a beautiful model, that is a worldly perception of beauty. We don't have to fall into the trap that we need to do drugs or get drunk every night just to have fun. God wants to change our minds away from the standards the world has put in place and make us see the standards He wishes for us live by; being loving, giving, compassionate, self-controlled. 

So let's not only celebrate our physical transformations on Tuesdays, but remember that it is okay to not do what everyone else is doing. Let God do a transformation in you by renewing your mind everyday on things that are good and pleasing to Him. 

I am still on the search for more stories to share for Transformation Tuesday! If you would like a chance to tell your story, click here to fill out the form. I LOVE seeing all of the inspiration and we have to lift each other up! We are all in this together!

Sending you all love and healthy wishes!!!

Keep Losing,

Kari

Make a Change Monday - Week 6

Happy Monday!  What a crazy, busy, wonderful weekend I had.  I left Thursday evening to go to the Transformed women's retreat with 24 ladies from my church.  What an amazing time we had!  There is no way to sum up everything from the weekend here, but I promise there will be bits and pieces shared throughout the rest of this year from what I learned.  We got back Saturday evening.  Sunday morning was church and then off for a 2 hour drive to Evansville to celebrate my nephew's fourth birthday.  We got home late last night and today has been spent playing catch up after leaving hubby and the boys home alone all weekend!  If you follow me on Facebook you know that I am benched from the gym or exercise due to a back injury for the next two weeks.  I am really trying to not let that get the best of me!

Now off to our small change for the week!

Before the close of 2014, I signed up for a 52 week challenge that was based on making one small change per week to become a happier and healthier person. This is hosted by a "new to me" site I have been following called the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. Click here to go to their challenge page, and check out their site for some other awesome stuff while you are there. This challenge is based off of the book "52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You" written by Brett Blumenthal.

This week's small change will be SUPER easy for me.  The change for week 6 us ti take a multi-vitamin everyday.  While it would be great to think that eating healthier, we would get all of  our nutrients in our food, but unfortunately that is difficult to do in today's world eating.  The book recommends taking a multi-vitamin that does not exceed the upper limit (UL) of the daily-recommended intakes (DRI) of vitamins and minerals.  The author states that too much of certain nutrients can be detrimental.  There are so many different products on the market, so take time studying to find the right multi-vitamin for you.  Here is the one I take (and this is right for ME, but find what works for YOU):

Now if you already take a multi-vitamin everyday, the extra credit for the week is to start taking a probiotic everyday to help aid in digestion and help with the healthy bacteria in our intestines.  Here is the probiotic I take (and again this is right for ME, but find what works for YOU):

So here is a summary of our weekly changes so far:

Week 1 - Drink half of your body weight in ounces everyday.

Week 2 - Get 7-8 hours of GOOD sleep each night.

Week 3 - Implement regular and routine activity into your lifestyle.

Week 4 - Keep a food journal.

Week 5 - Develop an optimistic outlook.

Week 6 - Take a multi-vitamin.

By making one small change each week this year, we will be making huge steps towards becoming happier and healthier!

I am still on the search for more stories to share for Transformation Tuesday! If you would like a chance to tell your story, click here to fill out the form. I LOVE seeing all of the inspiration and we have to lift each other up! We are all in this together!

Sending you all love and healthy wishes!

Keep Losing,
Kari