Family Fun

We had a great weekend! Saturday morning I got up and went running in the Battlefield. I did 10 miles for the first time ever. I completed my run in 1 hour 30 minutes. I had an average pace of 9 minutes 22 seconds per mile. That is my best run time. I lowered my mile per minute by an entire minute. I was very proud of myself! I think the key is to not run during the week. I have stopped running on Tuesdays and Thursdays and only run on Saturdays. I have gotten much better since doing that.

This was exactly 10 miles... Sometimes the distance on my RunKeeper freezes.

After running, I came home and ate lunch. We got the boys ready and headed to Chattanooga for the rest of the day. We went to Target first where I returned the dress my mother-in-law got me for my birthday. LOVED the dress, it was just way to short. I haven't shopped at Target for clothes in FOREVER!!! I tried on clothes for almost an hour. Everything was short or immodest or "not me". The current style doesn't appeal to me quite yet. So, I shopped around the store. Of course.... I ended up in the home decorating section. This is where I end up in every store these days. I found this gorgeous glass vase and then a set of green decorative balls to fill it up with. I plan on putting it on our new kitchen table. I love it!!! Brent stayed in the car with a sleeping Dane while I went into Target. Man. I forgot how easy it is to shop with just one child. When I came out, Dane was just waking up.

We headed over to the pottery store to paint a Christmas present for someone special. Ooooookay. Since my hubby doesn't read this, I can vent for a moment. I had originally asked him if he would mind helping me out while I painted pottery. I said, "I need you to take the boys to the park (RIGHT NEXT DOOR) while I paint. I then need you to bring them over, get their hand prints on the piece I'm painting, and then take them back to the park. If you don't want to, I can ask my dad if he would do that." Brent said, "Oh no. I'll do that. No problem." So, while on our way to Chattanooga I said something about the park. He no longer wanted to go with that idea and said that he and the boys would just stay with me the whole time. I just kind of looked at him and said, "Ummmm. That may not be such a good idea." Well, long argument story short, they went with me. So in tromp me and Brent and 2 rambunctious boys into a store with TONS of glass stuff everywhere. Signs are posted on each wall x5 that say, "If you break it... You buy it."  We walk around and look at everything. Dane sees a motorcycle that he just HAS TO PAINT!!!!! We cave and agree to let him just for the peace. I pick out what I need and we sit down. Complete chaos follows. Dane decides (after he and Brent started painting the $18  little motorcycle!!!!) that he no longer wants that and wants the fire truck he saw first. Webb falls down and hits his head and starts screaming. He begins flinging himself in the nurse position. Dane is screaming at me and Brent, "I DON'T WANT TO PAINT THE MOTORCYCLE!!!!!!!! I WANT TO PAINT THE FIRE TRUCK!!!! IT'S A STUPID MOTORCYCLE!!!! I WANT TO THROW IT IN THE DARBAGE!!!!!!" Every.Single.Person. in the store was looking at us. I pull up my shirt, place the blanket over me, and prop my knee up to nurse Webb. I move the paint and the piece I'm painting towards the middle of the table so Webb's wiggly feet and blind reaching hands do not grab and pull it off. I now have to strain over Webb's body and over half the distance of the table to reach what I'm painting (which by this point, I don't even know what it is!). Dane is still having a total and complete hissy fit. Brent is eye level with him talking in a low growl. Dane is still belligerent and acting completely unacceptable. I catch bits and pieces before they make a much needed trip to the bathroom. When they return, Dane comes up to me and screams again which gets him another trip to the bathroom. When they come back out, Webb is sitting up grabbing a paint brush full of paint. Brent looks at me with complete and utter irritation and a bit of sarcasm and says, "Oh yes! This was a GREAT idea!" I just stare at him. I'm finding the situation a bit humorous considering this was NOT my original plan (but I know better than to laugh even though from the outside looking in, we had to look like a full blown circus). I calmly said, "This is why I said take them to the playground." That might not have been the best time to bring that up. I paint like a mad woman. I can't even remember which colors I picked out for where. I get the lady's assistance for their hand prints and she gets Dane with no problem. She puts the paint on Webb's hand and he sticks it straight in his mouth. Blue paint all over his face and up his nose. She said she has never seen a child do that in all her years of owning the shop. She tells Brent, "Daddy! Get a picture!" I am laughing hysterically and encouraging Brent to get a picture. Dane is screaming, "Moooooomy! Webb has blue paint on his face. Mooooooomy! Webb ate the paint. Mooooooomy!!! Whhhhy did Webb eat the paint?" Then Webb turns around and smears it on my pretty pink shirt. I am saying, "Hurry. Get the picture." Brent doesn't want to get a picture. He wants to get out of the store as fast as he possibly can.He looks at me and the lady like we have lost our minds. He quickly snaps a picture that is a big blob of blur and tells me to go wash Webb off. We get his hand print and clean him up. She asks me if I have made me (Momma) one yet and I said, "No. This is a Christmas present. I REALLY (emphasis for Brent's sake) want to make one for me eventually." She lowers her voice and says, "You know... most people just come in here without their children and bring the children in only for the prints. It's much easier that way." I just look at Brent. Then I say, "Oh! What a great idea." Anyways, whoever gets this present better be very appreciative and not say a WORD about the way it turns out. LOL. It was a fun experience all in all and definitely a day we shall never forget.

We then ate at Panera Bread on a giftcard my dad gave me for my birthday. After that we headed to Ross and Marshall's and we got some things for the new house (surprise surprise) and some clothes. I got some blue jeans marked down to $10, a shirt for $7, capris for $7, and a sweater for $13. I was excited!

Sunday was a busy day of church and school work that afternooon.

On Monday, I went to the gym and the chiropractor and met friends at the park. We had a great time having girl talk and letting our boys run wild. Then I came home, put the boys down for a nap and worked on school work. I took a break in between to make homemade laundry detergent. So simple.

You need a box of 20 Mule Team Borax.

I got this for about $4 at Ingles.

A box of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda.

I got this for about $4 at Ingles.

And your choice of bar soap.

These 2 were on sale at Ingles for $5.

You mix 1 Cup of the Borax, 1 Cup of the Washing Soda, and 1 bar of the soap. You need to shred that first. I shredded my in a food processor that has a blade for shredding cheese. It was shredded in about 15 seconds. Then you mix that all together and put it in a safe container. I put my in one of my raw milk jars. You use 1 Tablespoon of detergent per load or 2 Tablespoons for extra soiled loads. I went ahead an doubled the recipe up since I bought to bars of soap.

Final product.

It's super easy and you can add essential oils to your wash if you want it to have a strong scent.

Have a blessed day, ya'll!

Lessons

I had the privilege tonight to re-learn a lesson as well as give a lesson. The boys and I were grocery shopping at Walmart and it was crazy in there. People were everywhere and Dane insisted on having that annoying huge big gray buggy that comfortably fits both boys and is impossible to maneuver a thrill to get around corners. Webb was so tired and after about 10 minutes of shopping, only wanted to be held. Poor little guy. I just couldn't say no. I ended up struggling to get that buggy through the store while holding Webb (who was flinging himself in the position to nurse the whole time). Brent was volunteer firefighting at the Heritage High School football game or else he would have been in on the fun.

Anyways, I was looking at Sargento shredded cheeses and trying to determine which one would be the yummiest on my homemade pizza. I could hear Dane saying, "Moooooooom. Mooooooommmmy. Moooooooommmmma. Look!!!" I finally turned around after I found my cheese of choice and said, "Look at what?" He was pointing at a lady and said, "When her turns around, look at her face." I glanced up at the lady and could see, even from her bent position, that she wasn't a very pretty person. She looked angry and like she would be snapping on the next person who said, "Excuse me" in the crowded store. My heart instantly broke for her. I was embarrassed by what Dane said and how he was pointing. The thing about 3 year old's (I'm learning more and more everyday) is they say and do whatever comes into their minds--- even if it makes their mommy's want to dig and hole and hide from the whole wide world. It is our job as parents, to teach them what is acceptable and kind. He has never pointed at anyone and exclaimed something like that. I moved the buggy really quick and squatted down to where we were eye level. I said, "Dane, that is very ugly to point at someone and say something not nice like that. It is not how mommy or Jesus wants you to treat others. Jesus made that lady and He made her exactly how he wanted her to look. In Jesus' eyes, she is perfect. We don't need to make fun of what God has made. It not only will hurt that person's feelings, but it will hurt Jesus' feelings. We are all made to be different and to look different." He listened very intently and nodded his head the whole time. I could tell he was about to burst with something he found important. He said, "Yes, mommy. Jesus made her, but her face looks like this ....."

This is what we call Dane's "Soap Sally" face.

I said, "It does? Well, maybe she lost her smile."

Dane said, "Why, mommy? Why her lost her smile?"

I said, "I don't know. Maybe her life hasn't been easy or she's had a bad day. We never know people's stories until we get to know people. What we have to remember is Jesus tells us to love everyone. Even people who look like this (and I made his Soap Sally face). When we see people who have lost their smile, we need to smile at them and show them the love of Jesus. Maybe when you smile at her, she will be able to find the smile she's lost."

I left it at that and then I hugged him real tight and prayed that I had conveyed an important message to a young child  and that he would really and truly grasp the message behind the words. As I shopped some more, I realized how much I needed to be reminded of that same lesson. How often do I judge on first appearance? How often do I love the "ugly" people (I'm not talking about appearance, but those who have an ugly heart or an ugly personality)? How often do I take time from my day to simply share a smile? I'm afraid I don't follow my own lesson very often. I'm quick to judge and quick to form an opinion on them. I realized how if I expect my children to act and love like that, then I myself need to do those things more often. After all, Dane and Webb take their cues from me. I want them to see Jesus in me, my words, and my actions. I want them to learn what kindness is all about by the way their mommy interacts with friends, family, and even complete strangers. When things go wrong or I am stressed or I'm tired or lines are long and both boys are screaming, I want them to see me act with kindness to them and to the people we come in contact with. I want them to see the love of Jesus flowing through me. I don't want to have to witness verbally to my children (or others), I want them to be able to quietly sit back, watch me, and to see me witness by the way I live my life and the way I treat people.

About 10 minutes after that conversation, I hear Dane loudly proclaim, "Mommy! She smiled at me!!! She found her smile!!" I looked up to see the same lady, she still looked rather unhappy but there was something a little different about her. Yes, I could see it. She had indeed found her smile. She was smiling, a small smile, looking right at my sweet boy. My eyes filled with tears as I realized how important that might have been to that lady. I crouched down again and whispered to Dane, "Yes, she did. I am so proud of you for showing her how to smile. Jesus is proud of you too!" He kept smiling real big and said again with pride, "Mommy, she found her smile." It really was one of my most proud moments as a mom. To see Dane share kindness to an unhappy stranger made my heart very happy.

Indeed, my children teach me something new everyday and sometimes.....they remind me of a lesson I desperately need to hear :D

Birthday Pics :D

Here are a few of the pictures from Webb's birthday that my future brother-in-law took. I love each one. Thank you so much, Waites!!

Getting a spider-web painted on by Aunt MiMi

Webb wasn't so sure about the face painting :D

Daddy's butterfly tattoo

After Dane painted his own arm.

Big Brother bringing Webb his cake.

Webb totally knew what to do with that cake :D

I love my sweet boys!

Webb loves his Cookie Monster that really eats .

All in all, it was a wonderful day filled with so many happy memories. This will be a day that I will forever look back on with gratitude and thankfulness.

Training

I've been training for my 1st half marathon for a few weeks now. A few people have asked me how I'm training or what I'm doing to prepare myself for the big event. When I first signed up for the race, I myself was CLUELESS about how to prepare for the big event. I was nervous and anxious and a part of me thought I'd never be able to run more than 4 miles without passing out. I asked around to people who had run in one before, my trainer at the gym, and the gals I'm running the half with. They all had great ideas. I then researched some ideas and finally settled on a plan that works for me. I have felt GREAT since I started training and although my left knee is suffering from time to time, my body is thriving on this workout regimen.

So.... here is what I'm doing to train my body (and my mind!).

On Monday's, I go to the gym to my favorite class. It is an hour of strength training which also gets my heart rate up. One thing I really worried about when I started training for this, was losing all the muscle I've worked really hard to get. With such long distances, I knew I'd lose weight if I didn't keep up with the weights. Who are we kidding??? You can't run 15 miles a week and not become a stick! I'm really not looking to lose any weight (tone up a bit more, sure) and I've worked my tush off to build the muscle I have. I'm not a fan of stick figures. When I look at another lady and think, "Man! She looks good!" I am looking at a lady who is slim (IMO) with muscular definition. When she picks something up, you see the muscles in her arm (and not because she doesn't eat. LOL Because she is STRONG!!!!). When she squats down, you see her quad muscles outlined. I'm not a fan of "skinny-fat"-- that's what I call girls who are bone skinny without an ounce of muscle. I want to be slim and strong. I think that is sexy. Plus, I knew that ultimately, I needed my legs to stay strong in order for them to not give out on me when I hit mile 10. Strong legs (and strong arms)= better runner.

On Tuesdays, I was running anywhere between 3.5 miles and 6 miles. I have cut back though since my knee is hurting. I want to baby it as much as possible right now. If I don't run (which I haven't in 2 weeks on a Tuesday), I go to the gym and either do the elliptical, stare stepper, treadmill (for walking), or strictly weights.

Wednesdays, I go to the gym and do a 45 minutes spin class. It's a love/hate relationship. I LOVE burning that many calories and sweating like a pig. This class keeps my legs in great shape and helps me work on my endurance as a runner.

On Thursdays, I either run or power-walk or do nothing :D

On Fridays, I was going to the gym to an "Insanity" class, but... you all know... my KNEE!!!! It truly is an insane class and includes lost of jumping and insane cardio. My knee just couldn't take that along with looooong runs the next day. I gave up my Friday class and instead, hit the gym and do my own thing. Once again, it looks like a Tuesday. I either just do weights or do weights with cardio of some kind.

Saturdays are my looong run day. There was a time I didn't think I could ever run 6 miles. I ran 8 this past week (for the 2nd time) and I told Brent the 1st thought I had when I got back to the van was, "That was easy" and it was. I give credit to my training program. I am getting my heart and my muscles truly in tip-top shape. I feel great on my long run. I will continue to increase the Saturday run until I get to about 12 miles and then I will slowly cut back to prepare my body for the race day. Everyone asks me if I run without stopping. My answer is, yes. Towards the beginning of my training, I stopped in one of my runs for about 30 seconds. I realized when I stopped that I wasn't dying and I only stopped because I wanted to. I knew I could have kept going. From that day on, I have pushed myself and I haven't stopped since. I might feel like stopping from time to time, but I'm never to the point of passing out or not being able to breathe. In my opinion, that is the only time when stopping is necessary. I push myself because I know my body is strong and can go. I am training my body. I want to be the best I can be. I want to get better each day.... and I am. I never thought I could run 8 miles without stopping but I have and I will continue to.

On Sundays, I strictly rest. Although, last night, Brent and I did go to the High School and run sprints. It felt great and once again, I know my body (and mind) needed it.Sprinting with Brent helped me to truly challenge my heart and my muscles. After the 7th sprint, I told Brent, "Dang! I wasn't hurting this bad at mile 7!!" It was a good change.

The goal I have through my training is to cross train. I don't ever want my body to be bored. I want to change up my workout and do different things. I want to push my body as hard as I can because I KNOW what I am capable of. Overall, I think the plan I have for my training is great! I feel great and I am toning up nicely as well :D

I started out with the goal to be able to finish the half marathon. LOL. Now, after a few weeks of training, there is no doubt in my mind that I will be finishing this baby. I've got this. I never knew how much I'd love running looooong distances. My new goal is to finish in under 2 hours 20 minutes. I have confidence in myself and I can't wait to see what my time is :D Hopefully, I will hit my goal!!!

Celebration

Today we celebrated my sweet baby's 1st birthday. I love birthdays because it is a time to celebrate a birth... a life.... a person... and all that has been accomplished in a year. It is a time to reflect and look back with gratitude for all of life's extra blessings because of this person. It's funny how important celebrating becomes once you are a mom. You are so in love with your children and so thankful to God for their life and their health. It only seems natural to have a day set apart to celebrate and thank God for them.

We had Webb's party at the local park and we had a great turn-out. Our family and our closest friends came out for the day. It always means so much to me when people make time for my kids. I know we are all busy and we all have a million things to get done in a day. I guess that is why it means so much to me to have people show up, to know they care and love my babies. We hate that some of our friends and family had to miss it due to sporting events and jobs they had to be at (we completely understand!!!).

I scheduled his party for 10am. I debated over and over what would be the best time. I know for us, sometimes parties in the dead of the afternoon, like 1pm, are hard because that is nap time. It also makes planning anything else for the day hard. I thought maybe the late afternoon but I didn't want to interrupt anyone's dinner plans. I finally decided on 10am and prayed Webb would sleep in-- otherwise, that is his nap time. I hoped the weather wouldn't be too hot and the kids would be happy and ready to play. YAY!! It worked. Webb slept in and the weather was glorious. Most kids had just gotten up right before getting ready for the party, so everyone was in good spirits. I was going to order a cake for Webb, but I decided that spending $80+ on a cake right now wasn't very smart. I opted to make the dessert myself and made a chocolate cake with a DIVINE chocolate icing. Both the cake and the icing called for coffee but I couldn't taste the coffee at all. Very rich and so yummy! I also made a pumpkin cranberry pecan bread with a caramel glaze. It made 2 loaves (one of which we kept at home) and let me just say, it was soooooo delicious!!! The glaze is to die for :D We bought Webb a little individual cake from Food Lion this morning. He loved it, of course. He had no problem tearing into it and he enjoyed a little help from Dane.

My future brother-in-law took pictures of the party therefore, I did not. I will hopefully be receiving the disk soon and will post more pics. This is the only one I have and I stole it from my mother-in-law.

We had tattoos and face painting for the kids and when the party had died down and all the guests had left, Dane decided to paint his great-grandmother's face :D It was quite a treat for him. Gran is such a sport too!

It suits you!

He then painted my mother-in-law's arm and my sister-in-law's leg :D Such a fun time we had!

Thank you to all who came out and helped make Webb's first birthday so special!!!

Yesterday, we had professional pictures taken at the Battlefield. Here is a sneak peak at some of his work. I cannot wait to see them all!

I know he's mine, but I think this looks like an add for GAP Kids or something :D

My sweet baby! What a chunk!!

Thoughts

Do you ever feel like you have so much on your mind, you don't think you can remember it all or get it all done? That is me right now. We have pictures for the boys in the morning at the Battlefield followed by me running 10 miles. I also have to bake desserts for Webb's party that is on Saturday, not to mention setting up for the party. I need to run to the store for a few things, and cook for our Homecoming celebration at church on Sunday. Sunday night we are going to Cartersville to spend the night and then Monday night I have a housewarming party to go to back in Chickamauga. Oh yeah, I also have to bake a dessert to take there as well. Shew.... I think I may need to camp out in the kitchen for a few hours tomorrow and Saturday :D

BUT.... what is mainly on my mind these days is our new house!!!! :D I lay awake at night painting walls, hanging pictures, placing furniture in it's place, organizing the basement, etc. Ok, not for real, but in my mind. I have sooooo much on my mind that I have notes and "To-Do" lists all over the place. I think I have finally decided on paint colors for the house. The living room and kitchen will be a warm (but not dark) green. I couldn't decide between that and a gold. I personally liked the gold, but Brent liked the green. That made that decision easy. Our bedroom will be a bold red-- I heard once that having a red bedroom makes the room more intimate. Plus, I love red! The boys room will be blue and their bathroom will match. The guest room will be a goldish/dark yellow and the master bathroom will be the same color. Now, I'm debating whether or not to paint the boys room 2 colors. The nursery at our church is newly painted and it looks AMAZING!!! The top half is a light green and the bottom half is a deep chocolate brown. There is a white stripe separating the 2 colors. I fell in love with it last night. The contrast of the colors looks so good and actually makes the room look bigger. So, now I'm wondering if I should do blue on the top and chocolate brown on the bottom? Brent said he could do it no problem---I love that he is as OCD as me. I totally trust him to make that line perfect around the entire room! I just won't stay in there while he does it. LOL.

I've printed off 2 big 11x14 wedding pictures to hang and picked out pictures or wall hangings I wouldn't mind having for Christmas. I now love to walk around home interior stores dreaming of our new home and all the things that would look good in there. Ahhhhh. Can you tell I'm so ready for this???? I am!

Onto other things. Yes, Webb's party is Saturday. I scheduled it for 10am not even thinking about the kids I invited having sports now that it is fall. Quite a few kids can't make it for that reason. I'm still thinking we will have a good crowd there though. I'm really looking forward to it. I was going to order a really cute (and YUMMY) cake for his birthday, but with us moving and all, I decided I can't justify spending $80 on something people will be ingesting. Now I am making 2 desserts. One is a chocolate cake with a mocha icing (although it just tastes like REALLY good chocolate icing) and the other is a pumpkin cranberry bread. YUMMY!!! The best part is, none of the desserts will have colors, high fructose corn syrup, shortening, white sugar, bleached white flour, or anything else bad. YAY :D  I am so excited to celebrate the first year of Webb's life :D

I am really looking forward to running tomorrow. I took off 2 straight weeks of running to help my knee heal (hopefully!). I've struggled with my left knee since becoming a runner in high school. It was really hurting me after those 8 miles 2 weeks ago. I decided a small break would be better than to have to stay off my knee for 6-8 weeks. I've learned that much as a runner. In high school, I got shin splints really bad. I didn't want to stop running though so I didn't. Those shin splints turned into stress fractures- up and down both legs. I could barely walk, let alone run. My coach sent me to the hospital to have x-rays done. I ended up being told to not run for 3 months or my legs to never be the same. Ouch! That wasn't easy to hear. Now, I'm fine with giving my body a break when I need to. I still feel like I have plenty of time to prepare for this 1/2 marathon I have coming up. As long as my knee cooperates, I'll finish the race and finish in 2 hours 20 min --- that is my goal, although I'd love to do faster!!

Leaving ya'll with some pics of the boys :D

My babies sleeping together.

Dane asleep on the way to church last night. He had gum in that was sticking out of his mouth. I couldn't get it in the pic though.

Happy Webb on the way to church last night.

Health

I've always loved nutrition and working out. It's something I developed a passion for around the age of 13. I would run the neighborhood and do crunches when I came back home. During the summer, I would get up early and do workout DVDs. I wanted to be in shape and healthy. I thought a lot about the food I ate. Although, I must admit, I only thought I knew what healthy was back then. Honestly, now that I'm 24 and the mother to 2 kids, I can say without a doubt, I'm in better shape now than I've ever been and I have a much better understanding of health. That's because I only thought I was healthy back in the day. I would limit what I ate and eat low fat, no fat, diet, low calorie, sugar free, etc. I thought I was doing what was best, you know, choosing what would benefit me the most. I would work out 5-6 days a week for 1-1/2 to 2 hours a day (WHOA!!!!). I had to struggle to maintain my weight. Little did I know, I was setting myself up for failure. Around the same time I was enlightened about holistic health, home birth, no medication, no vaccinations, all that other stuff that classifies me as a nut, I discovered the truth about health. Things that come in their natural, God-made form, are things that are healthy. They are the things my body needs, craves, desires, and will thrive on. Such as cream. Cream has fat and sugar in its natural form. When you take the fat and sugar out of it, you have to replace the good tasting stuff with something that will make it taste yummy and therefore make that product sell. What do you replace it with? Something man-made, unhealthy, and altogether NOT GOOD for us or meant for us. Our body was created by God and He created food for us to eat too (and to enjoy!!). Food that would sustain us, keep us healthy, and make us thrive and feel great! Like I said, back in the day, I worked hard to keep my figure and so called "health" up to par. Not so much anymore. The only time I "work hard" to keep my figure is when I busting my butt in the gym, which I thoroughly love! I eat lots, all throughout the day. The thing that is different is what I'm eating. I eat nuts, fruits, veggies, tuna, peanut butter, turkey, cheese, protein, etc. I probably eat every 2 hours or so (who's counting??) and I workout 4-5 days a week for an hour, maximum. I never struggle with my weight. My weight never fluctuates. I have cheat meals and enjoy the cheats I have. I don't stress over what I put in my body. I enjoy eating and cooking. Food is not an enemy to me. What was I thinking back then??? Food was an enemy. Eating was a chore. I was always worried about what I was eating, how much I was eating, and if I had enough hours in my day to burn off those calories. Now, I don't worry too much if I miss a workout or not. I don't like missing one, but I know my life will go on and my figure will not suffer. My food choices have changed 100% though. I eat real, whole food. I try to limit the processed food as much as possible. Living and eating this way is so much more freeing and fun! It has truly become my way of life, my 2nd nature. I don't even think about it anymore. Here are some interesting health facts:

1) The average American is both overweight and undernourished.

2) Americans don’t die of ole age anymore- they dig their own graves with a knife and fork and kill themselves with their own teeth. 

3) Besides huge amounts of excess sugar, our foods are also laced with man-made additives. 

4) 20% of Americans eat NO vegetables and 40% eat NO fruits!

5) 16-20 percent of daily calorie intake is coming from sugar.

6) Starving yourself will cause your body to go into “Starvation Mode” and make losing weight a lot harder in the long run.

Are you like me and struggle with a sweet tooth???  Indulge occasionally and make what you indulge in count! Go for pure, organic sweets. Homemade desserts made from scratch with no preservatives- know what you are eating. Treat yourself to one helping of a dessert, not 5. I never buy “bulk” desserts (example: a carton of Ice Cream), I only buy individual servings such as a cone from Bruster’s or a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and share (it’s the REAL thing with nothing artificial!).

Now, here are some facts on exercise:

1) It releases endorphins which are "feel good" neurotransmitters that literally make you FEEL BETTER.

2) Studies show that 4 hours of exercise a week reduces a woman's risk of breast cancer by 60%! Reduces the risk of colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, and prostate cancer.

3) Exercise can also prevent, control, and even reverse adult on-set diabetes (because it reduces fat and allows insulin to start working again).

4) Exercise strengthens your heart muscles and increases your circulation or blood flow.

5) The more you exercise the more oxygen your brain gets and the better your mental state. (Hmmmmm. I can think of a few people who need to exercise. LOL.)

6) Regular exercise promotes natural bypass- kiss the need for heart bypass surgery goodbye!

This is a mumble-jumble piece on health. In fact, it barely even touches on it. I don't even know where I was going with this one. LOL. If you have any questions, please feel free to private message me or post below. I'm not promising to know the answers, but I can try my hardest to find out the answers.

Lastly, I am not claiming to be an expert on the subject of health. The facts I have listed in here come from research that I have done. After practicing what I preach, I can promise you, it works!!!