What I Didn't Get For Mother's Day

I didn’t have breakfast in bed
I didn’t sleep in and I wasn’t greeted with “Happy Mother’s Day” when I woke up
I didn’t get a lavish present, a homemade gift, bouquet of flowers, or even a card
I didn’t get to take the day off from cooking, cleaning, or laundry
I didn’t go to the salon or the spa and get pampered
I didn’t get a pedicure
I didn’t have the whole day to relax or sit around in my sweatpants and watch movies
I didn’t get an afternoon nap
I didn’t get a day off from changing diapers, giving baths, or nursing
I didn’t get to shower or take a long bath

But I did get to spend the day with two perfectly healthy, happy kids
Two kids who completely rock my world and make me strive to be the best I can in life
Two kids who remind me how perfect God’s plan is and how He provides for us
Two kids who never judge me, pressure me, or even ask me to apologize when I mess up
Two kids who have taught me patience, love, and that it’s okay to not be perfect

I would say, it was a good Mother's Day!

Part 1: Two babies. Two years.

I have seen countless women who's bodies "bounce back" from their pregnancy a week or a month after delivery. That's awesome -- but for me it's far from reality.

Other women, including myself, are part of the (pardon my language) "Work Your Ass Off To Get There Club". Which is really: "Work your ass off and maybe you'll get there but most likely you'll end up 5-20 lbs above what you used to be." That's what I'm anticipating at least.

Losing weight is something I've always needed to do. Even in high school I was always 10-20 lbs heavier than girls who had similar height, activities, and lifestyles. I just didn't understand. 

After Baby #2 was born [in January], I really hit a low point. After two babies in less than two years my body had been through a LOT and I found myself almost 70 pounds heavier than my already "heavy" weight. It was depressing, embarrassing, and honestly I felt defeated. We want more kids soon but 70 pounds seemed like it would take years to burn off. Especially being a mom of two kids under two AND working from home -- I didn't have the energy to plan workouts/diets/etc. 

I heard about a program called Couch to 5k on one of my online forums. I have never been a runner. I think the only time I ran a mile straight was in PE Class in Junior High... but I was athletic in school and the purpose of the program isn't speed, it's about building your endurance by starting with small intervals and gradually increasing them over 9 weeks. 

So I started running. And I SUCKED! 

The first week I literally struggled to run for 45 seconds. But I was determined. After only 5 weeks I ran my first 5k in my entire life in 39 minutes and 7 seconds! 

My second one is in two weeks (8 weeks after my first) and I'm hoping to shave 10 minutes off my time. Who would have thought I'd be running 5ks for the first time in my life less than 4 months after having a baby! Not me!

As far as weight loss goes, I've lost a total of 35 pounds so far (half of my goal). 

I obviously still have a lot of work to do but I've done a lot so far in the past 3 months. I'm excited to start my next "program" tomorrow and see how much more my body and change! I'll give you details about my next program in Part II of this post.

Overall this has been a difficult journey and I still have several months (if not years) to go. I obviously wouldn't trade my babies to be skinny in a million years. 

However, I am willing to give up an extra 30 minutes a day!

in 10 years, maybe..

Where do you want to be in 10 years?

Tommy and I use "10 years" as our frame a lot when dreaming. It's a realistic amount of time for us to be established in where we'd love to be.

We want a 2+ acre farm complete with organic garden, composting, chicken coops, bees, a goat, greenhouse, and fruit trees. We want a old small house full of half a dozen kids, thrift store and garage sale furniture and clothing, and homemade soaps, detergents, clean products, and the like. We want our emergency fund in the bank, over halfway done paying off our house payment, and be generating income from our homestead farming. We want to have our home completely medication free and fully relying on homeopathic remedies. 

Dreams...