{Project 365: Day 2}

(this is Toby, our male cat - he's got quite the attitude & sharp claws)

{The first day of the New Year}

I started off by photographing Sam and Myrna because I realized I just didn't have enough pictures of him with her, (mostly her doing since she gets cranky whenever she leaves me), and then I moved on to the other kids and pets. Enjoy!

 


















(they both have the same expression)



(this is Toby, one of our cats)











(this is Ceasar, our only dog)













(Ceasar wanted in the pictures too)







(My 4 babes)

(Isn't perception great! Aaron's got big feet)

(Ceasar is a camera hog)



(and Ruth doesn't like that fact, cause she wants to be the camera hog)

(Ruth was holding Sorry, our other cat, poor girl, Ruth just won't let her be)







(Help me!!)

{Project 365: Day 1}

I am going to strive to take a picture EVERYDAY for the next 365 days and will be posting it here on my blog each and everyday. Every week is going to have a theme and this weeks theme is "Pets".  Here is my first post.

(This is Ceasar, our pug)

{New Year, New Goals}

I have many goals for 2011 but first lets look at how I did with my goals for 2010:

1. Lose weight (60 pounds at least over the course of the year!) I lost 28.5 lbs in 2010, which is really good considering I had 3 miscarriages and had a perfectly healthy little girl.

2. Start sewing (buy a sewing machine) I bought a sewing machine and sewed up some burp rags but that's about it

3. Get to know the people in our new ward I never really got to know anyone in the Caldwell ward but I have met some great people in the Nampa ward that I am in.

4. Prepare myself to home school the kids for the school year 2010-2011 I tried to do this but between buying a house and having a baby I just couldn't cut it and ended up putting the kids back into regular school.

5. Start baking bread on a more regular basis  (simple I know, but it's been hard to get back into the routine) I made bread off and on during 2010 and ended up doing more cupcakes/cakes then anything.

6. Create a more realistic schedule and stick to it  I still have to work on this one, but I am getting closer to having a realistic schedule.

7. Have "Date Night" with hubby again,  (should be easier since Gary & Sarah are with us, they have offered to watch the kids - at least once every 2 weeks) this never happened and will have to become a priority for me this year.

8. Do more crafts with the kids,  (at least once a week) this didn't happen either, I mean we did some crafts but not like I wanted and not on a regular basis.

9. Get pregnant  (if possible, more blood work needed) Got pregnant, had a couple miscarriages but carried the last pregnancy (#9) until MJ was born and then got "fixed" because I am sooo done.

10. Go thru every box and either toss what's inside or find the contents a home  (I don't want boxes laying around the house that never get gone thru) This did happen at the house in Caldwell but now I need to do it again with the boxes in our new house.

11. Be happy & content with who I am, (even if that person never has another baby or loses the weight) I am happier but I could be more content with who I am. This is an ongoing goal for my life.

Now onto my goals for 2011:

{2011 GOALS}

1. Lose 42 lbs bringing my weight down to 234 lbs. To complete this goal will require drinking lots more water, walking 30-60 min per day and doing some other workout routine throughout the week. Post weekly on my blog and  constantly check in with those who are doing it with me so that I stay accountable.

2. Become more Domestic. This will involve cooking more meals at home and making a chore chart for not only myself but for the kids too.

3. Do more crafts with the kids. This involves setting aside one day during the week to do one craft no matter how much time it takes to do it. This is important bonding time.

4. Spend less time in front of the TV. I will be turning off the TV during the day and working more on DOING things with my family. The TV is not our world!

5. Take a photo a day.  I need to get back "in Love" with my camera and just take pictures for the love of it, not because I have to or because I am being paid to, but because I want to capture a memory. This will require one picture every day for 365 days.

6. Get all our debt paid off. This will require a "rice and beans" attitude and I will need to become better at using coupons. We only have our car and two student loans.

7. Go to Reunion this year. This will require saving up for it and planning.

8. Make a trip to see Family. This will require saving up money and marking a date on the calendar so that we know when we are going and know how long we will have to save.

9. Become my husbands "Girlfriend". Make time for him and start doing "date nights" once a month and try to do things that make him happy. I want our relationship to flourish and not diminish and in order to do that I need to work not only on my wife-y duties but remember to treat him like I did when we were dating.

10. Be Happy.

{2011 "Lose 6 in 6"}

I am participating in Angie's "Lose 6 in 6" which involves losing either inches or weight in 6 months (I wanna lose both) Angie wants to lost 6" in 6 months.

I would like to get down to 234 pounds (42.5 lbs from what I weigh today) by the end of the year, so in 6 months I would love to lose 1/2 of that (aprox 21 lbs). 

When I got pregnant with my kids I could always get back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 234 (well at least with my boys I could) after having my now 5 year old little girl I went on birth control and not only did I not lose the 30 lbs I gained while carrying her but I gained another 30 lbs. Once I got pregnant with my now 2 month old little girl I weighed in at 305 lbs (YIKES!!) and while I carried her I changed my eating habits, got more exercise and for most of the pregnancy I didn't gain any weight but actually lost weight (no, I didn't starve myself or under eat, I just changed my eating habits and added exercised). During my pregnancy the most I lost was 17lbs and after having her, (and after all the swelling went down), I was down a grand total of 34 lbs but gained back  5.5 lbs bringing my weight to 276.5 lbs (as of tonight).

I am really happy with my progress so far and want to have some accountability again. It's been 2 months since having my little girl and it's time for me to get my butt in gear again and start losing some unwanted weight/inches. Below is my starting weight/inches.

Everything was taken on December 28, 2010 at night while everyone slept.

Starting Weight: 276.5 pounds

the following measurements were taken with a metal tape measure - 'cause it's what I had

51" breast

42" waist

57" hips

17" flabby upper arms

I just noticed that my measurements mean I have an hour glass figure! How awesome is that!!

(Me in my PJ's showing off my flabby EVERYTHING)

(and post pregnancy belly)

Mind you the above images are showcasing my TOO BIG clothing that I wore while I was pregnant and now sags off me but I can't get rid of 'em cause they are comfy but don't wear them out in public - oh wait, I just did!

So here I am bearing it all and going to become accountable again and I will be posting on my blog every Friday (starting next week) with my weight-loss success and failures as I journey to become lighter and more healthier not only for me but for my kids too.

You will be able to follow my progress by clicking on the "Weight loss Weigh in with Arya" image off to the right & most of my weight loss posts, but especially my Friday posts, will include the below image.