Sugar Fasts

Since I've had little Logan, I've decided to try to be healthier.  Since I couldn't work out right away after having Logan, I decided to start with something small.  I made a goal to eat more fruits and veggies, and I have been doing it by drinking green smoothies everyday. 

It's amazing how much energy I get from these green smoothies.  I usually make a big pitcher's worth in the morning, and either have some of it for breakfast and save the rest for snacks.  Sometimes I have oatmeal or eggs for breakfast and then I just drink the smoothie as my snacks. 

I am proud to say that I drink about 6 cups of green smoothie a day, and I absolutely love it!  I started a candy fast after Easter as well, to try to curb how much candy I eat.  I am doing a great job of staying away from candy.  Two weeks ago, I stepped back from eating ice cream and other frozen treats (besides smoothies).  And on Wednesday, I am starting to cut out all snack cakes, cookies, brownies, bars and anything else that is a sweet baked good.  It will be difficult--- I LOVE baking, but I've realized that I really need to focus on eating better.  I love working out and exercising, but I have always struggled with my diet when I try to lose weight.  I will probably try to reintroduce some of these things a little bit at a time, but I really want to try to break the habit!

I'm starting to realize that I am in control of myself and my moods---food doesn't determine my happiness and it doesn't control me.  I have had more self control in the last few weeks than I thought was possible considering how much I LOVE sugar.  I have such a sweet tooth.  I've also realized that if I don't do so well on one day, it's okay.  It doesn't give me an excuse to completely binge or go off my plan.  I just have to keep going.  I'd eventually like to get to the point where I eat very minimal sugar, unless I make myself a treat, but I honestly have realized that I have to break the addiction that I have before I do that.  I also don't want to use asparteme or any other nasty chemically produced sugar replacement either. 

We're also trying to eat fish more often (once a week); drink more water; eat out less; and exercise more often.  Starting in July/August I am going to cut out FAST FOOD!  This will be so hard for us, because there are some days where I have such a hard time getting dinner on the table because of how crazy the boys are, but I know that we can do it.  Here's to a healthier body, more energy, and a happier lifestyle.  :) 

Cuties

Evan smiling while playing with his friends Mina and Teresa

Logan is getting big.

He moves that head all the time!

Evan's new haircut

Handsome little guy.  Does his hair look red to you too?  Cause it looks reddish to me!

A smile.

Rick's 27th Birthday!

Rick had his 27th birthday on Friday (May the 4th be with you).  Evan and Logan bought him a bunch of junk food snacks that he doesn't get unless it's his birthday or another day celebrating him.  They also were really nice and bought him a $20 gift card so he could get a computer game that he wants that will be really expensive when it comes out later this month. 

He got a pair of jeans from me and the book Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson.  I also took him to go see The Avengers movie.  What a great movie to come out on Rick's birthday because he's a total geek.  We both loved it!  Then we went to a Japanese restaurant where we both got sushi rolls and Evan got some chicken tempura (which he loved). 

It was a pretty easy day except Evan having a meltdown when we took him away from getting into Rick's birthday cake.  Instead of singing Happy Birthday with me, he screamed and cried the entire time!  Little stinker.  No pictures, unfortunately.  I thought our camera had broken...it's not totally broken.  Hopefully it can keep working until we can afford a fancy shmancy camera that I'd really, really like.  :)

Happy birthday Rick!

Handsome Boys

Evan as a pirate at the privateer festival in Baltimore

In the stocks for being "cranky"

Tired Little Boys!

At the Baltimore Orioles game. 

Logan showing his love for the LA Kings

Handsome Evan before church.  The ladies love him!



Evan in his "Godfather" suit before church. 





Rick's dad came out for work in Pennsylvania, so he flew out to BWI to hang out with us for a couple of weekends.  We went to a Privateer festival in Baltimore.  It was pretty cool... the only thing is that everything for the kids was a little old for Evan.  We also went to a Baltimore Orioles game for a Military Appreciation event.  There was also a family fun festival (or two) on base to celebrate April as the month of the military child. 

Logan is growing and thriving.  He had his two month check up, including shots last Thursday.  At one month he was 7 lbs, 13 oz (up from 6 lbs, 1 ounce as his birth weight).  At two month appointment he was 10 lbs, 11 oz.  Um... yeah, he's a total fatty.  But, he's such a great baby.  He nurses so much better than Evan and he hasn't had anything from a bottle at all, which makes it hard for Rick and I to get out by ourselves, but he's still pretty small, so no big deal.  

Book Challenge- Day 15-Favorite Male Character

I haven't done this in a while, but I intend on finishing this 30 day challenge.  So, it's hard to narrow down to just one, so I've chosen three favorite male characters. 

1) Sherlock Holmes--- I've loved the Sherlock Holmes stories for a long time.  Young Sherlock Holmes was one of my favorite movies when I was younger.  I enjoyed the late 80s, early 90s BBC/A&E Sherlock Holmes that starred Jeremy Brett.  And I've enjoyed the newer adaptations with Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch (actually, I adore Sherlock).  What is it about Sherlock Holmes that makes him 'timeless'?  He's a brilliant and sardonic character that is a genius.  And while he's a genuis and he uses logical, deductive reasoning in order to solve his crimes, we also see a more negative side.  His depression, mood swings and addiction to drugs makes him a flawed protagonist.  Someone who solves crimes for the greater good, while he himself is somebody that could use saving at times.  This makes his a complicated, multidimensional character that people will have a fun time intepreting for years. 

2)  Samwise Gamgee---The real hero of The Lord of the Rings.  Since The Lord of the Rings is my favorite novel, I had to pull out a character from the books.  And there are so many good characters.  Aragorn, the reluctant (at the beginning) king;  Boromir, a man twisted by the ring but with good intentions;  Gandalf, the wizard who is the epitome of wisdom and foresight; Faramir, the less esteemed younger brother, living in his brother's shadow.  And the friendships of the four hobbits and the relationship developed by Legolas and Gimli.  So many great things about this book.  So, why Sam?  I just love Sam.  He voluntarily leaves with his master, his greatest friend.  His loyalty is unfallible, with the only time leaving him behind is when he thinks Frodo is dead.  When Frodo began to weaken, Sam only became stronger.  Sam changes so much from the beginning of the novel when he is just a humble gardener, where toward the end, he becomes a warrior as he deals a gruesome wound to the spider monster Shelob, resists the power of the evil ring, and literally lifts Frodo up Mount Doom so he can throw the ring in the fire.  He urges Frodo to keep going and keep hope through all that they were going through.  And that really is just the beginning in describing his awesome character... if I could just read books and analyze characters all day...

3)  Harry Potter---Another book that has so many good characters in it.  I really like Ron, Neville, SNAPE, Draco, Sirius and Lupin.  All really great characters that show great development. Rowling really is a fantastic writer.  I decided to write about Harry on this one though, because I think he's sometimes (even though the protagonist) overshadowed by Snape and Neville in his character development.  Sure, Snape has this awesome, mysteriousness about him and I really appreciate his style of teaching (hands on, quiet discipline) and Neville just grows by leaps and bounds throughout the series, I think Harry needs to have some support.  I like Harry because he's humble.  He doesn't go around, claiming that he's the chosen one.  He doesn't think that he's anything special.  You see him go through moodiness (book 5?) like any other normal teenage boy.  He has crushes, he has insecurities, and he has baggage.  In the end though, he still accepts his destiny, and does what he needs to do, including walking straight to his death, in order to get things done.  He is almost used in a way, because nobody ever tells him what's going on, and they expect him to do things, but he has to honestly trust those people (Dumbledore).  And not everybody can just do that. 

Photo Shoot

A few weeks ago our good friend Amy took pictures of Logan and Evan (with a couple of Rick and I also).  She did such a great job.  She is so talented and I loved all the pictures. 

Musings

So, adding another kid into the mix is a bit exhausting.  My "me time" is officially about 20 minutes in the day.  That's okay though---I really wouldn't have it any other way.  I haven't dealt with any baby blues at all since I had Logan.  He's such a happy baby.  And there are the rare nights that he doesn't sleep well, but I think he's doing pretty good so far.  He really is a handsome little guy.  Evan is as easy going as usual.  He's talking a bit more.  He now says "Ma", "Out", "Thank you" and I heard him even repeat "Hey you" to me.  He's also coming up to me and laying down on the ground when he needs a diaper change---without any prompting from me, and even if he just peed. 

We're doing really well---I am coping without going too crazy.  I think it helped that I wasn't by myself with both boys until last Wednesday.  We had visitors to help in the meantime.  We're finally getting to the point where we are getting into a little bit of a routine.  I am managing to do dishes, occasionally pick up after the boys, make dinner most nights of the week, and sometimes get laundry done.  Overall, I've been quite successful these past couple of weeks.  It's amazing how much busier you really are with two kids compared to one... I wonder if it will be even crazier when we have a third (in a few years).