Beep Beep!

This last Saturday, my amazing friends Emily and Kelley, put together one FUN baby shower for Brandon! 

Cars, trucks, mud cups, caution tape, fuel, road signs, tires, dump trucks, cones, you name it, we had it!

Matt and I have been so blessed these last few years with such wonderful people in our lives! 

 From simple "hey, how are ya doing today?" Text messages, to sending us presents for Brandon, to jumping in full force when we need help or support. 

My life is amazing! My friends are amazing! My family is amazing! And my drooly, teething, chattering, clumsy toddler is amazing! 

It was so great seeing so many people that have been a huge support through this whole adoption process! 

Matt got crafty with some tires...

...And everyone enjoyed some nice cold "fuel".

I have a bunch of adorable photos of Brandon playing with his trucks and cars, and laughing with friends and family. 

One day I'll be able to show the world. But for now, just imagine a super happy little guy. 

Thank you again to everyone who helped put this fun day together: Emily, Kelley, Matt, My cousin Danni, my Dad, Matt's mom and Dad... Oh, and my mom helped too...

All Talk no Walk

It's a little funny and a little insane to me how people want to give kids junk food and sugar, just because: "they're so cute! They deserve a treat!"

Really? 

Because I'm pretty sure you're just giving that child diabetes and trading it for a smile. 

I'll admit, I've completely fell off the work-out wagon since Brandon came into our home. Yes I've been tired and busy, but there is no excuse for stopping my routines, except pure laziness on my end. 

Luckily, the guilt of not working out, has made me even more persistent in a healthy diet. One thing I definitely won't let slide is the healthy food we've been eating! 

We've had Taco Bell and In n Out a few times, but I won't let Brandon eat it. 

I always bring his own food with us when we are out and about. I might let him have some left over rice, but it's after he's already eaten his lunch. 

He was so constipated when he first came into our home, (and I'm talking 2.5 days), I swore right there, he would have the best diet possible from then on out. 

He is not allowed to have sugar anyway, or he'll get very sick, so we're told. (I'll spare the non-parents and let your imagination come up with the "sick" I'm talking about).

First thing I did was grab gluten free noodles, non dairy Vegan-cheese, a ton of fruits and veggies and almond milk from Sprouts. He's a good eater! He absolutely loves my green smoothies packed with kale and spinach! And he doesn't know he's eating the healthy food. He even has gluten free graham crackers if he needs desert. 

Something I would really like to work on though, is leading by example. 

So here I am, asking for accountability, to be a healthy eating/exercising mommy, so my baby boy can grow up into the strong healthy guy I desire him to be! 

No one can stand those people who are all talk and no action, so today we start fresh. 

Walks, green smoothies, salads for lunch, veggies for dinner. 

Who's with me?!

Week 1.5

So much family, so many friends! 

(This is Brandon with his actual cousin, Brayden... they're very close in age, and they're almost ready for sharing.)

Brandon has been thrown into the "Matt and Sarah's Life Show" with a bang! 

Nothin' phases that kid. 

He is the sweetest, friendliest, funniest little dude! And I'm pretty sure he knows it. He does his own act, complete with a "Ta-daa!" and clapping. Brilliant, I know.

Brandon has met one to two different groups of "aunts, uncles, and cousins"  (family AND good friends included), every single day this week. 

Dinners, lunches, pool parties, the horse barn, Target, the OC Fair, more pool parties... This guy has had one BUSY week! (so have we, zzzzz....)

He also went from having absolutely no sleep-schedule, to taking two small naps a day, and sleeping about 8pm to 6:30am straight through. What a guy! 

He's also become good buddies with the dogs, and he likes to bark at the cat. 

He drools more liquid than he drinks, I swear. 

But even with all the teething going on, he's such a trooper, and barely ever gets fussy. 

He recognizes all 4 of his Grandparents and our siblings now, and he says "behbehdaddy" to Matt. A lot. And random strangers that walk away after taking to us. But hey, he tries. 

The kid is awesome. I'm seriously so in love :) 

Brandon

                 IT'S A BOY!!!

Likes: 

Cars, singing, music, smiling, laughing at my Spanish, barking at the dogs, feeding himself... And Daddy. 

Dislikes: 

naps.

Looks like: 

the most beautiful baby boy I've ever seen! (And a little bit like Ricky Ricardo. including the cool hair). 

Joined our family:

 on Friday, July 26th and I've never been so in love! 

Story: 

18 months old, been at a loving foster home since he was 3 months old. He's ours now, and he's perfect in every way.

The Fun:

 we didn't tell our parents about "the call" or that we were matched, or had 3 visits with Brandon or anything! 

We just had mine over "for lunch". 

And we just showed up at Matt's parents' and "Ta-da!"

Side notes:

 we aren't allowed to post his pics on line, sorry guys! So unless you're close friends or family, it will be about 6 months or more till you can see his face. After 6 months of him living with us, and visits from his social worker, we will be able to file for his final Adoption! 

I never thought I'd be so happy to find dried apple sauce on my arm, or step on a toy car with bare feet, or wake up 4 times a night to check on a baby who never, ever, wakes up... this is the most amazing feeling, and I'm loving every minute of Brandon Isaac being a part of our family! 

He's making a mess attempting to feed himself lunch, so I actually had a second to sit and type some info out for all of you! ;) 

We'd really like to thank you all for your prayers and support through these last 2 years. God sure has His plans, and all the waiting and work was so, so worth it! 

espera...

Yes, that is the Spanish word for "Waiting". Why, Sarah? I dunno, I mean how many times can I use the word waiting as a blog title. So, why not make it in another language just for fun right? And yes, I did have to Google search the correct word.
 I am the most non-bilingual person ever.
(Although, thanks to my Syrian boss, I can say "open a little" and "close" in Arabic. very useful, I know.)

Lately, I've been checking out the web for fun kid's t-shirts about adoptions and all things related.

Since we are adopting from LA County, I'm 90% sure we will end up as a transracial family, and I know that's going to attract a lot of attention.

I think this is my favorite! ;)

So, just thinking about the future, I figure, why not let the kid(s) wear fun clothes that show off our love for them, along with our support for adoption? Since people will be staring anyway, we might as well give them a little lesson in family love despite the colorful palette of our family.

There are some really, really, lame shirt ideas out there.
"Worth the wait"...well duh!

There was one that I almost liked, and then after thinking about it, decided I really didn't like it at all.
                That shirt says, "Chosen".

I understand some adoptive parents actually do choose their baby... but I mostly believe that God has the ultimate upper hand in the decision making here.
 I mean hey, He already knows who you're going to choose... and I definitely believe he has already chosen our future family for us!
And how is that going to make the other birth-babies feel? They didn't get "chosen", they just popped out!


There is one shirt I kind of liked, but I don't think I'd actually make my kid wear it. It says, "Yes, these are my REAL parents!"

It truly amazes me how, will all the liberal junk going on, and all the "anything goes" attitudes, people can still be SO clueless about adopted kids!

I don't even have my kids yet, and I get asked things like, "Well, why don't you want to have your own kids?"
Or, "Just wait till you adopt, then you'll get pregnant with your own baby, I've seen it happen, I know these things."
I even had a Dental specialist that I occasionally work with, say to me, "You and your husband would make great looking kids, why would you want to adopt someone else's?!"

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!!

#1. I'm not here to make little carbon copies of myself. I know I'm human and I can be pretty vain, but I'm not that infatuated with myself. If it happens it happens, if it doesn't it doesn't, simple as that!

#2. We want a family, and all these millions of kids need a family, and it doesn't matter who looks like what or where they came from! We will love every single child that comes into our home and they will be OURS.

#3. My goal is not to adopt and then get pregnant. I don't know why random strangers love to tell me this stuff when they find out I'm adopting. I'm here to do whatever the Lord has planned for me to do, and I have no other ulterior motives.

#4. "Do you think you'll get a kid or kids that look like you and your husband?" Arrrgh, really?!
Why is that even an issue, this is 2013! And NO, I do not! And no, that doesn't bother me one tiny bit.

#5. People are SO weird. I really don't understand the lack of logic in this society. Everyone wants, "equal rights! save the planet! go green! feed Africa! etc"...

But when you tell them you're actually going to be saving a child from a life of Foster Care or being stuck in the system, they say things to me like, "but, what will your real kids think?"
Seriously, what is this, Pinocchio? These will be my real kids. They're very real, and they need a home and a family.

Ahhh!

Sorry, I had a long, weird week at work, can you tell?
This is why I like sassy kid's shirts that let people know, yes, my kids are adopted, and yes, it's OK!

I think I'm ready to just make my own. At least it'll keep me busy while we ESPERA!
(I'm probably not using that work in the correct context...my apologies to anyone who actually speaks Spanish out there. Like I said, my other language skills are no es bueno!)


In other, current news, we had an awesome turn out at our family 4th of July BBQ yesterday.

In the last meeting that we had with our Social Worker, she asked us if we believed in celebrating Holidays and special events like birthdays.

As practical of a question as that might be, I thought it was funny... Parties are what we do best!
 I told her, "trust me, those kids will always have some kind of party to be at!"

well, until next time folks.... have a great weekend!!

And Then I Opened It.

I just got off the phone with my dad.

He's pretty excited. He knows this is an important night.

In fact, he thought it was so important, that he grabbed the soonest bus home from work and left before he was planning on leaving.

And that proves how important and special this is for him, so of course it made everything even more special for me!


I had emailed him this:



(click on the photo to enlarge)

I've had a long day. A very, very, long 10 hour day. But it's Wednesday right?
Who has fun at work on Wednesdays anyway?!

Like always, I rushed home. In my opinion, driving is the worst waste of time when you just want to be at home. So during my 35-40 minute drive, I'm pretty sure I tailgated. I'm pretty sure I gave some slow guy the stink eye. I'm pretty sure I shook my head at some idiot driver ahead of me. I'm pretty sure I flew over that train track on Lambert near the Arco gas station. But I was kinda zoned-out and my favorite playlist was turned way up, so who knows how I actually got home!

I pulled into the driveway and stumbled out of the car, like I do every night, with all my empty water bottles and my lunch box and a bunch of random stuff in my arms...

I grabbed the mail, said hi to the pets and dumped everything on the kitchen table.

Then I saw the envelope.

And I just kind of stood there, with a little smile on my face.
(at least I think it was a smile... I might have looked completely freaked out, but Matt wasn't there yet to witness my facial expression, so we'll never know!)

As I picked up the envelope and ripped it open, the last 2 years of paper work, waiting, classes, phone calls, letters, prayers, and expectations swirled around in my head.

If this letter is what I thought it was, this means we could get a call any day.

                 Any day!

We could get a call from our CSW saying that she may have found a match for us. It could be tomorrow, it could be next month, or next year. (I think I was still smiling at this point?).
 If this was the letter I thought it was, then things just got VERY REAL!

like, SCARY real!


So I took out the folded, clean, white paper, and took a deep breath.



                 And then I opened it.






Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

The Cost of Living.

It amazes me how hard we work and save our money sometimes, just to have some part of random life happen to make us use up all that hard earned cash.
But, that's why we work, right? To not only be able to live, but enjoy life a little bit?
You might love your job, but I'll bet you wouldn't work there for free!

It's ironic how everything changes.
Rent goes up, gas goes up, tax goes up, vet bills go up, food costs go up.
But of course your Income sure doesn't budge!

So, I'm moving my horse to a new barn. It's nicer, bigger, and more conveniently located, and you know what that means, more money.
I also live farther away from my workplace now, so I make the same, but spend more in gas money.
I'm also planning on only working part time when this foster/adopt process finally delivers a human being into my home. And that could be soon!
And then the other day, after I had put some overtime money into my savings, my baby kitty got bit by something pretty bad. It got infected and abscessed. he has stitches, antabiotics and a drainage tube. and you don't even want to know the vet bill.

Things start running through your head... Get a new job? Get a second job? Move? Get rid of the pets you love? Give up on ever buying a house with horse property? Sell a car? Give up on kids?

Can you tell I had a little bit of a freak out moment yesterday?

Then as I was sitting there on the bathroom floor, holding and loving on my poor cone-head-kitty before bed, a favorite Bible verse from somewhere deep in my memory just kinda took me by the throat and said, "look Sarah, chill out!"

 

I'm not here to complain. I think my life is pretty insanely amazing! And I work really hard to keep it that way. I know that no matter what happens, my Heavenly Father won't give me something I can't handle. I just need to breathe deep and remember that the cost of living isn't so bad.

...But everyone's allowed to have a little moment of insanity once in a while, right? 😉

Have a blessed day guys!

That's What's Up.

Greetings fine people of the Internet!

Remember the Dr. Seuss Baby Shower
we had...a YEAR ago? we still have everything!

I've apparently had way too much time on my hands today. Which is weird seeing as I started the morning off extreeeeemly slow.
 Usually on my days-off I'm all over the place by 8am. Somehow I didn't even start my day till about 10, and even then I took my sweet time. (But now that I look back, I think I may have had about 3 cups of coffee during that "slow" time...)

But hey, I read a little, cleaned the house, made a smoothie, drove out to see my horse, drove out to look at a new potential barn, cooked some yummy Paleo banana muffins, took a little nap (WHAT?! that NEVER happens!), and then gave this blog a little updated look.
 Like it?

anyway.... onto the important stuff.

UPDATE #9,567:
So here's the deal. We had our LAST and final Home Inspection last week! And yes, we passed!
We had to cut short the only one week vacation I'll get this year, but oh well, totally worth it!

Now, What's next?

Now we wait. again. I know, shocking, isn't it?
Our paper work (Home Study) is going to our CSW's Supervisor for a final inspection before it can be fully approved.

This can take about a month.

But, after that approval goes through, we will receive notification that we are finally "in the system" to be chosen for a match!

Our Social Worker will receive the calls, and then decide (based on all the info we gave her over the last year), what child or children fit our profile the best. Then she will call me, and we'll chat about it for a while.

Once we find a match that sounds like a good one, Matt and I will have a meeting or two with the kid's Social Worker. We'll go over all the info they have on the kiddo(s). If, after all that, everything still sounds good, then we will have some meet-and-greet time!

Does this process sound long enough to you? Because it should!

But, it's OK.
 I'll need that time to decide what I'm doing with my job and finding a part time replacement and all that crazy stuff.

So no matter how insane this whole thing has been, and is going to be, I am perfectly content that it is all working out JUST the way God wants it to.

And ya can't argue with God!

Oh! Ps, I made a Facebook group page for this site as well. Just because. enjoy!
https://www.facebook.com/LifeGetsSeriousSoLaugh

the Tell-All Chapter.

 

Do you ever feel like you have "that friend" who just knows every little thing about you?


And I don't just mean they know your favorite color, food or choice of music. I mean everything...

...They know your past, they know your childhood, they know where you went to school and why. They know your parents' names, what they do for a living. They know your sibling's names and what they do for a living. They know what activities you did when you were a kid. They know what activities you do now. They know how you were punished as a child. They know if you have a criminal or drug record. They know if you rent your home or own your home. They know if you paid your taxes. They know if you have a gun or not. They know if you have a clean back yard. They know if your dogs got their shots or not. They know how many pets you have...

They know where you work, and how much money you make. They know what your after-work activities are. They know who feeds the dogs in the morning. They know who cooks the meals in your home. They know who pays the bills. They know what kind of car you own and if it's registered...
They know you're future hopes and dreams. They know your personality likes and dislikes.
They know what age kids you want. They know what part your family plays in your life. They know if you even talk to your family or not.

They know your bank records. How much money you have in IRAs and savings and your checking account. They know what your house looks like. They know what is in every drawer and cupboard in your home. They know what kind of food you buy and what the inside of your fridge looks like.
They know where you work and what hours you work. They know where the closet park is to your home. They know where the closest schools are.
They know what your finger prints look like. They know if you've been cleared by the FBI or not. They know if you allow strange people to sleep in your home over night. They know who your emergency contacts are. They know all your phone numbers. They know if you have ever lived out of State. They know if you ever plan on moving out of State.

Ever have a friend like that??

Well apparently we do.

And that friend decides when and how and why we should be able to Foster/Adopt from LA County.

 

Can you tell we had a 4 hour meeting with our Social Worker last weekend? My head is spinning.

ohhhh, LA.

I saw our File sitting there on the interview table. It would make a very thorough Tell-All book if there ever was one!

waiting for Matt to be done with his private interrogation.
 I mean interview.

So, now you're wondering...

UPDATE:

Our Home Study is almost done! One more quick home inspection from our CSW and then the paperwork will be passed to her Supervisor. After our paper work is approved, we will then be open for receiving "a match".
Upon finding this match, Matt and I will receive a phone call and be set up for a meeting with the child's Social Worker to discuss personality traits, medical history, etc.

This "matching" part could take days, weeks, months or years.

Only God knows!

The Mother's Day Addition

 

 

 

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

...To all the Brand-NEW mommies, all the Second year mommies, all the Regular mommies, all the Older mommies, all the Grandma/mommies...

and to the FOSTER mommies,

ADOPTIVE mommies,

the BIRTH mommies,

and the FUTURE mommies!


 

"to a Child's Ear, Mother is Magic in any Language"

 

 

To the New Mommies out there:
"Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him."
Psalm 127:3

You have a gift from God right in your hands! a reward, a blessing, a miracle... don't ever forget that. Some days might be hard, and some nights might be even harder, but you brought an amazing little human being into the world, and you did it the hard way, and that makes you pretty darn awesome!



To the Regular Mommies out there:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
 1 Corinthians 13:13

To the Mothers...(like mine, who have had 28 mother's days, 28 cards and 28 lame flower bouquets to look back on)... Thank You.
Thank you for putting up with our cranky infant attitudes, our terrible two's, our pre-teen attitudes, our independent teen attitudes, and our young adult attitudes...oh, maybe that was just me?
 I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you for sticking with it and not dropping us off at the nearest corner with a "FREE" sign around our necks! You deserve a round of applause!

we know God IS everywhere, but I sure think moms help
out a lot!

To the Birth Mommies:
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."
Hebrews 11:1

In Faith, you have given one of the most amazing gifts possible, to a family that has been just dying to have a child. You have done something that I can only imagine being the most difficult thing a woman can ever do.
Instead of choosing death for your baby, you have trusted God enough to give birth to that baby, and let a loving family you may never meet, take care of your child. You have taken circumstances that may or may not have been in your hands, and you decided to give that child life, love, and a bright future! Thank you!!! from all of the women who cannot bear children themselves.



To the Foster Mommies:
 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ 
Matthew 25:31-40

WOW. Words cannot explain how amazing and wonderful you are! You have taken on a huge challenge, and you have in your hands some of the most damaged and hurt children you'll ever see. You. Are. a. Blessing. You are brave. You are so strong. You have so much love. You don't know what's around the corner, but you have great Faith in what God can do. Thank you for taking a road that so many others are too scared to venture on to!

 

To the Adoptive Mommies:
"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
John 14:18

WOW. again, WOW. You have taken a little person who needed you the most, and loved them with every part of your heart. You are also amazing and so brave! You have not left them as Orphans. You have followed the Word of God and obeyed a calling. You have given a motherless child a reason to buy flowers on mother's day. You have given a motherless child a reason not to be sad on mother's day. You have given a life meaning and direction when it could have been cast away to the side of the road and forgotten. You are awesome!

 

 

On days like Mother's Day, I am not focused so much on not being a mother, than I am on being a certain type of "mother".

In a sense, have 2 boys. I help financially provide for them, I send them letters and toys, I support the people that love them and hug them and feed them... I may not physically be there, but in my heart, they are like my own kids.

 One is in Malawi, his name is Sneva and he is about 12 now.

This guy is mature for his age and helps provide for his family.
I can imagine him being so sweet and yet, so determined.

The other is in Haiti and his name is Esaiie and he is 7.

by the pictures I receive from this kiddo, I seriously want to jump on
a plane and go play and get crazy with him! This kid is really full of life.

I may never get to meet these two adorable boys pictured above, but I can still help them grow physically and spiritually and mentally, by supporting the organizations and the amazing, faithful, brave, wonderful people that take care of them. Every child needs a mom. Even if you feel like you personally can't take someone else's child and raise them as your own, there are still so many things you can do to help provide a more loving world for this motherless generation.

I absolutely LOVE this boy's shirt. It breaks my heart but it's what I needed to see,
so I always remember these kids are out there, waiting for love.

So here's my point ladies, this Mother's Day, if you feel like you need to be needed, I'd ask that you consider finding an addition for your family.



 Instead of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, sign up to sponsor a child, and save them from a motherless-mother's day! You think you're upset, but how do you think they feel? You can be a mother to an orphaned child, even thousands of miles away. There are plenty of options!



Well, Happy Mother's Day moms! Have a beautiful day filled with roses and cute cards and messy kids!

*here are some sites you can use for your consideration. but there are many, many more out there. And the more you find, the more you'll want to help.

Hands and Feet:
http://www.handsandfeetproject.org/

Machine Gun Preacher:
http://www.machinegunpreacher.org/donate/

World Vision:
http://www.worldvision.org/m/sponsor-a-child/?open&campaign=1193512&cmp=KNC-1193512&gclid=CNWmtJSaibcCFceDQgodomMACQ

Sponsorship:
https://www.children.org/sponsor-ir-e?lang=en-US&rs_id=2

 

 

Hearing the Heart Beat

Most expecting moms at this point in waiting, are getting to hear their baby's heart beat at their doctor visits.

I may not be able to write anything about my future child's heart beat just yet, but I can sure tell you about mine!

I believe I've mentioned on occasion how annoying I find this whole "waiting" process. It has been a year and a half since we started this whole Foster/Adopt adventure. it has been 5 months since the State approved our home for Foster children. It has been 2 months since our last paper-signing visit with our Social Worker. It has been 2 weeks since I've heard anything from her.

She finally called at the beginning of April to schedule her own home inspection! ...Just in time for us to tell her we are currently doing a make-over on our peeled-paint-pink-sink bathroom. (please picture me, appropriately ripping my hair out.)

One step forward, two steps back?? Uuugh!!!!

So hopefully she will be able to come do her visit in the next few weeks after the bathroom is complete...and definitely after I can take a shower again.

that. is. SO true! seriously!

Since I hate waiting, and since I love setting goals for myself and crushing through them, I've decided to get in the best shape I can for my future family. Seriously, I have no excuse. I'm adopting, I'm not pregnant, I'm not missing limbs, I'm not helpless, I don't have any broken bones...I can do cardio, I can do sit ups, I can lift weights, I can eat healthy and focus on the health of my own personal body.

The only thing standing in my way, is ME.

I'm going to throw out a little disclaimer here and now: I really don't like working out at all. Although I'm starting to slowly fall in love with it!

so does Sarah...

 I just reeeeally love the feeling the day after when I can't brush my teeth because my arms are still shaking. It means I've accomplished something better than seeing the same lame tv show over and over the night before! I never look at the scale. None of this is about my weight, just about muscle and fitness and health. I never skip a meal, ever...or a snack! I am constantly eating something! But, it all has to be healthy food! Oh, and I am also by no means an expert on food, fitness or anything else you might think.
...and I don't run. Not yet anyway, we'll see if my knees can take it one day.

SO true! drop that diet, just be healthy!

Here is the one rule I have for myself when I work out: Do as many as you can do, then do two more.

I don't count reps, I don't count time, I just go until I am sweating and shaking and I can't breath anymore. I can usually make it through the Hour long P90X video, but just barely.
 I don't keep track of my heart beat...although I probably should because I'm good at going till it wants to take its beat to the living room floor and start its own 80's disco dance.

I have absolutely no excuse to better myself every day. Some things are so simple! Don't eat junk food! It's not as hard as you think. No soda! (which is just a disgusting, sugary drink anyway and I've never liked it), and no fast food!

can I get an "amen"?!!

 Do you really think God made our amazing human bodies so we could consume horrid amounts of sugar and sit on the couch everyday?! No! He gave us plants and animals and WATER! Do you think he appreciates you stuffing processed food and sugar liquid (aka soda) into your body? Do you really, honestly think your spouse appreciates it? Don't ever take the easy way out, easy is never better. Don't be cheap with the one body you'll ever have! ...those are just some thoughts that got me motivated... is it working on you yet?

I'm not going to lie, I cheat on my healthy-food plan every single morning. I have coffee. Yes, I love my coffee and my little bit of fat-free half n half.
The trick is, small amounts, and definitely no sugar! And if I know I did my best in the work out the night before, I don't feel bad having one yummy thing that makes me happy in the morning before I hit the stressful road to work.

Like anything in life, it's all about determination, dedication, persistence, patients, strength and self worth. I have been working hard at this fitness thing for 2 months now. I actually started to write this a few weeks back but, GUESS WHAT?! I've been TOO busy working out after work instead of sitting on the couch with my lap top!
Now THAT feels good to say!

push ups, planking, salads, determination...do it.

Tips: Every time I have an errand running day, I'll bring orange and apple slices in the car with me, along with some fruity water. This way I am never tempted to stop at some convenient evil drive thru.

this is usually what my home-made lunches look like every day.
I NEVER go out to eat while I'm at work. That's a horrible habit.

Every day, I wake up (around 5:15am), get ready for work, make a healthy breakfast and our lunches, drive 40ish minutes to work, work all day, drive 40ish minutes home, make dinner, (and by now it's 8pm), and the rest is up to me. Watch tv? Sit and eat cookies? Go on the computer? Or do some 50 min. Cardio from my P90X dvd's and feel amaaaaazing the next morning?!

THIS quote right here, got me off my butt once and for all!
NO MORE EXCUSES.

It's true, YOU have to decide what is important for you, and if it is a life changer that you want... You'll MAKE the time for it.

I'm currently waiting on everyone else to deliver my future to me at this point. My kids are not in my hands, they're in God's hands, and until He gives them to me, I'm going to work my butt off and live a healthy life!

Instead of sitting in our future kid's bedroom, looking at the un-used toys and cute, soft little animal baby blankets, feeling depressed and feeling sorry for myself, wishing I had more control on our future... I'm going to take full control of something I know I can accomplish with enough determination! When you work out, you get out of it what you put into it. So all that energy that used to be focused on wishing and dreaming, turned into DOING. Give 100%, and see the results! It's awesome.

I figure if I can obsess over anything other than waiting for my foster kids, fitness might as well be my obsession! And I'll tell ya what, I'm LOVING the lifestyle change! And I'm not planning on stopping anytime in the near future.

'Till next time then... I'm off to give my dogs a nice long walk in the fresh air and sunshine!


ps, if you have Instagram on your phone, my awesome (very fit) friend Kelley joined up with me for a little inspirational "fitness" album. you can see it here
 -->http://followgram.me/2fitchixx
or just look up "2fitchixx" on instagram. :)