The WONDERFUL World of Weight Watchers!

For probably the last 6 months I have been saying to myself...and my husband, I need to lose some weight...I would say it, get excited about it, and then do NOTHING! It was lame. To be completely candid, I had about 15 pounds to loose after I had Jacob. I got pregnant with Baker when Jacob was 7 months...we were overjoyed. After having Baker there was this stubborn 10 pounds that would not dissipate. So to add that all up I had an extra 25 pounds plus the honeymoon 5 that I had gained (is there such a thing) since my wonderful wedding day. 30 pounds heavier since my wedding day...and if I keep keeping on 10 pounds with every baby I will not be very happy with myself and it will just get harder to loose the weight. Recently Dave and I have been talking/praying about baby number 3...which means that if I want to loose this weight then I NEED to get motivated! We prayerfully decided to wait a short while to have another baby for several reasons which gave me about 2 1/2 months to reach my goal. So we dived into NFP (natural family planning) which we haven't practice since we first got married... its been an all over again learning experience, but we love it!

So now its time to get serious about loosing this weight...can I do it...will I do it??? All these questions rolling through my mind. My mother is my best friend and someone I can talk to about anything...weight included. A mother never wants to see her daughter struggle in any way...especially with body image. She encouraged me in a loving way..never placing any pressure on me or making me feel bad about myself. As a gift she asked if I was interested in weight watchers and that she would purchase my first 3 months...of course I said yes and was SO excited!

3 weeks ago I began this adventure...

In 3 weeks I have lost 11 pounds! I feel SO great! The best part is my confidence in knowing that I can DO this...it is possible! Weight watchers is wonderful because you can still eat...which I LOVE to do! You have a certain number of points each day. Everything you put in your mouth has a point value to it...you learn to love the things that have 0 point value...like cucumber...and salad! You have bonus points in the week as well...I have an extra 35 points for the week that I can use if I go over my daily points. You also get activity points...so AWESOME! If I work out, go for a walk, play outside with the boys, clean...I get extra points for the day!

I am being educated..learning discipline with food and the GOOD things to put in my mouth. This is a life plan! I have noticed that this discipline I have with food has stemmed into other areas of my life. For example, prayer. Finding time in the day...and sticking to it. My schedule is more orderly which leaves everyone a little bit happier! Dave is SUPER encouraging and eats what I eat! He is so wonderful!

We would like to TRY to get pregnant in September/October with gives me a couple months to reach my goal! Please pray for me that I continue to have discipline and the desire to keep loosing weight! It is such a wonderful feeling getting a little bit closer to your goal everyday!

Thanks for listening...weight watchers in wonderful and I would recommend it to anyone!

A Vacation for the Staples' Family!

Well we did it... traveled to Michigan and back (with lots of stops along the way)! It was a wonderful 2 1/2 week road trip and I hope to do it again next summer. We packed our van full and drove off on our way...waiving good-bye to the "new house" as Jacob calls it.

Our plan was to camp a couple nights at Mahoney State park near Omaha, NE. We were unable to get a reservation so we were praying along the way that one of the first come, first serve sites were open. When we were an hour away I called to check...and they had one site left. Do we risk it? Dave and I decided it would be best to stop and get a hotel and get there early the next morning to get a site. We stayed in Grand Island...ate Qdoba and found a hotel with a pool. The next morning we did set out early..on the road be 7:30 and made it to the camp ground by 9:00. We were 5th on the waiting list and finally our campsite became available. We set up camp...made some grub and headed to the water park for a little swimming. That night we grilled hotdogs and played at the park...i forgot how MUGGY and HUMID Nebraska is. That night when we decided to lay our heads to rest we realized how SMALL our tent was. Dave and I had used it last when it was just the two of us...now there are 4 so you can only imagine! We made it work though...Dave and I laughing hysterically at the situation!!! It stormed like crazy that night but we managed to stay dry! The next morning our campsite was one BIG puddle so we decided it was best to pack up and head to the next portion of our trip.

Next on the list was Davenport, Iowa. We found a nice little hotel and spent most of the evening swimming. The next morning was the Lord's day and we found a cute little church that we were able to attend Mass. It was a beautiful Mass and we left renewed. We then traveled 6 hours to Michigan where we stayed with Dave's family for 1 1/2 weeks.

It was a good time in Michigan. We did lots of fun things to entertain all. The zoo, a fun park with fountains for Jacob to run through, paddle boating and lots of spoiling by the grandparents. It was really nice to spend time with them! It is always hard to leave. The night before we left Jacob woke up with 105.5 fever...it was a little scary. We could not get the fever to go down so we ended up taking him to urgent care. Everything turned out to be okay and Jacob ended up getting a cold within the next couple of days. Baker then developed a fever and then got a cold too. Its just hard to be sick and away from home but the boys handled it great.

We then headed to Wisconsin to hang out with my extended family. We saw my Grandma Baker who is in a nursing home. It is always so good to see her but pains my heart to see her there. Such a lonely place. It is such a blessing that she was able to see her only 2 great grand children. We stayed with my Aunt and Uncle and had a BBQ with my other aunts and uncles and cousins in the area. It was really great to see everyone! We then left and headed to Omaha, NE.

We arrived to Nebraska, checked into a hotel and swam...can you tell that Jacob LOVES to swim! The next moring we got up and head to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. I lived in Omaha for 9 years of my childhood and have such fond memories of that place. We spent a lot of time at the zoo...it was great to re-live my memories of the zoo. It is an AMAZING zoo! They have done so much to it! The boys had a great time! A fun surprise was that my mom decided to fly to Omaha to come to the zoo with us...she missed her little grand-babies! It was great to have her there. Jacob really missed her! (as did the rest of us!) We stayed with some good friends of my parents...another reason why my mom came...to spend time with her good friends! It was a great time. By the end othe day we were ready to get home!

The last day of traveling went fast...and we were SO happy that my mom was there to help with the boys. There were some moments of survival but we made it through! Thank goodness for portable DVD players..and suckers!

In the end it was a great family vacation! It was nice to travel together as a family and to visit lots of family along the way. As much fun as a vacation is, it is always a good feeling to get home and get you life and schedule back in order...but sometimes you need to leave for while to appreciate the everyday life you have at home.

Thanks to all the hospitality along the way! It was SO nice to see everyone!

My 5 Favorite Kitchen Appliances

I love to be in the kitchen and I love to cook and bake. A friend posted on her blog a few days ago her 5 favorite kitchen appliances that make her life easier. I thought...what a great idea! I shall do it too!

#1 Stand-alone Kitchen Aid Mixer

This has made my life so wonderful when it comes to baking pizza dough, breads, cookies of all sorts and much, much more. It is so wonderful to have it mix all the ingredients for you while you are doing other things... like getting the next ingredient ready, preparing the pan to bake it in or going to help your toddler who decided it would be a good idea to climb in the crib! It just makes life EASIER!!!

#2 Coffee and expresso machine

If it was not for a cup of coffee...or two or three in the morning I would never have any motivation to do anything around the house! There is nothing like drinking coffee in the morning while you watch your little ones play or on Sunday mornings with your husband!

#3 Waffle maker

We love to make a large breakfast on Saturday mornings! It is a tradition in the Staples' house to have waffles, bacon, eggs and fruit for us all to enjoy! We love to make waffles...it is so easy to make the batter and then pour it onto the waffle maker...within minutes we have warm, golden waffles for us to enjoy!

#4 Large skillet/griddle

This is also a much needed appliance when we make our breakfast. It plugs in alone and we can cook our bacon on it while using the stove for other things. It is especially nice when we have people over for breakfast...it cooks a lot.

#5 Grill

I do not use the grill as much as my husband but we do love it! I usually prepare the food for him to cook! There is nothing better then the taste of grilled chicken or a hamburger! We love having people over to BBQ! It is our favorite!

These are just a few of my favorites, that we use ALL the time and makes our life easier...what are yours?

Butterscotch Banana Bread

This bread is a special treat in our house....it is SO yummy! I got the recipe from Dave's mother...she used to make it for him when he brought home his report card. For every A he got a loaf of banana bread. It was/is his favorite and that is what he requested for good grades!

1 3/4 cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup mashed bananas (very ripe bananas work best)

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup milk

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1 (6 oz) pkg. butterscotch morsels

Stir together first 6 ingredients and set aside.

Combine mashed bananas, sugar, eggs, and butter...mix well.

Alternately mix flour mixture and milk to banana mixture.

Stir in nuts and morsels.

Pour in greased loaf pan.

Bake @ 350 degrees for about an hour.

Cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan.

**This is an easy recipe. The hardest part is getting it oot of the pan as the morsels may stick. I have started cutting wax paper and lining the bottom of the pan which keeps it from sticking. I also find if I use a little more than 1 cup banana the better it tastes!

Hope you enjoy!!!!!

To Sleep or not to sleep...

Dear Jacob and Baker,

May you both sleep with angels tonight. Mama needs some sleep...especially if you want her to be any fun tomorrow. Baker you are in much need of sleep as well. Please sleep more than 2 hours at a time tonight and if you do decided to get up, please go back to sleep (its not fun to be up for 2 hours in the middle of the night!) Jacob please sleep in past 6:30 tomorrow... I always like seeing 7:00 am on the clock before the day begins... Sleep is so wonderful... its makes us ALL healthier and happier! May you both sleep as peaceful as you look right now...

I love you both so much!

Love,

Mama

Growing

One day you put your boys down for a nap and realize that without you even knowing it, life has gotten easier with 2 children.

Baker is 8 1/2 months and as I look back at the short (feels like forever) time we have spent together I can see that Baker has gotten bigger! Duh you are thinking... but when you spend everyday with someone you don't see them grow. There are so many firsts when you bring a baby home from the hospital. Baker ate all the time, he slept all the time (expect at night of course) and he was so portable...he adapted to wherever we were! The sleepless nights...lets be honest I still have a lot of those, Baker does not sleep through the night by any means. But unlike with Jacob I don't care, well sometimes I care and have to ask for the grace of God to be with me. I have learned to enjoy these moments with him in the middle of the night where he just wants to be close and nurse. I know they wont last forever. The first smile and how it melts your heart. The first time he interacts with you and enjoys the little games you play with him. Rolling over. The first tooth and that gummy smile turning into one full of teeth. Sitting up. Crawling. And now standing up. How did this all happened right before my eyes?

The other day I just realized...that everything was easier. While I was making dinner Jacob and Baker played together in the kitchen. The giggles that came from the both of them made me smile. Baker can crawl...he follows us around and can entertain himself. They take their afternoon nap at the same time...I NEVER thought that would happen. But at some point it just does. The things you never thought would never happen at some point will.

Jacob has grown as well. Being just 16 1/2 months when we had Baker, Jacob was still a baby. He still needed us for so much. It is crazy to believe that he is now 2 and how much of a helper he is. He can tell us what he needs and wants. He has conversations with us and makes us laugh all the time. Even though there are difficult moments with a 2 year old I find that several things with Jacob have gotten easier. The whole discipline aspect of raising a toddler can be challenging but we figure it out as we go.

**all days are not easy. sometimes they do not sleep at the same time, sometimes they do not play well together, somethings Jacob sits on Baker and makes him cry, sometimes Baker just needs to be held when I am making dinner, sometimes Jacob just wants to be held, somedays I cannot wait for Dave to get home.

I am NO super Mom...but things are getting easier!

March Madness

March Madness...

The one time of year my husband watches TV...if there is a basketball game on in the month of March, it will be on. The sounds of sneakers on the basketball court, basketballs swishing through the net, cheers from the crowd, whistles blowing and the sound of my husband cheering...or lets be honest, yelling at the television comes from the living room!

Today as we were heading out for Palm Sunday Mass he asked me if we had anything planned after Mass because we needed to get home in enough time to watch Michigan State in the elite 8. Dave is on alumn of Michigan State and cheers for the Spartans whenever possible!

I never was a basketball fan until I met my husband...and now I cheer for the Spartans if they are playing. Today during the game I probably asked him a million questions...and no I am not exaggerating. Questions like..."Why did the coach do that?" or "What is the player thinking?" Questions my husband would just look at me and laugh...but try to answer to appease me.

During the game today Dave was getting SO nervous! He was sitting probably 2 feet from the TV...and in the last 3 minutes of the game (which takes probably 30 minutes) he told me to stop asking him questions...he needed to focus! All in a loving way of course! :) I told him that I now know where Jacob gets it...he likes to stand right in front of the TV too!

Michigan State did win...and it was a close one. They will be headed to the final four and play Saturday...you know what we will be doing!

We have two little good luck charms on our hands that were decked out in their Spartan gear today thanks to Grandma Staples...

GO SPARTANS!!!!!