Show us your life- Living Rooms

To see my living room as of June 2012 click here!

I know I am totally late on this one! Kelly's Korner Blog is doing Show Us Your Life again and this past week was living rooms. I had taken the pictures and just forgotten to post. What can I say? This week totally got away from me!

This is my living room/family room. We technically have a "formal living room" at the front of our house but it is tiny so when we built the house we asked them payed them to add French doors and we made it into an office. I really like our living room... although looking at the pictures I think it looks a little boring! Oh well!

Here is my living room when you walk in through the front entry

In the living room looking back towards the front entry with the kitchen to the right

View of the living room from the kitchen

Changes for this week...

So, in hopes of getting myself healthy (and loosing weight) and getting my family healthy I am trying to make small changes first. I am hoping to create new habits. Here are my current "small things" I am doing that I hope will make a big difference in the long run.

• eat at home and especially avoid fast food when we do eat out
• drink water (except for my one cup of coffee I drink everyday!)
• exercise daily, even if it is just a short walk (right now I am doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred)
• incorporate fruits and/or veggies into every meal
• (and this one is specifically just for me!) no eating after dinner

It has been 9 days since my last Diet Coke and I am doing really well with just drinking water. The first few days were the hardest and now I really don't think about it unless we are having a meal that I have always associated with soda, like pizza or something.

I didn't get my workout in this morning so I am hoping to get to it here in a few minutes during nap time.

Yep. That's what I am up to! Sounds fun, doesn't it (sarcasm) ;-)

Supersize Me

Nick and I recently started doing the Netflix on Demand on our Wii. We got our disc for it yesterday so last night we watched the documentary, "Supersize Me". I had been wanting to watch it forever but just hadn't gotten around to it.

Nick and I really enjoyed it (you know... as much as you can enjoy watching something that makes you totally nauseus! Ha!) I instantly felt so guilty for how often I let me kids eat McDonalds and how often we have been known to eat fast food. I knew it was bad for you but I guess I didn't realize how bad. So, between "Supersize Me" and the Jamie Oliver special on changing the school lunch program that showed how McNuggets are actually made, I am on a mission to make healthier meals for my family! That starts with food at home so that I can know exactly what I am feeding my kids. (My internal dialogue: (moan) but fast food is so easy! and when we get some I don't have to clean up the kitchen!)

I had been using the excuse for awhile now that I couldn't cook super healthy meals because produce and meat are so expensive. This is true. But I went to Dierburgs today and focusing on things that were on sale I was able to get tons of meat and produce and a few other items for what I usually spend on groceries. The key is to not buy the processed convenience foods in addition! I could have saved more money if I went to Wal-Mart but I am trying to buy better meat and produce in my mission! Ha!

So, that is what I am doing. I will try to post updates on how it is going and maybe include any new yummy recipes I find along the way! Tonight's recipe is not super healthy but was already on the menu and I had the stuff for it. It is a sausage and potato casserole... but I am pairing it with a yummy salad and roasted brussel sprouts, so that counts for something!

P.S. I did Jillian's 30 Day Shred workout DVD for the first time today and I am pretty sure that woman was trying to kill me!

Random List

Instead of writing a traditional blog post I decided to make a list of all of the things I would blog about if I had lots of time! :-)

• We had Friend2Friend today and when I picked Max up he got a great report! He has a rough time in the "Frog Room" at church so it has been awhile since I have gotten positive feedback on his time in there!
• I have been trying to learn more about nutrition and where our food comes from... I wouldn't be suprised if I never stepped foot into a McDonalds again!
• I am pretty sure Jack is the cutest baby ever. I could just stare at him all day long!
• I feel like I can now say Max is officially potty trained! He has been out of diapers for awhile but was still having the occassional accident and still using a little potty. He now goes on his own on the big potty and it has been a long time since he has had an accident! I am SO proud of him!
• Nursing with Jack is going really well. He has actually never had a bottle! I am so proud to have finally gotten the hang of this nursing thing. I guess the third time really is the charm!
• I have been Diet Coke free for a week now. I am getting used to this just drinking water thing. I hate not drinking soda but I love being a better example for my kids.
• I am really proud of myself... I have made my bed everyday for almost a month now! I have never been good at doing it and I think I have made it a habit. I feel like even if my room is a little messy it looks clean when the bed is made!
• I am trying a new casserole recipe for dinner. I absolutely love trying new recipes!
• I bought a new bathroom scale yesterday... I am pretty sure it is at least 5 pounds off ;-)

Labor Day Weekend Recap

We had a FABULOUS 3 day weekend! It started out lazy and ended with more activity but it was fantastic! Friday night Nick and I hung out and he let me watch "Say Yes to the Dress". I am really not a big wedding person but for some reason I just love that show. Nick doesn't really but he loves me so he watches it with me:-) Saturday we spend the day just hanging out around the house. We did a little housework and Nick ran a few errands but for the most part we just played. Nick also hung up one of the finishing touches to Jack's nursery!

I LOVE it! I ordered it on Etsy.com. I had ordered some vinyls from Uppercase Living in the past but this one was much more affordable and according to Nick much easier to put up. Now all we need is to hang his quilt (which is out getting his name put on it) and then his room is done!

But back to the weekend... Sunday we cleaned all morning (I know... we missed church again) and then I had a buy one get one free coupon so we headed to Qdoba for lunch. We then went home so Soph could nap and we watched a movie with Max and Nick cut his hair. Then we went out to my parents house for steak! My sister and her fiance were there and so was my Grandma June so we had a great time.

Then Monday we went to the August Busch Nature Reservation. It was really pretty. It reminded me of the Nature Center in Springfield. We walked around and had a great time. Max was a little bummed because he was hoping to see some good animals but all we saw were frogs, spiders, and butterflies. Just not enough I guess:-) Then we came home and did some housework and then we had our good friends the Luitjohn's over for dinner. We had a fabulous time! All of our kids get along really well even though Heather's two oldest are oldest than Max and Sophie they are so sweet to them and played with them. It was a great night! And to top it all off we were in bed by 9! Score!

Here are a few more pics of the little man! He was 5 weeks old yesterday! I just can't believe it!

all over the place...

I appologize ahead of time if this post is a little all over the place! I just have a few things on my heart that I want to get out...

I feel like I have so many things I want to blog about lately but no time to do it! I wonder why? :-) Today is Friday which is always a happy thing here at the R's. And, my fabulous hubs woke me up this morning and I got to go on a walk all by myself on this gorgeous, crisp morning! And now I am sitting at the computer in a quiet house (aside from the grunting of my youngest) drinking my coffee and finally getting the chance to blog.

Things have been kind of crazy for me emotionally lately... I know, hormones! I can cry at the drop of the hat, just ask my poor husband! But, I also feel like God is really speaking to me a lot right now. Maybe he is talking even louder than usual to be heard over my 3 small children! But, in any case, I feel like I am really hearing him lately! Praise Him for that!

I feel like having Jack really has changed my heart. More so than when I had the other children. Jack came at a really peaceful time in our lives where as the other two came when things were kind of crazy so I was easily distracted. But, with Jack, my mind has been totally focused. He is such a special little baby. I feel like he has come and filled a hole in our family that we weren't even sure was there. He makes me feel more complete and when all 5 of us are sitting together I can't help but just feel so whole. He is such a blessing to our family already.

Since he has been born I feel like God has revealed to me some of the ickiness in my heart and in how I act sometimes and I love that. It is a hard process but I want God to search me and know my heart. I want to be Christ-like. And I want to be the best wife and mom that I can. I am just so beyond grateful for what God has done for us and what He is doing in our lives right now.

This morning on my walk there was a group of middle schoolers waiting for the bus. I couldn't help but remember back to when I was in middle school and even then dreamed of one day being a wife and mother. I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. Who am I that God would make my dreams come true? But, I believe God put those dreams in me and I am so thankful that he did. I can't imagine my life without my Nick, Max, Sophie and Jack.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." Psalm 139:23