Sleepless baby NO MORE!

Not all moms will appreciate this as much as I do, but I'm sure there are some that had the same sleep challenges I have had with Asher.
My husband & I have done tons of research about how babies sleep. We've read books & watched videos & listened to all the tips & advice friends & family have given. My wonderful son was not one of those babies that just slept well, like some of my mommy friends. I've come to learn that if you nurse, you are likely to face some different challenges than formula fed babies.
Long story short... Asher was/is dependent on the bottle for sleep. Call it what you will, It was the only way for him to fall asleep. So, in the middle of the night... When he would wake up, guess what he would cry for? Some nights were better than others, but I've had 2 breaking points since he's been in his crib, where I said, "That's it! I can't take it anymore! I need sleep!"
So for the past 2 months or so we've been preparing him to sleep without the bottle WITHOUT crying it out. We tried removing the bottle from his mouth several times (Pantleys gentle removal plan), we tried a pacifier (he hates it), we tried giving a BIG bottle at the beginning of the night.... Yadda yadda yadda. We've tried it all, and I feel like when I look back at it, we have definitely made progress & it has prepared us for what we went through this weekend.
At some point we weighed the options. We could wait until he's older & grows out of it... Or some form of cry it out. Again... NOT A FAN OF CRY IT OUT!
EVERY THING I read lead to the same conclusion. He needs to learn to put himself to sleep, and guess what... He's not going to like it & will protest. I mean, we all protest change, right?
We are exhausted parents thriving on caffeine & broken up sleep just to get us through the day. Some days I had to have a grandparent come over early so I could sneak away for a nap! I just couldn't imagine myself doing this for another year or even months for that matter. It's affecting my mind, my ability to lose weight & my mood some days. We decided to let him cry.
Like I've said, we've read multiple books on this issue & we decided to not go with once certain method. Instead, we decided we would do what we thought was best for Asher. When I say "we", I mean my husband. He did the hard work.
So we had this plan to start Friday night, but then he slept well 2 nights in a row before that, so we decided  to postpone. Then Saturday night, when we were putting him to sleep, his bottle finished & he wasn't asleep yet (daylight savings time messed up his internal clock). He was upset. This rarely happens, but instead of making him another bottle, my husband rolled with it. He stayed in the room with him, reassured him constantly & laid him down. He did this over & over while Asher cried. This cry was more of an upset cry. Clearly, he wasn't hurt &/or didn't feel abandoned. He was just tired and wanted his bottle! He cried for an hour and 45 minutes. I cried myself. I questioned if this was the right thing to do, prayed, everything to get my mind off of it but I couldn't. It was much harder for me then it was for my husband. After all the crying & wondering if he would ever go to sleep, he fell asleep. That night he slept 4 hours and 27 minutes straight. Now, I know this doesn't seem like a long time for most of you, but our son was waking every 2ish hours, so 4 hours and I was ready to take on the day! We didn't let him cry again. Instead we gave him a small 2oz bottle of water, left the room & he fell asleep. He only woke one more time that night.
The next night we sleep trained, hubby gave him his bedtime bottle then cried when it was done. This is new for him because we have been cutting his bottles down to practically water & 3oz at the most. But guess what? He only cried for 30 minutes! And even better news than that... he slept for 7 hours & 21 minutes! That is a record for him! He woke up crying once, more like a whimper, not full on cry, but stayed in our room & he fell back asleep. This is so doable! Even if it stayed like this, I could function properly! However, I know if we continue, he will eventually be sleeping straight & I can get my sleep back! I am so thrilled!
I hate to admit that every one was right about crying it out, but it's true. I think there are some methods that are harder than others for your little one and you have to find what's right for you & your family. I knew there was no way we could just leave him in his room to cry. But my husband staying with him the whole time and letting him know everything is okay was the best thing. I know he didn't feel abandoned or unloved at any time. I can't thank him enough for being the strong one.
I will update as we continue to teach my son how to sleep.

CAMP DO MORE STARTS TODAY!!!

Oh man oh man! I can't tell you how excited I am! Today starts 3 days at Camp Do More! What is Camp do more you ask? Here's an explanation in a nutshell:

Camp Do More is self improvement and personal development disguised as a party! Think motivational lectures, super fun workouts, an entertaining fashion show, an off the hook dance party, friendships, inspiration, and MORE!

Inspiration and Motivation to Last a Lifetime!

Join Chalene Johnson, New York Times Best-Selling Author of “Push: 30 Days to Turbocharged Habits, a Bangin’ Body, and the Life You Deserve” for a once in a lifetime experience at Camp Do More!

Get the Motivation, Tools, and Accountability You Need to Achieve Anything You Set Your Mind to and Have a Blast Doing It! DO MORE at Chalene Johnson’s Camp Do More!

Chalene Johnson is one of my biggest fitness inspiration, next to Jillian Michaels. When I was about 19-20 years old, I started taking this class called Turbo Kick at 24 Hour Fitness. I fell in love! It was the best workout I could get in 60 minutes without feeling like I was "working out." One day, my instructor was being evaluated, and the evaluator approached me after class and told me I had great form & I should look into instructing. Of course I was too chicken to do anything like that, so I brushed it off. But that moment had always stayed in the back of my mind.

Years had gone by and I was a yo-yo dieter/ gym attendee. I gained/lost and could never be consistent with anything. Then I gained a lot of weight. So, I went back to the gym, and took my trustee Turbo kick class. That was always my go-to. 

I started to do some research on fitness programs because I needed to lose this weight and I came across something called Beachbody. So I looked up the products & found Chalene Johnson! I went to her sight & saw she was a sort of like, a life coach. She inspired me so much & all her motivation to live an all around healthy life was right up my alley. I love talking about that kind of stuff. Little did I know that SHE was the one who created the Turbo Kick class that I loved at 24 Hour Fitness! It took me years to find her, lol, but it was like fate. I loved Turbo Kick even more after I found this great person who was behind it.

Going back to my Turbo Kick classes at the gym (years later), led me to do her home video TurboFire, which then led me to really concentrate on my health and join Weight Watchers which led to 35 pounds gone!

So that's my story of how I was introduced to Chalene....well, kinda.

But back to Camp Do More! I've never been able to go, because it is a little expensive, has always been in Orange County & I didn't have any "fit" friends. I kept telling myself I was going to save money for it but it never happened. Then of course you know, I got certified as a Turbo Kick instructor and went into the fitness direction of my career, so I made a choice that I was going to go! And of course this is they year that it's in VEGAS! My hometown!

Here's a clip of what it looks like:

We are separated in football teams & I am on the Broncos. If you know me, you know I know nothing about football, so I literally had to google to see what our colors are. I did some shopping and came up with some good stuff.

My best find was that "My skills never end" T-shirt at Wal-Mart in the boys section for $3! I love when I find something for cheap!

Good thing workout clothes are light, because there are going to be 6 workouts including a PJ Piyo. I just rolled up all my favorite tops & pants & put them in here. I'll decide later. Oh, and of course I can't forget snacks.

I had to pick some healthy ones because I will be rooming with health nuts, lol. I still don't consider myself a health nut. When I think of staying on the strip, the first thing that comes to mind is all the good food I can get. I'm a fat kid at heart that's for sure :)

So, that's a little about camp do more. I need to finish packing and come up with a plan on how I can get a picture with Chalene. See ya when I get back home. Tootles!

I can blog from my phone!

I feel very "techy" right now because I am blogging from my phone! Cool huh? Anyway, I am in my second week at the kickboxing gym full time & let me tell you.... I am SORE! Specifically my legs. I started working out again (not kickboxing) and I did a home video called TURBO FIRE. So, I'm not sure if the soreness is from the video or just teaching classes. 

That's not what this post is for. Since my schedule change, I have been trying to get into a routine with my eating and I'm happy to say this week has been a good week. In fact, this morning I woke up & could see a little definition in my stomach.

It really is true what they say: Abs are made in the kitchen. I can do ab work all day, but the only days I see definition is when I've eaten clean for a week or so. There's hope! I will not give up on my goal to have abs. I won't give up! Hold me accountable, okay? Oh, and P.S. Victorias Secret semi-annual sale is going on right now which is where I bought that super cute sports bra for only $17!! Woo! I love me a good deal!

Here we go again....update.

Well, another update. It's been a whole year since my last post. Too funny. And let me tell you, A LOT has changed! I'm going to summarize this with bullet points, since that goes along with my type A personality ;)

• Hired by 24 Hour fitness as a group X instructor for Turbo Kick classes.
• Became a weight watchers life time member! (Which means I met my weight loss goal & maintained it for 6 weeks).
• Hired by Weight Watchers to become a receptionist.
• Took my first ilovekickboxing.com class & was asked to become an instructor.
• Became a Weight Watcher meeting room leader.
• Celebrated 3 years of marriage with my husband. (It's been great).
• Offered a full time position at ilovekickboxing. 
• Accepted offer.
• Offered two Saturday morning Weight Watchers meetings. (Big deal in weight watchers world).
• Quit my job of 6 years at Summerlin hospital. (Very scary).
• Celebrated one year of keeping my weight off!
• Started ilovekickboxing full time.

Phew! Okay. So that's pretty much where I'm at. The past year has been a process of changing my career, from healthcare to fitness. Which, I guess is still healthcare, right? I lead 3 weight watchers meetings & work full time as an instructor. What a change! NEVER in my life would I think I would be getting paid to teach classes! I have let go of my Turbo Kick classes at 24 Hour Fitness, but I hope to get certified in something else soon. Zumba anyone?
I really can't tell you how happy I am with this transition. I never disliked my full time job until I started teaching at the gym. After that, it was becoming so hard to concentrate at work when all I wanted to do was be somewhere else.
Now, I have freed up my schedule (I was working 56-60 hours a week) and I am doing something I enjoy. I literally just let out a huge sigh of relief when I wrote that. God has ben so good to me & has given me more than what my heart desired. I am overflowing!
So what's next???
If you know me, you know I am always working toward something and trying to achieve something. I am going to enjoy my time at home for awhile. There are a lot of projects that have been put on the back burner because of my busy life. Then, within the next year or so, I would like to work toward getting my personal training certificate and some kind of nutrition certification. Ultimately, I want to help people reach their fitness goals and feel like I feel! So, keep posted with me because I'm going to be blogging a lot more now that I have more time. Oh! And don't forget to "Like" my facebook page HERE for all the health/fitness tips you need during the week! Take Care.

4 years ago

Four years ago yesterday, I was at Carnival Court with my friends & Barry and that night I had decided that I was going to stop being stubborn and hurt and officially make the decision to "date" Barry. We had already been seeing each other & hanging out for two and a half months but I was too scared to start a relationship with anyone because of my past hurts.
You see, that same day, 1 year before I was engaged to my high school sweetheart and he broke off our wedding and relationship 2 months before our wedding day. I was devastated as you can imagine. Not going to go into that.
Little did I know that God had something in store for me. And I never imagined it would be someone I dated 3 years prior. And definitely didn't imagine he would've come so quickly.
So that evening at Carnival Court, I decided to replace the bad memory of June 14 with a better one. The day I knew I was going to take that last step forward and never look back. I am proud to say I did that and my life is better than I ever imagined it could be. Everything fell into place perfectly after I made that decision. Two months after that decision, I knew in my heart I was going to marry that man. Our life together has been wonderful. He is my bestest friend and I love spending my time with him. He makes me laugh and he will do anything to make me happy.
So, in closing, my good friend Antwone was right that night when he said," That's a good look for you." That's all the approval I needed :)

Looking young

So tonight I taught a Turbo kick class and the instructor who taught before me decided she would stay for my class. It was a bit comforting. We chatted after class and got to know each other a little for about 10 minutes. She was really nice & sweet and we are both new to instructing so we were sharing some tips together. She was thin & fit. The whole time we were talking, I was so excited to have made a "fitness" friend. And she looked to be around my age which was a plus. She had mentioned that she had 3 kids and I was like wow! She's still in great shape.
Anyway, I went and requested her to be my friend on facebook and I saw that she graduated high school in 1993. Uhhhhhh, in 93 I was 9 years old which would make her.....37? I couldn't believe it. I seriously thought she was around my age! It just reminded me of how much fitness is important to looking youthful. I want to look like her when I'm 37! I better stick to this fitness thing I got going on here so I can continue to look young. That's all. Thanks for listening to my thoughts for the day :)

My breakfast

I wanted to post this on Facebook but I just have too many thoughts to share. I want to share my breakfast with you. Which I do often if you follow me on Facebook, Twitter or instagram, but I would like to talk a little bit about the choices I make and why.

Okay, so it's Saturday today and I normally cook a big breakfast because it is the only day of the week that my husband & I get to eat breakfast together. But today we are having a barbecue with some leaders from our youth group and I want to save my points. This meal is 4 points plus and 260 calories. Oh, by points I mean Weight Watcher points. I have been successful on the program and am currently in maintenance mode for 2 more weeks. FYI, this can benefit from anyone (not just weight watcher members). Okay, enough babbling. 
The first thing I want to share has nothing to do with the food I chose. It's about saving points or calories or whatever until later. I want you to know that is NEVER a good idea to eat NOTHING because you are going to eat a lot later. I used to do that in my younger days (yes I said younger) and it only hurts your body. It is good to be conscience and plan for a bigger meal, but you must eat something. Fruit and vegetables are always a good choice and even a piece of whole wheat toast with your choice of topping. Okay, now to the food. Is it ridiculous that I have so many thoughts about food? I think it is, but I am not going to lie, I LOVE food! So much, that I actually had to learn how to have a healthy relationship with it. Ugh! Enough with the babbling again... 
Coffee cake. Not much to say about the coffee cake. This particular one is a weight watchers product you can buy at the store. It's small because...well, our portions are distorted and we are used to Starbucks sized coffee cakes which you don't even want to know how many calories are in those. None the less it was tasty and fast enough for me to find the points plus value right on the box. I prefer to stay away from processed foods now,(that's a whole-nother blog) however I am learning that it is a big process to get rid of them. I am doing it slowly, one item at a time. 
Banana. No brainer. On the weight watchers program all fruits & most vegetables are free and you are supposed to get 5 servings a day. I would have to say that is the biggest change weight watchers brought into my life. I eat more fruits and vegetables than I ever have in my life! So, I eat a fruit with EVERY breakfast. It's healthy and it helps me get more full and stay full longer.
Coffee. Eh, what can I say about the coffee? It's a part of my everyday life. Now, I am talking about black coffee. Black coffee is zero points. But this is where people make mistakes....CREAMER. During the week I drink black coffee with 2 sweet n lows (I have slowly made the switch to Truvia) but on the weekends I splurge and use flavored creamer! Mmmm, we have so many different kinds and I look forward to Saturday mornings with my creamer...I mean, coffee with creamer. I can't stress enough how important it is to measure out your creamer. Creamer is very fatty and if you are eye balling the amount, you are most likely putting too much in, and then tracking it incorrectly. Most creamers are 1 point for 1 tablespoon. Get the tablespoon out and measure it! And do this with everything! You are never going to be good enough to be your own measuring cup. I will post later about why I feel so strongly about this. 
So, hmmmm, I'm not quite sure how to end this. It's actually kind of awkward now that I am looking at this long blog about a banana, coffee and cake. But I hope it benefited just one person. And if it did, then I am happy. And if it didn't, then I am still happy because I am writing about something I love...food :)