Help me find healthy substitutes!!! PLEASE!!!

For me Summer is all about barbecues, family gatherings, bonfires and spending time outside. Going along with all those themes are foods that are specific to our families. In other words...I have found myself saying "I only want my mom's ________ " b/c it is the best I have ever had. No store bought alternative can suffice. SO...in keeping with that theme I am looking for help substituting the stuff that I am craving with better/healthier recipies. Here is the list of things that I am looking for low fat/low cal substitutes for! I am not opposed to using splenda and fat free stuff just fyi! -SWEET TEA- POTATO SALAD- SWEET VEGGIE MARINADE for my tomato, cucumber, onion salad(much like Noodles and Co. salad). What can you not live without in the summer? I am interested in knowing! THANKS IN ADVANCE. OH and just so you know for some reason my blogger won't let me create new paragraph's. That is why this is so squatty. THANKS!

Its slowly sinking in...

Last Sunday I had a crappy morning. I tried to put on my only pair of jeans "regular" jeans(I sold the rest b/c they were way too big), and they didn't fit very well. And I was SO ANGRY!

Call it hormones, the weather, or just mear frustration...but I was really mad. Depressed really. All I was thinking was "I can't believe that I worked SO HARD to lose 62 pounds prior to getting pregnant with Kendell and now I still can't fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes!" What I should have said was what I was really feeling...."I don't think I can lose the weight again", which is exactly what I was thinking.

For some reason I couldn't believe that I had the will power to go through the struggle that I had before to lose this weight again, but I feel different now.

I realized (again!) that I can't really be on a "diet", I just need a change. I need to know that I am making healthy choices for foods that I put in my body. For me that is an easy shift as long as I have lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in the house. I have never been a real big meat eater, so I don't find myself binging on meats.

So I have adopted a new attitude. It is kindof relaxed. I have decided that the weight will come off. It will because my body will go to the size it is supposed to be if I only eat the right amount of calories, and if I continue to excersize on a regular basis.

So what have I done...

I started out by working out. I have been doing this for the last few days. I have created a list of stregnth and flexability excersizes that I can do in my living room with either a band or ball. And I can do them anytime which is great. I can get in my cardio by walking/jogging around my block. That should give me the cardio that I need with the added stregnth list.

I also made a healthy foods list that I can go through whenever I am going to the grocery store. This will ensure that I know that I can make _______________ when I need to. I also have made up a few things in advance(i.e. tuna salad, and soon tomato salad).

A big thing for me is MAKING myself eat in the morning. Its a must for someone who has such a history of type 2 diabetes in the family and I do. I have given terrible excuses for not eating in the morning and it won't work anymore. Because I am only lying to myself.

The big picture for me is showing/teaching my kids how to live fit. That doesn't mean that I am running a marathon although I would be up for certain "walking" events, but it does mean that I will not stand on the sideline if they want me to join them in something. I want to be the type of mom who is able to throw the softball with them, or even learn how to play soccer b/c one of my kids enjoys it. Who knows...all I am saying is that...the depression is lifted and I can do this.

I was afraid my drive to suceed was lost...but I think its a comming back!

Uh Oh...the start of a very bad thing!!!

Well thanks to Becki, I am now hooked on wool cover, shorties, longies, soakers, etc. Trust me I am very very thankful for Becki's beautiful/wonderful gift(a gold soaker which she hand made!) but it has thrown me into a "wool really is pretty easy to take care of" frenzy and I bought two wool felted covers for Kendell's fitteds.(to some of you this is making NO SENSE!!!, but I like to keep you informed). I also just bought a custom spot for a pair of shorties! I can't wait to see them! Here she is in one of the wool felted covers.Here she is in her first Preston's Pants! DH picked out the fabric and embroidery. Kierstin has one just like it with a yellow whale!

Anyways...thought you might want to see an updated picture of Kendell. Hard to believe that she is already 3 weeks old! She is sleeping well, nursing well and falling into the order of things well!(When you are number 5 you have to adapt!!!LOL)

Sorry I haven't been around...been busy as you can imagine.

E

Anyone else want to wish Becki Congrats?

Well POST HERE! I guess she "forgot" to allow responses to her big announcement. Perhaps she was afraid that too many people would be excited for her! WELL I AM! So...CONGRATS!

The change is scary at first but I promise you that you will pull through it. I did figure out that it was going to be ok while I was in labor. Literally...its a story for another day, but I am sure you realize it quicker than I did. I kept reminding myself that if God didn't think I could do it then I wouldn't be pregnant. RIGHT? Well...what was true for me is true for you.

So! I am happy for you! And I hope you are happy too!

TTYL and High-5's!

E