Top 10 Pre-Thanksgiving Thanks

As so many other people are doing on facebook these days, I am trying to remember to post something I am thankful for each day. Well, let's just say I think I did about 5 of them so far. I'm not off to a good start. A few times now, I just sit there and have to think really hard about something I am thankful for... and then just get side and forget to do it all together. I think that's because I'm trying to put too much thought into it, and try to write something creative. But in reality, I already know what I am thankful for. I guess most would say it's not creative, or even unique. Frankly, they are plain old common. But that's ok. At least I think so.

1. I am thankful for my savior, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross fro my sins so that I may be saved. I am not the best at reading my bible, or even going to church to be honest. But Jesus knows my heart, and I am not ashamed to tell you that I love Him and He is the best thing that ever happened to me. If it weren't for HIM, I wouldn't have any other the other things on this list. So thank you Jesus for loving me so much, I love you too!

2. I am thankful for my handsome and smart husband, Gabriel Hernandez. We celebrated 8 years of marriage this year, and although we don't have the funds to go out all the time, take fancy (or even not so fancy) vacations, or are able to buy each other extravagant gifts... I really could care less. When you are married to a humble man, who brings you back to reality, you learn to love the more simple things in life, and forget about all the other stuff. I'm not saying he doesn't spend money one me... I have a very nice camera because of this man... I'm just saying I love him for who he is, and for the man he is. He's a excellent husband, and a wonderful, most loving father. Not to mention he loves his family and my family. He's just the best. Now if only he would shave his "Bro-Vember" mustache!!!

3. I am thankful for my daughter, Sophia Renee. She is the light of my life. I did not know what that saying was before I had my baby girl. But now I do. If you are a parent, I think you would agree. She is a blessing. She makes me want to be a better person. I know that God put her in my life for a reason, and she is mine and my husbands responsibility to raise. I know she learns from my actions, and that keeps me on my toes. Plus I'm learning from her too. How to enjoy the little things. Like sliding down slides, and watching ants march on the sidewalk. She's just the cutest little person ever.

4. I'm thankful for my mom and my dad. I love them so much. More now than ever I think. But man, they sure have changed over the years. It's weird how as I'm getting older I'm starting to feel like I'm older than them in some ways. They are more relaxed at this age than they were when I was little. It used to always be "No candy... Go clean up your room... No I'm not buying that put it back!". Now they are like little kids when my daughter is around them. "Here's a kit kat Sophie!... Oh that's ok, you can eat food all over the house and here's some messy ice-cream too!... Oh you want that toy? OK! And We will buy you this one too!!!"

5. I am thankful for my in-laws. All of them. If you know me, you know this is %100 true. They are the most loving family oriented people ever. They are so supportive, and so loving. They are my family and no you can't have them :) But if only my in-laws would stop buying Sophie all those cool toys and giant teddy bears, because their house is becoming more fun for Sophie than my own house!!! Lucky kid!

6. I am thankful for my friends. And the biggest shout out goes to my BFF... Brenda! She is an awesome and an amazing woman in every way, and every time I see her it's like we never skip a beat! Love you "Brender". Actually... that's how it is with all of my friends! I think that's why I love them all so much. A woman truly needs some good friends... even if you can't talk often, or are able to see each other often... it's just good for the soul. Never forget who your true friends are. They are the ones who are there when you need them the most, or when they need you the most. They are the people you never feel bad calling when you are having a crummy day, or when you have exciting news to share. They don't get jealous, they don't hold grudges, they are understanding, and always loving. And they make your pee your pants sometimes. Yes, this is true. Hold tight to your closest friends, because they will last a lifetime. Love you all my girls... you know who you are. I love you so much.

7. I am thankful for my health, and for the health of my family. Wow. That is an understatement too. Too often we take for granted good health. Even somewhat good health. Right now at this moment I am thinking about a little girl I "met" through facebook. She is about 3 years old, and she was in a drowning accident over the summer. You might have heard of her. Her name is Rosalie. She has been in a comma ever since, but she is fighting. The doctors only gave her a few hours to live after the accident, but many months later she is slowly progressing. It is a tragic story, and my heart goes out to her loving family, whom are strong believers in Christ. I just felt like I needed to mention this family because even though they are going though sooo much, each time Rosalie's mommy goes on facebook she pours out her THANKS to the Lord for her little girl. She does not complain, or say anything about the situation. She is just thankful. This is what true thankfulness is in my eyes. Here is her info of you would like to join myself and many others in praying for sweet Rosalie: Rosalie's page

8. I am thankful for the roof over my head, the food in my frig, and for my car. These are basic things, but when you think about it many people don't have these things. Never take the small stuff for granted. Oh, and don't pay any attention to the below photo. I look ugly because I was sick that day. I don't even know why I'm posting it!

9. I am thankful for our nation and for our rights. Another thing many people don't have. This past election was a nasty one, and honestly I'm glad it's over. It brought out a lot of bad in people, and the overall sense of hopelessness (at least for those of us who voted for the other guy). I don't know about you guys, but I have my trust in the Lord. We just need to pray for our nation, and for our president. Although his platform is against most of my Christian beliefs, he is still our nation's leader. Plus it's another opportunity for us Christians to be Christians and pray pray pray for him, for the laws that need to be changed, and for the economy to get better!

10. I am thankful for losing 4 pounds since first starting this blog!!! It's been almost two weeks, and I did what I said and I actually lost weight. Ya! I went from 161.2 pounds to 157.4 pounds. Just a small step for me in my new lifestyle of living more healthfully and being inspired! I was able to work out once last week, as well as take a few long walks. Other than that, I really watched what I ate and drank. I only cheated twice... once last week and once last night. I had a mini ice-cream cone. It was just a small treat... really it was literally small. I figure if I'm going to cheat, it better be small. I used to think "if I'm gonna cheat it's gonna be a huge ice-cream!" But I'll just waste all my hard work if I did that. And it worked. I ate it, it was yummy, and then that was that. No more craving. Then I brushed my teeth. Brushing teeth really does work for me. That taste in your mouth just kinda hangs around for a while and it doesn't make you want to eat anything. Oh and not drinking any sugary drinks. That has a lot to do with it to. Just drink a lot of water. Even sparkling.

That's all I have for you today. Happy Veterans day!!!! xo Kim

Shopping fail!

Have you guys noticed how "fail" is super popular right now? Anyhow... I have my very own fail story to share with you today. I just had to get on here and share this story with you, as I'm sure it's probably happened to more people than just me.

I met a friend today for brunch at the Carlsbad outlet mall. She asked me a while back, which I was super happy to do so because she is a long time friend of mine. Plus she has a funny little munchkin of her own, who is great entertainment for me and Sophie. After brunch, we let the kids ride on the coin op cars and such, and just run amuck. We really wanted them to wear out for nap time. That's when my friend and her little man parted ways, and they headed on home. Here is Sophie wearing her little buddy's hat:

I decided to walk around a bit more and enjoy the sunny cool weather. I walked through Banana, which nothing caught my eye except a super cute dark charcoal jump suit. It's was soooooo cute! But only 20% off. I really can only get myself to buy something if it's on super sale or clearance. That wasn't gonna cut it.

Our next stop was the water fountain, with those streams of water shooting out of them. Have you ever seen these? They are for kids to play with... I think. Anyhow, so I let Sophie out of the stroller, rolled up sleeves, and let her have some fun. Of course she gets super wet, but she loved it of course. So after that on to the bathrooms... to get her out of soaking wet clothes!

On our way back to the car I took a "quick trip" inside Baby Gap. Lo and behold... tons of stuff on double clearance! Yeah! I was sooo excited! I picked up some super cute outfits for Sophie's fall and winter wardrobe, and a few things for my littlest nephew. Shhhh... that part's a surprise! Early Christmas gift! In total, I got 7 things for $45! One thing wasn't even on clearance. So not too shabby. Here is some of my Sophie loot from today!

That top for $7.99 is so cute- it's cotton poplin and it's lined! Isn't it darling with those purple hearts?! It's totally worth $7.99. And the grey jeggings... love those! Sophie has them in blue, and I can't believe they were only $3.99! They even have back pockets! And shut up to the short sleeve sweater dress! Perfect for layering with some tights. Baby Gap is the best... it really is. Good quality cute stuff. And these prices are like Target, and probably even cheaper if you know when to shop.

So after our mini shopping spree, we head to the car finally. Sophie at this point is worn out and done. She's not even talking or complaining. She's just sitting back in her stroller and just relaxing! This little girl was done and ready for her nap. And honestly, I was happy to be leaving because I need some me time. So we get to the car, and I load the bags. I go to pull Sophie out of the stroller, and hello there. A little surprise. She is holding a cute little winter hat with hearts and pom poms.

Yep. Fail. We shopped lifted. It is currently sitting on my couch. And if your'e wondering, yes I am going to take it back. Although it is super cute. What can I say, my girl has got some good taste! Has this ever happened to you though? Man, I was going to take it right back, but we needed to just get home. Oh well, it's a good thing I live about 5 miles from here :)

Hey, maybe when I take it back my Banana Republic jump suit will be on clearance?!!! I guess I'll have to check. Have a good weekend ya'll!!

xo Kim

A new kind of November

I spent the last few days since my first post just thinking about how fast this year is going by. It's already November 1st! Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. I love this time of year... the weather gets cooler, and I know lots of fun family time is around the corner. But unfortunately that means a lot of yummy food too. At an over abundance. Years past at this time I just tell myself "I'll go on a diet after Thanksgiving". By the time I've eaten all that turkey and stuffing, there's no way I stick to the plan. And after all Christmas is in a few weeks, so I'll just start in the new year. Why not.

Well that's been me the past three years. And actually probably before then too. If I do that again, I'll just be another 5+ pounds more in the pit than I am now. No bueno. I would rather loose a couple than gain a couple. So last night after Sophie's first twick o tweeting night, I am proud to say I only ate her mini bag of Haribo gummy bears. That's it. It was soooo temping to eat those peanut butter cups too... but no. I just thought about this blog, and how I would like to squeeze into my size 10 skirt for our Christmas photos in a few weeks. Today I am very happy at my choice, and I think if I can resist halloween candy then there's hope! Little step.

Oh... and I was able to do 30 minutes of P90X once this week, and took a 45 minute walk to get groceries pushing Sophie in a stroller! One more little step.

As far as my eating habits, I have not snacked after dinner all week thus far. That toothbrushing thing really does work. And only non-water drink I had was a cup of coffee at breakfast yesterday at the Broken Yoke. Not to mention I passed on homefires, and asked for a cup of fruit! I NEVER do that. I love breakfast potatoes! But the fruit was good. It went well with my egg and spinach omelet. Yes! Another small step.

I guess what I'm trying to achieve here is a lifestyle change, not a diet. Diets never last. Not for me at least. As soon as you're done with a diet, all the yucky fat comes right back.

OK, so looking forward... I do need to improve on working out. I would work out right now, but my munchkin woke up after only 30 minutes of napping! :( boo! I better take her to the park. I'll leave you with a cute photo of her I took at a park by my house yesterday. She looks so cute here! Like she's posing!

xo Kim

First day of inspired plus me

Today I woke up as I usually do... with my little one beside me in bed and super tired... praying she would snuggle up and go back to sleep so I can too. But as most other days, she is ready to jump up and get going. Her new phrase these days is "let's go!" (which she then just randomly runs to another part of our little house). Anyhow... so she got up and so must I. At that point I asked her where daddy is, and her reply... "working." What a smarty pants. But he wasn't really at work, he was in the bathroom getting ready. But today was the first day she ever said that. Little cutie. So we get up, and head upstairs to our living room and I give her a pre breakfast snack of peanut butter cereal so I can wake up a little bit. I grab the womens Health magazine, which I get a free subscribiton of, and actually read it for once before tossing it. OK to explain that whole tossing it with out reading it... I have like 10 magazine subscriptions because of I traded old airline points for them. I usually toss them as soon as I get them because honestly I never have time to read, and if I'm gonna read it's going to be my free Living subscription. Love me some Martha Stewart. As I'm reading various tips on healthy cooking, skin care, and the bla bla do this bla bla do that to loose 10 pounds, I came across this:

And then it hit me. Yeah that little thingy hit me. Back in May, pre Sophie's first birthday party, I got sick and my hubbie forbid me to eat any type of sugar or junk food. He said that would make things worse. I knew he was right, so for about 1 month I stopped drinking anything but water, and didn't eat any candy, or gummy fruit "snacks" from the Target check out line (my weakness!) I also brushed my teeth every evening after dinner, because I knew I couldn't eat any yummy late night stuff or you know who would get mad at me. And I know you know what yummy stuff I'm referring to! Those Magnum bars in the freezer. The hidden candy on top of the frig. The box of "you know you want to bake me and eat me while I'm still warm" brownies. By the time Sophie's birthday rolled around, I dropped about 6 pounds. That's not bad considering I wasn't exercising. I just stopped eating sweets and late night goodies.

So that little tip made me read though all 100 tips. Some of which I just skipped over, because am I really going to do all that stuff... uh no. Like weigh yourself everyday. I don't plan on EVER weighing myself every day. Even if I was 120 pounds. That's just obsessive in my opinion, and I don't think anyone should be that obsessed with their weight. If you are one of these people... step away from the scale!!! God made you unique and beautiful, and you really don't need a number to tell you that :) It is good to take care of ourselves though. Our body is a temple after all. So that got me thinking too. What is my temple about? Oh yeah, I know. Laziness and junk good. I'm not trying to put myself down, but I know I'm out of shape, and not living a healthy lifestyle that I should be or can be for that matter. Do I really want to teach my daughter that stopping by a fast food joint once or twice a week is ok on a REGULAR basis, just because I don't have time to make dinner?? No. Well this is what's going on. I'm lazy. I know it. And now I'm telling you. I'm lazy when it comes to eating healthfully number one... and number two taking care of my body. The other day I hurt my back from picking up Sophie. She's only 22 pounds. That's bad.

This is what has been going through my brain all morning. So I busted out my dusty, DUSTY scale and stepped on. I cringed when I saw the outcome: 161.2! Ouch. My heaviest in my whole life (other than when I was prego). I think Iv'e been making a ton of excuses ever since my kido was born about changing my lifestyle. And yet again, I am not trying to make myself look bad. It's just the truth. I use my daughter as an excuse to not work out, because she is on the high maintenance side. I "can't" run because I have a bad knee, and no jogging stroller. I didn't know what to buy at the grocery store because Gabe didn't tell me what he feels like eating and I don't have any new recipes. I can't work out at home because I only have a 2 hour gap of time during Sophie's nap where I can work on my photography business. I just don't have time.

Ugh, just writing that is exhausting me! I'm tired of it. But I also know there are sooooo many other women out there who feel like I do. Frustrated, and just uninspired to just do something about it. That's where WE need to do something!!! Start small if you have to, or just go all out. Whichever works for you! I think I'm in the middle of small and big. So I'm going to go medium. A little change here, and a little change there. I hope to show my own personal story and progress through this blog. I'm really not sure where it's going to take me, but I'm inspired to just start. So I'm going to leave it at that for right now. I've officially started my journey. Please feel free to take part, and share with me if this is you, or if you just want to tell me go Kim!!!!!

Here's my photo of me today, at 161.2 pounds. I decided before photos of me smiling is just not cute, and this seemed appropriate. More updates and photos of my progress to come soon.

And here is my little munchkin... she's so cute. She needs to get chunkier, so she's watching herself gain weight while on the scale and snacking :)