New look???

Ok i got my new look mostly worked out.. this stuff is annoying and somehow my signature is huge hahah thoughts...???

Under Construction

If you stop by today (friday) everythings a little crazy bc im trying to work out a new design im happy with :)  

Healthy, Yummy and low Carb?! Oh my!

Hawaiian Luau Chicken & Veggies

I love it when healthy dinner equals yummy dinner! I am so weird about chicken.  I mean really weird lol.  It has to be fully marinated in a flavor or it makes me nauseous!  McCormick Marinades are my life saver!

If I have time to marinate the chicken for at least 24 hours I just grill it.  If i dont then I just cook it in a skillet in the marinade.
I also cook my veggies in the marinade.  I just chop all my veggies up, but them in a pot and pour in the mix and cook till soft then drain.  My kids are so pick and wont eat veggies any other way but in this Hawaiian Luau Mix
I LOVE that myfitnesspal lets me create my own recipes!  

Number of servings

Serves  people

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Grill Mates Hawaiian Luau Marinated Chicken Breast - Boneless, Skinless, Baked, 9 oz	311	6	3	59	1,036	6
Squash - Zucchini, includes skin, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt, 3 cup, sliced	86	21	0	3	16	9
Pero - Mini Sweet Peppers (Yellow, Red, Orange), 6 peppers (85 g)	50	10	0	2	0	6
Mushrooms - Raw, 2 cup, pieces or slices	31	5	0	4	6	3
Mccormick Grill Mates - Hawaiian Luau, 3 tsp dry mix	30	6	0	0	870	6
Produce - Zucchini Sauteed In Olive Oil , 1 1/2 cup	180	11	8	4	8	5
Add Ingredient

Total:	688	59	11	72	1936	35
Per Serving:	229	20	4	24	645	12

Doctors Report & Update

Yesterday I had the follow up visit for last weeks colonoscopy and endoscopy. My Doc came in and pulled up the reports and grunted and groaned for several minutes before even talking directly to me.  He kept sighing and saying oh this is not what i wanted to see.  The longer it took him the more worried I got.... what seemed like an eternity passed and finally he started talking to me.  He said my Cronhs is back and it is now affecting 2 main areas.
If you are wondering what the heck Cronh's is here ya go.. http://www.crohnsandcolitisinfo.com/Crohns/What-Is-Crohns-Disease?I=ppc_ppd_hum_ggl_gastro_12970
"How do you feel?" he asked me and I told him the truth of it... Some days I feel ok, some days I feel crummy, some days I wish I could just stay in bed and some days I feel half way normal. From nausea to abdominal pain to low energy, achy body and frequent trips to the bathroom.  The pain is annoying but its not unbearable.   After a lot of back and forth he gave me a book to read and told me he would give me 1 month to see if this new medicine and changing my diet and doing herbalife would help.  If it doesnt I will have to go in for monthly IV infusions of Remicade... BOOOOOO
He gently reminded me that diet is crucial for me.  He said stay away from dairy!  Cows milk is for baby cows not humans.  Dairy is one of the hardest things to get away from because it is in everything!  and of course no fried or greasy food.

Im really excited about herbalife!  The shakes are so yummy and filling and this 8 week challenge is helping get my diet under control.  Strictly confirming to 2 shakes a day then a healthy non greasy low carb, high protein meal and of course exercise!  Last night we went on a 2 mile walk, yeah it wasnt a serious work out but though my plans are for couch to 5k and 30 day shred but the truth of it is there are just some days I dont feel well enough to do a strenuous workout. As far as the shakes go.. OMG yummy!!!!  This morning I had a Cinnamon Toast Crunch Flavored shake it was so yummy!  
Last night I made Spaghetti Squash and an adapted version of these yummy low-carb-meatballs-alla-parmigiana I actually made them as directed but used feta instead.  They were very yummy
Today is another new day and another opportunity be healthy! Looking forward to this journey and actually sticking to it and having results!  Results far beyond physical ones, my body needs this on the inside just as much as the outside!

New Adventure in my quest for health

If you have been following me for any time at all you know that this last year has been constant YoYo in the land of Health and Fitness!   My original journey began after stuffing Christmas Cards with this pic that made me cry...

Of course this pic was less than a week after Jaxsen was born but still... its only actually 25ish lbs from where I am now and that is BAD 3 back to back babies played a HUGE toll on my body and since we were in the middle of deployment when this pic was taken in Nov 2011 I used the rest of deployment to get on the track to health and weight loss... From December to March I lost 40 lbs!  I was doing great, then deployment ended and we found ice cream, fast food and eating out.. A lot... Deployment ended exactly a year ago and in the past year i have been on a constant yoyo from 215-225 and through being sick up and dealing with junk up to 235 and even beyond that at times... DANGET! Ive tried several things over the past few months and our love for ice cream and pizza always seems to win.   A few weeks ago I started seeing my friend Stacy talking about her recent winnings and success with Herbalife Shakes... her before and after pics speak for themselves...

.

Its one thing to see before an after pics of someone you dont know but of someone you do know is totally different.  This is someone I know, someone who also has had 3 babies, someone who is real and really did it! Her and her husband both have made huge life and body altering changes and have had amazing results.. No its no magic pill, its hard work and determination and commitment!  Since October she has lost 50 lbs and her hubs has lost 70! Incredible!
I decided Im gonna give herbalife and the 8 week challenge her and her husband are leading a try!  Last night I weighed in and got measured.. OMG  I weighed in at .. well im not even going to go there yet hahaha its ookie Yesterday morning I started my Herbalife Journey and my hubs is doing it with me!! Sunday I planned out all our meals, snacks etc!  I got healthy groceries and am excited to be on a new journey..  I feel like I am starting over.. I pretty much am! I had my first 2 shakes and teas yesterday and I was amazed! One they were yummy and two they were very filling!  I wasn't hungry at all!  I sat in front of a LARGE bowl of chocolate at work for 10 hours yesterday and I didn't even try to sneak 1!!!!
Goals for the next 8 weeks are... 2 shakes & 2 teas a day healthy high protein low carb snacks and 3rd meal couch to 5k 3x per week Zumba, Bob or Jillian 3x per week Keep a food log of EVERYTHING - go back to my fitness pal Drink half my body weight in fluid oz of water a day!

Lose 5 lbs per week

Win the competition!
My long term weight loss goal is to get to 150
I will be posting shake recipes, low carb recipes, food & excerciese logs, goal updates etc weekly through my 8 weeks and beyond.. Its time to stop playing games, stop giving in and get real! 

My Trendy Littles

I am beyond excited about and have been anxiously awaiting todays new link up 'Trendy Little'  from Sunny With A Chance Of Sprinkles!    

My mom has a crazy addiction to buying super cute clothes for my babies I have been wanting to showcase some of them for a long time so this is the perfect link up! Here are my trendy littles...

Cloee sporting her Bow Bun!   There are tons of tutorials on Pinterest and its pretty easy to do.. Not totally easy on a wiggly 2 year old but oh so cute!
It is beyond hard to decide what outfit to showcase this week but heres my pic...

Shirt & Capri Jeggins are from Childrens Place

Flower Bow is made by Mommy

And shoes.. can i just not show them?  She has so many cute shoes but is obsessed with her Dora & Boots Crocs 

The funniest thing about this adorable shirt is because of my moms obsessive addiction to buying kids clothes (which I LOVE) she has this exact shirt in 5 different colors!!!!  haha

Cloee isnt my only Trendy Little... Yeah Im one of those moms who makes my poor boys dress alike a lot but its oh so cute and I know i wont be able to do it forever so i better do it while I can! Boys shirts are from Childrens Place Shorts Walmart Shoes - Crocs from Famous Footwear

4 Years!

So sorry I have been MIA for the past 2 weeks but life happens :)  Yesterday was our 4 year anniversary!  

As my sweet hubs gives me bunny ears! Ha! Anyway we had a fun eve! We went to Zios YUM and just walked around bricktown and had fun time out together!

Heres a few snaps of our wedding 4 years ago!  We got engaged on March 8th and were starting to plan a big October Wedding!  I had already asked most of my bridesmaids, secured the preacher, picked a date and confirmed with the church and I was trying to start planning most things before Ben left for Basic & AIT on April 1st.  Well life happened!  On March 17th we found out we were pregnant and would be as big as a house and 8 months pregnant come October! With the hubs leaving April 1st and not returning till October we decided to just get married before he left!  Originally it was supposed to just be a quick in our pastors office kind of thing... 

My friend Autumn convinced me to look at dresses and I found the perfect dress on Davids Bridal $99 sale!  Sadly my veil cost more than the dress hahah!

Another friends mom was an amazing cake maker and  talked me into doing cake and before I knew it the pastors office wouldnt work.  We ended up in the small sanctuary and planned in 4 days, everyone invited via text message and over 180 people there! hahah

It was beautiful and I wouldnt trade it for anything!  So thankful to have found my BFF and so thankful for 4 amazing years!  Looking forward to the next 40 more!!!!  

Now on BlogLovin

So I am kind of out of the loop on whats going on with GFC and Google Reader but it seems like the logical thing to do is join the BlogLovin world!  Hope to see you there!  You can follow me here!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Cosleeping, Sleep Training, Sleep Deprivation.. OH my!

Well our Sweet Lil Jaxsen is officially 16 months old and we are so over CoSleeping!  Its sweet and precious and its a sex life killer! Haha TMI but its true!  For the past year we have been rocking him every night, every nap and for the most part holding him while we sleep. Its sweet and its precious like I said but I dont want to be in the same place when he is two.   Before anyone starts throwing the hate comments about oh they grow out of it, enjoy it while you can etc.. I know far to many people who still have 5 and 6 year olds who they cant get out of their bed.   As A mom of 3 toddlers I need that time during the day when they are all sleeping to get things done.  Having to hold him for 2 hours in the middle of the day just doesnt work.  Not being able to snuggle my husband bc a baby is constantly on or between us SUCKS.  We can leave him in the recliner for a little bit, which he loves, but it never lasts long!

Love this sweet lil boy and will always sneak in as many snuggles as possible but the time has come!  Starting at nap time yesterday I started putting him down in his bed.  Well actually his sisters bed! haha I moved Benjamin and Cloee in together for a while and Jax gets to get used to sleeping alone in the Princess room!  But he needs a place alone where he can fuss and be crazy with out waking everyone else up.

The first time was awful!  He fussed (not cried, no tears) really more like threw a big ole fit every time i walked out. For an hour and a half I put him back in the bed prob 100 times hahah!

He has never taken to any certain animals or blankets but being stuck in a princess room he found Dora and loves her! hahah

This is his sweet lil pouty face!  hahah Love it!

He would fall asleep and then the second he realized he was alone it would start all over!  I actually was bad and put in baby Eisenstein sleepy time DVD and it helped a lot.  When he was throwing his biggest  fit i would just say get back in your bed and watch your show.  Hed get back in bed and look at the tv and then shut his eyes.. Oh was it a draining night! 
He slept 6 hours strong then when he woke up at 3am it took me another hour and a half to get him back to sleep!

Nap time today it was much easier!  It only took about 20 mins!  I am hoping tonight is even easier and tomorrow even easier.  Who knows! Maybe he will finally learn to sleep all night! haha
Love my sweet baby but I so want our bed to be our bed and our bed alone! The biggest problem for us has been sticking to it.  Usually I end up giving in when its 3 am and I am exhausted but Im not doing it this time!  Were holding strong and sticking to the plan! Jax is well taken care of and I am not a cry it out fan but throw a fit it out is fine and the fits are getting shorter and shorter!  Progress people! Im excited!

Getting Fit Friday

Yay for getting Fit!  I have lost 3 lbs since I got out of the hospital last week!  What about you? How are you doing?  Come Link up your goals, successes, challenges, recipes, work out routines etc!  

My hubs and I are on day 5 of the Advocare 24 day challenge and its going really well!  I cant say we have done perfectly but we are doing pretty good and trucking along!   My Goals this week are: Zumba 3x Walk 3x Stay with the 24 day challenge Track WW Points Lose 3 more lbs!

Inspiring and motivating each other is what this link up is all about! I really hope you join us! We would love if you linked up so we could all support each other in a journey to get healthy, whether you need to lose weight, maintain weight, or just have a healthier lifestyle. 

If you are interested in Guest Hosting please email me at monkeysandtutus@gmail.com and I will get your info over to Brittany and we will get you in the rotation!

Here are the link up rules

1. Follow BOTH TheDomestic Geek and Monkeys and Tutus blogs.

2.  Grab a button from my sidebar on the left, and/or link to one of the hosts within your post.

3. Link up a relevant getting healthy post! (Please link a post and not your whole blog)

4. Optional, but encouraged! Stop on over to other bloggers and give some kind words of encouragement! A little goes a long way!

My Challenge for iPhone Moms

 I am sure by now most of you have seen the 'Dear-Mom On Your iPhone' going around. If you haven't you should totally read it.  Its a great reminder for us all!

As I read this little poem of course I was instantly convicted.  It is so easy to get caught up in the Social Media, Smart Phone, Blogging world of busyness!  At one point I deleted all games off my phone because I noticed that I often get 'annoyed' when I am trying to play a game.  But it goes so much further than games on our phones... I often tell my kids to go play when blogging, put on a movie so I can relax, browse FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, play Words with Friends, Draw Something and Scramble while at the park.  I can rarely be found with out my phone with in a 2 ft radius of me.  Usually its actually on my person.  

The other day while at the park, after I read the "dear mom on your iphone' I promised I would only use my phone for pictures!  I have got to get a real camera! haha!  I was sitting on the bench watching the kids play and the mom beside me was on her iPhone.  One of her kids came up and said Mommy Mommy Look! She pushed them away and said LOOK! You have this whole space to run and play! Get away and go play!

My heart broke a little.  I completely understand that as a mom we have days where we are tired, worn out and dont want to be climbed on for 5 minutes but in all reality our kids just love us, they just want to please us and show us everything and its so spirit breaking for us to brush them aside and choose technology over them!
So for me... I am back to deleting games off my phone.  Not that games are wrong, they are just time wasters and suckers.  
My Challenge for this week is for myself but also for anyone relates and wants to join in and on any level... I am actually gonna suck it up and delete FaceBook off my phone for 1 week! Ok I just did it... Breathe.. its okay!
  I am constantly browsing... It makes me feel in the know, connected, etc.. But in all actuality it just makes me a busy body hahah.. I share my life with everyone bc its what we do, i read about everyone else and comment, like etc bc it makes me feel like i am interacting with my 'friends' who I never see.   Life is short, we arent guaranteed tomorrow... I have 3 beautiful toddlers who are learning and growing every day!  When they say Mommy watch me, I want to stop and watch and not say mommys busy!  Yeah some times mommy is busy but guess social media, blogging and the like are not more important than anything in our lives.
My hubs and I actually talked about making our Bed a 'No Phone Zone' because he is always reading the news, me browsing fb or pinterest (as if my 6 million pins arent enough) and we are missing precious time of just relaxing and communicating with filling our minds with social media, media etc...
Heres my Challange for this week... Our Bed is a No Phone Zone No FB/Twitter etc on the phone for a week (maybe forever lol) During Park or Zoo time my phone goes to Do Not Disturb Mode Blogging only happens while kids are asleep or during Morning Movie Time Work from home happens after kids are in bed!  
What about you? Whats your challenge for yourself?  can you give up social medial on your phone for a week?