The McMillins

Yesterday, I finished day 10 of the "30 day Shred" video by Jillian Michaels AND doing 30 mins. on the elliptical each day. I've also been following a version of the "Fat Smash Diet". It's basically no meat, no desserts and mostly fruits and vegetables. The first phase is always so hard for me b/c you need to eat every 2 hours. Eating gets in the way of the things that I need to get done some times. lol So, it's hard for me to eat that frequently. However, I have had EXCELLENT results when I've done it. I can already tell that I've lost some weight. Although, I haven't gotten on the scale just yet. Each day I wake up, I feel thinner and thinner. It feels so good to actually feel and see the results of all of my hard work.

Today, I'm suppose to start level 2 of the "30 day Shred" video (Day 11 of the series but day 1 of level 2). There are 3 total levels and level 2, to me, is the hardest of them all. I'm dreading doing it but I know that I'll be so glad that I did it AFTER I do it. Isn't that how it is with all exercises though? lol It's just a matter of forcing ourselves to go through it.

Today I did day 9 of the 30 day Shred and also doing 30 mins on the elliptical everyday. I did skip last Sunday for everything. I needed a rest day and plus, I was so busy that I didn't get a chance to fit any kind of workout in. So, I decided not to worry about my diet either. I ran a bunch of errands, though. Towards the end of the day, I had a really bad headache. I don't think taking the day off affected me too bad. As of Saturday, I had lost 3.5 lbs. YAY!

Lately, I have been going, going, going.... it seems like non-stop. Yesterday, I did the normal feeding the kids breakfast, school with Zach, fed the kids lunch, exercised, did more school with Zach, did some laundry, put some laundry away, cleaned up, went to worship practice, went grocery shopping and then came home after 9 p.m. to put everything away and spend a little time with Zach before bed. I was exhausted. TODAY..... I did the normal as above (including the laundry), fixed dinner, took Zach to baseball, came back to take Leah & Luke to church, went to the bank, picked Zach up, went to Walmart, came home to clean up the bedrooms, clean the litter box, sweep & mop the kitchen floor, do dishes, do more laundry & clean the downstairs bathroom. I did more than just that but I didn't feel like typing EVERYTHING that I had done.

On top of all of this..... last Monday, Luke threw his head into the spout of his sippy cup which hit our dining room chair which shoved the cup into his head even more. I called the doctor but they said that if he needed stitches that they wouldn't be able to do it at the office. So, they suggested that I go to the ER. I took Luke there and all they did was glue his gash back together. Well, now I know to buy some of that glue and keep it on hand. I was a little upset b/c the ER cost me (out-of-pocket) $158 whereas the regular doctor visit would have only cost me $20 or $30. Don't get me wrong, Luke was definitely worth it but they could have done the same thing at the doctor's office.

I thank God every day that I have the energy and mobility to do the things that I do but the Lord also says to rest. I think it's time to rest soon. :)

The time has quickly flown by for our family since the middle of October. Corey's parents came out to visit us at the end of October/ beginning of November. While they were out, we were able to celebrate Zach's 8th birthday with them. The weekend after they left, we let Zach have some friends over to allow him to celebrate his birthday with his friends. The weekend after that, we celebrated Leah's 3rd birthday with a small birthday party of a few of her friends from church. Since her birthday is usually around or on Thanksgiving, we decided to celebrate a week early. Then, there was Thanksgiving when my parents came to visit. Immediately following Thanksgiving, we were preparing to go on our first trip to Disney World.

We went on a huge trip to Disney World. It was fun but definitely not what I expected, both good and bad. I was a little disappointed at times and it was VERY tiring, especially with 2 children that were 3 & under. However, there were parts of it that I couldn't believe that I was experiencing. There were 2 highlights of our trip: 1.) Eating dinner in the castle. The food wasn't incredible but it was good. Of course, Disney always does well with entertainment. 2.) The Christmas parade. Absolutely the best fireworks show that I've ever seen. Zach even said to my Mom, "Nana, is this a dream?". We were sad when leaving Magic Kingdom for the last time.

As soon as we got back, there was Christmas & the New Year. We usually stay up to watch the ball drop on New Year's Eve but since we had church the next morning, we didn't end up watching it. I can't remember the last time I didn't get to watch the ball drop. It felt.... weird. Next, Corey & I were celebrating our 6 year Anniversary. A sweet friend from church offered to watch our children while we went out to dinner. There is just something about being able to eat dinner withOUT interruption with the one you love. Sometimes we just enjoy the silence in our van when we go out. Silence. Is. Golden.

We've started a tradition of going to Great Wolf Lodge for Luke's birthday (2/4), my Dad's birthday (2/6) & my birthday (2/8). So, we were off to GWL with my parents for a mini-vacation. We had a lot of fun. The last full day that we were there, my Mom took the kids for most of the day (mostly nap time, lol) while my Dad, Corey, Zach & I enjoyed the water park. It was sooo fun! We left GWL ON my birthday & went out to eat at McAllister's before we left. I didn't realize until we had been home a while that I had left my purse at McAllister's. That was one of the most scariest times in my life. I cried not knowing who may have gotten ahold of it. Fortunately, some nice gentleman turned it into the staff at McAllister's & when I called they said that they would ship it back to me. They shipped it on a Thursday & I got it on a Saturday. I was sooooo thankful!

Two weeks after going to Great Wolf Lodge, we were planning on going on another trip. However, the kids had no idea about this trip. We went to Boone, NC (way up in the mountains.... where we had to take the truck!!) to go snow tubing. We shared a cabin with some dear friends of ours. We played in the woods, went snow tubing, went to a cavern & enjoyed good food and fellowship. Oh... and did I mention the hot tub on the deck? PLUS.... we had snow flurries. The kids had a blast & it was a little educational (yep, that's right.... school field trip!!).

Since we've been back, I've been trying to get back into exercising & eating right. I gained a few pounds from my birthday & all of the vacationing that we've done. Today was day 4 that I completed of Level 1 of "The 30 Day Shred" by Jillian Michaels AND doing 30 mins/ day on the elliptical. Plus, I've been trying to keep my calories around 1200/ day via "Myfitnesspal" app. (Don't you just love apps!?!?) I almost went to bed tonight but ended up getting up to do my workout at 10:15 p.m. Soooo glad that I did! I always feel so much better after I do it.

Time...... Time has felt so short lately & like it's been going so fast too. Today, for example, I had an appointment to take the boys to an allergist. We ended up spending 2 hours at the allergist. Then, we had to go to Walmart to pick up a few things including their meds. Well, you know how picking up meds can go. I just couldn't wait around after being there for 30 mins & needing lunch. So, I took my recycle trash to the recycle dump, took the kids to McDonald's (for being so good in the doc's office) for lunch, then came home to do school with Zach, cleaned the house, vaccuumed upstairs, did 30 mins on the elliptical, watched "7th Heaven" with the family and did a couple loads of laundry between all of that. This is how most of my days are... busy!

Some Moms may look down on me because I'm always cleaning or doing laundry. However, some of those Moms are always on facebook or the Internet or watching TV. In essence, they are doing the same thing that I'm doing only I'm doing what God has called me to do as a stay-at-home Mom. My job is more than just "watching" or playing with my kids. Part of taking care of our kids is keeping things clean & making sure that their health & well-being are taken care of. While I have to be reminded by my husband, some days, that I need to "stop and smell the roses"; I'm also reminded by God that I'm doing the best that I can to do whats best for my kids & husband. I'm sacrificing the things that I want to be doing (like scrapbooking, photography, music, etc) to do things for them & for my church. I'm just thankful for God's grace & that He's allowed me to be able to do the things that I can for my family.

Proverbs 31:10-12, "An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, And he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil All the days of her life."

Well, in the beginning, life with 3 kids was easy. It was really no different than having 2 children. Why, you ask? Well... because Luke slept all of the time. I was able to keep the house clean, keep up on laundry, do school with Zach, play with both of the kids, get the grocery shopping done with yes.... all 3 kids in tow.... Then, Luke decided that he didn't want to sleep any longer. He decided that he wanted to explore. Yet, he wasn't physically able to explore what he wanted. So, what did he do? He cried.... and cried..... and cried. Grant it.... it wasn't as much as Leah cried but with Leah I only had Zach to worry about. For some reason, when that third child starts to cry it seems like the other 2 want to make just as much noise, if not more noise, than the one crying. My days began to be days of trying to entertain Luke more which in turn took time away from many other areas in my life.

As the minutes turned into hours and the hours turned into days and the days turned into months..... Luke eventually was able to play by himself (after he started to crawl) so that I could give Zach more of my attention during school. However, my middle child started to feel neglected and made sure that she got the attention that she needed. lol In turn, the house got messier, the laundry got backed up and grocery shopping had to wait. These days, I feel very behind but have made it a New Year's Resolution to not let those things bother me and to enjoy the time I have with my kids. After all, they're not going to be this little forever. On the good days, I sometimes wish I could have another baby but then the crying comes and yes..... it brings me back to reality. lol No more kids for me..... at least right now. Three is enough! But.... I feel so blessed to have the 3 that I have! :)

I painted Zach's room all by myself! It was a big job.... especially since I did most of it while Corey was at work and I was home with all 3 kids by myself. Zach is such a big help, though. I'm so happy that I painted his room. I got new curtains and a new light for his room as well. I would LOVE to build him a nice wooden bunkbed but that probably won't happen for a couple of years. He's been saving up his allowance money for a TV. He's just about ready to buy one. It will look so nice in his room. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to buy one of those semi-large dry erase boards to hang on his walls. It would be really good for school but kind of tacky looking w/ his decor.

Last weekend was our first time to the beach this year. We all love going to the beach and have been waiting for the weather to be warm enough to go. It's definitely warm enough now!! Unfortunately, Corey forgot to bring the sand toys but he did bring a shovel. So.... at least there was something to do in the sand! :)

Gretchen is back on her "fat smash" diet to try to lose weight. She wants to be able to wear all of her pre-pregnancy clothes. Corey keeps telling her that she needs to be patient since it hasn't even been 2 months yet since she's had a baby. Her doctor even said that she was skinny at her 6 week check-up. She told her doctor that she was dieting and exercising and her doctor said that was fine as long as she drank plenty of water since she's nursing. Of course, nursing should help her get back into shape also. She wants to lose 15 lbs.

Corey, on the other hand, doesn't care about his weight. lol He just bought a "big green egg" grill and is LOVING it. Last weekend he cooked a boston butt, steaks and pork chops. Tonight he's going to make a homemade pizza on it. He's also looking forward to grilling veggies and even cookies on it!! Yes.... you read that right.... cookies! This grill is like a grill, smoker and oven all in one. Gretchen likes it because she doesn't have to cook as much! :)

Leah had her 15 month check-up last week. She weights 25 1/2 lbs and is 33 inches long. She is 85th percentile for weight and 98.6 for height. We didn't realize how tall she is!!

Gretchen has made it a New Year's Resolution to save as much money on everything that she can this year. One of those ways is to get better at "couponing" and sales. There is a website that she goes to everyday called, http://www.southernsavers.com/ . This website shows all the sales ads of grocery stores, drugstores, all kinds of different stores (including Internet sites) and then coupons that you can use on top of those sales (both manufacturer and store coupons). There have been several things that she's been able to get for free by doing this. They also have a link to a coupon if it is available to print online. It's been VERY helpful.

It is very time consuming but she has fun doing it. Plus, it gives her something to do late at night when she can't go to sleep and everyone else is in bed. :)

Leah has a personality similar to Zach's. She's so funny and loves to make you laugh. Gretchen was giving her a bath and she kept tilting her head and smiling. It was too cute.