2 Men that I LOVE...

Seriously these men are BRILLIANT!  Not only do they have ice cream that is the most AMAZING ice cream ever but they have creative names to boot!  The combinations of ingredients always sound interesting but after a taste they become irresistible.  I've decided to try every flavor I can.....slowly of course.  I haven't tried a flavor yet that I'm not in love with.  Here's the ones that I have tried, two of which was last night....

This one is a classic.  Real strawberries and crust...that's right, actual graham cracker crust that is CRISPY!!  mmmmm!

This one tastes just like creme brulee, complete with the caramelized (crispy) sugar!

I had this one over the holidays and decided that it shouldn't be a "seasonal" flavor.  Like the strawberry cheesecake ice cream this too has the graham cracker crust that I love so much.

Also a classic.  You can never go wrong with cookie dough.  Theirs has BIG chunks too.



This one I tried last night for the first time and YUM.  You have to like peanut butter for this one.  Peanut butter flavored ice cream with peanut butter swirl and some sort of caramel cluster concoction that is crunchy and divine!!

The other flavor I tried that I am newly in love with is this one.  Banana flavored ice cream with marshmallows and once again CRUST.  This one is not graham cracker crust but still has the texture of crust and is oh sooo good!

This next flavor I haven't tried and sounds so interesting and is going to be my next try.  That is in a few weeks as I SLOWLY indulge on the two pints I have in my freezer already.

Here's the description on this one....Vanilla Bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl and fudge covered potato chip clusters.  You read that right...FUDGE COVERED POTATO CHIP CLUSTERS.  

I'm trying to eat healthier and my reward every night for perfect eating is a few (no more than 10) baby spoonfuls these brilliant men's concoctions!  I better watch out though, I might end up a......

Ha ha ha....actually this is another flavor I'd love to try : )



I am now craving ice cream so I will graciously leave my kitchen with my head held up high and will not indulge until the time is right, that is, the kids in bed (so I don't have to share) and my butt on the couch!



Being Healthy and Losing Weight...

I have been trying REALLY hard to loose the last 10 pounds that never came off from having babies.  I can't believe how hard it has been!!  I have been really discouraged lately and it has put me in a bad mood.  Today however, in an act of desperation, I have found some information that I think might help me with the foods that I eat.  I have been watching my carb intake as well as my calories.  From some of the things I have found, both things can actually make it harder to lose weight.  So my new plan of attack is to stop eating processed foods (that is a lot of what I've been eating, sure it was low carb and low calorie) and choosing from a list of foods that actually speed up your metabolism and are natural and healthy.  Here is the information I found on the top foods that actually boost your metabolism.  A lot of which are foods that I like and also foods I would like to try.  So I am going into today with a new attitude and I feel great!  Especially compared to yesterday, I was quite discouraged when I stepped on the scale and weighed a pound more after perfectly eating (at least what I thought) and KILLING myself at the gym the day before.   Losing weight isn't hard (eat less, eat better food and move more)....when you have more than 10 pounds to lose.   I have realized that it is a stinkin SCIENCE when you get down to that last little bit!  Hopefully my new attitude and being excited to try some different things with my eating will bring me closer to my goal!  Only 9 pounds and counting!!

Round and round....

       Lately I've been feeling like I live in a hamster wheel.  I go, go, go and try and try but I feel like I get nowhere and nothing accomplished.  I'll spend an entire day cleaning, just to turn around and realize I have 10 loads of laundry piled up.  So the next day I focus on laundry just to turn around and realize my house is torn apart!  Round and Round I go.  Another aspect of my life that feels like I get nowhere is my goal to lose a few pounds.  I work out, really try on the eating right (for the majority of the time) just to step on the scale to see a big fat ZERO in weight loss.  Now, you could say at least I'm not gaining weight, but if I was to eat what I wanted to eat I would still be the same weight.  I'm stuck.  So frustrating.   I am done complaining about the hamster wheel I'm in.  I'm changing some things.  A new chore routine that will not allow the laundry  to pile up and the house to get SO unmanageable.  As far as the loosing a few pounds I am going to BUST out of this plateau and BUST my tail feather (I wish it was a feather) at the gym.  I am going to end each workout with the surety that I could not have physically done anymore than I just did.  I'm excited to blow out of the hamster wheel and just keep moving forward!!

2012....

Here it is the beginning of another exciting year!!  Last year I made some resolutions, some I met, some I didn't.  My resolutions list was quite long and I have discovered that long lists is one of my problems in never meeting ALL of my goals.  So this year, my list will be different.  I am going to break up my goals for the year into two {short} lists.  Here are some of the things I'd like to complete by June of this year.

Since I have had my last baby I think it is appropriate to loose ALL the baby weight.  One huge motivating factor is I NEVER have to gain it back.  Once I have lost the weight I can fluctuate by 5 or so pounds, but never by 50, ever again.  That is something to smile about!!  Before I had Kaysia I was 133 pounds.  I have never reached that weight again, I've been close, but never actually hit it.  Today I weigh 142.  I think I can loose 10 pound in six months, in fact, I hope to hit this goal in one to two months.  That will be easy considering the next thing on my list....

That's right!  13.1 miles is the amount I will be running on April 21st.  It is scary to me to commit to this half marathon but I know I can do it, even when a little voice in my head tells me I can't, I know that I can.  Now this goal was on my list last year and I got really close in my training.  I ran just over 8 miles when I was training when I realized that to continue my training was going to be VERY difficult.  Jason had just started working for himself which meant he was working a lot of hours.  My next run was going to be 9 miles.  We are talking about 2+ hours of running as my training continued.  It was dark in the morning as fall was approaching and darker earlier at night so other than Saturday it would be difficult to train during the week.  Yes, I have a treadmill, but TWO hours on a treadmill staring at a cement wall would have put me right into an insane asylum.  I decided that the Layton half would have to wait until next year.  I would train all summer and be ready for it a month or so before the actual race (and shorter days).  A friend on facebook mentioned the Salt Lake half marathon that takes place on April 21st.  This is perfect!!  As the race gets closer (and my training runs get longer) the weather gets better and the days get longer!!  I'm really excited to get this one off my list.  It seems like a daunting distance to run especially when I am starting back at square one.  The two miles I did run today seemed long.  But once again, I can do it!!!

Last but not least and certainly more important than my first two things on my list is reading the Book of Mormon cover to cover.  I am well on my way with this goal and I am already almost half way through.  When people would tell me that reading this book daily blessed their lives I wasn't sure I believed it.  Well I am here to say that is does.  It's almost like taking a dose of  Prozac or something.  I feel more calm throughout the day (I still need to work on the patience thing).  I also have noticed that I can stay more focused on the things that I need to get done and that it almost seems like the day goes just a bit slower so I can get more done.  Now this doesn't happen everyday and I know that the clock doesn't actually move slower and I still have bad days, but overall, it feels like my life runs a bit more smoothly when I have had my daily B.O.M. dose!!  I've really enjoyed what I have read so far and I am learning so much!! 

There are so many things to think about with this new and refreshing year and so many things I'd love to accomplish.  But for the first of this year, these are the three main things I am working on.  The smaller things I will be working on throughout the year are:

•   Build up my food storage (there are a lot of people thinking the world will end this year, I'd like to be prepared for a little chaos and empty store shelves.....just in case)
   
•   Be better at keeping within the limits of a budget.
•   Be a better friend.
•   And of course, be a better parent.  This will be one that I will have until the day they lay me in the ground.  My kids are the most important people in my life and I will spend the rest of my life making sure they know that and improving myself for them.

I am so excited for a new year!!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!





My Family...

This is my little family.  By the nation's standard, most people would think it's a large family.  For me, we are small and GREAT!!  I never thought I would have such beautiful and amazing kids.  I am truly blessed by these beautiful spirits. 

                       
            I am also very blessed to be married to such an amazing man.  He puts up with a lot from me, works SO HARD to provide a good life for our family and is a great father.  He is selfless and I love how he just cares about me and the kids.  For example, the other night when we went to see the temple lights we parked at the 21st south trax station (by my standards, a not so great part of town).  He drove separately because I was already in Salt Lake for the day and he just met me there.  After the lights he took Kyson in his truck (which wasn't parked by the Yukon).  I didn't think anything of him taking Kyson and leaving before me but while I was loading the kids in I thought of all the bad stuff that could happen to me all alone in this parking lot and how I didn't have a way to defend myself if some creep came around.  I got Kenzlee all buckled in her seat and turned to look behind me and there Jason was, across the parking lot watching over me and the kids.  I smiled when I saw my protector of a husband and thought how much I love that he thinks to do things like that, not just that night but all the time.  Especially when it doesn't occur to me right off that I could be in a dangerous situation.  I love that man!!

     These little faces make me smile daily.  I'm so proud to be their mom and love them more than words could explain!!