Garage Sale Saturday

  Yesterday I awoke at 7:30 am to brave the weather and tackle a few Garage Sales. I learned quickly that a few were canceled due to the rain. The rest of my day was spent cooking and cleaning. The Girl Scouts had a partial sleepover and I'd have to drop off my "little Brownie" for 6:00 and pick her up for midnight(yikes!) The day passed fast but the evening hours passed slowly as I watched the clock. I ended up picking up "Brownie" at 10:30 because there was no way I'd be awake at midnight. At the start of the drive, I prayed to not fall asleep. Being so tired I noticed I was probably driving like a drunk driver..not good. With tons of Police patrolling, I snapped out of it quick! We made it home in one piece and just as she settled into bed, I became wide awake. Enough rambling, check out my Garage Sale finds from earlier that day. A total of $6.00 spent.

 

Won't waste another moment!

  Seems like yesterday that we brought Faith home. After 101 days in the NICU(Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and coming home on 24 hour oxygen, I became a "ball of nerves." Everything that involved Faith made me nervous. Instead of enjoying each month, I spent the first year obsessing over everything. This morning I asked her to smile, which she did and all I could see were teeth! A total of eight now, four came out of nowhere. Nah, its just that I'd became so focused on what could be wrong that I've been missing what's right. Starting today I will enjoy my baby, kids and life. Time passes so quickly, I don't want to miss another moment. Here's to a Happy Friday!

Cheese!!

Weigh-In Thursday

  I gained a pound and I'm extremely annoyed with myself. Okay, maybe the Fried Chicken and Frosties from Wendy's didn't help but sometimes I just can't help temptation. Gonna have to work on that and the extra pound. Saturday I'll be doing a 5k Walk and I'm very excited about it but still disgusted with myself...oh well here's to being chubby a little while longer.

Cake, Cake, Cake...

  Today is my 25th Birthday!!! Ok, I lied about the age but it's really my birthday. I had simple Motherly request today. They included going out for lunch, a walk through Lowe's and no housework. I most say I got those three wishes so I'm content. The day turned out to be beautiful and I'd throw in a request for grilled steaks tonight but #2 has yet another football game. I'm exhausted but so thankful to be in good health to attend my kid's after school activities. A brush with death and two weeks of bedrest can make a girl not want to lie down or close her eyes to sleep. The Mister took a vacation so I'm excited to have adult company for a few days. Check him and Ms. Faith out.
 

#2  made me a bracelet.

Faith at Lowe's posing with a friend.

My surprise Cake from my Bestie.

Random Pic Tuesday

  Another busy day today. Power walk this morning and then wellness check-ups for #2 and #3. Faith was in rare form again today, getting into everything. Baby proofing the house again is a definite must. She was so active today that I couldn't even sneak in a shower after my walk and before the check-up...Sweaty Mom on deck! Things finally managed to settle down right before the Mister got off. I quickly showered and tried to make myself look "beau-ta-mous" ha! Faith is teething so she's been rather cranky, the only thing that calms her is a car ride. I figured it would be a good time to get out and take a few pics and show the kids our city's historical landmarks. Below are pics I took at Laurel Valley Plantation. 

These building are old slave quarters.

Blah Blah, Monday

 Started off the day feeling energized and refreshed. Shocking because most Mondays I'm totally dragging around like a zombie. I got the kids out of the house early and headed out to do my 2 mile walk. Faith and I came home for Lunch but then headed out again to run errands for myself and my Mom. By 2:00 I was extremely TIRED! When I say tired, I mean "doze off" at the wheel tired. I got about eight hours sleep last night so this is totally not me. I hurried home thinking I would get a half hour nap in before the little ones got home...wrong, Faith wanted to play. Realizing that the nap wasn't going to happen I got up to fix supper. The  kids came home super excited reminding me that Kade(#2) had a football game in a few hours. So that meant missing my two favorite shows on TV. No rest for the weary! Great thing is that I got another another 1 mile walk in before the game. It's now 8:00pm and I'm wide awake. What's a mother to do?

Garage Sale Saturday

  Today is Saturday and the weather is absolutely gorgeous! Poor little Faith is dealing with Eczema and an allergic reaction to my sister's new Chihuahua puppy. The Eucerin Cream that I've been using is not giving any relief to the eczema rash so I've added a hydrocortisone to the mix and Children's Claritin. Praying for relief soon, the poor thing is miserable. If anyone knows of any natural remedies, please let me know. On another note, we went Garage Sale hopping this morning and found some very cute items. I felt like I'd won the lottery. Having four kids its not like I'm able to go shopping often like I use to. To be honest, I only picked up two items for myself today. Everything else was for Faith and my "Little Brownie." When given the chance to pick out her own toy she was so excited and has been walking around with the contraption like its the first toy she's ever got. If its going to be like this I'll be going Christmas shopping in the neighborhood this year! Take a look at my Garage Sale finds below, I only spent $13 total today.

Thursday Weigh In

  The other day I blurted out my weight hoping it would be motivation enough for me to do something about the extra pounds that are also wreaking havoc on my blood pressure. I think it worked!!! The bummer is my blood pressure is still high so I had to back to the Doctor today to get the dosage of my meds increased. I admit, I got a little carried away by the low blood pressure numbers. I went out and bought a shrimp platter one day, and then fried myself five pieces of "low sodium" bacon the next day. That caused my blood pressure to shoot up to 141/100...Not good! What possessed me to do that? I have no clue, but I've learned my lesson and won't do it again. I'd love to get off of the meds and I'd surely like to see my little "buggars" have some little "buggars" on day. In one weeks time I lost three pounds. I've been walking two miles a day at a brisk pace and I'm limiting my sodium intake. Weigh-in from this morning:

Random Pic Tuesday

She's mad about something, not too sure what.

My awesome lunch.

This was before the lunch.

This is what she does when I leave the room!

My sister's new Puppy, Faith isn't too fond of him.

 

NICU Journal Giveaway!!!

Here is the Journal again, all you have to do is follow this Blog and then leave a comment below in the comment section. The 15th person to comment wins the NICU Journal! 

Being Nice feels great!

  I decided to got on the walking trail even though it's Sunday, I figured I may as well do something productive since I awoke early(Thanks to Faith). I started out with plenty of energy but before I could hit 1 mile, I was "dog tired". I figured I'd hang it up early and head over to Smoothie King. I got there at 10:20am and they open at 11:00am, so I decided to go to the grocery store. Once there they didn't have what I needed so I figured we'd  head over to another store, in fact the same store I visited on Friday. On Friday after inspecting my bags I noticed the 2 packs of paper plates, that I handed my son to hold were missing. I immediately called the store irritated that I had to go back. They told me to come in to get them, which I didn't do because it was too far to travel. So I guessed today would be a good day to go over and pick them up. After getting there it's brought to my attention that I really didn't purchase them and it was only my error...Opps I was so embarassed. While there I picked up a few other things and headed over to check out. In line I noticed an older couple trying to slide in and cut the line from the side. I looked back and the line was extremely long. The wife whispered to her husband that they'd entered the line from the wrong angle, the husband argued with her and they went back and forth. After a rough morning I just wanted to checkout and go home and the "line cutter" was about to aggravate me. I slowly moved my buggy forward, as in "back off Mister" he then moved forward too. My patience level was being tested, but then something in my head said "Are you really gonna get mad at this older couple?" Immediately I felt so bad and as I looked back at the line behind me, I motioned for them to go. The couple smiled as though they'd won a prize and I felt like I'd presented it. Some days I get caught in the moment and I'm tired from being a homemaker, mom and super women. Some days I'm as mean as heck but today I chose to just relax...sit back and be nice. Hope they enjoyed their cookies!

My Little Brownie

  Today my daughter and I attended her first Brownie(Girl Scouts) Meeting. Although I am excited about her new adventure, I am unsure if I'll be able to last through the hour and a half meetings. Any one who knows me knows that I have ADHD...like seriously. Put me in any situation past 45 minutes and I'm done! I lose focus, drift into "La-la Land", or start checking Facebook repeatedly. It's bad and I know it, so I try to avoid long events and meetings. Enough about me, back to the Brownie thingy. Seems like it will be very fun and a great opportunity for my very shy, seven year old. I'm looking forward to the events as long as we keep moving and don't stop to sit still for too long. What just so happen to be a disability for some turns out to be a bonus for my kids that never experience a dull moment. 

Chubby baby, Chubby Momma!

   Faith had her 1 year check-up today and is doing well! She has caught up on the growth chart and is in the the 75th percentile for her actual age, which is awesome. All is well besides her daily tantrums which we'll keep and eye on. Due to her prematurity, she could have sensory issues. I on the other hand...not so good. Blood pressure is still high, seems like with no intention on coming down without medication. So here I am 32 years old on Norvasc. That is not cool! Although I have been walking and trying to eat right, my frequent "sweet tooth" has gotten the best of me. My current weight is OMG, 178lbs. I have never been this size even while pregnant. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I chose to change it and move on. I intend on rewarding myself with each 5 pound lose. My goal weight by February is 160lbs. The PGX was not working out so it seems like I'll have to "wing it" and push away from the table. I truly believe once I have my weight under control then my blood pressure will decrease as well. I'll be weighing in every Thursday, so join me on my quest to find the old Crystal!

Hypertension is NO JOKE!!

So I landed in the ER again, with blood pressure issues again. So now I see this thing is real and I need to accept the fact, that something needs to be done FAST! Those lingering 30 post pregnancy pounds have got to go. The 2 miles that I walk 3 times a week isn't doing anything if I continue to pig out when I get home. So now I'm seriously on a mission to kick the fat and hypertension. To jump start things I'm currently taking PGX, it's suppose to be natural and I'll soon start taking CLA. Can't wait to see some results! I refuse to accept the sentence of hypertension or being thick just because I had a baby one year ago. So here's to getting my sexy back!

My creation, The NICU Journal

  Being the Mother of a premature infant that spent 101 days in the NICU, I know all too well of the things I wished were available. I've designed a NICU Journal, especially for parents to keep track of their baby's journey. Its available through Amazon.com and Createspace. Check it out, below is the Cover and link:

 http://www.amazon.com/NICU-Journal-Volume-Crystal-Boyd/dp/1479160792/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347200277&sr=8-1&keywords=crystal+j+boyd

Faith turns 1!!!

My Little Sweetie Faith turned 1!! After a rocky first few months and being on supplemental oxygen for 7 months total, Faith is now doing well. She is a ball of energy and oh so feisty. Below is her Birthday Pics and  Inspiring Video.