Just very fun and my son who upon loading the game couldn’t tell you the answer to a multiplication problem (only fair to say because we’ve not studied that yet…that’s coming this semester *wink*) walked away knowing the answers to several problems that he figured out all on his own! It seems to really help with memory because throughout the game it repeats the previous problems. Anyway, it was just very fun so try it for yourself and enjoy! When you get to the Times Attack page, you’ll want to choose the base version (free) which teaches 2’s-12’s.

Blessings, Dawn

I’ve been pregnant 63 months (or 5.25 years) out of our 184 months (or 15.33 years) of marriage…so according to that there was 10 years that I wasn’t carrying a new blessing. So for those that seem to think I’m pregnant “all the time”, although fewer have actually said that, than have thought it I’m sure, I can now say nope that’s not true…I’ve been NOT pregnant twice as long as I HAVE been!

As for breastfeeding (only nursed the last 4 longer than a few days) I’ve been doing that for 43 months to date and still going with our youngest.

So there you have it! More than you probably wanted to know about my gestation and lactation. *snort*

Blessings, Dawn

Now though it’s time to get back to the business at hand which is me, getting healthy with the Lord’s help! I have new goals…some of which I’ll share, and some will likely change as I go along as always. I’m a perfectionist tweaker. I tweak things until I get them right…which never happens, so I keep tweaking. I guess if nothing else it keeps me busy and thinking.

So my goals (health wise, although I have many otherwise) for 2009 are…drumroll please!

I plan to eat according to the plate method constructed by the University Of Idaho. It’s very similar to the American Diabetes Association’s Create Your Plate method. Both methods are geared towards helping one learn proper portion sizes while getting in an appropriate number of minimum calories in an easy and manageable way.

You simply visually divide your dinner plate… an 8-9 inch plate though that we were intended to eat from, not a huge 10-12 inch dinner plate. Then 1/2 your plate is non-starchy vegetables, 1/4 of your plate is protein, and 1/4 of your plate is a starch. Add a cup of milk or milk equivalent and 1/2 a cup of fruit and you are ready to eat! You can also “interchange” your fruit, milk, and starch because they have approximately the same carbohydrate content. If it’s more carbohydrates than you like or can tollerate, simply substitute something else in it’s place that is lower in carbs.

It’s similar to the exchange diet I had been following for my diabetic concerns, but without as much brainwork! That’s always great to not have to use your brain so much. I hate to think about eating…what to eat, what not to eat, how much to eat, how much to not eat. So while diets I’ve followed were healthy I was constantly having to think about FOOD and my next meal! This is much better! The plate method or create your plate method “as is” from some research online I have found, provides about 1400 calories by itself, but I’ve found I need about 1800 since I’m nursing, so I’ll be adding about 400-500 additional calories via 2-3 healthy snacks per day between meals.

I also plan to walk 1 mile every day…YES every single day! Whether it takes me 15 minutes or 50 minutes it doesn’t matter. I have to start up again somewhere. Eventually I’ll add additional miles but 1 for starters is a nice number I think and something I know I can do. My gym membership expired and I didn’t renew it although I would have liked to. There’s just more important things to be putting those funds towards right now especially since I have a very nice treadmill that was given to us awhile back, and a couple of Walk About The Pounds DVD’s I can use! Walking with Leslie Sanson is so much fun!

And it’s that simple…2 little goals. Who can’t succeed with 2 goals?  With the plate method and walking I should be able to loose about 1lb-2lbs a week.  I am NOT setting a weight loss goal though as I have in the past, meaning I’m not going to say I want to weigh X number of pounds by X date.  I simply want to exercise, eat right, and loose weight until I am at a weight where I feel physically good, I’m healthy and active, and my blood sugar is back under control. I would like to see a #1 at the beginning of my weight number, but aside from that I have no number in mind.

Here’s to a GREAT 2009! I’ll see y’all in January with a monthly photo, current weight, and my measurements. I also thought about “maybe” the occasional video blog that I thought might be fun, but don’t hold me to it!

Now who’s going to join me?

Blessings, Dawn

4 months, 9 days old!

I’ve decided when my babies hit about 4 months old is when they begin to get much easier! We’ve plugged along through our nursing issues, I think our baby girl is doing much better, and I don’t feel like a milking machine anymore now that she’s stretched out her waking hour nursings to about 3 hours like clockwork on her own.

Once she seemed to be gaining to me I just let her fall into her own pattern as long as she didn’t go longer than that. At this point though there is little chance of that! This morning I nursed her at 8am and we got ready for church and headed out, then back home for the other group, then back to church and she was happy and content the entire time. She’s also given up her pacifier I think so no need to bother trying anymore…anytime you try to give it to her, say if I’m in the car and she starts to fuss, she sucks once or twice then grins like she’s saying…”You can’t fool me mama, so I’ll get happier for ‘ya and wait for the real deal!”

She fell asleep in the car seat during the second trip and stayed that way during the Sunday school hour. As we were starting the morning service it was about 10:55 and I mentioned to our oldest daughter that the baby will be awake in 5 minutes. She was awake in 3 and ready to eat!

For the first 4 months it feels like all I am doing round and round the clock is nursing and changing diapers and I probably am but one minute slips into another and then the hour slips into another and one day into the next and you just keep plugging along to get through it.

Sometimes that isn’t so much fun and it’s hard to just “enjoy” the babies once you are out of the “first few weeks then you feel like you should be up doing other things” period, but it’s a necessary thing.

As I was nursing her to sleep tonight…she was just gazing into my eyes, and every time I would smile at her she would smile back and loose her latch and we’d have to start all over again. We’d repeat the process over and over because I just couldn’t stop smiling at her. She doesn’t just smile in her face but her whole body lights up it seems. I so enjoy her presence in our home and her daddy and siblings will tell you the same. Each new baby changes the entire dynamic of the home, and it’s an adjustment, but when we work together as a family to make those adjustments, we reap the blessings and joy soon enough!

As she finished up I lifted her to my face, smooched her ever so slightly chubby cheeks and said I love you SO MUCH, but Jesus loves you more than I ever could! Then as I drew her away she again looked at me and smiled as if she was saying…”and I love you both Mama!”

Lord, never let me forget these special moments and my prayer is that she loves You someday much more than she loves me. I want YOU to be her Everything!

Blessings,Dawn

Aww Mama, do we have to take pics again?!? OK I’ll play along cause I love ya!

Hey warn me next time…that flash is kinda bright!

Look I can do fun things with my tongue!

Ok I’m serious…how many more pics are you going to take?

I see she’s not going to stop anytime soon so I guess I’ll just strike a pose!

OK enough sweet mama of mine! Feed me or my face will freeze this way.

Ahhhh a full tummy and I’m happy again!

OH a clean diaper too and now life is even better!

Opps, sorry mom! I think you’re about to have to change me again!

http://hsemagazine.com/3free

Enjoy!

Blessings, Dawn

UPDATE #2: Jack made it through the procedure very well! They took out quite a bit of tissue (they had to go 3 layers deep and then took out more on each side and over/under where the original mole was removed) and he has a bunch of stitches both inside the wound that was left and on the surface. They did another biopsy to make sure there are no pre-cancerous cells left and we’ll have those results within the week. He’ll go back in 10 days to have the stitches removed, and he’s to be off work this weekend. Please pray for quick, uneventful healing!

UPDATE: Good news!! Not the best, but not the worst Praise The Lord! The biopsy results came in a few days early and it is pre-cancerous. Jack will be going in to the doctor tomorrow morning (11/14) to have some further surgery to remove more tissue around the perimeter of where the mole was originally removed. Please pray it’s not too painful and that this is all that’s needed to be rid of the pre-cancerous skin cells.

My husband Jack had two moles on his back that looked suspicious and he was able to go in Monday (11/10) and have them examined.  The one we were most concerned about didn’t see to be too much of a concern, but the other one did concern the doctor. He said at first glance they didn’t look to be melanoma, but the one did look dysplastic to him. The doctor removed both moles for pathology and we should have the results back on Monday morning (11/17) which will tells us if either or both are benign (no cancer or otherwise), dysplastic (pre-cancerous), or malignant (cancer).

We are praying they are both benign of course, but if not dysplastic would be the better diagnosis vs malignant, since a diagnosis of dysplastic would only require a bit more surgery to take care of and complete the treatment.

Please pray for my husband when he comes to your mind. He is my everything and only comes 2nd to the Lord in my heart and life. We are praying for the very best outcome of benign, but we will accept whatever the Lord has for us and take it one day at a time!

Blessings, Dawn

Daniel 2:21 He (God) changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

Romans 13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities , for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

Colossians 1:16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities ; all things were created by him and for him.

John 19:11 (speaking to Pilate) Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above . Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

Daniel 4:17 “`The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.’

Daniel 5:21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and sets over them anyone he wishes.

I’ve been reading online and so many are so very distraught over the fact Obama was just elected. Yes I admit I cried real tears and not of joy! I was heartbroken and just pitiful or so I thought at the time. Once I pulled myself up by my bootstraps though and dug into the Bible where the answers to ALL of life’s questions can be found and read the above scriptures, my heart was settled and peace then flowed into it.

It comes down to these thoughts:

The duty was ours…we fulfilled our duty in this election by doing our best to promote our candidate in our community, and subsequently voting for him. The results of that election are God’s. To those of you reading who did not vote for President-Elect Obama, keep the faith! The Word says Obama is our President-Elect because God himself established that position. (Romans 13:1) I beleive the Bible means what it says, and the Lord will not forsake us.

Now that he has been elected I am committed to praying for him, and for our country…he is now the President of these United States, and history was made in America on November 4, 2008 and we and our children got to witness something that many Americans thought would never come to be.

Blessings, Dawn