Connect the Dots Ginger | Becky Allen

Monday, May 11, 2015

Mother's Day Weekend


I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! I sadly spent mine sick as a dog with an upset stomach. The cramps were the worst part though. I almost felt like I was going through the miscarriage again which was not fun. But I'm doing better now and just relaxing this day away!

I wanted to share some pix we took over the weekend. Mason was the big man this weekend. Helping dad out with some very "manly" chores. Mason helped dad mow the lawn for the first time and LOVED IT! It was all he talked about the rest of the day. He came in all sweating from the work he put into it. Matt said that Mason was pretty much doing it all excpet for some parts as it goes up hill and Mason needed the extra push. But he was so proud of what he did! In a few years this is going to be Mason's chore so why not start him young! But what a great sight it was to watch how much fun Mason was having with Daddy.

Poor Collin was looking on wanting to go play. He does not like being left out and will whine about it. But we got to spend some fun time together watch brother and dad do the work.

I made a cake for Mother's Day to practice for the cake I was (notice the past tense there) going to make for Collin's birthday party this coming Saturday. The cake turned out ok. But it was a lot of work and I don't think I will have that much time to actually do it. So I am calling the bakery today to order a cake. Collin's smash cake is already ordered I just need cake for everyone else.

Matt had drill for the military so it was me and the boys during the day and we enjoyed playing on the floor with Mason's dinosaurs and watching Jurassic Park! Mason's favorite show as he now proclaims. He doesn't think it is scary at all. He loves it! He has seen it so many times that he knows what is happening and he will tell me that if it is too scary to cover my eyes. Kid always trying to protect mom! That was our weekend in a nut shell. What did you do?

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day today and that you all have a marvelous day today!

I know and understand that this day can be hard for some of you. Maybe you haven't had kids yet (been there!), or are estranged from your kids or they have passed on. But today is a celebration of womanhood to celebrate all women. A day celebrate how amazing you are! So I hope you have a wonderful day!

Friday, May 8, 2015

Mother's Day 2015- Last Minute Gift Ideas


Can you believe that Mother's Day is SUNDAY!?! This year I was a little late to get the gifts sent out to my mom and mother-in-law, sorry mom! Because the past few weeks just got away from me. But I feel like I am back in the game now and in control of what is going on.


I wanted to share some awesome gifts for any mom out there in case you were a little "behind" like I was!

~Breakfast in Bed: What better way to help mom feel super special to wake up early and fix her breakfast and bring it right to her bed! And the kids love to help with this. It doesn't matter if it is Lucky Charms cereal, or an extravagant omelet. Any mom is going to appreciate not having to make breakfast the day of.

~Homemade cards by the kiddos: Kids love to color. So dad's get them coloring! Let them draw a picture of their mommy and see what they do. Write a nice little letter and try to have them sign their name. Mom's can tuck this away to bring out and show future girlfriends so this is an awesome idea!

~Chocolate Covered Fruit: One of my favs! And super easy to do. Dad's just melt the chocolate in the microwave, 30 second then stir, and so forth until it is all melted. But chocolate covered strawberries, pineapple, apples or anything is YUMMY! (edible arrangements has them too if you want to go that route!)

~Flowers: Always a good choice. Try to go with something more fragrant so that every time she walks in the room she can smell the beautiful flowers. Or get a new flower that you can plant outside together so that when you see it for the rest of the season you can remember Mother's Day. That is a gift that keeps on giving right there!

~Clean house: My dream, waking up to the house that is clean so that I don't have to do it. Or better yet... House clean for the whole weekend. Saturday and Sunday. Give me 2 days off. No dishes, no vacuum, no tripped over dinosaurs. No having to clean. I am off duty for that. (without it just piling up so that I don't have to clean it all on Monday anyways.) Ah that would be nice!

To all of you Grandmothers, moms, moms to be, fur mommy's and future moms, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. I hope each and every one of you have an amazing day filled with laughter and love. You are amazing. You are super. You are the best thing in this world. Know how important you are to your little ones (future little ones too). You are their example, their super hero. They look up to you and love you, because you are MOM no matter how old they are! What a beautiful blessing you are to them. I truly hope you have an amazing Mother's Day!

Thanks to my mom for being such an awesome friend and amazing mother to me. Your example and steadfastness in life has been such a great inspiration to me and I am so proud to call you my mom!

Check out this video on how amazing you are MOMS! Let me know what you think because I was crying just watching this. I can totally relate and I love being a MOM!

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Day Or Night...Does It Really Matter?


When do you work out? Morning? Afternoon? Night time? Does it really matter?

The Huffington Post has an article on when the best time day to work out based on what you want to accomplish, but honestly, working out whenever you can is what is best. It beats not working out. Let's say you sleep in and miss your workout time you were scheduled for...um not like I did that on Wednesday morning when I slept in until 10am... Does that mean that I have to miss my workout completely? Some people do. OOPS! I missed my workout window. I guess I have to try again tomorrow! No, no, no my friends. But I don't have time to workout anymore. Have you thought about right before you go to bed. In those quiet times when the kids are first falling asleep and you get that moment of "AHHHH, time to relax."

Night time has been my time lately. I am personally trying to workout twice a day. Go to the gym in the morning for the kiddos and then during that relaxation time just after the kids go down. I am doing this because it helps keep me in better moods. Apparently I need the endorphins right now because they are working and keeping me from being super depressed. Thanks in part to the hormone drop I had after the miscarriage. So for me. I need it, twice a day. Have I been able to go to the gym everyday this week? Nope! (again I slept in on Wednesday) But at least I am getting my evening 30 minute workout in. I have been a lot more consistent with my evening than I have during the day! (weird for me)

Even if you have to break up your workout to 10 minute increments. Do what ever you can to get some exercise into your day and I promise you that you will feel better. Have more energy. Sleep better (oh yeah, I am sleeping like a rock!) Be happier. Might be a little sore, but that's ok! The point is. DO IT! JUST WORKOUT! Make that choice. FOR YOU! You are worth it!

Need a work out buddy? Or someone to keep you accountable. Maybe you need motivation? Send me an email to join my PRIVATE Facebook group! connectthedotsginger@gmail.com! Make that first choice. Take that first step to changing you. The hardest part is the beginning!

Full Body HIIT Workout

Need a good fast High Intensity Interval Training workout? Check this out! This will do the trick for you! 

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Water Kefir

Have you ever heard of kefir? I am sure you have. There is a brand at the grocery store that is a dairy product. Have you ever tried it?

Did you know that you can make your own kefir at home? Yep. There is milk kefir, like the Lifeaway brand, and water kefir. I have tried both and don't really like the milk kefir. It is tolerable but the water was so much better! Water kefir tastes like a carbonated drink. And you can flavor it to whatever you want. So it is a healthy naturally carbonated drink that actually tastes good.

What is water kefir? Water kefir is fermented water. You use grains (not really grains but that is what they are referred to as) which are a live bacteria that you add to sugar water and let it ferment for 24-48 hours. The bacteria feed off of the sugar and replace it with natural fructose. The drink becomes sweet but not like normal sugar. You strain the grains before you drink it up and you can use them again in your next batch of kefir water. It is really quite cool! My friend has a jar of kefir fermenting, one in the fridge ready to drink and a new one just started. So she has some every single day.

So why would kefir be good for your body? You know that Activia commercial where they say that Activia will help with bloating, and irregularity. Well, the yogurt has live bacterias in it and they help keep your insides moving. Our bodies naturally have bacteria in our gut for this purpose, but sometimes we need a little extra push. So now instead of spending $4 for a pack of Activia or Lifeaway Kefir you can make your own. A packet of water kefir grains is $17 and they are reusable! (they can die so you do have to take care of them. Think of them as a new pet in a way!) You can get the grains here!

You also need a strainer and some mason jars, and coffee filters and a rubber band to keep the bugs out since it is sugar water, while it is fermenting. So start up isn't that bad and you won't have to buy Activia or other kefir like products again.

Check out this video on how easy it is to make and use. But this is one thing I am, and have been for a while, seriously thinking about starting.


QOTD: Would you ever make your own kefir water? 

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Happy Cinco De Mayo


I LOVE Cinco De Mayo! It is my excuse that, I HAVE TO EAT MEXICAN FOOD! Why not! So I thought that I would share my skinny enchiladas with you! A couple of weeks ago I added a Green Enchilada Recipe. Well I made a red enchilada recipe and kind of did my own things with it and they turned out AMAZING! I had the chicken and salsa cooking while I was teaching and everyone who came in raved about how amazing my house smelled. When I just said it was chicken with a jar of salsa on it they were amazing at how good it smelled.

Skinny Red Enchiladas: 
1 lb chicken tenders -about 8 tenders
1- 12 ounce jar of red salsa. Not chunky - I like Trader Joe's variety
1/2 cup greek yogurt (I use 2%-22g protein per cup yogurt. It's thicker. Fage or TJ's.)
medium splash of chicken broth
8 small corn tortillas
1/4-1/2 cup cheddar cheese

In a crockpot add chicken and jar of salsa. Cook on high for 2.5-3 hours until the chicken is falling apart. If frozen chicken cook for 3 hours on high.

Remove chicken, leaving as much salsa in the crockpot as possible. Shred chicken. Set aside. Add greek yogurt directly to crock pot and add splash of chicken broth to help thin out the salsa. Stir together. (Don't need a blender just whisk together right in the crockpot.)

Grab a 9x13 inch pan and coat the bottom of the pan with some red salsa mixture. Warm up your corn tortillas in the microwave or steam for just a little while on the stove to soften them enough that they are pliable. Add 1-2 table spoons of chicken to tortilla and roll up. Place in your 9x13 pan. Continue until all tortillas are rolled up. Pour the remaining red salsa mixture over the enchiladas. Top with cheese. You don't need a lot of cheese.

Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted.

Side with Lime flavored rice and black beans.

Lime and Cilantro Flavored Rice: 
1 cup of rice (brown, jasmine whatever you eat. We like brown)
2 cups of water
1/4 tsp salt
2 - juice from 2 limes
2 Tablespoon or more of Chopped Cilantro (depending how much you want!)

Add all ingredients except for the juice of 1 lime to your rice cooker and cook. Or cook covered up on your stove until the liquid is gone.

Once cooked through, squeeze the juice of remaining lime over the top and fluff with a fork!

SO EASY! ENJOY and Happy Cinco De Mayo!

OUTTAKE:

Monday, May 4, 2015

Overweight And Exercise

We all have to start somewhere. Right? Did you wake up this morning and think, it is time for a change! I need to change? I don't want to be like this anymore. Now what do I do? Exercise is hard. It doesn't matter if you are a size 0 or a size 24. Exercise does take work and effort.
~2010. Picking my hubs up after a deployment and surprising him with all the work I did to lose 35 lbs!~
Here are a few pointers to think about as you begin this new journey in your life style change. YES! LIFE STYLE CHANGE! This is not an easy battle. It will take time, it should take time. There are no quick fixes to losing weight. There are no pills, special drinks or wraps that will accomplish the results that last. It is a total mindset. How can she say this. She is overweight and hasn't been able to keep the weight off herself. Why listen to Becky. Because I have been there. I am there. But I have also lost the weight. I lost 40 lbs and not just once I have done it a couple of times. I learned to eat right and what my body wanted and needed. I have also fallen off the wagon and I trying to climb back in. I am just like you who has dieted, tried pills, drinks, HCG, meal plans, starvation, Atkins, I have tried it all! 
~Hard work and dedication to exercise and eating right and her is what I looked like. I will be here again! I AM WORTH IT!~
The one thing that worked? Eating right and exercise. When I finally started to eat right the weight just fell off. I didn't even have to workout for an hour or 2 a day. I was doing 30 minutes of exercise and the weight just fell off. Well if it is so easy... IT IS NOT EASY! It takes work and a total commitment and I'm human. I really like ice cream, sweets, candy, cookies, pasta. I mean I really like them. I lose sight of what I really need to be doing. And I am worth more than that. I know I am. And it isn't about being SKINNY. I want to be HEALTHY. I want to be able to run more easily. I want to be at a healthier weight when I get pregnant again so that when I do gain weight through the pregnancy I am not pushing 300 lbs. That scares the crap out of me. And that is just more work to do in the end. So today, eating better. Shakeology so that I know I am getting my super foods that I need. More veggies. Exercise. I can and I WILL do this. WE CAN DO THIS! 

~3 months into my nutritionist given plan and I lost 20 lbs by this point. Time and dedication! That is all it takes!~

Let me know if you want to join my Facebook group to become the healthiest version of you!

Friday, May 1, 2015

Body Dysmorphic Disorder


I mentioned this in a previous post that I was having some serious body dysmorphia. Here is what it is. *Please know I have not been clinically diagnosed with this disorder but it is a real thing. I have been like this before.* Basically is is body shamming of your own body. Where you spend a substantial amount of time a day thinking about the flaws of your body and how to hid or improve them. You see your body in a negative light regardless of how it really is. You can't see yourself correctly. I feel like I am looking in a fun house mirror right now and I have been trying to avoid the mirror at all costs.

Since the miscarriage I have been so disappointed with my belly size. It has been a constant reminder of what is not growing in there any more. My scale was broken so I couldn't be obsessed with my weight, which is a good thing but nothing fits me right anymore.

Before going to the gym I have been changing my shirts multiple times trying to find one that would "hide" my belly more so I wouldn't look as bad as I think I do. None of my pants fit and all my shirts are too tight in the belly and I don't want to wear my maternity shirts anymore because I can't handle it.

I spoke with a counselor the other day on the phone because I needed to speak with one and her first question, "How are you feeling?" "FAT" is how I responded. Seriously the first thing out of my mouth was be belittling my body.

I have been like this before and I learned to love my body for me. Seriously. I do love my body. It has done amazing things. I have done a 1/2 marathon. Trained for a 10 miler. I have carried and birthed 2 healthy boys. I have nursed for 27 months now (not all in a row of course.) It is amazing but I am not happy with the shape of my body and how I look. People have been telling me, "It's ok. You were pregnant. It is going to take time to get back to normal." But what do you do when you can't fit anything? Yoga pants everyday? Yep, cause that is all that fits. And skirts.

It is not ok to hate your body. We all have flaws. And it is ok. I will forever have stretch marks from when I gained weight too fast before I even had any kids. On the flip side, I have a killer smile that I LOVE! I have a fun loving personality and I love teaching. So now that I recognize that I have a problem with how I have been looking at myself it is time to turn it around and do something about it!

One thing that I do know, is that if I am truly so displeased with my body shape than I can do something about it. Exercise. And eating better. That will help my body shed the weight but it will take work. And that is exactly what I need right now. I need some busy work to get me to lose this weight. It's ok to want to make yourself healthy but to do it in a healthy manner. Hating yourself and feeling completely disgusted with how you look is not healthy. You can talk to someone, you can talk to me and we can work through it together.

Goals:
~Speak with a counselor to work through my miscarriage.
~Drink Shakeology everyday to get my superfood that my body needs to help me be as healthy as possible!
~Exercise 4-5 days a week. 2 days on cardio and 2 days on strength training specifically.
~Make smart eating choices. Smaller appropriate portions and eat more veggies.

If you want to join me in my journey to a healthy you, please let me know! I can start up a private Facebook group and we can do this TOGETHER! Email me at connectthedotsginger@gmail.com or comment below!


QOTD: Have you ever felt like this? Not happy with something about you? What did you do to overcome the feelings?

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Next Steps...

In an effort to keep this as real as possible and as honest with you guys as possible I wanted to share what has been going on with me over the past few weeks. You know about the miscarriage and all and that I have had a hard time mentally. I have finally decided to seek help with whatever mentally I am going through. It is through the urging of friends and family, especially my husband because I am not getting any better. If anything I am more distant and just keeping more to myself.

I am pretty sure I have some sort of postpartum depression or PTSD. But I don't feel right. I know that for sure and it is time to talk to someone to help me work through this. What made me realize that something was wrong is I have a major feeling of disconnect. I look forward to the times in the day that I get to myself so I can just watch a TV show or go into my books and escape from reality. I also have been more overwhelmed and I am quick to lose my cool with the kids. I already have a short fuse being a red head and all but I am having to rein in my frustrations a lot more than usual.

But the thing that is worrying my family the most is the disconnect. I can hardly handle touch sometimes. My skin just crawls and I should never feel like that. Speaking of skin, I have major body dysmorphia going on as well. Where I am just body slamming my body because it is a constant reminder that I am no longer pregnant. All I see is my bell that is sticking out too much for no excuse now. There is no baby in there. I gained too much weight I keep thinking, while I actually on gained 5 lbs.the first 3 months of pregnancy.  That's it. But all I see is frustration in myself and the fact that I don't feel comfortable in my own skin or my clothing. And now the though of how in the heck am I going to lose all this weight!

So now I am looking for a counselor to speak with to help me through this. I have worked with one other counselor before a few years ago. And it helped. For the most part. But this, I don't really know where to begin. I feel like I have too many problems going on. So it will be interesting with how it goes and how long I will see them. But I am getting the help that I need. And want. Thanks for listening friends!

If you missed my previous posts about my miscarriage, you can view them here:

Our Loss

Blessing In Disguise

Make You Or Break You: Emotions of a miscarriage
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