Pregnancy After Miscarriage or Loss

So here I am, pregnant again. I wish I could be over joyed and happy about it. Honestly I wish I could. But sadly my feelings of this pregnancy have been, denial, fear, anger, frustration, sadness. I don't think I have really celebrated the fact that I am expecting yet. I mean, I can't even say "I'm pregnant," out loud. It's been, "another one is on the way." or, "we're expecting, again." but inside. yeah. I am scared. I am scared Sh**less! That's the truth. I am trying not to let my feelings run me. Or trying to let my fears overcome me. I have been reading a lot of positive books to help me just have faith, and hope, and confidence that this will work.

These feelings are real. They are true. And I can almost guarantee that any woman who has gone through a miscarriage (and knew about it) or a loss has felt these feelings one time or another when they found out they were expecting again. It is so hard to get excited for something that can easily just disappear. It is so hard to want to open yourself back up for the possibility to be broken hearted again. I literally had a cry fest and lost it when I was in my docs office. Because I told him I was so scared for the same thing to happen to me again. I didn't and don't want to go through that again, nor do I want to almost lose my life again.

If you have friends who have gone through a miscarriage or loss, they might not tell you until they are much further along about the fact that they are expecting. I only did, because of what I do. And honestly, I hate having to cover up how my workouts have been suffering  because I am exhausted, or I am so sick to my stomach. So for me it was only natural to let everyone know so early. Plus, we really feel it is important to honor every pregnancy no matter how long because it took us so long to get pregnant. It truly is a blessing that I can get pregnant naturally now.

If you have friends who are pregnant again, support them. Be excited for them. Because they are scared. They need someone strong for them, to believe that everything is going to be ok, even though they don't believe it themselves. Talk with them. Encourage them to get out, exercise, eat healthy. Not to stay in. Because that can cause them to reflect on their pregnancy and former loss. Oh and yes, encourage them to go on a walk with you, or ask about exercise. Because they are not going to want to for fear that they are going to cause another miscarriage. The best thing they can do for themselves and baby, is to be as healthy as possible. I honestly believe, since this is now my 6th pregnancy, that if it is meant to happen, it will happen. There is nothing that I can do to stop a miscarriage.

For me I am just trying to take each day as it goes. Praying that I make it one more day and that the little soul inside of me is developing perfectly. That all will go well, and that we will get to meet our new baby in about 8 months from now.

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Fit and Healthy Pregnancy #3

I can't keep secrets you guys! And the reason why I haven't really blogged in the last 2 weeks is because I had a huge secret that I wanted to tell you about and I wasn't ready to spill the beans quite yet. Well, I am ready now!


BABY #3 IS On Its Way, Again!!!! And with the same due date as my last pregnancy. Weird huh!

To be honest with you, we thought I was broken. My cycles have been so off since the miscarriage. Never regular and all over the place. We didn't think I could get pregnant again. Matt even scheduled a deployment so that we could save some $$ to pay for fertility treatment again, just to get pregnant. Apparently we don't need to do that anymore!

I have been in major denial, sad, angry, confused. I haven't let myself really be happy yet. And that is ok, considering what I went through last year. I didn't even want to share the news this quickly either. What if it happens again? But you know what? Every pregnancy is a miracle. Every pregnancy is a blessing. And I should know as it took us 8 years to get our first positive test after years of trying! So regardless of what happens. I still want to celebrate and honor this and every pregnancy. The main thing I am doing right now is trying to be as healthy as possible for me and the baby. So here we go again! Another fit and healthy pregnancy to share with all of you! Hope you enjoy the journey!

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Celebrate Your Small Victories

If you have been working hard on a new workout plan this month, or started a new workout schedule, CELEBRATE how far you have come this month! We made it! CELEBRATE that fact. That you stuck with your goals and challenge! That is a lot! And that is the step in the right direction to changing your lifestyle. To helping you get stronger physically and mentally. I am hoping that by today you are noticing the difference in your endurance and strength. Can you believe how far you have actually come since you started? Crazy how fast your body actually does adapt. 

It is totally great to celebrate the fact with how far you have come. I celebrate all non scale victories. Take the time to celebrate the small things in your journey. Because all of these little celebrations will add up to huge results and HUGE CELEBRATIONS! Be proud of the fact that you stuck with something. That you did this! So celebrate! Tell all your friends what you accomplished. Tell them that you did a plank for x amount of minutes, or that you ran 1 mile, or that you were able to survive an entire Zumba class, or that you made it through Chisel Agility without feeling like you were going to die. Share with the world because you can help to inspire someone who might be struggling in their journey. You never know who you can inspire. How awesome would it be if your friend told you, ”Because of you I didn’t give up!” Believe me, it will make your day! And you are sharing it forward! 

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

Snow Day Activities For Young Kids

We are officially snowed in! YEP! Thanks a lot Jonas! But we are loving every minute of it. We are trying out some fun snowed in activities to keep the kids occupied and happy, without going over our allotted tablet/tv time. That means getting a little creative. So here are some fun activities we are trying out!

Schedule a Neighborhood Play Date
Go out when everyone is out. We had a fun time sledding in our neighbors yard yesterday with quite a few neighbors we haven't seen in awhile! Mason was quite upset when it was time to say good-bye. That just means he had so much fun! 

Whip up Snow Cones
After playing in the snow with the kids, gather up clean, freshly fallen snow and bring it inside. Divide it into cups and pour lemon juice and a little sugar or some fruit juice over each and you and the kids can enjoy some healthy homemade snow cones. For an even more fun recipe click here.

Build a Living Room Campsite
Kids love when their parents flip normal household routines upside down. Creating a campsite in the living room is the perfect way to take them by surprise! Turn out the lights, wear PJs, bust out the sleeping bags or fun blankets and sit around telling stories. If you don't have a tent, be creative and build a fort using blankets, couch cushions and pillows. Oh and stock up on some marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers for snow day s'mores.

Craft an Indoor Snowman
You don't always have to freeze outside to build a snowman -- be creative and make one using marshmallows, or cotton balls. Outline a snowman on construction paper and trace glue around each circle. Place mini marshmallows or cotton balls onto the glue. Add details with other materials from around the house. Grab scraps of felt for his hat or yarn for his scarf and color in his face with markers or dried food products. When he's dry, the kids can name and hang him up in the house. 

Snow themed Coloring Books
Have a grandparent in another part of the country. Have the kids color snow-themed coloring pages and mail them to the grandparents to let them know that you were thinking of them on your snowy days! Google free printable coloring pages for TONS of options! 

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey! 

9 Tips To Transitioning Your Family To Clean Eating

Often times it is us mom's who want to change our diet. What is that old saying, when mom is on a diet, we all are! So true. But here is the thing. I remember always fussing and complaining about the change of foods growing up. So here are my 9 tips to help transition your family into eating a more healthy clean diet. 

1) Start slow if you need to. Rather than trying to make a big change all at once or eliminating all their favorite foods, start by adding in the healthy stuff. Before you know it, some of the unhealthy choices are being crowded out. 

2) Make changes to the meals you already enjoy. Clean eating doesn’t mean you can never eat things your kids love like pizza and spaghetti.  Just make healthy swaps. Whole grain pita for the crust, low sugar pizza sauce (or make your own) and loads of veggies.  My kids love spaghetti, so I use whole wheat or brown rice noodles and sauce without added sugar.  Is it completely clean? No, but remember the 80/20 rule. 

3) Encourage your kids to add a fruit or vegetable to every meal. I find if I let them pick something out at the grocery store, they are excited about eating it.  

4) Meal prep on the weekend for the upcoming week. I try to cook a large batch of chicken breasts for the upcoming week in the crockpot, then shred and freeze it.  I am going to start pre-cook lean hamburger and ground turkey. We love Mexican food, so I often cook salsa chicken or baked chicken fajitas so we have meat ready to add to tacos, burritos, salads, etc. I make oatmeal and a large baked omelet so there are healthy breakfast options available to reheat. 

  

5) Add extra veggies to everything. Casseroles are easy to sneak them in, but you can also add them to most sauces, smoothies, meatloaf, etc. 

  

6) To save money, buy things in bulk. Also, since meat is expensive, I often replace half the meat in a recipe with quinoa. It’s still high protein and makes your grocery budget stretch further.  

7) Don’t fall into the trap of making one meal for your family and a separate clean meal for you. I often add something to the meal that I know my family will like even if it’s something I may not eat.  

  

8) Educate yourself and your family as you make these changes so you know WHY you’re doing it. Help them see it’s not just “another new diet,” but a lifelong plan to keep them strong and healthy.  

9) Most important of all. Don’t stress. You’ll get the hang of it, and soon you’ll be surprised how much your family loves it.

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey!