I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR.....

Ok, you don't have to listen to me roar, but I did it!!! I completed a half marathon! It was a pretty cool feeling aside from my left calf cramping up at the 13 mile mark and my right calf cramping up right before the finish line, and the 50 yr. old fat lady running next to me that Miguel told me to beat, the unbearable pain in my feet, the complete feeling of exhaustion, the pain that sets in when the adreneline quits. But let me tell you, it was totally worth the medal that I got. Ok, I guess it's really hard to detect my sarcasm in words, so in all actuality, it was a lot of pain, but I perservered and I FINISHED!!! Not that it's a world record or anything, but I did it in under 3 hrs. So the moral of this story is, what you put your mind to, you can accomplish. Now, it's on to the next thing!! (originally written 10/2013).

Day 16- Just Juicing

Today I'm on my 16th day of straight juicing. That's right, just juicing fruits and veggies. The first three days was hard when my body was detoxing! Day 1 I was irritable. Day 2 I was tired and wanted to be left alone. Day 3 was hard because I was at work all day. I started to get a really bad headache in the afternoon but I went home and made a juice and felt better. Day 4 I felt good. Day 5 got better! My skin was clearing up. My energy levels were getting better! Fast forward to today! People are amazed that I would juice for so long!

Why you ask, am I doing it? Well, the documentary 'Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead' was very inspirational to me. If you haven't seen it, watch it on Netflix-sooo good! I don't want to be on medication the rest of my life. I started taking medicine for my thyroid last February. I hated taking a pill everyday. After researching hypothyroidism, I came to find out that you shouldn't eat wheat. After getting wheat out of my body, I felt better! Succumbing to the wheat-invested world we live in, slowly I let it back in my diet! My research showed that your body gets the gluten in wheat mixed up with the T3&T4, thus not producing enough of those hormones. Add that onto the stress of starting a new job, leaving my kids, (I was a stay-at-home mom for almost 12 years), & you get some lbs loading on.

Combine that with a 2week vacation over the summer where we stopped at almost every DQ we saw, and had to eat at all the favorite restaurant   and you have serious weight to lose! Oh as if that wasn't enough, I was working out in the summer and even started doing Crossfit. When I got back from vacation and my maniac eating, I went to workout one morning and I couldn't put my shoe on because my foot hurt so badly! After a week of it hurting and swelling, I went to the Dr. He put me in a flat shoe and told me to come back in 2 weeks if it didn't get better. Well, it still hurt and was swelling everyday (think pregnancy feet swelling). This time I saw a podiatrist. He put me in a walking boot and told me to come back in 2 weeks. So I did-he told me at least 3 more weeks and to come back if still swelling. Well, it's been 3 weeks after the 3 weeks and my foot is still swelling. Oh, the specialist took an X-ray and said it was a bone bruise and not a stress fracture. That seemed like good news.

So the point of this is, with my weight piling on, my injury, my lack of energy and my thyroid problem, something had to be done. Something drastic! And that leads me up to today-Day 16 of juicing! I was to get all the processed crap out of my body and let the fruits and veggies heal my thyroid, my allergies and maybe my metabolism! I also want to break my bad habits of eating something because it looks good or smells good when I know it's really not good for me!

I'm retraining my taste buds so when I do eat, I will want kale and cucumbers and pears and beets!
Any advice I can give-try it! Day 1-3 are hard, but it's so rewarding afterwards! When I wake up, I'm ready to go! No tired feeling behind my eyes! I'm back to the gym even in a walking boot! I can do the recumbent bike, and weights and abs!

If I can do this, you can too. The more you do it, the more the will power and desire to change comes!!!
Hope this inspires you in some way whether it's looking at the ingredients of the food you put in your body to juicing to detox your body!!
Happy Juicing!!

Day 1-Learning Curve

So, the day started out good (woke up pretty sore from body pump the night before) and ended well with a not so great middle.  Had a Greek yogurt for breakfast. Kids wanted to go to Double Dave's for lunch, so I caved (being the first day of summer and all)! I ate a couple slices more than I should but did have a side salad and only half a glass of soda. Even though I ate too much for lunch, I didn't let that give me the excuse to ruin my whole day! That is an improvement for me! After lunch, we walked next door to JoAnn's fabric. Livi has been dying to see their duck tape. Supposedly it's the rarest! After yelling at both the boys for laying in the bin of stuffing, we all left with a new crossword puzzle book (livi got a little wooden owl to color). We came home and all laid in my bed and worked on our puzzles, while Livi colored her owl. After my nap, decided I needed to burn off my lunch so I went and did a Zumba class with my friend from school, Nettie. It was in a warehouse that had a little air conditioning, no insulation, and about 30 women crammed in a 20x15 foot room. Needless to say I was dripping in sweat! From that class I went home and made grilled cheese and ham for Ethan and Livi then off to pick up Eli from a friend's house. Dropped him off (ate the leftover crusts from one of the kids sandwich) then to a yoga class. Was a great class and reminded me I really enjoy yoga (except when I was doing a twisting move and my love handle was all in the way). I came home, put the kids in bed and then off for a 'therapy walk' with my friend Deidra. We walked a couple of miles but it was a pleasant night so that was great! Now to watch the Spurs play the Heat in the first game of the finals.
Tomorrow will bring new challenges and more opportunities to make good food decisions. Miguel and I are going out tomorrow night and got a hotel in downtown Austin. We had our 13 year wedding Anniversary on Monday so this is our celebration! Can't wait to hang out and be with my spouse!

Changing in so many ways!

So I've totally slacked on the whole blog thing. I'm back and now I'm going to try and update in one post and then continue on. So 2012 came and went and now we're on to 2013 (mid year). Things have changed a lot! Ethan started school, and Eli's in Junior High. 
This was a picture from the first day of school! They've grown so much since then! Eli is almost as tall as me, his hands are officially bigger than mine and he wears the same size shoe as Miguel. Livi is also getting taller and cuter. Ethan is grower taller and only a size or two behind Livi in shoes.

Along with our kids all in school, now our whole family is. That's right, we all go to school everyday except Miguel and I both work in school. I started last October as a math teacher in the High School. I teach Algebra I and Geometry. I get to work with teenage boys everyday (I think it's preparing me for how I don't want my children to become). I made it through my last day of school and only have a work day tomorrow! This summer was much needed!!!! I didn't know how I was going to make it to Thanksgiving break and when it was done, I was ok to work again. Christmas came just in time before a melt down I thought I was going to have. Spring Break was a breath of fresh air and this last month and a half of school was sooo long. Anyone that gives a state assessment exam can empathize with me! I did get to go to prom with my husband, again. Well, this time I was a chaperon as opposed to the first time I was a student!

I have met some great teachers and made some good friends! I'm still trying to get into this whole working thing full time and finding out it pretty much sucks. Oh well, have to make the best of the situation! I've entered a new phase in my life and know it's going to take some time to get used to it. I'm growing up! Isn't this what every parent looks forward to---or spouse? I'm still learning how to juggle being mom, working full time (and then some), wife, cook, taxi, referee, and all the other things that I do. I'm learning that you can't plan enough for everything and that is the key to success---planning.

That brings me to my next point, planning on succeeding. So with all this new life changing experiences comes...get ready for it.....it's exciting....ok, maybe not that exciting............you guessed it.......weight gain. Sorry, I know that was anticlimactic but it was fun! So I'm back up to my heaviest weight and not happy with it. I put on at least 10 lbs. working and need to get rid of it. I've had some come to Jesus moments and finally admitted that my husband eats better than I do, even with all my fresh juices, protein shakes and homemade alternative uses with greek yogurt and applesauce! So, I'm turning over a new leaf. I'm not getting any younger....

neither is my sister for that matter (she just turned 40)! This is a picture of us on her birthday--I flew up and surprised her! I took her shopping all day while my mom and her husband got everything ready for her surprise party! That's besides the point. The point is, I'm done. I'm done with feeling bad about myself. I'm done with eating crap and then feeling crappy. I'm done with all of it. It's time to focus on me and feeling better. I feel good when I eat good. When I eat good, I workout more and it's a good thing. This summer I'm going to learn to cook some new foods (and hopefully teach my 13 yr. old son to cook too) and eat clean. I lost weight before when I ate clean and worked out. I know I can do it, i just have to DO IT! Nike was smart when they came up with that logo! So after eating Sonic today and feeling crappy (took a nap too--could be a side effect of school finishing today) I got my lazy arse up and went and did a body pump class that should make my legs pretty sore.

When I came home, I had 3/4 of a chicken breast and a small banana. I know the banana wasn't the best thing to eat at night (it was like 8:30) but it's a start in a new direction. I have no one to blame but me for where I've come. It's time to stop blaming and start doing!!! So....join me  on my journey. I am going to blog everyday about my successes and failures and all that goes on! Happy Summer!

Kentucky!

So I had the pleasure to reconnect with an old and dear friend this past weekend and it was AMAZING to say the least! She was my college roommate at BYU our freshman year. I have been trying to see her for a few years now and finally, after 12 years, my dreams came true. Katie asked me to help her work a trade show. I thought it would be a fun experience and a chance to catch up! 

What I didn't realize was the awesome time I was going to have and how lucky I was to be able to spend it with her. We were able to get in some good shoe shopping and dinner to catch up between all the crazy hours of the trade show.  It was worth the trip just to do that! I learned a lot while I was there and feel very grateful I was asked to come! She is an amazing woman and has an amazing company! Check it out: pujbaby.com





Back to School...Back to School 2011

Today was the first of many!  Miguel's first day of school in his 8th year.  The first day of middle school for my oldest...

...that's crazy.  I still have friends I met from middle school!  Today was Alivia's first day of 2nd grade.

It was also my baby, Ethan's first day of Kindergarten. 

Can't believe I finally got all my kids into school!  It's amazing how you work so hard as a mom and never think you're kids are going to grow up or learn to clean up after themselves (still working on that one) or go to school.  Then, when it finally happens you wonder where all the time went! Now, I'm supposed to grow up??? This stinks! I'm still looking for a job but will enjoy my days that I don't have to work full time!  Here's to another great school year!!!





The Best Week Ever (2011)

So every year before school we have 'The Best Week Ever'. This started when I was watching Spongebob with the kids a few years back and he sings this really annoying song "It's the best day ever....." Anyways, long story short I got the idea from the cartoon for the song. Every day we do something fun that the kids decide they want to do. I got sick of doing fun things in June and then they never remember it when they go back to school and have to write about it! So, if we do fun things the week before school starts, then they'll remember it.....and that's how 'The Best Week Ever' got started. So this is our third year to do it and it was a fun filled week!

Day One started out at The Jumpy Place. One of those places where the kids can jump for hours and hours! I loved it because the kids get all sweaty and they have a blast! I convinced them after 3.5 hours that it was time to leave (sorry, no photos, I forgot my camera in the car)!

Day Two was a fun filled day at Austin Park and Pizza.

We definitely got our money's worth that day between eating lunch, riding go-carts,

teacups, bumper boats, snack, more go-carts,

teacups,

laser tag, bumper boats and then dinner. Throw in some rock climbing...

...and some arcades in between all that and we had 6.5 hours of pure fun! Livi tried really hard on the rock wall but her wall was pretty difficult. Ethan, seeing as he's part monkey, scaled the wall quickly to the top where he hit the bell (that didn't ring), came back down and was almost to the top again when the guy told him to come down. Eli was too busy shooting people on an arcade while the littler kids were rock climbing! To say the least, they had a blast!

 

 

Day Three was supposed to be roller skating but that got bumped since it wasn't open on Wednesday. Instead, we went to see The Smurfs. The kids loved it! We did the whole movie experience. We got some candy, popcorn, and soda and the kids ate (I helped of course) almost every bit of it! All I can say is, wow, movies have sure gotten expensive! The kids liked the movie; I thought it was a little long but that's not what counts!

 

 

Day Four was fun in more ways than one! We registered Eli for middle school, yes, middle school. I told him about how I still have friends from middle school (yes, I'm old and I tell stories about 'when I was a kid...'). We walked his schedule going back and forth from one side of the school to the other. I then timed it while he walked his schedule twice, to make sure he knew where he was going! He is super ready and excited. He gets to ride the bus and he's excited for that too! I don't really worry about him since he seems pretty confident and ready to go to junior high! After registration we all went roller skating. If you haven't been since junior high, you need to go; it's pretty darn fun! This day was fun minus the sauna in the roller rink. It was 94 degrees inside where you skate and almost made you want to pass out. The kids noticed the heat a little but not much. Ethan brought his own roller blades from home and was skating around on those while Eli, Livi and I rented skates.

For those of you who haven't seen a 5 year old roller blade, namely Ethan, picture chaos on skates. You think he's going to fall and lose control and eat it but somehow he stays up and rarely falls. It's a pretty funny picture. Since we've skated a few times in the past couple of months, the boys are getting more daring. Eli was going around corners on one skate, so Ethan thought he would try it, along with jumping while skating.

Usually two hours is more than enough time to skate but with the rink being a sauna we left just shy of two hours. After skating we go to a place across the street that has frozen custard--it's super yummy! Then we headed home so we could walk over to Livi and Ethan's meet the teacher night. Livi has Mrs. Elkins for 2nd grade and Ethan has Mrs. Sandoval for Kinder. They both seem really nice and the kids are super excited for school. Actually, I think mom is more excited than them. It truly is a bittersweet situation. Now that all of my kids are in school, it's going to be pretty weird not having them around, at least one of them! Now is the time I have to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I've applied for several jobs and haven't been successful so I think my plan is to sub in the schools and work on my alternative teaching certification and eventually be a teacher. It's a good mom job!

Day Five was scheduled to be a movie day since the kids wanted to see 'Spy Kids' and it didn't come out until Friday. We got to the show 30 minutes early since I figured it'd be packed on the first showing of the first day it came out. Turns out I was wrong and most people got there 10 minutes before it started. Oh well, we were able to pick where we wanted to sit! The kids loved the movie and thought it was super funny since it had all the great poop and vomitting jokes in it. If I were you, I'd wait until it came out for $1 rental!

Here's to another school year! It'll be over and I'll be writing about our next 'Best Week Ever' before I know it!

Another Year!

2010 has come and gone and now onto the new year! Things have started out really well here! We ended 2010 with Miguel's 33rd birthday and another year of a chance to wise up, I mean become wise!! After many nights of practicing good table manners, we finally took the kids to Bennihana's for a chance for them to show off their ettiquite and a chance to eat some GOOD Japanese food!

January brought lots of basketball.... and a lot more basketball....

and a mariachi band!

What??? Not really a band but a solo artist! Livi just likes to pose for the camera so anytime she can get in front of it and act silly, she will!

February brought....

a snow angel and a dog attacking.....

and some really cold weather, including SNOW!!!

Christmas 2010

So Christmas was a blast this year! We had a bunch of fun going to Grandma's house and being with family and also at our own home for the 'Big Day!'

We started our celebration with some gingerbread house making, then some family talents, and finished with opening presents! Before we left Houston, we stopped by and visited Granny Great and had lunch with her!

When we finally made it back home, we rested from all our fun all to do it again a few days later! Grandma Maritza came to visit with cousins Evan and Tristan on Christmas Eve. We had a nice dinner, opened presents...

and in bed just to do it again the next day! Santa brought Livi some....

Dollhouse furniture for her dollhouse. Santa brought Ethan some...

Rollerblades, and Eli got...

running shoes, basketball shoes and a basketball! Grandma got us....
ROCKBAND! That's been a lot of fun--we're the '5 Rockin' Saenz' Band! Can't believe Christmas has come and gone and now the New Year is here!!! Here's to another great year--2011!!

Getting Older!

School is back in session and things are back on schedule! Eli has started the 5th grade (I know, I can't believe it either)!

Livi started first grade and Ethan is in Pre-k.

Can't believe how time flies and the kids grow so fast! I feel like it was yesterday, wishing my kids would grow up, at least be a little independent, and now it's already here!

For all those moms out there that have little ones (you know, where your goal for the day is to shower or not feel so tired all the time) enjoy your time with your kids! They grow up so quickly! Although they aren't so little anymore, I'm really enjoying their ages! All the kids are at such a great age where we can do family things together and it doesn't have to revolve around nap time or who needs to eat! We go on family bike rides and have adventures that can last the whole day! I'm so grateful for my wonderful family! I am truly blessed!

Back to School, Back to School....

So the season of early rising, alarm clocks bleeping, sleepy eyes being rubbed, new clothes being worn, backpacks all over, homework, reading time, teeth and hair brushing, rushing out the door, teasing, waking up non morning people.... Oh, your morning is sweetness and goes smoothly? Mine is rushing around making lunches, making sure kids are doing what they need to do to get to school on time. Afterall, since I'm such a mean mom, I told my kids I will not sign them in if they are tardy--we live right behind the school!

Besides all the necessary things, the kids are loving school. Eli is in 5th grade and loving that they switch between three teachers through out the day; he's learning all kinds of great things.

Livi is really enjoying 1st grade. She's reading really well and likes her teacher. She's doing a great job writing neatly and doing well in mathematics (thanks to Eli helping her after school)!

Ethan is at a pre-k program/mother's day out and he's loving it. There's some kids in his class that he knows from previous classes or church. I love to pick him up from school and see him all sweaty!

Miguel is more than half way into his volleyball season and still enjoying it after all these years!

I'm working odd jobs here and there, just something to keep my attention! I run my own fitness class a couple times in the early morning, do some editing/proofing, water aerobics instructor at the local gym, substitute at Ethan's school and volunteer at Livi and Eli's school. Between all of those and being a mom, I'm pretty busy.

We added another to our family this past summer, Shiloh. She's a chocolate lab mutt and has been great (for the most part). She's about a year old and is potty trained, crate trained and Ethan trained (he has no fear of her)!

That's about it for us here! We're back into our schedule and the kids are growing up so fast!

Another Summer has come and gone...

I can't believe summer has come and gone! This was a very exciting and fun summer! We did a few things this summer that we've never done before; take a vacation! Summer started out slowly but the kids and I fell right into the swing of things (i.e. sleeping late, going to bed late, going swimming a lot). Our normal summer routine includes going to the library, swimming almost everyday and enjoying free movies!

This summer Miguel and I got to go to Jamaica for our anniversary. We spent a whole week together and enjoyed each other! I would recommend this to anyone---spending one on one time with your spouse. We get so caught up in raising our children and all the day-to-day living, that sometimes we don't nourish our relationships with our spouses. Miguel and I truely enjoyed our relaxation, fun in the sun, and tropical adventures! We went ziplining, dune buggy riding in the mud, on a jamaican bobsled, on a catamaran and climbed a waterfall! All while we were doing that, the kids were spending quality time with Miguel's mom and having lots of fun!

(Miguel and I getting ready to zipline!)

Shortly after we got home from Jamaica, it was onto vacationing again! (it's a tough life but someone's got to do it!) We took a road trip! This was a lot of fun! My mom drove with us and we went to Utah. We stopped in New Mexico and went to Carlsbad Caverns and then headed up to Utah for a family reunion and also a fun time with the cousins!

(Alivia, Sterling, Owen, Maddie, Elijah, Brighton, and Ethan)

The kids had such a blast and were so good! Since they're all old enough to play with their cousins, there were times I wouldn't see them for hours at a time. Livi would play barbie's with her girl cousins for hours. She had so much fun playing with girls! She also got her ear's pierced along with her cousin, Josie! Eli would play with his cousins for hours on any type of video game until I made him get off so he wouldn't turn into a zombie! Ethan would jump and run around with his cousins (pretty much get them into trouble) all day long! We went to temple square one day, Lagoon another day (Miguel was there for that), Bridal Veil Falls and also the pool!

(Eli and Ethan at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo, UT)

Miguel was only able to join us for a short time and my mom had to fly back, so I got to drive back by myself with the kids! They were absolutely fantastic and we got to see some of the most gorgeous parts of our country.

(Driving through gorgeous mountains in Ouray, CO on our way to Durango! It was breath taking!)

All good things must come to an end, and so it is with that, that I say 'good-bye summer, see you next year!'

{Some family pictures from our Utah trip!}

(Amy, Lisa, Mom, David, and Me)

(One proud Grandma with all her 16 grandchildren; one more on the way! I only have 3 of them!)

THIRTY!

I finally turned the big 3-0! Not really such a big deal since I've felt 30 for awhile; having three kids will do that to you! I feel really blessed to have made it this far and feel like I've already accomplished a lot! I have a beautiful family.....

I finally finished my bachelor's degree. I graduated from Texas State University with a BS in Applied Mathematics and a minor in Physics this past December.....

I have great friends.....

At my surprise party-Ashlee, Me, Amber, Elise, Natalie and Eli in background

Here's to another thirty years (and more hopefully)!

School has come to an end----SUMMERTIME!

School has come to an end and so now summer has begun! Elijah completed the 4th grade,

Elijah and Mrs. Mize--his 4th gr. teacher

Alivia completed kindergarten,

Alivia and Mrs. Redburn-her kinder teacher

and Ethan finished his mother's day out! I can't believe how fast they are growing!

Ethan's last day of school with Mrs. Monique and Mrs. Diane--his teddy bear parade!

Next year Alivia will be in 1st grade, Eli 5th grade and Ethan in pre-k (at Mother's Day Out program). Just trying to enjoy every minute with them; especially the sleep in late mornings (around 8 or 9 am) and the late nights!

Our summer consists of a lot of pool time, going to the library and trying to wear out the childrens' energy!

Here' to summer!

Missing Grandpa

Sometimes there's little things in life that trigger a past experience or a passing thought about someone. As Eli was showering the other night, Miguel heard him crying. He went in there to see what was going on. Come to find out, he was missing Grandpa. I went in there to talk to him and see why he was so sad. We had a good talk about missing Grandpa (my Dad) and all the things we used to do with him. It's sad to say that my Dad was the only Grandpa in my kids' lives and Eli was the only one that got to spend a substantial amount of time with him to make any kind of memories. I hugged and held Eli and before I knew it, he was ok! Even though he's almost 10, he's still just a sweet and innocent child. Sometimes I forget he's still so young but it's times like this that remind me he is. I wish my children had a Grandpa to make memories with and spend time with, but they don't, so my goal is to make sure to enjoy every moment I have with them. It's hard at times when I'm tired and they're tired, but that's ok. We never know how long God allows us to stay here, and how long we'll have with each other. Make memories now, not later, because you never know if later will come!

Miss you Dad! (and Buddy!)

Six Already!

Yes, my baby girl turned 6 already. She had her birthday last week and a party last Saturday. She was SO excited to turn 6. In fact, the day after her birthday, she woke up and said, "I'm so glad I'm 6 now!" It was precious!

When I asked Livi what she wanted for her birthday, she said she wanted Miguel and I to surprise her! She opened 2 presents before she went to school on her birthday and she got a hello kitty spinning toothbrush and a real ceramic tea set. She was so excited! We went to Gattitown for dinner (pizza and games) and played for awhile after dinner. A couple times Livi asked if she was going to get anymore presents and I told her maybe. She wasn't being a brat or acting ungrateful, she just really wanted more presents, I guess! When we got home, it was late but still did cake and ice cream!

Afterwards, I asked Livi to go get ready for bed and she asked me if she did it, would she get anymore presents. I told her she needed to obey and not do it to just get presents. As she broke down in tears (she didn't have a nap that day, she was over tired, and it was already about 9:30 and she normally goes to bed at 8pm) Miguel came in with her last present! She went from tears to all smiles in about a second!

Our next step is to take off the training wheels! So far, she loves her bike and rides it everyday outside! Still can't believe she's 6, but that means Eli turns 10 soon! Happy Birthday, Livi!

Livi's Party:
We had a party for Livi this year and she invited some girls over for some lunch, a scavenger hunt and some cupcake decorating! First, they had lunch! Then a scavenger hunt that sent them from the microwave to the grill to the trees and then ended up at the school playground where all the girls got a princess stamp that Dad hid in the slide! It was so cute to listen to all the girls sound out the words and read the clues!

After that it was time to open some presents....

...and then on to the cupcake decorating! Instead of cake (since we already had one on her real birthday) the girls got to decorate and eat their own cupcakes!

At the end of the day I asked her if she enjoyed her party and her day and she said, "I had a blast!" It made me grin from ear to ear!

So glad she's so happy to be 6! Thanks for all the birthday wishes, calls and cards!