Could This Be My Prolem?

My mother-in-law sent me this article. I think this might be my problem. Ever since I started drinking Diet Coke again, I have craved sugar and sweets more than I can ever remember craving sweets. Bad thing is I LOVE my morning Diet Coke run. Its become a routine and a way for me to get out of the building for 15 minutes every morning. Ahh man!This is an article on how diet soda actually can make you crave other sweets.
The Truth About Diet Soda
We talk a lot about “watching what we eat,” but if you never gave a thought to what you ate and instead watched only what you drank, you could probably cut 450 calories a day out of your life—that’s nearly a pound of fat trimmed away each week! That's what a study from the University of North Carolina found. Americans today drink about 192 gallons of liquid a year—or about 2 liters a day. To put it into perspective, this is nearly twice as many calories as we did 30 years ago.
When confronted with the growing tide of calories from sweetened beverages, the first response is, “Why not just drink diet soda?” Well, for a few reasons. Eat This, Not That! did some research and found out some hard truths behind the low-calorie (and nutrition-free) beverage. The story isn't as clear-cut as you suspect, and it might make you think twice the next time you're looking for a thirst-quencher.
Hard truth No. 1
Just because diet soda is low in calories doesn't mean it can't lead to weight gain. It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages—even if they're artificially sweetened—may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert—everything. Considering there are 15 calories in every teaspoon of sugar, that's not good news if you're watching your weight.
Hard truth No. 2
Guzzling these drinks all day long forces out the healthy beverages you need.
Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free—and it's important to remember that all that useless liquid is taking up space that could have gone to more healthy alternatives. On the positive side, it means you won’t be taking in equally non-nutritious, calorie- and sugar-packed options. But it's just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans, that means you're limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea, which is high in antioxidants.
Plus, a recent study from Johns Hopkins found that restricting liquid caloric intake is a more effective way to lose weight than restricting calories from food. There’s no better place than by eliminating anything on our list of the 20 unhealthiest drinks in America.
Hard truth No. 3
There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor. Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetener to brain tumors and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss, and mood changes. Check out our guide to the 11 most controversial food additives to see how aspartame stacks up.
The bottom line is this: Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you harm. The best way to hydrate is by drinking low-calorie, high-nutrient fluids—and choosing healthy alternatives, like the ones you'll find in our list of the 16 best drink swaps.
Now that you have a hold on your liquid assets, upgrade the rest of your grocery list by avoiding the 13 Worst "Healthy" Foods in the Supermarket.

Oh goodness. I am going to have to try to get off Diet Coke I think. I'm not going to try to quick cold turkey tho. I think I'd go nuts and completely gorge myself if I did that. I'll just have to start cutting back to 3 days a week, then 2 days, 1 day, and hopefully just on rare occasions. Think I'll start next week!! :0) Mind over matter right?! :0/

I'm a Total Addict! Help Me!

I think I have a serious problem. I think I am addicted to junk food. I guess I should say I AM addicted to junk food. I use to be a very healthy eater and only eat sweets on occasion. Now I can't stop eating sweets. I am constantly craving some form of sugar. Its becoming a real struggle for me. You may not be able to see this addiction manifesting itself on the outside of my body (in a bathing suit you can tell tho) but I can tell my body is very unhealthy. I feel it in every part of my body. I use to be able to have a little nibble of something then walk away feeling satisfied but now I absolutely cannot. If its chocolate.... there is NO saying no or walking away! If I take a small piece of a donut just to 'taste' I always end up going back 2 seconds later and eating 2 more donuts. This may sound like a joke or like I'm trying to be funny but really its become a huge struggle for me. I eat sweets and junk even when I'm so full I'm ready to burst. I love fruits and vegetables but haven't been buying them because they are so expensive right now. Plus, we've been going to the cabin and hanging out with friends a lot so we buy 'snacks'. Of course those 'snacks' are never anything healthy. At my work there is always someone with candy or someone bringing in donuts, cakes, brownies, cookies, etc. I'm constantly surrounded by crap. And now I have been drinking a ton of Diet Coke too. Every morning my supervisor and I go on a Diet Coke run. Without my Diet Coke in the mornings I can't function it seems. I try to drink only water when I am at home (or I drink 100% juices) but that Diet Coke in the mornings still has a lot of sugar. I don't think I would mind eating all this junk food if I would work out more. My problem there is I am gone 12 hours a day so when I get home I cook dinner and by the time I am done with that its time to put Sawyer down for the night. I could go running by myself around say 9 O'clock but I'm so beat by that time of night I am ready for bed. Besides, I work out so much better if I have someone else there to exercise and motivate me. Brandon says he wants to go running with me but he seems to always have an excuse as to why he cant. :0) Why can't they come out with a miracle drug to help suppress the appetite? There was that one .... can't think of the name but it ended up giving everyone who took it heart problems. I heard that it really worked tho!! I know being healthy and thin is not something that you can get from a pill or just dieting. If it were that simple everyone would be thin right? I love exercising and eating right. I am just going through a eating and exercising slump I guess. I am going to have to change my thinking in order to overcome this addiction. I talked to my BFF who is sooo into dieting and she said "A moment on the lips, FOREVER on the hips!" How true is that?! If anyone has any inspiration/motivating thoughts or even some advice I'd love to hear it! I'm open to suggestions! I honestly never thought I'd have a problem with junk food. Just goes to show you ya never know what your trials will be! Could be worse I guess. Least its not drugs or drinking righ?! *sigh*

Memorial Weekend Fun (Kinda Lengthy)

This weekend was a very nice relaxing one! I had 5 days off from work which made it difficult to come in today! First, here are the pictures of my new lights in my house...

This is my fixture above my kitchen table BEFORE:

This is the new fixtureThis is the other BEFORE fixture in my kitchen:The new fixture:Entry chandelier BEFORE:

Brandon putting up the new fixture (he got shocked 3X's putting this up!)And the finished product:I love my new fixtures. Makes it feel more like HOME!

Friday night, we headed up to the cabin. We stopped off in Evanston and picked up Sawyer a helmet! Its the cutest thing ever! Now we can go on semi-long 4-wheeler rides and I know he'll be safe. We took him on a ride and he fell asleep.... again!Isn't that the most adorable hemelt?! I love it! While we were at the cabin, we decided to go shooting. Ugh! I am terrified of guns. I have a concealed weapons permit but really don't want a gun. Brandon doesn't get that. I wanted the permit because I could get one. To me it makes sense. I let Kelly try out Max's 357 and it didn't seem to kick too much. She then tried Brandon's XD 40 caliber and nearly lost the gun! It kicked a ton! Glad she tried it before I did! I shot Max's gun but there was NO way I was shooting the 40. When I shot the 357 I was shaking and I closed my eyes. Yeah not the best thing to do! lol I couldn't help it tho. It just scared me. I'll leave the guns and shooting to Brandon!

That was the first time Brandon got to try out his new gun. He likes it which makes me happy.

Monday/Memorial day was our 4 year Anniversary! I can't believe its been 4 years already! I just want to say that I love my husband so much! I would be absolutely lost without him. He is such a great man, husband, and father. He's done so much for me and helped me through a lot of hard times. I am truly blessed to call him my husband. I love you so much sweetie and I am so glad you are mine for eternity! Anyway, we had a great day. Sawyer woke up kinda early so we didn't get a chance to sleep in (no surprise) so i made Brandon some nummy breakfast! Heart pancakes!! lol After that we went to a park and played some tennis and frisbee in the morning and enjoyed the nice weather, then we dropped the baby off to Kelly so we could have some alone time. We went to our favorite resturant Tepanyaki's! It is by far the best place EVER! We use to go there quite often but once our little man came.... it became a little too much for our wallets! We haven't been there since we found out we were pregnant! I've missed that place!After the wonderful dinner we headed home to change into our pj's and headed to the movie to see Angels & Demons.

I LOVED this show! I read and saw The DaVinci Code and loved that too. Now I'm going to have to read this one and see if the book is better than the movie. It was a great show! Not a movie for kids tho (FYI). After the movie, we headed home for a little husband and wife time. Its been so long since we've gone out on a date alone. It felt nice to just be husband and wife for a few hours! Don't get me wrong I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE being a mother but mommy and daddy do need some alone time. We enjoyed our time together. Made me feel like we reconnected. I think we'll make it a point of going out alone at least once in a while from now on. A husband and wife that sick together helps the family to stay together right?!

We also saw the new Star Trek.Ok, I am totally not a "Treky" but I think I might become one! It was an awesome show! I won't lie, I was not interested at all in seeing this movie until it came out in RedBox but I am glad I saw it! It had lots of action and I loved the humor in it! Even if you aren't into Star Trek, I'd suggest this movie! Its awesome!

Movie to never waste your time on:As sad as that is to say, this was a lame movie. I love comedy movies but this really wasn't that funny. I also love Kevin James so I'm sad that this movie was a dud. I really wouldn't waste your money renting this. Not even a $1 at Redbox.

A few new things with Sawyer baby, he started crawling on his hands and knees on Sunday! He will still flop onto his tummy at times but he's getting very mobile. SCARY! lol While watching movies he was getting into everything! I love watching him explore tho. Also, he has 4 teeth on top now! He's had a hard time getting them in but they are all there and man does he have big teeth! lol They look like chiclets! lol They are adorable tho! Here is a few new pictures of the cute boy!

And I think that's about it.... least that I can think of for now!!

Food for Thought

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish.... All before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners.... God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body. God's Pharmacy is amazing!

A sliced carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... Yes science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to the function of the eyes.

A tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of a heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all fo the research today shows grapes are also profound hear and blood vitalizing food.

A walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds in the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes they look exactly like the human kidney!

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, eggplant and pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female. They look just like these organs. Todays research shows that women who eat one avocado a week has balanced hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. How profound is this? It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit.

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of spearm as well as overcome male sterility.

Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

I thought this was really neat. If you think about it, all these things make perfect sense! Why else would our Father in Heaven put all these wonderful foods on this earth?! Happy Eating!!

Lights, Swamp, New Job?

My light fixtures are going to match each other AND my personal style! We got that new fixture that goes over the table and we were able to find a chandelier for our entry way & a ceiling light for in the kitchen! They were all on sale too! Can't beat that! Ever since we moved into this home, I've not been happy with the light fixtures in the kitchen or entry way. Now that I have new ones it will feel more like MY home I think! I'll post pictures of the new fixtures once we get them up.
Helllloooooo heat! I am definitely loving this weather! The only problem is I have a hard time going to sleep when its 90 degrees in my house! I tried to take a freezing cold shower before I went to bed to cool me off but once I got out I was sweating again. I put Sawyer to bed in just a thin onesie and had his ceiling fan going cause it was so hot. Thankfully my wonderful husband decided last night was a good night to start using the swamp cooler! How did people do it without AC in the old days?! Are we pampered now days or what!
So we've been trying to get all of our finances in order so I can be a stay at home mom. I told Brandon that I would get a part-time job so I can cover the little things such as groceries. I have been sort of looking around for a part-time job but with this economy lets face it, there isn't a ton of options. I was thinking about that and had a random thought.... Why not be a caregiver for my grandma? My grandma lives with my mom and is mostly blind, has dementia and i think a bit of Alzheimer's. My mom works full-time and its hard for her to leave my grandma all alone for 9 hours a day. She's thought about hiring a caregiver to watch my grandma but that costs quite a bit of money plus you never know how well they are treating your family or what they are doing in your house. Unfortunately, we live in a world that's difficult to trust people. Sad really. Anyway, so I had this great idea and decided to see what my mom thought. She was thrilled! It would be such a relief for her to know my grandma was being taken care of by someone who loved her and would take good care of her and it would give me the opportunity to be with Sawyer which she wants almost as much as I do.
I do realize that taking care of my grandma would not be a piece of cake. She forgets things you tell her 2 minutes earlier, she gets frustrated with herself cause she can't do like she use to, she can't shower well on her own, and she gets confused very easily. I still think it would be a win win situation. I'd be able to "work", be with Sawyer all day, it would give my mom some relief, and I'd be able to spend time with my grandma before she returns to our Heavenly Father. I would take the good days with the bad days. As long as I am able to spend 99% of my time with my son!! He's growing so fast and I don't want to miss anymore of it! I told my mom to talk it over with her husband and with my grandma then we can decide when I can quit and all the other details. I'm so excited! Gives me something to start looking forward to! Wish me luck!!

Other Stuff

Brandon stayed home last Thursday to work on the garden and he got it all tilled and planted! Looks so good! I'm so excuted to have a garden! He did such an awesome job! What a wonderful husband I have!

Yesterday, I got a new kitchen light! I found one at Lowes for $40 so I got it. I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep it so I didn't want to put it up. Brandon ignored me and started taking my old one down. This is what happened....
I swept up as much of the glass as I could then decided to bust out the vacuum and try to get any I'd missed. Sawyer was not a fan of the vacuum....
Poor baby!! This is what our new fixture looks like...
You can't really see my whole kitchen in my photos but it looks really nice! I took a bunch of pictures of Sawyer when we got home from the cabin and had to post them!