My Last Post on Mamma Vintage and the Beginning of Real Mama Joy

Yesterday was my five year anniversary of being a blogger at Mamma Vintage. While it has been wonderful, I have been working hard on a new endeavor.

This will be my last post on this blog. From now on, my blogging will occur on my newly launched website . . .

www.realmamajoy.com

Yay!!!

I have worked hard on this website and am excited to see where it goes. It is still a work in progress, but it is ready for you to head on over there and look around. I hope that you do!

And while you're there, make sure to follow me on the new Real Mama Joy Facebook page, Twitter Page and Pinterest Page.

Thank you for all of your support and encouragement. So many of you have given me positive feedback about Mamma Vintage and my writing, and it is because of your kind words that I have had the courage and the drive to move on to something bigger.

Thank you!

And with that, Mamma Vintage bids you, "Arrivederci!"

Real Mama Joy!

COMING SOON . . .

So tonight I got to do something I've been hoping to do for a long time.

On September 5th of this year, I will officially have been a blogger for five years. I have had over 25,000 pageviews on my blog. Nothing amazing, I know, but not too shabby either. When I began my blog, it was just basically going to be an online journal. Now, I have a bigger vision.

As a writer and as a mother, my blog is where I share my experience.

So, tonight, we purchased my own domain!

My hope is that on September 5th, I will be able to publish and release my new blog, www.realmamajoy.com !!!

As of now, if you head on over there, there's nothing to see. I am working hard on learning how to use WordPress and putting new material together to publish. There is definitely a learning curve, so whether or not all of this is released on September 5th remains to be seen. I would rather try to do it well than pressure myself to do it quickly in order to meet that deadline.

Once I have transferred my blog over, Mamma Vintage will be a thing of the past.

For now, just know that while you may not be seeing very much new material here at Mamma Vintage, it is only because Real Mama Joy is coming SOON!

Camping 2014 - Lake Mayfield!

Well, some of my summer cravings are beginning to be satisfied. We made it through our ten day camping trip, and what's more, we enjoyed it! A lot! Furthermore, I have completed the laundry. I am not exaggerating when I say that we had a mountain of laundry when we got home that you could literally climb up. Our washing machine was constantly running for four days straight as long as someone was awake to start the next load.

Back to our trip - we began at Ike Kinswa State Park on Lake Mayfield down by Mossyrock. If you are considering camping in Western Washington, I would highly recommend this campground. The camp sites are spacious, it is beautifully wooded and the lake is warm. We have camped there several times now and have always had a great experience. The weather during this week was absolutely gorgeous and in the 80's almost the whole time. I definitely packed way too many coats and sweatshirts!

We arrived at Lake Mayfield on Thursday. A lot of my family was with us for the first few days of our trip - my parents, by brother Damian and his family, my aunt Joanna, my Uncle Joe and Aunt Judy and my cousin Alicia and her husband, Seth. Most of them arrived on Friday or Saturday and left on Sunday or Monday. The exception would be my dad who was able to stay with us for the entire trip, which was such a treat.

We spent time at the beach, on my parents' boat, talking around the campfire and eating yummy food. Both Joshua and Noah tried kneeboarding and got up, which was so fun to watch. I intertubed, water skied and enjoyed swimming in the lake.

My cousin Alicia enjoying a s'more.

My aunt Joanna and I on the intertube behind the boat on beautiful Lake Mayfield. 

Soaking up the sun at the beach with my girls.

Teresa LOVED the lake. Jason took her swimming in it and she was so happy, as long as the water didn't get much deeper than her waist. 

Joshua behind the boat kneeboarding. He had been working up tho that for the past couple of years, so I'm so proud that he conquered it this summer. 

I was so pleased to find out after we arrived that camping in the next site was an old school friend of mine, Sharon Gadbois, camping with her family. Sharon has been such an encouraging supporter of my blog and we went to school together kindergarten through eighth grade. It was so nice to catch up again and to meet her son, Noah. We have been in touch since we got home and they get to come over for dinner at the end of the month. I love getting back in touch with old friends!

Teresa did so well while we were camping. Everyone always says, "She's such a happy baby." And she is! She slept well for the most part and spent hours hanging out in her pac n play around the campfire with us. The most difficult part was that she is a crawler and puts everything in her mouth, so letting her explore on the ground wasn't really an option. But since she was so content in her pac n play most of the time, it wasn't really a problem. This is our second camping trip under our belts with a baby in tow, and the babies did well on both trips. What a blessing!

Our dear friends, Mike and Jenny, arrived at Lake Mayfield with their family on Sunday and stayed with us until we left on Thursday. All of our children have become good friends, making it a lot of fun to be able to camp together.

I was happily surprised that Jenny went intertubing with me, because in the past she has not been a fan of it. Her boys tried kneeboarding too and were able to get up. Jenny really surprised me then, and inspired by her sons, tried kneeboarding too! After watching her, I felt inspired. I water skied, something that I've done since I was 12, but I kept trying to be more daring on the wake. I wiped out several times, which I haven't done in years. Watching the boys and Jenny try so hard at something new was so fun to watch and makes me want to expand my horizons as well. Maybe next summer I will try to learn how to steer the wakeboard so that I don't involuntarily drift off to the side and crash :)

The boys loving on our dog, Kahlua

The girls, Veronica and Kayli, loving on each other. 

My dear Jenny and I.

Those logs provided hours of entertainment. Remind me - why do we buy toys???

The boys right before we said goodbye on Thursday.

All of the clan kiddos! I love this picture!

After a week at Lake Mayfield, we headed over to Dash Point State Park for the end of our trip, and I will share about that soon. Lake Mayfield was wonderful and we will definitely be back!

Big brother Joshua holding Teresa, something he still asks to do daily :)

Ms. Veronica in all her camping glory. I don't know if I've ever seen a child get so dirty! 

Teresa in the pac n play.

Thank goodness we had this small inflatable pool, as a blowout diaper made an immediate bath necessary. It didn't seem to bother her!

Wordless Wednesday - The Girls

I love my girls.

Wordless Wednesday - Entrepreneurs

The boys took advantage of the heat this month with a lemonade stand.

The Speed of Summer - Making it Slow Down with Summer Cravings

Is it really the second half of July??? Teresa is now ten months old! I feel like it was just a few days ago that I wrote she was nine months old.

Isn't summer whizzing by at record speed? I have a bittersweet relationship with the second half of summer. While I enjoy it so much, I am simultaneously sad that it is passing so quickly. It is an annual joke between Jason and I that once our Forth of July trip to Lake Chelan is over, we can begin planning for Christmas. It really does feel like that each year.

At this point in the summer, it becomes more difficult to relax for reasons twofold. As I'm sure you've noticed, in every store you walk into, school supplies are on display for the "Back to School" sales. I realize this is simply marketing, but it bugs me so much.

These displays remind me of the cornucopia of organizational projects and lesson planning I would like to complete before the new school year begins. I have made a good dent, but the reality is that I will never complete everything before September. I had been making good progress, but that has been put on hold as I prepare our family for a 10 day camping trip that we will be taking soon. This is our longest camping trip yet and it takes quite a bit of organization. The necessary preparations for September are complete, but there is always more that I want to do.

Summer Rolling By

Secondly, the site of the in-my-face, mocking school supplies just stresses me out and makes me panic--Hurry up! Have fun! Enjoy the summer NOW, because it's almost over. It's slipping away. This summer and your children's childhoods are slipping away! Make some happy childhood memories for them NOW! Everyone have fun NOW, damn it!

For some reason, that thought process doesn't really foster relaxation and fun.

The boys and I have been spending many evenings in our back yard after dinner, reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. What a delight! Last week we took them spontaneously to get a fro-yo and then we all played tag at the park.

I crave more times like these. I want to roll in the grass with my kids, find constellations, feel the lake's water up to our ankles, our knees, our waists, our chests, our necks and whoops! - slip underwater and swim and splash and scream with delight. I want to fly a kite and watch the boisterous clouds change shape before our eyes and blow fluffy dandelion seeds all over and not care about the future dandelions sure to crop up later. I want to snuggle around the campfire, sing songs, tell stories and get our hands sticky with chocolate and warm marshmallows. I want to go play on the swings with them and pump and pump and pump our legs until we reach the sky and the swings jump a little as we make our way down, causing my stomach to turn.

I want to hold them and squeeze them and take them in and love them and smother them with kisses and hugs!

Thankfully, our camping trip will give us a lot of opportunity to live out this sentiment. It is a lot of work to prepare for and a lot of work to set up. But once we're there, life slows down. We share the meal preparation and dishes with the friends and family who will be with us. So most of our time is filled with going on small hikes, fishing, enjoying the beach, swimming, boating, reading, playing games and sitting around the campfire.

It's the perfect pleasure to satisfy my cravings.

Spaghetti Squash with Sauteed Vegetables and Feta (S or Fuel Pull Meal)

Mmmmmmm . . .

I am writing this as I enjoy this delightful lunch so that I don't forget what I did. It is SOOO good! The protein in the meal is provided with the cottage cheese. I enjoyed this as an S meal, but with a few very minor modifications, it could easily be a Fuel Pull meal.

Ingredients:

Makes 2 Servings

Spaghetti Squash (You will only use half in this recipe.)
3 T Butter
2-3 Garlic Cloves, Pressed
8 Button Mushrooms, Sliced
1/2 Tomato
1/2 - 1 C Cottage Cheese
1 Cup Spinach Leaves, Chopped
Chopped Green Onions, to taste
Chopped Fresh Basil, to taste
Balsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt and Pepper (All of that spaghetti squash will need a lot of seasoning. Don't be skimpy with the sea salt!)
Crumbled Feta

First, cut your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and pierce the flesh with a knife several times. Lay the halves down on a greased baking sheet with the inside lying down. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of your squash.

You will know when it is done when you can easily pierce the squash with a fork or knife. Once it is done, take it out and turn the squash halves over to cool. After about five minutes, fluff the "noodles" up with a fork. You will only need one half for this recipe, so save the other for another meal. Or you might just want to make this again!

Melt the butter on medium in a skillet. Add the pressed garlic. Add the mushrooms. Let them saute for a few minutes. Once they turn a little golden, add the chopped tomato and mix it in. Let everything cook a little until the tomato juice has steamed off.

Stir in the cottage cheese, spinach, green onions and basil. Warm through, but not too much or the spinach will wilt too much. Splash on a little balsamic vinegar. Season well with sea salt and pepper.

Mix in one of the cooked spaghetti squash halves. Season again with sea salt and pepper.

Serve on a plate with crumbled feta on top. YUM!

The butter makes this an S meal. I love mushrooms sauteed in butter :) Also, my cottage cheese wasn't nonfat. But, you can saute the garlic and mushrooms in a little low-fat chicken stock, use nonfat cottage cheese and nonfat feta and you've got a Fuel Pull.

Bon appetit!

My New Favorite Prayer - The Anima Christi (with a free printable)

This year's Vacation Bible School was wonderful for many reasons. The children seemed to really enjoy it and all of the feedback I have received from parents has been nothing but positive. How wonderful to see our children making rosaries and asking to pray them at night! How wonderful to hear them sing the Magnificat; the Song of Mary from Luke's Gospel! How wonderful to see them making friendships within our faith community!

Veronica at the front of the Church, ready to lead VBS camp songs.

I also had the opportunity to spend the week with my co-director as she anticipates a new baby girl later this month. What a special, exciting time to share with her!

I also love Vacation Bible School because inevitably I learn more about my faith. This year, I would take Teresa in each day to nurse in the Youth Room at Christ the King. As I sat there feeding my babe, I would read the prayers that were posted all over the walls of the room. In doing so, I have discovered my new favorite prayer: The Anima Christi.

As the youth of Christ the King are obviously familiar with this prayer, I am a little embarrassed to say that I had never heard it. But that is something that I absolutely love and cherish about our Catholic faith--its richness and depth. Even the most scholarly Catholics cannot learn everything there is to know about our faith. We are born into a tradition on the shoulders of theologians and saints from the past two thousand years. We cannot possibly ever grasp all of the wisdom there is to be gained from their words and experiences.

Furthermore, as a people, we continue to study, reflect and pray about God's Word, the lives of the saints and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, if we continue to reach out, if we continue to yearn to know the Lord in a deeper way, we are so blessed in that we can delve deeper and further into our faith, into God's Word and into prayer. 

Thus, our relationship with Jesus is never stagnant! It can continue to grow, to mature, to deepen and to nourish our needs throughout the changes of our life. But we have to yearn for that and seek it out.

As Father Brad has told us, "The Holy Spirit tends to go where it is wanted."

As I read this prayer for the first time, I felt as though I had written it myself. I don't say that to imply that I could ever write such a beautiful prayer, but only because I could relate to it on such a deep, spiritual way that I felt as though I had written it myself.

Just in trying to learn more about the Anima Christi, I have found that there is much to know. So far, I have found three English versions, while the original medieval version was of course written in Latin.

Furthermore, over at Catholic Sistas, there is a series of posts featuring beautiful line-by-line reflections on the Anima Christi. I haven't read them all yet, but what I have read so far has been very inspiring.

Anyway, I have created a free printable of the prayer to share with you in case you want to learn it too. I hope you are inspired by its beautiful words as I am.

The Anima Christi 

(Click the above link to download the prayer so that you can print it easily.)

Wordless Wednesday - Sisters Swingin'

Having so much fun swinging at Smallwoods just outside of Leavenworth

Ham, Olive and Parmesan Zucchini Boats - A Trim Healthy Mama S Recipe

This post contains affiliate links. More information is available at the end of the post.

I have shared about my weight loss journey as a mom of four children and  about my discovery of Trim Healthy Mama as a wonderful resource to help me along that journey.



Here is a recipe I made up for lunch one day that turned out fantastic. I will definitely be making it again. It is an S Meal. So satisfying!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Slice a zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the insides with a spoon or mellonballer if you have one. Season the two scooped out halves with salt and pepper.

Chop up the insides of the zucchini into small pieces and place in a bowl. Add a little cottage cheese, freshly grated parmesan cheese, one clove of pressed garlic, two slices of black forest ham diced into small pieces, about 5-6 olives chopped, some sliced green onions and some chopped fresh rosemary. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Fill the zucchini boats with the mixture. They will be overflowing a bit, but just do your best to press it all in there.

Place the zucchini boats onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle the top with paprika. Bake in the 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes before enjoying. Voila! A delicious, savory S Meal. Enjoy!


In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are 'affiliate links.' This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I believe in and personally use. Your purchases through these links help support Mamma Vintage. Thank you for your support!

Making the Best of It

It goes without saying that sometimes life does not follow your plans. We've all heard the joke . . .

Do you know how to make God laugh?
Tell Him your plans.

A Family Sick on Vacation

We always spend a week around the 4th of July at Lake Chelan with my family. We have done so for over 20 years now. This year, I was so excited and nostalgic about our trip that I ended up writing a poem on the drive there that I shared in this post.

The week leading up to our trip, I was pretty sick with a nasty cold. I had a nasty cough and went to the doctor to make sure that my crusty eyes were just a symptom of my cold and not bacterial pink eye (the really contagious kind). The doctor confirmed that my irritated eyes were just part of the cold virus and prescribed me an inhaler for my cough, as I can get asthmatic with a bad cough.

Well, a couple of days into our trip, Noah came down with the cold, a terrible cough and a fever. One by one, the little darlins dropped like flies, hacking away and miserable with fevers. Teresa caught it, but luckily never had a fever. Today, three weeks after getting sick, I still have a cough in the morning and at night and so do the kids.

While we were on vacation, we all slept in the same room, sounding like we belonged in a hospital room with all of our coughing. No one slept well the entire trip. A couple of nights, Noah and Veronica were moaning and talking in their sleep, as their fevers spiked to a little over 103 degrees. Veronica came and slept in our bed (something she hasn't done since she was about two weeks old!), cuddling with us, hugging us, and telling us that she loved us and that we are beautiful.

Even my five month old nephew, Connor, caught the bug and got sick. Thankfully, he didn't seem to have it as bad and his fever didn't last nearly as long. Noah had a fever each night for almost a week! We took him to the doctor the day we got home and found out he had viral bronchitis. However, the fever passed the next day, thank goodness.

The kids spent most of the week in our room, in bed, watching movies on Netflix. They wanted to go play and participate in the vacation fun and were so frustrated that they couldn't. We did all that we could to keep them happy. But it was disappointing for all of us.

Making the Best of It

I thought about going home. I asked a couple of people and they said we should stay, so we did. I'm sure that Jason and I had more fun than the kids, as we were able to participate with the group most of the time. But of course, there was a lot we had hoped to do that we couldn't.

It's frustrating when life throws you a curve ball. Of course, I realize this was a very small curve ball. But even still, it stunk.

I did my best to remain cheerful and enjoy the vacation. What else could I do? I finished reading a book and began a new one. I swam in the lake. I drank wine and margaritas. I went tubing behind my dad's boat with my sister-in-law. I water skied. I called Jenny and vented about my disappointment. Many of us had a water fight. I took a lot of medicine and so did the kids. I did all I could for my kids and gave them many popsicles in bed.

A new Chelan memory - popsicles in bed!

And on the last day of our trip, it seemed like everyone was mostly better (although Noah did get another fever that evening), so we tried to make the most of the day by going to the pool before breakfast, going to the beach and then out on the boat in the afternoon.

Hopefully, we won't be sick on another vacation in a really long time.

And when things don't go our way, hopefully we can keep our chins up and make the best of it. 

Theme Thursday - Bright!

Over at Clan Donaldson, they are hosting Theme Thursday and today's theme is . . . .

Bright!

Make sure to head on over there, and check out the other photos featured at Bright!

This very bright photo was taken when I let Veronica play with my makeup for the first time last month. Boy, does she have some skill. It took a lot of time and makeup remover to get all of that off! If you are looking for a very dramatic (and clownish) makeup artist, she's your girl!

Goal Setting

I recently bought some materials to help me plan upcoming school years. I recently read a blog post by Sarah Mackenzie at Amongst Lovely Things: Rigor, Diligence and What We're Setting Out to Do.

It was SO inspiring and really struck a cord with me. Sarah explains the differences between a restful school year and an easy school year, between a rigorous education and a diligent education; differences that I had never really though about.

She also led me to many other resources, including Pam Barnhill at Everyday Snapshots and her ebook, Plan Your Year: Homeschool Planning for Purpose and Peace (only $7.99!).

So far, I am really loving Pam's book. It is helping me to organize our school year in a more formal way, such as writing a mission statement for our homeschool, which I have always wanted to do. It has also helped me use that mission statement to begin writing goals for Joshua and Noah that are connected to our mission.

Below, I share what I have filled out so far on the Goal Worksheets from Plan Your Year: Homeschool Planning for Purpose and Peace.

These worksheets are going to help me so much. I will be able to refer to them throughout the year to see if we are staying on track. Also, I will be able to look back on them at the end of the year and see if my goal setting was realistic or if we tried to take on too much, helping me to set even better goals for the next school year. Thank you, Pam!

Wordless Wednesday - Thirsty After Playing on Slip and Slide

A Mission Statement for Our Homeschool

While planning our upcoming school year, I decided I wanted to write a mission statement for our homeschool. This will help me stay focused on what our vision is and help me make decisions that will support that vision. It will help me to make priorities and manage our time based on the values set in our mission statement. Here's what I came up with . . .

Wordless Wednesday - Eyelashes

Highway 2, Once Again

Our journey to Lake Chelan on Highway 2 inspires me every year, entrancing me under a spell of nostalgia.  A trip I have made every summer for about 25 years, I now spend the drive reflecting on how my life has changed each year, reminiscing a magical childhood and overcome with astounding gratitude for all of my blessings. Last year I was pregnant; now there is a new person here with us! I also have a new sister-in-law and a new nephew! And my sister is engaged! So many blessings. 

Four years ago, I wrote a poem on the way to Chelan and shared it in this post. This year, I did the same . . .

Highway 2, Once Again

Once again,  You Old Familiar Road,

You give needed rest to this old soul.
On the comfort of your path you lay before me,
You promise the same delights of summers I've seen.

Leaving behind the rain,
Oh Blue Sky,
You come peaking out between the peaks.  

Growing, spreading, reaching;
Your edges like fingertips above me,
Pushing back the clouds behind me.

Oh Giant Trees,
Your magical, sparkling, silver leaves
Reflect the sunlight of my youth.
I grew up beneath your boughs.
The pain and the thrill of adolescence
Still lurks in your shadows,
Yet is so far from me now.

Oh Steadfast River,
You take me up
In your relentless current,
Carrying me past each breaking boulder,
Each tranquil pool, so tame.
Never stagnant, ever changing,
Yet always the same.
You know my name.
You toss me and turn me,
Molding and forming my shape,
Softening my edges with your waves.

Oh Steadfast River,  lead me.
Oh Giant Trees, shelter me.
Oh Blue Sky, brighten my way.
Old Familiar Road, take me away.

Trim Healthy Mama!

This post contains affiliate links. More information is available at the end of the post.

Teresa turned nine months old last Friday. I can't believe it! Even Joshua said, "Wow! Only three more months until her birthday." Craziness!

Over the past few months, I have been thinking a lot about my weight and what I was going to do about it. I had hit a plateau in losing the baby weight. Unsure of how I wanted to handle that, I began writing a series of blog posts titled, "The Weight of Motherhood."

I wanted to find a resource with ideas that would help me to live and eat in a more healthful way. I did not want to count anything - calories, carbs, fat grams, etc. I wanted to find a more sustainable, long-term approach to health and weight loss.

I also wanted to connect my health to my faith. My faith has become such an integral part of how I live my life. It effects everything. I want to relate it to what I eat each day and how I take care of myself.  I know that God is calling me to include Him in my health, in how I take care of myself and in ALL aspects of my life - even including things that may seem too small or petty, such as losing baby weight.

While doing a lot of research on Amazon, I came across the book Trim Healthy Mama. 

It's number of good reviews (545 reviews with 4.5 stars) made me immediately interested in finding out more about it. Upon some more research, I discovered that it was written by two Christian sisters, Pearl P. Barrett and Serene C. Allison.

Their web site describes the book:

Authors Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett provide a comprehensive, Biblically-sound, effective and delicious way to eat for health and weight loss. Written with humor and thorough research, this book will entertain, enlighten and encourage women (and men!) to feed their bodies and souls the way God created us to thrive. Separating scientific realities from the fads, this book addresses the diverse needs of adults and growing children. You’ll never look at food and health the same way again.

Biblically-sound health and weight loss? What does that even mean? It immediately peaked my curiosity.

I began searching for more information from around the web. After a while, I found that two bloggers who I really enjoy have written posts about Trim Healthy Mama, have had success with it and recommend it. Erika Shupe at Large Families on Purpose  wrote a post about Trim Healthy Mama last year. Amy Roberts at Raising Arrows  also has several posts that mention Trim Healthy Mama.

So I bought it!

The Basic Idea Is . . .

The book is pretty large at 642 pages. However, it does include about 250 recipes. So far, I have read about the first 100 pages. So I've got a long way to go.

However, I have read the chapter that explains their basic premise. In ten words, it is: Be more carb conscious and don't eat carbs with fat.

Now, that is REALLY simplifying it. Pearl and Serene are very educated in the science of nutrition. While they aren't nutritionists, they quote many nutritionists, doctors and refer to many different studies. In my opinion, they seem to know their stuff.

Being more carb conscious means choosing great carbohydrates. They do not have you completely take out any food group, which I really appreciate.

For the most part, you don't eat carbs with fat. This does not mean you are on a low fat diet. Rather, you either have a meal with carbs or you have a meal with fat. You only feed your body one fuel source at a time, allowing it to burn more fat. Again, I am really simplifying. I just explained in six sentences what they explained in a few chapters.

They definitely do not advocate a low-fat diet. Quite the contrary! They explain the necessity of fat and encourage you to enjoy full-fat dairy, coconut oil, olive oil, red meat, etc. You just don't enjoy those things with carbohydrates.

There is a whole chapter about how this way of eating is Bibically-sound, which I found very interesting and enjoyed. It helps me to connect my eating habits and my faith.

So, I'm trying it out. Pearl and Serene really advocate long-term health. They say that this is not a race to lose weight. They encourage you to really give it a try for three months before gauging whether or not it's working. Since I began writing about weight loss and motherhood a month ago, I have lost four pounds. I received Trim Healthy Mama two weeks ago. During the first week I began implementing it, I lost two pounds. I have kept them off but so far have not lost anymore.

I really need to be patient. While I say that I want to focus on long-term health, I would also just like a quick fix. Weight loss feels more gratifying when it happens quickly! But I've been down that road before and as it hasn't really worked the way I would like, I am going to give this a try.

I will keep you posted!

In the interest of full disclosure, some of the links in this post are 'affiliate links.' This means that if you click on the link and purchase the item, I receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I believe in and personally use. Your purchases through these links help support Mamma Vintage. Thank you for your support!

Wordless Wednesday - First Week of Baby's First Summer

I LOVE these things!

Let me out of here!

Now let me out of HERE! I want to see the world!