How to Get Back in Shape After Having a Baby

Okay, if you are one of those women who only gained 15 pounds went you got pregnant, and then this isn't for you. See, I've been in pretty darn good shape my whole life - never overweight, worked out regularly and ate healthy. But damn! When I got pregnant I stayed on the regular exercise and healthy eating and still gained FIFTY POUNDS!!! I was shocked. I didn't feel fat, just pregnant. And I felt pretty darn sexy and womanly. And I thought for sure I would leave all that weight at the hospital. But I didn't. So here's some of what I learned about taking it off.

Things You’ll Need:
Patience
Self-discipline
Hope

Step1
Let your body heal. Whether a vaginal or c-section birth, your body needs to recuperate. This can be a heartbreaking time because you are really seeing your body for the first time without this awesome belly, and realizing UH OH, it is pretty far off from what you started from. That's okay. Give yourself time to heal and get into the rhythm of your baby.
Step2
Figure out the logistics of exercise. Everyone is different - you are staying at home, you are back at work, you have multiple kids. For each person, there is a plan. Trust me. It is just a matter of figuring out what works for you. A treadmill, a used jogging stroller, an old workout DVD.
Step3
Just 30 minutes. If you can give that to yourself everyday, that would be ideal. If you try for it everyday and wind up with 3-4 times a week, that's good. Finding time for you can feel impossible, but I promise, it's not. I come home from work and take my daughter for a walk for 20-30 minutes. It is my time to come down from the work day. 

Sometimes my husband will watch her in the morning so I exercise. I know you are exhausted. But here is the secret - exercising every day actually gives you more energy. Try it. You can live better on the 4-6 hours of sleep you are getting every night and the 10-12 hours your are working every day as a full time mom or working outside the home.
Step4
Take time to tone too. Burning off the fat is made all the easier by building muscle mass. And as much as we all wish we had the personal trainers and nannies of the Caleb moms, most of us don't. So to keep it simple. Start with 25 push ups and sit ups. Then tack on 5-10 more a week and work your way up to 100. If you can actually break away and take a yoga or toning class, the entire better.
Step5
Watch your eating. When you are pregnant, you are encouraged to indulge, and most of us do. But the good thing about eating during pregnancy is that you learn more about nutrition than ever before because you become hyper-aware of what you are putting into your body. Keep up this practice, because now you need to take care of you for YOU. Continuing to eat healthy, fresh foods without hydrogenated soybeans or refined sugar is great. Just cut the portions in HALF so you can ultimately burn more calories than you eat...the only sure-fire way to lose weight.
Step6
Give yourself time. Your body isn't going to look just like it did before you got pregnant right away. I've still got that last damn five pounds and my daughter is almost a year old. But I'm active, I'm healthy and I know I'll get there. You will too.

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The Single Parents & the Effects on Families

Regardless of the head of the household's good intentions, there is almost always a different dynamic with single parent families. The degree to which the children are affected varies and is dependent on a number of factors, such as financial difficulties, the quality of the relationship with the absent parent and how much time the residential parent spends with the family.

Finances

Regardless of how much a parent makes, the issue remains that one less income is supporting the household. Even if the single parent makes a decent living, the event of losing a job for whatever reason looms large, since there is no longer a backup option. As a general rule, one-parent families make less money, and the effects on the standard of living are felt across the board.

Behavior 

For children, both current and future behavior patterns have the potential to be greatly influenced.
For starters, delinquency tends to be higher in single mother households. Also, they tend to hastily enter marriages of their own that end in divorce. There are positive effects, however. For instance, the older a child is, the more obligated he will feel to be more responsible.

Influence

Even if the custody issues are fairly addressed, parenting in absentia is not the same as when both parents live in the same home. Only one parent is there for day-to-day guidance, comfort and discipline.
Over time, this can take its toll, given that the single parent is not going to be able to be present all of the time. If the parents are not on good terms, then there's the added issue of one trying to undermine the other's credibility thanks to conflict and indignation.

Strain 

A single parent takes sole responsibility for a job that ideally takes two. Regardless of income from child support, more hours at work are often required to make ends meet. This presents a situation where you are not around as much at a time when the children need you the most. In a sense, you are working twice as hard for potentially poorer results. The increased strain can also affect your ability as a parent due to fatigue and irritability.

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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ferry their entire brood

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie ferry their entire brood – Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Vivienne and Knox – through Haneda International Airport in Tokyo on Monday, where the actor is promoting Moneyball this week.

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How to increase a chance to have a baby Girl?

If you are not interested in genetic engineering or artificial insemination, there is no certain way of conceiving one gender versus the other. There are, however, various theories about how to increase your chances of a specific gender. Selecting Gender According to surveys more than 90% of expectant parents have a preference in regard to their unborn child’s gender. The reasons behind the preferences are varied, and when parents don’t get their wish, they adapt and are overjoyed to welcome any new baby to their home. But if you are ready for a girl and want to try to tip the scales, here’s how:  The Shettles Method Doctor Shettles penned the most popular method designed to increase the chances of a female. Before beginning the method, you must understand the rationale behind it. Women produce an egg every month during ovulation. The egg is always carrying an X chromosome. Two Xs make a girl and one X (the egg) plus one Y make a boy. Men are responsible for the second X or Y. Each sperm is assigned one chromosome. When a male ejaculates, he sends 200-400 million sperm into the vagina that immediately begin searching for the released egg. Out of those millions, only one sperm gets the prize, and the chromosome of that one unites with the X of the egg, and the miracle has begun. The Shettles method offers instruction on how to get more X-carrying sperm to the egg and beat out the Ys.  Conceiving a Girl To actively work at conceiving a girl, you must know your cycle. Chart your cycle for a couple of months to see what day you begin your period and what day you are ovulating. You can do this using an ovulation kit or basal temperature. Then, once you know the day you will ovulate, begin having sex immediately following the end of your period. Have sex at least once a day until two or three days before ovulation. Then stop. (Sorry, guys.) Y-carrying sperm swim faster than X-carrying sperm. The boy-makers also tend to die out more quickly. By stopping three days before ovulation, you are ensuring the only sperm left waiting around for the released egg are the longer-lasting, slow-swimming X-carriers. (Sperm can live up to 5-7 days inside a woman’s body.) When the remaining sperm meet up with the egg, it is far more likely an X sperm will get the honors.  Doctor Shettles also suggests having sex in the missionary position to deposit sperm as close to the entrance of the vagina as possible. He also suggests the woman not orgasm during sex (Sorry, girls.) An orgasm can make the vaginal environment alkaline which can kill off sperm more quickly preventing any pregnancy. Written By: Rebecca

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Your Chances of Having Twins

What factors predispose couples to have twins? Here are some interesting findings.

Genetics
If you are a woman whose mother, sister, maternal aunt or maternal grandmother had fraternal twins, this trait may have been passed to you. Fraternal twins can only be conceived if a woman releases two eggs at ovulation, and this trait has been genetically predetermined in some people.

Age
If you are a woman between the ages of 35 - 39, you are more likely to conceive twins. This likelihood increases more after 40, but mostly because women are using fertility treatments at that age. Women over 35 may release more than one egg at ovulation because their cycles are being disrupted by per menopause.

Previous Pregnancies
The more previous pregnancies and births a woman has experienced, the more likely twins will be in subsequent pregnancies. If a woman has conceived twins (especially fraternal twins) before, she is more likely to have them again.
Race/Ethnicity
In the United States, people of African descent have a higher incidence of twins than Caucasians, who have a higher rate of twinning than Asians. Native Americans have a slightly lower incidence than Asians, and Hispanics have the lowest rate of twinning.

Weight/Height
Obese women, especially those with a body mass index over 30, tend to conceive twins more often, but also have higher risk pregnancies because of the excess weight. Taller women are also more likely to conceive twins.

Diet/Nutrition
There is some scientific evidence that eating animal products, especially dairy, increases a woman's chances of conceiving twins. Vegan women who eat no dairy have a very low rate of twin conception. Women whose diets are high in folate seem to conceive twins more often, as do those who eat yams or other products high in natural estrogen-like compounds. Women in the Yoruba tribe in Africa have a phenomenal rate of twinning, and consume yams as a major part of their diet. Once twins have been conceived, consuming a healthy, adequate diet is essential for the proper development of the babies as well.

Environment
Strangely enough, some studies have found that living near a polluted area increases a woman's chances of having twins. Breastfeeding Women who are breastfeeding when they get pregnant again (often accidentally!) are more likely to conceive twins.

Infertility
As those who have been through the infertility process know, both infertility drugs and IVF increase a couple's chances of a multiple pregnancy

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Angelina and her twins

Leaving the rest of the brood at home, Angelina Jolie takes her pouty pair, 3-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne, to a showing of Cars 2 in London on July 22.

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The Eldest Jolie-Pitt Child -MADDOX

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After turning 10 on Friday, the eldest Jolie-Pitt child (left) spent his birthday weekend with his family seeing the musical Wicked in London's West End.

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Its Kendra and Her baby

After weighing in on the Hef-Crystal drama, Kendra Wilkinson focuses on her adorable 19-month-old son, Hank IV, during a mommy-and-me playdate in L.A. on Wednesday

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Family matters - A lovely picture

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Daddy taking care of the kids - Mama must be loving this

Usher Raymond was spotted taking his adorable sons, Usher V (Cinco), 3, and Naviyd, 2, for a stroll through New York City this afternoon. The boys’ mom is Usher’s former stylist Tameka Foster-Glover.

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Crazy Days Are Almost Over...

We have one more week of the crazies around our house and then summer can begin. Kelsie is in the middle of final exams, then next week is all practices for graduation on Friday the 18th.

It certainly hasn't been boring around here this past week or so...We are experiencing lot of "Lasts" around here...

Last dance recital. She was beautiful. She danced in 10 dances and was perfect in all of them. (proud mama!). I never took dance when I was little, so I am still amazed when our girls remember 10-15 dances for a recital or competition. I must confess, I cried after every dance. I think it was the culmination of all the dance classes since they were 3 and now to have it come to an end. I even cried when the little girls who were about 2-3 years old danced. It reminded me of Kelsie when she was little.

I never mentioned before, but Kelsie has been through a lot in her short life. She was born with congenital defects of her shoulder and spine. Her first surgery was when she was 2 years old to move her scapula down in the correct spot. She then wore a body and neck brace forever. Her last surgery was 5 years ago. It took 11 hours. She has 2 rods, pins and screws and her spine is fused from the neck to the lumbar. The way she moves you would never know a thing. I think this is the reason for the extra tears this recital.

Here she is en pointe.

Ballet. She's the one with the leg extended. Sorry so blurry. I had other pictures of the other dances, but they move so fast they were too blurry.

and here she is at the end right after they celebrated the 3 seniors graduating from the dance school.

Then we had her last parade for Memorial Day. That's her waving away.

Right after the parade we drove the family to Newport, Rhode Island for the day. Beautiful day of food and shopping. This picture's not mine, but isn't it pretty here.

I took these in a candy shop. Those huge logs are FUDGE!!!

These are freshly made ice cream cones.

Chocolate covered Twinkies.

and here are the slabs of fudge cut from those logs. It was ridiculously delicious.

Then June 3rd was Courtney's 19th birthday. Can't believe she's that old. She's grown into a beautiful woman right before our eyes. Smart as a whip too. Just finished her freshman year of college with a 4.0. Here she is with her boyfriend Courtland.

Bite of birthday cake...

and blue teeth from the frosting.

Annie wanted to give her a birthday kiss too.

This past Saturday was Kelsie's senior prom (last prom for us). She was so pretty (tears again).

Here is her date for the night. Very nice boy.

This last pictures is with one of her best friends Sofia. Kelsie put together this split picture of the two of them in first grade. They were both in the play The Wizard of Oz. Kelsie was Dorothy and Sofia the Scarecrow. This makes me cry again. Where does the time go?

We have one more week of activities and I'll be back in full blogging swing. I have some snowballs to show you and other projects in the works...just bear with me. I think my last day to cry is next Friday!

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See you in a little bit,

~Karen~

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Yahtzee Anyone? Lazy Susan Remake

Games...high tech or low tech they are popular around our house. Our girls have lap tops, ipod touches, ipods, wii and all the latest what nots, but once in a while they still go back to the basics. Yahtzee is big at our house right now. Our daughter Courtney and her boyfriend Courtland have matches all the time. We came home from Kelsie's last dance recital today (pictures later) to find the 2 Courts on the porch playing Yahtzee. Then they asked us if we wanted to play...lots of fun and Courtney won with 280 points! I wanted to share something I made for them.

When they would play on the table, they thought it was too noisy and would roll the dice on a magazine. Here's what I came up with.

I took a wooden round tray, some fabric and Mod Podge glue. I used a round tray, because the table we have it on is round so it looks cute. However, any tray would work.




Cut the fabric to fit your tray. Brush a layer of Mod Podge glue on the tray and then place the fabric on that. Once you have the fabric positioned, brush on another layer of Mod Podge.




The glue is milky white until it dries.




I added an antique box for the score cards and pens, a matching mug instead of the plastic cup it came with and cute wooden dice.

and look...I rolled a Yahtzee!!! (yeah, right)

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Here it is on the game table. I gave them each their own mug and 2 different sets of dice. You could definitely customize to your own with fabrics and colors.

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Now go through some old board games and steal 5 dice or look in that junk drawer, they've got to be in there! Go to the computer, print free Yahtzee score cards and have fun with your new homemade Yahtzee set!!

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Have fun,

~Karen~

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Woo Hoo...She's Done!!!!

Last year I did a post on my oldest daughter Courtney's Senior Project. Do you remember the Under Ground Railroad Quilt that she made? Well, that year flew by and now Kelsie just presented her project today!!

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Our state has rigorous graduation requirements and one major part is the Senior project. You can pick any topic, but you must have a learning stretch and expand on what your topic is. Kelsie chose "What effect does color and interior design have on the mood of a room."

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The room she decided to redecorate was the Senior Company Room at her dance studio. It's an honor to finally be in Senior Company and she was chosen in 1oth grade. There is the thrill of a select group of girls having their own room separate from the other dancers. However, that room is the storage room for supplies, props and all in all crap. They just like having their own space.

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Unfortunately it looks like this...just gross

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After she worked her whole April vacation...it now looks like this!!!

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This is the view from inside the room looking out.

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and now that corner looks like this!

She took that big old desk top and had her father cut it down to a smaller top.

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Now it's a smaller desk for homework, doing their hair or makeup.
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All the following pictures are projects she did to fill up the room on a budget.
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This disgusting couch was in the first picture. It was in the room, but no one sat on it for obvious reasons. However, there was no way we could afford to buy another couch.

So she scrubbed the heck out of it. She used every chemical we had, bathroom cleaner, Simple Green, Spic and Span, bleach...you name it.

Here it is with the tar getting kicked out of it.

It looked great, but she wanted to jump in the shower.

Can you believe that was a white leather couch under all that. From the 1980's, but clean enough to sit on now.

Then she painted.

and painted. One of the things she learned during all this is...she HATES painting. Cute smile though.

Here are some craft projects...blow up a balloon, dip string in glue and then wrap it up. Let it dry and pop balloon.

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Decorations to fill up a bowl.

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She went into Joanne's for fabric with a whole different color scheme and came home with these. She made pillows, wall hangings and decorations.

One wall was really large and needed something big to fill it in, so she used wood from her father's wood pile and some fabric.

There were some large card board tubes that the flooring for the dance studio came on.

More decorations for the shelf.
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Then there was the large wall over the nice WHITE leather couch. She just nailed in the straw paper plate holders.

and here it is again. She presented today with a power point of 30 photos and a 12 minute speech in front of a panel of 8 judges. She did GREAT!



One more thing checked off the list for this year!
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Take care,

~Karen~

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