Just turned 35! Which is insane. Luckily, my skin is still looking pretty youthful, some of my friends…well YIKES… they aged very young. My one friend Lizzy already got botox! personally, I don’t think that’s too smart to do so young. But who am I to judge. 

One difference that I am not happy about is it is getting harder for me to lose weight in my stomach and thighs. I heard these become ‘trouble areas’ for older women, but I am only 35! 

Found a cool article about the easiest ways to lose weight in this age range, I’ll link it down below so you all can have a read.  Let me know what you think and if you tried it – did it work for you?!! Email me 🙂

https://www.livestrong.com/article/210108-how-to-lose-weight-after-you-are-35-years-old/

Annabelle is 10 already! 

She is growing faster than I can believe… already 54.5 inches tall and 71 pounds!! Already grew 2 inches since last year. Ugh. Time is flying by!! Makes me sad to see my little girl grow up.

UPDATE: Annabelle has grown a crazy amount these past 6 months… already grew another 2 inches and gained 5 pounds! Insane

It’s Been Some Time….

Sorry I have been away for so long! Annabelle is 14 already! And I just turned a crazy 45… I can’t believe it. The weight loss has not gotten any easier, that’s for sure, and not to be TMI, but I have been recently having some trouble using the bathroom. If you know what I mean. 

Went to the doctor and she recommended to eat refined foods. She gave me a list of prunes, coffee, chia seeds, and I need to increase my water intake. 💩

Jimmy Started Smoking Again

Jimmy had an issue with smoking years ago, like high school time, and unfortunately, the past year he has been smoking more than he ever did when he was young. His doctor is imploring him to stop but he just won’t listen.

Jason finally budged! He agreed to wear nicotine patches to begin his process. Fingers crossed it helps! He seems to be fairly positive about the matter. 

Couples Workout! 

So, Jimmy is doing amazing with the stoppage of smoking. But, we have both been stress eating lately. Annabelle is having some trouble with girls (typical middle school/early high school drama) and Jimmy has been eating to fill the time he spent smoking :). 

As a solution to our un-planned gained weight, we have agreed to start taking couples workout classes! Woo Hoo! I think I am more excited than Jim is, but we will make the best of it and hopefully lose a few pounds in the process! 🤞😄

Also started a new diet – no caffeine, no alcohol, and we have to limit our daily cholesterol to less than 200 mg/dL per day. Going to be tough, but well worth it in the end! 

Annabelle Update

Per usual, time keeps on going! Annabelle just tuned 16! She got her permit yay! Trying to find a suitable car for her to drive, just depends on our money situation when the time comes next year.

Dental Issues

RRGHHH….. have to start brushing teeth better. Jimmy has gingivitis (gum inflammation) but simple fix is just to brush better and possibly use a topical antiseptic to aid in the healing process. 

Sleep Issues 

Seems like all we deal with lately is problems of different sorts. LOL. I am not sleeping great at all. Thinking its because college is coming up soon for Anna and it is making me stressed and sad. Tried taking melatonin but I only go to sleep for a few hours MAYBE if I am lucky. 

Entering cognitive-behavioral therapy to try to get to the source of my sleep issues! Leaving the link to the article that I researched below. If it could help anybody else that would be great 🙂 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/cognitive-behavioral-therapy

Anna got her license! AH! 

Can’t believe this!!!! My little girl is 17 years old! WOO! Still figuring out car situation.. will update once I know 🙂 

So, we found a suitable car for Anna to drive that will be SAFE and is not too expensive. It’s a 2014 Honda CRV. But my stupid husband went behind my back and bought her a Jeep. Don’t get me wrong, I think Jeeps are awesome. But, they are not the SAFEST CARS! Think it’s part of his midlife crisis. After all, we are turning 50 next month 😬

Oh NO. TMI UPDATE & Possible Face Changes 

I have hit menopause. That is very TMI but, thought all my fellow bloggers should know. I am very upset about it and feel like I am falling apart. 

Also found crows feet near my eyes and I am seriously thinking of getting MAJOR botox to offset the issues I am having as a women. Not feeling super #confident as I would like to be feeling.

Empty Nest

Very sad writing this post because it means that Annabelle is at college. Super proud of her but miss her a lot 😦 Really feeling lonely and want to visit her. But, I know she needs space to grow and get comfortable with being away from home. 💔💔💔💔

Please leave her well wishes 💋💋💋💋

New Hobbies!!

Ever since Annabelle has gone to school, I have tried to keep myself as busy as possible to distract me from missing her. So, I decided to start teaching yoga part time in the morning!! It has so many amazing benefits and I have made lots of new friends! I’m gonna insert a link below of all the great benefits!!!

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/13-benefits-of-yoga#section4

Senses are decreasing:(

My vision within the last couple of years has deteriorated significantly. I used to have perfect 20/20 vision my whole life, but I have had get reading glasses to be able to see my phone and read my books lately. Jimmy also yells at me for using too much salt and seasoning in the food, but I swear my taste buds just are not what they used to be. I also have been having trouble hearing and Annabelle suggested getting hearing aids to help, but I could never get those!

Current thoughts

I honestly cannot look at myself in the mirror anymore. The amount of wrinkles on my face is absurd and my hair is completely grey now:( At least Annabelle is graduating from school in a month, but she is coming to live back home for a while and that is gonna be great, but I’m worried it is gonna stress me out.

Been a hard year

I am so sorry I haven’t blogged in a year, but this was a tough one for my family. We lost my father and both of my Jimmy’s parents. My father’s death was predicted since he has been battling prostate cancer for the past 5 years now, but Jimmy’s parents got in an accident, so their loss was particularly hard. Here’s an article that has helped me deal with loosing a parent 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/where-science-meets-the-steps/201709/why-losing-parent-hurts-so-much-no-matter-your-age

My Health Is My Priority 

As I am reaching my older age, not happy about that, I need to take into account my health. I have to maintain a healthy weight, stay active, and prevent the risk of falling by being cautious. I’d prefer not to use a mobility device, but if worse comes to worse and I need to it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. 

Here is a great website for mobility devices if any of my followers are in need of one!                                                                      

https://www.mobility-aids.com

Sleep Problems 

I have been having sleep problems lately , I wake up finding it hard to breath. I think I have sleep apnea. Anyone have any tips on how to releave these symptoms. 

Might Be Losing My Mind… a little 

Lately I have been forgetting to do my day to day tasks which is not normal for me. I have to be reminded about certain things and I am concerned. 

I found a website with tips on how to help yourself remember things you need to do. I found that writing things down is very helpful! 

https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-help-yourself-remember-or-not-forget/

A lot of my friends who are getting to their older ages, like me, have been losing some of their vision. They say that things are starting to becoming blurry and its effecting their driving. Hopefully this doesn’t happen to me, but everyone in old age experiences vision loss. 

Re-Learn to Cook

Food has begun to taste different. I have had to add more seasoning for it to be edible. I have talked to my doctor about this issue and he recommended that I changed the spices I use so I do not over salt my food. I have been adding these new spices to my old dishes and it is delicious again. 

WRINKLES

My skin is getting more wrinkled and fragile, I guess I am finally getting old. Not just my skin but my whole body is more fragile. 

Accepting 

Over the past years, I have been aging. I have had to change a lot about how I live, even the most simple things. I was hard at first to except my age and that I may not be able to do things as I once did. I am surrounded by family and friends and I am going to make the most of this time in my life. 

Retirement 

I have finally retired!! I have so much free time now it is exciting as well as a little scary because I don’t know what to do with my free time. I think I am going to volunteer at the hospital to give back to the community.

Feeling Down

A lot has happened recently, it has gotten very hard to do simple things that I could do easily. I have been trying to stay focused on other things and not focused on the bad.  I see Annabelle soon so I am looking forward to that. 

Creating Meaning

I have a new outlook. Before I was so un happy and I felt like I gave nothing to the world. But my volunteer work at the hospital has changed that a lot. I see the difference I make and I feel like I’m needed again.

Returned from the Dr.

I just got back from the doctors and he told me that I should look out for symptoms of osteoporosis. It is common in white females. I need to take a supplement. I have found an article that has helped me.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351968

Thank You

Thank you everyone who has been following me through my whole life, learning about my life. This blog has been an amazing way to share my life. 

When children are at this toddler age they are like sponges. They are interacting in whole new ways and they are becoming a person. There closest relationship is with us, her parents, a lot of what she learns is from us. It is amazing to see how much she is growing into her own person. She has her own ideas an opinions. We are teaching her about how difference is good. We are a white family well off and we need to teach her about respecting other cultures.

Jimmy is teaching Annabelle how to ride a bike. She has been using training wheels but today they came off. She did it!! She dint make it too far before she fell off. Luckily we always have her wear a helmet when she rides her bike. She still had a smile on her face because she became one step closer to a big girl.

Annabelle is an angel when it comes to manners. She says please and thank you. It makes us very proud. We as parents are the role models for our children and it is our job to teach her right from wrong. I learned a lot about this from an article from Psychology Today. 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/trust/201706/how-teach-kids-right-wrong

Annabelle has been having temper tantrums when we drop her off a day care. She has just begun going. It has gotten better because when we pick her up she has had an amazing day.

We have been in the process of toilet training Annabelle. Through this processes she has learned some new words. She has learned vagina and penis. These are natural parts of the body and she should know what they are.

I have been reading about a recent case of child abuse in the town over. It is horrible, so I am reaching out and raising awareness to all of the parents out there. Be on the lookout for all of the children out there. #stopchildabuse

https://www.childhelp.org/hotline/

We have been letting Annabelle choose her outfits. She is adorable in her mis match outfits. This has been giving her more independence. She decided to dress like a fairy yesterday and she was so happy. 

It is so nice to put Anabelle down for a nap. It gives me time for myself and it makes her happier and less cranky.

Annabelle and her friend Jess had a play date today. They sat next to each other playing with there stuffed animals. There where playing independently but right next to each other, then would have there animals talk to each other occasionally.