Pretty Exhausted...

     Hello. My name is Amanda and I am a diet soda addict. *Everyone Together* Hi, Amanda! Haha! Seriously, though, I do drink way too much soda, I think I always have (except when I was pregnant, I cut out all caffeine then). I cut back to diet a little over a year ago, hoping it would help with my weight, and now I am ready to take up with tea, lemonade, and water. I do not drink alcohol or coffee (I do not like the taste) and I have a mild lactose allergy that I would rather not deal with by drinking milk. I am also cutting out most artificial sweeteners, at least those who are frowned upon... which is, admittedly, most of them. I have heard nothing bad (yet) about Stevia so I am using it in my teas and lemonades. However, I do have to force myself to drink more water. I know I do.

     So I have been doing really well on keeping off my computer as much, though my Spring quarter started yesterday. I will have to be on it enough to keep up with my classwork but I am still going to try to keep it and Facebook, my e-mail, etc. separate. Wish me luck, after this term, I only have two more. Woohoo! *Dances* And I attend my graduation in six months, two weeks and three days! I cannot freaking wait!

Pretty Confident

My angel seeing what all the Easter Bunny left for him last Sunday

     Happy April Fool's Day! I hope you each had a very blessed Easter! We had a blast, we always do having such an active, excitable little boy, but it is time to get back to business. I have been very successful thus far in my attempt to dwell in the 'real world' but I feel grossly under-informed. I actually had to turn on the news to catch up on at least the major current events. *Sigh* I have discovered a few extra hours in my day though. I have started Spring cleaning with my new found time, getting into all of our house's dirty nook and crannies (that sounds wrong...).

     Now I just have to get my eating back under control. I do not know if it is my hypothyroidism (my endocrinologist says it is balanced now) or just the loss of my old will power, which was quite impressive once upon a time, but I can hardly keep my appetite in check anymore. I think love and motherhood have made me soft... literally and figuratively. But my continued failures will not stop me from try-try-trying again! If my son gets nothing else from me, he will learn the spirit of diligence and persistence. To see if my thyroid is really in fact back in its proper range, I am going to try an unhealthy experiment that I would not normally do. When I was recovering from the weight loaded on by my brain tumor, I spent a few months eating nothing but a regular salad with low-calorie dressing for lunch and a salad plate of whatever was for dinner early in the evening. I starved half of the time, at least for a while, but I managed to drop thirty pounds in less than three months. If my thyroid is still the little b*tch it has become in the last year, it will make no difference and my weight may even go up. However, if it is in fact as the good doctor says, I will get to a healthier weight and can focus on dropping more in a healthier way. I will keep you posted, since I started it today.

Pretty Time-Consuming...

So I think my first obstacle to conquer is going to have to be my internet obsession. I am no different from most people in that I spend entirely too much time online, even when my classes are not in session. Thus, I am going to try to limit my time on my computer. It will be hard at first, like most things, but I honestly believe both my family and I will benefit from me being more 'present'. I get bored with television easily so maybe, not having Facebook to fall back on, I will play with my son more or, God forbid, go outside! Lord knows, after a long winter, fresh air and sunshine should only do me good. Since I just started this blog and want to keep up with it, I see an opportunity to work on my handwriting. If I find myself struck with inspiration, I have a notebook I can keep my thoughts in and, come my allotted computer time (it is like being back in grade school!), I will just transfer them to you! Good plan, right? I thought so too. *Grin* So, starting immediately, I think I am going to limit my time online to when both of my boys are sleeping and/working, but forcing myself to take care of my needs first. I need more than just a shower; I should actually style my hair and lotion my skin to help foster a new affinity for my person. I suppose that is technically two steps towards my better me today!

Pretty Honest...

This is me as of the end of March 2013. I would like to lose 50 to 60 pounds. However, this is not a weight loss blog, per se. This is about becoming a 'perfected character'.

    

     Like most women, I have been struck with an incurable case of jealousy from time to time. While it probably means I have excellent taste in the company I keep, I often get dismayed over the perceived perfection of my friends. Thankfully, none are perfect in all things (that would likely put the last nail in the grave of my self-esteem) but still enough so to make me sad that I am not even able to pretend perfection (not to the point of believability) in any area of my life. Thus, this blog was created! I am in no mood to 'fake it until I make it' or whatever. I would rather be as honest as I can and maybe learn of a rather perfect part of myself – no faking required. When I was in modeling classes as a teenager, I had an instructor that pointed out that people who are famous and what not are not perfect people but perfected characters. I am going to perfect my 'character'.

     As an opening 'how do you do?', I thought I would share a little about myself. It will not be long and drawn out since I will spend a lot of time divulging portions of myself. I will sum it up by saying that I am twenty-six years old and the youngest of five children, as well as the only girl. I met my husband five and a half years ago, we have been married for three and have a two-year-old. DeWayne is a flight medic for the Air Force as well as a medical technician at a local hospital's Intensive Care Unit. I am a stay-at-home mom while I finish up my degree. I go to school online and am only three quarters from being completely done, my graduation scheduled on October 26^th. I am so excited! It has taken me eight years to get my Bachelors in Criminal Justice. But, through a brain tumor, marriage, and having a baby, I have persevered and, of that, I am very proud.

     This, and raising Sebastian of course, have been occupying my focus for quite some time and taking care of myself like I once did has kind of fallen to the wayside. I have become one of those women I never understood before who stopped wearing makeup and just put their hair up everyday. And it is not always because I am too busy either. Yes, sometimes I am pretty swamped, especially since Dew started working the night shift and all of the daily duties fall to me, but, more often than not, I just do not feel like doing anything. I would rather use nap times for dishes, schoolwork, or, Heaven forbid, a nap for myself. I am hoping to change this and I plan on sharing my efforts with you, whoever you are. Maybe we can help each other, share back and forth. I would love that! So feel free to give your opinions and what not.