1st Work-out Wednesday

Last night was the first time I really work out since having my baby.....bad huh! I'm 9 weeks postpartum and haven't lost any weight since my 6 week check-up. I've gained 2-3 lbs. since then! I blame it on having gestational diabetes! Now that I don't have that anymore, I've probably been pigging out on too many carbs! What an eye opener since having GD, I eat tons of carbs and so do a lot of people.
I also blame my family all getting sick. Now that we're all better, we're catching up with rest of life. Plus how do people have the time to work out with 2+ kids. I'm lazy; I don't like working out unless it's fun like playing basketball or volleyball with friends or I doing Wii Fit. That's how I lost the weight after I had my son (plus being a bridesmaid for my friend's wedding 4 months after having a baby and needing to fit in a dress was good motivation - by the way, I didn't end up fitting in the dress....).

I am going to try and do the Wii Fit at least twice a week for now and decided I should report my progress here so I can be more accountable! I'll have Work-out Wednesday every other week. Feel free to link up your fitness/health posts/blogs too so we can motivate each other!

I'm breastfeeding so I'm probably not going to change my diet too much, just eat less sweets now that I've had my fun of them from being without a lot of them when I was pregnant. But those who are breastfeeding and would like to diet as well as exercise, I recommend Baby Fit. It incorporates the amount of calories you need while breastfeeding, lets you keep track of what you eat, gives you a meal plan even! It's pretty sweet.

I guess I've been getting motivated the last couple weeks because we have no money to buy me new clothes. I hate the transition phase. Other motivation the Wii Fit says I'm borderline overweight so my Wii Character turned into a chubby one instead of a normal one.
At least my husband has gained 10 lbs. - he used to weigh 155 and is 6'4, but now weighs 165. His brothers all have gained some weight too so I'm not fatter than all of them, just one.

Here are my stats:
Pre-pregnancy: 131 lbs.
Gained 36 lbs. when pregnant - 167 lbs.
Current weight: 147 lbs.
Goal: flatter tummy (so I don't look pregnant still when I wear my pre-pregnancy shirts), 140 by September 1st. OR to fit into my 7-9 jeans comfortably.
Ideally would love to be 120-125 again.

May 29, 2011 -postpartum

 April 2010 - before baby #2

Link up your fitness/health posts/blogs too so we can motivate each other!

46th Mommy Mondays

My 2 1/2 year old son has developed quite the imagination in the last month. My husband introduced him to Ghostbusters several months ago and just recently our son created his own "Proton" Pack with a sound stick, string, and his truck. He then goes around the house spotting ghosts and getting them. It's hilarious! What a smart kid to create that.



He's also started playing with action figures (what he calls his ninjas). He played with them before, but now he has little mini conversations with them and has them do things like jump and climb off buildings, etc. Oh to be a kid again and to use your imagination in that way. So fun!

Link up your Mommy Mondays - anything Mommy related. I'd love to hear about things you think all moms should know or sweet moments and milestones in your child's life.

53rd Fashionable Fridays

Anyone on Pinterest!? I'm on it and it's addicting! It's a great way to save your favorite links. If you ever need to reboot your computer, you'll still have all your favorite links. If you use multiple computers, you can still access your favorites through Pinterest. Come check me out over there. Leave your pinterest link too so I can look at your pins!

Anyway through Pinterest, I found this link to curling your hair without heat. Here's the original pin and here's the video tutorial from thelipstickdiaries.

I attempted it since it looked so fast and easy. I moussed my dry hair first and then tucked my hair into the headband as directed. I added some bobby pins to mine because it was during the day and with 2 kids, it was bound to get loose and fall out.

After a while though, I was getting a headache, so I took it out to see if that would help my headache. Before taking it out though, I hair sprayed it since my hair doesn't hold curl well all the time. Since I only had it in for a couple hours, the back didn't work so well, but the front looked fabulous. I brushed down some frizz and I was good to go. Very pretty- a nice confidence booster to someone who just had a baby. I will try it again before I go to bed sometime in the future to see what it looks like with the back all curled too.

Here's some pictures of the after. As you can see I'm one tired mommy, so I did my make-up some really quick so I wouldn't look so horrible.

Find me on Polyvore

Any hair tips/tutorials you'd like to share?
Link up your fashion, hair, make-up, etc.

Photo Canvas Land Giveaway

I'm so excited to introduce you to Photo Canvas Land! They sell beautiful quality, affordable canvas pieces.

For my review, I was given a 10x12 Canvas.

It came packaged very securely with bubble wrap and tissue paper. I was quite impressed and made me not worry about it having bent corners or something.

Your canvas will come with a sawtooth hanger or hanging wire as ready-to-hang art.

It made it super easy to hang and display in my home right away!

Here's my canvas! I LOVE IT! Such a crisp and smooth finish.

Here it is with my other decor....

Doesn't it look fabulous!?

What surprised me the most when I was ordering was the affordability of their canvases and their cheap shipping! I've purchased canvas before, and it cost way more with not as smooth quality finish. I cannot wait to order some more canvas pieces for my kids' rooms especially!

Here's more info about their canvases. They have so many size options available too! I can't wait to order a much bigger piece for my bedroom.

• Museum quality photo canvas: We use EPSON genuine inks to satisfy even the most demanding professional by providing the finest image quality. Our canvas print last for 75 years without fading.
• Acid-free museum grade fine art canvas: We use the highest quality acid-free and OBA-free canvas for our photo canvas prints. This unique 21 mil heavyweight, quality canvas is the most archival canvas available. 
• Artists' fine art coating: We apply the fine art coating on the photo canvas to provide additional museum level archival protection against color fading, moisture and abrasion.
• Quality frame with depth choices: The canvas is wrapped on quality stretcher bars with depth choices of 0.75" and 1.5".

AFFORDABLE!

• Rolled Canvas: from $7.95
• Rolled Canvas - Rolled canvas is your photo printed on the canvas media. Each rolled canvas has the standard 1" white margin on each side. For example, if you order 8"x10" rolled canvas, the finished rolled canvas has size 10"x12, with the photo printed area of 8"x10" and 1" white margin on each side. Rolled canvas is the option for the customers who frame or stretch canvas themselves. You have the option to select 2" white margin with extra cost.
•  Wrap Canvas: from $14.95
• Standard Wrap (0.75" thick) - Canvas is wrapped around a 0.75" thick wood frame. Standard wrap canvas is a great way to show off your photos. We apply artists' fine art coating to the standard wrap canvas to provide additional museum level archival protection.
• Gallery Wrap (1.5 thick)- Canvas is wrapped around a 1.5" thick wood frame. Gallery wrap canvas is a great way to show off your photos. We apply artists' fine art coating to the gallery wrap canvas to provide additional museum level archival protection.
• Flat fee shipping $8.95 for any orders

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Photo Canvas Land is giving away a free 8x10 canvas to 2 winners! (read below about shipping!)

To encourage users to register at photocanvasland.com in advance, we provide extra free shipping to winners IF:

(1) If you register at Photo Canvas Land before the winner is announced, we will ship the free canvas FREE to U.S. winner (Canada winners will have to pay for shipping).

(2) If you register at PhotoCanvasLand after the winner is annouced, the winner needs to pay shipping (flat fee $8.95) for the free canvas. Our shipping fee is the lowest in the industry,.

MANDATORY ENTRY: Comment with your answer to this question: What is the one thing you like best about what Photo Canvas Land offers? PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS SO I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

• Register at PhotoCanvasLand (so if you are a U.S. winner, you'll get free shipping on your canvas)
• Follow Crafty Mommy Diva on Google Friend Connect publicy. (right sidebar)
• Leave a comment on a Fashionable Fridays Post
• Leave a comment on a Mommy Mondays Post
• Leave a comment on one of My Projects Posts.
• Leave a comment on a Guest Post.
• Blog about the giveaway with a link back. (3 entries) 

GIVEAWAY ENDS TUESDAY, JULY 5TH AT 11:59MST.

45th Mommy Mondays - What every Mom of baby boys should know

This is a pretty private subject to some, but felt I had to share so other parents didn't make the same mistake.
One day my friend mentioned to me having to get her son's circumcision fixed so I started to worry if my son's was okay since his pee pee was always hiding. Well I don't know much about boy parts so I of course turned to my husband. He looked up things online and said our son's wasn't right either. I was like great. We didn't want to do anything though until we switched doctors since we've heard too many complaints from friends and we weren't satisified with them either. So at my son's 2 1/2 year appointment, I asked our new doctor about it. He checked it out and said that he'd have to pop it back out because the foreskin had grown around it again. So after the numbing cream was on for a while, he had a nurse come in to hold his legs while I held my son's arms and he popped it out. Well he couldn't pop it completely out because it had reconnected so he had to cut. My son wasn't happy and became very strong that we had to get the guy physician assistant to help out too. So the nurse and the doctor held him down, while the PA cut. It bled some. We waited there for a while so they could look at it again really quick to make sure the bleeding had stopped. I stayed calm through the whole process, but I hated it especially since my son talks well and kept saying for them to let him go, etc. My son's face had red blood vessels that popped from being so stressed out while they did the procedure. I don't know how I didn't cry during the process. I feel more traumatized about it than my son. We went back for a follow-up appointment and my son wasn't scared about going in at all. Our last doctor, he hated too. He must like the toys they have and the treats he gets after.
My son has now healed from it. We still push his pee pee out every diaper change for now just to make sure it continues to heal. Our son really hated diaper changes and taking baths for a while because we'd have to push it out to check it and make sure it healed properly, but now our son will push it himself for us.
MORAL - Parents with baby boys make sure you push their pee pees out frequently (if you've had them circumcised) until you see the head completley so the foreskin doesn't regrow around it. If our previous doctors had told us to do this and/or checked our son's penis at every appointment instead of being nervous about making our son upset to look at it. Most boys will have erections enough that it won't be a problem, but with our son - his was always hiding. Our previous doctors said we could push it out sometimes to make clean it, but he didn't stress how important it was to do so frequently to prevent the foreskin from regrowing around it.
Hopefully I've been able to help other parents by sharing this!

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In happier news, my baby girl was blessed 2 weeks ago. I was an emotional wreck! I couldn't stop crying once sacrament meeting started probably because I couldn't believe we made it to this point. She's not sick anymore and we're not worrying about taking her to the hospital. All the emotions from the last  month or so just came out. I am so grateful for this beautiful and happy baby girl. The night before she was to be blessed, I kept thinking about my testimony of the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. On her blessing day, I was able to share my testimony although I forgot some things I wanted to say - plus I'm not very eloquent in my speaking if I don't have it written down word for word. So I wanted to share my testimony on here as well.

I know the power of the priesthood is strong and real, that our Heavenly Father can speak through men who are worthy to hold the priesthood to bless and heal. I am so grateful that my husband has this priesthood so that he was able to bless our little girl one night when I was at my wit's end debating about whether to take her to the hospital because she sounded so bad and neither of us were able to sleep. After his blessing, both of us were able to sleep. I am grateful he was able to give our daughter a name and a blessing today.
I am grateful for my husband's support and calm through this last month. He has been the best help for me since we couldn't have any family come out to be with us. He has been a great strength to me and a reminder of how much I love him. He is a great father just like I knew he would be from the time I was 15, watching him at 18 play with a flour baby that our friend had for a school project.
I am grateful for the example of my husband's brothers especially to my son that they too honor their priesthood, have all served missions (the last about to go serve in Peru in October), and even their perfect attendance with early morning seminary (article on MormonTimes here).
I know that trials are for our learning and growth. Instead of doubting God when my son had croup and our baby girl got RSV, I tried to think why we were getting these trials. I've had enough experiences with trials in my life that I know that what we had to go through was for someone's growth and learning. I know that my Heavenly Father won't give us trials that we can't handle (1 Corinithians 10:13) as long as we continue to pray to endure them (Mosiah 3:18).
I know that my Heavenly Father knows and loves me. I know that my Savior suffered for my sins and sorrows. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ is the true church here on earth. I am grateful for the teachings of the gospel; they make going through this life so much easier - knowing why we are here on earth.

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My baby girl is now 2 months old! She is such a chunk already just like her brother was at this age, outgrowing the 0-3 mo. clothes already and topping charts for height and weight.

Link up your Mommy Mondays - anything Mommy related. I'd love to hear about things you think all moms should know or sweet moments and milestones in your child's life.