Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Add-on To Hayley's Happy Cleaning

Homemade Laundry Powder
(Makes approximately 5 cups)
2 cups grated castile soap (1 bar of Dr. Bronnersmakes about 2 cups)
1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda
1 cup soda ash (washing soda)

Clean House, Clean Planet is a wonderful book with tons of recipes and great information.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Little Victories

Peanut and I are on vacation with friends in Florida. While we have all been especially conscientious of eating healthfully, we still have a ton of food lying around. It is semi-healthy food like pringles and chex mix but it is EVERYWHERE! I have done extremely well with making good choices, however.

Yesterday morning, we were leaving the house to do a little shopping. Peanut said she wanted to take a snack with her and she picked an apple. The last night after a really long day at the beach, in and out of the ocean and another several hours at the pool, Peanut ran into the kitchen where we are staying saying, "I'm really hungry!" Before any of the adults could get to her to help her choose something to eat, she came back outside with a banana.

Now, this may not seem like a huge deal to some of you, but I am ecstatic! One of the reasons I started this "lifestyle change" was because I wanted Peanut to be raised in a more healthy way. I wanted her to be able to make the right food choices on her own. And, it seems that she is doing this! Yea!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

I guess it's time to gear back up

I haven't been walking as hard (meaning strenuously) the last two weeks and I've gotten kind of slack on my eating habits. I guess it's good that I've still been walking, but I need to do better. The last few days, I have been starving all day long, and so therefore, have eaten all day long. I don't really know why, it could be stress . . . but I'm not sure. So, I have gone back up a few pounds in weight which I am not happy about. I must ramp back up and get serious! Perhaps after vacation next weekend though ;)

Happy Cleaning

Vinegar has hundreds of uses in and out of the kitchen. It is a natural disinfectant. I keep a spray bottle under my sink all the time. I use vinegar to clean the floor, table, showers, and in the laundry. It is my most used cleaning product. If you don’t like the smell you can add any essential oil you like to the mix!

What I like most about it is that it is completely harmless, and that mean I don’t have to worry about a curious three year old getting into it. Sure it may make her tummy hurt but that’s about all it would do to her.

There is a book that my dad gave to me. He knows I love natural products and knew that I used vinegar for cleaning most anything. The title of the book is “Over 100 Helpful Household Hints” by Christine Halvorson. I love the book and it is really helpful!! It covers kitchen clean up all the way to beauty and relaxations potions!

Although vinegar is a wonderful tool for me while cleaning I must mention that you MUST NOT use it on any granite or marble surfaces!! It will dull the finish and even take out the color of the natural stone!! Yes this news saddened me when the man installed my counter tops. However, the good news is that he recommended a warm cloth with a little liquid soap for the granite!!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Does this make my butt look....

SIX POUNDS LIGHTER!!! Why, yes...my butt does look six pounds lighter! I went in and weighed today and have lost another six pounds! For a total of 23.4 lbs since April 19.

On my way to weigh, I really thought that I would not have lost all that much. I have had a really difficult week with the bummed ankle, a Peanut with Strep and 744,612 other things going on. I was just hoping I had not gained. Then I got there and swa the numbers and started jumping up and down. I couldn't stop giggling. The nurse thought I was a hoot. This just makes me want to get out and start working that much harder!

If you haven't noticed Jen's last post, we have decided to all walk in the March of Dimes 5K in November. Several of us are hoping to be jogging the 5K by that time. The March of Dimes cause is especially dear to us because 4 of the 7 babies that walk with us every morning were born prematurely. We would love for you to join us, come out and see us or sponsor us!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

March Of Dimes

As our first team event, we have are walking for the March Of Dimes!  You can see our team page here, donate and watch our progress in reaching our goal.  You can also donate through the little badge to your right  :-)

Sunday, November 21, the annual MOD Walk is at Callaway Gardens.  All tickets for this ticket proceed the March Of Dimes.  Each year, this night that reserved for walkers to hike the winter wonderland of  Fantasy in Lights!  All tickets for this ticket proceed the March Of Dimes.  I personally, have done this walk each year since The Trio was born and it is amazing!  The kids LOVE it and it is so beautiful and of course all the proceeds go to this wonderful cause.  Four of the 7 babies in our group were born prematurely.

Anyone is welcome to join our team and walk with us!

This is a picture of us (ABC & my husband) last year:

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Baby wearing




So bug is a pretty good baby, though I am a little bias, but when he gets sleepy all he wants is to be held. This can make things difficult. When he was younger, he mostly wanted to be held all the time, and so in order to get things done around the house (and ever leave) we had a balboa sling (left). Well he doesn't like it much any more, and it's kinda hot for summer in Georgia. So, for mother's day, I asked for a baby ergo (right). He loves it now and we use it all the time. In fact, he rides in it while we walk. Why? Because nap time falls while we walk, and he needs to be held, and my ergo provides the perfect solution to it. So David and I ergo while we walk. It's a little hot, but he doesn't fuss and he can see everything that's going on. He also likes chewing on the soft thick straps, and he looks pretty darn cute in it!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Leaner, Greener.... and Cheaper?

I have been consuming large quantities of Bear Naked Granola since this whole diet business started. At this point in the game, Bear Naked Granola is possibly one of the yummiest foods I will allow myself to put in my mouth. I eat it in all kinds of stuff, yogurt (both frozen and non-frozen) with berries, with milk and even by it self. If you haven't tried Bear Naked, you really should! Then, I realized how much it is costing me to consume these vast amounts of granola. Around $6 for a small package of about two cups.

So, I hit the web and Googled low-cal granola recipes. I found one that incorporates oranges and vanilla. I made some today and it is super YUMMY! If you would like the recipe you can visit this site

Do you have any yummy, healthy, cost-saving recipes? Please share them with us!


Granola in process...


Mmmmmm... yummy.


Oooooo...pretty.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Setback--POP Goes A Wheel

While walking today with Hayley a wheel on my HUGE stroller POPPED.  It was SO loud it took us a while to release what it was!  Pushing this with ABC is NOT fun nor EASY. Pushing it with a busted wheel while trying not to mess up the rim was even WORSE.  But, we made it, only to realize that not only is that wheel popped, but the others look like they are about to.  There was NO tread left on the tires!  I freaked.  I have no idea how old the stroller is.  A very good friend gave me the stroller because she already had a triple jogger and she bought it used.  I know it can be found on ebay, but you can't locate/contact the company.  I googled and searched on line, coming up empty handed and even more frustrated.  In the end, I went to a bike shop.  The guy was horrified at the conditions of the wheels!  He said only 3 wheels needed to be replaced and he had them in stock!  The cost, only about $30!  I seriously thought I was going to be paying a lot more.  I would have gotten the 4th wheel replaced, but they only had white in stock (and this stroller is ugly enough as it is) and the guy said it was fine.  The bad news is the stroller won't be ready until the middle of next week.  Luckily for me, I have a summer helper!  So, I am sneaking out of here WITHOUT The Trio!  I wonder how much easier it is going to be without pushing 150 lbs (and hearing them whine, fight, sing (BADLY, ask Hayley's E!)?  I am super excited about my mommy time for the next few days!  :-)

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Way to be a Loser!!

Success!! I went to Weight Watchers last night and had lost 2lbs since the last weigh in!!

~Hayley P

Shannon's Setbacks... Number One, Two and Three

When I first started walking in late April I was really motivated. I mean SUPER motivated. I had gotten to the point where I was literally disgusted with the weight. I was walking and eating right. I bought a new iPod which made walking so much easier. When, out of the blue Setback Number One struck.

I was pushing Peanut in her stroller. We were trucking it down the sidewalks. It should be noted here that the sidewalks in a lovely little town are AWFUL!!!! and desperately need work because they are so uneven and cracked. We now stick to the road side because of the terrible condition of the sidewalks. Anyway, Peanut and I "was dancin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin'" when I turned my left ankle on a five inch crack in the side walk. That was sometime in mid-May. I had to stop walking for about a week to let the ankle rebuild strength.

We are fortunate to be friends with two of the world's most renowned Physical Therapists. (Okay, maybe not world renowned, but they are REALLY AWESOME!) I talked to them and began the exercises they suggested.

Setback Number Two occurred this past Friday night when I stepped off my back porch into a hole. I was so disappointed that I burst into tears. The ankle didn't hurt that badly but my heart did.

Then, this morning, the M & Ms are movin' to the groovin' when out of the blue, I hit the pavement. So, here we are, five women, one teenager and seven children stopped in the MIDDLE of the road, me down on my knees, sweat dripping off the tip of my nose. Too bad it couldn't have at least happened in the shade. It was probably really hilarious; I have a way of making my numerous falls funny. What can I say? It must
be some kind of comedic gift.

Hayley P. walks back to get a car. The rest of the group takes Peanut to my parent's house. Hayley P., Rebecca and I go to see Rebecca's soon-to-be husband Doctor Scott. So, here I am with my foot on the dashboard of Hayley P. car when I realize that I haven't shaved my legs in like five days! My toenails look like they were painted by fingerless monkey. My heels have are cracked and callused to the point of making those five inch cracks in the side walks look minuscule. Now, I am in real pain here but all I can think about is how horrific my feet look.

Hayley is quite the nurse so after leaving the Dr.'s house we go to the Physical Therapist's. It was on the drive between the two locations, again with my foot in the windshield, I notice that not only have I not shaved my legs but my big toe is fuzzy. It just gets worse and worse. Hairy legs, chipped polish, cracked heels, furry toes and all kinds of stinky!

The bad news is that I have to stay off it for a while and we missed a mile and a half of our route this morning. The good news is that we all got to take a little breather and I have a learned something very important. You remember when your grandmother used to tell you to always make sure that your underwear was clean? Well, I have now learned that it is not only important to have on clean underwear but it is equally important to keep your legs (and toes) shaved!

Have you had any setbacks in your diet / exercise routine? Share them with us!

*Side note: The x-ray is not of my ankle. It is a random image found at Google Images. Although, that foot even looks better than mine. ;)

A little about Rebecca P

Yes First off I am Hayley P's Sister. Well I am the youngest of the bunch, also the newest to the group. I am the Mother of Two. M is 3 and Peyton died April of 2007. She would be 5 if she were still with us, 5 hours after receiving vaccinations she quit breathing. She didn't die then. she developed seizures and the only thing that was conclusive about her rare situation was that she had mercury in her blood which destroyed her blood brain barrier. She lived for seven months and she gave all she had to living. Children a tough and she never quit smiling. God has been so good to me! I am so blessed. I truly live on Gods Grace alone. I have so many God moments. God is always right no matter how much life can suck sometimes. I was holding Peyton when she Died, and I was looking into the Beautiful face of my daughter the moment She saw our Master face to face. Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass it is about learning to Dance in the Rain! We donated her organs and that has been a true blessing for me. I firmly believe that Peyton lived her entire life and her purpose was to save the Children she did. I had to learn to enjoy life without her and I am still struggling with it today. My son was 2 weeks old when she died.......Yea I was questioning God Big time..... The truth of Gods love is NOT that he allows bad things to happen to us, it is HIS PROMISE to be there with us when they do......God knows what he is dong..... We just have to trust Him no MAtter What!! Hey that kinda sounds like FAITH>>>>right? M is my life he is such a blessing! Even though I was grieving for Peyton I still had to get up in the morning and take care of M. M saved my life. My little guy kept me going. He is such a sweet, loving Child that has the most beautiful eyes that truly dance. He loves life and his mama. See E my niece (Hayley P's daughter) is only 3 weeks younger than him so they are the best of friends. I am currently new BACK in town. I was born and raised here but I lived in Nashville, TN for a while and I am back, newly engaged to a wonderful man! He is the Newest Doctor in town and he is the most amazing Guy ever. He is truly my angel, my God send. He is kind and compassionate, funny and just plain nice. He loves me for just me. He brings so much peace in my life. He is the most amazing Dad to M. Like I said God has truly blessed my life. I really enjoy M&M we have a good time and the kids love it as well. I love to stay in shape so exercising it fun to me....such a stress reliever. I feel better all day when I get up and get going with the Manchester Momas..We are truly Making More out of Mommyhood.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

A little about Hayley P

I am Hayley P! I am a mother to a beautiful 3 year old girl! I grew up in our small town and married a wonderful man. He had a house in a larger town and we made that our home. We started a family and eventually grew out of the house. He is a public service worker and after the baby was born I quit my job to stay home. With that said we were on a limited income and I was not leaving my baby with strangers just to get a bigger and nicer house! We searched, and searched, and searched! A close relative suggested a home in the small town I grew up in that was for sale. My first thought was yeah right my husband does not want to drive 45min. to work and back each day!! I briefly told him about it and HE wanted to go look!! It was love at first sight! We both felt like God meant for us to have this house! It was a foreclosed home. We placed an offer and waited. The offer was taken and we had a new home and still needed to sell ours in the larger town. It took 9 long months, but again God was with us! The church down the road bought it because they needed to expand!! God is Awesome as E would say!

Since the sale of our home we have completely gutted the new home and fixed all the problems one can run into during a renovation. We have lived with my parents for the past 8 months while work was going on in the old but new home (the house was built in 1937). I have enjoyed my parents very much, and will be forever grateful for the love and grace that they have shown to my family during this time. Thanks mom and dad!! I love you!!

However, the last 4 ½ years of marriage and a child have placed me into the “Happy Fat” stage!! I am no longer “Happy Fat”! I am fat but also happy with my life. I would like to be healthier! I need to lose 63lbs. My goal is to lose 50 by the end of the year!! I was in a size 8 when I married and am going to get back to that size 8 soon!!

I started walking alone and that was no fun. Shannon was also walking alone and I don’t think she was having much fun either. We joined up and now we have fun! We since then have had several more ladies and children to join up with us and start having fun while sweating!

Monday, June 14, 2010

A Little About Jen

I am Jen, mother to ABC, who are 2.5 years old.  I have always been fat and have always tried to lose the weight.  I was losing weight and doing great until I moved to GA.  When I started dating my husband I fell into what Shannon called Happy Fat. I had no easy access to a gym and no friends to workout with.  My husband is NO help and never has been.  So, I gained and went up a jean size.  In 2006 (a year after I was married) I had 2 miscarriages back-to-back.  And I continued to eat my depression away.  Went through 5 months of fertility treatments and ate from stress and hormones (those drugs are HORRIBLE).  I continued to try to lose weight during those 5 months, but I just maintained.  Then I got pregnant with ABC.  I was told not to workout and to take it easy.  By my 20th week of pregnancy I was on full-blown bedrest, only allowed up to use the bathroom and shower.  I gained about 70lbs during the pregnancy (was told to gain 60lb-70lb).  And I admit, I ate for four!  I was at my heaviest on the day I delivered ABC.  They were in the NICU for 38 days, some of which I lived at the Ronald McDonald House across the street from the hospital.  Then they came home and I don't really remember much of their first year.  I struggled to make it out of bed everyday and to keep 3 infants fed and changed.  I have been struggling to get the "baby weight" off every since! 



I need motivators and friends to keep me going.  I get bored very easily and can get thrown off of the workout track easily.  Getting the kids up and out of the house just to walk alone never seemed worth it.  I was on their schedule, waking up with them around 8am.  They don't nap too well anymore, so I can't sneak in the basement to use the treadmill and in all honestly, I don't want to spend my only free time on the damn treadmill.  By the time my husband got home from work I was too tried to do anything and all the wanted to do was sit on the couch.  So, I sat with him.


Until last week when I started walking with Shannon, Hayley and Haley (and now Rebecca).  And it has been GREAT.  I am so grateful for them letting me join their walking group.  Even though it takes ALL I got to get up at 6am and get ABC & myself out the door on time to walk, it is worth it.   I enjoy the friendship as much as I do the working out!  I actually look forward to my mornings now!


My mini-goal is to lose the "baby weight", even though I was told by my Dr that my babies are TOO old to be calling it "baby weight"  :-)  So, far I have lost 12lbs, leaving me with 32lbs to my mini-goal.  I am copying Shannon's goal of wanting to job 5 miles by this Christmas.  I have walked many 5k (for the March of Dimes), but I want to RUN.  I want to be healthy, to have more energy so I can keep up with The Trio.  I want to fit in my pre-pregnancy jeans.  I want to wear cute little summer dresses.  I want to look forward to summer and not to winter (where I can bury myself in sweatshirts & jackets).  I want to not be self-conscious ALL the time.

Haley B

My name is Haley (not to be confused with Hayley who lives two doors down from me!) and I am a high school math teacher. I graduated from UGA (go DAWGS!!) with a bachelors in math education and have a masters from Troy in Post Secondary Instructional Technology. My husband, one of my best friends who I couldn't make it without, is a youth minister in town. We have one son, we will call him Bug. He came 6 weeks early in December and spent 17 days in the high risk and special care nurseries, they may have been the hardest days of my life. He is the light of my life! I have enjoyed being a mom, more than I have enjoyed anything else in my life. Being a short term stay at home mom over the summer has been wonderful so far!! It took us over a year to get pregnant with Bug, because I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) . Though, this is something I have had my whole life, I was not diagnosed until January 2009, mostly because of my refusal to go to the doctor. To be very basic about it, my body doesn't treat insulin correctly, and instead of affecting my blood sugar like diabetes, it affects my hormones, which as you can surmise affects many areas of my body and life. I have never been able to control my weight in any direction, and birth control only seemed to make all matters worse. I did not gain weight with my pregnancy (I actually lost 6 pounds because I had gestational diabetes and was trying desperately to be good), but was overweight to begin with. Chris and I would like to have more children, and probably not too long off. PCOS is more easily managed within a good weight and healthy lifestyle. So both for the ease of getting pregnant and good health in general, I am trying to lose weight with the other manchester moms. My goal is to fit in a size 4 or 6 as soon as possible. I am taking my meds more regularly than ever, eating somewhat better, and walking with the girls. I've already lost 7 pounds! I've never blogged before, but I'm going to give it a good try!

A little about Shannon

Hi! I am Shannon. I am the mother of a three and a half year old daughter whom I will call Peanut. Peanut and I moved to Manchester to be nearer my parents in May of 2008 when my ex-husband and I separated. We purchased a house down the street from Hayley and Haley; our street is a happening place! I am currently working toward a master's in Library Science and Information Studies at the University of Alabama -- Roll Tide!

Hayley Y. and I started walking in early May. The original distance was just a little more than 2 miles. We quickly progressed to 3.2 miles or a 5K. We motivate each other a lot and started pushing toward other goals like walking a full 5 miles, which we have since achieved. We started posting on Facebook and others wanted to join in. Haley B. joined us when school got out for summer. Then Jen, a friend of Hayley Y's joined. The most recent member to join is Rebecca, Hayley Y's sister. It was Rebecca's idea to make this a little more organized -- we may even get t-shirts!

As for my personal motivation, I have always struggled with my weight. When I went to college, I began putting more and more on. Then, I got married and did the whole "happy fat" thing. Now that I am single, I am happy but I am not going to be happy fat anymore!!!! I mentioned that I have a toddler. Peanut is my world. I want for the two of us to be world travelers and adventurers. This will be a lot easier if I don't have to ask for an extended seat belt on the air plane to all those adventurous locals. Also, I am a Christian and have been heavily convicted about my lifestyle. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reads: "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." I want my body to be to His glory.

We all have goals to keep us focused on the end result. In addition to creating a healthier lifestyle for Peanut and me, I have milestones that I want to reach. By Christmas 2010, I want to be able to jog, not walk, five miles. The next milestone is a swimsuit that I have not been able to wear since my freshman year in college. It is a blue Speedo size 16 (see pic). I want to be in it and look good in it no later than March 14, 2011. I leave on a cruise to the Bahamas that day. By summer 2012, I want to be a size 8 and look good in a two piece. I have the biggest goal, but that is only because I have the most to loose.

Hope you enjoy the blog! We sure are having fun walking and I know will have just as much fun blogging!