Blessings?? In Disguise. . . .

Hoko was in Montana last week. What we thought was going to be long term turned out to be a quick emergency response on a farm where some animals were dying from a chemical that the farmer was using. They cleared everything out and were done by Friday & he was home by Saturday. :D We have been GREATLY blessed in our family life to see the Lord's hand in it. While Hoko was gone, I had to start making daycare arrangements for the three younger kids for one day a week while I'm in classes. And while I know everything would've turned out just fine, I would much rather have them home with Hoko than anyone else. So I've looked at his being home as such a blessing in order for me to breathe a little easier with my schooling. :D

We also got word that his job has a couple of projects here in Salt Lake this year & we're holding on to the notion that MAYBE, just MAYBE, he'll be able to work here at home this year. But we're not naive to the fact that with ER, anything is possible. Especially with these awful weather conditions around the nation.

With that said, Monday came & I was in charge of dinner. I made a low calorie meal for dinner. Tilapia Salad with Strawberry Pineapple Salsa. The kids LOVED it!! And so did I. I planned this 210 calories per serving meal because of the fact that Hoko & I had already arranged s'mores around the camp fire with the kids that night. And in my continuing effort to promote a healthy lifestyle with my family, I thought this would be the smart way to go to allow us some extra room to indulge. :D

Strawberry-Pineapple Salsa

Seasoned & Broiled Tilapia

Tilapia Salad with Strawberry-Pineapple Salsa

As some of you may know, I'm currently prego & have been struggling with my weight this time around. My first trimester brought with it all the morning sickness and junk food that my body couldn't control. Or didn't wanna control, when it comes to the junk food part. It was TERRIBLE!! I'm not that big of a junk food fan to begin with. I mean, I eat chips & cookies & stuff, but I won't die without them. And it's not even really things I crave or care for. But this time was different. They were the only things that made me feel good. And as soon as I was done eating them, my nausea returned. I was grateful, at least, for the fact that when I was at school, I felt otherwise normal. No morning sickness, no cravings for junk. None of that. I actually ate healthier when I was at school. Weird, right?? Well, I gained a total of 15 lbs in two months time. I couldn't believe it!! I mean, I could cause I had no kinda self discipline on what I stuffed down my throat, but I was really upset about the fact that I couldn't control my cravings or even curb them altogether. I started counting down the days for my second trimester to start, while silently praying that I would finally get back to feeling more like myself & hoping that I would gain more self control over getting back to exercising & eating more healthy.

Well, I'm so happy to say that I'm 17 weeks now & have been feeling more like myself since last week. I started out slow by eating more fruits & veggies. As well as running on my elliptical for 45 min to an hour. This week I'll be incorporating my Biggest Loser workouts & I'm so EXCITED!! Another BIG motivation to all this is the fact that my two sis in laws, Sheena & Ame joined Sinai's biggest loser competition. They have made such a HUGE decision in stepping out of their comfort zone in order to get healthy & lose weight & I am so PROUD of the both of them!! Their examples have helped to get my focus back on track & I love them all the more for it. :D

Anyways, back to our backyard camp fire. . . . .we got this camp fire thingy from Walmart for like, forty bucks. My sister has one at her house & that's where we got the idea to get one. We sat around the fire with the kids making s'mores & we had a blast!! The kids had so much fun & kept saying how it was the BEST NIGHT EVERRR!! Sound familiar?? Lol. I love having Hoko home cause TRUST that we wouldn't be doing anything much if he weren't here. Especially since I'm in school this summer semester & have been swamped with school work. Last Sunday night, Hoko & I were laying out on our trampoline with our pillows & blankets just talking about our lives, our goals, our kids. . . .I became so overwhelmed with such feelings of gratitude for all that I've been blessed with. Most importantly, my husband & kids. They have been my #1 fans cheering me on in my ongoing efforts to get good grades & I don't want to let them down. Especially since Hoko takes care of our financial needs so willingly. His willingness to work hard & provide for our family has been consistent since the day we got married. And I say that very humbly because some of the jobs that he's had & held for years at a time, was very labor intensive. He would always complain about how he hated it there & I would tell him to leave, but he couldn't see a way out of supporting us comfortably anywhere else. So when the opportunity came along for him to join his brothers at ER, we were so thankful. And he has never faltered since. When it comes to the kids?? They're efforts in school are so transparent in all the awards they continue to be recognized for, but most important of all. . . . .their report cards. With the transferring to a new school this time around & them being so far behind, I know they're too young to realize how AMAZING they are in their laser eye focus on their academic progress. And I am so PROUD of them. I've set myself to the standards that have been set for them. Nothing less than straight A's. :D And I'm proud to say that so far so good. :D I'm praying that I can continue to be an example for them. The challenge in finding the blessings in disguise when everything seems to be so somber in life is always a breath of fresh air once the puzzle pieces start coming together. It's been a great summer thus far, or spring, or whatever the season is right now, LOL, even though the weather here is still pretty weird. Lol. Til next time. . . .

This is what happens when Savou's around doing s'mores & waving his stick around like a mad man!! Lol. The marshmallow flew & landed right SMACK on his brother's shoe!! Hahahaha!!

Our baby Savou roasting his marshmallow!! :D He's such a CHEESER!! Lol. :D

I savored every bit of that s'more!! :D And the two more I had afterwards. LOL!! :D