Thunder Thigh Thursday and my secret to losing weight

2 weeks to Mexico and I am down 53 lbs! Can I make it to 60 before I leave? Not sure but I am going to work my buns off to see. I have been working out twice a day for the last couple of days and it feels so great. It's like I am becoming an exercise freak - and I LOVE IT!
I have to hand it to my mom. She has been a trooper in the mornings. She comes over with my dad and she is the babysitter while I try to get my fat butt in shape. Thanks Mom!!!

Because my dad and I work out in the High school fitness center - I had access to a "fatty" odometer today. You know, the skin fold test thingy...
Well, West has an electric one and so there was no fat to be squeezed today, but numbers to be punched in and read. One of the Phy Ed. teachers helped me with it and it was so cool. I now have have an idea of what my BMI is. If you think I am going to list it on this blog, you have got to be out of your mind. That's for me, God, and the teacher to know. Too bad. Maybe once I get it to where it needs to be I will let you know.

I will now let you in on my weight loss secret. Here it is------------------------->
Yup...I do ballet with my kids every day. Yes, that is Keegan in the back with a "tutu" on. I'm thinking he has much better form than Riley.
And to be honest...he is better at it then she is.
Matt is so proud!
We play the video that goes along with it and we have a blast. Thanks Betsy - we love it!

Ok, so now my secret is out. Anyone else wanting to lose weight need to get this ballet program. It's great!

Oh the other hand....We are getting a bit worried about Riley and her Chiari Malformation. We have been noticing more balance issues, she has been falling a bit more, she seems a bit more fatigued, and she complained to my mom the other day - mymom was swinging her by under the arms and she said "ouch, it's hurting the bottom of my neck." Which they have done a million times and now it is starting to hurt. HUMMMMM. So, I called her Neuro and I believe we will be having another MRI for her in Milwaukee. I am just hoping to god that it is not starting to grow any more than it has. So, we'll keep our fingers crossed.

I made my appointment for my hysterectomy. It will be on March 9th. I am very excited and nervous about all of it. I do believe it will be for the better.

Ok - Until next time America......

my-calorie-counter.com    The webs free Calorie Chart

I was ready for a fight - and then a miracle

Ladies how many of you have male ob/gyn's? Is it just me, or do they sometimes not get it?

Now that I am all done with having "twins", I was wondering if I should switch to a female OB?

In the winter of 2004, when I was trying to get pregnant, I was referred to my doctor that I have now. He is great with helping women who can't get pregnant on their own. Especially women who have (PCOS) poly cystic ovaries. I can't tell you how great he was during my pregnancy and even when it came time to deliver my twins by c-section 9 weeks early, and even tying my tubes which he wasn't so sure was the right thing for me, but smiled and did it anyways.
He was wonderful.

When it came time for my 6 week check up, I pleaded my case about having a hysterectomy. With having PCOS, I get my period maybe twice and year, and of course, never ovulate. My ovaries are filled with cysts, there is abnormal bleeding, and a bunch of pain that comes with it all. Not mentioning the diabetic drug I needed to be on to regulate my insulin caused by the PCOS. Not a fun thing to have. He told me NO. HE thought I was to young and that the side affects from PCOS are a lot more mild then the side affects of Menopause. Who is he to tell me which is worse? How does he know? Are his ovaries filled with little cysts that keep bursting??? So, he told me NO. Ok.

Today, I had my lovely yearly exam. I was ready to put up a fight about having a total hysterectomy. As I am laying on the exam table waiting for him to finish the test, he says to me " Are you regretting the tubal I did last year?" Knowing he has no children of his own, I wanted to blurt out, " Why don't you come to my house and stay with my 4 children who are all under the age of 4, and then you tell me if I am regretting the tubal" But no, I politely said, "Nope, not one bit". He smiled and giggled. I'm sure he was thinking I was going to hate it. He tried to talk me out of it, but come on, 4 kids under the age of 4 is enough for anyone!!!

So, he starts to ask if I am having more than 4 cycles a year? I said, "no". He then tells me that I have endometriosis - which is new from last year. I said...."We need to talk..." "I have been wearing protection since August not knowing when Aunt flow is going to show up and I have been having pain!" He says to me, " Oh, That is not acceptable at all". YAH THINK!
So, I nicely started my conversation by saying, "I would like a hysterectomy please?" And wouldn't you know it.....HE AGREED!
So, here I sit waiting to schedule my appointment. I could not be happier!
Also, They now do it laparoscopiclly, not via c-section. That should make things a bit easier too. I know many of you are thinking, "She's Crazy", but until you have lived with PCOS, You have no idea......

All I can say is "Thank heavens, there is God".( and she must be female!)

I DID IT !

Well, I am here to announce that I lost my first goal of 50 pounds!!!
I can not believe it. You know, last week Molly asked me if I ever though I would be able to lose this much. There is no way I thought I would be strong enough to even lose more than 20 lbs! I had tried dieting many other times (yes, with Molly), but we always stumbled and fell off after about 10 pounds. So, for me, this is a huge accomplishment!
At 50 lbs I am - 5 pant sizes smaller and 11 inches slimmer around my waist!

AMEN SISTA!

I have 2 more goals to reach, both in 25 lb increments but I don't have a time line set for that yet. We'll see how much more I can shed before our trip.

(Thanks to Matt, we have a # 50 ND jersey, and the "I'm too sexy" song!)

50 lbs lighter and in Matt's Frat sweatshirt from College! I am also PRE- Wedding weight!48 lbs lighter... Not very light...Once again....Not very light. 4 months post c-section.... That's Molly's baby Jack.
Not LIGHT at all - but 20 wks preggo with 2nd set of twins.....In KEY WEST! (It's a "virgin" don't worry) Who goes to KEY WEST in August while preggo with twins??? They can atleast say they survived Hurricane Katrina in a Hotel!
Holy Mother of God!!!!! Keegan is a bit worried that SHAMU got on the back of his tube!

No worries this summer bud!

Thunder Thigh Thursday

Happy New year everyone! Hope everyone had a great New Year's weekend!
I sure did. We watched A LOT for football games and a few basketball games. Go Badgers!
And of course while you sit around an watch t.v. all day, there is a bit of un-normal eatting going on.
Yup that was me. I am sad to say...I do not have a loss to report today. Actually - I do. I gained 2 lbs over the 3 day weekend and today I am back to my 48 lbs today. So really, I lost my 2 lbs I gained. Oh well. As I sit here eatting my "rabbit" food, I understand I have only 2 lbs more to go for my 50 lb goal. The way my date (my dad) and I have been working out, it shouldn't take much longer. So, please stay tuned....I may post my 50lb weight loss before next "Thunder Thigh Thursday".
Hope everyone has a safe, healthy and happy New Year!

Thunder Thigh Thursday

Ok....I am finally here to blog about THUNDER THIGH THURSDAY!
Well, I must admit that it has been a rough last couple of days due to Christmas BUT - I SUCCEEDED! No weight gain to report today! Actually, I have to report a 3 lb loss! HIP, HIP, HURRAY! So....drum roll please.... that brings me to a total of 48 lbs! And here is a picture of me now.... And me then.....YIKES....and AGAIN!

Christmas at the Cole's!

Keegan, Cooper, Riley and Carson
Christmas Breakfast of Champions!!!

What did you get Keegan???
Riley got DIAMONDS from Papa!
Look Mom, I got a toothbrush!

This one is all MINE!!!

Mommy got her first "Harley Davidson" shirt

Daddy got a new "BEARS" shirt. (The BEARS still Suck daddy!) As you can see, Christmas was good to us. I hope Santa was as good to you as he was to our family. MERRY CHRISTMAS !

After 39 days..

Cooper came home from the NICU. Last year - Christmas Eve day we got to bring Cooper home!! It was the best Christmas ever!!!

We hope everyone has a great holiday season!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thunder Thigh Thursday

Well, it's that time of week again. I am only down 1 lb this week, which I guess is pretty good considering what happend over the weekend. I went off my diet Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. By Monday I was up 5 lbs!!!! Holy Crap. Who knew what 3 days of eatting like cow could turn into. So, ever since Monday I have been working my butt off to get rid of those extra nasty pounds! With that said.... I am happy with my 1 lb loss this week.
I am not sure what I will do next week. I am tempted to skip the whole "Thunder Thigh Thursday" entry, but who knows, I guess I will decide Thursday after I step on the scale.

With a 1 pound loss, that brings me to a total of 45 lbs gone, and a total of 10 inches gone from my waist. (4 pant sizes, and a whole bra size!)
Here is hoping for a new wardrobe for Christmas!

We would like to wish everyone very Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year!

Thunder thighs, friends, and bugs

We wanted to start this blog with a little reminder to our friends that we miss them . I know this isn't the best song for our message....But it's the one the kids liked the best. So, Jacob, Tyler, and KJ......We miss you guys! (Hugs from Riley and Keegan)

Ok, I guess I should report in to my "Thunder Thigh Thursday" journal. Once again today, I am down 4lbs. Yeah! That's a total of 44 lbs! Hopefully the ball will keep on rolling! We'll see what happends over the next 2 weeks. All I can do is pray for the best.

We have officially caught the sick bug in this house! Riley and Keegan have been sick of over a week now with a cold and a nasty cough and believe it or not.....it spread to Cooper and Carson.

Tuesday night I was in the ER with Cooper. He seems to be ok, but has a NASTY cough. We sat in the ER for 3 hours for the doc to tell me he has a cold. GEEZ...I didn't even have to go to med school to figure that out!
Wed, I took Carson to the dr. She has a dbl ear infection, a rash from her toes to her head, a sore throat, a fever, and an eye infection from all the lovely boogers that keep getting smooshed in.

Today, we were back into the dr's for both little kids. Carson is eatting less and less, but seems to be perking up a bit. Cooper on the other hand is getting a bit worse. Our doc seems to think he could be getting the start of RSV - a BIG no no for preemies. Annika seemed to think though if either Carson or Cooper end up with the full blown RSV, they should be ok. They are otherwise healthy enough, and big enough and should get through it with out a problem. We will keep an eye on it and keep our fingers crossed that either one of them don't end up back at Children's. So, that is all the excitment in the Cole household.
So until next week, I will keep busy by running around the house with a can of lysol, a container of clorox wipes, and a box of tissues!
That should help the pounds fall off!

After 26 days....

Carson graduated from the NICU 1 yr ago! I can't even begin to explain the emotions we felt. It was very exciting to finally bring our little girl home, but it was very sad to be seperating her from her brother. It would only be another 14 days before they would be reunited again.
Welcome home Carson! (Dec 10, 2005 - weighing 5 lbs 10 oz)

Thunder Thigh Thursday

And then 40 were gone!!!!
You read correctly...... 40 lbs - poof, gone! I almost shocked myself when I got on the scale today!!!! Yippy!!! I can't believe it!! Even after the late night Diary Queen run with Molly this past Saturday night, and after the Cinder block piece of lasagna I ate...And salad with REAL ranch, and the brick of garlic bread! WOW!!! Who knew!

Ok....only 10 lbs more until I reach my Mexico goal!!! The first "pit stop" is in sight! I think I can, I think I can......

Until next week....

Happy munching!

The "New" me picture...Stolen from Molly

Ok...So many have been waiting for the " 35 lbs lighter " picture. Well, I have been having issues with uploading pictures from our new camera so I decided to steal it off of Molly's blog. Thanks Moll! The whole Ray Clan came for a visit last weekend and we had a blast. Feel free to see pictures and read about it on Molly's blog.
I will update more tomorrow on "Thunder Thigh Thursday"! stolen

...here are a few of my favorite things

Ok, so last week, I was tagged by Molly to tell about my my favorite things.
So, Here are a few of my favorite things......




1) I am truely in love with my Dansko professional Clogs!
These things are amazing. I could walk around the world and back - if it was possible! The only issue with these shoes is that they are a bit spendy - but worth every penny!


2) Every woman needs a great chapstick. For me - I love Burt's Bee's (Beeswax lip balm). It's the bomb baby!










3) My next favorite item seems a little weird, but I am in love with my Cordless Shark Sweeper!!
Every mom with toddlers and no dog, needs this item! I have only had it a few days and it is the best!











4) Since I have kids, I must admit - You got to have Britax Carseats!! I have 2 sets of twins and we have 4 Britax Carseats. My 1 yr olds are in the Britax Roundabouts.
We have the puma print - JUST LOVE IT!








My almost 4yr olds just got the Britax Regent. We love these too!

5) My last favorite thing are my Keen hikers! If you are looking for nice winter or hiking boots - These are it! You will love them! For some reason I am not able to upload the picture, so you will just have to take my word for it!

So, These are just a few of my favorite thing!

Happy Holidays!

Thunder Thigh Thursday

Ok, as I have been reading my dear friend Molly's, and her friend Fremas blogs, I see that they are doing a Weigh in Wed. blog. Well, for me, I do not weigh in on Wed.....I weigh in on Thursdays, so I needed a good title for my weigh in story of the week. What would go with Thursday????? Since this is a weight loss story, I thought THUNDER THIGH THURSDAY sounded really nice.
I started my weight loss journey September 14, 2006. The day Cooper came home from his cranio surgery. I had put it off all summer...and by the time we had come home from our 8 day stay in Milwaukee for the kids surgeries, I have had it with my weight. Clothes always fitting snug, pants to tight around the waist, it was time to get serious. I of course, Like Molly have also had my bumps in the road. I won't lie...It's been tough. But every day I feel better and better. I have 4 children and a husband who need me - I was done being selfish!
Through today, I have lost 8.5 inches around my waist, dropped 3 pant sizes and 2 top sizes. In 2 1/2 months, I am down 35 lbs!!! I am no where near where I need to be, but It's a start. I had Keegan get on the scale with me this morning and he weighed in at 35 lbs. I HAVE LOST KEEGAN!!!! Let me tell you....to me, 35 lbs didn't seem like a big number until I saw how much Keegan weighed. Visually..... 35 lbs is a lot!
Christmas is coming and I hope I do as well through the holiday as I did Thanksgiving.
My goal before going to Mexico Jan 31st is to lose 50lbs. Hopefully I will be able to make my goal and then some before then.
Until next week - Happy munching!
Here is a picture of me 35 lbs ago. I will add a me "now" picture tomorrow.

Carson - 11.27.06

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In the fast lane going 25

Do you ever feel like life is just passing you by? That's how I have been feeling the last couple of weeks. So much going on, so little time. As you may know, Carson and Cooper hit a big milestone last Wed. - They turned 1!!! I was sure with everything we went through this past year, that the year would never end. But Nov. 15th came and went and my babies are now 1.

Last week we took a little trip out to New Jersey to visit my grandma, aunt, and cousins. Riley and Keegan are old pros, but it was the first flight for Carson and Cooper. I must say everyone did quite well. It was good practice for our upcoming trip to Mexico.

Tuesday, Appleton had their annual Christmas parade. Can you believe it is almost Christmas already? I just seems like we were swimming and playing at the lake, and now Christmas? Yikes......time is flying by. As I may not be ready, make not mistake about it - Riley and Keegan can't wait!!!!!! With every toy commercial that comes across the t.v, someone chimes in with," Oh I would love that for Chirstmas." Oh to be a young child again. I can remember getting the Chirstmas toy catalog and circling and writing down item numbers and pages numbers until I couldn't see straight.


On September 14th, I got back on track with my girlfriend Molly in our battle to lose weight. I am happy to announce that after 2 months and 9 days I am down 30lbs!!!! Yippy. Only 1,000 more to go! No, honestly -It hasn't been bad at all. I must admit I am very happy! My goal is to be down 50 lbs by the time we leave for Mexico. With that said, today is Thanksgiving - One of my favorite holidays. I am hoping I have enough will power to not eat my loss in turkey, cranberries, stuffing, mashed potatoes, fluffy fruit salads and of course, pie. But if I can not resist....I will die a full belly woman!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Happy 1st Birthday

Happy 1st Birthday Kiddos! You have been through a lot this past year and you are truely amazing! You are our heros.

Love you,
Mom and Dad

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween....Ok a little late. Here are a few pictures of my crew......crazy as ever - But fun!