Shrimp anyone?

Yes another shrimp recipe that was a success! I really enjoy shrimp and surprisingly my kids like it too.  This recipe I found on Eating Well. It's called Quick Shrimp Enchilada Bake and it was a nice substitution for either beef or chicken enchiladas. Not to mention it was super easy to make. I heart easy recipes, they can make my whole day better. lol.

Eating Well

Add this recipe to your grocery list and try something new next week. It's always fun to switch it up. Also I thought it would be good to add some chopped green onions to the shrimp mixture. I'll try it next time I make it. I hope everyone has a great Tuesday! Ta ta for now.

The fresh water.

Mondays are so much work. There's so much catching up to do from being on the go all weekend. Wouldn't you agree? Hubby and I had a stay at home date night with the Hunger Games and Pop Secret on Saturday and yesterday after church we went on a picnic and to the beach with my family. (That would include Mom and Dad Wags, Marie (sister), Tony (Brother in law), and their kids; Alex, Madilyn, and Jaxson.) I love living close to Lake Michigan! The guys went hiking while us girls went down to the water with all six of the kids. (Keep in mind that 2 of the 6 kids are nursing.) Of course we went down to the water without the kids' swim suits because we thought it was too cold for them to swim but we should have known they wouldn't care, they ran straight for the water anyways. Needless to say, they ended up swimming in their underwear. lol. Of course they were freezing when they got out but my mom said it's about memories. Here's proof of the daring children.

Miss Kylie (My middle child)

The freezing part. Very happy kids though.

I told my husband and sister, "I need a strong drink after that experience at the beach." Never again will I think it's okay to bring 6 kids to the beach without our husbands. What were we thinking? They had fun though and that's what matters. 

"BELIEVE because it works"

I know I just had a baby 7 weeks ago so no one needs to remind me when I say I am starting Weight Watchers (WW) next week to help me lose the babies weight. The reason I say babies is because I'm still holding onto 25 extra pounds from being pregnant with Mya too. My kids are 21 months and 18 months apart. I'm hoping to get a break from being pregnant so that I can drop this extra weight and feel good, become the athlete I use to be. I have 45 lbs to lose. I am excited to get back to that healthy weight because when I see myself in the mirror now I see a beautiful woman but I'd love to see a fit mama looking back at me. Does that make sense?

The reason I chose Weight Watchers is because I've done it before back in 2007-2008 right before I got married. I loved it! I lost the weight and felt in control.
Here's what I looked like before three babies:



Now this is my most recent picture. It was taken last week with my cousins at the Unity Festival.
What I look like these days:

So here's what I'm hoping to do. I would like to post at least every other week about my weight loss journey. I have a hard time remembering sometimes so if someone wants me to update a picture of my progress then let me know. I'm making the change and hoping to make it perminate.

So here's to making the change! Wish me luck.

You can have it too.

This is Mel's  picture... I do not take credit for it.

Oh how I adore and waste tons of time on Pinterest! Hours go by and it only feels like minutes to me. Anyone else find themselves doing the same thing? There's just something relaxing about dreaming of DIY projects, food, future home ideas, fashion, and having all the time and money in the world to do everything I pin. lol. If you're not following me on Pinterest then you are missing out on some great repins, but you don't have to miss out anymore because you can see what catches my eye at http://pinterest.com/akmoran87/! You won't regret it because I have great taste. lol.  To prove it, I will share with you one of the recipes from my food board that I made this evening for dinner. Yup, I put one of my pins into action AND not only was it a success, it was a hit! The whole family chowed down. I even made some to bring to a couple at our church who just had their first baby. (Adorable baby btw) Ready for the recipe? It's called Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps. It's healthy too! I found it over at Mel's Kitchen Cafe! This is just something she "whipped up real quick with ingredients she already had" LOL. I wish I was that good. Seriously though, you have to try this even if you have to go out and buy the ingredients. Just put it on your next grocery list. It's super easy and I will even leave you with a few tips that will make this meal even easier and better:

1. You can cook the rice earlier in the day since it only needs to be room temperature or warm and if you don't have leftover chicken just boil your chicken while your rice is cooking. Wala, longest part done.
2. Ever used a Pampered Chef Food Chopper? A.mazing! This baby will have your cilantro chopped within a few seconds. If you don't have one I would suggest finding a consultant and making them your friend. I seriously use it all the time. Not to mention it's an awesome stress reliever... those that have one know what I'm talking about. ;)
3. For those of you who aren't counting calories, try this with the new Mayo Chipotle Sauce. Awesome!

So if you try this recipe leave me a comment and let me know how you liked it. There's no way you can mess this recipe up if you just follow the directions. Enjoy!

Beer goggle moments.

My family has been through some tough times the last few months. Sometimes I tend to ask God, "Why?" Does anyone else do this? I'm sure we all have at sometime in our life but at the point of brokenness and being desprate for an answer I tend to feel so alone in the world. Now, I KNOW I'm never alone and it just seems that way, but it's hard to see outside of my selfish little world sometimes... it's like I have beer goggles on. To best describe it, it's the moments when everything around me is crazy, confusing, and giving me a major headache. I just can't see straight to the truth when I'm a hot mess.

The truth is:
God comforts me through my heartache and brokenness;
God has control of the chaos around me;
God gives me clearity when I am unsure;
And He will never leave me nor forsake me!

Psalms 9:10- Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalms 55:22- Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Philippians 4:7- And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.

Psalms 111:10- The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise.

So it really is okay to wonder why hardships keep coming after you one after the other, but it's improtant to know that God's got everything under control. In other words, He's got your back no matter what! Thank the Lord!

Breasts are the best.

I feel truly blessed to have been able to nurse all three of my children. When I started nursing Levi I forgot how much I missed that bonding and closeness you get from breastfeeding. Since this month is breastfeeding awareness month I thought I might share a few encouraging thoughts and some links that I find interesting. I honestly believe that breastfeeding is the best choice I made for my kids. I do understand that some women cannot breastfeed and really want to. My heart goes out to them.

For me when I started out as a young first time mom, at 21 years old, I wasn't too sure about the whole breastfeeding thing. My mom, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law were the ones who pushed me to try it and stick to it. My S.I.L. is one of those women who didn't get a fair chance at trying to breastfeed because her milk didn't come in fast enough for the hospitals liking so they pushed giving her son formula but she was an awesome big sis and stayed to fight off any nurses who would try to pressure me to give Mya formula. Love her!

Not only was it great to have the women in my family back me up and encourage me to breastfeed but I joined a breastfeeding group at our hospital. (I know some churches have boob groups too.) These girls helped me through more than just breastfeeding Mya. Since we all had kids about the same age we asked a million questions to one another and had play dates. We still get together even after 3 years. I guess boobs and babies really create lasting friendships. lol. We did go through a lot together and they know things about me some of my closest friends wouldn't understand. So I would highly recommend finding a support group you're comfortable with.

Something new I am doing this time around that I didn't do when breastfeeding the girls is donating my milk. My good friend told me about Helping Hands Milk Bank. You donate your milk and for every ounce you donate Helping Hands donates $1 to the Susan G. Komen foundation for breast cancer. How awesome is that?!? So by donating you can help TWO causes. The reason my friend started is because she recently had a preemie baby who had to be in the NICU. She said to me, "You just don't think about the need that preemies have for breast milk until you've been there in the NICU." I'm pointing a finger at me because I never thought about donating before until she made me aware of the need. It can help save infants lives. If you're interested in donating or just checking it out you can find more info at www.helpinghandsbank.com. P.S. when you donate 300 ounces they will send you $300 to reimburse you for your breast pump. Helpful... Right?!?

Now onto an interesting blog post I read today that just floored me and opened my eyes once again to the world of advertising that I sometimes forget about: Stop it Enfamil! Right now! Advertisers can be so tricky. They know exactly how to ween their way into our thoughts... The right wording, statement, fact, or simply by using a picture. The same e-mail used in this blog post gets sent out to 1,000s of breastfeeding moms who maybe struggling or having a hard time with sticking with exclusively breastfeeding. The formula company sends the e-mail out at the perfect time, when mom is just finishing up those 6 weeks of taking it easy, has to get back to work, or has things she wants to do. They made it sound like breastfeeding can't be convenient for moms on the go. It made me think twice about formula companies motives for "encouraging" women to breastfeed. Did you know that most formula companies have a 24 hour breastfeeding hotline? I've called the Simulac breastfeeding hotline at 3 am because I had a serious nursing concern and had no idea what to do or if I should go straight to the ER. I found it completely strange before but now it makes perfect sense because chances are if you use them in a time of need like that you'll use their product in the future. Just read the blog if you haven't already and you'll know what I'm talking about!

So to wrap things up, I hope more women can be encouraged to breastfeed their babies. There is no shame in doing it and it is not disgusting. It is the best thing you can do for your baby when they're out of your womb. (Plus is can burn up to an extra 500 calories a day. SCORE!) I've never met a woman who has said she regrets breastfeed her child or has said she wishes she would of given her baby formula sooner. I have heard women say, "I regret not even trying to breastfeed my baby" or "I wish I could have breastfeed." For me personally, I breastfed Mya for 11 months and Kylie for only 3 or 4. I now feel selfish and wish I wouldn't of given up so quickly with Kylie. I can't go back and change it but I know I will breastfeed Levi for as long as possible. Yes, I am even one of those moms where I will breastfeed my child past 12 months. It's not harming the kid but I understand nursing past a certain age or stage isn't poplar. We all have our limits but when you see a mom nursing next time do all the breastfeeding moms a favor and say some encouraging words to her. She is doing a good job and in some ways she's brave for stepping out and doing what can be an unpopular thing. It will brighten her day and make her want to keep going. 

Howdy Partners.

Got my new double stroller finally so the littles and I took our first walk just the three of us! It took me a while to get them all ready so we didn't get to go out until noon. Yikes! Hot! We still walked for a hour though! I put both the girls in the stroller and I strapped baby boy on me. We had so much fun. Mya pretended we were cowboys the whole time and called me "Partner". LOL. She also kept yelling at the people we passed by, "YEE HAW!" Love that girl. So here's my partners.

 So now I just have to get one more hour of workout in for the day. I'm thinking I'll stick the girls in the kiddie pool and do some squats, push ups, jumping jacks, ect. So happy to be working out again. Happy Monday everyone!