Harms Family News

I am planning to do a book review of an excellent parenting book I am in the midst of reading. It is from Ironwood Camp and is written by Debi Pryde. I have read her books before, but this is my first time reading her book for mothersl, and I know her daughter so I am certain Mrs. Pryde did something right as a mom. The book is titled Parenting with Wisdom and you can purchase it at this link . Here are a few interesting tidbits about the book: It is written by a mother for mothers. She understands us! It is FILLED with scripture. Most statements are made after presenting scripture, and those that are her opinion are clearly marked as such. There is none of this "XYZ is what you need to do, thus saith the Lord" unless the Lord really did say so. It is easy to read and not at all stuffy. It has case studies that could easily be used as discussion in a Bible study/mom's group type setting. It recognizes that while dads are vital to the raising of children, much of the true ...

So this was my worst week for inch loss, but still good - 5 1/2 inches. That makes a total of 35 inches! My clothes are fitting better for sure, and I hope for my first SIZE loss this coming month. It's kind of hard to judge size loss, though, because i think I was refusing to be the size I truly was. So I said I wore a certain size, but probably wore the size above. So who knows. What I do know is I can button shirts I've been wearing as jackets, without a gap. I can sit all day to work in my "skinny" jeans without having to unbutton them, and my family noticed. We spent the day in the car yesterday which always causes me to be, well, bloated. I also missed one day of exercise because I had a very sore back. so I am happy.

Sometimes I still think about my baby. Sometimes I wonder how he or she would have fit into this family. Sometimes, I wish I were shopping for maternity clothes rather than rejoicing in lost inches through T-Tapp. Sometimes, when those around me who are pregnant announce their genders, some getting the much-desired gender they do not have, I wonder if that baby was “our boy.” Will I never know the joy of raising a son here on this earth? Sometimes, I wonder how I will feel when those who got pregnant around the time I did are giving birth. Yet, sometimes, I am so grateful I am not expecting right now. There has been a lot going on. I am not coping with some of it well. My hands feel full. And when I feel those feelings, I feel tremendous guilt. How could I be glad my baby is gone? I never named the baby. I know a lot of women who lose a baby do. For me, because I do not know his/her gender, he/she doesn’t have a name. Then, in a way I feel like I am letting that baby down. I guess I ne...

Sometimes, my children surprise me with their fears. I picked up my littlest one from Mom's Day Out the other day to learn that she had had a complete meltdown at lunch time. The culprit? "Owls say whoo whoo ." We had heard an owl that morning when getting into the car, and apparently it had scared her, unbeknownst to me. She has talked about that quite a bit since then, and it didn't really stop until I found and showed her a picture of an owl. I don't think she knew what they were. A couple of nights ago I was putting the girls to bed and we were starting in on the brushing teeth/going potty part of the process. I think I said I was tired or yawned, and Miss N said, "Why are you so tired?" "I must be getting old," I joked, in the way you can when you are 30 and tired. She got a horrified look on her face and started to tear up. "Mommy, you are NOT old. I don't want my mommy to be old, You are NOT old." She ran over and gav...

Lately, I have been noticing signs that my two girls really do love one another and are becoming friends. We have our fair share of sibling rivalry and days when I throw my hands up in surrender thinking I am raising worst enemies . Then, I get little glimmers into what life with a sister can really be like. This week Miss N got her first minor scraped knee of the season. I was doctoring it up because it was pretty dirty, and she was crying pretty hard. Miss M went and got her a toy of some sort and patted her on the back. "Thanks (sob) Miss M, (sob), You're my BEST friend." was the response. in the midst of the tears, this mommy's heart was melting. I told her, "That's right, and your sister is a friend who will always be part of your life." She will soon enough know the temporary heartache that comes from "best friends" who move to a new school after the school year, I fear, with the upcoming end of preschool and start of kindergarten. There ...

This week on T-Tapp I was not feeling very confident. I was retaining water, and if you are a lady reading this you will understand, and we'll just leave it at that. So here is my result: I lost 8 inches and gained 1/2 inch in two areas, the lower abdomen and one arm, for a net loss of 7 inches. This puts my total net loss in 4 weeks at 29 1/2 Here is what confuses me a little. That is a lot of loss, but I'm still in the same clothing size? But then I realized, there are 14 measuring sites, which means that the loss is spread over the entire body. Also, my clothes are fitting better - I think before I started T-Tapp I was squeezing myself into my clothes. Some are getting loose - one pair of workout shorts was falling off last week! There's also something called "fat shift" that happens with T-tapp, according to the trainers I met on the forum. Before the fat is burnt off, it has to make room for the muscle. So, I have had some gains in my upper belly while losing...

Miss M has always had a lot of hair. She's only 2 1/2 and she's had at least five haircuts, the first being before she turned 2. Today, we went to a beauty shop for the first time because our in-home hair dresser was having a baby today. My little girl has her shortest cut yet and it's so cute! Before! This was jumping on the trampoline (the shirt was self-chosen and I'm too lazy to iron a two-year-old's shirt on an at-home day) During After: Mommy: Can you sit here and look at me so I can take your picture? Miss M: NO picture! Mommy: Please? This was the resulting pout A slightly better "after" shot. I am linking up to Simply Modern Mom this week!

So the issue at hand in our family that seems to be directing everything is naps and bedtime with our youngest. I vaguely remember having a similar issue with our oldest at age 2, but with her there was only one sleeper to worry about, so we could just let her scream until she realized she wasn’t going to win. Here is the issue. Miss M would really rather not nap anymore. Yet, I believe she still needs to nap, and I know without a doubt her sister does. This battle has been ongoing for months, and there have been days she hasn’t napped. On those days she is a mess by 6:00. We eat dinner at about 6:00. Makes for an interesting evening. The day after non-napping days are horrible. Bedtime on non-napping days is horrible. Oh wait, bedtime is horrible all of the time. Nevermind. I believe that my children need to have “quiet time” regardless of whether or not they sleep. BUT, Miss M will not be quiet. And it’s not just that she’s whispering or playing quietly. She will not BE quiet. She is...

I had a slight gain in my abdomen (1/4 inch) which could be related to water retention (sorry, TMI) Lost 8 inches total, with tremendous 2-inch loss in the lower abdomen (the extra flab/skin from pregnancies resides there). This one I have visibly noticed this week. Total for 3 weeks is 22 3/4 inches of net loss. Oh, and I gave up pop, and that probably has helped too. Let me tell you, Hoedowns work wonders for hte mid afternoon slump that typically sent me for the caffeine. When I was exercising last night, my shorts did NOT want to stay on. I also FINALLY lost a little in my thighs and calves - not much in the calves, but loss is loss and I am learning it all adds up. I cannot mention enough how thankful I am to have found T-Tapp. So, plan is one more week of T-Tapp only, then probably anohter week or so since we will be headed to KC soon, and when we return adding back in running/walking as long as my knee will allow. With T-Tapp from what I understand you have to be careful about o...

Five years ago today, I became a mother. This tiny bundle has led me on the most amazing journey. I won’t say my “greatest” adventure, as marriage to my husband has been quite a ride, but she has changed me, grown me, and molded me into the woman God wants me to be. Natalie: One Year Old Five seems so old! She is officially no longer a baby in any way shape or form. I'm not super sentimental, and I loved four-year-old life. I'm not sure if I am ready for the next stage quite yet though. Natalie: Two Years Old Natalie: Three Years Old Natalie: Four Years Old! Natalie: Five years old! Here are some accomplishments over the last year: First sleepover at a friend's house. Learning to read! (just short vowel three-letter words, but read them she does!) Going to camp for the first time. Asking Christ to be her Savior. Starting preschool. Getting over a fear of the water. Getting glasses. I'm sure there are more, but I am beyond tired, so this list will have to suffice for to...

Happy Birthday to Miss N! In honor of my newly-turned five-year-old, I am starting an annual interview. So here are her questions and answers! Later if I have time I will post the annual "see how I've grown" post. What is your favorite color? Pink and purple What do you want to be when you grow up? A mommy and a horse rider Who is/are your best friends? Abriana, Hannah, Aliyah, Ben, Abby, Lilli, Joie, Maddie, Alyssa What is your favorite thing to do? Go to the museum What is your favorite cereal? Life and Cheerios What is your favorite vegetable? Carrots What is your favorite drink? Chocolate milk and juice What is your favorite toy? Horseys, cows, and donkeys What is your favorite TV show? Magic School Bus What is your favorite game? Long Memory, Candy Land What is your favorite book? My princess book What is your favorite restaurant? The ones that give out toys What is your favorite holiday? Halloween What is your favorite animal? Donkey, Cow, Horsey If you could change...

Here are my results: I lost 9 inches, but gained 1/4 inch in one of my arms. So that makes a net loss of 8 3/4 inches. The total for the two weeks is now 15 inches. Again, this is just 15-20 minutes of exercise, 6 days per week. I am also in the process of giving up pop, so I'm sure that's not hurting anything. Other than that, no dieting. Trying to be wiser in my choices, but no true dieting. 2 inches total on waist. 1 1/4 on the tush. Most of the loss so far ha been upper body - chest, pecs, bust. That might sound bad (who want to loose in the bust, right?) but when you have that nasty "back fat," it's a good thing. Upper body was not getting toned at all with running. I haven't lost much on the legs or arms, but I am sure that will come, and honestly, I'm ok with my lets for now. Sure, I would like to tone them, but they are not my biggest "problem" - I want my gut gone!

Ok, I've been blogging way too often. So much on my mind and so much I want to remember! But, I am tyring to do the Project 52 project consistently, so here is a post for this week. I was soaking a pan in some dish soap and water, and it had been soaking for a while. (For the record, it was nothing nasty, just some little bit of something stuck in a corner I couldn't get out. In other words, the water was fairly clean.) "Mommy, can I touch the bubbles?" Miss N asked. The water was cool, so I said yes. The next thing I knew we had both sides of the sink filled with soapy water and two happy little girls playing together - for an hour! With no fighting. (The thing that appears to be a pile of something yucky in the corner of the picture is actually no bake cookies cooling on the counter that we had just finished making together).

I think I have been spending too much time at Miss N's school. Between the Valentine's party and some volunteering I have done, I have gotten bit by the bug. I miss teaching! It's official! Oh, but I don't miss getting up and dragging everyone out the door by 7:30, bringing home piles and piles of papers, trying to figure out what to cook for dinner after spending all day with little people, dealing with parents (now I am the parent, 'gulp'), and all of the other non-teaching aspects of teaching. But, by golly, I miss the classroom! I miss seeing faces light up with understanding (Ok, those times were few and far between with middle schoolers), and the hugs and jokes and friendship with coworkers. Kids are funny. I enjoy being around them. I enjoy the process of teaching. I could go back, but we are going to have more babies. If I stop writing and drop my clients, it will not be so easy to start back up again. Is God trying to tell me something? Are my days as a...

"Mommy, I want to get something for Mrs. C for her birfday. A radio." This came out of the blue in the car one day. I have learned with this child not to brush off things like this because she's usually been thinking about it for a while. (Mrs. C is the much-adored K4 teacher.) "A radio? Why? Is this something she wants?" "Yes, because hers is broken. The top is broken off and we have to get Miss Melissa's radio to listen to music and sometimes we can't listen to the fishie song. So she needs one." "Do you know when her birthday is?" "No. Maybe you should ask her." Finding out was easy enough, since the birthday list was posted on the wall. There are a lot of birthdays this month! The next step was finding out if there was a CD player that was within the teacher gift buying budget. There was. Miss N was soooo excited when we found it. She was also worried too, "Mommy, I hope no one else gets Mrs. C a radio, or that sh...