I had never even heard of such a thing. People drink milk that isn’t of cows and bought in the store?? NO WAY!

My mother-in-law has a friend that owns her own goats for milking purposes. (she also owns a health food store and is pretty much my first call in most situations) Merrilee milks the goats when this lady has to be away for a milking time or when she is on vacation. My mother-in-law LOVES this job. It’s therapy for her. Seriously.

Not long before I got pregnant I joined her to milk. This was a new experience for me. I was very unsuccessful.

Once SB was born my MIL filled my head with why it was better that babies be on goats milk rather than formula. I listened but i wasn’t quite ready to make the jump. When SB was 10 months I went out with her to milk. (for the life of me i cannot find the pictures!!!) This time I was very successful (guess you have to nurse to really understand milking –okay that’s kinda gross, sorry). I took home some of the milk and started giving it to SB and he loved it!!

I got some questions from my pedi about feeding my child something raw, unpasturized and from a goat….but it worked. SB was on goats milk until the goats stopped producing that year.

With Starlet, I’ve been waiting for these goats to produce. Yes, I realize there are places in the area you can get milk, but I was okay with formula. (I’m only semi-crunchy remember — oh and I’m super frugal and that stuff is PRICY!).

Last week we went out, as we do almost every year, and played with the baby goats. SB & The Negotiator had SO much fun. TN is fearless and will pick up any goat. SB on the other hand prefers to see them from afar. Starlet enjoyed some goat love too….maybe a little too much goat love.

You can really tell how much SB isn’t really into this. He quickly left to play in the barn. (LOOK at TN’s face!!! CUTE!!)

Momma Merrilee in her element!!!

The Negotiator picking up more goats….

Starlet eating a goat. (poor baby. this was 20 min before her dr visit for strep i had no idea she was so sick!!)

Why is goats milk better?? Well truly I’m not 100% sure. I know that it is easier to digest. I know that it is the closest to breast milk and that anything in its raw state is better. But for the rest google it! Here is the frist link from when i googled. LINK

lunch meat. yes, i am serious. i am craving a turkey sandwich. i LOVE sandwiches. but suddenly, i’m scared of lunch meat….not the nitrate issues, but the look. it started the other day when i was making a sandwich with my usual packaged meat. just the look was freaking me out. i dumped the package and decided to but deli meat the next week. so i go to the deli and i’m sitting there thinking, those “turkeys” don’t even look like turkeys. they look like a balloon filled with turkey. fail. again. so, short of smoking my own turkey, are there any options?? crunchies? any advice??

When I started out three weeks ago I was signed up to attend 10 sessions. Because of my detour, I missed out on the rest of week one. Then, when I got started back up, I missed because EP was gone. Then this week I missed one session because Starlet had kept me up overnight. So, I made 5.5 of ten.

That first day, I thought I was going to die. Like, seriously, thought I may pass out right then and there. But, after completing this week I was blowing and going. I ran a mile with ease. I could jump without being scared (okay, maybe I’m still a wee bit nervous). My core feels tighter. My muscles feel good. I ran hills in the dark backwards. Learned about snot rockets. Peed in the grass. Worked out in 30* temps at 5:30 am. But most importantly I feel AWESOME and, an added bonus, the scale dropped 2.5 lbs. Overall, I am SUPER satisfied with this course.

The instructor, Anna, is a delight. She doesn’t let you quit, she pushes just right and she’s ALL about positive reenforcement. Okay, have to admit, all the positive talking wasn’t my favorite thing at first, but today when I was running and cheering on my group of girls, I totally understood. Anna’s influence had rubbed off, we were working as a team because of the environment created around us.

So, locals (and i can see you), go check out this site and think about it.   WWW.DFWBOOTCAMP.COM

Excuses? Here are my answers…

Yes, getting up at 5 to be there on time is hard. I have to say, though, I feel energized all morning because I’m up, have worked out, and dressed all before the kids wake up (also yielding to a pretty good morning quiet time!).

Yes, it’s cold. I promise you, once you get moving you don’t even remember that its cold. I honestly feel like my body is working harder in the cold because I’m working and trying to keep warm. (By the way, when its ridiculously cold or rainy, there is an indoor facility that is used.)

Yes, it’s hard, but nothing a beginner couldn’t handle. There are people of all skill level there. Some have never worked out, some are trying to get back into the swing of things, other are fitness freaks! Everyone works at their own pace. And no one is ever left behind!

{Thank you Kelly for telling me about them! }

Last night I slept in my workout clothes, yup my husband laughed too.  I figured it would be best not to have to get dressed on one of the coldest morning this fall.  I woke up all night long thinking I should get up.  1:45; 3:20; 4:45….seriously, don’t you hate that?

I get there this morning, we do a brief warm-up and then the leader says, “Okay gals, lets head to the track!”  Uh, the track? Really?  Didn’t I explain my current fear of running/jumping?  The goal she says is to maintain a pace two laps.  But somehow, I probably wasn’t listening, after the second lap she says we are doing a mile.  A MILE??  I haven’t run period since I crossed the finish line at the White Rock Half almost exactly 2 years ago.

I survived the run and actually impressed myself.  Go me.  Then we do some band work….shoulders (ugh – i just did shoulders, chest and tris Saturday).  Then she says “pony up.” I’m looking around like, “Huh?”  And a gal puts a band around her waist and says, “Hold on.”  This almost killed me.  After running a mile now I’m holding back another person running and then I have to run while that person holds me.  Thought I was going to die right there.  Repeat the bands and running three times.  Seriously, yall, at the end of the third I thought I was going to puke.  FOR REAL!

I’m still trying to collect myself and its off to walking lunges with weights…this lady doesn’t want me to survive, I’m sure of it. Following the walking lunges we work on core (praise the LORD most of it was lying down!).  Stretch and DONE!

I’m not lying when I say if I hadn’t already paid I may not be going back!  I.am.beat! Just kidding, I would go back.  I said yesterday that I hadn’t been going all out…today I went all out and it felt great. I miss that feeling (okay, not the almost puke feeling but EP would totally say its a good thing). I have ten more sessions until they have a holiday break.

The cool thing was, I came home and got all showered and dressed before the kids were even up.  BAH!  What an awesome feeling!!   I have the whole day ahead of me and working out isn’t staring me in the face.  Nice!

Off to track my food (I may try to figure out how to post that on this new blog like I had on a previous, but not sure how I want that….), wrap presents, clean the house, finish the laundry….the sky is the limit today folks!

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This Thanksgiving I was dealt a very large reminder of being thankful for my health and family.

Last Friday, I had a wonderful girl day.  My friend L and I went to see New Moon, had a fabulous lunch and did a tiny bit of browsing on Main Street.  We laughed, chatted, and enjoyed every second before having to return to our everyday lives with kids and husbands.  I love those days.  But this day ended up horribly wrong and left me longing for my husband…and wanting to hug my friend.

L’s husband, J, woke up that morning just fine, but while getting dressed for the day suddenly had this horrible pain in his back.  Like our generation always does, L & J googled the symptoms and were pretty sure it was only kidney stones. He had some other things to finish that day so he pressed through the pain.  After we got out of the movie, L got a call from her husband saying he was still in some pain and going to run to an urgent care in the area.  After our lunch she he said he was going back for x-rays to confirm kidney stones.  L & I shared a small laugh about men and pain and I wished her well nursing her husband through the weekend as we all know how terribly painful kidney stones are.  We hugged and parted ways around 3pm.

I get a text later in the evening (maybe around 7) that is was not kidney stones, it was a bleeding abdominal mass and that he needed surgery.  What?  Are you serious?  Immediately I was struck with guilt over joking so lightly!  Who would have ever known??  Even J didn’t realize it was something worse…I mean come on, we are young and healthy!! What was going on??

L blogged about it here.  I won’t even try to rewrite what she has said. But what a reminder of being thankful for health!

My dear friend who I was laughing and joking with was faced with possibly losing her husband just hours later. I couldn’t imagine. I prayed for hours for his recovery…..for her strength…for my own family and health.  Be thankful.