Think of the children!!

I think anyone (God willing) can have a child but it takes alot more to be a parent. It is a privilege to become a parent. That child (or those children) depend solely on their parents for their basic needs (shelter and food/water) and guidance in this world. I don't think a child deserves an alcoholic parent or one that just lives for the next bottle, pill, joint, line, or rock. One that won't even get out there and look for work. One that gets child support from the other parent just to spend it on booze to drink their troubles away and cigarettes. If I had only $5 to my name and no food in the house, my kid would have a meal and not go out and buy a pack of cigarettes. Yea, life isn't easy for a single mom. Nobody ever said it was but too many people have done it and have done a fine job doing it! While back, I called the other parent of this child to let him know what the mother of their child was doing and he was shocked and upset. Just recently, she lost temorary custody of her daughter and is fighting to get her back. She is blaming me for losing her daughter. I think if she did nothing wrong in the first place she would have never lost her. I think we ALL (myself included) need to take responsibility for our own actions and not look for someone else to blame constantly when things go wrong. I have never claimed to be the perfect parent. I have done things I'm not proud when it comes to raising my children but i'm sure every parent has had regrets or wished they'd done things differently. I never want to see a child taken from their mother unless it's for the best interest/welfare of the child(ren) and in this case I truly believed it was. I hope this child lives the life she rightfully deserves and that the mother of this child finally gets her act together and grows the hell up! :)

50 things about me ♥

1. I was born February 26th, 1984.
2. I have been married since September 23rd, 2006.
3. I am the mother of 4 awesome kids. They are 6, 3 and the twins are 1 ½ yrs old.
4. I LOVE God! He is the reason for my being.
5. My parents are the best. I couldn’t have asked for better ones. Sure they have their flaws, but who doesn’t? We aren’t Jesus Christ!
6. I had my first child young, I found out the day of H.S. graduation that I was pregnant with him.
7. Most people know that I am NOT a modest person. Burps and farts don’t gross me out, LOL!
8. I am not a girly girl. I like to be feminine but mostly I’m just like “one of the guys”.
9. Watching football is my second favorite thing to do on Sundays.
10. I mostly like rock music but I really listen to EVERYTHING…unless it’s country or in Spanish.
11. I played softball most of my youth life and I miss it. I will play again when I’m back in shape.
12. Half of my family lives in Germany and I have been there 3 times already, it’s beautiful!
13. We go to church at Clife in Forney and we love it there!
14. My first job was at Taco Bell in Mesquite when I was a sophomore in high school.
15. I would much rather listen to music than watch TV anytime!
16. I LOVE to try new foods but my favorites are Mexican, Italian, and of course American cuisines.
17. I LOVE working out. I feel so much better after I do and I have so much more energy now.
18. I think tattoos and piercing are intriguing and cool to look at although I only have my ears pierced and no tats (yet).
19. I love rocking out at concerts!!
20. Getting pedicures and manicures are SO relaxing and I love having pretty hands and feet.
21. I realized that my cell phone is really NOT a necessity in life and I CAN live without it.
22. Cooking is one of my top passions. I am very good at it and I am always looking to make new and interesting entrees.
23. I have broken both of my arms when I was younger. Once in 5th grade from a bicycle accident and the other arm in 7th grade from a horse riding accident.
24. Large dogs are awesome. A yip-yip ankle biter isn’t considered a dog to me.
25. I love cats! Although, the last one I had was made mean by my oldest (when he was 4) and then he started attacking him and getting his revenge.
26. I have a horrible habit of procrastinating. Lazy sometimes too.
27. I have a better long term memory than I do short term but it’s getting better.
28. I am NOT easily embarrassed.
29. I hate shoes and socks. I would wear flip-flops year round and everywhere if I could.
30. I believe everything should be done right the first time, there shouldn’t be room for halfway done…of course that rule doesn’t apply to myself.
31. Airplanes are awesome. I love flying and they cease to amaze me every time I drive by the airport I always stare at them taking off or landing.
32. I would love to own my own restaurant one day or at least be top chef somewhere.
33. As far back as I can remember I have loved tigers, both colors. They are so strong and powerful and absolutely beautiful to look at.
34. I am a HORRIBLE liar. I always have been busted in my lies when I was younger. It’s so much better AND easier to tell the truth.
35. I am more of a pessimist than an optimist. I working on switching that around.
36. When I cry, it’s hardly ever when I’m sad but rather when I’m mad. I cry mostly out of anger.
37. I am a social nut! I am always looking for ways to get a bunch of people together. I love mingling and entertaining. I am very outgoing.
38. I am a very impatient person. Well, most of America is unfortunately. We want everything NOW!
39. If you are going to surprise me, DON’T tell me you have a surprise for me! Then I will nag you so much that you ruin it for me. LOL
40. I am a very inquisitive person. I like to know everything about everything or everyone.
41. I talk a lot. Many of times it has gotten me in trouble. I hate being talked over or interrupted.
42. You will usually get advice from me even if you don’t want it. I’m well known for that.
43. When something makes me angry, I have a hard time bottling it in and letting it fester. Usually it comes out right then and there.
44. I don’t wear my feelings on my sleeve. But I am very transparent. If I am sad or mad, you will know it.
45. I let people take advantage of me. I have a hard time telling someone no when they need me for anything.
46. My two favorite holidays are Christmas and Easter. Christmas, the birth of Christ (although December 25th is not actually the day he was born) and Easter, the resurrection of Jesus into heaven.
47. I love birthdays…especially my own. It is the day you were born, CELEBRATE IT! I also love planning my kids b-day parties.
48. I made a lot of bad decisions when I was younger but I wouldn’t go back and change one thing. They have all led me to be the person I am today.
49. I love big bodies of water. Lakes, the gulf, and oceans! I like being in or on (in a boat) the water. Beaches are so serene.
50. Stupidity or lack of common sense is my number 1 pet peeve. Repeating myself is a close second.

Gallbladder surgery update

Well I had my gallbladder surgery this morning. It lasted about an hour or so. My surgeon is also a WLS surgeon. She said before going in that she was going to look over my bypass while she's in there and make sure everything looks good. They got my gallbladder out ok. There was a large stone stuck in my common bile duct. My gastric bypass looked good she said and they found a hernia around the area where my intestines were attached together from my RNY. There was a hole in the fat so she just sutured that together to prevent my intestines from going through that hole and possibly causing a bowel obstruction. There were no complications from the surgery. Well, after coming to, I was shaking and shivering so they gave me heated blankets and some demoral to stop the shaking. Then once I was fully out of the anesthesia they got me out of bed and into a recliner on wheels and wheeled me into the day surgery post-op recovery area. They said I could get ready and go home as soon as I felt like it. I asked them for some liquid Lortab while I was in there for the pain :) LOVE THAT STUFF!! Also, they wrote me a prescription for some pain meds in pill form. I told them that my doctor doesn't suggest pills and to give me liquid Lortab. They said you should be fine with the pills. I said LOOK I'm not comfortable taking pills (that are big i'm SURE) so they re-wrote my prescription!! HAHA That's what I though! LOL I left there, filled the prescription at the CVS in town and went by walmart and got some popsicles and soups. Picked up the meds. Went home. I tried to eat some southwest corn cream soup but I wasn't up to eating (which they said just eat as I'm ready to....liquids the first day) so I took some Lortab and went and laid down and slept for about 6-8 hours waking up inbetween for more medicine :) OK so I'm done writing my novel....I'm still pretty sore so I am about to take some more medicine and go back to sleep. All is GOOD! Take care everyone.

Gallbladder surgery tomorrow

OK so tomorrow I go in to have my gallbladder removed. It's full of stones. I'm going to see if they will let me see it. THAT WOULD SO ROCK! HAHAHA I am weird I guess but I have seen so many of them come through the laboratory and I'm really interested in seeing my own!!! LOL I'm really nervous because surgery is still surgery and anything bad could happen...so, please, everyone keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I appreciate it very much!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE ALL YOU PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!

Soft foods/puree stage diet

Also, many people get SO tired of eating the same crap day in and day out during this stage (2-6 weeks post-op). I have gotten alot of questions or inquiries about what I ate in that time frame. Some of the foods below I didn't find out about until I was past the 6 week mark but I still enjoy eating the soft "slider" foods on ocassion...even though I shouldn't!

Here's a list of soft foods I ate from 2 to 6 weeks post op:

pureed chicken/tuna salad
fat free Pace refried beans with melted cheese (sometimes with a little Herdez salsa)
scrambled eggs (with or without melted cheese and some Herdez salsa)
cottage cheese (I didn't use fruit bc of the sugar content but spaghetti sauce instead)
yogurt
deli shaved meats
Ragu (thick meaty spaghetti sauce with 97/3 ground beef or turkey) and ricotta
french onion, cream of potato, fat free split pea or black bean soup
cream of chicken soup and sugar free jello
hummus
oatmeal or cream of wheat/grits

I hope that helps alot!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) xoxoxo

Getting in your protein!

I've had alot of people ask me for help with protein so I'm going to post my ideas and thoughts in this here blog LOL! :) I know this was one of the hardest things for me to get down after my surgery and it's STILL a battle on some days. I hope this helps others out as I have picked up info here and there from other WLS friends here on OH or other online sources or books.

Pre-made protein shakes were my LIFESAVER in the beginning. Chocolate...is BY FAR...the BEST flavor you can get because it tastes the most like a regular shake. The rest just made me want to vomit HAHAHA. I like te EAS Myoplex lite and Muscle Milk 100 calorie chocolate shakes. Eventually I would say find a protein powder shake you like since it doesn't have all the preservatives and artificial "crap" in it that the pre-made shakes have. What I've found though if you like coffee, get some instant decaf coffee and add a little to your vanilla protein shakes and BAM!!! INSTANT PROTEIN COFFEE/LATTE :) Another good add in for vanilla protein shakes is sugar free jello powder!! MMMMMMM! Also, try adding peanut butter to your chocolate protein shakes to make it more like a Reese's candy taste AND it adds protein!!! One thing I lived on for lunches was fat free refried beans with some melted cheddar cheese mixed up together (1/2 cup total) and it was a great source of protein and fiber! If you have a food processor you can put some tuna, mayo, and relish s&p in there and puree until it's complete MUSH and eat that. Any good moist protein pureed is pretty much fine...just make sure it's not TOO wet or TOO dry ;) Also, if you buy flavorless protein powder at GNC you can add it to your scrambled eggs or egg beaters before throwing it in the skillet...same goes for the pureed tuna/chicken salad AND hamburger patties! There are many tricks to getting extra protein ;) Also you can add the flavorless protein to some home made sugar free jello to make protein jello (try with instant pudding mix too). If you have flavorless protein powder just add little bits here and there and the amount adds up!

Weightloss and alcohol part 2

OK so I posted the last blog on MySpace as well as here and a friend who also had WLS replied to it and I felt it necessary to post it here. I will not name names but please read...it really shocked/scared me!! NO MORE DRINKING FOR THIS CHICK!

"Not only does the dense calories cause a stall but I also learned this at the education class tonight (so how ironic you blogged about it) ... alcohol in gastric bypass patients causes huge liver problems. My surgeon was just at the annual GB conference in Dallas and she shared the articles with us tonight ... because it's a malabsorptive surgery we filter things different through our bodies now ... and alcohol is one of them. You are hugely more prone to liver disease or failure as compared to a regular person. I guess surgeons and doctors are beginning to see a big increase in GB patients with liver complications. So I am all for less alcohol and more protein!! :) but that's just my .02"