Confession #6- Im sick doing the P90X

I woke up in January and decided that I was sick of my pudgy belly and jelly roll appearance! Rick and I had been discussing doing the P90X together (I thought we would at least get a few laughs out of it), but the thought of a 90 day commitment was overwhelming! Well, I set my mind to it and religiously did it every morning for 90+ days! You can see the results above... it works! I did it to prove to myself, my hubby and my family that this Mama can still rock a bikini after 3 kids! I felt great after the 90 days and was confident in my appearance- tone, muscular and only had 8 lbs before I reached my weight goal! After the 90 days you must continue to work out to "maintain" your physique... why did I not think of this before I started? Im so sick of working out and now that I have gone from 7 days a week to 5 days a week, the belly flab is beginning to show again, grrrrr! Im motivated to stay in shape and work at my body, but Im exhausted and still wishing my abs and flat stomach would appear miraculously! Ok off to P90X is up! I think Insanity is next!

Confession #5- I rather get a Pap Smear

If I had to choose, I rather get a pap smear and see my gynecologist than go to the dentist! I dislike spending a half hour in a chair with someone scraping at my teeth and watching the plaque fly all over my shirt, making me jar open my mouth for longer than I desire, and experiencing bloody gums and pain in my mouth weeks later. I guess its my own fault... I haven't been to the dentist in four years! You should have seen the look of "nastiness" of the dental hygienist when I told her this magical number. Thankfully, she wasn't one of those hygienist that ask you questions the whole time, so you drool even more all over yourself and sound like that one character from Charlie Brown- whaa whaa whaa whaaaaa! So 30 minutes later, Im cavity free and my teeth feel too clean!

Pap Smear 2 minutes vs. Teeth Cleaning 30 minutes- I choose a PAP SMEAR!

Down memory lane... I remember when I was little I always use to want to drink milk right before I went to the dentist office. I thought it would make my teeth whiter and that the dentist would be super impressed with the color of pearly whites!

Confession #4- Im too young to stop!

I just turned 27 and quite frankly I'm too young (in my opinion) to be done having kids! How do you know when you have reached your limit? Maybe I have this sense of wanting more because I want a little girl, but something inside me tells me its more than that. I love having babies, love being pregnant, love labor/deliver, I love all of it! I always joke that Rick and I are going to have the next reality show called Rick and Christine Plus Thirteen : ) Call me crazy, but that sounds wonderful! On any given day you most likely will hear me complaining about how my boys don't listen or behave or clean up the right way, but honestly they are good, sweet, amazing, kids whom I love to death! I'm going to take a month to pray about how God sees our family and if it needs to expand and then go from there! God already knows the size of my family and if its a family of 5- Hallelujah! And if its a family of 13- HALLELUJAH!

Confession #3- I love coupons!

Ok ok, so if you know me, you know that I love coupons! I could talk with someone about deals, coupons, freebies, whats going on at what store, all day long! Im pretty sure people (especially my hubby) get sick of me rambling about the latest deal I scored or whats on sale where and for how long! There is a reason for why I coupon and why I love to talk about it so much... its not as obvious as you think! Its not because I love to save money and its not just because I love FREE stuff! And no its not because my pastor said that "scoring a good deal" or "finding something on clearance" is the greatest foreplay ever (so true I might add). I love coupons because its what Im suppose to do for Jesus and His Kingdom!

Couponing is my ministry! I know some people feel God calling them to adopt or do missions in East Asia, but my calling is HERE to serve with these talents and abilities! I love being able to serve people with one little trip to my stockpile! If you haven't already, check out my site: Faithful Savings. Not only do I feel led to give stuff away, but I want to educate people on how to save, spend wisely and ultimately give more to the Kingdom!

I was so excited tonight when my friend contacted me to see if I could donate toiletries to a friend of hers who is struggling financially! Without hesitation I knew I could give razors, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, tampons, pads, deodorant, etc. The awesome thing is I didn't pay a dime for any of it! I felt blessed to have been able to help this family and so blessed that my friend knew she could contact me!

Confession #2- Praying Wife

Confession #2- I don't pray for my husband as much as need to!

He is the person I love, cherish, desire, ache for, hope for, long to be with, can't go a day without; yet, he is one of the last people I usually pray for on a daily basis. Yep, that would be my Mocha Man, my hubby! Why is it that everyone or everything seems to get more prayer than my best friend, my husband, the father to my children? I like to pass the blame and say I am praying for other really important things, but what could be more important than praying for Rick?!

I just started reading Power of a Praying Wife (also just got Power of a Praying Parent) and I realized how little time I spend praying for my amazing husband. The book has really opened my eyes to the things I need and want to be praying for for Rick! I am taking on the challenge of praying for my husband for 1 month straight, as well as following the book as a guideline! Im excited to see the changes that will come about from this prayer time!

Confession #1- I want a daughter!

Confession #1 :
I have three amazing, handsome sons: Rick (3), Cristian (2) and Miguel (6mo.), but I desperately desire to have a little girl, a daughter! I love my boys, but my heart aches for her... I remember when one of my good friends told me she was disappointed when she was expecting her 2nd child. She already had a daughter and now was expecting a son. I thought- that is the perfect family, 1 boy, 1 girl. Plus, how could you be disappointed with what God blesses you with. You are able to have children, be thankful! I now know the disappointment she experienced.
It wasn't until I got pregnant with my second and found out I was having another boy that the disappointment set in. As soon as the ultrasound tech said boy, the tears began to fall! I tried to hide it in the room, but as soon as my husband and I got in the car, I started crying hard. I felt like my dreams had been shattered... It didnt help that my husband felt the same way (although he got over rather quickly). I remember he shared that he wanted a daughter and my heart melted. The crying spells lasted for weeks and eventually I accepted that I was having another son. I rationalized that, "I can talk my husband into trying for one more". I knew 3 would probably be the limit, so even before I had #2, I was thinking of #3. As soon as Cristian was born though, I fell in love with my second son!
Not only did I want a daughter, but my in-laws really wanted a grand-daughter. They already had 3 grandsons and were hoping for a little girl as well! While they said congrats and  gave their best wishes, I could tell that they were disappointed too! I think that only added to the hurt and disappointment. So when Cristian was 8 months old, we tried again praying and hoping for our sweet little girl! To my surprise a month later, I was pregnant!
I usually enjoy my pregnancies right up until the point where I find out what I am having. I was feeling pretty confident that I was having a girl! How could God not bless me with this huge desire that he knows both my husband and I have! We had prayed and prayed some more, sharing our deepest thoughts of what it would be like to have a little girl. I had the nursery theme picked out, the picture perfect birth announcement design in my head, her name, brand new PINK clothes, etc. Well the ultrasound day arrived around 21 weeks and once again, we saw a penis on the U/S. I instantly began crying and filled with anger! I screamed when we got in the car and cried my eyes out. I thought eventually the feeling would pass, but up until the day I delivered I was praying the U/S tech was wrong. I was not a very pleasant pregnant woman to live with. My disappointment over took my life and I began hating this life of living with 4 boys and what all that would include: excessive farting and burping, football Sunday, messy rooms, blue blue and more blue. I pictured myself as Cinderella and the thought disgusted me! All I want is to braid hair, wear matching pink dresses, get her ready for prom, play with barbies, etc.
To top things off, my SIL, Rick's 2 cousins, and oh a handful of my friends, all just either had little girls or will be having them in the near future! Please God, help me survive all this pink that isn't mine!

Coffee Talk

Every morning I wake up, usually too early, because my oldest son who is 3, thinks that 6 a.m. is the appropriate time to get up, and I have my first (yes first) cup of coffee. After having my second son, I decided that I needed more caffeine in my diet... no caffeine wasn't cutting the long nights and excessive energy from two boys. Well call me crazy, but I had yet another kid (another boy). 3 kids under the age of 3- do the math! You can say that because of these three boy blessings I am a full blown coffee addict. Its funny because I use to call my mom that and thought she was absolutely nuts (actually I thought she had a problem) for drinking so much coffee! I now know why she drank so much coffee and still does! My thoughtful husband bought me a Kuerig Machine for Christmas (best invention ever!) and this is where my coffee talk begins...