OK- So you've all heard me talk about Advocare but I've never really gone into detail about it. I took Advocare products in college and got down to the smallest size I have ever been! But life happened and I forgot all about Advocare until Lauren Banks Miller blogged about it one day! I ordered a few of my favorite products, and quickly got started! I convinced Brian to do their 24 day challenge with me, along with both of my parents and a few friends as well. Everyone saw amazing results. Brian and I had more energy than we have had in years. I quickly started losing all my baby weight from Miller. And Brian quickly started to see his work outs improving in the gym and his muscles getting bigger! He even ran his first half marathon thanks to Advocare! My dad has lost 30 lbs so far, and my mom has lost 10! The products WORK! But what I didn't know yet is what an amazing opportunity it would be to work for the company.
I was driving home one day from one of Miller's doctors appointments, and I got a call from Lauren. She said, "Kimberly, I know you are staying at home now and you could totally make some extra money selling it." At first I was very skeptical, but after doing my research on the company, I was pretty impressed. First and Foremost, it is a Christian based company with excellent morals and values. Drew Brees is their national spokesperson and most of the Saints Football team take Advocare products! The company has been around for 20 years and has a scientific and medical board that is incredible, so you can be sure you are taking the finest of the finest in nutritional supplements. So my journey selling Advocare began.
This past weekend, I thought I was going to Dallas for basic training. Learning the products, how to make money, etc etc. I.was.wrong. I was going to one of the best, most motivational and uplifting things I have ever been to in my life. This company is so much more than a nutritional company. They are a company that believes in their people, that empowers each person to be the very best that they can be. I heard from some of the best motivational speakers in the country! I left feeling like I could do anything and everything that I set my mind to do. Which I can. And so can you. Did I mention they had a church service on Sunday morning? INCREDIBLE!!
I am hosting an Advocare get together at my house this Tuesday night at 7. If you live in the Hattiesburg area, and are even remotely interested in the products or the extra income, please come hear my good friends Lauren and Nick Miller share their journey and explain the products. It will be quick and painless and you won't feel like you have to buy a thing!! I promise!
I'm not going to start blowing up my personal blog with Advocare stuff, I promise, but this has really been on my heart lately. Ever since I returned from Dallas, I just want to share with the world how they can make money and stay at home with their babies at the same time!! My dream come true is coming true!
7.29.2012
7.26.2012
Busy As a Bee
The months of June and July were jam packed with things going on. I had baby showers, engagement parties, birthday parties, we added on to our house(another blog to come), summer camp for Mags, doc appointments for Miller, and now a garage sale this weekend!! Whew! It appears as though August is going to be even crazier!! Here are some of the highlights!
He's officially a belly laugher. Always laughing at his big sister!
We tried food for the first time! Squash! He loves food now. He eats baby food 2-3 times a day. If he would get some teeth in, we would try real food! But for now, we are enjoying his toothless little grin.
He discovered the exersaucer. He loved it at first but now he is kind of over it already!! He prefers to be on the floor able to roll every which way possible!
Maggie started summer camp with her best friend, Anna Caston, in matching dresses of course! :)
Miller getting good at lifting his head up!
Waiting on some FOOD!!!
We've enjoyed several lazy mornings in our jammies with all this rain we've been having!
And enjoyed some 32 Degrees yogurt one HOT afternoon!
Sometimes Miller likes to dress up like his daddy.
He turned 7 months old! He weighs 21 lbs and is 28 inches long!
We had a very fairy princess picnic in our backyard! Only "Baby" was invited!
Mags last day of summer camp was today. I am going to have to find some things to do to keep these kiddos occupied until fall school starts!
***Bad Mother Confession*** Last week I was so tired. Dog tired. I picked Maggie up from school and both of the kiddos fell asleep in the car on the way home. Now I knew if I tried to carry them in sleeping, for sure ONE of them would wake up! So what does a good mother who needs a nap do???? I pulled into our driveway, put my tahoe in park, and took a 45 min nap in the car with them!!!! I'm sure my neighbors were pretty impressed. Hey...you do what you gotta do. Right??
This past weekend I went to Advocare Success School with Lauren Banks Miller. This weekend was honestly one of the best things I have ever done in my life. With that being said, it deserves a whole blog post to itself! Stay tuned...
7.09.2012
The New Me
Ok, here is the post I keep coming back to, but cannot finish. It brings too many emotions up and the tears just start flowing. My Miller turned 7 months old yesterday. He IS a miracle. 30 years ago babies with this heart condition did not live 7 days. Now, as Miller turns 7 months old, I am reminded of all the things I have learned from my sweet Miller and our journey together.
1- First and foremost, teach your children about God. When I think back on those first few days after leaving the hospital, and all the emotions that I felt, He was the ONLY thing that kept me going. He carried me when I didn't feel like walking. He gave me strength when I was too weak to get out of bed. He gave me comfort when I was scared to death. He gave me hope in what felt like a hopeless world. I'm telling you friends, NO amount of education, money or even good friends and family could have gotten me through these past 7 months. I needed HIM more than I have ever needed anything in my life. I thank my parents for teaching me to know, love, and grow with Jesus Christ. I thank them for making me go to church on Sundays, even when I would spend the night out with a friend and begged not to have to go. These seeds planted early in a child's life really DO grow. I promise you, if we all did a blog post in 30 yrs about our kids, most all of them will have gone through some kind of hardship. Without Christ in their heart, it will be a very difficult journey. So teach them well. I know now it doesn't matter whether my kids go to Oak Grove or PCS, whether they grow up in this neighborhood or that, whether they have a car on their 16th birthday. My single.most.responsibility as a parent is to help them know, love, and grow with their heavenly father. This is the ONLY thing that will get them through this evil world.
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
2- Invest in people. Invest in Relationships. Trust me, if you haven't already, one day you will desperately need friends and family in your life to lift you up through hard times. To support and love you when you desperately need it. To hug your neck. To bring a meal. To send a letter. To buy you a devotional. To PRAY for you. Invest! Go to their kids birthday parties. Go to the baby showers and engagement dinners. Return a phone call, even when you don't have time. Just give your time. Give your love. Even when it's the last thing you want to do on a Saturday, do it anyway. It means so much. My friends and family kept me afloat during the first few months after bringing Miller home. We have never felt so prayed for. When we got home after his first surgery, friends had stocked my refrigerator and pantry full of food! And then the meals started coming and I think we had dinner brought to us every night for an entire 6 weeks. We were overwhelmed with the amount of love that people showed us. We received hundreds of prayer grams in the mail. We received gift cards to restaurants around town with cards telling us we deserved a "date night." We felt so loved during these past 7 months that I feel it my duty to love on others this way. And I plan on doing just that!
Dear Friends, Let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God. 1 John 4:7
3- Quantity=Quality. I remember reading a parenting book when I was pregnant with Maggie, and it was saying that the biggest misconception about parenting is quantity vs. quality time. It said that most parents think they can spend one quality afternoon or night with their kids and they have done their job for the week. But in the eyes of a kid, quantity time=quality time. See there is no such thing as just quality time. It doesn't matter to a kid whether you are taking him to the circus or throwing sticks in the backyard. It doesn't matter if it's a trip to Disneyworld or a trip to Walmart. In THEIR eyes, quantity of time equals quality. I realize now how incredibly short life is. And although I don't like to admit it out loud, or even think about it, we never know when our last day with our kids will be. I'm writing this in hopes that I can get much better at it myself! Let's put the laundry up for the day. Don't worry about the mess in the kitchen, or the yard that needs mowing. Read a book with them. Play hide and seek. Bake an imaginary blueberry pie at their kitchen and eat every last drop with fake utensils(which we have already done this morning). Just BE with your kids. In the last month, I have known of 2 kids under the age of 5 who lost their life. Both were unfortunate accidents. I'm sure the parents were going back beating themselves up over NOT reading that book, or playing that game with them. I've also been following the little girl Ava on facebook who is fighting a deadly brain tumor. She was fine one day and the next the doctors were giving her parents terrible news. LIFE IS SHORT! Just BE with your kids every second that you possibly can. I once heard a motivational speaker say that the one single thing most people regret when they are on the death bed is not spending enough time with the people they love, and mostly their kids.
Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17
4- Miracles happen every day, so believe in them! Do not stress over the little things. Be thankful. Feel blessed. And as hard as it is, give your worries over to God. He will do GREAT things in your life if you trust him!!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. Philippians 4:6
Since I didn't document Miller's 6 months stats, I guess I will do so now. Miller weighed 19 lbs. 7 oz. He was 27 1/2 inches long. He was in the 75th percentile for both. He is wearing a size 3 diaper, and 18-24 month clothes. He is a CHUNK!!!! He has more rolls on his little thighs that I can count! He is a JOY to be around and I thank God every single day that he blessed us with Miller. If I could go back and change it all, I don't know that I would. Of course I would like to avoid the surgery part on Miller's little body but our whole family is better and closer because of it. And I truly believe Miller will be a better man because of what he has been through.
To my Miller,
You will read this one day and I want you to know how incredibly proud your mommy and daddy are. You have handled your journey like a champ, with a big beautiful smile on your face the entire time. You have hardly complained, and are a complete JOY to have in our house. We can't imagine life without you now. You were the perfect addition to our family. Your big sister loves you to pieces and is always watching out for you. She checks your heart daily with her stethoscope to make sure you are ok. She always ask when we are going back to the hospital, and I tell her it will be a long long time. I hope you use the journey you have been on to glorify God one day. Tell everyone about the miracle that you are. Tell everyone how God saved your life. I hope that one day you are so very thankful for the life you have been given. You have parents and a sister that love you beyond description. We will do anything and everything for you, my sweet little man. We love you so much!
1- First and foremost, teach your children about God. When I think back on those first few days after leaving the hospital, and all the emotions that I felt, He was the ONLY thing that kept me going. He carried me when I didn't feel like walking. He gave me strength when I was too weak to get out of bed. He gave me comfort when I was scared to death. He gave me hope in what felt like a hopeless world. I'm telling you friends, NO amount of education, money or even good friends and family could have gotten me through these past 7 months. I needed HIM more than I have ever needed anything in my life. I thank my parents for teaching me to know, love, and grow with Jesus Christ. I thank them for making me go to church on Sundays, even when I would spend the night out with a friend and begged not to have to go. These seeds planted early in a child's life really DO grow. I promise you, if we all did a blog post in 30 yrs about our kids, most all of them will have gone through some kind of hardship. Without Christ in their heart, it will be a very difficult journey. So teach them well. I know now it doesn't matter whether my kids go to Oak Grove or PCS, whether they grow up in this neighborhood or that, whether they have a car on their 16th birthday. My single.most.responsibility as a parent is to help them know, love, and grow with their heavenly father. This is the ONLY thing that will get them through this evil world.
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
2- Invest in people. Invest in Relationships. Trust me, if you haven't already, one day you will desperately need friends and family in your life to lift you up through hard times. To support and love you when you desperately need it. To hug your neck. To bring a meal. To send a letter. To buy you a devotional. To PRAY for you. Invest! Go to their kids birthday parties. Go to the baby showers and engagement dinners. Return a phone call, even when you don't have time. Just give your time. Give your love. Even when it's the last thing you want to do on a Saturday, do it anyway. It means so much. My friends and family kept me afloat during the first few months after bringing Miller home. We have never felt so prayed for. When we got home after his first surgery, friends had stocked my refrigerator and pantry full of food! And then the meals started coming and I think we had dinner brought to us every night for an entire 6 weeks. We were overwhelmed with the amount of love that people showed us. We received hundreds of prayer grams in the mail. We received gift cards to restaurants around town with cards telling us we deserved a "date night." We felt so loved during these past 7 months that I feel it my duty to love on others this way. And I plan on doing just that!
Dear Friends, Let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God, and knows God. 1 John 4:7
3- Quantity=Quality. I remember reading a parenting book when I was pregnant with Maggie, and it was saying that the biggest misconception about parenting is quantity vs. quality time. It said that most parents think they can spend one quality afternoon or night with their kids and they have done their job for the week. But in the eyes of a kid, quantity time=quality time. See there is no such thing as just quality time. It doesn't matter to a kid whether you are taking him to the circus or throwing sticks in the backyard. It doesn't matter if it's a trip to Disneyworld or a trip to Walmart. In THEIR eyes, quantity of time equals quality. I realize now how incredibly short life is. And although I don't like to admit it out loud, or even think about it, we never know when our last day with our kids will be. I'm writing this in hopes that I can get much better at it myself! Let's put the laundry up for the day. Don't worry about the mess in the kitchen, or the yard that needs mowing. Read a book with them. Play hide and seek. Bake an imaginary blueberry pie at their kitchen and eat every last drop with fake utensils(which we have already done this morning). Just BE with your kids. In the last month, I have known of 2 kids under the age of 5 who lost their life. Both were unfortunate accidents. I'm sure the parents were going back beating themselves up over NOT reading that book, or playing that game with them. I've also been following the little girl Ava on facebook who is fighting a deadly brain tumor. She was fine one day and the next the doctors were giving her parents terrible news. LIFE IS SHORT! Just BE with your kids every second that you possibly can. I once heard a motivational speaker say that the one single thing most people regret when they are on the death bed is not spending enough time with the people they love, and mostly their kids.
Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17
4- Miracles happen every day, so believe in them! Do not stress over the little things. Be thankful. Feel blessed. And as hard as it is, give your worries over to God. He will do GREAT things in your life if you trust him!!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. Philippians 4:6
Since I didn't document Miller's 6 months stats, I guess I will do so now. Miller weighed 19 lbs. 7 oz. He was 27 1/2 inches long. He was in the 75th percentile for both. He is wearing a size 3 diaper, and 18-24 month clothes. He is a CHUNK!!!! He has more rolls on his little thighs that I can count! He is a JOY to be around and I thank God every single day that he blessed us with Miller. If I could go back and change it all, I don't know that I would. Of course I would like to avoid the surgery part on Miller's little body but our whole family is better and closer because of it. And I truly believe Miller will be a better man because of what he has been through.
To my Miller,
You will read this one day and I want you to know how incredibly proud your mommy and daddy are. You have handled your journey like a champ, with a big beautiful smile on your face the entire time. You have hardly complained, and are a complete JOY to have in our house. We can't imagine life without you now. You were the perfect addition to our family. Your big sister loves you to pieces and is always watching out for you. She checks your heart daily with her stethoscope to make sure you are ok. She always ask when we are going back to the hospital, and I tell her it will be a long long time. I hope you use the journey you have been on to glorify God one day. Tell everyone about the miracle that you are. Tell everyone how God saved your life. I hope that one day you are so very thankful for the life you have been given. You have parents and a sister that love you beyond description. We will do anything and everything for you, my sweet little man. We love you so much!
7.02.2012
We Did It!
In the words of Dora the Explorer, "We Did It! We Did It! Hooray!! We Did It!!" We made it past Miller's second surgery and I am embarrassed that I am just now blogging about it. I have run into 3 people lately that I haven't seen in years that told me they read my blog. Whoops, I promise to do a better job!
We are 7 weeks post surgery tomorrow. We are thrilled, relieved, excited, thankful, etc. etc. I feel like I have been treading in the deep end of a swimming pool for 6 months, barely holding my head above water. BUT NOW....I feel like I am sitting on the side of the pool with a cocktail in my hand. Things are SOOO good. Miller is doing phenomenal. He is a normal little 6 month old baby, who laughs out loud, eats like crazy, rolls around and puts everything in his mouth, and is super curious. He is just the sweetest little guy in the whole world. We are starting to get out and about with him, and he loves to go places. He is nosy, nosy, nosy and checks out everybody and everything in site. He especially loves to take Maggie to school with me so he can see all the other little boys and girls!
I have been working on a much more serious blog, mostly about what I have learned and how I have changed through all of this. It will be coming next. Then on to the more fun things, like what in the world we have been doing for the past 7 weeks. For now, here are some of the latest photos. These were actually taken 2 days before Miller's surgery.
5.09.2012
Pre Op Appointment
Yesterday we took Miller to his pre op appointment. I cannot believe his surgery is 6 days away. To say that I am nervous would be a huge understatement. I would be lying if I said that I didn't want to kick and scream like a 2 year old child and beg God not to make me do it. Not to make me drive to Jackson and hand my child over to a team of surgeons to open his chest and perform heart surgery on my 5 month old. What I really want to do is just curl up here in some comfy pj's and hold Miller hostage forever. However, the choice is not mine to make. This surgery is not elective. It is a necessity for him to survive.
I learned yesterday that Miller now weighs 16 lbs. 10 oz. He is a big boy, and the doctors are thrilled with that. Dr. Salazar told us a healthy baby means a healthy heart. We continue to thank God daily for our support group. I get comments from people all over the country on our caring bridge site. I think we are on every church prayer list there is! I just got an email from a high school friend who forwarded me her church's newsletter this week with a prayer request for Miller and his upcoming surgery. I can't tell you what that feels like, but it brings me to tears every time. God is watching out over this precious boy, and it surely helps that SO many people are praying for him!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. Phillipians 4:6.
This has always been one of my very favorite verses. However, have you ever really tried to do as God commands us to do. Do we realize how much we worry? How anxious we are about everything? In Matthew 6:27, Jesus says, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" This is so so true, and yet we stress about decorating our houses, being craftier than the mom next door, picking up toys after dinner, what to wear to a special event, the list goes on and on. I know so many people who get up in arms about the things that really do not matter. I used to be one of them. I still am one of them. During these last few months, I have tried SO HARD to live out this verse. When I'm feeling worried or nervous, I just thank God for all he has given me and give the rest to him. That is probably, single handedly, the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Just give my children over to God. I am a type A personality, always in control, always organized with a specific plan. But I did it, and I hope you have too. No matter how hard we try not to think about it, our kids lives are not in our hands. So I've spent many hours lately praying to the man that gives and the man that takes away.
I know Miller will do great with this surgery. His heart will be working so much better after this, and he will feel like a million bucks. Our family can return to a somewhat normal lifestyle, without the worry of another surgery anytime soon. I have the upmost confidence in God's plan for Miller, and for our family. He has never let us down, nor will he ever. Please pray for us as the surgery day approaches. Pray that we have the strength to hand over our miracle baby to this amazing group of doctors. Pray that Maggie understands why we have to spend a week or two in Jackson, and that she isn't worried about her baby brother. Pray that Miller has a fast and pain free recovery. And pray for the doctors. Dr. Salazar has made it clear of his faith in the Lord, and I have the upmost confidence that the greatest physician of all is telling Dr. Salazar exactly what to do that day!
I will update our caringbridge site while we are in the hospital. Thank you for your love, support, prayers, etc! http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/millerbrianmoore
I learned yesterday that Miller now weighs 16 lbs. 10 oz. He is a big boy, and the doctors are thrilled with that. Dr. Salazar told us a healthy baby means a healthy heart. We continue to thank God daily for our support group. I get comments from people all over the country on our caring bridge site. I think we are on every church prayer list there is! I just got an email from a high school friend who forwarded me her church's newsletter this week with a prayer request for Miller and his upcoming surgery. I can't tell you what that feels like, but it brings me to tears every time. God is watching out over this precious boy, and it surely helps that SO many people are praying for him!
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. Phillipians 4:6.
This has always been one of my very favorite verses. However, have you ever really tried to do as God commands us to do. Do we realize how much we worry? How anxious we are about everything? In Matthew 6:27, Jesus says, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" This is so so true, and yet we stress about decorating our houses, being craftier than the mom next door, picking up toys after dinner, what to wear to a special event, the list goes on and on. I know so many people who get up in arms about the things that really do not matter. I used to be one of them. I still am one of them. During these last few months, I have tried SO HARD to live out this verse. When I'm feeling worried or nervous, I just thank God for all he has given me and give the rest to him. That is probably, single handedly, the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Just give my children over to God. I am a type A personality, always in control, always organized with a specific plan. But I did it, and I hope you have too. No matter how hard we try not to think about it, our kids lives are not in our hands. So I've spent many hours lately praying to the man that gives and the man that takes away.
I know Miller will do great with this surgery. His heart will be working so much better after this, and he will feel like a million bucks. Our family can return to a somewhat normal lifestyle, without the worry of another surgery anytime soon. I have the upmost confidence in God's plan for Miller, and for our family. He has never let us down, nor will he ever. Please pray for us as the surgery day approaches. Pray that we have the strength to hand over our miracle baby to this amazing group of doctors. Pray that Maggie understands why we have to spend a week or two in Jackson, and that she isn't worried about her baby brother. Pray that Miller has a fast and pain free recovery. And pray for the doctors. Dr. Salazar has made it clear of his faith in the Lord, and I have the upmost confidence that the greatest physician of all is telling Dr. Salazar exactly what to do that day!
I will update our caringbridge site while we are in the hospital. Thank you for your love, support, prayers, etc! http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/millerbrianmoore
5.03.2012
Recap of April
April came and went before I could even blog! Miller had his 4 month check up and all was good. He weighed 16 lbs and was 26 inches long. He was in the 85% percentile in both. He's a big boy now!! He is wearing 12 month clothes!
Then we had a little scare the first week. Miller got a fever virus late one night and he was screaming and we couldn't calm him down. We took him to Forrest General ER and they airlifted him and me in their helicopter to UMC in Jackson. We were there for 2 nights where they monitored him closely. This was my view when we landed on top of the hospital at 5am!
Sweet sweet boy
Jack turned 1 with an adorable sock monkey birthday party!! He has a smile that is contagious!! Maggie was a BIG help opening his presents and eating his cake.
We had a great Easter. We went to church on Friday night. Our church had 5 Easter services and Friday night worked best! Sunday we had a wonderful lunch at my parents's house and managed to get a couple pictures!!
All ready for school. Only 1 more week left until summer break.
My main squeeze. He has developed into quite the little character. He has a belly laugh that will light up a room. He is so vocal. I can put him under a ceiling fan and he will squeal at it for hours like a little pig! He is a total rolly polly and is definitely rolling over now. He is also teething like crazy so EVERYTHING goes in his mouth! He is fascinated with watching his big sister.
We went to Anderson and Benson's first birthday party! Cannot believe they are 1!!
We went to Saylors 1st birthday party too. It was a sunshine theme and I love any excuse for Maggie to wear yellow!!
We've had low grade fever and a runny nose for a week now, which means lots of naps on the couch!
Teething
Brother and Sister LOVE. Look how big Miller is. He is a total chunk now.
I LOVE this picture. It describes my house perfectly.
Sorry for all the iphone pictures. I rarely lug around my real camera now! We had a second hospital stay the third week of April for Miller's pre surgery heart catheterization. It went good. He hated waking up from the sedation medicine and had a hard afternoon recovering, so they kept us overnight to monitor.
April in a nutshell was 2 hospital stays, 3 kid birthday parties, 4 month check up, both of my parents birthdays, Easter, and Brian and I had a get away one night to the coast with some really good friends. I am exhausted just thinking about all we have done! Oh...and did I mention we also potty trained Maggie! Woo hoo!! And...Brian is training for his first half marathon! Whew!
The countdown is on for his next surgery. 12 days left. Please pray hard for us.
3.28.2012
Help!
People. Help.
I need some good work out songs on my iPod. Seriously, last night while jogging I was listening to my work out mix and Taylor Swifts "Fifteen" comes on! Yep. You heard me. Sad thing is, it was one of the best ones on there! My 10 yr. old niece's playlist is way cooler than mine, I am sure of it! So help! Post your work out playlist! Or message me some of your favorite people to download.
K. Thanks.
I need some good work out songs on my iPod. Seriously, last night while jogging I was listening to my work out mix and Taylor Swifts "Fifteen" comes on! Yep. You heard me. Sad thing is, it was one of the best ones on there! My 10 yr. old niece's playlist is way cooler than mine, I am sure of it! So help! Post your work out playlist! Or message me some of your favorite people to download.
K. Thanks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
