I just want to say this… I struggled with the pregnancy weight for years.  I was a size 4 when I got pregnant with Corey at 19.  I lost some of the weight after he was born, but not all of it.  Joey was my largest baby, and after he was born, I was a size 14.  I hated it, but, at the same time, I was going through a rough patch in my life, and I let other things take priority.

I lost a lot of the weight I put on with Joe, but I didn’t do it the right way.  I started smoking again and rarely ate much.  I was on the go constantly, and I got down to an unhealthy size 6.  I met Roy, gave up smoking, got pregnant with Addi, and again, put on some weight.  I didn’t put on as much weight with Addi, and after I had him, I was a size 10.  I started working out, started coaching again, and maintained that size for years.  I got pregnant with Hayden, and then Dean, and when all was said and done, I was a size 12.

I was in decent shape - still strong, still had ok cardio health, but I wasn’t AS healthy as I could be.  When Roy and I took a good hard look at our lives and committed to losing weight, I started researching recipes and realized that, for the most part, I cooked quite healthy.  Lots of veggies, fruits, limited saturated fats, etc… but our issue was portion control.  In one sitting we would eat two or three servings of spaghetti.  Instead of a small portion that we really savored, we would have a whole bowl of full fat ice cream.  We simply ate too much of a good thing.

So, we started cutting back, we learned about portion control and size, we learned to cook some of our favorites in new and healthy ways, I found some sweets that I really liked that were better for me, and we started exercising.  

I enjoy exercising for the most part.  Sure, I have bad days, but I like working hard. I liked seeing my efforts pay off. 

And that was the hard part.  Roy lost weight very quickly, and I struggled.  I did more cardio than he did, went to the gym more often, ate less, and still the weight was slow to come off.  But I kept at it, though there were days I was so frustrated I wanted to scream.  It isn’t easy to lose weight, and while I don’t think having a baby is an excuse to let yourself go, it is the REASON many women gain weight.

It becomes an excuse when you let it stop you from doing what you want.  When you say, “Oh, I had a baby,” and that’s a good enough ‘reason’ for you to be overweight - then it is an excuse.

As someone that struggled to lose weight, I can’t imagine what these celebrities go through.  Look at Jessica Simpson. How many pictures have we seen of her, many not flattering?

Christina Aquilera has been ripped apart how many times for her weight?  And yet, she has one of the most beautiful voices of our generation. But that’s eclipsed because her butt looks big in the latest pictures of her.

Are Jessica and Christina bigger than they used to be?  Of course. But guess what?! They aren’t teenagers anymore!  They are women, with fluctuating hormones and appetites.  They have gone through divorces and public heartbreak, and both women seem to have come out the other end intact. But that doesn’t matter, because neither is a size 2 anymore?

Gee, what are us ‘normal’ women supposed to do?

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this show… The Voice.  American Idol, who?  I love that this show is based on haha - their voice.  The coaches don’t know who these people are. They don’t know what they look like. All they know is whether or not these people can sing.

I love that there isn’t an age limit!  Hello!  Did you see Kim Yarbrough?  She is 50!  Her skin… GORGEOUS!  But aside from that, she reminds me of one of my favorite artists - Chaka Khan, whom Adam Levine compared her to.

I love that anything can happen.  A young man, Jermaine Paul, is a back up singer for Alicia Keys.  Cee Lo and Blake turned around.  I was sure he would pick Cee Lo, but he went for the unusual route and chose to work with Blake Shelton.

I LOVE the trash talking between the coaches.  According to Rolling Stone, it’s all in good fun, but they throw out some real zingers.

And I’m a sucker for a good story.  I LOVE seeing someone go big and shoot for the stars.

And the countdown keeps on rolling along.  We break the halfway point, and there are a few songs in this segment that I would put higher if it were up to me.

60) Tik Tok by Kesha - The girl looks like a hot mess, but I’ll be damned if her tunes aren’t catchy.  If this song comes on when I’m in my car, I turn it up and start singing along; I probably dance too.  This song is pure fun… and who doesn’t want that in a pop song?

59) Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake - This would easily be in my top 20.  This is such a great song.  It’s haunting, and again… Timbaland helps out… hello?!  But the video is the real clincher. It’s creepy, but since it’s J.T. we sort of forget that. Awesome song… just a really awesome song. (Although I hate it when Roy tells me to Cry a River.)

58) I’m Yours by Jason Mraz - If you ask me what I think about this song, I’m indifferent, but when I hear it, I smile… every single time. And I sing along. And I totally want to learn to surf.  (See the video if you don’t get the reference… he’s in Hawaii.)

57) Family Affair by Mary J. Blige - Club Banger!  Ok, she makes up words - Hateration, holleration… Roy loves to make fun of it, but this song is great.  I hear it, and I want to dance.  Hell, even if you can’t dance, you’re gonna bob along to this song.  ”If you got beef, your problem not mine.”  Thanks for reminding me about that Mary… another mantra of mine.

56) Party Up (Up In Here) by DMX - DMX is like Ja Rule for me… for the most part his voice drives me nuts, but like Family Affair if this song came on (hell, if it comes on now), people got up in the clubs.

55) Mr. Brightside by The Killers - The boys loved The Killers when they first came out, but they were bummed that I wouldn’t buy them a shirt.  I didn’t think the schools would like them wearing something that said “THE KILLERS” in big, black letters!  But this is such a catchy song about jealousy and how men can’t deal with it.  I think the hosts said it’s a twitter song, and if you listen to it, that is exactly what is sounds like - twitter updates.  Too funny!

54) Don’t Know Why by Norah Jones - This song is a throwback. It has a real bluesy jazz vibe to it.  Very mellow and chill.  Great song.

53) All The Small Things by Blink 182 - I think their videos sort of steal their thunder.  They are three guys that don’t mind poking fun at themselves, and they do it with such aplomb!  BUT, they are actually pretty talented and very funny musicians.  And they have some cool ink too.

52) Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira ft. Wyclef Jean - Raise your hand if you’ve tried to shake your hips like Shakira?  Yes, my hand is raised.  I just dig Wyclef’s front handspring in the video and Shakira’s pretty red skirt.

51) Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield - I admit it… this song is repetitive, and I sort of turn the station or switch songs whenever it comes on.  That’s all I’m saying.

50) You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift - Who doesn’t remember what Kayne did at the VMA’s?  Sweet Taylor Swift accepting her award, and he jumps on the stage and makes an ass of himself. Anyways, I just love this song… it’s so sweet and honest. 

49) Bad Romance by Lady Gaga - Another song I would put higher on the list.  This is probably my favorite song from Gaga.  I think she’s saying that this guy isn’t good for her, that together they would explode, but who cares?  Let’s have a Bad Romance!  But the beat, the hook - everything - just a great song.

48) Sex On Fire by Kings of Leon - Really talented band.  Caleb Followill has a great, gritty voice, but all I can think of is STD’s when I hear this song, which is a shame, but it has a great sound.

47) Lady Marmalade by Mya, P!nk, Lil Kim, Christina Aguilera ft. Missy Elliot - Wow… talk about some big voices here.  But Lil Kim sort of ruins it for me, though when Roy imitates her rap it is pretty darn funny.  And Christina’s hair in this video… wow!

46) Picture by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow - Kid Rock can actually sing!  Who knew?  And he can write a pretty damn great song, too!  This is just a wonderful, simple, but sad song.  This would probably be higher on my list as well.

45) Let Me Blow Ya Mind by Eve ft. Gwen Stefani - Rock and Rap have gotten together before, but I think this is the first time (for me anyways) that two ladies did it with such a great style and vibe. Now if only I could afford Gwen’s wardrobe…

44) Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers - not one of my favorite songs by them, but it certainly has a great feel to it.  What I do love is that this is a band that has held up.  I listened to them in high school, and now the boys do as well.  Though I don’t know if they appreciate Mother’s Milk as they should.

43) I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry - Dean loves Katy Perry.  Ok, he likes California Girls and ET, but he still digs Katy.  This is one of those songs that you kind of liked at first, but then they played it constantly, and you got kind of sick of it.

42) Drops of Jupiter by Train - This is one of those songs that you just don’t know exactly what they are saying, even AFTER you read the lyrics.  But it sounds kind of chill and romantic, so you just don’t care if they are talking about Deep Fried Chicken or Soy Lattes.

41) Trapped in the Closet by R Kelly - What?  Really?  This is just a hot, crazy, weird mess.  There is like 20 parts to this song, and it isn’t even sung; it’s talked to music… and R Kelly is with a woman that’s married, and then the husband comes home, so he has to hide in the closet, but the husband is really gay… it’s just all over the place. Why is it on this list again?

Getting close to Number One… at least I know it won’t be Trapped in the Closet…

rebirthofnewlife asked me a few days ago what TV shows I like, and I completely forgot to mention this one: The Voice.

It’s a new show. I think it’s been on about a month or so, but I love it!  To me, American Idol is past its prime.  There isn’t even any critique on that show anymore. The judges just cry (Jennifer Lopez) or flirt (Steven Tyler) with the contestants.  Where is the coaching?  The advice?  Oh, I know… It left with Kara and Simon!

Anyways, so enter The Voice. I really like Cee Lo Green and Maroon 5 (Adam Levine, their lead singer, is one of the coaches), and who doesn’t like Xtina?! I don’t know much about country music, though I had heard of Blake Shelton.  So, I figured why not?  I can at least check it out.  So one day Roy and I watched the first episode while we ate lunch, and we both enjoyed it.  It was funny to see some of their reactions as they turned around (they didn’t get to see the contestants at first; only hear their voices), and there is no age limit, so apparently those in charge of this show realize that there MIGHT actually be some singers out there over the age of 14.  (Ok, I don’t know how old the kids on AI are anymore, but you get my drift.)

But what I really like about this show is that it didn’t use the first two months to highlight okay singers, or people that used gimmicks to get attention.  No, this show was all about people with a voice and helping them get it heard.  But who doesn’t enjoy seeing someone with talent get up on stage and push themselves to the limit?  I really enjoy seeing these people get on stage, and push, and push, and fight for something they want.

Great show!

I wasn’t sure I was gonna dig this NBC show, The Voice, but I just watched it on my trusty DVR, and I have to say… loved it!  Blew American Idol out of the water.

The show is hosted by Carson Daly, and the judges, or coaches in this case, are Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, and Cee Lo Green.

The idea that the four stars are coaches rather than simply judges is intriguing, and their performance at the beginning… Awesome! YouTube it if you missed it.

And while I am not a country fan, I have to say Blake Shelton has a really nice voice!  And who knew Adam Levine was such a ham on the drums.

Lots of fun!

Not sure what is going on, but lately my little guy has been surprisingly witty.

As I have said before, I love music.  I watch the special video countdowns on VH1 and Fuse (Because we all know that MTV rarely plays videos these days!  Why is it called MUSIC television again?) and the other day Fuse was playing the Sexiest… Sexiest Pop stars, Sexiest Dance videos, etc.  I flipped to that channel to see what was on and was greeted with Flo Rida talking about Apple Bottom jeans with fur on them.  (I have never seen this particular version of the jeans themselves, mind you.) Well, Dean and Hayden just loved that.  Dean was already standing up, so he started bopping along to the music, and Hayden jumped off the couch to join in.  (He is going to be a break dancer one day, the Jabberwockies [an amazing crew if you don’t know anything about them!] are his inspiration.)  After that video ended, Gwen Stefani reminded us that “she ain’t no Hollaback girl!”

“Why is she kicking cereal boxes?” Hayden asked me as he and Dean took in the video.  Gwen and her posse were running around a grocery store, and sure enough she kicked a box of cereal.

“Well, she is just playing.” I started with, but then thought about Hayden kicking cereal off the shelf in Target and telling me he was just playing, “Well, since she is singing, she probably paid for it and got special permission to do that. It probably cost a lot of money to do that though!”

“Oh, she is pretty too.”  He noted. I smiled, hopefully the idea that it would cost him a lot of money to kick cereal boxes in the store will put an end to any ideas he might be getting.

“Yes, she is pretty.  Mommy likes her.” I replied.

“Me too!” Hayden exclaimed.

After Gwen, we were treated to a “Dirrrrty” Christina Aguilera.  Great song, but yes, she does indeed look “dirty” in the video, and not because she is making mud pies.

“Is she trying to be sexy?” Hayden asked, and I wondered if he even knew what being sexy meant.

“What do you mean?” I asked him.

“Is she going to fight someone in her bikini?” He quizzed.

On the TV, Xtina was gyrating in a boxing ring in a red bikini and chaps.  I struggled not to laugh here.

“I don’t know why she is going to fight in her bikini.  Is she going to fight all those girls?” Hayden asked me pointing to the similarly dressed back up dancers.

“No, sweetie, they’re dancing right now. It’s just part of the video.”

He seemed fine with that answer and went back to playing with his matchbox cars.

And then… SHE came on!  Shakira - she of the crazy hips and wild hair.

“Ohh… Mommy, she’s pretty!”  Hayden was transfixed by a belly dancing Shakira.

I smiled at my little boy and his new found crush. “She is!  She is a good dancer, huh?”

“Oh!  Look at those sparklies on her back!  You should get those, Mommy.” Hayden ran over to me to make sure I was looking, “I’ll buy you those for Christmas if you want.”

“They are pretty, but probably not very warm.” I told him, touched by his desire to dress me up like Shakira.

Wyclef Jean and his friends were doing back handsprings on the TV, and I could see Hayden was gearing up to take a shot at this move.

“No!” I told him, “You need to learn how to do that.”

He looked deflated for a moment, but then Shakira reminded him that her hips don’t lie, and he was once again enamored.

“WOW, Mommy, how does she do that?” He wondered.

“Do what?” I asked him, looking up from my magazine.

“She moves her butt like that.” He pointed to the television.

“Yeah, she shakes her butt a lot, huh?”

Hayden thought for a moment, “Yeah, she shakes a lot of stuff alot!”

I laughed at this.  He was right, and in a few years, he will probably appreciate all that shaking a lot more.