Soap recipe

Soap recipe...

1 bar of fels napetha (cheapest at walmart, I tried zote, allergic to ivory)
1 cup of WASHING soda
1 cup of BAKING soda or borax (both work the same IMO)
1 cup of oxyclean or biz (again both work the same)
Dawn soap (blue)
Vinegar
Tea Tree oil
2 Large Mason jars (or at least one and then another recycled one)

Added supplies dependent on type:

For liquid soap:

Blender

Extra Mason jar or the like

For powder:

Protien jug
 
Cheese grader
  

                                  

To make the powder:

For every soap bar graded add one cup of washing soda and baking soda OR borax as well as oxyclean OR biz (cheaper).

I use this on anything I am ok with repelling (work clothes, gym clothes and towels) but every other week I add 10 drops of tea tree and 5 drops of  dawn blue and every other week from that vinegar (cup)   for smell and buildup.

The cloth diaper/ sensitive items soap recipe I use:
                             
1 scoop of baking soda/oxyclean/washing soda

I also use tea tree, vinegar and dawn dependent on the cloth.

The liquid version of my gym/regular and work clothes:

Chop up fels napetha into 1/8th sections. Using boiling water put soap and water into the Mason jar, tighten and set upside down. In the morning, open and pour gooey mess out and add a cup to a cup and a half of boiling water plus 1 cup baking soda or borax and oxyclean, place bottom of blender blade onto Mason jar and blend till creamy.  I use one spoon for normal clothes and And two for work clothes.

***Note: zote is really fatty and super hard to work with but is half the price. The dawn has to be the original. The vinegar can be apple cider or white. I am not sure about ivory because I am allergic to it.

Training as a mother

Training as a mother is hard. Very hard. I got a quick glimpse back in 2009 when I watched Jen Thompson bench at my first powerlifting meet (watched, not participated) after she had one of her sons. She is amazing. I also lift in a gym full of mothers. Every.single.one.of.them. is amazing (As is my gym, who is very understanding of parents).

Why?

Because they lift?

NO.

Because they had a baby?

NO.

Because they are strong?

NO.

Why?

These mothers make it work. I never hear a reason why they cannot get training in. If they don't make it, they often make sure they get it in the next day.

Today, which happens to be #womencrushwednsday per the social media goes out to these women:

A single mom of three kids who works full time and lifts and is in nursing school. She can be a little obsessive, but she has been doing my husband's program and is getting amazingly stronger.

A new mother of a one year old who's spouse competes regularly in CF. They actually swap out times so one can attend a class while the other watches the baby. I also have secretly watched the spouse coach his wife and have watched her lifts go up.

A mother of two teenage kids who volunteers and has two teenage kids (three if you include the spouse) and a full time job and somehow manages to have a smoking body and some legit lifts for her bodyweight.

A mother who has a sick child and lifts while the kids are at school and does all sorts of extra activities for them and the kiddos and has lost weight while increasing lifts.

A mother who is trying to start her own side biz, has a full time job, two grown kids and competes and is now adding a blog and weight loss.

A single mother of three kids who also works full time and has recently decided to take on a devoted program to get stronger.

When I listed these I decided to be detailed and then move to less detailed- why? Because everyday I have excuses as to why I don't want to do something and then I look at these women and while I don't say anything they are doing a good job. They are getting stronger and setting a prime example for their kids while doing a ton of stuff I don't often see.

Don't get me wrong, kids are wonderful BUT training without them is even better. The added stress of worry with kids and if they have it togeather can be a little overwhelming when you add 255 X 2 X 2 front squats to do that night.

I would also like to give a shout out to my IG mothers. So many of them manage to do the same thing and help/support others in their ventures PLUS take the time to chart their progress.

To end my quick rant, my #wcw today is to all the Mommies who in the midst of running/lifting/working out has had to stop and refill a juice, tell their husband where their power panties are and/or have given a form of sugar to occupy the kids while you get some HITT in.

Stress

Every time before her echo I get the worst nerves. I hope that he gives us a year clearance like he promised us 1.5 years ago and every time I get a 6 month prognosis. It sucks. I hate this. I hate twice yearly visits. :(

SC Strongest Woman 2014

Let me first do some thanks... to my spouse for just exsisting- to Denise for being my bff despite just, life. To the Meetzes for a good training enviroment and support on all levels. Brent for being a good partner, friend and marrying a good woman. Steve for shirtless stone and db vids. Kim for being a great training partner. Donna (MIL) for watching my girl. My whole gym at Hit Crossfit for support and help with the meet. Dr Trey Hodge for dealing with a strength based diet. I am sure I am missing something or someone... Thank you anyhow!!!

   Saturday....

Let me start before then. A couple months ago I weighed in as a hww (heavy) and at that showing met the  2nd world's strongest woman and got my ass handed to me. I did pay alot of attention though, how she pressed, what she wore, etc. It was a good meet, it got my ass on the ball with my weight because I soon realized I would either gain or have to cut.... so I cut. Forward onto training where it all went well, training with multiple implements and getting oriented to new movements. Now forward again to two weeks preshow for  SC Strongest man and woman. I knew I had to drop weight. 15lbs. I doubled Satan's tricycle and got a new diet.... The week of I still had 14 to go. I ended up with a water cut. I hit the scale at 180 on Friday. Now mind you, I cut weight for RUM 4, but I also wasn't post baby and married with a home to care for.
I also had my MIL to worry about and despite the fantastic woman she is I am still a daughter in law who wants things semiperfect. I was able to get in what I would consider two meals AND two gallons with the help of Lynn, Steve and my spouse. I woke up Sat AM feeling good but nervous and tried to prep for my little girls day with Granny and my day with the weights and friends. I ate a bite with Michael and onto the event. It all went well until warm up. We got a new huge circus db that I was not use to and by the time the log came open the heavies were trying to prep (I got a couple reps). When the  event was called I was horribly nervous. I had forgotten my inhaler and subbed for primatine  tabs. No big.... I think. I forgot my wrist wraps and to use my knee sleeves. I also forgot how to log press. I have done 120 so many times, it is crazy. So I gave that event up for fourth. FOURTH. What the hell? I just wasn't ready in any form for that let alone shitty lifts. It took my spouse to get me into the right mindset. Many people don't know my spouse personally but he is a big man. Tall, bald, tattooed and large and in charge! He scares the shit out of people ALOT. I however respect him. He is my friend,  coach, lover and on Saturday he was my mind. He yelled at me enough for people to look and ask if I was ok. I am always ok with Michael just for future refrence.   He needed to berate me. I blew away the next three with first place and PR'd my Conans, my competition got an extra lap on me and won that. In the end we tied. Ten points. She won on weight. Let me stop for a minute though.

She won because she was more prepared and I had and lesson to learn.

I was pretty sure I would win all the events. I am not ashamed to say it. I have been sure of that before and then the 2nd place WSW showed up.... but this time I just knew if I kept my stuff togeather I could easily do it.... AND I almost did. I don't think I lost first over one event. I think my head weighed so much over anxiety, the loss of the OHP events and going in TOO secure that I willingly gave up first. I really don't have much to add to this except Michael (my rock) has gone through this before me. I am disappointed for not giving the show my husband, my gym and my coach wanted. I know I can do and be better, but I know I had a lesson to learn also - and I did. That is all I can really say. Nothing more to add. Now to train and diet prep for September and move on... maybe someday I will actually use these National invites I am collecting!

The Help

So many watch movies and kinda take it for face value, I, on the other hand tend to look into things a little further. I enjoyed the estrogen, racially motivated movie, however I believe the point was to show racial inequality and I really failed to latch on to the concept. I did latch on to the part that a family is not just a mother and father, it's a mother, a father, a neighbor, the babysitter, etc... I also got that love comes in so many forms, for some its speech, for some its touch, for some its providing and for some, it's the love of perception. I was not raised in a touchy family, so therefore touch is not my thing, nor is speech... However, as a mother, I am trying to change that. I feel that many men believe providing is their way to show love, and in a way, even if they were raised to be touchy or verbal choose not to do so because its engrained to be men and not be emotional (which I do agree with in public, but behind closed doors not so much).The final form, love of perception is only becoming too commonplace. We all need the best car, the best home, the best clothes and, even if its a lie, the best fake family. Now, I will be the first to say that I have had three nasty fights in three years with my current relationship and I am no one to judge, but at the same time, I do not fake it either (primarily because I am not good at it). I think love is a wonderful thing if it is truly meant. I think it can heal it all. I also know that faking it can destroy a person and their surroundings.  The help is so often people who are not there handing you cash, but lending an ear or making you a pie or just telling you good job but not taking from you or draining you to exhaustion because other physical fake things are more of a priority. Sometimes love is just leaving people alone when you have hurt them beyond repair. Sometimes love is ignoring how you have been wronged and moving on, even if you are being accused of being wrong by ignoring. I know this... This one thing however, I will not ever stop holding my little girl, or at least providing a shoulder to cry on, I didn't need a movie to show me that, I needed it to remind me of how I need to continue it (it being love).

Pro...

Pro...

Someday I wanna be a pro. A pro powerlifter. A pro strongwoman. A pro crossfitter. A pro Mom. A pro wife. Wait...

Wait. Those do not exist you say? Well, I looked it up and supposedly now a day you can put pro before anything and its legit.

Part of me feels like labels are a good thing and part of me feels like it can be excessive. Does the word pro hurt anyone? Well, maybe the handful of people who actually deserve it. So, should it be used? Prolly not. I use strong as a label for myself. Does it hurt anyone? No. Everyone is strong in their own way. What about bully? Bully can be pretty degragatory when most of the time the kid bullying is bei.g bullied by another and it is a vicious nasty cycle.... I hate this new label and if it offends someone. We are so worried about being PC we forget what really matters, for example like being a pro to our kids.
Everyday I feel overwhelmed by the fact that God gave me A... even more that he gave her a good father and even more so that she has all these needs that I need to be aware of. Everyday I strive to be a PRO momma. A pro wife. My lifting, my diet, my everything, all comes second.... I digress.

I actually came to blog tonight because we are facing a tosil and adnoid removal (i.e. the boulders in the throat) and I am none the less terrified. A surgery. I have researched and feel this is a good decision but still feel so helpless. It will help with her apnea, ears, vomiting, heart. It will also give us a better chance to test her hearing while she is under. Annnnnnd there are the words. While.she.is.under. I just get so heavy hearted at that the thought. My little under the knife. Again. It breaks my heart. Delaying it wont help any, she is high risk because of her heart anyway. We have done everything and think we found some of the reasons for apnea (milk allergy) but now I am really wondering. Her sleep suffers, alot. She is such a resteless baby. Anyhow... I digress again.

Lifting has come along well, recently got 460 off of a frame. Appears pulling is going well but overhead sucks. Well, the log sucks. Michaels programming has helped alot. I like that he can do that aspect and get me stronger and I dont have to think about it. I mean he got my pull back pretty durn quick. I just wish he could do that to my upper back. Quick rant for thought I guess...

Who or what are you a pro for and why? Are you sure it is the right thing to be a pro for or does it even need a label?

Do you understand?

Do you understand the constant need to be a jerk to others? Well I do. Do you know what it is like to have to turn to excessiveness for everything? I do. Do you know how it feels to fight for everything? I do. Do you know how it feels to know that I will never be a girly girl because I am forced to be a fighter every minute of every day? It SUCKS.

Everyday I am told how negative I am, yet *someone* posts these bible versus about not lying and cheating and stealing and *someone* judges those very posts. It is quite different when I put it like that is it not?

Everyday I am affected by some unforseen issue. The laziness of not following through in *someones* job is the most frequent issue. Beginning in October we have heard "its the holiday". That translates to I do not have to do anything. It is so fustrating and leads me into excessive tactics. While you are perfectly fine and it is "just" a runny nose when you sneeze and wipe that same nose at Walmart (because walmart trips are vital) then touch the carts it effects me. When you want to be lazy and just transfer the messages, you delay treatment. When I have to google and find out you cut corners because "it is the holiday" it infuriates me which in turn makes ME negative and judgemental of YOU, so before you go pointing that finger THINK.

I may be judgy and negative or whatever word you want to use but you damn well know where I stand. I am an open book, last time I checked lying is not polite or acceptable.

Lastly I would love to know how it feels to have a kid not to worry about. Your smoking outside is adorable. I have to walk through it everyday. No way to avoid it. Oh you feed your kid milk and she is ok? Yea, not mine. Oh every kid talks by two? Not mine so do your job and help me figure out why. Your kid is perfect. Mine is not. I get it. I get why I get a kid that has issues but for the sake of God, please understand while she walks and babbles normally that she succeeds everyday by my incessant pushing. The same push that allows me to not keep friends (except one) because I have to push to live. It is what I do to get things done and move on, and most importantly, to be a mother, a wife, a lifter, a nurse, a woman with understanding and persistance.