How fun is this?! I have to say that I absolutely LOVE reading about all of you! I have things in common with so many of you! I have separated everyone by country/state because I thought it would be fun to see who is where! Enjoy!
Belgium
Karena
Karena – I’m 36 and I’m an American expat living in the French-speaking region of Belgium. I’m mom to two boys (ages 5 and almost-two) and wife to a great-if-somewhat-ornery husband. My husband works for NATO, although we eventually plan to relocate to the Seattle region.
I homeschool my oldest, so that takes most of my time (and patience). Beyond that, we are dietary vegans (ie. we don’t eat any animal products, but we have leather sofas), I speak French at an intermediate level and am working to expand on that, I’m learning to draw, and I’m trying to build some time for myself into my day to take care of my body. My ideal, I guess, is to be the perfect mom and teacher, speak fluent French, draw recognizable figures, and have Jillian’s body.
*Canada
*British Colombia
Cathy
Cathy- Cathy Tibbles from Vancouver-metro in Canada. I spend a lot of time online – between blogging, reading (catching up with friends), and working. And on top of that I have to admit I don’t jog and type. In fact I don’t ever jog. I have three children and still manage to spend a GI-normous amount of time on my buttocks. Ironically, I’m also on the fence about the commitment to change my lifestyle and eating habits. It is one of those head verses heart things: I know that I SHOULD change, but I don’t really WANT to. Obviously I need a lobotomy all the sister-wisdom available here. You can find me at Mommy NEEDS Motivation, which surprisingly is not about weight loss. Feel free to send chocolate (or a kick in the pants?) to cathy(at)tibbles(dot)net.
*Manitoba
Jen W., Prairie Knitwit Cooks and Shrinks. I used to be a nurse. Now I am a full time homemaker and mother to three kids under five years old. I love cooking and collect cookbooks. I also spend a lot of time reading or knitting when not chasing rugrats. I am trying my hand at gardening for the first time this year and am looking forward to eating veggies I have grown myself. My main dieting challenge is balancing my need for lower calorie/higher fiber food with my husband’s need for high fat/low fiber food. He has the metabolism of a hummingbird and has a hard time keeping weight on. When we first started dating I gained 20 lbs eating along with him.
I now use the Sisterhood for support and The Daily Plate for tracking my intake and exercise. I have used Weight Watchers in the past with success, but it is just too expensive now. I still use the tricks I have learned from them.
I am so glad I have found the Sisterhood! I am very shy about blogging about my weight, but I feel like you ladies are forcing me into accountability.
USA
* Alabama (AL) * Alaska (AK) * Arizona (AZ)
*Arkansas (AR)
Debbie A.- I am a veteran teacher of 27 years. I teach 7th grade PreAP and Regular English at our local middle school. We are located in the geographic center of the State of Arkansas, a beautiful state. My husband and I will have been married 40 years (yikes!) in January of 2010. We have one daughter, an ob-gyn who practices in the northwest corner of the state. She is the mother of my two perfect grandchildren, a boy (4) and a girl (2). I enjoy cooking when I can…we stay so busy just like so many of you. We snow ski – not in Arkansas, of course!- and we love to travel. We just returned from a two-week trip to Italy. Fantastic country. My husband likes to golf, but I mostly play AT it. You can visit my blog to find out more about me.
*California (CA)
Rachel
Rachel- I am from San Mateo, California, born and raised. Kind of got a jump on things early in life, graduating High School at 15 and going to Culinary School straight-away after that making myself the youngest person ever to be accepted to the CCA in San Francisco. Post-Culinary School I’ve dabbled in all things food related and now find myself as the Pastry Chef of a small and very successful Cupcake bakery in San Mateo. Helping build the company from the ground up has been a lot of work and although it is a lot of fun most of the time, it is really hard to find time to take care of myself too. This is why I am on Weight Watchers and have found myself with the Sisterhood, support is all you need. 50 pounds later, with 50 pounds too go!
* Colorado (CO)
Melissa F.
Melissa F. – I live in a suburb of Denver, CO. I was born in Oklahoma and lived there until I was nine. After a short year in Iowa my family moved to Colorado and I cannot imagine living anywhere else. I met my husband in 1994 when I was 15 and he was 17. After breaking up and getting back together a bazillion times we finally got married in June of 2002 and had our wonderful baby boy in January of 2004.
I worked as an Auto claims insurance adjuster for 3 years before I left in May of 2008 to stay at home with my son and just take a much needed break. I recently scored a new and improved job and can’t wait to start that next month! In my spare time I love to read (both books and anything I can imagine on the Internet!) and work in our backyard that we’ve converted to a vegetable garden. We spend a lot of time in the Spring and Summer on the hubby’s ranch in Southern Colorado or camping. I’m really trying to enjoy the life I have instead of yearning for the life I think I want/need.
* Connecticut (CT)
*Delaware (DE)
Mel
Mel B.- I’m Mel from A Box of Chocolates and am @boxofchocolates on twitter
I live at the beach in Delaware with my husband and two kids. I’m an elementary school teacher and am currently counting down the days till summer vacation. I enjoy blogging of course, along with reading, hanging out at the beach, traveling, cooking/baking, and just enjoying life. In 2007 I joined Weight Watchers and have lost 45lb. I’m not quite at my goal weight, but feel so much healthier as my lighter self. Recently, I competed the Couch to 5K after hearing about it through the Sisterhood and so far have ran two 5K races. My goal now is to work on running a 5K faster. I never thought I would hear myself say that I’m a runner!!!
Megan
Megan- I’m from Delaware…near the beaches. I have a 6 month old daughter so most of my time revolves around her. I love going to the beach, scrapbooking, reading, traveling, and going to concerts. My husband and I are also teen leaders at our church so our lives are very busy, but we wouldn’t trade it for anything. Our blog was started when we were pregnant to share with friends and family and after Karissa was born, we decided to continue it
* Florida (FL)
Tami M.- I am a happily married mother of 2 girls ages 11 and 3. I am blessed to be a part-time CWAHM in Central Florida. I was obsessed with getting baby #2 for many years and then distracted enjoying our completed family for the last 3 years. Now it’s time to give myself and my family the gift of getting “Mommy” back into shape. I have been looking for the perfect workout partner and think I might have just found you all here! My goal is to get back into a size 4 (dream) or 6 (ideal) . . . that means dropping 1-2 sizes and 15+ pounds. I’ve worked out on and off since baby #2 was born; pre-motherhood I actually taught aerobic classes and was an avid runner for 12 years. I have completed two 1/2 marathons – 1 pre-kids and 1 post baby #2. I am ready to be held accountable!
Christie
Christie O.- Hi! I’m Christie O. and I blog over at Baby Tea Leaves. I am a journalist turned full-time mommy to two little boys. We live in sunny Florida although I live in a state of eternal pasty whiteness. (I just spray tanned for the first time, I’ll let you know how it went!) I really love to write, I play softball, and I am currently training for my first triathlon — but mostly just to lose weight. I love the sisters at the Sisterhood and I am looking forward to meeting everyone!
*Georgia (GA)
Jodi – I am a thirtysomething, homeschooling mom of 2 in the Atlanta area. I love to read and take pictures. Eventually I put those pictures in a scrapbook. My husband and I have been Shredding with y’all for the last 30 days and thanks to the Sisterhood, I was motivated to participate in my first 5K last weekend! Yay me! 🙂 My blog.
Stacie
Stacie- I am from Atlanta, Georgia. I almost didn’t write because I hate pictures of myself. In fact, I am not very fond of any part of myself right now because of the weight that I am at and sending a picture is damn near impossible for me. My father recently remarried. My sister and I were looking at pictures from his wedding. I started to get really upset because I wasn’t in any of the picture and this was their wedding album. I got mad also because I thought that they did not put me in their because of my weight. I was embarrassed.
The really sad part is that I was in there and I didn’t recognize myself. I was actually in two of the pictures and I skipped myself both times.
I wanted to cry and in fact, I did later when I was alone. The real me definitely no longer matched the me that I envisioned in my head. I am tired of being at this weight. Of not wanting to go places because I am uncomfortable due to my weight.
I have to do something because my refusal to take pictures is leaving my children with only memories and no great pictures to go along. Plus it would be so nice for my perception of myself to match my real self.
I like to blog, shop, travel and spend time with my kids. Sometimes in that order but most of the time not. I have an MBA in marketing and have been thinking more and more lately of trying to put that to work for me. I do work from home and do a lot of freelance work.
* Hawaii (HI) * Idaho (ID)
*Illinois (IL)
Viola Zuppa- My real name is Kimari (a nickname for Kim Marie), but I adopted Viola Zuppa from the Italian translation my domain name purplesoup.com where I’ve been VERY bad about updating for the past six months. I’ve been maintaining a separate blog for my journey with the Sisterhood.
I’m a 30-something, single chemist working at a pharmaceutical company in the Chicago area. My geeky science side is balanced by my arty hobbies, ballroom dancing and photography. As an amateur ballroom dancer, I do competitions and performances throughout the year. My home studio is Chicago Dance, and I combine my other hobby by serving as their official photographer. One weekends during July and August, I can be found hanging out at the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Bristol, WI (and I know some good discount sources on tickets *grin*). Yes, I am a very busy girl.
Dawn- For me, weight issues came after having kids. I was always skinny…always able to eat whatever I wanted. I was a smoker from the time I was 17 until December 2003. After that, the weight started to pile on, and STAY on. For the first year I gained 5 lbs…not to bad…but over the last 5 years I’ve put on 35#’s that haven’t moved. I was proud of myself for quitting…and staying quit, but the truth is not being able to lose and keep off even 3 lbs has been hard.
Right now I am 5’6 and weight 172 lbs…give or take a pound or two…My final goal is to be 135, but I would be happy at 145. I used to do spinning after my daughter was born…and it kept me in pretty good shape, but I still gained wait…I sprained my ankle in 2007 and had to take a break, then we moved and I quit the spinning class. Since then I have been doing whatever I could…but have maintained 170-173 pounds since. My last workout was with Wii My Personal Trainer. I was doing well…working out on schedule and keeping up, but I was NOT losing weight, nor was I getting any stronger…Then I joined this group. I was all geared up for the Summer Challenge, when I twisted my ankle again…and not just your mild twist…It was sever. It’s been over 2 months, and it’s still a little weak and sore. While on my butt, letting my ankle heal, I ordered 3 of the Jillian Michael’s Cd’s…on of course was the 30 day shred….I was hoping to start May 1st…but my ankle isn’t strong enough…So I sent it to my sister. Last weekend I bought the Wii Active…and started their 30 day challenge…I did two days (tomorrow is a rest day) and I already feel the burn…It’s not as intense as the 30 day shred, but it’s getting my butt moving for the first time in over 2 months. This summer I plan to have a lot of fun, keep active, go for bike rides, swim and watch what I eat. I am hoping to be bikini ready by next summer. I’m going to follow along with one of my “diet” books that showed me the best results last year ( one day carbs/one day low carbs)… I look forward to being an active participant on the Sisterhood…and maybe this time I will be one of the big losers…
*Indiana (IN)
Nancy
Nancy- I’m 54 years old from northwest Indiana. I have been married for almost 36 years to a wonderful man. We have four beautiful daughters ages 34, twins 26 and an almost 22. We also have three sons-in-law and two adorable granddaughters. One of my friends always said that you have one year to lose your baby weight. Well, I finally picked this year to do that. I’d say it’s about time. My hobbies are my family, reading, sewing, photography, blogging and walking.
Allison
Allison- I’m Allison. I’m from central Indiana – born and raised Hoosier! I have a 2 year old son. I’ve been in a committed relationship for 3 years (I’m working on the marriage part lol). I work full time and I’m also attending online classes for my bachelor’s degree – just a little less than 2 years until I’m done. When I’m not doing mommy stuff, housework or homework, I take tons of pictures, I like to blog (http://craftgirlalli.blogspot.com), work on my Etsy Shop (http://craftgirlalli.etsy.com), spend time outside, read, go to concerts, etc.
Iowa (IA)
Jessica VanM.-I’m Jessica and I’m from Iowa. I have been wanting to lose weight since my first baby (born March 2006) and have really needed to lose weight since my second baby (born November 2007). I have hypothyroidism so it makes weight-loss difficult. But I’m going to do it!! I just started the 30 Day Shred today and will be working my butt off with Jillian for 30 days!! My younger sister is getting married mid-June and this summer will be my 10-year high school reunion. So, those are some great goals. 😉
I enjoy blogging (Who Left the Light On?) and I love spending time with my family (a husband and two boys). My husband is a youth pastor so we spend a lot of time with our church and about 140 6th-12th graders. It’s a lot of fun and it keeps us busy. I also love to read, organize, cook, bake, and take pictures.
Kim
Kim J. –
work: Child Development Home Provider married: to Tim since May 1997 pets: gus-13 y/o boston terrier & honey-6 y/o yellow/white tabby cat no kids: I had endo removed in 2000 from both ovaries & tubes & still nothing but we are ‘over it’ most of the time 🙂 (2 Godsons & a plethora of neices & nephews keep us busy)
hobbies: scrapbooking, camping/boating, gardening veggie (if it ever stops raining long enough to get it tilled a last time & get stuff planted) & flowers (when school gets out in a week the kids & I are doing it up)
* Kansas (KS)
*Kentucky (KY)
Rhonda
Rhonda- I live just outside Louisville, KY. I am 30 years old and have 3 kiddos! Twins (boy and girl) age 11 and a 17 mo old girl. I started exercising 5 weeks ago at our YMCA and cutting calories. Just that alone has dropped 11 lbs from my 5’2″ frame. In high school, I was very petite and athletic. The twins destroyed my then hot bod and here I am today! I love spending time with my family, blogging, photography, and digi scrapping. The Biggest Loser & Jillian are AWESOME. What an inspiration to America. She would be the trainer I would pick given the choice. I look forward to Shredding and having my butt kicked.
* Louisiana (LA)
*Maine (ME)
Christine C. – I live in Brewer, Maine. My husband and I own a small business and we both work there full time. We work together well and have a great time doing it. I have a daughter who is 26, a son who is 25 and a step son who is 17. He works at the business with us as well. I am not a blogger, and there are only 4 or 5 blogs that I read regularly. I happened upon Shrinking Jeans in February while visiting a different blog. I loved the design of your blog and the idea of it. I soon became a “sister’! Actually I was the winner in the Luck of the Irish challenge! I started my current weight loss plan right after Christmas and have lost 30 lbs so far. I would like to lose 30 more, but it’s coming off harder now! I have been following the Weight Watchers Points plan. It’s really hard to stick to it sometimes, but having Shrinking Jeans to go to helps. It really is a great support system. We all have our good weeks and our bad weeks.
I also have a part time business as a Mary Kay Independant Beauty Consultant. I have a website where you can shop 24/7 and I offer free shipping anywhere in the continental U.S. I’m looking forward to “meeting” and getting to know more sisters!
Lisa B.- Hi! My name is Lisa & I live in the great state of Maine. I live way out in the country on the family homestead sharing the property with my wonderful in-laws & my hubby’s grandfather. My hubby & I have been married for 16 years this July. We have three boys. I’m a SAHM who also homeschools my boys plus I babysit two toddler girls during the week. Busy doesn’t even begin to say it! I love photography & scrapbooking & blogging plus I’m even starting to like exercise again. My boys are ages 12 (13 this summer), 8 & 5 so I can’t keep using the excuse that I have “baby weight” anymore since my baby is five!!! 🙂 I blog at http://maineberrypatch.blogspot.com/ & have since about 2005. I love my life, but I want to love it more once I loose this extra weight.
* Maryland (MD) * Massachusetts (MA)
*Michigan (MI)
Vickie
Vickie- I live in Michigan and I am a SAHM. I love to watch TV, hang with my kids, read my favorite genre-historical fiction, scrapbook and card making.
I am about 185 pounds, I am trying to get back to 150. I would love to get back to 138. I was a size 10 then and back then I thought I could lose more weight. Now I wish I could look like that again. A year after I had my first baby I got serious about my weight. I just needed to lose 12 more pounds to get back to my prebaby weight, but I was also trying for another baby and found out it wasn’t so easy. I was diagnosed with secondary infertility. I got very depressed and stopped exercising and starting eating more junk food. Then when I finally got pregnant it ended in a miscarriage and more weight got packed on. I finally did have two more kids, but with each baby I gained more weight without bothering to lose it.
Starting Jan. of 2008 I started to slowly to do something. Then I was 204 pounds.This is a picture of me during November of 2008. Sorry about my little one pickin’ her nose. 🙂 I am so looking forward to my chin no longer melting into my neck. I like to get my slender neck back.
Julie- My name is Julie, and I live with my husband and 2 kids (a boy 5 and a girl 3) in Southeast Michigan in a suburb outside of Detroit. I am “between jobs” as an attorney having lost my perfect part-time job last summer.
Aside from my weightloss efforts (which seem to be very time consuming between working out and trying to eat right), my husband and I enjoy watching sports and traveling together. We especially love the Red Wings, Tigers, and Michigan Football, if one of those teams is playing, you’ll probably find us there. We take every opportunity we can to travel, one of our favorite destinations is Napa Valley, California. We have trips to Norway and Mexico coming up in the next few weeks. Unfortunately, both of these past times (watching sports and traveling) have contributed to my weight gain seeing as there’s always food involved. I am also an avid golfer and I love to read!
*Minnesota (MN)
Audrey
Audrey– I have others but that’s the one I use for the whole weight loss journey I’m on.
Right now I’m living in East Grand Forks, Minnesota…closer in a million years than I ever thought I’d be to North Dakota. My husband’s job brought us here in 2005. I would love to move back home someday BUT hubby loves his job, blah blah blah. J Mommy of 2 kids – Kyle is 4 and Karissa is 18 months. I work from home (SAHM) as an Avon lady. Love it. I love, love, love the beach. (I know, why am I here????). In my mommy-free-time I love to read, $HOP till I drop, get a random pedicure or massage and have date nights with my husband. I’m addicted to caffeine and working on breaking the addiction but so far, no go.
* Mississippi (MS) * Missouri (MO) * Montana (MT) * Nebraska (NE)
Nevada (NV)
Kirsten– My name is Kirsten and I live in Northern Nevada. I have 3 daughters, age 8, 6, and 3. I school my girls and work part-time at home. I have fallen in love with scrapbooking and trying to take better, more interesting pictures. I started running when I was 5 and completed my first 5-mile run when I was 6. Running has always been my default exercise. I am scheduled to run my second half-marathon this October and my goal is to run the whole 13.1 miles.
* New Hampshire (NH) *New Jersey (NJ) * New Mexico (NM) * New York (NY) * North Carolina (NC)
*North Dakota (ND)
Tera
Tera- My name is Tera, I am a happily married 29 year old mom to 3 girls from North Dakota. I found this site just over a week ago when I was searching the web specifically for a 30 Day Shred challenge. I had bought the DVD months ago and was finally wanting to try it, but wanted some extra motivation. I was thrilled to see that you guys were starting a challenge the very next day! So I started the 30 Day Shred challenge on May 11th and am now on Day 10- haven’t missed a day yet, and I feel fabulous! I’ve also joined Sparkpeople.com to track my diet and have made some great changes that way too. My goal is to lose the 5 pounds I gained after each baby, so that equals 15 pounds total. Or of course I’d be thrilled with 20 pounds gone too! I’ve really enjoyed this Sisterhood, it’s been so motivating to read stories of others in the same boat. Keep it up girls!
Erin
Erin P. – I am a 30-something mother of a daughter, who’s 9. I work as a PA-C in a local clinic. I love hanging out with my friends (especially my bff cousin, Melissa), drinking beer, running, shopping, and traveling. I also enjoy practicing my long-lost gymnast skills and doing high kicks.
Lissa
Melissa – I am a writer here at The Sisterhood, which I love immensely. I’m 30, have been married for over 9 years, and have four children. I love to travel, and love photography. I enjoy thunderstorms, books, drinking with friends, games, and adventures. I love to be impulsive and see where life takes me.
Kristin
Kristin- I am 28 year old stay at home mom to four, wife and also a full time college student. My family and I live in Bismarck, North Dakota where I was born and raised.
I have always struggled with my weight even in my childhood, but because of the Sisterhood I have been able to lose weight (even if it is only a small amount) and have been able to keep it off.
I love anything to do with my family and being able to spend time with friends as well. My children are my life… and they are also my motivation to get and stay healthy. I don’t want them to grow up having the ‘fat’ mom…
Thank you sisterhood for the motivation and support to stay on course with my getting healthy!
*Ohio (OH)
Kim
Kim M. -My name is Kim and currently my husband, daughter and I live in Cincinnati, OH. We recently moved here from Louisville, KY, which has allowed him to further his career as a tax accountant. I currently work a temp job grading standardized tests for states all across the country. Our daughter is 8 months old, and we have a dog and a cat. I am currently trying to lose the baby weight. I gained at least 60 lbs when I was pregnant, and up until about a month ago I was not motivated to take it off. Now I’m going strong and can’t wait to get to know everyone better on here. My Blog is called Fit By Fall 2009 because that is my big goal this year.
Mendie
Mendie- My name is Mendie, I am 31 years old. I’m married with a dog we treat like a child, living in Ohio and work in finance. I like scrap booking, college football, watching movies, cookouts and cornhole, and roadtrips. I love spending time with my friends and family.
My main motivation towards losing weight, besides wanting to feel comfortable in my own skin is to start trying to have a baby within the next year.
I recently started a weightloss blog. I am half way to my goal weight and hope with the support of strong women like the sisters, I will make it there this year!
* Oklahoma (OK) * Oregon (OR)
*Pennsylvania (PA)
Sheila
Sheila- I’m Sheila (posting as ShellyLosing). I’m 37, and I live in Philadelphia. I have a 13 year old daughter, two stepdaughters who are 6 and 7, and wonderful partner of three years who is always supportive of me (even though he forgot Mother’s Day!) In addition to shrinking with the sisters, I love cooking, gardening and reading. I think it’s wonderful to have such an awesome support system online, and I’m looking forward to getting to know them all a bit better. I’ve been blogging on my weight loss(?) so far here.
* Rhode Island (RI)
Liz
Liz- I am currently an unemployed working mom trying on my SAHM shoes (until 3 weeks ago I was a robotic engineer). I used to do yoga and kayak like they were my life line, but since having kids my workouts have decreased considerably, and I am trying hard to get my motivation and my pre baby body back. When I am not playing with my boys I am sewing my heart out and trying to get my Etsy store up and running!!
* South Carolina (SC) * South Dakota (SD)
*Tennessee (TN)
Becca
Becca- I am from Murfreesboro, TN. I am currently a nursing student, married to a computer science student. I enjoy scrapbooking, singing, reading, and hanging out with friends.
Brooke- Hi – I’m Brooke from East Tennessee and I blog . I’m blessed to live near the national park so me and my husband (we’ve been married 6 months) love to hike, or just ride through the park. We love it so much we chose an old settlement church in the park as where we wanted to get married. I love to read, and am trying to read a book a week, 52 books for 2009. I’m a baseball fan (Yankees!) as well as football (whoever Brett Favre is currently playing with at the moment – although I’m not sure I can bring myself to root for the Vikings). The pictures are of me at Yankee Stadium (he proposed in Central Park the day before) and at my very first 5K race.
*Texas (TX)
Ann- I live in a Dallas/Ft. Worth suburb and am a 43 (almost 44) year old stay at home mom, who also homeschools her sons, a soon to be graduating senior, and a 5 year old who will be starting kindergarten in the fall! I know I’m crazy!! but most days I love what I do, even though there are days I wander about my sanity! lol
I love to read blogs and write on my mine, and watch my boys play ice hockey! I have been overweight — even obese for around 10 years and I have been unhappy with my appearance since that time. But I am finally taking charge of that and I know that this time I will have success and keep off the weight that has plagued me and my family for years.
Angie- My name is Angie and I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I’m 35 and a SAHM to a 3 and 6 year old. I am currently watching the calories and loosely following Weight Watchers (I still have the materials from being on the plan a couple of years ago). I’m also going to Jazzercise four days a week. I have about (gulp!) 50 pounds to lose…and boy is it coming off at a snails pace! I love taking pictures and reading and stuggle to keep up with scrapbooking, but also like that. I’m really enjoying the posts on Shrinking Jeans – thank you!
Lisa
Lisa- My name is Lisa and I am one of the contributing writers for Shrinking Jeans. My screen name is “Skinny Lisa” because I envision myself skinny one day. I live in Central Texas and my personal blog is www.growingupmo.com. My screen name there is Mommy Mo.
Are you having a hard time keeping it straight?! I have three children, ages 5, 3 and 8 months. I have lost 15 lbs so far, since January, and my goal is to lose another 15-20 lbs. My hobbies include laughing, reading, scrapbooking and trying out new recipes for the food blog I contribute to at Mom Central. 
Christy
Christy- I am a work-at-home-mom to BJ, born in September 2003, and Mia, born in November 2007. Born in Dallas and transplanted to Houston, I now reside, with my family, in a small town in Texas with a population of 387. I worked in the financial services industry for eight years as a marketing specialist and then graphic designer. In 2006, I left the workforce to become a stay at home Mom, and I am now a co-owner of ruby & roja design, as well as a writer here at The Sisterhood! When I have spare time, I spend it reading, gardening, blogging or reading blogs, and apparently eating!
*Utah (UT)
Jolynn
Jolynn- I live in southern/central Utah. I am a stay-at-home mom to three kids (bookend boys ages 10 and 3 and a girl in the middle, age 7). I am also a part-time clerk at the local livestock auction. I enjoy scrapbooking and reading in my spare time.
* Vermont (VT)
*Virginia (VA)
April – I’m almost 31 years old. I live in Roanoke, VA in a tiny little house with my two dogs and two birds. I’m a tech geek and a bit of a nerd. (I have my BS in Mathematics, so I know I’m a nerd. I’m fine with it.) A few of my hobbies are painting, drawing, hiking, reading, hanging out with friends, and working out. Okay, those are a lot of hobbies. I love animals and would give my left arm to own a giraffe. (I’m not kidding about this.) My nephew is a little over a year old, and I’ve made it my life mission to spoil him rotten. I found Shrinking Jeans in January, and I love the people I have met and the friends I’ve made here!
Jennie D.- I am 35 years old, a wife and mother to Kelly, who is 20 months old.
Goal: Exercise is like an anti-depressant for me. When I’m active I feel great! I know this, yet like most people, I constantly make bad choices. I love the SSJ. You all have helped keep me motivated lately. My goal is get back to about 135 to 140. Roughly the weight I was before I married and had my daughter. I am currently at 151 lbs. I am also training to run a 10k. I like running, but it’s hard. I hope to keep going with it and do some other races. My ultimate goal would be to run a half marathon. No walk breaks. I currently take a lot of walk breaks when I run!
Some stuff about me: I LOVE cookies. This is kind of a problem when trying to lose weight. I also love coffee with my cookies. And beer. Not with cookies. Although, that might be good. I should try it sometime. Professionally I am a Graphic Designer, a working mom. I was a Fine Arts major at Longwood College in Farmville, VA. I graduated from college in 1995. (Holy cow. I’m getting old.) I met my husband, Ted, at Longwood. He’s awesome. He’s a great dad and husband. We both love Metallica. It’s probably what brought us together in the first place. That and beer. I started a blog about a year ago – http://kcrules.wordpress.com. Becoming a mother was my reason for starting it, and I love it. My hope is to someday share it with my daughter and give her a glimpse of her mom that she would otherwise never get.
*Washington (WA)
Heather
Heather D.- Ok, here are some basics on me:
1) My name is Heather 2) I’m 30 – 31 on Tuesday (gulp) 3) I have a 16 month old son named George and have been married for almost five years to Brian 4) I live in the greater Seattle area (read: ‘burbs) 5) I was laid off in February and am totally having an identity crisis as a stay at home mom – I love it, but some days it’s just so strange not contributing to the family income!
6) My blog is http://thesassymama.blogspot.com
* West Virginia (WV)
*Wisconsin (WI)
Saj
Saj- I’m 32 years old and live in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I’m a physical therapist My Interests: photography (I have a Nikon D40 that I’m in love with!) my 2 boys-5 1/2 and 3 1/2 years old (chaos at all times!) my hubby of almost 8 years-but we’ve known each other for about 23 years having met in 3rd grade (high school sweethearts with a few breaks in college) reading blogs-too many, but it’s so fun! reading books-pretty much anything reality TV-Amazing Race, Survivor, American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, Project Runway, Ace of Cakes, Real Housewives of New York and New Jersey, etc. running-though it’s taken a bit of a backseat to Shredding for now
traveling-especially to Disney, which I’m doing in a few weeks because I WON A CONTEST!!!
*Wyoming (WY)
*Unknown
Ace- I’m known on my blog as Ace. My husband is Superman (really! Er, to me anyway) and we’ve been married almost 13 years. We have an 11 year old daughter and 8 year old twins (boy/girl). My hobbies are knitting, I make baby blankets for a ministry that houses unwed pregnant girls for a time and would love to sell online too. I also love movies, all kinds! And just hanging out with the fam. And have been trying to avoid Jillian Michaels for quite some time but that stupid workout is strangely appealing!
Thanks for letting me join in the fun… I mean pain.
Melissa L. -My name is Melissa aka Proud Mommy. I live in the midwest and am a sahm to 2 great kids ages 7 and 3. I enjoy the beach, coffee, time with friends and my real passion is photography. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 12 years and we have been together for 19. There are no more kids in our future so I love the support I get from the sisters at Shrinking Jeans to get rid of this baby fat!!!!
(Visited 5 times, 1 visits today)
Melissa is the Co-Founder the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans and the Shrinking Kitchen. She has been married to a wonderful man forever and is mother to six amazing children (18,15, 11, 11 and 3 and 1!). Melissa has reached her goal weight, and is now trying to find ways to fit fitness into her crazy busy schedule. She loves kickboxing and hates running, even though she has completed 4 half-marathons. When Melissa isn’t helping her little girl battle her brain tumors (Love for Jazmine Joy), she loves to travel, laugh, tend to her chickens, and dream of sunshine and mountains.
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