Happily Ever After

MIA

2011-09-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

Oh, hi there. Remember me? I know, I know it has been a long time. In my defense I have been super busy! With what you ask? Well summer, and work and life and everything everyone else is busy with as well. But we did spend half of July in the U.P. on Drummond Island. Then there was trips to our cabin and we attended several weddings. Oh and we had a ton of graduation party's this year, one being our own. Our oldest son is officially a high school graduate! We couldn't be more proud. He graduated in May and bought a house in June! He is doing training at work as a mechanic and he is thinking about taking classes next year. Bill is just one of those kids that needs to figure things out for himself and he is learning a lot this summer.
Anyway, as busy as the summer has been I have been trying to keep up with my blog reading and keeping tabs on everyone else. This has been a super tough task though, since my promotion earlier this year I have been working tons of hours and the time I am not working I am spending with family and friends. But summer is over. Work has settled into a good routine and school for the little one is back in sesson.
I now have a little bit of time. It helps that I finally have my family trained to do their chores before I get home, and I have implemented a menu plan for each week. Gary is great about at least getting dinner started before I get home and Kris is a great helper. It gives me almost an extra hour each night if I don't have to cook, all I have to do is dishes when we are done (that's my chore, lol).
So what am I planning on doing with this extra time? Hopefully blog more! and I am getting back to my sewing and crafting, I am volunteering at school, and as always getting a work out done as often as I can. I am anxious to get back to running, which I just have not had time for lately. But have no fear, even without running I am still getting the workouts in and I have lost 17 pounds over the summer! Can't beat that with all the parties we have been too!
So look for me to be on here more often. Look for some of my new craftng projects and of course to see how much more weight I can lose! I am looking forward to being back and catching up! What have you been up to? Do you find you have more or less time now that kids are back in school?

Monthly Project

2011-04-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Over at the Sisterhood they have a monthly project. Obviously it is something that changes every month and honestly I usually don't get too involved in it. But this month I was super excited about it. The project this month is to grow something. A herb or a veggie, inside or out. Just to try to grow something, and then use it in your cooking. With Spring in the air I thought this would be a perfect time to jump on board and grow something, well to try to grow something. I love, love, love to cook and to can, so I thought growing some herbs that I use in both would be great. One it is something that K and I can do together and also it is wonderful to grow something I would normally have to buy and it would save me money in the long run. I actually started my plants before I even knew about the monthly project but I thought I would join in and show everyone how green my thumb is. (Actually is it dark brown, lol)
I decided to try and grow some chives, dill, basil and peppers. I am having a little trouble. I am not sure if it is the light I have them in, the soil, the seeds or how much I water them, but they are not growing as well as I had been hoping for. I wanted to start them inside because in my neck of Michigan it is still pretty cold outside. I do plan on transplanting them outside when the risk of frost has pasted, but for now they sit in a sunny spot in my dining room and on nice afternoons I am putting them outside to soak in the direct sun and fresh air. Today it is beautiful out and I have them on the back porch. I am hoping it helps to perk them up a bit. The peppers and chives are doing the best. The dill started out great and now has kinda died off. I started the basil last week so it is still too early to tell how it will do. Once I can plant outside I want to start some green onions and cucumbers. I can't wait for Spring to finally get here and move into summer so that I can watch them all take off. Have you gotten into the project? How does your garden grow?

Shreding It

2011-04-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

I started the 30 day shred (again) last week. I am on my fifth day in a row now and I am still really liking it. I think I like most that it is only 20ish minutes from start to finish and it fits into my busy life really well that way. I'm just wondering if it is doing as much good doing it everyday or if I should be giving my muscles a break once in awhile? I have combined it with a walking routine every other day or so, just to add to the work out. I am trying to lose 10 pounds by my anniversary in mid-May. That will have me about half way to my goal weight. So I am very concerned with doing what it takes to get the best results. I am eating much better and logging all my food and workouts at myfitnesspal.com. I know that writting down what I eat is a huge help. I like to look up my options before I make a decision and seeing how many calories something is often helps me to make better choices. For years I have been "dieting" to help control my weight. I feel like I have literally tried everything, Weight Watchers, adkins, you name it, I tried it. I had a few years where I was really successful and was at my lowest weight ever and stayed there for about 2 years and then it slowly started to climb. I kept an eye on it, and thought ok, time to stop this, but I just couldn't get back on track. Finally after 2 years of struggling I am starting to see some results. Some changes in my lifestyle that I can live with. I am just afraid of burn out. Of getting so close to the end result and then relaxing too much. I guess I need to not worry so much (easier said than done) and just move slowly and keep working at it. I am trying to see the end goal by meeting small goals along the way. 10 pounds at a time. Eventually everything will click together.

Just Checking In

2011-04-06T08:16:00.001-07:00

It is weigh in/check in Wednesday over at the Sisterhood and although I have been absent for awhile I think a check in is in order.
I took some time off, mostly due to laziness, from eating right and working out. I came back from a little R&R in Vegas and hopped back on board.
For the past 4 weeks I have been watching what I eat and working out. I started back kinda slow, mostly just watching my food intake, then I slowly progressed to working out. I started taking a walk everyday, then I added miles and toning. I am now either shredding or walking or both most days of the week. I try to get at least a mile in everyday and most days I get well more than that in. I used to have this horrible anxiety about putting on my 30 day shred video, I knew it was going to hurt. But now, I am excited to turn it on because although I know it is still going to hurt, I know that it is working. I am seeing results. I can wear clothes I had long since stopped wearing, I can see that number on the scale going in the right direction. I feel strong and confident. I feel like my goals are achievable. It is a really nice feeling. I feel empowered and energized.
I have a plan and I am sticking with it. I am making better choices for myself and in turn my family. I am eating more veggies and drinking more water. There are certain foods that no longer come into our home. We don't have pop, diet or otherwise, in our house. No chips, no junk food. We are finding healthier options. I have cut out all sweets from my diet, no more french fries and no pop. It is now easier to pack a lunch than to go out because I am cooking better meals. I have leftovers of healtier options than anything I can get at a restaurant. I am counting calories in and calories burned. I am getting healthy and sleeping better. I have a lunch date today with my mom and although I am super excited to see her, I was bummed this morning that I couldn't bring my leftovers in for lunch! That is a huge switch, I used to love to eat out, now I am thinking of how long and hard I will need to work out to burn off the extra calories.
The changes that I have started are truly amazing. I love where I see things heading. I see a healthier lifestyle for me and my family. I am looking at the long term payoffs instead of the instant successes. I am looking forward to where I will be in one month and then six months instead of what can I lose this week. It is a change in attitude and I feel like it is the change I needed to be successful.
For Easter I am getting K a new bike. The kid has outgrown the last one, he is 8 years old and 4 foot 9 inches! And I am thinking that maybe the Easter bunny will bring me a new bike too. Mine is old (like 30 years old) and I would love to have something a little sleeker to ride around on. I think that would be a great reward for all the hard work I am putting in, don't you? Now I just need to convince Gary!
How did you do this week?

True Confession Tuesday

2011-04-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

It has been a really long time since I have made any confessions. I have been on a little hiatus, which I have returned from with a venengence. I have taken my health and my life into my own hands. Lately I have put my needs and wants on the back burner. I had so much going on in my life that eating right and working out just weren't happening. I was so tired when I got home that I didn't een make an effort. But now I am trying to take stock of my needs and wants and putting those things higher up on the priority list. So here are the things I have discovered about myself and how I am trying to overcome them. Confessions: 1) I am a plate cleaner. For as long as I can remember I have eaten everything on my plate whether I was still hungry or not. Plan for overcoming: Putting less on my plate in the first place. As I work on stopping eating when I am not hungry I am not putting as much on my plate, so the temptation to overeat is lessened. I know that I need to read my bodies signals on when to stop, but until I get a good handle on that, having to think before I take another serving will help. 2) I am really tired after work and don't want to work out. Plan for overcoming: Do it anyway. I am pushing myself to work out even when I am tired and don't want to. I am trying to push myself to do something, even if it is just some squats or pushups. I have found that once I get started doing more of a work out is easier and I want to do it. I am really trying to give myself realitic goals that I can achieve and that will help me to make the next goal. It is a process. Steps that need to be made before you can take the next step. But I am learning to walk.

Advice

2011-04-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

I am in need of some advice. I have been working out pretty regularly for the past several weeks. Mostly I have been doing a lot of walking, 3 miles everyday followed by a lower body toning video. Last week I switched things up a little due to time constraints and I did the 30 day shred. So my question is this, do you think that the hard work out for a shorter time is more or less beneficial than the longer workout at a more moderate pace? I want to do what ever will be better in the long run. I really enjoy the long walk with the legs, but I don't always have an hour to dedicate to working out in a day. The 30 day shred kicks my butt, but then I feel like I wimped out because it only takes 20 minutes. Is one better than the other? Should I continue to do a combination of the 2?
I have been working really hard on eating less and making better food choices. This is not an easy task considering I am feeding my entire family which is made up of two very picky eaters, so having better meals is not always welcome. Not that I allow my family to eat total crap, but there are days when nothing but comfort food will make them happy. I try to make things with more veggies and less red meat, but like I said, some days they aren't happy until they get meat and potatoes. I don't have the time or the money to cook two separate meals, one for me and one for them. So the workouts are super important to burn off some of the excess calories. So far what I have been doing seems to be working, I have lost 10 pounds in around a month, but I don't want to switch to a shorter workout and not get the same results, and at the same time who wants to spend a ton of time working out when you can do 20 minutes?
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. What do you do to burn off the meatloaf and baked potatoes?

Ready, Set......Goal

2011-04-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

At the start of every month I like to set goals for myself. I always figure that I can stick with something or accomplish something for one month. It makes for some fun projects and helps to keep me focused on the small goals. I like to change things up every month and try something new. I am a chronic list maker, so at the begining of the month I make a list and then at the end of the month I can look back and see what I got done. April is no exception to this plan. My goals for April are some of the goals I try for every month and some new ones. I try to set a goal for different areas of my life, financial, organizational, household, and personal. For April my financial goal is a little game I love to play, every couple of months I challenge myself to a spend no money month. Obviously I have to spend money every month, but I challenge myself to not spend any unnecessary money. No eating out, no coffee on the way to work, no little splurges. Just to see how much money I can save by the end of the month. I have given myself an allowance at the begining of every week, for things like gas and any mad money, at the end of eash week I take what is left and put it away in my secret hiding place. At the end of my spend no money month I take that money and put it on a bill or something else that is useful instead of the little daily splurges. You would be surprised how much you spend and don't even realize it. I have paid an extra payment on bills or paid the cell phone or electric bill, just by not getting that coffee or even a bottle of water on the road. It is a really fun thing to do. For organization, I am working on some spring cleaning. I figure that April is a great time for this since it is actaully starting to look and feel like spring. I like to start in one room a week and clean it and organize it that week, by the end of the month my house is in good order. I still do the general cleaning, I just clean out an extra closet or cupboard each week. Mostly the seasonal cupboards, taking care of the heavy jackets and boots and replacing them with lighter jackets and our mud boots. I pack up the stuff that we didn't use this season or doesn't fit anymore and I donate it. It is a great way to organize my house and to give to charity. My personal goals are always the hardest for me to stick with. I like to set goals for how much exercise I want to get in for the month, how long I want to walk/run or how many minutes minimum I want to work out a day/week. As hard as I try to get my time in, I have a hard time because I tend to get pulled in many different directions.So part of my personal goals this month is to make time for myself. Everyday I want to take some time for myself be it for working out, reading or whatever, I need some me time. I need to set some boundaries for my family on how much of my time they can demand from me. I acually started this one last week and so far it is going pretty well, there have been a few tears from Gary when he didn't get his way, lol, but he is dealing with it pretty good. K has been great about it, he might knock on my door and ask me for somehing but once I tell him he will have to wait he is fine with it. My other personal goal is to get out and be with my friends more. I live in one town and work 30 miles away so it is really hard to do things with the people from work, mostly because they all live in a different town in the opposite direction from work. We do try to get together every couple of months, but it is hard. I do have some friends in my own town, but it has been really hard to make them. I am a transplant to this area and extremely shy, so most of the ladies that I met when I move where the wives of my husbands friends and although they were all really nice to me, we just didn't have anything in common, so it was hard to find things to do together that we would all enjoy. Since I have moved Gary and I have started making new friends together, where as a couple we can do things together and I am thrilled with the people we have met. So my goal is to really work on those friendships to call them a little more and make plans a little more. One of our new friends lives right down the road and I think it would be really nice to have a walking partner and I know she would love it too. Those are my goals for April, I will check back at the end of the month and let you all know how I did. Do you set goals for the month? If so what are they? I would love to get some new ideas for next month.

So Good Pasta!

2011-03-30T10:31:00.001-07:00

I am sure that this picture does not do this justice, but OMGosh, this is the best dish I think I have ever made. I found it in a Campbell's Kitchen cook book, its called Broccoli and Pasta Bianco. I made it for my family a couple days ago and this is the left overs with a broccoli stuffed chicken breast thrown in for good measure. (Originally we did not have these two things together, this is two different days of leftovers.)
My husband says he hates pasta, so therefore I never cook it, but I saw this recipe and thought it looked so good I just had to try it. It was better than I could have imagined. You have got to try it. Super creamy and super easy and if eaten in moderation not super bad for you. Of course it is carbs covered in cheese and cream of mushroom soup, but seriously you have got to live sometimes. Besides, at least for me, I have cut out so much "bad" stuff from my diet that this didn't kill me. In fact I am slowly losing. So if you love pasta and cheese like I do, you HAVE GOT TO give this a try. You will thank me for it. Even my husband loved it, and that is really saying something.
Oh, and just an FYI, I was in no way compensated for this post. Well unless you count the fact that I got a great meal out of it. Campbell's has no idea I wrote this.

Revamp

2011-03-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about my blog a lot lately, or maybe I should say my lack of blogging. Is my blog what I want, is it what I envisioned when I first started out? No, not really. I wanted a fun, catchy, spunky kind of blog. I don't have that. I feel like my blog moved so far into the weight loss efforts that I even got somewhat bored of it. So I stopped writing, I let it fall by the wayside and I rarely visited. I even got to a point where not only was I not taking time on my own blog, but I was neglecting reading some of my favorites too. Blame it on the winter blues or whatever but I was just not here, or there, or anywhere really.
Lately though I have been thinking about my blog and what it is and what I want it to be. The last few months have brought some changes my way and I think that in the spirit of change my blog needs to change and expand too. I still want to jump up and down and tell everyone when I have lost a pound or two, or ten! but I also want to share the cute thing my son said, or the awesome dinner I made last night or tell you how my garden grows. So from here on out, you never know what you will find here, who or what I will talk about. But I think it is high time I made some changes, got back into the game and had fun. I mean after all isn't that what I was going for in the first place. Somewhere to talk and write and vent and have fun along the way sharing my one of a kind story? Exactly. So check out what I have up my sleeve and come back often, bring friends. Lets have a good time.

Changes

2011-03-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

In my little part of the boondocks, all that we have had available for internet has been dial up. Until now, finally this weekend we are getting high speed internet! I am so excited. I will finally be able to get online at home without the frustration of the lag time of dial up. I just had to share my excitement. This is wonderful.
Good things seem to be happening these days and I am looking forward to what the future holds. It has been a long time since I have felt this good about things. A couple years ago both my husband and I had job changes, one by choice the other by chance. It set us back, further than we has anticipated and we are finally getting back to where we were. It has been a long hard struggle but this feeling of freedom is so empowering.
The weight that I put on during all the stress is slowly melting off too. I am getting closer and closer to where I was before my world fell apart and I am excited to get into my regular clothes and have my energy back. It really surprised me how the stress affected every aspect of my life. My mood, my weight, my outlook everything was so turn upside down. Now I feel better, more optimistic, and lighter. I look forward to the day. Maybe part of that is the sunshine, but I know a lot of it is the relief of getting back on track. Being able to take care of obligations and being happy with what we have.
I know that over the past 2 years I have learned a lot. I have made new friends and have found myself in a completely different place than I had expected my life to take me. I was the youngest child in a moderately well to do family. I had everything I needed and then some, and money really wasn't an issue. I didn't get everything I wanted but it was very comfortable. The past couple years have taken me out of that comfort zone, and what I have learned is invaluable. I know now it is not what you have, but who you have. It is not what you get but what you give. It is the people you surround yourself with that make all the difference. We are no longer keeping up with the Jones' and we are happier for it. We have a beautiful home, wonderful healthy children, good vehicles, a small savings account and a love for each other that we would not have had without the struggles.
Finally my life is where I want to be.

Spring Fever

2011-03-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

I have a confession, I am suffering from Spring fever. In my neck of Michigan we are finally getting some nicer weather, we hit 50 degrees today. I realize for some people that is freezing, but for us Michiganders, it is practically a heat wave. I even drove with the window down in my truck for a few miles today on my way home. I have to admit it wasn't exactly warm, but the fresh air was invigorating. I am more than a little ready to open windows and air out the house after being cooped up for the last 6 months.
The sun is shining and the temperatures are rising. I am in heaven, but I am ready for the good weather to come just a little faster. The bright sunshine on my drive home is a great switch, even tonight when I stayed at work an hour past my normal time, it was still bright outside. I needed sunglasses! It was wonderful.
With all this sunshine, I am getting Spring fever. I am ready to start my garden, ok well it isn't really my garden. It is my inlaws garden that we help with. Mostly because they have a better yard for a garden and they have more time to tend to it. I went to the store yesterday and picked up a few seed packets and I will actaully be starting them inside this week.
I canned jam and jelly all weekend and I am excited to can some more. I love to can. Which is oddly strange since I hate a messy kitchen and it tends to make my counters feel messy because they are covered in cooling jars, but I can overlook that when I see those beautiful colorful jars shining back at me.
I am looking forward to canning alot this year. Last year we canned homemade v-8 juice, dilly beans, jam and potatoes. This year I want to try a few new things, maybe beets and pickles and relish. Luckily for me my mother in law is literally an old farmers wife and she is amazing at canning and she is so wonderful to help me with whatever project I am working on. Besides that she likes to do a lot of the prep work for me.
The nicer days are even making getting outside for walks and bike rides easier. Kris and I are getting our bikes out of storage this week and getting them checked over to make sure they are road ready, so that we can spend the weekend riding bikes.
Our first trip to the upper penisula is planned for 3 weeks to go to our cabin. We are taking the quad and hopefully the snow will be gone so we can get some nice rides in.
Can you see how excited I am? I have so much planned for this year. Come on Michigan bring on Spring!! So what do you have a fever for these days?

A Month to the Day

2011-03-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

It is hard for me to believe that is was a month ago today since my last blog post. Sad really, when you think about it that for an entire month I have let things slid. Not completely of course, but somethings slid off the radar. My blog for example. I have been busy, if that accounts for anything. I was promoted at work and that has filled my days with long, hard, stressful hours in the office, only to get home and find my family in dire need of mothering. 2 kids and 1 husband who seem to be incapable of seeing how tired and stressed out I am and are looking only for someone to come and make dinner. I did take a small vacation to Las Vegas last week and I think it finally hit my family then how much I do for them. When I returned from my trip I had to go into the repair shop and pick up my truck from having the front window replaced due to a stone chip last month by a lovely road blow, anyway, when I was in there even the sweet lady that works the desk said, "Oh, honey, your family missed you." Apparently my husband was so lonely that he parked his behind at the repair shop and visited with them for something to do. Thankfully they are friends of ours so it wasn't completely bizarre behavior, but it also isn't the norm for us to stop in there just to say hello.
But like I said somethings have really fallen off the grid. Good eating habits and exercise for example seem to be no where in my life at the moment. I haven't had a free moment to stop over at the sisterhood and catch up or take part in any new challenges. I don't know how all my blog buddies are doing and I feel just disconnected and out of touch. It is time to prioritize and get back on track. With spring in the air and the sun staying in the sky longer it is giving me some renewed bounce in my step and I am ready to take on the challenge of weight loss and win. I am ready to start over and get back on the wagon and start running and working out again. Watching what I eat and hopefully losing some of this very unwanted bulge in my backside! I made a packed with my sister while on vacation that 1) we are definitely coming back to Vegas some day and 2) when we do we will both be smaller. So I figure now is as good a time as any to start.
Besides that Lent starts this week and that is always a good time to look at your life and reassess. I know that a lot of people give things up for lent, that was a traditional thought process we had growing up but I also remember learning that it wasn't just giving up things, but also taking up new things that was part of lent. (sorry if you aren't familiar with the idea of lent, just know that it is the 40 days leading to Easter that Catholics use to prepare for the resurrection) Anyway, so I figured this would be a great time to not only give up some very bad habits but also put into place some really good habits. I plan on getting back into running and my smaller jeans and get out of the all day snacking and junk food binges that have been plaguing me as of late.
I am ready to restart my journey in healthy ways and who knows I just might lose a few unwanted pounds in the process. Either way, I am back in action!

You didn't really think I was gone did you?

2011-02-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

OK, so I admit it has been awhile since I have written. Too long in fact. Life just gets busy sometimes. So lets catch up. January ended with a bang of Birthday's, first mine then K's, then my sister and a good friend of mine. It was party after party after party! All of which I behaved very well at, considering I would rather not drink at all than have a hangover the next day.
My little K is not so little anymore. He turned 8 on January 27th and I am still amazed everyday that God gave me such a perfect little miracle all my own. We had a great birthday with cake and ice cream and lots of grandma's and grandpa's which are his favorite people outside of his Dad and me.
When I thought things had settled down I got a call from my sister to please please please go to Las Vegas with her for a belated birthday. So at the end of the month I am flying from snow covered Michigan to sunny Las Vegas for 5 fun filled days! I am so excited. My sister and I are great traveling companions and it has been years since we pulled off a trip together.
I have been working out and watching what I eat. I found a new walking video that I am really liking and I am doing some strength training 2-3 days a week. Winter blues are getting to everyone in my house, so it is nice to escape to my workout space and forget that everyone is crabby and tired of all the snow.
I have had a lot of major changes at work in the last 2 weeks and I am pretty excited for what the future holds for me there. I am thinking lots of good changes are starting to happen and I can't wait. Gary had some major changes in his work too. He used to work nights every other week and I can not even begin to explain to you how messed up his sleep schedule was. He was nearly impossible to deal with every other week because he was tired and just when he got used to things, he would switch back to days. Finally he is working days all the time. It does require a few over night trips occasionally, but he is for the most part home and sleeping well.
Well I guess that about gets up caught up. I will really make an effort to post more often. I considered taking down my blog for awhile while I wasn't posting but I have since decided not too. I think I just need to get on more and write about everything that is going on with life and not just the number on the scale!

Wednesday Check In: The Power of One!

2011-01-12T05:56:00.000-08:00

Another week done in the Power of One challenge over at the sisterhood. And although I had a good week and made good decisions and got some good minutes of running in the scale didn't show a victory. I am not surprised. Lets get the numbers over with and then I can explain.

Starting weight: 206.8
Week 1: 205.6
Week 2: 206.2
Change this week: up .6
Change for Challenge: down .6
Goal Weight: Anything in One-derland!

This has been a highly stressful week for me. More so than usual and I think all the stress has had an impact on the scale this week. I really have made good choices, actually much better than usual and I ran a lot in the last week, it just didn't want to come off this week I guess. But I know that this is just a temporary thing and than next week will be much better. I know that the stress will be gone after Friday and then hopefully all my good behavior will show up next week. I have to admit though I am glad that I got back on the treadmill and didn't give up after taking time off for the holidays. Running seems to have a somewhat therapeutic quality to it. Maybe it is just that it takes your mind of your worries but it makes me feel refreshed (sweaty and tired) when I am done and that goes a long way. It also helps me sleep better at night, and these days I will take all the help I can get!
How did you all do this week? Was the scale your friend? Good luck to you all.

Virtual Success

2011-01-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

Today over at the Sisterhood they were having a virtual 5k. I signed up way back in November and I was more than a little excited, it was just what I needed to kick me back in gear with my training. My goal had been to run the entire 3.1 miles, and then the holidays hit. Things around here got super busy and things at work got even busier, holidays, work, vacation, kids and school. Everything got crazy, and I still tried to keep up, but as it usually does, something had to give and unfortunatly it was the running. I was just beat everyday, I wasn't doing a good job of taking care of myself. Eating quick meals when I could and more than not forgetting to take my Iron supplements. My iron levels sank, my energy drained and I was tired. I know these are all just excuses, but the end result is the same, I was not training and I was not prepared for this 5k run.
Then the new year came and I knew that I could not keep living like this. I could not continue to skip my workouts and still reach my goals for the year. I needed to take care of myself and my first priority was getting back into running. So even though I didn't have alot of time I knew that I was still committed to running this race. I started getting back in the treadmill and running. It felt like I had started all over with my c25k training. The first day it was 2 minute runs, but I was thrilled at how quickly it all came back. There was no way I was going to make my goal of running this entire race, but there was also no way that I was going to not complete it.
I got up this morning and fueled up. Then I headed to the treadmill for my warm up and run. I started running. It felt good, really good and I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. No, I didnt run the whole thing, but I did push myself. I took over three minutes off my personal 3.1 mile treadmill time. It felt wonderful. It made me feel powerful and successful and exactly the moral boost I needed to keep up with my training. I knew months ago that this 5k was exactly what I needed to get back into training and today it was exactly what I needed to keep with it.
I can't wait to see what the rest of the year holds for running and personal goals in general. Yesterday I got online to search for some local races and I found a few that caught my interest. I am not ready to sign up for anything yet, but I have a great idea of what is out there and what I am training for. And as another bonus, my goal of running 20 miles a month is going to get blown out of the water this month, I am already at 13 miles one week in.
So did you run with the Sisterhood today? How did you do?How are your goals going so far this year?

Letter to Me

2011-01-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

Dear 2011 Carrie,
Hello dear, well you have a big year ahead of you. 2011 is going to be a hugely successful year for you. You have a lot of goals set for yourself and it is high time you spent a little more time and energy and making yourself a priority. There are a lot of things on your bucket list for the year and I know that you can accomplish anything that you set your mind too.
You want to complete 3k races this year. Of course you will run the Lansing River Run again since you had such a blast there last year, and it goes without saying that with a year of running under your belt by then you will blow your last years time out of the water. You also want to run a few races that are yet to be determined, make sure you do your research and find some good runs to complete in this year because you know that once you start it is so addicting.
You also have some pretty solid weight loss goals to accomplish. Getting down to wedding size will take a lot of hard work and dedication but I know you have to tools and ability to get it done. Man, I am jealous of how great you are going to look by the end of the year. Long gone will be the days I "I don't have anything that fits right." You have the determination and drive to stick with it and succeed.
Don't forget your financial goals as well. It will be such a great reward when you get to take Kris to Universal Studios next Christmas and have it all paid for in advance. Now that is something to really look forward to.
With getting your health and weight on track you are also going to need to work on your organizational skills, with a potential promotion in the near future you are going to have to make sure all your ducks are in a row to keep your family and your career in order. I know that it will all fall into place once you get the ball rolling. This is the year to step out of your comfort zone, face your fears head on and overcome them all and prove to everyone, mostly yourself, that you deserve to have good things come your way. This is the year that you finally stand up and say "hey, look at me, look what I can do!" and everyone listens.
Don't down play yourself, you have major talents and ambitions and you can do totally awesome things. I have complete faith in everything you are setting out to do this year, and hey maybe when you read this next year you will giggle at the three races you had planned when you look back and see that it has been more than that, and that little 5k Lansing River Run turned into a half marathon.
You go girl! I have all the confidence in the world that you are going to take on 2011 and win big!
I am so proud of you!
Love,
Carrie

The Power of ONE- Check In

2011-01-05T06:17:00.000-08:00

Hey remember me? I know it has been awhile. Life has been crazy (and fun) lately and I have been away, but I am back now and ready for the new year. Which is perfect because this is the beginning of a new challenge over at the Sisterhood, well actually it started last week but I was off the grid so to speak, soaking in the sun in Florida and I didn't have the chance to check in. I was following along in my no cell phone, no internet world. I am really excited for this challenge, it is all about ME. And I can tell you, all about ME doesn't happen very often around these parts. I am a nurturer by nature and so I am the one taking care of everyone else which leaves very little time to take care of me. But I have made it a priority for this challenge and really for this year to make time for me, to take better care of myself so that I can take better care of my family. And I am happy to report that so far so good.
I am, like a lot of people, reluctant to make New Years Resolutions. Sticking with something for an entire year is tough and I tend to shoot for the stars, fall short and then quit. This year I am taking it in smaller doses, starting small so that falling short is not an option. I started running last year and although I am not very fast I am really enjoying it. I find that I can't get on my treadmill anymore just to walk. I get my 5 minute warm up in and then I am ready to up the pace and run. I never thought that would happen to me, but I love it. So part of my NYR is to get a run in at least 5 days a week. It doesn't have to be long or far, my goal is 20 minutes a day and at least 20 miles a month. That would be 240 miles ran at the end of the year. That just sounds impressive to me, but at the same time obtainable. So far I am sticking to it too. Of course it is only 5 days into the new year, but you have to count the small victories as well as the big.
When my husband and I meet several years ago we were both thinner. This year we have both made the commitment of getting back to those sizes. It is nice to have him working with me on this goal and striving for it himself. With that being said, it is time to get down to the nitty gritty with the numbers.

Starting weight: 206.8
Week 1: 205.6
Change: Down 1.2
Goal Weight: Anything in One-derland!

So how did you do this week? Did the New Year celebrations throw you off track? I am happy to report that New Years was good to me, probably because I slept through it. I had a 3am wake up call the next day to get back to cold Michigan from Florida and toasting in the New Year was not an option, but on the plus side either was eating in the new year.
I hope this year finds you happy, healthy and conquering all your challenges for the New Year and a New YOU!.

Back in the Ring

2010-12-21T06:14:00.000-08:00

I just signed up to participate in the new challenge at the Sisterhood. The Power of One Challenge. Of course it starts next Wednesday, and I will be out of town with absolutely no internet connections, but I will try to find some place to jump on to blog and find out what the first challenge is. I am excited to get back to blogging and to the Sisterhood and their challenges. I know that I needed a break with how crazy my life gets this time of year, but I am really looking forward to getting back at it. 2011 is going to be a great year! I can't wait to get started!
Have you signed up? If not, what are you waiting for? Lets make next even better than this year. I can't wait to see all the good things that are going to happen for all of us!
In case I don't get a chance to blog again before then, Happy Holiday's Everyone!

Still Here

2010-12-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

I am still here, trying to catch up on everyone's blogs and seriously ignoring my own. I need to get back in the swing of things, I just rarely have any time to do that. I have continued to try to eat right and exercise. I haven't gained any weight, but I haven't lost either. I feel like not gaining is a victory by itself with all the holiday treats that are around these days.
I have been extremely busy at work since due to down sizing we went to 4 day work weeks, so now I have 40 hours of work to do in 32 hours. I am not complaining though, I like the job and the benefits and it is only for a month, hopefully, and I have so much stuff going on that I keep my day off filled with appointments and errands.
Gary dropped a bomb on my Monday that he needed me to plan his company holiday party, for this Saturday, oh and it is 2 hours away. I have been running around trying to get that all taken care of too. Thank goodness for the wonderful people in my town that I do all the company embroidery with, I now have all the guys gifts embroidered with the company logo and their names in less than 5 days. What a life saver that is. So now I just have to finish the food, and well, since I can't cook I freaked about the food. Luckily for me one of our very good friends is an amazing cook and he has offered to make all the food for me.
Other than the usual holiday madness things are going along well for me and my family. We had parent teacher conferences for both boys last month and they are both doing amazing. Kris is reading 2 whole grade levels ahead of his class and he is doing awesome in everything else too. Bill is getting A's and B's across the board and we are really pleased with how well he is doing with school and work and still finding time to be with friends and stay out of trouble. Sometimes I get so caught up in the day to day hustle and bustle that I forget how great my kids are, I get too wrapped up in what they didn't do, like clean their rooms, to remember how awesome they are, messy rooms or not.
This week Kris wants to make presents for his friends at school for Christmas, he even wants to buy the supplies himself. I think that is pretty neat for a 7 year old boy to be thinking of others, he is really getting into the spirit this year. We are working on helping a family that is less fortunate too so that both boys see how truly lucky they are.
We have 4 Christmas parties in the next 2 weeks, 2 of them back to back and then we jump in the truck and go to Florida. With all the planning, shopping, wrapping and packing you can see how I don't have much time to blog, but I will get back to it. Ok well I will try. I miss you all, but I have been trying to keep up reading all of yours!
How is your season going?

Crazy Busy

2010-11-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

Life has now entered the crazy busy period. Everything always gets hectic around this time of year but this year it has hit 10 fold. Work is beyond chaotic and home isn't much better.Tis the season I guess. I have been bustling around trying to get everything taken care of during my work day that I am completely zapped when I get home. Not that it matters that I am running on empty because I still have a family to feed, homework to supervise, laundry and dishes and dusting oh my! I know it sounds like I am complaining and really I'm not. I love to be busy, the busier the better. It gives me a huge feeling of accomplishment when I can cross multiple things off my list. But at the same time something has to give. Unfortunately it has been my check ins here, but have no fear. I am still working out and eating right. I didn't join the newest challenge at the Sisterhood due to my schedule and feeling like right now just isn't the time for me to take on anything more. Just know that I am still here, still working hard and still trying to read everyone's blogs when I can. It just came down to would I rather get my work out in, or a blog post. In a perfect world both, but for right now, I am taking the work out. Good luck to everyone in the challenge and those like me that are just going to try to follow along on the sidelines.

True Confession Tuesday

2010-11-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

It has been a loooong time since my last confession. Maybe because I have been too busy to dwell on anything lately, good or bad, and the scale keeps moving down, so I figure my indiscretions probably aren't worth mentioning. But with the latest Shrinking Jeans Challenge being over I think I should probably confess to keep myself honest and on track. Without the fitness challenges to push me I need to push myself, which leads to my first confession.
I have been horrible at pushing myself lately. I should qualify that, once I actually start something, like a run or a video, I push myself. It is the getting started that is killing me lately. I keep thinking, oh I can do it later and then later comes and I don't do it. I need some more incentive to push myself to get off my butt and move. Which leads me to my next confession.
I have not been very good about getting my c25K runs in this week. I have gotten on the treadmill and run, but not nearly as often as I should. I like to use my husbands work schedule as an excuse. That I should spend time with him before he leaves for work and that after he leaves it is too late to run, but really that just an excuse. I could run before he goes to work since he is probably sleeping on the couch anyway.
So those are my not so stellar confessions, but I do have some good things to confess.
This past weekend started our holiday crazy schedule. We had our first of many many Christmas parties (I know, Christmas parties already, heaven help us) and not only did we go, eat, drink and be merry, but I didn't overeat. I got a few things I really liked and ate slow and didn't get that ugh full feeling. I even stepped on the scale the next day to find I had not gained.
I have also been working very hard and been very good at taking my iron supplement. I know this doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is for me. Mostly because I totally hate taking the stupid little pill. It makes me feel terrible for at least an hour after I take it, so I like to pretend to forget to take it. But this whole month I have been super diligent about taking it.
So I guess that is all for now. I need to get off my tush and starting moving more so that next week I can confess all good things...... well mostly good things. I can't be good all the time or life would get boring. :)

The Last Shrinkvivor Weigh In

2010-11-03T05:32:00.001-07:00

As with all good things, they must come to an end. It is the last weigh in for the Shrinkvivor challenge and I am sad to see it come to an end. It has been a great journey and a successful one. I am hoping that even without the challenge and the weekly fitness and non-fitness challenges that I can keep up with the progress I have had this entire time.
It has been a great experience and I have "meet" some really awesome and inspiring women. I have pushed myself to try new things and to overcome my boundries. I have even got my husband thinking about living a healthier lifestyle, and in all honesty that might be the biggest reward of all. I have regained my excitement about working out and sweating and challenging myself and reaching new goals. I am no longer complacent, I am ready to push for the next milestone in my journey, to gain strength and stamina and prove to myself that I can accomplish anything I set my mind out to do. I am so glad that I signed up for and completed this challenge.
So now down to the numbers.............drum roll please.

Starting Weight: 213.8
Week 1: 213
Week 2: 210.2
Week 3: 206.6
Week 4: 205.8
Week 5: 204.8
Week6: 203.8
Week7: 202.6
Change: 1.2 lbs
Total Lost: 11.2 lbs

Another pound bites the dust, and I couldn't be more excited. 11.2 pounds gone in this challenge. Success every week both on the scale and off. Clothes fit better, I feel better, I can't wait to see what another 7 weeks will look like. The Shrinkvivor Challenge may be coming to an end, but the weight loss journey is only just starting.
This week the fitness challenge was to try something new. So I got out a new video that I hadn't tried before and made my first ever attempt at Plyo-pump. It was hard and it was super fun. It pushed me to do things that I feared and I loved the rush I got when I did it. I was also super tired with jello legs when I was done, but it is definitely a video that I will be doing again and again.
So how did all of you do? Check out the rest of the sisters and spread a little congratulations! Oh and while your at is make sure to vote for the ultimate Shrinkvivor!

Perfect Timing

2010-11-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

I am so super excited about what I read in my email inbox this morning. As some of you will recall I never get online over the weekend or at home due to a miserably slow dial up connection. So I try to get to work extra early on Monday's to catch up on my email and my blog reading before the days starts. So I was perusing my inbox when I came across my email from The Sisterhood and I was so excited when I started reading it. They are hosting a virtual 5k. Training starts today and the run is scheduled for January 8th, 2011, nine weeks from today. This could not have come at a better time for me.
I have really let my running fall by the wayside since I ran my first 5k back in the end of September. Over a month ago and I have just not had the heart to get up and keep up with my training. What a waste. This gives me something to train for again. And although I will be running the race in my own home on my treadmill it is still going to push me to get stronger and work on my pace and form. Besides that I was looking for something new to do. I was laying in bed last night with a horrible case of insomnia! Ahh, and I was thinking,"Hey, tomorrow is November 1st, this is a great time to set some new goals for myself and get moving again, hmmm, but what to do." So this could not have come at a more perfect time. And I have a Christmas trip planned for Florida in two months and the training will help to ensure that I don't gain the dreaded holiday weight and that I can fit into my capri's for my vacation.
I can't wait to get home tonight and start training again. I really needed this to keep my going through the holiday's and the winter months when it is so much easier to snuggle up on the couch with a warm blanket and watch endless hours of TV. Not this year! Maybe this will be the year that instead of setting a New's Years resolution to get healthy, it is the year that I set a resolution to stay healthy! Who's with me?

Shrinkvivor Check-In

2010-10-27T05:33:00.000-07:00

Its that time again! Time for another check in, so lets get right to it.

Starting Weight: 213.8
Week 1: 213
Week 2: 210.2
Week 3: 206.6
Week 4: 205.8
Week 5: 204.8
Week6: 203.8
Change: 1.0 lbs
Total Lost: 10.0 lbs

Holy Moly! 10 pounds! I am totally shocked. I have lost weight every single week of the challenge. It is a great feeling. I am starting to see the changes in the way my clothes fit and I feel really good. The weekends have always been the worst for me, I can't imagine how I would do if I was lucky enough to be a SAHM. But I have been working on this hurdle for a long time. Making good decisions when I don't have to think about cooking for anyone else, and when I can eat whenever I am hungry. During the week this isn't a problem, I pack my lunch and snacks and I don't have to think about it again. Weekends that all goes out the window. Until this weekend, I was more careful, more vigilant with my choices. I didn't eat whenever I wanted, I didn't eat junk because I wasn't cooking for anyone else. In fact I made a nice roast chicken this weekend. I think having a successful weekend really helped me lose this week, I didn't have to try to fix a rotten weekend, I just stayed steady. It took me a long time to learn that lesson....ahhh but there it is.
So as far as the fitness/non-fitness challenges go, I didn't do as well. I did get out and get 2 miles in. I wish I could say it was more, but I am only counting the official miles of exercise, I can't count the number of miles I put down in a day running around taking care of kids and house and husband and at the grocery store or getting the mail, if that was the case I am sure most of us would have huge numbers to report. I did stay away from the trans-fat for the most part. I know I got in more than I should have, but I was more conscious of them this week. Still doing really well with the water and getting better with the fruits and veggies. I am sure if I keep working on it someday getting all the fruits and veggies in will be second nature, until then I am trying to get them in with every meal somehow.
So how did you all do?

Shrinkvivor Check-In Wednesday

2010-10-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

Another Wednesday, another check in. But that is ok, I am happy about this week again.
Lets get the official stuff out of the way shall we:

Starting Weight: 213.8
Week 1: 213
Week 2: 210.2
Week 3: 206.6
Week 4: 205.8
Week 5: 204.8
Change: 1.0 lbs
Total Lost: 9.0 lbs

9 pounds gone since this challenge began! Oh my gosh I can hardly believe it. 4.8 pounds to go until I am in Onederland. 4.8 pounds! Less than 5 pounds. My goal has been to be into the 100's by Thanksgiving, and with 4.8 pounds to go that is totally do-able. I am so excited. It is really giving me something to strive for each week, to see one more ounce lead to one more pound coming off that number on the scale. To see clothes fitting just a little bit better, to feel better and have more energy. This is a great place to be. I have now successfully lost every week of this challenge, I know that on this journey that will not always be the case. At some point I will plateau, or I will gain. I am ok with that, I know it is all part of getting where I want to be. And I also know that I will get there.
This challenge has been awesome for me. When it started I didn't know if my heart was really in it, I wasn't sure after I signed up if I had what it takes dedication wise to do this. I didn't want to let my team down or myself. But I had signed up and so when it came it to start I put my mind and heart and feet into it. I could not be happier that I did that.
This weeks non-fitness challenge was to expose ourselves, and as you can all see (or not see) I did not participate. There are several reasons for this. First I should mention how proud and impressed I am by everyone that did participate, what beautiful woman you all are. I really don't want to delve into the reasons you don't see any pictures of me in my bra and panties, but just know that I was there is spirit. I fully appreciate the body that God gave me. My hips might be a little wide and my butt isn't perfectly firm, but I am proud of it. I don't hate my body, I did for a long time, but over the last few years I have learned to love it.
As for the fitness challenge, I logged in 200 minutes this week. Not as many as last time if I recall correctly, but still got out and moved. It helps a lot that I am still not watching TV at night so that frees up my time, what doesn't help are the endless meetings I have had lately. But on a very positive note, our oldest son Bill who is a senior (heaven help me) this year had a parent teacher night at school last night and he is getting all A's. I am so proud of him, so it was worth missing a work out to get a report like that.
How did you all do this week? Check out the sisterhood and see how everyone else did.

Wednesday Check-in Shrinkvivor Style

2010-10-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

So another week of Shrinkvivor has passed. I am loving this challenge. I have had another good week and I am please to report the following:
Starting Weight: 213.8
Week 1: 213
Week 2: 210.2
Week 3: 206.6
Week 4: 205.8
Change: .8 lbs
Total Lost: 8.0 lb
Not a huge loss this week, but after my weekend Up North I am pleased with anything I can get! I am also really excited that I have continued to lose every week. That is a huge accomplishment no matter what the number is. I didn't get a lot of miles in this week for the challenge, I only logged in 5. But I did get one of those miles in over the weekend without the benefit of a shower, so I think that is pretty hard core right there. My poor husband having to ride 5 hours with me smelling like sweat, to me, shows how much he loves me! Or it is pay back that he works in a very smelly industry and is usually the stinky one. I did get my water in, I even packed extra for the weekend so I would not be tempted to drink any other beverages. The fruits and veggies didn't all make it in everyday but I am trying and that is saying something. I have to admit failure on the food log, I completely let it slip my mind and didn't journal at all. I am going to work on that one this week. I know that it will help with accountability.
I find myself running out of time long before I run out of day and that makes it hard to get everything in that needs to be done. Work, home, school, workouts. Something always seems to fall through the cracks, so this week I am taking out my TV time. I started last night and I got through so much more last night than I usually get through the entire week. I am hoping that is gives me more time to workout. If not at least I will have a clean house. I got that idea when I was given a rare treat of being home alone for a couple hours Monday night and I was so excited to get to watch whatever I wanted on TV and realized there was nothing I wanted to watch even on, so instead I watched a TV show I had on DVR that I had already seen. I made me more aware of how much of my day gets wasted. So I have a few things to work on this week, but I am really excited to get started and see where the week takes me.
How are you all doing??

Wednesday Shrinkvivor Check-in

2010-10-06T05:38:00.000-07:00

Lets get right to it, since I am super excited about this week's check in.
Starting Weight: 213.8
Week 1: 213
Week 2: 210.2
Week 3: 206.6
Change: 3.6 lbs
Total Lost: 7.2 lb
I am having a great week. I doubled my weight lost this week. I am working really hard at making better food choices. Staying away from any beverages that are not coffee and water. I should probably try to cut back on the coffee too, but I need it in the morning. That and I like it a lot! I stayed away from the fast food, which is getting easier every day and I drank all my water. I didn't get in all my fruits and veggies but I did make an attempt most days. I need to keep working on that one. I ran my fastest mile this week at 12:43. I want to work on that too, I would like to be faster, but I figure just getting out there no matter how fast you go is better than just sitting there.
I have had a really good week. My mood has been really good and I haven't been as tired as I was a few weeks ago. I have even been good at remembering to take my iron supplements, and that is saying something because I hate them. If you have never had the pleasure of taking them they make your belly feel really yucky for a couple hours. I did discover if I take them at night I can avoid the yucky belly feeling.
All in all it has been a great week. There have been some huge changes happening in my life this week, mostly work related (all good), and I know that feeling better about myself has helped me handle them with stride. I am so looking forward to next weeks challenge. I am headed up North to our cabin this weekend with Gary and my sister and her boyfriend and I am determined not to let this time away undermine my success so far!
How did you all do?

Scariest Corn Maze Ever

2010-10-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

This morning Kris and I decided that we would join Grandma and Grandpa for a trip to a local pumpkin patch. There was a craft show and lots of activities for kids. We took my neice Abby with us and loaded in the cars. It was cold and drizzly and we quickly went through all the craft booths. I bought Kris a donut and we all started back for the vehicles. Just as we were getting back to the parking area Kris noticed the corn maze. No one else wanted to go through it so Kris took off alone. We have been to lots of corn mazes with no problem and looking at it, it looked really small so I wasn't concerned to have him go through on his own. He began running down the row and I watched waiting for him to turn to start coming back, only he didnt. I called to him to come back, but it was windy and he couldn't hear me. I took Abby and together we ran into the maze to catch up to him and bring him out. Only when we looked up, he was gone. I continued running calling him name. Nothing, no response. Ok, I thought, this just seems to be a straight path, no other paths running off from it. I could see another path through the corn rows so I decided to cut through to head Kris off, and thats when I realized that there were more paths running through it. I started to panic. I went back to my original path and began running and calling for Kris again. Abby and I ran and ran. Horrible thoughts were running through my head and I was really starting to panic. Where was my little boy? We finally came across a group of kids in the maze and I asked if they had seen him? They said he was still just a little bit ahead of us. I took off running. The rational art of my head losing to the irrational part, I watch way to many crime shows. I was panicked. Finally the maze opened up into a wide field and there, half way across the field was my little man. I yelled for him and he finally heard me. He turned and we both started running toward each other. When we reached I realized that we were both crying, ok, maybe sobbing is closer to the truth. We were both highly shaken by the experience. We walked back to the car hand in hand. We had stopped crying and I put him in the back seat to buckle up. I said good bye to my parents and climbed into the car. I looked back at Kris and he was crying again. We both thought that there should be a warning on the maze that it was for older kids. I know that corn mazes are part of the fall and Halloween, but I have never been so scared. I can bet that neither of us will go near one ever again.

Finally Friday

2010-10-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

It is finally Friday. It has been one of those weeks that Friday can't come soon enough. Maybe it was the added stress at home and work or maybe it was the knowledge that I was going out with friends on Friday. Either way it has been a brutal week to get through.
Be finally it is here. Bring on the friends, the gossip and the adult beverages! We will worry about tomorrow later, right now I am ready to meet up and hang out! I have the my favorite CD ready in the truck I will have the windows rolled down and I will on my way to a fun filled evening.
I love Fridays, don't you?

Thursday is Close to Friday

2010-09-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

So I know that the weekend has not started just yet, but I feel like it is Friday. For one this has been an abnormally long week. It seems to be dragging on forever. For another thing Gary is gone hunting this weekend. Now don't get me wrong I will miss him, but at the same time I love having the house to myself to do whatever I want whenever I want. Well I guess not completely because both the boys are home, but still. I have seniority so what I say goes. I love being the MOM!
Kris and I area headed to my parents house Friday night and I am more than a little looking forward to it. They are having a Marti Gras parade that I think Kris will really like. It isn't like New Orleans, it is kid/family friendly. Then Grandma and Grandpa are going to watch Kris while I meet up with some friends for a night on the town. I am secretly hoping for an early end to the night, because I have so much I want to get in this weekend I don't want to waste my time sleeping in. I never in my life thought I would feel that way, I guess I am getting old.
My Dad also wants to take us out to breakfast on Saturday and he is not one to wait around. My Dad is a breakfast conisour! He loves breakfast, which is so funny because my Dad isn't a big eater. He is one those people that need to be reminded to eat. Why could I have not gotten that gene from him?!?
Saturday Kris and I are going shopping before heading home and then Sunday we are getting ready to start the week all over again. Oh and I have runs scheduled through out the weekend. I am working on my fastest mile for the Shrinkvivor Challenge. My average in my 5K was 13:17 and I am hoping to knock some time off of that!
What are you doing fun this weekend?

Wednesday Check-in Shrinkvivor

2010-09-29T05:32:00.000-07:00

Well it has been another successful week of the Shrinkvivor challenge. Lets get right to the numbers, shall we.
Starting Weight: 213.8
Week 1: 213
Week 2: 210.2
Change: 2.8 lbs
Total Lost: 3.6 lbs
So far so good. Every pound counts and I am feeling good about it. I haven't deprived myself or starved myself I have just been trying to be more careful about what I eat. Some days are easier than others. I also got 5 hours of workouts in this week which is 300 minutes, and lots of water everyday. Between 60-100oz a day, I only drink water after my morning coffee, so I am not always good about counting the ounces. I even stayed far away from the drive thru, which was easier than I thought it would be. I just had to plan ahead and pack my lunch, I did forget it one day and had to have Subway, but I didn't tempt myself with a footlong even though it is more cost effective I only get a 6 inch. I think my family is benefiting to, we aren't snacking like before and becasue I am eating better, so are they. All good things!
I am excited to see what next weeks challenges are it keeps things exciting.

True Confession Tuesday

2010-09-28T08:03:00.000-07:00

Its Tuesday again which means it is time to confess, and this week I actually did really well and my confessions are almost all good.
Lets start with the not so good.
* I did not train hard enough for my 5k on Sunday. I should have gotten in at least 1 more run before the event, but on the plus side, I ran the 5k anyway and completed it.
* Gosh, that's it for the not so good.
So the good confessions.
* I have gotten in some sort of workout minutes everyday for the Shrinkvivor challenge.
* I have gotten in lots of water everyday.
* I have NOT had fast food this week.
* I have packed my lunch everyday, I did forget to bring it with me one day, but it was packed!
* So far I have lost some weight this week, the official weigh in being tomorrow, I will not mention how much. A lot can happen overnight!
I feel really good this week. I feel powerful and successful and that is a great feeling to help spur you on to bigger and better accomplishments. I am planning another nice run for this weekend. I am going to visit my parents and they live in a nice neighborhood with sidewalks and lots of hills so I am planning to run there over the weekend. My Dad said he would plan a route for me and he would tell me when I got back how long it was. I think it will be a lot of fun. It will be a nice change of pace to run in the city than the long country roads I currently have to run on.
I did go out for a mile and a half run last night, it would have been longer but K came along on his bike and he was complaining so much about his bike not working right that I had to give into the complaints and head home to take a look at it. It drains my energy to have to deal with other things on my runs. On the bright side though I ran almost the entire time, only stopping to talk to K, and even then I was jogging in place. Lets hope I can keep this positive momentum going!

My First 5k Race

2010-09-27T09:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I ran the Capital City River Run 5k. It was an adventure to say the very least. I have spent the last week debating on whether or not I was ready for this, had a trained enough, was I prepared? The answer was a resounding no. Every day leading up to the race I wavered on whether or not I was actually going to drive to Lansing and participate. One day I definitely was, the next definitely not. Until Sunday morning when I actually rolled out of bed I still knew in the back of my mind I did not have to do this. I could roll over in bed and sleep til 9 if I wanted to. But by then I had made up my mind. I was going to do this. I wanted to do this. So at 5:30am Sunday morning my alarm went off and I got out of bed. I had already laid out my clothes the night before. Black shorts, my favorite pink t-shirt (it says Princess on it) and a long sleeve t-shirt over top. I knew I needed to leave the house around 6:15 to give myself enough time to make the drive and get there in time to pick up my packet and shirt. I got in the truck ready to go and realized that my lovely husband had left my truck on under a ¼ of a tank of gas. Crap, I knew now I needed to stop for gas and that the closest gas station was 7 miles out of my way, crap again. I drove to the station to fill up and see the signs on all the pumps that there debit/credit machines are down! Ahhhh, luckily I had cash on me. So I fill up but now it is closer to 6:45 and I know I am seriously running late.

I drive down to Lansing as fast as I feel safe going since neither an accident nor a speeding ticket are worth it. I arrive at about 7:45, and quickly realize I am not where I need to be. I throw a new address into the GPS and start seeing runners as I drive; I know I am getting closer. I park the truck, grab my music and start following the crowd. I quickly ask some guy I see walking if he knows where I need to go and he walks me to the start of the race, I never did get his name, but I was so thankful to him. We wished each other luck and I ran inside to get my race number. I got my bib and my shirt and headed back outside. I had 13 minutes to spare before the race was to start. I stood in line next to another first timer and we chatted a little. I kept thinking to myself, oh God here we go, I am never doing this again. Before I knew it they were signaling the start of the race and off we went. She had the same pace to begin as I did so we stuck together for the beginning. Eventually she got ahead of me and I needed to walk a minute to catch my breath. That is how the rest of the race went, I would run for a few minutes (I didn’t have a watch so I have no idea how long) then I would walk a minute. I ended up following a mother and daughter team that were pacing themselves the same way and seemed to have a watch on them so when they ran I ran. I barely remember the race, I was focusing on my breathing and my running and not tripping on anything or running into anyone. Before I knew it we were rounding the corner to the finish. I put on a last burst of speed to get to the finish line. I remember smiling as I crossed the line and thinking, that was awesome, I can’t wait to do it again. I didn’t run a fast race, but I finished, my official time being 41:14 for a 13:17 mile pace. I finished 70 out of 83 runners in my age bracket and 669 out of 843 runners overall. The numbers don’t matter to me, what matters is that I did it. I was really proud of myself and I want to do it again.

I thought that once I was done with this race I would cross this off my bucket list and never sign up for another race again. Now I can’t wait for the next one. Now I feel more like I know what to expect and like I belong. I don’t want to quit running I want to improve my time. My goal for next year is to run the whole race without having to walk at all. Who knows maybe by this time next year I will be up to running the half marathon? No matter what I sign up to run though, the 5k or the half marathon, I will definitely return to this race. The capital was a beautiful place to run and I had a great time. I’m hooked.

Only next year, I will plan a lot better. I will find out where I need to be beforehand. After the race ended and the adrenaline rush was over I realized I had no idea where I had parked. I spent 45 minutes walking around downtown looking for my truck. Next year I will make my husband drive me! He had to work and couldn’t be there. (bummer) My sister and her family did come down to watch me finish but they got lost and couldn’t find the end of the race. (That is a huge long saga there I will have to tell another time.) So I ended the race with no one there for me but really I was ok with that. I understood the reasons my family couldn’t make it and I know they were there in spirit and I would probably be more upset if it was the one and only race I was ever going to run, but I know now that it was only beginning and they will be there for some of the rest of them. Gary even said he might like to join me! Time will tell!

A day late and a dollar short?!?

2010-09-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

So I am a day late for the Wednesday check-in. Yesterday was crazy for me, so I guess you get the Thursday Check-in this week. I did officially check in with the Sisterhood for my Tribe, the Groovy Gray Chicks, and that is the check-in that mattered the most.
So officially here are my Wednesday results.......on Thursday
Starting Weight: 213.8
Week 1: 213
Change: -.8
Goal for the Challenge: As much as I can and keep it off.
I have not, as you can see, set a number to get to or an amount to lose for this challenge. I just want to work at getting it off and keeping it off. I am happy with any loss that stays gone. I don't want to yo-yo from week to week, so if that means I only lose a little bit each week so be it, although I hope it is a little bit more than this week! lol
So as I mentioned before yesterday was crazy and here is why. For the past year and a half or so I have been battling with a few little health problems, mostly fatigue which is directly related to low levels of Iron and vitamin B-12. I was doing better a few months ago but I can physically feel my levels are low again. I am in bed and sound asleep by 9:00am, that is totally crazy for me. So yesterday I had a doctors appointment, 2.5 hours from home. My doctor recommended I try a new supplement kinda drink of his own invention. It is packed with protein, Vitamin B-12 and Vitamin D, he said the protein in it is like eating a hamburger, but it only has 48 calories per serving. I was sold. He also said it gives you energy like a 5 hour energy shot, but without the caffeine or the crash. I tried a 1 oz shot yesterday and felt pretty good afterward, I was still in bed by 8:45, but hey you can't expect miracles. I took another shot this morning and felt better than I have in awhile. It doesn't curb my appetite as much as he described it would, but it helped. I am hoping more so that the B-12 in it helps me get my energy back than anything, but I feel pumped and revitalized. Weight loss is just as much mental as it is physical and I was feeling so tired and warn out that getting the physical part in was killing me. Lets hope this helps for next week. That is if I survive and haven't been exiled! Fingers crossed.

Confession Time

2010-09-21T08:29:00.000-07:00

Time to confess. I have always heard that confession is good for the soul, I am hoping that is true.
*I have a 5k run on Sunday that I do not feel at all prepared for. I have slacked off at the worst possible time. I do have this week to get on track, but I wish I had another week. I contemplated skipping the whole thing, but I have definitely decided against that. I figure even if I walk the whole thing I am going to do it.
*I feel like I am living my life in avoidance mode lately. I am trying to keep myself busy with everything else than to dwell on the things that are out of my control. I am working on this one. Taking control of my life, my family, my eating.
*I am a slacker lately. Once school started it killed my schedule and it shouldn't have. I feel like I am using school as an excuse to not do things I should do, like, I don't know, RUN!
*I did not eat very well over the weekend. We were at our Cabin in the U.P. and it is really hard to eat good when everything you are cooking is over a fire. In my defense I did make squash in the fire and ate that, but I added butter. I also didn't workout very much this weekend either. Again in my defense there is no shower up there and if I get stinky and gross from a run, I am stinky and gross til I get home.
Ahhh, that did make me feel better. I feel bad about my eating and workouts because of the Shrinkvivor challenge and I feel like I am letting the Groovy Gray Chicks down. I have gotten back on track since I have been home, getting a 2.2 mile run in yesterday, but I know that my totals for the week are pathetic. I will get back on track, I will get my life in order and I will succeed in this journey to lose weight. I feel better when I get my workouts in and eat right and I know this, so I just need remember it. I feel better now, time to get a move on. I can still get a walk in on my lunch and I have a run scheduled for after dinner. Lets see what I can do in a last push for the miles.
How did you do this week? Have you confessed?

It Starts Now

2010-09-15T06:11:00.001-07:00

Shrinkvivor starts today. It is the official first weigh in. It is not a pretty number, but on the bright side I have no where to go but down. I am really looking forward to the next few weeks, the teams and the dreaded Exile island. My plan is to stay far far away from Exile island.
I have 10 days left until my first ever 5k run and I am hoping that training for that and this new challenge keeps me on track and accountable.
Are you ready to shrink?
Starting weight: 213.8 I am hoping that is the last time I ever see that number. It is up from my previous challenge, but I think part of that is that I needed new batteries in my scale. Let see how low that number can go. I am pretty confident that by the end of the challenge I can kiss the 200's good bye for good! I can't wait to see what our first physical challenge is for this week.

Just Checking In

2010-09-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

Its check in Wednesday at the sisterhood and since the challenge is over I almost forgot. I did just randomly jump on the scale this morning and I am holding my own. I think I was up .4 lbs, but after a weekend of hot dogs and smore's I didn't think that was too bad. I also haven't gotten in much exercise in the last week. The last hurrah of summer and school starting has really thrown me for a loop. I am ready to get back to my usual schedule of workouts and get our eating back on track too. Summer is hard to get a routine going, but for some reason cooler temperatures signal that things need to get organized. I think having to get kids up for school and ready to tackle the day pushes me to be super-mom. Showers and teeth brushing and lunch packing and homework and lunch money and gas money and permission slips signed and well I think you get the idea. If I wasn't organized things would get missed and forgotten and a long day would be all that much longer when all your free time is spent trying to catch up.
I am actaully missing my workouts so I think that is a very good thing. I need to make sure not to miss too many more since my race is in 18 days and I need to train. My nephew has decided he wants to run with me so I am pretty excited about that too, of course he will leave me in the dust but it will be nice having him there. So on to bigger and better for next week when the Shrinkvivor Challenge starts. Are you signed up? I can't wait, it sounds like it is going to be alot of work and alot of fun!
So how did you do this week? Are you reved up and ready to go for next week?

Time Flies

2010-09-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sniff, sniff, my baby started second grade today. Time is going so fast, it seems like just yesterday he was crying as I left him at preschool for the first time, and then this morning he was up and out the door to catch the bus. Although I much prefer the kid who is excited for school over the crying preschooler, I can't believe how independent he is. I told him I wanted to wait outside for the bus with him and he told me that was ok for today, but tomorrow he could wait by himself. I am guessing it must be embarrassing for your mom to wait for the bus with you. I guess I better stop blinking now because he will be grown before I know it.
Since this was our last weekend before school I wanted to do something special that I knew Kris would love. So I did something I completely dread. We have a cabin in the woods in the Upper Penisula, Gary loves it, I hate it. It is a small cabin with no electricity and an outhouse. Not exactly a woman's paradise, but I know that Kris loves it up there, so I planned a weekend trip. We woke up at 3am Saturday morning and hit the road, we pulled in the driveway at 8am. It was raining and chilly out and I thought "oh what did you get yourself into?" We unloaded the quad and the boys instantly jumped on and left me there in the rain, not wanting to go inside because I was sure it was going to smell funky, I sat in the truck, being a whine-ass. The rain let up and I decided that I was not going to be a whine-ass all weekend, I came all this way and I was going to have a good time. I jumped out of the truck and tried to start a fire. It took me a good half hour since I was working with mostly wet wood and very little paper. But I got the fire started and a grabbed my chair and sat by the fire in complete bliss. A few hours later the boys came back drenched to the bone, I got them all clean, dry clothes (even though Gary made fun of me for packing them) and Kris and I tended to the fire. Later Gary took us out to dinner and when we got back around 9 we were all ready for bed.
The next day was more of the same, the boys went out on the quad looking for good hunting spots and I stayed behind and sat by the fire. It was perfect. I read my book, Kris gathered sticks, we cooked hotdogs and smore's. I could not have asked for a better weekend to end the summer vacation. Later we went fishing and Kris and I teamed up, I would catch the fish and he would take them off the hook. Poor Gary didn't catch anything. Kris had a great time, and even though I was sure I was going to be miserable, I had a great time too. So good in fact that I have planned another trip for a fall color tour in a few weeks.
Sometimes I think that you need to decide to make the best of a situation and go with it. I know that I could have made this weekend miserable for my whole family, or I could make it a great trip. I am so glad that I decided to make the best of things because I realize that the older Kris gets the less time I have before he is grown up and moving on with his life. Maybe I am more nastalgic because Bill started his senior year today, or maybe it is just that I see how fast time flies. Either way I don't want to miss anything.
I think Gary is thinking the same way. His baby is a senior. I know that Gary is excited and scared for him. He tries so hard to help Bill make the best decisions and see further than tomorrow. It is so hard having a teenager that is just as subborn and bull-headed as his Dad. I hope that Bill has a great senior year, and I know that his Dad and I are doing everything we can to make that happen, but I hope too that he works hard and sees where he is headed and is successful. I hope that he doesn't get a too bad of a case of senioritis.
This is a big year at our house, wish us luck!

Wednesday Check-In D&D Wk 5

2010-09-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

Well it is over. The Down and Dirty Challenge has reached the end. When it started I had big aspirations for the month, last week I modified them. Now it is time to face the music and see how I did. Are you ready for this? Here we go.
Starting weight: 210
Week 1: 207.1
Week 2:207.1
Week 3:206
Week 4:207.6
Week 5: 204.6
Total Loss: 5.4 lbs
Goal for Challenge: 5 lbs
Pounds to go: 0
I did it! I really stuck to it this week and I made my goal! I am so excited. It was a roller coaster of a weight loss month, but I am thrilled to say I made my goal. It is such a good feeling to see the results of a week when you stayed mostly on track and see the positive outcome, that gives me a lot of momentum for next week. I want to keep going and see more results. I changed my workouts a little this week, working harder but for short time periods, I don't know if that made the difference or not but it shook things up a little. I think I am going to continue on the shorter, harder workouts for awhile since school starts next week and our busy life is about to get ever busier. At least then I can get a workout in no matter what time constraints I have.
I am sad to see the challenge end. I have met some really great ladies and I was so lucky to have such a super supportive team behind me the whole way. No matter what the leader board says at the end I know that the Queens of the D&D were winners and I am proud to be one of them.
There is a new challenge over at the sisterhood that starts in a couple weeks and I can't wait to see what that is all about. How did you do this week?

True Confessions

2010-08-31T10:50:00.000-07:00

In true, true confession style I feel the need to confess a few things.
*This past weekend was full of birthday's. First my husband's on Saturday which lead in part to a few drinks at the local watering whole. A few for me, a few too many for him. Poor little dear had a tough day of recovery Sunday. Secondly my Dad's which lead to chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and in true Dad style chocolate ice cream. I was pretty good only having a small piece of cake and a scoop of ice cream.
*I did not get as many workouts in as I had planned. I would have liked to get a run in on Sunday and it never happened.
*I registered for the CCRR in Lansing the end of this month and never received confirmation that my registration was received, in fact my check was never even cashed, I was thinking about pushing my first official race off awhile if they didn't cash the check soon. But today I received the info I had been waiting for I am officially registered. I am so glad because I need that race day deadline to keep me on track.
Mostly I have been good lately, trying to watch what I eat and workout. I need to work a little harder at things, but at least I have not given up. How are you all doing??

Re-Run

2010-08-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

I am not a quitter. I never have been, I might stumble on the way to my goal, but eventually I get where I was headed. I feel that if you start something you need to finish it. Of course, there are exceptions like injuries and acts or God or nature, but I am talking about finishing things within your control. I teach this to my children as well, if we start baseball, we are going to finish the season, if you decide not to do it again next year that is fine, but for this year you are committed.
This is probably one of the biggest reasons I made myself go outside and run last night. I could have slunk back down to the basement and run on the treadmill, where I am happy and feel successful, but I didn't. I know that the only way I am going to finish my 5k in September is to get outside and run. To face the sun and the heat and, to be honest the fear, and to just run. It went much better than the day before. I adjusted my stride and my speed and I was able to run for over 4 minutes at a time. This is double what I was running the day before. I think it helped that I knew more what to expect from the run. The first day I went outside with the naive thought that it would be just like running on the treadmill, yesterday I knew it would not be. It would be harder. Nothing keeping pace for me, nothing but myself and the pavement. It was hard, but I pushed through, I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I know that each day will get better and I will get stronger and faster, my runs will get longer and my walking breaks shorter. I just need to remember that quitting is not an option. It would be easier to get back on the treadmill but that won't get me to my goal, being outside will.
I feel different after an outside run too. Oddly enough I don't feel as if I worked as hard. Strange because when I am running an interval I feel like my legs could not take another step, like I need to breath, but after a short walk I feel good again. I know it is just an adjustment and it will take some time. But I am confident that I will get where I want to be. I have to, my race is a month away.

Wednesday Check In Down and Dirty Week 4

2010-08-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Week 4, wow that went fast. Well here is the nitty gritty.
Starting weight: 210
Week 1: 207.1
Week 2:207.1
Week 3:206
Week 4:207.6
Total Loss: 2.4 lbs
Goal for Challenge: 10 lbs
Pounds to go: 7.6
Not exactly what I would call a success, but I am going to look at it as motivation. I had a tough weekend all the way around. I mean I had a great busy fun filled weekend, but that did not translate into eating right and exercising. I ate poorly and did not get in my workouts like a know I should have. There really is no excuse I was just busy spending time with my family and I didn't want to take the time out to spend on me. I am thinking now that that was not a good decision. Not only because I let my team down, but more because I need that time for me so that I can became the best me there is. Losing weight doesn't make me a better wife or mother, but it does give me more energy to keep up with the husband and kids. And it makes me feel better and more out going when I am not worrying about what everyone else is thinking when they see me. I know they aren't thinking anything, but your worst critic is always yourself.
I know that I can do this, that I can reach my goals and be successful and that I am on the right track to get there. I just need to stick with it a little bit better when it isn't easy. I find I have a much easier time during the work week because everything is so scheduled. The weekends around our house are crazy, constantly on the go and eating what you can when you can, it is tough. Gary did say last night that he needs to get in better shape and I asked him to run with me, he wasn't exactly up for that, but I am thinking he is coming around to a healthier view on things. It is easier when he is on board and doesn't want the junk food around.
So I am feeling reinvigorated this week, lets hope it all falls into place. I am thinking that I am not going to hit my 10 pound goal, so I am shooting for 5 now. That is going to require a 2.6 lb loss this week. Still a little more that advised for a week, but I know that if I have a successful weekend it will be in the bag! Good luck sisters on making your goals this month.
On a side note: I have been doing my c25k training on my treadmill, it is just way easier to get the time in because with it being so hot out I would have to wait until late to run and it just doesn't work with my schedule. Anyway the temperatures have been cooling off so last night I decided I really need to get outside to run. It totally kicked my butt. I have run 30 solid minutes on the treadmill and 5 minutes was kicking my butt outside. Has anyone else ever had this happen? I mean I knew it wasn't going to be the same but that big of a difference really threw me for a loop. Anyone have any advise?

MMOGTA

2010-08-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

Mid-Michigan Old gas Tractor Association. I know, it sounds so fun doesn't it?!? Well I know it might not sound fun, especially to a city girl like me, but we had a blast. Seeing as I am from the city and my husband was raised on a farm we often have a difference of option on what makes for a good time. But being the good little wife that I am I let Gary drag me to the Old Gas Tractor Show. It takes place in Oakley Michigan every year in August. Gary and his Dad take their old tractors down to display and in return get free passes for the weekend.
We headed out there Friday night just in time for the tractor pulls. Now if you are anything like me you have no idea what a tractor pull is all about. I have been watching them for a couple years now and just now figured the whole thing out, well sort of. I get the idea behind it that they are pulling a percentage of the total tractors weight in cement blocks. Even if you (or I) don't exactly get the idea it is fun to watch, people really get into cheering for their puller. We left before they were done, but mostly because we didn't know anyone pulling anymore and it was getting dark and we needed to get Kris home and in bed.
First thing Saturday though, Gary had us up and and dressed and in the truck to go back for day two. We got there before things really started to get going for the day so Kris and I decided it would be a good idea to get some breakfast. We had one of the best pancake breakfasts I have ever had, the only thing that would have been better is if Kris didn't eat my last piece of sausage. After breakfast the flea market opened up and Kris was ready to shop. We looked in all the little shops first and then I let him go back and get a few toys that he liked. He even surprised me and bought me a pretty little butterfly hair clip. After much shopping and somehow losing Gary in the crowd. Kris and I jumped on the "people mover" and took a tour of the whole show. Hundreds of old tractors, even a pink one, and lots of people, campers and displays. We finally found Gary a couple hours later and went to get something for lunch. Gary tried something called ugly fries and I tried a steak pita. We left after that, mostly because we had been there 5 hours, I was somewhat sun burnt and starting to get tired.
We had a great time this weekend though. Gary even had to go back Sunday although I decided to stay home with Kris. Billy spent the whole weekend camping at the show and he came home exhausted on Sunday. It was a lot of fun and I know that we will be back year after year. Now I just need to figure out how to get Gary to be this excited about shopping!

Weigh In Wednesday Take Two

2010-08-19T06:20:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I know that it isn't Wednesday anymore and that the weigh in is officially over but I feel like I need to revise my post from yesterday. So please bear with me.
Starting weight: 210
Week 1: 207.1
Week 2:207.1
Week 3: 206
Total Loss: 4 lbs
Goal for Challenge: 10 lbs
Pounds to go: 6
Yeah! I am down one pound. Yesterday I was not exactly feeling the love of being down, but I spent the day putting my head back on straight and thinking about what an idiot I am. Hello self! A pound is a pound take it. I am very happy about a loss and not a gain. This is great, we are moving in the right direction.
In my defense for my less than stellar attitude yesterday I had a lot happen the day before and was still kinda reeling for the shock. Gary and I each have sons, his is 17, mine is 7. Mine lives with us full time and his lives with his mother. His son, Bill, in the past has lived with us, but about 4 months ago decided that he didn't exactly like our rules and wanted to go stay with his mother. We respected his decision and although he wasn't living with us we still saw him at least 3-4 times a week. We settled into a comfortable routine over the summer with Kris and work and everything that summer brings. NO DRAMA, pure bliss. We have been getting ready for the school year as Bill will be a senior this year and I have been super busy making appointments for senior pictures and new glasses and running around getting him new school clothes, I have been busy to say the least. Everything was set, senior pictures on Wednesday, clothes were ironed, we were ready to go. Then Tuesday afternoon I get a call from Gary that we need to postpone the photos, that Bill had DRAMA at his mothers and that he was moving home. Life spun upside down. I was in shock, first and foremost I was concerned with the drama that had taken place and wanted to make sure that Bill was ok. He may not be my flesh and blood but he is my son. Bill is ok, Gary resolved the drama, and Bill moved back into his room. But life doesn't settle down that easily or that quickly and I am a huge analizer so I am still running everything through my head trying to make heads or tails of it. My mind is trying to come to terms with another person in the house and the rules that need to be put back into effect and making sure that things continue to run smoothly in our house. Anyone that has a teenager can probably atest to the fact that at 17 and a senior they think they have it all figured out.
So I apologize that my head was not on my successful weight loss yesterday and was all tied down with the crasiness of home life. I am excited about lossing a pound, I want to keep doing that as often as I can. Every pound is a success. So please forgive me for being ungrateful, I am back in the game again!

Wednesday Check-in Down and Dirty in 30 Week 3

2010-08-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Well another week, another weigh in. I lost a pound this week. I am happy and yet disappointed all at the same time. It is so frustrating to be eating well and working your butt off, literally, and not seeing the scale really move. I should cut myself some slack because I have been noticing that my pants are not so tight and my energy has been much higher. I have been continuing on the C25K training program, but I tend to go until I hit the 3.1 mile distance on my treadmill. It takes me way longer than 30 minutes, but I know that I am increasing my endurance and that makes me feel good. I have now run 30 solid minutes and I was thrilled to get that milestone done.
All in all, I am trying to be positive and I know that a slower weight loss is one that sticks, but still you work so hard and then don't see much of a change and it is kinda disheartening.
Anyway, I hope all the other sisters did great!

Sign on the dotted line

2010-08-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

I did it. I signed up for my first ever 5k run. September 26th at 8:30am. The Capital City River Run. I filled out the form, I signed the check, I put it in the mail with a stamp on it and everything. Done. There is no backing out now. I am registered. And I am excited. I had been kinda putting off registering, self doubt filling me head, but last night Gary asked me when my race was. Honestly I didn't think he was paying attention when I talked about it, so I was shocked to hear him ask me. I said September 26th and he asked if he could come along, to be my cheerleader. If you knew my husband you would know that although he loves me with everything he has, he is not a cheerleader kinda guy. Gary is all tough love, so to have him say that to me I knew that he believed in me, that he knew that I could and would do it and that I better get my registration in.
So I did, I put it in the mail today and I now all I need to do is keep up with my c25k training. I know that I have more than enough time to train and be in good shape going into the race. I can't wait, oh and as a bonus I get a long-sleeved, technical running shirt! Who doesn't love that!?!

Weekly Check-In: Down and Dirty in 30 Week 2

2010-08-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

It is the second weigh in for the Down and Dirty Challenge and I was really nervous getting on the scale this morning. My weekend totally threw me off and I spent the last couple days trying to pull it all back together. All in all I would say I did ok, I didn't lose like I had hoped, but I didn't gain either and after an open house and a family reunion, not to mention beer, I can't complain about staying the same.
Here are the official numbers:
Starting weight: 210
Week 1: 207.1
Week 2:207.1
Total Loss: 2.9 lbs
Goal for Challenge: 10 lbs
Pounds to go: 7.1
I know that if I would have done better on the eating front then the scale would have moved. So I am even more determined to do well in the next weigh in. Even though my eating leaves something to be desired I have been working really hard in during my workouts. I did take an extra day off on Sunday from any workouts, but otherwise I have been pushing myself and surprising myself with what I can do. I was so nervous last week to have the 20 minute run as part of my c25K training, but I did it. I was so proud of myself when I was done, it was a great feeling. I have also been picking through some of my workout DVD's and trying some new ones. Back in January I won a copy of Bob Greene's Total Body Makeover and I popped that into the DVD player this week. It was a great workout for strengthening and since I had already done my cardio for the day I was super warmed up and limber. I totally felt it the next day, it was more of a tenderness to the muscles as opposed to being sore. Last night I grabbed a DVD I had gotten from my neice, it was Kim Kardashian's Fit in Your Jeans by Friday workout. Not something I would have picked off the shelf at the store, but I am glad I tried it. Again I was already warmed up from a 2 mile run but this time I could really feel the muscles working when I did the squats and lunges. I am feeling it today as well.
This weekend the boys are all going out of town and I have the whole house to myself. I am beyond excited about it. I never get to be home alone and I am looking forward to it, but I am glad it is only for a weekend, I start to miss them after a couple days. Anyway I am excited to see what the scale will show next week when I don't have any help to get derailed over the weekend. Gary loves to have dinner out on Friday nights and he loves to eat at greasy spoon kinda restaurants, so it will be nice to see what happens when I don't eat out or at open houses or family reunions! Good luck to everyone this week! And way to go to those of you that lost, I am totally jealous!

True Confession Tuesday

2010-08-10T06:31:00.001-07:00

Ok, it is time to confess. I had a rough weekend, eating wise anyway. I ended up taking Friday off of work and spending the whole day with my little Kristopher. So we went out to lunch at a Mexican buffet and we ate......a lot. If only my transgressions ended there this story would be over and not so bad, but alas it doesn't. Saturday Gary, Kris and I decided to take a quad ride. We rode down to the little family bar and Kris had a burger and fries and Gary and I split some fries and some beer. Still not awful, but then we went home, put Kris to bed and continued to have a couple more beers. Forget about getting back on track on Sunday, it was a family reunion. Hotdogs, potato salad, blackberry dessert. It was so good, but so bad for me! All in all it was not a great weekend for eating right. I didn't get any exercise in, although I did think about it a couple of times. I was just so busy enjoying my family that I was selfish and didn't want to spend anytime doing anything truly good for me. I was enjoying being with Kris and Gary and spending a weekend just being together. I could have spent my time a little better, watched a little less T.V., taken a walk, but snuggling under the covers watching a movie with Kris was so much more appealing than anything else.
But I am back at work and back on track. I am on Wk6D2 of the c25k training and actaully looking forward to the 25 minute run at the end of the week. Lets hope this weekend doesn't through me too far off at tomorrow's weigh in.

Updates

2010-08-05T06:10:00.000-07:00

Just a few updates. First I did C25K Wk5D2 last night. 8 minute run, 5 minute walk another 8 minute run. The first 8 minutes kinda kicked my butt, but that totally could have been because Kristopher followed me down stairs and talked the whole time, I finally had to kick him out of the room. He was less than impressed with that, but after he left and I could concentrate on not answering his never ending questions the second 8 minutes was easier. Mind you I said easier not easy. I wanted to quit at about 7 minutes but I knew that if I could do 7 minutes I could do 8 and that I would feel disappointed if I didn't push myself to finish it. I felt really good when I was done, sweaty and gross, but good.
Secondly when I was playing with the idea of doing a 5k and was searching out the internet for information and races and all that jazz I remember getting a flier in the mail from Kris' school that they were having a 5k to benefit a local teenager August 7th. That was the clincher for me. I thought hey this is the race I want to train for and it is local and this must be a sign that I can do this. So I was all set and I started training and then my sister called to tell me that the annual Juvenile Diabetes walk was the 7th at the same time. Well since my nephew has juvenile diabetes and diabetes in general runs in my family that has always been a huge cause of ours and I knew that my place needed to be in Lansing Michigan for the walk. Well life happened in the mean time and yesterday my sister emailed me to let me know that our team was not going to be doing the walk this year. So not only am I no longer walking for diabetes research I am too late to sign up for the 5k, besides the fact that I have not trained enough yet. So kinda disappointing all the way around. I have decided though that I will be getting up early Saturday morning and doing my c25k training in honor of the juvenile diabetes research foundation and I will still send my donation check in. I figure that is a good way to support both my causes, and I will definitely be at the Farm Fest this weekend where the race takes place and make a donation to that cause too seeing as though they didn't get my registration money and I like to support local causes, especially when it is for kids.
Finally, my next day of training has me running 20 minutes without walking. Yikes, this seems a little intimidating to me. Wish me luck. I know that if I set my mind to it I can do it. I just need to make sure Kris isn't talking to me when I am running, lol. Oh and that my shoes are tied tighter than last night, I spent half my run watching my shoelace to make sure it didn't come undone and trip me up.

Weekly Check-In: Down and Dirty in 30 Week 1

2010-08-04T06:27:00.000-07:00

What a great start to the challenge. I really needed this little kick in the butt to get back in gear. Thank you, thank you, thank you to my team the Queens of the D&D! It was a huge help to me to have a team out there depending on me.
Starting weight: 210
Week 1: 207.1
Total Loss: 2.9 lbs
Goal for Challenge: 200
Pounds to go: 7.1
I am really excited. This is a great start and I really needed to get back on track. I was slowly slipping the wrong way on the scale and hating it. My lowest weight was around 170 and I would love to get back there. This is a great kick off to that goal. I am so pumped. I have gotten back to my c25K training, week 5 day 2, 8 minutes runs, OMG! What scares me more than that is a 20 minute run by the end of the week. But I did meet a huge goal this week already, I ran/walked 3 miles Monday. It felt great, and it happened kinda by accident. I got on the treadmill to do my c25k and when I was done with the intervals, I felt so good I wanted to add another one, the next thing I knew I had hit 3 miles. I know that it isn't good to go beyond the training guidelines and I won't push the envelope that far again, but I think for my personal moral I needed to show myself that I could do it. To get beyond the fear. It was a very empowering experience. I find myself actually getting almost excited to do a run now. I mean there is still that little bit of dread that oh gosh I am going to sweat and smell bad and be tired, but the feeling of accomplishment when I am done is awesome.
I have also started backing my lunch and snacks for work so that I can be sure to have something good for me, or at least not fast food, and I can track things much better when I take time to measure. Thank goodness for summer and fresh veggies too. I was just complaining to my sister on Sunday that I wished I had planted a garden this year cause the cucumbers are coming in and I hate to buy them when if I had planted them I would have more than I could stand right about now. Wouldn't you know it if I didn't get a bag from Kris' grandma and then today I got some more from a friend of mine. Yeah!!
So how was yuor week?! do tell! And make sure to check out how the rest of the sisterhood did.

Laughter

2010-08-02T11:54:00.001-07:00

For a little while now I have been suffering from the blues. Not exactly sad, just in a funk. It is kind of awful to be going through, just that icky feeling that you can't shake. But I have found a cure. Laughter. Laughter is the best medicine. I had a friend call me today that always makes me laugh. It is a work friend and we coordinate jobs together. I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. It was wonderful. It put a smile on my face for the rest of the morning. It helped put the little irksome things that bother me into perspective. I needed that call more than anything today and I am happy to know that I have a friend out there that can bring that to me when I am struggling.
I think this Monday was harder than usual because I had had such a great weekend. I spent the entire weekend with my husband. For the first time in over 6 months we actually sat and watched a movie together that we both enjoyed. Gary is not one to watch a movie much less enjoy it. We went out to dinner together, we went shopping (ok so it was Home Depot), we fixed Sunday breakfast. It was a nice weekend and then yesterday afternoon I got to pick Kris up from his Dad's. It was awesome. We meet at a park half way between our house's and Kris came running down the sidewalk yelling, "Mom, Mom your here, I missed you." I loved it. He hadn't done that is a long time. He is mellowing in his "old" age (all of 7 and a half) and I loved hearing him call me from across the park, he couldn't wait to jump in my arms for a hug. So you can see why it was so hard to leave my sleeping husband and son and come to work to face another Monday. But laughter, laughter makes it all better.
Thank heavens for friends!
And on a completely unrelated note I got a new scale today for the new challenge. I am pretty excited, it logs your last weight and tells you how much you have lost. Pretty nifty I think. I was so excited I went into the store and bought it and opened it while still in the parking lot, which was a good thing because the scale on the outside was not what was on the inside. So I had to go back in an exchange it for the right one. Which of course they were out of, so I got to upgrade. Pretty cool if you ask me. Hopefully the 2 mile run I put in last night and the shred that I am planning for tonight, help to make the numbers on it go down!

Down and Dirty

2010-08-01T07:38:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, the challenge at the Sisterhood starts today. My challenge started this morning when I couldn't get into my regular email. So I apologize to anyone who emailed me and thinks that I am not responding. Also I have my horrible dial-up internet today and I am forced to use my husbands laptop computer, it is not my favorite keyboard, I spend more time hitting backspace than any other key lol.
Anyway I wanted to make sure I got on and blogged today so that my weigh-in would be out there for the 9:00 deadline tonight.
Starting Weight: 210
Goal: 200
Here we go down and dirty in 30. I am very excited to be starting a new challenge and also to be doing it with a team. I am one of those people that does better when other people are depending on me. Good luck to everyone, this should really be fun.
I have to run and get my shred in for the day before I get to busy with the usual Sunday cleaning, scrubbing and running around. Good Luck Everyone

Just Checking In

2010-07-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

Over at the Sisterhood they have changed their Weigh in Wednesday's to Check in Wednesdays. (They have also changed their look and I love it!) I for one think this is a great idea. Sometimes you just want to check in and tell how you are doing without having to say oh, hey by the way, I gained. It is good just to say hey, I worked out really hard this week maybe the scale didn't move, but I still hit all my workout goals.
But this week was super successful so I am more than happy to say that I 1. lost 2 pounds this week, you know the 2 that I keep losing and regaining. Yeah those two, lost them again, hopefully for good this time. And 2. I have worked really hard to meet my workout goals. I am training 3 days a week for my 5K and also doing toning exercises at least 2 days a week.
Of course I start doing better as soon as the challenge is over, but there is a new challenge starting soon! The Down and Dirty in 30 Challenge and I can't wait to get started. It starts Sunday August 1st and it is a team challenge. So if you haven't signed up yet, sign up!
And good luck to everyone, doing the challenge or not, let's make this week ROCK!

Summer Blues?

2010-07-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

Is it really possible to have the summer blues? If so I have them. Or maybe it isn't the blues as much as the "my give a damn's busted." I am in a rut. I am not sure if it is work, or home, or both, or the heat, but I just don't really want to do anything lately.
I am definitely not sad, so I guess the blues are ruled out. I am just kinda ho-hum about things these days. I guess it is just the middle of summer and all the graduation parties are over, we took our summer vacation and now we are just kinda riding on autopilot. Waiting for school to start again, Kris is more than ready, and waiting for life to get back to the school routine. I hate to wish summer to be over but I find myself thinking about football and tailgating, homecoming parades and crisp days.
I need to get over it, I need to figure out how to get excited about the beautiful weather we are having and enjoy the great outdoors. It seems like I spend my entire weekend cooking and cleaning and don't really get to enjoy any particular activity. Gary has a great idea that instead of cleaning on the weekend he wants to get it all done before the weekend so we can get out and do something. I think he might be on to something there. Lets hope that it works and that I can get back into the swing of summer before it is over.
I feel like all the things I was excited for are getting put on the back burner and I need to switch things up a bit and put the things I want to do up front. I wanted to take Kris on a bike ride and a picnic this past weekend, instead we ended up in Frankenmuth with my sister and niece. I wanted to have a bonfire on Saturday and instead we watched a movie in the house, in my defense on that though Gary wasn't home and I wasn't comfortable lighting a fire without him there. I just need to find a way to mix my want to's in with the have to's so that I can get excited about things.
I want to go camping this summer, I want to take a canoe trip, I want to spend a weekend in the UP. I want, I want, I want, now I just need to make it happen. On the bright side though, I am turning my want to of running a 5k into a reality. My training is going really well and I think I found a race that enter. I am excited about that, anyone interested in joining me here?
I guess I just need to get over whatever this is and get on with life! Trying to get in more of the things I want to do and just enjoying the fact that I can go outside without a jacket. That is saying something when you live in Michigan!

Anxious

2010-07-26T08:56:00.000-07:00

I am having a Monday, and not because it is one of those storm cloudy kinda days, but because I am super anxious today. I am waiting for some good news to come my way and I have been checking and rechecking my phone all day. I am driving myself crazy and it is putting me on edge. I need to relax and just go with things today, but I feel like some very important changes could be coming my way and I am more than ready to grab them with both hands and hang on the for ride. Please keep your fingers crossed that I get the call I am waiting on and that it is good news!
In other news my C25K training is going well. I have gotten back on the horse, so to speak, and I am feeling really good about the runs I have been getting in. I am feeling like I could run longer than my allotted time (5 minuets) but that I should follow the plan so as to avoid injury. I have always been super competitive though, so it is really hard for me not to try and push myself. So far I am doing pretty well keeping on track and not pushing too far. Getting back the to 5k training has helped to make me more committed to the weight loss goals I have too, my only concern now is making sure that I get enough calories in to lose weight and not go into starvation mode. My workouts have been burning 300+ calories so I am trying to keep everything balanced. I know that it will be rocky for a little bit until my body gets used to what I am doing so I am going to try not to step on the scale for a whole week so that the everyday fluctuations doing drive me crazy. So I am anxious to see what the scale reads next week.
Here's to hoping the the rest of the week is better than today and that I can relax a little and enjoy the weather.

Look what I can do!

2010-07-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

If you recall a few weeks ago I posted that I was secretly afraid to succeed in my C25K training. That the thought of running 5 minutes at one time was daunting. I had pretty much stopped training. I was still working out, although more in a non-traditional way, i.e. mowing lawn, taking the trash to the end of the road, riding bikes with Kris. Nothing that I actually thought of as a work out. Then last week I went to visit my favorite sister (ok, so I only have one sister,but she rocks) and she gave me her treadmill. I know that my mom really wanted it, and that I beat her too it. so I made a vow to myself that I would use it, or I would have to give it up to my mom. Since I have always wanted a treadmill and since it was heavy and Gary complained every step of the way getting it into my workout room in the basement I figured I had better use it.
My plan was just to take walks on it. It is hot here in Michigan and humid and going outside is just crazy when I can more comfortably just use the treadmill. Anyway back to the plan. Walking, just walking. Remember I had pretty much let fear rule me and gave up the whole running pipe dream. I got on the treadmill, I started walking, and then I started thinking about all these great bloggers and friends that I read that run. Ok, I thought, well I could try it again, it is only a minute, if I don't like it I can stop. So I punched up the speed and ran for 90 seconds. I felt good, really good. I walked for a minute to recoup and then I punched it up again, I ran for 5 minutes. I slowed my pace to a walk and then I moved it up for another 5 minutes. I felt great, I was amazed. I felt empowered and energized, and a little worried that I would pay for that in the morning. But I continued to push myself and did 4 intervals and then a cool down. I stretched, I took a shower because oh my God did I sweat and I finished my day and went to bed. I still feel great this morning, I want to do it again. I broke through a self imposed barrier, I overcame my fear. I can do this!!

The Last Weigh-In

2010-07-21T11:16:00.001-07:00

So I can't believe that the challenge is over already. It went by so fast. I did not have the results that I had hoped for in the beginning, but I am glad I participated anyway.
I stepped on the scale with one eye closed this morning, somewhat worried about where the numbers would stop...... and happily they stopped 2 pounds down from where they were last week. I am not down from the start of the challenge but I am not up either and I honestly believe that if it weren't for this challenge keeping me on track I am sure I would be up. I found some really great people out there supporting me along the weigh, (sorry couldn't resist) and I am feeling better about things in general.
This has been a great experience along with being part of the sisterhood. I feel more empowered to do great things with my body and watch it whittle down. There are so many sisters out there that fill me with inspiration and confidence that I know I can do this. That I can do anything. I am still empowered to work at this, to be down when the next challenge starts and to work hard for the end results I want.
Way to go everyone!

Count Your Blessings

2010-07-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling stressed lately about life in general. Nothing specific just a lot of little things. I shouldn't be, I should count my blessings. Most people don't have the things or the people in their lives that I have. I have a wonderful husband, 2 great kids, and a large extended family that I adore who love me right back. I am lucky, I am blessed with good things in my life. I have a nice home, a good job, insurance, nice vehicles to drive, some money in the back, good health and on and on. But sometimes I forget about all the good things I have and focus on the not so good, but lately I feel with some of the events that have been taking place that God is telling me to look beyond myself to see the bigger picture.
The bigger picture is that I am blessed; and I need to stop and appreciate how truly fortunate I am. This past weekend brought tragedy to our small town. Our village of 719 people suffered a huge loss, 3 of our high school students were in a tragic accident that left 2 of them dead and one hanging on for dear life. How do you come to grips with something like that. It is such a small community that we knew these kids families. Our son had a locker three down from one of them. One was the great grandchild of my husbands childhood neighbors. The accident was within 3 miles from our home. We saw that fire trucks zoom through town, and even then I didn't give it a second thought that some of our children were hurt, dying, dead. It made me realize some very important things, but mostly how truly lucky I am to have my children home and safe with me. To have my husband come home unharmed every night from driving truck. The little things that you take for granted can be gone so quickly.
So stop, take the time to tell your children and families that you love them. This definitely changed my thinking about what is really important in life and what isn't worth sweating over. My kids are going to do stupid things in life, they will make mistakes, but what is really important is that they know every time they leave the house that I love them, that their Dad loves them. That no matter what they can come to us with anything, we might not always we happy with their decisions but that we will always be there when they need us. The laundry getting folded or the floor getting vacuumed can wait just a little while longer, because right now I am talking to my kids, telling them I love them, giving them a hug and making sure that they know that they make me proud.

Keep your fingers crossed

2010-07-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

Some changes are coming to my life soon, I hope. I have something things on the horizon that will make my life so much better. I am afraid to talk about them for fear of jinxing them, but I just want to let everyone know to keep their fingers crossed for me.
I have been feeling kinda down lately, just little things that seem to be coming one right after another. It felt like I was slowly being beat down, but lately it seems that my perseverance has been paying off. Now little things seem to be headed my way, and maybe my luck is changing ever so slightly. I can only hope and pray that some of the good things out there come to fruition.
I am excited and happy about the future again and that is an awesome feeling. I feel like I am riding on cloud nine this past week and I am anxious and excited to see what next week will hold for me. I can finally see a light at the end of a long and miserable tunnel. I will fill you all in when, not if, but when I know more and feel secure that it is real, but in the mean time please send good thoughts my way.
And in other super great news. Kris is home. He was spending a couple weeks with his Dad for the summer and I got to pick him up last night. Oh how I missed him. I hate being away from him, but the reunion is always so sweet. We stayed up late and played together, we watched a movie and ate pizza and pretzels, we snuggled and best of all, I got to tuck him into bed and tell him how very much I love him and missed him. Love that kid. Today he is hanging with Grandma and he has called me no less than 5 times asking me to please come home cause Grandma can't figure out the new game she bought him. It is nice to get calls from him at work even if there is nothing I can do about what he wants.
Even my older son, my bonus son Billy, has been pleasant to be with lately. Him and I have a somewhat shaky relationship. We are so much alike that we butt heads sometimes, but the last few weeks have been good and last night before he left the house he said, "see ya later, love ya." And I said it back, that for us is HUGE. I just hope the good things keep coming, we have had our fair share of the not so good. Billy's beloved dog Buford was hit and killed by a car over the weekend. It was a very sad day at our house. I still tear up thinking about it, but Kris put it best that "All dogs go to heaven Mom, just like in the movie Buford got me for Christmas." I know that Kris knows that Buford didn't really pick out that movie for him, but it is a good memory for him that Buf did.
So thanks for any good thoughts and prayers you can send our way.

Another Weigh In Wednesday

2010-07-14T06:15:00.001-07:00

Oh My Gosh! I feel like a broken record this past month! Gain, gain, gain, gain. Not that I am surprised at all this week, like I said I ate and drank and ate some more all last week. So it did not come as a shock that I am up 5 pounds this week. Ick, 5 whole pounds, it kinda makes me ill. But I guess that just leaves me more motivated. The aunties kept saying all last week that you gain 10 pounds on vacation so I guess I am pleased it was only 5.
I am sad that the challenge is almost over. I am not even close to where I wanted to be when it ended and although I have 1 more week, I know that there is no way to redeem myself now. At best I might end up where I started, so that is my goal for this last week. I am not going to stop working hard even when the challenge ends, so when the next one starts I will be already on the right path.
Gary and I both want to make some changes and see some results. He is ready to work with me on losing weight so that will be nice. He is always been super supportive, but now he wants to come along for the journey so that will be better for both of us. He has high blood pressure and a big belly and I have a wide lower body so we definitely both could use some toning and weight loss to be in better shape. I am still excited and motivated to lose weight, the set backs have not pushed me off track of my goals at all, they have just showed me what doesn't work. And vacation eating doesn't work. Journaling and consistent exercise works, and knowing that helps to make the process a little easier. I am very grateful to have the sisterhood to turn to for support and encouragement, it makes every step a little easier knowing that you really aren't doing it alone. So how did you all do? Check in and let us know. And good luck next week, lets finish on a high note and make the best out of the last week!

I'm Baaaack

2010-07-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well I am home again. It was a wonderful week off. I had a great time with my family and I couldn't have asked for better weather. It was relaxing. We fished, we ate well, we drank a lot, we stayed up late and slept in. It was everything I was hoping it would be and more. It was a little piece of heaven.
We were in the Upper Peninsula on a tiny little island just off of Drummond Island. It was just the 8 of us. Gary and I, Uncle Bill (UB), Aunt Mary, Aunt Lenora, Cousin Tom, Jerry and Al. Jerry is UB's brother and Al was a good friend of UB and Jerry. It was our first trip with those two and they only added to the wonderful atmosphere. We take this trip every year over the week of the 4th. It works out so well, everyone is responsible for 1 dinner and 1 breakfast. Needless to say we ate like kings. We had a full turkey dinner with all the fixings thanks to Aunt Lenora. We ate Elk meat stew from Jerry, Buffalo Burgers from Al, fresh fried fish from Cousin Tom, Chicken wings and homemade beer battered onion rings from Gary and I. Aunt Mary fed us twice, Philly Steak and Cheese the first night and beef stroganoff the last night. It was wonderful, bacon and eggs, pancakes, apple pie, chex mix, raisin bran muffins. So yeah, I am sure that tomorrow will show a gain, but I don't even care. For one solid week I enjoyed everything that life had to offer.
I swam in the Lake, I sat in the sun, I drank beer. I let UB fix me Whiskey and Ginger Ale drinks and Martini's. I never put on any make up. I slept til 8 every morning. I drank coffee on the deck overlooking the glorious lake. I loved every second of it. I was outside all week long, I only stayed inside long enough to take a shower or wash dishes. I knew going into this year that it would be our last year at this particular cabin, and it was. We decided at the end of the week to try a different resort next year.
There were lots of reasons for the change but mostly for the ladies. There is a lot more we can do at the new place. Ride bikes, take walks, ride the 4 wheeler, none of that was really possible at the old location. With all the extra's we can do now I am even more excited for next year. When I have more time I will post some pictures of the absolute best week I have had in a very long time.

Vacation

2010-07-02T06:42:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, a few more hours and I will officially be on vacation. We are not leaving until tomorrow morning and I still have a ton to do to get ready, but I can already feel my muscles starting to relax and the tension leaving my body. My desk is cleared off, my work is done and I have given instructions to my counterpart to cover me for the week. Life is good.
I still have to stop at the grocery store on my way home and pick up the last minute groceries and then I am home to finish the last of the laundry. Throw a few more things in the bags and load them in the truck. The boat is hooked up, the truck is washed and I am more than ready for a week of no phones, no computers and no stress.

We are spending a week on a private island in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Just Gary and me and some family. It is pure heaven. Sitting on the porch looking over Lake Superior while drinking a hot cup of morning coffee. Perfect. Fishing and reading and talking and drinking, I cannot think of a better way to spend the holiday. It is even starting out better than I could have hoped. That 2 pounds I gained this week, was not there when I jumped on the scale this morning. That is setting me off on a great start for vacation.I hope you all have a great July 4th holiday as well. Are you doing anything fun? I will be thinking of you as I sit on the boat and watch the fireworks from the water!
This is our view from the back deck of the cabin. The boys are coming in
from a morning of fishing, Uncle Bill driving the Dirty Myrtie.

And this is Uncle Bill driving the pontoon boat and getting
pulled over by the coast guard.
I can't wait to see what this year will bring.

Weigh In Wednesday

2010-06-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, another Wednesday another weigh in. I had the best of intentions last week after maintaining. Well sometimes the best laid plans don't work out. I am up. Sniff, sniff. Two Whole Pounds. I am disappointed in myself, but honestly it wasn't a surprise. Like I said yesterday graduation cake is soooooo good. Over the course of the weekend I ate 3 pieces. In my defense all three of my pieces only equaled one piece for Gary, but he doesn't have to tell anyone when he gains a little here or there.
Although I am sad about the gain, I am already getting over it. I realized that having the sisterhood to turn to and help me keep accountability in my eating is a great way not to let one weeks slip ups because one month and then 6 months and then 20 extra pounds. So I haven't lost consistently yet, but the challenge isn't over and at least I am paying more attention to what I eat and working out much more consistently, and all of that together is giving me more self confidence that I can do this.
Sometimes, ok usually, I see the end result and get frustrated by the steps along the way to get there. But this being more challenging that I thought it would be I am seeing that it is the everyday choices that need to be better to make the end result a reality. I am still hanging in there, this week will not completely throw me off my game. I will get back up, brush myself off and try again.
On the plus side though I have been good about exercise the last 2 weeks. I have progressed to the 2nd section on my step aerobic tape and I have been walking a lot more and mowing the lawn, push mowing. I am feeling good and more powerful. And besides I am on vacation next week, so I have two weeks before I will be back here to share a weigh in. Imagine what I can do in two weeks. Look out scale, your going down!
Check out the rest of the sisters! Way to go everyone!

2010-06-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, confession time. It has been a tough week, and that is an understatement. Well here goes........

1. Graduation open house cake tastes way better than wedding cake, especially when it has blue frosting on it that turns everything it comes in contact with blue. NICE.

2. I am scared of running a 5k. Actually I fear getting to the point where I run 1/2 mile at one time. I am scared because to me that seems huge. I think I am secretly sabotaging myself and letting this fear keep me from training.

3. I cried at work. I am completely frustrated with things at work, but I am afraid to change occupations.

The stress in my life right now is starting to get a little overwhelming, but I am trying to take things one day at a time. One little task at a time. I know that I am just tired right now and getting ready for my vacation next week is a ton of work! WHEW, one breathe at a time right?!?!
Check out the other sisters confessions.

Weigh In Wednesday

2010-06-23T06:37:00.001-07:00

I did not want to weigh in this week, I did not want to step on the scale this morning, honestly I did not want to even get out of bed today, but I did. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected.
I maintained this week. Which is totally awesome because I was thinking I was going to have another gain. I had a pretty tough week. Our niece got married this weekend and with that came lots of food, family, friends, drinks and of course cake. I love wedding cake. I actually did pretty well with it, only eating a half a piece, but they were kinda big pieces. So I don't think it was the food as much as the drinks. I am not much of a drinker usually, but something about my husband's family always puts me in a festive mood and the drinks flow freely. I had a great time and even without a loss it was so worth it.
I don't want to put my life on hold to lose weight, I want to be able to do the things I always do, just maybe make better decisions along the way. Summer is always hard with graduations and weddings and vacations and everything else that comes along, so this challenge is great because it is keeping me more in check.
I have gotten back on track with the work outs. I was trying on dresses to wear to the wedding and nothing fit right, that hit me like a ton of bricks! That was motivation. I had 7 dresses to choose from and nothing to wear. I didn't like the way any of them fit. I picked the best of the worst and went with it, but first I ran down to my basement gym and did 30 minutes of cardio. I have been doing it everyday since. My goal is to get in at least 30 minutes of cardio a day for the next two weeks, then I am on vacation. I want to see what two solid weeks of working really hard will do for my strength and endurance.
Oh and I have a friend that wants to train with me for the 5k I want to run. So even though I didn't lose this week, it was still a good week. I have a lot to work on in the next two weeks and I know that next Wednesday I will be typing a loss.
Check out the other sisters and see how they all did.

Homemade Strawberry Jam

2010-06-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well last night did not work out exactly as I had planned.........it was better. Gary called to ask me if we had 5 cups of sugar. That made me a little nervous, why in the world does Gary need 5 cups of sugar. As it turns out my wonderful MIL sent home strawberries for me to make Jam with. She would have made it for me, but she likes to let me try my strengths and mess up and then she swoops in and fixes everything and we appreciate her all the more for it. Well I am sure that isn't her plan exactly, she is very conscious about not stepping on my toes when it comes to taking care of my boys. She needn't worry though, I love the help she always gives, she truly is a great lady. Anyway back on track here, she sent me home strawberries to make jam with. She had them hulled and mashed and ready to go. All I had to do was add the pectin and the sugar and can them. So I did, and for the record Gary helped with adding the sugar. So that fact that I totally messed up is partially his fault since technically he added the sugar. Right? right.
So here's the thing, I spent time looking this stuff up, I must have read 10 different sites on how to can strawberry jam and they all said the same thing, so what do I do. I mess up. I add the sugar at the wrong time. In my defense the directions were not exactly clear, well or it could be that I skimmed them rather than thoroughly reading them. Anyway, although it looks pretty and tastes fantastic, it didn't exactly set up all that well. I have decided to call it strawberry syrup and not tell the kids the difference. Pancakes anyone?
Anyway, not to be defeated I am trying again tonight. I have enough strawberries left to make another batch. Keep your fingers crossed that this one sets up. And tonight I will not only read the directions, I will follow them to a T. Wish me luck.
Other than the added canning last night, the rest of the night was just as I had planned. I was even motivated enough to do all my weekend laundry last night, which is probably a good thing since our niece is getting married tomorrow and we will be busy this weekend.

Back on Track

2010-06-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

I am already feeling much better since starting to get back on track. I ate better yesterday and I got in a workout. What a difference even just a few minutes of sweating makes. I got home last night and put dinner in the oven and then went outside and started mowing lawn. I took a break to eat dinner when it was ready and then headed back outside to finish mowing. I felt so good when I was done and I knew I wanted to do more exercise that I jumped on my bike and took a quick 2 mile ride. It felt great, and I was still home and showered and looking for something to do at 7:30. I had noticed on the days that I didn't do a work out that I was really bored. I don't really like to watch too much T.V. and I didn't have anything to clean, what else could I do to fill my time. I mine as well get a workout in. It makes the night go faster, it makes me feel good and sooner or later it is going to make me look good. All winning outcomes.
I am still trying to think of something yummy and quick for dinner tonight. I have a full evening on schedule and I have to make sure to get dinner in there somewhere, G is a very picky eater, so finding something easy that he will like is a trick. I am getting tired of the old stand bys and I am sure he is too. Last night we tried mushroom stuffed chicken breasts with disastrous results, it was awful. G ate his, but I could not stomach it. It sounded great, looked good, tasted much like I would expect butt would taste. So I need to redeem myself tonight. Any ideas?
Also I have to clean out K's room tonight, Grandma is visiting on Sunday and she will stay in his room, and we don't want her to trip over some random toy. I have laundry, dinner, workout, and picking up my truck from the shop tonight, all before it gets too late and I run out of steam. That and the Capri's I want to wear tomorrow are dirty so I have to get that done. I can't wait to start my evening! I just wish I could figure out a way to motivate myself to get up earlier so that I could start some of this stuff in the morning.

Weigh-In Wednesday

2010-06-16T05:56:00.000-07:00

Another week, another weigh in. And a gain. I gained 1 pound. That was really hard to write. I knew it would happen, I knew that my "I could give a dang less" weekend would show up on the scale today. I am somewhat disappointed, but not at all surprised. It is really just giving me more motivation to work harder this week than I did last week. I am still down 5 pounds which is great, so I am not going to let this little set back throw me off course. I will use this little gain to make next week even better. It just shows me that when I work out and eat right I can do great things, but not paying attention brings on the weight.
I did notice this week that I had absolutely no energy and I was somewhat irritable and I know that it is from eating badly. Skipping just one work out really throws me off. I can see that now, and I know that from here on out I need to find something, no matter how small it may be, to do everyday just to keep on track.
So next week I am going to conquer that scale, I am going to have a loss, or at least try my best to have one!
How did you do this week? Check out the sisters to see how they all did.

2010-06-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Made with My Cool Signs.Net

I completely stole this idea from here. But I loved it. Check it out, very fun.

Also I realize that today is True Confession Tuesday, oh where to start.
Well last week ended on a high note for things in general, but eating right and exercise went right out the window. I spent all weekend pretty much doing whatever I wanted, eating whatever I wanted and not caring in the least.
Tomorrow will be proof of this I am sure. But I don't even care at the moment, I am getting back on the wagon tonight with exercise, tomorrow with better food choices.
I am hoping that the exercise and eating better will improve my overall attitude which has been pretty lackadaisical to say the least. It isn't a bad mood, just no energy.
On the plus side I went to the doctor last week for my yearly blood draw and was told that if my iron was down I had to have a scope done! EWW, but it was fine, yeah me, and it was my B-12 that is down. Thank goodness for vitamins!

TGIF

2010-06-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness it is Friday. More so because it means that yesterday is now history than anything else. I finally got a hold of G, and he met me at the repair shop where we unfortunately are known on a first name basis. One because our oldest son works there, but more because this is our third trip there this year. 1 windshield and 2 rear truck windows in a 2 month stretch, all G's! They are so good though and I love taking my vehicles there.
Exhausted by the emotional day I even ordered pizza last night instead of cooking. I had made a conscious decision not to work out and to spend the rest of the day some what wallowing in self pity. Ha! That didn't last at all. Once the truck was taken care of and the pizza eaten I felt soooo much better. I took a 2 mile bike ride with K and then we spent the rest of the night watching Food Network and reading books.
A perfect end to a not so perfect day.

You take the good you take the bad

2010-06-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

It seems like whenever I relax and think that life is coming around and that everything will be ok and right in the world it gets all jacked out of shaped again. Like last night, I was peaceful and very content with how things in my life are going. I was happy and less worried and stressed than I usually am. I am pretty high strung and by nature a worry-wart, something I apparently get from my dad. We both can lose sleep at night over things that are completely out of our control, but we worry none the less.
But last night I felt good. I went through my before bed routine, turning off lights, making sure my cell phone was plugged in and checking on K. He was sounds asleep in bed, flat on his back with his little arms crossed over his chest and his hands tucked into his armpits. It was a funny, yet slightly creepy thing to see, so I went in and covered him up and gave him a little kiss and he woke up a little and said, "Mom, you scared the hell out of me." Normally I would correct him and tell him he was too little to say bad words, but that fast he rolled over and fell back to sleep, which was a good things because I was to busy trying not to laugh at the remark to scold him. All was well in my world, I went to my own room and fell asleep.
Then morning rolled around, and disaster came calling. First I woke up late because I had turned the alarm down so as not to wake G when it went off and so of course I didn't hear it either. So I rushed around and headed out to work running about 15 minutes behind, in the scheme of things not a real big deal. I was half way to work when out of no where a dear crossed in front of me in the road and BAM, I hit it. Took out my front grill and passenger side head light. I was fine, oddly calm. I called to place a report and found out you don't even have to do that at the time of the accident for hitting deer, you can do it later if your insurance requires it at all. So that set me feeling somewhat better. I got to work only 30 minutes late and felt pretty good.
But now, hours later, the adrenaline rush is gone and the sinking feeling in my stomach is here full tilt. I feel like crying, and I did, and throwning up and going home and crawling into bed and pulling the covers over my head. My precarious perch on stable has now been sent sent spinning. I haven't been able to get a hold of G yet to tell him of the accident since he worked all night and I don't want to wake him. And I know that in the whole realm of things this is pretty insignificant. I wasn't hurt, there wasn't alot of damage and that's what insurance is for anyway, but the entire thing has sent me reeling. Feeling like I am in a free fall and I don't know when or where I will hit bottom. I have had more stress in my life in the last year than I can handle and this has just sent me over the edge. I am sure it doesn't help that mother nature is paying her little monthly visit, but I am just so overwhelmed. Thank goodness that vacation is only 3 weeks away. It can not come soon enough.

Weigh In Wednesday

2010-06-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

Sweet Success! I worked really hard this week and I am happy to report that all that hard work paid off.

I lost 4 pounds!

I know that sounds kinda crazy and a lot for one week and I know that it is not good to lose that much in a week, but I am excited anyway. I was hoping for a big number, I know that when I did WW in the past the first couple of weeks I had large losses and then it leveled off. So this is not unusual at all for me. So I have now lost a total of 6 pounds. My first mini goal. I decided to look at my goals as 5 pounds at a time instead of one big number at the end, it keeps it easier and more manageable to think, hey I only have 5 pounds to lose rather than 40!
So all the working out and counting points has really paid off, and even better I feel good. I feel stronger everyday. Things I was doing last week are just a little easier to do this week, like mowing the lawn. G has his heart set on getting the new riding mower next week and to be honest I am a little sad to be getting one. I kind of enjoy mowing the lawn, it makes me feel like I accomplished something when I am done and I like that it is a little hidden exercise for the day. I have to do it so I don't count it as part of my exercise.
So I am super excited to be starting another week. I am motivated and pleased with the results so far, although I don't expect another week like this one. I have even been giving myself little added daily tasks, like 30 crunches and 15 push-ups a day. This week I am adding 10 crunches and 5 push-ups to that. I am trying to get a little mini daily routine that I can take on vacation with me, so that I have something to stick to to make sure that I don't fall off course.
See how all the other sisters did this week! And keep up the good work everyone!

2010-06-08T08:16:00.001-07:00

Another edition of True Confessions, yikes. Well actually I think I did pretty well this last week. I have worked hard and really tried to make good decisions. Except
1. Brownies, I had a huge craving and gave in and made brownies, yummy walnut chocolate brownies. I ate three.....in one day.
2. I did not want to train for my 5k yesterday, I made every excuse in the world. I did it anyways, but I didn't want to, and I walked a little more than the plan I am following calls for.
3. I only did a quick 10 minutes on the elliptical on Sunday, that is also the day of the brownies.

Otherwise I think I did pretty good this week. I drank all my water and got in some really tough work outs. Lets see tomorrow how the brownies affect the bottom line.

Congratulations Connor

2010-06-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

My nephew, Connor, graduated today. I am so very proud of him. He has been my little buddy since he was born. I was 14 when he came into this world, I remember my sister was in labor and I was watching her first born, Marcia, while Mom and Dad were at the hospital with her. Connor's Dad wasn't there, at the time he was in the Navy and wasn't able to be there. I remember riding my bike with Marcia in the little bike seat on the back to and from the hospital all morning and finally that afternoon Connor arrived. Connor, Connor fat head we called him, and he was perfect, and still is. He has put us all through moments of terror, like when he swallowed a penny, and when he was diagosed with Diabetes a few years ago. But more than that he has brought us so much joy. He is funny and determined and helpful. He is just an all round good kid, and now he has graduated. He is going off to culinary school in 6 weeks and I will miss him. I am so proud of him though. He has met the challenges of his life and faced them. He is going to go places in this world and as always I will be standing there, telling everyone that will listen that he is my nephew and I am proud of him. Way to go Connor.

Ouie!

2010-06-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

Newsflash, I am an idiot. Here are just a few of the dumb things I have done lately.
Well as you may recall I was beyond excited earlier this week for conquering the elliptical, yeah, well I am an idiot, upon closer inspection K had changed the dial on it. So although I did do the 20 minutes that I was so proud of, it was not at the level I had thought it was. I got over that disappointment quickly though when I got back on the elliptical the next day and moved the level back up and still went 20 minutes. It is not back up the the highest level yet, but hey it is still one heck of a work out. And I am proud of myself.
Another dumb thing I did this week was deciding to run a 5k. Okay that really probably isn't dumb at all. I really want to feel like I accomplished something. You can't reach a goal if you don't set one right? So I decided to take the plunge and I am going to sign up for a race. I don't think that I will actually complete the training if I don't have to, and shelling out some money for a registration pretty much means I have to.
So last night I started my training. I actually went outside and ran down the road. Who would have thought I would ever do that during day light hours, where people could see me. It was hard. I am not a runner, I am a walker, but I would like to do this. To accomplish what in my mind is a huge goal. To say hey, I ran a 5k. I know this is small potatoes to some people, but to me it is monumental. So today I am just a little sore, not bad, but I can feel that I used muscles I hadn't used in a long time. As I was running down the road I passed a couple of my neighbors and the little older lady said, "Oh good for you honey, I would be passed out on the side of the road." I smiled and said oh thanks, although I was not completely sure that I wasn't going to pass out on the side of the road. That little bit of encouragement went a long way for my mental well being.
So here I am, facing my demons of workouts and weight loss and running. I feel more empowered to do these things than I ever have. And the more I work towards them the better I feel. The happier I am, the more energy I have. I think everything I am doing to better my physical well being is doing so much more than that for my mental well being.

Moving on....to second grade!! And other points to ponder

2010-06-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well I am now officially the mother to a second grader. K finished 1st grade with flying colors. I could not be more proud of him. Way to go Kris! He is now celebrating by spending 2 days at Grandma's house. I am not sure who this is more of a treat for him or me! I will actually be home alone for a whole 4 hours tonight, this is unheard of and I can't wait. I am hoping the G is later than expected so that I get even more alone time.
I started WW yesterday. I did it about 8 years ago before I had K and I lost over 50lbs. Back then I had a MIL that took really good care of me. It was pretty much mandatory that we be there every night for dinner and on the weekends, that could be part of the reason she isn't my MIL anymore. Anyway, my SIL and I did WW together and the MIL made us all our meals and since she was literally a chef everything tasted awesome. This time around I have to cook for myself and well, I suck at cooking. Its sad really because I love to cook, I just am super bad at it. You would think that as bad as I am at cooking we would all be rail thin, but alas the only truly skinny one in the family is K, he gets this from the male genes in the family. Tall and thin. Anywho, getting back on track, I started again yesterday and all I can say is thank goodness there was nothing on TV to watch so I went to bed early and therefore was not tempted with late night snacking. Other than that is was a good day. I even mowed more of the lawn and got on the elliptical again.
And on to a somewhat related topic.......a 5k run. Ok so I am not a runner, seriously not a runner. But I am intrigued by the idea of running. I have been thinking alot lately about trying to run a 5k. I have gone as far as getting online and checking websites to help me train for it and I did start training back in February. It only lasted a couple days but in my defense it was cold and dark at night and I don't have a treadmill so I had to go outside, and well I am a huge chicken-shit, and I gave up. Okay I admit it I gave up, but after conquering the elliptical I feel empowered to try again, and yesterday in K's end of year paperwork from school there was a flier for a 5k run in August in my town to help benefit a local teen with muscular dystrophy. I almost think it is fate that I start training again, and I figure if I have a goal in mind and something concrete to work towards I am more likely to succeed. What do you think? Any words of advice?

Weigh In Wednesday

2010-06-02T05:41:00.000-07:00

My first ever weigh in Wednesday, I was kinda nervous this morning stepping on the scale. I did not expect to see the little needle move at all, but it did. And even in the right direction.
I lost 2 lbs this week. Yeah!
I have been trying this week, but after a long weekend and cook outs I wasn't too hopeful. But getting on the scale this morning and looking down and seeing a loss I was super excited. Even if hadn't lost I still would have been pretty proud of myself this week.
Last week we got new bikes and I have ridden mine everyday since I got it, expect for Monday when we mowed the lawn and that pretty much kicked our butts for the rest of the day. Last night we mowed the lawn again, but the mower overheated and we had to stop early. I didn't think I had gotten in enough exercise for the day, so I headed down to the basement to use my elliptical. Usually I can only do 5-7 minutes before I feel like my legs are going to turn to rubber and fall off, but last night I did over 20 minutes! I was shocked and excited. I kept checking the tension gauge to make sure K hadn't messed with it. But it was on the highest setting and I was motoring through. I even went for a 2.5 mile bike ride when I was done because although I felt good about the cardio, I felt like I needed some more muscle toning to be done. It felt awesome. It has been such a long time since I have felt that good about a work out. I feel so empowered and ready to face another week. So with week one under my belt I am starting on week 2, and I am starting WW as well. I have stopped looking at the final goal and am focusing on the little goals along the way. The first one is 5 pounds and I am almost half way there. I know with the starting of WW and the exercise I will be there soon.
How was your week? Check out the sisters to see how they all did.

2010-06-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

This is my first time confessing so bear with me.......

1. I ate mashed potatoes with cheese twice for dinner this weekend. Nothing else just potatoes and cheese. My gosh that can't be good.

2. I didn't ride my bike at all yesterday, but I did mow 2 acres of grass.

3. I got really really crabby both Saturday and Sunday nights when I got tired and should have gone to bed.

4. I lied to my husband Sunday night and told him I was just going to the bathroom and then snuck out to the couch to sleep, cause he was snoring so loudly. He found me.

I guess that is all I did rotten that I need to confess, oh wait one more.

5. I ate 3 pieces of cherry coffee cake on Sunday, and it was awesome.

Weekend Recap

2010-06-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend, although mine started off a little shaky I am going to look at it in the best light and say it ended well at least. It started Saturday morning with G and me trying to get the lawn mowed. Well, we spend two hours just trying to get the riding mower started. It is 10 years old and we work it hard, and it never has been a great one to start, but Saturday it was awful. After 2 hours, countless tries and finally rebuilding the starter we got her to fire. G got on and rode all of about 5 feet when she blew. A big plumb of white smoke issued from under the hood and that is all she wrote. CRAP, so we spent that afternoon comparison shopping for a new mower and budgeting to be able to buy one. But G did take me out to lunch and the worst restaurant I think we have ever eaten at, but on the bright side we spent a lot of time together and we had something to laugh about later.
Sunday we spent with friends and family. We took a bike ride on the Rails to Trails, which if you don't have one is very cool, it is where old railroad tracks have been converted to bike trails. Then we went to a cook out and the Nascar race. G won 70bucks on the race which was nice since he probably spent at least 30 on his beer for the day. My Dad also reminded us that I have a push mower at my sisters that we could pick up to help with our mower issue. So we left the party, stopped by my sisters to get the lawn mower and then stopped to get some dinner.
Monday morning we got up and gave the lawn mower a tune up and proceeded to mow our 2 acres of lawn. PUSH MOWING 2 ACRES! We did it in under 2 hours and we were both hot, sweaty and tired when we were done. But we also were both kinda bursting with pride at a job well done. We had worked really well together and we were really pleased with how it looked.
So although the weekend started out with an explosion it ended with a nicely mowed lawn. And on the bright side it gave us some exercise and time in the sun, and it proved how far you can get with a little teamwork. I am actually looking forward to mowing the lawn again. And as a bonus this lawn mower didn't cost us a thing.

So Excited

2010-05-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

First off, Happy Memorial Day Everyone! I know I am a little early with that, but as you may recall I have dial up internet at home, so I will not be posting over the weekend! But I hope everyone has a safe and super happy holiday. Also I want to send my sincerest thanks out to all the men and women that serve our country, who put their lives on the line to protect mine. I am very grateful. Having been previously married to a Navy man, I know what it takes to be away from your family to protect others and we are all very blessed and honored to have such selfless people out there to do that.
Ok, so other exciting news in my life. Last night Big G and I got our new, to us, bikes. I wasn't really sure how Gary was going to react to me getting us bikes, so I kinda didn't tell him until about 10 minutes before they arrived. I have found in my life it is way easier to ask for forgiveness later than permission in the first place. I was pleasantly surprised by his reaction though. He was really excited. He even took a ride before I did. We got them from my beloved Aunt and they had been collecting dust in her garage, so once we had them home we polished them up. We greased the chains, adjusted the seats and handlebars and went for a ride. It was pure bliss. I felt like I had gone back in time to a simpler place. The bikes are really old, but in great shape, they don't have any speeds and you have to peddle backwards to get them to stop. They are super nostalgic and I love them, they even match. I know kinda corny, but cute at the same time.
I have been working really hard all week at making better food choices and getting in some sort of exercise everyday. That is easier said than done since Tuesday's and Thursday's are non stop from the time my feet hit the floor, but I have been really trying. And I have been pretty successful at it as well. Tuesday was the only day that I didn't get some sort of official workout in, but I did take a nice long walk in the store that day just to try to get something in. Well anyway, I feel really successful about it today. This morning I stepped on the scale and it had moved in the downward direction! Yeah me! I am so inspired and motivated to keep up the good work. I am trying not to look to far down the road at my end goal, but instead to take things 5 pounds at a time, and with this small success I think that I am definitely going about things the right way.
So how about you? Anything have you super excited? Any big plans for the weekend? Any movement on your scale?
Have a great weekend, whatever you do! And if you are anywhere around Mid-Michigan enjoy the sunshine they're predicting for the weekend.

Let it begin with me

2010-05-26T06:15:00.000-07:00

So I started on a new fun journey today. Ok will I didn't exactly start it today, but I am making it official today. I have joined a new weight loss group. I have been up and down on the scale for as long as I can remember. In the last 4 years I have lost a significant amount of weight and I was finally happy with my size and how I looked. Well then life got busy and things got stressful and well, I gained. I gained more than I want to mention and it was slow and it sucks. I want to lose 40 pounds. I know that it will take some time and that it is better to do it slow and steady. I know all this because I have literally tried every weight loss option out there and I know what works and what doesn't.

So anyway. I am officially coming out and letting everyone know "hey I want to lose some weight, I need to do this for me and my family. I need some support and help along the way, and heck as long as I am at it, join me here. It will be fun and we can do it together."
I am starting slow and working on it. I actually have been trying to work on it for awhile now. But now I am not hiding it any more. I am telling people. Now I have the accountability to others that I did not have before. Now I have to answer to you.
LETS GO!!!!

Growing Pains

2010-05-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

It is getting so close to summer vacation, only 6 more days of school for K and then he is done for the year. Happily moving on to the second grade. I am so impressed with how much he has grown up this year and how much he has learned. He is one of the top readers in his class which is completely awesome. Since the day he came home from the hospital I have read to him almost every night before he goes to sleep and now he is reading to me. I am loving that. I am a huge reader and I love that I seem to have instilled the love in K too. Besides everything he has learned academically this year he has also grown more mature, more independent and way too tall. I can't find pants to fit his skinny little butt because he is so stinking tall. I can get them to fit the waist but not the length, thank goodness it is summer and he can wear shorts now. But the biggest change in him the year is that he has recently become a trader.
K has always been my little boy. Preferring to be wherever I am and doing whatever it is I am doing. To the point were getting any alone time was nearly impossible. He really didn't want anything to do with G, because of course that would involve work. And heaven forbid I want to leave him home and run to the store, he just had to be with me. If I forced him to stay home with G he would whine and make me feel guilty. He would consent to stay home with his brother B, but B didn't want a whole lot to do with that. That is until recently, in the last couple of weeks K has decided that G isn't so bad to spend time with after all. He sits and waits for G to get home from work so they can go outside in the pole barn and work on projects. They watch TV together, they go for rides together with brother and they go and hang out with all G's friends together. K will now even get whatever it is G needs or wants without being told. What gives? I had been wanting them to find a comfortable relationship for along time, but this? Mom just got bypassed for G! Truthfully though I am loving it. I am completely comfortable with the fact that my son still loves me but has found more boy kinda interests than helping Mom fold laundry and clean the house. He is getting to be more independent and starting to really enjoy all the things that G loves, like hunting and fishing and building stuff. Those two are now like two peas in a pod and when brother B comes around, look out cause I am at a loss.
As a side note, I am doing pretty well on looking for those silver linings I talked about yesterday. And I was really inspired when I got home last night. Inspired enough that I finally set up my work out room, complete with T.V., videos, eliptical machine and step. It made me feel so good to finally get that project done and ever more so that I used the space and worked out last night.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-05-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

Very often in my life I get caught up in the moment and let that take over my whole day, my whole attitude, and I forget to look for the silver linings in thing. Take for instance today. It did not start off on a great foot, and I think I was predisposed to thinking before it even started that today was just going to stink. So when I got to work and things when right in the crapper just as I knew they would I let my mood get flushed away too.
But then I went to lunch and had to stop at the store and pick up some hot dog buns for dinner and I decided to walk around a little. And it was in the walking around, still brooding over my day, that I actually found some inspiration to be happy. I was walking past aisles of pretty summer colors and decorations, of patio furniture and lawn chairs and it got me to thinking. Ok, so yep work is kinda miserable right now, nothing new there, but why do you have to be miserable too. I don't have to be miserable and I shouldn't be miserable. I do not have to let work affect my home life and my lunch hour and everything else I will do all day. I can't let work ruin the waking hours that I don't spend there.
So it got me to really thinking about what makes me happy. About what I have to look forward to and what I have to be thankful for in my life. It made me think about my wonderful son, my doting husband, my family and my friends. I am in control of my attitude, of how my day goes and how I react to the things that are outside of my control. I can choose to let something crappy at work affect me in a negative way, or I can choose to leave those crappy things at work, at work. I am choosing today to be in control of my destiny. To be in control of my attitude and to be happy.
Everything seems to be easier and better when I am happy. So today I am taking inspiration from the bright summer colors in the store. I am choosing to be bright and summery as well. I am choosing to think about adding some color and fun to my back porch tonight instead of sitting on the couch moping about a bad day. I am choosing to hang my laundry on the clothes line tonight, to clean out a kitchen cupboard, to pay those bills on the table. I a choosing to do something positive instead of something negative. To be in control of my day, my mood and my life.

TGIF and other happy things

2010-05-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

I am so glad that it is finally Friday, I have been waiting all week for it to get here and now here it is. And it is working out to be a fantastic end of the work week. First G got called out of town on work today, so I get to leave early to get K off the bus! I love that. It is a win win, I get to start my weekend early and surprise K by begin home when he gets there. Another great part of today is that my long over due work review has been scheduled for Monday, so hopefully a nice pretty raise will follow. And one of my co-workers that kinda drove me a little nutty put in her one day notice today. It is going to be a great day, and a great weekend.
We have my nephews confirmation this weekend along with a graduation open house, which means I get to eat good all weekend and I don't have to cook at all. It is supposed to be in the 80's all weekend as well, so I can wash my bedding and hang it on the clothes line to dry. I love that smell!
So it is looking like a super great weekend, I will be sad to come back to work Monday. Except, oh wait, that little thing about a review and raise! Finally maybe life is falling into place.
Wish me luck.

Feeling Better

2010-05-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

Everyday I wake up wishing that I had a few more minutes/hours of sleep. I get up, get K up, dressed, fed and off to the bus. I then gather myself together to get ready for my day, shower, dress, coffee and off to work. Everyday is the same thing. I arrive tired and somewhat grumpy for work and the day goes down hill from there. But lately I am finding some changes to that routine. I still wish I had a little more time in the mornings to sleep and to take a little longer getting ready. But I am not so tired in the mornings, I am not so grumpy. Actually by the time I have K's cereal poured I am awake and happy. This is a huge change for me. For as far back as I can remember I have not been a morning person. I am a sleeper. Even as a small child I loved to sleep, and now to wake up happy and refreshed in the morning. What a switch.
I know that part of it has to do with the fact that I started taking my iron supplements again. My iron likes to drop into the toilet on a regular basis and until I knew what was happening and why I felt so terrible I was dealing with it as best I could. After having iron infusions last year I have been much more on top of the symptoms and taking care to remember my supplement. So I know that is part of my improved self. But the other part of it is me. I am trying to turn my frown upside down.
Really though, I am trying to be a more positive person. I am trying to see the silver lining on things that seem to look awful at first. I am trying to put the olive branch out to people that before I would have not cared about. I am really trying to be a better person/friend/mother/wife/daughter. And I think that it is helping me to be a happier person. And according to an article I read the other day people who count their blessings sleep better at night. So being happier, seeing the good things in life, counting my blessings helps me sleep better and wake up more refreshed.
It is all connected in a not so vicious cycle. I am just glad to be feeling better, to be feeling like a human being again instead of like a crazed lunatic.
What are you doing to try to feel better? Is it working??

Changes in Attitude, Changes in Latitude

2010-05-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been thinking a lot about changes. Big and little changes that I feel I need to try to make in my life to make my world a better place to be. I have had a super crappy attitude lately about some of the things in my life. I need to try to turn that negative feeling into something positive and productive. I need to try to work through my anger and find a happier place to be. The trouble is I have no idea how to do that. The anger is so all consuming that I can't even pretend to be happy when it hits. I just shut down, I close myself off and I sit and stew in my head about the injustice of the whole thing. But it has to change it is killing me inside and it is hurting my marriage and affecting every aspect of my life. But how? How do I change this. It isn't a completely me issue, it is a me versus someone else issue and I can only change me. How do I look past the hurt and the heart ache and the bad decisions and the kicks to the teeth and move on? No it is not me versus G, but that gets thrown into the mix when things get heated up.
I don't know if I can overcome but I have come to a point where I need to try for G to make things easier for everyone. I have spent sometime discussing this with a counselor and of course got the advise that I need to show some outward positive emotion towards this person to help heal the pain. That is sooo hard for me,that is like telling me I need to figure out how to walk on water. But I know that I have to try. I need to try to prove to G that 1)I can do this and 2) that I am not the problem.
I think that if I can make some positive changes in other aspects of my life that they will rub off and take hold of the rest of me and I can just be a happier person all around. Does that make sense? Could that possibly work? I am a really good advice giver, whether or not you want the advise is irrelevant. So I think I will take a big swallow of my own medicine, hitch up my big girl panties and take the plunge into unknown waters. I am hoping when I come up for air that I will be in a better place.
Some of the changes that I am going to attempt to make are really small but I think that there affects will be far reaching. I want to feel better about myself so I am scheduling a walk every day to give me a small bit of me time. Just a half and hour walk, I think, alone will renew my spirit, give me time to think and ponder and relax, as well as getting me out in the beautiful sunshine. Also I always clean my kitchen and do the dishes at night after dinner, but I always do them alone, I think that it is time for my family to buck up and help a little more. If they can pick up the dirty dishes from the other rooms of the house and bring them to me as well as taking care of any trash and cans that are sitting around it will save me a ton of time and then we can all have a more relaxing evening together. I don't think that either of those things are really very big, but I think they will have a huge impact on how I feel.
On to other notes of interest; my sister. She is struggling at the moment, and it breaks my heart that I can not fix her troubles. Last week it was me that was struggling and she gave me some much needed advice and now it is my turn. Let me start by telling you that my sister is a strong, independent, beautiful person.....with a problem. Mainly her family!lol well at least the girls in her house. My sister has 2 kids, her daughter is 19 and her son is 17 and she has a friend of her daughters also 19 living with them. And the girls are not helping to pull there weight in the house. She is having a hard time being a disciplinarian, she has always been close to her kids and they have gotten through well enough, until now. Now with one extra person in her house nothing seems to get done and she is at her wits ends. Working all day and coming home to teenagers on the couch asking what is for dinner? What is a mother to do? So my advise to her is to be the strong woman I know that she is. To take time every day for herself, to stop and smell the roses and to let those girls grow up and if she has to, to stop being the nice mom and start taking care of her needs. I know I sound harsh, but children need boundaries, whether they are 9 or 19 they need direction and our role as a parent is to give that to them. And if all else fails, come over to your sisters house and relax!

Happy Anniversary

2010-05-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend is my anniversary. Sunday to be exact. So I thought that I would take this opportunity to say lots of nice things about my husband, but I won't. You see it has been my experience that whenever I say what a sweet, wonderful, thoughtful husband I have, I come home and he is a total ASS!!! So in anticipation of my anniversary weekend I will tell you that my husband is a cranky, crabby, sometimes down right pain in the ass, but he is mine and I love him.
I am glad that I married G and that we live our life and raise our kids together. I am glad every day (well most days) that I have him to come home to and that he comes home to me. He makes me laugh more than he makes me want to throw something at him. And he is a big cuddly teddy bear on cold winter nights that keeps me safe and warm. He takes care of all of us even though technically he doesn't have to, and he makes sure the boogie monster isn't hiding out in our basement (if you know me at all you know how real my fear of something in the basement is).
I am glad that I took that walk down the isle and I am proud of my husband. And mostly I love going to bed at night knowing that as much as I love him, he loves me more.

Jeans....or is it genes??

2010-05-11T05:50:00.000-07:00

So my family and I decided last night to take a walk. All of us.....together. It was a production. First off K does not like to walk as much as he likes to ride his bike, which is totally fine with me except that he has to completely stop and pull off the road when cars are coming. It is mostly for my peace of mind, but it does slow down the process. And G, OMG G, he is the worlds slowest walker ever. He does not stop when a car comes, but K and I do, and we still walk farther and faster than he does. So anyway, we are off for our "family" walk last night and K and I are pulled over and G walks ahead of us, so I catch up to him and he says, "slow down you long legged Hilda!"
WHAT?!?! I look at him, and what is that supposed to mean.
"You have the longest damn legs and you walk too fast."
I grinned. I am almost 6 feet tall and I do have long legs. For years I was teased about my height, being taller than all the boys for years. But for what I think is the first time, being teased for my long legs didn't bother me at all. For the first time, I was proud of those long legs. They are strong, they carry me where I need to go and yes, they are long. Long enough that I have to buy all my pants in talls, long enough to stretch the entire length of the couch. And long enough to run fast when my child calls for me.
So is it my jeans that make me proud of my legs? More than likely it is my genes that make me proud. I come from a large family of super tall people. My mom's brothers as well as my Dad and his brothers all top out at over six feet. My bother is also somewhere around 6'3". And I am the tallest girl in the family and I love it.
Even through all the teasing growing up about being too tall, as was my basketball nickname, I am proud of it. I am proud of the fact that standing in a group of my relatives I obviously belong.

Mother's Day Weekend in Review

2010-05-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

I had the most relaxing, wonderful Mother's Day weekend ever. I traveled home to my parents house on Friday afternoon. I left work early, picked up my son from school, jumped in the truck and drove the 45 miles home. I spent the weekend relaxing and enjoying my family and friends. We grilled out for Mother's Day. We had salads and hot dogs, olives and hamburgers and pie. It was lovely. we celebrated my Mom and all the wonderful things she does for us. But the best part was my K.
I am such a proud Mom. I have such a wonderful, sweet, kind hearted, smart, handsome and loving little boy. I know that the day was all about Mother's, but I feel like it was all about K. Without him I wouldn't be a mom at all, and being is Mom is the best thing I have or will ever do.
It is constant worry, and constant joy. Every single day I think how lucky I am to have that little boy as mine. He is such a joy, even on the worst days he makes me happy. He makes me laugh and he makes me want to get up every day and enjoy what the day brings. He always seems to give me the perfect gift on Mother's Day. When he was 2 he gave me a poem about his little fingers and he had his hand prints on it. Yesterday he gave me a clay mold of his little hand. Of all the gifts he gives me it is for some reason his hands that I cherish most. I have them all saved in my hope chest and I often get them out and look how far he's come.
I know that someday he will be all grown up with babies of his own, but as far as I am concerned he will always be my baby. He will always be my sun and moon and the reason I work so hard to make his life the best it can be.
It might have been a day to celebrate Mother's, but for me it was a day to celebrate the reason I am a mother. Thank you K for making it such a great day. Thank you for being such a great kid. And always remember that I love you more than anything.

Mood Swings and Random Things..........

2010-05-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

So, well, um, yeah, I have been more than a little cranky lately. For the past couple weeks I having been pushing the envelope on how much I can get away with. At work, at home, everywhere I go. I have just been cranky. It started last week with the HUGE disagreement I had with my husband, then it was arguing with my cell phone company over a bill and finally a very good friend and co-worker of mine quit yesterday. My friend quitting seemed to be the straw that broke the camels back.
I cried.
At work.
In front of others.
Okay, so I rarely cry anymore and to do it in front of others?!? What is that all about. I had to excuse myself and go to the bathroom and dry my eyes.
I am really not sure what my problem is. Except um... maybe it could be PMS. I am mean I guess I can't rule that out. Maybe Gary is right, I am cranky the week before, the week of, and the week after. He is an ass.
More likely though, it is just that I am tired and need a little rest and relaxation. So in celebration of my bad mood swings (yes I think a celebration is in order, it gives a positive spin on a bad thing) I am going out with my friends this weekend. I am packing up my bags and my son and I am going home to my parents house for the weekend.
Don't look at me like that. I love my parents, I love spending the night there, and I LOVE having a built in babysitter! See, all positives. Besides that I get to see my sister, whom I always have a blast with, my friends and I get to indulge in an adult beverage without having to worry about getting up to make breakfast and turn on cartoons in the morning. Oh the joys of going home!
Also K and I are getting our hair cut. He is in need of that summer buzz cut and I am ready for a little change. Besides if you get your hair cut you lose weight, right?!? (another positive)
So now I just need to figure out how to get through the next day and half of work without going batshit crazy.
Oh and did I mention that my husband will not be joining me this weekend? He is going on his own man retreat with "the boys" to our cabin in the woods!

This is the Day that Never Ends

2010-05-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

Today started out pretty normal actually for a Monday, it wasn't too bad. I left the house early, stopped and got coffee and was to work on time. Then things started getting interesting. It started with a "fire drill" right in the middle of the busiest part of my morning. The owner of our company walked through yelling this is a fire drill, and proceeded to gather us all out in front of the office and explain the importance of having a fire plan. He did all this while his fly was down. It was hilarious. I can only imagine his thoughts later when he realized. I am betting we don't have a fire drill again for awhile. Then the girl that takes lunch before me forgot to tell me she was back, which put me a half hour behind taking my lunch. Not a big deal except that it put me at the bank at the busiest time of day. So that put me behind and I didn't get a chance to go to the store and pick up hair dye, that I am in desperate need of. I did have time to run to the car wash and hose off my truck from being at the mud bogs this weekend (just driving by)and that is when I ripped a whole in my pants! OMG are you kidding me! The butt of my pants and I have half a day of work left! Lets just end this day and start over tomorrow.

Spy vs Spy

2010-04-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

Last night was wonderfully stress free. It started with K's baseball game. He is sure that he got at least 2 home runs. I didn't have the heart to tell him it was because he was the last batter so he gets to run the bases. He was so proud and I was not about to burst his bubble. I think he had the biggest cheering section at the game and we were a carefree loud bunch of people. We then decided to celebrate the "two home runs" with a trip to the ice cream place. It was delicious. K had a snickers sundae and I was lucky enough to sneak a few bites. But the real fun started once we returned home.
Gary had to get ready to go to work so he was outside getting the truck ready to go and K and I played outside in the hammock. Then we decided that it would be more fun to spy on Gary. So we slunk around the house so that he couldn't see us. Of course Gary had no idea what was going on or what we were doing which helped play into our game even better. We peeked around the side of the house, we hide behind the truck, we ran around the house at least 15 times trying to get the best view. We were having a great time. I finally got busted by Gary, but K was still out there spying. Well as all fun things do, it had to come to an end; we needed to get ready to go to bed so I had K get in the shower as I got his lunch ready for school. But when he got out of the shower, we both put on camouflage pajamas and continued our spy mission while Gary tried to get a little sleep on the coach. We laughed so hard we had to retreat to his bedroom as to not wake Gary.
It was such a good night. Something I truly needed. So thank you Kris for being the best son ever and making Mom laugh. Oh and K had horrible gas during the entire night, and I am pretty sure he thought it was laughing gas.

Misery loves company

2010-04-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

It has been an emotionally draining week for me. I am looking forward to this weekend more than usual. I am hoping for a stress free couple of days to recharge and get back on track with things. Friday can't come fast enough. But as I am sitting at my desk thinking about all the turmoil of the past week a good friend and co-worker says to me, "you know it never gets better." Stunned I look at her and ask what she is talking about, just this morning she was positively drooling over how great her husband is, and now this.
It never gets better she says again. It is good and it is bad and I pretend alot, but it never gets better. Do you think that is really true? I hate to believe that, even for a second.
Is this really as good as it gets. I know that life, and love for that matter, are a roller coaster. So if you go down, don't you eventually have to go up again?
I am going to believe for my own sanity that it does get better. And if misery truly loves company perhaps the opposite is true as well that happiness is contagious.

Idle hands are the Devils play ground or something like that....

2010-04-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Work is slow. I hate when that happens, the day drags and I can only do catch up work until it is done and then what? I finished all the little tasks on my desk, filed all my papers, shredded old paperwork and organized my files. And then I sat twiddling my thumbs, what to do now. So I sat at my desk and thought about yesterdays argument with my husband. I spent way too much time thinking about it, I composed a post about it, I posted it, I re-read it and then laughed out loud at how much of a drama queen I was being. I have since deleted the post. But just in case you are wondering the fight is over, the issue is somewhat resolved and we are no longer mad at each other. See too much time on your hands can be a problem.

A battle of wills

2010-04-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

I am pretty sure I married an Ogre. Not like Shrek even, where he looks fierce but inside is a prince charming, but like a real live ogre. Minus the green hue of course. My husband is a prince charming sometimes, but when the sun goes down he can become unbearable. He has a job that he can choose his own hours and every other week he chooses to work nights. It makes his job easier and he can get his job done faster, it is a win-win situation for him. It is a loss-loss for me.
First when he is working nights his sleep pattern is all messed up. Instead of getting a solid 7-8 hours of sleep he gets maybe 4 hours at most and then spends the rest of the day napping on the couch. This makes it hard to get anything done because our living room is in the center of our house and we have to tip toe around as to not wake him up. So for the week that he is on nights I am staying up later to get the housework done after he goes to work. Besides that he isn't sleeping well his attitude goes straight to hell. He is tired and grumpy and nothing anyone does is right. I have grown used to this and he does try to control his cranky mood. This week however we are both on edge.
We have this unspoken rule that only one of us gets to be cranky at a time. We broke that rule this morning. Him being tired mixed with me being stubborn has led to a not too pretty argument over our yearly vacation. I won't go into details because it was not friendly and neither of us were right but we were both stubborn. Now it is down to a battle of wills and unfortunately we are both going to loss. There is no scenario for our vacation that is going to make either of us happy and there are several scenarios that have us not vacationing together at all.
How do you solve no win situations at your house? Do you give in, or do you stick to your guns? There is no happy ending here and no matter how it works out I am going to loss, so now I need to decide which is the worse of the evils. Do I not go on my vacation or do I spend it with people that make me miserable?

Weekend Recap

2010-04-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

Well the baseball game was not a repeat of our last visit. Our team lost but the game was a lot of fun except for the cold temperatures. Then Kris and I headed south for a visit with friends and an educational trip to an art museum. We were supposed to go to the zoo, but alas it was raining. It always rains when we go to the zoo, so we found another option and Kris loved it. He looked at everything and read all about all sort of interesting things. And I got to catch up with an old friend, it was wonderful. Best off all I got down there and back without getting lost once or missing any exits, I love my GPS.
The rest of the weekend was pretty much uneventful. I cleaned house and did laundry and finally finished watching a movie that I had started over a week ago. I have very little me time these days, and I am fine with that. But when it takes over a week to finish a movie and then I feel guilty about sitting there for two hours something has got to give. I realize that I do a lot for my family and that I need to take a little time for myself a little more often. Maybe after we finish baseball season I will get a chance, until then it will be running Kris up to the ball field every other day for the next 2 months. Oh well, I wouldn't change any of it.
All in all though, it was a great weekend. What did you do this weekend?

Lucky I love him.......

2010-04-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Tonight my family is starting a busy fun filled weekend. We are headed out to a local minor league baseball game this evening and tomorrow my son, Kris, and I will be heading to the zoo with some very dear friends of mine. I am pretty excited to be going to the baseball game tonight because last night started Kristopher’s summer baseball season. It really got me in the mood for sitting outside watching the game, so when I checked my email this morning and had a new email that there were still tickets for tonight’s game and that it was the mascot’s birthday I figured it must be fate. It instantly brought me back to our game night outing last year. It was the first time I had been to this ball field and we were supposed to meet friends to watch the game together. It was the start of a perfect summer evening until one of our friends got called into an emergency at work, our seats got messed up and we were not sitting together and my husband almost got hit with a foul ball. If that had been the height of our adventure I would have still called the night a success, but that my friend was just the beginning. I spent more of my time watching my son in the play area for the kids than watching the game and therefore left my husband unattended. An unattended husband who is surrounded by his friends is not a good thing. When I finally returned to him it was to find that he had more than his fair share of beer. Again not a super big deal since I was driving and I had not had a drop. So the game ended and I took my slightly inebriated husband and son out to a late dinner at a greasy spoon restaurant of my husband’s choosing. Here is where the night went straight into the toilet. After his less than healthy dinner we started for home. Me driving in the dark in an unfamiliar area, him singing away to the radio in his drunken state. Suddenly he says that he needs me to pull over. I told him I couldn’t due to traffic and he became even more insistent that I pull off the road. Thinking that he just has to relieve himself I ignore the request until I get to a more appropriate place to pull over, one where there is no other traffic. Instead of running into the woods to pee as I had been thinking he promptly throws up. Getting back into the truck to continue our ride home he looks over at me and seeing that I am more than a little annoyed he sheepishly grins and announces that he is pretty sure something he ate for dinner did not agree with him. Oh he is lucky I love him! Hopefully tonight is not a repeat performance.

Lucky he loves me...

2010-04-21T06:08:00.000-07:00

So we have horribly slow dial up internet at our house. It is one of the draw backs to living in the country. I tend to use any other possible internet connection than the one at home. Everywhere else I go I can get faster service. My husband though is a salesman and spends the majority of his day in his truck driving around to his customers and therefore has no option but to use the dial up internet at home. Well he also likes to sit in his big comfy recliner and surf the internet while watching TV. It is beyond annoying but it keeps him happy and that is turn keeps the rest of us happy. Here is the bigger draw back, the phone cord is connected in the kitchen and he is sitting in the living room, therefore the phone cord is stretched from the kitchen through the dining room and across my living room floor. Do you see where I am going with this? I have three rooms that happen to be dead center of my house that are obstacle courses to cross for fear of tripping over the internet line. Usually I am really good about avoiding the cord, until yesterday. I was kinda frantically running through the house to get outside to go for a walk with my son and I ran through the living room and tripped on the cord and disconnected the internet. CRAP! I quickly plugged it back in, but it was too late, connection lost. My husband was pretty good about it, he complained slightly that one I should not be running through the house and two that I had my shoes on inside, but he was relatively calm about the whole thing. So I went for my walk and came home and went to the kitchen to get a drink of water when wouldn't ya know it, I tripped on that damn cord again. Well easy to say that my dear wonderful forgiving husband was beyond upset about it this time. He honestly believed that I had done that on purpose, I outwardly felt terrible for my second disconnect in an hour, but inwardly I was laughing, thinking ha! Now maybe you will upgrade our internet connection, or at the very least fix the phone outlet in the living room so that the cord doesn't drape across half the house. He finally got back to where he had been and continued to surf all the while grumbling about how I was sabotaging his nightly search for the boat of his dreams and I sat back in the chair silently giggling to myself that if I was really going to do something to purposely ruin his day that it would be a lot more fun that disconnecting his internet; that would just be the icing on the cake. And now that I think of it maybe it was.
I started out by making a really bad taco casserole recipe I found for dinner. Not that making a bad dinner is anything new at our house, the whole family is pretty sure that I am trying to poison them all. But this one was dreadful, even I couldn't talk myself into thinking it would be worth making again. Then I told him I was offered a new job, which most would think is good news, but it is farther from home, worse hours and less pay. I obviously didn't accept the position, and then I top it off with 2 disconnects. Maybe I am subconsciously trying to mess with him. Geez after last night I wonder what it will take to make tonight just as memorable? Maybe I will make him brownies to make up for last night, oh wait that would be sabotage since he is on a diet. :)
I guess I am pretty lucky he loves me.

Just Starting Out

2010-04-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

Hi, how are you? Good, I am glad to hear it. You don't know me, but I hope that we can get to be friends. This is just me trying to figure my way through a busy, happy life. Come join me on the journey.
I have a busy life full of love, laughter and friends. I am a wife, mother, step-mother, sister, daughter, aunt, friend and co-worker. I am betting that we have something in common. I am hoping to be able to talk about the ups and downs of everyday life shuffling all the different hats I wear and having a great time along the way.
I have been reading blogs for years and I hope I can be as interesting and creative as all the excellent writers that I follow. It is always nice to know that there is someone out there going through the same things that I am. So feel free to comment, tell me what is on your mind. I can use all the advice I can get some days! And enjoy reading.