I'm Ready, I'm Ready, I'm Ready

Ok.. so yesterday was a blurr.. but I did fairly well on my diet, cut portions and NO EXCERSIZE. I swear.. I cant seem to get it together. LOL

So today:

1. Run 3 miles this morning on the treadmill
2. follow my diet...
3. drink LOTS of water
4. STRETCH
5. STAY AWAY FROM HALLOWEEN CANDY!!!!!
6. Tae Bo workout (1 hour)

I am in a good mood today and feel energized.. so I think it will be a great day.

Another great 'tea quote'...

Secrets of the Sea:

"With foam and spray and a boundless roar, the sleepless sea calls us toward the shore. The wisdom of all life lives here, where the land and water kiss, a shimmer of waves and wind whispering the secrets of our origins. How easily we are lured by scientific knowledge to measure this mystery - calculating geology, biology, climate. But when an offshore breeze gusts life inot our lungs, we feel our souls brim with immeasurable passion for the testament of the waters. By simply sitting, listening, breathing, we feel the pull of the tides and the immensity of the sea connecting us to all things"

-Todd Runestad





Have a Happy Halloween... and keep your hand out of the candy bowl!!

Puerto Rico

I know.. I swore I was done talking about it.. but this is good news!

My hubby just called from work and told me that over the weekend the job down in PR approved a 3rd man.. so we ARE going!!! We will be leaving in a few weeks.. so I have to make another list (since I threw out my first one in a huff and puff thinking we weren't going) of things that I have to get done before we leave. Yeah!! I'm so excited.. just goes to show you... things have a wierd way of working out!!

Weigh-In #2

Ok.. so no loss this week. No gain either though.. so that is good. Thanks to everyone who left such wanderful comments yesterday. thank you , I appreciated every one of them. I have taken a step back and looked at what I was doing as far as my diet is concerned. I have found two problems... first, I am eating great.. but my portions are HUGE. So from now on I need to cut them in half... Second, I am not drinking the water I should be.. for some reason I am just having a hard time with that. For those worried I was going to start starving myself on 1200 calories a day.. dont worry!! I think my clories will drop just by cutting my portions. As far as snacks.. I will just be drinking protein shakes... so I think this will work. I guess we will see on the next weigh day.

I walked 3 miles yesterday in 40 min. I felt great afterwards, so I am definatly building up my stamina. I have to find a replacement for my trail walks with the girls.. the weather is too cold to take them out now.. I think I am going to try doing more of the Tae Bo dvd's.... I still walk on the treadmill every morning.. but I get bored of that if I do it twice a day.

As for stress.. well my life is full of it right now.. I am trying to pull myself away from things that are causing me to stress.. but you can only do so much. I am quitting the Praise Band at my church.. too much drama and too much time away from my family. PR is a no-go. My hubby got passed up for the job by his two brothers..which, without going into too much detail.. was REALLY wrong of his Dad to do. So unless they call for a 3rd man.. we will not be going.. (sorry Ivy) It breaks my heart because I was really looking forward to it..(and the bonus money would have gone towards adding on to our house) but... se la vi.

So today I am walking and rearranging the the dining room...(I am liking this new workout routine of just moving furniture..LOL) thanks again for all the support.. it means alot to me. If it weren't for this blog and the people I have met on it .. I probably would have given up already.

Have a Blessed Day

Can We Say.....

SELF SAB-O-TAGE ??? yep.. I did it.. and I am kicking myself in the butt for it. Yesterday was TERRIBLE as far as my diet is concerned. I think I ate that pound right back on. ERRRRRR.

I am done talking about PR.. thanks for letting me rant and rave.. but I am going to get back on track here and pay attention to the task at hand.

I talked to a doctor yesterday and he said that with the hysterectomy, my metabolism may have slowed down ALOT.. so he suggested eating UNDER 1200 calories a day.. YIKES.. thats like two salads..no dressing. LOL So.. no more 5 meals a day.I am down to a bowl of cereal in the morning.. and one for lunch ...and then a healthy dinner. No snacks.. and LOTS of water. Lets see if this works for me. I am so mad at myself this morning that I am going to get on the treadmill for 1 hour before I have to get ready for church.. and then get on again this evening for another hour. I am going to work this pound off before tomorrow mornings weigh in.

Have a Blessed Day!!

Breathe In... Breathe Out... Breath In....

So I woke up this morning feeling a little better about this whole PR thing.I'm not sure if I'm just okay with the whole thing now, or if the 12 hours of sleep has something to do with it. I'm still a little pissed off.. but I have figured out what I will do. I will get as much done this weekend as I can to be ready to go on Wednesday... If we have to wait another month..then at least all of that will be done. (mom... I am going to try and get Jasmine in on Monday... no promises) Thanks Lisa...your comment helped.. I realized I just had to take it as it comes.

Anyway...my diet went out the window yesterday.. I was stressed out and mad so I started eating. Pizza..candy..gummy things.. I actually realized what I was doing and went to bed early just to stop eating. Luckily my hubby didn't mind having to stay up with the kids and then putting them to bed.

Today I have Kempo for 3 hours this morning.. and am going to try and get some walking in to make up for yesterdays binge. I have a ton of water to drink today.. and a million things to do.. so I am off.

Have a Blessed Day

puerto rico...

I am SO annoyed. We just found out that we could be leaving as soon as the 1st of November.. which is only 5 days away....but.. we might also have to wait another month... GOOD GRIEF.. what the heck am I supposed to do? I've got animals to find homes for...two kids and myself to pack enough clothes and stuff for 1 year ... and THEY CANT MAKE UP THEIR MIND??? UGH... I kinda dont even want to go anymore... I am gritting my teeth and giving myself a headache.. so I'm going to go fix myself a cup of tea and stair out the window for awhile... maybe I'll figure it all out... and maybe they'll call and give us an exact day and time of when we are leaving.. YEAH RIGHT!!

anyway..I feel better now.. thanks for letting me vent!

My girls....

TGIF

Good Morning. I will quit telling you how cold it is, because I think it is going to be cold for at least 4 more months... so just remember that I am freezing my butt off (I wish!!) while I am writing every morning!!

Is it just me, or is it freakin' expensive to eat healthy?? Good grief, I spent as much as I usually do, but got HALF of what I normally get. Natural Peanut Butter... 4.49... the stuff I usually buy... 1.19... You would think that food without all that extra crap would be cheaper.. not more!! UGH.. no wander the majority of the US is obese.. its cheaper!!

Ok, now that my griping is over.. yesterday went well. I did have a snack that was not part of my diet (one packet of the kids gummy snacks) , but I jumped right back on track. I walked my mile on the treadmill and did my ab routine. I am thinking that I need to up my walking though. I did a mile last night and , although I was sweating, it did not feel like I really exherted myself doing it. So starting today I will do my regular 1 mile walk in the morning (because that is all I have time for) and then do 2 miles in the evening.

I cant beleive weigh in #2 is only a couple days away.. this week sure went by fast.

Today is the day we are supposed to get the news on our move to Puerto Rico... I am hoping it is soon.. I would love to be on the beach Christmas morning! I have been day dreaming that when we come back in a year I will be thin and TAN.. there's nothing like moving to an island for a year to lose 60 lbs and get a tan. LOL

By the way.. the living room looks great.. moved all the pictures around (I am a picture freak when it comes to my kids) and today .. the bedroom!!

Have a Blessed Day!

"Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr"

It is freezing this morning. The fireplace is roaring again. The snow level dropped again last night, so no doubt snow is around the corner. ICK.. I hate snow. Anyway, I am sore this morning from my upper body workout yesterday... but it feels good! It is too cold to take the girls anywhere today, so I will have to come up with something to do at home. I was thinking of re-arranging the living room.. that should give me a workout.. and the kids will get a kick out of 'helping'.

Dont really have too much to say today.. so I will leave you with another 'tea quote'

"When it is only through age that one gathers wisdom and experience, why this endless struggle to seem young?... Remember that beauty works from within, it cannot be put on and off like a garment, and it depends far more on the culture of the intellect, the tastes, sentiment, and affections of the soul than the color of the hair, eyes, or complexion.... Be kind, noble, generous, well-mannered, be true to yourselves and your friends, and the soft lines of these tender graces and noble virtues will reveal themselves in the face...we cannot be one thing and look another... There are indelible marks in every face showing the real life within."

-Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Today is walking on the treadmill and abs...

Have a Blessed Day!!

ouch...ouch...ouch...

Woke up this morning with some terrible knee pain. They are a little swollen, and just ouchy. So , I think I am going to lay off the running and just walk. I'm sure its from the 200 lbs pounding on them over and over again. Anyway, walking will be just as good as long as I keep the speed up.

Ran yesterday and did the Tae Bo Abs workout... that felt good! Today is walking and upper body conditioning.

My diet is going great. Have not cheated in awhile. I bought some no fat yogurt and whey protein powder so that I can make some healthy smoothies to drink in between meals. Matt is trying this new Abs Diet.. which suggests that you eat every 2 hours...they say:

"Most diets are a about eating less food or about restricting you to certain kinds of food. Most of them work in the short term, because if you reduce your calorie intake, your body starts to burn itself off in order to keep itself alive. Presto, you lose weight. But here's the problem: the first thing your body does when it's short on calories is to dump the body tissue that takes the most calories to maintain. That's muscle. So on a low-calorie diet, your body burns away muscle and tries to store fat. Sure, you'll lose weight, and you'll eventually start losing fat as well. But when you "go off" your diet, you'll start to put weight back on. And guess what kind of weight you'll gain? Pure fat. Because you've taught your body a harsh lesson: It has to be on the lookout for potential low-calorie periods in the future, so it had better store fat just in case. You've also used up valuable calorie-burning muscle, so you're likely to end up fatter than you were before your diet. That's why people who try diet after diet not only don't lose weight, they gain it.

The Abs Diet isn't a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am approach to weight management. Oh, you'll lose weight, and you'll lose it fast. But you'll lose fat, not muscle. And you'll keep that weight off for life. You'll follow the tenets of the Abs Diet for life, too, because its about eating lots and lots of great food in smart ways."


Since Matt is doing this.. I figured I would do it too. It really isn't that far off the diet I am following now.. it just adds the smoothies in between meals. It makes sense to me!

I am hoping for a beautiful day so that I can take the girls to the park.. but it is looking a little windy again.

We got some news last night about the move to Puerto Rico.. they called and talked about money.. appearently they give $200 a week for food and the condo is a 3 bedroom condo that ALL of us will have to share. I dont think it will matter though... just Matt and his two brothers are going... so the girls and I will have the condo to ourselves most of the day. And I already knew I would be cooking for everyone anyway... They said they would call back on Friday with more info and hopefully the date we are leaving. YEAH... I can't wait to see the beach.

Have A Blessed Day!!

Addiction...

Monday went well. I was able to take the girls on the park trail and we walked the 2 miles. That was about all the exercise I did... but I am sore this morning. I think part of that problem is that I didn't drink enough water yesterday. I need to focus on that today!

I was talking to my wanderful hubby about food. He was saying it was an addiction, just like any other addiction. He would know, bless his heart, he has been sober for 3 years now... with an occasional beer here and there. I always tell him how amazed I am that he has done so well. Then I realized .... HE WAS RIGHT! Food is an addiction for me. I realized it even more when I was driving down the street, and right next to the bar in town is a McDonalds...Pizza Hut...Taco Bell.. So it made me feel even more convicted. Just like he has to drive past that bar everyday..I have to drive past that fast food. Just like he doesn't go out and buy beer to put in the fridge.. I need to not buy fatty food and snacks to put in the fridge. Just like he did it.. I CAN DO IT!!

So, today is running and upper body conditioning...

HAVE A BLESSED DAY

WEIGH IN DAY #1

So one week down and one pound down..WOOOHOOO. Of course I was hoping for a 5 lb loss... but I know that -1 lb a week is better then +1 lb a week (which is what I was doing before the diet). I have also lost 2.5 inches ... that is fantastic! I can feel the difference in my waist and chest... I thought for sure my hips had gained 2 inches, because of all the running, my butt has gotten a 'lift'. LOL ... My legs are much stronger and even my posture has changed... Matt says he sees a difference in my walk now too.. hmmmm, guess the inner thigh isn't getting in the way too much! All in all, I think I did really well for my first week. My spirits are lifted and I am ready for the next week of challenges!!!

Today I am taking Amber for her 3rd birthday pictures... I cant believe she is 3 already! If the weather is not too cold or windy, I may take them for a quick walk around the park trail..

Thank you to all my family.. who have been keeping up with me. Molly: I never expected YOU to write me, it was a VERY nice surprise. Thanks.

Well.. my tea pot is boiling and I have a full day ahead of me. I have to run 1 mile before we leave this morning.. I look forward to my morning run now, it really starts my day off on the right foot.

Have a Blessed Day!!

Apple Pie Sunday....

Its a great morning for baking Apple Pie... which is good, because I had to make two of them for church today. We have a pastor appreciation brunch this afternoon.. and that is my contribution.

Yesterday was great. I ran a mile in the morning, keeping up my speed to 15 min/mile. I then ran off to Kempo for 3 hours and got a good stetch and workout in. The diet went well.

Today I am off to church and then home to run and do my upper body conditioning. Tomorrow is Weigh Day...YIKES. I came to the conclusion.. I dont care if the numbers dont move..just as long as they dont go UP!

Nattie: Kempo is a Hawaiin Martial Art. It envolves forms, hand to hand combat, knife fighting and take downs.

I will leave you with this REALLY cute picture of my girls trying on their halloween costumes...

Have a Blessed Day

When Is A Man Educated?

I am a "tea-aholic".. I drink tea more then anything else.. all day long. My favorite are all the different flavors of Celestial Seasoning. This morning I opened a new box of Original India Spice and while waiting for the water to boil I read the box... great morning reading! On the side of each box there is a poem, short story or saying ... this box held a delightful message this morning:

When Is A Man Educated?
When he can look out upon the universe, now lucid and lovely, now dark and terrible, with a sense of his own littleness in the great scheme of things, and yet have faith and courage. When he knows how to make friends and keep them, and above all, when he can keep friends with himself.

When he can be happy alone and high-minded amid the drudgeries of life. When he can look into a wayside puddle and see something besides mud, and into the face of the most forlorn mortal and see something devine.

When he knows how to live, how to love, how to hope, how to pray - is glad to live....and has in his heart a bit of a song

-Joseph Fort Newton


Thought you might like a little morning inspiration as well! Today is Kempo for 3 hours... and then home to enjoy the family.

Have a Blessed Day

TGIF

Another cold morning.. guess it is officially winter. Yesterday went well.. but not as good as it could have been. I took a well needed rest from running and did a 15 min DVD Abs workout last night... but that was all the excersize I could manage. My diet slipped once..(who can say no to a caramel covered apple??) but jumped back on track. I felt a little guilty about it.. but realized that I have been doing excellent all week, one treat a week is not going to shatter my diet. As long as I keep it to just ONE treat a week.

I had lunch with my mom yesterday.. and ordered a salad. I even went back and asked if they had any fat free dressing! woohoo. She brought me some chopsticks that someone had given to her from Thailand.. I ate my salad with them and realized that each bite meant ALOT. It took me a good 20 min to eat it.. when normally I could have inhaled it in 5. So, I think I am going to try the chopsticks for awhile. At least until I have trained myself no to eat so fast... which if your a mother of 2 young ones.. you know that sometimes its the only way to get anything at all!

As for excersize today... this morning I am running 1 mile. I am going to make this house spotless for the hubby who is coming home today.. so that will burn some major calories! LOL ... I also have 1 mile to run tonight and my upper body conditioning. No cheating on the diet today... and 124 oz of water again. Why 124 ? I found a calculator that determines by your height and weight how much water you should be drinking .. not everyone can get by with just 64oz a day. Like me... mine is 124.. double what everyone says. It has helped ALOT.. I feel so much better .

I have managed to stay clear of the scale so far... only 2 more days to go before Weigh Day... YIKES

I put a countdown on here that counts down the days to Christmas.. for two reasons... 1.. I love Christmas, now that I have kids I have found the joy in it again.....2.. That is my last weigh in day of the year.. so I want to make sure I work my butt off for it.

Another Day.. Another Mile

Have a Blessed Day

Scales and horns...

Its freezing this morning... both fireplaces are roaring and we are all bundled up in layers of pj's, jogging pants, sweaters and robes... I do not feel light and skinny! LOL

To my friends and family that left comments yesterday.. THANK YOU. It feels great to know that you are standing behind me in this. It is something that has challenged me my whole life and now I think I am old enough and strong enough to finally face it.

To Aunt J... it may be genetic.. but there is no excuse!!
To Tammy... you are a wanderful friend, I will definatley take you up on that mean salad!!
To Jodi.. my favorite workout on DVD is TAE BO. The moves are fairly simple and it works EVERYTHING. By the way, no one ever makes it thru the whole workout the first time. Love you to sis!!
To Jill... a new friendship that I hope will continue for another 10 yrs..LOL!!
To Cory... keep up the great work.. we'll get there!!
To Becky.. YOU... RUNNING??HAHAHAHAHA... just kidding. Keep it up and next summer we'll be running around the high school tracks..showing up those football players!!


Yesterday was a GREAT workout day. I ran 1 mile in the morning, and another at night. Did a total of 150 sit-ups and 30 min upper body conditioning. I feel wanderful today... yet again! No cheating on my diet.. and drank 124 oz of water. wooohooo! Today is a day of outings.. so will not run this morning, but tonight I am hoping to get 4 miles in on the treadmill. My hubby is out of town until tomorrow, so I will have to wait until both kids are snoozing.

I heard about a new challenge that I thought was pretty cool. Its called the Presidents Challenge. You create your own account and you log all of your activity during the day... each activity counts for so many points. Once you get 20,000 points logged, you win a bronze metal. I dont think you actually get one, but they do have prizes you can buy after you get the points. Check it out.

So my scale has been looming in the corner of the bathroom with a big red neon sign flashing "TRY ME". Now, my weigh day is not until Monday, but in the back of my mind I want to know if all this butt kicking is working. I have managed to run out of the bathroom every time that sign starts flashing, but am curious. At the same time, I am scared to wait until Monday, just to step on it and see the same numbers appear.... I think I just described my re-accuring nightmare.

Anyway... the day is waiting for me.

Have a blessed day!!

The Truth

Did fairly well yesterday. Ran 2 miles in the morning and did my 50 sit-ups... I should have done another mile last night.. but had a little touch of what felt like the flu. I think it was just my body telling me to get some sleep. Luckily, last night my girls slept pretty good. We were up at 6am.. but that is better then 3am. I am ready today to run my 1 mile this morning and do some good stretching.

I had posted a pic of me with a newborn baby... that picture is 3 years old.. snif,snif. That is my 3 yr old daughter Amber... I just love that pic of me. That was the last time I fit into those jeans. So.. that picture is the reason I am writing 'The Truth'. I realized that most of you do not know what I look like NOW. The pictures I post are my favorites... for mostly one reason.. I LOOK GOOD IN THEM. So here is what I look like right now.




The fact that I have this picture on my computer.. is unthinkable.. but I do. Anyway.. this is me at 208lbs..

The other truth.. is that one of my many reasons for losing weight.. is so I can wear my husbands clothes... I know.. weird.. but I love to wear his shirts.. especially when he is working out of town. Right now I can only wear his t-shirts that stretch.. but one day soon... I'll be looking sharp in his 20X shirts baby!!

Anyway, I feel good about my diet today. I have energy to run this morning, and food is not the first thing I think about these days. So... as one of my fellow bloggers likes to say...... Onward and Downward.

A yummy recipe...

Ok.. so the worst part about dieting is finding the right kind of food to eat. I came across an awsome cookbook called "The Sugar Solutions Cookbook" from Prevention magazine. Every recipe I have tried has turned out delicious...



Peanut Butter and Banana Streusel Muffins:

Steusel:

3 tablespoons whole grain pastry flour
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon honey

Muffins:

2 cups whole grain pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pureed ripe banana (about 1 med. banana)
1/2 cup unsweetened Applesauce
1/3 cup peanut butter (organic is the best)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup 1% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 400' F . Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

To make streusel: In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, butter and honey with a spoon until the mixture forms wet crumbs.

To make the muffins: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt until combined. In a large bowl, whisk together the banana, applesauce, peanut butter, sugar and egg until blended. Whisk the milk and vanilla into the banana mixture until combined.

Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture with a spoon, just until blended. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, devide evenly. Crumbe the streusel mixture on top of the muffin batter, dividing evenly.

Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Per muffin: 93 calories, 3 g protein, 13 g carbs, 4 g fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 2 g dietery fiber.

Rubber Bands...

Good Morning! Another beautifully cold day here. So the trail walk is out of the question today , for which my legs are thankful. I ran 2 miles yesterday. (dont clap yet!) I had to split them up... 1 mile in the morning, 1 mile last night. I did , however, keep my time at 15 min a mile but ooooooooooo am I sore today. I think I am neglecting my stretching a little. I stood up this morning and every time I took a step it felt like rubber bands. My back is blissfully tight,but at least I know I worked the right muscles last night.

I thinks I feel my stomach shrinking. Yesterday I had small portions, only ate when I was really hungry, and drank 100 oz of water and tea. I didn't snack (which is unthinkable) and I worked out TWICE. I think I am getting the hang of this whole 'lifestyle' thing. Now, if I can keep it going today!

Since my hike is out of the question, I am going to drag myself back on that dreaded treadmill and WALK 2 miles this morning. I have a library of workout DVD's, from various energy bursts in the past that I want to try out. The problem is that my 1 yr old wants me to carry her the entire time.. I guess they scare her (or I scare her jumping around like a lunatic!) .. I dont blame her! Although the 20 lbs will definatley be an added workout, I just cant see my back holding out that long. So, will have to wait until nap time I suppose. (hmmmmm Sweating to The Oldies or Tae Bo?) LOL

I have come across some AMAZING woman on here. Their stories inspire me to keep my chin up and keep going. That it IS possible to lose weight and that all is not lost when you have a bad day.. or weigh! Check them out.. they are under my 'favorite blogs' section. I am off to get this day started... better late then never. LOL. (p.s.... again, no sleep last night.) Will worry about tomorrow when it comes, but hopefully I will see you there!!

Bless You

Good Morning

For the first time in weeks, my children finally slept all night!! WOOOHOO. I FEEL GREAT! What a difference a couple hours of sleep makes. I had a great workout last night and am a little bit sore today... but ready for my morning run. 2 miles!

I am going to make a chart today of my weight and measurments. Every monday will be a weigh-in day.. and every 4th monday will be a measurement day. That way I can keep track of pounds and inches! I will keep it posted so all can see.

One Day At A Time... my new moto.

I am praying that the weather stays nice thru tomorrow so I can take the girls on another trail walk.. it is such a great workout and the girls LOVE getting out there. My 1 yr old is just barely talking, and one of the most common phrases is "Whats That?" ... the entire walk all I see is her arm sticking out of the stroller and pointing at EVERYTHING and saying... 'WHATS THAT!!!'. LOL.. and my 3 yr old answers her in her own toddler language. It is really quite entertaining!

So ... if all goes well today, I shall get my run in and a little cardio dancing in with the kids! Lots of cleaning to do to.. so that should burn alot of calories!!

One day at a time...

This weekend was great! I stuck to my diet.. I even invited my mom over for lunch for her birthday and made everything low fat, low sugar!! I even made a Pineapple Angel Food cake for her! Kempo was a fair workout on saturday, but I am going to do triple tonight. I have a 4 mile run , 30 min upper body strength and conditioning, and 30 stretch and meditation. I am actually looking forward to the sweating!!

So, if you know me, you know that I am a born again believer in Jesus Christ. This morning in church , after playing the drums for the praise band, I had a revelation. The sermon was about living your life , as well as giving your life, to God. In part of his sermon, he was talking about eating. Every time we eat, we should praise God. Most people would know this as 'Grace'. Although I usually do this, it hit me that I dont do it when I snack... or eat desserts. This made me think that maybe I should quit being so selfish about food and dieting... although God has blessed me with the money to buy all these great treats... does he really want me to binge all the time? make my body fat? NO... he wants me to be healthy and happy... with this in mind.. I am going to start paying a little more attention to what and when food goes in my mouth.

I think sometimes it takes the smallest hints to finally get it lodged in my brain!! I'm a blonde... thats expected! LOL Speaking of hair.. a funny story... I was blow drying my hair this morning and realized that no matter what I did my hair would only part where this huge grey streak is growing. So ... another revelation... I am getting old (grey is proof) and am just going to accept the fact that grey streaks are just darn right cool!!!

My plan for this week

Monday: Walk 2 miles

Tuesday: Walk 4 miles, upper body conditioning

Wednesday: Boxing, walk 2 miles

Thursday: Walk 4 miles, upper body conditioning

Friday: Walk 2 miles

Saturday: Kempo

Sunday: Walk 4 miles, upper body conditioning

YES.... I AM STLL ALIVE!!

I did not give up ... just took a little siesta!! I went to my high schools 10 yr reunion last weekend. A bunch of us met for lunch and had a blast. I couldn't believe how much some of us had changed in 10 years. All for the better though!! I took my girls with me, which ended up being a little bit hectic. The drive down was fine.. I only had to pull over once or twice to fetch bottles and toys off the backseat floor. The first night, they were so excited to be somewhere else, that they did not go to sleep until 11pm. Amber was busy chasing Jenns cats all over the place. Saturday we had alot of fun shopping and doing lunch, but by that evening I was dreading another late night.. so I packed up the girls and headed home. It was great, they slept the WHOLE way home!!!

My diet was pretty much blown all weekend. Jenn ordered lots of pizza.. and I showed her how to make a homemade apple pie. Between all that , and sitting in the car for 6 hours.. I did not keep up my end of the bargain. It carried on into the week... Monday I swore I would start again Tuesday... Tuesday I swore I would start again Wednesday... Wednesday I swore I would start again today... so up until today.. I have managed to just do alot of swearing!!! I did, however, get out of the house for a 2 mile walk pushing the girls in the stroller. I've noticed that when I push the stroller, I feel alot of my workout in the butte!! Lord knows, thats exactly where I need it!! Tomorrow I am doing a Brazillian dance workout.. should be liberating!! and Saturday is another morning of torture in Kempo class. So I am back on track!!

There is a pattern that I have found in my 28 years of dieting. Just when I am starting to do really well.. eating what I should... losing weight... I sabotage myself. Am I the only one that does that?? I can go from doing fantastic, to binging on a gallon of ice cream in a heart beat.. and I always end up starting all over again. Scared of success?? the love of torture??? I dont know.. but I've got to figure out a way to quit it.

I've noticed that only a couple of people are leaving comments... (thank you Angie)... but I really rely on people for support... and being that I am a stay home mom in a small town... this is sometimes my only way of communicating with the outside world! Please!! Even if it is just a 'hello', it will help me to know that you are traveling on this road with me!!

Trail Walking

Yesterday was a beautiful day. I decided to take advantage of it before the first snow fall of winter. I took the girls for a walk around a local trail. 2 miles in I started thinking about how heavy my girls have gotten. Then I realized that their combined weight is about what I am trying to lose! It motivated me even further to keep on truckin'. At the end of it all I felt wanderful. .In fact, I am even going for it again today!! I met a young woman there that was pushing two seperate strollers with a 1yr old and a 2 yr old and she was about 12 months pregnant! I started talking to her and decided that she could really use my extra double stroller that I have. So today at 10 I am meeting her at the park and dropping off the stroller. I think she will enjoy being able to just push 1 stroller at a time!

I did get a little bit of sleep last night, but I also got into a new book that my sister sent me from Chicago. Its called "The Underground Empire, Where crime and governments embrace" by James Mills. It is all about the DEA and actually mentions my DAD!! He was a DEA Agent for many years and had some amazing stories to tell... So now I am hooked on reading this 1163 page book!!

Hoping to get a good workout in tonight. I weighed myself today and have lost 1 lb... which is a great start!! At least haven't gained!

talk to you tomorrow

I am exhausted today. Two nights of no sleep.. my baby is teething and when she starts screaming she wakes up everyone in the house. It also doesn't help that my husband is working out of town all week, so I have to do double duty and take care of both kids at night. Usually we have a great system going. I take the baby, since she still wakes up alot at night, and he would take Amber, who is just now starting to sleep thru the night. (Unless her sister is screaming at the top of her lungs and wakes her up!) So I am actually looking forward to my run this morning to give me a little bit of a rush of energy that I am going to need for the rest of the day!! I am also taking the girls for a trail walk today... should be fun.. if the weather stays nice. Fall is here.

So, a question for my runner friends again! Is there a RIGHT way to run? as far as form.. footing.. etc?

I was thinking about having a goal for next year.... and came up with the perfect one. This month there is a 3 day marathon that covers 60 miles in Phoenix. It is to raise money to fight breast cancer. I would LOVE to be able to run 20 miles a day by next year... so I am going to plan on training to do that marathon in 2007!! Obviously it is going to take me a year to train for that.. but I can do it. (Angie, I would love it if you would join me next year!!)

Yaaaaaahooooooo.

So I ran the mile yesterday morning in 15:02!!! One minute faster. I'm not sure I will beat that for awhile, but it felt good to get my time faster! Did good on my diet too. Didn't eat too much.. but didn't drink enough water. Am feeling a little bit dry today.

Someone asked me about Kempo. I study Hawiian Kempo, which is a form of Martial Arts. It is composed of alot of forms, grab arts, take downs, knife fighting... a great workout!! They have free classes at my church every Saturday.. so I could'nt pass it up.

Today is cleaning day, so will probably leave out the work out. I do want to try a little bit harder all week.... I am heading out of town and meeting up with a bunch of old high school friends for our 10 year reunion next weekend, and I want to look good... at least better!

Angie passed this on to me:

1. ONE BOOK THAT CHANGED MY LIFE: The Bible
2. ONE BOOK THAT I HAVE READ MORE THAN ONCE: Poems by Robert Frost
3. ONE BOOK I WOULD WANT ON A DESERTED ISLAND: The Bible... and Treasure Island!!
4. ONE BOOK THAT MADE ME LAUGH: The Happy Widow
5. ONE BOOK THAT MADE ME CRY: Little Women
6. ONE BOOK THAT I WISH I HAD WRITTEN: The DaVinci Code
7. ONE BOOK I WISH HAD NEVER BEEN WRITTEN: too many to name
8. ONE BOOK I AM CURRENTLY READING: Left Behind Series.. again
9. ONE BOOK I HAVE BEEN MEANING TO READ: The stack of 50 books I have next to my bed.
10. WHO'S NEXT? Olga, Lynn, Karina

Sunday Morning

Yesterday was a good day. Not the best for a workout. I did go to my Kempo class, but we worked mainly on form. So the sweat did not exactly poor. We did , however, have a great stretching session that really got my legs feeling great. I need to do that a lot more! I do have a question for my running friends. We women have a little extra on top, especially when you are heavier, what is the best running bra you found? I find my back is aching alot when I run..

Last night we went to my moms dinner party and she made the most delicious enchiladas!! One of her specialties. Although high in calorie and fat... I did have some, but limited my plate to just a small serving. I also passed up the most delicious looking lemon topped white cake. ( Angie: I think it would have been better then YOUR chocolate cake! LOL) Got home and was going to hop on the treadmill. Instead, I sat down to put my baby to sleep and ended up dozing off myself. Guess all this working out has worn me a little.

I wanted to thank my friend Angie for being such great support. I hope she will hang around with me until the finish line!! And OLGA ... thank you for your advice.. would love to talk to you some more!

So my plans for today... run a mile before I have to get ready for church. I am going to try and at least get under the 16 min mark. My hubby and I have a date this afternoon for dinner and a movie. The first in a long time... kids tend to ruin the dating scene! LOL

See you tomorrow