Of course the week I decide to get back on track is the same week we are setting record high temperatures in Denver. Of course. Of course the week I decide to get back on track is the week I get a ton of requests for drop in child care. Of course. So Tuesday be damned.
We had it set for a 6:00 PM run. Awesome. And by "we" I mean the dear K, the wonderful J and myself, all with kidlets in tow. It was going to be a Bob revolution for sure! (That's a mommy joke) Three grown ups and six tiny humans. I was gearing up for it. I was excited about it. I was looking forward to it. To be honest, I freaking needed it.
Here's a little something. I'm lucky. I mean really lucky. I have a husband that works hard so I can stay home with P Bear. We have a family that helps support that choice. We make sacrifices and work hard - no cable TV, we make our own bread, take camping trips instead of vacations, wait for movies to come out on DVD, we drive used cars, I watch kids in the neighborhood and take odd jobs here and there - you know, the usual stuff. My days are generally filled with wonder and happiness and tons of laughter. My little guy is a remarkably good kid. Please don't ask me how "I" do it. I don't think I have much to do with it. He's just naturally a really, really good kid. There are very few timeouts and consequences over here, not because I spoil him, but because he spoils me. I truly get to enjoy raising my son.
So why Tuesday had a big stank on it, I have no idea. I guess we all have bad days. I was cranky. P was cranky. Nothing seemed to work. I had more "dealings" with Comcast. Things kept falling. I kept dropping everything I picked up. It was a ball of frustration wrapped up in a big bow of WTF. It was one of those day when all you want to do is yell "AAAAaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!" at the top of your lungs. And at one point I did. Now ask me how horrible I felt afterwards. I don't yell. Not in my house. I don't yell. But Tuesday I yelled. It wasn't pretty and I'm not proud. It was just the one "aarrgghh!" but still, I felt like a genuine lump of dung. So yeah, I needed a run. Big time.
Mid morning we got a text from the dear K saying she was not going to be able to do the run. Ok, the wonderful J and I were gonna go for it. I was watching a little neighborhood boy who's folks were picking him up at 6:00, so perfect timing for the 6:00 run! The wonderful J send me a text that she is running errands and would be over for the run. I'm feeling so much better now. Just before 6:00 I get a "screw this heat" text. The wonderful J was bailing. Understandably though. Her auto broke down and she lost the air conditioning and she was downtown with two kids in 99* weather. I so get it. Ok, I'll go after my man gets home and just do a solo. I'm cool with that.
Just after the little boy's parents pick him up, my neighbor comes over and says he'll cook the main dish for dinner if we cook the sides. Ok. I'm always up for free meat. Especially since his meat was of the steak variety. My man got home and we started cooking the sides. It's about 7:00 now. The sides are going, I put on my shoes and say "honey I'm going for a run". Eeeerrrk! (that's the sound of slamming on the breaks) "Hey, can you wait till after dinner? I'm reading to P and I thought you could finish cooking the potatoes". Sigh. Ok. Shoes off.
Dinner was delicious. I had fillet mignon. Thank you. I also had a BIG glass of wine. A bigger thank you. By the time we finished cooking, eating and chatting it was already 9:something. Bye bye run. Hello clean the kitchen. The day was shot. No exercise, except in frustration.
The day in food was ok, but not great. I had the toast with peanut butter for breakfast. I had the salad for lunch. I also had a couple of bites of P Bear's tortilla smothered in Nutella snack. I had the fillet with garlic mashed potatoes and corn, the big glass of wine and one small scoop of low fat ice cream.
Off to bed and dreams of a better day four...
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Hello Day 2
Well you thought you were a tricky one didn't you? You thought you were gonna consume me into not doing a workout of some sort. Well screw you Monday! It may not have been the greatest workout known to man, but I did it. I freakin did it. So there.
I had a loooong list of the "to do's" yesterday. Most of which surrounded bills and budgets and all those unpleasantries. If there is anything more demotivating than paying bills, I can not for the life of me figure out what it is. That is one wind taker out of the sails kind of activity. The endless websites and phone calls and passwords that you can't remember because you have so damned many passwords that are so damned similar. It is mind numbing. It is energy sucking. It is a nasty little amoeba that just leeches out every ounce of your soul. And so that was the excuse mountain I had to climb today.
Yes, I had set a little Sworkit session with the dear K. No, I did not manage to keep said appointment. It's ok. She wanted to do a kickboxing class that would not fit in my schedule and I had to face the customer service counter for Comcast. After several hours, way too much math and an unending line at Comcast I finally revelled in the moment of "fait au compli!" It was time for me!
P Bear fell asleep on the drive home - perfect! I got him out of the car and into the bed without trouble. I knew I had enough time to squeeze in a workout. I ran downstairs, filled my water bottle and turned on the Sworkit Ap! I like exercising outside, so I went out on the back deck. Remind me next time to grab a yoga mat. My knees! Oh my knees!! I toughed it out and went for it. Splinters and all!
This was my first time using the ap, so I knew it was going to be an adventure. I chose a 30 minute total body set. When you hit start, this thing means START! It's fast! 30 second sets of all kinds of craziness! And it keeps you moving. Up one exercise, down the next. Do squats, now do crunches, now do jumping jacks, now do a plank. Intense! Some of the exercises had odd names and I had no idea what they were talking about, so I had to push pause several times to look at the video. Thank goodness for the little videos! However, with all the checking it slowed my pace and took longer than 30 minutes. That's ok. Learning curve. Speaking of learning curve, I did learn several things...
1) So make sure I grab that damn yoga mat next time.
2) Neighbors are gonna watch, make sure the girls are high and tight.
3) have the water bottle actually outside with you when you start the workout - duh!
4) I now know what the hell an inch worm is.
5) All floor level exercises take on a whole new level of intensity and hilarity with a doggy licking your face every time you get down.
It wound up being a nice little sweat fest. Not sure how much the 98* temp and 12% humidity plaid in that, but I felt good and worked by the end. Nice. Now I want to explore other aps and challenges. This could be fun after all!! I probably won't get into all the DVD's and such, since I like working outside. I'd rather have something that tells me what to do and I don't have to sit there staring at some tight bodied bitch trying to follow her every move. Just yell in my ear, that's what I want. I think I need a pocket Drill Sargent. Anyone have one of those I could borrow?
Food is going well!! Hooray! Finally!! I'm gong the "set in stone" route. For breakfast I am having a cup of coffee (sorry that is non negotiable) and a piece of toasted homemade bread with peanut butter. Lunch is a mixed green salad with smoked chicken (we smoked a whole chicken on Sunday - it's awesome!) dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, croutons and a white balsamic vinaigrette. Dinner is where I get to change it up and have what everyone else is having. Last night I made a mustard and caraway seed skinless boneless chicken breast with roasted potatoes and mixed veg. Hell yes, I had a glass of pinot grigio. The rest of the day I drank water, water, water. I feel good. I feel on track.
So, now let's see what Day 3 brings.. :o)
I had a loooong list of the "to do's" yesterday. Most of which surrounded bills and budgets and all those unpleasantries. If there is anything more demotivating than paying bills, I can not for the life of me figure out what it is. That is one wind taker out of the sails kind of activity. The endless websites and phone calls and passwords that you can't remember because you have so damned many passwords that are so damned similar. It is mind numbing. It is energy sucking. It is a nasty little amoeba that just leeches out every ounce of your soul. And so that was the excuse mountain I had to climb today.
Yes, I had set a little Sworkit session with the dear K. No, I did not manage to keep said appointment. It's ok. She wanted to do a kickboxing class that would not fit in my schedule and I had to face the customer service counter for Comcast. After several hours, way too much math and an unending line at Comcast I finally revelled in the moment of "fait au compli!" It was time for me!
P Bear fell asleep on the drive home - perfect! I got him out of the car and into the bed without trouble. I knew I had enough time to squeeze in a workout. I ran downstairs, filled my water bottle and turned on the Sworkit Ap! I like exercising outside, so I went out on the back deck. Remind me next time to grab a yoga mat. My knees! Oh my knees!! I toughed it out and went for it. Splinters and all!
This was my first time using the ap, so I knew it was going to be an adventure. I chose a 30 minute total body set. When you hit start, this thing means START! It's fast! 30 second sets of all kinds of craziness! And it keeps you moving. Up one exercise, down the next. Do squats, now do crunches, now do jumping jacks, now do a plank. Intense! Some of the exercises had odd names and I had no idea what they were talking about, so I had to push pause several times to look at the video. Thank goodness for the little videos! However, with all the checking it slowed my pace and took longer than 30 minutes. That's ok. Learning curve. Speaking of learning curve, I did learn several things...
1) So make sure I grab that damn yoga mat next time.
2) Neighbors are gonna watch, make sure the girls are high and tight.
3) have the water bottle actually outside with you when you start the workout - duh!
4) I now know what the hell an inch worm is.
5) All floor level exercises take on a whole new level of intensity and hilarity with a doggy licking your face every time you get down.
It wound up being a nice little sweat fest. Not sure how much the 98* temp and 12% humidity plaid in that, but I felt good and worked by the end. Nice. Now I want to explore other aps and challenges. This could be fun after all!! I probably won't get into all the DVD's and such, since I like working outside. I'd rather have something that tells me what to do and I don't have to sit there staring at some tight bodied bitch trying to follow her every move. Just yell in my ear, that's what I want. I think I need a pocket Drill Sargent. Anyone have one of those I could borrow?
Food is going well!! Hooray! Finally!! I'm gong the "set in stone" route. For breakfast I am having a cup of coffee (sorry that is non negotiable) and a piece of toasted homemade bread with peanut butter. Lunch is a mixed green salad with smoked chicken (we smoked a whole chicken on Sunday - it's awesome!) dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, croutons and a white balsamic vinaigrette. Dinner is where I get to change it up and have what everyone else is having. Last night I made a mustard and caraway seed skinless boneless chicken breast with roasted potatoes and mixed veg. Hell yes, I had a glass of pinot grigio. The rest of the day I drank water, water, water. I feel good. I feel on track.
So, now let's see what Day 3 brings.. :o)
Sunday, June 9, 2013
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My Goal
So, as I stated earlier, today re-began my journey to my goal (once again). I figured I ought to be serious about this, so I pulled out a scale and asked my man chicken to take a "before" picture of me.
The scale sat on the kitchen floor, taunting me, daring me to take the step. I stared it down like the beginning of a shoot out in a spaghetti western. Tumble weed rolled past. I closed my eyes, exhaled as much breath as I could, sucked in my stomach (like that would help) and placed one bare foot after the other on the scale. I forced one eye open ready to take in the horror that was awaiting me. What? Blink blink. Wait, what? I looked down hard, both eyes focusing on the little half lines and full lines and numbers, trying to make sense of it all. That can't be right. Let's try this again. This time, no exhale, no stomach sucking, just plain old stepping on the scale. Focus eyes, focus. Huh... same place on the big line between the half lines and the two numbers. Wow. Ok. I'll take that.
I stepped back off the crackity metal spring loaded gadget. My head was spinning. How can that be? I took it in with a big relieved and slightly elated breath. It was a much lower number than I feared. This felt good. My goal suddenly felt attainable. Like super attainable. Like I can do this like mad dog attainable. And not just some, I'll feel better about myself but still have some more to go before "damn she's hot" kind of goal. This would be in the "damn she's hot" goal arena! Holy poop kittens! This is fanfreakintastic!!! *singing* Ceeeellabrate good times! C'mon!!
I walked around my house all day feeling like I was doing something. Yeah! I got this! I ate a salad for lunch and liked it. I drank water like it was going out of style. The road has been paved and I am taking it!! Woohoo!!!
That is until... until my man chicken stepped on the scale and said, "hey, I think this thing is off by about 20 pounds"
bbbbbbbblllllllltttttthhhhhhzzzzzzzz - that is the sound of my ego deflating like a rogue balloon.
Think I'll go do another one minute plank.
The scale sat on the kitchen floor, taunting me, daring me to take the step. I stared it down like the beginning of a shoot out in a spaghetti western. Tumble weed rolled past. I closed my eyes, exhaled as much breath as I could, sucked in my stomach (like that would help) and placed one bare foot after the other on the scale. I forced one eye open ready to take in the horror that was awaiting me. What? Blink blink. Wait, what? I looked down hard, both eyes focusing on the little half lines and full lines and numbers, trying to make sense of it all. That can't be right. Let's try this again. This time, no exhale, no stomach sucking, just plain old stepping on the scale. Focus eyes, focus. Huh... same place on the big line between the half lines and the two numbers. Wow. Ok. I'll take that.
I stepped back off the crackity metal spring loaded gadget. My head was spinning. How can that be? I took it in with a big relieved and slightly elated breath. It was a much lower number than I feared. This felt good. My goal suddenly felt attainable. Like super attainable. Like I can do this like mad dog attainable. And not just some, I'll feel better about myself but still have some more to go before "damn she's hot" kind of goal. This would be in the "damn she's hot" goal arena! Holy poop kittens! This is fanfreakintastic!!! *singing* Ceeeellabrate good times! C'mon!!
I walked around my house all day feeling like I was doing something. Yeah! I got this! I ate a salad for lunch and liked it. I drank water like it was going out of style. The road has been paved and I am taking it!! Woohoo!!!
That is until... until my man chicken stepped on the scale and said, "hey, I think this thing is off by about 20 pounds"
bbbbbbbblllllllltttttthhhhhhzzzzzzzz - that is the sound of my ego deflating like a rogue balloon.
Think I'll go do another one minute plank.
Here we go again...
As I got out of bed this morning, I looked at the clock and said "shit!" I was supposed to meet a friend for a Couch to 5K session around 9:00-ish. It was 8:40-ish. Pax was just waking up and the man chicken was a large snoozing rock. I hurried downstairs, plopped P on the couch and got the coffee started (of course after spilling a pile of grounds on the floor).
As would be most fitting for the morning thus far, my phone was dead. On the charger she goes! After a few surges I was able to see my friend, we'll call her the dear K, had sent me a text regarding our run/walk/get off our ass session. Tethered to the charger and leaning my body into an "interesting" angle, I was able to text her back and let her know I was still game, just running late. Being the fabulous human she is, she replied in her usual "no worries" fashion.
A flash of clothes, cheerios and coffee later, P and I were gearing up for our meet up. I went to take my pre-exercise poop and noticed a little gift - egg drop soup was in full flow. Awesome. Ok, taken care of. Next, get the P man out the door. Approaching his booster seat, I noticed he was perched in a rather precarious position. My suspicion was spot on - he was soiling himself. Awesome. Another change of clothes and here we go.
We met the dear K and one of her brood on my block and planned our route - around the lake we go! We got to the starting spot, clicked on the C25K ap and took off. Of course there was a ton of chatting (one of the best things about a workout buddy). During our chat we started scheming, started devising a master plan to make ourselves feel good. She and I are in similar boats and made a small confession to each other regarding swimsuits and public appearances. We have similar goals, lifestyles, budgets and wishes. This is a good fit. We have like minds and temperaments and energy levels. This is a real good fit. Plus, I like her. I think she's a pretty groovy chica. This is an excellent fit. This could work.
We finished our jaunt and headed over to my place for a one minute plank. We did it. We did it all. We felt good. We felt ready to do something. And so now we will. And the best part, we have each other to keep motivated and honest and on track. So here's the plan...
C25K on Tues, Thurs and either Sat or Sun (depending)
Sworkit Ap on Mon and Wed at each other's home while the kids go bananas.
Friday an active activity with the kidlets - like swimming or a bike ride or a hike
Free yoga Sun evening
*possible kickboxing on Sat morning.
The man chicken and I have already been doing some cleaner eating and cooking. We're just going to amp that up and I've planned my breakfasts and lunches for the week already.
This can work. It will work. It has to work.
Cheers! (again)
Just a little side note: You probably noticed Stroller Strides isn't in my workout plan. This breaks my heart. It has nothing to do with the organization or the workout or any of the fantabulous people I miss so dearly from SS. This has to do with my current place in life. Oh how I wish I could join my tribe right now, but it simply isn't feasible at this juncture. Soon, though. I will get back soon!
As would be most fitting for the morning thus far, my phone was dead. On the charger she goes! After a few surges I was able to see my friend, we'll call her the dear K, had sent me a text regarding our run/walk/get off our ass session. Tethered to the charger and leaning my body into an "interesting" angle, I was able to text her back and let her know I was still game, just running late. Being the fabulous human she is, she replied in her usual "no worries" fashion.
A flash of clothes, cheerios and coffee later, P and I were gearing up for our meet up. I went to take my pre-exercise poop and noticed a little gift - egg drop soup was in full flow. Awesome. Ok, taken care of. Next, get the P man out the door. Approaching his booster seat, I noticed he was perched in a rather precarious position. My suspicion was spot on - he was soiling himself. Awesome. Another change of clothes and here we go.
We met the dear K and one of her brood on my block and planned our route - around the lake we go! We got to the starting spot, clicked on the C25K ap and took off. Of course there was a ton of chatting (one of the best things about a workout buddy). During our chat we started scheming, started devising a master plan to make ourselves feel good. She and I are in similar boats and made a small confession to each other regarding swimsuits and public appearances. We have similar goals, lifestyles, budgets and wishes. This is a good fit. We have like minds and temperaments and energy levels. This is a real good fit. Plus, I like her. I think she's a pretty groovy chica. This is an excellent fit. This could work.
We finished our jaunt and headed over to my place for a one minute plank. We did it. We did it all. We felt good. We felt ready to do something. And so now we will. And the best part, we have each other to keep motivated and honest and on track. So here's the plan...
C25K on Tues, Thurs and either Sat or Sun (depending)
Sworkit Ap on Mon and Wed at each other's home while the kids go bananas.
Friday an active activity with the kidlets - like swimming or a bike ride or a hike
Free yoga Sun evening
*possible kickboxing on Sat morning.
The man chicken and I have already been doing some cleaner eating and cooking. We're just going to amp that up and I've planned my breakfasts and lunches for the week already.
This can work. It will work. It has to work.
Cheers! (again)
Just a little side note: You probably noticed Stroller Strides isn't in my workout plan. This breaks my heart. It has nothing to do with the organization or the workout or any of the fantabulous people I miss so dearly from SS. This has to do with my current place in life. Oh how I wish I could join my tribe right now, but it simply isn't feasible at this juncture. Soon, though. I will get back soon!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Get Fit Challenge
Hey gang!
So on Feb. 1st I started a Get Fit Challenge through the Stroller Strides hoo ha that I adore soooooo very much. Awesome! I've been doing ok. Been working out around 4 times a week. Ok, but not great. Been doing a little better nutritionally. Ok, but not great. So I need to get to great.
Last year when I was doing my 4 by 44 challenge I was so motivated, so "on it". I was kickin ass and takin names. This challenge I'm a little more "meh". I'm giving it about 3/4 of my all at workouts, but I just don't have that sense of "hell yeah!" this time around. So what is different? How do I get my mojo back? Been thinking about it for a few days and it sort of bopped me in the head last night. You. I need you. I need to be accountable. I need to put it to the universe and say it out loud.
So, here we go again! I'm saying it out loud. Honestly. Embarrassingly. Hopefully. Nakedly. I'm putting it out there.
Since my world tilted off it's axis last fall, I ate my way through the months that have come and gone. All the hard work. All the sweat and dedication. All the wins and losses. All of it went down my throat in the form of food. Sweet. Salty. Fatty. I ate and drank with abandon. I didn't go overboard and binge myself into oblivion, I just stopped caring about what went in. I also slacked like a mofo on my workouts. Excuses were made. Ways out were sought and found. Ugh. All of this equals being right back where I started. I'm back in a size 10.
There is an ickyness that comes with failure. An ickyness that wasn't present last time. The ickyness of being the girl who cried wolf. I said I was going to do it. I got about half way there and then stopped. Just stopped. Dead in my tracks stopped. It's pretty humiliating. I don't like it. No sir, not one bit. I'm back to being embarrassed of myself again. "Please don't take my picture." "Sorry honey, I want to have sex, but I don't want you to see what all is back to jiggling again." I don't even want to look at clothes much less put on anything that wouldn't be tossed in the can on What Not to Wear. If its baggy and stretchy, ok. Other than that, no way Jose. I've been so thankful for cold weather. It gives me a reason to hide under sweatshirts.
I don't want to be this person anymore.
I want to change. I really, really do.
Here's the game plan. I am enrolled in this challenge for 10 weeks total. For the workouts my plan is to do a minimum of 4 days a week, but the goal is 5. 4 Stroller Strides classes and one Babyless Bootcamp class per week. I will get back to running outside in the spring. I'm realizing that I have got to get a hold of my food. It is the bane of all I am trying to accomplish. I have called a nutritionist and am scheduling a few private sessions with her. This means a change for the whole family. I can't do that part on my own. I know this will be way harder than any workout. Some logistics and circumstances are going to be major obstacles. Sure, I'd love to have all the time and money to do nothing but eat local, seasonal, organic greatness. Sure I'd love to incorporate more fish and less meat into our diet. Reality? I have a family with certain likes and dislikes and a budget and a little guy that doesn't understand mommy being in the kitchen for long periods of time. Not making excuses, just saying this is going to be the biggest challenge in my Get Fit Challenge.
I'm going to celebrate my ups. I'm going to be honest about my downs. I'm going to find my stride. I'm going to encounter bumps in the road. I will rejoice. I will complain. I will do this.
So on Feb. 1st I started a Get Fit Challenge through the Stroller Strides hoo ha that I adore soooooo very much. Awesome! I've been doing ok. Been working out around 4 times a week. Ok, but not great. Been doing a little better nutritionally. Ok, but not great. So I need to get to great.
Last year when I was doing my 4 by 44 challenge I was so motivated, so "on it". I was kickin ass and takin names. This challenge I'm a little more "meh". I'm giving it about 3/4 of my all at workouts, but I just don't have that sense of "hell yeah!" this time around. So what is different? How do I get my mojo back? Been thinking about it for a few days and it sort of bopped me in the head last night. You. I need you. I need to be accountable. I need to put it to the universe and say it out loud.
So, here we go again! I'm saying it out loud. Honestly. Embarrassingly. Hopefully. Nakedly. I'm putting it out there.
Since my world tilted off it's axis last fall, I ate my way through the months that have come and gone. All the hard work. All the sweat and dedication. All the wins and losses. All of it went down my throat in the form of food. Sweet. Salty. Fatty. I ate and drank with abandon. I didn't go overboard and binge myself into oblivion, I just stopped caring about what went in. I also slacked like a mofo on my workouts. Excuses were made. Ways out were sought and found. Ugh. All of this equals being right back where I started. I'm back in a size 10.
There is an ickyness that comes with failure. An ickyness that wasn't present last time. The ickyness of being the girl who cried wolf. I said I was going to do it. I got about half way there and then stopped. Just stopped. Dead in my tracks stopped. It's pretty humiliating. I don't like it. No sir, not one bit. I'm back to being embarrassed of myself again. "Please don't take my picture." "Sorry honey, I want to have sex, but I don't want you to see what all is back to jiggling again." I don't even want to look at clothes much less put on anything that wouldn't be tossed in the can on What Not to Wear. If its baggy and stretchy, ok. Other than that, no way Jose. I've been so thankful for cold weather. It gives me a reason to hide under sweatshirts.
I don't want to be this person anymore.
I want to change. I really, really do.
Here's the game plan. I am enrolled in this challenge for 10 weeks total. For the workouts my plan is to do a minimum of 4 days a week, but the goal is 5. 4 Stroller Strides classes and one Babyless Bootcamp class per week. I will get back to running outside in the spring. I'm realizing that I have got to get a hold of my food. It is the bane of all I am trying to accomplish. I have called a nutritionist and am scheduling a few private sessions with her. This means a change for the whole family. I can't do that part on my own. I know this will be way harder than any workout. Some logistics and circumstances are going to be major obstacles. Sure, I'd love to have all the time and money to do nothing but eat local, seasonal, organic greatness. Sure I'd love to incorporate more fish and less meat into our diet. Reality? I have a family with certain likes and dislikes and a budget and a little guy that doesn't understand mommy being in the kitchen for long periods of time. Not making excuses, just saying this is going to be the biggest challenge in my Get Fit Challenge.
I'm going to celebrate my ups. I'm going to be honest about my downs. I'm going to find my stride. I'm going to encounter bumps in the road. I will rejoice. I will complain. I will do this.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
2013 page one
Well hello there 2013. It is very nice to meet you. I'm looking forward to some wonderful times together.
So, here I sit. A new year year. A new chance. 365 blank pages. Let's see how this story goes...
I'm back in the "reach my goal" saddle with some new resolutions and a new focus and, best of all, with a little bit of help; my husband. Turns out, he's looking to get a little healthier this year too. It's hard to do the eating right thing with a two year old hanging below the percentile charts and a meat and potatoes kind of guy by your side. Not saying that is why I didn't reach my goal. Not using them as a crutch or an excuse. I didn't reach my goal because I didn't reach my goal. All I'm saying is maybe now I will have an easier time of it. When everybody is looking in the same direction, it is far easier to get where you're going.
So what am I doing? Ok, first off Shawn and I have decided to menu plan together - which is huge!!! We want to eat whole foods and preferably food that is in season. Going to try and avoid the packaged, processed, sodium filled boxes and bags of crap. Hoping my microwave will get a nice long rest. We even want to learn to make sushi!! What? Yep, even sushi! (ok, so really only California roll type stuff, Shawn is not a fish guy at all and I'm kinda on the picky side of it.) We're going for it! New foods, new flavors, new year, new us. If you have any recipes you'd like to share... please, by all means.
On the exercise front, well... I'm resolved to do 5 days a week. I'd love to do 6, but I think 5 is reasonable. At the moment it's all about Stroller Strides and Babyless Bootcamp. As I gather some more cold weather gear, I'd like to try winter running. I got some great gloves from Santa!!! It's a start!!! I'll be joining the annual Get Fit Challenge on Jan 15 as well as the running group that starts in March. My big goal is running a 10k! I did a 5 last year, so I want to do a 10 this year! No reason I can't. None. Just gotta find one, sign up and show up. Oh... and... you know, finish it... there is that...
In addition to all this healthy body stuff, I want to have a healthy mind and spirit. My other big goal is to once and for all get my happy ass organized! I'm tidy, but I am not organized. Oi veh. So it is time to change that. One thing I am really looking to get on track is my day. Pax and I have no set schedule. It's a free for all and things can get all wonked out. He deserves so much better than that. Wonked out days can lead to too much TV and not enough of what is really fun. So, we now have a schedule. Time to implement it and put it in action. I feel better already. I think he will too. The schedule is for Mon, Tues, Wed & Fri. Thursday is Adventure Day and Sat & Sun are time with daddy - which usually turn into adventure days. We are also starting a reward chart. Two days of it and this place is already a bouncier, happier, more fun joint to be around. Positive reinforcement sure does seem to be a better alternative to punishments and consequences all day long. He is two and a half... it's envelope pushing season.
Hoping all of this adds up to a great year. More books, less TV. More music, less Internet. Outside vs. Inside. One art hour a day. One walk or run or hour of exercise a day. One small adventure a week. One big adventure a month. Better food in our bodies. Better words out of our mouths. Time spent well and not wasted into a blur of "what did we do yesterday?". So, hello there 2013. Let's make it a grand one!
Cheers!
So, here I sit. A new year year. A new chance. 365 blank pages. Let's see how this story goes...
I'm back in the "reach my goal" saddle with some new resolutions and a new focus and, best of all, with a little bit of help; my husband. Turns out, he's looking to get a little healthier this year too. It's hard to do the eating right thing with a two year old hanging below the percentile charts and a meat and potatoes kind of guy by your side. Not saying that is why I didn't reach my goal. Not using them as a crutch or an excuse. I didn't reach my goal because I didn't reach my goal. All I'm saying is maybe now I will have an easier time of it. When everybody is looking in the same direction, it is far easier to get where you're going.
So what am I doing? Ok, first off Shawn and I have decided to menu plan together - which is huge!!! We want to eat whole foods and preferably food that is in season. Going to try and avoid the packaged, processed, sodium filled boxes and bags of crap. Hoping my microwave will get a nice long rest. We even want to learn to make sushi!! What? Yep, even sushi! (ok, so really only California roll type stuff, Shawn is not a fish guy at all and I'm kinda on the picky side of it.) We're going for it! New foods, new flavors, new year, new us. If you have any recipes you'd like to share... please, by all means.
On the exercise front, well... I'm resolved to do 5 days a week. I'd love to do 6, but I think 5 is reasonable. At the moment it's all about Stroller Strides and Babyless Bootcamp. As I gather some more cold weather gear, I'd like to try winter running. I got some great gloves from Santa!!! It's a start!!! I'll be joining the annual Get Fit Challenge on Jan 15 as well as the running group that starts in March. My big goal is running a 10k! I did a 5 last year, so I want to do a 10 this year! No reason I can't. None. Just gotta find one, sign up and show up. Oh... and... you know, finish it... there is that...
In addition to all this healthy body stuff, I want to have a healthy mind and spirit. My other big goal is to once and for all get my happy ass organized! I'm tidy, but I am not organized. Oi veh. So it is time to change that. One thing I am really looking to get on track is my day. Pax and I have no set schedule. It's a free for all and things can get all wonked out. He deserves so much better than that. Wonked out days can lead to too much TV and not enough of what is really fun. So, we now have a schedule. Time to implement it and put it in action. I feel better already. I think he will too. The schedule is for Mon, Tues, Wed & Fri. Thursday is Adventure Day and Sat & Sun are time with daddy - which usually turn into adventure days. We are also starting a reward chart. Two days of it and this place is already a bouncier, happier, more fun joint to be around. Positive reinforcement sure does seem to be a better alternative to punishments and consequences all day long. He is two and a half... it's envelope pushing season.
Hoping all of this adds up to a great year. More books, less TV. More music, less Internet. Outside vs. Inside. One art hour a day. One walk or run or hour of exercise a day. One small adventure a week. One big adventure a month. Better food in our bodies. Better words out of our mouths. Time spent well and not wasted into a blur of "what did we do yesterday?". So, hello there 2013. Let's make it a grand one!
Cheers!
Monday, December 3, 2012
Ho Ho Ho!!
Well hello there my peeps!!!
In my family we have a wonderful "giving" tradition. We exchange one Christmas ornament per family instead of buying a whole bunch of gifts. We do a silly name drawing after Thanksgiving dinner when the whole clan is around and able to share. I love the whole thing because...
1) It cuts out the stress of trying to pick "the right gift".
2) There is no competition. You know there is always one family member that can't seem to stick to the pre-determined $20 maximum amount and winds up throwing a 50" plasma screen into the mix and everyone else feels like a jack wagon.
3) It creates memories as opposed to garage sales. Every year when I decorate my tree I smile knowing where my ornaments come from. I also smile because I don't have a pile of old "gifts" that I really didn't need or necessarily want staring at me waiting to be tossed on the lawn with a $1.00 sticker on it.
4) Everyone can afford to participate. Even if you say, "Ok, we're only giving to kids" or "Just one gift from each person for a White Elephant" it can really rack up the bucks. As families grow, so do the number of presents.
5) It gets back to the real essence of the season. The holidays aren't about gifts. Or at least they shouldn't be. They're about spending time with people you love, or have to love. It's about laughing with them and even sometimes at yourself. It's about sharing time and stories and hugs, not things in red paper with green sparkly bows on top.
So... that's what we do and why I dig it.
Every year I try to either make or choose an ornament that is reflective of us. This year, after several hours of pinning, I chose to make a hand print Santa. Of course my mom went bananas over it. Glad I brought a spare in case she didn't draw our name!!!!
Here's the hows and what nots of the whole hoo ha;
(Please know this project took a couple of tries to get it right. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes)
I started out by finding the right salt dough recipe. This may have been one of the more challenging pats of the whole kaboodle.
1/2 c. salt
1/2 c. four
1/4 c. water
That simple and yet so hard to figure out!!!
After experimenting with various thicknesses, I made three very thin circles and got my little guy to press his hand into them. Be sure to press super hard!!! Oh! And roll up your kid's sleeve!!!
After that I used a knife to cut around the hand. I left a bit of an edge - which I think wound up working best. We tried whole circles, we tried trimming to the image, meh...
Toothpicks seem to work best for making the ribbon whole. Just kinda wriggle it around to create the desired size.
Stick them on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and bake for three hours at 200*
Day two was painting day!! I got cheap acrylic paint from Big Lots ($3!!) Yes, the paint does need to be acrylic. If you go that route, may I suggest buying more than one set. Tiny tubes and lots o' white means... you get the idea. I began with a black sharpie and sort of vaguely made some outline marks. I painted all the white, the went on to the red. I've never mixed paint before, so I was bit on the terrified side when it came to the color of Santa's face. I took some of the ochre, some white, a teeny tiny bit of red and mixed it and added color until I got somewhere in the family of what I was aiming for. Don't have any specific measurements. It's a do and see and keep doing until you see sort of thing. He doesn't look nearly as much like an Oompa Loompa as I was afraid he would! Blue eyes, red nose. I had to mix again to get the pink lips. Simple, red & white make pink!!
Let this dry!!! I mean, really let this dry!! Don't rush it and try to finish or else things will smudge and run and get all blechy.
Once it is all good and set, time to modge podge!!! I laid it on sort of medium thick. Got a good shine, but it doesn't blind you in the light. After that dried I tied some cute ribbon and voila! Ok, at first I went the yarn route, meh... ribbon was waaaaaayyyyy cuter!!!
Hope you have fun creating little ho ho fellas!!! Would love to see how yours come out!!!
May your days be merry and bright!!!!
In my family we have a wonderful "giving" tradition. We exchange one Christmas ornament per family instead of buying a whole bunch of gifts. We do a silly name drawing after Thanksgiving dinner when the whole clan is around and able to share. I love the whole thing because...
1) It cuts out the stress of trying to pick "the right gift".
2) There is no competition. You know there is always one family member that can't seem to stick to the pre-determined $20 maximum amount and winds up throwing a 50" plasma screen into the mix and everyone else feels like a jack wagon.
3) It creates memories as opposed to garage sales. Every year when I decorate my tree I smile knowing where my ornaments come from. I also smile because I don't have a pile of old "gifts" that I really didn't need or necessarily want staring at me waiting to be tossed on the lawn with a $1.00 sticker on it.
4) Everyone can afford to participate. Even if you say, "Ok, we're only giving to kids" or "Just one gift from each person for a White Elephant" it can really rack up the bucks. As families grow, so do the number of presents.
5) It gets back to the real essence of the season. The holidays aren't about gifts. Or at least they shouldn't be. They're about spending time with people you love, or have to love. It's about laughing with them and even sometimes at yourself. It's about sharing time and stories and hugs, not things in red paper with green sparkly bows on top.
So... that's what we do and why I dig it.
Every year I try to either make or choose an ornament that is reflective of us. This year, after several hours of pinning, I chose to make a hand print Santa. Of course my mom went bananas over it. Glad I brought a spare in case she didn't draw our name!!!!
Here's the hows and what nots of the whole hoo ha;
(Please know this project took a couple of tries to get it right. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes)
I started out by finding the right salt dough recipe. This may have been one of the more challenging pats of the whole kaboodle.
1/2 c. salt
1/2 c. four
1/4 c. water
That simple and yet so hard to figure out!!!
After experimenting with various thicknesses, I made three very thin circles and got my little guy to press his hand into them. Be sure to press super hard!!! Oh! And roll up your kid's sleeve!!!
After that I used a knife to cut around the hand. I left a bit of an edge - which I think wound up working best. We tried whole circles, we tried trimming to the image, meh...
Toothpicks seem to work best for making the ribbon whole. Just kinda wriggle it around to create the desired size.
Stick them on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet and bake for three hours at 200*
Day two was painting day!! I got cheap acrylic paint from Big Lots ($3!!) Yes, the paint does need to be acrylic. If you go that route, may I suggest buying more than one set. Tiny tubes and lots o' white means... you get the idea. I began with a black sharpie and sort of vaguely made some outline marks. I painted all the white, the went on to the red. I've never mixed paint before, so I was bit on the terrified side when it came to the color of Santa's face. I took some of the ochre, some white, a teeny tiny bit of red and mixed it and added color until I got somewhere in the family of what I was aiming for. Don't have any specific measurements. It's a do and see and keep doing until you see sort of thing. He doesn't look nearly as much like an Oompa Loompa as I was afraid he would! Blue eyes, red nose. I had to mix again to get the pink lips. Simple, red & white make pink!!
Let this dry!!! I mean, really let this dry!! Don't rush it and try to finish or else things will smudge and run and get all blechy.
Once it is all good and set, time to modge podge!!! I laid it on sort of medium thick. Got a good shine, but it doesn't blind you in the light. After that dried I tied some cute ribbon and voila! Ok, at first I went the yarn route, meh... ribbon was waaaaaayyyyy cuter!!!
Hope you have fun creating little ho ho fellas!!! Would love to see how yours come out!!!
May your days be merry and bright!!!!
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