Oh the drama....

So my son is 15 years old and has recently been seeing a girl that is 17. This past weekend he went to her Halloween party. While only there a short while he texted me and told me "not to get too comfortable" as he wasn't having the best time there. Apparently this girl sees my son as mainly in the "friend zone." One of his good friends is who she's really interested in, but the dude is a real stand up guy and went with the "bro code" and laid off as he knows my son is really into her.

The night eventually got better and I picked him up several hours after that first text. Upon picking him up we talked about what happened at the party. Let me preface this by saying, you should all know that NOTHING is off limits with my kids. We talk about EVERYTHING and are quite proud of our open-door policy. So he goes on to tell me that he believes "kids" shouldn't be having sex in high school(specifically until after they're 18 yrs old), "there's enough crap to deal with without having to do that!" I almost cried in the car!! I love that he is thinking about this in a very mature manner!!! I had "the talk" with him when he was 10 yrs old when we caught him looking up "girls having sex" on the Internet. I pulled no punches and told him all that I could. I told him it is not a horrible thing, his curiosity was a normal part of life, and that it can be a great thing shared between two people. I also told him how it can be very superficial and dangerous both physically and emotionally. We've had more "talks" through the years and recently my husband and I bought him a box of condoms. I've told my children that I do not expect them to wait until they are married to have sex, but I DO expect them to wait until they are married to have UNPROTECTED sex!

I'm sure most all parents will agree with me that I hate to see my children struggle with relationships, be they platonic or romantic. I'm just very happy to see that all those talks did good and my son listened and took it all in, instead of rolling his eyes and thinking about what else he could be doing instead of listening to his mom prattle on.

Measuring up

Tomorrow I'm going to start an all new 30-day challenge on EA Active on the Wii. I think before I begin though, I'll start by taking my measurements. They might not be the most attractive numbers in the world, after its done, but they're a starting point. Then at the end of the time I'll measure again and see what, if any changes have come about.

I hope to see several inches having been dropped! I have been making some clothing lately, as part of my being a member of the Red Hat Society means wearing lavender. I don't own a lot of lavender clothing, and that color is a little difficult to find in the Fall/Winter. So I've taken to sewing up some proper shirts, dresses, PJs, and such for myself!! And I must say, I've liked the way they've all turned out and I know they're at a fraction of the cost that I would have paid for something comparable at any department store or the like.

Spoiled?

For today I'm going to take a little aside from talk of dieting and exercise and write about something that has been heavy on my mind and REALLY having doing a number on my moods as of late.

So when you grew up never having heard the word budget how to you become a frugal adult? I wouldn't say I was an overindulged youngster. (Hmmm...is that what all spoiled kids say? Ha!) I wasn't really into labels growing up. In my household I don't ever remember seeing the 'rents balancing a checkbook or making a grocery list from a store circular. I went to college right out of high school (OK, Jr college) and towards the end of my freshman year I met the man that would become my husband the next fall. This man had been on his own for 6 years (out of his parents' home, with student loans, a job, and a weekend warrior with the Army Reserves. Man, talk about grown up!!

During our first few years I thought I was Superwoman and could do the whole budget, keeping house, keeping up with the bills, and be the best wife and mother EVER thing. We wound up in the red in the bank and having the biggest fight we'd had up to that point. I couldn't do it and that crushed me. Sadly, with my husband's growing salary I thought we could live high on the hog and soon learned that this was not the case. We still needed to budget and I needed to NOT spend so much of our money!

But how do you learn to budget when you've never been taught and seems like every inch of your fiber is fighting against it?!?! I know things would be much better between the Hubby and I if I could master this task. And I know that I would be a happier person and likely feel more like I am contributing in a tangible way to this household.

I feel like a small child when I want to grab a bite to eat for lunch away from the house when I'm on my own during the day. I feel like I should go home and sit in a time out chair or do some other penance for my misdeeds. I sold several bags of books to Half Price Books and find myself having to explain myself for buying my son dinner before he heads off to do chains for a JV football game instead of making him wait until he gets home 4-5 hours later to eat something. How do I change my way of thinking about money and budgets without feeling like I'm changing who I am? How do I stop crying and alienating my husband every couple of days because I feel like I can't measure up to his idea of a good manager of our money?

You're getting sleepy...sleeepyyyy....

So the other day I was wandering around Half Price Books waiting for my couple of dollars for the boxes of books I'd brought in when I found myself in the "Audiobooks" section. One of the CDs I perused was on hypnotism to help you stay on your diet. I didn't buy it, mostly because I'm somewhat of a skeptic when it comes to all things hypnotic. Supposedly this thing was supposed to help teach you how to go into a "trance," overcome cravings, keep yourself motivated to stick with your diet, encourage rethinking about exercise, and more. Something along the lines of this.


I won't lie to you...I almost DID grab it up to see if it'd do anything to help. I've stuck with my weight loss path pretty well recently. Through migraines, sickness, etc...I've managed to workout on a regular basis and say NO to many tempting food stuffs! Yay me!!

OK, anyway, back to what I was saying...in the past I've gotten CDs that you're supposed to listen to at night that help you subliminally be excited to exercise and motivate you in general. But my problem is that I don't sleep alone. There's that pesky Hubby in bed next to me most nights. And because of this cohabitant I would have to use ear buds/earphones to listen to anything "in my sleep," as he wants it silent and as dark as we can get it in the room for an optimal sleeping environment. I'd use ear buds, but I have to tell you I have a somewhat irrational fear that I'm going to get the cord wrapped around my neck and be strangled to death. For the record, I do NOT want to kick the bucket before I get laser hair removal on my chin/neck...Hubby's threatened to "let it grow" postmortem. I DO NOT want THAT look at my funeral!!! ICK!!

So I'm curious if there's any of you out there in the blogosphere that have any opinions concerning hypnotism for more than just embarrassing yourself at a stage show or laughing at your friends when they start clucking like a chicken every time the dryer bell dings.

Pink hats

This past week I joined a new group! A friend of mine asked me if I'd like to come over to her house for some fun and friendship. I jumped at the opportunity (as getting out of the house and being more social has kinda been a thing of mine these days) and headed over. I soon found out this was no ordinary group. These were some WONDERFUL gals!! The group is called "Disorganized Divas" and actually a chapter of the Red Hat Society!

For those who might have heard of the Red Hats but don't know anything about them, I'll let you know a little something. From my understanding its a social group of ladies. The ladies over 50 wear royal purple and red hats. Anyone joining who is younger than 50 wears lavender and a pink hat. So that makes me a Pink Hat. They get together for meals, shopping, vacations, and just to be together. So far they have been LOADS of fun!! I went over to our Queen's house for pizza, companionship, and karaoke that first night. Then yesterday I met with some of the ladies from our group and another group for lunch downtown.


We laughed SO much and had a fabulous time!! They gave me a little ribbing for ordering a salad at lunch, but ah well...all in good fun.

The Red Hats are a worldwide organization and such a great group of women! If you have the opportunity I would suggest finding one for yourself in your area. I can say with all confidence that I believe I've made some life long friends (and possibly even a workout buddy! Yay!!).

Move It! Move It!

One thing I've discovered over the years I've been searching for that tricky little thing I call skinny is that I LOVE to dance!! The great thing is that dancing is a GREAT work-out when you really get in to it. Usually I'll just work on Dance, Dance Revolution, which has their own song list. but sometimes I like to do step aerobics to my own songs on Wii Fit. Here's my workout song list, its pretty varied (don't judge..ha!) and includes current songs as well as some older tunes.

3 - Britney Spears
4 Minutes - Madonna & Justin Timberlake
1985 - Bowling for Soup
Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
Alejandro - Lady Gaga
All Star - Smashmouth
Anywhere USA - PYT
Baby Don't Forget My Number - Milli Vanilli
Back in Time - Huey Lewis & The News
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
Beat It - Michael Jackson
Black or White - Michael Jackson
Blah Blah Blah - Ke$ha
Break the Ice - Britney Spears
Bulletproof - La Roux
Bye Bye Bye - N*Sync
California Gurls - Katy Perry
Can't Hold Us Down - Christina Aguilera
Candyman - Christina Aguilera
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
Check On It - Beyonce
Circus - Britney Spears
Cold Hearted Snake - Paula Abdul
Cruel Summer - BLESTeNATION
Dance Dance - Fall Out Boy
Dirrty - Christina Aguilera
Dirty Little Secret - All American Rejects
Disturbia - Rihanna
Down - Jay Sean
Dynamite - Taio Cruz
Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
For Your Entertainment - Adam Lambert
Gimme More - Britney spears
Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
Gonna Make You Sweat - C&C Music Factory
Gotta Get Through This - Daniel Bedingfield
Hangin' Tough - New Kids On The Block
Hey Ya! - Outkast
Hips Don't Lie - Shakira
Hurts so Good - John Cougar Mellencamp
I Can See Clearly Now - Jimmy Cliff
I Like It - Enrique Iglesias
If You Seek Amy - Britney Spears
Imma Be - Black Eyed Peas
Jump - Van Halen
Just Dance - Lady Gaga
Let's Get Loud - Jennifer Lopez
Let's Get Rocked - Def Leppard
Locomotion - Kylie Minogue
Love Game - Lady Gaga
Low - Flo-Rida
Magic - Selena Gomez
Me Against The Music - Britney Spears
Music - Madonna
My First Kiss - 3OH!3
OMG - Usher
Party For Two - Shania Twain
Please Don't Stop The Music - Rihanna
Poker Face - Lady Gaga
Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
Push It - Salt-N-Pepa
Rise above It - Lock, Stock, & Barrel
Rock That Body - Black Eyed Peas
See You Again - Miley Cyrus
Secy Back - Justin Timberlake
Shake That - Eminem
Smack That - Akon
Step By Step - New Kids On The Block
Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
This Ain't A Scene - Fall Out boy
Tik Tok - Ke$ha
U + Ur Hand - Pink
Up! - Shania Twain
Walking on sunshine - Katrina & The Waves
We Got The Beat - The Gogo's
Yeah! - Usher
You Can Leave Your Hat On - Tom Jones
You shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
Your Love Is My Drug - Ke$ha

That's the total 79 songs, which is WAY more than I'd probably need in any one workout session. Although, if I REALLY get into it, you never know! Ha! Do you have a song list that pumps you up and keeps you going? Is music even a motivator for you while you're "in the zone" of calorie burning?

Mixing It Up

Recently I have to say I've been doing pretty well with my weight loss. I got on the Wii Fit this morning and had lost 0.4 lbs since last week. No, its not exactly anything to write home about. Yet, I feel considering the fact that I've been sick over the past week, its a success nonetheless!

One of the things I've been trying to do is to mix it up with my food choices. Money is SUPER tight around our house right now, so eating out has definitely been cut from the budget!! I'm eating at home every day!! And in order to keep myself from getting bored with the same things every day, I have to search out new recipes that are tasty, filling, and still healthy for my personal goals.

I have MANY cookbooks around the house, but also get the magazine Cooking Light delivered to the house. So monthly, I thumb through my periodical in search of something yummy. Here's some examples of recipes I've discovered and found to be SUPER delicious.

Chicken stuffed with spinach and feta

(above is the dish cooking)

Chicken stuffed with spinach & feta cheese
served with brown rice and green beans

Tuna Salad in a Pita
ingredients:
Tuna (canned in water)
Craisins
Celery
Green Grapes
Dill Pickle Relish
Light Mayo
Ranch Dressing
Hard Boiled Eggs

Another treat that just doesn't photograph as well, is Sugar Free Jell-O mixed with Fat-Free Cool Whip. I just combine the two in a bowl and stir together gently. I usually cube the Jell-O and add it to a bowl then add in the Cool Whip. This is a delicious light afternoon snack or great somewhat impromptu dessert.

All of these things have been super tasty and very filling!! Do you have any recipes that work for you that are budget, taste, and weight loss friendly?

Happy dieting?

I've known many women who have dieted, some have been successful...others not just yet. One thing I have come to notice is that dieting seems to change people in more ways than physically. This phenomenon also changes you emotionally. I have come to notice that larger gals, myself being one of them tend to get pigeon-holed into a certain role. We are expected to be jovial, in a sense. I think its kind of a "Santa Claus Syndrome" where you are expected to laugh fully and be a vessel of happiness to all around you. Even thumbing through a Lane Bryant catalog, most of the women appear to be smiling.



Then I catch a glimpse of a fashion show on TV supposedly aimed at the every woman (saw it on the View) and not a single model is smiling. If I do achieve somewhat of skinny status someday, am I to be doomed to not smile if trying to look fashionable? Why are they always looking so upset and unhappy? I know women who have lost weight and it seemed a little more of their bitchiness came out. Now, far be it from me to say that I can't bitch out with the best of them. I just don't think its excused as easily when I'm heavier.



So I wonder is does this transition into a less positive attitude always happen when losing weight? I can say that I have known people who are still just as happy and fun folks be they heavy or thin, so I do not say this as a blanket statement. I guess I'm saying I'd just like to see the occasional professional fashion model smiling on the catwalk.

Do you know people whose personalities seemed to change with their dress size?

Be back soon

This post will be a short one. I've been doing well with my eating and keeping everything in a food journal. I have not been doing well with exercise, however. The reason for this is that I've been sick. Ick! So, I've assured Hubby that if I don't get to feeling better later today, I'll go to the doctor tomorrow. It's been a miserable mess if stuffiness, headaches, sore throat, fever, and overall feeling of yuckiness for about three days. Here's hoping things improve today.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Stay on track

It's not always easy to stay the course when you feel like you're on a weight loss plan by yourself in a house. Last night I did manage to get hubby to do 30 minutes of yoga (had to convince him that doing so naked would only make me laugh hysterically and throw off his balance).

Again this morning I woke up around 4:30am. The only difference was this time I stayed awake all day instead of taking a 2-3 hour nap mid-day as I did yesterday. I've been going to bed around 10pm every night, so I guess by then my body is just done sleeping for the evening. Ah well. I've gotten out of bed in the morning rather than try to fight it because it seems like in the past when I have gone back to sleep I've just laid around the house all day and gotten absolutely NOTHING done at all!

I've been keeping my food diary on my iPod, so I'm pleased with that facet of this process. I didn't pick the best food choices today, but I have managed to stay under my calorie goal by about 600 calories. I've tried to at least have a bagel in the morning for breakfast, or a s*** fast shake, so I get things going early on. I know all too well that skipping breakfast can only hurt you rather than help you when trying to lose weight.

Tonight I think I'll do some Wii Fit Plus yoga, a little strength training, and then finish up with some step aerobics. Now that I have songs on my iPod again, I want to take full advantage of the upbeat newly added tunes.

I think I'll take the movies back to Blockbuster tonight, too...that way I can get the next set in the mail and get the new ones that come out next Tuesday when I'm ready to trade out again.

Postings everywhere!!

Welcome to my new tool box! Yes, Post-Its/sticky notes! I have put then up all over the house to remind me to do little things throughout my day. =) One of the messages greeting me at every corner says this:

As I mentioned before, I do better at keeping up with weight-loss related items if I blog on a regular basis. So that should explain this one.

The next is also kind of self-explanatory.

This one is the most prevalent in my household. I think I have one or two in almost every room in the house. This morning it seemed to do the trick, and I'm hoping that it will continue to do so later in the day when I go for workout-round 2. I'm trying to mix up my workouts these days, so I don't get so burn-out so quickly and just let it fall by the way-side. This morning I started with some yoga, followed by a little cardio dance instruction courtesy of a Dancing With The Stars DVD. This afternoon I think I'll hit the EA Active "game" on the Wii. Then I'll follow it all up with some Dance Dance Revolution this evening.

Here's the last post it:

Again, kind of self-explanatory. We seem to have a problem with achieving a steady stream of finished laundry in this house. I placed one of these by all the hampers in the house (master bathroom, son's room, daughter's room), on the wall in the kids' bathroom, and on the door that leads to the laundry room. By doing this I'm hoping that at least three loads of laundry will get done every day. I know that may seem like a lot, but eventually it'll even out and we'll have to do less (I hope!). And for the record, I already started my load today.

I'm thinking I'll make some chicken salad for lunch today and have it with some pita bread. I LOVE that stuff!! If it turns out to taste super yummy, I'll post the recipe. I think its one I took out of a magazine.

Be well friends!

Time management

I have recently acquired a new laptop. Well, sort of. My mother-in-law seems to have this thing for buying electronics. They're kind of disposable for her. She bought the one I'm talking about and then one day discovered that it no longer turned on. So she put it aside and went and got another one.


With my penchant for laptop repair, hubby thought he'd bring it home and see if I could diagnose and fix the problem. Knowing already that it wouldn't turn on, I decided first to check the battery. I took the battery off of my laptop and plugged it in (as my battery was fully charged). And wah-lah! We have start-up! Turns out the problem was simply that the laptop wasn't recognizing the AC adapter. So I went about dismantling the case to get to the appropriate plug. I got to it, sort of...its encased in plastic that I was unable to free it from without probable serious permanent damage.

So comes the chance for some serious time management. With a fully charged battery, I have just under 4 hours of life on this portable life support machine I call a laptop. Ha! Yes, I could go upstairs and play around on the desktop PC up there, but I'm trying to save that one for business purposes only. So I am resigning myself to cutting down the time I spend "plugged in" to the virtual world I keep in my head and on the Internet. This should help me with my exercise routine as well. If I'm not always on a computer, then I will have time available to do other things.

For more years than I can remember, when I've asked hubby what he wants for his birthday, he has responded with: "a clean house and a BJ." So this year, seeing as how we are in a cash tight situation for the time being, I've decided to give him just that! So today the kids and I are busy cleaning the house and organizing things. I even got the kids to help me move a non-working car out of the garage so I could get another dresser and move it into our bedroom for more storage room. I'm kind of good at the second part of that request, and even enjoy it, so that shouldn't be a problem either (after the kidlets get tucked into bed for the evening and the appropriate doors locked...ha!).

Another advantage of this new scheduling adjustment in my days is more time to keep the house clean! This is another constant request from hubby. And truth be told, I do feel more at peace when habitating in a tidy abode. *grin* Just don't tell hubby!! Ha!

So I'm off to take care of some other online duties, before my timer runs out and this contraption starts yelling at me telling me the battery's about to go out on me; then its off to more cleaning. He'll be home in just under 2 hours after all!


Good luck in all your endeavors, friends!

She lives!!!

This past month, August, has not been one of my better months, I must admit.

Kyle and I had an unfortunate, but altogether necessary, financial "come to Jesus meeting," which ending in my "voluntarily" surrendering of the credit cards. My neighbor and good friend's mother passed away. My old maid great aunt passed away. And to top it off, I fell HARD off the weight loss wagon.

At one point this month I thought I'd made a real breakthrough! I had started consistently using Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii as a workout tool. I'd dance for about 30-40 minutes a day. I kept this up for about 10 days without missing a single day. Some days I even managed to work in an hour or more with this new trend I was starting for myself. Then death hit across the street. I was spending so much time doing whatever I could to help out a friend (pick up family at the airport, shop for upcoming birthday presents, pick up and pay for food for the reception to follow funeral services, etc...) that I'd stopped making time to work out. School was about to start for the kids and I thought this would offer me the time I was looking for to get back into it.

The first day of my kids' new school year hubby and I were headed to South Texas for the visitation and funeral services for my aunt. We stayed in a hotel overnight and then came home to a lot of busy days. We got back to the house early Tuesday (Aug. 24th) evening and then Wednesday (Aug. 25th) evening I had a meeting at the church for this year's confirmation class. On Friday (Aug. 27th), there was a Meet the Pirate night scheduled (a scrimmage football game and fundraising opportunity for the AFJROTC at the high school) that I was fated to attend and help out with. The next Monday (Aug. 30th) was Meet the Teacher night at both the high school and junior high. Of course, they were both pretty much at the same time as each other. Dear hubby had to work and I needed to be the one meeting their teachers anyway (I'm the one, not he, that deals with homework and parent-teacher communication throughout the year). For Meet the Teacher night at the high school I needed to compose a sign-up sheet for parents to fill out for AFJROTC (I'm the current secretary for the booster club) and get it up to the school and enough copies printed/copied for the task at hand.

Tuesday night (Aug. 31st), dear hubby left to go hunting for the week/weekend. The kids had school and so we stayed up here. We thought about meeting up with him at the farm house on Friday (Sept. 3rd), but the kids wanted to stay in town and attend a youth function at the church instead. Then I found out dear daughter has duties to perform at church on Sunday (this morning, Sept. 5th), so we're staying around here for the entire time hubby's away. Dear son went to a lock-in at the church Friday night and then to a LAN gaming party last night; so his social calendar was all kinds of full this weekend. Hubby will be back some time Monday evening, and until then the kids and I are keeping it low key at home (well I know I am, at least). Hubby DID leave me a credit card for the week/weekend, but with distinct instruction that it ONLY be used for groceries and gas for the car...NOTHING else! And eating out does NOT constitute grocery spending.

So I just haven't made time is what it boils down to in the end. I've been trying to eat better, which not having access to a credit card helps tremendously with that little task! No cash/no credit cards = No dining out!! Hubby shops for groceries, so that keeps me on the straight and narrow as far as eating better goes as well.

I guess in the end I know that I need to buckle down and just DO it! Perhaps I'll post little post-it notes all over the house telling myself to exercise and write my foods down in a food journal...and to BLOG REGULARLY!! I am being honest when I say that blogging on a regular basis has truly helped in me in my efforts. It makes me feel accountable to many people online. And somehow that seems to help me more than even being answerable to a local group of people. I feel like I'm letting various readers of this blog down when I don't update regularly.

So here's to my re-birth into the world of weight loss and blogging! "Dorsey will never go away agaaaaaaaiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnn!" (Just picture me singing it to the tune of "Hello, Dolly!" I'm sure that'll at least give you a chuckle.)

First...er...uhm...well steps anyways

So first let me start off by saying I apologize for my rant last night. It was a truly tear-filled evening. I went to bed and Hubby and I talked for about an hour about several things (money, habits, love, relationships, weight loss). I DO believe that I've had a few breakthroughs in the past 24 hours.

Hubby has agreed to go for walks with me in the mornings. I think this will really help, as so many times I've felt like I'm all alone in my efforts. No one else really enjoys exercising in this house and all too often no one is available on any kind of regular basis at night to do so.

I also went into our game closet in the gameroom and got out our Dance Dance Revolution pad. I turned on the Wii, got everything hooked up and started the game. I did this for about 30 minutes (I've never played at home and I found it to be a REALLY extensive workout, for sure!) and then the family joined me. We all played a couple of songs and then decided to go to the neighborhood pool. We stayed there for about an hour or so. Did I mention we walked there? (Its about 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile) We came back home (walking again) and then had dinner.

After dinner was over I went upstairs and got a board game for the family to play. We played a game called Cashflow, its a game developed by a motivational speaker of sorts. It teaches about passive income, investments, bills, and many other financial aspects. We had a nice time and I think the kids might have even learned a thing or two in the process.

After the game everyone went their separate ways and I decided to play some more Dance Dance Revolution. So I put in about another 30 minutes or so and worked up as good sweat. ALL good exercise for today!!

I ate pretty well today, and chose water to drink all except for breakfast when I had a small glass of milk. I've decided to switch from full-sized dinner plates to a smaller plate. This was I'll be able to better control my portions and not feel compelled to fill the whole plate ad then devour everything therein. If I head out to eat, either with the family or with friends, I'll ask for a to-go box right away so that I can divide my plate in half before I even begin eating.

I am happy to report that even though our vacation got somewhat canceled, the kids took it well (Hubby told them) and we're going to work on budgeting and being a healthier family this week. We are planning a trip to the farm house later in the week to drop off the camper. And then at the end of the week we're going to my sister's home to get some furniture that belongs to my parents for our house here.

So I'll say goodnight for now my friends. Thank you so listening.

Need taller boots..STAT!!!

Well, I've gone and done it now. I've stepped in it over my head and regular wading boots just won't cut it. On top of my worry over my weight loss failures of late, I've royally screwed us in our finances. I've tried to take over the bills and such, but my doing so has almost gotten us into the red in the bank. So tonight Hubby and I sat down and looked at several things. I have cried more times than I care to, I'm even struggling not to burst into tears now.

We cannot afford to go on our planned vacation for this week. So no Frio River for us. And I feel HORRIBLE that this is all my fault!! If I'd have kept a better hold on my spending then we wouldn't be in this mess. So tomorrow morning, somehow, I have to tell our children that we're not going on vacation.

I think I'll try to go to bed now. Hubby's just left my side and headed to bed himself. Although I fear I'll just cry more down there with him, I need to sleep. A winning lottery ticket would REALLY help things right about now. Ah well, I guess its time to take my medicine like a big girl.

Vacation time?

For several years now I've occasionally taken a hiatus from my weight loss journey. I've almost always felt guilty about that when I muster up the courage to step on the scale and find myself with more pounds than I'd anticipated gaining on my time off. So I guess the short of it is that I understand that true weight loss efforts don't get a vacation!

This next week the family (all four of us) are heading to the Frio River here in Texas for a little vacay! We're also going to New Braunfels to hang out as well. The only worry in all of this is the lack of exercise involved in floating the river. I mean, I really don't think that laying on an innertube for hours on end and drifting down in the cool waters burns all that many calories. So I guess its kind of a good thing that the bathrooms an showers are a little bit of a jaunt from our camp site. I'll just have to drink LOTS of water and make sure I need to make trips to the bathrooms often while we're in camp. So this week consists of cleaning the house, doing laundry, and packing.

Usually I wouldn't put so much effort into my cleaning efforts, but supposedly my parents are following us back to the house and staying for a couple of weeks. At the end of our vacation we're going to bring back a lot of their furniture to keep in our house (a couple of beds, chaise lounger, dresser, kitchen table, etc...). So maybe if I do a lot of running up and down the stairs this week it'll make up for some of my laziness next week.

Last week the kids and I went camping at Lake Somerville near College Station with my parents. We were there for seven days and had a fantastic time!! We got to spend some time with my folks and enjoy being outdoors as well. I thought I'd done really well and could look forward to a downward moving scale number upon return home. I weighed a couple days ago (we got back July 21st) and the number was NOT encouraging.

What do you do while on vacation to help ensure success in your weight loss journey?

Interventions

for the past couple of nights I've been watching the show "Intervention" on A&E online. There are so many sad and tragic stores being told on this show! I begin to wonder if there is an "intervention" for folks in my situation. I am not taking drugs, drinking to excess, addicted to shopping or plastic surgery, or any other such things. But I DO believe I have an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise. Scratch that, I don't really have a relationship with exercise at all. At best, its on again - off again. The frightening thing is that I have researched more than a lot of people I know. I have read all the tips/tricks of the weight loss trade. I can give other people the answers to their own success. However, I have not put them into motion in my own life, not consistently at least.

So I sit here late at night on and wonder if tonight will be the night that I make that change in my life. I have heard over and over that with anything you have to WANT to change to do so. I have WANTED to change for YEARS, more than 13 years to be exact. I had the will power to continue through in school (college) and get my associates degree. I need to take care of myself and my own health. I can not be the best mother, wife, woman, friend, etc I am capable of being without first taking the best care of myself, no excuses!

I LOVE when people comment here and I feel, physically in every inch of my being, the support that I receive from those words.

I am trying to accept myself more these days. This is not to say that I do not need change in my life in regards to my lifestyle as it relates to food and exercise. But I'm trying to see that there are great things in me at EVERY weight!! I have stopped coloring my hair. I DO have some gray hairs, and I've decided to embrace them. I earned each and every one of them. They are evidence of my 35+ years of life and the good, bad, and truly awesome times I have experienced along the way.

Thank you friends for your words of encouragement! Through your words, the help of my family, friends, myself, and God I WILL accomplish ALL my goals!!

Definitions

Every wonder what defines you in the eyes of other people? I have come to wonder this many times over the past few months. Am I defined by the fact that I'm a mother and wife? Am I defined by the fact that I do not have a job that pays money? Am I defined by the fact that I am an overweight woman? Am I defined by my house and home?

There are nine definitions found on dictionary.com when I searched the word woman. They are as follows:
1. the female human being (distinguished from man).

2. an adult female person.

3. a female attendant to a lady of rank.

4. a wife.

5. the nature, characteristics, or feelings often attributed to women; womanliness.

6. a sweetheart or paramour; mistress.

7. a female employee or representative: A woman from the real estate agency called.

8. a female person who cleans house, cooks, etc.; housekeeper: The woman will be in to clean today.

9. women collectively: Woman is no longer subordinate to man.

I have yet to start a regular exercise routine, though I have been waking my son and husband so that they can go run on a regular basis. Most mornings I wake up between 4:00am and 5:00am. I don't typically go back to bed and wait for the alarm to go off at either 6:00am or 7:00am. I wander upstairs, log onto the computer, and take care of miscellaneous activities there.

I do not want to be defined by my weight, yet I fear that it is more of an identifier in my life than the fact that I am a woman. I am making a promise to myself to do something about my current situation. To no longer worry about how other see me, but instead to change the way I see myself. Even when those pants I wear to work out in might be a little tighter than I'd prefer, and my shape does nothing to match the one on my screen when I exercise with EA Active, I will strive to be more. I will be more than an overweight individual, more than a woman, more than now while working to take up less space.

Scale? What scale?

It has actually been more than two months since I stepped on a scale. I'm not sure if it has something to do with the fact that my husband moved it from its normal home in the bathroom to the closet, or if it is just my own personal nonviolent protest taking place.

I have done a lot of thinking and retooling my life as of late.

I'm having to work with my son almost daily to get his grades up and keep him out of summer school. He is supposed to be going to Summer Leadership School for ROTC this as well. This starts the first week after school lets out for the year. But if he isn't able to skate by on his grades, then he won't be able to attend that either. I'd LOVE for him to be able to go take advantage of this opportunity, but I will not have him miss summer school if that is the case. I have even taken the time to plot out his next four years in school and plan on showing it to him later this week.

My daughter seems to be on the straight and narrow for the most part. She's only slacking in Math, which is somewhat of a pet peeve of mine considering I'm kind of a math geek. But overall she's holding up her end of the bargain. She isn't doing much in the way of extra-curricular, but that'll come later, I suppose. The only thing I'd change there is her willingness to help out with normal household chores, but this is something that we ALL need help with from time to time.

I've resigned myself to taking ownership of the truck recently as well. We have a pretty newer convertible that I rarely get to drive. Most days hubby takes it to work, citing the excuse of having to drive across town and requiring the vehicle that gets the better gas mileage. Personally, I believe it is simply so he can feel somewhat cool and take all his work buddies out to lunch while enjoying the warm weather, clear skies, and wind in his hair. Now, however, the truck is not running. Well it WILL run, but in essence will not stop properly. There is a leak in the brake line and hubby insists he can fix it and have me running back to new in no time. However his "no time" and mine are not exactly the same. I believe he uses this as a ploy to keep me grounded at home and away from anywhere that might take credit cards as a form of payment. QUITE annoying, I assure you! Yes, he spouts this whole..."get a job and start making car payments and you can have the convertible any time you want" b.s., but I have a sneaking suspicion that even when THAT becomes the case, there will be another convenient reason for my having to drive the truck (see gas/mileage issue from before).

But I am trying to better myself too, not just my children (however feeble that attempt may seem right now in regards to the kids). I'm trying to take a little bit of time out of every day for a bible study of sorts. This is not to say I'm meeting with other people, I'm just working through some devotional books and trying to find some personal time for just me and God. I try to go outside and sit at the picnic table if the weather is nice. Otherwise I tend to sit at the kitchen table and do my studies. I usually have some sort of notebook with me where I jot down notes about what I'm reading and my own personal thoughts on the topic. I also have been trying to write out a little prayer related to that day's readings. This has really been helping, I feel. It gives me a sense of peace about my life and helps to feed my soul.

I am continuing to work through my medical transcription online, and am hopeful that I won't need to file for an extension on the program. If I really get serious about it, I should be able to be finished by the end of July to middle of July. Then, fingers crossed, I'll be able to find employment and feel better about contributing on a monetary level in this family.

Yesterday morning, the rest of the family went out for a run. Hubby likes to run for exercise and tells me I don't know how to run (because I'm more of a jogger/walker and wasn't trained to run in the military). The boy will have to do daily runs at Summer Leadership School and the ROTC program at school is encouraging them to run on a regular basis in order to not have their system totally shocked when they get to camp. The girl says she's cool with walking, and some jogging, but isn't really keen on the whole running gig. She came back early yesterday after the initial jogging/warm-up portion of their routine. Supposedly they are going to give this another go this morning. Let's see if this time the boy comes back and goes back to bed. I'm thinking I won't let him, as I have a list of assignments that have no grades entered in the teachers' gradebooks (or rather they DO have a grade, of zero!).

I need to get back into a regular exercise regimen, as I know that will be the secret to my weight loss success. I need to commit fully a whole three months to exercising without missing any days. If I am still struggling at the end of that time, then I have thought of looking into bariatric surgery. However, I truly feel in my heart that if I were to maintain a good exercise routine and continue eating like I know I should, then surgery would definitely not be needed or warranted.

Thank you friends for being there, and I'm sorry I've been so sporadic about my posting. Right now, Renee at CutieBootyCakes is my hero!! She has done a phenomenal job of getting into shape and looks AMAZING!! Way to go, gal! I think of you daily!

Stress and Weight Loss

I often wonder how stress will affect my weight loss. I have heard on many occasions that this phenomenom will cause you to gain weight, ultimately. Historically, most people turn to food when they feel stress coning on in their lives, hence the word choice of "comfort food" to help ease your troubled mind. They grab their favorite snack or meal and just keep eating until that cozy feeling of calm washes over them. I feel differently, though. In my personal experience, when stress begins to creep into my existence, my appetite falls off. Yes, I stop eating! Not altogether mind you, but certainly less than when I'm genuinely happy with life.

However, this time, I seem to be plateauing. I think that is because when I feel these pressures, I also stop exercising. This is incredibly perplexing to me, since I know that when I exercise I seem to escape into a different world for those brief times, and my worries almost sweat off of me with the unwanted weight. I also tend to have a greater affinity for naps when I'm feeling down. This is likely brought on by the fact that my migraines increase substantially as well. So instead of taking something for the pain and trudging through, I lay down and sleep for a couple hours hoping the pain will be fooled into going away while I slumber.

I'm currently dealing with a problem that I have become all too familiar with in the past years, my son's grades/schoolwork. He's 14 years old, just days away from 15, a freshman at high school...and one of the most unmotivated kids I think I've ever encountered when it comes to schoolwork. Every day it's the same conversation: "Have any homework?" "Nope. Finished it already." Or the ever popular: "Why didn't you turn in that assignment today?" "Our teacher wasn't here, so I couldn't turn it in." Well, that school certainly needs to take some of our taxes and work on a more effective preventative program with regards to their teachers and insurance, because far too many of them get sick far too often!!

I get very little from the teachers themselves, until there's a problem, of course. But I am trying. He's asked me if I can give him two days to turn things around. Time to get several assignments turned in, get some of his failing grades up. I've informed him that if at the end of this time I do not see marked improvement, then he and I will be attending morning tutorials TOGETHER in any class where he is not currently passing. I will be sending out numerous emails in the morning to inform his teachers of this fact, as well. I would love to say that I have every faith in him that he WILL turn things around, but sadly I don't. I have religious faith, faith in things I have not seen, but this faith is going to require evidence to return.

Thank you friends, for sticking with me through this. I think tonight I'll try out a new Wii game I just got (Just Dance), on top of doing some more Wii Fit Plus.

Wii will beat this!

We got the Wii back a couple of weeks ago. Today I got the balance board working and got to try out the Wii Fit Plus game. Can I just say I LOVE this game! The added "games" are super cute!! I have yet to try out the personalized workout, but plan on giving that a shot tomorrow. I think I'll do Wii Fit every day for 30 minutes and then also do the EA Active on the scheduled days (two days on, one day off). I'm hoping that'll be enough to jump start me.

I did the body test on Wii Fit, and was pleased to see that I had not gained any in my time off of blogging. I enjoyed our Spring Break mini-vacay for sure!!! We went to my sister's/parents' and then spent some time with my in-laws. Overall we had a GREAT time and also got to see my sister and nephew break out their mad skills on Wii Fit at their house. I WISH I'd have taken video of my sister doing the Super Hula Hoop, it was HILARIOUS!!! Apparently it helps to twirl your hand above your head while hula hooping..hehehe

So I'd better get back to supper. Here's my stats for today:

Breakfast:
1 cup hot tea with TruVia
1 apple

Lunch:
3/4 cup Seafood salad
Reduced fat crackers

Snack:
1 cup frozen strawberries w/o sugar

Supper: Tuna Helper

Exercise:
35 minutes on Wii Fit Plus

Car trouble, pretty weather, and annoying men...

So this whole weekend has been REALLY nice! The weather has been around the high 60s and so I've had the windows open and enjoyed the savings in not running the heater or air conditioner. I've taken a few walks about the neighborhood and am really feeling better all around!

We currently own three cars, yes three. One is a 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup truck, one is a 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible, and lastly is the 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier. This last one was bought cheap to be the Hubby's work car as it used less gas than the truck when he was going to and from work. Of course, since getting the convertible THAT has become the new "work car" for him. The Cavalier has been out of commission and parked in the garage for some time now. For some reason it won't start. We've replaced spark plugs, spark plug wires, ignition coils, and more...and still nothing. This car has been earmarked for the boy. Sure, its a piece of shit, but its four wheels and so many young people DON'T have transportation upon turning 16. That having been said, I've told the boy that his dad (Hubby) is more likely to work on it if he (son) asks his dad (Hubby) to HELP him with the car. And since son's grades are less than stellar right now, and he can't get on the computer, this is really his only option for "something to do" on the weekends. They started working on the car yesterday. Today they think they have it narrowed down to the ignition module. So the saga continues... The boy turns 15 April 3rd and is hoping to have the care running by then so he can practice in the car he'll be driving. I'm just hoping the weather holds out.

Lately my husband has decided that he wants to have some fun annoying me. and the object of this annoyance is his facial hair. He's one of those guys that can grow a full on beard in a week easy. And he's had a full beard since early fall. But he decided that it was getting too itchy, the weather was warming up, and he wanted to shave it. But instead of just shaving down to a mustache (my personal preference)..he's on a hair crusade. Here's a visual:

Starting with the beard

His words: "Phase 1 of driving the wife crazy. Next phase is likely removing the thin sideburns. Suggestions?

Again his words..."Phase 2, removing the mustache 'Hetfield Light' is complete. Thanks for the suggestion, Dave!"

He knows I detest a goatee on him and now he's thinking about transitioning from a goatee to a soul patch...Ugh!! Yikes! If he were a heavier sleeper I'd shave it in his sleep!! He's posting these pictures on Facebook and asking his friends for suggestions on what he should do next. I guess my only solace is knowing that in a week's time this little "experiment" will be OVER!! Ugh!

This past week I DID send the Wii off for repairs, so hopefully it'll be back before the end of the month and I'll be able to resume Wii workouts too!!

I haven't weighed in today, likely will tomorrow. Happy dieting friends!

Planning out menus

So part of my greatest successes has come when I sat down and planned out what the family (or at the very least, the Hubby and I) would be having for dinner every night. So I sit down with a print shop program, a stack of recipe books/cards, and do just that. I try to do this a month in advance, though some times (like today) I've been too preoccupied to do so and have to wing it once in a while.

Here's a picture of one of the menu plans:


Feel free to click on the picture for a more clear view of the items listed within. If by some chance we have leftovers one night, or deviate from the plan, then I just cross it out and write the next month's name over that date. So that way that date's food just gets thrown into the rotation for the coming days.

Tonight I think I'm going to wing it with grilled chicken salads for the whole family. We all tend to really like salad nights, and I'm thrilled to say when we DO have salads, the kids even join us!! About half of the time, they turn their noses up at what I'm making and opt for a sandwich or other such quickie-food. I don't keep a lot of snack-type junk food in the house, so usually I don't mind if they choose to fend for themselves.

Well, I need to get to it and go make supper (then come back in here and work on March's menu). Happy dieting friends!

To anime or not to anime....

Alright, this is NOT about weight loss, but rather something I'm seeking some advice on.

Last night my daughter (currently 12 yrs old) asked if I could help her put together an anime outfit for a friend's birthday party. Her and her friends have been into anime for a while. She watches it on you tube ALL THE TIME! I always laugh since she has to be able to hear it, even though it is all subtitled and spoken in Japanese (and no, she doesn't speak Japanese or understand it...she reads the whole darn thing).

So I start thinking, sure! Its a cute idea for a costume party. Then when the hubby comes home she tells him that they will go on from the friend's house to an anime convention in Dallas. THIS made me stop for a second. I would post pictures I've seen of other anime convention goers, but they are SO NSFW (not safe for work)!!

So my question is, am I just being overprotective by thinking it is not such a good idea to take a bunch of 13 yr old girls all dressed up (and mind you my daughter HAS been mistaken for a high school and/or college-aged girl before) to an anime convention?

Oh my aching legs!!

Yesterday was a GORGEOUS day here!!! The sun was out, there was a slight breeze, and temperature was cozy (not too cold, not too hot). It wasn't the perfect day, temperature-wise, but it was pretty close. So I went to early service at church and after Sunday school decided my plan for the day. I sat in Chili's eating a nice salad and figured I'd go for a brisk walk for my exercise for the day and then wash the convertible (it has REALLY needed it).

I got home, changed clothes, and then decided I needed to recruit others to join me. It was easy convincing the dog, she's ALWAYS willing to leave the house. Hubby thought it was a good idea, but wanted to shower, grab a bite to eat, and change clothes first. My daughter was ready and willing to get out of the house (and skirt any chance of having to clean anything). My son decided to stay home and pick up stuff around here rather than walk with us. No biggie, I figured at much.

So off we went. I had already planned our route in advance. We were going to walk to the skate park. I did NOT plan that this would be quite an undertaking. The distance is about a mile and a half. When we'd gotten in front of the middle schools (somewhere around 1/2 of the distance) I could feel my hips and upper thighs SCREAMING at me. They were pleading with me to STOP! GO HOME! END THIS INSANITY! But I kept on. Granted, I would slow down and keep up the back area of our little group from time to time. I felt what was important to consider though was that I kept going!! My husband would pick on me for slowing, but I just took that opportunity to remind him that my pace was not what he should be concentrating on, rather the fact that I was determined to complete this walk. And finish I did!!

We made it to the skate park, sat down to rest, and take in the show the local boys were putting on. I think they might have thought my daughter was about 16-17 years old, as they seemed to stay in her line of sight most of the time and tried to pull out their best tricks. hehe One of them even said to one of the younger boys, "Here, I'll show you how its done." My dear dog appreciated the rest as well. She sat in my lap and just relaxed for a few minutes before demanding we give her some love through scratchings.

After a short break we made our way back home. It might have taken a little longer to get to the house than we'd anticipated, but no worries. No need to call the boy and have him drive the car down to pick us up. hehe We got home and remedied the only regret I had throughout the whole trip. I'd forgotten to bring any water and the fountains at the skate park were not working. We all drank plenty of water and got rehydrated. Then we decided to play some board games. We played Settlers of Catan and then Uno to cap off the afternoon.

I made spaghetti for supper and then the Hubby and I took in some TV and were off to sleep around 9:30pm or so. A little earlier than normal, but we'd REALLY been tuckered out on our walk. So all in all, I'd do the same walk again, but next time I'll REMEMBER the water!!

Celebrating a small success!!!

So although I've been less than wonderfully dedicated to the exercise cause, I have been watching my eating (and writing it down) which is HELPING!!! I'm down 6lbs since last week! And by normal standards that is a lot, but when you're over 280lbs, it is understandable. I weighed in last Saturday afternoon and I was topping out at 284.5lbs...this afternoon the scale read 278.5. Yay, me!!!

My top weight has been 284.5lbs and quite frankly it scared me! My husband stated that he was more worried about me developing diabetes and that kind of woke me up again. I had FOR SURE been sleeping on the healthy job in the past several months.

I had a Tastefully Simple party last night where we tried all kinds of yummy foods. Jennifer Longstreet came by to do the party and she did a GREAT job!! Please feel free to click on her name and shoot her an email if you're ever in need of any products. I plan on incorporating several seasonings and things into my regular cooking schedule. I have to celebrate my keeping up with that schedule! I've diligently made a schedule of supper plans for two months now. And only about 3 nights a month ave we strayed from the game plan. I'm going to sit down tomorrow after church and make up March's menu. Perhaps some time I'll share my more tasty recipes with all of you!

Well, I'm off to watch one of my favorite classic musicals (Annie). I always preferred the older one with Bernadette Peters, Carol Burnett, and such... and possibly enjoy a small bowl of popcorn with the show. =) Laters, friends!

To loop or not to loop...

So since I'm a stay-at-home mom I peruse the channels on TV rather often. And there seems to be a lot of bariatric surgery (both stomach stapling and lap-band) commercials on during the day. And as I struggle through all this and fight my impulses NOT to work out (I truly detest the practice on a whole), I wonder if that option would make things better. Being severely obese (which I am at more than 100lbs overweight) I think this might make things easier.

But SHOULD things be easier? I mean, grated it was incredibly easy to put this weight on over the years, but perhaps it SHOULD be a struggle to take it off again. Maybe in that struggle you find your true strength and begin to appreciate those thinner days so many years ago. Or by chance, it makes you happier to STAY healthy when you DO achieve your goals, because you know how much work it would take to get there again.

I'm sure our insurance would kick in in the payment arena, being that I have a family history of diabetes and such. But I'm thinking that I NEED to just bite the bullet and struggle through. I do not judge others that have taken the surgical route at all! We each must decide our paths for ourselves. And I believe my path rotates on a loop upstairs in the gameroom and goes by the name of treadmill.

Helping out...

This evening my plans were a tad derailed...I had a friend call and need me to come over and watch her kiddos whilst she visited her mother who has recently been hospitalized. So I threw together a plan for supper, told the hubby what to get on the way home, and headed out.

I've sat here and read through a few blogs, and I'm only hoping that I can be inspired enough by these wonderful folks to continue the trek towards a healthier me. I'd say a better me, but I beginning to change my mind about that. I think I'm a pretty fabulous me right now, I am just not near as healthy as I'd like. Just last night (or rather QUITE early this morning) I got some reassurance from my Hubby. He woke me up around 1:00am for...SEX!!! Yep! He woke up in the middle of the night with a craving, and it was me!!! I have to admit I was mildly annoyed to be plucked from a deep slumber for a poking session. hehe But I can't say I didn't enjoy it and it does help to know he still finds me desirable.

So tomorrow morning I will wake up, exercise, shower, and get dressed...even if I never leave the house. Because I'm a pretty hot chick as I am, I just need to be healthier. =)

Can I take a personal day, please?

So this weekend I did pretty well on my food stuff, I have it written down here in a journal, but won't bore you with all the gory details.

My concern today is...can I take the day off? I plan to weigh in later this morning. But I must tell you I've been sneezing since I woke up this morning. Ugh!!

I got two new workout DVDs that I plan on trying this afternoon...




To be perfectly honest, I'm tired of watching all these celebs dance their butts off on the show and drop the pounds. So I'm hoping to learn some smooth moves (whilst dreaming of Maksim) and lose a few in the process.

In lieu of snacking...

So like some people who are trying to quit smoking or any other habit they're trying to stop, I've found that in order to stop with mindless snacking I need something to do with my hands. Sure I could get on the computer and play some equally mindless game, but somehow that just doesn't cut it. It would appear that the two mindless activities are drawn to each other, ugh! Go figure.



So I do crosswords. But I am kind of a cheater and not like a hardcore crossword doer. I LOVE LOVE LOVE People magazine crosswords. Every time they come out with the special puzzle books I snatch them up and take them home to get to work on. I don't complete most of the puzzles in the book, but will work on them from time to time. Usually before I go to bed, when I'd really rather go grab something from the fridge or pantry, instead I grab my puzzles and a pen and get to work. Of course this is only mildly mindless, since I have to think about the answers often times. Somehow this occupies my mind enough that I don't feel the need to snack at all!

What about you? Do you have some special activity that you do to avoid some habit you're trying to break?

The good day...

Today was not necessarily a good day in the eating department, but it WAS a good day in terms of how I felt!

Here's the run-down on food-stuff:

Breakfast:
Hot tea and strawberries

Lunch:
Chicken Sandwich
About 5 tater tots
2 mozzarella sticks
1 cherry limeade

Snack:
1 Pepperoni Pizza Pocket

Supper:
Spaghetti with meatballs
Garlic bread
Salad

Alright, so that's out of the way. Yep, I did a bad, bad thing, but I'm not going to punish myself about it.

Now onto the better thing! Today I felt genuinely pretty!! I got all dolled up to go to Ash Wednesday service. I'm in the process of growing my hair out, so its at that in between stage (too long to wear the normal way I was wearing it, and too short to do too much with as far as a medium length hairstyle goes). So I decided to try something I haven't done in over a year. I broke out the curling iron and went to work. And I LOVED the way it looked!! I put on my makeup and everything went just right. Lashes curled just so, no clumping of mascara, lines of eye shadow were just as I'd wanted them to be...it was greatness in the mirror. I grabbed a long skirt, my best pair of Spanx, put on my pantyhose, slipped a nice sweater over my head and I was out the door to pick up the kids from school.

I sat in the car waiting for my son to get out of class and saw my reflection in the side mirror. So I grabbed my phone and snapped a shot of it. Here it is:
So today, I felt pretty! I posted this picture on my facebook page and got a lot of great feedback about it. Sure, I still have a few more chins that I'd care to have and my face is a little more round than I remembered it being so many years ago. But today it didn't matter, because I felt pretty and tomorrow is another day to do better with my food and regain the me that is hiding deep inside...continue my search for my inner skinny and bring it out for all the world to see.

I did my best when...

Over the past couple of day, I've been trying to go back over in my mind when I had my greatest successes with weight loss. And I've come up with a couple of simple truths.

I did my best when I was keeping a food journal.
I did my best when I made it a point to exercise in SOME WAY every day.
I did my best when I drank plenty of water every day and stayed away from Cokes and such.
I did my best when I made a point of NOT eating fast food!
I did my best when I just wrote it all out.

So over the course of this week I will re-implement each of these things into my every day life. Today I start with the food journal. And I think I will use this blog to help keep track of that very thing. The best part about it is by doing these things I will be checking in and writing more (which helps with the last one). So here's what I had today:

Breakfast:
None

Snack:
1 cup hot tea with 1 TruVia packet

Lunch:
Chicken & Beef Fajitas
4 Flour Tortillas
1 Serving Spanish Rice
1 Serving Fat Free Refried Beans
2 Cans Diet Dr. Pepper

Snack:
3 Pork Egg Rolls with Sweet & Sour Sauce
Grapes
Strawberries

Plans for Supper:
Shrimp & Scallops with
Fettuccine noodles and
Light Bertolli Alfredo Sauce
Garlic Bread

So bear with me friends and supporters, and I'm sorry if this isn't going to be the most thrilling words I write. I need to get back to me. I need to get back to those wonderful feelings of wanting to be out there with others and see and be seen!! I have crawled into a cave known as my home and barricaded the door with things like laundry, needing to make dinner, miscellaneous housework, and so much more. and in the process, I'm barricading myself against my friends and family that have supported me throughout everything and whose love and affection hasn't wavered even once!

Snow + Exercise?

Alright, I know my northern friends will think I'm full of it, but I don't care. I LOVE the snow!!! Dallas got 11.5 inches of this beautiful white stuff yesterday!! We got 6 inches here at the house. Here's our snowman we built:


Yep, he's about 7' tall, because we do things BIG in Texas, y'all! hehe

The kids and I got up this morning and went to work on just enjoying the snow. Seeing as how we so rarely get any in Texas, this is a REAL treat! And the great thing is, its that good sticky snow (perfect for snowmen and snowball fights). I did my fair share of running around, chasing the kids, and pelting them with snow...so I think I might have burned off at least SOME calories in the process, right?!

So today, I'm going to continue to eat right, and just enjoy the day. I might even get around to the treadmill later on. I'm thinking about just going outside and taking a long walk instead though, gotta see if anyone else built Texas snowmen. hehehe

Fits like a glove

Sadly I do not mean a new dress or other outfit. Instead, I'm talking about this blog. I took quite a bit of time off from the blogosphere. I wish in my time off I could say I'm svelte and sexy and what-not, but alas I'm not.

I've reached a new high, but for the past two weeks I've been making an effort to get up early, make breakfast for my family (and self) and get work done every day on my medical transcription. I hope to be done with the program and seeking employment early next month. Most morning I wake anywhere from 4:30am to 6:00am. I end up crashing into bed some time around 10:00pm most evenings, although a few its been a bit earlier.

I NEED to get back into a good exercise routine, especially given my recent waking habits. Unfortunately the Wii is out of commission, and has been for some time (I need to send it off for repairs and just haven't gotten around to doing so, yet), so that means no Wii Fit or EA Active Sports for me. I still have several exercising DVDs and the treadmill as well. So I just need to commit to it and do it.

Why is it that it is always easy to say "this will be my year" or " tomorrow I start anew" and the such, but when it comes down to it....I never seem able to keep that motivation up. I've thought of joining a gym, but I have had memberships in the past and not stayed with those either. I don't think I need any surgical help, nasty powdered shake, or diet pills to get me on the right track. It just takes determination, and no one can provide that but me, myself, and I.

So tomorrow, when I awake again early in the morning, I hope to exercise and keep on track until I reach my goal.

What I've had today:
Breakfast: 5 Homemade Sausage Kolaches, 2 cups diet cranberry juice cocktail
Lunch: 3 Kolaches, 1 Diet Dr. Pepper, 1 slice key lime pie
Snack: 2 cups hot tea with Truvia sweetener

Plans for supper are to make Jambalaya or Gumbo