Starting Work....

Tonight I will begin working for the first time in almost 7 years. I will be working overnight from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. so that I can be home during the day time with the car and to care for That Other Kid. During my awake times I will need to care for the house, the dh, homeschool That Other Kid and most of all take care of myself!! I am determined that "myself" will not come last!! I plan to find a way to continue exercising! It is important to me and my sanity!

I am probably going to be blogging and checking emails at night during my breaks, so don't think I have disappeared...I will just be sleeping when ya'll are awake and working when ya'll are sleeping! lol

I would appreciate prayers as this is going to be a huge transition for our family!

On the bright side....I will be moving all night long so I should be burning some major calories!! I'll let you know!!

Taking It To the Bank....

This weeks Monday Project for the Sisterhood was to look at the "deposits" we make each week in our progress. No matter what we accomplish (or don't accomplish) we get something out of every thing that we do. This was an interesting Project for me. This week my life changed dramatically...I got a FULL TIME JOB!! I have been a stay at home mom for nearly 20 years. I have worked occasionally during the past 20 years but NEVER full time! I will also be working 3rd shift (which I have never done!) so that my dh can have the car during the day for his continued search for work and I can still spend time with That Other Kid and continue to homeschool him. Not only will I be working 3rd shift but it will be physically demanding!! I'm both excited and scared, but because of what I have accomplished over the past 11 months I know that I can do it!!

What have I "taken to the bank" this week? Thanks for asking...over the next few weeks I'm sure I will be adding to this list, but for now here it is.

1) I learned that I can still get employment -- even in tough times!

2) I can adapt my very structured, routine life!

3) I can, at the drop of the hat (or ring of the phone in this case) change my "already scheduled" work schedule to adapt to the needs of my new employer. I was originally scheduled for orientation on Friday, but at 5 pm Wednesday they called and asked me to come in on Thursday morning instead. This means I actually get to start WORKING sooner and I get a paycheck next Thursday instead of waiting till the 18th of March!!
YAY!!

4) I learned that I NEED to exercise for my sanity! No matter how tired, busy, or mentally blah I feel, exercising makes me feel better!! This week has been kind of crazy with the busyness of getting a job and preparing our family for the changes of said job. But at the end of the day I have WANTED to exercise...it made me sleep better, relax and let the stresses of the day melt away! And with the Wii Fit Plus I could even do the "free step" and watch the Olympics at the same time!! I burned (according to the the Wii) 128 calories while watching tv!! YAY!!

5) This week I took to the bank that I don't NEED to drink soda just because others are!! Today in the break room every where I looked people were drinking soda!! I drank my big bottle of water that I brought from home!! I also discovered that I NEED to drink at least 64 ounces of water during an 8 hour day to feel hydrated!! I guess they will have to give me lots of bathroom breaks, because I am going to need to guzzle my water on my breaks!

6) Did you know that McDonald's french fries are some of the "healthiest" fries out there? It's true! My dh saw it on a yahoo news report this week! Although they are the healthiest fries out there, they are NOT good for you!! Did you know that most Walmarts have McDonald's in them?...at least they do around here!! Did you know that McDonald's fries are my mostest favorite fries in the whole world? Did you know that I DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO NOT PURCHASE SAID FRIES AT 5 P.M. (even when HUNGRY!)? I didn't know it either....till I walked right out of that store WITHOUT BUYING FRENCH FRIES and eating my apple instead!! I just saved myself some major fat calories!! Thanks me!!

This week I learned alot about myself...and I'm putting it ALL in the bank. Over the next few weeks I know that I am gonna need to look back at all these "deposits" and see just what I am made of!! And I'm going to make sure that I continue making more deposits to the bank....because I still have a long way to go!!

Time For New Challenge....Weigh In

Isn't this the prettiest logo you have seen in a long time?? I need Spring!!
I could definitely go for some Spring-y-ness around here so in preparation for Spring the Sisters are having another Challenge, this time with TEAMS!! I'm on Team E (we get to come up with our own names!!) with Trish (don't you just love this blog name??), Mendie, Donya, Leslie, and Melissa. Teams are a ton of fun and very exciting when we get to encourage each other to succeed!!

I'm so excited to be starting this challenge right now. I'm about to start working (overnight; as in 3rd shift) and I haven't worked in over 6 years. I have never worked overnight...but I am confident that I can continue losing weight with some serious will power, and some love from my sisters! I'm not making any promises on consistent exercise during the beginning of this new schedule, but I will be exercising some since I will be moving constantly and lifting and carrying boxes and what-not.

The past couple of months have been stressful for me, since there has not been any income coming in, but now it looks like dh is finding at least a bit of work, and I will be working so maybe my mental stress will go down. Now I just have to control my emotional stresses of a new schedule and routine.

Ok...so down to business. Weigh in time -- It's not pretty but I didn't expect it to be. Did you read my Confessions? I'll wait if you want to read it now. That way you'll understand...You're back? Ok...so here goes...

Last week -- 188.0

This week -- 189.0

Actually I was surprised that it wasn't more of a gain. So I start this new challenge at 189.0. My goal for the 8 week challenge which takes us into the end of April is to lose 4 pounds so that I am at 185. I would love to lose more but I think if I set up a bigger goal than that I am going to set myself up for disappointment. The next couple of months are going to be difficult enough I don't need to add anything else to it.

My One Year Anniversary of Healthier Living is 30 days away and I would like to hit a major milestone by that date. I think it would be great if I could weigh in at 186.8 on March 25...that would mean I had lost 40 pounds in 1 year. When I look at that number I kind of get discouraged but then I think about all the obstacles that I have conquered in this year. Not to mention going through a year of financial unstability with dh's work situation. So I'm going to be proud of myself and not get down. Instead I'm going to get HAPPY!! And I'm going to workout harder and stick with my healthy eating even better!!

I hope that ya'll will join in this new challenge. We always have so much fun! Oh and I almost forgot to mention -- The Sisters are giving away 11 copies of the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD!! You only have 24 hours to get your chance to win, so hurry!! I already own it and I can tell you it is a "killer good workout"!! We are going to start the workouts again on March 1. I hope I can find a way to do it every day...hum...when to exercise?? sleep, eat, spend time with That Other Kid and do everything else that momma needs to do??

Confession Time AGAIN!!

Tuesdays are Confession Day over at the Sisterhood so let's get this over with. I have MUCH to confess this week. It has not been pretty and the scale indicated as much this morning when I hopped on to check the damage before weigh in. Maybe it will be nicer tomorrow...

1) Coke has invaded my drinking routine again. I have had more coke over the past 6 days than I have over the past 6 months combined. I don't even have a good reason...other than I have become BORED with drinking water and don't really like Iced Tea unless it is sweet! Kind of defeats the purpose of drinking tea if you have to have a bunch of sugar in it. May as well have coke which is what I did!! I did break the habit today....I have ONLY had water today...not enough of it, but at least that is all I have drank.

2) Potato chips have also found their way back into my snacking ritual! Why do I do this?? Now I am retaining water and feel bloated. I bought the chips for That Other Kid and I have had just as many as he has.

3) I fixed hamburgers tonight for dinner because dh wanted them. Guess what I served with them? You got it potato chips!! Bad mommy!! What happened to fruit and veggies with my meals? Um...don't know but they have not been very visible this week in my daily food intake.

4) We were without internet service for nearly 48 hours (Sunday afternoon till this afternoon) and I thought my head was going to explode from not being able to get online 20 million times a day! I did have my phone so I could check some things online but the screen is only about 2" x 2" and it's real hard to read anything other than basic emails!

5) WE (as in dh and I) have been frantically searching for employment. Saturday a friend told me of a lead at a Walmart about 30 minutes away. Yesterday I went down there and forced an interview, filled out paperwork, went down and got a drug test and today was OFFICIALLY hired! I will be working from 10 P.M. to 7 A.M., starting this weekend. I am a night owl but this is really going to be difficult to stay up ALL NIGHT, get enough sleep, spend time with That Other Kid and homeschool him. Not to mention exercise, care for the house, and all the other stuff moms usually do!
Where's the confession? I'm scared!! I scared that I will not be able to continue losing weight! I'm scared I won't be able to spend time with my son! I'm scared that I won't be able to handle working again, especially in a physically demanding area. I will be stocking shelves, unpacking boxes, etc. so I know that I will be moving all night long, but will I be able to stay active enough? Will I have enough self-control to not just sit there during my lunch break and eat junk/drink coke? Will I find a way to do it all??

Ok...so here's my confessions!! I know that I'm not alone, so that does make me feel better but I need to get a grip and get rid of the coke and chip habit again!! It's a good thing we have a new Challenge starting tomorrow. That will definitely be beneficial for me. I think I'm gonna need all the help I can get!! Prayers will be helpful, too!!

My SuperHero Alter Ego

Today's Monday Project is to create an alter ego that is a super hero for myself and talk about some of the super powers that she would have. This one was kind of difficult for me so I enlisted the help of my dh.

As a stay at home mom who has poured almost 20 years into caring for her kiddos, as well as homeschooling and taking care of the home management side of being a homemaker, my dh has often called me "SuperMom". I never really thought of myself as supermom but as I have been thinking about this alter ego I decided that this would be my ideal super hero character. As SuperMom I would definitely NOT wear a cape....A cape would just get in the way of my constant movement! Because as SuperMom moving all day long is just part of the role!

Although I have been a stay at home mom for what seems like forever it is what I always dreamed of doing as a kid. After I got over the idea of being a nurse the first time I saw a bunch of blood and a broken bone (my own) -- of course, because didn't every little girl want to be a nurse back in the 70's??

I would change MANY things though, if I were the SuperMom in my head...

1)I would not be lazy EVER!! I would never go to bed with a dirty, cluttered, unorganized home.

2)I would enlist my kids in a healthy lifestyle from Day 1. Sitting around just watching tv would be for OCCASIONAL days...not days where I just don't want to do anything, which sadly is more often than I would care to admit!

3)I would homeschool my kids the way THEY learned best, not how I learn best! I would take more walks, do more nature studies, do more things that incorporate the lifestyle of our ancestors. I would also teach them more about the finer things in life; art, music, and caring for others.

4)I would make sure that my kids were actively moving EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Even when it is cold, rainy, snowy, windy or too hot! I would teach them that the most important part of their day needs to be to take care of their body by moving it and caring for all parts of it...from the top of their head to the bottoms of their feet!

5)SuperMom would also have time to help others in her life. Friends, family, and the community around her would benefit from all that she accomplished.

6)One of the most important things that SuperMom would do is to put herself FIRST; NOT LAST...Because she would realize that the mom that is healthy and happy is a better mom.


I am accomplishing much more of these things as I continue to get a grasp on my own health and raise That Other Kid but the way I see it there is always room for improvement. Maybe by the time I am a grandmother (which better be A LONG TIME FROM NOW).... I will be where I want to be and I can be SuperGrammy!!

Olympic Weigh In Time

Over at the Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans we have been participating in a little Olympic competition ourselves! It has been fun and I have found that I am a lot stronger than I thought I was. Last night I did the Plank Hold and did it for 1 minute and 57 seconds. The last time I did Plank Holds on a regular basis I was only able to do it about 45 seconds!! I have really improved over the past year and that made me proud of myself! The last time I looked at the record board Karena was leading the pack with a standing of over 3 minutes!! All I have to say to that is "holy cow"!! My arms hurt like crazy today and I did it for a full minute less than she did!! She is obviously alot stronger than me!! YAY Karena!!

The Olympic games have been fun to watch on tv this week, although I haven't been able to watch nearly as much as I want to. But I do have to workout myself and care for my family....and sleep...such a drag!!

If you are of the competitive nature and want to participate in our Olympics come on over to the 'hood and sign up. Anyone can join and they are even giving medals!! Not to mention the sheer joy of participating in something good for you!!

Ok...now it's time for the all important weigh in for the week. I didn't really know what to expect so just got on and looked down....

Last week: 188.8
This morning: 188.0

So I am down half a pound and happy to see a number that is LESS than last week! This is the first week in several that I can say that.

I have been working out harder (especially doing the Olympic competitions with the girls) and have been trying to eat more carefully...meaning thinking before I stick something in my mouth! That doesn't mean that I have cared what I have put in my mouth, but at least I am thinking about it!

The Sisterhood is starting a new challenge on the 24th (next Wednesday) and we are doing teams this time, so I hope ya'll will join in. It's always fun to compete with others while losing weight!! If you want to join in go over and sign up...May the best team win!! (The one I am on, of course!!)

Just When I Think I Can't Go Another Day...

God shows up and makes me realize that HE will take care of me/us.

This weekend I checked online and found that the automatic debit that comes out of our bank account for our Toll Tag had debited $40. That took our account into overdraft status with the purchases that were made this weekend (gas and groceries).

DH has still has not found work. I have applied for work for nearly every place I can think of that I would be qualified to work at (which isn't much since there isn't a big demand for stay at home moms in the job market). That leaves us in a bad place again.

Fast forward to this morning....a friend emailed me and said she wanted to bring a book over to me that I had loaned her, but wouldn't be able to stay long. I told her it could wait till later in the week since she couldn't stay long. She said that was ok, she wanted to bring me something else, too. Ok...I would welcome her coming over even if it was a short visit.

She came over this afternoon, with my book and a check that her husband said to bring us. I started crying, even before seeing the amount. After she left I looked at the amount and really started crying! It is enough to pay our past due auto insurance payment, our cell phone bill and money for gas and groceries!!

Dh said "Thank God for friends!!" I say, AMEN!!

God is sooooooooooooooooo good to us!! All we have to do is believe!! I believe!!

February Means Snow In Texas....

I'm a wimp...I lived in Kansas till I was nearly 25 years old. Snow is common place there and it never really bothered me. Nor did it affect my mental outlook. I just went with the flow of it. I learned to drive in it. I learned to shovel it. I just dealt with it.

When That Kid was 11 months old, we moved cross country to California's central valley. It NEVER snowed there in the 4 years that we lived there. When That Kid was almost 5 we moved to the Dallas area. One of the things about living in Texas was that the weather was usually predictable. HOT and humid in the summer, mild in the fall and winter and wet and humid in the spring!

This fall and winter HAS NOT BEEN MILD!!! It has been stinking cold (for Texas!). I am spoiled! I do own a coat of sorts. It is more of a rain coat with a liner. It is not designed for days of below freezing temperatures! I gave all our gloves away because we didn't use them! BUT....this winter I needed gloves and a heavier coat, but who wants to make purchases like that when they won't be used again for years? Not me...So, I have stayed inside ALOT this winter...

We got record breaking snowfall this week. 12 inches of snow in about 24 hours. That has NEVER happened here. And what did I do? I stayed inside and complained about how cold it was! It was pretty sad actually. Yesterday the temperature went up to the lower 40's and I figured I really should not deprive That Other Kid of the pleasure of making a snowman and snowballs. Especially since he may not get to do it again for years (at least here!). So I sucked it up, dressed him in double layers with socks for gloves and let him go out to make a snowman and snowballs before it all melted away. We were almost too late. Within 3 hours of making our snowman it had melted. Today the only snow on the ground is in little patches that don't get much sunlight. I am perfectly ok with the fact that there is no visible snow on the ground now. People here don't know how to drive in this stuff and it is dangerous to be on the roads!

As you can see in the pictures the sun was bright! It was very strange to see snow and the sun at the same time. We have been sun-deprived this winter as well! It is still cold (at least for Texas) and there is even more snow in the forcast! What is wrong with this season? Doesn't 'mother nature' know that this is Texas??

Monday Project -- Final Questions For Rethink Your Shrink

It's time for the final Monday Project for the "Rethink Your Shrink" Challenge from the Sisterhood. This challenge was the hardest one thus far for me to stay focused on but I learned more about myself than any of the other challenges that I have participated in. Although my goals were not all met, I learned SOOOO MUCH about myself and the things I need to do to stay on the course of losing weight and getting healthy.


What happened over the past 7 weeks? Many things happened over the course of the past 6/7 weeks that have made it VERY difficult to stay focused on my journey of weight loss. I have been under a great deal of stress that I never expected to have to deal with, but I have (with the help of my friends - both real and virtual) been able to at least stay somewhat focused. I learned the things to do and the things to stay away from.

Did you move more? Um...more? I'm not sure I can say I moved more, but I continued moving and that is really one of the main keys for me to lose weight. I consistently exercised, even completing the first monthly challenge from the Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum Wii Game during this time. It was a good thing for me to do during this time because I didn't want to "not do it". I like having a challenge set up for me to do frequently.

Did you find victories? There were victories...just not as many as I wanted. I did keep my house picked up. I did manage to increase my fruit/veggies consumption. I did manage to lose some weight during this time.

Did you find non-scale victories? Oops...see above!

Did you do something you’ve never done before? (And in a good way?) Yes, I did do something different! I tried Pilates and it is something I have been telling myself I was going to try for MANY years! I enjoyed it, although I hurt for several days after....just showing me that I need to do it more frequently!

How much did you lose? I lost 3.4 pounds during this challenge. I also lost the ability to say "I can't do it!!" just because it is hard.

How did you do when you had an off-week? Did you fall off? Did you get back up? I had several bad weeks during this time, but they were productive times where I did continue working at the "mental" perspective of losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle! I managed to not pick up the coke habit again and I ate some fruit or veggies EVERY SINGLE DAY!! When I had a bad day I just went to the Shrinking Jeans website and "visited" my friends. Reading about their challenges and successes made it easier for me to stay on track. I also managed to walk away from the kitchen a few times when all I wanted to do was sit with a bunch of junk and pig out! I did pick myself back up and wipe my eyes and get back on track (mostly).

Where did you find motivation? I found my motivation from my projects that Christie assigned and from daily looking at the pictures on my motivation wall showing me at one of my heaviest points and also from 1 year later with losing 35 pounds. So, thanks Christie!!! I saw how far I had come in just a year. Then I would look at several other pictures around my house that show me when I was a skinnier, healthier me!! This was incredibly motivating...not depressing like I thought it would do!! I can do it....I just have to remember that I didn't get where I am (still at least 40 pounds to lose) overnight. It took years of over-indulging and not exercising to get to where I have been.

Did you like this challenge? I absolutely LOVED this challenge!! There was so much more to this challenge than just losing weight. There was also the challenging of my brain and mental outlook!!

I am so happy I found the Sisterhood. I would not be where I am without them....Thanks so much for being a wonderful support group for me!! I can't tell you how much I needed it!

Here are my after pictures. My clothes are getting baggier and baggier every month and although my weight didn't go down much this 6 week time period I can tell a big difference in the way my clothes fit! Sorry for the pouty faces! I was exhausted by the time I took these pictures....



My before ones are here...

Moving On - Weigh In

According to ChristieO this is the Final Weigh In for the Rethink Your Shrink Challenge. I personally am glad to be done with the Challenge. I have learned an amazing amount of things about myself during this time period. I have proven to myself that "I CAN DO IT!!" Whatever 'IT' is! I can go way past my comfort zone. I have learned that when I am under great amounts of stress (like dh not working for going on 7 weeks and no unemployment monies available) I faulter A LOT!

But I also learned that I CAN walk away from the kitchen and that bag of chips that are supposed to be for That Other Kid! I learned that during the past 10 1/2 months I have inspired a lot of people to get on the band wagon and give this weight loss journey a shot. Several of my friends 'who could never lose weight' are NOW losing weight, because they are following my examples of exercising consistently and eating a lower fat, higher fiber diet; ie., a well balanced diet. They are no longer wondering why it's not happening for them! I also, as of last night, got my dh to start exercising again!! He has been watching me workout now nearly every night for the past 10 1/2 months and he kept saying "wow! I am impressed with your dedication!" Finally last night I set up a routine for him to workout with on the WiiFit Plus!! He actually said it was challenging and FUN!!

I did not meet my goals during this challenge, but I know why! Am I disappointed? Of course, I didn't set the goals to fail. However, I learned so much about myself and what I can and can't do that I consider it a victory anyway.

My goals for this challenge --

Eat at least 5 servings of fruits/veggies a day. I almost made it for this goal. I probably missed 7 days of eating the right amount of fruits/veggies.

Keep my house decluttered. I can happily say that I did accomplish this goal! Every night I went to bed with a mostly cleaned up house! Please don't get me wrong, I have dishes in the sick and laundry waiting to be folded as I type this, but the mess and clutter is not so bad that I wouldn't feel comfortable inviting a friend over for a visit! Before this challenge I can't say that would be true! So
come on over and we'll have a visit...and if I know that you are coming I will even get that load of laundry folded and put away and dishes loaded into the dishwasher before you get here!!

My third and final goal for this challenge was to lose 10 or more pounds. Sadly, I didn't even come close to this goal. But, as our lovely Jillian keeps telling us stress will kill the weight loss! That has indeed happened to me.

My starting weight for this challenge was 192.2.

Today's weight was 188.8.

That's only a loss of 3.4 pounds, BUT I can safely say that if it had not been for this challenge and all the lovelies over at the Sisterhood I would have GAINED ALOT of weight during this time, instead of losing those 3.4 pounds. So Thanks to everyone for keeping me on the path to healthy living and losing weight!

We will be starting a new challenge REAL SOON (like Friday) so come back and get started with us at the Sisterhood. I'm sure we will be learning new things and challenging ourselves in new ways to meet the goal of healthy, fit human beings! It will be an Olympic Blast because all the girls over at the Sisterhood are creative and know just the right ways to inspire us to live a healthy lifestyle!! And we may even learn some more things about ourselves!!

Christie asked us to take a before and after picture....I have my before picture but tomorrow is my 'normal' picture taking day so I am going to go ahead and wait. I will post it tomorrow, so ya'll come back, ya hear!!

Have a great Wednesday....and remember whether you meet your goals or not as long as you set them and are working toward them you are doing something that is good for you!!

Time To Confesss...

It's True Confession time over at the Sisterhood and I feel like I need to get some things off my chest, and butt, and hips, and definitely my stomach! What would that be, you might ask? SOME FAT!! and some extra weight would be the answer!

I am struggling with the whole eating right, and exercise thing right now. I have been exercising every night; a minimum of 20 minutes but there are nights when my heart is definitely not in it. I guess my heart doesn't really HAVE to be in it, but it certainly makes it easier to do if it is. For the most part I have been working out 45 minutes every night and I have to say that I really do LOVE exercising MOST TIMES! Of course, there are times when I don't but I think that is normal for anything I do!

The "eating right" aspect of this is not going too well right now. I have no one to blame but myself, and I could say I am stressed out and don't feel like eating right. That would indeed be the right thing to say, but I want to blame anyone and anything else that I can, so I'm going to say I'm hormonal and keep craving salty, crunchy foods as well as chocolate! I have been caving into those desires more than I care to admit this week.

This weekend I went to Sonic and bought a 32 ounce Coke with easy ice and then I bought one of their Valentine's Blasts. VERY, VERY BAD for me, but they both tasted REALLY GOOD!! At least for the few minutes that I was inhaling them.

I am beginning to feel like I am a broken record/or CD for you youngin's! Every week I fail at meeting my goals, but like April said yesterday FAILURE helps us improve! So I can safely say I am improving....

Bizarre Thoughts From the Bathroom

I should save this post for Tuesday's edition of Tiny Talk, but I will probably forget it all by then and it probably won't be a funny then either!

Here's the scene...it's 9 p.m. on Sunday night and That Other Kid should be in bed asleep but alas as usual for children, it's time to go to bed, so it's time to delay it..."I think I need to poop, mom!" Ok, just get it done so you can go to bed, so I can exercise!

Next thing we know comes questions about a Star Wars episode that he watched with dh YESTERDAY! Don't ask me what it meant, Star Wars puts me to sleep! I do know the main characters and a few scenes but only because it has been a staple in my household for the past 25 years!

Then he moves on to talking about how OLD Star Wars (the original) is. "Star Wars is SOOOO OLD cuz dad watched it when he was like a child (only 11 years old) like just a little older than me and everyone knows that was ALONG TIME AGO!!" Then he transitions to telling us that "Tom and Jerry" is sooooooooooooooooooooooo very old and that he's surprised that shows that OLD could still be on tv...especially since we watched Tom and Jerry when we were 'just childs'!!

Amazing how 2 parents that are soooooooooooooo very old could parent a smarty pants little boy and survive the rigors of day to day living, huh?

Monday's Project: Something Different!

This week's homework assignment for the Sisterhood: Do something I have NEVER done before! Change it up! Challenge myself by getting outside of my comfort zone and outside of my "box" of normal!

This week's assignment was actually the easiest assignment yet for this challenge. A friend of mine had loaned me a couple of Pilates DVD's and they had been sitting on the shelf for a few weeks. I always made an excuse to NOT do them.
I am finishing up this exercise routine, I'm too tired, I don't want to do it, blah, blah...

Well this week Christie said "Do it" and I like to follow along, so I thought about it for a couple of minutes and decided to do this Pilates DVD! I have always wanted to try Pilates but everyone I had ever talked to about it said, "IT IS SOOOOOO HARD!!" Honestly, that scared me off, so I just never did it! Not to mention, I would have had to go to a class with a bunch of "skinny minny's" and I didn't want to embarrass myself that much, ya know? Well I did this in the privacy of my living room and OMG it was soooo hard!! But it felt really good to work out like that and know that although I was not able to do a lot of the ab work the way I was supposed to, I made it all the way through the 54 minute routine! I did it on Wednesday night and I am STILL SORE tonight nearly 48 hours after completing it! Wow!! What a workout for those whimpy ab muscles! BUT -- I plan to try to incorporate this workout into my WEEKLY routine. I want to try and do this 1 time per week (at least right now) and see what difference it makes in my overall appearance. Maybe if I do this once a week I can start seeing something besides flab when I look at my stomach in the mirror! lol! Eventually, I can even get to the point where I have "muscle definition" and a 6-pack!! Not that that is my goal but a flat stomach sure would be a nice change!

Overall, I would say this is an excellent workout and a great way to work my less than stellar ab muscles! I am grateful that Christie asked us to do something different, because I probably would have just 'never bothered' and returned the dvd's to my friend and said "thanks for loaning them to me, but I didn't do it because it "looked hard"!!

So...thanks Christie! You are the best!! Now I have a new workout and one that will work my weakest link (my saggy abs!)

Weigh In Time -- Let's Get Honest

It's weigh in time again with the Sisters and I have to tell the truth here...I almost decided just to "forget" all about posting my numbers and blog today. I almost said "screw it". No one wants to hear my misery. No one really cares about the pathetic numbers on the scale this week or this whole challenge for that matter. Besides I don't really want to bring everyone down because I am having such pathetic success this time around.

BUT...I decided that maybe my misery can help someone out there. Maybe my past successes will bolster someone to begin their journey to losing weight. Maybe my pathetic weight loss this past 6 weeks will make someone else feel better about themselves.

So...Here we go...the sad, ugly truth...

We started this challenge on December 30 and I weighed in at 192.2.

Last week I weighed: 187.6

Today I weighed: 188.2

So over the past 5 weeks I have lost 4 measley pounds! This week I gained 1/2 pound AGAIN!!

When I started this journey nearly 1 year ago (March 25) I weighed 225.6 pounds so overall I have lost 37 1/2 pounds which is not a small amount (it's the most weight I have ever lost without giving birth to a big baby boy!), but it's not anywhere close to my goal. My goal is to be down 50 pounds by March 25. I still have 12 1/2 pounds to go and right now, honestly, it feels like 100 pounds!

Last night on the Biggest Loser Jillian told one of the girls (I think it was Andrea) not to worry about the small number of pounds lost and she was noticably frustrated....I can totally relate. How is it that I can be busting my butt every night for nearly an hour and sometimes longer and GAIN weight! I understand that stress plays a part in this scenario, but how can I deal with the stresses that are in my life right now? I can't just ignore the fact that we have no income coming in and a whole stack of bills sitting there waiting to be paid. I have been working hard at not eating just to be eating, and I have not been drinking cokes like my head keeps begging for. I haven't really been eating too much junk except for the half bag of potato chips I succumbed to the other day!

I hope this doesn't sound pathetic, but I have to be honest here...I feel like giving up and just saying screw it "I will just be a fat, unhealthy mom", but honestly I have too much at stake. I have a 6 year old and a 19 year old that depend on me and deserve to have a healthy, fit mom. I need to be healthy so that I can live to see my future grandchildren. I need to be healthy and fit so that I can enjoy living my life of the future. I need to be healthy to help others meet their goals. I have worked too hard over the past year to just "throw in the towel", but right this minute that's how I feel!!

Tomorrow (or the next day or day after) I will be mentally back on track and want to do what it takes to lose this weight. But today I am not there...Just being honest.

I hope that this honest assessment of my here and now is helpful to someone and I hope that next week I can look back at this post and say "wow! It's a good thing I didn't give in to the temptation of "throwing in the towel" because I really pulled through and have kicked it up to lose enough weight to meet my goals.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Tiny Talk Tuesday celebrates our children and their view of the world. They continually make us laugh and by recording their Tiny Talk we can focus on one of the many JOYS of parenting! If your kiddos made you laugh this week (don't they always), then feel free to share the humor! Check out more Tiny Talks with Mary.

We've had a pretty low key week this week as far as comments from That Other Kid but a couple have stood out in my mind. Money has been tight for us the past year, so just going to the store and buying "whatever we want" hasn't happened in a long time. Apparently, That Other Kid doesn't see it that way.

TOK: "Why won't you buy me that Star Wars Lego set? It only costs $100 and you have lots of hundreds of dollars. Daddy just got a bunch of them."(It was actually only 6 of them for a project he got to do over the weekend - PTL!)

Me: "Because we have bills to pay, rent to pay, gas to put in the truck, and groceries to buy."

TOK: "Why can't I have some of that money? I NEVER (with a very dramatic eye roll) get ANYTHING!! You ALWAYS get to buy whatever you want!"

Me: "Yes, I am buying what I want....a warm place to live, gas for the car, and groceries. You are going to get something too...You are going to get some food to eat, a nice warm place to sleep, and a mommy and daddy who love you."

TOK: "But I want legos!!"

Legos must be really cool if they rate higher than food, shelter, and gas for the car!!

The other day I was on the computer and TOK was bored so what did he do? He got out a math book and started working the problems in it! The book had a lot of double digit addition problems (he hasn't gotten that far along in math yet) but he was determined to solve the problems anyway!

He started adding the problems with his fingers, but they got too difficult to even do that, so he just started asking what the answers were!

TOK: "What is 12 + 15?"
Me: "27"

TOK: "What is 12 + 12? Oh, wait! I know what that is. It's 24, right?"
Me: "Yes, that's right. How did you know that?"
TOK: "I don't know...I guess I just have a good memory! Besides I'm kinda smart with math!"

Kinda humble, too!!

Enjoy those kiddos...