Birthday Edition of Bursting Into Summer

This challenge for the Shrinking Jeans Sisters is definitely not going as I had hoped. I still am struggling with motivating myself to stay consistent with eating right, and getting enough exercise in daily. It's no ones fault but my own and I am frustrated with my lack of consistency and effort BUT....

I refuse to beat myself up over it. I'm finding it hard to do my workouts outside like I want to since it is summer and 1,000,000 degrees outside here in North Texas! Even in parts of the country where it's not supposed to be hot it is! It's supposed to be hot here and it definitely is and that makes doing anything outside really hard unless it's EARLY in the morning or VERY LATE at night! Yesterday we had clouds and it was actually not unbearable till after 2pm! Then those clouds lifted and once again it was sweltering! Anywho, the reason you are here is to see how I did this week on the scale so...

Last week: 195.6
This week: 196.0

Just can't move away from this range....boo!

But it is birthday week here so I wasn't surprised. My oldest son and I share this week with our birthdays so we have been eating out alot! That also means I did NOT do well in the no soda drinking! In fact I have had too much soda this week, probably where that 4 oz gain came from!! This week's challenge is to get my 3 servings of dairy in every day. I seem to be doing pretty good in this area so hopefully I can tackle this one without a big struggle.

Boot camp and Komen 3 Day training walks are still moving right along so that's good. I attempted to do my boot camp workout (wk3 day3 - yes, I'm behind but I'm still hanging in there and actually like the workouts!)

but it was so hot out even at 10:30 pm I couldn't do the sprints. Hopefully I can get to it tomorrow night! I know it won't happen tonight since I'm going out with friends to celebrate my birthday!

I hope y'all are having better success in this challenge than I am! Here's to a better week!

Confessions

It's Tuesday so that means confession time with Shrinking Jeans. This has not been one of my better weeks. Let's go with bullet points to lay it all out, shall we?

* I'm doing training walks for the Komen 3 Day Walk for the Cure on the weekends now. I have to get up at 4:15 am to be ready to walk at 5 am on both Saturday and Sunday! I'm a night owl so this is HARD for me! Once I get going I'm doing fine but the mental aspect of getting up before the sunrise is hard on me.

* I walked almost 16 miles this weekend and I got blisters on the BALLS of my feet! This is WITH the new shoes and new socks that were supposed to prevent issues with my feet!

* Yesterday I could barely walk, my feet were so sore! On top of that I was exhausted because Sunday night I got less than 4 hours of sleep....after having only got 4 or 5 each night of the weekend! Last night I crashed at 10:30 and I crashed HARD!! The only reason I stayed up that long was because I wanted to spend some time foam rolling my legs and soaking my feet in Epsom Salts!!

* Today I felt more normal! I'm planning to do my boot camp workout that I had wanted to do last night...it will only be Week 3, Day 3, but I am happy to say that I have been sticking with it and doing them...that is a good thing in my opinion!

* I'm doing well with my walk training but as I was telling one of the women on my training walk the fundraising for the Komen 3 Day is what is scary to me! She reminded me that we still have 3 1/2 months so just do what I can to get the word out and the money will come in!

* Since I started these training walks I have been STARVING!! From what a lot of you have said this is normal but I really don't feel like I can afford to eat that many calories! I'm supposed to be losing weight!! I have goals, people!!

* This is birthday week -- my oldest son turned 21 Sunday and my birthday is tomorrow, so this week has been less than stellar in the food department! I celebrated Sunday with dinner out, we went out tonight for his birthday and some friends are taking me out tomorrow night, so I've been eating ALOT of food this week, although I did use a lot of calories this weekend, I'm still behind on my calories spent category! That isn't good!! Having my child turn 21 has been rather emotional for me! Realizing that he is really a GROWN UP is hard for me!! I think not having him home to really celebrate was harder, too!

* Earlier today I got another blow from him....he WAS scheduled to leave for Marine bootcamp on September 19th, but today he got a call from his recruiter telling him that if he passes the physical test on Friday morning (where he has to run 1.5 miles in 13 minutes, do 3 pull ups, and a bunch (I can't remember how many) of situps in a minute then he leaves AUGUST 8th!! I'm not worried about him passing this part of the training so that means he's off sooner than I am prepared for! AGH!! That's less than 2 weeks away!!

* I was ready for September but August....that's too stinkin' soon!! I may need therapy! and lots of HUGS!! I may even need booze and I DONT DRINK!!

I guess that's all...I'm sure theres more but I need to go so I can #Tworkout some before bootcamp!!

My Baby is 21!!

How could this be? I went to bed one night and the next the day I went into the hospital and after 11 hours of grueling labor complete with pitocin, epidural, and lots of squeezing the life out of hubby's hand That Kid was born!

I blinked my eyes again and he was sitting up, crawling, running (he never walked...it was always running!) and talking!






I blinked my eyes again and I was teaching him how to read, write, tie his shoes, and master all types of "school" stuff! I homeschooled him all through high school so I was blessed enough to watch him learn and grow throughout his school years!






I blinked again and it was time for him to learn to drive!! Oh my, that was scary! It's still scary but I've gotten used to it! Yes, I taught him to drive, then we proceeded to buy him his first car and watched him drive off in it. Talk about scary! As he went from a teenager to a young man I watched him and stood in awe that this man/child was created by my hubby and me.





His first time out driving! Whooohhooo!!



First car...thanks to his grandparents for offering such a great deal and us buying it!




This was him at his 18th birthday party! We rented a boat and went out on the lake. Look at that hair!!



His first time to vote - I was quiet pleased with him for taking that opportunity although many his age don't bother!



This is my favorite picture from his Senior Pictures. It captures his personality pretty well, I think.



How is it that in 21 short years he has gone from a baby who needed EVERYTHING to a young man about to leave our home and serve our country in the USMC? Although I am having a VERY difficult time accepting that my "baby" is about to leave the nest I am immensely proud of him for making a decision that will not only better his life but our country's.

From the time I started this blog I have always called him "That Kid". It was a nickname we came up with as a baby for him, but now that he is a full-fledged adult and about to become a Marine I have decided that I'm going to call him "My Marine".

I love "My Marine" and I pray that your life is everything you hope and dream it will be over the next two decades. You have brought many years of joy to my life, even if I don't always show you!! Love ya, baby....Mom

Burst Into Summer - Week 5

Wow!! I can't believe its been a whole week since I sat down here at the computer to type a blog post! The week has been crazy with lots of "stuff" and there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day! Can I get an AMEN to that? I don't know what it is about this summer but it seems like I am on the go ALL.THE.TIME! I was thinking tonight that as a "stay at home mom" I had visions of being home most of the time with little ventures out and about to keep me sane. BUT...it seems over the past 3 weeks being at home has been a rarity! Even when I am at home I am "on the go". My hubby called me into his office tonight because one of the kittens was on his chest getting snuggles. He asked me if the kitten ever did that with me? I said "yes, when I SIT, but I don't seem to sit much these days!" I haven't even taken the time to read and comment on blogs! AND I love to do that!! So...sorry if you haven't seen me around your blog lately! Don't feel bad. It has nothing to do with YOU and everything to do with my limited time!!

Anywho....on with the reason you came over to check out my blog this evening. Today is Wednesday and it's Weigh-in day at the Sisterhood. There wasn't much change this week but at least the change with DOWN!

Starting challenge: 194.6

Last week's weight: 196.0
This week's weight: 195.6

So I am still UP but I did come down this week. I think the thing that disappoints me the most is that I really wanted to lose ALOT of weight during this summer challenge and it just isn't happening. I'm not being as dedicated as I know I need to be and I'm frustrated with myself. I know what I need to do, it's just applying it and doing it. But...this is a new week and I'm starting fresh. Working harder at eating according to the Low Glycemic Index Plan and increasing the fruits and veggies again will help greatly with the weight loss. It's just a matter of DOING IT!!

This past week we were challenged to SLEEP 7+ hours a night! I have gotten pretty good at this one over the past 6 months but this week it all fell to PIECES! I THINK I got more than 7 hours of sleep 1 night out of the 7!! BAD...BAD...BAD! and can I just say I feel like I am sleep deprived too! My body feels sore and achey and I feel tired ALL.THE.TIME!

I have been working out hard doing the Shrinking Jeans Bootcamp (I'm only on week 3, but I am doing it) and doing a lot of walking to prepare for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk for the Cure that I am participating in this fall, so I have to make sure I treat my body good! I also bought a foam roller to help with the sore muscles that I'm experiencing, and it's helping alot!! I just need to make sure I start getting more sleep!! The weekends are gonna be tough for me, cuz we are doing training walks at 5a.m. and I am NOT a morning person but it is for a great cause so I am going to suck it up and get up early 2 mornings and walk then come home and SLEEP!!

This week's challenge is to NOT drink SODA! I've really been struggling with this one lately and I really need to stay away from it. I haven't been drinking alot of soda but definitely more than I should be, so this will be a good challenge for me!
I had one tonight with dinner but I'm really gonna try not to have any more this week! Wish me luck, k?

Ok...I'm off to try to read a few blogs and try to get to bed before it becomes a new day!

Bursting Into Summer Week 4

Well here we are in week 4 and I'm still not taking full advantage of the tools in front of me to lose weight, but at least I didn't gain this week! That's my silver lining of the week!

Last week: 196.0
This week: 196.0

I have been able to get through all of Week 1 of the Shrinking Jeans bootcamp and I did Week 1 Day 1 Monday night. The plan is to do Day 2 tonight. My quads starting cramping up pretty bad during the last couple of sprints Monday night so I shortened them to only about 15 seconds but the rest of them were right around 30 seconds. I spent a lot of time stretching and still felt really tight so I went ahead and used my Arctic Ease. That seemed to help cuz yesterday my quads felt pretty good.

As for the challenge this week, I did ok, but I did NOT make it the full week without fast food. I was craving ice cream one night so I went to Braums and got some! It was yummy and I didn't feel guilty about it....although looking at the scale this morning maybe I should have. lol! I also left the house forgetting to eat lunch one day so I stopped and got some since I knew it would be several hours before I could eat again. Overall, although I wasn't completely fast food free I didn't do too badly. There was only 1 day this past week that I went much over my calorie count and that was Sunday when we had our big family "eat out"! That is the day that I don't really think much about the calories. I just enjoy not having to cook and having someone else serve me and clean up after me! Ah...the little things that matter, ya know??

This week's challenge is to get 7+ hours of sleep. I have to say that I am glad that this one is up next. I have been sorely lacking in this area, staying up far too late just to get a little "me" time. So starting tonight I intend to get my sleep! So if you see me online after 1 a.m. send me to bed, k??

So for this week, I am going to continue working on getting my fruits and veggies in (I've been lacking here and I know it is hurting me) and continue doing boot camp. I know it is good for me, cuz it hurts!! You've heard the phrase "what doesn't kill me will make me stronger", right? Well that is my mantra this month! I'm also going to continue tracking my food in My Fitness Pal cuz it seems to be helping me to monitor those stupid cravings that come along when I'm bored or frustrated. I'm using My Fitness Pal because it is easy to log my food into my phone app. If you are on My Fitness Pal and want to be my friend, go ahead and "friend" me!

This weekend I got to sign up for the Komen 3 Day Walk for the Cure that will be in November here in Dallas, so I will start doing my training walks for that this week too. Unfortunately, all my outside exercising has to be done late at night because of the heat so I need to wait and do it when it is convenient for That Kid and he is getting busier and busier with work. Hopefully, I will be able to fit in some of those beginning training walks...

I would greatly appreciate your support in this. Breast cancer is a killer and I want to do my part in helping to find a cure. You can donate here! Thanks!

Komen 3 Day Walk For Breast Cancer Awareness

I'm finally doing it!! Thanks HUBBY!!

For years now I have wanted to participate in the Komen 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer but for one reason or another it has never been possible for me to do so. This year it took on even more significance and I wanted to do it even more than ever before. I got information on it a couple of months ago when my best friend was in the hospital for her breast cancer surgery. However, I never got around to asking my hubby about doing it UNTIL tonight. I finally decided it was time to ask and sign up if I was going to do it.

You've heard the bible verse that says, "Ask and you shall receive", right? Well I did and I received permission to do this!! YAY!! I explained that this would be a 3 day - 60 mile walk and it was in November so I still have plenty of time to prepare. HE SAID YES!! I get to finally do one of my "bucket list" things!! I will be walking November 4-6 here in the Dallas area to raise $2300 for Breast Cancer awareness! That amount of money is mind boggling to me...but I know that it is possible to raise. I have several months to raise the money and I know that I can do it with the help of my friends and family!! So PLEASE help me raise this money to support Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is a disease that is VERY close to me. At Christmas my best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer...she went through chemo, and surgery this year. She is doing VERY well and we Thank God daily for her coming through this. One of my grandmother's had breast cancer and died as a result of NOT getting the care she needed, so I know that this disease is a KILLER! I also know that with prompt care and attention women can live through this and can be SURVIVORS! I want to do my part..Will you do your part, too? Please help by donating here if you can support me in my 3 Day Walk, k??

So Much To Be Thankful For

I'm staying up far too late once again....although I am tired I have much on my mind. Tonight I am thankful for my oldest son, who is right now down in Houston. He drove down there today to visit a friend of his who was admitted into a mental institution on Thursday because he threatened suicide. It really shook That Kid up and seemed to shock him tremendously. He had just talked to him a couple of days before and he seemed to be just fine. I texted him tonight and asked how his friend was and his reply was "Not good. He's in a really bad ward. They are hoping to move him somewhere else soon." This is very sad to me. Here is a young man in his early 20's who feels he has nothing to live for. From what I understand he comes from a typical middle class family. He went to a private Christian college (that's where my son knows him from) so he obviously has a Christian background or he wouldn't have attended this school.

I think what concerns me the most about this situation is that there are young men and women out there that are in their early 20's that don't feel they have anything to live for. They perceive their lifes worthless. They maybe don't know what they want to do with their life. They don't have a goal. They don't see themselves in college but know they have to do something to get an education to start a career to start being a grown up and living in the real world. College is not for everyone but most people (myself included) feel that you need a college education in order to get into a decent career these days. Unless you just stumble into something you need to start your career and build up before you start making enough money to support yourself and (later) a family.

I haven't talked much about this lately but That Kid dropped out of college. He went to college for 3 semesters then decided he didn't want to continue "wasting" money and time for a college education right now. He has always hated school. never really been a "book learning" kind of kid. I homeschooled him and he made good grades but I geared his education toward that of a non-book learning kind of education as much as I felt I could. Knowing what I have learned over the past 5 years I could have done better but....hind-site is always better right??

Anyway, That Kid has decided that for now, the best option for him is to join the military. This scares the ba-jeebers out of me. When he first mentioned it I freaked out! I couldn't believe MY KID wanted to be a Marine. Now that I have had 8 months to mentally prepare myself for this I know that it is the best thing he could do for himself. Right now he doesn't really know what he wants to do for a career. He doesn't really feel like he has a direction to go. He doesn't really know what makes him tick. All he knows is that he HATES college and he HAS to do something with his life! He is about to turn 21 and I am having a hard time with this fact too. My baby is not a baby anymore. He is a MAN who is about to tackle the most difficult task of his life. He is about to join the toughest branch of the military and become of the most respected people in this country. He has decided to take matters into his own hands and do something with himself and become someONE!

Thinking about the situation with his friend makes me sad. BUT...thinking about the fact that that could be my son makes me even more sad. Thinking about how he has decided to not just sit around feeling like he can't do anything to better himself and has decided to join the military makes me PROUD of him. Although him joining the military freaks me out on a daily basis still I have come to accept that this is the best thing he could do for himself right now. It gives him direction, purpose, and something to do not only for himself but for our country. He will be a fine Marine and I will be praying for his safety daily.

I pray that my son's friend will recover fully and find a purpose to his life soon. Will you join me in this prayer??

**PS Sorry if this post is disjointed and makes no sense. I am tired but felt it necessary to get it written and posted. Hopefully it makes enough sense that you will understand what I was trying to say.

Bursting Into Summer - Week 3

I don't get me! I mean here I am telling myself and everyone around me how desperately I want to lose weight, get healthy, exercise and be fit BUT my actions tell everyone just the opposite! I haven't been losing weight (in fact this week I gained to the tune of 1.4 pounds), I haven't been exercising, and I'm definitely NOT fit! I'm doing stupid stuff to sabotage my own efforts. I buy and then eat crappy sugary foods that I know will not help in my weight loss journey. Instead of exercising (now that my legs feel normal again) I just sit around on my computer or in front of the tv vegging out. I don't get me!!

The month of May I lost more than 8 pounds and I was so happy and proud of myself! The month of June I just went back to my old habits and now here it is July (half way through the year) and I'm still NOT doing what I know it will take to lose weight! I guess I need another "AHA" moment in my life to kick me back into high gear!

Yesterday I had planned to do the bootcamp workout that the Sisterhood is offering us and about 3 p.m. I cme down with the most incredible headache! I didn't even do the #tworkout and I almost always do it! I took tylenol, put That Other Kid to bed and got ready for bed myself! I took a picture of the clock on my nightstand because I wanted to have proof that I can and in fact did go to bed early! I was in bed by 9:35p.m. I read in bed for a little bit and then went to sleep. I slept till 9am this morning and I feel much better! My neck seems tight but maybe that is just cuz I need to pop it.

Anywho, here are the numbers for this weeks weigh in -- just for the record, I was not surprised to see a gain. I didnt really pay much attention to the calories this week and it definitely showed!

Beginning challenge weight: 194.6
Last week -- 194.6
This week -- 196.0

The challenge for this week is to NOT EAT FAST FOOD for the week! It will do my body good to stay away from this crap so I plan to do my best on this challenge.
Last weeks challenge was to eat 5 servings of fruits/veggies and I failed miserably on this challenge. There really was no reason either as I had plenty of both in the house. Just being lazy and not wanting to do what I know is right, I guess!
I have continued drinking plenty of water (I usually get about 100 ounces a day) and there were days over the weekend that I drank more than 124 ounces cuz it's so stinking hot outside that is the only thing that really helps quench my thirst!

Ok...off to get my lazy butt moving....hope ya'll had a great week! and if you didn't lets motivate each other, k?? Here's to a better week for EVERYONE!