Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Final Post for Burst Into Summer
Thank God this challenge with ShrinkingJeans is over. I have to admit to being less than enthusiastic with this challenge. It's been a long, hot summer with lots of excuses for me to NOT lose the weight that I really wanted to this summer.
There's always something, right??
Anyway, so here is the scoop. I started losing weight in March of 2009 and weighed in at 226.8.
At the beginning of this challenge I weighed 194.6
Today I weighed 198.2
Kind of went the wrong way during this challenge -- supposed to be a WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE not a weight gain one, right?
Anyway, I'm not going to dwell on this. I'm going to move past it and get my head in the game. I'm planning to participate in the next challenge with the Sisterhood that will start September 28th. My goal at this point is to lose weight over this month so that I can start the next challenge weighing LESS than I do right now. Shouldn't be too hard if I really apply myself....but that seems to be the problem for me right now.
Onward and DOWNWARD I like to say.
My Marine just signed his paperwork for his MOS (which in marine talk is his job) and has an "official" leave date of September 19th. Please pray that this MOS is the "right" one for him....it's not the one he wanted but it was the "best" of what was available for him right now. I will drive him to his recruiters office on September 18th and then it will be a LONG 13 weeks before I see him again! Yes, I know he's 21 and he's really a man, but he's still my baby and I'm gonna need therapy when I say goodbye to him on the 18th! Send chocolate and lots of it, k??
I think the only thing that will keep me going will be my Komen 3 Day training, which is continuing to increase in miles every week. The walk is on November 4th, 5th and 6th. I will be walking 60 miles over the course of these 3 days! Please help me raise money to find a cure for breast cancer. It is a sucky disease that has hurt yet another woman this week, my husband's step mom. She had to have a double mastectomy this week! Cancer sucks....help fight it please! Go to here to donate, thanks!!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Confessions Time
It's been a while since I've done a confessions post for the Sisterhood and it hasn't been because I've had such a stellar summer. It's been because I figure no one really wants to hear me whine about not doing what I need to be to lose weight. I'm ready to get my arse back into gear and lose this weight but I definitely need some of my friends to keep me from making stupid choices!
Here goes --
My husband's step mom had to have a double mastectomy yesterday! All I can say to that is that CANCER SUCKS!! I am so glad that I am participating in the Komen 3 Day this year! With all the people that cancer is affecting (including those that are close to me) it just means all that much more to me!
I was sitting at my computer last night soaking my feet in epsom salt (trying to heal all the stupid blisters) eating a WHOLE ENTIRE BAG OF Kettle Chips!
Why would I do that to myself? you might ask! Cuz I'm ticked at my feet!! I can't seem to figure out why out of a group of 20 women training for the Komen 3 Day Walk for the Cure I am the only one coming away EVERY weekend with blisters covering my feet so badly I can't walk till Wednesday without pain! And yes, I have good shoes, and dri wicking socks. I've tried Moleskin, New Skin, blister bandaids, all the stuff everyone suggests! I was on the message boards for the walks and heard about a product to put on your feet called HikeGoo by this company to prevent blisters. Have you heard of it?? I ordered it and I'm praying it is the miracle cure I need! It was pricey but if it works it will be worth it!
I'm also getting a wee bit
We started back to doing a full schedule of school and I am adding several new subjects into his schedule. In addition to that I am trying to not just "do workbooks" which is hard on my flesh! It means I have to put more effort into preparing for school which takes away from my limited "me time". Although That Other Kid just told me that "history is his favorite now" instead of math like it has always been! History is one of the new subjects we are doing not "workbook style" so that is a good thing, right?!
Ok...I've got to get back to work/um....school so I hope you all have a good day and if you have confessions to make please spill them! I don't want to feel all alone!
If you have a few bucks to spare to help me in my fundraising efforts for my Komen 3 Day Walk for the Cure I would greatly appreciate it! I am walking November 4th, 5th and 6th....20 miles each day for a total of 60 miles! Please help me as I have to raise $2300 and so far I am up to $300! I still have a long way to go and this is such an important cause to support! As I have said before CANCER SUCKS -- my best friend and now my mother in law have had to deal with it JUST THIS Year! That's 2 more people that are adding to the statistic of 1 person every 69 seconds!! This must end! PLEASE HELP by donating here! Thanks bunches!!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
13 Miles!
On the weekends I have been getting up at the 'unholy' hour of 4 am and preparing to walk for the Komen 3 Day training. We leave the parking lot of a local grocery store at 5 am and make our loops and meet back at the cars in case someone can't come at 5am. Every week we are increasing our miles by a mile or 2 and then when it gets to be a couple of weeks out from the November 4th weekend then we will scale back our miles, similar to the way a marathoner trains.
I had never really thought about the work that it would take to prepare for this walk, I guess I just thought I would walk and walk some more and then walk more! But the Komen organization has a training plan set up and the group I am walking with is following it pretty well, although I think they are a week or 2 ahead of schedule, but that's ok...I've got to put the miles in to be prepared.
This week's walk was supposed to be 13 miles on Saturday and 9 miles on Sunday. But as one of the ladies I am training with says, "Our leader has long miles!" Yes,
'mam she does! Today's 13 mile walk was 14.21 miles!! It was a really good route in my opinion although some of the walkers complained that it was boring! But, really is 14 miles of walking going to be "not boring?" unless you are walking in the woods or around bodies of water? I don't think so! There will always be someone that complains about something during an event like this.
My only complaints?! It is too stinkin' hot here in Texas! and I am continuing to get blisters on my feet EVERY freakin' week! I don't get it! I have good shoes, good socks, orthodics (but I didn't wear them this week cuz I thought they might be the cause of the blisters)! I guess my feet just sweat too much! I'm gonna try corn starch or powder for tomorrow and see how that helps! There has been little to no breeze on our walks and I come in from the walks a hot, sweaty mess! But really these things are NOTHING compared to the pain and suffering that women going through breast cancer endure. Given the choice of breast cancer or heat, blisters and a lot of miles I would take the latter EVERY TIME!
I'm guessing that you would too! You can donate to my fundraising page here and help me raise the $2300 that I am going to raise for breast cancer research. Every penny counts!
I posted on facebook about my walk this afternoon and Melissa made an interesting observation. She said, "You just walked OVER a 1/2 marathon!" Very true...although it didn't really occur to me till after she said it! Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Melissa!
By the way, on October 22 the Sisterhood is hosting the 3rd Annual Virtual Race! You can walk it, run it, or wog it! The point is to just move your body! I'm planning to walk it with That Other Kid! He's been wanting to do a race with me since I first started racing and this is a great opportunity! They even have swag, T-shirts, and other great prizes! Sign up here. I'm planning to sign That Other Kid and I up for the 5k portion! If you are in the DFW area and want to participate with us let me know and we will do it together!
I had never really thought about the work that it would take to prepare for this walk, I guess I just thought I would walk and walk some more and then walk more! But the Komen organization has a training plan set up and the group I am walking with is following it pretty well, although I think they are a week or 2 ahead of schedule, but that's ok...I've got to put the miles in to be prepared.
This week's walk was supposed to be 13 miles on Saturday and 9 miles on Sunday. But as one of the ladies I am training with says, "Our leader has long miles!" Yes,
'mam she does! Today's 13 mile walk was 14.21 miles!! It was a really good route in my opinion although some of the walkers complained that it was boring! But, really is 14 miles of walking going to be "not boring?" unless you are walking in the woods or around bodies of water? I don't think so! There will always be someone that complains about something during an event like this.
My only complaints?! It is too stinkin' hot here in Texas! and I am continuing to get blisters on my feet EVERY freakin' week! I don't get it! I have good shoes, good socks, orthodics (but I didn't wear them this week cuz I thought they might be the cause of the blisters)! I guess my feet just sweat too much! I'm gonna try corn starch or powder for tomorrow and see how that helps! There has been little to no breeze on our walks and I come in from the walks a hot, sweaty mess! But really these things are NOTHING compared to the pain and suffering that women going through breast cancer endure. Given the choice of breast cancer or heat, blisters and a lot of miles I would take the latter EVERY TIME!
I'm guessing that you would too! You can donate to my fundraising page here and help me raise the $2300 that I am going to raise for breast cancer research. Every penny counts!
I posted on facebook about my walk this afternoon and Melissa made an interesting observation. She said, "You just walked OVER a 1/2 marathon!" Very true...although it didn't really occur to me till after she said it! Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Melissa!
By the way, on October 22 the Sisterhood is hosting the 3rd Annual Virtual Race! You can walk it, run it, or wog it! The point is to just move your body! I'm planning to walk it with That Other Kid! He's been wanting to do a race with me since I first started racing and this is a great opportunity! They even have swag, T-shirts, and other great prizes! Sign up here. I'm planning to sign That Other Kid and I up for the 5k portion! If you are in the DFW area and want to participate with us let me know and we will do it together!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Burst Into Summer -- One Week to go!
Ok...So here's the deal. It's Wednesday and over at Shrinking Jeans we hop on the scale and report back in and let everyone know how the weight loss journey went this past week. Although I haven't taken this challenge seriously and put much effort into the weight loss aspect of the ourney I don't want to be a slacker on all fronts so I am checking in, reporting back and owning my errors. They are mine and no one elses. I can't blame the gains I have made on anyone but myself.
So...here are my numbers:
Starting weight: MARCH 25, 2009 -- 226.8
Starting challenge weight: 6/15/11 -- 194.6
Last week's weight: 200
This week's weight: 198.2
So I must have done something right this week. I *think* I know what that is so we will see how that works out for me this coming week. Since we only have one week left in this challenge I'm hoping that I can at least get down to my starting challenge weight this week but since I have to lose 4 pounds I don't know if that is feasible....I'm gonna give it a try, though!
I think part of my issues for not losing weight is my hormonal issues, so I started taking some homeopathic supplements and I'm going to see how that works for me. Just gotta remember to take them EVERY DAY! I also need to remember that eating crappy food isn't gonna help my stress levels in a positive way! I kind of forgot that this weekend AGAIN! But...every day is a new day. Time to forget about the past and move forward. Eating healthy foods helps me in so many ways and I KNOW I will feel better both mentally and physically if I'm eating right and exercising. Which I haven't really been doing much of lately. Walking over the weekends is about all I am doing and that needs to change. We have been going non-stop lately during the week and by the time I get That Other Kid to bed all I feel like doing is sitting down and goofing off on the computer! But...that's gotta change, too! Need to find my computer time some other way.
Too much to do to waste time goofing off. I still have fundraising things to prepare for for the Komen 3 Day for the Cure and I'm trying out some new things for our homeschooling year with That Other Kid this year. Both take time that I haven't been devoting to them. So I need to get back on a schedule so I can get it ALL done!
Priorities are important so I am prioritizing my life:
ME comes first! That means eating right, spending time reading my bible, and exercising DAILY. I have found that is the way I make sure I get it done consistently.
Secondly, I have to make sure the family is cared for properly. That means the house is clean (relatively speaking, of course! since my house is never REALLY clean!), meals are prepared, laundry is done and I am spending quality time with That Other Kid. I'm finding that this is a biggie as it gets closer to the time when 'My Marine' leaves for boot camp. Once he leaves it will be even more important (for both of us). I also want to make sure that when hubby and I get a chance to spend time on the weekends I am spending quality time with him, not trying to do other things at the same time.
Thirdly, comes homeschooling preparation and school "stuff". I need to make sure I devote time every week (and even every evening if necessary) to school preparations. I have been seriously slacking on this.
Then last but not least, I need to devote time and effort into raising the funds for my Komen 3 Day for the Cure walk. This is even more important to me this week since I just got an email from my hubby's stepmom that she has to have a double mastectomy on Monday, the 29th. Cancer SUCKS, and we must do everything we can to make sure there are cures found!
Ok...enough rambling out of me. I need a shower so we can get out the door! We are attending a "Not Back to School" party with a bunch of other homeschooling families since all the public school kids went back to school this week! We get the place to ourselves!
Hope y'all have had a good week and met your goals for the week!
So...here are my numbers:
Starting weight: MARCH 25, 2009 -- 226.8
Starting challenge weight: 6/15/11 -- 194.6
Last week's weight: 200
This week's weight: 198.2
So I must have done something right this week. I *think* I know what that is so we will see how that works out for me this coming week. Since we only have one week left in this challenge I'm hoping that I can at least get down to my starting challenge weight this week but since I have to lose 4 pounds I don't know if that is feasible....I'm gonna give it a try, though!
I think part of my issues for not losing weight is my hormonal issues, so I started taking some homeopathic supplements and I'm going to see how that works for me. Just gotta remember to take them EVERY DAY! I also need to remember that eating crappy food isn't gonna help my stress levels in a positive way! I kind of forgot that this weekend AGAIN! But...every day is a new day. Time to forget about the past and move forward. Eating healthy foods helps me in so many ways and I KNOW I will feel better both mentally and physically if I'm eating right and exercising. Which I haven't really been doing much of lately. Walking over the weekends is about all I am doing and that needs to change. We have been going non-stop lately during the week and by the time I get That Other Kid to bed all I feel like doing is sitting down and goofing off on the computer! But...that's gotta change, too! Need to find my computer time some other way.
Too much to do to waste time goofing off. I still have fundraising things to prepare for for the Komen 3 Day for the Cure and I'm trying out some new things for our homeschooling year with That Other Kid this year. Both take time that I haven't been devoting to them. So I need to get back on a schedule so I can get it ALL done!
Priorities are important so I am prioritizing my life:
ME comes first! That means eating right, spending time reading my bible, and exercising DAILY. I have found that is the way I make sure I get it done consistently.
Secondly, I have to make sure the family is cared for properly. That means the house is clean (relatively speaking, of course! since my house is never REALLY clean!), meals are prepared, laundry is done and I am spending quality time with That Other Kid. I'm finding that this is a biggie as it gets closer to the time when 'My Marine' leaves for boot camp. Once he leaves it will be even more important (for both of us). I also want to make sure that when hubby and I get a chance to spend time on the weekends I am spending quality time with him, not trying to do other things at the same time.
Thirdly, comes homeschooling preparation and school "stuff". I need to make sure I devote time every week (and even every evening if necessary) to school preparations. I have been seriously slacking on this.
Then last but not least, I need to devote time and effort into raising the funds for my Komen 3 Day for the Cure walk. This is even more important to me this week since I just got an email from my hubby's stepmom that she has to have a double mastectomy on Monday, the 29th. Cancer SUCKS, and we must do everything we can to make sure there are cures found!
Ok...enough rambling out of me. I need a shower so we can get out the door! We are attending a "Not Back to School" party with a bunch of other homeschooling families since all the public school kids went back to school this week! We get the place to ourselves!
Hope y'all have had a good week and met your goals for the week!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Homeschooling -- Curriculum Choices
I've been a fan and reader of DeeDee since I first started reading blogs. She is humorous and has great stories from her kids. She is also a homeschooler which in my opinion makes her even more special!
I love to see what other homeschoolers are using for curriculum and I know others do too so I am once again participating in this Curriculum Roundup. I'm basically cutting and pasting from the Heart of the Matter's Curriculum Roundup that I participated in a couple of weeks ago since who really has time to type all this out twice, right? And nothing has changed in those 2 weeks either, ya know?!
So here you have it....a little background to my family, in case you are new to my blog and my curriculum choices for this school year!
I have a recently turned 21 year old son that I homeschooled all the way through high school. He attended a private, Christian University (yes, you can homeschool and then get into a good college!) for 1 1/2 years. He decided that college wasn't for him so he took this past spring off and worked. He has signed up to join the Marines and will be leaving for boot camp sometime in the next 6 weeks or so. Although I am proud of him, it is hard to let my 'baby' grow up and leave for such a huge life changing thing. I know that it will be the best thing for him....but....blah, blah, blah.
I am now homeschooling my 7 year old son, whom I call That Other Kid on the ol' blog. He will be doing a combination of 1st grade and 2nd grade this fall. He has a winter birthday and I pretty much stick to a loose year round school schedule, with the "grade change" happening at the beginning of the calendar year. Seems to work well for now, so I'm sticking with it.
Now...on to the curriculum choices for this year.
I am a very eclectic homeschooler and I live in Texas!! Whoohhooo! Texas has great homeschooling laws and allows me to basically teach what I want, when I want as long as I am teaching math, reading, spelling, grammar, and civics from the time they are 6 till graduation (or 17). The hard part is choosing the right stuff to teach, right?
This year I am trying something new and different for me. I am trying a more "Well Trained Mind" plan with lots of 'living books'. I have pulled alot of books off the Ambleside Online site and I'm hoping to use a lot of the resources that are there for the first and second grade student. My son loves to be read to and is starting to read decently so I'm wanting to do a lot of reading and have him read alot this year, so that takes care of the "reading" requirement!
For Language Arts (grammar) I am using a combination of Critical Thinking, Language Smarts and First Language Lessons-Levels 1 & 2 from the Well Trained Mind Company. I think my son will do well with both of these curriculums as long as I make sure I don't overwhelm him with "the boring stuff".
For Spelling I am using "All About Spelling". I bought it back in February but never got around to actually using it since we were so busy with just the basics of learning to read and phonics. I think he will breeze through the first level since he has a really good grasp of words and letters, thanks to Hooked on Phonics and then we will move on to level 2, hopefully by October or November.
Math is his favorite and by far his best subject. At the age of 4 he could count to 100 by ones, just because. By 5 he could count to 600 by ones, just because. He understands time, money, fractions, addition and subtraction and can do it all in his head - all instictively! I'm shocked daily at his ability to do math! It also scares me! I'm not very good with math so I know that I will definitely be sending him to classes or co-ops for math in a few short years. BUT...for now I am teaching him 2nd grade ABeka math. It is advanced, colorful and easy enough for me to teach (for now)!
We are going to be using Story of the World for history this year. This one is new for me, and honestly I am scared! I know it's going to take time and consistent dedication from me to sit down and do the lessons with him but I love history and so does he so it should be fun as long as I do it!!
For Geography we are doing a mish-mash of Cantering the Country by Geography Matters, and a book The Star-Spangled State Book by Bramley Books and whatever else I pick up along the way! Geography is the funnest subject to play around with and I know we could spend more time with geography than I have allotted for a school day if I let it happen that way!
For Science I will take him to a couple of bi-weekly classes. I'm not a sciencey person and there are classes in the area that are inexpensive and really good at teaching what I don't want to and what he loves to learn...so it's a win-win situation for me! Not to mention I get to hang out with friends while he is in class!
For our Fine Arts I have purchased Handle on the Arts and Maestro Classics and I am excited to use both of these this year. My son also loves to draw and create so there will be times this year when I just let him draw and create whatever is in his heart to do. This will be a first for me to use fine arts as part of our regular curriculum, and I regret that I didn't make the decision to do more fine arts study with my older son, so I'm not making that mistake again.
For his PE and socialization (since everyone is always concerned that homeschoolers don't socialize and get enough PE) we go to the park at LEAST once a week from late September to May (even through a lot of winter since it doesn't get that cold in TX usually) and he also takes a karate class that meets twice a week throughout the year. We also get together with friends throughout the school year when the weather is nice out and do field trips and excursions to do and see things that we wouldn't normally do if he was in a traditional school setting.
The only thing that I was wanting to work on this year that I don't think we are going to do is a foreign language. Although I want to do study several foreign languages with him I know that with the schedule we have this year I won't get to it, so I didn't even look at it.
Ok...so that is our curriculum choices for the upcoming year with a brief description of what our year will look like. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you won't be a stranger and will come back. Please leave a comment so I know who stopped by and so I can see your curriculum choices for this year. Homeschooling is an adventure of a lifetime!!
I will quickly add that this fall we will be spending a lot of time WALKING and calling it PE because I am training to partipipate in the Komen 3 Day for the Cure that will be on November 4-6 here in Dallas. I fyou would like to support me as I raise money for breast cancer research I would greatly appreciate it. You can go here to donate to my specific page! Thanks so much!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Thankful Thursday...Friends
Brooke and Bari have been doing a "Thankful Thursday" post for a while now and just this week I thought about how much of my blog is used for moaning and complaining or talking about my weight loss journey (that isn't happening right now) and I need to branch out a little and do something different. So...here is my first Thankful Thursday post. I'm hoping that I will make it a regular part of the ol' blog!
The first thing I am thankful for (and hopefully it won't sound corny) is all my online friends. Women I have met online and have truly become great friends with. All of these women have picked me up when I am down, celebrated with me when I am up and helped cheer me on when a cheer is appropriate! Some of you have kicked me in the booty when I needed that too! I have always been a pretty social person but since I'm not your usual gal I have had difficulties making true, lasting friendships. However, with all of y'all the miles that seperate us don't seem to matter. There is always someone available to "be a friend" when a friend is needed.
The second thing I am thankful for is having the "in real life" friends that are here in the "here and now" that I can phone, text or drop by and see whenever I need a personal and up close friend. These are the people that know the ins and outs of my life and see me when I am at my highest and my lowest. These are the women that are here to just be there when necessary. I also know them the same way, which is kind of nice!
Proverbs 18:24 says, "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." I can definitely say I don't have unreliable friends and I am so thankful for all of them but I am even more thankful for the best friend of all - Jesus!
The first thing I am thankful for (and hopefully it won't sound corny) is all my online friends. Women I have met online and have truly become great friends with. All of these women have picked me up when I am down, celebrated with me when I am up and helped cheer me on when a cheer is appropriate! Some of you have kicked me in the booty when I needed that too! I have always been a pretty social person but since I'm not your usual gal I have had difficulties making true, lasting friendships. However, with all of y'all the miles that seperate us don't seem to matter. There is always someone available to "be a friend" when a friend is needed.
The second thing I am thankful for is having the "in real life" friends that are here in the "here and now" that I can phone, text or drop by and see whenever I need a personal and up close friend. These are the people that know the ins and outs of my life and see me when I am at my highest and my lowest. These are the women that are here to just be there when necessary. I also know them the same way, which is kind of nice!
Proverbs 18:24 says, "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." I can definitely say I don't have unreliable friends and I am so thankful for all of them but I am even more thankful for the best friend of all - Jesus!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Bu
It's Wednesday and that means weigh in time with the 'hood. For the first time in a really long time I did not want to get on the scales. Last night while wearing a pair of capris that I have worn losely for sometime I noticed they were pretty snug. So this morning I knew in my heart that I would not like seeing the number on the scale but I figured I couldn't ignore it forever so I hopped on and looked down.
Yep, pretty much what I thought! I started this challenge at 194.6 and this morning I saw the number on the scale that I keep telling myself I will NEVER see AGAIN! You guessed it:
200 pounds!!
I am NOT proud of this. I am not happy about this. In fact I'm pretty stinkin' upset about it. NOw the true test of just how upset I am will be in the results it pushes me to make. For example will I stop drinking soda again? Will I go back on the low glycemic index diet plan that I continue to have great success with? Will I eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies daily?
Only time will tell but I can tell you that I am tired of feeling this way. I also know that if Ii will just do the things I need to do the weight will come off and it will stay off!
For the challenge this past week we were supposed to try something new....um...I walked 4.21 miles in the pouring down rain on Saturday morning at 5:30 AM for my Komen 3 Day Training!! That is definitely something new for me! Then on Sunday I turned around and walked nearly 12 miles starting once again at 5 AM!! Definitely new things for me! Nothing compared to my running friends like Kirsten, Tiffany, Lisa, Christy, Brooke, Bari and ChristieO who regularly RUN WAY more than that but for me it was new and I'm counting it! I also bought a fruit called a pluot. I haven't tried it yet but it looks interesting -- kind of like a plum??
Ok... this week's challenge is to take deep breaths!! Um...yeah, I think I need to do lots of this! So I will be doing this A LOT this week!
Ok...so that is all from me this week. Hope you have had better success than I have in this challenge and if you haven't please let me know so we can help each other out, k?
Yep, pretty much what I thought! I started this challenge at 194.6 and this morning I saw the number on the scale that I keep telling myself I will NEVER see AGAIN! You guessed it:
200 pounds!!
I am NOT proud of this. I am not happy about this. In fact I'm pretty stinkin' upset about it. NOw the true test of just how upset I am will be in the results it pushes me to make. For example will I stop drinking soda again? Will I go back on the low glycemic index diet plan that I continue to have great success with? Will I eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies daily?
Only time will tell but I can tell you that I am tired of feeling this way. I also know that if Ii will just do the things I need to do the weight will come off and it will stay off!
For the challenge this past week we were supposed to try something new....um...I walked 4.21 miles in the pouring down rain on Saturday morning at 5:30 AM for my Komen 3 Day Training!! That is definitely something new for me! Then on Sunday I turned around and walked nearly 12 miles starting once again at 5 AM!! Definitely new things for me! Nothing compared to my running friends like Kirsten, Tiffany, Lisa, Christy, Brooke, Bari and ChristieO who regularly RUN WAY more than that but for me it was new and I'm counting it! I also bought a fruit called a pluot. I haven't tried it yet but it looks interesting -- kind of like a plum??
Ok... this week's challenge is to take deep breaths!! Um...yeah, I think I need to do lots of this! So I will be doing this A LOT this week!
Ok...so that is all from me this week. Hope you have had better success than I have in this challenge and if you haven't please let me know so we can help each other out, k?
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Debby Downer Confessions
Today is Tuesday and over at the world famous Sisterhood of Shrinking Jeans we post all about our confessions of the good, bad and ugly that we might have encountered over the past week. This exercise in confessions is designed to help us feel like we aren't alone, we can turn things around and get back on track again!
I desperately need to get back on track again.As evidenced by the giant Heath bar I just finished consuming right after eating a big cheeseburger, french fries and drinking a coke!
So anyway....here are my excuses...just so you know I completely understand that they are nothing more than excuses!!
I just can't seem to stay away from the junk this summer!!
I have been on an emotional roller coaster this summer. One minute I am happy and excited to be healthy and alive, and the next minute all I feel like doing is plunging my face in a bowl of chocolate or ice cream or candy or....you get the idea!
My oldest son will be heading off to Marine boot camp any time now (with a DEFINITE date of September 19 UNLESS something changes that date to an earlier one!) How's that for decisiveness?? Yeah, that's what I thought, too! One minute I am sooooooo ready for him to be GONE and out of my house and someone else's responisiblity to "fix" and the next minute I don't want him to leave at all! He's been drinking and smoking cigars and overall a VERY bad influence on his little brother and it's basically pissing me off!
It's time for me to start back to schooling That Other Kid and I don't feel prepared mentally or physically. There are so many things I want to work on this year with him but with our schedule I'm already feeling that the fun things aren't gonna happen.
I am supposed to raise $2300 for the Komen 3 Day Walk and so far I only have $75 in my account! I'm getting scared that I won't be able to raise it all and we will have to fill in the gap with our own money! That is freaking me out! The women on my team have told me repeatedly that the money will be there in time for the walk but I still keep having a little breakdown weekly when the money doesn't "just magically appear"!
I have been doing well with my weekend Komen training walks and this past week I even managed to walk afew extra miles during the week! This weekend was a major milestone. Saturday I walked 4.21 miles in the POURING DOWN RAIN!! YAY!! It finally rained here in North Texas!! It was very exciting to know that the rain didn't keep me from doing what I needed to do. Then on Sunday I walked almost 12 miles! It was HOT AND HUMID! By the time we were done with our walk we were all drenched in sweat! After walking I went home, fixed breakfast, took a shower and slept for almost 2 hours! Then I went out to eat and ATE BACK ALL THE CALORIES I BURNED!! If this was the exception to the rule it would be ok but it seems like since I have started doing these training walks I am CONSTANTLY HUNGRY! As in never can get enough to eat hungry!
This has been very frustrating and is making me upset with myself! I know that my hormones are all out of whack (cuz I'm an emoitonal basket-case most days) but in order for me to go to the doctor and get medicated I would need an extensive blood workup which is costly! We are finally getting to the point where we are paying our bills and having a bit of money leftover and I really don't want to blow all that "left over" money on stupid blood work, ya know?! So I'm wondering if anyone knows of any way to get my hormones regulated without spending a boatload of money at the doctor! (We don't have health insurance yet - working on it but it hasn't happened yet!)
Ok...so...enough Debby Downer from me! Hope your confessions aren't as doom and gloom! But if they are please don't keep them to yourself! I don't want to feel alone!
If you are able to help support me in my efforts to raise money for the Komen 3 Day you can donate here.
I desperately need to get back on track again.
So anyway....here are my excuses...just so you know I completely understand that they are nothing more than excuses!!
I just can't seem to stay away from the junk this summer!!
I have been on an emotional roller coaster this summer. One minute I am happy and excited to be healthy and alive, and the next minute all I feel like doing is plunging my face in a bowl of chocolate or ice cream or candy or....you get the idea!
My oldest son will be heading off to Marine boot camp any time now (with a DEFINITE date of September 19 UNLESS something changes that date to an earlier one!) How's that for decisiveness?? Yeah, that's what I thought, too! One minute I am sooooooo ready for him to be GONE and out of my house and someone else's responisiblity to "fix" and the next minute I don't want him to leave at all! He's been drinking and smoking cigars and overall a VERY bad influence on his little brother and it's basically pissing me off!
It's time for me to start back to schooling That Other Kid and I don't feel prepared mentally or physically. There are so many things I want to work on this year with him but with our schedule I'm already feeling that the fun things aren't gonna happen.
I am supposed to raise $2300 for the Komen 3 Day Walk and so far I only have $75 in my account! I'm getting scared that I won't be able to raise it all and we will have to fill in the gap with our own money! That is freaking me out! The women on my team have told me repeatedly that the money will be there in time for the walk but I still keep having a little breakdown weekly when the money doesn't "just magically appear"!
I have been doing well with my weekend Komen training walks and this past week I even managed to walk afew extra miles during the week! This weekend was a major milestone. Saturday I walked 4.21 miles in the POURING DOWN RAIN!! YAY!! It finally rained here in North Texas!! It was very exciting to know that the rain didn't keep me from doing what I needed to do. Then on Sunday I walked almost 12 miles! It was HOT AND HUMID! By the time we were done with our walk we were all drenched in sweat! After walking I went home, fixed breakfast, took a shower and slept for almost 2 hours! Then I went out to eat and ATE BACK ALL THE CALORIES I BURNED!! If this was the exception to the rule it would be ok but it seems like since I have started doing these training walks I am CONSTANTLY HUNGRY! As in never can get enough to eat hungry!
This has been very frustrating and is making me upset with myself! I know that my hormones are all out of whack (cuz I'm an emoitonal basket-case most days) but in order for me to go to the doctor and get medicated I would need an extensive blood workup which is costly! We are finally getting to the point where we are paying our bills and having a bit of money leftover and I really don't want to blow all that "left over" money on stupid blood work, ya know?! So I'm wondering if anyone knows of any way to get my hormones regulated without spending a boatload of money at the doctor! (We don't have health insurance yet - working on it but it hasn't happened yet!)
Ok...so...enough Debby Downer from me! Hope your confessions aren't as doom and gloom! But if they are please don't keep them to yourself! I don't want to feel alone!
If you are able to help support me in my efforts to raise money for the Komen 3 Day you can donate here.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Need Some Motivation
ChristieO is doing a little project to help motivate us in our health and fitness journey. And can I just say it could not have come at a better time for me (and based on what I have been reading I'm not alone)!
So won't you participate? I've already sent her my picture and can hardly wait to see what she has up her sleeve! All you need to do is send Christie a picture and a line describing how that picture made you feel.
Well here is what she says....
■You know those photos you have from racing or race day or perhaps even from training? Send me one! It can be before during or after when you’re a hot smelly mess. In fact, the stinkier the better. They haven’t invented smellovision yet so we’re ok.
■Send your name and blog url so everyone can know where to visit you (yes! exposure for your blog too!) If you don’t have a blog, put your town and state (ex: Tampa, FL) You’ll be famous!
■THEN send me ONE short line of what was going through your head during the photo. Did you finish a marathon? Did you so totally not want to do this race but you were glad you did? Were you proud? Were you hurt? Were you on fire? Did you never think in a million years you’d have just done what you did? Were you defeated inside? Was there drama goin on up there? Give me one line of what you went through or how you got there or what you were thinking.
■Email to christieo@averagemomswearcapes.com
■Then please RT this post so that our fun-loving community of awesome bloggers and friends can get involved! OK? Well that part’s not mandatory but it would be nice to spread the motivation!
■Grab the button below. I will create a list of participating bloggers on my sidebar with their url (feel free to blog about your participation in the project too but don’t share the picture you sent me in that post, it’s a secret until the final project day, ok?)
Go over and see what else she says! She is all kinds of awesome, wouldn't you agree?!
Burst Into Summer
It's weigh in time for the Sisterhood. I'm starting to sound like a broken record!What can I say that I haven't been saying all summer long? Not much! Here we are in the beginning of August and I still haven't lost any weight. I just haven't done what it is gonna take to lose the weight. I have eaten too much junk, too much ice cream, too much sugar and too many high glycemic index foods. The month of May I lost over 8 pounds because I was sticking with the low glycemic index foods. Since then, not so much! Thus, no weight loss!
Starting weight for this challenge: 194.6
Last week: 196.0
This week: 196.0
Last week we were challenged to eat/drink 3 servings of dairy a day. I did good until Tuesday and then I guess I forgot what dairy was! NONE! My bad!
For this week we are being challenged to give up the ICE CREAM!! Seems A LOT of us are having ice cream cravings and we are eating more than our fair share! Since it has been sooooooo hot throughout most of the USA I can totally understand how ice cream has been such a issue for so many of us. I know it has been for me, too! So I'm going to give it a try! Surely I can live 1 week without ice cream, right?!
Exercise has been ok...not what I would like but here again it is so hot outside and I've been wanting to do boot camp but can't really go out and sprint when it is 100* at 10 p.m.! I have been doing my training walks for the Komen 3 Day so I am getting some good exercise on the weekends, but we have been walking starting at 5 a.m.!! I can do that 2 mornings a week since I can come home and sleep but NOT GONNA HAPPEN DURING THE WEEK! I'm trying to figure out how to do training walks during the week, so any suggestions would be welcome.
"My Marine" still isn't sure when he leaves for boot camp, but it could still be as soon as Monday, the 8th!! In one regard I hope it happens then, but on the other end of the spectrum I hope he stays as long as he can!I will let ya'll know as soon as possible so you can send therapy!
I guess that's it for the week. Hope ya'll had a good week!
Starting weight for this challenge: 194.6
Last week: 196.0
This week: 196.0
Last week we were challenged to eat/drink 3 servings of dairy a day. I did good until Tuesday and then I guess I forgot what dairy was! NONE! My bad!
For this week we are being challenged to give up the ICE CREAM!! Seems A LOT of us are having ice cream cravings and we are eating more than our fair share! Since it has been sooooooo hot throughout most of the USA I can totally understand how ice cream has been such a issue for so many of us. I know it has been for me, too! So I'm going to give it a try! Surely I can live 1 week without ice cream, right?!
Exercise has been ok...not what I would like but here again it is so hot outside and I've been wanting to do boot camp but can't really go out and sprint when it is 100* at 10 p.m.! I have been doing my training walks for the Komen 3 Day so I am getting some good exercise on the weekends, but we have been walking starting at 5 a.m.!! I can do that 2 mornings a week since I can come home and sleep but NOT GONNA HAPPEN DURING THE WEEK! I'm trying to figure out how to do training walks during the week, so any suggestions would be welcome.
"My Marine" still isn't sure when he leaves for boot camp, but it could still be as soon as Monday, the 8th!! In one regard I hope it happens then, but on the other end of the spectrum I hope he stays as long as he can!
I guess that's it for the week. Hope ya'll had a good week!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Homeschooling....
Although I don't talk a lot on my blog about homeschooling it is indeed a very BIG part of my life. In fact next to my weight loss/exercise activities it is the most important thing I do on a day to day basis, so when I heard about this "blog hop" for 'not back to school' I wanted to jump on board. If you are new to my blog Welcome! I will give you a quick background then I will hit you up with my curriculum choices for this year.
I have a recently turned 21 year old son that I homeschooled all the way through high school. He attended a private, Christian University (yes, you can homeschool and then get into a good college!) for 1 1/2 years. He decided that college wasn't for him so he took this past spring off and worked. He has signed up to join the Marines and will be leaving for boot camp sometime in the next 6 weeks or so. Although I am proud of him, it is hard to let my 'baby' grow up and leave for such a huge life changing thing. I know that it will be the best thing for him....but....
I am now homeschooling my 7 year old son. He will be doing a combination of 1st grade and 2nd grade this fall. He has a winter birthday and I pretty much stick to a loose year round school schedule, with the "grade change" happening at the beginning of the calendar year. Seems to work well for now, so I'm sticking with it.
Now...on to the curriculum choices for this year.
I am a very eclectic homeschooler and I live in Texas!! Whoohhooo! Texas has great homeschooling laws and allows me to basically teach what I want, when I want as long as I am teaching math, reading, spelling, grammar, and civics from the time they are 6 till graduation (or 17). The hard part is choosing the right stuff to teach, right?
This year I am trying something new and different for me. I am trying a more "Well Trained Mind" plan with lots of 'living books'. I have pulled alot of books off the Ambleside Online site and I'm hoping to use a lot of the resources that are there for the first and second grade student. My son loves to be read to and is starting to read decently so I'm wanting to do a lot of reading and have him read alot this year, so that takes care of the "reading" requirement!
For Language Arts (grammar) I am using a combination of Critical Thinking, Language Smarts and First Language Lessons-Levels 1 & 2 from the Well Trained Mind Company. I think my son will do well with both of these curriculums as long as I make sure I don't overwhelm him with "the boring stuff".
For Spelling I am using "All About Spelling". I bought it back in February but never got around to actually using it since we were so busy with just the basics of learning to read and phonics. I think he will breeze through the first level since he has a really good grasp of words and letters, thanks to Hooked on Phonics and then we will move on to level 2, hopefully by October or November.
Math is his favorite and by far his best subject. At the age of 4 he could count to 100 by ones, just because. By 5 he could count to 600 by ones, just because. He understands time, money, fractions, addition and subtraction and can do it all in his head - all instictively! I'm shocked daily at his ability to do math! It also scares me! I'm not very good with math so I know that I will definitely be sending him to classes or co-ops for math in a few short years. BUT...for now I am teaching him 2nd grade ABeka math. It is advanced, colorful and easy enough for me to teach (for now)!
We are going to be using Story of the World for history this year. This one is new for me, and honestly I am scared! I know it's going to take time and consistent dedication from me to sit down and do the lessons with him but I love history and so does he so it should be fun as long as I do it!!
For Geography we are doing a mish-mash of Cantering the Country by Geography Matters, and a book The Star-Spangled State Book by Bramley Books and whatever else I pick up along the way! Geography is the funnest subject to play around with and I know we could spend more time with geography than I have allotted for a school day if I let it happen that way!
For Science I will take him to a couple of bi-weekly classes. I'm not a sciencey person and there are classes in the area that are inexpensive and really good at teaching what I don't want to and what he loves to learn...so it's a win-win situation for me! Not to mention I get to hang out with friends while he is in class!
For our Fine Arts I have purchased Handle on the Arts and Maestro Classics and I am excited to use both of these this year. My son also loves to draw and create so there will be times this year when I just let him draw and create whatever is in his heart to do. This will be a first for me to use fine arts as part of our regular curriculum, and I regret that I didn't make the decision to do more fine arts study with my older son, so I'm not making that mistake again.
For his PE and socialization (since everyone is always concerned that homeschoolers don't socialize and get enough PE) we go to the park at LEAST once a week from late September to May (even through a lot of winter since it doesn't get that cold in TX usually) and he also takes a karate class that meets twice a week throughout the year. We also get together with friends throughout the school year when the weather is nice out and do field trips and excursions to do and see things that we wouldn't normally do if he was in a traditional school setting.
The only thing that I was wanting to work on this year that I don't think we are going to do is a foreign language. Although I want to do study several foreign languages with him I know that with the schedule we have this year I won't get to it, so I didn't even look at it.
Ok...so that is our curriculum choices for the upcoming year with a brief description of what our year will look like. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you won't be a stranger and will come back. Please leave a comment so I know who stopped by and so I can see your curriculum choices for this year. Homeschooling is an adventure of a lifetime!!
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