ShrinkYoSelf 2012 - Week 7

Last week I failed to post about my "weight loss" cuz honestly I didn't feel like coming here and telling you I had gained weight AGAIN! I almost didn't post today for the same reason....

So, let's just get the boring hum-drum details taken care of then we can move on to something more exciting, k?

I started this challenge on January 1st with high hopes of losing 20 pounds in 2 months. Honestly if I had stuck with my goals and plans I would have made it. BUT...I haven't and I won't. I started January at 205.0. Today's weight was up AGAIN to 202.6. I'm upset with myself. I'm upset that I can't seem to pull myself up by the bootstraps and do what is needed to get this weight off.

I know what to do, it's just a matter of doing it, right? Oh...I have a great list of excuses. But, really I'm just tired of them all! I want to look in the mirror and feel good about what I have accomplished. Not look in the mirror and see my clothes fitting too snug.

For the past week I have been suffering from migraines, and a sinus infection. Sunday I finally decided to go to the doctor and get some medicine. I'm finally feeling a bit better although the migraines are still there. I'm tired ALL THE TIME and have no motivation and energy to do anything beyond the basics of taking care of the house and people in it! Laundry that I washed Monday is still sitting in the basket to be folded and hung up.

Exercise hasn't been happening which is contributing to my depressed state of being. I was doing so good with exercise. I was doing the #FabAb February workout with Bari and Nancy, then it got to the point where laying on the floor was painful so I stopped. I managed to do it this morning (Day 11)...but now I am 4 days behind! Can I catch up when we are supposed to be doing 40+ situps a day? and 40second+ planks? I don't know. This morning those 40 situps were REALLY difficult! I'm gonna try because I like the accountability I am getting from these girls....

As for my Biggest Loser for Kinect workout? I was doing good with it, too, BUT sinus infections and migraines suck the life out of me! I haven't done anything in a week! Now I'm behind on that, too! I hate being sick!

I've been doing decent on my 52 Small Changes Challenges over at the 'hood, but during the past week I have fallen into all the bad habits....time to get back on target! I started tracking again this morning so that's a good place to start, right??

ok...enough of that drivel....My Marine is NOW stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland for the next 3ish months for his MOS (marine name for on the job training) schooling. He arrived this morning and I got a text from him saying he was at his "new home sweet home"! I think he is glad to be out of California! lol Fort Meade is just a short distance from Baltimore and the hubby and I are looking at the possibility of a trip out there! We've never been out east and now we have a great reason to go! And besides I know a lot of my friends live out that way!

Most of you know that I am a BIG supporter of Susan G. Komen organization. I am planning to walk AGAIN in the 3 Day for the Cure Walk in November. Another one of my friends sent me a message earlier this week telling me her aunt was just diagnosed with breast cancer! We MUST find a cure for breast cancer! It affects too many people and I don't want it to be someone else I know! It's time I get going on my fundraising so tomorrow I am holding my first "give-away for donations" for the year. I'm giving away a $25 Starbucks gift card this time! Last year when I did this I was very happy with the results and Thea was the lucky winner of a $75 Target giftcard! Who will be the winner this time? Come back tomorrow for details! All you have to do to enter is donate $10 or more to my fundraising page! Easy peasy, right?!! If you donate today you will get an extra entry...so don't wait! Get a headstart (and an extra chance,k?)!

Shrinkvivor - Going From Pink to Exile

It's Wednesday and that means it's time to weigh in with the Sisterhood. I got sent to Exile Island last week which didn't surprise me terribly since I had a gain again.

Now that I'm on Exile Island I lost a bit more than a pound...go figure, right?

I did well on the exercise minutes this week with 657, most of which was over the weekend with the Komen 3 Day training. This past weekend we had our last long training weekend walking 19.5 miles on Sunday and almost 11.5 on Saturday. I also did the Run the 'Hood 5K with That Other Kid on Saturday so it was a busy weekend. Saturday afternoon our team also got to go around and mark some of the route we will be walking during the 3 Day, but it would have been difficult to quanitify the time for that so I didn't count it as "exercise" minutes although we were walking A LOT! We are just 9 days out from the 3 Day Walk!! Wow! I can hardly believe it is almost here! I'm starting to get really excited and a bit nervous, as well, about what happens after the 3 Day. How will I handle going from walking miles and miles on the weekends to all of a sudden NOT walking alot on the weekends?? Suggestions are appreciated...

Our mini-challenge for the week was to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. NO PROBLEM! I usually drink a minimum of 100 ounces a day and on the weekends I usually get around 130 ounces!

This week we are sticking with exercise minutes so I will have to push myself to get some extra workouts in since this is our taper weekend before the walk and we are only going 10 and 8 miles this weekend - only about 2.5 to 3 hours a piece!

We are also supposed to stay away from the halloween candy! Wow! That is kind of mean, right? But, it shouldn't be too hard for me since That Other Kid is allergic to most of the candy I don't buy it for him and what he gets from the Fall Festivals we usually give to friends....as long as I just do that right away I should be good.

Hope you guys are having good success with your goals and are getting healthier, cuz that is the ultimate goal, right?

Red Friday....

In honor of RED FRIDAY, I decided to post this poem that was posted on the Marine Family facebook page that I am a part of. This group has kept me sane over the past 4 weeks!

Yes, "My Marine" has been gone nearly 4 weeks! That means in just 9 weeks he will be graduating from boot camp and will hold the honor of being a United States Marine! I'm still looking for flights to San Diego for us to get out there as cheaply as possible so if you know of any way to get from Dallas to San Diego the middle of December cheaply please let me know! I've only received 1 REAL letter and it was just like heaven on earth! Can't wait to hear from him again although I know he's a bit busy!



Yesterday a Boy, Today a Marine, Always my son

There is a young man,taking part in God's plan.
... To go off and rain in the sun and sand.
He goes to an Island where is taught by a DI
Commanded by stern voices to make fearful choices.

Following through to the end.
To never to stray or to bend.
To fight the good fight
and run the race to win
The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor
Is the prize at the end.
Honor, Courage and Commitment
Are what is taught.
To stand for these and to hold them true.
He does this for me and for you
To be yelled and screamed at and to not quit.
Push ups and quarter decked they say will make him fit.
To run miles at a time in eighteen inch sand.
Training and learnig to defend with his hands.
An oath he took willingly to serve and defend,
He will follow through with his brothers down to the end.
He puts a Sir or Mam at the end of each yes or no,
Makes you wonder, "Where did the boy go?"

His recruiter says he is doing well.
His letters are our communicationfrom his boot camp hell.
Some thing he goes through he cannot and will not tell,
His letters we look for daily in the mail,
Recieving one makes the waiting all swell.

The day he left was a heart strain,
Will be totally forgotten when my son becomes a Marine
The Few and the Proud, is what he choose to become,
Not an easy task for many,impossible for some.

Prayers and scriptures are what he reads through,
Fighting illness and homesickness, he knows God is there too.
He is doing the things he has to do,
To become a Marine, one of the choosen Few

Semper Fi is the motto, always faithful and true,
This will be obvious when he stands in his Dress Blues.
Oo-Rah will be the battle cry,
Shouted loud and clear.
Becoming his dream
Overcoming his fears.
My son will be a Marine.
What a wonderful sound.





And don't forget to check out my Target giftcard give away. All proceeds go directly to the Komen 3 Day for the Cure that I am walking in just 3 weeks! WOW!! 3 weeks to go!..I will close it off tomorrow evening and pick a winner Sunday afternoon with the help of That Other Kid!

Shrinkvivor and Other Random Stuff!

Ok...before we get down to the ugliness business of Shrinkvivor can I just say I have the BEST ONLINE FRIENDS IN THE WORLD!! I received donation after donation after donation yesterday for the Komen 3 Day Walk and every one of these donations came from women that I have NEVER met in real life (with the exception of Christy cuz I got to meet her this past spring!) I am so grateful for the community of women (and men) that I have met online! Y'all have enriched my life greatly!!


On with the business of the day! This is Wednesday which means it is weigh in day! I didn't really know what to expect. I walked over 30 miles during the weekend and ate a lot of food to keep me going! Not all of which was good for me, obviously by the number on the scale. Sorry the picture is sideways! I don't know how to fix it! :(( since I am technically challenged!

Anyways, as you can see this is right back where I started from one the beginning day of the challenge! Back to 200.8 is not where I wanted to be but it is what it is!
Nothing I can do about it now. Just gotta work harder this coming week and make the number go back down.

I did log a respectible number of minutes of exercise -- 755 minutes -- so I'm hoping it is enough to give us immunity!! We lost Roo last week and that made me very sad but it doesn't mean she's not PINK still! We still love her and as far as we are concerned she is still on our tribe!

We were supposed to make sure we got at least 7 hours of sleep a night last week for our mini-challenge. I did good except over the weekend when I only got about 4 or 5 hours a night! It's hard for a night owl to get enough sleep when she has to get up at 4 am to walk for training!

this week's mini-challenge is EAT YOUR GREENS! Honestly this is one of my most difficult areas! I'm not a veggie eater. Salad is about the only veggies I eat and I have a hard time eating them on a regular basis but I am trying! I did buy salad yesterday at the store and we had a salad last night so I will just need to make sure I fix one every night!

Before I say goodbye I want to remind you that I have a $75 Target giftcard giveaway going on. Check it out over here. I will have That Other Kid help me choose a winner Sunday afternoon since I will be out walking Sunday morning.

Oh I almost forgot! Go give Bari some love this weekend as she is running her first MARATHON! Go give Thea some love, too! Cuz she is running her FIRST HALF-MARATHON!! These women are all kinds of inspirational to me and they definitely deserve some lovin'! They are both gonna rock their races and I can't wait to hear how awesome they do on them!

Feeling Overwhelmed Confessions

Right now is the first time I've even sat down at my computer long enough to even THINK about writing a post since last week for the Shrinkvivor post! I've been busier than a "one armed paper hanger" and I'm ready for some down time!

But....I'm not really going to get it for another few weeks. I will just take care of business as soon as possible and move on!

I WALKED 20.5 miles on Saturday! Oh my goodness how good I felt for accomplishing such a wonderful goal! That is 1/3 of what I will be walking in a matter of 3 1/2 weeks. I felt so good...our training walk that day was 18 miles but our wonderful training leader wanted to allow us to walk those extra 2 miles "to show we can"!! I can't tell you how good it felt!

I know that there are marathoners out there that are RUNNING OVER 20 miles but for me this was such a wonderful accomplishment!

Then on Sunday we were supposed to walk 15 miles! I bailed at just over 9 miles! My allergies were making me sick! I was dizzy, weak, and exhausted! I felt worse walking those 9 miles than I did walking the 20, so I went home, and got in bed for 2 hours and SLEPT! I felt a bit better - not great but better. Since then I have been having some serious allergy issues so I am going to go to the doctor to get some antibiotics to prevent a sinus infection. I know most people love fall and I do love the cooler weather BUT my allergies and I are NOT loving fall!

I had a bake sale to raise money for the Komen 3 Day
on Friday night (and spent 6 hours Thursday baking for it!) and raised $150 in just a few hours! I was very happy!

I'm also giving away a $75 Target giftcard on Saturday to one of my donators! All you have to do is donate at least $5 and leave me a comment on this post! Sometime Sunday That Other Kid and I will choose a winner for the giftcard! So far the odds are pretty good -- Brooke, Roo, and Alison are the only ones who have donated.

All proceeds go directly to help find a cure for breast cancer! Donate here before Saturday night and I will enter you into the drawing!!

Yesterday I went to hang out with my friend Glenna, whom I am doing all this walking, baking, and fundraising for! It was the first time in what seemed like forever that we have done anything by ourselves! It was soooooo nice! We walked the mall, went to see a movie (7 Days in Utopia - a great clean movie, btw) and walked the mall some more and ate dinner at Chilis! We talked till we barely had voices! It was a great way to spend the day/evening!

But...I missed SisterChat and that made me sad:(

Today I have been cleaning and trying to get a handle on the disorganized clutter and mess that has been taking over my house! How do y'all tackle the clutter? Do you have a "cleaning schedule"? Do you do a little every day or all day cleaning? Inquiring minds NEED to know! I'm tired of the house being a mess! Storage is limited and space is even more limited so I need to figure it out!

My eating has been so-so this week, exercise has been good considering I walked over 29 miles this past weekend! lol Hopefully, I will have another good loss tomorrow.

What do you have to confess this week?

Shrinkvivor Week 1

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Today is check in day at Shrinking Jeans and honestly I was afraid to step on the scales this morning BUT I was pleasantly surprised with this number!

Last week for the start of Shrinkvivor I was at 200.8 so I lost 2.6 lbs this week! Just think what I could have done had I not eaten 1 dozen cookies in 2 days!!

For the mini challenge we were supposed to avoid fast food. I did

Ok on it but I blew it on Thursday even before I knew what we were supposed to do. I also bought Chickfila Monday but I got a grilled chicken salad, so I don't think that is bad.

I have been participating in a fitness challenge at the karate studio that That Other Kid takes class at. This is the 4th and final week if it and we got weighed and measured. I lost a total of 10 inches in 1 month! I'm so happy that I am actually seeing progress!









For our physical challenge I did 727 minutes, and that's taking Thursday completely off from exercise. My body needed the break! This week's challenge is exercise minutes again! No sweat! I am walking 20 miles on Saturday and at least 15 on Sunday! I will also be getting some more minutes in during the rest of the week, just cuz!

As most of you know I am walking the 3 Day for the Cure
and I am supposed to raise $2300 so I am doing a great give away for a Target giftcard! Go check it out ...
here

Hope you all had a great week!

TARG-AY Giftcard GiveAway and Breast Cancer Awareness!

I'm happy to announce a Target Giftcard GiveAway! This giftcard is $75 of FREE MONEY for Target or Target.com! Everybody loves free money and everybody LOVES Target, right??

Ok...so here's the deal! I am raising money and walking the 3 Day for the Cure 1 month from today! I have pledged to raise $2300 for breast cancer research. If you have been around much you know that this cause has ALWAYS been pretty special to me, but this year it became a little MORE special to me with my best friend being diagnosed with breast cancer the week before Christmas last year. This year I have watched her go through the cancer treatments, the surgery and all the junk that goes along with cancer. It has been a rough year for her and her family. She is doing amazingly well and is probably healthier than she has been in years now!

Anyway, I am about at the 1/2 way point in my fundraising! Considering I have only been working on this since the middle of July I think I'm doing pretty well BUT....in order for me to walk on November 4th, 5th and 6th for 60 miles --- (that's 20 miles a day, yo!) I need to raise the rest of the money quickly! Enter Target...

I have this $75 giftcard that I want to give away to one of my supporters!

So if you go to here and donate at least $5 (everyone can afford $5 right??) I will put you in the drawing for the $75 giftcard! $5 is just one trip to a fast food place. Or just 1 trip to Starbucks! Have you gone to Starbucks or gotten fast food lately? If yes, then I'm sure you can handle donating to this wonderful cause that is helping millions of women (and even men) daily in the fight against breast cancer!

Once you donate leave me a comment and tell me (I will know cuz I get emails telling me when someone donates!) but I want to have all the names in a list so I can have That Other Kid help me choose a person to give the giftcard to!

You can also get other entries in this giveaway by telling others about it either on twitter or facebook or your blog! If someone donates through your recommendation to donate both of you will be in the drawing!

So if you donate and then you tell your peeps about it and they donate (and let me know about your connection) you can get multiple entries...easy peasy, right??

So....go forth and donate a minimum of $5 (which is just like nothing really) and tell your peeps and you could win $75 of free TARGET money!! What could be cooler than that??? A cure for breast cancer! But we can only do so much, right??

I will close this giveaway out on October 15th in case you have to wait for another paycheck! Ain't I nice?? And if you enter, make sure I can find you, k??

Confession

It's Shrinking Jeans Confession time. I have a few things to get off my chest, so sit back and help me get my act in gear, k?

I have been training for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure. We have 4 more weeks of training and a lot of prep work to get through during this month of October. My weekends have been crazy busy already with the training but they are about to get EVEN more crazy! If you are looking for me on the weekends I highly recommend you try on Friday or Monday!! This coming weekend is our "dress rehearsal" - where we wear our halos, angel wings and tutus (if I manage to get it made in time!) and walk 18 (or 20 miles) on Saturday and then turn around and walk 15 (or more) miles on Sunday! I'm actually kind of excited to walk this weekend -- I know my feet can handle it now that I have the correct shoes and I'm using Hike Goo to keep the blisters at bay. Right now the weather forecast is calling for a 30% chance of rain. I may be shot but I'm praying it doesn't rain till AFTER we are done with our training walks. I'm not looking forward to the possibility of walking in the rain for that many miles!

I got my first REAL letter from My Marine yesterday in the mail! I cried while I read it walking back from the mailbox and then I cried again as I was reading it in the apartment. He seems to be doing well, but was in "sick bay" for a cough. Apparently so was 1/3 of his platoon! He has his first knowledge test on Thursday or Friday (I can't figure out which day it really is) so I'm praying that he does well on that. He was saying that he has basically NO time to do anything. He got his rifle but had not got to use it yet! He was learning how to clean it and memorize the serial number on the gun!

Ok...onto some confessions that will no doubt affect me on the weigh in tomorrow morning for Shrinkvivor.

I ATE an ENTIRE BOX of COOKIES (12 of them) with 230 calories a piece in a matter of 2 days! I paid for it dearly by being sick to my stomach and having a serious sugar headache all evening. I also felt like someone had beat me with the ugly stick! I felt fat, ugly and disgusting all evening! I didn't really have an excuse for why I ate them all -- except I just wanted to. STUPID!!! I spent a lot of time in the bathroom last night, too! Hopefully I flushed all that CRAP (literally and figuratively) out of my system.

I have been really putting a lot of hours of exercise in this week so I'm hoping that it will help me lose the weight that those stupid cookies caused me to gain...

We were supposed to stay away from the fast food this week for our mini-challenge. I blew it before I even knew what I was supposed to do. I ate fast food Thursday afternoon but in all honesty I didn't make bad food choices with what I ate, but STILL....I can't say I stayed away from fast food this week! I also bought a Chickfila Grilled Chicken salad last night that I didn't end up eating...so that will be my lunch. I don't really consider that "fast food" since it has 180 calories and is actually better for me than most of the food I have at home right now!

Menu planning has totally been a BUST for me. I know I need to do it, but I haven't.
There are a lot of great recipes floating around through the Sisterhood but I just haven't taken the time to sit down and figure out a menu. I think the thing holding me back is that I am SOOOOO busy right now that I don't feel like I have the time to sit down and write it out and then go to the grocery store to buy the stuff necessary to fix the food. I pretty much know what I'm gonna fix this week but I haven't written it down!

This is the last week that I'm going to be gone during the week for my fitness classes so I'm hoping that I will have a little more time at home to do what needs to be done as far as menu planning and grocery shopping!

I bought a couple of shirts and a dry-fit jacket for my 3 Day Walk training since the EARLY mornings are actually a bit cool! I got both items on clearance at TARGET!! Gotta love Target for clearance! Speaking of Target....check back in a bit. I've got a great give away planned for a $75 Target giftcard!! Think FREE MONEY to use at TARGET or TARGET.COM!!

Ok...that's it for my confessions-- what about you?? Do you have confessions to make? I promise you will feel better if you spill the beans!

Marine Corp Prayer...

The United States Marine Corps Prayer.

Eternal God, we humbly beseech You that your hand of mercy extend to all United States Marines from sea to shining sea, from ports near and far, amphibious bases and airfields, to embassies around the world. Whenever our Marines stand watch this day may they be persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things pre...sent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate them from the love of God.
Lord, stand beside these Marines whom you have called to serve. Help them to serve honorable. Give them courage, strength, and skill, and if they are called to sacrifice may it be worthy of their Lord.
For the tasks that lay before the Commandant and the Sergent Major of the Marine Corps, we ask an extra measure of strength. When they pass through the waters, make known that you will be with them, and when they walk through fires they shall not be burned.
God, we pray that you would sustain our Marines, and just as they are always faithful to the Corps, we ask that you would call them by name, and they would hear your voice and they would be faithful to you. (Semper Fidelis) Amen





I received my first "form" letter from My Marine last night! I was so excited I started dancing and singing! You would have thought someone handed me $1000! Now I have an address so I can start communicating with my son! It's been a long (nearly) 2 weeks but I have survived and I'm sure he has too! lol Occasionally on Fridays I will be posting things that pertain to the marines. I hope you don't mind! It is a part of my life now and that is what this blog is all about ME and MY LIFE!!

As we end September and start October I hope you will prayerfully consider donating to help find a cure for Breast Cancer. I am participating in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure Walk on November 4,5,6th and I have pledged to raise $2300. You can donate here to help me raise this money! This weekend I will be doing training walks...of 10 miles on Saturday and 6 miles on Sunday (it's a short weekend of training before next weekend we walk 18 miles on Saturday and 15 miles on Sunday!)

Have a great weekend everyone and Semper Fi (Always Faithful)~~

Time to Confess...

Tuesday is confession day at the Sisterhood. Sometimes I feel like confessing and sometimes I don't. Today I feel the need to get some things off my chest and butt, stomach and hips.

We are about to embark on our next challenge over at the Sisterhood (Shrinkvivor)and I am definitely ready to get the numbers on the scale to go down.I have been stagnating (or some people who are nice say maintaining) this weight for the past year and honestly I am sooooo tired of it I could spit! IT'S TIME to change!!

Last night during SisterChat (were you there? if not you missed a great time!) I was chatting with all the lovelies telling them they better really work hard cuz I am ready to become a HAWT Marine Mama when I go to SanDiego in December! That means I am going to really work hard and get this weight off! 12 weeks is gonna go fast...and I want the weight to get off fast too! BUTTTTT I REFUSE to starve myself and deprive myself of healthy eating habits! So what does that mean? I eat right, exercise right and lose the weight with the help of my friends!

@JeninRL was telling me last night I couldn't win Shrinkvivor cuz she was gonna win...Now usually I'm like ok great, but I was in a "dude I don't think so I'm gonna win this sucker" mood so we were egging each other on! It was actually entertaining, but then she threw of the gauntlet! To take pictures of ourself in a bikini/swimsuit and then post it on the 'hood! She went over and set up a group for it. I decided what the heck! I might be old but if I'm going to challenge her to lose weight while she challenges me to lose weight I may as well be proud enough of my successes to post a picture of myself in a swimsuit! She said bikini -- I haven't been in a bikini since she was 2 though so not sure I'm gonna go that far BUT I can do a swimsuit!! AND look GOOD in it!! THAT is the clincher!! That's gonna require some serious weight loss on my part! So....the challenge begins tomorrow!! There will be a beginning picture but that will not be seen YET! And of fcourse the ending picture!

Ok...onto other confessions!

That Other Kid is driving me crazy! He seems to be craving my attention every second of EVERY day! We have done very little school lately and I'm frustrated with that. We have to do school but every time we sit down to do it he starts whining and complaining that he misses his brother or he wants to "spend time with me"!! He doesn't want to do anything that requires actual LEARNING! I have to admit that I'm at a loss as to what to do. Honestly I am pretty distracted and don't want to do school either....BUT that doesn't change the fact that it needs to be done!

My Marine left on September 19 for bootcamp and I still haven't heard from him! I'm getting to the point where I can function without crying and wondering what he is doing and how he is doing but there are things that will set me off! This weekend while walking my 17 mile walk someone had yellow ribbons tied on their trees in the front yard! I started crying and one of my friends started praying for me! Only 12 more weeks till I get to see him!! I've been told that I should get a letter from him sometime this week! I hope so!

I walked 30 miles over the weekend! Honestly it was HARD but it was not impossible. What made it harder??....messing up my knee on Saturday and having to walk all 17 miles Sunday (in the heat)with a bum knee!
What made it easier??....getting the FroggTogg in the mail on Saturday and using it on Sunday and walking with a friend! (We shared the FroggTogg!!) Thanks Christie!

I am down to 6 weeks before the Komen 3 Day for the Cure Walk and I still have about $1500 to raise! Please help me raise money for breast cancer research! It could be you, your mom, your sister or best friend that you help!! You can donate here to support me!

And while we are talking fundraising I have a question for you. If you were given a chance to raise a significant amount of money at an event that you didn't really support would you participate or would you say forget it? Just curious cuz that's where I am at with an event this weekend. I am going to participate in it because I can raise a lot of money but I'm having a problem with being at the event!

Ok...I'm off to play soccer with That Other Kid! If you have confessions to make feel free to join in the confession discussion at the Sisterhood or let me know what is up with you!!

Thankful Thursday with Rambling Thoughts

My Marine left my care on Sunday evening around 7:30 pm and I have to say it was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. Bootcamp is 13 weeks and yes, I am counting down the days till he will graduate. Graduation is December16!

I am THANKFUL for a son willing to go do something for our country. These 13 weeks will be difficult for That Other Kid, my hubby and me but what he goes through over these 13 weeks will make him a MAN able to fight wars and defend the freedoms we all hold so dear.

As I was sitting at my computer Sunday night and Monday trying to focus on something besides how much I'm going to miss him I found several wonderful support groups for marine parents (in particular moms). We are all going through the same things (or they have gone before us).

I am THANKFUL for these groups to help me through these 13 weeks!

I am THANKFUL for the Internet to help me connect with these women!

I am THANKFUL for my sisters at the ShrinkingJeans who have been texting, tweeting, facebooking, and commenting their support this week.

This morning was pretty emotional because That Other Kid's kittens escaped the apartment. He was crying for more than 30 minutes and I was out on a walk. So I am THANKFUL that my hubby was home to rescue the kittens. I can't imagine how heartbroken That Other Kid would have been if the kittens would have been lost forever. He's already feeling sad since My Marine left.

I am also THANKFUL for all the people who have made donations in order to support me in my Komen 3 Day Walk. My parents sent me a check this week and this morning I got a donation from someone I don't even know....and I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see this donation come through. I am definitely thankful for these 2 donations as I have been feeling like maybe I can't do this....

I have finally been able to conquer the blister problem and have been able to walk without getting blisters. (If you suffer with blisters on long walks/runs you should check out this great product. It has saved me over the past 3 weeks....no more blisters!! What a glorious feeling!! This weekend I will be doing my longest walks so far -- 13 miles on Saturday and 17 miles on Sunday. I'm actually looking forward to this!! Crazy but true!!

I have 6 weeks left to raise the remaining $1500 I need to meet my $2300 goal. You can help by going to visit my personal page and donating here.

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!!

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!

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!

Bursting Into Summer

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! as long as I don't get too stressed out to remember to do it that is!

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?

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.

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!

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!