… to 1983, that is.
I’m getting ready to post pictures of how we’re falling it up around here, but as sneak peek:
I was playing around with my editing software, and aged this one a bit. It seems that all of my baby pictures have this orangey tint to them…it was kind of neat to “transport” Erin back to the past, too.
Stay tuned. More fall cuteness of Erin and Seth, plus the great porch reveal coming later this week!
My inbox is overflowing with spammy blog comments.
I know your time, reader friend, is precious, which is why I HATE HATE HATE that you now have another step to complete to leave a post comment. (Kasey, never fear; you’re now completely exempt from commenting – since I’ve made it even harder!)
But my time is precious, too, and so is my blog content, at least to me. I hate logging into my email to see a dozen new “comments” in my Writer Chic folder, only to discover than eleven of them are spam that I have to unpublish and delete.
So….there you have it.
Faithful readers, I hope you don’t mind, and I hope you’ll still comment.
Robot spammers…..sayonara.
Recent picture of Seth, that is.
But it makes my heart hurt. Because he looks SO much older than two, I think.
I know the day is coming all too soon that he won’t be able to fit in my laundry baskets to watch Cars. So, today, I gladly schlep the clean clothes to the couch sans tote, and cherish his littleness for just a bit longer.
(Is anyone else getting the feeling like I have WAY more pictures of Erin than of Seth recently? Yeah, me, too. I’m working on that. But the little bugger won’t hold still or look at the camera anymore….)
Anyway, until Seth starts cooperating, here’s what you get:
teaser pictures of Miss E’s Halloween get-up. I can’t WAIT to put some big red circles on her already-rosy cheeks!
I had so many suggestions of adorable things she could be for trick-or-treating….but I figure I have YEARS to dress her up, and, well, I’m CHEAP! So this adorable felt one-piece (plus the jesters hat) for only $4 at my beloved Once Upon A Child was right up my alley.
Seth is going to be a fireman (another score at OUAC -- $6 for a two piece Gymboree costume!), and he is already enjoying the heck out of his costume for daily dress up fun.
I didn’t trick or treat for the majority of my growing up years, and I have every intention of keeping Halloween very non-goblins and ghouls for my littles as they grown, but I have to admit – taking part in the whole dress-up-and-go-searching-the-subdivision-for-chocolate ritual is pretty fun for this mommy.
The girl who gave me the boy who gave me the girl. Love them both to the moon and back.
Monday morning started way too early for me.
Seth decided that he needed company – mainly, mine – in bed at 1:45 AM. Erin decided that 3:30 AM was prime party time in her room (Daddy’s been a bad influence the last few weekends, methinks). I had just gotten back into my own bed after settling her for an hour and a half, when Seth was tugging at me: “Mommy, wake up. It’s morning.” (Well, technically, yes, but, oh, how I was enjoying my pillow.
So, I’m up, I’m tired, I’m shamelessly using OnDemand Sprout TV to babysit so I can pry my eyes open, and I’m not a little dubious about how the day would unfold around me, seeing as how I couldn’t seem to lift my head.
But after a banana and a bowl of Cheerios and half-gallon of ice water, I was starting to perk up.
And then.
And then I got an email from the children’s ministry director at our church. I’ve mentioned before how much the people at our church have just welcomed us and pulled us in and made us family. They’ve watched our kiddos and fed out family and just done a fantastic job of living life with us since the day we got to this little Tennessee town.
By far one of the greatest displays of love we’ve seen from our church family was the planting of a sunset maple in Duncan’s honor last August. You can read all about that day and view the slideshow of pictures here.
I have wanted to have some family pictures taken at Duncan’s tree, but timing and weather have worked against us. But the great thing is – the tree isn’t going anywhere! =)
But I digress. I was talking about my bad Monday morning, and the redeeming email from Lisa:
I have to tell you what happened last night at Praise Kids!
We had taken the Kindergarten - 5th graders outside on the playground for a few minutes after rehearsal (they were wound UP!) and kids being kids, they were running all over the place. A group of boys discovered Duncan's little tree and started to shake it. After being told to stop a couple of times with no results, I marched over and gathered the kids around the tree. I showed them the ornament hanging in it's branches and explained to them why it was there and what it represented.
I told them that "before he was born, Baby Duncan went to Heaven to be with Jesus. But this tree helps us remember him."
Kaylen, with her eyes full of tears said, "Oh, I bet his Mom was really sad..."
I told them, "Yes, his Mom & Dad both were very sad, and so were a lot of other people. Even though Duncan is very happy and in Heaven with Jesus, they're still sad sometimes because Duncan never experienced life here on earth with their family. They're not seeing him grow up, go to school, play baseball...."
Jack, one of our 3rd graders, then interrupted with..."Well, now that just SUCKS!"
I couldn't help but laugh...it was such an honest and accurate statement! I told him, "Yeah, it does, Jack. But we have this tree to remind us that even if Duncan's life was short, he was still part of our family. And as his little tree grows tall, it points straight to Heaven to remind us everyday of Duncan's life and where he is."
Jack reached out gently, wrapped his hands around the tree, looked straight up the branches and said, "Hey, Duncan, miss you, buddy! Say hi to Jesus for me!" Then ran off to go play.
So now I've created a bunch of tree huggers. LOL The rest of the time on the playground, as the kids raced past the tree, they would stop, give it a hug, look up into its branches and say, "Hey, Duncan!," then wave good-bye as they darted off to play.
Later on, one of the younger kids ran over and started to shake the tree again, but this time a couple dozen other children pounced on him like vultures, screaming, "Stop shaking Duncan's tree! Leave it alone!!!"
Duncan made a ton of new friends last night...friends who are gonna do a great job looking out for his tree, making sure it grows straight & tall, so they can always remember him. : )
Do I even need to say anything in closing? Talk about making my day. Not only was my son remembered, but I get the pleasure and blessing of knowing this wonderful woman will be influencing my children for as long as we are blessed to worship together here in Tennessee.
I just had to share this with my readers; I hope it brought a smile to your day, too.
Short and sweet.
On track with the realistic goal I posted last week, I think, which would have me down 4 more lbs. in the next 10 days. We’ll see. If it happens, whoo-hoo! If not, I can smile at the fact that I still am adding to the donation pile of “these are too big” clothes. The scale is only a number, after all. I need to stay focused on how I look and most importantly, how I feel.
The only roadblock in my (known) future this week is a birthday party on Friday afternoon, but I’m telling my friends right now (that’s you, Kasey and Andrea) – don’t let me eat cake. I’d rather enjoy my naked burrito at Qdoba. So, hold me to it! =) Other than that…I think it’ll be a good week.
Hope y’all have one, too.
My sweet friend Kristin recently awarded me with a blogging “award,” which I think is hilarious (though appreciated) because, hello? Really? When was the last time you read anything of substance on The Writer Chic?
Seriously, the only thing I could think of when I opened this post draft was the following:
Do y’all know what I learned this week? (And this is embarrassing to admit because you guys probably already knew this.) When you’re cooking or baking, and the recipe calls for an egg, you should (a) crack and beat the egg in a separate bowl or (b) put the egg in the bowl before adding the other ingredients (like water, oil, etc.).
Because if you, say, measure and pour your water, oil, seasoning, and the like into a mixing bowl, and then crack your egg into the bowl, you just might end up wasting a LOT of ingredients when you realize that your egg was, um, more chicken than egg.
Ew.
See? THAT is the post I had in mind for today. Hardly substantial….though I do feel it was a valuable lesson to learn.
But regardless, thank you, Kristin, for the award, and in the spirit of sending my readers to a blog where they may actually read something of substance, I’ll leave y’all with a list of some of the blogs that I read daily. These have all been slotted to have their own “Meet My Peeps” post, but let’s face it….my time: precious, and blogging is taking a back seat.
So, here ya go:
Hope y’all have a great weekend!
I didn’t mean to take Labor Day off from McFatty Monday. But, somehow, it happened. Oops.
Week 9 was better than Week 8, for sure. See?
Yea, me! I was focused again, after the weeks of yo-yoing and disappointment. I rocked Week 9.
And then.
Week 10. Which can be summed up in a phrase that I think epitomizes my struggles:
“And because it was there, …”
I read a book over the course of Week 10 – a just-for-fun book, not a diet and nutrition book – but I did pick up on something the author was using, and it was that phrase. She was using it as non-dialogue filler, just to help develop a scene, but three times that I can recall off the top of my head, she used the phrase:
Oh, my goodness.
Where do I sign up for a cameo appearance in that novel, because I’d fit right in!
Seriously, that is me. Mindless snacking, just because it’s there. One more trip to the pantry, just because I know something yummy is in there. It’s horrible, and I want it to STOP!
So, seeing as how I’m not going to get even remotely close to my 30 x0 30 goal (heck, I’m not even going to see the flip side of Phase Two), I’m just recommitting, again, to be more mindful, and to nix the snacking in the bud. Because I’m finding that just because the snack is under 100 calories, or even if it’s healthy, if it’s CONSTANT, I’m still not going to lose.
Week 10?
New oh-how-happy-I’d-be goal is 12 lbs by the 30th. I know that is neither practical nor healthy, but hey, I’m being honest. New realistic goal? 7 lbs. by the 30th. And, after that, we’ll reevaluate.
Jim and I will be heading to Las Vegas for a conference in a couple months, and I’m kind of using that as a new motivator. That, and this picture:
I love these people, and I love the happiness in this shot.
But it’s fuzzy because it is so cropped, and it’s so cropped because I look AWFUL in it. It makes me really, really sad to see my chubby face, and flabby arms (which, whew, is it least somewhat hidden thanks to Doug and Sara’s arms), and I hate that Sara and I have been trying ALL STINKIN’ SUMMER to get this picture of the four of us….and now that we have it, I’m ashamed of it.
Maybe that’s just my vanity speaking, but I need a good kick in the pants. Because 6 weeks ago, I weighed 10 lbs less than I do right now. So, no more “I just had a baby excuses.” I did this to myself, and – this’ll make Jim laugh – in the words of Carrie Underwood….
I wanna UNDO IT.
Here we go.
Again.
Overpriced event tickets? Check!
Scores of excited preschoolers and tolerant parents? Check!
Beautiful weather, a happier-than-I’ve-ever-seen-him Seth, and wonderful family memories? Check, check, and check!
What I learned from my Day Out with Thomas:
In the words of Martina McBride, this one’s for the girls.
Namely, our girls. Our being my and Beth’s girls.
In a mere 365 days, we have gone from this and this:
To this and this:
It’s a wonderful, miraculous thing to think that a year ago, on September 9th, we were at Vanderbilt sending Presley into open heart surgery, and Erin was just a mere suspicion.
And here we are now…enjoying Labor Day cookouts with two healthy daughters between us.
Beth, we are blessed mommas indeed.
Three dozen shots of the bean in her sticker-coordinated sundress, and not a one is worthy to post with her four month blog report.
Stay tuned; we’ll attempt to capture Miss E in a better mood later this weekend!
Where I blog is no exception.
Kate, aka the Centsational Girl, is hosting a “where do you blog?” link-up party, and of course, I wanted to get it on the fun.
Last summer, I did a lot of blogging from here:
Wow. Post-Duncan bedrest, and before Brooke gave my blog layout her beautiful overhaul. Seth was in the care of family and friends, and I did a TON of blogging from the comfort of my bed.
Now, however, with both Seth and Erin underfoot, this is most often the blogging set up:
It’s a miracle I haven’t sent the laptop careening over the edge of the stairwell ledge, but….it’s what works. It’s high enough off the ground that Seth can’t reach it; it had good outlet access (since I have killed my battery, and my laptop stays plugged in at all times); and it provides a decent vantage point of both the family room and Erin’s nursery.
Now, “ideally,” I would have time to myself to blog at my desk:
But let’s face it. I’m a mommy. And right now, we just go with what works. And what needs to work right now is hitting “publish,” and racing off to Erin’s room, where she has woken – for the FOURTH TIME THIS AFTERNOON – from her nap.
Where do you carve out a corner of space to blog? We’d love to see you link up over at Kate’s.
There can’t possibly be a baby on planet earth that is any more adorable than mine.
If you don’t agree, I suggest you take it up with her grandmothers. ;) I’m sure they’ll be able to set you straight.
I don’t want to talk about it.
I’m discouraged, I’m frustrated, and I’m confused. Other than the minimal splurging (which I’ve done my best to offset with workouts), I have been following my sensible eating habits. And yet….I haven’t lost a pound in over three weeks. In fact, I’ve gained. Again.
I have a couple theories as to what is going on, but none of them make me feel any better. I’m exactly a month away from my “D-Day” and even though I’d come to terms with not making the 3o-lb. loss by my birthday, I will NEVER come to terms with being no better off than when I started.
And that’s how I’m feeling today. =(
Edited to add:
Yes, I did rephrase some of the original content of this post. It was written too hastily; I made some ignorant and poorly-worded statements; and I chose to remove those statements not out of cowardice or an attempt to “sweep my error under the rug,” but in an attempt to do no further harm.
I’m very openly admitting I spoke out of line, and I apologize to those of you who were offended. However, I do not appreciate being misquoted. I never referenced a “conspiracy;” I chose the word “alliance,” which I stand by. it takes very little effort and research to see that there is indeed a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” relationship going on between the voters supporting the top schools in the Kohl’s campaign.
That said…
This is my blog. If you were offended, it is your prerogative to choose not to return to read further posts. I will respect that. I would ask of you the same courtesy to refrain from carrying on a conversation within the comments from the comfort and veil of anonymity.
**************
If you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, you probably remember this post about the F4 tornado that destroyed Jim’s alma mater in June.
As you may also know, Kohl’s Department Store is currently sponsoring a Kohl’s Cares campaign to provide a total of $10 million in funding to 20 schools nationwide. For the first month that this campaign was running, Lake High School was in 1st place – and you can imagine the morale boost this was to our community.
However, in just the last week, we have seen Lake plummet from 1st to (as of the writing of this post) 17th. 17th. Only 4 spots from becoming ineligible for a $500,000 piece of the generous Kohl’s pie.
How has this happened? Well, from all appearances, it is due to an overwhelming tidal wave of recent votes for private and parochial schools. Go ahead. Click to the page of top schools, and see how long it takes you to find a public school.
Sigh.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit, the feelings I’m having are less than charitable, and totally not in keeping with the spirit in which Kohl’s is running this campaign.
But it’s really, really hard not to think, “But we need it MORE!”
Sure, any school can utilize and benefit from a free $500,000. But I’d venture to say the other 19 schools in the top 20 are thinking of this money in terms of music and art and sports programs – not WALLS and ROOFS and PARKING LOTS and BUSES like Lake is.
So…..I’m begging. Truly.
If you have a Facebook account, please go here.
And vote for Lake High School, Milbury, OH. You can vote for Lake up to 5 times until Friday, Sept. 3. And if you feel led (please! feel led!), pass this news and link to your other friends and family who may not even be aware of this campaign.
Because I promise you, getting knocked out of the running for this HUGE blessing of funding will be merely adding insult to injury to a community already hurting. After being in the lead for so long…well, let’s just say, we’re feeling a little bit like the little wimpy kid getting ganged up on by the big bullies.
Will you stick up for us?
Lesson One:
After you attend your child’s Mother’s Day Out open house, make sure you haven’t “inherited” your child’s name tag. Failure to do so may result in glue on your washer basket, dryer walls, and favorite black shirt.
Lesson Two:
Don’t assume your child will be as excited as you are to take his/her “first day of school” photo. Be prepared to have him roll his eyes at you – even if he is “only” two. (Funny, he cooperated more last year as a one-year-old.)
Lesson Three:
It is perfectly acceptable to reward a great first day of school with a trip to the local splash park and Dairy Queen.
I found a CD in my desk drawer this weekend, chock full of pictures and videos from the last week of my junior year of college. Scrolling through the shots brought back so many memories and had me grinning from ear to ear.
What made me smile even harder was hearing Erin belly-laugh at listening to my voice on video as I tried my first mussel (ew, by the way) (but that’s a story for another day).
Anyway, the picture I’m posting with this entry will mean nothing to anyone but me, but I want to remember, for my sake.
I LOVED college.
I loved the classes I took, the professors I had, the sunshine and palm trees and daily rain showers that are par for the course in Pensacola. I loved my hair (vain, yes, but I had seriously good hair days, despite the humidity, all through college). I didn’t love this dress – though I distinctly remember that I paid $13 for it at WalMart the day before Easter – but I got so many compliments on it, I somehow kept wearing it.
I loved – love – the friends I made ( and I love that, through the wonder that is Facebook, we can all keep in touch, even 10 years later).
I love that through the wonder of photography, I can be transported back a whole decade, and spend an afternoon revisiting sweet, carefree memories.
Aaron, Lucia, Dan, Brenton, Amy, Christine, Megan, Shannon, Jeremy, Meghan, Mark, Andrew, and Julie….. I miss you guys. (And kudos to me for remembering all the names. Seriously, I haven’t seen these pictures since the week they were taken!)
Pffft.
One word for the week: maintaining.
But. My clothes are looser, I’ve let go a little bit more of push-push-pushing toward the big 3-0 D-day), and I ate a LOT of fruit this week.
I know. Random.
But, let’s just say, I’m keeping on – despite a big deviation from “healthy” while I was on a self-proclaimed girls’ weekend with just me and Erin and a fridge of leftovers that needed to be eaten or tossed.
I digress. I ate the hot dogs and I enjoyed them. But I also enjoyed the mini pizzas I whipped up with 100 calorie wheat sandwich rounds, pizza sauce, low fat cheese, and turkey pepperoni.
It really is all about the moderation, people. Well, and self-control (for the pantry) and discipline (for the cardio), but let’s just focus on the “moderation” part for now.
Ramble much, Monica? Sheesh.
Here’s the lowdown for week 7:
It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since this picture was taken….my little baby boy gazing out at the Pacific Ocean. What a great trip that was!
(On that note, happy 2nd anniversary, Margie and Dan!)
Do you have a favorite photo that just encapsulates a trip or vacation for you?
Do you ever get so busy running your life that your feel like you’re not living your life?
I hope I’m not the only one.
There are days where I get so caught up in the details that I miss the point entirely.
Like when I take time to fix Seth lunch in between loads of laundry, but don’t take 10 minutes to eat with him, and as a result, I wind up with a bowlful of mac ‘n cheese dumped in Erin’s bouncy seat.
Or when I line up a baby sitter and send off registration forms so that Jim and I can attend a conference for my jewelry business, but then have to admit to myself that I haven’t held a successful show in almost a year.
Or when I’m working so hard to fit together the puzzle pieces of our business conference/anniversary celebration trip to Las Vegas in November that I find myself “dreading the ordeal” rather than “anticipating the getaway.
Or even in that I’m finding obsessing over lots of cute crafts and snacks and paper products for Seth’s monkey-themed 3rd birthday party (yes, the one that is months and months away) that I’m missing out on these fleeting moments of still-sort-of-my-baby two.
I don’t want to be that mom. That wife.
I want to be more present, and yet, I find that I’m really struggling with the balancing act that is life. And I know that I’m not alone in that.
What do you do to try to keep a degree of balance in your daily life?
I know.
I made big promises about blog fodder and cute pictures, and I have yet to deliver.
But with good reason.
It’s been a diaper-blowing, flight-missing, football-eating, ER-visiting kind of week so far, and I can hardly keep us clean and fed, let alone concentrate on posting. Really. I’m surprised my head is still attached.
I mean, when Seth wakes up in my bed, and I wake up in his….you know there is a whole mess of craziness going on!
How about you?
What was the most unexpected, crazy thing you’ve experienced in the last week?
It’s bittersweet to see the infant disappear, and the “plain ol’” baby emerge….
But, oh, what a wonderful baby she is!
Dear Erin,
Your personality blossomed during your third month here with us, and the sunshine you’ve brought to our home is unmatched – even by the relentless, 100+ degree solar rays beating down on Nashville all July (the hottest on record for Music City).
You smile, and smile, and smile some more. You blow bubbles, and sing in the sweetest tone I’ve ever heard. And you know how to rock out a photo shoot, poses and all.
At three months, you are sleeping (pretty much) through the night (if by “night” you mean “the sleep time that ends at 5 am”), but I’m not complaining. After you eat three or four ounces at dawn, you go back to sleep for a few hours and wake up, happy and ready to tackle the day. Or not. ;)
You wake up more like mommy. You don’t want a whole lot of stimulation (talking to, or, in general, attention from Seth) and you like to be snuggled and rocked for a bit after you get a dry diaper.
You seem to like your day sleep as much as your night sleep, too. You take a mini-cat nap in the morning, usually around 10 am, but then you give me a three-hour+ nap in the afternoon, usually between 2 and 6 pm. THANK YOU! Thank you for timing this with Seth’s permanent drop of his afternoon nap. You won’t know for many, many years how much this helps Mommy get through the day.
You are eating about 4 oz. on average, and you are starting to watch us intently while we eat table food – just about the same time your brother started to take notice.
Kendra has introduced cereal to your just-a-few-weeks-older buddies Luke and Abbey; I’m thinking you aren’t too far behind. What an adventure that’ll be, huh?
You got to spend some brief-but-quality time with Nonna and Papa this month. I think Papa is pretty taken with you. (Maybe it’s because you look like him – chubby and bald!)
You also got to have a special moment with your mommy, grandma, and great-grandma:
You make a four-generation dream come true, sweet bug. No one loves you more than these women, I promise.
You are moving like crazy. Your back-and-forth rolling has turned into army crawling. Now we just need to work on going backwards; you crawl yourself right up the edge of furniture, and then get M-A-D that you can’t go any further!
Erin, I love you. I love everything about you. Your little clenched hands (what’s up with that, by the way?), your hair (or lack thereof), your herniated belly button, your gorgeous baby blues, your pouty lip, your laugh.
I am so glad you are my daughter.
Love, Mommy
Yes, this post is WAY overdue. Life’s been crazy….blah blah blah. ;)
Well, I’m essentially half-way through my 30 x 30 journey – as least as far as time goes (not necessarily by way of results).
And you know what? That’s okay.
I read a really well-written essay earlier this week on one of the MFP community boards. Here is a little bit of it:
Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.
Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crucial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permanent yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tries to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.Phase 3. The routine.
At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistent (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becoming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!
Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already succeeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!
Phase 5. End game.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrilla warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficit, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficits you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficit (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.
Obviously, I’m not as far into the phases of my journey as are touched upon in this essay, but some of what the author was saying about expectations really resonated with me. I think having that weight gain back in week four really caught me off guard and made me reevaluate not only the how but also the why of this weight loss journey.
Anyway, I have really adopted a healthier attitude about this 30 x 30, and I’ve vowed to myself that it doesn’t matter what the number on the scale is on my birthday, as long as I’ve done my best to exhibit self-control and make good, healthy choices each day.
That said, I can’t help but admit that this week was a positive one, by way of results. Here’s a quick recap:
Random Tips:
Things I (re)discovered:
Favorite foods of the week:
Weight loss:
Yea me for being back on track! How was y’all’s week?
That’s what I am.
My laptop is back up and running, and I’m bursting with blog fodder and lots of fantastic pictures from the last month, but it is late, I still need to get half of my kiddos to bed, and I’m currently holding three simultaneous Facebook chat conversations, so I’m just going to leave you with this:
More adorableness of both the littles to come, I promise!
I love my (still, for the most part, new to me) car.
It drives like a dream, has an awesome stereo, and it even talks to me on occasion.
Like, oh, it’ll randomly announce that I should take note of “low tire pressure.” Because if I don’t (take immediate note), said wonderful new-to-me car will decide to implode said low-pressured tire.
Oh, I suppose I shouldn’t blame the car. It’s not like she chose to drive her left rear tire over this:
I suppose it looks harmless enough in that photo. But let’s get a little perspective, shall we?
Yeah. That is the bolt the repairman pulled out of my tire. The tire that couldn’t be patched, but had to be completely replaced, because I hit the bolt on a bridge and had no choice but to drive on the tire for a mile or so (as luck would have it, right into massive road construction that would prevent me from pulling over before driving another few miles).
Needless to say, having to deal with this on a day when I was dressed up (all the way in a skirt, even), late for a lunch meeting, with a hungry Erin in tow, on a 97 degree day was NOT my idea of FUN.
There’s nothing like trying to feed your two-month old in a gas station parking lot while trying to keep your cool and track down the men in your life to come to your rescue.
Thank goodness for Triple A, and their great employees who had my tire replaced in no time. And thanks to my great dad for purchasing the aforementioned Triple A membership that I (oops) had let lapse. Never again, believe me. I have a whole new appreciation for roadside assistance.
More than anything, though, I’m thankful that it was “only” a blown tire and nothing more serious, seeing as how I’m hauling uber-precious cargo.
