Mother of the year award....

Tonight I was getting my daughter ready for bed, and she asks me if she can use the new toothpaste she got for Christmas. "Sure honey, let's go brush", so she hands me the Dora toothpaste, and I dab of a little of the purplish/clear colored gel onto her brush and I start brushing her teeth...then she gets this really funny look on her face as if she doesn't like the flavor of the toothpaste, and says "it tastes yucky, what flavor is it", so I look at the Dora toothpaste container and notice the word "Elmers" on it, and for a split second I think...now that's strange, I didn't know Elmer's made toothpaste. Then I have a flashback of me buying her GLUE to put in her stocking from "Santa", because she loves to play with glue, but I'm very reluctant to let her do it without close supervision. Anyway, as you probably have now guessed, we brushed with Dora glue. Luckily glue is non-toxic, and Maree rinsed her mouth out and we both laughed over mommy's mistake....well, we both thought it was toothpaste, and when I told her it was glue, she was surprised that "Santa" had given her glue, and said "Santa would laugh about this!" Yes he would!!!
Please note below how close the glue container looks to my son's new toothpaste container....
Yep, I've been nominated for the Mother of the Year Award!! :)

Today's workout

Today is another day relaxing day with just my son and I. I decided to try a Turbo Jam video (Turbo sculpt). It wasn't really what I expected, as I thought it would be more kick boxing/dance type moves, but this particular video was more body weight exercises, like squats and lunges (a LOT of those), along with arm exercises mixed in. It was hard! It was 40 minutes long, and I think I burned 450 calories. My watch currently says 516, but I've been done for 18 minutes. I also got to training effect of 3.6, which I was pretty surprised at. To put that in perspective, when I was doing the 1 hour private pilates session on the big pilates machines, I was typically getting to a training effect of like 1.3 . So this was a good cardio workout with strength training as well. The best of both worlds!!

Gotta get busy!!

Christmas has come and gone again...I can't believe how fast time goes. Our Christmas was great as usual. Very relaxing time spent with family and friends. Surprisingly my DH did quite well with the gift giving, and I got things that weren't even on my list...which means he had to think about something I would like/need, and get it. This is much more difficult for him than just buying me something I've told him I want. His family gets you exactly what you ask for, so most of the time they all know what they are getting. In our family, it's mostly a surprise. Anyway, I've also had this week off, so I've spent yesterday and today doing mostly nothing, trying to get my house back in order (minimal effort actually), playing video games with my son...Maree is still with Auntie. It snowed today, so that was fun. Today Aaron and I played Mario and Sonic Olympics on the Wii, which is actually quite a workout..and very fun. Somehow he has the ability to unlock new games, whereas, I don't seem to be able to, so it's better to play with him :) Everyone's arms are sore from sprinting the 100m, swimming, rowing, hurdles, etc. Now, if I wore my weighted gloves, it would be even more of a workout....
Well, today I got my Million Dollar Body coaches showcase pack that I've been waiting for, which means I better get busy with my workouts. Also need to get my eating back on plan, but in all honesty, that probably won't happen until next Wednesday, when all the festivities are done with. I may try some of the workouts tomorrow though. Here is a picture of everything I got...
In that pack are 12 P90x videos, then several Turbo Jam videos, several Hip Hop Abs videos, P90 (2 videos), Slim in 6 (2 videos), and several Yoga Booty Ballet videos....plus a workout ball (needs to be pumped up a bit), 4 measuring tapes (many of the programs came with this), weighted gloves (which my son thinks are SOOOO cool....to be used with the turbo jam), 5 fitness bands (much better quality than the ones you can buy in stores), and many nutrition guides, workout calendars, progress trackers, etc. There is a lot of fun stuff. We watched a few snip bits of some of the videos and they look great.

Anyway, I hope all of you had great Christmas's too. We are having a family party on New Years Eve, probably full of eating, and playing games, which should be a good time. Then it's back to reality of Wednesday when I have to go back to work...get my act together before we go to Cabo!!!! I am so excited for Cabo, I've been dreaming about it the last few nights....

Funny ways people find your blog

Since I am a curious person, I like to know how many people are visiting my blog, and how they find it. So I have the little sitemeter feature which allows me to view this information. I was just looking and found that someone had found my site by doing a google search for "7 minute abs on a couch". A while back I blogged about what a crock those programs were, because they generally fail to emphasize how it is 95% dependent on what you eat, not how many crunches you do. That poor person probably did find someone trying to sell them a program on how to get a 6 pack while laying/sitting on your couch....for just 3 easy payments of $19.95 or something.

A dozen eggs, 10 cups of flour....

So yesterday I got up early to go to a pilates session...early being 7:45. I never workout earlier than 10 or 11, so working out at 9 was a little stretch for me, but it felt good. Pilates was great, we did some pretty hard moves, then I did interval cardio on an arc trainer, which I had never used before. Once again, so glad I have my watch because I would have quit way earlier without it.

Good thing I got that workout in, because then I came home and started baking. I made pumpkin bread (OMG, so good), banana bread, chewy caramel, english toffee, and sugar cookies. Well the chewy caramel (first time I've made it), came out more gooey than chewy, so I can't really use it for anything. The sugar cookies did not want to roll out without sticking to everything, so they ended up as "snowballs" instead of stars, Christmas trees, and candy canes. Oh well, at least they taste good.

Last night we surprised the kids by taking them to see the Nutcracker. Maree loves Barbie Nutcracker, and all things dancing/ballet, so we thought she would really like it. We told them we were going to see Christmas lights and headed downtown. Once we got in the auditorium, Aaron was able to read the program and figured out why were were there, BUT he had no idea it was going to be real people. He thought it was going to be a movie, and asked if there was going to be commercials. Anyway, I'm glad I had watched Barbie Nutcracker a dozen times, because otherwise, I think I would have been a little lost as to what was going on.....I have troubles interpreting dance...with no talking. The kids seemed to really enjoy it. Maree kept wanting to get off my lap and do her own ballet moves. It was pretty cute.

The kids Auntie comes down from Seattle today, which means 9 whole days of spoiling, sleep overs, mini vacations for mommy, then an auntie detox at the end of the 9 days. My daughter will undoubtedly cry for at least a day saying "I want my auntie....I miss her".

Oh, and did I mention....... 49 days until Cabo!!!!!

No new videos today :(

Turns out what I had received a UPS tracking email on was a fat burning book that you get as a free gift when you become a MDB member....not all my new videos. Apparently there was one thing on backorder for the showcase pack, so it's going to be another several days before I get them. :(

Oh, and also, I pooped out at the gym and only made it to a training effect of 4.4. So basically I would have had to do 6 more sprints to get to 5.0. I just didn't have it in me today.

Tuesday tales

7 more sleeps until Christmas...as my kids would say. I'm so excited for Christmas and all the family festivities. Last night we took the kids out to look at Christmas lights, and it was so cute to here them ooooooing, and ahhhhhing over all the sparkly lights. Steve and I were getting a kick out of little Maree. Many of you have not heard her speak, but she sounds like she is from Boston, because she says "ah" for any r in a word. We probably messed her up from the start by naming her Maree, which is pronounced Mahree, not Marie. Anyway, we don't correct her because we think it's just cute, and plus she sounds just like her Nana who is from New Zealand. We ended up making a Costco run, and *GASP* we didn't buy a single thing! Granted I've been in there a lot lately and donated my fair share to the Costco fund, and last night we went in specifically looking for PSP games, to which we discovered they had mostly disappeared in the several days since I had been there last. We also stopped in at Dutch Bros
, and got some warm yummy drinks. It was just a great time. Tonight the kiddos are going to Grandma's house, and DH and I are going to try to get the rest of the Christmas shopping done. Mostly for the kids.... I'm going to have to tell DH he does NOT get to buy himself Christmas presents...even if he plans on wrapping them and putting them under the tree.


In workout related news. I've been doing Pilates, which has been great for my neck pain, but not as good for losing weight, or dropping body fat. I was going to a pilates mat class 2x a week. There were only 2 of us in the class (the studio just opened), and the other gal is rather old and has had multiple surgeries...wears a neck brace...you get the picture. So we were on complete opposite ends of the fitness/pilates spectrum, making it difficult for the instructor to give us both a good workout. I have also been doing private lessons on the big pilates machines. Although I get sore muscles from some of the various exercises, I was definitely not getting any sort of cardio, and really didn't feel challenged enough by it....that combined with trying to fit in my other workouts just wasn't working for me. So I told the pilates trainer that I needed a little more challenge, and decided to stop the mat class. On Friday she is going to test my bodyfat (eeks), and then give me a good workout on the machines (at least I hope), then I am going to do some interval cardio in her studio. She also does fitness training, weight loss classes, etc, so she has a nice little room with several cardio machines, weights, etc. Anyway, that way I don't have to be running from Pilates to the gym to get a good workout in. Today I'm shooting for a 5 on my watch at the gym. I haven't been to the gym since last Tuesday, so I'm looking forward to getting a great workout in.

Also, my Million Dollar Body coaches showcase pack is in the UPS truck on the way to my house as we speak, so I'm going to have a whole slew of new workouts to try. Also P90x+ has just come out, available only to MDB coaches for the next 2 weeks, then on sale to the general public. It looks like a GREAT program, and plus, my upline coach Traci Morrow is in the videos (she's in a lot of the Tony Horton videos), so that's fun.

Forgot to mention...

Just wanted to give you a little idea of what my dear husband is like, and as he rarely ever reads this..usually only when I ask him to, and because I already told him I was going to blog about this, my husband can be strange!

We were getting ready to cash in some spare change and paper money we had been collecting in a large glass water jug. My husband decided that it would be easier to count the bills if he ironed them flat. So yes, he ironed about 30 some odd bills, simply so he could then count them and take them to the bank. I should have taken a picture. The male species can be so odd sometimes!

Also, got on the scale today....had been avoiding it for a while because my eating had been less than stellar...and with all the parties I had last week, I thought for SURE that I would get on the scale and see the same numbers I always see...the pessimist in me figured I'd probably even gained weight. BUT NO, I actually lost weight, and am now finally past the plateau I was stuck on forever. So I think I really revved up my metabolism by having high calorie days sandwiched in between several days of clean eating. That's what I'm going to tell myself anyway :) I'm just happy to see a number I haven't seen in a while!

58 days until Cabo!!

Update on watch

After 9 hours of having my watch on I burned a total of 2252 calories. Woooohoooo. Eating has been right on, so I'm feeling good. 59 days until Cabo :)

The pictures says it all....

Just thought I'd give you a snapshot of my watch right now. Top number 4:08 is how long I've had it on and running today. Middle number, 5.0, was my training effect while working out at the gym...it doesn't go any higher than 5.0. Bottom number is how many calories I've burned in the 4:08 hours. 600 of those calories were burned while at the gym. I really didn't want to go to the gym today, but now that I am advertising myself as a fitness coach of sorts, I feel a little more accountability and responsibility towards working out and eating right. I think if I wear my watch all day I burn a lot more calories because I've got this little motivator sitting on my wrist...If I just hop in place while waiting for the dinner to cook I can burn an extra 30 calories or whatever. If I run to the mailbox instead of walk, I can burn X amount more calories. It's really a great thing for me. Have I mentioned I love my watch???
FYI, I've burned 20 more calories since taking that picture :) and writing this blog.

Meowing...

All morning Daisy has been sitting looking up at me while I work, and she won't stop meowing...then when I walk anywhere, she runs next to me meowing. She has food, and she has water...I have no idea what her deal is, but I think it's pretty funny. She has now given up and is taking a nap after all that hard work....

December already!!! Free day. A new home business.

I can't believe it's December! Yesterday we took our annual trip to the mountains to get our Christmas tree. We went with some other friends and their 2 boys. The big boys went on the hunt for the Christmas trees, while the Mom's and kids stayed and played in the snow. The kids sledded down a very small slope..really just the road embankment, and we doled out snacks and hot chocolate. This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. This year was perfect...not too much snow to make walking and driving tedious, but enough for the kids to have fun. It was also sunny and beautiful.

Today is my free day as I had a great week of clean eating and workouts. I started off the day with a chocolate donut....mmmmmmmmmm!! I feel the sugar rush coming already!

As of yesterday, I started a new home business that I'm really excited about. I joined Million Dollar Body as a Coach. What this means is that I get to encourage people in their quest for fitness, and also have to potential to make extra money doing it. If you haven't heard of Million Dollar Body, also associated with Beach Body, they are the company that produces all sorts of fitness videos like P90, P90X, Hip Hop Abs, Slim in 6, Turbo Jam, Yoga Booty Ballet, and many more. They also have fitness equipment like bands, chin up bars, steps, etc., and also have their own line of nutritional supplements. I did one of the P90X videos the other day, and actually really enjoyed it. The trainer, Tony Horton, is actually quite funny without being at all annoying. The other great thing about his videos is that you can turn off all talking except for the cues...so once you get sick of his jokes, you can simply turn them off. Anyway, I'm going to start supplementing some videos into my regular gym routine, which will be especially nice during the winter months when the kids club at the gym is a petri dish of nastiness. The other great thing about their website is you can track your workouts and also enter when you go to workout, and have the potential to win prizes, just for working out. The company is really trying to motivate people to get fit, which is why I like them :)

If any of you are interested in learning more about how you could start your own home business, or want to buy any of Million Dollar Body or Beach bodies products for a discount, let me know.

Monday update

I can't believe Thanksgiving is already over!! Where has this year gone?? Our Thanksgiving was great...very relaxing and fun. I am so thankful that all my wonderful family is close by. And, somehow, this year I got out of almost all cooking.

Anyway, even though I was eating lots, I did continue to go to the gym, so I don't feel that too much damage was done. Today, I have burned 1176 calories since 10:40am. I had a good workout, with a very tough HIIT session at the end. I was going to get off the stairmill when my watch said 4.2, because I was just beat, but I didn't do it.... I just kept pushing...I LOVE MY WATCH!!

Also, I found a new favorite gum, since my previous favorite gym was discontinued (Trident Splash, vanilla and peppermint....now called Peppermint swirl...which is strangely hard to fine). Anyway, at Target the other day I saw Dentyne Blast (similar concept to my Trident version) the flavor though, is Chocomint...yes, chocolate mint. I was a little skeptical, and this combination can go dangerously wrong, but was pleasantly surprised when the first bite tasted like a junior mint. YUMMMMMMM.

Now if my fingers could just warm up, it wouldn't hurt so much to type.....

My lungs are sore....

......from all my sucking air the last 2 days being back a the gym. Today I did just interval cardio again with my watch....trying to hit a training effect of 5.0. Today it took me 37 minutes, which is less than a couple of weeks ago (it should be taking longer, as this means my body is adapting, and getting in shape...however, the 2 week hiatus took it's toll) Seriously, my lungs are feeling it. I've also started getting a little hoarse every now and then, and I'm thinking it might be from sucking wind as well. I'm also quite sore from Monday's workout...which was not any different than the workouts I was doing 2 weeks ago. It just amazes me that 2 weeks made this much difference.

I'm trying to get into some Pilates classes at a new studio that just opened here...they even have the cool Pilates machines. Since it is so new, they have very limited classes, BUT if you get some buddies to go with you, you can have your very own class. Anyone, anyone???? I really want to go, but I can't make it to the times they currently have.

Oh well, I'll get in there eventually.


OH, and good news....if you've been reading my blog for a while, you'll remember that I had been looking for a great pair of jeans...and had no luck..then vowed not to buy jeans until I hit my goal weight. That, apparently, was just too hard. Well, I went into JC Penneys...where I don't usually shop because I think their women's section looks way too matronly, and their juniors section looks way too Britney Spears. HOWEVER, they have recently started carrying Chip and Pepper jeans...which are a very spendy brand in boutiques, and high end stores, but they are now producing much cheaper, but still cute jeans for JC Penneys. I got a pair over the weekend, and LOVE them, and have gotten several compliments on them already...always a good sign. I went back today to see if I could get a different style. I really wanted a specific style but they didn't have my size, so I settled on the same style as I already have, but a different wash. I got them home and tried them on to get DH's opinion, and realized the gal had left the ink thing on them. That's okay, I think I will get another of the darker wash exactly like I have because I think I will be wearing them a lot, and it might be good to have 2 pairs.

Back to Turbulence Training....deconditioning doesn't take long

Today was my first day back at the gym after my 2 week hiatus...boy, was it rough. I could really tell I was deconditioned when I was doing cardio because my heart rate was taking a long time to come back down after the "sprints". My handy watch pushed me through, and is just so smart because it took me only 22 1/2 minutes to get to level 5 (after doing weights for 17 minutes also). Previously is was taking a little over 30 minutes to get to level 5 because apparently I was in better shape. Amazing what 2 weeks of not so great eating, and not working out can do! I'm not getting on the scale anytime soon!!


I stole this from my dear sister's blog, and strangely with only 5 questions to answer, it is quite true I think....

Your Brain is Blue

Of all the brain types, yours is the most mellow. You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles. Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

What Color Is Your Brain?

A little about me...

Tag--you're it! Copy and paste into your blog and you know what to do.

1. WHAT TIME DID YOU GET UP THIS MORNING? 8am
2. DIAMONDS OR PEARLS? diamonds
3. WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA? Pirates of the Caribbean 3?? Has it be that long
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? There are so many...Grey's Anatomy, Survivor, The Biggest Loser, Project Runway,
5. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY HAVE FOR BREAKFAST? It varies so much...eggs, toast, cereal, oatmeal
6. WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME? Marie
7. WHAT FOOD DO YOU DISLIKE? seafood
8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CD? Plumb (any of them)
9. WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE? Nissan Maxima
10. FAVORITE SANDWICH? Veggie from Adam's Deli
11. WHAT CHARACTERISTIC DO YOU DESPISE? Arrogance, unjustified anger
12. FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING? Probably my black velour outfit...oh so comfy!
13. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ON VACATION, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? Italy, Greece
14. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHROOM? basic off white...like the rest of my house
15. FAVORITE BRAND OF CLOTHING? I don't buy clothes because of the brand
16. WHERE WOULD YOU RETIRE TO? Someplace warm near the ocean
17. WHAT WAS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE BIRTHDAY? Ummmmmm
18. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? Volleyball
19. FURTHEST PLACE YOU ARE SENDING THIS? I guess wherever you're reading from<--Kelly's answer
20. WHO DO YOU LEAST EXPECT TO POST THIS BACK TO YOU? ??
21. PERSON YOU EXPECT TO SEND IT BACK FIRST? Hmmm.
22. FAVORITE SAYING? Can't think of anything right now
23 WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? April 17
24. ARE YOU A MORNING OR NIGHT PERSON? Night Night Night
25. WHAT IS YOUR SHOE SIZE: 8
26. PETS? A cat named Daisy, and a fish named Garfield.
27. ANY NEW AND EXCITING NEWS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US? Having a girls night tonight...woooohoooo
28. WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE? A nurse..since I was 5
29. HOW ARE YOU TODAY? Great!
30. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CANDY ? Chocolate...specifically I LOVE Lille Belle Farms chocolates
31. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER? Roses
32. WHAT IS A DAY ON THE CALENDAR YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO? Feb 9th...going to Cabo...wooohooooo
33. WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME? Kristen Marie Ballew
34. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Jack's big music show....and the washing machine
35. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Cereal
36. DO YOU WISH ON STARS? no
37. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? ocean blue
38. HOW IS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW? Gloomy :(
39. FAVORITE SOFT DRINK? Diet Coke
40. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Kaleidoscope, Porters
41. SIBLINGS? 1 dear sister
42. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? Christmas
43. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD? Ummmm
44. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer
45. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
46. COFFEE OR TEA? coffee
47. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? chocolate
48. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO POST YOU BACK? yes
49. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? It's been at least a week..I can't remember
50. WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED? An old comforter
51. WHO IS THE FRIEND YOU HAVE HAD THE LONGEST? Elyse
52. WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT? went to church
53. FAVORITE SMELL? ocean, bread baking, fresh cut grass, after the rain <----strangely all Kelly's answers too :)
54. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? The boogie man...seriously
55. SALTY OR SWEET? generally sweet
56. HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR RING? I don't know, and I don't want to get up to count
57. HOW MANY YEARS AT YOUR CURRENT JOB? 3.5
58. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK? Saturday
59. HOW MANY TOWNS HAVE YOU LIVED IN? 3
60. DO YOU MAKE FRIENDS EASILY? Depends

I have a what in my eye...

This morning was another follow-up visit with the Lasik eye doctor. It seems to be an adventure every time I'm in there. Today he discovered a piece (fleck) of metal in my eye. 1) How does one have metal in their eye and have no idea... 2) How the heck did I get a piece of metal in my eye?
When I asked how one gets a piece of metal in their eye, he stated that it can come from your pipes. Hmmmmm.

I wanted to ask if he was sure it wasn't just some of my sparkly eye shadow...but I figured with his magnifying glass/light/torture looking machine, he probably would be able to tell the difference.

Thankfully, he easily got the fleck out, and everything else looked good. My vision is now 20/15...woohoooo! Doctor made no mention of the previously detected "fiber" in the same eye ...I wasn't in the mood to ask about it...or more so, I wasn't in the mood to hear what lame answer the doctor would give .

The only problem that I'm having is VERY dry eyes right when I open them first thing in the morning. It's almost worst than when I'd wake up with my contacts. So I still have to keep eye solution on my night stand, so I can lube up. :) Other than that my eyes do not feel dry (which is usually one of the main complaints post-Lasik.

Thought to ponder

Why are tennis balls vacuum sealed? You know, they have the plastic lid, then under that there is also a metal seal lid on it, just like a Pringles can. But why? Do tennis balls go stale?

I had PT today on my neck, and if someone could just hold my head while I work I think I'd feel a lot better :) All pain went away when the PT sat there applying a little traction on my neck.
Physical therapist recommended getting tennis balls, taping them together to do some stretching, traction, massage type things...hence the question above. Sure felt a lot better than the chiropractor!!!

Watched Transformers last night as the kiddos went to Grandmas. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Seems that most of the movies I really like don't do that well on Rotten Tomatoes
Almost all of my favorite movies are rated somewhere in the 40-50% range. Oh well, I guess I just like predictability. Hot Fuzz, however, got great ratings. Here's one of my favorite scenes...




Anyway, that's all the random thoughts I have today (well, not ALL), I could probably go on forever....

Is it bad that....

.....I've had my workout clothes on all day, but didn't go workout?? Ah well, I guess I'll go do some people watching at Walmart...I should fit right in there.

Anyone want to go to Cabo with DH and I? I'm a little sad that it will be just the 2 of us this year. Is that a bad thing? I'm sure we'll have a blast, but not as much fun as last year.

Happy Monday!

TGIF

So I am thankfully fully recovered from the traumatic weekend. I still am not fully convinced that the onset of vertigo had nothing to do with the Lasik, but I am just so glad it's gone!

The following are some random thoughts/rantings...

1) It's a good day when the little peely security thing on the tops of CD's and DVD's comes off in only 1 piece instead of the infuriating 5-10 pieces

2) Do not judge a movie by it's title. Hot Fuzz was actually a really funny movie, although I am still a little baffled as to how they came up with that title. But hey, it's British...they do things a little differently over there.

3) It is a bad thing when parents (read: me) cannot hold on to Christmas presents for my children until Christmas...., I'm just too excited and give them things that should wait until Christmas.

4) It is even worse when DH is just as bad as I am with buying and giving "Christmas" presents to our kiddos.

5) It's a bad bad bad idea to sit down with a quart of ice cream while watching TV....3 nights in a row.

6) I am thankful that the cat has "learned" to vomit on the rug instead of the carpet.

7) There are 46 shopping days until Christmas.

8) Having an Amazon wishlist should be a requirement for getting Christmas presents.

9) There has been a half finished jigsaw puzzle sitting on my dining room table for 3 weeks.

10) Our sense of smell peaks in our late 20s or early 30s, and gradually declines after that.

11) It is a GORGEOUS day in Southern Oregon

12) I've had 6 shots of espresso today (2 triple Americanos)

13) Dear son has declared he's going to be an "explorer" when he grows up, while dear daughter states she is going to be a "princess", and when I explain that you can't make money as a princess, she has now decided to be a doctor.

14) I have had a HUGE bag of spinach sitting unopened in my fridge....for over a week ( I had good intentions).

15) Target popcorn can count as dinner if you're in a pinch

16) I could make a lot of comments about the following video, mostly I just think it is ridiculously cute





Have a great day!!!

I just discovered this charity through another blogger, and wanted to encourage others to have a look. Child's Play is a gamer-run organization that holds a toy drive for childrens' hospitals. On their site you'll see little controllers on the map, each of those controllers are hospitals. You click on the controller and it takes you to their Amazon wish list where you can buy toys and have them delivered straight to the hospital.

In 2005 they raised a little over $600,000 in toys. In 2006 they raised over $1 million in toys. This year will probably be even better than last.

It is so easy to donate, especially if you already have an Amazon account or Paypal. I donated to Legacy Emanuel Hospital up in Portland, because I used to work there. I have also emailed the charity to ask about Rogue Valley Medical Center being added to their list.

Anyway, you don't have to be a "gamer" to donate.

Is it strange...

....that my kids thought it was really funny to flush their dead goldfish down the toilet? They each got one at the Harvest party at the church 6 days ago, and one went belly up (well, really he just sank) yesterday, and DH did the duty of flushing him to fish heaven...I hear them laughing from the other room, then hear Maree say "can we flush the other one too". The other one was still alive! Well, until today...it sank too, and had to be flushed. What's with goldfish?? We're not bad fish parents either, we have a Beta that has lived for 11 months!! But we lose both goldfish within 6 days. Now I have a whole thing of goldfish food, and no goldfish......




In other news, I'm feeling good today...no spinning at all. I still feel slightly off balanced every once in a while, but MUCH better than the previous few days. YEAH!!

Improving??

Today was a busy day...well, compared to the last 3 days. This morning while getting ready for my appt, I had a major vertigo spell, proceeded to get very nauseated, and had to lay down for a bit. Then, I had my eye doctor appt, and this doctor took a very quick look at my eyes and declared everything look good. So I asked if he saw anything under the flap under my right eye (the other doctor on Saturday had to lift my eyelid a bit to get a good look, and this doctor did no eyelid lifting), and he said well ya, but the swelling is really improved....from what the other doctor documented. This sounded a little fishy to me as I don't know how you document the degree of swelling in a flap of super thin tissue. That's just the nurse in me, and I'm not an eye doctor so whatever. So then I mentioned that the other doctor had mentioned that I might need to have this piece of fiber removed if it remained there. This doctor said, nah, it's not in your line of vision, we wouldn't worry about it. Mmmm, okay. I had mentioned upon arriving that I felt miserable with vertigo and nausea and he said, you must have the flu or some kind of but, it's definitely not because of your eyes. Mmmm, okay. So as soon as we got home I had DH make an appt with my regular doctor, and they got me in within 2 hours....well I had to wait an hour and 1/2 before actually seeing the doctor, but he apologized profusely, and is super nice, so I forgave him. At first he questioned what anesthesia I had been given for the Lasik, and I said only Ativan, and he asked several times if I was sure. Um, yes, unless they slipped me a quick one without my consent. But, for whatever reason, this didn't seem possible to the doc so he called up the Lasik placed and verified this info, to which they confirmed my story. After ruling out a reaction to anesthesia (especially since I felt fine fine fine on Friday), he then does some listening and looking, and diagnoses me with a middle ear infection (which you cannot actually see in an exam, so really it's more of a guess). He also said my stomach was making absolutely no noise, which is very unusual, so he said whatever virus was affecting my inner ear was also affecting my stomach...I was nauseated. So anyway, he recommended some over the counter motion sickness meds (Meclizine) which he said usually work really well for vertigo. All in all, I did feel encouraged after hearing another doctor say it was NOT my eyes causing these symptoms, and just a crazy coincidence that it happened right after having Lasik. I was getting a little peeved with myself for having an elective surgery for which I did not really research the possible side effects...AND wearing contacts didn't really bother me that much..I was just a contact abuser and I thought that having Lasik would be more beneficial to my eyes than abusing contacts and all the risks that go along with that. It just seems that all the people I knew that had Lasik did just fine. Heck the doctor's wife on Dr. 90201 (ya, I watch it every once in a while...but only when there is nothing else on ) had it done, and my regular eye doctor had recommended it to me, so it had to be safe.
However, I'm not entirely convinced just yet, as I have done some Google searching, and seen some very disconcerting stories about people having disabling chronic vertigo and nausea that mysteriously occurring immediately after having Lasik, accept no one believes that it's from Lasik, and no doctors can figure out how to treat it.....EEEKKKKSSS.

The spinning does seem to have improved over today, and I'm not sure if it's from the meds, or just me getting better. The doctor said the Meclizine usually knocks people out, and I was somewhat hoping for this affect as I'd rather be sleeping than dizzy and nauseated! No such luck, I took the max dose and still managed to stay quite awake. Oh well, at least the world is staying still!! Hoping for no episodes tomorrow!!

Thanks everyone for all your prayers. I appreciate them so much!

Monday update...UGH

Well, I think I am doing a little better...although I seem to get worse as the day progresses. It's like motion sickness. I don't get it...shouldn't my brain have figured this out already? Am I slow? If I bend over or bend my head to the left or right, the world starts to spin.
I am praying that there is nothing under the flap today at my appointment...I really do not want them to have to lift the flap again.
Tam, thanks so much for your oh so kind offer!! That is so sweet of you. Thankfully, DH has been off the weekend and today, and has been taking care of me and the kids. Tomorrow my MIL comes over to watch the kids, and will likely take them home with her. I'm suppose to be working today-Wednesday, but with my eyes and my neck/back I'm just not sure how it's going to go. I feel so old, lol!! Just take me out to pasture!
I don't like anything that messes with my daily routine, so this is rather irritating!
Anyway, I am thankful that my vision is great...although I'm still adjusting to up close vision. It's another beautiful day outside, and today I'll actually get to go outside...I didn't step outside at all yesterday..I'm stir crazy!!
I really miss working out!
I've eaten nothing but carbs for the last 3 days. Although I'm not eating much so it shouldn't really matter.

Recovering from Lasik....harder than I thought

Well this will be a quick note, but just wanted to give an update on my Lasik procedure. The actual procedure was fine...short. Right after the procedure I felt like I was going to pass out...you know stars, no sound in one ear, cold sweats. That passed after a couple of minutes and some juice. The rest of the day Friday was fine, I napped, listened to books on tape (thank you Kelly), and generally felt well (still had Ativan on board). I don't know what happened between Friday night and yesterday morning but it wasn't good. I woke up with the world spinning, and I was so nauseated. The had a post-op appt, where they discovered I had something under the flap of my right eye....if it doesn't work it's way out then I'll have to have the flap lifted again and washed out...and I had to increase the ant-inflammatory drops to every hour. The rest of the day I spent in bed trying to keep my head in one position...and trying to remember what drops to put in when ( I have 3). Thankfully this morning I am feeling a little better. I am not nauseous, but I'm still a little off balanced. I have a hard time believing that it's because my brain is adjusting to the different vision (which by the way is great), so I'm no sure what is causing my vertigo. Your balance center is in your ears, and I'm not sure how that was effected by having Lasik.

Anyhow, my vision is good, I'm feeling a little better today, and hopefully, whatever was under the flap will be out by tomorrow's follow-up appointment.

It's Thursday!

Well it's a gloomy day here in Southern Oregon. Today marks a very exciting milestone...the Cabo counter is at 99 days. Mind you I started the counter somewhere over 300 days, so getting under 100 is exciting. We went to Cabo San Lucas in February and had such a fantastic time that we decided while we were there that we had to come back next year. When it's gloomy like this outside, it's fantastic to be able to imagine myself in Cabo....it really gets me through a lot of gloomy days. For your enjoyment :) I'll leave you a picture of a view from my lounge chair in Cabo..... from last February

In other exciting news, I am having Lasik surgery tomorrow. EEKS! I'm a little nervous, but I'm sure after a little happy pill I'll be just fine. After surgery you have to come home and take a mandatory 4-6 hour nap (helped along with a happy pill). However, you aren't allowed to watch TV, read, or look at a computer screen for 24 hours!!! Wow, that's going to be tough!

In workout news, yesterday after another fun (read: painful) visit to the chiropractor, I went to the gym. I really really really did not want to workout, but I was already sitting in the parking lot, and I knew I'd feel better if I just got it done. I had decided not to do any weights, as I really want my neck/back to feel better and so I was giving it a rest. So I did the Stairmill until my watch hit 5.0...which took a long time! I hit 5.0 at minute 38. That was the longest HIIT that I have ever done...it was hard!!! After doing really well eating all day, I finished the day with a bowl of ice cream and a reeses peanut butter cup.... I have such a hard time staying on track when I'm not feeling just right. Anyway, tonight is 1.5 hours of karate, so that should cancel out the treats yesterday...right??

Just discovered the FALL Y'ALL BLOGGY GIVEAWAY

I had NO idea that bloggers regularly give stuff away. There are so many fun sites out there.

Go to Bloggy Giveaways for your chance to be part of the action. You could even win this....

The scale finally moved

138.8 this morning. We'll see if it sticks, or if I wander back up. Probably no workout today as I'm taking a few days off work to see if that helps my neck. DH is determined we need a new mattress...which I think we do, so we may go out to check some out. I really want a Tempur-pedic bed, but he isn't so sure. Anybody have a great mattress?

Monday update...but probably not the one you're waiting for

Sorry to keep you all waiting on the much anticipated calorie expenditure information. I wore the heart rate monitor and watch yesterday while doing housework (I like to know how many calories ALL activities burns). I got a lot done, and I think I burned around 400 calories in 4 hours (not as much as I had hoped). DH got home, we were watching a movie on TV, then moved to watch it in bed, and while getting ready for bed I took the heart rate strap off...DH was sorely disappointed. Poor guy. I just wasn't in the mood after all the housework I had done.

Anyway, today I went back to the chiropractor for some more adjustments. Wowser, it was a doozy. I was explaining to the chiro that the pain had moved from primarily the left side of my neck to the right, and also was having low back pain now. So he goes to adjust my upper back by having me lay on my side with my arms crossed and the top leg over the other, then he pushes (squashes) you in the opposite direction. OMG, I thought I had been twisted in half...not good. Then he flipped me over on my stomach to hurt me some more, but my back was too tight so he had my flip back over on my back with my arms crossed over my shoulders...with his fist in my back all the while doing a wrestling take down move (putting all his body weight on me). Seriously, it knocked the breath out of me...I felt like I had been sucker punched in the stomach...I seriously had thoughts of my spleen being ruptured or something. Then he sends me to get a little massage (read: torture) on my very sore neck, and the girl is trying to get blood from a turnip. I have a high pain tolerance, and I was having to do deep breathes in order to not cry out. Then when I finally do tell her it really hurts (aka, please don't do it so hard ), she says "ya, that part does hurt huh"...and keeps doing the same thing. MERCY! All in all, it was the most traumatic visit to the chiropractor that I have ever had and I'm still not feeling any better, in fact I feel worse (no wonder huh).

Despite all that I went immediately to the gym ( I was feeling okay at that point because it was still fairly early in the morning....the pain gets worse as the day goes on). Anyway, I got my weights done and moved on to cardio. Today it took me 31 minutes to get to the "training effect" of 5.0 . I wanted to stop at about minute 18...but I think at that point I was only at 3.7, and I couldn't in good conscience stop there, then come blog about such a pathetic workout. So I pushed through..so determined to get to a 5 (even when the machine stopped at 30 minutes because that is all I had programmed it for), I was at a 4.9 at 30 minutes, and I knew I just needed to do one more "sprint" to get to the 5.0. See, this is where the watch really comes in handy. There is no way I would have pushed myself like that without the watch. In fact, I probably would have stopped at 20 minutes. I think what the watch is doing is factoring in that your body adapts to the level of exercise you consistently do, so you have to keep doing more of it in order to get the same amount of effect. Anyway, there was an older lady waiting for a machine behind me ( I had told her I was about done), and then another older lady next to me says, "this girl (me) has so much energy...she was running up that thing". I thought that was funny. I was doing 40 second sprints at level 12 on the stairmill..which literally makes you run up the stairs.

So, my workout stats from today (although my watch is still running and I've totaled 1746 calories in the 9:07 hours I've had it on)

Calories burned during workout: 710 ( a new record for me)
Workout time: 1:03
Training effect: 5.0
Oh, I just discovered that the watch has moved me up to an "activity class" of 7.5...this might explain why it was harder to reach the TE of 5.0 today
Also just discovered that my resting heart rate is around 64
Eating has been right on today, so I feel good about that. We'll see how the rest of the week goes.

What I've been doing...

Well I've gotten slightly off track. Thursday we had the potluck at our house, and I did fairly well, I only had one small serving of all the dishes, most of which were surprisingly healthy. I did only have one small slice of cake (which by the way, several people said was "the best cake [I] have ever tasted"). Also, as a side note, this was our bible study group we had over, with an age range of upper 20's to mid 80's. I thought it would be fun to have do some Wii bowling, because I haven't met anyone yet that doesn't have fun at it. So we convince the older couple..age 79 and 80 something, to try it out. They had SO MUCH FUN. Apparently this couple used to be in a bowling league but hadn't bowled in over 30 years...although they really wanted too. They left our house CERTAIN that they were going to buy a Wii for their home so they could bowl instead of watch TV in the evenings. How cute is that! I thought it was great!

Back to my confessional.... Friday, I was really craving carbs, really really really. Somewhat out of frustration over the scale. DH wanted to go out for hamburgers, but we settled for my favorite pizza place which also has great salads. I was going to have a spicy thai chicken pizza, but decided to get my healthy salad with chicken...and whole wheat breadsticks. I feel like I did pretty well there....had a little extra carbs, but nothing crazy. I did however come home and have a slice of leftover cake.

DH is working today and I was invited to go on a Pumpkin train ride with a friend and her 2 kids. I'm exhausted after a long day involving 4 kids under 6, 1 hour in the car, 1.5 hours on a "train ride", to a field with pumpkins which the mom's got to haul back onto the train (that's 2 pumpkins, one giant purse with all our jackets, snacks, and the camera), then an hour home. Anyway, the kids LOVED it...it just wasn't my idea of a fun (read: relaxing) Saturday afternoon.
I've also been struggling with a very sore, messed up neck, which I've been seeing a chiropractor for (which usually helps, but feels worse this time). I was in the car to go to the gym on Friday, but I just knew that my neck/back would be even more sore after such an intense workout....so I got out of the car, came inside to get some things I needed to return, and went shopping instead. :)

I'm hoping to rest tomorrow as well, then hit the gym on Monday. Anyway, as a positive note, I didn't have to cook dinner tonight as we had great soup and breadsticks leftover. The weather was absolutely perfect today. The kids had a great time today.

If you are any way related to me I may not want you to read to next paragraph. Especially if you are my father, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, etc. Read on with caution.

I haven't been completely without exercise in the last few days. On Wednesday or Thursday, I had come across a blog who was on the blog roll of another blog friend. I got a good giggle after reading one of this bloggers top posts... in which he sites an article about "Sexercise". Don't worry, it's just an article...nothing raunchy or off colored. Now being that I'm a Christian and also grew up where good girls didn't talk about such things, this is not something I would typically talk about in a public forum, but I'm married and I have children, so I think it's obvious that I have some experience when I comes to this subject.....plus it has to do with fitness and exercise. I was sitting in the living room when I read this blog..and DH was sitting in the same room. He heard me snickering while hovering over the laptop and asked what I was laughing about. I shared with him these pearls of wisdom, and he thought it was fantastic news. Then I told him how I thought it would be beneficial and interesting to wear my heart rate monitor...which goes along with my new watch (which also tracks calories burned) during said activities. I'm calling it a sexperiment, and DH wholeheartedly agrees that this should take place. Really, anything that gets him more action he'll agree to. I'll keep you updated....the hard part is to actually plan ahead and put the chest strap on in order to monitor said activities without totally killing the mood (more so for myself than DH as he needs very little encouragement). I do think this would be fascinating information.

Was that too much info? Oh well, I've always been one to just tell it like it is.

One small slice

I will only eat one slice, I will only eat one slice, I will only eat one slice...

Okay seriously...what gives

So I know that the number on the scale should not be the focus...but really, it does matter. I have enough fat to lose that something should be happening by now. I got on the scale today and got 139.6 . It is hard for me to post that number for a multitude of reasons that I won't get in to right now. Let me just say that I have seen that exact number.. 139.6 so many times in the last 2-3 months, it's just not funny. I feel like I am working out really hard, and eating 95% clean. According to the Turbulence Training book I should be shedding fat like crazy. Oh, and my bodyfat % was still the same on the Tanita (notoriously high...but consistent at least). This is when I start to get really frustrated. It's been 2 weeks (of serious commitment) and I've really made no progress. Seriously, the double chocolate Oreos are calling my name right now. I've been working out consistently for more than a year, so I should have a good amount of lean muscle mass to make a difference in my metabolism...however, for the last several months I can't seem to make the scale budge to save my life. When I was doing Body For Life (my second challenge specifically), I was eating about 85% clean, working out, and still dropping at least a pound a week. AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH.
No worries though, I'm not careening myself off the wagon just yet. At this point I refuse to count calories because it messes with my head. Could drinking 2 cups of coffee a day (with about 1 tbsp of 1/2 and 1/2) be affecting my progress....maybe it's the Zone Perfect bars (which really help get me past any sugar cravings...but aren't a great meal due to the ratio of carbs to protein). Anyway, I'm at a loss. I'm frustrated. DH made pizza for himself and the kids for lunch today, and it took A LOT of will power to stay away from it.
Whew, I feel better now getting that all out there. Back to drinking my water....

As as side note I am taking measurements as well, but I think I also need to start taking progress pictures again...maybe tomorrow.

Wednesday workout...

Still haven't weighed in since free day. I just don't want to be disappointed. Tomorrow we are having a potluck at our house, and I'm just not ready for another free day, so I think I will make a huge big yummy salad, and eat mostly that, and maybe a bite or two of dessert, then take my free day on Sunday. I just really like having a whole day to not think about food, or think and eat the food I am really craving.

Anyway, I forgot to mention on last nights post, but I plan on holding off buying any clothes until I have lost 10 pounds. Not only is this good motivation, but it also makes sense to not buy jeans when I am actively trying to lose weight.

Today's workout summary (according to the watch)
Workout time: 57.45 (includes stretching time)
Calories burned: 651
Training effect: 5.0 (reached at minute 28 of cardio...took a little longer than Monday) I think this is because on Monday I did squats on the smith machine with 25# plates on each side, then dropped the bar way down and did laying pull up things ( I don't know what you call them)
...anyway, my heart rate gets really high when I do that combo.

Clothes shopping woes

So tonight I was without my dear kiddos (thank you Grandma). I decided it would be good to get out of the house, and I really need some winter clothes. Retail therapy is one of my favorites. I've made a pact to myself not just to buy clothes because their a good deal, but to buy clothes that look great and are good quality....and not worry so much about the price. I've gotten in a rut of buying a lot of clothes that are just okay, but not great...spending more money on junk than if I had bought several classic, great looking items at a higher price. Anyway, so I forewarned DH that I was going clothes shopping and asked him what my budget was. He said he trusted me to spend an appropriate amount without going overboard. I was all excited, and decided to start out at Old Navy. I tried some things on, but nothing looked right. Then I headed to the mall. I tried on at least 15 pairs of jeans from $24.99 to $98.00. Nothing! Nothing looked right. I happen to hold a good majority of my fat right around my middle, so the pants have to come far enough up as to not have 'the cup runneth over'. Can they just make jeans that are a little higher rise, don't hug your thighs..you know..like a straight leg...not made for a 16 year old body with no hips and thighs like pencils. I feel like I am pretty well proportioned...what the heck. Anyway, to boot, all tops this season are either made to make you look pregnant, or made to look like a mini-dress for which you need leggings, and I just can't seem to go there at 30.

So I spent $0 dollars...okay, I did buy dinner at subway because I had gone 5 hours without eating...I know bad bad bad.

Now I'm moping. I guess I'll be wearing my black velour sweatsuit all winter long.

According to my watch.....

....I burned 1493 calories today (2 hours of Karate and 1 hour at the gym earlier) That should be enough to cancel out yesterdays free day. What's even cooler about the watch that I learned today, is that all I need is the heart rate strap on around my chest...and the watch can be 20 feet away (the Sensei didn't want me wearing it during karate, so it sat by my water), but it still picked up my heart rate etc. I thought that was great.

Recovering from sugar coma

Yeah, so I've made it through 1 successful week. I felt like I worked hard, and ate well (up until yesterday of course).

Speaking of yesterday. Can I just tell you how great that felt to just eat, and not feel guilty. It didn't feel physically great, but then again it did....I know..it doesn't make sense. After church yesterday I decided I wanted bread with butter, donut holes and a Starbucks iced mocha for lunch...so we went to the store and got those things for me...plus some good red wine and ice cream (I was planning for dinner). We came home and I had 3 slices (fairly small) of sourdough bread with LOTS of butter, then a bunch of donut holes. I was already feeling a little sick from the iced mocha because it was pretty sweet. Later I had to take a nap because I was so tired and was in a sugar coma. Seriously, you just don't realize how much sugar has an impact on your energy level until you go without it for a whole week, then splurge on it all at once. Wowser...it's a doozy!
After my nap we had friends over for the best pizza and pub fries (the best beer battered fries EVER)...especially when dipped in ranch! MMMMMhhh, it's like heaven :). After all that we had ice cream too. The really great thing about all that is I don't feel guilty about any of it, and today I was ready to be focused again and eat protein pancakes, chicken, veggies etc. I got all the other cravings out of my system yesterday.

Today's workout was great. I don't know what happened Friday, but today I got to a "training effect" of 5 at minute 25 of my cardio. I think doing sprints makes the training effect go up faster than doing a slow climb to the sprint. Anyway I worked really hard.

Stats:
Total workout time: 1:02
Training effect: 5
Calories burned: 660

I never weigh myself the day after free day, and I probably won't tomorrow or the next day either..it's never good news.

And to my yogurt angel...I still haven't gotten around to attempting another batch of yogurt...I keep thinking about it, and trying to figure out the timing issue..then it's too much thought and I say forget it :) I'll do it though.

Free day!!!! MMMMMMMMhhhhh

Oh how I love free day. I would never last without a free day. Yesterday I planned accordingly and bought really good WW cinnamon raisin bread, and made french toast with it this morning. I plan on having pizza later...YUM.

Yesterday I did good, no workout as it was a rest day. I had salad and chicken at the wedding, and no cake. Had homemade low fat chicken curry with brown rice for dinner last night, and it was pretty tasty.

Yesterday I also bought a large firm foam roll from Amazon. They have them at my gym although I never use them (yuck), but my aunt also has one and uses it for stretching and some pilates type moves/stretches. Anyway, I used it while I was there, and it felt great on my back. My back has been bothering me for about a week, so I went ahead and bought one for myself. I'm sure my kids will think of other functions for it...

Another day...

So another day in the bag. Eating has been good today, although I need more veggies....planning a big salad for dinner..with squash and Tilapia. I'm also making some homemade yogurt...not for dinner, but just for kicks. I got a little yogurt maker, and I'm going to attempt to make something similar to Fage Total 0%. We'll see. I haven't figured out how I'm going to strain it to make it thicker yet.

Workout today was good. My watch is getting too smart. Today I did the 20 minutes of weight stuff, then started cardio. I always set the machine at 30 minutes because then the blinking interval things are at 1 minute. However, I usually only go 20 minutes because, well, because that's the TT and BFL amount to do. Well, remember how when I first got the watch, I'd be 10 minutes into cardio and the training effect on the watch would be at 5. Well today I was pushing and pushing myself trying to get to a 5, I had to talk myself into 1 more sprint...okay not at 5, one more sprint, okay not at 5 still, one more sprint. Well, I got to 4.9 and was at 30 minutes and the machine stopped. I was exhausted....still am!!

I've been doing stuff all day long, and I'm so tired. While making yogurt I opened a new thing of milk, and accidentally threw the lid away because my brain is fried! Thankfully I got my dear son to vacuum with the big vacuum..he usually does the kitchen floor for me with the little hand held vac. But today he did the big vacuum, and had fun (I'm sure that won't last). Now I won't let them get anything out because the house looks clean...and daddy will be home soon, and I want him to know I did something today.
Anyway, gotta finish making dinner, and get off the computer, so DH doesn't think that's all I've done today (which amazingly I've had very little non-work computer time today..feeling a little behind....I'll catch up when everyone goes to bed)

Scale 140.2
Tanita BF 31%
Calories burned during workout: 604

Alwyn Cosgrove...the cold hard facts about fat loss

I just read this article. Alwyn is a straight shooter, and I love that.

Alwyn's fat loss rant

I feel the same way...

I just look down at our beloved cat Daisy...she likes to sit by me while I work, and I couldn't help but feel the same way.




WHEN THE GOING GETS ROUGH...FIND A COZY SPOT, COVER YOUR EYES, AND TAKE A NAP!!




Or maybe she was covering her nose because she's sitting by my post-workout feet..??? Hmmm, thoughts to ponder.

Power was out for a couple hours this morning...good excuse to make it to the gym...I can't work when I have no power :)


Today's workout stats:
Calories burned: 569
Training effect: 5 (I stayed on the stairmill until it hit the 5, and not a second longer...it actually hit 5 at minute 23, so I didn't have to do too much extra)
Weight this am: 141.2 ( I have a hard time sharing that online, but oh well....also I realize that I really shouldn't be weighing myself every day)
Eating has been great yesterday and today. I feel like I'm in the zone, although the kids were eating chips yesterday and I heard them calling my name, but I didn't give in. I also really wanted a nice glass of wine last night, but resisted that one too. I can't wait for free day!!!!!

I see nobody wanted to play my game below....fine, be that way!

:)

Well I must be a little slow because I just learned what a Meme is (I had to Google it)
For all of you who already know what a Meme is, please feel free to participate in this one. Essentially someone posts a word (in this case it would be me) and then the reader (you) rushes off to image search it. They (you) then post an entry with the amusing picture and a new word and rush back to say that you have done so.

We all then spend oodles of time cavorting about t’Internet putting silly pictures up and much fun is had by all.

My word (as I’m starting this) is TIRE and this is my silly picture.




Your word is COFFEE....go!

Day 2

So yesterday went well. Eating was good, still need to work on the water intake. According to my watch, with my workout and Karate I burned 953 calories..WOW!! My total workout time was 2 hours 28 minutes, and a Training effect total of 4.7 (out of 5).
Today I did some extra cardio, because well, I need to burn fat! During my 30 minute HIIT I burned 367 calories, had a peak HR of 189 (the highest I've seen it) and a training effect of 4.2.

I made myself a 17 week calendar so I can also record my info there...it is taped to the side of my desk hutch, and it's fun for me to cross off days.

Scale weight was 142.2
Tanita BF% 32
Hand held BF% 20.4

It's raining, and I'm so not motivated to do my work...focus, focus, focus!!

Monday update

It all started Friday with getting on the scale. Bad idea. Then we had friends over that evening, which leads to eating. Saturday wasn't so bad...I got my workout in. Sunday wasn't great..it started well, then progressed to a Starbucks iced mocha..which I didn't drink all of because I was kicking myself...so then I went for a run...which really only lasted 12 minutes because my knee started hurting (my body doesn't like to run lately). But I did keep walking for another 10 minutes or so. Then we had a potluck/meeting at church so you can imagine the food spread there. Anyway, I figured that obviously my less than 100% clean eating is sabotaging my workout efforts. It just seems so strange to me that when I first started Body for Life, the weight consistently came off for weeks and weeks. Now I seem to be stuck in a weight rut no matter how much I change my workouts or how well I eat. At least this is what I'd like to think. Deep down inside I know that my eating has been a little lax every day, even though in general all the extra bites have been healthy foods. Then I get on the scale...don't see the number I want to see, so then I kind of throw in the towel and eat bad foods here and there. To some degree I really want to stop obsessing about food. I really don't like to obsess about anything. I'm a type B personality, so obsessing and perfecting are just not in my nature. However, it takes a good deal of planning (aka obsessing) to eat right.
I'm irritated that I'm up 8 pounds from Cabo last year, and Cabo is only 116 days away. I'd like to lose 10-12 pounds before going, which means I need to get my butt in gear.

So I've decided I am starting a challenge today! It's going to be a 17 week challenge, since that is how many weeks until Cabo. However, I am going to take Thanksgiving week off, and Christmas to New Years off. I'm going to check in and document what I'm eating, calories lost during workouts etc. Mostly because I think it will help keep me accountable...not really that all you want to read all that boring stuff :) I am going to take 1 free day a week. Or if something comes up during the week, I will take a couple of free meals (although I've found this doesn't work all that well for me...I really need a whole day!!!) So we'll see how it goes. I need some accountability, so feel free to call me out if you see things slipping. I'll take measurements tomorrow and weigh myself.

On another note, my new watch is getting smarter. It has figured out that my activity level is not a 5 like I had told it (which is like working out 1-2 hours a week). It has bumped that up to a 7. It is also getting harder to get to "fitness level" of 5 on the scale from 1-5. Last week I would do my TT and about 1/2 way through the cardio I'd already be at a level 5. Well today, thinking that this would be the same, I got done with my 22 minutes of cardio (I even did a little extra), and went to stretch, then saw that my fitness level was only a 4.7. Dang it...it's figuring me out. This is great really because your body does adapt to whatever exercise you are doing, and now I will have to work harder longer to get to the level 5.

New template again (one that includes a navigation menu..yeah) I've decided HTML must have been written by some neurotic binary code loving hermit living in death valley with nothing better to do. I'm so done with HTML coding....well until next week maybe. Once again spent much to much time looking for a new template that I could modify with my own pictures, but I need Photoshop in order to properly adjust my pictures to match the HTML...and I don't have Photoshop or anything that resembles it....ugh.

Oh well, I like red, and I like flowers....

I'm a template schizophrenic...and I lost my navigation bar...

Okay, I can't seem to get my blog template the way I want...I still have lots of fiddling to do, and for some reason, this template didn't come with a navigation bar...you know the one that says "new post, customize" etc. Kind of difficult to post without a new post button. I've tried to put the HTML for a nav bar back in, but it isn't working......



I also can't find the area in the HTML where the flying birds are inserted.... must be magic :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIFER


I hope you have a great day!

Can't see

Well last week was a good week. I got all 3 TT workouts in, my eating was good, and the scale dropped a pound, so I'm back to where I was prior to my 2 week "vacation". I'm trying to work on drinking more water, as I don't think I'm drinking as much as I should be.

Anyway, also had my Lasik pre-op consultation today, and am scheduled for surgery on Nov. 2nd. Get this, after surgery, they make you take a mandatory 4-6 hour nap....with a little medication help. Woohoooo! I love it! Currently my pupils are as big as saucers and I can't see right with or without my contacts....a little annoying as I'm trying to work on my computer and have to get my nose pretty close to the screen in order to see it. Currently I have one contact in and one out, but still can't see well. I'm just glad to be able to wear my contacts again instead of the glasses.

Tonight I get to have a heavenly dessert with some girlfriends to celebrate my dear friend Jen's birthday. Which means I need to get a make-you-want-to-hurl workout in before that.

Back on the wagon again...

Yeah, so my new watch came yesterday, and although I pride myself on being technologically savvy, this new watch baffled me. There are 4 buttons, and they seem to do something different each time you press them. DH had to help me figure some stuff out. Anyway, I also didn't realize that you have to wear a heart rate monitor of sorts (really just a belt type thing) around your chest to actually get a heart rate reading. Somehow I had missed that in my research. Fortunately the heart rate belt is quite comfortable and I hardly know it's there. The watch tells you what your heart rate is, and because of some settings you put in, it tells you how hard you are working from 1-5. There is a "coach" built in that recommends what number you should strive for in each workout. Although it is geared more towards running, biking, swimming etc, I do find it fun. It also tells you the approximate number of calories burned. The great thing is that it got me back to the gym today, and whenever I'm working out, I seem to eat better as well. So it seems I'm back on track!! Yeah. It always feels better to be working out and eating right, but for whatever reason, I like to rebel and feel awful in every way every once in a while.

So today I did Turbulence Training at the gym, then cardio on the elliptical (10min) then the stairmill (15 min including cool down). My watch said I burned 433 calories, which is great, and I reached a 5 on the training effect readout.

Here is what I had for lunch today

.......pretty healthy huh! I don't think I've had veggies for 2 weeks. I picked up this broccoli salad mix at Costco. I thought it was just broccoli slaw, but it actually had dressing, cranberries, nuts, and bacon bits to mix in. It was really good, and not much fat/calories.

In other news, I had to start wearing my glasses (which I haven't worn in years...not even for a little bit), because you have to go 7 days without contacts before the Lasik consult exam. I'm not too excited about it because the glasses seem SO different from my contacts. I feel a little off balance...which is okay while I'm just sitting here :)

That's all my news for today :)

Oh what a good day

So today was a pretty good day (not speaking in health and fitness terms here). Since Sunday DH and I have been planning to go to Costco because I had to pick up my glasses...in preparation for getting Lasik surgery. See, they actually make you take your contacts out for a FULL week prior to just having the initial exam. A full week, I haven't been without my contacts for a full week in about 6 years...not even if you added all the time up. Nope, I never take my contacts out. Bad bad Kristen!! Hence, why I am going to have Lasik! Anyway, DH and I had been adding things to the Costco list for the last 5 days, although I didn't write the glasses down because I wasn't going to forget those since that is the main purpose we went there. So we go to Costco, then proceed to go to Fred Meyer since we didn't need some of our groceries in bulk. We got through Fred Meyer and are driving home when my DH turns to me, slaps me on the leg and says "good thing we went to Costco", or something like that. I was still trying to figure out why he hit me. Then it dawns on me. We didn't pick up the glasses. Add this to the list of things about getting older. I'm not as sharp as I used to be!!

Also, while at Costco, we walked by the watch selection...I wanted to see if by chance they had that Suunto watch I mentioned below (they didn't). Then I jokingly ask DH if he had read my blog (he's not really into blogs...not even mine), and he says yes. Hmmm, surprising. So then he says, "so that's what you want for Christmas huh...that's a long time to wait." I could tell by the tone in his voice that this was not our normal conversation. So I asked if he bought me the watch, and he's so bad at lying (and surprises...really really bad at surprises) that he fesses up that he bought it for me! Yeah, what fun what fun, a new toy. Especially needed at this point since I'm 'off the wagon', and really need to get myself back on!!

I also spent about 3 hours editing (messing with) the Html for my blog template. The picture above I took in Cabo San Lucas in February....134 days till we go back WOOOHOOOO. I still have some things to modify, but I couldn't figure it all out today. Html is HARD to mess with when one doesn't know what one is doing!!

In other news, tonight Aaron (and cousin Ryan) all got our yellow belts in Karate, so that was pretty fun.

Here is a pick of my dear daughter Maree, who is 3 1/2. Today she wanted her hair like Auntie's, so I straightened it. This is for you Deanna!


As you can see, she can be a firecracker...gets it from her Auntie, because according to my mother, I was an angel child.

Anyone want to buy me a watch?

So I'm a bit of a gadget girl. I don't own a lot of gadgets because they tend to be spendy (at least the ones I like), but there is one in particular that I've got my eye on these days. Its a watch, but it's no ordinary watch. This watch tracks your heart rate, calories burned, "training effect", and other things. Training effect, woohoo, without spending money to work with a personal trainer, I can have a watch that will analyze my performance heartbeat by heartbeat, and illustrate the improvement of my body's aerobic conditioning with a 1-5 scale. What is this wondrous watch called you may ask. Drum roll please....
It's the Suunto t4.
The reason I think this would be so cool is because the "training effect" takes EPOC (Excessive Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) measurements, which is really what I'm trying to achieve with Turbulence Training, and interval cardio. So, if I have a device that tells me from 1-5 how hard I am actually working, you better believe I'm going to shoot for a 5 every time. I am a very visual person, so I think this would totally motivate me. It may not be the cutest watch, but it can't all be about vanity.

Anyone have a spare $199.99-219.99 lying around?? It's on my Christmas list! :)

Synopsis of this week

This has been a busy week! I decided after getting back from my Sacramento trip that I was just going to take the rest of the week 'off' from clean eating and exercise. I have felt nauseous since getting back (NO not pregnant), and I had so many things planned, that clean eating would have been torture. We had a family dinner on Tuesday, then Aaron turned 6 on Friday, and we did mostly a family celebration that day, and at the end of the day Aaron said "this is the best day of my entire life". So I think we succeeded in making it a fun day. Yesterday we had his party with all his friends, and he thought that was great too. Tonight we are going to Grandma's for hamburgers and stuff. Tuesday I plan on getting back on track!

In other news, I just want to share how distressing getting older is. Yes, I am 30.5, and already there are things happening that I really don't like.

1) It is no longer an option to color my hair...the grays are becoming more and more prevalant just in the last year. I won't dare pluck them out because my hair is fine enough as it is...I can't stand to lose even one.

2) Not only are the hairs on my head forgetting what color they should be, but they are also forgetting where they live. They seem to be getting confused, as they keep shooting offspring onto my chin, upper lip, inside of my nose. What the heck is that. This is a cruel joke. This morning was a particularly depressing day for my chin/neck. After paying close attention to this area for months...tweezers in hand, this morning I woke up, and before showering I was inspecting my face once again. There staring at me in all its glory is a hair on my neck that had to measure at least 1/8 of an inch. I swear, this monster was not there last night!! Where has this hair been hiding, and why didn't anyone tell me it was there. Kelly, you're suppose to have my back! Seriously when I first saw it, I thought there was no way it was attached, it must have just been clinging to my skin. Nope, had to get the tweezers to pull that menace out. Horrifying, absolutely horrifying!!

3) The girls...you know the ones I'm talking about. Well they are not where they were before and this does not make me happy. Everything seems to be wandering downward. Enough said.

On a happier note, I am going to have Lasik surgery sometime in the next few months, which will be good since I am a contact abuser. Hey, I have extended wear contacts...but apparently 'extended' does not mean 4 months....

Hmmm..maybe I need more coffee....

Your IQ Is 105

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Exceptional Your General Knowledge is Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Wii fit

This will be on my Christmas list....and Steve's, and Aaron's. I can't wait for it to come out.

Derailed

Well good morning! Obviously there hasn't been much to report over the last week! Over the weekend I went down to Sacramento with my boss who is also a friend. We only stayed for 24 hours, but we had a fun time. Since then I have struggled to get myself back on track. My previous routine of going to the gym everyday at the same time has just been completely discombobulated by Aaron's school schedule and by the Turbulence Training routine. For some reason it feels awkward to me to workout in the garage while my MIL is here watching the kids. I don't know why. Anyway, I'll figure it out.

A cardio epiphany and more...

So, I haven't been making it to the gym as regularly since Aaron started school. I've been working out regularly though, and have actually bought a few things so I can get a good workout in my garage. Anyway, thanks to Turbulence Training I've had a cardio epiphany. Guess what..I do NOT have to do cardio on a boring machine!! Why I never thought of this before can probably be attributed to the moderate cardio fad...where you had to sustain an activity for 30--60 minutes. Hard to do jumping jacks for that long.
Cardio is ANYTHING that brings your heart rate and breathing rate up. Interval cardio is bringing your heart rate way up to nearly your max, then bringing it down, then back up etc. I've discovered that I enjoy doing interval cardio (the only cardio worth doing for fast fat loss in my book) by mixing different activities. My last few interval cardio sessions have consisted of fast jump roping, jumping squats, mountain climbers, and fast jumping jacks. It is really challenging, but so much more fun than the machines at the gym.
Also, the other day my DH made mention that he needed to start jogging or 'something', and I mentioned that he should do cardio with me, to which he agreed...which I was a little surprised at since he usually wants NO part of my exercise stuff. So after I did my TT, I told him I was going to do my cardio (he had been busy disassembling our pool), so he disappears into the house, and much to my surprise, he came back out ready to go. He made it for 13 minutes. Considering he hasn't done any 'exercise' for nearly a year, that was pretty good, and I was just glad that he actually came out there with me.

On another note, I just got done snuggling with my son before bed like I do every night. Tonight when I walked in my room (he was already in his bed), I was holding my neck/shoulder because it was sore. Aaron asks, "mom, why are you holding your arm like that", and I said "oh, it's just a little sore", and he says "oh mom are you okay, do you want me to rub it?". Sweetest boy! I said "sure". So he rubs my shoulder/neck as good as a nearly 6 year old can. The next thing out of his mouth was slighting disturbing. He says, "mom, your skin feels a little loose.....(pause).....do you know why?". I said, "no honey, why". He says in a slightly sympathetc tone "cuz it's getting old". I laughed out loud at this, but deep down inside I'm cringing. OLD?? What, I'm 30....I feel like I'm still 23. OLD??
Now when people see me, they may notice a subconscious hand on the neck checking how taunt the skin is...... is it because I used to have chubby collarbones??

More random info....

Maree and Aaron are going 'hunting' tomorrow with Daddy...really that just means driving along some log roads looking for animals. Maree, however, is convinced they are going to shoot something, and wants to take her 'bones' AKA bow, but she doesn't have one so she's going to go 'pow-pow'.

I thought I was going to make it to the gym today, but my schedule is a little out of whack since Aaron started school. I have been working out somewhere between 10:30-12 most days, but Aaron starts school at 12:05 and therefore needs to eat lunch at about 11. So I was planning on going after dropping him off and putting Maree in the kids club, but then I realized it closes at 1....not enough time.

So I did the next best thing....WENT SHOPPING :)

Okay, then later I improvised at home and had a great workout with my bands, fannie lifter, new exercise ball (from shopping trip), dumbells, new ipod speakers :) Then followed it up with some crazy interval cardio stuff.

I must admit I did just have 2 pieces of WW toast with PB for meal 6..... The bread was only 80 cals each, and is very healthy bread. Otherwise, meals were right on today.

New vocabulary from my 3 yr old...OH, and some exercise

My daughter spent some time over at Auntie's house this evening while me and the other kids had Karate. She came home with some new 'words'. :)

She came home asking daddy if she could have her room "betweened" like her cousins. Her cousins share a room and their beds are separated by a dresser. Apparently this makes the dresser "betweened", and she thought it would be great if she and her brother could also share a room. Either that or she was talking about how the beds used to be stacked...as bunk beds, and whoever is on the bottom is 'betweened' by beds. I'm not really sure.

She also asked if she could have a 'bumpy bed' AKA 'bunk beds'. After I tried to clarify if she was talking about the 'bunk beds', she says, 'yes, the bumpy bed... you jump on it'.


Okay, so back to the exercising! I'm still a little stuck on doing weights one day and cardio the next. With Turbulence Training you are suppose to do weights and cardio together on the same day. Yesterday I did my own version of the TT (I seem to have some aversion to taking a piece of paper to the gym and/or new unfamiliar exercises. I did incorporate some TT exercises, and I did the sets/supersets as usual. So I felt good about that...although I didn't have time to do cardio afterwards...although I did do some Wii boxing last night :)

Today I learned a lesson about doing cardio prior to doing Karate. DON'T DO IT!! Or at least I should not have done it 1 hour prior to Karate. I also did kind of a crazy HIIT today with intervals of jump roping, mountain climbers, jumping squats, jumping jacks. Wowie! Then I stayed for part of the 2nd hour of Karate, which involved me, the Sensei, and another brown belt. So it was more intense moves and sparring. I am beat!!

Also, just a notice...if the scale does not move this week, I'm having DH hide it indefinitely!!

Anyone care for some Jello...and other random things

So I just got done cleaning out a LARGE double shelf cabinet in my kitchen. The kind of cabinet that is curved, and has nooks and crannies that I swear could hide a small child. Anyway, I kept shoving cans/boxes etc in there hoping to create a little more room. Well, it was getting ridiculous so I cleaned it out. Guess what, I have 25 boxes of Jello/jello pudding mix in there. Good heavens...see this is what I do, I buy stuff, it gets put in the never ending abyss that is called my cabinet, then I forget it's there, because it's at least 4 rows back, then I buy some more, shove it in the cabinet, and the cycle repeats. STOP THE MADNESS!! Anyway, I need to start using some of that pudding mix!!

Also, just a cute story (well cute to me), about my dear children and their Grandma. Last night I went with the kids to go have dinner at Grandma and Grandpas (my MIL and FIL) We were all sitting around chatting and Grandma tells us she has lost one of the lenses out of her prescription sun glasses (it has fallen out several times before). She goes on to tell us that she had come in the house from outside to get something and then noticed one lens missing. She said she has scoured the whole house through and through and it is no where to be found...so she'll have to go to Costco to get it replaced. So I half jokingly say to my son "go find Grandma's lens", and he jumps right up and starts looking under the cushions of the couch, and Grandma says "oh I already looked under all those", so then my daughter crouches down to look under the couch and she says "he he he here it is Grandma" in this cute little giggle. And I'm thinking, she's just teasing (she likes to tease....and she's only 3...eeks). So there my son looks down there too, and says, "yep, there it is", and pulls it out and gives it to Grandma. This happened in less than 30 seconds from the time I asked my son to find it. Grandma just laughs...she can't believe it..she said she had already looked under the couch...she'd been looking for 3 days. She then gives them each a dollar, which they were ecstatic about. I guess God answered her prayers that day!

So then I am sitting with my son looking at his new dollar from Grandma. I said, do you know who that president is on the dollar bill, he says 'ya, it's George Washington', I was a little surprised he knew because we had never discussed it before. So then I ask, well who was George Washington, and he says "he was the President", and I said "what President was he", and he says "the first President", as if I asked him what color the sky was. I have no idea how he knows this information, but I'm pretty sure I didn't know all that until at least the 5th grade. So then Grandma asked (she always amazed at what he knows...as a good Grandma should be) "How do you know that", and he shrugs his little shoulders and says "I don't know, I guess God put it in my head for me to know". What a precious child! I sure hope God puts some math skills in that head too. I'm already afraid of having to help him with his math homework anywhere beyond the 3rd grade or so. I was NOT gifted in math...and luckily, in my line of work, it is not terribly important. Good choice on my end!!