O Scale, O Scale! Where For Art Thou Scale?

Glad to see a lot of the bloggers out and about commenting again.  Seems so lonely without it. LOL.

Not much to report on except how much I miss my scale.  It's still at the old house so I missed my weigh in this week and am picking it up tomorrow but still won't weigh again until Monday (because that's my Weigh In Day come hell or high water).  A little background:  Whenever I was serious about losing weight, I was a scale whore.  When I say "serious," I mean I was on a plan...Atkins, South Beach, whatever.  I'd get on the scale every day (sometimes more) and see the progress.  I'd do the thing where you weigh yourself, go to the bathroom, and go weigh yourself again to see what a difference it made.  And those daily fluctuations affected me terribly.  If the scale was up, I'd get discouraged and eat crappy the rest of the day because "I'm not losing weight anyway."  If it was down, I'd be giddy and happy the rest of the day.  Not a healthy relationship by any means and it obviously didn't work in keeping me motivated to lose weight.  So when I embarked my journey to Bandland I made the decision to be a scale whore no more.  I recognize the importance of the scale to track my progress and hold me accountable.  But this isn't a race...I can't expect to lose 5 lbs a week every week (I've NEVER lost that much since banded) and since the band limits my ability to binge, I can't eat my disappointment with the scale.  So I committed to once a week and I chose Mondays to try to help keep me motivated through the weekend.  I've cheated on this commitment a few times and did midweek weigh ins but never to the extent I used to.  And this has worked well for me.  If I gained, I knew why I gained.  There were no big surprises.  While I feel I've moved past my scale addiction, I don't like NOT knowing where I'm at.  I don't like NOT knowing how I'm doing.  To be fair, I don't think I've lost anything but I don't think I've gained really either.  I've eaten like crap but I've been doing a lot of heavy lifting and walking up and down stairs (My glutes sure feel it).  Portion sizes have been OK so I just feel like I don't know if I'm coming or going.  So there you go.  I miss my scale.  Wow.  That was a lot of rambling about the scale.  Moving on...

Hubby's surgery is Tuesday.  Wahoo!  This has been a long time in the making.  He started his 6 month supervised diet for insurance approval the same time I did so he's been working long and hard for this.  He's getting pretty nervous and having the same second thoughts we all go through.  Is the risk worth it?  Will it really work?  Is he sure he can't do it on his own without the help of the band?  I'm doing my best to reassure him but I also know that until he does it and starts losing weight, it's not going to help much.  I also know that a couple days after surgery, when the gas pain's at its worst, he'll wonder why the heck he decided to do this at all.  He's doing fabulously on liquids.  He's definitely ready to be banded so he can at least not be hungry and do liquids.  In my opinion, the preop is worst than the postop because you're still HUNGRY.  I wasn't hungry at all the first two weeks after surgery when I was still on all liquids so I missed chewing but at least I wasn't starving.  I hope it's the same for him.  I took all next week off to help him recuperate.  A little (meaning BIG) wrench in the plans.  My dad has heart issues and he has to have a procedure next week where they shoot the dye up his leg to see how big of a blockage he has at his heart.  The day of this procedure?  Same day as hubby's surgery.  The problem?  Who's going to watch my girls now?  Trying to figure that part out.  Of course, things can't just run smoothly because we always have to make things more difficult than they need to be.  *sigh*  Anywhoozle, I don't have internet at home and so will  probably not be posting much next week.  I'll try to get to my mom's house to let you know how his surgery goes and how he's doing but it will be minimal.  Please set a reminder for yourself to send good surgery and recovery thoughts to him on Tuesday.

I'll miss all of you next week!  Whenever I'm away for a few days, it seems like all kinds of exciting things happen and I miss it.  So please try to have a dull week to make catching up easier for me.  Hope everyone States side has a wonderful Memorial Day.  Let's remember what the day is all about and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

And without further ado, your Friday Funny:

Help For Commenting Issues & New Bloggers

OK...so this is a random post.  I'm seeing LOTS of people having issues commenting.  I'm going to pretend that's why I have no comments on my last post.  It's not that I've become dull, boring and a completely incompetent writer...I have HUNDREDS of comments just waiting for me if y'all could just comment.  Anyhoo - I was having the commenting problem on Monday.  Thought it was just me and went in search of a solution.  I switched my browser to Google Chrome instead of Internet Explorer and POOF!  Problem solved.  So if it's REALLY bugging you, you may want to switch up your browser and see if that helps.  If it does, leave me a comment so I know 1) you're reading and 2) it worked.  And if it does work, pass the word along to other bloggers so we can all be commenting fools!

Next, the blog redesign contest.  I see my friend Amanda already has several votes but I'm shameless and Jen was nice enough to create a link to post on our blogs for voting.  I, however, am so internet UN-savvy that I can't figure out how it works...I don't get the "edit link" option with the image.  So instead, please click here to go vote.  Vote for me, or Amanda or any of the other wonderful ladies nominated who are all fantastic and all deserving of Jen's expertise.

I've also discovered 2 new bloggers that I think everyone will get a kick out of.

Little Red Riding Hood and Nora.  Please go say hi.

Hope y'all are having a great week!

And Then There Was Light!

Yes, peoples!  I've gots electricity!  Wahoo!  Ahhh...so much nicer.

I wanted to send a shout out to Lyla who was kind enough to nominate me for a blog redesign by the infamous Jen of JustFoolinBlogDesigns .  Her blog redesigns (she's done quite a few of them here in Blogland) are just so creative and fun!  I don't know if it's just because my current blog design is just oh-so-dull, Lyla can barely stand it or if she just wanted to be nice, but I'm appreciative none the less.  If you don't follow Lyla, you should...she's making great progress and her blog rocks.  You can find it here.  Thanks again!

Last night, BFF and I went to the Melting Pot which is a fancy, shmancy little fondue place here in Phoenix.  Oh. My. God.  First, let me say that fondue is incredibly band friendly.  So if you're ever looking for something that you don't have to worry too much about it, fondue is the way to go.  Since you're dipping everything (except the meat) in cheese or chocolate...it turns everything into a mushy.  The protein (our platter had steak, shrimp, chicken and pasta...OK.  I know pasta isn't a protein but bear with me) comes with an assortment of different sauces so they wind up being pretty band friendly too.  Now, with all this band friendly food, I will warn you that you'll eat WAY TOO MUCH here.  I seriously stuffed myself and it was so freakin' yummy!

So we established I ate way too much last night.  I also had to pick up my oldest from school yesterday as she threw up all over the playground.  Lovely.  She couldn't keep anything down last night, the poor thing.  This is the last week of school so there are all kinds of fun activities planned.  She's so bummed she might miss some of them.

Otherwise, not a whole lot new going on.  I hope to make my way back to the gym in a couple weeks.  Things are just too hectic at the new house and with hubby's surgery to make it.  HOWEVER, I do have a treadmill at home and, by God, I'm going to use it.  I'm not sure how y'all are about home exercise equipment but mine have always tended to become...clothes racks.  Oh it doesn't start out that way.  No sirree...it starts out being used regularly and then after a couple months, it starts to collect dust, then you put a shirt on it just until you can find the time to hang said shirt up and the next thing you know it looks like a picked through sales rack at Macy's.  Then after a couple years of this, you finally get rid of it at a garage sale because you realize you're just not going to use it.  Now, in this case, it's not my treadmill.  It's my husband's treadmill...we bought it for him to use at home to work around his schedule since it's tough for him to find time for the gym.  And I'm proud to say that even before we moved, there were no clothes on this treadmill and we've had it for almost a year!  Well, for the next couple weeks, I'll be using it since the gym isn't in my immediate future.  I'm going to commit (right here...putting it in writing) to doing the treadmill twice this week and 3 times next week.  Then it's back to the gym and Zumba.  I just gotta get back to some kind routine.  This floundering around with food and exercise obviously isn't working for me.

Anywhoozle, if you'd like to head over to Jen's blog to help me get a new look for Candyland to Bandland, well...I'd certainly appreciate it.  I think you should head over there anyway.  There are a lot of great blogs nominated and a lot of very deserving people involved and you'd get to see some of Jen's work.  So how about a Hump Day Happy Thought to get us through the rest of the workweek?

Movin', Movin', Movin'...

ETA:  I wrote this post yesterday but Blogger was being a pain so it didn't get posted.  Update on the Electricity situation:   NOPE.  Still sittin' in the dark...

Move 'em on, Head 'em up!

Head 'em up, Move 'em out!

Move 'em on!  Head 'em out, Rawhide!

And so we've moved...sort of...kind of... in a way..almost.  We picked up the moving van Friday night so we could get an early start Saturday morning.  After a few directionally challenged helpers finally made it to the homestead in the boonies (from this point on, it will be known as the "old house"), we got the first truck full loaded.  Made it to the new place (henceforth known as "the townhouse") and unloaded said load.  The men decided they didn't need the little lady's help loading the next one so I stayed behind to start unpacking some of the more essential items, namely the kitchen.  Finally, hubby texted me, advised they were on their way and to go ahead and order the pizzas.  The dutiful wife I am, I did.  Next thing I know...I hear that every road out of the little town we lived in has a wreck on it and is either way delayed or shut down.  They decide to hit a bar (they're men, ya know) and wait for the state route out of town to re-open.  They're at the bar a little over an hour...still shut down.  So they do a roundabout way into a different town and up to the freeway...where there's another wreck and a giant back up.  Argh!  So now I've got 3 large pizzas and 28 wings and no big hungry men to eat them!  We were lucky to have the guys helping that we did.  2 of them were able to stay and unload the truck.  The other 2 had to get home...personal emergency involving a 3 year old, a desk and stitches and another involving supposed to be home earlier so the wife could have the babyseat.  Incidentally, 3 of these guys still have some of our stuff in their cars.  Eh.  We'll get it eventually.

On top of all of this taking way longer than planned.  Due to circumstances which I won't go into here, our electricity couldn't be turn on until today.  So we're doing all this sans air conditioning which wasn't too bad.  We also lost everything in our fridge and possibly our freezer too (packed it full of ice, hoping it keeps.  If not, I'm cooking it all today).  I could handle all of this...except later that night.  We all plop down on mattresses (beds not assembled yet).  A little sidenote here.  I have a sleep number bed and LOVE it.  However, if your area is prone to blackouts or anything...reconsider.  Must have electricity for said bed to inflate.  *sigh*  Anywhoozle...not only is there no hot water for a good scrubbing after all this manual labor (Smell much?) but no ceiling fans + no air conditioning + no breeze = 1 VERY hot panda.  I tossed and turned most of the night...finally dozed off around 1 and then finally got to sleep around 2.  Not a good night after the day we had.  So Sunday, we're up bright and early to return the truck that was supposed to be returned the day before but the VERY nice people at the truck rental place said that we could return the next day due to the all the road closure trouble.  We return the truck, head to the old house to load a few more odds and ends into the truck, ate breakfast, unloaded van, set up sleep number bed so it's ready to go when the electricity is turned on, headed to my parents house for showers, and then back to the townhouse dreading the unpacking that was to follow.  That's when my hubby and I decided to spend money we don't have to get a hotel for the night.  I had to be work this morning, bright and early and there was just no flippin' way I could go another night sweatin' out on the futon mattress.  So we got a hotel room, ate some comfort food, took another shower (just because we could), cranked up the A/C as high as it would go and slept like rocks.  It was magnificent.  Money well spent.  Electricity is supposed to be hooked up today and we can make it official and actually spend a restful night at this place.

In other news...forgot the scale at the old house so no weigh in this week.  After going up and down those stairs 8 BILLION times over the weekend, I really thought I'd see a loss too.  I guess we'll see next week.  My hubby's surgery is a week from tomorrow!  He starts his pre-op liquid diet today.  There was some mourning of food going on last night as he prepares for his 5 weeks without real food (doc has a pretty strict liquid requirement after surgery).  So please wish him luck on his preop endeavour.  Protein shakes for a week isn't easy and I don't envy him having to do it. 

That's all that's happening in Candyland my friends.  Exciting stuff, eh?  So in light of pushing forward to finish unpacking a new house and making it a home, of pushing through a liquid diet, of pushing through to a healthier you (hopefully)...here's a Monday DEMotivator:

Lunch Success

Hello peoples!  I'm grumpy and crabby today.  I have no good reason to be.  Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed, I guess... Oh well.

To answer Ronnie who was so sweet as to follow up...lunch was good!  The girl I had lunch with (we'll call her K to protect the innocent and as to not freak her out by posting her business on the web) is really very nice.  She and I seem to have a similar sense of humor which certainly helps.  The conversation never lulled (as is what normally happens with nervous babbling) but it was nice getting to know someone new.  K's husband is taking his LSAT this summer to get into law school so he'll be a lawyer just like my hubby.  Always good to have someone to comiserate with through that process.  The restaurant we tried was a little pricey for what you get but it was absolutely the best pork tacos I've ever had...EVER.  And I live in AZ so that's saying something.  You get 3 tiny tacos and no sides...if you want sides you have to order them separately (cheap-o me did not).  I ate all 3 and they were ultra flavorful!  Still too much food for me but I managed to gulp them all down.  If anything, it convinced me that I definitely need a fill but as I've said previously, it's going to have to wait until June.  So anywhoozle...I think it went well.  I don't think I was a dork or anything and K even asked if I'd want to get together for lunch again sometime next week.  I said yes.  So there you have it.  Panda...firmly removed from shell...for now.

Moving day is Saturday.  Woot!  I'll be so happy to get back into civilization.  I'm going out with my BFF Tuesday night and we're meeting at a restaurant just 1 block away from our new townhouse.  How nice is that?  No more driving for 40 minutes to barely get there on time.  No more waiting at my mom's house for a couple hours just to save the gas.  The other thing this move is going to do is make getting to the gym SO MUCH EASIER.  Right now...in order to go to the gym, I have to pick up the girls, wait an hour at my mom's house for the Kids' Club to open, go workout and then drive 30 minutes home.  It's just hassle.  Now...I can pick up the girls, go to our own house for an hour, drive 5 minutes to the gym and back.  Hopefully this will prompt me to work out more.  We can hope.

What else is new?  Packing, packing and more packing.  Eating, eating and more eating.  There ya go.  Good times.  Hope everyone is having a spectacular week!  It's almost Friday....

Similar to a Treadmill...

The last couple weeks has been like being on a treadmill.  Bear with me here.  Prior to joining my gym, I hated treadmills.  You walk and walk and walk and don't get anywhere.  There's nothing to look at, nothing to get excited about.  If I were going to walk, I'd much rather GO on a walk...outside...with stuff to look at.  Well, the last week and a half...this is my life in the weight loss sphere.  With all the physical stuff that goes with moving, you also get all the "I'm too tired to cook," "I've packed up all my pots and pans," and the "Between work and packing, let's just pick up something quick" syndrome.  At least this week we're eating at home but it's all prepackaged stuff loaded with extra calories, fat and sodium which doesn't work well for the scale.  I know I'm one of those people that says there's really no excuse for not making at least BETTER choices but alas, that's not what's happening here.  The good news?  I don't think I'm gaining.  I lost 1/2 lb last week when I was sure I was going to gain.  My guess for this week is the loss will be stagnant by Monday.  Side note here:  I love treadmills at my gym...because each one has it's own TV and I found that the E! Channel with all its trashiness really makes time zoom by.  Maybe it's more like a hamster wheel....

And since my life completely consumed by moving, I don't have much to report on anything else.  I did have a NSV the other night.  My hubby lifted me up...not only lifted me up but actually carried me somewhere.  I seriously think it's been like 10 years since he's been able to do that.  He even said "Wow.  You're LITTLE!"  Yay for little!

As part of the "Panda's Coming Out of Her Shell" series, I'm having lunch with a woman today that I have met only once, pretty briefly, in a room full of a bunch of other people I was meeting (so, for the life of me, I don't remember what she looks like).  She is my husband's coworker's girlfriend.  That's right.  My hubby and his friend have set us up on a blind date...kind of.  We think she's my age and she actually works in the building right next door so she emailed me, invited me to lunch and I said yes.  We're going to a restaurant I've never been before (eek! Incidentally, this was never an issue before I was banded but I worry a little bit about it now) and I'm going to have to make conversation with someone I know virtually nothing about for about an hour.  To most people, this probably doesn't sound like a big deal...For others like Draz...it'd be a hive-inducing fiasco...I fall somewhere in the middle.  I'm a little nervous...I don't want it to be awkward and I want to make a good impression.  I wouldn't want her going home and telling her boyfriend about the freak Ron's married to and then have that guy have to go work with my hubby knowing that he's married to a freak.  Can we say awkward?  But, but, but she seemed really nice when I first met her (if I remember her correctly) and how bad can an hour be...really?

So that is the dullness that is my life.  To get off on a positive note...how about a Hump Day Happy Thought?

No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change.

- Barbara de Angelis

And one small reminder from our dear friend Julia Child...

Moderation. Small helpings. Sample a little bit of everything. These are the secrets of happiness and good health.

- Julia Child



Weigh In 5/16/11

First, thanks to who commented on my last post.  I think I can add a new fear of "No comments" to the list I've been accumulating.  LOL.  But truly, thanks for your candor and honesty.  If there's one thing blogland offers, it's honesty.

So weigh in...173.  -.5 this week.  *sigh*  OK...Not ideal.  But considering what it COULD have been...I'll take it.  One of my midweek unofficial weigh ins showed me 3 lbs UP so at this point I'll take what I can get.  I worked out twice last week, coming up just short of my goal of 3.  But it's a start.  Finding workout time is going to be difficult this week.  We started packing over the weekend but I still have a lot to do before Saturday.  I think lifting boxes and the all the bending, etc. that comes with getting ready to move should totally count as a workout.  I know I need a fill but that's no excuse for what's been going into my mouth lately.

I'm exhausted...still.  I don't see an end to this until June.  I've taken the week of my hubby's surgery off to help him recuperate...returning the favor since he took such good care of me after mine.  I'm hoping I manage to get some rest during that week too as it's sorely needed.  Not much else going on around here.  We were home bound all weekend with boxes so nothing really new to report.  So...back to work it is with our Monday DEMotivator:

Fears

I'm not sure if all of you have wandered over to Patrick's blog (Responsibility 199) yet but if you haven't...You REALLY need to. He's got some amazing stuff going on over there. He's begun a series of posts on leadership. Yesterday's REALLY got me thinking...you can read it here. ETA: I just realized that Blogger deleted his post with the issues it had yesterday but I think I read somewhere that it should be restored soon...so hopefully it does because it was great!  It was about courage and, naturally, that led in to facing your fears.

Fears. We've all got them. Scared of spiders. Scared of public speaking. Scared of heights. These are the basics. But we all have the deep, inner fears that we keep locked away so that no one will ever know we have them...we may even be hiding them from ourselves. I think I have. Sometimes you think you're scared of one thing when it's really something else. For instance, you're afraid of public speaking. That's not really what you're afraid of. You're afraid of embarrassing yourself and being judged by other people. That second fear sounds a lot scarier, doesn't it? So I've decided to face my fears head on. Some of these I've already started conquering and others still need to be explored. I'm going to use this post as a brainstorming session of my fears, my real fears, and why I might feel the way I do and possibly how to overcome them. Here we go.

I'm afraid of being fat for the rest of my life. There I said it. I've obviously taken steps to overcome this recently but the fear is there that this is as good as it gets or worse, I'll gain it all back. Why does being fat scare me? I don't want to end up like my dad. Triple bypass, stents, diabetes, heart disease, possible congestive heart failure...all due to a lifestyle that can be changed.

I'm afraid of social situations. Why does this scare me? Because I'm afraid if I put the real me out there, people will think I'm dumb, or laugh at me or talk bad behind my back or realize I'm not as smart as I think I am. I'm worried my daughters will be embarrassed by me. I was never the "cool kid" or "popular" and being overweight certainly didn't help the whole self esteem thing so I worry that even my own children won't want to claim me as their mother. I know it's our job to embarrass our kids but in normal ways...not "OMG. I wish I were adopted" kind of way. I'm also afraid that as I've grown older, I've changed too much from who I was when my husband met me and I haven't necessarily changed into someone he wants to be with for the rest of his life. Why do I care what others think? Because really I'm scared of being alone. I hate being alone. I hate feeling like no one cares or wants to hang out with me because then I'm alone with my thoughts and these fears and it's too much to deal with. I rather have people to hang out with and ignore these things. I'm scared of being lonely.

I'm afraid of disappointing people. I didn't finish college which I'm sure disappointed my parents. I tried several times to go back to school without success which in my mind disappoints my husband (I'm sure that's all in my head). But maybe the truth is I'm afraid of disappointing myself which really means I'm afraid of failure. This is it right here. All of these other fears seem to lead to this. I'm afraid of failure in my marriage (even though it's really strong), being a bad parent, being in this job for the rest of my life, not being healthy, not doing all I can do in this world.

I have no idea how to overcome these things. I've been trying to get healthy (really the whole point of the blog) and trying to get out of my social cocoon. I'm trying to get to the best version of me I can be and maybe just identifying these fears...naming them, exploring them and admitting them is a step in the right direction.

What are your fears?

So this was kind of a heavy post. But luckily, it's Friday and with every Friday comes a Friday Funny...

We're Moving!

Not very far though.  LOL.  We got that townhouse we applied for earlier in the week.  It'll save us almost 30 minutes in our commute so that is awesome!  It's right near the girls' schools and my mom's house so it'll be a lot nicer drive than it is now.  Should save a bundle on gas.  We're probably overpaying to be where we are but we'll make it work.  I feel so much better just knowing we have a place to go at the end of the month.  So the next few weeks will be very busy packing, moving and cleaning.  Hopefully, that will keep snacking to a minimum and show a loss on the scale.

I did go for my second workout this week.  I did the treadmill for a 1/2 hour and weights for 1/2 hour.  It felt good to be there and I feel like I'm starting to get an active groove going.  I cheated and weighed myself this morning and was very disappointed in what I saw.  It looks like the initial stall when I start working out has hit.  It's also TOM and the sodium intake has been a touch too high lately so I'm hoping that some of it is water.  I'm hydrating like crazy today and hoping that will help.  Incidentally, this reminded me why I don't weigh mid week. I'm too prone to letting the fluctuations get to me.  Lesson learned.

I do have NSV to report.  I was walking down the street and the sun was to my back so I was walking toward my shadow and I realized that "Holy cow!  That shadow has a waist!  An honest-to-God little indent where your waist should be!  I have shape!"  It was awesome.

Otherwise things are moseying along.  I really wish it were Friday already.  So much to do around the house and I know it'll be a lot of work but I'd rather be doing that than here at my job.  It's just annoying me lately.  Still not sleeping great...thought getting the approval would help but doesn't seem like it.  It may just be the stress of having so much to do.  Needless to say, it's making me grumpy but what can ya do?

I Feel Good...

Na, na, na.  I knew that I would...

I went back to the gym last night and it felt just as good as I thought it would.  I powerwalked for 1/2 an hour on the treadmill (didn't want to jump right back into running) and did a half hour of weight training.  It felt so so so good to work out again.  I was surprised at how much I missed it.  It's so odd that I feel that good about going but sometimes go so long without making an appearance.  It just doesn't make sense.  Then my children acted like heathens when it was time to go and I can never show my face at the gym again.  Argh!  I'm going to go back, of course, but needless to say my kids got a good kick in the pants about it when we got home. 

So just before my workout, I was at my mom's and decided to have a piece of turkey for a quick snack.  BIG MISTAKE.  It the perfect storm of lapband errors...It was too dry, I ate it too fast and I didn't chew worth a darn.  Queue the giant PB.  So I go work out, get home...order pizza...I know, I know.  First...why cancel out the workout I just did?  And second, did I really think I'd be able to eat it?  Of course not.  Stuck, stuck, stuck.  More PB'ing and I went to bed still feeling like something was in there.  I'm actually sore this morning.  So I'm babying my band today with just liquids, hoping to calm it down.  It's as if I could hear it yelling at me.  "What the heck is the matter with you woman?!?!  Are you out of your mind?  Left over dry turkey and then pizza!  What an idiot!"  So I'm drinking my coffee this morning and at least it's going down.  I struggled with water last night so this is an improvement. 

Hubby is starting to get geared up for his surgery at the end of the month.  He watched the pre-op video that expalins the procedure (like we don't know this already) and then all the risks associated with it.  While we are very aware of the risks, it does drive the point home watching a video about all the things that can go wrong.  I think he's starting to get a little freaked out about it but he'll be OK. 

No word on the townhouse yet.  They reviewed the application yesterday as the property management lady had a few follow up questions.  Really hoping we hear something today.  I didn't sleep well again last night.  Not real sure what's up with that.  All I know is I'm exhausted today.  Hitting the gym again tomorrow and can't wait! I feel like I'm starting to get in the zone again and it feels great!

Happy Belated Mother's Day

I'm a day late but to all the mothers out there...A very happy Mother's Day to you all!  My Mother's Day was great!  I got to sleep in, both on Saturday and Sunday.  I didn't have to cook at all and received beautiful red roses and cards from my girls. Weekend was busy.  We went to a barbecue on Saturday where I ate way too much.  The girls had a birthday party to go to after that.  Sunday was more laid back.  We watched movies, went to see my mom, ate lunch at Outback where I had their crab cakes...not too shabby.  All in all, it was a great weekend but went by way too quickly.  Really didn't want to see it end.

Today is Weigh In Day.  173.5.  That's -1.5 from last week and 1 lb down from my lowest.  Not bad considering very little effort went into last week.  This week is different though.  I packed my gym bag this morning and have EVERY intention of hitting the gym after work.  I haven't been in about a month which is completely and totally unacceptable.  I've chosen my new challenge...the Mud Run in September so I better get crackin'.  Seeing as the Mud Runs and obstacle runs use more upper body strength than anything I've previously done, my new routine is going to be 1/2 hour on the treadmill going as fast as I can possibly go.  Then a 1/2 hour doing weight training.  I'm also going to try to get back in a good Zumba place.  I haven't been there in over a month either.  I don't see Zumba in my immediate future as I can only go on Saturdays and the next few will be busy packing and what not but hopefully it will make a re-appearance in June.  I'm looking at 3 days a week at the gym.  Not too lofty of a goal but it's a good ease-in back to working out regularly.  Hopefully the scale will reflect the work.  You'll notice I'm only 3 lbs away from my Birthday Goal and I intend to hit it.  Anyway...new exercise regimen starts today.  I'll let you know how it goes and if I fall off the treadmill or anything.

We put in an application on a townhouse over the weekend.  Obviously, it's not ideal as a house would probably be better but it's ubercute and kind of quirky, kind of like my family itself.  The location is absolutely perfect and I think it'll suit our needs just fine.  Please send quick approval thoughts our way as our lease is up at the end of the month and I'm tired of stressing about it. 

Your Monday DEMotivator:

Where, Oh Where, Can My Wagon Be?

The Exercise wagon that is.  I've done a little bit of activity here in the last couple days but it is just not nearly what it needs to be.  Let's run through the excuses, shall we? 

1. I'm flexing my schedule at work so I can go in late on Friday (my daughter is having a Mother's Day dealie at her school Friday morning and I promised I'd go).  What does this mean?  It means I'm into work at 4:45 every morning and today I'm not getting off until 4 p.m.  Ugh!  So I'm tired.  When I'm tired, I'm unmotivated to go the gym even though going would probably give me the energy I need to get through the week.
2. I'm not sleeping well.  As I've mentioned previously, I have night terrors and some nights are just worst than others.  Last night, I practically took out our bedroom window.  I don't really remember why.  I think I THOUGHT someone was trying to come over the back wall and I was going to close the window before they got to the house.  Not real sure though.  Anyhoo, somehow I popped the screen right out of the window and I'm pretty sure I punched it or something.  Anyway, my arm hurts quite a bit today as if someone punched it really hard.  This is contributing to that whole "tired" thing.  I know it's because of stress...I'm worried about my sister, finding a house and my dad is having some health issues as well.  Stress makes these things worse and, again, I know working out would be a great stress reliever and I'd probably sleep better. 

So there you have it.  Not much by way of excuses, is it?  I suck. 

Otherwise, not much going on in my world.  So far, my eating this week has been WAY better than last week.  Not ideal, mind you, but better.  One step at a time and one thing I've committed to this week is going back to my "No Fast Food" rule.  I had done so well for so long and then the last 2 months, it's been a wreck.  My hubby is committing to this one too.  So far, so good.  I'm also refocusing on my water intake.  I had gotten so good about this...was getting it in every day without exception.  Then nothing all week last week.  And it's not like I was drinking other things (maybe some lemonade).  I just wasn't drinking.  Period.  That stops this week as well.  I've gotten my water in Monday and Tuesday and I believe today will be no different.

That realtor called me back.  We're going to look at 2 houses tomorrow.  One is a townhouse and one is a house house.  I think either one will suit our needs but we'll see which one we like better.  I'm relieved to have the help finding something and will feel so much better once I know where I'm living come June.

Wow.  This post is so random and kinda "Negative Nelly"ish huh?  Have no fear Candyland players...I have not lost my will, nor my resolve.  I am still sending positive vibes out into the universe hoping they will find me again.  So let's all get on the Happy wagon...with a Hump Day Happy Thought...

Limitations live only in our minds.  But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.

~ Jamie Paolinetti

Weigh In 5/2/11

Can you believe it's May already?  This year is seriously flying by.  Weigh In: 175.  + 1/2 lb from last week.  I knew this was coming.  I have to admit I had peeked at the scale a few times throughout this week and knew it was trending up.  Somehow, even knowing that wasn't enough to keep me from shoveling unhealthy stuff into my mouth.  It's scary how quickly old habits can rear their ugly heads.  I ate fast food and got into my nightly routine of ice cream or a Sonic blast for a nighttime treat.  Unacceptable.  But this a new week, a new dawn and a new day.  This week will be better.  I've got my meals and exercise planned and a new resolve to get back on track.

NSV #1:  I'm wearing a new outfit to work today and I caught a glimpse of myself in the window at work and thought.  "Wow!  I actually look almost normal!"  That's a good feeling.

NSV #2:  When I was a kid, like 8 or 9, my grandmother let my sister and I pick a piece of a jewelry that we wanted out of her drawer.  I barely remember doing this.  She said when we were old enough, she'd give it to us.  The last time my mom went to visit, my grandmother gave her a ring to give to me saying it was the one I picked all those years ago.  To be perfectly honest, I don't remember if this is what I picked or not but I was touched that she'd remember.  I tried it on then and couldn't get it midway past the knuckle on my finger.  Today, it fits.  I admit...a little emotional wearing it today.

Weekend was good, if uneventful.  Looked at 2 houses and I don't think either one is for us.  Really hoping a realtor we called over the weekend gets back to us today because I'm sick of trying to navigate this on our own.  We started going through stuff and made one stop at Goodwill already.  Probably many more trips to come. 

Big news around our house is my oldest lost her third tooth which happens to be one of the top two.  I think she looks adorable but she says she looks silly.  LOL.  Please excuse the bright windows...was taken with my hubby's phone.

And in the sense of fairness, my youngest just being her (and no, the one in the background doesn't belong to us...she just happened to be at the playground too):

I'd like to take one moment to touch on this.  Last night, President Obama announced the death of Osama Bin Laden.  Regardless of your political leanings or even your nationality, I think we can all agree that this man was the ringleader for an extremist terrorist group that has caused devastation to thousands of people around the world.  The fact that he is now gone means there's a little less evil in the world.  I, for one, feel proud that we were able to take him out.  Will this make a huge difference on terrorism around the world?  Probably not.  But it's a step.  This wasn't one day in our history...it was 10 years in the making.  God bless our troops (all troops - not just the American ones...this started as a united effort).

And on the lighter side and in honor of my recent eating and exercise habits, our Monday DEMotivator: