So I had my MRI today.
I think I am becoming a pro at them.
When the guy doing the test asked what was wrong with my left knee (he could see the scars from the surgeries on the right knee) I told him:
"My left knee got jealous that my right knee has gotten all the attention so now it wants equal time..."
Then I went on to explain how I was an idiot for running...
Mind you I sandwiched the MRI between J'taime Jamie's spin class and a workout with my poor darling Dimples who although he was sick and about to cough up a lung still found a way to come out and train me.
He (Dimples) took it easy on me until we know what is going on with the knee. I figure what is done is done...
We played with some new toys today. He made some bands that he wraps around a tree limb and I grab the handles and do various exercises with them (similar to TRX bands).
I also bought a stability ball for us to play with. I refrained from buying a pink one (I thought Dimples might look stupid chasing it around).
He blew it (the stability ball) up yesterday. I had fun bouncing around on it.
Today I got to do push ups, sit-ups and pull-ups on it...I like bouncing around better.
It reminds me of a hippity-hop...remember them?
Once I went to Lake Austin Spa. I went with a group of very fun girlfriends. We took a stability ball class.
The balls at the spa had, for lack of a better word (and Dimples loved this), "teats" on it...you know some long rubber prongs.
They were for keeping the balls from rolling around...nowadays the balls just roll, but this was about 10 years ago when it was a new thing.
So me and the girlfriends go into the room for the class.
The room is darkened. Enya music is playing.
Soothing environment.
I'm not sure which one of us did it first (probably me), but we jumped on the balls, grapped the rubber "teats" (whatever) and began to hop around like we were on hippity hops.
We had a blast.
We worked up a bit of a sweat.
We were bouncing around like 4 year olds.
And then the instructor walked in...
She laughed and claimed that NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE had bounced around on the balls like that until us...
I think she asked if we were drunk.
When we returned again she said "here comes trouble...".
The spa was wonderful, the food was incredible (for spa food), the spa treatments were the bomb, but nothing beat those few minutes that we abandoned our adult selves and became children again bouncing on the balls and laughing until we were crying.
Sometimes, you just need to be a kid.
I turn into a kid a lot during my workouts but I have a feeling that the stability ball will turn me into a toddler.
Maybe that is why I like my workouts with Dimples so much...we play...
He pushes me but he does it in a fun, playful way. He gets my heartrate up and gets me burning the calories but we have a lot of fun while we do it. I think that is what keeps me coming back...that I have fun.
Spin class is the same way. I love my instructors...they are the sweetest...but it is also all about the fun music and we all laugh and have fun while the class is going on.
I love the bootcamp that Dimples does for me and my mama friends. We laugh so much that sometimes he has a hard time getting us to pay attention and work. But we do. And I'm so proud of my Warrior Princess C who continues to celebrate her year of kicking cancer by working out with us. I'm proud of all my bootcamp mamas because we all have our own reasons to be there...and we get to have fun doing it.
Dimples played basketball last week as his workout. He said he really loves to play it and it is a great workout for him...more fun than just running 3 miles.
We are going to ride bikes next week as part of our workout. It will be fun to try something different...I'm tempted to add a bell and a flower basket to my bike like I had when I was 10...except that I don't think they will fit...and I have clips instead of pedals so if I crash that basket will explode.
But that is what a workout should be...it should be fun. And sometimes you have to find a way to play while you get your heartrate up.
I spent a few months doing nothing more than the elliptical. I burned calories and worked on my cardio fitness.
I didn't hate it, but I can't say that it was fun.
When I walk into JayVee or J'taime Jamie or Spinderella's spin classes, I have a blast...I have fun...and if I have the Amazing Katherine next to me I have fun AND a cheerleader.
And when I am with Dimples...be it personal training or bootcamp, I have a blast...and the time passes so quickly.
I guess what I am saying here with all of this "play" is that if you are looking to get started on doing something for yourself, find something FUN that you enjoy doing so you will do it.
Maybe it is tennis...maybe it is basketball...maybe it is riding your bike...maybe is is pilates class...maybe it is karate...but find something that you ENJOY doing...something that will keep you coming back for more.
For me it is spinning and Dimples...that is my form of play.
And I might just have to take that stability ball around the park for a spin...just gotta find a way to hold onto it while I hop...
Inspiration Song: "Just Push Play" by Aerosmith. Because you can just push play and have some fun...or just push play on your iPod and get moving...
Bye Darlings...stop reading this and go out and play!
Showing posts with label Spinderella. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spinderella. Show all posts
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Pop Music
I have over 2800 songs in my iTunes library...not all of them are on my iPhone (iPod), but most of them are.
I like music...
I have all kinds of music:
Rock (classic mostly)
pop
alternative (mostly pop-alt)
Musicals/Broadway
movie soundtracks
a little country (but not much)
dance tracks
a few classical selections
some "old school" R&B (think Earth, Wind, & Fire)
I make a lot of playlists...I like to just start up the iPod and have a set of songs to listen to.
Ke$ha Barbie spends hours and hours making playlists and listening to music. She probably has 100 playlists.
Mine are not that extensive...
She gets her love of music from me. I got my love of music from both of my parents...but probably mostly from my father.
I started her music education early...including the whole episode I blogged about before when she thought a record album was a "big black cd".
Once she was singing a song...it was a Beyonce/Destiny's Child song...
Bootylicious
so there she is in the backseat of my suburban singing "Bootylicious" and saying how much she loves Beyonce (I do too...) and I hear the sample in the song of Stevie Nick's "Edge of 17".
She (Ke$ha Barbie) says she loves that Beyonce song...especially the "music part".
She was referring to the sample of "Edge of 17".
I literally pulled over and stopped the car.
Dug out a cd...
shoved it into the cd player
and reminded her that as great as Beyonce was...
Stevie was first.
And she did it better.
And then a few years later the Dixie Chicks sang "Landslide". I had to give her a lesson again that...
Stevie was first.
And did it better.
Ke$ha Barbie and I don't agree on all of our music...but we probably have about 30-40% of our libraries in common.
I taught her classic rock...Frampton, Eagles, Aerosmith, Led Zepplin, Fleetwood Mac.
She taught me: Muse, Julian Casablancas, Arcade Fire, Jimmy Eat World, Phoenix.
I played the Beatles for her. Took her (and The Cutest Boy in the World) to see "Beatles LOVE" at the Mirage in Las Vegas. She has almost all of Lennon/McCartney's songs on her iPod now...
We only disagree on who we like better...I'm on "Team Paul" and she is "John" all the way...
But we both agree that George Harrison was the cutest of them and the most soulful.
As to Ringo...
no real opinion there.
But he has some fun stuff too...
I always feel a little victory when I discover a song or band before her. Like today when I told her that I had already downloaded "Houdini" by Foster the People...she hadn't even heard it yet.
Yesssssssssssssss....
And I also feel a little victory when she says things like:
The Eagles really had great harmony
Steve Miller is awesome
Frampton was a guitar god
and she has enough sense to think that Justin Bieber is the lamest excuse for a pop star EVER and that the Jonas Brothers are a blemish on the music industry.
My blog
My Opinion
Of course I am a woman who shamelessly has Barry Manilow on her iPod and is happy about it.
And I have a helluva lot of disco too...not all of it "good" disco (I can hear you all saying "is there such a thing as GOOD disco?").
By "good" I mean: Bee Gees, KC & the Sunshine Band, and Donna Summer
and then you have the old school R&B stuff that was almost disco-like...Brothers Johnson (I challenge you NOT to dance when you hear "Stomp"), S.O.S. Band ("Take your Time, do it right), GAP Band, and some of the stuff that Earth, Wind and Fire did (September).
Ke$ha Barbie does not like ANY of that...but then again I hate Vampire Weekend and the Arctic Monkeys so I guess we are even.
I give music to JayVee, J'taime Jamie all the time...they indulge me and play my stuff during spin class. My latest obessions are with a mash-up of Teenage Dream (Katie Perry) and Get Outta My Way (Kylie) or the new Taio Cruz song (Higher). And JayVee always throws in some classic rock for us too...
I once said I would put some playlists on this blog...stuff to get you moving and grooving. I couldn't decide whether to go with a theme (like Disco or 80's) but settled on a good mix that hopefully most of you have on your iPod...I'll do some "theme" ones another day.
These are all good for cardio work...use the beat (rhythm)to set your pace. I won't use anything "scary" or too offbeat (so no Evanescence---although "Bring me to Life" is awesome to warm-up with---or anything too in to the alternative zone).
Warm-up:
"Genie in a Bottle" Christina Aguilera
"Speed of Sound" Coldplay
Go fast:
"September" Earth Wind & Fire
Hard Climb (high tension)
"Where You Going Now?" Damn Yankees
Interval (fast and slow):
"I'm Still Standing" Elton John
Steady pace...but quick:
"Train in Vain" Clash
"Ready to Start" Arcade Fire
Climb again:
"4 Minutes" Madonna
Interval:
"Raise your Glass" Pink
Steady but quick:
"Take it Off" or "We R who we R" Ke$ha\
"Viva la Vida" Coldplay
interval:
"Club Can't Handle Me" FloRida
"Thnks for the Mmrs" Fall Out Boy
Climb:
"Waiting for You" or "Kiss from a Rose" Seal
Quick:
"Teenage Dream" Katy Perry (try and find the Kylie mash-up)
"Panic Switch" Silversun Pickups
"Get Outta My Way" Kylie Minogue
interval:
"I just Want to Run" The Downtown Fiction
Cool Down:
"Drops of Jupiter" Train
So there are some ideas of some music for you to use whether you spin, walk, run, or do the elliptical or arc trainer.
I've got disco lists, pop-alt lists, classic rock, etc. so if you don't like what you see, send me a message and I'll find you something you like.
The main idea is to MOVE...and if you use a beat, you will move better.
Wouldn't you rather hear Train than the ladies on the View anyway? Turn off the tv and turn on your music and get moving...
Inspiration Song: "Pop Music" by M...Spinderella gave us a dose of it this morning and even though my glutes were screaming by the end of it, it was fun to spin to...
Bye Darlings...let the music play....
I like music...
I have all kinds of music:
Rock (classic mostly)
pop
alternative (mostly pop-alt)
Musicals/Broadway
movie soundtracks
a little country (but not much)
dance tracks
a few classical selections
some "old school" R&B (think Earth, Wind, & Fire)
I make a lot of playlists...I like to just start up the iPod and have a set of songs to listen to.
Ke$ha Barbie spends hours and hours making playlists and listening to music. She probably has 100 playlists.
Mine are not that extensive...
She gets her love of music from me. I got my love of music from both of my parents...but probably mostly from my father.
I started her music education early...including the whole episode I blogged about before when she thought a record album was a "big black cd".
Once she was singing a song...it was a Beyonce/Destiny's Child song...
Bootylicious
so there she is in the backseat of my suburban singing "Bootylicious" and saying how much she loves Beyonce (I do too...) and I hear the sample in the song of Stevie Nick's "Edge of 17".
She (Ke$ha Barbie) says she loves that Beyonce song...especially the "music part".
She was referring to the sample of "Edge of 17".
I literally pulled over and stopped the car.
Dug out a cd...
shoved it into the cd player
and reminded her that as great as Beyonce was...
Stevie was first.
And she did it better.
And then a few years later the Dixie Chicks sang "Landslide". I had to give her a lesson again that...
Stevie was first.
And did it better.
Ke$ha Barbie and I don't agree on all of our music...but we probably have about 30-40% of our libraries in common.
I taught her classic rock...Frampton, Eagles, Aerosmith, Led Zepplin, Fleetwood Mac.
She taught me: Muse, Julian Casablancas, Arcade Fire, Jimmy Eat World, Phoenix.
I played the Beatles for her. Took her (and The Cutest Boy in the World) to see "Beatles LOVE" at the Mirage in Las Vegas. She has almost all of Lennon/McCartney's songs on her iPod now...
We only disagree on who we like better...I'm on "Team Paul" and she is "John" all the way...
But we both agree that George Harrison was the cutest of them and the most soulful.
As to Ringo...
no real opinion there.
But he has some fun stuff too...
I always feel a little victory when I discover a song or band before her. Like today when I told her that I had already downloaded "Houdini" by Foster the People...she hadn't even heard it yet.
Yesssssssssssssss....
And I also feel a little victory when she says things like:
The Eagles really had great harmony
Steve Miller is awesome
Frampton was a guitar god
and she has enough sense to think that Justin Bieber is the lamest excuse for a pop star EVER and that the Jonas Brothers are a blemish on the music industry.
My blog
My Opinion
Of course I am a woman who shamelessly has Barry Manilow on her iPod and is happy about it.
And I have a helluva lot of disco too...not all of it "good" disco (I can hear you all saying "is there such a thing as GOOD disco?").
By "good" I mean: Bee Gees, KC & the Sunshine Band, and Donna Summer
and then you have the old school R&B stuff that was almost disco-like...Brothers Johnson (I challenge you NOT to dance when you hear "Stomp"), S.O.S. Band ("Take your Time, do it right), GAP Band, and some of the stuff that Earth, Wind and Fire did (September).
Ke$ha Barbie does not like ANY of that...but then again I hate Vampire Weekend and the Arctic Monkeys so I guess we are even.
I give music to JayVee, J'taime Jamie all the time...they indulge me and play my stuff during spin class. My latest obessions are with a mash-up of Teenage Dream (Katie Perry) and Get Outta My Way (Kylie) or the new Taio Cruz song (Higher). And JayVee always throws in some classic rock for us too...
I once said I would put some playlists on this blog...stuff to get you moving and grooving. I couldn't decide whether to go with a theme (like Disco or 80's) but settled on a good mix that hopefully most of you have on your iPod...I'll do some "theme" ones another day.
These are all good for cardio work...use the beat (rhythm)to set your pace. I won't use anything "scary" or too offbeat (so no Evanescence---although "Bring me to Life" is awesome to warm-up with---or anything too in to the alternative zone).
Warm-up:
"Genie in a Bottle" Christina Aguilera
"Speed of Sound" Coldplay
Go fast:
"September" Earth Wind & Fire
Hard Climb (high tension)
"Where You Going Now?" Damn Yankees
Interval (fast and slow):
"I'm Still Standing" Elton John
Steady pace...but quick:
"Train in Vain" Clash
"Ready to Start" Arcade Fire
Climb again:
"4 Minutes" Madonna
Interval:
"Raise your Glass" Pink
Steady but quick:
"Take it Off" or "We R who we R" Ke$ha\
"Viva la Vida" Coldplay
interval:
"Club Can't Handle Me" FloRida
"Thnks for the Mmrs" Fall Out Boy
Climb:
"Waiting for You" or "Kiss from a Rose" Seal
Quick:
"Teenage Dream" Katy Perry (try and find the Kylie mash-up)
"Panic Switch" Silversun Pickups
"Get Outta My Way" Kylie Minogue
interval:
"I just Want to Run" The Downtown Fiction
Cool Down:
"Drops of Jupiter" Train
So there are some ideas of some music for you to use whether you spin, walk, run, or do the elliptical or arc trainer.
I've got disco lists, pop-alt lists, classic rock, etc. so if you don't like what you see, send me a message and I'll find you something you like.
The main idea is to MOVE...and if you use a beat, you will move better.
Wouldn't you rather hear Train than the ladies on the View anyway? Turn off the tv and turn on your music and get moving...
Inspiration Song: "Pop Music" by M...Spinderella gave us a dose of it this morning and even though my glutes were screaming by the end of it, it was fun to spin to...
Bye Darlings...let the music play....
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Viva la Vida
Viva la Vida...live the life!
Are you living the life or Living la vida Loca? (crazy life)
I can relate to the la vida loca...that is me 90% of the time...but today I'm talking about living the GOOD life...the life we all want to live...
Yesterday my girlfriends Athenagal and Chauchacha taught a great art history lesson to the 7th grade class...Romantisism and Realism...and the first painting discussed was Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People".
They showed the kids the Coldplay video of "Viva la Vida"...where Chris Martin (lead singer) wanders about in king's robes carrying a copy of that painting.
As I heard the song over and over (for each class) I was reminded:
1) how much I love that song
2) how much I love Coldplay's music
3) what a great statement viva la vida is...live the life...
And I love that painting...
After the art lesson we met Dimples for a workout and had a great time...perfect weather, fun friends, awesome trainer...and we laughed a lot. You can't burn 400 calories in a better way...
that is surely Viva la Vida...
Right now I feel that I am pretty close to living my best life. I still have some issues to work out...things I am not going to blog about because even though I am pretty much an open book here there are things that I do need to keep private...but for the most part, I'm living the life I want/hope/dream about.
My children are healthy and happy...they amaze me every day and I am blessed that I get to be called "Mom" and not just "Anice"...
I have wonderful friends...really wonderful and supportive friends
I am healthy...I'm almost at a healthy weight...I am healthy "inside" with my cholesterol, sugar levels, etc.
I am fit...I can run...I can spin...I can lift weights...I work out...
I have a great gig with GOTT and TTG...I get to work with people I love and how awesome is that...and the kids...oh, I don't have enough good words for the kids and my love for them...
I have Dimples (lucky me!)...and JayVee...and Spinderella...and J'taime Jamie...
I have the possibility of getting my teaching certificate...something I would really like to do...
I have this blog as a creative outlet...
But still no Oprah...but there is hope!
Today I achieved a personal goal...I did a 75 minute spin class. As I told Dimples it was "a piece of cake"...I'm sure he is happy that I thought the class was a piece of cake and didn't EAT a piece of cake.
The class was fun and I'm happy to say that I was pretty pumped that I lasted all the way through and still had some energy left...
Because...
I had to sit through hours and hours of middle school boy's state wrestling championships.
UGH!
Alas, The Cutest Boy in the World did not place or get a medal but he made a valiant effort at it and the boys he lost to were bigger and older than him. But he took them the distance and his coach was pleased with how well he did.
We had one boy win a state title and several other boys who placed 2-6.
I'm very proud of them!
But I'm so tired of sitting...so very tired of sitting.
Who ever thought you could be tired of sitting?
I sat there and watched our boys fight it out with other boys.
While wearing leotards (called a singlet)...
and longed for football season...
because I "get" football...sorta...although Dimples still has to explain most of it to me...and I understand what is going on on the field even if I don't know what all the positions are.
Wrestling is still a mystery to me...one sport I'm not sure I'm ever going to "get".
But my son likes it, so I will be supportive and sit and watch endless hours of it and pray that he stays safe. Today one boy on our team may have broken an ankle and I watched a boy from another team tear his ACL (or at least it pretty much look like he tore his ACL...poor kid).
I used to fear the injuries from football but now I understand that my son is safe with all that padding. I'm not saying he won't be hurt, but he is less likely to do so with shoulder pads on. It's a life I understand.
Wrestling is a life I am still figuring out...and I hate the demands to remain at a certain weight and all the physical contact.
The weight thing really gets me because as much as I am working to lose weight, I find it hard to put my 12 year old boy on a diet to make a weight class and feel good about it. And some of those wrestlers do extreme things to drop the weight...running in plastic suits, sweatboxes, steam showers, not drinking water...
no...
that is not the life I want for my son...
so he can wrestle but we aren't doing the crazy stuff...
because I want to Viva la Vida...not Viva la vida loca...
and that, my friends is what I call "loca"...crazy...
I'm crazy enough...I don't need to add to the crazy.
Inspiration Song: "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. Gorgeous song...love the music...
Bye Darlings...Viva la Vida...
Are you living the life or Living la vida Loca? (crazy life)
I can relate to the la vida loca...that is me 90% of the time...but today I'm talking about living the GOOD life...the life we all want to live...
Yesterday my girlfriends Athenagal and Chauchacha taught a great art history lesson to the 7th grade class...Romantisism and Realism...and the first painting discussed was Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People".
They showed the kids the Coldplay video of "Viva la Vida"...where Chris Martin (lead singer) wanders about in king's robes carrying a copy of that painting.
As I heard the song over and over (for each class) I was reminded:
1) how much I love that song
2) how much I love Coldplay's music
3) what a great statement viva la vida is...live the life...
And I love that painting...
After the art lesson we met Dimples for a workout and had a great time...perfect weather, fun friends, awesome trainer...and we laughed a lot. You can't burn 400 calories in a better way...
that is surely Viva la Vida...
Right now I feel that I am pretty close to living my best life. I still have some issues to work out...things I am not going to blog about because even though I am pretty much an open book here there are things that I do need to keep private...but for the most part, I'm living the life I want/hope/dream about.
My children are healthy and happy...they amaze me every day and I am blessed that I get to be called "Mom" and not just "Anice"...
I have wonderful friends...really wonderful and supportive friends
I am healthy...I'm almost at a healthy weight...I am healthy "inside" with my cholesterol, sugar levels, etc.
I am fit...I can run...I can spin...I can lift weights...I work out...
I have a great gig with GOTT and TTG...I get to work with people I love and how awesome is that...and the kids...oh, I don't have enough good words for the kids and my love for them...
I have Dimples (lucky me!)...and JayVee...and Spinderella...and J'taime Jamie...
I have the possibility of getting my teaching certificate...something I would really like to do...
I have this blog as a creative outlet...
But still no Oprah...but there is hope!
Today I achieved a personal goal...I did a 75 minute spin class. As I told Dimples it was "a piece of cake"...I'm sure he is happy that I thought the class was a piece of cake and didn't EAT a piece of cake.
The class was fun and I'm happy to say that I was pretty pumped that I lasted all the way through and still had some energy left...
Because...
I had to sit through hours and hours of middle school boy's state wrestling championships.
UGH!
Alas, The Cutest Boy in the World did not place or get a medal but he made a valiant effort at it and the boys he lost to were bigger and older than him. But he took them the distance and his coach was pleased with how well he did.
We had one boy win a state title and several other boys who placed 2-6.
I'm very proud of them!
But I'm so tired of sitting...so very tired of sitting.
Who ever thought you could be tired of sitting?
I sat there and watched our boys fight it out with other boys.
While wearing leotards (called a singlet)...
and longed for football season...
because I "get" football...sorta...although Dimples still has to explain most of it to me...and I understand what is going on on the field even if I don't know what all the positions are.
Wrestling is still a mystery to me...one sport I'm not sure I'm ever going to "get".
But my son likes it, so I will be supportive and sit and watch endless hours of it and pray that he stays safe. Today one boy on our team may have broken an ankle and I watched a boy from another team tear his ACL (or at least it pretty much look like he tore his ACL...poor kid).
I used to fear the injuries from football but now I understand that my son is safe with all that padding. I'm not saying he won't be hurt, but he is less likely to do so with shoulder pads on. It's a life I understand.
Wrestling is a life I am still figuring out...and I hate the demands to remain at a certain weight and all the physical contact.
The weight thing really gets me because as much as I am working to lose weight, I find it hard to put my 12 year old boy on a diet to make a weight class and feel good about it. And some of those wrestlers do extreme things to drop the weight...running in plastic suits, sweatboxes, steam showers, not drinking water...
no...
that is not the life I want for my son...
so he can wrestle but we aren't doing the crazy stuff...
because I want to Viva la Vida...not Viva la vida loca...
and that, my friends is what I call "loca"...crazy...
I'm crazy enough...I don't need to add to the crazy.
Inspiration Song: "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. Gorgeous song...love the music...
Bye Darlings...Viva la Vida...
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Notorious
I had really planned to write this blog yesterday but it seems that my husband decided this week to make me and the house come undone by re-arranging the study...which meant no internet for a while and things are a big old miss around here...more than usual. He tends to do these things without really consulting me...like if it is a good time to destroy the house...
So if you read my previous blog, "Come Undone" all the way to the end you know that I achieved 2 goals this week:
I'm under 200 pounds
and
My weight loss total is now at 100 pounds
And here is another awesome thing...I watched "The Biggest Loser" this week and I am thrilled to say that for the first time in like, forever, I weigh less than any of the contestants!!!!
Now all of that should be rather horrifying to most of you...because the fact that I am just now under 200 pounds after losing 100 shows you just how fat I was. Depressing, really...
I mean, I don't have a friend among you that needs to lose anywhere near that much weight.
And even more depressing...I didn't need to be at such a sad state like the one I was in. I should have gotten hold of myself LONG before that scale was almost at the 300 mark. I should have fixed it before 250...before 200...
But you see, it really gets easier to NOT do it the heavier you are. You figure that you are so far gone what is a little more. And then you basically give up.
Losing weight and getting fit is hard. And I think that goes for whether you have 5 pounds or 50 or 150 to lose. Because lazy is EASIER. And losing 5 pounds at 298 is so much easier than losing 5 pounds when you weigh 130...so it is all relative. You have to change things about yourself that aren't always easy to do.
You might have to:
1) adjust your schedule so you can exercise
2) cook more
3) grocery shop more
4) cut out junk food
5) spend more $ on meals (because lean protein is more $$$)
6) pack a lunch
7) get up earlier
8) skip the chips and salsa
9) sweat
But look at it THIS way:
1) you make time for yourself...because you deserve it! So if you need to take an hour to go to the gym, or find someone to pick up your kids so you can attend a class or bootcamp, aren't you worth it?
2)ok, cooking more isn't always fun but it will save you money over going out to eat or buying processed food. In the long run it is in investment in yourself and your wallet because you aren't paying for someone else to do the work...AND you get control of every ingredient (and how much oil and salt) is in your food. Read my "Hungry Like a Wolf" blog for some tips on saving time in the kitchen and good recipes.
3)grocery shopping more can be a positive because you will be putting healthier food into your body (instead of eating out) and pushing that cart burns calories...so does lugging it into the house and putting it away.
4)no one needs to eat junk food...this one is easy...and yes, I do love me some Lays Potato chips but they leave me feeling bloated, greasy and full of salt...now I like to munch on veggies and fruit or healthy crackers (and before the divirticulitis, I ate nuts). No one EVER needs to eat a Twinkie...
5)lean protein will cost more to eat than the cheap stuff...so yes, salmon will cost you more than a chicken nugget but you get so many benefits from the GOOD foods you put in your body...on the other hand, chicken and turkey are CHEAP so you can go pretty far with them. The "Hungry" blog will give you more information on how to incorporate some good lean protein in a yummy way...
6)packing a lunch saves you money and calories...so if you work, plan for it and you will be better off in the long run...or go to Fit Food and bring that. The "Hungry" blog will give tips on great things to pack for lunch that will make you the envy of your co-workers...
7)getting up earlier to exercise IS a pain in the neck, and I HATE to do it, especially this "run/walk 30 minutes before eating" business Dimples has me doing...but it is working so I just drag my butt out of bed and do it...and I try to go to bed earlier...David Letterman isn't all that interesting anyway...
8)chips and salsa can equal almost as many calories as your dinner in a Mexican food place. It's not the salsa...it's the fried chips. Some places serve baked (just ask) or skip it...it won't hurt you...and tell them to just not bring the chips and you won't be tempted.
9)Sweat is beautiful. Jay-Vee and I are going to make t-shirts that say that. I'll let you know when we take orders. Sweat says you are working hard. I sweat buckets when I workout (poor Dimples...thank goodness he can handle it)...if you aren't breaking a sweat, you aren't trying...
Right there are some of the things that have helped me lose weight...I got over being grossed out by sweating buckets, I cook more, I have found a way to love salmon, I put myself as a priority in my life.
Today I got up at 6:30 and went for a run/walk and then followed that with Body Pump for an hour and an hour of spinning (thank goodness for the Amazing Katherine cheerleading me through all 7 minutes of "Money for Nothing" or I might have passed out on the bike!). I tried to do mat Pilates for a bit but I am still having trouble finding my love for it---but I'm not giving up! And since J'taime Jamie teaches it, I will keep trying it. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning and I burned over 800 calories doing it.
I've become rather notorious at the gym as the formerly really fat chick...and that is ok...a few women have told me that I have inspired them...that is ok too...because they will go on and inspire someone else! I'm just paying it forward.
The sad thing is that we are getting ready to start a "Biggest Loser" challenge of our own and I so could have totally OWNED that contest...I would have been a big-time winner...
But you know what? That's ok that I have done the bulk of my loss before the challenge...it will motivate me to work even harder AND maybe what I have done will inspire someone who is as big as I was to realize that THEY can do it too...and THAT will make me a winner---if I get just one fat chick or guy to realize that she/he can lose 100 pounds without pills or surgery too.
Dimples wants me to take some photos as I progress. I told him I TAKE photos, not model for them...but he says it will motivate me and show me how positively I have progressed. I'll do it for him...but not because I want to. I might make Coach Cuteness take the photos for me so at least I have a shot at looking decent...Dimples wants me in gym clothes (really? now you KNOW how much I love him if I will do that) and Cuteness will have to be sure that he gets me at my best angle (which is me NOT being in the photo). I am a notoriously bad subject in pictures...I just don't photograph well...
Right now I have to say that it has been hard to do this but not as hard as I thought it would be. I've had a lot of help and support along the way. I still have some more weight to lose but I feel like someone who is looking at a road map and I see where I left from and I see my destination---my destination is getting closer and I am enjoying all the sights along the way...I'm in no hurry to rush by everything...slow and steady will get me there just the same.
It took me 10 months to lose the 100 pounds. Not bad...not bad at all...
So thank you friends, thank you Dimples, thank you JayVee, thank you J'taime Julie, thank you Fitness Goddess, thank you Spinderella, and thank you Fit Foods.
If you haven't read the "Hungry Like a Wolf" blog, read it for tips on what to cook and how I eat...just posted it.
Now if I can just get Oprah to read this blog and invite me on her show and give me the Vera Wang gown...I will be notorious for sure!
Inspiration Song: "Notorious" by Duran Duran. Because I am a bit notorious for being a loud mouth...
Bye Darlings...read the Hungry Like a Wolf blog if you haven't already...
So if you read my previous blog, "Come Undone" all the way to the end you know that I achieved 2 goals this week:
I'm under 200 pounds
and
My weight loss total is now at 100 pounds
And here is another awesome thing...I watched "The Biggest Loser" this week and I am thrilled to say that for the first time in like, forever, I weigh less than any of the contestants!!!!
Now all of that should be rather horrifying to most of you...because the fact that I am just now under 200 pounds after losing 100 shows you just how fat I was. Depressing, really...
I mean, I don't have a friend among you that needs to lose anywhere near that much weight.
And even more depressing...I didn't need to be at such a sad state like the one I was in. I should have gotten hold of myself LONG before that scale was almost at the 300 mark. I should have fixed it before 250...before 200...
But you see, it really gets easier to NOT do it the heavier you are. You figure that you are so far gone what is a little more. And then you basically give up.
Losing weight and getting fit is hard. And I think that goes for whether you have 5 pounds or 50 or 150 to lose. Because lazy is EASIER. And losing 5 pounds at 298 is so much easier than losing 5 pounds when you weigh 130...so it is all relative. You have to change things about yourself that aren't always easy to do.
You might have to:
1) adjust your schedule so you can exercise
2) cook more
3) grocery shop more
4) cut out junk food
5) spend more $ on meals (because lean protein is more $$$)
6) pack a lunch
7) get up earlier
8) skip the chips and salsa
9) sweat
But look at it THIS way:
1) you make time for yourself...because you deserve it! So if you need to take an hour to go to the gym, or find someone to pick up your kids so you can attend a class or bootcamp, aren't you worth it?
2)ok, cooking more isn't always fun but it will save you money over going out to eat or buying processed food. In the long run it is in investment in yourself and your wallet because you aren't paying for someone else to do the work...AND you get control of every ingredient (and how much oil and salt) is in your food. Read my "Hungry Like a Wolf" blog for some tips on saving time in the kitchen and good recipes.
3)grocery shopping more can be a positive because you will be putting healthier food into your body (instead of eating out) and pushing that cart burns calories...so does lugging it into the house and putting it away.
4)no one needs to eat junk food...this one is easy...and yes, I do love me some Lays Potato chips but they leave me feeling bloated, greasy and full of salt...now I like to munch on veggies and fruit or healthy crackers (and before the divirticulitis, I ate nuts). No one EVER needs to eat a Twinkie...
5)lean protein will cost more to eat than the cheap stuff...so yes, salmon will cost you more than a chicken nugget but you get so many benefits from the GOOD foods you put in your body...on the other hand, chicken and turkey are CHEAP so you can go pretty far with them. The "Hungry" blog will give you more information on how to incorporate some good lean protein in a yummy way...
6)packing a lunch saves you money and calories...so if you work, plan for it and you will be better off in the long run...or go to Fit Food and bring that. The "Hungry" blog will give tips on great things to pack for lunch that will make you the envy of your co-workers...
7)getting up earlier to exercise IS a pain in the neck, and I HATE to do it, especially this "run/walk 30 minutes before eating" business Dimples has me doing...but it is working so I just drag my butt out of bed and do it...and I try to go to bed earlier...David Letterman isn't all that interesting anyway...
8)chips and salsa can equal almost as many calories as your dinner in a Mexican food place. It's not the salsa...it's the fried chips. Some places serve baked (just ask) or skip it...it won't hurt you...and tell them to just not bring the chips and you won't be tempted.
9)Sweat is beautiful. Jay-Vee and I are going to make t-shirts that say that. I'll let you know when we take orders. Sweat says you are working hard. I sweat buckets when I workout (poor Dimples...thank goodness he can handle it)...if you aren't breaking a sweat, you aren't trying...
Right there are some of the things that have helped me lose weight...I got over being grossed out by sweating buckets, I cook more, I have found a way to love salmon, I put myself as a priority in my life.
Today I got up at 6:30 and went for a run/walk and then followed that with Body Pump for an hour and an hour of spinning (thank goodness for the Amazing Katherine cheerleading me through all 7 minutes of "Money for Nothing" or I might have passed out on the bike!). I tried to do mat Pilates for a bit but I am still having trouble finding my love for it---but I'm not giving up! And since J'taime Jamie teaches it, I will keep trying it. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning and I burned over 800 calories doing it.
I've become rather notorious at the gym as the formerly really fat chick...and that is ok...a few women have told me that I have inspired them...that is ok too...because they will go on and inspire someone else! I'm just paying it forward.
The sad thing is that we are getting ready to start a "Biggest Loser" challenge of our own and I so could have totally OWNED that contest...I would have been a big-time winner...
But you know what? That's ok that I have done the bulk of my loss before the challenge...it will motivate me to work even harder AND maybe what I have done will inspire someone who is as big as I was to realize that THEY can do it too...and THAT will make me a winner---if I get just one fat chick or guy to realize that she/he can lose 100 pounds without pills or surgery too.
Dimples wants me to take some photos as I progress. I told him I TAKE photos, not model for them...but he says it will motivate me and show me how positively I have progressed. I'll do it for him...but not because I want to. I might make Coach Cuteness take the photos for me so at least I have a shot at looking decent...Dimples wants me in gym clothes (really? now you KNOW how much I love him if I will do that) and Cuteness will have to be sure that he gets me at my best angle (which is me NOT being in the photo). I am a notoriously bad subject in pictures...I just don't photograph well...
Right now I have to say that it has been hard to do this but not as hard as I thought it would be. I've had a lot of help and support along the way. I still have some more weight to lose but I feel like someone who is looking at a road map and I see where I left from and I see my destination---my destination is getting closer and I am enjoying all the sights along the way...I'm in no hurry to rush by everything...slow and steady will get me there just the same.
It took me 10 months to lose the 100 pounds. Not bad...not bad at all...
So thank you friends, thank you Dimples, thank you JayVee, thank you J'taime Julie, thank you Fitness Goddess, thank you Spinderella, and thank you Fit Foods.
If you haven't read the "Hungry Like a Wolf" blog, read it for tips on what to cook and how I eat...just posted it.
Now if I can just get Oprah to read this blog and invite me on her show and give me the Vera Wang gown...I will be notorious for sure!
Inspiration Song: "Notorious" by Duran Duran. Because I am a bit notorious for being a loud mouth...
Bye Darlings...read the Hungry Like a Wolf blog if you haven't already...
Friday, December 31, 2010
Days Go By
Goodbye 2010...Hello 2011!
Another year has gone but for me it has been a huge year of change...change for the better!
The days have flown by...
As I look back on the year, I have some very good memories that I will carry with me into the new year...
Last New Year's started off as I will this new year---celebrating with a quiet evening with some dear friends. Once upon a time I enjoyed a big spalshy party but now I prefer staying in the neighborhood and spending the evening having wine and dinner with people I truly love...and tonight I will get to do that, with the same people I did it with last year. THAT is a good thing...
Last February I saw my very beautiful daughter, Ke$ha Barbie, as a real grown-up girl as she took my breath away when she went to her Cotillion. She looked beautiful...
March changed my life. I went up those stairs with Precious and Adorable History teacher and realized that there was no good reason for me to spend my life getting winded as I walk up some stairs. When he asked me if I was ok, I knew that even though at that moment I wasn't...I would be...
March also brought me back to the gym...by the end of March I had decided that I needed to add exercise into the mix and so I stepped on the elliptical and pushed "go"...
In April I returned to my true love---spin class! Spinderella taught classes that reminded me that sweating on a bike was how I liked to do cardio. April also was when my son's class had Greek Festival and I had a blast helping Precious do it. The kids had fun and Precious and I survived...and I had more energy to do it since I had been working out for almost 6 weeks by then. And April is when I discovered "My Fit Foods" and I'm not tired of it yet...I love their food!
In May we presented Cinderella...and the lovely girl who was "Cinderella" in her beautiful blue gown took my breath away. Having to tell her I found a better dress than she did almost killed me because I hate making a 14 year old cry, but when a small child in the audience screamed out "Look! It's Cinderella!!!!" I burst into tears...it was a good, no make that GREAT show!
In June I stared this blog...what a difference it has made to me to be able to share my thoughts, frustrations, feelings, highs, lows, triumphs, tragedies, ups and downs, and ideas with you all. Thank you, V, for getting me to do this!
In June I also had a blast helping GOTT and TTG do a summer drama camp and I met Fitness Goddess at the gym and she showed me how to use the weight machines for a good workout. I missed The Cutest Boy in the World (TCBITW) while he was at camp but stayed busy with our camp, working out, and having fun in my pool. Oh, and it was Jane's birthday...Jane (you know, the best person in the world?!?!)...we had a blast...she has great friends to have fun with!
July---celebrating GOTT's birthday was a high point. Once again I was reminded that I absolutely cannot bowl to save my life. And once again I was reminded that GOTT can do anything...
I also got to share TCBITW's joy that he won a big award at camp and I was overjoyed to pick him up and see his adorable face again. July also brought a big goal to fruition...50 pounds lost. I also was hit with an attack of diverticulitis (ok, that is NOT a memory I will treasure). It's a lot easier to say "no" to movie theater popcorn (with all of it's fat and calories) since I know I could get very sick from it!
I also got to see the worlds best Sister-in-law and the cutest niece and nephew ever in July. I love my SIL...she is beautiful, sweet, and a great mommy. And I got to see my Aunt Gayle and my cousins...family is a treasure...
August...ah, August...school started again, football started again and I was down over 60 pounds. It was hot but I didn't mind. I loved having Precious walk right by me and then realizing it was ME because he didn't recognize me with the weight loss. And he wasn't the only teacher at the school that did that. LOVE THAT...I don't mind not being recognized because I look so much better!!!!! I also had a great time celebrating GOTESS' birthday and NOT singing karaoke with the rest of the musical theater people. I can't bowl, I can't sing...next year GOTT and GOTTESS need to have parties I am not a "fail" at!
September...it's almost a blur because it feels like all I did was photograph football games. I gifted myself with my new camera that month and Coach Sweetness has had his hands full trying to teach me how to use it properly. Oh, but I got another good gift in September---Coach Dimples! I started running his life (football-wise) at that point when I walked over and told him to quit moving the boys' backpacks and to go coach my son. I reminded him of that moment yesterday and he laughed and said he was glad I did it and barged into his life screaming and waving my arms at him to "Stop! Because I have minions to do that!". I'm glad I did it too...because now I have him helping me and he is EXCELLENT at it.
October---more football, Ke$ha Barbie's other Cotillion (and the supershort dress), and GOTT, TTG, me and the kids gave our audiences a great "Seussical" show. GOTT's Halloween party was a blast and I learned that maybe risking my blonde locks for one night of black hair was not a gamble I want to take again.
November brought another birthday for me...and I was glad to welcome it as a healthier and lighter person. TCBITW's football team went undefeated! I also started working out with Dimples because football season was over. I didn't want to start training with him until football was over because I needed him to love me as a team mom until then...and I needed to love him as a Coach...now I love him because I love him (he is a really good guy)...and because he is helping me to reshape my body and taking me to a new level of fitness. Oh, and I discovered my new obsession---Tasti D-Lite for a healthy treat that helps feed my need for something sweet. If you haven't gone yet, go and try it...try the peppermint sundae...yummy!
And now December is coming to a close. We had a nice quiet Christmas, I cooked a perfect turkey, I've worked out like mad and the scale hasn't moved but clothes are looser so I am letting it go as far as my frustration with the scale. My family is happy and healthy and I am blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.
It's been a year of many changes.
I drink more wine but gave up fries and cookies.
I've logged about 5000 minutes on the spin bike...yes, I did break out the calculator to try and figure it out and 5000 is just about right. That is 83.333 hours...
I've spent about 10,000 minutes doing other cardio...166.67 hours...about 4.5 per week...yes, that is about right...5 hours per week at cardio and another 1-2 hours at spin...I rarely take a day off. OCD, I know...and I am lumping my training time in there too...Basically I work out for at least an hour every day but some days I do 2 hours...again, it is the OCD...
And no, Oprah has not called to tell me she is featuring me on her show and getting Vera Wang to make me a dress...yet...
In the past I have found myself making resolutions on New Year's Eve that I know I won't keep. This year I will make ones I can keep...because I know what I CAN do. I'm not going to promise myself a dress size, but I will resolve to continue to be fit and healthy. I'm going to help others as I help myself. I'm going to de-clutter my house. I'm going to think about getting a teaching certificate (notice I said "think about" it because I need to see if I can do it...but I do resolve to give it thorough research and thought). I'm going to put up a Christmas tree next year and decorate my house for the holidays. I'm going to cook another perfect turkey. I'm going to get to the point of being able to burn 400 calories in a session with Dimples (it's harder than you think). I'm going to be able to run over a mile...maybe 2...
And at some point I am going to put on my Mama's dress and wear it to a party. And I know she will be proud of me...and I will be proud of me too...
I might just wear her charm bracelet too...and as it jangles on my wrist, it will be music...
Inspiration Song: "Days Go By" by that country hunk Keith Urban. Oooh la la...Nicole Kidman is a lucky girl...
Chorus...take these words to heart:
Days go by
I can feel 'em flying
Like a hand out the window in the wind the cars go by
It's all we've been given
So you better start livin' right now
'Cause days go by
Happy New Year, Darlings! Look ahead to 2011...how can you change your life for the better? And how can you change someone else's?
Another year has gone but for me it has been a huge year of change...change for the better!
The days have flown by...
As I look back on the year, I have some very good memories that I will carry with me into the new year...
Last New Year's started off as I will this new year---celebrating with a quiet evening with some dear friends. Once upon a time I enjoyed a big spalshy party but now I prefer staying in the neighborhood and spending the evening having wine and dinner with people I truly love...and tonight I will get to do that, with the same people I did it with last year. THAT is a good thing...
Last February I saw my very beautiful daughter, Ke$ha Barbie, as a real grown-up girl as she took my breath away when she went to her Cotillion. She looked beautiful...
March changed my life. I went up those stairs with Precious and Adorable History teacher and realized that there was no good reason for me to spend my life getting winded as I walk up some stairs. When he asked me if I was ok, I knew that even though at that moment I wasn't...I would be...
March also brought me back to the gym...by the end of March I had decided that I needed to add exercise into the mix and so I stepped on the elliptical and pushed "go"...
In April I returned to my true love---spin class! Spinderella taught classes that reminded me that sweating on a bike was how I liked to do cardio. April also was when my son's class had Greek Festival and I had a blast helping Precious do it. The kids had fun and Precious and I survived...and I had more energy to do it since I had been working out for almost 6 weeks by then. And April is when I discovered "My Fit Foods" and I'm not tired of it yet...I love their food!
In May we presented Cinderella...and the lovely girl who was "Cinderella" in her beautiful blue gown took my breath away. Having to tell her I found a better dress than she did almost killed me because I hate making a 14 year old cry, but when a small child in the audience screamed out "Look! It's Cinderella!!!!" I burst into tears...it was a good, no make that GREAT show!
In June I stared this blog...what a difference it has made to me to be able to share my thoughts, frustrations, feelings, highs, lows, triumphs, tragedies, ups and downs, and ideas with you all. Thank you, V, for getting me to do this!
In June I also had a blast helping GOTT and TTG do a summer drama camp and I met Fitness Goddess at the gym and she showed me how to use the weight machines for a good workout. I missed The Cutest Boy in the World (TCBITW) while he was at camp but stayed busy with our camp, working out, and having fun in my pool. Oh, and it was Jane's birthday...Jane (you know, the best person in the world?!?!)...we had a blast...she has great friends to have fun with!
July---celebrating GOTT's birthday was a high point. Once again I was reminded that I absolutely cannot bowl to save my life. And once again I was reminded that GOTT can do anything...
I also got to share TCBITW's joy that he won a big award at camp and I was overjoyed to pick him up and see his adorable face again. July also brought a big goal to fruition...50 pounds lost. I also was hit with an attack of diverticulitis (ok, that is NOT a memory I will treasure). It's a lot easier to say "no" to movie theater popcorn (with all of it's fat and calories) since I know I could get very sick from it!
I also got to see the worlds best Sister-in-law and the cutest niece and nephew ever in July. I love my SIL...she is beautiful, sweet, and a great mommy. And I got to see my Aunt Gayle and my cousins...family is a treasure...
August...ah, August...school started again, football started again and I was down over 60 pounds. It was hot but I didn't mind. I loved having Precious walk right by me and then realizing it was ME because he didn't recognize me with the weight loss. And he wasn't the only teacher at the school that did that. LOVE THAT...I don't mind not being recognized because I look so much better!!!!! I also had a great time celebrating GOTESS' birthday and NOT singing karaoke with the rest of the musical theater people. I can't bowl, I can't sing...next year GOTT and GOTTESS need to have parties I am not a "fail" at!
September...it's almost a blur because it feels like all I did was photograph football games. I gifted myself with my new camera that month and Coach Sweetness has had his hands full trying to teach me how to use it properly. Oh, but I got another good gift in September---Coach Dimples! I started running his life (football-wise) at that point when I walked over and told him to quit moving the boys' backpacks and to go coach my son. I reminded him of that moment yesterday and he laughed and said he was glad I did it and barged into his life screaming and waving my arms at him to "Stop! Because I have minions to do that!". I'm glad I did it too...because now I have him helping me and he is EXCELLENT at it.
October---more football, Ke$ha Barbie's other Cotillion (and the supershort dress), and GOTT, TTG, me and the kids gave our audiences a great "Seussical" show. GOTT's Halloween party was a blast and I learned that maybe risking my blonde locks for one night of black hair was not a gamble I want to take again.
November brought another birthday for me...and I was glad to welcome it as a healthier and lighter person. TCBITW's football team went undefeated! I also started working out with Dimples because football season was over. I didn't want to start training with him until football was over because I needed him to love me as a team mom until then...and I needed to love him as a Coach...now I love him because I love him (he is a really good guy)...and because he is helping me to reshape my body and taking me to a new level of fitness. Oh, and I discovered my new obsession---Tasti D-Lite for a healthy treat that helps feed my need for something sweet. If you haven't gone yet, go and try it...try the peppermint sundae...yummy!
And now December is coming to a close. We had a nice quiet Christmas, I cooked a perfect turkey, I've worked out like mad and the scale hasn't moved but clothes are looser so I am letting it go as far as my frustration with the scale. My family is happy and healthy and I am blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.
It's been a year of many changes.
I drink more wine but gave up fries and cookies.
I've logged about 5000 minutes on the spin bike...yes, I did break out the calculator to try and figure it out and 5000 is just about right. That is 83.333 hours...
I've spent about 10,000 minutes doing other cardio...166.67 hours...about 4.5 per week...yes, that is about right...5 hours per week at cardio and another 1-2 hours at spin...I rarely take a day off. OCD, I know...and I am lumping my training time in there too...Basically I work out for at least an hour every day but some days I do 2 hours...again, it is the OCD...
And no, Oprah has not called to tell me she is featuring me on her show and getting Vera Wang to make me a dress...yet...
In the past I have found myself making resolutions on New Year's Eve that I know I won't keep. This year I will make ones I can keep...because I know what I CAN do. I'm not going to promise myself a dress size, but I will resolve to continue to be fit and healthy. I'm going to help others as I help myself. I'm going to de-clutter my house. I'm going to think about getting a teaching certificate (notice I said "think about" it because I need to see if I can do it...but I do resolve to give it thorough research and thought). I'm going to put up a Christmas tree next year and decorate my house for the holidays. I'm going to cook another perfect turkey. I'm going to get to the point of being able to burn 400 calories in a session with Dimples (it's harder than you think). I'm going to be able to run over a mile...maybe 2...
And at some point I am going to put on my Mama's dress and wear it to a party. And I know she will be proud of me...and I will be proud of me too...
I might just wear her charm bracelet too...and as it jangles on my wrist, it will be music...
Inspiration Song: "Days Go By" by that country hunk Keith Urban. Oooh la la...Nicole Kidman is a lucky girl...
Chorus...take these words to heart:
Days go by
I can feel 'em flying
Like a hand out the window in the wind the cars go by
It's all we've been given
So you better start livin' right now
'Cause days go by
Happy New Year, Darlings! Look ahead to 2011...how can you change your life for the better? And how can you change someone else's?
Thursday, December 30, 2010
All I Know
So 2010 is coming to a close...just one day left...
This, for me, has been a big year of change...change in my body, change in my health, change in my outlook, change in what I think I can do, change in what I KNOW I can do.
In the 10 months I have spent changing, I have learned a few things...and many are things I should have learned long ago.
So what have I learned?
I'll share it with you...not because I am some sort of health or weight-loss guru, but maybe there is something in what I have learned that you can use for your own life.
And I know a lot of us set resolutions this time of year, so this might just help one or two of you get there...
My body can do more than my mind thinks it can.
The first time I stepped on to the elliptical machine I thought there was no way I could last 10 minutes. But I shut my brain off and went for an hour. The first time I stepped back into a spin class I thought I would only make it for 15 minutes---I did the whole class. Again, it was not letting my brain tell me that I was done. Today when I didn't think I could run one more step pulling my trainer along, he told me I could do it and I did...he constantly tells me "mind over matter" but what he is REALLY saying is that I just need to let my body do what it can and not let my thinking get in the way. My body is far more capable than what I give it credit for.
Nothing tastes as good as thin...or healthy...
Today I wanted a cookie. I wanted ice cream. I wanted a lot of bad things. But then I remembered how hard I worked with Dimples and realized it wasn't worth it. Because as tasty as the cookie is, it wasn't worth 10 minutes of hard work with Dimples when I could eat an apple instead.
I honestly do not miss french fries and hamburgers and Cane's chicken but I do miss Fuzzy's pizza.
So if I cheat...I eat the Fuzzy's. Because I don't miss the other stuff and so why do it. Lesson to others: if there is a food you really love, cheat with that, have a love affair with that...don't cheat with a food that is a "fling"...if you don't love it, don't do it. I also cheat with Crave Cupcakes...I have had a 2-year relationship with their Strawberry cupcakes (and I cheat on the strawberry ones with the candy bar ones) so if I am offered one and I have been a good girl, I eat it. I've had exactly 3 in the last 10 months...not bad...not bad at all...
I love wine. I am not cheating with wine...and a few glasses a week will not hurt me and might even be good for me.
Just read my "Red Red Wine" blog...it says it all. Best 150 calories of my day sometimes...
You will work harder and more efficiently if you wear a heart monitor.
You can spend $50-$150 on one. Buy the one that fits your budget and wear it every time you work out. Dimples had me buy a "Polar" one. I like mine because it has a recording feature so I can record each session and it will keep track of how many minutes I have worked out and calories burned. It is particularly useful because I can show him (Dimples) what I have done when I am not working with him. It pushes me harder...and it makes him push me harder.
Don't believe the calorie's burned amounts on the machines at the gym.
They lie.
Wear a heart monitor. It doesn't lie.
One of the trainers at the Racquet Club pointed out to me that you can turn the treadmill on and it will start a calorie count even if you don't step on it...wow...
The only way to lose weight is to eat less and better quality food and exercise.
That's it. No magic pills. No "easy button". You just have to eat right and move your body.
It's simple math---you have to put in less calories and put out (burn) more calories.
And no, you can't go for a 45 minute walk and then eat a plate of enchiladas and expect to lose any weight.
If you put off going to the gym, you won't go...
I find that unless I plan and know I am going at a later time (like meeting Dimples at 2:30 or going to Body Pump at 6:00 pm), I could easily procrastinate myself out of a workout. If you don't work, drop the kids off and go straight to the gym or your workout. If you work, put your gym bag in your car and go straight there---if you go home you will be distracted and not go.
You have to figure out what kind of exercise you like so you will do it.
I hate to run...I am still trying to find my love for it. I told Dimples today that I didn't think I was ever going to like running and he said "ok, but it gets your heart rate up and we are only doing it for a few minutes" and that made it all better. Because I don't want to run for 45 minutes but I WILL SPIN for 45 minutes without argument. So you find what you like. Try different classes, try different machines. I don't like the treadmill but I DO like the Arc Trainer and the elliptical. I don't like Pilates but I DO like spin and Body Pump. I have friends who HATE Body Pump and love the machines at the club...I hate the weight machines and I hate doing them. Different strokes...
So find what you like and do that. Vary it up so you don't get bored. But if you hate the treadmill and that is all you do, you will never enjoy your workout. Try everything...think of the gym as a buffet and give it all a taste.
But you need to try something more than once...
Maybe what you didn't like about spin or Pilates was the instructor, not the class. There are spin instructors who I adore as people but can't stand their spin classes. And I love J'taime Jamie's Body Pump and Spin classes but Pilates I can take or leave...I only take it when she or JayVee teach and if I really feel like it. So if you take a class and don't enjoy it...try it at least one more time with a different instructor or different time of day (maybe doing Pilates in the afternoon won't work for you but in the morning you would enjoy the stretch).
I did not like the Arc Trainer the first time I tried it, but I kept after it and started with 10 minutes and added 5 minutes every few days and soon it became my one-hour cardio workout. I do the treadmill all the time and I still hate it...but I do it.
Vary your intensity if you are using a cardio machine.
Dimples has me change the incline and speed constantly on the treadmill. He told me to do the same with the othe machines. So mix it up...go hard and fast for a minute or two and then back off a bit. Keep your heartrate up and challenged.
If you read or watch tv while working out, you aren't working hard enough...
Wear your heart monitor...try 1/2 your workout reading your magazine or watching "The View" (although Joy Behar does get my heart and blood pressure going). Then turn it off or close the magazine/book/eReader and go at it. You will work harder without the distraction. Try it...more than once...see if I am right. If you can do all your workouts reading "People" or watching "The Today Show" and work as hard as you do without it, I will take you to lunch...but you have to do it more than once and use the heart monitor to prove it. I know I am right about this one...
The exception to that: music...
I know, I know...I am a music freak. I love my music. Heck, my blogs are all named for songs! But...whether you realize it or not, if you play music your body will want to move to the beat. You WILL speed up during faster songs. On the slow songs, put on all the tension you can (if you are on a cardio machine) and climb hard. If you are running or walking, try and go double time to the beat.
The other exception to that...video spin
Spinderella plays videos for us when we spin...but we don't listen to it, we listen to music and she gives us a good hard beat to ride to and tells us how fast and hard to go. So while we watch "Mamma Mia" we ride hard and fast to music the whole time. It works...
Get a trainer...
I know, I totally love my Dimples. He's awesome. I told him so today. But working out with him is fun and he told me today he has fun too. I am a handful so I guess he has to enjoy it or he would fire me as a client. But I don't just love and adore him because he is sweet and those dimples are more than a little cute (he is a pretty pretty man), I love and adore him because he is so good at keeping me moving and working and having fun while doing it. I had to try a few trainers before I found my fit...and he fits me. He might not be for everyone, but it totally works for me and my OCD and ADD. Watch the trainers at your gym while they work with clients...talk to them when they are not busy. Find a fit...do you want a gentle lamb or a drill sargeant? There is no right answer except that you find who works for you. This also applies to group exercise instructors (see above). I have my girls I love love love...and I take all their classes because I like their style and music choices and how they pace their classes.
So why hire a trainer? Because you WILL work harder. Or at least hire one a few times to get you started. But if you find a fit, you will WANT to work with your trainer. Do what your pocketbook will let you. For me, it is a priority so I give up other stuff to have my Dimples time. And he is sooooooooo worth it. Not just 'cause he's pretty to look at...but it doesn't hurt...But mostly it is because he works me harder than I do myself and he is making me stronger and healthier with each workout. Yes, I <3 my Dimples each time I put on a smaller top or someone says "you are really looking good"...just in the time I have worked with him my body has changed a lot even if my weight hasn't made a huge leap...but it will... Ice works.
If you hurt, apply ice. It helps. Sore muscles might keep you from working out...so I ice my sore muscles and it makes a difference. When I don't, I hurt.
Advil works.
Advil and wine work extra good...
Hot baths work.
Put in some epsom salts. Pour glass of wine and bring to tub with you (no glass glasses...be safe!). Soak. Repeat often...
Drink water.
Do I need to explain that one? I didn't think so...
Take a day off...but don't take a week off...
I have to talk myself into days off. Dimples has to order me to take days off. But you don't want your body to break down so you have to let it rest. But if you take too much time off, you get out of the habit...
Set Goals.
But don't set unrealistic goals. Dimples reminds me all the time that they pyramids were not built in a day so I can't expect all this to change overnight. So we take it slowly. I set small goals. I have a big goal but I focus on the little ones. So don't say "I will lose 10 pounds by February"...say "I will lose 10 pounds. I will lose 2-4 pounds in January and then the rest...".
Reward yourself.
Not with food. Reward yourself when you reach goals with GOOD things...a new outfit, a handbag, A massage or pedicure. A new haircut. Treat your body with the reward...make yourself look as good as you feel.
Wear comfortable clothes when you workout or train.
That means find some stuff that doesn't bind, itch, or ride up on you. If you aren't comfortable, you will be distracted.
Make yourself and your health a priority.
I ignored myself and my health for 5 years. I let myself go. I took care of everyone else but myself. Now I still take care of others (that is how I snagged Dimples and you all know how much I love working with the kids at the middle school...that is my passion), but I make time for myself. I am lucky, my job at the school is not a real job but something I volunteer to do so I can go in, do what I need to do and leave...and GOTT and TTG push me out the door when I tell them I have a spin class...they are uber supportive (lucky me!)and I know that I do better at helping them because I feel better.
YOU deserve to take time to make yourself feel better and healthy. Do it. Just do it.
Well, for now that is about all I know...well, not really, and I don't know all that much but these are some things I have learned along this road I am on.
And now my contacts are driving me nuts so I am going to end this blog and go take them out!!!!!!
Inspiration Song: "All I Know" by Art Garfunkel. Yes, Art Garfunkel. It is a beautiful song that I have always loved. He sings it beautifully...no one does it better. I love you and that's all I know...
Bye Darlings...let me know what you know...I love to share!
This, for me, has been a big year of change...change in my body, change in my health, change in my outlook, change in what I think I can do, change in what I KNOW I can do.
In the 10 months I have spent changing, I have learned a few things...and many are things I should have learned long ago.
So what have I learned?
I'll share it with you...not because I am some sort of health or weight-loss guru, but maybe there is something in what I have learned that you can use for your own life.
And I know a lot of us set resolutions this time of year, so this might just help one or two of you get there...
My body can do more than my mind thinks it can.
The first time I stepped on to the elliptical machine I thought there was no way I could last 10 minutes. But I shut my brain off and went for an hour. The first time I stepped back into a spin class I thought I would only make it for 15 minutes---I did the whole class. Again, it was not letting my brain tell me that I was done. Today when I didn't think I could run one more step pulling my trainer along, he told me I could do it and I did...he constantly tells me "mind over matter" but what he is REALLY saying is that I just need to let my body do what it can and not let my thinking get in the way. My body is far more capable than what I give it credit for.
Nothing tastes as good as thin...or healthy...
Today I wanted a cookie. I wanted ice cream. I wanted a lot of bad things. But then I remembered how hard I worked with Dimples and realized it wasn't worth it. Because as tasty as the cookie is, it wasn't worth 10 minutes of hard work with Dimples when I could eat an apple instead.
I honestly do not miss french fries and hamburgers and Cane's chicken but I do miss Fuzzy's pizza.
So if I cheat...I eat the Fuzzy's. Because I don't miss the other stuff and so why do it. Lesson to others: if there is a food you really love, cheat with that, have a love affair with that...don't cheat with a food that is a "fling"...if you don't love it, don't do it. I also cheat with Crave Cupcakes...I have had a 2-year relationship with their Strawberry cupcakes (and I cheat on the strawberry ones with the candy bar ones) so if I am offered one and I have been a good girl, I eat it. I've had exactly 3 in the last 10 months...not bad...not bad at all...
I love wine. I am not cheating with wine...and a few glasses a week will not hurt me and might even be good for me.
Just read my "Red Red Wine" blog...it says it all. Best 150 calories of my day sometimes...
You will work harder and more efficiently if you wear a heart monitor.
You can spend $50-$150 on one. Buy the one that fits your budget and wear it every time you work out. Dimples had me buy a "Polar" one. I like mine because it has a recording feature so I can record each session and it will keep track of how many minutes I have worked out and calories burned. It is particularly useful because I can show him (Dimples) what I have done when I am not working with him. It pushes me harder...and it makes him push me harder.
Don't believe the calorie's burned amounts on the machines at the gym.
They lie.
Wear a heart monitor. It doesn't lie.
One of the trainers at the Racquet Club pointed out to me that you can turn the treadmill on and it will start a calorie count even if you don't step on it...wow...
The only way to lose weight is to eat less and better quality food and exercise.
That's it. No magic pills. No "easy button". You just have to eat right and move your body.
It's simple math---you have to put in less calories and put out (burn) more calories.
And no, you can't go for a 45 minute walk and then eat a plate of enchiladas and expect to lose any weight.
If you put off going to the gym, you won't go...
I find that unless I plan and know I am going at a later time (like meeting Dimples at 2:30 or going to Body Pump at 6:00 pm), I could easily procrastinate myself out of a workout. If you don't work, drop the kids off and go straight to the gym or your workout. If you work, put your gym bag in your car and go straight there---if you go home you will be distracted and not go.
You have to figure out what kind of exercise you like so you will do it.
I hate to run...I am still trying to find my love for it. I told Dimples today that I didn't think I was ever going to like running and he said "ok, but it gets your heart rate up and we are only doing it for a few minutes" and that made it all better. Because I don't want to run for 45 minutes but I WILL SPIN for 45 minutes without argument. So you find what you like. Try different classes, try different machines. I don't like the treadmill but I DO like the Arc Trainer and the elliptical. I don't like Pilates but I DO like spin and Body Pump. I have friends who HATE Body Pump and love the machines at the club...I hate the weight machines and I hate doing them. Different strokes...
So find what you like and do that. Vary it up so you don't get bored. But if you hate the treadmill and that is all you do, you will never enjoy your workout. Try everything...think of the gym as a buffet and give it all a taste.
But you need to try something more than once...
Maybe what you didn't like about spin or Pilates was the instructor, not the class. There are spin instructors who I adore as people but can't stand their spin classes. And I love J'taime Jamie's Body Pump and Spin classes but Pilates I can take or leave...I only take it when she or JayVee teach and if I really feel like it. So if you take a class and don't enjoy it...try it at least one more time with a different instructor or different time of day (maybe doing Pilates in the afternoon won't work for you but in the morning you would enjoy the stretch).
I did not like the Arc Trainer the first time I tried it, but I kept after it and started with 10 minutes and added 5 minutes every few days and soon it became my one-hour cardio workout. I do the treadmill all the time and I still hate it...but I do it.
Vary your intensity if you are using a cardio machine.
Dimples has me change the incline and speed constantly on the treadmill. He told me to do the same with the othe machines. So mix it up...go hard and fast for a minute or two and then back off a bit. Keep your heartrate up and challenged.
If you read or watch tv while working out, you aren't working hard enough...
Wear your heart monitor...try 1/2 your workout reading your magazine or watching "The View" (although Joy Behar does get my heart and blood pressure going). Then turn it off or close the magazine/book/eReader and go at it. You will work harder without the distraction. Try it...more than once...see if I am right. If you can do all your workouts reading "People" or watching "The Today Show" and work as hard as you do without it, I will take you to lunch...but you have to do it more than once and use the heart monitor to prove it. I know I am right about this one...
The exception to that: music...
I know, I know...I am a music freak. I love my music. Heck, my blogs are all named for songs! But...whether you realize it or not, if you play music your body will want to move to the beat. You WILL speed up during faster songs. On the slow songs, put on all the tension you can (if you are on a cardio machine) and climb hard. If you are running or walking, try and go double time to the beat.
The other exception to that...video spin
Spinderella plays videos for us when we spin...but we don't listen to it, we listen to music and she gives us a good hard beat to ride to and tells us how fast and hard to go. So while we watch "Mamma Mia" we ride hard and fast to music the whole time. It works...
Get a trainer...
I know, I totally love my Dimples. He's awesome. I told him so today. But working out with him is fun and he told me today he has fun too. I am a handful so I guess he has to enjoy it or he would fire me as a client. But I don't just love and adore him because he is sweet and those dimples are more than a little cute (he is a pretty pretty man), I love and adore him because he is so good at keeping me moving and working and having fun while doing it. I had to try a few trainers before I found my fit...and he fits me. He might not be for everyone, but it totally works for me and my OCD and ADD. Watch the trainers at your gym while they work with clients...talk to them when they are not busy. Find a fit...do you want a gentle lamb or a drill sargeant? There is no right answer except that you find who works for you. This also applies to group exercise instructors (see above). I have my girls I love love love...and I take all their classes because I like their style and music choices and how they pace their classes.
So why hire a trainer? Because you WILL work harder. Or at least hire one a few times to get you started. But if you find a fit, you will WANT to work with your trainer. Do what your pocketbook will let you. For me, it is a priority so I give up other stuff to have my Dimples time. And he is sooooooooo worth it. Not just 'cause he's pretty to look at...but it doesn't hurt...But mostly it is because he works me harder than I do myself and he is making me stronger and healthier with each workout. Yes, I <3 my Dimples each time I put on a smaller top or someone says "you are really looking good"...just in the time I have worked with him my body has changed a lot even if my weight hasn't made a huge leap...but it will... Ice works.
If you hurt, apply ice. It helps. Sore muscles might keep you from working out...so I ice my sore muscles and it makes a difference. When I don't, I hurt.
Advil works.
Advil and wine work extra good...
Hot baths work.
Put in some epsom salts. Pour glass of wine and bring to tub with you (no glass glasses...be safe!). Soak. Repeat often...
Drink water.
Do I need to explain that one? I didn't think so...
Take a day off...but don't take a week off...
I have to talk myself into days off. Dimples has to order me to take days off. But you don't want your body to break down so you have to let it rest. But if you take too much time off, you get out of the habit...
Set Goals.
But don't set unrealistic goals. Dimples reminds me all the time that they pyramids were not built in a day so I can't expect all this to change overnight. So we take it slowly. I set small goals. I have a big goal but I focus on the little ones. So don't say "I will lose 10 pounds by February"...say "I will lose 10 pounds. I will lose 2-4 pounds in January and then the rest...".
Reward yourself.
Not with food. Reward yourself when you reach goals with GOOD things...a new outfit, a handbag, A massage or pedicure. A new haircut. Treat your body with the reward...make yourself look as good as you feel.
Wear comfortable clothes when you workout or train.
That means find some stuff that doesn't bind, itch, or ride up on you. If you aren't comfortable, you will be distracted.
Make yourself and your health a priority.
I ignored myself and my health for 5 years. I let myself go. I took care of everyone else but myself. Now I still take care of others (that is how I snagged Dimples and you all know how much I love working with the kids at the middle school...that is my passion), but I make time for myself. I am lucky, my job at the school is not a real job but something I volunteer to do so I can go in, do what I need to do and leave...and GOTT and TTG push me out the door when I tell them I have a spin class...they are uber supportive (lucky me!)and I know that I do better at helping them because I feel better.
YOU deserve to take time to make yourself feel better and healthy. Do it. Just do it.
Well, for now that is about all I know...well, not really, and I don't know all that much but these are some things I have learned along this road I am on.
And now my contacts are driving me nuts so I am going to end this blog and go take them out!!!!!!
Inspiration Song: "All I Know" by Art Garfunkel. Yes, Art Garfunkel. It is a beautiful song that I have always loved. He sings it beautifully...no one does it better. I love you and that's all I know...
Bye Darlings...let me know what you know...I love to share!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Breath of Heaven
So here is my Christmas blog...just a day late...because yesterday I was spending time with family and friends (who are practically family).
We had an easy Christmas this year...the kids wanted to pick out their own gifts and didn't want much so we "adopted" a family and shared our blessings with someone less fortunate than us. It felt good to do that and I have my friend Dy-no-mite Dawn to thank for finding us a family to gift...
Although I'm not sure the mother of those children was thanking me yesterday when her daughter opened up the "Sing-a-ma-jigs" I bought.
Most. Annoying. Toy. Ever.
Even beats out Tickle-Me Elmo.
If you are unfamiliar, and you are lucky if you are, Sing-a-ma-jigs are stuffed creatures (?)...not an animal, not a person, some sort of doll thing...and when you press their belly they open their mouths and sing. Annoyingly.
and they were singing in the bag while I had them in the car...ugh!
According to my Aunt Gayle, who has the coolest job ever because she works in Hollywood for the Jimmy Kimmel Show, Jimmy had some on his desk that he kept playing with. I missed those shows...thankfully...but I usually watch.
So, please "Mama of the Children I bought Gifts For"...forgive me for the sing-a-ma-jigs...your child asked for them!
My son wanted Xbox games (duh!) and my daughter wanted tickets to a concert and a keyboard (that thankfully has earphones that plug in so I don't have to hear her compositions...).
That's all...
I wanted a number to appear on the scale.
It didn't.
Santa must have me on the "naughty" list...must have been for causing the fight at the party.
I have complained, bitterly and via text, to Dimples about that situation. I should offer to start paying his texting bills because we have been running them up with him having to play therapist to his very discouraged client. He stays positive with me...thank goodness he does really know how to speak "Woman"...and he told me to just relax and "ride the tide" and enjoy the rest of my holiday and we will switch it up and hit it hard after the new year.
The problem is, I'm not sure how much harder I can hit it...and I told him so. I told him short of tying myself to him 24/7 (that would make it interesting when he coaches...or goes home to the girlfriend), I'm not sure what more we can do to get me off of my plateau.
I suggested to him that maybe I could give up wine.
Or only drink it on days that end in "d-a-y"...
He liked that (the joke...not that I'm not giving up wine...because he knows I won't)
But yesterday, despite the scale staying stuck, was a pretty good day. We got up leisurely (although I do miss getting woken up by excited children ready to see what Santa brought), I made breakfast (cinnamon rolls for them, Fit Food for me), and got to cooking a turkey for my extended family.
It was an amazing turkey...recipe at the bottom of the blog...you MUST try it...
I took the perfect turkey over to my Aunt Jane's house and had a great lunch with Jane, my aunts and uncle, and some family friends and my grandma. It was a great lunch. And everything was delicious. CAT (my aunt's friend who I call Cute and Tiny)made the most delicious mix of roasted veggies. She has promised me the recipe to share...sooooooo good.
My uncle baked me some cookies...I ate one because they were amazing...and he baked them...and I went for a run before lunch so I deserved one!
After lunch and family time we headed over to our friends the Q's house. We have celebrated Christmas Night at the Q's for the last 10 years or so. It is always the best way to close out Christmas. I love them like family...and we stayed so long I almost fell asleep on the couch!
so while I was wallowing about in a bit of pity about my non-weight loss while on my run yesterday, I had some time to think about Christmas Day...and Jesus' birth...and Mary...
Mary...a young woman who must have been frightened when visited by an Angel and told she was to have a child. How scary must that have been? And Joseph, her husband, who faithfully stood by her...
So here is this young woman who is heavily pregnant who leaves her home and has to travel...by DONKEY...to another place only to find that there is no place for her to stay. And to give birth.
So she ends up in a stable...a stable...
I grew up around stables...not a place you want to deliver a baby in...
I found myself uncomfortable behind the wheel of my car during my last weeks of pregnancy so I cannot fathom what riding a donkey while 39 weeks pregnant would feel like. I can't imagine riding a donkey at all...
I had my children in a nice, clean hospital. I had my kids at the old Rosewood Hospital where I was just about the only woman to give birth each time. I had the full attention of the nurses. In fact, when I went back 4 years later to have The Cutest Boy in the World (after having Ke$ha Barbie there) all the nurses remembered me and many were the same women. I had GREAT attention and care.
Mary delivered her beautiful son with only the help of Joseph...
I had a fabulous doctor each time. With Ke$ha Barbie I had Dr. Oscar Dalton---only the greatest ob/gyn in Houston. He treated me like his daughter. He was the sweetest man ever. I cried my eyes out when he retired from obstetrics before I had The Cutest Boy in the World...so he handed me over to Dr. Kathy Gabel (yes, real names because she is so so so great) and I had the BEST time with her. She was like having your best girlfriend as your doctor.
So I had great doctors and nurses and poor Mary had donkeys and sheep...
I had an epidural each time...poor Mary had nothing...
I could not have been as brave as Mary. And to know that she was bringing forth the Son of God had to be a mighty scary and wonderous feeling that I cannot wrap my brain around.
As I ran I contemplated this...and realized that God asks us to do things He knows we can do. He knew Mary was the right woman to bring forth his son.
And to a way way way lesser degree, He knows that I can do this...I can get myself back to where I need to be with my health and body. I can do it with His help, with Dimples help, with Spinderella, Jay-Vee and J'taime Julie, and with my friends encouragment.
I just need to lean on Him a little more...and take some burden off Dimples (poor baby...his fingers must be tired from texting me soothing words).
And as I ran, and prayed that I could make it back to the house, I felt the air rush into my lungs (cold air!) and I felt Him help me breathe.
Breath of Heaven...
Inspiration Song: "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant. My favorite Christmas song. Always makes me cry. We always have an 8th grade girl sing it during "Lessons and Carols" and I end up bawling...
Bye Darlings...take Dimples advice "just breathe"...
Turkey recipe...because turkey is good for you, not just at Thanksgiving...
Here is how to make the MOST delicious, fabulous, moist, healthy turkey...
Buy a fresh turkey. The store brand is perfect. I always buy an HEB brand. Be sure it has not had any liquid injected or added (like a Butterball).
I brine my turkey. I have made brines and purchased brines. I bought brine from Sur la Table that was really good but my favorite is the brine from Williams-Sonoma. It is delicious.
Follow the recipe for the brine. If you use the Williams-Sonoma one, do the apple cider...it makes it really good. Brine for 24 hours. Rinse brine off well (inside and out) and pat bird dry.
For a 10-15 pound bird (double this for bigger):
one onion (sweet if you can find it), quartered
one apple (large red) quartered
2 cinnamon sticks
1 cup water
put in microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 5 minutes.
Drain water.
Put apples, onion, and cinnamon in the cavity of the bird. Add 3-5 sprigs rosemary and 6 large fresh sage leaves.
Rub some softened butter all over the bird...or canola oil. Just enough to make it slippery. Do not salt...the brine did that for you.
cover the bird in cheesecloth. Pour chicken stock all over the cheesecloth. Melt 2 sticks of butter and poor that over the cheesecloth.
Tent with foil.
Put the bird into a 500 degree oven and cook 30 minutes and then turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Baste every 30 minutes. Add more stock if you need it.
I can't give you times because it is based on weight and your oven, but I advise checking the temperature with a thermometer and going by that...and remember that the bird will continue to cook a bit when removed from the oven.
I uncover the bird the last 20 minutes or so to brown. I baste the bird while it rests a minimum of 30 minutes and tent it.
Everyone declared it the best turkey ever yesterday. I agree. Even my precious Mommy never produced a bird quite that good...except for the wild one that my dad shot that ate chilipetins...that bird was amazing.
We had an easy Christmas this year...the kids wanted to pick out their own gifts and didn't want much so we "adopted" a family and shared our blessings with someone less fortunate than us. It felt good to do that and I have my friend Dy-no-mite Dawn to thank for finding us a family to gift...
Although I'm not sure the mother of those children was thanking me yesterday when her daughter opened up the "Sing-a-ma-jigs" I bought.
Most. Annoying. Toy. Ever.
Even beats out Tickle-Me Elmo.
If you are unfamiliar, and you are lucky if you are, Sing-a-ma-jigs are stuffed creatures (?)...not an animal, not a person, some sort of doll thing...and when you press their belly they open their mouths and sing. Annoyingly.
and they were singing in the bag while I had them in the car...ugh!
According to my Aunt Gayle, who has the coolest job ever because she works in Hollywood for the Jimmy Kimmel Show, Jimmy had some on his desk that he kept playing with. I missed those shows...thankfully...but I usually watch.
So, please "Mama of the Children I bought Gifts For"...forgive me for the sing-a-ma-jigs...your child asked for them!
My son wanted Xbox games (duh!) and my daughter wanted tickets to a concert and a keyboard (that thankfully has earphones that plug in so I don't have to hear her compositions...).
That's all...
I wanted a number to appear on the scale.
It didn't.
Santa must have me on the "naughty" list...must have been for causing the fight at the party.
I have complained, bitterly and via text, to Dimples about that situation. I should offer to start paying his texting bills because we have been running them up with him having to play therapist to his very discouraged client. He stays positive with me...thank goodness he does really know how to speak "Woman"...and he told me to just relax and "ride the tide" and enjoy the rest of my holiday and we will switch it up and hit it hard after the new year.
The problem is, I'm not sure how much harder I can hit it...and I told him so. I told him short of tying myself to him 24/7 (that would make it interesting when he coaches...or goes home to the girlfriend), I'm not sure what more we can do to get me off of my plateau.
I suggested to him that maybe I could give up wine.
Or only drink it on days that end in "d-a-y"...
He liked that (the joke...not that I'm not giving up wine...because he knows I won't)
But yesterday, despite the scale staying stuck, was a pretty good day. We got up leisurely (although I do miss getting woken up by excited children ready to see what Santa brought), I made breakfast (cinnamon rolls for them, Fit Food for me), and got to cooking a turkey for my extended family.
It was an amazing turkey...recipe at the bottom of the blog...you MUST try it...
I took the perfect turkey over to my Aunt Jane's house and had a great lunch with Jane, my aunts and uncle, and some family friends and my grandma. It was a great lunch. And everything was delicious. CAT (my aunt's friend who I call Cute and Tiny)made the most delicious mix of roasted veggies. She has promised me the recipe to share...sooooooo good.
My uncle baked me some cookies...I ate one because they were amazing...and he baked them...and I went for a run before lunch so I deserved one!
After lunch and family time we headed over to our friends the Q's house. We have celebrated Christmas Night at the Q's for the last 10 years or so. It is always the best way to close out Christmas. I love them like family...and we stayed so long I almost fell asleep on the couch!
so while I was wallowing about in a bit of pity about my non-weight loss while on my run yesterday, I had some time to think about Christmas Day...and Jesus' birth...and Mary...
Mary...a young woman who must have been frightened when visited by an Angel and told she was to have a child. How scary must that have been? And Joseph, her husband, who faithfully stood by her...
So here is this young woman who is heavily pregnant who leaves her home and has to travel...by DONKEY...to another place only to find that there is no place for her to stay. And to give birth.
So she ends up in a stable...a stable...
I grew up around stables...not a place you want to deliver a baby in...
I found myself uncomfortable behind the wheel of my car during my last weeks of pregnancy so I cannot fathom what riding a donkey while 39 weeks pregnant would feel like. I can't imagine riding a donkey at all...
I had my children in a nice, clean hospital. I had my kids at the old Rosewood Hospital where I was just about the only woman to give birth each time. I had the full attention of the nurses. In fact, when I went back 4 years later to have The Cutest Boy in the World (after having Ke$ha Barbie there) all the nurses remembered me and many were the same women. I had GREAT attention and care.
Mary delivered her beautiful son with only the help of Joseph...
I had a fabulous doctor each time. With Ke$ha Barbie I had Dr. Oscar Dalton---only the greatest ob/gyn in Houston. He treated me like his daughter. He was the sweetest man ever. I cried my eyes out when he retired from obstetrics before I had The Cutest Boy in the World...so he handed me over to Dr. Kathy Gabel (yes, real names because she is so so so great) and I had the BEST time with her. She was like having your best girlfriend as your doctor.
So I had great doctors and nurses and poor Mary had donkeys and sheep...
I had an epidural each time...poor Mary had nothing...
I could not have been as brave as Mary. And to know that she was bringing forth the Son of God had to be a mighty scary and wonderous feeling that I cannot wrap my brain around.
As I ran I contemplated this...and realized that God asks us to do things He knows we can do. He knew Mary was the right woman to bring forth his son.
And to a way way way lesser degree, He knows that I can do this...I can get myself back to where I need to be with my health and body. I can do it with His help, with Dimples help, with Spinderella, Jay-Vee and J'taime Julie, and with my friends encouragment.
I just need to lean on Him a little more...and take some burden off Dimples (poor baby...his fingers must be tired from texting me soothing words).
And as I ran, and prayed that I could make it back to the house, I felt the air rush into my lungs (cold air!) and I felt Him help me breathe.
Breath of Heaven...
Inspiration Song: "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant. My favorite Christmas song. Always makes me cry. We always have an 8th grade girl sing it during "Lessons and Carols" and I end up bawling...
Bye Darlings...take Dimples advice "just breathe"...
Turkey recipe...because turkey is good for you, not just at Thanksgiving...
Here is how to make the MOST delicious, fabulous, moist, healthy turkey...
Buy a fresh turkey. The store brand is perfect. I always buy an HEB brand. Be sure it has not had any liquid injected or added (like a Butterball).
I brine my turkey. I have made brines and purchased brines. I bought brine from Sur la Table that was really good but my favorite is the brine from Williams-Sonoma. It is delicious.
Follow the recipe for the brine. If you use the Williams-Sonoma one, do the apple cider...it makes it really good. Brine for 24 hours. Rinse brine off well (inside and out) and pat bird dry.
For a 10-15 pound bird (double this for bigger):
one onion (sweet if you can find it), quartered
one apple (large red) quartered
2 cinnamon sticks
1 cup water
put in microwave safe bowl and cook on high for 5 minutes.
Drain water.
Put apples, onion, and cinnamon in the cavity of the bird. Add 3-5 sprigs rosemary and 6 large fresh sage leaves.
Rub some softened butter all over the bird...or canola oil. Just enough to make it slippery. Do not salt...the brine did that for you.
cover the bird in cheesecloth. Pour chicken stock all over the cheesecloth. Melt 2 sticks of butter and poor that over the cheesecloth.
Tent with foil.
Put the bird into a 500 degree oven and cook 30 minutes and then turn the heat down to 350 degrees. Baste every 30 minutes. Add more stock if you need it.
I can't give you times because it is based on weight and your oven, but I advise checking the temperature with a thermometer and going by that...and remember that the bird will continue to cook a bit when removed from the oven.
I uncover the bird the last 20 minutes or so to brown. I baste the bird while it rests a minimum of 30 minutes and tent it.
Everyone declared it the best turkey ever yesterday. I agree. Even my precious Mommy never produced a bird quite that good...except for the wild one that my dad shot that ate chilipetins...that bird was amazing.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Don't You Evah
Don't you ever...
Wish you were Samantha from Bewitched?
So you could just twitch your nose and things would get done...things like the dishes? Or the Christmas cards you forgot to take a photo for could just be whipped up? The house could get cleaned magically? And that Esmerelda could just appear to take care of your kids?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Wish you were Jeannie from "I Dream of Jeannie"?
So that you could cross your arms and blink your eyes and you could be suddenly transported somewhere else? Avoiding traffic? Or you could do the blink thing and suddenly you have a new outfit on?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Wish there were more hours in a day?
So you could SLEEP? Or just get things done?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Wonder why your body craves things that are BAD for you but you never have a craving for things like celery or non-fat yogurt? Why do I have to crave CRAVE cupcakes?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Wish that the Victoria's Secret models would all suddenly get fat?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Wish that the work/school week was 2 days long and the "weekend" was 5 days long?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Feel like you want vacation break to be over...24 hours after it started because you are tired of hearing the words "I am sooooooooooooo bored" come from your child's mouth?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Wish that your husband could turn into Brad Pitt, Ryan Reynolds, Alexsander Skaarsgard, or Maks from Dancing with the Stars...for a few hours? Just for fun...just to look at...and if it is Maks, let's dance...
I do...oh, I do...
Don't you ever...
Wish that chocolate had no calories? But still tasted just as good? or that cream cheese and butter have the same calorie count as say...celery?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Want the skin that hangs from your arms like bat wings to just magically disappear overnight and suddenly you would wake up with Madonna's arms?
I do...although Coach Dimples tells me to forget about her arms because they are "too cut" and not "all that"...but I will take "cut" over "bat wings" anyday...what does he know, he is a MAN...
Don't you ever...
Wish that there was no such thing as a size 00?
I do...too much pressure...makes an 8 look big...
Don't you ever...
Wish that Spinderella, Jay Vee, or J'taime Jaime taught a spin class every day?
I do...and I know that one is very personal...but I luv luv luv spinning with them...
Don't you ever...
Wish that it was as easy to excercise as it is to sit on the couch?
I do...all the time...and I wish I could burn the same amount of calories sitting on said couch...
Don't you ever...
Want $10 wine to taste as good as $40 wine?
I do...and sometimes it does...and sometimes the $40 stuff tastes worse than $10...
Don't you ever...
Find yourself obsessed with the silliest things?
I do...and right now my current obsessions are (in no particular order): salmon, Oprah, Caslon t-shirts from Nordstrom, Tom Ford Black Orchid perfume, my black boots, pants from "Lucy", and getting below a certain point on the scale by Christmas...oh, and salmon...I've eaten it for like every meal this week...what's with that?
Don't you ever...
Want to say to your spouse "are you kidding me, Bozo?" when you discover he is TAPING the football game he just watched live at the stadium and it knocked off something you wanted to tape?
I do...and I have...
Don't you ever...
Wish that life was on DVR and you could rewind it?
I do...so you could enjoy all the good stuff over and over again...and skip over the bad/boring/hard stuff...
Don't you ever...
Wish that you could put your husband on mute?
I do...all the time...can you tell he has irritated me today?
Don't you ever...
Wish Santa really existed?
I do...and he does...
Don't you ever...
Feel that God has blessed you greatly and that all the stuff you complain about it just silly?
I do...and He has...and I'm grateful for my blessings...
So I will stop whining now.
I've actually had a pretty great week. I've eaten enough salmon to feel like I need to swim upstream but cheated a few times and don't feel guilty about it. I've had great workouts with Dimples---and he got me off my weight loss plateau and back into "losing"...even if it took pulling his cute self up a nasty hill. Thank goodness he is becoming an expert at speaking "woman" to me and rarely slips into "coach" mode these days...and thank goodness for those dimples because it makes it easier to deal with the pain he is dishing out to me when he smiles as he tells me to do it. I had some really fun spin classes that were actually FUN. I went and heard a choral concert that moved me to tears...especially when my friend's daugher Katherine the Great sang a solo during the "Messiah" portion of the program. Beautiful music always moves me. I got to go to a fun party and see my old "soccer mom" friends from The Cutest Boy in the World's old soccer team. I even had some people (including some good looking men and several very sweet children) tell me I looked "pretty" and "hot" and even got a few "wows"...I'll take that...even though I think they were all just being sweet...but it is nice to hear...
I got nothin' to complain about...
Inspiration Song:
"Don't You Evah" by Spoon...because it is such a cool song...and on my workout list these days and gets heavy play...
Bye Darlings...don't you ever...stop counting your blessings!
Wish you were Samantha from Bewitched?
So you could just twitch your nose and things would get done...things like the dishes? Or the Christmas cards you forgot to take a photo for could just be whipped up? The house could get cleaned magically? And that Esmerelda could just appear to take care of your kids?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Wish you were Jeannie from "I Dream of Jeannie"?
So that you could cross your arms and blink your eyes and you could be suddenly transported somewhere else? Avoiding traffic? Or you could do the blink thing and suddenly you have a new outfit on?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Wish there were more hours in a day?
So you could SLEEP? Or just get things done?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Wonder why your body craves things that are BAD for you but you never have a craving for things like celery or non-fat yogurt? Why do I have to crave CRAVE cupcakes?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Wish that the Victoria's Secret models would all suddenly get fat?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Wish that the work/school week was 2 days long and the "weekend" was 5 days long?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Feel like you want vacation break to be over...24 hours after it started because you are tired of hearing the words "I am sooooooooooooo bored" come from your child's mouth?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Wish that your husband could turn into Brad Pitt, Ryan Reynolds, Alexsander Skaarsgard, or Maks from Dancing with the Stars...for a few hours? Just for fun...just to look at...and if it is Maks, let's dance...
I do...oh, I do...
Don't you ever...
Wish that chocolate had no calories? But still tasted just as good? or that cream cheese and butter have the same calorie count as say...celery?
I do...
Don't you ever...
Want the skin that hangs from your arms like bat wings to just magically disappear overnight and suddenly you would wake up with Madonna's arms?
I do...although Coach Dimples tells me to forget about her arms because they are "too cut" and not "all that"...but I will take "cut" over "bat wings" anyday...what does he know, he is a MAN...
Don't you ever...
Wish that there was no such thing as a size 00?
I do...too much pressure...makes an 8 look big...
Don't you ever...
Wish that Spinderella, Jay Vee, or J'taime Jaime taught a spin class every day?
I do...and I know that one is very personal...but I luv luv luv spinning with them...
Don't you ever...
Wish that it was as easy to excercise as it is to sit on the couch?
I do...all the time...and I wish I could burn the same amount of calories sitting on said couch...
Don't you ever...
Want $10 wine to taste as good as $40 wine?
I do...and sometimes it does...and sometimes the $40 stuff tastes worse than $10...
Don't you ever...
Find yourself obsessed with the silliest things?
I do...and right now my current obsessions are (in no particular order): salmon, Oprah, Caslon t-shirts from Nordstrom, Tom Ford Black Orchid perfume, my black boots, pants from "Lucy", and getting below a certain point on the scale by Christmas...oh, and salmon...I've eaten it for like every meal this week...what's with that?
Don't you ever...
Want to say to your spouse "are you kidding me, Bozo?" when you discover he is TAPING the football game he just watched live at the stadium and it knocked off something you wanted to tape?
I do...and I have...
Don't you ever...
Wish that life was on DVR and you could rewind it?
I do...so you could enjoy all the good stuff over and over again...and skip over the bad/boring/hard stuff...
Don't you ever...
Wish that you could put your husband on mute?
I do...all the time...can you tell he has irritated me today?
Don't you ever...
Wish Santa really existed?
I do...and he does...
Don't you ever...
Feel that God has blessed you greatly and that all the stuff you complain about it just silly?
I do...and He has...and I'm grateful for my blessings...
So I will stop whining now.
I've actually had a pretty great week. I've eaten enough salmon to feel like I need to swim upstream but cheated a few times and don't feel guilty about it. I've had great workouts with Dimples---and he got me off my weight loss plateau and back into "losing"...even if it took pulling his cute self up a nasty hill. Thank goodness he is becoming an expert at speaking "woman" to me and rarely slips into "coach" mode these days...and thank goodness for those dimples because it makes it easier to deal with the pain he is dishing out to me when he smiles as he tells me to do it. I had some really fun spin classes that were actually FUN. I went and heard a choral concert that moved me to tears...especially when my friend's daugher Katherine the Great sang a solo during the "Messiah" portion of the program. Beautiful music always moves me. I got to go to a fun party and see my old "soccer mom" friends from The Cutest Boy in the World's old soccer team. I even had some people (including some good looking men and several very sweet children) tell me I looked "pretty" and "hot" and even got a few "wows"...I'll take that...even though I think they were all just being sweet...but it is nice to hear...
I got nothin' to complain about...
Inspiration Song:
"Don't You Evah" by Spoon...because it is such a cool song...and on my workout list these days and gets heavy play...
Bye Darlings...don't you ever...stop counting your blessings!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
All You Need is Love
Today we give thanks for the many blessings in our lives.
I am blessed beyond belief: I have a wonderful family (both my immediate and extended), I have my health (yessssssss), I have a beautiful home, I do volunteer work that I love love love, I have food on the table, money in my pocket, and the future before me.
And I have friends...you people...you are a blessing to me....
Not just because you read this silly thing I write, and not just the kind words you say, but the fact that I know I am blessed to have each and every one of you in my life.
So today I want to REALLY count my blessings and be grateful for all that I have.
Here we go:
I am blessed because I have 2 wonderful children that although they sometimes challenge my sanity and my conviction that I AM a good mother, they are good kids and make me proud every day.
I am blessed to have a husband...he's not perfect...I'm not perfect...marriage is hard...but he is a good man...and it's nice to have someone to share the burden with.
I am blessed that although my parents are no longer with me, I know that I will see them again in heaven and I am grateful for what I learned from them during their all-too-short time here with me.
I am blessed to have wonderful aunts and uncles who have continued to share the burden of raising me since my mother is gone. And yes, I am not yet a real grown-up yet so I still need someone to raise me.
I am blessed to have my siblings. We don't have the best family relationships. In fact, they are pretty crappy relationships, and we are a very fractured bunch since my mother died---and even before---but, and here's the "but" part that I count as a blessing...God GAVE me my siblings and so I will count them as a blessing.
I am blessed to have my sister-in-law. Yes, I am one of those very lucky women who happen to LOVE their sister-in-law! She is a beautiful woman, a wonderful mother, and has a beautiful heart. And how lucky am I that she is not just family, but a friend?
Speaking of which...I am blessed to have GOTT as my dear friend. And GOTTESS. And their little GOTT-SON. Because sometimes we get really lucky and we end up loving someone as much as our own family. I told GOTT the other day that we don't choose our family but we can chooe our friends and we were blessed to consider each other family even if we aren't blood relatives.
And that leads to the fact that I am blessed that I have several friends that I consider to be family...you know who you are...you are the keels on my ship, you are the wind that carries me, you are the arms that hold me. I am blessed to have such wonderful friends...
And I am blessed that I am allowed to do what I do at my son's school. I love love love working with children. I love doing the cotumes for the shows, I love teaching Art a la Carte, I love substitute teaching, I even love going on field trips (sometimes...talk to me next week after I go with the choir). The hugs I get from the kids are a great salary (I have said it before) and I am surrounded with some really great people at that school: Sistah, Precious and Adorable, Bacchus, TTG, Coach Cuteness, Musical Muse, Science Goddess 1, 2, and 3...and so many many more...love love love my SFEDS friends...and since they teach my son they are a double blessing because they are they finest teachers and staff in the world!
I am blessed that I belong to the Houston Racquet Club and found my way into the gym there. I was terrified the first time but now it is a wonderful place for me to go. Who would have thought I would end up being a member of the FITNESS COMMITTEE? I go there to reduce stress, have some time to myself, work my body, and find peace...
I am blessed that I have my "J-girls" in my life: Spinderella (her real name starts with a "J"), J'taime Jamie, and Jay Vee...they have been such great support to me with my health and excercise. I can't tell you how great it is to have instructors that really CARE about you and what you are doing. I love them!
And who can forget how blessed I am to have Fitness Goddess in my corner? She got me kicked into gear and not afraid of the weights...so I would be ready for...
Coach Dimples who is also a double blessing to me. First he was a blessing as my son's football coach and did a great job with him. But now he is a blessing to ME because he really is trying to help me change my life, my ways, my excersise, my body, my mind...and he does it with a good deal of support (and some humor) and has accepted that he is not just "trainer" but "therapist" as well. I can see the changes already and I know that we are just starting on this journey together with him getting me to finish what I have started. It's the back half that is the hard part...it's like lifting a weight---you can push it up, but when you have to bring it down slow and resist gravity, it's hard and it hurts. He is helping me with this back half, this lowering down, this resisting of gravity that would in many cases make people say: "Heck, I've lost 90 pounds and I am done" but he's keeping me going and making it fun while we do it.
I am blessed that my physical has proven that my hard work is paying off. 100 point reduction in my cholesterol has made me say "amen" all day long...
I am blessed that I don't miss hamburgers as much as I thought I would.
I am blessed that I realize that Crave Cupcakes and Fuzzy's pizza are kryptonite to me.
I am blessed that my turkey was amazing today and my stuffing/dressing was almost as good as my Mommy's (because it will NEVER be AS good, just almost so...)
I am blessed that I love spin class as much as I remembered.
I am blessed that my son had an undefeated football season. Not because they won every game, but because his coaches taught him new things. And because they taught those boys how to win with honor, how to challenge themselves at every turn, and how to work as a team. They had a lot of challenges thrown at them---they couldn't practice at the school so they rode a bus to their practice site and lost a lot of valuable time, but they coaches made the most of it and the boys never really complained---but we, the parents did. Once Dimples told me that he would coach them in a parking lot I "got" it...it wasn't WHERE they practiced, it was THAT they practiced. I told you he was a smart guy...
I am blessed that my daughter has proven not just to be a really great math/science girl, but that her talent for photography has grown such that her instructors take definite notice. This is a blessing because it gives her a lot of pride in what she does and she really really really loves taking photos...even if I find it disturbing that some of them are of her made up to look like she drowned...really...
I am blessed that I found a way to make a really yummy low-calorie/almost fat-free dessert...recipe to follow at the bottom of this blog...
I am blessed that there is wine...and Bacchus tells me what to buy and where to buy it...because it is my little "sin" and at least the red stuff isn't all bad for you. Antioxidents, you know?
I am blessed that we have more than one television in the house...because I really don't want to watch football tonight...
I am blessed that I have discovered that writing this is a kind of therapy for me. Sometimes it is raw, sometimes I get to use humor, but it is always always always me and my thougths...uncensored...and it "lets it out" for me...
I am blessed that my family cleaned the kitchen after our big lunch today! I went into the bedroom with the cat and watched something I had recorded on the DVR.
I am blessed that Diet Dr. Pepper exists...because it is my little treat. I am also blessed that Sonic makes a Route 44 of it with vanilla for me when I need a sweet treat.
I am blessed that I found My Fit Foods as a way to eat healthy.
I am blessed that when I had my little diverticulitis episode that I discovered it quickly and now it keeps me from nuts...so I am not tempted by the pecan pie that is sitting on the kitchen counter.
I am blessed that I discovered liquid glucosomine (thanks to Bacchus...he is good for more than wine). I hate the pills...they are nasty and huge...
I am blessed that I can (almost always) pass up dessert because I know that it won't do me any good...but I will eat it if it is worth it...
I am blessed that I remember to use the "salt trick" when I am confronted with a food at the table that I want a taste of, but not all of...I just dump salt on it (if I can't pass it off to someone else). With salt dumped on it, you won't pick at it. This works well at those luncheons and dinners we all have to sit through where they bring you course after course and most of it isn't very good...I take 2 bites of the dessert and then SALT IT...
I am blessed that I have found that I love fish more than I thought I did...
I am blessed that I have discovered that I can do things I didn't think I could do: with my mind, my body, and my spirit...
I am blessed that I can cook as many yummy HEALTHY things as the unhealthy stuff I used to cook...and they are sometimes even tastier...but no, there is no substitute for good queso...
I am blessed that I have lost 90 pounds and still want to lose more...
I am blessed that I haven't given up...
I am blessed that I want to keep going with this...
I am blessed that I kept some of my "thin" clothes and that I can get into some of them...but the cheetah print skirt is still an enigma to me...not sure if I will ever put it on again, but I might TRY it on sometime when I get to that size...
I am blessed that anyone reads this...
I am blessed because I really have too many blessings to count...
And most of all, I am blessed that I love and am loved...and sometimes love is all we need...
First, the recipe...then the song...
Here goes:
ALMOST FAT-FREE LOW-CAL PUMPKIN MOUSSE
(about 200 calories/serving...they are large...better than 400 for pie)
1 can pumpkin
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 pkg. pumpkin spice flavored Jello pudding mix
1 container fat-free Cool Whip
Mix the pumpkin with the milk and the pudding mix. You can add a little vanilla if you want (I forgot...but I bet it would be better with it so that is why I am telling you to put it in...maybe a teaspoon...). Mix well. Gently fold in the Cool Whip. Put it in serving bowls. Put in the fridge. That's all...tastes like pie except no crust. Really good with some gingersnaps crumbled on top. Adapted from an Alton Brown recipe on the Food Network website.And now...
Inspiration Song: "All You Need is Love" by the one, the only, the BEATLES. It feels right today...
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy.
There's nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you
in time - It's easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
There's nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
It's easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
All you need is love (all together now)
All you need is love (everybody)
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
Happy Happy Thanksgiving, Darlings...count your blessings...we all have so many!
I am blessed beyond belief: I have a wonderful family (both my immediate and extended), I have my health (yessssssss), I have a beautiful home, I do volunteer work that I love love love, I have food on the table, money in my pocket, and the future before me.
And I have friends...you people...you are a blessing to me....
Not just because you read this silly thing I write, and not just the kind words you say, but the fact that I know I am blessed to have each and every one of you in my life.
So today I want to REALLY count my blessings and be grateful for all that I have.
Here we go:
I am blessed because I have 2 wonderful children that although they sometimes challenge my sanity and my conviction that I AM a good mother, they are good kids and make me proud every day.
I am blessed to have a husband...he's not perfect...I'm not perfect...marriage is hard...but he is a good man...and it's nice to have someone to share the burden with.
I am blessed that although my parents are no longer with me, I know that I will see them again in heaven and I am grateful for what I learned from them during their all-too-short time here with me.
I am blessed to have wonderful aunts and uncles who have continued to share the burden of raising me since my mother is gone. And yes, I am not yet a real grown-up yet so I still need someone to raise me.
I am blessed to have my siblings. We don't have the best family relationships. In fact, they are pretty crappy relationships, and we are a very fractured bunch since my mother died---and even before---but, and here's the "but" part that I count as a blessing...God GAVE me my siblings and so I will count them as a blessing.
I am blessed to have my sister-in-law. Yes, I am one of those very lucky women who happen to LOVE their sister-in-law! She is a beautiful woman, a wonderful mother, and has a beautiful heart. And how lucky am I that she is not just family, but a friend?
Speaking of which...I am blessed to have GOTT as my dear friend. And GOTTESS. And their little GOTT-SON. Because sometimes we get really lucky and we end up loving someone as much as our own family. I told GOTT the other day that we don't choose our family but we can chooe our friends and we were blessed to consider each other family even if we aren't blood relatives.
And that leads to the fact that I am blessed that I have several friends that I consider to be family...you know who you are...you are the keels on my ship, you are the wind that carries me, you are the arms that hold me. I am blessed to have such wonderful friends...
And I am blessed that I am allowed to do what I do at my son's school. I love love love working with children. I love doing the cotumes for the shows, I love teaching Art a la Carte, I love substitute teaching, I even love going on field trips (sometimes...talk to me next week after I go with the choir). The hugs I get from the kids are a great salary (I have said it before) and I am surrounded with some really great people at that school: Sistah, Precious and Adorable, Bacchus, TTG, Coach Cuteness, Musical Muse, Science Goddess 1, 2, and 3...and so many many more...love love love my SFEDS friends...and since they teach my son they are a double blessing because they are they finest teachers and staff in the world!
I am blessed that I belong to the Houston Racquet Club and found my way into the gym there. I was terrified the first time but now it is a wonderful place for me to go. Who would have thought I would end up being a member of the FITNESS COMMITTEE? I go there to reduce stress, have some time to myself, work my body, and find peace...
I am blessed that I have my "J-girls" in my life: Spinderella (her real name starts with a "J"), J'taime Jamie, and Jay Vee...they have been such great support to me with my health and excercise. I can't tell you how great it is to have instructors that really CARE about you and what you are doing. I love them!
And who can forget how blessed I am to have Fitness Goddess in my corner? She got me kicked into gear and not afraid of the weights...so I would be ready for...
Coach Dimples who is also a double blessing to me. First he was a blessing as my son's football coach and did a great job with him. But now he is a blessing to ME because he really is trying to help me change my life, my ways, my excersise, my body, my mind...and he does it with a good deal of support (and some humor) and has accepted that he is not just "trainer" but "therapist" as well. I can see the changes already and I know that we are just starting on this journey together with him getting me to finish what I have started. It's the back half that is the hard part...it's like lifting a weight---you can push it up, but when you have to bring it down slow and resist gravity, it's hard and it hurts. He is helping me with this back half, this lowering down, this resisting of gravity that would in many cases make people say: "Heck, I've lost 90 pounds and I am done" but he's keeping me going and making it fun while we do it.
I am blessed that my physical has proven that my hard work is paying off. 100 point reduction in my cholesterol has made me say "amen" all day long...
I am blessed that I don't miss hamburgers as much as I thought I would.
I am blessed that I realize that Crave Cupcakes and Fuzzy's pizza are kryptonite to me.
I am blessed that my turkey was amazing today and my stuffing/dressing was almost as good as my Mommy's (because it will NEVER be AS good, just almost so...)
I am blessed that I love spin class as much as I remembered.
I am blessed that my son had an undefeated football season. Not because they won every game, but because his coaches taught him new things. And because they taught those boys how to win with honor, how to challenge themselves at every turn, and how to work as a team. They had a lot of challenges thrown at them---they couldn't practice at the school so they rode a bus to their practice site and lost a lot of valuable time, but they coaches made the most of it and the boys never really complained---but we, the parents did. Once Dimples told me that he would coach them in a parking lot I "got" it...it wasn't WHERE they practiced, it was THAT they practiced. I told you he was a smart guy...
I am blessed that my daughter has proven not just to be a really great math/science girl, but that her talent for photography has grown such that her instructors take definite notice. This is a blessing because it gives her a lot of pride in what she does and she really really really loves taking photos...even if I find it disturbing that some of them are of her made up to look like she drowned...really...
I am blessed that I found a way to make a really yummy low-calorie/almost fat-free dessert...recipe to follow at the bottom of this blog...
I am blessed that there is wine...and Bacchus tells me what to buy and where to buy it...because it is my little "sin" and at least the red stuff isn't all bad for you. Antioxidents, you know?
I am blessed that we have more than one television in the house...because I really don't want to watch football tonight...
I am blessed that I have discovered that writing this is a kind of therapy for me. Sometimes it is raw, sometimes I get to use humor, but it is always always always me and my thougths...uncensored...and it "lets it out" for me...
I am blessed that my family cleaned the kitchen after our big lunch today! I went into the bedroom with the cat and watched something I had recorded on the DVR.
I am blessed that Diet Dr. Pepper exists...because it is my little treat. I am also blessed that Sonic makes a Route 44 of it with vanilla for me when I need a sweet treat.
I am blessed that I found My Fit Foods as a way to eat healthy.
I am blessed that when I had my little diverticulitis episode that I discovered it quickly and now it keeps me from nuts...so I am not tempted by the pecan pie that is sitting on the kitchen counter.
I am blessed that I discovered liquid glucosomine (thanks to Bacchus...he is good for more than wine). I hate the pills...they are nasty and huge...
I am blessed that I can (almost always) pass up dessert because I know that it won't do me any good...but I will eat it if it is worth it...
I am blessed that I remember to use the "salt trick" when I am confronted with a food at the table that I want a taste of, but not all of...I just dump salt on it (if I can't pass it off to someone else). With salt dumped on it, you won't pick at it. This works well at those luncheons and dinners we all have to sit through where they bring you course after course and most of it isn't very good...I take 2 bites of the dessert and then SALT IT...
I am blessed that I have found that I love fish more than I thought I did...
I am blessed that I have discovered that I can do things I didn't think I could do: with my mind, my body, and my spirit...
I am blessed that I can cook as many yummy HEALTHY things as the unhealthy stuff I used to cook...and they are sometimes even tastier...but no, there is no substitute for good queso...
I am blessed that I have lost 90 pounds and still want to lose more...
I am blessed that I haven't given up...
I am blessed that I want to keep going with this...
I am blessed that I kept some of my "thin" clothes and that I can get into some of them...but the cheetah print skirt is still an enigma to me...not sure if I will ever put it on again, but I might TRY it on sometime when I get to that size...
I am blessed that anyone reads this...
I am blessed because I really have too many blessings to count...
And most of all, I am blessed that I love and am loved...and sometimes love is all we need...
First, the recipe...then the song...
Here goes:
ALMOST FAT-FREE LOW-CAL PUMPKIN MOUSSE
(about 200 calories/serving...they are large...better than 400 for pie)
1 can pumpkin
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 pkg. pumpkin spice flavored Jello pudding mix
1 container fat-free Cool Whip
Mix the pumpkin with the milk and the pudding mix. You can add a little vanilla if you want (I forgot...but I bet it would be better with it so that is why I am telling you to put it in...maybe a teaspoon...). Mix well. Gently fold in the Cool Whip. Put it in serving bowls. Put in the fridge. That's all...tastes like pie except no crust. Really good with some gingersnaps crumbled on top. Adapted from an Alton Brown recipe on the Food Network website.And now...
Inspiration Song: "All You Need is Love" by the one, the only, the BEATLES. It feels right today...
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game
It's easy.
There's nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you
in time - It's easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
Love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
There's nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be.
It's easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
All you need is love (all together now)
All you need is love (everybody)
All you need is love, love, love is all you need.
Happy Happy Thanksgiving, Darlings...count your blessings...we all have so many!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
You're the Inspiration
I don't know why, but people keep telling me things like:
"you are such an inspiration"
"you inspire others"
"you inspire me"
"I'm inspired by what you have done"
People---
I AM NOT INSPIRING!
I JUST GOT MY ASS IN GEAR!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyone, ANYONE can do what I have done. It is hard work but it is not hard to do.
You just have to say "yes" and "no".
"yes" to excersise and "no" to bad food choices
Really, it is easy...for the excersise, you just have to MOVE. You don't have to hire a hottie as your trainer (but it sure helps if the fitness nazi who is growling at you is cute and sweet...or maybe you need someone to "mommy" you...or maybe you need a trainer who is more therapist...figure out what works for YOU). You don't even have to join a gym.
Walk your neighborhood---you will be amazed at what you observe...but go fast!
Go to the park and walk around and take a mat and do push-ups, etc. between walking---that is where Coach Dimples met me and worked me out...FUN!!!
play tennis---ok, that only works if you aren't me and can actually PLAY tennis...
play with your kids---and by play I mean get out there and shoot hoops, or play soccer, or just play!
Ride a bike...more fun than you remember...
Walk the dog...until the dog is tired...labs are better at this than purse dogs...
walk around the field while your kid is at soccer practice...the whole time...
Go to the Galleria...head to Nordstrom but park at Neiman Marcus and walk as fast as you can...your reward will be the shoe department! Bonus points: you get to race past the tourist...double points if you ALMOST manage to knock one down...
And as far as food goes:
say no to cupcakes and yes to fruit
say no to cheese and yes to yogurt
say no to hamburger and yes to grilled chicken
say no to pasta but yes to whole wheat pasta (that comes from Coach...)
say no to fried and yes to grilled
say no to fries and yes to veggies (steamed, grilled, or sauteed)
say no to ribs and yes to lean brisket at Goode Company
say no to potato salad and yes to cole slaw
say no to a margarita and yes to a mojito
say no to a cosmo and yes to red wine
I will never tell you to say "no" to wine because I only say "no" when I have been overserved...
See...it's easy...anyone can do it.
And heaven knows I should have done it a long, long time ago before I got so far gone with myself.
This can apply if you are losing 5, 15, or 50 pounds. It's about choices...it is not about anything else...just making choices...making good choices.
I use some "tools" to do this. They help me to say "yes" and "no" to the right things:
"Lose it" app on my iphone...or any app or program that serves as a food and excersise log...
"Eat this Not That" website: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/home
the nutritional webpages for any restaurant that has them...google them...
Women's Health magazine and its website: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/
iTunes---'cause music moves me...
So you see, I am NOT an inspiration...I'm just making better choices.
Now for inspiration, I look to my friends...these are REALLY INSPIRING PEOPLE:
My children---because just looking at them inspires me to be better...at everything!
My friend Katherine who wins medals at Special Olympics is inspiring not just for being an athlete but she inspires me all the time in excersise class and spin because she constantly encourages me to keep pushing on. She is my favorite trainer. LOVE LOVE LOVE her! And yes, she picked up some more medals this past weekend...for tennis, which I will only be her ball girl as and never her partner!
My friend Carolee and my friend Patrick. Patrick is still in a coma with his brain injury (pray for him) but Carolee is always by his side, always putting faith in him and Him (God)that he will be well and whole. Her faith and love inspire me...
My friend W, who lost her husband to cancer when he was far to young. I served cake at their wedding. You could FEEL their love. She is raising their 2 precious children and her faith in the Lord is inspiring to me and her great love surrounds me even though she is in OK and I am in TX.
My friend V, who made me write this blog...because she is a teacher and I know she pours her love out with her lessons. She has always been an artist, but she shares her gift in the most amazing way...I've never seen her teach, but I know her too well to not know how great she is...
My friends GOTT and TTG who are just flat out amazing and inspiring and who inspire me to do more, push my creativity, and we put on a show together...sometimes it is only us backstage at GOTT's desk talking...but it can be a show!
My teacher friends...Precious and Adorable and Bacchus, Musical Muse, and so many more...because they are angels...and they inspire the kids...I could write blogs and blogs about what a gift they are to their students...
Coach Dimples, Spinderella, JayVee, J'taime Jamie---because they inspire me to do more with myself and my workouts and push me to my limits...and they look GOOD while they do it...
My Women Warrior friends who have survived cancer...can you get more inspiring than that? No, not really...because they have beaten cancer...I've just beaten "fat"...they are an inspiration to any who know and love them...
My friend T and his husband R and their boys---because they are a proud family...and I am proud of them for showing the world that they are not any different from any other family...except maybe that they better looking than most of us (gorgeous family...just gorgeous)...
My gay friends who are "out" inspire me...because they are able to be who they are...and hopefully will inspire others to be as brave...and someday I hope no one is called "brave" for being "out"...
Julia Child---ok, so I am a little obsessed with her...it's the cooking thing...but dang the woman could make a roast chicken look like a work of art...
My friend AthenaGal and her mother---style and grace icons...especially her mother...when I grow up I want to be just like her...
My sister-in-law...she knows why...and how lucky am I to have a sister-in-law that I love so much?
My aunt Jane...the best person in the world...because she is the best person in the world and her heart is ALWAYS in the right place and she always puts others first. She has my 91 year old grandma living with her...Grandma has Alzheimers...Jane is, well there is no other word for it but "grace" with her. And so much more...she is so much more...
My Aunt Gayle inspires me...she is a single mom with a kick-ass job---she works for the Jimmy Kimmel show (how fun is that?) and is working on her 3rd (I think it is 3rd) degree black belt...she can literally kick your ass...and she has an amazing boy who makes me smile every time I just look at him...
My drama kids...all you have to do is watch them on the stage and you will see why...
Now, my friends...THOSE are inspring people...I'm just a fat chick who decided to let her inner skinny girl out...nothing inspiring about that...
Tell me I am inspriring for the work I do with my drama kids...or the costumes I find...the way I support the school...or the fact I never met a volunteer job I didn't like...but don't think that I am inspiring for losing weight...because every one of us is capable of improving our minds and health...
we just have to say "yes" and "no"....
Inspiration Song: what else could it be but "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago...
"you are such an inspiration"
"you inspire others"
"you inspire me"
"I'm inspired by what you have done"
People---
I AM NOT INSPIRING!
I JUST GOT MY ASS IN GEAR!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyone, ANYONE can do what I have done. It is hard work but it is not hard to do.
You just have to say "yes" and "no".
"yes" to excersise and "no" to bad food choices
Really, it is easy...for the excersise, you just have to MOVE. You don't have to hire a hottie as your trainer (but it sure helps if the fitness nazi who is growling at you is cute and sweet...or maybe you need someone to "mommy" you...or maybe you need a trainer who is more therapist...figure out what works for YOU). You don't even have to join a gym.
Walk your neighborhood---you will be amazed at what you observe...but go fast!
Go to the park and walk around and take a mat and do push-ups, etc. between walking---that is where Coach Dimples met me and worked me out...FUN!!!
play tennis---ok, that only works if you aren't me and can actually PLAY tennis...
play with your kids---and by play I mean get out there and shoot hoops, or play soccer, or just play!
Ride a bike...more fun than you remember...
Walk the dog...until the dog is tired...labs are better at this than purse dogs...
walk around the field while your kid is at soccer practice...the whole time...
Go to the Galleria...head to Nordstrom but park at Neiman Marcus and walk as fast as you can...your reward will be the shoe department! Bonus points: you get to race past the tourist...double points if you ALMOST manage to knock one down...
And as far as food goes:
say no to cupcakes and yes to fruit
say no to cheese and yes to yogurt
say no to hamburger and yes to grilled chicken
say no to pasta but yes to whole wheat pasta (that comes from Coach...)
say no to fried and yes to grilled
say no to fries and yes to veggies (steamed, grilled, or sauteed)
say no to ribs and yes to lean brisket at Goode Company
say no to potato salad and yes to cole slaw
say no to a margarita and yes to a mojito
say no to a cosmo and yes to red wine
I will never tell you to say "no" to wine because I only say "no" when I have been overserved...
See...it's easy...anyone can do it.
And heaven knows I should have done it a long, long time ago before I got so far gone with myself.
This can apply if you are losing 5, 15, or 50 pounds. It's about choices...it is not about anything else...just making choices...making good choices.
I use some "tools" to do this. They help me to say "yes" and "no" to the right things:
"Lose it" app on my iphone...or any app or program that serves as a food and excersise log...
"Eat this Not That" website: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/home
the nutritional webpages for any restaurant that has them...google them...
Women's Health magazine and its website: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/
iTunes---'cause music moves me...
So you see, I am NOT an inspiration...I'm just making better choices.
Now for inspiration, I look to my friends...these are REALLY INSPIRING PEOPLE:
My children---because just looking at them inspires me to be better...at everything!
My friend Katherine who wins medals at Special Olympics is inspiring not just for being an athlete but she inspires me all the time in excersise class and spin because she constantly encourages me to keep pushing on. She is my favorite trainer. LOVE LOVE LOVE her! And yes, she picked up some more medals this past weekend...for tennis, which I will only be her ball girl as and never her partner!
My friend Carolee and my friend Patrick. Patrick is still in a coma with his brain injury (pray for him) but Carolee is always by his side, always putting faith in him and Him (God)that he will be well and whole. Her faith and love inspire me...
My friend W, who lost her husband to cancer when he was far to young. I served cake at their wedding. You could FEEL their love. She is raising their 2 precious children and her faith in the Lord is inspiring to me and her great love surrounds me even though she is in OK and I am in TX.
My friend V, who made me write this blog...because she is a teacher and I know she pours her love out with her lessons. She has always been an artist, but she shares her gift in the most amazing way...I've never seen her teach, but I know her too well to not know how great she is...
My friends GOTT and TTG who are just flat out amazing and inspiring and who inspire me to do more, push my creativity, and we put on a show together...sometimes it is only us backstage at GOTT's desk talking...but it can be a show!
My teacher friends...Precious and Adorable and Bacchus, Musical Muse, and so many more...because they are angels...and they inspire the kids...I could write blogs and blogs about what a gift they are to their students...
Coach Dimples, Spinderella, JayVee, J'taime Jamie---because they inspire me to do more with myself and my workouts and push me to my limits...and they look GOOD while they do it...
My Women Warrior friends who have survived cancer...can you get more inspiring than that? No, not really...because they have beaten cancer...I've just beaten "fat"...they are an inspiration to any who know and love them...
My friend T and his husband R and their boys---because they are a proud family...and I am proud of them for showing the world that they are not any different from any other family...except maybe that they better looking than most of us (gorgeous family...just gorgeous)...
My gay friends who are "out" inspire me...because they are able to be who they are...and hopefully will inspire others to be as brave...and someday I hope no one is called "brave" for being "out"...
Julia Child---ok, so I am a little obsessed with her...it's the cooking thing...but dang the woman could make a roast chicken look like a work of art...
My friend AthenaGal and her mother---style and grace icons...especially her mother...when I grow up I want to be just like her...
My sister-in-law...she knows why...and how lucky am I to have a sister-in-law that I love so much?
My aunt Jane...the best person in the world...because she is the best person in the world and her heart is ALWAYS in the right place and she always puts others first. She has my 91 year old grandma living with her...Grandma has Alzheimers...Jane is, well there is no other word for it but "grace" with her. And so much more...she is so much more...
My Aunt Gayle inspires me...she is a single mom with a kick-ass job---she works for the Jimmy Kimmel show (how fun is that?) and is working on her 3rd (I think it is 3rd) degree black belt...she can literally kick your ass...and she has an amazing boy who makes me smile every time I just look at him...
My drama kids...all you have to do is watch them on the stage and you will see why...
Now, my friends...THOSE are inspring people...I'm just a fat chick who decided to let her inner skinny girl out...nothing inspiring about that...
Tell me I am inspriring for the work I do with my drama kids...or the costumes I find...the way I support the school...or the fact I never met a volunteer job I didn't like...but don't think that I am inspiring for losing weight...because every one of us is capable of improving our minds and health...
we just have to say "yes" and "no"....
Inspiration Song: what else could it be but "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago...
Monday, November 8, 2010
Shake it Up
Well, it was time to try something different...because the weight loss has slowed down and I gave in to cheese the other night.
Not just any cheese...it was some amazing cheese...white cheddar with bits of apple and sage. If that cheese had been a man I would have made out with it. It was that good. I also had some really great chipotle cheddar and a fig goat cheese. Again, I would have made out with the cheese if they had been men...maybe I just have deprived myself of cheese for too long but that cheese was worth every calorie and every bite. And wow was it good with the wine...
I was hosting a jewelry show with a friend when I succumbed to the lure of the cheese and the wine. It was jewelry made by Spinderella. She is multi-talented...she can train you AND decorate you! If you want a truly amazing necklace or cuff, call or email me and I can hook you up with Spinderella.
I feared the scale over the weekend but was surprised to find I was down 3 pounds. But today I got on and I was up again. Back to where I was...
What gives?
Damn...
I did Body Pump on Saturday and gave myself a spin class on Sunday. Today I did spin again and then a training session.
So I am glad I decided to shake things up...and I am glad I asked Coach Dimples to help me and be my trainer. And train me he did...
Last June I declared that I didn't want the cute young thing to train me but wanted Fitness Goddess who could relate to my age and situation. She is still a remarkable trainer. And so positive. So helpful. So supportive.
But I needed to shake it up...and Coach took me out to a park and shake, and lunge, and run, and push up I did!
Does it help you to understand if I tell you that I am sore just a mere 3 hours later?
The weather was great and it was fun getting out of the gym and doing something completely different. I only said "no" to jumping jacks.
I have birth to 2 babies over 8 lbs...I don't jump...and I'm sure you women understand why...
I did worry a bit about bugs...I consider ants to be bugs too...but the bugs (and ants) didn't bother us until the mosquitos decided we were a banquet as we went to our cars.
There is a small hill in the middle of the park. He made me lunge up to the top. If not for the fact that he did it with me I would have said "heck no" but I kept thinking "Heidi Klum legs" and kept going...and the dimples didn't hurt either...did I mention that he is really cute?
Yeah...
That doesn't hurt one bit...
but now my glutes do hurt...but it's a good hurt...
We are going to do it all again on Wednesday. And I will share him with you if you want to join our bootcamp class...but during my personal training sessions he and those dimples are all mine...and he is really good with the training...and the dimples. I wasn't bored or restless during the workout at all...and he even got me to jog...now that is a miracle...
I bought boots yesterday. I haven't purchased a pair of boots in over 10 years. I bought 2 pair...black and brown. I feel a little sexy and dangerous in them...high heels, tall boots to my (very short) knees. But Ke$ha Barbie convinced me that I can still rock them and that I have a few dresses to pair them up with. She wants me to throw out 90% of my wardrobe and feel better about how I look and not look like such a soccer mom. But I am a soccer mom...but I will be a rock-n-roll soccer mom and rock those boots.
Why am I sharing this with you...if not just to make you jealous that I have a hottie trainer? And some really good looking boots?
Because we ALL need to shake things up every once in a while.
Be it our diet, our workout routine, our meals we serve our families...change it...try something new and different.
Gonna shake it up with the wardrobe...
Gonna shake it up with the workout...
And usually I only like to shake things up in a cocktail shaker...it's called a martini...Vodka, please...or maybe a Cosmo...
Inspiration Song: "Shake it Up" by the Cars...when was the last time you had a little fun with them? Shake it up...shake it up...
bye darlings...shake it up!
Not just any cheese...it was some amazing cheese...white cheddar with bits of apple and sage. If that cheese had been a man I would have made out with it. It was that good. I also had some really great chipotle cheddar and a fig goat cheese. Again, I would have made out with the cheese if they had been men...maybe I just have deprived myself of cheese for too long but that cheese was worth every calorie and every bite. And wow was it good with the wine...
I was hosting a jewelry show with a friend when I succumbed to the lure of the cheese and the wine. It was jewelry made by Spinderella. She is multi-talented...she can train you AND decorate you! If you want a truly amazing necklace or cuff, call or email me and I can hook you up with Spinderella.
I feared the scale over the weekend but was surprised to find I was down 3 pounds. But today I got on and I was up again. Back to where I was...
What gives?
Damn...
I did Body Pump on Saturday and gave myself a spin class on Sunday. Today I did spin again and then a training session.
So I am glad I decided to shake things up...and I am glad I asked Coach Dimples to help me and be my trainer. And train me he did...
Last June I declared that I didn't want the cute young thing to train me but wanted Fitness Goddess who could relate to my age and situation. She is still a remarkable trainer. And so positive. So helpful. So supportive.
But I needed to shake it up...and Coach took me out to a park and shake, and lunge, and run, and push up I did!
Does it help you to understand if I tell you that I am sore just a mere 3 hours later?
The weather was great and it was fun getting out of the gym and doing something completely different. I only said "no" to jumping jacks.
I have birth to 2 babies over 8 lbs...I don't jump...and I'm sure you women understand why...
I did worry a bit about bugs...I consider ants to be bugs too...but the bugs (and ants) didn't bother us until the mosquitos decided we were a banquet as we went to our cars.
There is a small hill in the middle of the park. He made me lunge up to the top. If not for the fact that he did it with me I would have said "heck no" but I kept thinking "Heidi Klum legs" and kept going...and the dimples didn't hurt either...did I mention that he is really cute?
Yeah...
That doesn't hurt one bit...
but now my glutes do hurt...but it's a good hurt...
We are going to do it all again on Wednesday. And I will share him with you if you want to join our bootcamp class...but during my personal training sessions he and those dimples are all mine...and he is really good with the training...and the dimples. I wasn't bored or restless during the workout at all...and he even got me to jog...now that is a miracle...
I bought boots yesterday. I haven't purchased a pair of boots in over 10 years. I bought 2 pair...black and brown. I feel a little sexy and dangerous in them...high heels, tall boots to my (very short) knees. But Ke$ha Barbie convinced me that I can still rock them and that I have a few dresses to pair them up with. She wants me to throw out 90% of my wardrobe and feel better about how I look and not look like such a soccer mom. But I am a soccer mom...but I will be a rock-n-roll soccer mom and rock those boots.
Why am I sharing this with you...if not just to make you jealous that I have a hottie trainer? And some really good looking boots?
Because we ALL need to shake things up every once in a while.
Be it our diet, our workout routine, our meals we serve our families...change it...try something new and different.
Gonna shake it up with the wardrobe...
Gonna shake it up with the workout...
And usually I only like to shake things up in a cocktail shaker...it's called a martini...Vodka, please...or maybe a Cosmo...
Inspiration Song: "Shake it Up" by the Cars...when was the last time you had a little fun with them? Shake it up...shake it up...
bye darlings...shake it up!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Take it Off
Uh-oh...
The scale is NOT sliding down...
which makes my anxiety go up!
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm....
I complained about it to the new trainer (Coach Dimples the football coach) and he told me to "quit getting on the scale".
Good advice...
if you aren't OCD like me about numbers.
I haven't started working out with him yet but it better be soon because I need something to shake up this rut I am in. I haven't lost a pound...not ONE pound...in over a week.
(I know that right now those of you who would like to drop 5 pounds are rolling your eyes, but when you are as heavy as I am, you NEED to lose at least a pound a week if you are working your @$$ off like I am)
I know he is not a genie in a bottle that can make my wishes come true but I do think he can do something to get me off this plateau because this is not where I want to live...I want to be further down that weight loss mountain.
I told him that I have a goal dress to wear and that he is basically going to work to get me to fit into a tiny little bit of black fabric.
He's a man...he won't get it...but I know that when I can wear that dress, I can pretty much wear what I want. Someday I will post a photo of the dress...right now it lives in a secret place in my closet and I just stare at it...
I'm not doing anything different than I have been for the last 8 months...I still spin with Spinderella and J'taime Jamie all the time and I do body pump ALL THE TIME and I eat right ALL THE TIME (I am growing gills from all the fish).
So what gives?
I don't know...but I will admit that I did indulge in a few gingersnaps. Just a few...
Last week, after The Cutest Boy in the World's football team won their last game (sealing the deal for an undefeated season) we had a party at a gourmet hamburger place. I ate with the coaches (because no one else was and I wanted them to feel wanted...especially Coach L's fiancee) and Coach Dimples looks at my plate---which just had a very rare hamburger patty on it (go ahead--say UGH! but I love my burgers rare)---and says "you can eat the bun!". Nope...too many carbs. The fiancee and I declared we were using our "bun" calories on our wine. I watched him (Dimples) down 2 burgers. So not fair...
Then I spent the weekend watching GOTT and TTG basically eat Mexican food garbage. TTG had burritos for heaven sake and GOTT ate enough queso with his nachos to put a Taco Bell out of business. I ate grilled chicken in corn tortillas. Salsa only. No queso. No chips. So not fair...
I also did 2 classes on Saturday and rode a spin bike for an hour and 5 minutes on Sunday along with running my tail off during our shows.
What did the scale say?
Not one pound lost. So not fair...
Bacchus tells me he feels fat. The man once weighed 300 pounds. He is gorgeous now...really gorgeous and he looks great. But he and I can commiserate about how hard it is since we have to really work at it (he rides bikes long distances and is a vegetarian) and that we constantly have kryptonite thrown in our faces (cupcakes = kryptonite and sugar = kryptonite for us). I complain to him a lot. He just tells me to buy more wine. That's a plan I can get behind...but I don't think Dimples is going to agree.
I'm sorry that I am whining...I really shouldn't...today I fit into a top I thought for sure would not fit and Musical Muse told me I looked positively "skinny" (everything is relative...I know I am not skinny). I was wearing all black so it was an optical illusion. Leggings and a top...with a BELT (haven't worn one of those in over 5 years).
I have no cold weather clothes. I'm not really in the mood to shop but I may be forced to buy some pants and a pair of jeans. THAT will be intersting and frustrating. I'm giving away all of my "fat" clothes because I never want to see or wear them again.
Because this weight loss is not just about fitting into a little black dress...it is about changing my life. My eating habits. My lifestyle. My activity level.
It's not just about taking it off...
It is about saving my life...
Inspiration song: "Take it Off" by Ke$ha...I love her music...and she looks like my pretty daughter Ke$ha Barbie
The scale is NOT sliding down...
which makes my anxiety go up!
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm....
I complained about it to the new trainer (Coach Dimples the football coach) and he told me to "quit getting on the scale".
Good advice...
if you aren't OCD like me about numbers.
I haven't started working out with him yet but it better be soon because I need something to shake up this rut I am in. I haven't lost a pound...not ONE pound...in over a week.
(I know that right now those of you who would like to drop 5 pounds are rolling your eyes, but when you are as heavy as I am, you NEED to lose at least a pound a week if you are working your @$$ off like I am)
I know he is not a genie in a bottle that can make my wishes come true but I do think he can do something to get me off this plateau because this is not where I want to live...I want to be further down that weight loss mountain.
I told him that I have a goal dress to wear and that he is basically going to work to get me to fit into a tiny little bit of black fabric.
He's a man...he won't get it...but I know that when I can wear that dress, I can pretty much wear what I want. Someday I will post a photo of the dress...right now it lives in a secret place in my closet and I just stare at it...
I'm not doing anything different than I have been for the last 8 months...I still spin with Spinderella and J'taime Jamie all the time and I do body pump ALL THE TIME and I eat right ALL THE TIME (I am growing gills from all the fish).
So what gives?
I don't know...but I will admit that I did indulge in a few gingersnaps. Just a few...
Last week, after The Cutest Boy in the World's football team won their last game (sealing the deal for an undefeated season) we had a party at a gourmet hamburger place. I ate with the coaches (because no one else was and I wanted them to feel wanted...especially Coach L's fiancee) and Coach Dimples looks at my plate---which just had a very rare hamburger patty on it (go ahead--say UGH! but I love my burgers rare)---and says "you can eat the bun!". Nope...too many carbs. The fiancee and I declared we were using our "bun" calories on our wine. I watched him (Dimples) down 2 burgers. So not fair...
Then I spent the weekend watching GOTT and TTG basically eat Mexican food garbage. TTG had burritos for heaven sake and GOTT ate enough queso with his nachos to put a Taco Bell out of business. I ate grilled chicken in corn tortillas. Salsa only. No queso. No chips. So not fair...
I also did 2 classes on Saturday and rode a spin bike for an hour and 5 minutes on Sunday along with running my tail off during our shows.
What did the scale say?
Not one pound lost. So not fair...
Bacchus tells me he feels fat. The man once weighed 300 pounds. He is gorgeous now...really gorgeous and he looks great. But he and I can commiserate about how hard it is since we have to really work at it (he rides bikes long distances and is a vegetarian) and that we constantly have kryptonite thrown in our faces (cupcakes = kryptonite and sugar = kryptonite for us). I complain to him a lot. He just tells me to buy more wine. That's a plan I can get behind...but I don't think Dimples is going to agree.
I'm sorry that I am whining...I really shouldn't...today I fit into a top I thought for sure would not fit and Musical Muse told me I looked positively "skinny" (everything is relative...I know I am not skinny). I was wearing all black so it was an optical illusion. Leggings and a top...with a BELT (haven't worn one of those in over 5 years).
I have no cold weather clothes. I'm not really in the mood to shop but I may be forced to buy some pants and a pair of jeans. THAT will be intersting and frustrating. I'm giving away all of my "fat" clothes because I never want to see or wear them again.
Because this weight loss is not just about fitting into a little black dress...it is about changing my life. My eating habits. My lifestyle. My activity level.
It's not just about taking it off...
It is about saving my life...
Inspiration song: "Take it Off" by Ke$ha...I love her music...and she looks like my pretty daughter Ke$ha Barbie
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Mamma Mia
Oh, Spinderella...why art thou so awesome?
Because, my friends...she is...she is AWESOME.
Today's spin class was like the best one ever...ever...ever...
Because our video selection for the day was..."Mamma Mia"...one of the few movies that I will watch repeatedly. Seriously, if it is on, I am mesmerized and must watch. I have even stayed up way past my bedtime to watch it for the 367th time.
I have a few other movies that I do that with:
The Sound of Music
Gone With the Wind
Auntie Mame (not "Mame" but Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell)
50 First Dates (I can tell you where on Oahu almost every scene was shot because I literally traipsed all over the island to find them...)
and
The Fifth Element---I can't really explain my fascination with that movie...but I love love love it
so add "Mamma Mia" to the list...
On the video screen is our diva, the Divine Miss Meryl (Streep...like you didn't know that, right?) and friends and Greek Chorus dancing about and singing to Colin Firth (sigh), Pierce Brosnan (sigh), and Stellan Skaarsgard (I don't really swoon over him but his son, Alexsander, now he is my crush...my one blonde crush ('cause I think Brad Pitt is more of a brunette)...my hot vampire..."my" Eric Northman of "True Blood" fame...so I will allow a "sigh" for dad since he sired the object of my affection).
I so want to go to Greece where they filmed that movie...
I need to go to Greece...
I belong in Greece...staying in some cute all-white place wearing white filmy skirts and dancing about on the beach with the heavenly water...and cute Greek boys who bring me cute Greek drinks (but not Ouzo...)
Yep...I'm going to Greece...
someday...
But for now I will obsessively watch Mamma Mia and dream about Greece...
So Spinderella put on the video and gave us a good dose of ABBA music (in case you don't know, the whole musical/movie "Mamma Mia" is based on the music of ABBA). We rode those bikes like Lance Armstrong and forgot the pain as we sang to "Money Money Money" and "Dancing Queen" while we watched Madame Meryl and Co. entertain us on the video screen all while Spinderella told us how much tension and speed we needed to get us to the point of death...
It. Was. Awesome.
To top it off, Spinderella is an incredible jewelry designer and she promised to make me a few necklaces after I told her I was obsessed with one she made a friend.
Note to Houston friends---email me for an invite to the jewelry show I am having with a friend in October...
Back to the blog...
Ah, Spinderella...between spinning and jewelry, you will make me lovely...
I cleaned up and headed to the school so I could keep working on my costumes for the show that is in 6 weeks...a terrifyingly short amount of time. And then I found out from GOTT that the headmaster wants to move all my costumes off site when they aren't in use...
Note my use of the word "my"...I think of them that way...
Mamma Mia...
Not good...
I have been known to change a costume 5 minutes before curtain.
My my...I could never let you go...(the costumes, that is...)
So now I scramble...because I don't know when they are getting packed off...I hope I can talk her in to waiting until after the show so I can really organize it into boxes and so I can find what I need when I look for it.
Mamma Mia...
Just thinking about it is making long for a (big) glass of wine.
Or vodka...
I have settled for wine, having just poured myself a glass...which means I need to finish this blog before I finish my wine...or heaven knows what I will say...
Mamma Mia...here I go again...my my how can I resist you? (the wine, that is)
I am ALMOST halfway to my goal weight...re-read that sentence...not almost to my goal weight, but HALFWAY to my goal weight. It has become a way of life---the gym and my eating habits---so I hope I can hold onto it.
I've been watching "Thintervention with Jackie Warner" on Bravo. It's a good show if you want some diet tips along with your reality television. She has great tips and if you go to the Bravo website you can get more.
Like this: cottage cheese is a good diet food...not just for the calcium, but the casein in it is a fat burner...and less sugar compared to yogurt.
I think I have a bit of a girl crush on Jackie...she is so pretty and fit. But I think she would still make me cry like she does the people on her show so the crush would evaporate pretty quickly.
I think I'll keep my vamp crush instead...he might suck my blood but Jackie would cause me pain...LOL
Check out her show...you might get a girl crush on her too...or at least pick up some diet tips so you can counterract what you see on "Top Chef Just Desserts" (I am a Bravo afficianado).
Mamma Mia...dessert and fitness tips...all on one network.
I've also been Mamma Bossy lately. Last week I noticed Coach Dimples (one of the football coaches...) moving the boys backpacks that they threw on the field after running off the bus. (because they were late because heaven only knows where the bus went but it wasn't straight to the field). I went over to him waving my arms and yelling for him to STOP and let me do it so he can "go and coach my son". I got a "really?" and some dimples for that and shooed him off and called my minions (the dads) over to move the backpacks.
So I talked with him after the game and told him that he needed to let us (the parents) take care of some of the field set-up (we are on an off-site field while our school fields are re-sodded...a process which was supposed to be done in August) and we could take care of getting the Gatorade and water to the field.
Again, I got a "really?" and some dimples...
I talked to the athletic director and he said "if it is good with the coach, it is fine by me". I emailed Coach Dimples and said "just let us handle this because basically I will bully my way into getting my way so just give up and let me help you" and then told him he could confirm it with Precious and Adorable History Teacher/football coach (that I would bully him to let me help).
Sure enough he says something and P&A History Teacher/Coach tells him it is way easier to give in to me than argue and that thus far I have been only good help so use it. I love P&A History Teacher...he learned quickly...
Poor Coach Dimples didn't stand a chance...now I just have to make my minions (the dads) do my bidding...because I want the coach to follow or lead the bus and I want him focused on coaching and not on Gatorade...
Mamma Mia...here I go again...
Yesterday I did a "two-a-day" and did cardio in the morning and went back to the gym for "Body Pump" at 6:30.
So I am going to close this out, finish my wine, swallow a handful of Advil, and go to bed so I can do it all again...because tomorrow is another two-a-day and Thursday I get my spin date with my other favorite spin girl (I have got to come up with a good name for her because she is so darn cute and awesome). And then my son has a football game Thursday afternoon where Mamma Mia is going to make sure Coach Dimples takes care of her son and not backpacks.
Bye Darlings!
Inspiration song: "Mamma Mia" by ABBA or from the movie soundtrack...I do love me some ABBA...
Because, my friends...she is...she is AWESOME.
Today's spin class was like the best one ever...ever...ever...
Because our video selection for the day was..."Mamma Mia"...one of the few movies that I will watch repeatedly. Seriously, if it is on, I am mesmerized and must watch. I have even stayed up way past my bedtime to watch it for the 367th time.
I have a few other movies that I do that with:
The Sound of Music
Gone With the Wind
Auntie Mame (not "Mame" but Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell)
50 First Dates (I can tell you where on Oahu almost every scene was shot because I literally traipsed all over the island to find them...)
and
The Fifth Element---I can't really explain my fascination with that movie...but I love love love it
so add "Mamma Mia" to the list...
On the video screen is our diva, the Divine Miss Meryl (Streep...like you didn't know that, right?) and friends and Greek Chorus dancing about and singing to Colin Firth (sigh), Pierce Brosnan (sigh), and Stellan Skaarsgard (I don't really swoon over him but his son, Alexsander, now he is my crush...my one blonde crush ('cause I think Brad Pitt is more of a brunette)...my hot vampire..."my" Eric Northman of "True Blood" fame...so I will allow a "sigh" for dad since he sired the object of my affection).
I so want to go to Greece where they filmed that movie...
I need to go to Greece...
I belong in Greece...staying in some cute all-white place wearing white filmy skirts and dancing about on the beach with the heavenly water...and cute Greek boys who bring me cute Greek drinks (but not Ouzo...)
Yep...I'm going to Greece...
someday...
But for now I will obsessively watch Mamma Mia and dream about Greece...
So Spinderella put on the video and gave us a good dose of ABBA music (in case you don't know, the whole musical/movie "Mamma Mia" is based on the music of ABBA). We rode those bikes like Lance Armstrong and forgot the pain as we sang to "Money Money Money" and "Dancing Queen" while we watched Madame Meryl and Co. entertain us on the video screen all while Spinderella told us how much tension and speed we needed to get us to the point of death...
It. Was. Awesome.
To top it off, Spinderella is an incredible jewelry designer and she promised to make me a few necklaces after I told her I was obsessed with one she made a friend.
Note to Houston friends---email me for an invite to the jewelry show I am having with a friend in October...
Back to the blog...
Ah, Spinderella...between spinning and jewelry, you will make me lovely...
I cleaned up and headed to the school so I could keep working on my costumes for the show that is in 6 weeks...a terrifyingly short amount of time. And then I found out from GOTT that the headmaster wants to move all my costumes off site when they aren't in use...
Note my use of the word "my"...I think of them that way...
Mamma Mia...
Not good...
I have been known to change a costume 5 minutes before curtain.
My my...I could never let you go...(the costumes, that is...)
So now I scramble...because I don't know when they are getting packed off...I hope I can talk her in to waiting until after the show so I can really organize it into boxes and so I can find what I need when I look for it.
Mamma Mia...
Just thinking about it is making long for a (big) glass of wine.
Or vodka...
I have settled for wine, having just poured myself a glass...which means I need to finish this blog before I finish my wine...or heaven knows what I will say...
Mamma Mia...here I go again...my my how can I resist you? (the wine, that is)
I am ALMOST halfway to my goal weight...re-read that sentence...not almost to my goal weight, but HALFWAY to my goal weight. It has become a way of life---the gym and my eating habits---so I hope I can hold onto it.
I've been watching "Thintervention with Jackie Warner" on Bravo. It's a good show if you want some diet tips along with your reality television. She has great tips and if you go to the Bravo website you can get more.
Like this: cottage cheese is a good diet food...not just for the calcium, but the casein in it is a fat burner...and less sugar compared to yogurt.
I think I have a bit of a girl crush on Jackie...she is so pretty and fit. But I think she would still make me cry like she does the people on her show so the crush would evaporate pretty quickly.
I think I'll keep my vamp crush instead...he might suck my blood but Jackie would cause me pain...LOL
Check out her show...you might get a girl crush on her too...or at least pick up some diet tips so you can counterract what you see on "Top Chef Just Desserts" (I am a Bravo afficianado).
Mamma Mia...dessert and fitness tips...all on one network.
I've also been Mamma Bossy lately. Last week I noticed Coach Dimples (one of the football coaches...) moving the boys backpacks that they threw on the field after running off the bus. (because they were late because heaven only knows where the bus went but it wasn't straight to the field). I went over to him waving my arms and yelling for him to STOP and let me do it so he can "go and coach my son". I got a "really?" and some dimples for that and shooed him off and called my minions (the dads) over to move the backpacks.
So I talked with him after the game and told him that he needed to let us (the parents) take care of some of the field set-up (we are on an off-site field while our school fields are re-sodded...a process which was supposed to be done in August) and we could take care of getting the Gatorade and water to the field.
Again, I got a "really?" and some dimples...
I talked to the athletic director and he said "if it is good with the coach, it is fine by me". I emailed Coach Dimples and said "just let us handle this because basically I will bully my way into getting my way so just give up and let me help you" and then told him he could confirm it with Precious and Adorable History Teacher/football coach (that I would bully him to let me help).
Sure enough he says something and P&A History Teacher/Coach tells him it is way easier to give in to me than argue and that thus far I have been only good help so use it. I love P&A History Teacher...he learned quickly...
Poor Coach Dimples didn't stand a chance...now I just have to make my minions (the dads) do my bidding...because I want the coach to follow or lead the bus and I want him focused on coaching and not on Gatorade...
Mamma Mia...here I go again...
Yesterday I did a "two-a-day" and did cardio in the morning and went back to the gym for "Body Pump" at 6:30.
So I am going to close this out, finish my wine, swallow a handful of Advil, and go to bed so I can do it all again...because tomorrow is another two-a-day and Thursday I get my spin date with my other favorite spin girl (I have got to come up with a good name for her because she is so darn cute and awesome). And then my son has a football game Thursday afternoon where Mamma Mia is going to make sure Coach Dimples takes care of her son and not backpacks.
Bye Darlings!
Inspiration song: "Mamma Mia" by ABBA or from the movie soundtrack...I do love me some ABBA...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)