Exercising Feels GOOD!

So, does anyone ever remember hearing that working out is supposed to make you feel good and have more energy?  Who are those people?!  Every time I go run, I feel like I'm going to die...really.  My breathing goes all wheezy and I can't stop coughing, my muscles are on fire and I'm sweating like a pig.  So if that is what feeling good is all about you can count me out.  :D

I've decided that I am going to start "trying" to do yoga.  The Riverplex has a beginners yoga class on Tues and Thurs that I'm going to try.  I need to regain some of my lost flexibility.  When I worked in daycare I spent almost all day on the floor or trying(sometimes unsuccessfully) to sit in tiny chairs.

Shorter than these actually.

I know.

Having more flexibility will help in other areas of my life too...

Ahem...

So the bottom line is that

I AM NOT GIVING UP!!!

No matter how crappy I feel while doing it.

Because afterwards, believe it or not, I actually feel good.

It really is amazing.

Gotta run, taking Max to baby gym today.



Fa la la la la...la la la laaaaaaaaaa

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree...

Deck the Halls with ...well, you know right?



I've finally got into the Christmas mood today.  I wrapped presents almost all morning, and then I realized that I had no gift card thingies...oh no!

Soooooo, I had to go to the store.

On the last Saturday before Christmas.

I barely made it out alive.

I left the house at 2 and returned by 4. Not too bad if I do say so myself.  I didn't go to the grocery store though.

I haven't really been in the Christmas spirit this year...I usually have all the shopping done, and the presents wrapped by the beginning of December.  This year, nope.  Life just seemed to smack me in the face!  Christmas is in 7 days!

7 DAYS!

I still have gifts to make, let alone wrap!!!



I took Max to the gym with me on Thurs to see Santa. He walked right up to him and hopped on his lap. No smile though, but no fear either!

Reilly got to see Santa in Chicago too!  She is growing up so much.  I was glad she still wanted to.

Hopefully I will get it all done before the kids get out for break.

If not....

well...

their teachers will have to get something else. 

Merry Christmas!!

I hope it's wonderful.

Water Babies and Fuzzy Boots

I did it!

I joined the Riverplex!

We are now a family that goes to the gym...

I went running on Sat, right after I got the membership...on Sunday I was so sore that it was hard to walk at work.  I tried to jog everywhere, but then people thought something bad was happening.

I took Max on Monday morning, and then when it was time to leave, he screamed like he was being murdered!  It was too funny.  I guess I'm at least happy that he likes it.  Today when we went to Toddler gym he tried to go to the babysitting afterwards.  I totally would have, but I def was not dressed to work out.  Skirts and leggings with fuzzy boots are not conducive to running.  We are going to go as a family tonight.  Swimming fun for all!

Look how much fun they all have in the pool!  This was taken on Father's Day this year.  We really need a bigger pool!

I think maybe I will go jog tonight while my kids swim.  I don't feel like I am really working out when I'm in the pool.  It's also easier with one less swimsuit and towel to lug around.  And...bonus, I'm not as sore today!  :D



Hi Ho, Hi Ho, To the Gym I Go...

I feel like the war is sadly over...and I lost.

I can't seem to control myself sometimes.  Some days I'm great.  I eat a small breakfast, small lunch and small dinner.  Other days I seem to stuff myself from dawn til dusk.  I ate so much the other night for dinner that I actually felt sick.  I had to lean back in order to breathe. 

Ridiculous, yes.

Totally unfulfilling, I know.

I still want to join a gym, but I'm just a terrible procrastinator. Maybe I would spend more time there than shopping?  I do like shopping so much.  I really need to learn to like working out better I guess.  That's it. I'm doing it! Today!

Now!

Watch out Riverplex, here I come!!

I'll let you all know how it goes...:D



Stress, Troubles, Chicago and Tea

Hi to all my loyal readers.  I know it;s a tad late for a Thanksgiving post, but here goes!

I managed not to stuff myself this year, but I've been overeating in other ways.  It seems like I've been very stressed out lately.  I mean it, VERY STRESSED OUT.  I love my husband, but he has not made the best decisions lately regarding our household finances.  So I've had to take over.  All this stress has led to a lot of overeating on my part!  Aaarrrggghhh!  I was doing so well too.  To top it all off my daughter is having problems at school.  First it was bad grades, then a suicide spelling sentence, now she's gotten herself a Saturday suspension.  I just do not know what to do!!!

Since when did I sign up for this stressful life?

It's no wonder that I haven't gained 50 lbs this week alone.

What I really wanna know is what happened to her. 

What happened to my cute sweet little girl?  I know she's growing up and all that, but why does she have to become so troubled at such a young age?  I love her so much, and I would probably die if anything happened to her.  So why is she not happy?

On a lighter note, we are taking a small trip to Chicago this weekend.  I hope this is an opportunity for her and I to hang out and really communicate.  We're taking the train, and staying in a hotel with an indoor pool.  Very grown up and fabulous!

With tea at the American Girl Doll store too!

Hope you all have a nice weekend also and I'll post some fun pics when I get home.

Life Changing Event

So, I haven't blogged in awhile.  Things have taken a decided turn for the negative.  I've tried my hardest to overcome my food addiction, and I fail.  I fail every day( I feel).  And now I have to do what I hoped I'd never have to do again....

Inject insulin.

There's my pen.

I have to inject myself every night before bed.  Not as bad as I remember it being.  Kind of expensive though.  It just seems that all my hard work is for naught.

I feel like I failed.

The truth is that I didn't fail, my body did.  All the time I told myself that a little cheating was OK, caused this.  I may or may not have been born this way, but I definitely made it worse with my sweet tooth.

There are lots of things I wish I could do over in life, this is most definitely one of them.

They say that this type of diabetes is hereditary.  I hope my children never have to go through any of this.  I would never wish diabetes on my worst enemy.

I wonder if I had lived my life a lot differently would I be well?

or

Would I always have this disease that will probably end my life?

All I know, is that I went to the movies today...and I cheated...a lot.

again...

as usual...

but the movie was awesome.



Color-Coded Family

How do you keep your life organized?

How does anyone keep stuff under control?

In today's society we have the urge to have and have and have.  We buy so much stuff that it almost seems frivolous at times.  Even without buying stuff all the time with a family of 5 it's hard to keep every body's stuff straight.  So I can up with a brilliant(I think)idea. 

I color coded everyone.

My husband is blue

I am pink

Reilly is yellow

Cristian is green

And Max is now red.

It actually works out because there are (as of now) our favorite colors.  Max didn't have a color until today.  He loves Disney Cars so much, that I decided red was the way to go.  It as between that and brown, and I really didn't like the idea for my baby.  Besides do they even sell brown toothbrushes?  Probably not.

Easy rack to hang them on too.

So, this color coding thing started with bath towels.  when I moved in with my now husband, I would go to take a shower and all the towels would be gone. Where did they go you ask?  Directly from the bodies to the floors of the children.  So days later I would find a wadded mildew mess of towel in each of their rooms.  Hence, the towel assignments.  This led to other things...toothbrushes, drinking glasses, anything that I can find that we all have to have one of is "our" color.  This truly cuts down on the confusion and misplacement of things.  So now when I get the "Mom, I can't find my towel!" Coming out of the bathroom, I say, "well, did you leave it on the floor of your room?"  Usually I get an "Oh man, can you get it for me mom? Pleeeeaaaasssee?"

Sometimes I do.

See the glasses?  The kids have to use their color, but as grown-ups, we can use whatever we want.  It works out pretty well for us.  I can imagine it would work equally as well for people with larger families than mine.  try it, you just might like it!  :D

Thrify vs. Cheap

I wish I had a money tree!

I'm going to come right out and say it.  I'm cheap.  Thrifty doesn't even begin to cover it.  I pretty much buy all my groceries at Aldi's.  If they don't have it, I don't need it.  I can go to the store and feed my family on less than $50 a week.  I know!  I buy almost all the kids clothes at the Goodwill and Mission Mart and Salvation Army Store.  Sometimes(if I'm lucky) I get stuff for myself too,  I can't justify spending regular price for stuff because I don't have to.  And, if you think about it, the clothes you get from the second hand stores are exactly what they re going to look like after you wash them, because they were already washed in the first place! Genius right? 

 I've been shopping this way for so long that I have a hard time buying something new.  Not just clothes, but everything.  If I can save myself some money, then why not do it?  I keep reading these sites that tell you good ways to save money(yay!) and when I click on them just just tell me to do what I am already doing!  Tell me, how is that supposed to help me?  I have the most basic cable plan, channels 2-22 and Internet.  Cut down your cell phone bill!  We split 700 minutes between 3 phones and we don't have any phone Internet!  We do have two car payments, but with our schedules it really is a necessity to have 2 cars.  Other than the car payments we have no other really outstanding debt!  Just normal monthly bills!  I really wish some of these financial analysts could tell me real ways to save, because I'm already a cheap bastard! lol  I guess I'll just keep plugging along and doing what I do, so someday I'll come out ahead right?  Maybe I'll just start making my own!

Now where do I keep the Mugs?

Mug Holder Re-Do
I got a little creative on my own today also.  I got my inspiration from this blog, Lil Blue Boo.  She makes it awesome with her vinyl cutter...alas I do not have one, so I had to make do with stickers!  They turned out awesome regardless!!

Here's what you need

Mug Holder

Sandpaper

Spray paint in color you like

and clear varnish

Stickers

Some free time:)

First of all I'd like to say that these mug holders were a score at 50 cents for one and a dollar for the other.  Then I had to get the stickers($3.99).  They were the most expensive part.  I actually already had the paint. 

First I sanded the holders.  That was the hard part.  All those funny angles and crevices.  (Don't skip this part, it really makes it better)  Thanks to my DH for the sanding advice.  He knows more about that stuff than I do.  Then I painted, and painted, and painted...and painted.   With spray paint it is best to put lots of light coats on it.  So needless to say I actually started these last night.  Follow the directions on the paint cans for the best results.  Don't they look pretty?  Thanks lil blue boo!  :D

One for Reilly and one for her friend Frankie's Birthday!

Monogram Wall Art Gift for a Bestie

Today I got crafty with my daughter.  It is her bestie's birthday party today and we decided to make her something for her brithday!  I had these 8x10 canvases from a room decoration from awhile ago, and I saw this idea on Pinterest.  But, I wanted a more kid friendly version so I came up with the idea for this one.  Her bestie's name is Morgan, and

she love, love loves pink. So this is perfect for her.  Ry and I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday(I know. I love it there too) and I let her pick out a wooden letter.  These were perfect size and very pretty.  (And only a $1.99)  She got to also pick out the shade of pink that she wanted to use(for $0.67).  So the whole thing cost under $3!!  I should've taken pics of her painting it, but my house is a disaster, soooo, nope.  She picked the fabric too, from my scraps stash.  She loved being able to help/make this herself, and it will be the perfect thing for her friend.  We got her a R too, so she can make her own for her rainbow room.  Not today though...theyre's only so much 9 yr old crafting that I can handle for one day.  Thanks for reading!

  :D

Candy is the Death of Me

OMG, I swear, this holiday is going to be the death of me!  I just can't seem to avoid the candy!  It's everywhere!  Seriously. 
Everywhere.  They should change the name to Candypalooza.  Every day this week some patient or other had a big pumpkin full of candy.  Why do people think that sick people need candy?  Is is going to make them better?  I know! " It's the miracle cure!  Eat candy and be well!" (said very sarcastically by me)  So I guess the patients all felt the need to share with me!  It's hard enough for me to avoid candy on my own, let alone when people are shoving it into my face!  So...I caved.  And I ate some.  Well, not just some, but a ton.  Every person that offered me some I said "Sure!  Love some! Thanks!" or "Oooooo, butterfingers are my favorite!" or "I love me some Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!"  What the heck was I thinking!!  I probably would have put myself into a sugar coma if  I had eaten another piece yesterday!  So far today I have had NONE!  I have a couple of giant bags too, to hand out to Trick-or-Treaters.  I'm taking the kids out tonight too, so that counts as exercise, right?  I recently discovered a new inspiration last weekend.  My sister-in-law has lost 55 lbs since last year.  We went walking together last Thurs and it was nice to have someone to talk to as I walked.  I would've jogged with her, but I didn't have my jogging shoes on.  And that is important.  I don't want to hurt my feet.  So...the world would be a much skinnier place without candy...me included!  :)

New Direction

Hi! Guess what?  I have some news for you, my loyal readers!  As some of you know, I love being creative.  I got some of it from my mother, and the rest is my own.  I'm also cheap. :)  I was thinking the other day about the last thing I got for myself that was 100% new, and I couldn't for the life of me remember.  I shop all the time, really all the time. Almost every day.  Whether it be online or thrifting, I am in a constant state of shopping.  The reason I can do this, is because I am cheap.  I can't justify buying myself new clothes for outrageous prices, when after you wash it it looks just like a used item.  The price difference is astounding.  I can get a whole outfit at the Goodwill for $11.  That's jeans a shirt and a pair of shoes.  Tell me where else you can do that?  Nowhere.  Back on track though....I can't justify decorating my house with new expensive stuff either, so I have turned to making stuff, or re purposing stuff!  It is awesome.  So, I've decided to add all the fun stuff I make to my blog here and hope you all enjoy it as much as I do.  And I hope you all become inspired!  :D

Gondola Overload and Chocolate Theives

I swear to goodness sake that Avanti's Gondolas were created to be the death of me!  If you didn't know it is Respiratory Care Week.  This is a week(sad that we only get a week, while nurses get a month) where we celebrate being Respiratory Therapists and all of the home care companies bring in lunch and goodies for us all week.  So, yesterday it was Avanti's.  I did so well at dinnertime. I had some salad and about half a gondola.  It was more than I needed, but since they are my favorite, I splurged.  I was full, but I figured that since I still had half of my shift to go I would work some of it off.  So far so good right?  Nope...when I got back down to the department at 10:00 pm, I ate another half!  At that point I was so full that I was uncomfortable!  I immediately regretted it!   I almost wanted to try and make myself hurl, but that would make me bulemic.  And I know better than that.  :)  So I suffered through a too full tummy.  It was terrible, and I know I never want to do it again, but I also know that at some point I probably will.  Oh well.  C'est la vie!  Last Friday I put a Milky Way into my mailbox because I didn't want to eat it then, but I knew I would want it later. So I get back to work last night and someone had stolen it!  The nerve of some people!  My favorite candy bar, and I had the restraint not to eat it.

Stupid Jackass!  I hope karma gets them!  I put a note on my
mailbox too, it said" Whoever stole my Milky Way out of my mailbox is a jackass.  I'm pissed.  Keep your hands off my shit!"  I hope it makes them feel bad.  But it probably won't.  And the people I work with wonder why I don't want to hang out with them.  Some of them suck!  I know what you're thinking, It's only a candy bar!  But you should know not to mess with a fat girl and her food!  It's like murder! lol  On another note,  I'm going to start walk/running with my sister-in-law on Thurs(my day off this week). She's lost 55 lbs and is an inspiration to me right now!  Still struggling with this food war, but it's a lifestyle change so it doesn't happen overnight!  Thanks for reading!

Kiss and Be Scared



This is where I wanted to go

Hi again, I can't believe it's been a week since I blogged!  Not much of consequence has happened in the last week, so I guess you didn't miss anything. HA!  So my DH isn't feeling the love right now.  He erupted on Thursday and spewed all his feelings at me very angrily.  I was really at a loss.  He basically told me in a 30 or so minute rant that he didn't feel loved by me anymore.  Hhhhmmmm...  I asked him what I needed to do to help him feel loved, and he wouldn't tell me.  He says that it has been happening for about a year and a half, which is exactly as long as I've had my "new" job.  But of course this doesn't have anything to with my job, he rants.  After much discussion and a text message answered at 6 am but my DD, things have hopefully been resolved.  For now.  We decided that we need to spend more time together without the kids, as a way for us to connect better.  So last night we went to the Bartonville Insane Asylum Haunted House.  He was terrified even before we got there.  He has a huge fear of ghosts.  He says he used to see them all the time when he was younger.  I told him he would be fine, and I was, of course, right.  It was really fun.  Not only did we get to spend 3 hours together in line waiting to get it...I actually screamed a few times.  Not in terror, but because something jumped out at me!    The lead up was pretty creepy too, they told the story of A. Bookbinder.  He is one of the only patients 

This is where we got to go

to have a name on his grave.  It's very creepy.  Too bad some stupid jackass answered his phone at that part, and was a royal ass the whole rest of the time.

Haunted Cemetery

The building we got to tour was at one time the TB ward.  Upward of 4000 people were reported to have died in there.  WOW! No wonder it's haunted!  Did you know that being scared ever once in a while is good for you?  It gets the heart racing and gives it a little exercise, so it can keep running smoothly for a long time.  So this time of year is great for your heart!  At about 1 am, after the haunted infirmary we took the hay rack ride to the old cemetery.  I totally didn't know that it was open to the public, I really want to go back some afternoon and find the grave of A. Bookbinder.  And take some of my own pictures.  These are ones I borrowed off the internet, and I know mine would be tons better!  I did manage to take a bunch with my camera phone while on the hay rack, and sadly they were all black, except this one.  Let me know what you see, and remember being scared is good for you.  As long as it's not all the time.  :D

Where does the fat go?

Has anyone ever wondered where the fat goes when you lose it?  I have, so I thought I'd do some research about it just because I'm curious.  I read an article that says that you can lose as much weight as you want, but you will still remain in the same shape.  For example, if you are pear shaped, or apple shaped(like me) you will always be that shape, just a skinner version.  Boohoo, I was hoping to gain a bigger butt! Just kidding, I know I'm stuck with the back-crack I was born with.  So anyway, back to where the fat goes...

Did you know that average weight people can have between 10 and 30 billion fat cells?  And that overweight people can have upward of 100 million?  The sad part is that you cannot get rid of these, except with liposuction.  The good news is that they can be shrunk.  That is part of how they work.  As you eat less and exercise to lose weight, your body needs more fuel, so it burns the stored energy inside your fat cell.  Pretty cool huh? 

This article also says that big belly(again, like me) is worse than big butt.  Again, wishing I had a big butt here.

Though it could potentially be too big.  Ya know.  

Anyway...they say the harm caused by a big belly far outweighs the harm caused by a big butt. Belly fat gets in the way of your abdominal organs and is metabolically active.  Which means that it disrupts the way your body runs normally.  So if you're like me and have a big belly you should get rid of it! Now! Your health is in jeopardy!  (Whew, had to get my Mr. Obvious comment out of the way. ) After your body metabolizes the fat stores it literally melts away, leaving water and CO2.  You pee or sweat out the water and breathe out the excess CO2.  Voila! This is where the fat goes! 

If you're more curious as to the biochemical aspect of it you can read this article here.   It's funny, because with all my education on how to lose weight, and eat better I never actually knew exactly where the fat went.  I knew it went away, but I didn't know how or where.  So, I learned something new today, and hope you did too!

Someday my belly will be this small, maybe a little jiggly still, but that's ok.

Barbie Lipo

I just discovered this great new project.  It's called Healthy is the New Skinny.  I LOVE this.  It is exactly what I'm trying to do with my life.  I'm going to have to start following this to see what they are up to.  You should too.  But I wanted to share this picture with you.  This is the photo that caught my attention and made me read this article.  This is a beautiful model, and this photo of her and her doll shows what she would have to get taken off to look like Barbie.  It's very powerful(for me), and I hope someday my daughter. Go check it out, and learn some good stuff! The site is chock full!

10 stories to the Top



The steps up to the Arch

Max sees the baby elephant.

We took a bit of a family vacay this weekend.  It was nice to get away, but the pile of laundry that awaited me was catastrophic!  I knew that while on this trip that I would eat worse than usual, and boy was I right.  Our hotel had free continental breakfast, with a belgian waffle maker(my favorite) sooooo, I had waaaayyy too many waffles.  But with all the walking we did, I'm sure I worked them off.  We went to the Arch and the zoo, and on Monday we went to Cahokia Mounds(had to put a little education in there for the kidlets).  The Arch was fun, as usual.  I went when I was a kid, and rode up in the elevator with my family.  I loved it, the elevators are little round-ish pods with 5 seats.  As they rise into the air they have to stay up-right, so they click and level up every so often.  This is a really cool piece of engineering.  Anyway, back to me, as I grew up I got a touch of claustriphobia and fear of elevators.  The closer we got to the elevator, the more freaked out I became.  I was literally almost having a panic attack...but I had to stay strong for the kids.  I knew if I showed my fear, Reilly would not get on.  Well, I made it all the way up!  It's only a 4 minute ride, and there is air circulation and light, so it really wasn't that bad.  It was more funny to watch the kids faces as it clicked and turned!  The views were amazing.  DH was freaked out and kept holding on to the baby like he thought he was going to fall out!  The next day was the zoo...tons of walking, all over the zoo.  We saw it all in one day.  The baby elephant was out, and the penguins, and giraffes.  Max noticed the elephants and got really excited.  It was a great family weekend, but I'm glad to be home.  My running is not going along as planned.  My brother gave up trying to motivate me I guess, so now it's up to me to motivate me. (We all know how well that goes.)  Oh well, I still have a year to go right?  So, I did well on my uphill trek, to the top of Monks Mound.  I had to rest halfway up, but I made it, and wasn't sweating that bad at the top.  The view of St Louis was amazing.  It was like the Arch was looking back at us.  We wandered around the top for a bit, then we made our way back down.  It was really neat to think of living on top of this man made hill. I wonder if the chief ever had to walk down the steps, or was everything always brought to him?  Very interesting and historical.  I actually considered going for a run after work tonight, but nope, it has to rain!  Well, the kids get up early so I'm off to bed!  Thanks for reading, and keep trying to live a healthy life!

The view from the top of Monks Mound, 10 stories up.

Another 5 Bite the Dust



This is the 5 lbs I lost! Gross!

 I guess all my hard work is paying off, just not as fast as I want it to obviously. lol  But seriously, I'v lost another 5 lbs! Really!  I work at a hospital, and we have a program the is called Lifestyle Coaching.  It is for our insurance(to keep it cheap! HA).  Well, the also have a program called Team Lean.  This is a weight loss initiative that puts people in teams of 4 and the team that loses the most weight wins!  I don't think my team is going to win, well, because not everyone is doing their best, but it looks good for the lifestyle coach, huh?  So anyway, I weighed in today and had lost 5 lbs! WOOHOO! Very exciting for me.  I actually got off the scale and did a little dance!  I felt silly, but happy too! It is real motivation to see that stuff.  The girl at the weigh-in actually asked me what my secret was.  I couldn't think of a thing to say besides, "For the first time in my life I actually pay attention to what I eat."  Duh, I forgot to put in the running too, but since it is still kind of sporadic I guess I don't think about it.  It was exactly what I needed to see and hear today.  It really made my day.  Even after all the dumb stuff I stress ate this week.  It isn't an excuse to still do it, but I can say it didn't completely de-rail me!  I never thought it was possible for me to actually lose weight while actually trying.  I've never actually tried for an extended period of time in my whole life.  This is fierce!!  I am a competitor, and I will do this!  Keep me in your thoughts!  :D

no,no,no...

No Eating Allowed Here

I am so on the downward spiral.  I feel like I'm just not motivated anymore.  I don't want to run, or eat right or anything.  I just see food and eat it.  It's very depressing.  I hope I haven't gained any of the weight back that I lost.  That would be a complete failure.  I feel very defeated right now.  It is so hard to eat right when my house is full of crap.  He actually told me that he was happy the way he is.  I'm repeating myself I know, but I just can't believe that is actually true.  I have all these things at my disposal, but when I get home at night it is too late to go running, and before I go to work there is just too much stuff to do.  My house is never clean, the laundry is never done, there is too much, too much, too much...  I even fell on my way into work yesterday.  I couldn't find my green crocs, and I had stepped in dog crap in the pink ones, so I wore some older shoes in to work.  I was walking along, minding my own business and splat...right on my face.  I fell right out of my shoes.  I turned to look and they were sitting there like that was where I had left them.  It was surreal.  Now my knee and wrists kill, and I'm sore everywhere.  I'm so very frustrated...and now the sink is leaking.  It really feels like I will never get ahead.  I have the best intentions, then I get stressed and my coping mechanisms are eating and shopping.  Which are the the two things that I do not need to do anymore.  Maybe I will begin again tomorrow.  I'm not even going to tell you what I've been eating...it would probably appall you.  It does me.  :(   Here's to de-cluttering and de-stressing my life.  Let's hope it works...

Death by Doggie

I went running again on Friday night.  This time I decided to take my husband's dog, because he never gets to play.  He totally loved running with me.  He's a little dog too, but he sure kept me going.  There were only a couple of moments when I thought he was going to kill me.  :)  Like when he stopped to take a dump and I had to do the dance/jump maneuver to avoid trampling him.  He also wanted to go see every dog who barked at him.  Good thing he is tiny or he might have pulled me places I didn't want to go.  lol  I didn't go as far this time, but I ran more of the time, and now I think I got a route down that I can time myself to see when I'm improving and when to add more distance.  It's a really good course too, there are some inclines and a nice downhill at the end before the slight incline up my street.  I really should have gone last night, but I was feeling drained after the hectic weekend we had, so I sat on my butt in front of the computer.  Oh well, there's always tomorrow.  I was going to add a picture of the dog, but my stupid old slow computer won't let me.  Jeez, I need a new one!  The dumb thing won't let me add any pics today!  I was going to go with the baby in the jogging stroller, but I desperately had to go to the grocery store.  Because if I let my husband go it.....well, the house would have been full of man junk food.  I sometimes wish he'd understand how hard it is to try to eat right with a house full of crap.  He actually told me that he's comfortable at his weight.  All I will say is that he weighs more than I do, and I'm waaaayyy overweight.  Even for a guy of my height.   The kids are slowly on their way to becoming overweight too.  I wish he would understand that I'm trying to become healthier, not just loose weight, and that I'm doing this for myself and my family.  Men.  Sorry about the lack of pics today, maybe later I'll edit it to add some, but I do have to work so maybe not!  Have a good nite! oxox  PS  I got to add a pic of Apoloo today, isn't he cute?

Still Alive

This is me at the Pumpkin Classic nexst year!

Well, I'm still alive.  My brother and I ran/walked 2.11 miles in 42 minutes!  It was really nice to talk with him while doing it.  The time flew by and it didn't seem like I was working out!  I've been thinking back to all the workouts I tried over the years and the only one I ever stuck to was running.  I ran for about 2 years while I was in college(for the first time) at ISU.  I don't know why I ever quit running.  I know why I stuck with it at first. At the rec center at ISU it was free to run the track.  The aerobics classes cost money, and being a poor unemployed college student I could'nt afford to go to aerobics, so running was free.  Plus there was the added bonus of hot boys playing basketball in the center of the track. It was nice to watch.  :D   My dorm neighbor, Julie used to go with me, it was nice to have someone to run with.  I would get my running tape and put it in my walkman and go!  Yes, I had a walkman!  (shows my age a bit huh)  One day Julie and I were running along and I just didn't stop when I was tired, I kept right on running with her and I finished my first mile ever!  Before that I had never ran a whole mile in my life!  I used to cheat in PE in HS.  Our PE teacher, who shall remain nameless, would give us each the amount of popsicle sticks that was equal to the amount of laps we had to run, if I could mamage I would drop some down the volleyball net holder holes.  It was totally cheating, but it worked.  Now I've come to the descision that I actually like running.  It's easy and requires no special skills or equipment.  My brother swears I'm going to run the Jingle Bell Run with him....hhhhmmmm, maybe, maybe not.  We just need to see how ready I am at that point.  I'll keep you posted!

Run Forrest Run

I've finally decided on a course of action for my life.  And I have an awesome goal, a year in the making.  I'm taking up running again, and I want to run in the Pumpkin Classic next fall.  That is my goal.  I've never ran in a race before, but I figure better late than never.  I'm really freaked out by this, but I am determined to do it.  I used to be a runner.  When I was in college at ISU I would run 1mile a day and 2 miles every other day, and time a mile once a week.  Believe it or not I could run a mile in 8 and a half minutes!  This from the girl who barely walked a mile in high school.  I had a great coach and motivator.  Which brings me to my new coach and motivator, my little brother, Nick. There he is after finishing the Pumpkin Classic on 9/17.  I am so very proud of him, and hopefully next year it will be me at the finish line with that great sense of accomplishment on my face.  In fact my first run is going to be tonight after work.  My brother is coming to get me and he said he would run/walk with me, but I'm not sure how fun that will be for him.  I'm really hoping that I don't die tonight because this is the first time I've really worked out in FOREVER.  I know I'm really out of shape too, because I get winded walking up an incline.  So please wish me luck on my new endeavor, and remember that I;m determined, and if I can do it, anyone can.   

Ikea, Chicago and The Giant Pickle

Chicago was a blast!  we started our day out at Ikea, a fabulous home stuff superstore.  I had never been there(yes, really) and I was totally in awe.  It is the biggest single store I had ever been to.  And

believe it or not, I actually ran into someone I knew, from around here!  We spent about 2 and a half hours in there, and we ate lunch, and I only managed to spend $101.34.  Which is not too shabby for my first time.  Right?  I actually had the Swedish meatballs for lunch.  They serve you a plate of 15 with a single serving of mashed potatoes and a salad and drink for $5.99.  Then I had to work it all of walking around right?  My daughter didn't do so well, she ate some of my meatballs and some of my friends.  I guess she was hungry, growth spurt right?  Besides the coffee and muffin from Starbucks for brekkie I didn't do too bad.  Then came the pizza!  Chicago style thin crust, is not real thin crust!  It was soooo good though, and I got mine with veggies, so it had some health value.    The rest of the weekend was spent downtown, we went to the American Girl Store at Watertower Place Mall.  It's like doll heaven.  My daughter couldn't decide what to look at first!  It was pretty cute.

Her friend was in major meltdown mode before we got out of there.  And I only spent $50.  Not bad considering most stuff is $30 plus! The doll, who's name is Nellie, got her hair done at the doll salon, and she could've gotten her ears pierced, but Reilly decided to wait until next time.  We moved on to the Lego store, where they had built a model of Chicago out of Lego's.  It was impressive. We moved on to eat a nice lunch outside at Potbelly Sandwiches.  That's where Laura got the "Giant Pickle".  Ry was so jealous that she didn't get one too.  We had a lovely day in Chicago, ending with a play at the park with some Chicago friends.  I thoroughly enjoyed the walking and talking the train, so did Reilly, because ya' know we're not city girls...(even though I will always want to live there)  I'm gonna stay here in my little town of Peoria Heights.  Where I can drive my car to the store, and ride my bike for fun, and visit Chicago whenever I want, because it is only a couple hour drive.  Here's a couple of more cool Chicago pix for ya.

Lego Chicago

The "Giant Pickle"

Our beautiful girls and best buds!

Ikea, here I come.

I want to start out this post with a realization...I was getting ready for work yesterday and I was putting on lotion when I realized that my skin felt different.  I guess it's something that only a fat person notices, but my skin felt more together.  Like it wasn't so stretched.  You see, lately I've been feeling very tight.  Almost like it had gotten so big that it didn't want to stretch anymore and I was going to burst.  It's actually a really good feeling!  It really makes me feel like all this hard work is paying off finally.  I haven't weighed myself in a week or so, but my scrubs are even looser so I must be doing something right.  I've been very creative lately and to promote my little etsy shop, I'm participating in a giveaway on a blog in Oct.  I made this adorable fall dress to give away to hopefully new fans (and customers).  I have debated on making one for my daughter, because she thinks she is grown and sometimes kinda picky.  Sometimes.  Most of the time she still likes the stuff I get her. I'm

lucky that way.  I really love creating things. Especially for the ones I love.  Which brings me to my newest endeavor...tomorrow I'm going to an Ikea store.  It will be my first trip.  I'm so very excited!  I have already went online and shopped to my hearts content and made a list and printed it out!  I'm such a dork sometimes!  But, I'm being very proactive this year, and I'm starting teacher Christmas gifts super early.  I've got a great idea for some Ikea stuff, for example, that stuff right there.   I'll let you know how it turns out.  Cute, hopefully!

Those are such a steal at $0.49 for the whole set too.  That's what I use at my house so as to not scratch the non-stick coating on my pots and pans.(Which I need new ones anyway, but that's another post)  I'm hopefully getting a stand mixer today too. I'm very excited about it, because i have never had one before.  This should make baking so much easier(I hope)and more fun.  I love to bake, but I hate to mix the batter.  Reilly will enjoy it too.  She loves to help in the kitchen.  Maybe everyone else will get baked goodies for Christmas?  Do you hate me because I'm planning for Christmas already?  I hate me sometimes.  I get all my shopping done so early that sometimes I keep adding stuff and spend waaaayyy toooo much.  Last year I was great because I stuck to a budget.  Each kid only got a certain amount spent on them.  I'll tell you more about that in a later post though.  We're driving to Chicago, so we have lots of trunk space for all the cheap little trinkets we're going to buy.  I'm getting some serving dishes, and picture frames(I heart picture frames).  A hanging swag light for Reilly's room, and a pop-up tent for the baby to play in(again, for Christmas) and serving trays, and all kinds of neato stuff!  I'm really, really, really excited!  I'm also hoping that I don't spend too much....and, I was told that Ikea serves Swedish Meatballs. YUM.  I love Swedish meatballs.  I hope I don't gorge myself with a ton.  I guess if maybe I do I will be walking it off shopping, right?  Or downtown on Sunday?  I won't be posting much for the weekend, due to being out of town, but I will post pics when I get back, and I will let you know how Ikea went, and If you don't hear from me that means I died and went to Ikea Heaven(if only).  Ttyl....

Bike Riding Baby

I was somewhat productive today! Yay!  I sewed some girl pants from an old dress, and I took the baby on a bike ride.  Then I posted some stuff to the Peoria Area Online Garage sale, oh yeah, and some nice lady came over and bought some other stuff.  It has been a nice day with just me and the baby.  It always is...when the others are home I can't get stuff done.  My husband does his thing, and thinks that I got the baby, and I do my thing and I think he's got the baby, when in actuality no one's got the baby. So the baby causes a ruckus.  The dd wants me to do everything she's doing, which is not possible, then I have to cook and clean up, etc, etc, etc.  I don't want to seem ungrateful, but it is so nice when everyone is at work or school.  Aaaaaahhhhhh...the nice quiet house.  Anyway, back to my day...I started out with a little bit of sewing.  I had intended for these pants to be capris for Reilly, but there just wasn't enough material, so I made them into a cute pair of 3t pants for my etsy shop here.  So some lucky little girl is going to get some soft comfy knit pants.  Then I decided on another project.  I have a little red dress that I made yesterday that needs a hood and a ruffle, but maybe tomorrow.  There is also another Halloween dress to do, and a fall dress for a giveaway.  Who doesn't love giveaways!  There is just not enough time in the day to get this all done. Whew!  And to top it all off I have to eat healthy? Wow. Sometimes I feel like I am just setting myself up for failure.  Yesterday we had an impromptu cookout with the neighbors.  It was nice. We had steak on the grill with Nana potatoes and watermelon and veggies with dip.  I have to say that the steak I ate was way too big, and the S'mores I ate for dessert didn't help either, but my one redeemer for the chocolate and marshmallows was the bike ride I took after everyone else had left.  It was so peaceful, gliding down the quiet twilight street.  So today I decided to take the baby for a ride.  We live right by part of the Rock Island trail(I think that is what it is called) so I thought I would ride up the street and get on it and ride to Knoxville and then back home.  Weeeeelllllll...I haven't ridden a bike in forever, and I am most definitely out of shape. out. of. shape.   We (I, he just got pulled) tried riding towards Knoxville, and I guess it's on a slight grade.  So no gliding for me.  I was breathing hard and sweating profusely, it was pretty funny if you ask me.  I couldn't take it anymore and turned around to go the other way towards Glen.  That was much easier.  Finally when we got back to our street I was so wiped out that I had to walk the bike up the street.  My legs were so tight and burning.  I got the baby out of the trailer and my legs about gave out on me!  Lol, I'm going to have to take this biking thing slow I guess, but I've made a good start.  Now he's asleep and the house is really quiet until about 3:20 when the big kids come bursting through the door excited to tell me all about their days.  My dd wants me to go on a ride with her this afternoon.  I'm not sure how far we will ride, but I will make my best effort.  Now I've gotta rest up for that later...

My thoughts exactly...

Happy Labor Day America

This is my new bike

I got a new bike!  It's the most awesome bike ever.  It's a beach cruiser and it was only $50.  It's shiny red and has pedal brakes.  I'm not really fond of 10 speed bikes.  I never really understood what to do with all those extra speeds.  Sometimes I felt like I was pedaling really hard, and other times it was really easy.  Very confusing you see.  So I fully intend on riding this bike everyday, with the baby.  I also got an awesome deal on a baby bike trailer.  He loved riding in it yesterday.  Now I can ride it to the grocery store for small trips and to the little shops on Prospect.  There is also a part of the Rock Island Trail that runs behind my house, and I think it might run all the way to the Goodwill!  Be still my heart!  I can get exercise and go thrifting all at the same time.  I'm really looking forward to saving gas money and getting some much needed exercise.  After Reilly finally learns how to ride we can go on family bike rides!  She never really wanted to learn before.  She had a bike with training wheels on it when she was in kindergarten and first grade.  One of her friends had a birthday party at Safety Town(a cool bike riding city with road signs and traffic lights) and she didn't want the training wheels on it.  So when Daddy took them off and she fell once she wanted nothing more to do with riding a bike, until now.  She was outside all afternoon trying to learn.  I was very proud of her.  I can't wait!  Today is Labor Day and I don't have to work it.  It's kinda nice to be at home.  I have some sewing projects that I want to work on, as well as my eating habits.  I just can't seem to get it anymore.  I struggle every day, and it has become more and more difficult.  I even started taking my lunch to work and that has proven helpful, but not foolproof.  I've discovered that some days I do excellent and the rest are crap.  Once I fall off the wagon I'm done for the day.  My mom used to tell me that if I was hungry to go drink a glass of water.  I used to look at her all crazy, like whatever mom.  Little did
I know, she was actually right about that!  Most of the time when we think we are hungry our body 

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is actually telling us that we are thirsty, or bored.  Very rarely are we really hungry.  When your stomach growls it just means that it is empty. If you fill it with a glass of water or a soda or some kool-aid it will stop and you will feel better.  Voila, no extra eating.  When I first started The Food War my tummy growled all the time, now that I'm used to eating less it has become comfortable with it and therefore doesn't growl.  But when it did, I would go into the kitchen and have a big glass of something diet, or sugar free.  It would fill up my tummy and keep me from eating anything.  So remember fellow Food warriors, on this lovely holiday, don't eat stuff you will regret later.  Stuff that will make you're body unhealthy and sluggish, no matter how good it tastes.  Happy Labor Day America!

Fly your flags proudly America!