POST YOUR FINAL POINTS RIGHT HERE!!! DO IT TODAY!!!!

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW YOU ALL DID! REMEMBER WE START AGAIN ON MONDAY. THIS NEXT CHALLENGE WILL END ON MAY 7TH. I DON'T WANT ANYONE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CUT CALORIES OR GET EXTRA EXERCISE IN ON MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND.

LOOK FOR A COUPLE OF POINT CHANGES TO COME TOO!!!

Hallelujah, it's done!

For my 30 point personal goal this session I committed to finishing a wedding album design that has been lingering in semi-completion for an inordinate amount of time. I can't tell you how nice it is to have this honey-do marked off my list! Here are a few of the layouts:

Cilantro + lime = heaven

This was my lunch yesterday and today. The recipe called for corn instead of garbanzo beans, but I opted for the beans to get more protein in. So yummy. A bit high in cals because of of the avacado and the garbanzos. What I really want you to drool over is all that roughly chopped cilantro. That and a tablespoon of this dressing made my day:

Juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp honey
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash of cayenne pepper

I would love other recipes with cilantro and lime! Samantha, the improved plating presentation is just for you!

You've got my back!

One of the areas that needed serious attention prior to starting these challenges was my back. The muscles in my back had all but disappeared which meant that if I didn't stand up straight (an issue for me) that I had the bra overhang thingy going on. But, boy have I seen progress in my back. I've been doing lots of push ups with all of you, lots of hand weight work and lifting a 15 bar in various and sundry difficult ways at the gym. I've also been picking up my kids more often, even my 75 pounder and hugging them tightly.

To combat my tendency to slouch, I've ordered what looks like a heavy duty sports bra (think mega straps) without the cups. It's supposed to put pressure on my shoulder blades if I don't stand up straight. Also, if you see me in person, do me a favor: when I'm slouching, take you hand and push it against my lower back. That's usually my husband's job. It's my awareness trick because sometimes I'm not even aware I'm slouching. Do you have any not so healthy behaviors you engage in completely unaware? How do you combat them?

The Tastemaker Penne with Asparagus and Peppers

I find recipes from a variety of places. This one came from a renowned chef out of NYC and also a bicycle enthusiast, thus it came from Bicycling Magazine May 2010. I made it with whole wheat pasta! It was very yummy and made enough for two generous servings for my husband and a 1 cup serving for me. 1 cup was very filling.

Penne with Asparagus and Peppers

1 pound medium asparagus, peeled, tough ends removed and stalks cut into 2-inch pieces
I didn't peal and I used more like 1 1/2 pounds
2 yellow bell peppers, charred, peeled and diced
2 red bell peppers, charred peeled and diced (I did the peppers the day before while I was bbqing something else)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 teaspoon
3/4 pound penne (I used a whole box)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
2/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (I used about 1 tablespoon sprinkled on my portion)
2 tablespoons butter (I used 1 tablespoon)
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

In a skillet over medium heat, boil asparagus in lightly salted water until it begins to soften, about 1 minute after the water begins to boil. Drain.

Add the peppers and garlic to the skillet and toss 1 minute.

Add the chicken stock, bring to boil and set aside.

I stared to water before I started the asparagus so when the pasta was ready I put it right into the skillet.I cooked the pasta according to box directions to just before al dente, without the salt. This chef recommends using 1 tablespoon of salt in the water! I think that's WAY TO MUCH. Lightly salt if desired. Add pasta to the skillet.

Stir and simmer until the pasta reached al dente, or approximately 5-7 minutes. Mix in half the cheese, butter, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt and1/8 teaspoon pepper and thyme.

It says this should serve 6. One serving is 224 calories, 8 grams fat, 30 g GOOD carbs, 11g protein. I cut the butter and the cheese so I don't know exactly what it was. I ate one cup as 1 serving. Yummy!

Give it a try.

What's Your Age?

For Christmas this past year I got a Wii & Wii Fit. Finally {just yesterday, APRIL 21st?!} I plugged it in for the first time and got started. Took long enough eh? Well really I didn't have the room to even play it until we moved a month ago...but it still took me A MONTH to set it up. I've had friends who talk about it so I kind of expected what was coming on the first time until it said my physical age was 39. 39?! {I'm 25} I'm not a big fan of the BMI, but it kept going up and up and up and I almost gasped as it inched closer to obese. Yuck. Thankfully it stopped just shy of obese, just highly overweight. That should be motivation right there right? Do you do Wii Fit? What's your physical age? What's your favorite exercises? I tried hula hooping, running, biking {pretty much running but I thought it was more accurate since you are on the pad and it goes by how fast your switch your feet, where running you run off the pad}, and a little yoga. I still need to get to the gym, but it seems like something that you can still get some good work outs on if you don't make it to the real deal.

From moving into our new house and setting up all new utilities, buying necessities that we didn't have from our previous house, etc...etc....etc., we've been pretty broke. It's hard to buy healthy food with not a lot of money. I've been eating a lot of chicken, but there hasn't been veggies or fruit in this house in a long while. Thankfully my tax return should be here tomorrow and I am going on a huge grocery trip. I'm actually kinda excited about it because I won't have pinch the pennies on this grocery trip. Have any ideas on your favorite healthy stuff to buy? I always finding myself wanting all these things in my head and then when I go to grab it at the store I freak at the price and find an excuse to not buy it because it costs too much. I need help!

I can't wait for this to be flourishing with veggies. I have dreams about going out to my garden in the morning to grab my snacks for work. No fuss, no buying, just easy.

Thank you girls for always posting fabulous things to keep us all motivated.

LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE

Isn't this what our lives are all about? More than just getting through each day we need to be EMBRACING each day.

This challenge is more than a weight loss goal for me. It is a commitment to making this my way of life.

For me, success comes at the end of the day when my body feels good. When I am not laying in bed depressed by how much I ate. The challenge is being good to myself no matter HOW I am feeling inside or WHAT I am going through.

My husband can always tell how I have taken care of myself by just looking at me. He can see the physical bloated tummy part but he he also sees how I am treating the kids. I get so MEAN when I have been overeating. I feel sorry for myself and I don't have any patience with the kids. Thank goodness they are so forgiving :)

I have been battling depression for many years. It comes and goes through out the month but it seems to stay more than not. I have been on medication but it doesn't seem to help. When I went off the last one I gained 5 lbs! (This REALLY helps when your already feeling over weight) I am determined to fight this and I know if I use faith and hope to push away my despair my struggles won't go away but I will find the strength to endure them well.

Life isn't easy for any of us. It seems like curve balls are constantly thrown our way. It is up to us to keep focused on our goals and not let anything take us off course. Sometimes our goals need to change; It's good to reevaluate and make our goals work for us but not completely throw them out the door.

Thanks for letting me join all of you on our journey to a HAPPY LIFE!

Thanks gals!

I so appreciate reading about what all of you are doing, eating, thinking and feeling. You all inspire me. . . and here's just a few examples of how:

Audrey, I walked the playground surround 30 times yesterday for my exercise. Brilliant idea!

Alicia, I ran 3/4 of a mile today. First time I've run since college. My joints were protesting and my asthma was kicking in a little, but I did it.

Jenn, I bought myself some new bras, much needed.

Mindy, your veggie medley...I can't get it out of my mind.

Mama Hass - I've been using the ax and the shovel in the yard and I totally count that as exercise

Queen Vee (who should really join us!) - I'm on the hunt for protein powder.

Samantha- thanks to you and your hubby commercials are for push ups and crunches on a day where walking was my only exercise.

Sue - my attitude and motivation on a day to day basis is strong and healthy thanks to your inspiring posts.

Blog-Missing

Have you guys read the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld? It's awesome. I'm currently on book 2, Pretties. To use some pretty lingo, I've been totally blog-missing.

I've been struggling to find balance in my life. I've been successful at getting my exercise in and eating well most days, but I often feel like that's all I have to show at the end of the day. My house has been a wreck and I finally had to stop everything and spend the entire day cleaning and doing laundry yesterday. And while I stayed busy the whole day, I didn't get the kitchen finished or the living room clean, so this morning it still feels like a pig sty. Bleh! It was such a nice day yesterday, the warmest this year and I spent most of it inside, although I did manage to go for a jog/pull Mack in the wagon around 5pm... I just realized that because this challenge ends Friday instead of Sunday, I only have 3 days to complete my 30 point personal goal which involves finishing up some old photography work that's been hanging over my head for months. I think I better start by cleaning the living room, since that's where my computer is and likely where I'll spend the majority of my day.

Now, can I whine for a minute? I don't write about this on my personal blog because I don't want to hurt my husband's feelings and I don't want to seem like I'm trying to solicit money or anything. PLEASE don't think that. But lately I've just been so tired of being financially stressed all the time. My husband and I started Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover in September 2007. We have paid off about $40,000 in debt (including selling a vehicle) in the last 2 1/2 years. Good, right? While I'm proud of that accomplishment, it's still so discouraging to see how much farther we have to go. Another $50,000 before we are debt free and can start saving for a down payment on a house. By the end of next year, we'll likely be a family of 6 living in an 800 square ft house. I know that we are doing the right thing. I know that we will reap the benefits of being financially responsible someday. And I know we created this mess by living beyond our means. But I'm just tired. Tired of pinching pennies and budgeting so carefully and looking in the cash envelope to find that there's only $75.00 left for any non-bill item my family needs in the next 10 days. I want to go buy a new pair of jeans. What's the fun in moving down a size if you can't get a great new pair of jeans? I want to buy storage containers to organize. I want to buy new bedding for myself and my girls. I want to buy a plane ticket for my best friend, Lori, to fly out and see me this summer. (Lori, if you're reading, stop feeling guilty. And stop stalking and hurry up and join this challenge!) I want to get my camera body repaired. I want to buy at least two new lenses. I want to enlarge and frame some great pictures I've taken of my kids, like this one, which I invision as a 24x36 canvas print on my living room wall:

And that's just the "fun stuff I want" category. That doesn't include things like a mini-van, which we need to purchase in the next year if we're going to have another kid. Right now I've got all 3 of my kiddos sandwiched in the back seat of a 1987 Honda Accord. But even a decent used mini-van with high mileage is $6000. And don't get me started on my computer, which is 7 years old and crashes almost daily. The disk cleanup and I are very intimate friends. It takes me 4 times as long to do things as it should, especially downloading and editing pictures, which is most of what I use my computer for. But that's at least $1500 and what I'd really like is a laptop so I can have the mobility and freedom to work on my photo and blogging projects wherever I want. My husband needs to do some major repairs on his motorcycle because he took a part-time job as the canal rider (he rides along 2 canals several times a week to check for debris and make sure no one's hogging more than their fair share of the water) and he really needs a motorcycle to do it efficiently.

Our biggest limiting factor right now is the sporadic nature of Dan's self-employed income. He is an independent contractor for a law firm and writes patent applications. He spent 6 years getting a PhD in oncological sciences, and while he loves science and basic research, we simply couldn't afford to live on a post-doc's salary for the 6-8 additional years it would take him to be qualified to be a professor. And even then the income potential rarely exceeds $80K. So Dan went another direction with his career. The income potential is great as a self-employed patent agent, but it hasn't happened for us yet. Dan does work for only one law firm right now, and he's gotten himself pigeon-holed into doing work primarily for one client. So when that client doesn't send work, Dan's basically unemployed. November, December and January were really hard for us, teaching us to truly distinguish between wants and needs. We relied quite a bit on our food storage, were humbled by the way the Lord provided for us through gifts and anonymous help, became familiar with the 8-10 times a day phone calls from the credit card companies wanting their late payments, and really understood what it meant to only pay for the absolute essentials and everything else would have to wait.

We are treading water right now with just barely enough to meet our basic needs and keep the wolves from the door. But there's been no extra payments on debts and certainly no excess cash to buy non-essentials. My frustration is two-fold. The biggest hold-up is that Dan has yet to take and pass the national patent bar exam which would license him as a patent agent. Patent agents can do everything an attorney can do except for litigate in the courtroom. Not only can they write the patent applications, they can coorespond and prosecute patents with the Patent and Trademark Office. Being a licensed patent agent would open up the door for Dan to get work from other law firms, which would definitely increase his income. Here's the problem: Dan is spread too thin with other obligations (volunteer fire-fighter, chairman of the town's tree board, on the town economic steering committe, helping on our friend's ranch almost daily, riding the canal, and now he just got called to serve with the 12-13 year old boys at church). He is not a lazy man, by any means. He works his butt off from morning til night, but it's often not on something that actually PAYS anything. All of these other obligations are keeping him from studying to pass the patent bar and my nagging certainly is no help. But I just don't see our financial situation changing until Dan passes that exam and solicits work from other law firms.

My other frustration is that I don't really have a way to contribute to the income. I do a good job keeping our expenses low, but because we live in a rural community, it is very difficult for me to make much money doing photography. The economy here simply won't support the prices I used to charge when we lived in the city. And to be honest, for what I can charge and the time it takes me in editing the pictures after I've taken them, it's just not worth it. When I shoot, I do it mostly for fun, to keep up my skills, or to provide a service for someone. But not as a money maker. I could travel up to Jackson Hole or back to Utah once a month and spend a weekend shooting, but frankly, Dan would rather make the money and not have to watch the kids the whole weekend. It's worth it to him to have me home. And honestly, that's a blessing because it certainly wasn't like that when he was in graduate school.

Wow, this is a lot more than I intended to write, but I guess I just needed to get it off my chest. I just keep praying and encouraging Dan to pay our tithing and simply enduring because there's nothing else I can do. I'm thankful the weather is improving, thankful to get outside, and I'm looking forward to starting my garden (can't actually plant until Memorial Day because of late frost). This year I'm going to try to grow soy beans and garlic and do better on my cucumbers, in addition to the potatoes, peas, green beans and carrots I grew last year. To end on a happy note, here are some pictures of me and my kiddos in our first garden, last summer.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go raid the produce drawer in the fridge.

Trying New Things

So after I read the post about greek yogurt, I marched right out to the store and bought myself a big ole 24 oz container of it.




Maybe I should have started smaller.

I tasted it and thought, "This can't be right!" It wasn't the flavor as much as the texture. Everyone says it's supposed to be so creamy, but mine was a little... curdled, and way more sour than I expected.


Is this what your greek yogurt looks like? I ate it anyway with some blackberries and agave syrup, and so far no gastrointestinal distress, so it must be right, right?



Speaking of..




Here's something new I'm trying that I like. This natural sweetener is made from some kinda weird plant in Mexico. It's sweeter than sugar, so you need less. I've used it on cream of wheat, oatmeal, ebelskivers, greek yogurt, and to sweeten strawberries. I was excited to find it was only 20 calories per teaspoon, until I realized that brown sugar and cane sugar are about 15 calories a teaspoon. Sure you use less, but is it really worth it? At $3.99 a bottle (on sale) I will save it for things that will be better without the grittiness of cane sugar, like that greek yogurt. It might just require the whole bottle to make it palatable.

My favorite new product is something I've eaten, but never really appreciated before.




Eggplants.

I first added them to Audrey's orzo salad recipe (which is delish!) The recipe actually calls for eggplant but I've left it out because, well, I don't really know why. But I added them recently to boost the veggie to pasta ratio, and I fell in love. Since then, I've been making a big batch of this roasted veggie mix about once a week, and eating it all week long.







I think the eggplant its my favorite veggie in it. I chop the veggies, spray them with cooking spray, sprinkle them with garlic powder, onion powder, salt pepper and thyme, and roast them at 400 for about 45 minutes or so. They are so yummy mixed with whole wheat pasta, rice, in omelets, or just plain.

BUMMER!

Okay ladies, I've not wanted to post this so as to not be a downer, but I have had my happy life flipped upside down because I found out last week that I have 3 herniated discs in my lower back. PHOOEY! I'm very grumpy about it and am trying really hard to do as much exercise as I can with out hurting it more. My Physical Therapist says she'll be working my core, so that's a bonus...I suppose. The good news is that walking feels GREAT! It keeps my heart and mind happy. The biggest problem is bending over to put my sneakers on. :( The best part is since I can't touch my toes, I get to get a pedicure everytime my toe-nail polish chips. haha! (Can I claim that as a medical expense on my taxes?)

Keep up the good work ladies!!!

The TV Workout . . .

Good things to report today!

My sweetie and I are complete Lost addicts.  With the show nearing an end, each episode is absolutely riveting and we are glued to the couch.

Until last night.

I made my man get up with me during EVERY commercial break and do 20 sit ups, 20 push ups, 20 lunges, 20 curls with weights and 20 shoulder presses.  As soon as that screen went to black I'd yell, "Get up, Let's go!"  And we'd do it together, laughing and grunting until the commercials were over.

We did 100 of each exercise and this morning I am a little sore.  It's better than nothing, right?

Stomach Muscles

I have stomach muscles!! It's amazing how much I've used them lately. And how sore my muscles are after I do, which has been a bit surprising. I mean I knew I was out of shape, but sheesh. Unfortunately, I am using these muscles in my bathroom, particularly over my toilet (which is immaculately clean, and will be for the next 7 months). I never knew how good those abs (and whatever the sides of your gut are called) could contract. Now, this is the main problem. NOTHING sounds good. NOTHING smells good. The thought of watching ANOTHER episode of Dora the Explorer makes me nauseated. Going to the grocery store has been a test in will power to actually BUY something (my poor husband). When something does sound good, I eat it, and then I am never going to eat it again because it ended up making me feel gross. By the time this little tyke comes out, I will have run out of food that I can stand to eat.

Now, here is the unusual part (for me, at least), eating helps the nausea. So I feel like I am constantly eating. I'm trying to eat good things, like honeydew and grapes, but I'm finding myself eating more popsicles and hard candy than anything else. HELP!! Any tips on this morning sickness (which really lasts from 8 at night to noon the next day).

Pondering protein powder . . .

I know some of you drink a protein drink at some point during the day. I'm wondering what you like, what you would recommend. After reflecting on my protein intake over the last few days, I think I could stand to add some more of that good stuff to make my muscles happier and energy level higher.

What's Your Choice of Multivitamin?

No matter how healthy you eat, experts say that you still need a Multivitamin. It's impossible to cover all the specific nutrients that your body needs EVERY day and you need all you can to keep that machine running in tip top shape. We're busy doing a variety of things and we can use all the help we can get and I have to say this is an EASY help.

I use to take a women's One A Day. Until my visit to a super fit friend who had lost a lot of weight over the last few years. She pulled out this vitamin pack from Costco. At first I was, gee that's a lot of stuff but then after trying it I've stuck to it and so has Chris.

The box sits right inside my cupboard. As you can see this cupboard has all the essentials for a active family, vitamins, allergy pills, lots of water bottles. Yes, a whole shelf for water bottles and I'm telling you they get used a lot! But its right in front of me so I can't forget to take it! There's another reason I know if I've remembered but keep reading for that.

So this little pack has a lot of bang for your buck. (But not for you if you're pregnant or nursing!)

It contains a Multivitamin, Vitamin E, two Calciums, Asian Ginseng, Vitamin C, and B-50 Vitamins. The funny thing is now that I'm drinking a lot of water you'd think my pee would run clear....but the B-50 Vitamins are a little orange pill that makes your pee florescent yellow. It's always a reminder that I've taken my vitamins for the day. I kind of makes me giggle every time.

I know it may seem like a lot but I'm covering my bases in one packet instead of a ton of bottles I have to open.

So what type of vitamin are you taking and is there any specific reason you chose it?

Heaviness

I am on a quest to rid myself of "Heaviness".

Sometimes it hangs out on my thighs.

I've spotted it lingering around my stomach.

For the longest time it has been renting space on the back of my arms.

But recently, it has made itself comfortable in a tiny corner of my heart.

I especially don't like it there.

Good thing this challenge is helping to chase out the heaviness that is both physical and emotional. Thank you ladies for your encouragement and wise words. Exercise seems to be one of the best ways for me to evict my recent tenants. Soon I will have room for my new tenants....

Mr. Muscles and Mrs. Peace.

My Challenge Challenger . .

So I feel like I'm doing most things right.  But I have to confess that I have pretty much ditched the idea of doing exercise right now, and here's why:  my body is controlled by a nine month old.  As in he owns my chest.  And he determines how much sleep I get at night.  Let me tell you outright - it ain't much!  I am a wimpy wimp.  I cannot function when I am flailing around on six hours a night sleep.  I cannot function when my horomones are wacko.  Just ask my husband.  Or Audrey.  She's seen my house as of late.  I am not super functional.

But - the husband is a good man.  And last night he and I had a plank-off.  Then we did sit ups and push ups together before hopping into our toasty bed for some rest.  And we're going to do it again tonight, but this time I'm going to bring the hand weights up from the basement and we're going to do some lifting too.  He will challenge me when I don't feel like it.  And he will be a great partner.  He always is. 

That will have to be enough for now.  Hope you're all doing better with the exercise than I am! :)

Ms. Thunder Bumper's Challenge #3

Ok, this is the last challenge for this session and is SEEMS TO BE A REAL CHALLENGE!

I miss hearing what you have to say. You all keep inspiring one another! It can't be done by only a couple of you.

So this challenge is to POST something this week. Tell us ANYTHING! It could be what's going on in your life, something that you're doing that might help someone else or what you'd do to change this HWHL Challenge if you were in charge. Input is always good!

I hope that you all get your 10 points for this because I really miss you and you're missing points that could make you the champion!

Garlic

Hi ladies!

I've been cooking and making all sorts of delishness around here. Very unlike me. They're starting to wonder if their mother/wife has been replaced by an alien. And this alien has actually gone through an entire mesh bag of yellow onions for the first time in her life without a single one rotting (since these challenges began) and there's also the garlic. The husband comes home and says "Whew! Garlic breath! What did you have for lunch today?!" Often the culprit is hummus, but today the answer is this yummy salad: spinach, mandarin oranges, toasted almond slivers, dried cranberries and a homemade dressing (oils, vinegar, orange juice, honey, ginger, garlic).

I need to get a serious pack of breath enhancing gum before the husband comes home from work though.

Name Game

Hi everyone! New week, fresh start. A trip to the grocery to stock up on fruits and veggies for the week. How many can you name. Isn't all that color inspiring!? My cart is about 1/2 full of fruits and veggies these days. I feel pretty stoked about that. I'm curious to know what you're buying at the grocery. Do tell.

EXERCISE! WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE?

First, this isn't a post to point out anyone specific except for myself. So don't take this personally. This is something that I've been working on and thought I'd share my thoughts, successes, failures and maybe inspire you to do the same.

I LOVE to Exercise and I HATE to exercise. I love the way it makes me feel when it's over, and I love the accomplishment of a long bike ride. But I hate the time it takes. Mainly because I'm lazy.

For years now I've been a average three time a week workout girl. Sometimes more if I'm training for something and sometimes less if I just through in the bag for the whole week.

I can come up with lots of excuses. But when it came right to it I was plain lazy. Or, I'd say I need to do this first and I'll exercise tonight but it rarely happened.

When I first started these challenges I was amazed how easy it was to get 5 or even 6 days in a week. (I don't work out on Sunday. Sabbath is my day of rest.) I was amazed at myself and how when I made it a priority I was happier with myself and still had plenty of time to accomplish what I needed to do and relax at the end of the night.

Here are some things I did to "Make It Work."

Monday was always my hardest day to get a workout in. After several failed attempts I learned that getting my house clean on that day was more important. It set me up for success, but not working out on Monday's also gave me an excuse to maybe get frustrated with my lack of exercise and throw away the whole week. It's amazing what one day can do.

So guess what. I decided and workout out with my very busy husband that Monday I would get up and go to a 5:30 am spin class.
This is tough because I'm not a morning person and I like to go to bed late. But I've learned that maybe one day a week I can go to bed early and get up early. It sets me up for success on Monday and I still get my house cleaned. No more Monday excuses.

My second aha moment came when I did a 5 day challenge with Sue during Spring Break. My next biggest excuse always surrounded my kids being home a day from school. I wanted to make it a fun day not just an ordinary day. So having both boys home from school meant that I was really going to have to figure out when to workout because this challenge had us doing an hour of working out every day. BUT GUESS WHAT I DID IT! One of my favorite days was when my boys were begging me to take them to the park. It was late in the afternoon and I wasn't sure how I was going to get my workout in that day. I told them if they let me stop by that house and change my clothes we could go to the park.

I picked a smaller park that has a pond with a walking path around it. For an hour I walked the path which took me about 4 minutes to go around and they played at the park. I was able to check on them as I walked around and I could see them the whole time. Sam even did some laps with me. I felt great, they had fun and I realized that I just needed to be more flexible with my workouts on days they are home.

It's easy to come up with an excuse why you can't do it. Most of them involve needing to be with your kids but I feel that if I don't take care of myself I'm not going to be very good at taking care of them. My physical and mental health both suffer. SO STOP MAKING EXCUSES! One day I don't want to wake up and ask myself, how in the heck did this happen? oh yeah, remember all those lame excuses you used so you could just sit on the couch and watch more TV..... Visualize me just slapping myself upside the head.

I also look at it as I'm being an example for them to want to lead healthy lives too! I don't want them to use me as an excuse someday for being a bad example.

Now I know that some weeks I may only get in those 3 days, we can't always control what life throws at us but if we take advantage of the days that we can control and don't let our lazy selves sabotage our progress then we win.

I've also learned that you have to keep pushing through. Sometimes all the hard work doesn't show up the way we want it to and we can get discouraged. As soon as that happens it's easy to throw in the towel and give up but that's not a good idea. Whenever I get frustrated Chris reminds me to just keep going. It takes time for that body to get fired up especially when I forget to fuel it the right way.

For those of you who may not have read THIS or THIS, they are two great article written by Trainer Momma about the dreaded Scale. DON'T GIVE-UP. I'm not. I want this to be something that is just part of who I am not just something that I'm doing right now. It takes work, dedication and most of all patience. You have to do it right or when you stop it's all coming right back at ya. Yikes, don't want that to happen.

Thanks for taking this journey with me.

Report Your Numbers For Week 2 Here!

Two items of business!

First, report your numbers for the last 7 days here.

Second, this challenge session ends THIS FRIDAY and start again NEXT MONDAY!!!

So, please remember to post your final points late Friday night or sometime on Saturday!!!

Love you guys! Thanks for being so inspirational and keeping me going!

Am I the only one who wants 5 points?

I have been taking an exercise sabbath on Sundays and Sundays are usually one of my Free Range days, but those 5 bloggy points: not giving those up. So here's what I did right today: started the day with a 12 oz glass of water and multi-vitamin right off the bat; did not eat any of the freshly baked butter braids bread served at fellowship after church today; made my my favorite salad for dinner, had my husband buy extra fruit for breakfast tomorrow so that I would have something to mix with my yogurt, budgeted my range calories so that I could enjoy two homemade oatmeal cookies right out of the oven.

There's a bunch of stuff I didn't quite get right today (to be reflected in my point total for the week)....but, on a Sunday, I'm grateful for what I did right. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.