GOOD LUCK AUDREY!!!

Our fearless leader is cycling 60 miles tomorrow! Let's all wish her luck! Audrey, we love you. Here's hoping for a strong tailwind and no flat tires!

REPORT YOUR FINAL NUMBERS!

Put your numbers here! I think this is going to be another close one!!!! Can't wait to see who gets the top rank this time.

You should all be glad I'm not getting to count my 5 hour bike ride tomorrow or you'd all be smoked!

Happy Mother's Day!

Ladies! It looks like a lot of us had a hard week but sometimes you need days or weeks like that to reevaluate and move forward! You are all amazing women who inspire not only me but each other.

Enjoy this weekend and come back happy and ready to take on the next challenge! Remember you deserve this time because you've been working so hard. Come back committed to a new goal whether small or large!

Love you all!

Rough Week

This week started out good, but I'm with you on the not so good rest of the week. Monday night we made a super yummy dinner that was healthy and filling. A while after dinner I started up my Wii Fit. I am not all too familiar with yoga because I had never done it before, so I started with a few stands and it seemed to be going well. Despite our plank challenge, I still hadn't tried to do one yet. It would only let me do it for 30 seconds but I had heard that if you do it so many times it unlocks higher times and challenges. So I kept doing it. 1-2 planks turned into 6-7 planks and then I unlocked the 60 second plank and the challenge plank. I kept doing it over and over and over. My limbs started to get weak but I wasn't sweating or anything. It was late so I decided to stop there and go to bed.
The next morning I go to lift myself out of bed and I can barely move. I laid there. Then laughed. OUCH. That stuff really works. Haha. Today was the first day I wasn't sore in my abs, my back and arms. It felt really good to be sore but it made me not really want to work out so much this week but do a lot of stretching.
Tomorrow is potluck day at work. Wish me luck!
Here is my yummy dinner from Monday. Doesn't look all that great, but it was DELISH!

Genetics

Speaking of genes (well, a couple of posts ago), apparently I should not procreate. In addition (or because of) my lupus and thyroid issues, I just found out that my kidneys are not doing their job ("you have a LARGE amount of protein in your urine," it was a 24 hour test) and I have both factors for a blood clotting disorder (heterozygous, not homo, though, so that's...better?). Which is now why they think my son had a stroke in utero. And my seizure med levels are too low, but I'm maxed out on dosage. Huh. BUT, somehow I managed to lose four pounds in two weeks. I seriously don't know how that's possible, since I took my free day today and ate:

1 serving of peppermint ice cream (Braum's I don't know what I'd do without your year-round ice cream flavors, oh, so good)
1 bowl of Cocoa Puffs
1/2 a Sonic corndog with some ketchup
1/2 a Sonic sausage breakfast toaster
2 Sonic mozzarella sticks
1/24th of a Sonic Strawberry Limeade Chiller
1 homemade cinnamon roll with nuts and raisins
2 homemade snickerdoodles
1 slice of pizza
Probably something like 20 strawberries
A bunch of water
Folate DHA
Foltx and whatever other vitamins I had to take...

So there ya go, Emily and Mindy, I pigged out too!! And to be honest, I don't even feel bad about it. It was REALLY tasty! Audrey, you can delete this post if I'm not contrite enough about today's eating pattern :)

And, how do I say this? I didn't eat because I was feeling sorry for myself. I was perfectly happy yesterday and am perfectly happy today, the only thing that has changed is now I have some information about my body that I didn't have yesterday. It really takes a lot to get me worked up over anything, I am probably one of the most laid-back people you'll meet, unless you start talking politics, then my blood pressure will rise.... And what else can I do but take all my meds (now including aspirin, which I've never taken in my life), eat well and be happy?? So that's what I'm gonna do!! And I have to say, I'm finally excited about having a baby!! :)

Falling off the wagon

I have had the most stressful week. When I was comparing myself with Mindy's week, it has been similarly bad. I have been so busy and non stop every day. I just haven't had the time to consciously think about everything I am putting into my body. I have been eating late, baking yummy treats that aren't good for me, and overeating because I am waiting too long between meals.

I started the week on Monday with such a positive outlook prepared to make dinners and had a menu planned. Why does this happen? I just don't feel the motivation. I feel like I am constantly starving and yet I feel like I shouldn't be. I just want to snack all day long, I can't figure it out. I feel like for me, the only way to get any where in this challenge is by changing my eating habits since I have ZERO time to working out. I am sure I am just making excuses but I honestly don't know how to fit it in.

A typical day. Kids up at 6-6:30, make breakfast for the kids, feed the babies, pump milk, get the older kids showered and dressed, babies changed, Aydan to school, eat breakfast - usually cereal because it is fast, usually spend my morning chasing Asher and holding fussy babies, then the feeding and pumping starts all over again, then lunch time, trying to get kids to nap, clean up my house, get kids ready to leave, drop kids of at either my mom's or mother in law's house, WORK until 7-8, get kids home and in bed, my husband comes home and then I finally get to eat. Where do I fit anything in? If you have any suggestions please let me know. Any other busy moms who are wrangling kids all day? I need some help because I feel like I am in a downhill spiral and I don't like it!

Also props to Mindy today, I saw her running and she was doing awesome. Even my kids thought it was so cool that Mindy was running. Obviously they never see me exercise so it was very exciting to see Mindy!!

Pork Chop Baked with Apple and Sweet Potato

Don't have a lot of time to cook? Try this one out. It's a winner!

1 lean boneless pork loin
1 medium sweet potato
1 medium apple

Preheat oven to 350
Slice the sweet potato thinly. Quarter, core, and slice the apple into eight pieces.
On a large piece of foil, layer sweet potato slices, pork chop, and then apple slices. If desired (I desire), sprinkle with cinnamon, salt, and pepper (I only do the cinnamon).
Wrap well and bake for 40 min. (That's what the directions say, but I usually have to bake mine for 1 hour)

Super yummy and moist! I don't know about you, but a lot of Pork Chop recipes I've tried make the meat dry. This has a moist, sweet flavor to it.

Another Multivitamin Post

I just had to thank Audrey for introducing me to these multivitamins. I've been taking them for about a week now, and I have noticed a complete change. I've never really been a firm believer in multivitamins. My mom and grandma were both diagnosed with the early stages of Osteoporosis. Both have gotten them under control with exercise and calcium supplements. My mom has encouraged me to at least take my calcium, which I have been doing. I thought I'd give Audrey's suggestion a try, and it is amazing. I have more energy, and I just feel better. Do you give your kids a multivitamin? I've been thinking about doing it, but I don't want them to think it's candy and down the whole bottle while I am not looking. Any suggestions?

Also, Audrey, I am so glad you are starting the next challenge right away. A lot of days, just thinking about how many points I'm going to loose by overeating, is the only thing that stops me.

Feeling verklempt

I had the joy of attending two Muffins with Mom events at my children's preschool this past week and here's what I learned about me from my 5 year old son. I'm good at exercise. Good? Wow! And I thought I was just getting by. I've decided it's healthy to see ourselves through our children's eyes, especially when they see things in positive ways we don't. (Please notice he didn't say that I was good at cooking =-), but pizza places? that I'm good at too.)

Here are my two standby DVDs. They're old. Both from Target. But what I like about them is that I can customize my 30 minute work out and that the segments are short, so I can cut and paste to fit my schedule.

Happy Mother's Day everyone! Hope you have a bunch of verklempt moments this week-end.

Don't Forget Your H2O

Susan w/ Ollie

Hi Ladies!  This is one of those situations where I'm asking forgiveness instead of permission to post a photo.  Here is the fabulous Susan with my son Ollie.  We met up the other night to watch my daughter's softball game.  There is a track around the sports complex, so when my daughter wasn't up to bat or in the field we'd do three or four laps.  It was a good way to sneak in a little exercise. 

Just wanted to shout out to Susan who is such a great example to me of healthy living.  She showed up with a huge bottle of water, while I had to drink from the nasty lukewarm drinking fountain because I forgot my water. 

It's so easy to forget that we can take our water with us wherever we go.  Now that the weather is warming up {sorry Sue} it is even more important to rehydrate. What are some of your tricks for water on the go?

ps.  Did you know that a water bottle makes an excellent diversion for an infant?  It's true.

Secrets to Success

Here are few items that I use almost everyday to help keep my potions in check.

I have two sets of measuring spoons and measuring cups...I use them non stop to measure out cereal, milk, fruit, dressings. I even took a measuring spoon to Chick-fil-A a couple of weeks ago to measure out my favorite dressing on my favorite salad...didn't want a guessing game.

With two sets of everything I'm less likely to just guess since what I need to measure is in the dishwasher.

My other favorite item is a chili bowl. I bought these several years ago and I love them. I can't imagine what I'd do without this size bowl. I love that when I measure (and I've gotten pretty good at eyeballing in this bowl) out my cereal that it fills up the bowl. I don't feel like I'm getting jipped and that's a big deal because I love cereal. Add a banana and it's overflowing....I feel like I'm getting a lot. Wait I am...getting what I should.

The next item is my red plate. I kept them out one year after Christmas because it was a good size to feed my kids on...that wasn't plastic. It's also a great size for me to eat on. I use it often for lunch or dinner and it helps keep portions under control.

I also love my scale. It's digital. It's also about to zero out after you stick something on it. So if you want to measure out a pound of fruit you can stick a bowl on the scale, zero it out and then add your fruit and get an accurate measurement. I use it to measuring things like my favorite canned chicken from Costco that tells me that 6 ounces is a serving. No more guessing. I also use it to weigh my meat. I like knowing that I'm getting the right portion and not three times what I should be eating.

Last but probably my favorite is my food wand. This is my super duper new one that my awesome bro-in-law gave me for Christmas. It was out of the "acceptable price range" but I'm not complaining because I love it. I've been using food wands to make protein shakes since I was in high school. I parents make protein shakes every day and I do too! This is the easiest way to do it and the clean up is super fast.

I have a really nice blender that my grandma gave me when I got married...I think I've used it three or four times because the hand blender is so much easier. I use it in soups too to give it that creamy texture some of my favorite need. No batches in the mixer here, stick the wand right in the pot and give it a whirl.

It's amazing how helpful these items can be...what do you use?

What's in the fridge?

Sometimes I open the fridge and just stare. There's the yogurt. There's the fruit. A big tub of lettuce. Some lean turkey. A drawer of cheese (that's right an entire drawer). And all those crazy condiments I might never use again but can't bring myself to toss...quite yet. And I think "I'm not hungry for any of those things. I want a cookie." For me the danger zone in the kitchen is usually not the fridge; it's the pantry. Then, if there are no home baked cookies in the house, I make myself a cup of cinnamon tea and tell myself it's a cookie or, this is crazy, I give my kids the cookie and I have them breath on me with cookie breath.
How weird is that? Really.

A New Day!

Mindy's last post really hit home. Thanks for reminding me that we are all human! I have also learned some things during the last 2 days:

I need to feed  myself SPIRITUALLY every. single. day. FIRST thing!
When I turn to food EVERYTHING suffers. I forget who I am, I forget how beautiful life is, I forget that I am not alone.
JOY comes when I am TRUE to myself
When I take care of my body, I feel FREE!
I am WORTH IT!

The sun is shining; the sky is bright blue and I am ready to move forward and embrace this new day!

Two epically bad days in a row + Matt out of town + THAT time of the month + Easter candy STILL in the house = disaster.

Tonight, I was hungry. The girls and I had been out grocery shopping so I didn't eat till late. I carefully cut the frozen pizza into fifths to make sure I had the right amount of calories. I didn't want to go over. After, I was still hungry so I checked my calories and found I had just enough for one more small slice. But no more, I was walking the line.

As I cleared the table I realized I had forgotten to add in the vegetables I ate while the pizza was cooking. That put me about 37 calories over my range. That's about when I went crazy. I had no more patience left for myself. I had made too many stupid mistakes in the past few days. I thought, "SCREW IT!" and began to eat. And eat and eat and eat. If I was going to go over, then I wanted to make it worth it. 600 calories later and this train wreck came to a screeching halt.

And, of course, now I feel like crap. Lucky for me, I've been saving my free day, just in case.

Lessons learned:

- I must eat on a schedule. If I'm having 5 small meals a day, I can't let 4 hours elapse without eating.
- Drink the water! I forgot to fill my water bottle before I left, so I was behind on water intake.
- Plan meals, even when Matt is out of town. Otherwise, I just end up eating high-caloric, low-filling meals.
- Don't shop when you're hungry.

Forced Exercise

We LOVE to camp!

My husband LOVES to four wheel!

Until now, we've used our stock vehicles to hit the trails, but here is his project he's been working endless hours for.

I don't know if the pictures does it justice, but lets just say my four year old calls this the Monster Truck. The frame of the truck starts at my hips. Why does this vehicle force me to exercise?


Who else is taking the picture? I get a little scared of the trails my husband attempts to do, so I end up getting out of the truck to walk a lot. Great exercise and great leg raises getting in and out. By the end of the trip, my thighs were sore from climbing in and out constantly, no joke! I don't know if you can tell, but the back tire is off the ground. It also helps my heart pump fast from fear. Makes me feel like I've finished a sprint. (Minus the wetness down my pants from fear :)

Our other choices of exercise included: Puddle Jumping

Rock Climbing

(Isn't Moab gorgeous?!)

Lots of exercise makes this four year old strong!

Sprinting down Sand Dune Arch

Sand Angels

Rock Jumping

And in the end, the hill that caused the picture below:

Yes, that's a tow rope attached to the little itty bitty jeep in front of the "Monster Truck". That jeep had to tow the tent trailer and us home. Still an AWESOME trip and I needed a day to recover from sore muscles. This is the best kind of exercise. You are having fun and don't even realize the kind of exercise you are getting! Anyone want to join us?

Singled Out . . .

I am sure many of you, like me, have been thinking an awful lot about what Audrey posted last night.  I marvel, not only at her willingness to run this blog, keeping it fresh and updated constantly, but also at her sheer bravery at letting us know her human side and the struggles she faces.  She's pretty much a rock star.

I've known Audrey a long time.  And though I read her words with tears last night, I also had a moment of laughter.  It was this line

Another reason is someone who may appear to look "healthy" may not be, they may just have the lucky slender genetics gene.

That would be Audrey calling me out.  And no - she didn't do it intentionally, but still, I felt called out.  For the record, I do not need to lose a lot of weight.  I have some extra baby pounds from my nine month old, but other than that, I am where I should be weight wise.  So why am I doing the challenge {or making a weak attempt at doing the challenge}?

Because I am the one with the slender genetics gene who is not healthy.  I can barely run a mile. I love to sit on my couch and watch TV or sleep in instead.  My body does not want to move.  I see people running and think, "That is really great . . . for them."  I hear about people who love exercise and I go, "Huh?"  It has never been a fun or natural thing for me.

I do eat okay for the most part, but I know there is room for much improvement.  Especially my relationship with junk food, which is pretty much like a bad boyfriend who I break up with and then run back to.  I can stay away from the Oreos for about a week before I search them out and make out with them on the couch while watching The Biggest Loser.

This challenge, and Audrey's post last night, have really helped me to evaluate my relationship with food and why it is exactly that I am averse to exercise. I'm not moving yet.  My exercise portion of this challenge is a challenge in itself - one I'm failing at. But I hope when it's all said and done that my "slender genetics" and my actual health will be more of a match.

A relationship with food

After I read Jenn and Alicia's post last night I honestly had to say I had a hard time sleeping. I didn't want to comment until I had mulled over some of my thoughts. I kept thinking about what I wanted to say. Between that and a rain storm I didn't sleep much. I spent the morning thinking some more and reading everyone elses comments.

I really liked what everyone had to say but I'm going to go a little further.

DISCLAIMER: This may be a long post. I'm sorry but I want to share my journey in hopes to help others. I do not think others may being going through exactly what I did but I feel I need to share the truth. This is kind of scary for me. What I'm about to share, no one who reads this blog is aware of. That's saying a lot since my mother, sister, mother-in-law and three dear sister-in-laws who I have shared much with and love so much are unaware of. This is too heavy for this fun little blog but it's time to dish.

Where to start. I've always been athletic and I did sports and danced from a young age. I've always had super skinny friends but never felt inadequate. The only thing I can remember that was sort of strange was having a picture taken with a friend my Senior year. We were both in short shorts which was very common and I remember looking at her thigh and thinking I'd die if my thighs were ever that big.

When I left for college I decided to major in dance. BYU has a great dance department. It seemed logical because I could do the education route and I had thoroughly enjoyed my dance teacher in working in the schools.

As a dance major there are two things that you have to put up with. Getting your body fat tested every semester and dancing with others skinny women. I always was within the acceptable range and since I wasn't a ballerina or a ballroom dancer I didn't have the pressure of fitting in costumes that were already made. What I did have to deal with was spending 8+ hours in a leotard. There is no hiding there. And, it's very hard not to compare yourself to others.

I still don't remember exactly when it all started but I started struggling with bulimia. It was never super serious and I never had to have treatment. When its a "small" issue it more of what is going on in your mind than what is going in your mouth. I never spend hours just gorging on food only to purge but when I thought I had eating more than I should have I would "take care of it"

I think the subtle internal conversations that I had with myself kept pulling me along. I was a normal woman enjoying dancing but internally I felt I was never as good as another just because they were smaller.

My major breakthrough happened when Chris and I had been married for a few months and he caught me purging. After a long conversation I told him I didn't need help and that I would stop. I had quit other things cold turkey before and this is another I could stop but the damage was done. My relationship with food has been forever changed and although I had stopped purging I had not stopped eating more than I should and I didn't stop thinking that I wanted to purge.

After a few years it became easier. I started exercising more, I graduated so I didn't have to constantly compare myself to other dancers, and I learned to eat healthier.

I can not say that I have never purged again. I am human and have had moments that I've eaten enough to make me sick. But, whenever this happens I take time to reevaluate why I'm at this place.

So, this leads me to last summer/fall. I was going through a stressful time. A lot of things came to a head at one time. I turned to food. I hid what I was eating. I stopped working out...and I slept. But because I'm smarter now I did not purge. Therefore I put on a lot of weight quickly. As I slid into my depression I started evaluating my relationship with not only food but other people. I asked myself what lead me to eat more, why did I think that eating would make things better. It was pretty hard hitting but I needed to get past the how do I eat differently because I knew all the answers to that I needed to understand why my relationship with food was wacked.

I've come a long way since then. I've started to understand some of the reasons I turned to food and things I can do to prevent it. We can talk all we want about tricks to try not to eat when we are "emotional" but until we understand why we think food is the answer and why that's what we turn to it will always be there.

So my plea is to not compare yourself to another. We are all beautiful daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. We all have many wonderful things about each an everyone of us. We need to love ourselves. If we love ourselves it will not be as important as what someone else may think of us. Another reason is someone who may appear to look "healthy" may not be, they may just have the lucky slender genetics gene.

It's important to want to eat because we need to take care of our bodies that we've been given and when we can do that for ourselves then we can help others.

THIS IS WHY YOU NEED FREE DAYS: There is actually a physiological reason to purposely overeat once a week-it may help convince your body that it is not starving. Giving yourself a good feed once a week may calm that thousand-year-old encoded alarm inside your brain that goes off every time you begin to burn stored body fat for fuel.

But beyond biological reasons, there are psychological benefits to the free day that are even greater, at least as far as I'm concerned...You don't want to set yourself up for failure. You don't want to create standards you can't meet. If you say, "I'm not going to eat anything I shouldn't for 12 weeks," you've set yourself up for disappointment.

I've also discovered that this free day serves the purpose of reminding you of what you use to feel like when every day was a free day. -Body-for-Life, Bill Phillips, pg. 92

Four years ago Chris and I did this together. It was the lowest weight I've been in years. But, on our free day I gorged. I'm talking all out food fest. But it's what I needed to make it through the other 6 days.

This time around I'm doing things a little different. Sometimes my free days I eat "my new normal" all day and really enjoy a nice meal out. Sometimes I have little indulgences all day. What I don't like to do anymore is feel sick when it's all said and done. And I don't want to feel bad about myself. There is a fine balance between really enjoying and putting yourself in a tail spin. It's trail and error but I promise that this is more like real life. Are you really never going to eat cookies again, eat dessert again, eat yummy bread again. No, you're going to so you need to learn how to incorporate how that works in your healthy living.

If you're saying I'm going to eat "this' way and then when I get to my goal I'll start eating a different way you're in trouble. Reevaluate.

I want you all to succeed. I don't want any on us to feel bad about failures...because it's about learning, progressing and moving forward. More good days than bad.

Alicia, there was lots of good advice given to you today, advice we can all use. I hope that you can learn some tricks so you can continue to enjoy spending time with your family. If they love you they will want to support you. Offer to bring a dish, make it something you like, that way you can have a few choices that won't put you in a tail spin and don't go back for a full plate of seconds. Pick something that you really enjoy and have a little more but then call it quits. If you're good all week you deserve to enjoy but learning what your limit is before you feel bad about yourself is important. Thank you for being so candid. I think we have lots to offer each other!

I love you all! Thank you for being so wonderful.

Trainer Momma Giveaways

Do you follow Trainer Momma? She has a giveaway this week, so check out her blog. It sounds like she is doing a bunch this month, so keep your eyes posted. http://www.trainermomma.com

This week's veggie

In my quest to try every vegetable in the produce section of the grocery store, I made a salad with roasted beets today. Honestly, I can't say that beets are delicious. They taste a bit too earthy for me, but they went well with this Giada de Laurentiis salad (mesclun, walnuts, goat cheese, avocado, cranberries, balsamic dressing).


Also, on the oatmeal for breakfast front, I added an egg white to my 1/2 cup old fashioned oatmeal (at the very end, stove off, pot still hot) for more protein. It fluffed up the oatmeal, was otherwise undetectable and I felt full until about 11 am! (Breakfast at 7:30) I added a bit of real maple syrup too. Yum!

Thank You, Fast Sunday

Because of you I was able to eat a sorely missed treat, graham crackers dipped in hot cocoa. Because of you, I got to have some cheese in my omelet. I ate bacon and didn't even bat an eyelash. I slathered my toast with avocado. Because of you, I even had a carefully chosen low fat ice cream sandwich! Ok, maybe this all wasn't exactly healthy, but I had the calories, I didn't lose any points, and I managed to get all my fruits and veggies in, too. I'm still working on the water, which means I will be peeing all night long. But I don't care, you were totally worth it!

What is the Meaning of a Free Day?

I decided today would a free day. Every Sunday my husbands family gets together at his parents house. There are about 30 of us. This Sunday dinner business is serious stuff. There is a schedule made out for months in advance. Everyone knows what they are supposed to bring on what Sunday. Most Sunday's put Thanksgiving dinner to shame. These days have lately become a particular struggle for me. With all that yummy food, my husband working most Sundays, right after getting home from church, with three small children by myself, well, lets just say I'm already in an emotional roller coaster going into the meal. And there is plenty of food to help ease the emotions, if ya know what I'm saying. Anyway, I've tried to fight it time and time again. There was a period of time we stopped going to Sundays, but the kids missed seeing their cousins. So most Sunday's I go away feeling guilty and a whole bunch of other emotions from the choices I made that day. So, today I decided to have a new attitude on the day. I would make it a free day. Then, I hoped, the emotions involved for eating the wrong foods wouldn't carry over. So, what was my mental attitude for this day? Go back to old eating habits. For this one day, eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted to calm the emotions. The result, I feel sick, and I still have all the emotions involved with eating to much. So here's my question: How do you handle your free day? Do you go in with the attitude of "Oh good, it's a free day. I can eat whatever I want for this one day"? Do you allow yourself a small treat and still try and eat healthy the rest of the day? Do you still keep your food journal on your free day? I need some help getting a hold of these Sundays! They are hurting my hard efforts from the rest of the week. I can put all the weight I lost during the week back on with one day of overeating. I'm not liking it one bit.

Weight Gain

So, there are 8 people pregnant in my area (two wards, which split recently, so I know everyone). 3 of us are due within a week of each other (December), and the rest anywhere from August to November. Yes, I really believe they put something in the air ducts at church. I know I'm only nine weeks into a 40 week long event, but I've already gained weight. And I'm having a really hard time with it. Well, it's really easy to gain the weight, but mentally, it's taking it's toll. I've always been pretty happy with my body and I've never been much for comparing my figure with others. I am who I am and this is how my body is, it's just not like yours, and that's okay. But now, I feel differently. I don't know if it's pregnancy hormones, or the fact that every week at church someone would comment on how good I look (I know, it shouldn't matter what others think), but now, I am already comparing myself to how all the other pregnant ladies look. I am short-waisted, seriously, there is a 2" space from the bottom of my rib cage to the top of my pelvic bone. That is not a lot of room for a growing baby. And I retain a lot of water, so my face is fat, my boobs (as we know) are even bigger (I've gone up a cup size). I am NOT a cute pregnant lady (although someone at church recently told me that there is a beauty in all pregnant people, even if they don't look good...yeah). With my other 3 pregnancies, I always gained right around 40 pounds. So, now I'm comparing myself to all the other cute, pregnant ladies. And I feel fat and depressed. Tired and lazy. Sick and...gross. I know that everyone is trying to lose weight on this blog (or maintain and live well), but any ideas on how to overcome the MENTAL challenges of GAINING weight? I don't want to spend the next couple of years comparing baby weight to the 7 other people who are having babies too. I seriously need help. HELP!

Saturday Chores

So to avoid eating junk yesterday I ironed, helped open the pool and went to a friends to help her clean her new townhome.  This was after the normal cleaning the house that I do Saturday mornings.  I am glad to report that it actaully worked yesterday. I avoided the mindless eating trap.

The reason that I started ironing was because when taking my air dried sheets off the clothes line I decided I would iron them just like my Noni, grandmother, did.  I then ended up doing the rest of the ironing which took up about an hour of my time and then I moved on to an unanticipated project.  Opening the Pool! But back to the ironing.  I forgot how wonderful it was to climb into a bed with sheets that had been pressed.  It really did bring back a flood of memories and I fell asleep a happy camper last night :) 

A not so healthy diet

So this week was rough. I have had such a hard time trying to get points and completely change my lifestyle. I am almost embarrassed to report my numbers. Two Birthdays, long work nights and the stomach flu have been my week. On a positive note, I lost 2 lbs by Thursday just by changing my eating habits. I then got the stomach flu and lost an additional 7 lbs. A not so healthy way to diet. So today I had to get into a swimsuit for the first time since I had my twins, and I am not so fond of the new post twins body. I asked myself, "why am I having a swimming party for my kids?" But I had a change of perspective today. I decided once I was there and hiding under my towel, that I was working on it. I am working on getting myself healthy and in shape. So I changed my outlook and just forgot about my appearance and just thought, "this will be the last time I want to feel like this in a swimsuit." I am working on it!!

I need new shoes

Hey ladies, I'm in the market for some new running shoes. Since there are some serious runners in this group (Jill, I'm looking in your direction) I was hoping to get some advice about what kind to buy, how to shop for them, where to shop for them, and what to look for. I'm not ready to invest in super fancy specially fitted shoes, but I would like some nice ones that are going to feel good and last a while. I'm looking to buy the Honda of shoes. Nice, reliable, affordable. I am a running shoe shopping novice. Please instruct me.