Hereeee Kidney, Kidney, Kidney

I had my sonogram today and it turns out that I have only my right kidney - yes, you read correctly I have only one kidney - my left.  This has to be one of the most surreal situations ever, I feel like I should at least weigh less...but I don't.
I was able to scoot in at 10:45 today and BEGGED the tech to tell me one way or the other as I've been going MAD not knowing.  Loads of research later and it could be genetic and I will be getting B scanned hopefully next week to ensure he is rockin 2 of those bad boys and not just one. 
Next obvious question - what does this mean.  Well, I'm not exactly sure.  I have to go and see a nephrologist and I now have to watch all medicines I take going forward.  Apparently my Left kidney is larger to compensate but overall looks normal.  Does this mean I have to cut back the wine?
I've booked a trip home to see my mom with B for a long weekend which means I get a stop over with V!  Much needed family time and I need my BF for sure.  Somehow that helps me to feel better knowing I get good BF and family time in just a short while.
Any advise of knowledge of this is appreciated! 
thanks, a

April 29th

That is the day husband leaves for flight school. We found out yesterday. He comes back on May 23rd. So, 3 1/2 weeks alone... with 2 kids... and 2 cats. **sigh**  I knew this was coming, but actually hearing the dates makes me feel a bit overwhelmed. It's not even so much my sanity that I'm worried about (total lie), its more how I'm afraid my diet and exercise are going to suffer. I'm not sure how I can get a great workout in during this time. I do short Jillian workouts on the days that my husband works, but that is always followed by 3-4 days of long workouts when he's home. I just don't want to go backwards in this process that I'm in. This is definitely going to be one of the biggest struggles I've had so far.

Since husband will be gone the majority of May, I now have to cancel/postpone 2 of my races. The first is my 10K. There is just no way I can train for this race with him being gone. I can't run further than up and down my street when husband is gone (so I can hear my monitors). And even if I was able to train, I don't have anyone to watch my kids during the actual  race... sooooooo not gonna happen. But this might be a blessing in disguise with that crazy pain in my butt anyway. I think I need to let this thing heal for a bit. But I've already found a new 10k race to run in June. The Heart of Detroit 10K is on June 30th. My sister and I are going to do it together. So I'm still going to do this, just a bit later than I had anticipated.

My bike race will also be missed. It's the weekend of May 20th. It's a 2-day thing, so obviously there is no way I can do this. But, this race is also repeated in September, which husband and I decided we would do then. So, again, not canceled, just postponed. This one I'm more bummed about. Not only does this bike race really force us to get in shape, but it's nice having a weekend spent with just husband and I and no kids.

Ok, pity party is over for the day.

I did get some new running shoes yesterday. I went and spent A LOT of money on a really good pair. I'm hoping I will sustain less injuries this way. I can't wait to try them out. Hopefully tomorrow afternoon, once husband gets home from work I can break them in.

Oh nooooooooooooo! I forgot to put my phone on vibrate and just now my phone starting BLARING the Yo Gabba Gabba theme song for all to hear. So embarrassing....

-V

Things I'm Annoyed with Today

• My husband snoring ALL NIGHT LONG... really?

• J pushing S down 7,000 times already today. Doesn't it ever get old?

• The cat consistently puking every morning. SLOW DOWN while you are eating! Maybe I should take my own advice.

• The creaking in my ankles as I tried to sneak out of bed this morning without waking husband. Man I'm getting old.

• How I wanted to make it to playgroup so bad this morning, since we haven't gone in 2 weeks. But I just could not get my sh*t together to make it there on time.

• S shouting 'no' a zillion times today... sweet. Can we at least go back to saying 'Elmo' all the time?

• The fact that on the days I don't work, my kids always seem to wake up early. But on a work/school day? They will sleep in til 8.


Things That Rock About Today:

• All the hugs and kisses I've gotten from S so far today. (even though when she kisses me she gets her snot all over my face.... ahhhhh, the joys of motherhood)

• Got a great bike ride in. Need to really get my pinched nerved butt in gear for this bike race I have coming up.

• How great that on a random Wednesday, husband, the kids and I get to hang out all day. Being a pilot's wife is hard sometimes, but on days like these, it's really cool.

• How excited my kids were when I showed them the new Yo Gabba Gabba bath toys I got them. J yelled "Oh my God, these are AMAZING!" when he saw them. (when did J start saying "oh my God?")

• The fact that it's March in Michigan and it's 60 degrees.

• Found out J got into the Preschool class I wanted. We got the days/time AND teacher I wanted. Makes all the stress I had about getting signed up worth it.

-V

Today is New Day

What a crazy week it feels like!  I am off and running, now mid-week and am getting ready for a month of travel - no fun.  This means that I'll be eating on the road and need to get my head wrapped around that thought too.  UGH, you know I've not been great and though I have the pass to go back to Zumba do you think I've been?  Annnnnddd that would be no.  Need to pull it together, I will start by taking Crozzie for a walk this afternoon, that will force me out of the house and force me into some sort of physical activity.
On a super fun note, E and I went shopping for mattresses last night and ended up ordering one of those Tempur-Pedic™ beds, I've never laid on anything so comfortable in my life! I cannot wait for it to get here, I pulled the - I have a super bad back and only one kidney card and I "think" that pushed E over the edge for it.  Of course we had a nice scrap about it but oh well, happy comfy bed is on its way!
Hope all is well in your worlds, help me get skinny web friend - I need IT!
a

The Power of Elmo

So I went for a run last night. And that ##*!*@! pinched nerve/pulled muscle/whatever this is in my butt, was killing me. Every step hurt. This sucks for multiple reasons, but the worst being that it used to only bug me when I did intervals, but now it's moved to running in general. To be honest I just don't know what to do at this point. I guess I have no choice but to take a week or 2 off of running and give it a chance to heal. This going to make my 5K I have in April and my 10K I have in May a bit tough. But I guess in the long run, I'm doing all these races to prepare for the sprint triathlon in July, so I need to be fully healed by then. Man this is frustrating!

I did 3 miles, ran about 2.5 of that. Had it not been for the pain in my rear, I could have easily gone further than that. But I didn't want to injure myself further. So I guess for now I will concentrate on biking. Especially since the Zoo-de-Mac (54 mile bike trek) is only about a month and a half away. And for now, biking doesn't seem to be hurting me there.

On another sour note, I found out last night that one of my oldest friends, her mother will probably die this week. She's got cancer and has taken a turn for the worst. So sad. This is really one of the first friend's I've had who's mother has passed. So let's pray I don't need to go back to Detroit this weekend for a funeral.

Ok, something positive. Even with a few eating snafu's last week, I'm still losing weight. I haven't hopped on a scale, but my clothes are all huge on me. It's a great feeling. I'm not a huge believer in the scale. I don't think it always reflects what is happening with your weight and body (unless you are steadily gaining... then it always reflects the truth). And I don't like how seeing a number stay the same can set me off into a spiral of depression and anger. So, per my husband, I usually only weigh myself once a month and I make sure my clothes are continuing to get bigger. Which is what is happening, so yay. Though I do think I will weigh myself after this week, just to see where I'm at.

So S is 16 months old now and is really starting to talk. Though she will NOT say momma. She says Dada, Zeus (our cat), bye bye, and of course the lovely 'no'. And she says Elmo. ALL THE TIME. Everything is Elmo. But momma? Nothin... hmpf. Do you think throwing back in her face the fact that I nursed her for 10.5 months would help?

-V

The Good's and Bad's of My Weekend

Good: Had such a wonderful time babysitting my niece and nephew Saturday night. I don't get to spend a lot of one-on-one time with them, so this was nice.

Bad: That whole having to feed a baby every 3-4 hours, all night long. I forgot what that type of sleep deprivation felt like.

Good: Had a GREAT workout with my trainer before I left for Detroit on Saturday. We did intervals on the treadmill and my glute area didn't hurt that bad.

Bad: My trainer thinks I actually have a pinched nerve in there and told me that I need stop doing intervals until it heals. Though she said I could still jog, since it doesn't seem to be hurting me. It's the constant starting and stopping of the intervals that is irritating it.

Good: Found my old high school yearbook at my sister's house (not sure why she had it). It was hilarious to go through it. Man the hair and the bangs from the 90's... NOT a good look.

(this is not me, but she could be my hair twin from high school)

Bad: Stayed up waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too late looking at the yearbook, so when at 2am the baby woke up to eat, I wanted to DIE!

Good: The kids having some good quality 'Daddy Time' while I was gone.

Bad: It's been a while since I've been gone from my kids over night and I really, really missed them.

Good: Instead of lazing around during the kids nap times yesterday, like I sooooo wanted to do, I made my healthy lunches for the week (with veggies!) and made an awesome dinner. Turkey meatballs in a spinach vodka marinara sauce with whole wheat spaghetti... mmmmmmm.

Bad: I got so caught up in making dinner, I completely forgot to make my protein shake for this morning... boo!


Good: Met a friend and her kids at this new park yesterday afternoon. It was soooooo nice out and this park was so huge and awesome. My kids loved it!


Bad: Forgot to put sunblock on and my face got a little fried.

Good (always have to end with a 'good'): Getting back on track with my eating this week. Having been in my car a lot of this weekend, my eating was a bit "off." So I'm happy to get back to it.

Happy Monday all!

-V

Apologies to the Parents I Judged Four Years Ago

I just read this article by Kara Gebnart Uhl from the Huffington Post. Seriously hilarious and SO true I cannot even tell you, I was the MOST judgmental person in the entire world before I had kids... shame on me, because I got it back 10-fold. Here's the article:



To the Parents I Knew Four Years Ago: I'm Sorry

I have come to realize many things since having three children. For example, I now know that I can read "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" seven times in a row without going insane. No matter what people say, throw-up is throw-up and I don't care if it is my daughter who is throwing up but her throw-up makes me want to throw up. I am a really fast diaper changer. And it's true: love does not split, but grows with additional children.

But perhaps one of the biggest realizations I've made as a relatively new parent (my daughter turns 4 in March, my twin boys turn 2 in May) is how incredibly judgmental I was pre-children.

You, the woman at Kohl's who pushed a cart with your screaming toddler draped on the rack underneath it, ignoring her as she scraped her feet on the floor because she couldn't have the toy she wanted: I judged you. Girlfriend with children who had Nick Jr. on the entire time I visited: I judged you.

Parent at the park who did not pack an organic, free-range, all-food-groups-represented, no-dessert lunch complete with sandwiches cut in cute little shapes, who instead fed your children chicken nuggets, cold French fries and (gasp) chocolate milk? I judged you.

Not out loud, of course. But internally, I was smug. I thought things like I would never have children who would behave in such a manner in public. Or, Doesn't she know the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV until the age of 2? Or, How can he possibly be feeding his children that crap? Has he not read any of Michael Pollan's books?

And what's worse, now that I'm a parent, I realize internal smugness isn't so internal. As a parent, I know when I'm being judged. I can sense it, even when nothing is being said out loud. It's in the look. The double-take. The whisper to the companion they're with.

It's hard not to care about what other people think. But still, that quiet judgment can sting, especially on days when my nerves are shot and my children are in the worst moods -- a combination that often leads to a situation judge-worthy by many.

But now, as a parent, I do things judge-worthy even when my children are being good. Last Thursday is a perfect example: My son had a physical therapy appointment a good half-hour drive away. On the way back from the appointment both of my boys fell asleep -- we had eaten lunch out, complete with Oreo cookies and Popsicles for dessert, (judge!) after the appointment and it was close to their naptime. Of course they fell asleep. My daughter, however, who has long given up naps (!), was still awake.

When I pulled into my driveway, I had two choices: Wake up the boys and deal with their short tempers having only slept for 25 minutes, or sit in the van with them while they slept, bribing my daughter with apps on my iPod and promises of candy once inside if she would just sit and be quiet for a half hour longer (!). I chose option B without blinking. And I left the car running (!) the entire time.

When the boys woke up, they were furious because of the cricks in their necks -- thanks to the car seats we bought without good head support to the side simply because they were cheaper (!). My daughter was at her wit's end with being trapped in a car seat in a car that wasn't going anywhere just because I wanted some peace and quiet (!). I took everyone inside, plopped them on the couch, got out some gummy candy and turned on "Little Bear." Two episodes. (!!)


Pre-children: I was going to cloth diaper.
Post-children: I did with my daughter, sort of, but not with my twins.

Pre-children: No TV until age of 2 and then only 30 minutes a day.
Post-children: Ha. (this my be my favorite line ever! -V)

Pre-children: Only organic, healthy, homemade food.
Post-children: My kids love Wendy's.

Pre-children: Public tantrums are unacceptable.
Post-children: Removal of the child is only sometimes doable; predicting when a tantrum is going to strike is often impossible.

Pre-children: Complaints about childrearing and its hardships annoyed me (this was your choice, no?) and saddened me (parenthood is supposed to be a wonderful thing!).
Post-children: Parenthood isn't wonderful 100 percent of the time.

My day-to-day routine isn't what I envisioned it would be four years ago. Some of the things I imagine I'm judged on now are minor, others, a little more major. But mostly they are simple faults and I now know that they don't make me a bad parent. Sometimes I leave dirty diapers on the changing table. My children's socks don't always match. I forget to brush my daughter's hair. I use TV as a way to take a breather. I utilize the fast-food drive-thru. I bribe. I'm sometimes too easy. I'm sometimes too hard. I sometimes make the wrong decision, give the wrong punishment, ask too much, ask too little. But within all these minor and major faults is a singular truth: Most days, I'm doing the best I can. And I honestly believe that's a truth that can be applied to most parents: Most days, we're all doing the best we can.

 Because here's another realization I've made as a parent: Everyone's situation is different. There is a story behind every action and inaction. Every parent has his or her own style. Every child has his or her own temperament. What might be a stellar day for my family has been a downright awful day for another -- perhaps the parent's job is in danger, their parent is sick or they just had an argument with their spouse. Perhaps the child is failing math or being bullied at school, or the toddler hasn't slept for two weeks. This can explain the short-temper in the grocery store or the harsher-than-necessary punishment, or the lack of care when it comes to sweets or TV or a late bedtime. We don't know, can't know, someone's entire story.

That said, I believe there are absolutes in parenting so yes, sometimes, I still judge. (And I realize that the irony of this piece is that in writing about not judging others, I'm now judging those who judge.) I know that, for some, it's impossible to provide their children with life's basic necessities: food, clothing and shelter. But I believe we, as parents, must try. I believe we must do what we can to protect our children from harm. I believe we should always love our children, even when, especially when, we don't like their actions, we disagree with their decisions or we're just having a difficult day with them.

But everything else is minor. Everything else doesn't matter. There are children who are abused, who go to bed hungry, who have never known love, and four years ago I was judging the toddler who watched an hour of "Sesame Street"?

I feel bad about my pre-children smugness. I feel bad about the sting I may have, unknowingly, made another feel. I feel bad -- and laugh out loud at the thought -- that I, at one time, before I had children, believed I knew better. Parenting is difficult enough -- there's no reason we should judge one another, not for the things that don't matter, anyway, and not for the things we see a snippet of rather than knowing the full story.

So to the parents I knew four years ago, I'm sorry. I know better now.

Here's the link:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kara-gebhart-uhl/mom-judgments_b_1319775.html?icid=maing-grid10|htmlws-main-bb|dl3|sec1_lnk3&pLid=141627

-V

That Bitch!

And I mean that in the most lovingly way possible towards Ms. Jillian Michaels for making me SO sore today. Wow, it's amazing how 3 weeks of not doing something can make such a big difference. Note to self: no more skipping Jillian workouts.

So I totally caved and got J & S pizza for dinner last night. I know, I know, I totally suck. But it was such a CRAZY day and I didn't eat much of it myself (total lie).

Since it was 87 degrees here yesterday (in March... in Michigan!) my neighbor hooked up her little sprinkler toy and invited us over so the kids could play and run through it. They had a blast. Though I was a bit envious of the other women who got to just sit there and chat while their kids played. I'm the only one with a 1-year-old. So I was busy chasing S around and trying to save her from falling off of the slide, stairs, play yard, hose, etc. I love this age a lot, but it's also tiring at times. Anyway, by the time we walked back home, got everyone showered and such, it was so late. And we were all so tired, so yup... we got pizza and wine for me.

It was a fun day though. Husband comes back tomorrow and then on Saturday I have a 7:30am personal training session and then I'm off to the Detroit area to my sister's house. It's her wedding anniversary so I told them I'd watch their 2 kids for the night. She has a 2 year old and a 5 month old. I'm a bit nervous about the baby. I know I've had two myself, but I seriously can't remember what I'm supposed to do anymore. It's amazing how quickly that stuff leaves your brain once your kids grow out of it.

Still no news on when Husband leaves for his 3-week training. They are thinking it might be more like June time frame now. So who knows. I have a lot of races coming up in May, so June would probably be better. But we'll see. There really is no good time for your husband to leave for flight school for 3 weeks now, is there?

Ok, off to heat up my healthy lunch (with vegetables!) that I made for myself yesterday...

-V

MRI Results + A Few Other Things

Well hello skinny web friends!
Had my MRI results yesterday and it seems that all is GREAT with my back!  Some minor disc bulging (well, that could have been my hips too, har har har) that is getting better but overall I can get back to Zumba and my normal activities!  I'm so happy, I have to keep up with PT (which is still annoying to me, though I'm SUPER sore from the other day) and all should be fine.  Doesn't mean I don't run the risk of it happening again but I will work towards strengthening and try to keep it at bay.
One slightly alarming thing that they did mention, they were unable to locate my left kidney.  Now, the Dr. had a good chuckle about this as she kept saying that the MRI was not meant to look for kidneys but as they didn't see it...they had to mention it...twice in my documentation.  Now, this just makes me uncomfortable - was it stolen in college on a drunken stupor night?  Have I been operating on one this whole time? WTF!  WHERE IS MY KIDNEY!  The little things...
On another note - I must know, is the magic number 700?  Like, I need to tell B 700x to do the following things:

• Stop pulling his pants down and pretending to gas at me
• Put on his shoes
• Brush his teeth
• Eat his breakfast
• Stop pulling his pants down and pretending to gas at me
• Get into the tub
• Go to his room for jammies
• Stop kicking Crozzies toys around the house
• Get back in the house
• Sleep in his bed
• Stop pulling his pants down and pretending to gas at me

Annoying to say the least.  And nothings says "Hey Thursday" like a 7a melt down.  Awesomeness.  However, I refuse to let it get to me - off and running for another fantastic Thursday!
-a

Things I've Accomplished Today

• Did my first Jillian 30 Day Shred workout in 3 weeks... ugh! It was SO hard (Was happy that my butt/glute muscle didn't seem to be hurting during the workout)

• Took my kids to the park

• Went grocery shopping

• Made my healthy lunch (with vegetables!) for work tomorrow

• Ate a massive bowl of green beans (more vegetables!) for lunch the size of my head (along with some almonds and cheese)

• Got both kids to nap at the same time, giving me a much needed break

• Did the dishes AND laundry


Things I Still Need to Do:

• Shower... Jillian workout = stinky V

• Make banana muffins before my bananas start growing legs and walking away

• Put laundry away

• Go to the library AND back to the park. (I promised J we could go back after his nap... super)

• Make a healthy dinner for myself and the kids

• Don't get pizza for dinner! J keeps asking for it and we all know my love affair I have with pizza... MUST NOT CAVE!

-V

Pain in my Butt!

Ok, I seriously think I pulled my butt muscle. I'm sorry if this is TMI, but if I can't talk about it here, where else am I going to discuss my butt?

Last week when I ran intervals, the following day I could barely walk. My butt muscles hurt sooooo bad. I thought I was just sore, but I'm thinking I may have pulled something. I didn't notice it too much when I ran the race on Saturday. But last night my left butt muscle started hurting immediately after I started running intervals. And today I can barely walk, it hurts so bad.  This is SO frustrating! So I'm not sure what to do at this point. Do I take a week off running? I really don't have a lot of time to take off with my 10K just around the corner. What's interesting to me is that it didn't bother me much on Saturday, I felt it a little but not nearly like I did last night. So is this a pulled muscle or an interval thing? Thoughts on this my fellow runners?

Beyond the pain in my butt (ha ha) it was nice running with a friend last night. It went by a lot faster. She stopped after 2 miles, but I went and did another half mile on my own. I would have done the full mile but again, I was a lot of pain. I'm very happy I have found a running buddy though.

It's been a lovely stretch with husband home since last Tuesday. He leaves tomorrow for a 2 day trip, not coming back until Friday night. So I am back on my own again. I need to get some Jillian 30 Day Shred workouts in while he's gone. I haven't done a Jillian workout in a few weeks, so I need to get her in. My once, toned arms are probably back to flab now. One step forward, two back... right?

Eating has been ok for me. I've been reading a fun new blog lately (www.nosugarsweetlife.com) and she keeps a similar food log like I do, only hers are with really cool photos. Anyway, as I see what she eats daily, it's really making me realize I don't eat nearly as many veggies as I should. I'm great with lean meats and fruit, but I don't have a whole lot of vegetables in my diet. This needs to change. I'm not a huge vegetable fan, so this is difficult for me. But I am going to try really hard to have at least one of my meals with a vegetable in it.

Ok, back to work!

-V

Sleep Strike

Sorry I've been so quiet today but I've been busting my butt trying to get some graphic work done for The Hope Project people. They needed a few things out first thing this morning, so I've been a busy gal. (Don't forget to please go to The Hope Project's facebook page and 'like' them http://www.facebook.com/hopeprojectusa )

Well I ate pizza yesterday. Pretty cool, eh? No reason for it either, just ate it. And the sad thing, was it wasn't even good pizza. What a waste. And because of said pizza, my stomach is all jacked up today and I've been STARVING! Actually I've been starving ever since my race on Saturday. I mean it's not like I don't run 3 miles somewhat often anyway, so why the appetite increase?

Speaking of running, I'm going running with a neighbor friend of mine later today. We ran the same pace at the race on Saturday, so we decided that we'd be good running buddies. I'm pretty proud of myself, she wanted to quit and walk several times throughout the race and I kept her motivated to keep going. Which in turn, motivated me... I love how that all works out.


While I did pretty good in the race, I have realized that I've got a lot of training to do for this 10K coming up in May. I'm in 5K shape, but I am definitely not in 10K shape yet. I've also got the Zoo-de-Mac coming up in May. It's a 54 mile bike race from Boyne Highlands, MI to Mackinac City, MI. My husband and I have done it about 6 times now. Because I've been concentrating so much on my running lately, I haven't been on my bike a whole lot. So I really need to get some cross training in.

I'm think J is on a sleep strike. Ever since Daylight Savings, he takes FOREVER to fall asleep and is up at the crack of dawn. He's a good boy and usually just lays quietly in bed until husband or I come to get him, but more importantly I want him to sleep. He needs more sleep than this. Yet again, Daylight Savings mucking up my life

Ok, back to work...

-V

Seriously.

I cannot stay good for too long, apparently just not in my nature and now I'm afraid to weigh myself.
I ate fairly well all weekend except for yesterday as a direct result of too much wine Saturday night, where we hosted my boss and his wife.  Yes, you read correctly.  We hosted my boss and I was hung over Sunday which tells you that I drank too much.  ALWAYS a good career move, note to self - curb it.
Off and running already today and I have PT 3x this week - annoying.  Can I get back to Zumba anytime soon or is my Zumba career over due to the back issues.  Awesomness.
More later web friends,
-a

I Got Jiggy with It!

I completed the 5K, Irish Jig race. The 1st mile was a bit rough, probably due to being very a tad hung over, but once I got warmed up, I was fine. I actually could have kept going further, which is nice. I had a great time, and was glad I could show support for my neighbor and their family.

Now onto pouring myself a big glass of green wine (hey, it's St. Patty's day, I'm allowed)

-V

Irish Jig

Well I wish I could say I was up at this unGodly hour to go drinking on this fine St. Patrick's day. But I have my 5K race this morning. I am a bit tired from my night out last night for a friend's birthday. When they ordered shots after dinner, I knew I was in for it. As much as I am a wino, I have no tolerance for liquor anymore. Anyway, I'm hurting a bit right now, but hopefully after a big cup of coffee and a carb-fueled breakfast (YEAH carbs!) I'll prevail.

Speaking of dinner, I was a rock star last night with the eating. I picked out my order ahead of time (chicken with veggies) and once we got there and husband said he wasn't all that hungry, we decided to split that entree with 2 salads. Go me! Though I did have a billion few glasses of wine, so don't you worry, I got those calories in.

Thanks for all who went to The Hope Project's facebook page. I had a 2-hour meeting with the director yesterday morning and we figured out a good plan of attack for getting all their materials redesigned in a timely manner. It feels really good to be able to give back, especially for such a great cause.

Ok, off to my make carb-o-load breakfast so I can run like the wind!

-V

Hope

Happy Friday afternoon all. I just wanted to ask all of you cyber pal's a favor. Those of you who have been reading know that I've been doing some Graphic Design volunteer work for a wonderful organization, The Hope Project. They are fighting the war on Child Trafficking. I was hoping you could please go to their facebook page and 'like' it. We are really trying to get their name out there, to help as many young people get out of this as possible.

http://www.facebook.com/hopeprojectusa

Thank you!
-V

126.

Thank G-d my weight is coming down.  I feel like that number is a big reward for some hard work during some difficult weeks.  Now, if I could just get below 125 I will feel like I have a better handle on getting back to 122 where I feel comfortable.  I can slip up and not be in the 130's where I have been spending a little too much time lately...Clothes are starting to fit me again like I like them to and I don't feel silly chubby.  PLEASE-G-D-PLEASE let me keep control of this and not make stupid eating mistakes this weekend.  Please.
-a OUT.

Words That People Have Googled and Found our Blog

1. chubby
(sweet, thanks Google)

2. "bye hair"
(kinda of miss my long hair now)

3. lost 5lbs from the flu
(I still love you stomach flu)

4. best chubby
(yeah, this one freaks me out a bit)

5.  imfeeling like shit
(this could be from any number of posts from A and I)

6. playdoh fun facts
(this peanut butter playdoh is still sitting in a tupperware container on my counter, never having been touched since that first day I made it. Sure glad I went through all that work)

7. amsterdam coolest city
(it SO is!)

8. the 80 s i haven t been
(not even sure what this means, or what this person could have possibly been looking for)

9. the room where all of the
(the room where all of the what???? WHAT room?!!? Don't leave me hanging!)

10. funny blog
(well now you are just trying to butter me up, Google)

Suffer for Fashion?

I bought this shirt yesterday and as cute as I think it is, it's SO frickin itchy... I'm dying over here! I feel like I have bugs crawling all over me... annoyed!

Pardon this cheesy, cell phone shot in the bathroom mirror at work photo. My sister wanted me to text her a photo of the shirt so she could decide if it was worth suffering through the itchiness.

I never did hear back from her... hmmmm, maybe that's telling me something. What I didn't get yesterday were those dress pants that I so needed. I always do that, go in for one thing, and come out with something I don't need.

Shot in the Arm

Yesterday rocked! It was 80 degrees here in Michigan... in March. It shattered any records we had. LOVED IT! What I didn't love? The tetanus shot I had to get at my annual check-up. I seriously feel like I got a bullet in the arm. WHY do they hurt so bad?

My trainer ended up canceling on me yesterday due to illness. But I still got my butt outside and did 3 miles of interval running. Then, husband and I got our bikes out, threw the kids in the bike carrier and biked to the park. I gave husband the luxury of pulling both kids on his bike (hey that's 70lbs he's pulling!) because I'm not crazy I was pretty beat from running already.

But I can BARELY walk today, I am so sore! How is it that I can jog 3 miles without stopping and never be sore. But I do intervals and I can't move? Anyone know the answer to this? Its working the same muscles, so I'm highly confused.

It's good that I did all that working out yesterday, because I went out to lunch and ate enough to feed a small village. Not sure why I thought it was ok to do this, but oh well, what's done is done. Man it was good though.

We are going to out eat with some other couples tomorrow night for the birthday of a friend of mine. I'm not good with going out to eat (see paragraph above). I ALWAYS make very poor choices. But I am going to follow the advice of a fellow blogger (http://jennie-henderson.blogspot.com/) I am going to look at the menu online ahead of time and choose a healthy meal. So when I sit down, there's no even opening the menu, looking at all the yummy foods and making a bad choice. With 99% of restaurant menu's online now a days, this is a GREAT idea. Especially for someone like me who notoriously makes bad choices when going out to eat.

I have a 5k race on Saturday. A neighbor's husband has cancer, so a bunch of us are running in Spectrum Hospital's Irish Jig 5K race to fight Colon Cancer. I think most of my neighbors are walking in this, but I am going to be a d*ck and run it. I can always walk back a ways once I finish to walk it with them. I'm not too concerned about this race, 3 miles shouldn't be too bad, even with my lack of running lately. Though there are a few hills I hear.

Later!

Food Log 3/15/12:
Breakfast:
Protein Shake with skim milk and fresh strawberries

Snack:
Almonds
Fresh Strawberries

Lunch:
Egg whites with turkey sausage

Thursday Is My Favorite Day

Not sure why but it is, every week.  Good, bad or indifferent things can happen and I still look forward to Thursday every week. Maybe because it's leading into the weekend...hm. Today its going to be 80 degrees, that just makes me smile. The doors and the windows are open and I can feel its going to be a fabulous day.
I have PT at 12:30 today, my first appt to start working on my back.  I'm a little nervous and a little annoyed at the same time.  I don't care to be doing this but we'll see how it goes. 
FYI - I ate pizza and drank 2 beers last night.  I ended up going to dinner with a friend and his kids after I landed as E and B were at the hockey game.  Why did I do that, I just don't get it.  I almost feel like I am using blogging as an excuse, I know if I F up I have to report it (don't know why that is, it just is) and somehow that makes it all OK.  Like Catholics and confession, it erases the bad...but yet, it doesn't.  Oh well - too heavy for my happy Thursday.  Just know it happened and I am going to eat crazy healthy today.
Keep on Keepin On Skinny Web Friends!  Hope you enjoy your Thursday as much as I am going to enjoy mine!
-a

350 Did the Trick!

Back @ the airport, I'm tired and I have to admit - the 350 calories totally did the trick right up until 2:30.  Then I started DYING of hunger - I just downed a Chicken Gyro like it was MY JOB with a bag of baked chips.  Could I have gotten the salad - yes.  But I didn't - oh well.
So, one of my fav blogs ever had a great post today that really rang true with me:

"If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse.”—Jim Rohn

www.positivelypositive.com

Its super true and per usual, I found an excuse to eat that chick gyro AND chips knowing full well I had better options.  Why oh why is it so difficult to make the right choice?  Especially after everything I've been through with my body as of late (back, foot, etc.) - I need to take better care of myself not just for me but for my family.  I am not invincible, though I tend to convince myself that I am....sigh.

Onto better choices from here web-friends!

a

350 Calories.

That would be what I had this morning while RACING through the ATL airport.  Security was bananas long (it never is) and I rolled to my terminal at 7:55 for an 8:25 flight.  No breakfast and no coffee.  I seriously thought Starbucks would be a quick answer - my bad.  Line was wrapped around the corner and I could not have my favorite airport breakfast that I have EVERYtime I travel - oatmeal with all of the toppings and a Venti coffee of the day.  I love it and it fills me up well past lunch.
Such is life, I hauled it to my gate - next to last one practically and anyone who knows Hartsfield knows the A Terminal is CRAZY long (well, they all are but whatev).  Anywhoo - the Wolfgang Puck "togo" was next to my terminal and I know I wont eat lunch at my meeting so I grabbed a yogurt parfait with a whopping 350 calories.  I think that will last me till after lunch when I return to the airport.  I hope.  I get all nerved up before a meeting anyway. 
Well, we are landing, gotta jet (har har har, pun intended).
a

Glorious Hump Day!

Want to know why? Because husband came home last night! Whooooooooooooo! Even knowing I have my annual OB/GYN appointment this morning couldn't bring me down.

It's also going to be 72 degrees today. Thank you world, I needed this. I've also got a personal training session today at 2:30pm. I'm sure she's going to have me doing all sorts of outside activities. I can't wait. I haven't worked out in a week, so I need some serious butt kicked.

I also think I may go out and get some new dress pants. I actually hate to have to do this because I don't plan on staying at this weight for too long. BUT, I have to double roll my dress pants at the waist when I am getting my kids up and ready in the mornings before work, or they fall off of me. Good problem to have I know. But again, I still need to lose about 20lbs., so I don't want to spend a whole lot of money on clothes right now. You'd think with my yo yo weight over the years I'd have a spare pair the size that I'm at. But I don't. I have fat and skinny dress pants... oh well.

Ok, just wanted to check in. I hope you are having a fabulous day as me!

Food Log 3/14/12:
Breakfast:
Protein Shake

Snacks:

Lunch:

Dinner:

Workout:
Personal Training Session

Random Tuesday...

Things that I like today:

• I like that I am feeling good, its a nice change and it reminds me that when I eat healthy everything else in my life starts to fall into place
• I like that my clothes are fitting me a little better these days
• I like that I don't feel so bloaty, G-D I hate that feeling
• I like that I feel ready for my meeting in FL tomorrow
• I like that last night B got scared at like 9p and came crying into our room saying "I need mommy love" - even though E threw a TOTAL S*IT FIT because I let him in and tried to hide him :)
• I like that B snuck BACK into our room again at 7a to crawl in for cuddles, it makes me still feel needed as lately he seems to be growing into that independent phase (I'll save those feelings for a day I want to ramble about THINGS I FING HATE)
• I like that the weather is turning here, my grass is turning green and the flowers are starting to bloom - that's insta smile for sure
• I like that our neighborhood developer has used our house on 3 tours in the past 2-weeks to show his clients what can be done with their home from a landscaping perspective.  It makes me feel like all of my hard work is paying off.  One of the people who came through yesterday said our home should be on Better Homes and Gardens - that is SO NOT TRUE but OMG I was so proud.

Thats it for now.
Later!
-a

Five of the Coolest Places I've Ever Been

I'm far from a world traveler, but there are definitely some places I've been that stand out:

1. 2002 Winter Olympics - Salt Lake City, Utah. Oh yeah, and I got to go for free! Yup you heard it, and it was all because of my lovely co-blogger A. At the time she was working for a company and was given this trip to the Olympics. As luck would have it (for me at least, not so much for her) she wasn't dating anyone so I got to go. It was hands down, the coolest trip I've ever been on. We got to fly there, stay in a bad ass hotel, VIP seating and transportation to all the events, all the food and drinks (wine!) we wanted, tons of gear which included coats, boots, hats, bags... all for free. What an experience! I will never, ever forget it. We even got to meet the Bare Naked Ladies in the elevator of our hotel. There is truly nothing like sitting on top of a mountain, watching a Down Hill Skiing event, sipping multiple a glass of chardonnay (hey, we were VIP's!) If I haven't thanked you lately, thank you A for a trip of a lifetime!

2. Road tripping through Ireland. In 2004, husband (then boyfriend) and I flew to Dublin, rented a car and just drove where ever we felt like driving. We stayed in random B&B's in tiny towns, drank a TON of Guinness and toured castle after castle. I'm not a very spontaneous person, so this was pretty cool for me to do.

3. Oktoberfest - Munich Germany. When I was 26, my sister and a few friends of ours decided we were going to go to Oktoberfest. The first night we stayed in this little mountain-top town, about an hour outside of Munich. It was sooooooo beautiful, I felt like I was in a movie. Then the next morning we headed into Munich on the train. We had no place to stay that night but thought it'd be "fun" to just show up and drink all night, who needed a place to stay? Yeah... even at 26 that was hard. I got reeeeeal tired about 2am and NEEDED to sleep. So 3 of us decided to take the bus to the airport early (our flight wasn't until mid morning the next day) and sleep on a bench. Man, my mom would have KILLED me... ha ha.

4. Amsterdam, The Netherlands. On that same trip as above, we stopped off here for a few days. We actually had a place to stay in Amsterdam. I absolutely fell in love with this city. Everyone was very friendly and it was easy to navigate. The Red Light District was awesome! Though, my first night there I flushed my passport down the toilet in a bar by accident (it was in my back pocket) and then had to stick my hand down the toilet and get it back. Yeah... my hand still feels dirty to this day... yuck!

5. Disneyworld, Orlando Florida. I was 6 years old when my family went to Disney. I can still remember the excitement I felt, I couldn't sleep for a week before we left. Everything was so amazing, from the airplane ride down to the resort we stayed in. I remember every day at breakfast they had all the Disney characters there. There is truly no vacation like one you experience as a child. How my parents survived a week in a hotel room with 3 little kids is beyond me. Now that I'm a parent, I can only imagine how tired they must have been. But to this day it was one of the best vacations I've ever been on. Thanks mom and dad!

Thanks for taking a trip with me down memory lane.

Food Log 3/13/12
Breakfast:
Protein Shake

Snacks:
Almonds

Lunch:
Egg Beaters with 1/4 cup shredded cheese
Raw green beans

Dinner:
?

Best Tweet Ever!

This is my life (except switch out the bourbon for wine).

 

Feeling Good

V, I'm sorry you had a rough day last week - no good and with K coming home I know its going to get better - promise buddy.
I, on the other hand, am still doing OK.  We had a great weekend and I had a good eating weekend too.  I am not sure if its the steroids I am on but my appetite has decreased substantially (which is WAY different from what I heard was going to happen) and I can tell in my clothes I am shedding some pounds.  LET IT CONTINUE - PLEASE.
I swear it was the weekend of play dates for us, we dropped B at a friends from 9:30a - 2p and it was like a small gift from G-d.  E and I relaxed and read our books outside since the weather was AMAZING and we both commented how nice it was to just relax and chill for a few hours.  That night he had a man-date with his best friend at one of those steakhouse places that serve never-ending-meat meals (ICK) and I hung with B and N (their son).  Was a great night and we got pizza which I only ate 2 pieces of - MAD UNREAL for me.  I was super full (ate salad first) and so I have to believe that its the roids making my appetite decrease.  Sigh.  Today is the last pill and my back still feels really good, please let that continue too!  I have to head to Ft. Lauderdale this week for a day trip and I'm dreading having to carry my laptop for fear its going to mess my back up.  Also, I raked the pad of my foot over a nail this morning - I'm so scared I am going to get an infection, I cleaned it out like crazy and wrapped it up but its killing me.  Par for the course.
Have a great day & stay skinny my web-friends!
a

And Then There Was One

One day til husband comes home, that is.

It was a ROUGH weekend folks. Not gonna lie. There are certain times when husband is gone and I'm a rock star. Then there are the trips where I'm not... I think it's safe to say this was a "non rock star" kinda weekend. Probably me coming off the stomach flu, then J getting the stomach flu had us all just so worn down.

I did have a good time at my parents house. I'm glad I went, it was nice to be amongst adults. Unfortunately J slept like sh*t and kept us both up all night. So that coupled with Daylight Savings, made it a very tiring day yesterday.

But we survived. And I'm at work today, The Bachelor is on tonight and husband comes home tomorrow so everything is on the upswing.

Eating wise, I did ok. I didn't go balls out after my eating fiasco on Friday. So I'm glad for that. Thanks for the encouraging words from those of you who reached out. I needed that.

I'm in MUCH need of some exercise though. Because we were out of town, I didn't get to workout at all this weekend. Unless you call chasing after my kids at the park, a workout... he he.

On a positive note, my parents and sister hadn't seen me since January and everyone commented on how good I looked. They all mentioned, multiple times, that they could tell I had lost a good chunk of weight. So yay me!

 

Food Log 3/12/12:

Breakfast:
Egg beaters with tbsp of shredded cheese

Snacks:
Almonds
2 mini peppermint patties

Lunch:
Tuna fish mixed with yellow mustard

Dinner:
Glass of wine as big as my head!

Dear Mr. Daylight Savings

You suck!

You obviously never had children or you would have realized that one hour makes a HUGE difference when you are 1 and 3 years old.

Thank you,

 

Eating Fiasco

I had a rough day yesterday. And I'm not really sure why. I was just very down, lonely, tired, stressed... Because of this, I made poor choices in my eating, parenting and over all just about everything. I didn't exercise either. WHAT is going on with me?

Compared to so many around me, things are going very well for me. I know at least 4 people who have children in the hospital right now due to illness. My 5-month-old nephew was admitted yesterday for RSV. So I just feel I've got nothing to be all worked up about. My kids are healthy (save for a stomach bug here and there).

I'm headed to Ann Arbor with the kiddos today to visit my parents for the night. I'm hoping for a better day. I NEED a better day. I need to not let this spiral out into a typical V, eating fiasco. I think maybe just being around people will help. Maybe the isolation of being home alone 24/7 with 2 kids is just getting to me a bit earlier this time around. Probably because I haven't been to work since Tuesday, so this is day 6 of being home all day. I'm such a horrible stay-at-home-mom. How am I going to do 3 weeks of this when husband goes away to flight school?

Ok, sorry for the depressing post, but I had to get it out. I needed to come clean with you blog world, especially about my horrible eating yesterday.

Today will be better, today will be better, today will be better, today will be better....

 

Relief?

I am not going to get too excited but I almost feel like I'm feeling almost normal again.  I know that I should take it easy but OMG I want to run, skip and jump all over the place.
That's it.
-A OUT.

I'm So Going to Get Fired

I had to call off work again today, because J woke up with a fever and a tummy ache. I'm assuming he got my stomach bug. This is probably the 4th time I've had to call off work in the past 2 months due to one of my kids being sick. They've GOT to be getting sick of this (no pun intended). But when you have a pilot-husband who travels for a living, I'm the one who has to stay home when someone is sick.

Anyway, the only positive is I can probably squeeze in a workout today, since I'm home. I still brought S to school today. We've already paid for both kids to be there. But I am totally feeling mommy guilt right now. I didn't really have to bring her. But with husband gone for 7 days, its sooooo much easier just have one child at home. I'll definitely go get her early today. Stupid guilt....

I'm pretty sore already from running intervals yesterday. And I was BEAT last night. I think I fell asleep at 9pm. Guess I know my weak area and what I need to work on.

-V

Food Log 3/8/12:

Breakfast:
Protein Shake

Snacks:
strawberries

Lunch:
shrimp, sauteed in garlic, lemon juice, black olives and reduced fat feta cheese

Dinner:

Workout:
Hoping to get a 30 Day Shred in

Things I Take For Granted, That I No Longer Will

1.    Mobility.

1.    Check, after bananas back issues I will never again!

2.    Safety.

1.    Check, after looking at the site that V is doing volunteer work for, never again. Get ready B, the bubble just got tighter my boy.

3.    Eating What I Want.

1.    Check, 8lbs later - won’t be doing that FING EVER AGAIN

4.    Good Eye Sight.

1.    Check, glasses are on my face more than not lately, thanks eyes. You rock.

5.    Spending What I Want.

1.    Check, the year is not going as I'd planned and now I'm rethinking purchases before I make them.

6.    My Son Staying Innocent and Sweet.

1.    Check. We hosted a cooking class for quite a few of the parents where B goes to day-care. They brought their kids (9 total) to our house and we arranged sitters while we left. Came back to our house for post-adult-bevy’s and the kids played till MAD late. I went into the room where all of the 4yo's were and one little girl was lying on the bed and all the boys were playing. B asked me politely to "please go with your own friends mommy", the other then chimed in "yea, please leave, we are play here". B took me by the arm, walked me to the door and slowly shut it in my face. Wow. WTF just happened there. Back in my belly, please and thank you very much.

7.    A Healthy Body Without Much Effort

1.    Check.  I think that one speaks for itself. Getting older is just rude and I'm finding things are not happening the way they used to. THANKS AGE.

8.    Getting Older.

1.    Something not everyone gets to do, gotta keep that in check for sure.

9.    A Happy Marriage

1.    No, it's not perfect - by far. But we have a good life and while I am seeing so many of our friends get divorced and separated lately it makes me appreciate what we have.

10. A Roof Over Our Heads That We Can Afford.

1.    Again, seeing a lot of our friends lose a lot due to the economy makes me super happy we didn’t buy the McMansion we couldn’t afford at the time. Happy where we are!

There are plenty more but those are top of mind now.

-a

Back2Back

Is life ever just easy? The simple answer is no.  I am forever an optimist, always looking for the positive side of things but sometimes life kicks you enough times that I have to ask myself - where is the lesson here? Does G-d think I am that strong? Apparently so.
Long and short, I had been having some back issues for the last few weeks (right around the time Zumba started for me) and this past Sunday it went completely out and I had to go to the ER.  Awesome.
Today I went to the Spine Clinic here @ Northside and they were fabulous.  I have to go for an MRI on Friday and I have a big, rockin pack of steroids that I have to take.  I welcome it all as back pain I've now learned is the worst thing in the world.  I COULD NOT move for 2 days, was OK yesterday and it hit again last night.  My temper is through the roof and poor B & E are getting the brunt of it - sucks for everyone right now.  I will admit, with the first two doses of meds down I am feeling 10x better.  Let the healing begin....and continue!
Through this I hear my appetite will be outrageous. Great, just what I need.  My body is currently all stopped up and bloated from the bazillion meds they pumped into me on Sunday and what I dont need now are extra pounds. I just need to lose this weight and it feels no matter how hard I try I cannot succeed.  Need.  Help.
~ your friend in the web, a

I Just Got Punched in the Stomach

Or at least that's what it feels like after running intervals just now. I decided I better make good on all my talk about running intervals and actually do it today. Wowza.... this is why I was procrastinating doing them. I forgot how hard it is. Like cramp in my side, hole in my gut, breathing sooooo quickly, hard. It's sad how far I've gone down in how many I can do. I used to be able to do 3 miles worth. Not sure what I ran today, since I was outside, but I promise you it wasn't 3 miles.

Since husband is gone for the next 7 days, I had to do the intervals when my kids went down for a nap today. I put both monitors on high, in my driveway and basically sprinted up and down my block so I could still hear them. I probably looked like an idiot, but oh well. It worked.

In other news, husband got a big promotion at work yesterday. He is being upgraded to fly on a bigger aircraft. This one goes over seas even. In the long run, this will be a great thing for us. More money (eventually) and he will be gone less, ironically. You would think going over seas he'd be gone more. But he won't have to go on these 7-day trips once a month, like he does now. BUT (there's always a but) the training for this aircraft is insane. Guess how long they are going to send him to school for. 3 WEEKS! Yup, you read that right, 3 freaking weeks. Holy hell, I don't know how I am not going to lose my mind being home with 2 toddlers for 3 weeks alone. I'm praying that my in-laws are back from Florida by the time he leaves so they can help me out. He's not sure when he's leaving yet, probably around the end of April time frame, but we'll see.

So I guess this measly little 7-day trip he's on right now will seem like a cake walk to what I've got coming. But, I'm happy for my husband. He deserves this and works his ass off for that company.

Trying to keep the momentum of losing that 5lbs from the stomach flu going. I've been pretty strict with my eating and hense the reason for the interval running today.

-V

Food Log 3/7/12:
Breakfast:
Protein Shake

Snacks:
Almonds

Lunch:
3 eggs, scrambled with a pinch of cheese

Dinner:
cheese quesadilla with salsa and black olives, on whole wheat tortillas
wine

Workout:
Running intervals

Stomach Flu... I Think I Love You

I've lost 5lbs since last week. The stomach flu RULES! I know it's not going to last and some of it will come back on once I start eating normally again. But man, I'm loving this quick 5lbs lost! I weighed myself this morning and I'm 188. I FINALLY broke into the 80's. I haven't been in the 80's since before I had S. Now I just need to stay here as I start eating normally again. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE let me stay in the 80's!

I am feeling better today. Yesterday was surprisingly rough on me. I got sick about 7 times at work (not the puke kind... sorry TMI). Every time I put any food in my mouth, within 15 minutes I got sick. It was not fun. I don't think I even cracked a 1000 calories yesterday. And for a 5 ft 9 person, that isn't much. But I was able to keep down dinner last night. I cooked up some scrambled eggs with a sprinkle of cheese. And I had a protein shake for breakfast this morning and no problems so far. So I think I'm on the mend.

I ended up going to my personal training session last night, anyway. I probably should have canceled, but husband is leaving tomorrow for a 7-day trip and I know I won't be able to get in a good quality workout until he gets home. So I HAD to go and suck it up. It was hard too, I didn't have a whole lot of energy. She had me doing intervals on the treadmill for most of our session. Which I found ironic, after having posted that article on intervals right before I left to go to my appointment. We did running/walking intervals for about 20 minutes, and then she did the 10 incline and running/walking intervals for another 20 minutes. That's what did me in, the incline running... but I did it. After we did some weights and core ab work. I'm glad I went.

I have a long week ahead with husband being gone. It sucks, but a necessary evil in flight industry. A lot of the guys are doing 14-day trips and so far we have been lucky that husband hasn't had to switch over to that. So I guess I should dread appreciate these 7-day trips.

Today I did a bit of volunteer graphic design work for another organization. The Ike & Ella Fund (http://www.ikeandellafund.org/). They do a walk every year and asked me to design the logo and tshirts again, like I did last year. It's a great charity that deals with loss and miscarriages. A situation dear to my heart, being that I had a miscarriage when J was a year old. The charity was started by an old college friend and I'm happy to help them in any way I can. Maybe with all this charity work I've done this week, my good karma will come back... ha ha.

Ok, here's to being able to eat again, but not putting all the weight back on. I plan on staying in the 80's dammit! 

-V

Food Log 3/6/12:
Breakfast:
Protein Shake

Snack:
Almonds
2 mini peppermint patties

Lunch:
Raw green beans
Lean ham

Dinner:
Small scoop of chicken enchilada casserole
Wine

Told Ya!

Everyone always thinks I'm a spaz because I'm always raving about running intervals instead of just jogging. Well I just read an article from Shape Magazine about the The Best Workouts You Aren't Doing. And what do you think #6 is people? Yes, INTERVALS!

Now if I could just take my own advice and start doing these on a regular basis.

Oh, and I totally know what you are thinking. The girl in the photo does look just like me!

-V

Karma's a B*tch

Well, I got the darned stomach flu or food poisoning this weekend. I still can't figure out which it was. I was feeling a bit "off" on Friday, but didn't think too much of it. Then I woke up on Saturday morning and had shooting pains in my stomach. It felt similar to like when you have food poisoning, which is what I thought it was for a while. But then as the day progressed, I got the chills, fever, achy bones, the whole 9 yards. YUCK! I never actually got sick, but was just lucky enough to feel like I was constantly going to get sick, so I'd run into the bathroom, pull my hair back... and nothin'. I almost wish I had gotten sick, because I bet I would have felt better.

What made things even more fun, was husband was gone. So while all these lovely things were happening to me, I had to take care of 2 children. Boy, that was karma getting me back for something I did. (shouldn't have cut in front of that little girl in line at the library the other day...)

It was hard because I was STARVING and my stomach was constantly growling, but all food sounded gross to me. That, coupled with the horrible, stabbing stomach pains, did not make me want to eat. The only thing that sounded good to me was toast with peanut butter. So on Saturday all I had to eat were 3 pieces of the toast with peanut butter throughout the day. And on Sunday, I had 2 pieces of the toast and managed to keep down some Chicken Noodle Soup.

My stomach is still in shambles today, but I feel a lot better. Eating is just hard for me. I managed to gulp down a protein shake this morning on the way to work and my tummy is not happy with me. But COME ON, it's day 3, I need to eat something more than toast.

On a positive note, my dress pants are literally falling off of me. This is not just a figure of speech, I am holding them up as I walk. I know this from not eating for 2 days and will be short lived, so I'll try and enjoy it while it lasts... ha ha.  I so should have weighed myself this morning...

Anyway, so that was pretty much my weekend. I haven't worked out in a 100 years because of this. I have a personal training session today at 5:30pm. That should be interesting. I am going to get my butt kicked, I have a feeling. I don't want to cancel, because I'm not going to be able to meet up with her again until March 14th. So I will suck it up. Plus I have a 5K race in 2 weeks and I've barely been able to run. I guess winter finally decided to show up here in Michigan and it's been constant snow for us lately.

I know A has been M.I.A. a lot lately. She's got quite a lot of crazy going on in her life right now. She's been traveling a ton and a VERY hurt back. She see's a specialist on Wednesday, so bare with her and her lack of posts for a while. Guess you are just stuck with me  :)

-V

PS: Yesterday, J was taking his hand and rubbing it all over my tummy and up and down my legs. When I asked him what he was doing he said "I'm fixing you mommy, so you feel all better today." My little dude!

Food Log 3/5/12 (not sure if I should even bother today, since NOTHING is staying in me... ugh):
Breakfast:
Protein Shake:

Snack:
a few almonds

Lunch:
apples with peanut butter

Dinner:
3 scrambled eggs with a sprinkle of cheese
4 snackwell cookies

Workout:
Personal Training Session

10 Things I'm Thinking About Today...

1. I started doing some volunteer design work for The Hope Project yesterday. I'm very happy to be helping such a great organization but it's freaking me out to read all these statistics and sad stories of these children that have been stuck in child trafficking. HORRIBLE!

2. I totally invited my kids and I over to my friend's house for dinner on Saturday... I am so tacky.

3. Read this blog post at work yesterday, and literally sat there in my cube, balling my eyes out. It's an AMAZING story:   http://www.kellehampton.com/2010/01/nella-cordelia-birth-story.html

4. A coworker said to me yesterday: "is your husband ever home?" Um, rude much? He travels for his job people, it's not like he's out gallivanting around just for kicks. This from the woman who I can hear arguing with her husband on the phone, on a daily basis, for all of us to awkwardly hear... hmpf!

5. This morning, I told J he had to finish his breakfast before he left the table. He then told me "we can't be best friends anymore."

6. Signed up for another 5k race with a friend today. That makes 5 races I'm signed up for between now and July. I've got a 5k run, March 17th. 5k run April 21st. 10k run on May 12th. A 52-mile bike race on May 19th. Sprint Triathlon in July. Am I crazy? And if I don't lose weight from all of this I'm gonna be pissed.

7. I've been watching One Tree Hill since the beginning. I'm have heart palpitations that the series is ending next month... I feel like I grew up with those characters. (I heart Dan Scott)

8. Why do my kids always seem to choose a quiet library to throw a temper tantrum?

9. When I texted that question to A earlier, she responded with "because they hate you." Hmmm, she might be onto something.

10. I hurt my elbow while playing tennis in Florida 2 weeks ago and it's still really hurting me. That, coupled with the fact that my knee is still bothering me from the other day, is making it really hard for me to decide what the heck to do for my workout today that wouldn't involve using my knee or elbow. Advice?

-V

Food Log 3/2/12:
Breakfast:
Protein Shake

Snack:
Protein Bar

Lunch:
Grilled cheese & salami sandwich

Dinner:

Workout:
Not sure yet. Core ab work maybe?

Is this Preschool or Harvard?

Well yesterday was a crazy frickin' day. First we had preschool sign-up's. What's the big deal you say? Yeah, that's what I thought initially. Well, first off I read that they "recommend" that you don't bring your children to preschool sign-up's because it can be a bit "hectic." Um, ok I thought. Well I have a pilot-husband who is gone a lot, so who the heck am I going to get to watch my kids on a random Wednesday morning?

Oh well I thought, I'll just take them. Then I was informed that if we wanted a certain day/time spot, we should get there early. Well since I did want a M/W/F mornings spot, I thought I'll just get there right when they open at 9:30am. THEN Tuesday afternoon, a friend informed me that people started lining up 45 minutes early. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? This is preschool people, not Harvard! So I started stressing big time. What the heck was I supposed to do with a 3-year-old and 1-year-old in line for an hour? Especially S, she HATES to be confined and having to be still.

Anyway, I showed up at 9am, the line was around the corner already. But I came prepared. My sister suggested I only give S a very small snack when she woke up, instead of breakfast. Then give her a bagel to munch on once we got there. BEST ADVICE EVER. S sat there for a good 25 minutes, just munching away on her bagel, perfectly content to sit in the stroller. After that though, she started to get restless, but luckily our place in line was right in front of the Tots Playgroup room we usually go to on Wednesday's and she was able to go in there and play and I could still keep an eye on her. J was perfectly content to hang out in the double stroller the whole time, so that was easy.

Anyway, my kids were so well behaved, I seriously thought they might have been someone's kids. They were amazing. And we got all signed up for preschool. I'm not sure when I'll find out if I got the time/day slot I wanted. I'm thinking I should be ok, but who knows. I also requested a certain teacher that was recommended to me, but I'm not as concerned about that.

So yeah, nuts! I never realized this school stuff was so complicated and cut-throat. Especially this early on.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. I was able to squeeze a workout in, when the kids were napping, which rocked. I needed it. Though my knee is bugging me today. There are a lot of lunges in the 30 Day Shred workout and I have bad knees. I really try and not go down too far on the lunges, but I may have pushed it yesterday. Hopefully the knee will feel better tomorrow.

Husband comes home tonight, but is right back out tomorrow morning again. Good times...

-V

Food Log 3/1/12:
Breakfast:
Protein Shake

Snacks:
Almonds
2 mini peppermint patties

Lunch:
Egg whites mixed with spinach and turkey sausage

Dinner:
?