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

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

What the #@*& Just Happened?!?!

Seriously. I went from on track and doing great to just fat.  I woke up yesterday and I'm not sure if I'm around that time but I ate enough (like you V) to feed a small country (not even village) including homemade mac and cheese.  I mean really....
The good news is that as a surprise for E and I, for our birthday's, I've hired a yoga instructor to come to our home for personal practice.  It started yesterday so I'm feeling very Zen and mentally ready to get back on track.  I think I got cocky again when I lost that initial 5 lbs and here I am back up 6. 
Thanks food, you are super cool.  What is WRONG with me and WHY can't I control this!
-A Super Pissed Off A

En Espanol

Well, I'm in Mexico and I cannot even pretend that I've been eating good...at all.  Breakfast may be my only saving grace but Pina Colodas, Margaritas and snacks all day have been my reality.  E has played tennis, golf and been all kind of physical while I've sat at the beach and relaxed - must admit its been SO NICE to just "b" for a bit.  I am ready for home, we leave at like 7a tomorrow morning and that means we are up and out around 5a - that also means I should try and stay sober today and this evening...note to self "trying is the first step".  Everything is in Spanish and though I cannot speak only very little I am navigating this site pretty well.  Proud of myself.
Also, disturbing but I had an AWFUL dream last night that "b" was kidnapped - I woke up at like 6a totally freaking out and didn't want to tell E because I didn't want to upset him too.  I hate when dreams feel so real that you cannot shake them, probably also why I'm a little ready to be home as silly as that sounds.
OK, A OUT - must get back to the beach and that amazing blue water - ahhhhhhhh.
   

Later 5 lbs!

I cannot believe I am even typing this - I've been really good, I've not been SUPER GREAT but I've been really good - SO - yesterday when I put my pants on and they were not 2nd Skin I got kind of excited.  Fast Forward to today, I took a giant leap of faith and got on the scale - I'M DOWN 5 LBS!  HOLLA! 2 lbs to get to where I was in October and 5 to get to where I'm comfortable.  PLEASE G-D PLEASE let the trend continue...-a

Bat Mitzvah Success

The much anticipated Bat Mitzvah weekend is over!  Our family attended services, dinners, parties and luncheons the entire weekend and I am SO PROUD to say I ate 99.9% healthy.  The .1% that I was bad was due to the amount of margaritas and wine I put down on Saturday night but listen, big progress for me.  Old me would have eaten my way through the weekend and felt terrible today - not the case!  E and B were total rockstars, though by Sunday E was ready to be done - I could just tell.  A highlight during the luncheon was B, he yelled during the montage the parents put together - THIS IS BORING MOMMY.  Good thing we were sitting right at the front table and the parents heard us.  He's 4 and hey, if he was bored I'm happy hes able to communicate his feelings.  Now we just need to work on tact...awesomeness.
Off to Zumba tonight and have been eating healthy all day.
Its the little things....
-a

Peanut Butter Play-Doh... Dinner of Champs

Well I survived my husband-free weekend. It was very long, and I still ended up yelling at my 3-year-old about 5000 times (though to my defense he was being a jerk-off most of the time). But now I'm in the home stretch. Two more days, and he's home. Plus I work Monday's and Tuesday's, so it's easy. I'm probably the only one who loves Monday's. I practically skipped into work this morning, I was so happy to be here and out of the house.

I had a good time at my parents house though. The kids were ecstatic, which is all that matters. For some reason J was up ALL night on Friday night, so not a whole lot of sleep for me.  I thought that by bringing him into my bed, it would help him sleep...yeah I don't know why I do that because that NEVER works. I basically spent the remainder of the night getting kicked and hit in the face and head while he flailed around in his sleep.

We got like a frickin foot of snow while I was in Detroit. So when the kids went down for a nap yesterday afternoon, I had a lot to tackle, shoveling-wise. A foot of snow is A LOT to shovel all by your lonesome. Though my lovely neighbor did come over and help me a bit, which rocked. But I got my workout in for the day doing that. Plus I did 500 jump ropes in the garage afterwards. Trying to get that cardio in.

Easting-wise I did ok. Not spectacular, but better than normal when I go to my parents. They have a lot of my "trigger" foods in their house, so it's always a struggle when I go there. Also, I made my kids peanut butter Play-Doh yesterday.... yeah, that's some good sh*t. Totally easy to make and YUMMY! I had to cut myself off from munching on it. (For all you mom's, here's the recipe: 1 Cup of creamy peanut butter, 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 cup honey... mix and there you go!)

I found a new calorie tracking website that I'm LOVING. www.MyFitnessPal.com 
Check it out, its easy and a great way to track what you're eating. Especially now since I'm not only tracking my calories, but also carbs, which basically means I get to eat nothing... but it helps a lot.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is really starting to get good now. I'm glad I stuck with it. The beginning is really, really boring. And there were sooooo many times I almost bailed. But, I'm really starting to like it. But, since I listen to it on cd on my commute to work, sometimes my mind wanders and I find myself having to rewind it a lot. This is one of those books where you really have to pay attention.

Ok, more later, got to get to work

-V

Holy L.A.

A here.

My husband doesn't travel often so when he does it throws me ALL off. He is in L.A. for business and has been cooling out in Hollywood. To know my husband this is a TOTAL oxymoron. He shopped on Rodeo Drive and I cannot believe he didn’t burst into flames the minute his foot hit the sidewalk. Anywhoo - somewhere along the way he got me a present so if for nothing else I cannot wait for him to get home! Our 4yo son, B believes his dad is in Hollywood because he "sang so good" (we watched American Idol last night) and he’s convinced his dad is going to show up on the show. Too cute for words!

Lets start with a positive, I've lost 2 lbs! HOORAY! In part, I believe its due to me not drinking both nights last week. I have to chill back on the wine, it's how I got the weight off the first time and I know its how I'll get if off again. Well, that and Zumba.

The negative. I had Annie's Mac & Cheese with B last night mixed with home-made Chorizo. Because what goes better with Annie's than Chorizo - really? So totally unnecessary but OMG so good. I woke up slightly angry with myself and ate only 2 mandarin oranges this morning for breakfast to try and balance the filth. And yes, filth.

Another negative, E sent me a text - "hey baby, miss and love you, don’t forget to take out the trash". Not much sets me off these days but for some reason I wanted to kill him for this. Note to self, must address anger issues later - when there is time. Sure.

I will say, with him not traveling much this week, while uber tough has also made me realize just how much he does. Makes me miss him so much and alleviates SOME of the trash text anger...but not much.

Off an running to another day, Get Skinny my web friends!

a

2 Pack Abs?

Dear Diary,
I've been very good at working-out this past week. Last night, even though my trainer canceled on me, I worked out anyway. I did an Comcast On-Demand (I sound like a damned Comcast commercial lately) cardio workout. My son J even joined me as I was kickboxing. It was hilarious watching my 3-year-old do the kicking and punching moves.

I also got my butt up at 6am and hopped on my spinning bike before work this morning. Holla! As I was showering before work, I looked at my body in the mirror. And even though when I weighed myself last week, I may have not lost any lbs on the scale, my body is changing. It's redistributing it's self. My stomach is what's probably most noticeable. I can actually see 2 of my (if I was thin) 6 pack abs. The 2 abdominal muscles right below my breasts are actually sticking out and defined (The remaining 4? Not sure where they are yet). As I was brushing my hair, I could see my shoulder and bicep muscles, were more toned. So it's happening and it feels good.

I read the most inspirational blog EVER this morning. A friend of mine sent me the link last night and the way this woman writes is amazing. She lost 135lbs. But just reading her story, her history, the way she puts it, was one of the most weight-loss inspiring things I've ever read. Check her out:

http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/

Luckily, I was able to reschedule my personal trainer for 8am tomorrow morning, before my husband leaves for his 7-day trip. So one final, great workout before the long stretch.

So I finally decided to be a "grown up" and switch up my book on tape selection from the teen romances to something else. I'm reading The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I was warned by A that the first bit is pretty boring. And, oh, it was. But now it's starting to get good. I'm glad I stuck with it. Since my commute to work is 45 minutes each way, I've grown to loooooooooove my time in the car, with my books on tape. I don't really have too much time to read physical books anymore, so getting to do it in the car is perfect for me.

I'm loving my protein shakes in the mornings lately. It really does fill me up. Even this morning, with working out first thing (which normally makes me ravenous) I'm still feeling ok. I usually pop a handful of almonds around 11am and that will take me to lunch. I've been eating egg whites with either spinach or lean ham (with a bit of cheese) every day lately for lunch. I need to switch it up or I'm going to get bored. But its yummy, protein filled and low in carbs, plus easy to make. Mid afternoon snack has been a cheese stick and sometimes a few turkey pepperoni’s. I know the pepperoni’s aren't exactly the healthiest of things, but low in calories and carbs and oh so yummy.

Dinner is always my trouble area. I'm trying to eat with my kids more and not just sitting there, watching them eat. I don't need S growing up with eating issues like mine. I need her to see me eating a healthy, well balanced meals. So I'm truly making an effort to not skip dinner (which I do WAY too often) and eat with her and J (and my husband when he's home).

Tomorrow starts my husband's 7-day trip. SHOOT ME! But I am going to have positive thoughts about it. I think I will drive over to Detroit on Friday and spend the day/night with my parents. The kids haven't seen them since Christmas, so it's time. It's hard on me, and I don't get much sleep (since we are all packed in one room at night) but they need to see their grandparents. Plus my sister and her kids will stop by on Friday, which is nice for the kids to play with their cousins.

Ok... I'm totally rambling.... I'll stop now.

-V

NAMASTE, Damn it!

...so I heard my husband yelling at my son last night as I ran out the door for a combo yoga class followed by a "Healthy Cooking" class.  What a fantastic way to start the week!  Heading back to Zumba tonight and with my husband in LA and Chicago all week I need workouts in NOW. 
My biggest victory last week was a) I drank only Saturday night (but enough that it should have been Friday and Saturday...*sigh* b) My jeans were not skin tight.  WOOT!
-a
ps - Hey V, I heart wine too :)

Debbie Downer

Well that was me last week. I was sort of spiraling down into a pit of feeling sorry for myself. But after a nice long weekend, full of workouts, I am back in good spirits today. Working out really can make you feel so much better about things. Thursday night I got home and was just grumpy and sad about my lack of weight loss. My sister-in-law called me and invited me to Zumba class that night at 8pm. So I went, and ever since then, I've felt better. It's amazing what endorphins can do for you.

Friday I was home all day with the kids by myself. But I still managed to squeeze a workout in. I love the On Demand workouts with Comcast. They have everything from 10 minute ones to 1 hour ones. So I am able to squeeze in a few 10 minute workouts here and there throughout the day. Actually I was so sore from the Chair one that had me doing a billion squats, that I could barely walk on Saturday.

I also had my 2nd personal training session on Saturday. She really kicked my butt this time. She had me running for a bit, but then switched the treadmill to a 13 incline, walking around 3.0 speed. That was hard, just doing that alone. Then she had me taking 5lb weights and doing my shoulder, biceps and triceps curls, all while still walking. Man I was shaking when we were done.

My legs were so tight yesterday from the workouts on Friday and Saturday, that I actually hopped on my spinning bike just to loosen my muscles up. I also jump roped for a bit.

Unfortunately my trainer had to cancel on me tonight, which sucks, because my husband is leaving on Wednesday for a 7-day trip (shoot me) and I won't get to see her til late next week. Boo!

I've also realized that I've only really been hitting it hard for about 2.5 weeks, so I think I need to just lay off the scale a bit. Because as long as I'm working out and eating healthy, who gives a sh*t what I weigh? Especially if it can put me in such a funk, like I was last week. So I say F-YOU scale!  =)

We had fun at my friend's house on Saturday (the one with the mansion). It was nice to get all our families together. They had super greasy food there, but I didn't eat it (yay me!). When S wandered off in their house, I ran to go grab her and saw that they had the most awesome gym in their basement. I mean it literally looks like a gym you are a member of. Mirrored walls, padded floors, every piece of equipment you could ever want. So jealous.

It's going to be a long stretch here with my husband gone for 7 days. Hopefully I can keep my sanity and get some workouts in while he's gone. It shouldn't be too hard to squeeze in those 10 minute On Demand workouts here and there.

Here's to a MUCH better week for me!

-V

Brrrrrrrrrrrr

Well it turned out that I didn't really have to worry about the temptation of those tortilla chips on Tuesday night. You see our heat decided to stop working. Do you know how cold it is in Michigan right now? FREEEEEEEEEEEZING. Of course my husband was gone (of course, of course, of course) so here I am in a freezing house with a 1-year-old and 3-year-old wondering what the F to do. We have one space heater, so I got that going. And since we have a gas stove, I was able to turn on all 4 burners and that put off a ton of heat. Anyway, after putting the kids to bed in two pairs of pajamas and a lot of blankets, I proceeded to keep switching out the space heater from each of their rooms, so it wasn't too cold. I didn't want to fall asleep with the space heater on, afraid it would catch fire, so I pretty much was up until around 1am.

THEN (there's always a then) around 4am, the heat randomly kicks back on. But since I had been playing with the thermostat earlier, it was turned on 80 degrees. So I wake up at 4am about ready to suffocate from the heat.  So I get up, turn the thermostat down, then I had to sneak in the kids room and take their blankets off (since they still had the 2 pair's of pajamas on). Yeah... it was a pretty fun night. But no time to even think about food, so there's the positive I guess.

We had someone come out and look at the furnace yesterday and it's all fixed now, luckily. But why does this stuff always seem to happen when my husband is gone?

I'm still a big discouraged today. I weighed myself this morning and I'm the SAME WEIGHT as I was last week. WTF? I mean I know I had that one slip-up with the tortilla chips, but I've been working so hard, it was just very disappointing to see that number be the same on the scale. Makes me want to just say F-it. But I won't... I'll keep going, grudgingly.

I'm excited to meet up with my trainer on Saturday. I need a good workout. I haven't really been able to all week with my husband gone. So hopefully a good workout will help my spirits, it usually does.

Nothing too exciting on the schedule for this upcoming weekend. We've got plans on Saturday with a new friend that me and my friend J have been hanging out with lately. We met her through a Moms Group we are members of. She just moved here not too long ago with her husband and 2 boys. We've hung out with her a few times, but never had been to her house. Well about 2 weeks ago she had my friend and I over with the kids for a play date. HOLY SH*T! Her house is a freaking mansion. No joke. Yeah... guess her husband is a surgeon.

Anyway, she's invited us over (the husbands too) for a hang out, let the kids play, guys watching the game sort of evening. Should be fun. Maybe they will bust out some fabulous wine from the massive wine cellar they have in their basement.

Have a great weekend!

-V

Zumba!

I heart Zumba!  I finally dragged my butt to the actual gym today to use that 2-wk pass my girlfriend gave me and decided to check out the Zumba crazinessness everyone is raving about.
I totally get it now!  I heart Zumba!
I have not had that much fun working out in I cant tell you HOW LONG and my body, while already hurting a little, is thanking me in so many ways. 
Onward and upward!  YEAHHHHHHHHHH
-A

Brick Wall

Well hello - A here, finally.  Not only were the holidays not nice to my body (thankyouverymuch) they were not nice to me for the past 10 days catching up at work!  It has been 8 to 8 almost every day and there has been little to no room for anything else.  As a result, not much has changed for me  until Tuesday of this week - I finally hit my breaking point, my brick wall.  A girlfriend gave me a 2-week gym member pass for classes and I really took a look at myself in the mirror and thought WTH have I been thinking. 
This binge lasted a little longer than normal and did a little more damage than usual.  Between my mom getting sick and losing the baby I think I buried both so deep that my only outlet was to eat and not pay attention to anything - because if I did it meant that I also had to pay attention to that which was hurting the most.  And that sucks.  And so here I am.
My eating has been great so far, I have finally cut back on the calories and have been out walking.  I am back to being consious of everything, especially my skin tight jeans.  Awesomeness.
I head to Mexico in a few weeks for 5 days with my husband on a trip I won through work, 8 pounds to go.  I know its not realistic to think that I can lose that by the 8th of Feb but I can work really hard at it and at least not feel so down about myself.
Back on track, no other choice - I dont want to be fat anymore or ever again. Done.
~a

So... Um... Yeah...

... I sorta ate like sh*t this past weekend. I know, I know, stop rolling your eyes at me. Yes, I know I was doing sooooooo well. And then I just screwed up. BUT, but, but, I am back on track today. The old V would have just said F-it and gone down into spiral of bad eating. (btw I have a total truck driver mouth, but I try to be good on this blog).  But I am not going to. I am back on track today.

I did end up running 3 miles yesterday, to try and combat a bit of the eating. I will workout today again. I figure it's the only thing I can do at this point to try and not gain all the weight back.

I swear I'm like an addict sometimes, it's the only way I can explain it. It's like I get a taste of the "good/bad food" and I just can't stop. I just keep going and going... man I have issues.

Other than the whole food snafu, I had a great weekend. We had a good time in Detroit for my niece's birthday party. I ended up only taking my 3-year-old with me because my daughter got a stomach bug on Thursday night and I didn't want to infect the entire house. So only having one kid was like the easiest thing in the world. I can't believe I ever used to complain when I only had one.

My kids went up north with my husband yesterday, so I had an actual day to myself. It was awesome, I got so much stuff done. Mainly wrapping Christmas gifts and just getting caught up on life. Though I have to admit by the end of the day, when I had all my stuff done, I was almost bored. I'm not quite sure how to relax anymore, I'm so used to being busy 100% of the time. I get one more night tonight to myself before they come back tomorrow morning.

I ended up doing 321 Sit-ups last week. They are getting HARD. I can only imagine what this week will be like. So here's to getting back on track this week...

-V

Back!

Hello! We survived an awesome Thanksgiving weekend! It was crazy busy, with tons of travel, but all in all I had a blast. I had about 5 minutes of sleep the entire weekend, but who needs sleep anyway?

Wednesday night I went to my mother-in-law's house with the kids, while my husband went to the Hunting Ranch with 'the guys' for the night. We all had a fun girls night with my husband's sister and her girls joining us too.

Thursday, we drove to my husband's brothers house and had a great day. The kids were in Heaven with all the attention and other kids to play with. They both even took a nap there and I had a whole hour to just socialize. I think I almost forgot how to do that... he he.

Friday we headed home, only to pack right back up again and head to Ann Arbor on Saturday to see my family. My brother and niece were in town so it was great to see them. I was still a little bitter towards my parents for blowing off S's 1st birthday party. But I need to just get over it because unfortunately, nothing is going to change on that front. My parents are wonderful people, but they can be very blind and selfish about things like that. That is how they are and I need to just deal with it. It's not like they are going to suddenly change. Besides, I wasn't there for them, I was there to see my brother and niece who I only usually get to see twice a year since they live across the country.

Eating wise I did better than I thought I would. I definitely had a full meal on Thanksgiving, but that was about it. I didn't indulge in anything extra. I even got a run AND a bike ride in on Friday, to burn it off too. It was 60 degrees here, which is crazy for Michigan in November. The one little snafu I had was on Saturday night. I did good allllll day at my parents house. But, we drank wine on Saturday night and I got a little loopy, which lead to eating. DUMB! Anyway, not perfect, but still better than I normally would have done.

I can see that I've lost a few pounds already. Not sure if I mentioned this or not, but part of the contest rules is that I can only weigh myself 3 times between now and Feb 20th. So as much as I would have liked to step on that scale, I am going to wait until it gets closer to Feb 20th so I can see what I weigh when it really counts. Because I am NOT losing.

I saw that A put a post up about what happened to her. I am glad to see her writing about it. Having suffered from a similar loss myself, I know what an emotional rollercoaster having a miscarriage can be. I think talking about it, is the first step to healing though. For any of you readers out there, I'm sure she could use some words of encouragement. So please feel free to write something on her post.

Lastly, A, myself, and 3 other friends started the 200 Sit-Up Challenge today. http://www.twohundredsitups.com
I'm super pumped to do this with other people. It makes it fun to get back into shape. And let me tell you, these flabby abs need it!

Well here's a great week of eating healthy and exercising! Woot Woot!

-V

Hunger Point

The first few days of eating healthy really suck. It's almost like you go through withdrawals. This is day 3 and I'm just HUNGRY. But, I know this is a good thing and I will get some great results, so I'm just going to suck it up because I am NOT losing this contest... he he.

Sunday, my mother-in-law threw me a surprise pizza party for my birthday. Yesterday I came to work to find a huge bagel with a big glop of cream cheese waiting for me on my desk. It was very nice of a coworker to save a bagel for me, but no way was I eating it. When she wasn't looking, I wrapped it in a bag and threw it in my trash. THEN today, I got to work and my boss got me 2 gift certificates to McDonald's for my birthday. Again, super nice, but really?  I feel like somehow my husband is orchestrating this to make me suffer... bastard  =)

This past weekend was awesome! The visit from A and her little man was soooooo much fun. It was so nice having her here. We even managed to sneak away from the kids and go have some wine and food at a restaurant. Well, lots of wine and a bit of food. Ok, well we sat up drinking until 1:30am, but COME ON! How often do I get to do that? And I promise you, I paid for it the next day, which of course was my little girl's 1st birthday and I had to cook for 15 people... good times.

Actually little S's 1st birthday was fabulous! Great food, great family, great friends. The kids had so much fun running all around, it was a zoo. But it's always wonderful to be surrounded by the people you love and having A there made it that much more special.

It should be an interesting week to start a diet/healthy eating regimen, being that its Thanksgiving. The only thing I've got going for me is I'll probably be so busy chasing after my kids and trying to make them eat, I won't have much time to eat myself. Let's hope at least.

I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to post for the rest of the week. We leave tomorrow for my mother-in-law's house. Then on Saturday I'm headed to Detroit to see my family since my brother and niece are in town visiting.

Have a great Thanksgiving!
-V

Reeeeeelaxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

So I know I should be happy having the house to myself. I mean all I seem to do on here is bitch and moan about how busy I am taking care of 2 kids... but I miss my babies!

You would think that I would have had the BEST sleep in the world last night... but I kept waking up listening for my kids, forgetting momentarily that they weren't there. I did that like a billion times. It's hard for me to relax because I'm just used to going and going and going. I think it's going to take a bit for me to remember how to relax again.

Oh, and for the 2nd time in a week, I had a dream about The Wiggles last night. WTF? And in both dreams, I kissed one of The Wiggles (at least it was the same guy in both dreams). I need serious help I think.

I am going to go for a run tonight after work. Its going to be 60 today, probably one of the last warm days we are going to have here in Michigan. So I am going to take advantage of it. If you don't hear from me tomorrow, that means I collapsed from being so out of shape. Wish me luck!

V

19 lbs

So, my husband weighed himself on Friday and realized he's gained 19 lbs in the past 2 years. Now seriously, the man is so skinny and built, I have no idea where this 19 lbs is. But, he insists he's gained it and is determined to lose it. So he challenged me to a contest (we love a good contest in my house and always have one going between us because we are both extremely competitive) to see who can lose 19 lbs by Feb 20th. If one of us doesn't make this goal, then the other gets to come up with an AWFUL thing they have to do.

So his idea is that if I don't make my goal I have to put a bikini on, and write "I Lost" on my stomach and send that photo to FIVE people (just so you know A, you will be one of the five). Seriously, shoot me. The thing I came up with is that he has to go get a couples massage with me. Now that may sound fabulous to some people, but my husband is FREAKED out by that stuff. Doesn't want any stranger touching him or anything. I get so jealous of my friends and their spouses that go and get these all the time. So, I think it would be hilarious to go do it. Plus, I get a massage out of the deal, so it's a win/win for me. I get to see my husband EXTREMELY uncomfortable and I get a massage....

So here is the nudge I needed to get back on the healthy eating wagon. I think losing this shouldn't be too much of a problem since I have A LOT to lose. Its going to be harder for him because he's skinny now to begin with. So BRING IT ON HUSBAND!

In other news, we survived our weekend of traveling. It was very hard and frustrating at times, dragging two kids to funeral homes, churches, dinners and long car rides. But considering, my kids did great. They looooooooved staying in a hotel. Though it was awesome and both slept through the night, so that helps. But we were exhausted by the time we got home at 10pm Saturday night.

Unfortunately, A was unable to make it this past weekend for a visit (for reasons I will let her discuss if she feels the need) but she is coming to visit me this weekend instead. So I'm pumped for that.

My husband is taking my kids up north today to his mom's so he can hunt. I get the house to myself for 3 whole days! I'm super excited, but also having minor panic attacks about not having my kids with me. I am going to miss them so much. But it will be nice to have some alone time.

That's all for now...
V

The Fear of The Scale.

Well hello from the A side of things.  I am alive (barely) and I am finally making it to the other side of my first trimester (WOOT!).
I have not blogged in a bit for a few reasons, one of which is due to extreme FATIGUE and extreme hormone issues.  I have been angry and tired and busy and annoyed and irritable and did I mention - tired and annoyed?  Happily though, it's finally passing and I am starting to feel like me again.
That brings the 2nd point to light, the scale.  I have been gung-ho about keeping on track, eating only my "additional 300 calories needed for the baby" (yeah, right) and none of that is going well. Side Note: I firmly believe that male doctor made that claim and I would like to meet him and slap him in the face, no woman would EVER set that standard....or at least one that has had a baby. End result, I've not weighed myself since I stepped on the scale a few weeks ago at the Dr's office. I'm scared to and my tummy is sticking out quite a bit already.  I know weight gain is part of the process, I've worked so hard to get it off that mentally I'm having a hard time adjusting to my new body....and the one that's to come.  I know that's awful to say, but it's true.
Onward and upward, my web-based friends.  Physically fit, I'm trying to be!
-a