Get Fit: Week 4

This week turned out better than I originally thought.

Exercise: I did not walk. At. All.  My goal was to walk five.  And I walked zero.  In fairness to me, it rained A LOT in the mornings this week, which is usually when we get out, but that is not an excuse.  I didn't do it at all.  I consider that a major step backward.  I wrote that Saturday midday, and the evening was SO nice and my husband had things SO under control that I went out and walked for 2.28 miles!  AND, Lindsey text me Saturday night to ask if I wanted to get up early and walk this morning before church.  Why yes, yes I did.  Got in another three miles, which means I exceeded my five mile goal!  AND, I did yoga six out of seven days this week.  My goal was five, so I feel pretty good about that.  And, two of them were hot, and one of them was ridiculously hot.  So both my exercise goals were not only met, but exceeded!

Diet: The diet was fine, but I have officially discovered my weakness - dough and batter.  Charlie's birthday party was this weekend (post here) and I made cake, cupcakes, cookies, icing - the works.  And I just couldn't help sticking my finger in a few times.  My family was also in town, and I had a few bites of the pasta from Friday's dinner.  It was gluten free...but still.  Not on my diet.  BUT, I have discovered these:

OMGoodness these are so delicious!  The girls at work eat these all the time, so when I saw them in the grocery store I grabbed one.  One bag was $3.99, which I thought was kind of expensive at first, but I got three meals out of it and, if I add some more greens like romaine or spinach, it would go even further.  The dressing is fatty, but I used less than half for the three meals by dipping my fork instead of pouring. :)


Breakthroughs:

• The first pair of jeans I was too big for...I am now too small for.  I'm still wearing them, but I have to hike them up.
• People are starting to say, "Hey, have you lost weight?"  Why yes, yes I have.  How kind of you to notice and say something!
• Weight loss total so far: 19 pounds!

HAPPY DANCE!!!!!

Weekly Goals:

• Yoga five times this week.  I would do six again, but the yoga place is going to be closed on the 4th. :(
• Walk five miles this week.  It's going to happen...I just know it.
• Enjoy the 4th! Our adorable neighborhood puts on a parade and we have front row seats in our front lawn :)

Charlie's 3.5 Birthday Party

Our son's birthday falls at Christmastime - maybe the worst time for a party.  And this year, because Lucy had just come home from NICU and was not supposed to be exposed to large groups of people, we did not have a party.  So we decided to celebrate his half birthday instead!

I found this photo invitation online and used a picture from his recent trip to Day Out with Thomas:

Then I pinned a ton of ideas from Pinterest:

I'm actually not a big Pinterest person.  I didn't like the interface and felt like there was just too much stuff.  But since Jennifer walked me through it and showed me what all the stuff meant, I am cautiously agreeing to spend a little more time with it.  Anyway, I had some grandiose plans for the party that ended up simplifying themselves...which is pretty much the story of my life.

But I like simple!  One thing that ended up WAY simpler than I thought it would was the cake.  I found this Wilton cake pan online:

And was a little intimidated.  Fortunately, my mother and MIL are both very knowledgeable about (and even enjoy) cake decorating.  And Molly, my sister-in-law, was great help, too!  Our process in pictures:

My MIL made the frosting and laid out all the high-tech equipment we needed.

And I brought the instructions that came with the pan.  They were...mildly helpful.

Thomas is light blue, so we didn't have to add much.

We used little white circle-things for the eyes so we wouldn't have to try to frost them.

And the final product:

I think it turned out pretty great.  And Charlie FREAKED out when he saw it.  We had to leave it at Gigi and Pepa's house because I was afraid he might mess with it.

For the actual party, I purchased a table cloth, plastic ware, and four tin loaf pans.  I hot glued Oreos to the sides of the loaf pans so they looked like freight cars.  I filled them with Charlie's favorite things in the world: animal crackers, goldfish, strawberries, and gummy bears!

I also found little train whistles at Target (which I got a screaming deal on, right Molly?) and wrote the names of all the kids on them.  They were a hit, but I was glad the whistle wasn't louder.  I made some cupcakes (as we had more people than cake slices) and, as favors for the kids, I made cookies in the shape of trains and then I iced them with a brush using this recipe.  It was amazing - I'm totally bookmarking it for the future!  This plus balloons and a "Happy Birthday" sign (neither of which were photographed) were the extent of the decorations.  I think it was pretty perfect!

And so did Charlie.  When he got there, he got so excited about the Thomas balloon (courtesy of Grandma), the cake, and the freight cars filled with his favorite foods on Earth.  And boy did he have a blast eating food and opening presents!

It was a LOVELY party.  A huge thank you to all our family and friends who came out to help celebrate, and to my mom, mother-in-law, Molly, and Kristin who really helped pull things together.  Charlie had a WONDERFUL time, and look at all those presents!

Prep: Blog Every Day in July

I am busy preparing for Blog Every Day in July.  This is what I do.  When I have a project, I do whatever is the opposite of procrastinate (pre-crastinate?) - I get started on it ASAP.  This can be both good and bad - good because I get it done with time to spare, but bad because often I have to go back and redo, which I wouldn't have had to do if I had not rushed into it in the first place.

But so far I have eight posts done.  Feeling pretty good about that.  I'm also feeling good about the fact that I now have at least four people who are joining me and one that is committing to half.  I am so excited about reading everyone else's posts.  In this phase of life, it seems there is little time, energy, opportunity, whatever you want to call it, to just talk and share life with each other.  I am hoping that this will change as my kids get older, but for now, I LOVE reading my friends' blogs.

If you need a refresher on the rules and topics, click here.

Getting excited!

So Long, Breast Milk!

I have this tendency is to focus on the negatives (pessimism, I believe they call it?), and it is seriously one of my worst traits.  Almost immediately after summer commenced, I started dreading the beginning of the school year.  When my husband asks how my son did at the end of the day, I tell him the one or two bad things that took place, instead of all of the great ones.  When I look at my life, I pick out the worst things and harp on them.  It's a problem.

But I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, and that is looking at the positives.  And I am finding there are many.

Tomorrow, my daughter will drink the last of the breast milk for which I labored so long and hard.  I am sad.

Sigh.  Okay - done with sadness and on to things to celebrate:

1. We saved almost 9 months' worth of money spent on formula!  Formula is so stinking expensive - we really dodged a bullet there! Yay!
2. I wasn't able to nurse because of skin issues with my son and premie issues with my daughter, but I pumped and bottle fed with both.  My son made it to almost 8 months of age, and now, even though I stopped pumping March 3rd, my daughter has made it to almost 9 months.  Instead of mourning the fact that she will have to have 3 months of formula, I'm going to celebrate the fact that my baby, my premature, scrawny little "delayed" baby is now over twenty pounds of fat and in the 80th percentile thanks in large part to the nearly 9 months of liquid gold she's been able to drink. 
3. Pumping for my children is without doubt one of the hardest things I have ever done in my entire life.  But it was also one of the most wonderful things I have ever done.  Not only was it another way for me to love my children, but it was an intense exercise in discipline.  I could have quit at any time.  No one was forcing or pressuring me to keep it up.  But I wanted to do it.  This is also something to celebrate - the ability to make a commitment and stick to it.  It's the same kind of thing I'm going through right now with fitness.  It takes work and self-discipline.  And, thank God, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).  None of this is my power.

So, so long breast milk!  It's been an education for sure.  You've taught me some priceless lessons and instead of mourning your loss, I am grateful for your presence, however fleeting.

Couscous

 

We were first introduced to couscous when we lived in Lawrence.  Some friends of ours made it for us and it was so easy and delicious that it quickly became a staple in our house.  And now that I'm eating differently, I realize that it is, in fact, one of the few healthy meals on our list of staples.  This is how we fix it at our house, but as it's extremely versatile, it would be easy to customize to your family's taste.

Step 1: Gather ingredients
Okay, here's what you need:

• Chopped veggies (I used Farmer's Market fresh yellow squash, zucchini, and onion - one of each)
• 1 1/2 c cous cous
• fresh garlic
• shrimp (not pictured)
• 1 tbsp olive oil (not pictured)

Step 2: Cook veggies
In a skillet, heat olive oil and garlic until it becomes fragrant.  Add vegetables.

I removed some of the veggies because, even though they cooked down, it was a lot.  The squash and zucchini were pretty large.  I saved these for later :)

 

Step 3: Cook the couscous

Make the couscous according to package instructions.  It recommends flavoring the water with salt and oil.  I did use a pinch of salt (and I do mean a pinch...I'm not a fan of salt).  While that is cooking, 

Step 4: Add the shrimp

Rinse and de-tail the shrimp (if not already done).  Chop into bite-sized pieces if necessary.  Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook until the shrimp become just opaque.

Step 5: Add the couscous

Once the couscous is done, fluff with a fork and add to the skillet.  Cook for a bit longer (5 minutes, maybe?) stirring occasionally.

And viola!  You have a delicious meal that doesn't need any sides.  And if you don't like my veggies, add different ones.  If you don't like shrimp, do chicken or tuna.  If you like a little more flavor, throw in some soy sauce.  (That's what my husband does.)  It is a delicious little dish.  And it's good cold, too!

Make it healthier: 

-Use whole wheat couscous.  I didn't even know they had it until I started writing this post and reading up on it!

-Use raw veggies instead of cooked ones.  If you go this route, I would make it a cold salad-type dish.  It would be great with some scalions, cucumbers, tomatoes (and feta! Though feta's on my no-no list right now, and certainly doesn't add to the healthiness...) 

An Eventful Weekend

Whew - this weekend was SO crazy.  We were all over the place.  Friday, Mom came over to stay with the kids (a HUGE thanks to her!) and I dropped Rick off at work, got my eyebrows done, did my Bible study and read my Kindle in Barnes & Noble, and had a delicious lunch at Panera.  I also went shopping.  Please understand, I never do this but I had plenty of time to kill, and when you drop a size it's exciting to shop for new clothes.  So I bought some stuff. A new outfit, earrings, shoes, and a few other small things that were on sale.  Again, I never do this, so it was quite a treat. :)  Here's the shirt I bought:

We then headed for Derby for a wedding rehearsal, which was a three hour drive.  We did some rehearsing on the way down, but for the most part we just talked and enjoyed each other's company.  This doubled as our anniversary trip, and though we didn't really do much that was "anniversary-ee," we had a great time just being together.  We stayed the night in a hotel and then I got up early for yoga.  When I came back, I showered and changed, and then caught my reflection in the mirror.  I made Rick take a picture and then I found a picture of myself from the end of May.  They aren't identical, but I think (hope!) you can still see a difference:

At my cousin's wedding on May 25th

This weekend. I tried to get the pictures right next to each other, but it didn't work :/

The wedding was beautiful, and my husband made me cry with his rendition of "When I Say 'I Do'" (which was incidentally better than Matthew West, if I do say so), but I pulled it together in time to sing "The Prayer" with him.  I love singing this song at weddings because Rick gets to show off his classical skills as the male part is almost entirely in Italian...and I get to belt.  It's beautiful.  It wasn't quite as beautiful as Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli's version, but we did our best.  I didn't get a picture of the Sarah and David, but they were adorable, and so very obviously in love with each other.  I have known Sarah for more than ten years now and it was so neat to watch her go from a little sixth-grader to a woman becoming a wife.  And I can't say enough great things about her family.  Her sister Melissa is a BFF of mine (she's the one who made us all the freezer meals while I was on bed rest and right after Lucy was born) and I love her dearly.  Sarah, you are beautiful and we are so happy for you!

When we returned, we picked our kids up from the in-laws, went straight home, and had a family movie night where we all packed into our bed and watched (Charlie's choice) Toy Story.  It was a great way to end a LONG day.

Up early for church Sunday morning!  Lucy wore a new dress from Grandma that I now realize I didn't get a picture of.  I'll have to do it the next time she wears it because it was adorable.  Then I took my niece, whose birthday we missed because of the wedding, to lunch and to Paint Therapy.  We had a ball!

This is the picture she chose to paint - appropriate for a birthday, isn't it?

I helped her some, but she did 80% of it on her own!

The finished products!

Since I first did this, I have wanted to paint something for my kids' rooms.  I think I will do this same one for Charlie, only in boy colors.

We ended the weekend with a family trip to the pool, where Charlie showed us what he's been learning in swim lessons, and Little Miss showed us what she's best at - being adorable and SUPER low-maintenance, even at the pool.

It was an exhausting weekend, but it was fun!

Get Fit: Week 3

This was a pretty good week.  We were SO busy, and though it can be exhausting to be busy, I think that's the way I like it.  I would so much rather have something to do than be at home with the kids, tempted to simply turn on the TV for my son.  We were all over the place this week!

Exercise: I walked five miles and did yoga four times.  It rained some this week, and even though I got the kids out for a few walks early in the morning, it was extremely hard to fit walks in with our busyness this week.  It was also hard to do in the evening because the earliest my husband got home from work this week was 6:45 and the latest was 8:30.  By then I'm pooped from the day's excursions and wanting to spend time with him.  My goal was eight miles, but I'm taking five, considering the circumstances.  My goal was yoga five times, but I forgot about our uber-busy weekend.  Normally I do Tuesday and then Thursday-Sunday.  Even though I was able to squeeze in a Saturday session while in Wichita Saturday, there was no way to squeeze one in today.  Simply too much to do after having been gone.  So, in summary, I was a little short of my goal, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it.  If I had remembered we were leaving town, I'd have shortened it anyway.

Diet: Great week.  I ate lots of fresh fruits and veggies, including a veggie drink my mother-in-law made me that included celery, spinach, cucumber, pineapple, and lemon.  It was pretty good, though if I were to make it again I would omit the lemon.  I don't like lemon to start and it ended up overpowering the rest of the taste.  I got to spend the day in KC while Rick was at work on Friday and enjoyed this delicious food at Panera for lunch:

I did eat the chicken.  It wasn't much.  I was bummed because my favorite vegetarian soup is the black bean and they didn't have it.  But this veggie with pesto was delish.

Breakthroughs:

• I went shopping a few times this week and am now officially able to shop a size down!  Everything I tried fit!  That feeling is so glorious, and I'm so looking forward to the next drop. :)  I bought an outfit and wore it in front of my husband.  He's not a man of many words, but he had some words.  It was nice.
• The shorts that I was able to stuff myself into last week were worn out this week.  Yay-uh! (As my son would say!)
• The number in the tens place went down! Weight loss total so far: 16 pounds!

Feeling pretty good :)

Weekly Goals:

• Yoga five times this week.  I am hoping to do more, but I am getting my back shot tomorrow and I'm afraid she's going to tell me to wait at least 24 hours :/
• Walk five miles this week.  It's supposed to be stinking hot.  I'll be happy if we can hit this.
• Try at least one new recipe.  Any suggestions?

New Thing: Firefly Yoga

I love Lava Yoga.  I go between four and six times each week.  This week I was aiming for five, but I forgot we were going to be in Wichita this weekend.  It would have been easy to blow it off, but my strangely fierce commitment to being active and getting fit wouldn't let me.  So I turned to the Internet.  My goal?  Find a yoga studio in Wichita that offered a class Saturday morning, which was the only downtime I would have on the trip.  After skimming the search results, I thought Firefly Yoga looked pretty good.  And your first visit is free! Score.

I called the number on the website and ended up speaking with the teacher of the class that was offered Saturday morning.  She is also the owner.  When she heard I was from Topeka, she asked if I went to Lava.  Apparently the women who opened Lava Yoga had visited her studio before they opened up.  She told me they were faster and hotter, which made me a little nervous, but I really wanted to try this.  So I packed my yoga gear and at 8:00, I was there.  Nickki welcomed me and lead me to the girl's locker room:

I kind of wanted to stay in this room all day.  It smelled so good and was so pretty.  There was a shower with an adorable purple shower curtain and a nice bathroom.  I did just kind of stand in there for awhile.  It was nice.  I also admired my new physique.  I am starting to visually notice the difference in my size, so I took a quick pic.

Notice the sinks.  So cool!

The room was about twice the size of the room I practice in.  The ceilings were much higher and one entire wall was glass.  It was frosted so no one could really see in or out, but it let in light, which is different from what I am used to.  Our room is kept quite dark and there are curtains that block the light.  Since I was the first one there, I got to choose anywhere in the room to set up.  Normally I like the back, but the door was at the back and I ended up in the 2nd to last row on the end.  As people came in, some stretched, some were in corpse (like me), and some were in child's pose.  The heat was definitely on and I was sweating before we even started.

The practice itself?  She was right - fast.  I don't think I would have struggled with it if I had known what to expect, but she did flows differently and she spent a TON of time on inversions (head down, legs up), which are maybe the thing I am worst at.  Just about everyone in the room could do a headstand.  Since I can't even come close, and since she probably spent 30-40% of the time on inversions, I felt out of place and pretty uncomfortable for a good portion of the class.  I did attempt, but I simply don't have enough strength in my upper body to support the rest of it.  I was also uncomfortable because I was wearing shorts and there was a dude behind me.  If you are unfamiliar with yoga, you do an awful lot of sticking your butt in the air and lifting your legs.  Your clothing should not have gaps - do you understand what I'm saying?  Why the heck did I not think of that possibility and grab a spot in the back row?  My goodness.  This is normally not a problem in my class at home because I'm usually in the back and it's dark!  Good grief.  I spent way too much time hoping I wasn't showing my goods off to this strange guy, and obviously, it affected my performance.  Not that my performance was all that great.  I was probably the 23rd best out of the 25 in the room.

But part of the beauty of yoga is that you do your best and that's it.  No one really cares how you do.  No one is thinking Wow, she sucks, or at least, if they are, they aren't looking like it.  The chick next to me was pretty good.  We helped each other out a few times, and she didn't make me feel like an idiot, even though I know I looked like one.

Somehow I made it through the class.  She said it was 100 degrees in there, but I don't think there's anyway that was true.  The heat level was very comfortable for me.  I did wonder if the ceilings, which were probably twice as high as they are at home, had something to do with making the room feel cooler.  When we were finished, everyone went to the back and grabbed a bottle of Meyer's cleaning solution and cleaned their mats with it.  I loved this.  I love Meyer's products.  I used the hand soap in the bathroom, too.

All in all, this was a great experience.  It reminded me that I have merely begun to chip the surface of yoga, and that my body has a ridiculously long way to go.  This thought can be wildly depressing, but if I think of where I was when I started, I am encouraged.  For instance, I used to not be able to do the side planks at all.  I always had to have my knee down.  Now, I can do them with no problem.

As I was leaving the locker room, I noticed this quote right by the exit.  It was a very appropriate reminder:

True that.  Keep trying, even though it feels useless.  It's not useless.  Eventually, it will lead to change.

Blog Every Day in July

 Updated...with links that actually work. :)

So I got this idea from my friend over at Savoring the Sweet Stuff, who got the idea from Story of My Life, and I'm totally stealing it.  It's a challenge to blog every day in the month of May (which I am obviously adjusting to the month of July) on a given topic.  Though I am rarely (if ever) short on blog topics, I only post about 30% of what goes through my head to blog about, because only 30% of it seems to be of even remotest interest to others.  And some of it would just be too much.  But what I love about this is that it's going to force me to examine myself and be brutally honest, even if it's not pretty.

These are the rules and topics.

Got it.

I am committing to this, but I'm allowing myself one skip.  I have no idea which it will be, but blogging every day is hard.  I'm prepping now (that's not cheating, is it?) and I'm going to try to get as many people to join me as possible.  I have at least five (and maybe more...are there any other closet bloggers I should know about???) close friends who blog regularly...come on ladies - it will be fun! 

Join me???

Anniversary :)

Good Day

Today was a great day.

It started with another pound lost (total 13). I did warm yoga for an hour and walked with my kids for almost two miles.  I ran them all over (gymnastics, swim lessons, a birthday pool date, grandmas, and errands with Daddy).  I ate an apple, a veggie smoothie, and half of this meal for dinner.

I forgot about the dressing until I was almost done, but when I remembered I dipped my fork in a few times.  Actually, I think I ate less than half of this.  I am eating so much less in volume that I used to - probably a quarter to a third of what I ate before.  I drank four or five glasses of water.  I wore a shirt that used to be two small and now fits perfectly.  My husband told me he was seeing a significant difference.

It was a perfect day.  Well...almost.  As soon as I'm done typing, I'm off to do five (yes, all five) of the days in my Bible study that meets tomorrow at 9:30.  You are supposed to do one for each weekday, but obviously, I didn't get to ANY of them.  I guess I fell off that wagon.

So...a nearly perfect day. :)

Les Miserables...and Then Some

I love my church.  I love the people.  I love the pastor.  I really love the worship leader guy.  He's hot.

And one of the best things about summer is that Grant takes us through film and teaches on how to view movies - arguably one of the most prominent art forms in our culture - through the lenses of the Gospel, because it's impossible to keep the Gospel out of a good story.  So every summer we do a film festival that focuses on three movies.  This Sunday was Les Miserables.  And the shocking truth?  I had never seen it.

I was a vocalist all throughout school, beginning in 3rd grade, which was the youngest age at which I could participate in choir.  It ended up being kind of my thing.  So I knew just about every song in Les Miserables word for word by the time I resigned from choral singing at the ripe old age of twenty (aka, when I changed my major).  So I think Grant assumed I had seen it when he called me up this week and asked if I was interested in a round table discussion with him on Sunday morning about the film.  This is something he does from time to time - invites folks up to discuss issues and get different perspectives.  It's really cool...to watch.  I wasn't sure how cool it was going to be to do.  But I had an excuse - I had never seen the movie.  And I was leaving for Tulsa and wouldn't have time between now and then.  Sorry Grant.  While we were talking of other people he could ask, he came up with Lindsey.  I said YES!  She would be perfect!  I knew Lindsey would be great and that this would stretch her, but she is really good about taking on new challenges.  I was pretty sure she'd say yes.  And I was off the hook.

I thought.  Apparently, Grant took my "I-haven't-seen-the-movie-and-won't-have-time-to-watch-it" response as a yes.  He sent Lindsey and me an email with discussion questions.  I was about to respond back that I couldn't because I was leaving town, but wouldn't you know it, my son got sick.  Suddenly I had time to watch the movie.  So Lindsey and another friend who is extremely passionate about this story came over to my house and we watched.  We discussed.  We processed.  I took notes.  I felt like maybe I could do this.

Sunday morning came, and as always, it's a flurry of activity in our house.  I didn't have a lot of room in my head to spare for being nervous, but every time I had a down-second, I found I was.  I kept thinking, how am I qualified to do this?  I am a 7th grade reading teacher.  I hadn't even seen the movie until a few days ago.  What am I going to bring to the table?  And then I remembered that God is in charge.  My willingness is all He needs.  He will work no matter how much I sound like an idiot (which, I confessed to my husband, was my number one fear, and a pretty selfish one at that).

Before any of us got up there, Grant showed the clip of the song "Do You Hear the People Sing?"  It's one of my favorite songs from the musical, and about half the congregation was singing along.  For whatever reason, it really eased my mind about what was about to happen.  We were just having a conversation about truth. Grace. God.  When the scene concluded, we headed up to the stage.

How did it go?  Great.  Both services were great.  We showed clips, discussed characters, and drew parallels to the Bible, of which there are a great many in this story.  If you care to listen, you can find the podcast here.  And if you want to read Lindsey's perspective, click here.  I love how she called this experience a "spiritual growth spurt."  Can I steal that phrase? :)  It really was a great and fun opportunity, and definitely a "new thing."

Get Fit: Week 2

 I've been unsure as to how to report my weekly progress.  The last two weeks I did a specific day-by-day account, but it bored me to write it and it had to be boring to read it.  This week, I'm just going to tell you how I think I did.

Exercise: I walked three miles and did yoga four times.  (I was going to do yoga a fifth time at this studio in Tulsa, but after waiting half an hour we figured the instructor must have forgotten.  I got a refund and a free pass for the next time I come because they were sorry :)  This is way less activity than last week.  Why?  Life got in the way.

Diet:  I did well this week with a few exceptions.  While we were in Tulsa I allowed myself to eat the world's best pizza.  One slice, and it was totally worth it.  I was very careful the rest of the day and made sure to keep my caloric intake to a minimum.  I also ate a salad Saturday night when we went out to eat for Father's Day.  It had some meat on top.  I also ate maybe three of my son's fries.

• My son had a 103+ degree fever that started last Friday.  He was down Monday and Tuesday solid (and when I say down, I don't mean not his usual self.  I mean lying in bed, hugging his monkey and whimpering.  Some of the time he didn't even want to watch TV).  He was in no shape to go walking with me.
• My husband started his new job.  He is gone for nearly 12 hours, which means I am solely responsible for my kids.
• My mom was out of town.  I think I have an idea of how much I depend on her and then she leaves.  I depend on her a lot, especially when my husband isn't around.
• I visited my brother and his family in Tulsa.  Traveling takes time, folks.
• I started tutoring, which I'm doing twice a week in the evenings, which is when my husband is home with the kids.

These are not excuses, but rather realities of being a mom.  There was simply no way around these things.  Could I have been more committed?  Sure.  Could I have called a baby-sitter or gotten up earlier?  Yes.  But the truth is that my family really needed me this week.  Since one of the main reasons I am doing this in the first place is to be healthier for my family, I don't consider this much of a loss.

Breakthroughs:
-a pair of jeans that has been shelved since TWO summers ago has been resurrected. :) (This means I now have two new pairs of jeans!)
-I can now get into a pair of shorts in a size down (though they are still too snug to be worn out...maybe by the end of next week!)
-Weight loss total so far: 12 pounds

I'll take that!

Weekly goals:

1. Yoga at least 5 times.
2. Walk at least 8 miles.
3. Enjoy my 9th anniversary. :)

My Canary Has Diarrhea

I love my dad.  I know that's probably the most obvious statement ever, but it's the most straightforward way I know how to say it.  I love my dad.  And, in honor of Father's Day, I am going to share one of my father's favorite stories with you.

One of the best things about growing up with this guy for a dad is the fact that he is a remarkable story-teller.  It's one of the many things that made him one of the most beloved teachers in our high school.  I am going to attempt to tell you the story of the canary with diarrhea, which is one of the stories I heard most often growing up. 

Okay - my best attempt at retelling:

There was once a man who was very proud of his front yard.  He purchased a brand new lawn mower and brought it home.  He cleaned it, polished it, and proudly displayed it to his neighbors.  One day, after he had finished putting the lawn mower to use, his neighbor called over the fence,

"Hey there!  That sure is a good lawn mower.  Mind if I borrow it some time?"  The man nodded.  "Sure! Sometime, but not today. Looks like your grass is too long." 

A week or so later, the neighbor saw the man mowing his lawn again, and again asked to use the mower.  "Nah, your grass is too wet." 

Another week went by and the neighbor again asked the man to borrow the mower.  "Nah," he said, "My canary has diarrhea."

As you might imagine, the neighbor was a bit frustrated.  "Look, I understood when my grass was too long.  I understood when my grass was too wet.  But what does your canary having diarrhea have to do with me borrowing your lawn mower?"

The neighbor replied, "Well, nothing.  But the truth is, I don't want you to borrow my lawn mower, and at this point, any excuse will do."

Any excuse will do. Whenever I was being lazy, or didn't want to do something, Dad would, without looking up from his book or his newspaper, raise his eyebrows and say, "Sounds like your canary has diarrhea," and then nonchalantly turn the page.  Infuriating, but effective.  I still hear it, even though he doesn't say it much anymore.

I've thought about this story a lot lately.  How often do I say no to things - good things, things I should be doing - Because I am lazy?  Because it's out of my comfort zone?  Because I am fearful?  Because I am weak?  Because I am selfish?  Because my canary has diarrhea???

Often.  Too often.  I want to be a "YES" person.  I don't want excuses to stop me.  I want to be someone who is up for anything and willing to help out, or get dirty, or step out of my comfort zone.

And as it turns out, I have an opportunity to do this tomorrow morning.  Details to come...