Holiday Greetings!

As usual I have taken another blogging hiatus. I still read blogs everyday. I just have not gotten into the swing of blogging everyday. However, I have a little motivation. Who doesn't love something free? I have seen on a few blogs that Shutterfly is offering a fantasic promotion!

Blog authors who write about this great promotion will receive 50 FREE CHRISTMAS CARDS! Um yes please!!

Over the past few years I have enjoyed sending and receiving personalized Christmas cards. It is great to see how my friends and family have changed over the year.

All of their options are adorable! Here are a few of my favorites =)

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http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/elegant-cranberry-damask-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93476

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Go and check out all the awesome cards for yourself!! www.shutterfly.com

Highs and Lows

So this past week had a HIGH and a LOW. My high is I have lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks with changes in portions and running/walking for 30 minutes every other day. I was really proud of myself. Although there is no visual change in my appearance, my pants were a little loose and the biggest plus as I felt confident. AND I ran for 20 minutes non-stop!!

I went to the doctor because I had this rash coming up all over my body. It started on my chest, then at the top of my legs at my bottom. I thought it was a heat rash so I didn't pay much attention. Then the rash near my bottom started to hurt and turn to sores. It hurt to run, walk, sit, etc. Then a rash showed up on my feet. With fear that there was something really wrong with me I took a trip to the doctor. When I went to the doctor and got on the scale I was 10 pounds lighter. I was so happy I wanted to walk back into the waiting area and shout it at the top of my lungs! Now ten pounds is a very small fraction of what I want to lose and how much I need to lose to be at a healthy weight, but it is a milestone. The verdict from the doctor was that I did have heat rash. The sores were a form of staff that occurs when hair follicles are blocked by sweat. I am on an antibiotic for two weeks to clear up the sores. The doctor was very proud of me for taking steps to change my lifestyle and encouraged me to keep "sweating my buns off" haha. However, the rash is not my low.

I said earlier that I ran 20 minutes non-stop. I even kicked up my speed to 5.0 for the last five minutes. I was so happy. I never thought I could do this... Then on Thursday I went to Zumba with Murph and Sandra. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed the workout. I plan to incorporate a couple nights of Zumba into my workout routine. I definitely think I held my own with the instructor and the regulars. So at this high of 10lbs, 20 minute non-stop run, and a zumba class- I stopped! That is right I said I stopped!! I don't know why. Laziness, I guess.

So here I am a week later. I finally got back on the treadmill. I started day 1 of week 6 on Couch to 5k and it was so hard not to stop. I did have to slow down some but I DID NOT QUIT! I have weighed myself and I have still lost the 10 lbs. So atleast I didn't gain.

I am sure this will not be the first major lull in my journey and I am sure I will plateau at some point and become discouraged. However, I owe this to myself. I have a greater purpose in life than to just give up on things.

I will keep this up!

5 Weeks in...

So I am 5 weeks in to my new lifestyle. Trying to eat better and exercise. If I am being honest with myself, I KNOW I can do better. I have definitely decreased my calorie intake and stopped eating out of boredom. I do not think I am eating near enough or as often as I should. I know I am not drinking enough water and I have got to improve. I have stuck with my couch to 5k and if I skipped a day, I made it up the next day. 30 minutes of exercise every other day is not enough to yield the results that I want. Today, I have put off running. Today is day 3 of week 5 and I am supposed to run 20 minutes without stopping!! What!?! I am scared!! Day 3 of week 5 kicked my butt and I am not sure I can move up. I am going to try. It just may be tomorrow =)!

I know I should be proud of any weight loss and 8 pounds in a month is good! I will not reach my goal of 30 pounds (it was a little ambitious) I will keep trucking along.

I need to add in more cardio, some strength training, and toning. Leslie is kicking butt and is an inspiration for what I should be doing. I have also been reading Erin's blog and wow!! I hope one day I can experience her results.

Don't want to miss a thing...

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is hard to stop and enjoy every moment and opportunity given to you. Taking a family vacation is the perfect opportunity to refocus on what is important in the world. Our vacation this year couldn't have come at a more needed time.

We took a 3 day trip to St. Louis. We had not been to St. Louis since 2004 and we definitely needed a trip to Busch Stadium.
Shaun used Priceline.com to book our room. He put in our criteria and boy did we luck out! We stayed on the top floor of the Hyatt. It was located 1 block from the arch and 4 blocks from the stadium. The best part was that it was only $70 a night!!

On our way in to St. Louis we stopped at the City Museum. It was awesome!!! It was an old building with architectural structures that you could climb through and looked like art. It had buses, planes, and cages suspended from the building that you could crawl through. There were slides and caverns and a ferris wheel. I highly recommend a stop at this museum when you visit St. Louis. I missed out on some of the fun, but I enjoyed taking pictures.

After the museum we checked into our hotel, had dinner, and went on a carriage ride around the stadium. This was the 1st time Shaun and I had been on a carriage ride. It was great to share this 1st with our kids!!

The next day we went to the Arch. The kids lost interest pretty quick. So off we went to the Magic House. It is St. Louis' Children's Museum. The kids and I had a lot of fun, however daddy wasn't feeling all the screaming kids. This was definitely a stop for daddy after a trip to a brewery. (i will remember that for next time!) Then we stopped at Union Station to take Liam to Hooter's for the 1st time. However, it was no longer there. So, we fed the fish and headed to the hotel to get ready for the ball game. Sandra got us the hook up on seats for the game. (See how close we are) Daddy was soooo excited and wanted to watch batting practice. We got to the stadium at 5:15 for a 7:15 game. The kids did great!! They made a Build a Bear in the Stadium and had a hotdog, cracker jacks, and cotton candy. We watched the Cardinals win!!! and Albert Pujols hit 2 homeruns!!

Our last day in St. Louis was spent at Six Flags. The kids rode everything that they were big enough for, I couldn't believe it!! I have always LOVED roller coasters, but I thought I was going to throw up!! I got so dizzy. We enjoyed the day riding roller coasters, playing at the water park, and watching the parade as the park closed. It was a long and fun and tiring day, but TOTALLY worth it!



So next time you start to lose focus on what is important, pack up the car, forget about the rest of the world, and enjoy some time with the one's you love!!

Keep Moving

Today will be Week 3 Day 1 of Couch to 5k. It is going to be a big jump in the amount of time spent running. I hope I am up for the challenge! I have been under the weather, not feeling 100%. So I am going to have to push myself on the treadmill today.

Weight loss to date is 7 lbs.

I am 11 days past my birthday and 354 days from the next. It took me about a week to jump on the exercise bandwagon.

Tomorrow will be one week from the start of my couch to 5k. Yesterday I skipped my day to run. I put it off in the morning then I went to swim/relax by the pool. If I was truly swimming then I would have had an excuse. By the time I got home, I just wasn't in the mood to run. I am a little disappointed in my lack of will. Today, I got up to make up day 3.

For me this is a big step. In the past when I would deviate from a plan, I would give up. So NOT giving up today. This is a huge step in the right direction. Tomorrow I will do day 4.

I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER WHEN I GET OFF THE TREADMILL. I don't want to push it, but I feel like I can do more. Maybe a second run in the day?

Now the next aspect of weight loss is diet. I have done fair in the food department. I have snacked and not eaten as well as I would like. So this weeks goal. in addition to running is to eat better. 3 meals a day, light healthy snacks. This is going to take just as much work as working out. I am a comfort food girl.

This morning on the Today show was a woman who lost 110 pounds in 6.5 months by eating well and working out 4 times a week. She looked great. They showed the amount of fruits and veggies she eats now compared to before. Her before is similar to my now. If she can do it, I can too, right?

Weight Loss 2lbs

Someone to Love

Are you someone who always puts others first? Ask others what they want to eat when you have a craving? Which movie to see? How does this look? I am. I always thought that this was a good trait to have. I am loving, compassionate, giving, and would give up my life for those I love the most. I hate to see others hurt. I want to fix their problems.

I just turned 29 and although I am not one of those afraid to turn 30 (I believe life is a journey and every day I have is am lucky to live) I do not want to go into 30 like I did 29. So with some deep soul searching and extremely tough love from the Mr. I am going to do something for me.

Things I want to change:

Always putting others first.
My weight.
Getting the job I want.
More time with my girlfriends.
Better Spirituality.
A passionate marriage.

I feel like all of these things have to do with my weight. I have totally let myself go. I do not exercise, eat right, and the tv is my idea of relaxing and time for myself. So in order to make myself get off of my butt I need accountability. I am not quite ready to share my starting weight. It is embarrassing and has kept me from going to the doctor. I do not want anyone to know how bad I have let myself get. So I will start with this:
tops: XL and XXL
pants: 16-18
panties: granny
bra: as big as my head

goals:
run

All the runners I know look fabulous. They have endurance and energy that I envy. I however, loathe running. I always have. How do people get in the zone and run forever. I mean really marathons. OMG. I have walked 5k's and even jogged a little of the way. Running not so much. I know I have it in me. And the worst is my husband can run forever and I am a baby just going for a walk. I need to push myself. I need to eat right. I know I am rambling but I need people to know.

My commitment is to do couch to 5K. You know where I run it, not walk. It is a 9 week program. In 9 weeks, I want to lose 30 pounds. That is a lot, but it wasn't too long ago that I was 30 pounds lighter. Time is on my side. I am young.

So this brings me back to putting others first. My kids and my husband will have to fend for themselves. I will lock the door and get my fat butt on the treadmill. When I build a little endurance I will begin the 30 day shred. This time for more than 2 days.

I will weigh myself weekly and share any loss on my blog. At the end of 9 weeks I will share my weight even if I do not lose the 30 lbs. If I lose the 30lbs before I will share my weight then too. It it definitely not my goal weight. But one I am not terrified to share.

I would love suggestions for healthy "easy to prepare" dinners, lunches, and such.

I NEED HELP. I know I have the most amazing friends in the world.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this!!!

A few photos

Lily's 5th birthday!
Easter
Liam's 4th Birthday!

Back on the Horse

So it has been a year since I have posted. I know, I know, how pitiful. I never really got in the habit of posting. So here I go again. If my awesome, busy friends can blog, then I can too!

The past year has been b-u-s-y! I finished my Masters with a 4.0. I am so glad that I got to go back to school with Leslie. She made the process a lot of fun and provided comic relief when necessary. I believe that this degree is going to help me finally reach my goal of teaching closer to home and making more money. Fingers crossed and praying...

My baby girl started and finished Kindergarten. I am so proud of her. She is smart, beautiful, talented, and funny. She dances and will start cheering on Monday. She keeps us busy. There are a million posts I could make about her. I will try my best to share the joy of Lily with you.

Liam has turned into the inquisitive 4 year old. He talks ALL of the time. His charming smile is impossible to get mad at. He has spent the past year loving on his mommy, which never gets old. He has impressed me with how much he has learned over the past year. He can identify letters and sounds and numbers. He loves story time with mommy and even lets Lily read to him sometimes, too. He will definitely provide funny comments that I can share. So stay tuned.

As always, Shaun has stepped up to take care of our family. He stays busy at the fire department, then cuts grass and hangs doors to make ends meet. He is the most amazing husband and I am lucky to have him in my life.

So a short update... More to come later.