This weekend I had to take that long walk to my trainers office to try on my skinny jeans since the contest ended. I went with Emma in my arms just in case it was bad I at least had her for my comfort! She does give great hugs! I knew that I had only lost 2-4lbs since the challenge started but I was curious what the HBBC had done for my body shape in just one week. Well........BooYa! They fit! "What did you say Lucky Brand Jeans?" "Oh yeah I thought so!" I was so excited I almost kissed my trainer but seriously had tears in my eyes! I of course called my Mom on the way home! Later that night I was going through some old pictures because I was looking for some to compare this year's tree picture with last years and this is what I found.....This is what I looked like just about the same time last year when my skinny jeans were just a glimmer of hope....Heck seeing my ankles again was just a glimmer of hope! I will have the hubs take a picture of me in my jeans for my next post!
Eating:
I just have to say that I LOVED everything I ate today! Funny how that happens and in a few minutes I am going to go try to burn it off in the basement while I watch the Pats. I have really been challenging myself for the HBBC to get in my veggies and fruits. So here is what I had and I have to say my belly was ok!
Breakfast: smoothie with protein, a banana, oatmeal, and frozen berries
Snack: yummy tangerine
Lunch(my favorite): roasted veggies with balsamic vinegar(squash, zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, and onions. I put it on a flax wrap with veggie humus. Yum-O!!
Dinner: Clean taco salad
Now I am off to the treadmill!
Thankfulness:
1. For skinny jeans that no longer haunt me in my sleep. This was a huge hurdle for me!
2. For a hubby that gets super excited for Christmas. It is so fun to share it with him and Emma!
3. My treadmill....it saves the day sometimes!
4. Being done with Christmas cards and birthday invites....done and sent!
5. For technology and science....I have spoken a lot about my Dad on this blog and he currently gets most of his nutrients from an IV feeding bag he hooks up at night. Without this he would be just about 100lbs on a good day. I am so thankful for science because he can be at a healthy weight!!!
I am just loving this HBBC! I have to thank you again Amanda for having this! All day long I am thinking of how I can get moving and rack up the points! It will be a challenge tomorrow and Thursday since I am headed to the Cape to visit my in laws. Hopefully I can steal away for some running time!
My challenge, other than the stretching, has been to get in enough veggies. A few years ago I would have a huge salad every day for lunch. I would pile a ton of veggies on it and have my 7 veggies all in one sitting. What I couldn't figure out was why I looked about 6 months pregnant afterwards. Also I began to have stomach pains that were increasingly worse. Since my father has Chrone's Disease, my doctor sent me right in for tests and diagnosed me with IBS. I have found it difficult now to get in enough veggies since I can no longer have that huge salad. I have tried to have it again but the symptoms just get worse and worse. As much as I love salads, they just don't love me back. Any suggestions?????
Thankfuls:
1. Being able to dance around my living room with my daughter....does it get any better than this?! I don't think so!
2. Passed down recipes...I made two pecan pies tonight with my Mom's crust recipe. I miss her so much when I don't get to see her!
3. Half days...the kids get out at 10:45!!! Yipee!!!!
4. Thanksgiving weekend...No work means lots of time home with Emma and running!!
5. My family...It makes me cry every time I think about not being with them on Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for them and for their constant and unconditional support!!!
HUGS!
The Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge begins today over at Runtothefinish.
I am so excited for this challenge because it also is running right along with a challenge my gym is having through the holiday. The Bootie Buster gets me to get moving while the other challenge makes me accountable for my eating. It's gotta work!!! I try on my skinny jeans for the last time on Saturday....can't make any promises. I lost 3 lbs but after a c-section, things just don't tighten the way you would think they should! I have been looking too for a good on demand yoga or pilates ab workout. I have fios....any suggestions?
This weekend was a blur since I had to take Emma to the ER with a high temp on Saturday night while I was visiting my family. I think I have gotten about 2 hours of sleep since! She was diagnosed with bronchitis but all she wants to do is drape herself all over me! Normally I would love this but I am so tired. I am keeping my fingers crossed that she will make it through the night!
Thankfuls!:
1. I am so thankful for my family! My Mom woke up at midnight to go to the ER with me while my Dad stayed home and prayed for Emma! They are so great! Plus my sister has been checking in on me to make sure I stay sane! They are just so supportive and I was so happy to be home!
2. Long runs with a partner! I ran on Saturday with my friend Jill. Boy I missed running with her! We had so much to catch up on that 2 hours flew by! I loved it and logged 13 miles!
3. My hubby...he drove down from Boston in the middle of the night Saturday just to make sure his baby girl was ok!
4. Personal days...I am so thankful for a job that will still give me a day's pay even though I am home with my daughter. I don't even have to worry about it like I know so many do!
5. Challenges....they keep me focused and fuel my competitiveness!
I'm so sorry for being nonexistent lately! I have really been deep in thought about the word contentment. I swear I have written this post in my head about a thousand times and it always sounds like I'm just a little crazy! I mean this word has caused me to have panic attacks even when I am running! Either way here I go!
I have been in school the last 2 1/2 years getting my CAGS degree in Educational Leadership. A CAGS is between a master's and a doctorate. This past summer many people in our group were talking about going on to continue on to Northeastern to the doctoral program. My quote exactly at that time was "No chance in hell! My husband would divorce me for even asking!" Well fast forward to last month when my husband says..."Have you thought about going on to get your doctorate? I mean we are already in school mode". Picture my FLOORED and SPEECHLESS. This doesn't happen often. Well this has led to my month long study of the word contentment and what it has meant in my life.
I looked back in my life and I can honestly say I have never just been content with something until I became a Mom, however I now desire to be the best Mom for Emma every day! This lack of contentment at first made me very sad. I mean we are looking at 30 years here! I have a habit of doing something and then mulling over how I could have done it better and when I am going to try it again! I then went from sad to envious of those who could just reach their goal and be content. (now you can see why this took me so long to post!) I would love to run a marathon and be happy I finished and not beat myself up over the time. I would love to look in the mirror and be thankful for a healthy body void of deformities and serious injuries. My question is then....are we ever content?
This has always been something we all would joke about with me and it never hit me until my friend commented on something I said. I told her that after I finished my doctorate I would never have to go back to school again. To that she laughed and said "Yeah right! You'll think of something else!" I want to be a good example for Emma and show her that she can accomplish anything if she works hard, but I also want to teach her to enjoy the journey and be content when she reaches that goal. How do I do that if I am not living it? UGH! I still have no answers other than I am going to apply for the program at Northeastern. I have 3 more years and then I will once and for all be done with school. I also have 3 more years to work on this whole contentment thing.
But of course I am thankful!!!
1. I am thankful for answered prayers even when I am so not deserving sometimes!!! We have been very tight in the budget area lately and yesterday I was asked to teach a course for another school district for 3 times the amount that I usually get paid!!
2. I am so thankful for my baby girl! She is just such a joy every day! I can't believe that tomorrow she is 11 months old...it makes me so sad but it also makes me soak in every second I can get with her! She has become such a loving and sweet little girl!
3. I am also so thankful for my hubby! He is so flexible to help me get to the gym whenever I need to. He's great and is so amazing with Emma too!
4. I am thankful that my niece is feeling much better. She had "the oink" and then got pneumonia. She is much better now and that leads me to my final and major thing I am thankful for today....
5. I get to go visit my family this weekend!!!!!!!! I was going to go last weekend but everyone was sick. I can't wait to see them and have Emma play everyone!!!!
Four years ago today I was marrying my best friend!
I may be wicked late in finding this challenge but there is a cool challenge from Marathon Sports. It is called the Run Boston Challenge. You have to go to the store and get a run card. Then you have 90 days to complete 130 miles of runs from the new book "Great Runs in Boston and Brookline" by Mark Lowenstein. I am a little far from the city so these would be a challenge for me to do them but it sounds cool and the reward for the first 50 finishers is a Timex Ironman watch. Everyone gets a shirt and invite to a post-party. All runs must be completed by Dec. 15th. If you are a Boston runner you should definitely try it out!
This week and last I have made a huge effort no matter what the time to get to the gym and run and do weights. The key here is no matter what time. For example, last night I went down to the basement to run at 9pm....way past my bedtime when I am usually up at 4am! But boy do I love this feeling. Now if I can just keep this up for a week more I know it will stick!!!
An update on the skinny jeans challenge: I can button the jeans!!! I still would never be caught dead in them in public but progress is progress! The end is in 4 weeks at the end of November. I finally came to the conclusion between trying on the jeans and watching Biggest Loser (GO RUDY!!!). I finally asked myself...WHAT AM I WAITING FOR??? I know that my weight loss is a series of choices...choosing to stay away from crappy food...choosing to spend time on Sunday prepping everything...choosing to run and workout. This weight is doing nothing but bringing me down in so many ways and now is the time. I need to choose to do this for myself! I know I can do it! Now if I could just scoop up Jillian and have her live with me I would be even better!
Now it's thankful time!
1. Emma is just so lovey lately and I can't get enough of it! She gives me a hug when I pick her up at daycare and when she wakes up in the morning. We just look at each other and laugh all the time! She really is such a content little girl and I am just having a blast with her!
2. I'm so thankful for these endorphins! I missed them so much!!!!
3. The Eat-Clean magazine my sister gave me. I made an AWESOME Sloppy Joe recipe tonight for dinner. Sloppy Joes are my all time favorite and these were really great and only 190 calories with cheese! Yum-o!
4. I'm thankful my school has a health clinic inside it....this way all the students can get flu shots. Working in an inner-city school this is a God send! I was also able to get my flu shot from them too saving me lots of time!
5. I'm thankful all the Halloween candy is GONE!!! That friggin stuff haunted me in my sleep!!!
Have a great night!!
It was so exciting to watch today's NYC marathon! What was even better was that Emma was actually watching it with me!!! I was explaining to her who everyone was and what they were doing. Who knows maybe one day she'll be the next Paula Radcliffe....ok maybe not but you never know! I couldn't help but begin to feel antsy while watching it wanting to get back out there and do another marathon! Don't worry Mom...I'm not going to any time soon! My life it crazy enough so I am going to stick to halfs, but it was nice to remember how strong my body felt training and how amazing it felt to cross that finish line at Copley Square!!! I get chocked up just thinking about it!
It really made me all but forget the CRUDDY run I had on Saturday(and cruddy is the nice first grade word)! It really set the tone for my whole day. My knee was hurting and my quad was wicked tight. I had to cut it short by 3 miles. I was thankful for getting to run on such a warm October day but I wanted to get much further! The day was all but a wash until I put Emma in her bumble bee costume and I couldn't help but burst out laughing! She was so cute!!! Well another week starts...I have to try on my skinny jeans tomorrow for the half-way point. Yikes!!!
Oh and I can not forget my good friend Carrie...she finished her first half-marathon today!!!! I couldn't be more proud of her!!!!!
Here are some things I am thankful for this weekend:
1. Being able to watch the USA win the NYC marathon with my daughter! It was so exciting!
2. My hubby who woke up early with Emma who forgot we gained an hour sleep!
3. My Mom....seriously I wish my family was much closer but she is always willing to talk with me on the phone whenever! Really cures my lonely days!
4. My Dad's tube in and hooked up! My father has Chrone's Disease and he has been getting his nutrition from TPN and it had come out. He was down to 100lbs. but now he has it back in and is on the rise!
5. My brother-in-laws....they came over on Halloween night just to see Emma. They are both single guys with stuff to do and people to see but they just love her and wouldn't think twice when it came to seeing her!
I hope you all enjoy your extra hour of sleep!
