Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Ugh, I hurt!

But it's a good hurt!  I went back to Zumba tonight.   ((smiley face!!))  I really like wall push-ups!  I can keep good form and go all the way to the wall and feel my arms, back & chest working!  On the floor? Forget it.

This works out well - I take Miss Angela to dance, visit for a while, go to my WW meeting, then back to the studio for Zumba.  I get done the same time Angel gets done with pointe.   I'm pretty proud that I did not order anything from Wendy's when we stopped - just got something for the starving kid and waited to have a salad when I got home.

I was able to get a new Simple Start book from the desk ladies tonight.  Yay!  I've gotten in such a habit of what I pack for breakfast & lunch every day that I forget that I have things like cheese sticks that I could have for a snack when I get home.  I walk in the door at 4 and am ravenous!  I like having options, but this book also tells me exactly what I should be eating.  I opted not to get on the scale tonight, so maybe next week will be a pleasant surprise!

So here's my progress reports.  I changed my days on both eTools and the Activelink to Wednesday so that blank day is showing up again.  But that's OK.  Ugh, Friday was ugly!  I used a total of 61 points that day!   I don't think I've ever used that many (if any) of my APs ever!  Randy & I went out to dinner and I got a burger with a snotty egg (sunny side up) and bacon on it and we split an appetizer of chips & guac.  I obviously tracked it all!  But damn, it was sooooooo good!


22 APs for the week.
Hmm, it has my baseline set at 5 APs -  so my goal is 35 per week to reach 100%.  I just noticed that!

Alrighty, my hair is finally dry so I'm going to take some aspirin to ward off aches & pains and turn in for the night!

On an ending note, check out this tree I pass on my way home, it's so pretty!   Funny how just the top part has changed color!   I wish my maples trees were like this - mine just turn yellow.  Yawn.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Sh*t just got realz


There are so many adorable blog posts out there recently about people's babies going off to school for the first time and the accompanying parental reactions.

What about those of us on the other end of the spectrum?

It doesn't seem like it's been that long since I was sitting in that kindergarten room with "Welcome Class of 2015" written across the board, That year brought Daisy Girl Scouts, latchkey, munchkin ballet classes and a million notes from the teacher about her "strong personality" (that I wish I'd kept!!).

                                          

Miss Angela is a senior this year. This brought her last first day of school a couple weeks ago. We've started having senior pictures taken. Our mailbox is filled each day with literature from different colleges. She took driver's training over the summer and has her learners permit (we made her wait since she's had summer school the past 3 summers.)

                                              

She went with me when I donated blood last month and we found out she could attempt - but you have to be 110 lbs / 5'6" tall if you're under 19 years old. She's only 5'4" and is barely over the 110 lbs. So she has to wait a few years. I was proud of her for wanting to try, since she doesn't like needles at all.

OMG - cap & gown! I can't even......

                                          
~SOB~
The first thing that really sent a pang thru my heart was the FB post from the school district listing the planned graduation dates. Our school district has 4 high schools = 2000+ graduates! They're renting the Palace of Auburn Hills for the day. Each school has a time slot. Insanity.

Come June 6, I will be a blubbering mess. 
Guaranteed!

Homecoming is the this weekend. Angel comes home with her first-world problems. She doesn't know who to go to the dance with. There are several friends of the male type who are possibilities. Also several female friends want her to go with them. O, the problems to have! She asked me for advice and I just looked at her blankly. I never had a problem like that! I went to exactly 1 homecoming football game in my 4 years of high school and never went to a dance. I did go to both my junior & senior proms - junior prom I took my older brother (can we say LOSER???) and senior prom I asked a freshman to go (and now louder - LOSER!!)

Speaking of Homecoming....wearing white for the pep rally! Sophomores wear red and juniors wear blue - they've been planning these outfits for weeks.

                                          

Gosh, what else? Prom. All-Night Senior Party. Applying for college (she plans to go to the local community college). Getting a job. Thankfully we haven't had much of an issue with boys. There's been an interest here & there, but nothing serious. Actually that kind of surprises me, but I'm really not complaining.

Sigh. Where did my baby go??

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Ugh

So last week I decided to pay attention to my carb intake - just for shitz & gigglez, ya know.   Holy crap!

I didn't even finish out the week, but Sunday was 147g, Monday 250g, Tuesday 200g, Wednesday 195g. The Lean Cuisines I had for lunch ranged from 29g - 51g themselves!  It was somewhat depressing.  I'm thinking I need to cut back on the processed foods (OK, and get back to the gym!) and maybe my numbers will start moving in the right direction.  I've been looking for my Simple Start book from WW, but can't find it, so I'm going to have to get a new one at the meeting this week.


I think I'm going to start going to Wednesday meetings at the new place.  Last week I had to go to Open House (curriculum night / meet the teachers / whatever you may call it) at Miss Angela's school on Thursday so I went to the Wednesday WW meeting.  Well on Wednesday, I only went back to the studio to find out all the info from Angel's ballet teacher on how to sew the ribbons & elastics onto pointe shoes.  They all assumed I was there to Zumba!  But since I wasn't wearing the right shoes or bra, I told them I'd do it this week.  That actually may work pretty good.  I liked the leader better, too.

Here's this week progress reports - I have no idea what happened Wednesday!  Totally missed tracking completely.  I was up a smidge and had 26 APs.  Mother Nature may have had a hand in the gain, tho.



You know what I hate?  When you eat something that may be perfectly on plan and such, but afterward you feel like you ate a whole cow?  I know that has to do with paying attention to my body's fullness signals, but it still sucks.  

Friday, September 19, 2014

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Friend Makin' Monday - More Randomness (fashionably late!)

OMG, I've been paying attention to the amount of carbs I consume on a regular day - just out of curiosity's sake......all I have to say is OMG.  Easily 250g yesterday alone!  The Lean Cuisine I had at lunch was 51g.  My usual morning oatmeal with protein powder & Greek yogurt is over 41g.  Wow.  Just Wow. 



Friend Makin’ Mondays

If you’ve taken part in Friend Makin Mondays before then you are familiar with the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to read and comment on a couple of other posts.

I would love some topic/question suggestions from all of you, please email your ideas to  sarah@losingweightandhavingfun.com Thanks

This week’s random questions come from Tyra at Random Acts of Snark. Thanks Tyra.

1. If you were a vegetable, what vegetable would you be?  How about a potato?  Versatile & tasty.

2. If you woke up tomorrow as an animal, what animal would you choose to be and why?  A cat!  They're lazy and aloof and everything is on their terms and that's exactly how people expect them to be.  My cats are the most spoiled critters ever, but they are very lovable.

3. If you could live anywhere on this planet, and take everything that you love with you, where would you choose to live? Tell the group about your choice.   I've had a chance to travel a bit while in the Navy and see places I normally wouldn't get to (Jebal Ali & Bahrain especially but also Singapore and Hong Kong and Diego Garcia) Lots of cool places, but I'm afraid there's no place like home.  I'd like to stay in Michigan - 4 distinct seasons, no hurricanes or sharks, the views are fantastic.  It's a beautiful place.

4. What favorite color are you and how does being that color make you feel?  I like cobalt blue.  It's calming and makes my eyes look amazing.

5. If you could choose an imaginary friend, who would you choose and why?  I don't know.  I can't remember ever having one.  But I carried my Raggedy Ann doll around with me everywhere - she was my friend for years.  She eventually fell apart and I almost peed myself when I found a very similar one in new condition at the local Salvation Army.  Same embroidered heart on her chest & everything.  

6. If you could sit on a bench in a beautiful woods, who would you like sitting next to you on the bench and why?  My hubby.  We don't even need to talk when we're together.  Just being is enough.
  
7. Are you sunrise, daylight, twilight, or night? Please share why you picked your time of day?  Sunrise.  The air is fresh & clean, things are just waking up - the sky is spectacular.

8. If you could choose your age forever, what age would you choose and why?  If I was feeling selfish - 23.  I was as free as I could be (being in the Navy) I was in shape and life was good. On the down side, I didn't have my family & experiences under my belt that I have now.

9. If you could be in the movie of your choice, what movie would you choose and what character would you play?   I've mentioned the Man from Snowy River in a past FMM, but I'd like to either be Jessica (the gorgeous long dresses & lots of horseback riding) or Kelly McGillis from Top Gun - even tho women weren't on carriers when that was made.  (doing cool stuff with fighter jets)

10. If you could meet any historical figure, who would you choose and why?  Someone like JFK or John Wayne,   They'd have cool stories to tell about their lives and stuff they've done.


Saturday, September 13, 2014

Yay!

A real post from me!

I'm kicking my butt and making myself start writing real, quality posts a LOT more often than I was.  I follow a lot of blogs and Adrienne over at Chronicles of a Curvy Housewife was talking about getting into a low carb challenge with some FB friends.  Since I've been trudging right along with WW, I haven't paid much attention to low carb anything, even tho it plays a big part in calculating my Points.  

I don't want to dive right in with going low carb, I want to pay attention to how many I consume in a day.  At least for starters.  

As of this afternoon - I was at about 140 and that did not include my dinner of baked salmon, green beans and wild rice.   I even tracked today - and I've been really bad with slacking off on the weekends.  

So here's my last week's progress reports from eTools - I was pretty happy with being down 1.2 lbs after being up 1.7 after vacation.  I'm glad I wasn't counting carbs then - it would have been astronomical!  

Activity was decent - 33 APs for the week.  My goal for each week is 32.  I'm kind of surprised since I haven't done a whole lot.  I think the Activelink gets a false reading if you do a lot of driving.  

eTools

Activelink 

Sheesh, is it cold where you are?  It's calling for clear and 41* tonight!  I don't think it even made it up to 60* today.  Sure wish we could see the northern lights!  They're supposed to showing pretty far south, but according to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (am I a geek or what??) it's not looking likely anyway. 

I made a point to clean out out laundry room today, which is where our furnace is located.  I should take a pic - I don't know what moron thought this layout was a good idea.  Maybe when it was built they used smaller stackable units.  But I have to straddle the corner of the furnace in order to reach into the washer and then twist my left leg in awkwardly to open the dryer door and stand like that while transferring clothes.   Anyhoo, I made sure there were no stray socks or dryer sheets or dust bunnies around the furnace in case we decide we need to turn it on tonight. 

Alrighty - we'll see how I do with da Carbs tomorrow.  Miss Angela is gone for the weekend, so we may go out for breakfast.  I'm not sure about dinner yet.  If I have my say, we won't be ordering our usual pizza - YAY!  If I never saw the Jet's delivery guy again in my life, it would be too soon.  Her & Randy could live on that stuff.  

Random thoughts & happenings...

Just a quick round up of happenings around here since we got back from vacation...

Of course....our last first day of school photo.  I still can't believe she's a senior.  
I took her in before school started to get her hair did. She needed her roots touched up since we also started round 1 (of 3!) of her senior pictures.  However she wanted it dyed brown underneath.  Ick.  But she likes it, so good on her.  She's lucky I love her since this trip cost some serious $$ that I've NEVER spent on myself! 
Most people would kill to have hair that looks like this - she had just rolled out of bed. 

The local plant nursery had a flashlight sale after hours - they had most of the outside lights off and half of the inside ones off and they had some awesome sales.  Check out these huge awesome mums I got for cheap!!

On the way back, we stopped at the Salvation Army to browse for clothes that Miss Angela could paint up for Homecoming spirit day (she's planning ahead this year! The last 2 years she wanted to me run all over the day before to find stuff)  We ended up finding & buying her prom dress already for a whopping $23!  The bodice needs to be taken in some, so I'll take it to the place that did my wedding dress, since they can clean it while they have it, too. I'm rather proud of her.  We found her homecoming dress back in April for $8 and now this?  Awesome.  I spent $150 on my wedding dress and she knows I would NOT spend anywhere near that on one for a school function.   Applause!
 I feel like I'm forgetting to do something, since I only have one minor project that I need to do for Halloween.  I found a neat twin-sized headboard at a garage sale and I've gotten it sanded down, now I need to paint the cemetery name on it & seal it - and that's all I really have planned new for this year.  

I've been working on cleaning out the corner behind the kitchen table - it's the catchall area of random stuff.  I set out 2 boxes - one for random Halloween stuff that's I've picked up here & there for projects to whatever and the other for Christmas stuff.  The kitchen table is buried since I also have my goodies for the HallweenForum Secret Reaper (imagine secret Santa but with Halloween stuff.)  I send stuff to someone and someone else sends stuff to me - and I may or may not know who from.  I always do put my name somewhere in the box, since it made me crazy one year that I couldn't properly thank someone for a box FULL of goodies since I didn't know who sent it.  It's pretty fun since you get to "stalk" someone and figure out what they'd like.  I'm pretty easy, since I included a detailed list of what I like & don't like, and they can check out my blog, Pinterest boards & FB page!  I need to get my "victim's" stuff out in the mail real soon.  

We've gotten back into the dance thing again.  She started last Wednesday and the studio is offering pointe this year - you know, this type of ballet...
(wikipedia)
It's nothing something one can just jump into - they need to make sure the foot is done growing so the growth plate isn't messed up and they also have to have strong enough toes & ankles to be able to do this.  As far as I see, there are 4 girls doing this - and one is only 11 so she will do minimum en pointe.  And only Sarah has done it before.  I can't wait to see how this goes.  Angel's excited about it and ballet has never been her favorite type of dance - too disciplined.  Their first class was mostly discussion - Angel has been challenged to wear an actual leotard instead of shorts & tank top (hopefully Malloree got this challenge, too!) with her tights and a secure bun for the entire year - and if she survives, there will be a pizza party for them.  The other girls had their pointe shoe fittings today, but Angel is up north with a friend for the weekend, so she's going Monday.  She has to take this paper towel with her for her fitting - it's an outline of her foot and random info about her foot.  I will be taking pics!  

So yes, we've started with the senior pics.  She used to dance with a girl whose mom is a photographer so I set up 2 sittings with her and one at the portrait studio the school wants us to use.  She'll get her yearbook and cap & gown photos there and Angela O. will do the rest.  We did a sitting last weekend and the other will be later in the fall when the leaves fully change color.  Angel wants her hair in curls for that one, so she'll be dressed slightly fancier, too.  We spent an hour or so at the dance studio and she got some nice ones that the owner wants to use for the studio website.  Then we spent another hour or so at a local park, then 20 minutes or so at home because Angel wanted some with Chester.  I grabbed these off of Facebook - they're the "sneak peek" that Angela O. posted for us.  I think they had fun together.  Angela had idea and Angel pulled them off for her.  And as you can see - her work is phenomenal!   I can't wait to see the rest of these.  I'm hoping she has the rest of the album on FB soon.   
Guess all the hours I spent painting at the studio paid off - the owner was perfectly happy to drop what she was doing on a Saturday afternoon to come open the doors for us to take pictures! 

Gosh, I didn't mean for this to be all about the kid.  Randy is doing just fine - he's out in the garage messing around with stuff, one of his buddies gave him a new old radio and he's been messing around with that.  I really need to change the laundry and make the bed and finish clearing off the table so we have a place to actually eat dinner tonight.  And I promised the dog (in my mind, I couldn't say anything to him) that we'd go for a walk. 

We didn't get affected by any of the flooding or power outages in the area recently where several coworkers did and they freak out every time it rains now!  But it's only like 57* out there right now & I really don't want to fire up the furnace just yet...but I've been wearing slippers & hoodies inside the house for 2 days now and was wrapped up in bed like a burrito last night - and it's supposed to drop down to 40* tonight?  Sigh.  The furnace may be turned on. 

Friday, September 12, 2014

Friday Funnies 091214

This isn't so much as funny, as it makes me SQUEE!  This little girl is so freakin' adorable!!!




(I hope this works! I've never embedded a video off FaceBook before & preview on't let it play)



Monday, September 8, 2014

Remembering Tina....


I have participated in the A-Z Challenge for the last several years.  One of the co-hosts was the lovely Miss Tina Downey, who blogged at Life is Good.

Sadly, we lost Tina on August 23 after a longtime illness that she fought cheerfully and bravely, you'd never know she was hurting as badly as she was.  Her posts reflected her blog name - that life truly was good!

Tina's favorite flower was the sunflower...so in her honor -  here is what I imagine Heaven looks like for her...


Many prayers to Tina's family and friends.

Remembering Tina....


I have participated in the A-Z Challenge for the last several years.  One of the co-hosts was the lovely Miss Tina Downey, who blogged at Life is Good.

Sadly, we lost Tina on August 23 after a longtime illness that she fought cheerfully and bravely, you'd never know she was hurting as badly as she was.  Her posts reflected her blog name - that life truly was good!

Tina's favorite flower was the sunflower...so in her honor -  here is what I imagine Heaven looks like for her...


Many prayers to Tina's family and friends.

Monday, September 1, 2014

Friend Makin' Monday - More Randomness

Happy Labor Day, yall!   This is so much more chill now - when I was a kid, we'd have to pack up and go to downtown Detroit to march in the Union parade with Dad's IBEW Local 58 !  Did that for many years! Then after we'd go to the Union hall and end up sharing our hot dogs & hamburgers with all sorts of bums.  

Friday was my birthday - and we were invited over to a friend's "up north" house for dinner- NOT diet friendly at all!  I swear his wife made everything with extra butter and sour cream.  But damn, it was good! 

We went on vacation this week - another of our 'playing tourist in our home state' trips.  This had to have been on of my favorite stops..... the USS Edson DD946 museum ship in Bay City, MI.  It's so little!  The 2 ships I was stationed on were huge compared to this! 





Happy Monday everyone, hope you are having a great Labor Day Weekend.

If you’ve taken part in Friend Makin’ Mondays before then you are familiar with the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to read and comment on a couple of other posts.

This week’s questions ‘more randomness’ come from Tyra at Random Acts of Snark. Thanks Tyra.

1. Would you rather visit the doctor or the dentist?  Hmm, since I'm pretty healthy - the doctor.  At least they don't ask you questions when there are 4 hands and an array of tools in your mouth!

2. Would you rather eat broccoli or carrots?  Carrots.  I like them raw or cooked.  Broccoli is just weird feeling raw, but good cooked.

3. Would you rather listen to music or watch TV?  Listen to music.  A TV show has to really catch my attention for me to sit & watch.  With music, I can multi-task.

4. Would you rather own a lizard or a snake?  A lizard.  Snakes don't bother me, but lizards just look like they have such character!

5. Would you rather have a beach holiday or a mountain holiday?  Mountain.  I like the beach but I'm not one to sit there all day, unless I'd already died of boredom.

6. Would you rather BE an apple or a banana?  Hmm.  That's a tough one!  An apple can be made into apple pie or cobbler, bananas can be made into bread.  Both are good for you & tasty raw.  Bananas are tall & slender, but soft - where apples around short & round but firm.  Apples come in a bunch of different varieties, where bananas are just yellow.   Can I be a pineapple?  Prickly on the outside, but sweet inside?

7. Would you rather be invisible or be able to read minds?  Invisible. There have been times I'd love to know what people are saying in regards to things that have happened.

8. Would you rather be hairy all over or completely bald?  Bald.  For the same reasons as Sarah - quick & easy in the shower & with a wig, you can change your color in a flash!

9. Would you rather be the most popular or the smartest person you know?  Smart.  Brains last longer than beauty!

10. Would you rather make headlines for saving somebody’s life or winning a Nobel Prize?  Saving someone life.

Now it’s your turn to answers the questions on your blog. Don’t forget to come back here after and post a link to your answers and check out the answers of others who post too.