Well this is awkward

Sorry, didn't mean to leave y'all hangin'. Lately I just haven't felt like I had anything of use to say. Really, who wants to just listen to my daily activities. Which this summer included tennis, tball, traveling, & parks.

We are in back to school mode here at our house. The Boy is gearing up for kindergarten. We were at the school today buying uniforms and paying tuition. The Girl will be attending preschool at a local daycare 2 1/2 days a week starting after Labor Day while I go into the office.

I ran my first 5k race this last weekend. I had a goal of under 35 minutes and I can in at 35 minutes & 23 seconds. I can handle that because I did walk some. I had some lofty goals for starting to train for a 10k but I have decided to stick with 5ks for now and just work on speed. I am so so so proud of my dad. He ran his first half-marathon on Saturday. He will be 60 in a month!!!

We put over 3000 miles on our van in just over a month earlier this summer. We spent some time with family in SW Wyoming and Yellowstone. Then my little brother got married in Rapid City, SD. Now we are thinking about going to Madison, WI over Labor Day weekend to see my sister and her husband.

I'm so boring and I really have nothing more to talk about. :)

*tap tap tap* Is this thing on?

So I am not neglecting this thing. I just haven't felt like have had anything to write about lately. Just in a funk I guess.

The Boy finished school last week. There was a little preschool celebration program. The next day we attended "step-up" at the school he will attend in the fall for Kindergarten. When it was our turn I cried.

We had a nice long weekend. It was rainy and dreary on Sunday and Monday but we spent some family time together.

In just a little bit we will be hitting the road for our little vacation. We are headed to SW Wyoming for the high school graduation of the Husband's cousin. The Husband and I plan on finishing up the 6th Harry Potter book that we have loaded on the Ipod. When we come home we are going to go through Yellowstone National Park.

Next week we start tennis and baseball. I should have some interesting stories from those experiences. :) Next week also starts the summer health challenge at my work. YEAH!!

Better finish packing!

Mountain Dew

I have not drank a full Mountain Dew in AGES. I loved the stuff when I was growing up but then I switched over to Coke and Cherry Coke. The Husband loves Dew and if I am desperate I will have a couple sips of his.

Well, have any of you tried this? This is the Mountain Dew of my youth. The first 2 ingredients are water and sugar. There is no high fructose corn syrup to be found. Probably a good thing it is only going to be around for a few weeks. It definitely has a different/better (IMHO) flavor.

I'm beginning to wonder if I should buy a bunch of cases of this stuff so I can get a Dew fix every once in a while? I would have to hide them from the Husband though. :)

I better go and get a few things done while on my sugar induced high before I crash in about an hour.

I'm now on the other side

It doesn't feel any different. Was it supposed to feel different? I think someone forgot to flip the switch on Saturday...

I am talking about my 30th birthday. I was actually kind of looking forward to it. I made jokes about dreading it and being so old but in reality, I'm good.

The day came and went without much fanfare. Well, except for 30 balloons staked in my yard that magically appeared overnight. I still haven't figured out who is responsible for that. People kept slowing down all day, I think they thought we were having a garage sale or something. Ha!

Anyway, I feel the same. It was pretty much a regular day except I got to take a nap and while I napped the Husband and the Boy went and got me cards and flowers. We went to supper as a family and then got a DQ blizzard cake. Of course since it was my birthday they took out all of the fat and calories and I had a nice big slice. :) My big gift was a combined Mother's day/Birthday present. I got to pick out some new running shoes since the last pair had seen too many miles. They are really great and I took them for a spin around the trails at the Capitol yesterday afternoon.

I am blessed to have another year on this earth to spend with my family and friends and I look forward to all this decade has to offer.

Shrink into Summer Weigh In-EEK!

Alright, I knew this was going to be a bad week. Could be worse but, of course, could have been better.

The Numbers:
UP 3.1#

Wow, that was hard to type for the world to see. Back on track though. I won't hit my 30 by 30 goal unless I get some sort of stomach bug in the next 2 days. ;) I am going to see where I am on Saturday the 9th and adjust the due date accordingly. Most likely it will be May 27th which is the day we leave for our family vacation.

Onward and upward (or should I say downward?)

Vacation

Why is it that your life is so wonderful while you are on vacation and then you get home and...WHAMO!!!???

I had a wonderful time down in Arizona with my girlfriends. We sat in the sun, played in the pool, shopped, and laughed until we cried. The sunshine replenished my vitamin D and I really do feel better now. Thank you so much to B, T, & L. Love you ladies!

Yesterday it was back to the same ol' same ol'. The weather is turning nice here though. Although I will be de-programming my kids for weeks I think. Too much Gma and Gpa time. ;) This was evidenced by the Boy's answer to my innocent question when we were leaving my mom and dad's house on Sunday.

Me: Did you both have a good time at Gma & Gpa's?
Boy: Yeah, until YOU GUYS got here.
Me: Okay then.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Shrink into Summer-end of week 5 (I think)

Well, I haven't weighed in since April 8th. The next Wednesday was April 15th and well I went on a mental and physical break. (I LOVE WHAT I DO, just the last couple of weeks of the season drive me batty) I have been weighing myself on our bathroom scale and the numbers have been going up a bit. I have tried to get back on track the last 3-4 days. I got on the my "official" scale (my wii fit board) yesterday.

Are you ready for this...
DOWN .9
HOLY CRAP! I was totally not expecting that. :)

That makes me 3.9# away from my 30 by 30 goal which is creeping up on me in just about 10 days. The bad thing is that I am headed on a girls' trip today. We are ready for some sunshine and cocktails by the pool.

So that's my story. I am trying to get myself back into the swing of things. :)

Baby Dream

I had the weirdest baby dream last night. I dreamt we had another baby girl. Thing was we couldn't figure out a name. I'm not sure how long after the birth this was occuring but we were out to dinner with Husband's family. I kept throwing out all these weird names that I would never consider. Not that they aren't great names, just not my style. When Husband and I finally agreed on a name we couldn't agree on which really weird spelling to use. Seriously...something I would never do either.

I think in the end we wound up going with one of our 2 fallback names, but I have no idea which one.

So do you think I have a touch of baby fever or what? ;) All in good time....All in God's time.

Before and After

Christie over at Baby Tea Leaves is having a before and after party. I haven't posted anything in a while so I thought I would join her party. I have 2...obviously for my 2 kids. :)

1. the Boy

He was born at 34 weeks.

2. the Girl

She was born at 37w 1d

Now at 5 1/2 and 3.

The Girl just turned 3 on Sunday the 19th! Happy Birthday Big Girl! I Love You!!

Shrink Into Summer-end of week 2

Not much to say. I am up 1.3#. Not a huge shock. Disappointing, yes, but not a shock. I am once again back in the 190s and I am 5.7# away from my first goal. The "deadline" for that goal is May 9th.

My mom will be watching and critiquing everything I put into my mouth this weekend. Hopefully that will keep me from over-indulging in the cheesy potatoes and chocolate eggs. :) (Oh and deviled eggs too) Alright, now I'm just hungry. Great. ;)

This week I just want to not completely blow all of my hard work. I am doing better with the water consumption. And I am shredding with my sisters.

I did cancel my online WW subscription today. I have ordered the books and a points calculator and will be following it with those.

Time to Refocus

Hello, my name is Kate, and I am a diet slacker. Ugh.

There I said it. It is out there for the bloggy world to see. (Well the few people that read me.)

I cruised along being so committed for 2 1/2 months. Then I completely lost motivation. I am really not sure where it went. I kept up the workouts 3-4 times per week but I really couldn't tell you the last time I actually tracked my points and stayed within my daily allowance. It's like my stomach has been a big black hole that never fills up. I've been making terrible choices and I can feel it in my body. I'm not gaining any weight back but I still have roughly 5lbs to go to get to my 30 by 30 goal and that is creeping up on me.

Pity party...table for one please.

Sisterhood Giveaway!

Check out the giveaway from the lovelies at The Sisterhood.
http://shrinkingjeans.net/2009/04/one-more-mile-giveaway/

Check out One More Mile. Their slogan rock!

I can't decide which one I like the best. In the running:
-Will Run for Margaritas
-Will Run for Chocolate
-If found on ground, please drag across finish line

Too too funny!

My trip to the grocery store this morning.

After the Girl and I dropped the Boy off at school this morning we went to the grocery store to pick up a few things that were on sale this week. We got what we needed and checked out. Then we went over to the pharmacy that's located in the store to get some Calmoseptine ointment. (It's usually used in nursing homes, but we use it for really really bad diaper rash) I asked for the tube of it and it turns out that they stock it on the shelves now. They used to have it behind the counter and you had to pay the pharmacy for it.

Anyway, they grab a tube for us and I go back to the checkout lines to pay for it. The checkout lady grabs the tube and says, "just the toothpaste?" (She didn't really look at it) The Girl proceeds to announce to her and the entire store, "NO, it for my BUTT, it has an ouchie!" You could tell it took everything the checkout lady had not to burst out laughing. Then she notices that the Girl has her coat on backwards. (Yeah, that's the new thing in our house. Whatever, I don't fight the clothes battle.)

I think it might be awhile before I go back to that store.

10%

WOOHOO! I just did my official Wednesday weigh-in for Weight Watchers. I have hit my 10% milestone. I feel great. A little bittersweet in that so many in my town and state are suffering with rising waters this week.

Shrink Into Summer!

Time for a new challenge from the lovely people over at Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans ! This challenge will be 8 weeks with mini challenges in between. Yeah! I am very excited. This challenge will lead me up to about a month before my brother's wedding and the dreaded bridesmaid dress.

Goals:
1. Lose 10#
2. Get back into the exercise groove. (I got burnt out from the last few weeks of our health challenge at work)
3. Get back to tracking my points on WW.com

Here we go!!
Starting challenge weight: 189.8# (by the way, that is 4.8 lbs from my 30 by 30 goal and I have until May 9th)

Edited at 11:50am central time to put in today's official weight

Kiss Me I'm Shrinking-Final Weigh In

It is the final week of the challenge over at The Sisterhood so here are my final numbers.

Weight loss for week three= .5#

For the challenge:
Starting weight=196
Ending weight=192.2
Total Loss= 3.8#

My goal for the challenge was 4 pounds. I didn't quite get it, but I am ok with that. I have stepped up my workouts quite a bit the last 2-3 weeks to get points for our Health Challenge at work. Going into the final week my team pulled ahead by 20. It will all be over on Sunday and then I can go back to a more reasonable workout routine. I can't do 6 days a week or more. I won't stop all together, obviously. I will just scale it back to 4-5 days and I won't beat myself up if I don't get that.

I had a dr appt the other day. I have been on meds for my blood pressure for nearly 2 years now. Even with the meds my blood pressure was 125-135 over 85-90. At my dr appt the other day my bp was 114/74. I was so excited and my dr was all but jumping up and down. Hopefully when I get more weight off, she will let me start weaning myself off the meds to see what happens. I would LOVE that!! I am way too young to be on them.

Thanks for reading! :)

Kiss Me I'm Shrinking-Week 2 weigh in

Week 2 of 3 is gone. No change this week. Oh well. I am doing a lot of exercising to get points for our health challenge at work, so I am hoping that some fat is turning to muscle. ;)

The mini challenge this week was to get all 5 servings of fruits and veggies at least 5 out of the 7 days. I am proud to say I did do that.

My goal for this challenge was a total of 4lbs so I need to lose about another pound to meet my goal. I am also about 7.5lbs away from my 30 by 30 goal.

Update on our Health Challenge at work:
My team and the team in 1st had been neck and neck until last week. Then somehow they got ahead of us by 150 points. Well, we kicked it into gear this last week and we are now only down by 60 points. To quote my husband, "you girls are just psycho enough to pull this off." Not sure if that is a compliment or not, but we'll take it. GOOD WORK BETH & TRACIE!! We can do it!

Kiss Me I'm Shrinking-Week 1 weigh in

Week 1 turned out better than I had thought it would.

Down 3.3#

Current weight: 192.7 (almost ready to say good bye to the 190s!!!)

In all fairness I think the weight I had last week was due to the monthly visit of your friend and mine so most of this week's weight was more than likely just bloat.

But it has given me this.....

BornFit Workout Wear

Check out these awesome workout clothes! I love them. They are cute and look very comfy.

http://www.livebornfit.com/

I think my favorite is the Lindsey tee. How about you?

Also check out the awesome giveaway from my friends over at the Shrinking Jeans!
http://shrinkingjeans.net/2009/02/bornfit-giveaway/

Priceless!

Treadmill Time: 60 minutes & 30 seconds
Calories Burned: 475
Miles Walked/Ran: 3.77

Health Benefits: PRICELESS!!!!

Week 2 Day 2 of the Couch to 5k program and then I said I will go x miles then stop, then I said I will get to x time and quit, and before I knew it I was at an hour and decided to pay attention to the Boy for a bit. :)

Phew! I'm soaking wet, anyone want a hug??

Time for a New Challenge at the Sisterhood

I am starting this challenge at 196# even.

The challenge is 3 weeks long. My goal will be 4# total for this challenge. I also need to work even harder on the fruits & veggies. I am in week 2 of the Couch to 5k program and will continue to work away at that along with my shred dvd.

Oh yeah, and I need more sleep. ;)

Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans-Final weigh in

Yep, it has been 6 weeks since this challenge started and this is the final weigh in. I can't wait to see what the sisters (and brother) come up with next!!

This week...down 3.9#.

So here's how the challenge finished for me:
*Starting Weight= 213.4
*Ending Weight= 196.7
*Total Loss= 16.7# lost!!!!!!!

That was over and above my initial goal of 1# per week.

Thank you for all of the encouragement and support! See you at the next challenge!

Quick Edit to add: My number of total lost doesn't jive from this week to last week because I went back and adjusted my initial weigh in number to go with my initial WW weight.

Milestone in my weight loss journey!

On Thursday, February 12th, I hit a very important goal that I made for myself when I started all of this at the beginning of the year.

I NO LONGER HAVE A 2 IN FRONT OF MY WEIGHT!!!
And I hope and pray that I never see that again.
I have made small monthly goals for myself and I have one major goal right now and that is to lose 30lbs by my 30th birthday in May. So far I am on track to hit that goal.

I gotta tell you though...Right now it is fairly easy to follow and stick to the Weight Watchers plan. I am at the office during suppertime, Monday-Friday. I have a stash of Lean Cuisine meals in the freezer and a whole bunch of low point snacks in my drawer. When April 15th comes around I will really have to work harder at it and make healthier meals for supper. I am already doing some research and looking for good recipes on the Weight Watchers site.

You know what else...I started on the Couch to 5k program today. I did Week 1 Day 1 and did all of the running segments. I used to detest the treadmill but I am actually getting to like it. I tried to do this program last spring but just didn't follow through. I am going to try my darndest to stick with it this time. There is a 5k in my hometown on August 2nd that I would love to run while my dad and brother run the half-marathon. Keep your fingers crossed for me. ;)

Looking Fine for Valentines-Weeks 4 and 5

Yep, I missed last week and have been neglecting this blog. Sorry! I am normally home during the day and in the office during the evening this time of year. Well, they needed my help during the day so I was working 8-5 last week. Plus, my mom was here to watch the kids so that made for little internet time when I was at home.



Week 4: Up .2# for a total of down 11.5# for the first 4 weeks of the challenge.



Week 5: Down 1.3# for a total of 12.8# down for the challenge.

Looking Fine for Valentines-Week 3 weigh in

Down 1.8# for this week. That makes me down 11.7# for the challenge and I get a new button! WOOHOO! (Although I have yet to actually shrink my jeans :( )

I want to keep drinking my water and getting my fiber. I need to work on getting more sleep and logging more exercise minutes.

Yikes!

EEEEEKKKK!
I didn't have such a hot weekend in the eating department. It was good to eat such yummy yummy foods, but not so good for my diet. I had a yummy chicken and spinach wrap on Saturday night. The bad thing was it was crunchy chicken and of course I had a side of fries. I am not quite used to ordering yet. Then yesterday I had 2 pizza burgers flying style and you can't have pizza burgers without fries. Yeah not good.

On the other hand, I got to snuggle my little nephew a lot this weekend and that was good enough to get my baby fever to subside for a bit. ;)

Also, on a side note...I have a girlfriend who is going through a lot right now. Could you send some thoughts and prayers her way? Thanks!!

Weigh In Wednesday-Week 2

I am down 4.4lbs this week. I want to continue to be diligent about exercising daily or almost daily. We started a health challenge at work so I am also working on getting 64oz of water a day, all my fruits & veggies, 25g of fiber, and getting a good amount of sleep. Those are just some of the things we get points for.

It has been very nice here the past few days but it sounds like it is going to cool off for the weekend. :(

Happy Wednesday All!!

Weigh In Wednesday

I am happy and proud to say that I am down 5.5lbs since we started. That is amazing since I did gain some over the weekend due to my Holiday Party for work.

My goals will continue to be the same. I still have to figure out some healthy snacks for the office. I think I have the suppers figured out. I joined WW last week so I journal all of my food online.

On to Week 2!!

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred

I did level 1 of this workout for the very first time today. Holy is it rough! But I LOVED IT!! That is strange for me to say. I have tried other workout dvd/videos in the past and have never stuck with them. Mostly because they get so complicated. This has simple movements that work you out and make you sweat. And to be totally honest, Jillian scares me just a little.

That is just my 2 cents on it.

Well there goes that plan...

Yes, I started Weight Watchers on Friday. But you know what...Tonight was my "Holiday Party" for work. Yeah, ummmmmmm too much good food for me to say no to. YIKES!! I guess there is always tomorrow. Too much good wine and food can make a girl sleepy. ;) Until another day...

I want this shirt!

If/when we are blessed to have another child, I sooo want this t-shirt.

CustomizedGirl T-shirt

Am I the only one that thinks that is funny!!?? ;)

Time to get Serious

I have decided to join the lovely women and man at Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans for their Valentine's Day Challenge.

I have 3 goals:
1. Lose 1 pound a week
2. Healthy snacks and suppers at the office
3. Journal everything I eat and make sure I am drinking my water

Here we go!!!

My First Award!

Thank you to Pam at It's Time for More Coffee and Megan at Life with the Rostens for my first ever award.

The Lemonade Award:

So here is the award and the rules.

#1 You must link back to the person you received the award from.

#2 You have to nominate 10 bloggers who are deserving of this award!

I don't have 10 but I will do what I can. :)

1. Kristin- The Krumwiede Six
2. Melissa-The Anderson Clan
3. Jess- The Bradens
4. Megan-Life with the Rostens
5. Pam-It's Time for More Coffee
6. Jen-Life in the Left-Turn Only Lane
7. Bethany-OMG.SHUTUP.ITS.BEP
8. Heather-Running From the Little People
9. Amy-Wake Me When It's Over

Hey, I was closer than I thought. :)

Mom, I want a Snuggie!

Um, yeah, ok, was my original reaction.

Have any of you seen this commercial? I had no idea what it was until The Boy said it is what he wanted from Santa. Now I can't get away from the commercial. I see it at least 5 times a day.

The boy has also mentioned numerous times since Christmas that he is really sad that Santa didn't bring him a Snuggie. FOR PETE'S SAKE!!! The kid got a Leapster 2 and some Star Wars toys. Goodness!

Hopefully between my sewing mom and I we can figure out how to make one for both of the kids so I can stop hearing about it. (Secretly I want one too, I realized the other night how nice it would be to have one while I was curled up in a chair reading. Shhhhh!)