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Friday, March 7, 2008

Pimpin' for the Pink!


So, I'm officially all signed up for the Dallas-Fort Worth Breast Cancer 3 Day! I am really excited about doing this, and totally thrilled to be partnered up with Miss Laurie-pooh as Co-Captain of our team; "60 Miles or Bust!". We've been busy getting in shape with our personal trainer, Shannon, and we've been ramping up our fundraising efforts as well. Laurie's rockin' with more than 900 dollars in donations so far! I am just getting started, so I still have a long way to go. I've got big plans including a bake sale, wine tasting event, and maybe even some bowling for boobs! I've launched my e-mail campaign for funds, and I've been busy pimping my MySpace to help raise awareness of my activities. Laurie and I have also started our own blog that's focused totally on our journey, so please take a moment to visit our site to learn more. We've set it up so that you can follow along with us every step of the way. This is going to be an incredible journey! Will you join us?

Saturday, January 5, 2008

This Mama Needs a Martini!


Do you remember when we were kids, and sleep over’s were so much fun? When your mom would come and tell you that you had to be quiet and go to sleep now, you would giggle and stuff your face into the pillow as she closed the door behind her. Well, I was on the mom side of the door last night, and I can tell you honestly, there is nothing cute about it at 3am! Taylor had her BFF over for a sleepover, and I swear to you, SWEAR TO YOU that 8 year old girls must be akin to vampires, because they need no sleep at all! These girls were up until 5am before they finally crashed! Then, they only slept for about 5 hours before they were up and ready to rumble. Craig made a huge brunch for them; eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits, and potatoes, and then I took them for a walk along the trails by our house. We went down to the waterfall, followed some coyote tracks, and finally ended up at the turtle pond. All in all, it was fun, but extremely exhausting. Thank God my mom offered to watch Z and T tonight so that I could get some down time. I got to hang out with one of my BFF’s. I meet Laurie for dinner, and then we did what we do best…we went shopping! We got an awesome deal on some sweaters, and we each bought three. They have ¾ sleeves on them, so they’ll be good all year round here, since it doesn’t really get too cold on the winter, and a full sweater is way too much in the summer. The really important find of the evening was foundation. I have worn Clinique for years, and I’ve always been kind of iffy about my foundation. I’ve tried the Super balanced, the Clarifying compact powder, the Stay True make-up, and I could go on and on. So we stopped at the Clinique counter in Macy’s because they had a cool deal going on where you could get a little kit with shadow, mascara, eye liner, lipstick, and glosswear for 25 bucks with any purchase. I figured I would get some foundation because I need some anyhow. Laurie suggested that I try the Clarifying Clear Skin formula, and so did the Clinique lady; Beth. She grabbed the bottle and a foundation brush, and ten minutes later, I looked FREAKIN’ FABULOUS! I mean, FABULOUS. Beth proceeded to add a little bronzer in a pretty plum color, and then she used the kit that I was about to purchase to finish off my eyes and lips. I was so surprised when I looked in the mirror; I didn’t even recognize myself! I really think that I found not only the most awesome foundation, but also the most awesome Clinique lady ever. I will make all my purchases from Beth going forward. After we overstayed our welcome at the mall, we decided to head over to this new bar in the area; the Martini Park. We wanted to scope it out for Laurie’s birthday next weekend. My understanding of what this place was supposed to be was classy, low key, and relaxed. Boy, were we surprised! The bar itself is very nice. The countertops were sort of a backlit amber, there are candles all over, and martini list was very interesting. They had a lot to choose from, including a Cucumber martini, a Blueberry margarita martini, and a Starawberry Basil martini. I tried the blueberry, and Laurie got the Martini Park #10, and they were both pretty good. I’ve told you the good points, but here comes the rest. Nice environment, nice drink list, etc. but please add to this a very wild and crazy crowd of 40 something business men, all on the prowl. There seemed to be an almost even amount of “cougars”. Top it off with a DJ who is playing all your frat house favorites, including “You Shook Me all Night Long” and “Celebrate”. Laurie and I stuck it for 1 drink, and then we hit the road. Can you say MEATHOUSE? Well, one good thing came out of this; I made it out of there having had only 1 martini, and that’s a first for me! All in all, I had a great time (like I always do with Laurie) and I got a much needed break.

Tomorrow is the last day of the week, and I have stayed on track with my diet so far, so I am starting to actually look forward to weighing in on Monday. I can’t wait to see my progress! More later!

Friday, January 4, 2008

T.G.I.F.

Hooray! It’s FRIDAY! I am looking forward to a weekend with NO SET PLANS. That’s right, you heard me, NO SET PLANS! As much as I love the holidays and the various family, social, and church gatherings, I really just need a couple of days with no obligations. I am really looking forward to waking up tomorrow and not having to be anywhere by any particular time! Grandma has even agreed to have the children over for a sleepover tomorrow evening, so I can get some quiet time! I have promised myself that I will not work this weekend either. I’m going to leave my laptop at work, so I won’t even be tempted. One of my new year’s resolutions is to stop working from home so much. I’m going to try managing my time in the office more effectively, so that I won’t have to log on after hours. I was also thinking that I might try a spin class this weekend, even though I loathe stationary bikes. Craig says it’s a really good workout, and I hear that it’s also good for weight loss.

You might think it’s weird for me to be so candid about my weight battle in this public blog, but there’s a method to my madness here. My thinking is that if I journal my ups and downs, I’ll have something to keep me publicly accountable, as well as a good point of reference. It might help me to be able to look back later on at the good days and the bad ones too. I just need to figure out a way to be successful and stay successful. It’s extra challenging for me because of my thyroid disease. I tend to blame myself, even when my lifestyle is at its healthiest. There are challenges all around me every day, and I need something to keep myself focused. If you’re a mom like me, you know that there are always opportunities to eat unhealthy foods. Through their school, the kids have Chick-fil-a night, Ci Ci’s pizza night, and Papa John’s night at least once a month, and sometimes these events happen during the same week! I know these are supposed to help raise funds for the PTA, but can we please try something different? At work, there are multiple lunch invitations a week, not to mention the fact that my co-workers eat out EVERY day (today they got burgers from my favorite burger joint; MooYah). Then there are the business trips… How do I survive all these different reasons to cheat on my diet? How do I eat my 60 calorie, sugar-free Jell-o pudding snack while they’re next door to my office chowing down on quite possibly the best french-fries in the universe? I know it sounds childish, but sometimes it seems downright unfair. Sorry to vent, I guess the lack of sugar is making me a little cranky. Oh well, I’ll get over it. At least I’ll have the girls to distract me this evening.

Deuces! More tomorrow…(at no particular set time!)

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Later That Day...

I busted my butt at the gym tonight, and I am sure I am going to be sorry tomorrow! That’s okay though, I think I need to be sore a little to know I got a good workout. I kept my heart rate up good and high, and I kept it steady. I even got some crunches in at the end. If that doesn’t hurt tomorrow, NOTHING will! We’ve got a wedding to go to in 3 weeks, so I am super anxious. Watching “The Biggest Loser” on Monday night really helped to motivate me. Even though it’s hard to get TV time to myself consistently, I am going to see if I can keep up with it this season. I guess it just helps to know that this is a fight for other people too. More tomorrow!

Mission Accomplished

Well, I survived the gym! I got some cardio and some weights in, and I am surprisingly enough not very sore today at all! I have been walking and jogging on and off with the kiddos on the awesome trails by our house, so I guess that helped a bit. I plan to work extra hard tonight, since I won’t be going to the gym on Friday. They boys are going to the BMX track to try out Zach’s new wheels, and Taylor’s best friend Madison is sleeping over, so I’ll be entertaining the girls while the boys are doing their thing. I haven’t really decided what to do with them yet. It’s too could to go outside right now, it’s in the low 30’s this week, and for my Northern friends, that’s considered “Arctic Cold” in Texas! (Go ahead, laugh it up!) I was thinking we could all go get manicures or maybe see a movie or something. I’m trying to avoid things that would involve food, like GattiTown or Chuck-e-chesses, so that I am not tempted to eat anything off plan. I still have some Christmas money left from Mom, so we might do a little shopping. Everyone has such good sales right now! I bet I could pick up some great stuff for the house. I am so obsessed with buying house wares right now! The obsession had slowed a bit, until Steven bought me some awesome new dishes from Crate & Barrel for Christmas, and ever since, I’ve been addicted all over again. Is this normal? It’s like I can’t stop until the house is perfect, room by room. The big thing right now is the dining room/kitchen. Ironic, considering the circumstances with my diet!

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Week 1, Day 4

Today is my first day back at the gym! I am really excited and a little nervous too. I hope I don’t make a total ass of myself! I have to make the leap though; the “Biggest Loser” competition at work starts up next Monday, and I want to be ready! I would like to have a really good, successful week under my belt before it begins so that I have started to re-establish some of my good health habits. I’ve been tracking all my food and beverages throughout the day in the Points Tracker for WW, and I am making notes about what things seem to be working well. I’ve discovered that Triscuit Crackers are my friend, because they keep me full longer. A serving (6 crackers) is only two points, and they come in some interesting flavors now, like “Garden Herb” and “Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil” (my favorite). I’ve been pairing them with a salad or soup for a little extra substance. I’ve also been making a real effort to get all my water (at least six 8oz. glasses) in each day. I know that’s a big part of success. Being back at work is a challenge! Everyone and their brother invited me to lunch today. It seems like everything is about food! The first thing my team said to me this morning was “Since we are all back today, we are going to lunch together! You have to come with!” It was so hard to say no! I know I should avoid eating out for the first couple of weeks back on plan, because it will only start the cycle of temptation/making bad choices/guilt/wanting to quit. It was tough to say strong, but I did it! I’m kind of proud of myself! I’ll blog more after the gym trip. Wish me luck!