Great School & A Change Is A Comin'

The other day I talked about my kiddies 1st day of school pictures. CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THOSE PICTURES. This week has been a busy one, I now have a 2nd grade daughter and 3rd grade son. Look how much they've grown! How does that happen? 

(yes, I am aware that I need to sweep my dusty porch!!)

I may have said this before but I'll say it again, I love the kids school! They get 2 days of P.E. each week, prayer before lunch over the loud speaker (yes this is a public school!), and the best teachers a mama could ask for. Both kids have been blessed with great teachers and a good group of kids in their classes. The biggest advantage to living in a small town is that I am close personal friends with much of the teaching staff, so I always know what's going on regarding my kids education. 

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Health update: My hubby has been doing pretty good with his health. His heart is strong and his little health scare has created great changes in our home. We are still eating very healthy, my husband has dropped 40 pounds! (way to go sweetie!) I have dropped 15, sure not as impressive but I am working hard on it (most of the time). 

(no that is not us, but I thought if it was a real picture of us running it might scare you! AHHHH! Image me 50 pounds heavier and my hubby would NEVER wear spandex pants!!) 

In the next chapter of our healthy lifestyle/weight loss journey we will be doing a full body detox. I am scared out of my mind! We have never done this, I have no idea what to expect. So in preparation of this body cleansing I ate some cheesecake... What? I figured if we're going to detox might as well say good bye to an old friend, ha ha.

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I hope you have had a great week. I hope to fall into my back to school rhythm very soon where I can juggle all these house hold chores and get back on track with my playstation Zumba (oh yeah, I do that. LOVE IT!) Well, I must be off. My Friday night glass of red wine is calling my name. 

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time... 

It's Like MTV Cribs!

I have no clue if MTV Cribs is still on Television, in fact... I have no clue if MTV is even still on Television! My TV programming mostly consists of Disney Channel, Nick Jr. and Sprout these days. But if you ever saw this ridiculous show about pop stars and rappers showing off their 50 custom built cars, their gold toilet seats and the ocean view from their 10 story mansions, you've seen their fridge too. Yup, that's right. Inevitably every episode they would waltz over to their refrigerator and show off what was inside.

Well guess what? I'm not a rapper. (Shocking, yes I know, I come across as so gangsta sometimes!) Do you want to see my fridge anyway? Sure you do!

Look at all that good stuff! Trust me, it hasn't always looked that way (remember, my way too young hubby who almost had a heart attack last week *eek!*) We have gutted the fridge and pantry of anything dangerous for him. Meaning all the sugary, fatty goodies. Now it's filled with Salmon fillets, locally grown fruits and veggies, organic yogurts, Edamame, flavored waters, natural peanut butter, healthy eggs and much more. Oh and a little yummy Champagne to keep me sane. ha ha.

This dietary change has been so easy when my husbands life is on the line. We've had so much fun discovering new recipes and weird new foods we didn't even know existed! Like these yummy snacks:

Yellow carrots! WHAT?! That's so cool! Sure I know it's a little stupid to be excited about carrots of another color. But when you're limited on what you can eat the small changes make a big difference. And they taste so good too!

OK. hummm... I guess this isn't really like MTV Cribs, but I hope you had fun peeking in my refrigerator. I am always looking for new ways to cook a vegetable so any ideas you have I'll take'em.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and if you maybe ate a little too much around the table with family or while baking cookies for Santa then eat your veggies!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Wired On Diet Pepsi Randomness

I thought I would share some random hoopla because I have had too much caffeine this morning and can't seem to get my mind to stay on one subject (is it just me??)

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My mini-munchkin started gymnastics this week. I am THRILLED. When we first got to AZ she didn't want to do it anymore. Out of nowhere last week "mama, can i do gymnastics again?" YES!!!

Unfortunately I do not like the studio I signed her up with. She knows her stuff, even though she's 5, she's had over a year of training. This class was a bunch of kids goofing off, jumping on trampolines, etc. The coaches didn't even show them proper technique?!?! I know I sound like such a whack job, but I paid for lessons, not "happy fun time." I will be looking into other options.

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Football is going well, we are planning the football opening game jamboree right now. What's that you ask? It's like a carnival with football scrimmages being played at the same time. It also means I will be manning our teams booth, hopefully other moms will help so I don't get stuck doing it the entire time!

My son picked the #12 this year because it was my hubby's old football number. How cute is that?

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Did you know I have 3 tattoos (well, technically 4 because one was covered up) and I love them all.

Yes each one has a "story" or meaning. blah blah blah, I'm sure no one is that interested. Did they hurt? I say no, but everyone is different. YES I want more. 2 actually, on my sides. A Gladiolus on my right side and a Daffodil on my left. These are the flowers for the months my kids were born. I am still working on bribing my hubby into letting me get them. (Sorry mom!)

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Why can't people put their shopping carts away when they are at the grocery store? Is it really that hard to walk 20 feet and put it away in the little cart return slot? Every time I go to the grocery store I am forced to park in the South 40 because every spot close to the door is occupied by some shopping cart a lazy person couldn't put away!!! *ggrrrr*

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I have been obsessed with folk music lately. Damien Rice has been on my iPod non stop this week. Not sure what it is about Irish Folk singers that make me get all OCD and download all their songs. Darn them.

Here Have a listen:
(don't forget to pause the music player in the upper right of this blog)

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It's still hot in Arizona. I miss trees, water, being outside...

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Weight loss, slow going but still going :) I am loving my kick boxing class. It is the only work out that works my back. I like putting on my boxing gloves and getting all my aggression out. And of course they are pink boxing gloves. My grandfather used to box, he'd be proud.

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Well, I think my caffeine is wearing off (OH NO!) I am off to slice a million lemons for a Bunco fundraiser tonight. We're raising money for Relay For Life and guess what the chick who can't cook was asked to bring? Yup, lemons for the drinks. Perfect. So if you happen to be in the Phoenix area and want to support a good cause shoot me an e-mail or if you are not in the area you can donate! Just click the picture for more info.

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I hope you all have a fabulous, wonderful weekend. Sorry for the long rambling post. Goodness, I just looked at how much I typed, sorry!!!

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

It's About Time!

I have been sitting pretty at 182 pounds for over a month now. Sure everyone hits weight loss plateaus, but come on! I'm at the gym at least 4 times a week, and eating well. I have kept a positive attitude on the outside. On the inside I have been screaming with frustration!

So this morning I step on the scale for my weekly weigh in...

178.4

YEAH, the last time I was in the 170's was before I had children. Yippy skippy! OK, I know some of you are thinking that is still a big number but for me it is a major milestone to get to pre-baby weight. I am thrilled. Bringing my grand total of pounds lost to 32 pounds. Which means I have officially past the half way mark to my ultimate goal.

Don't worry, I didn't celebrate by eating donuts. I decided to stay home, get on the treadmill while watching Rogers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific." Love that movie :)

What did I do different this week? The only thing I can think of is I drank a TON of coffee to keep up with my son's football schedule, ha ha.

Before (March 2009)

After... So Far (August 2009)

How did you do this week?

(also, want to appologize for not visiting your blogs as much this week, football, gym, dirty house... you get the picture!)

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Ouch, Everything Hurts!!

*first of all, i LOVE this picture of Marily Monroe working out!*

If you follow me on Twitter, you will know that I have not been keeping up with my exercise routine over the summer as well as I should have. No... I won't give you excuses (although I have some real good ones!) because I was just being lazy. As a result to my fat butted laziness I have put on 4 pounds. YIKES, not good for a girl who was on a losing streak for months.

Well, gaining scared me, I have worked SO HARD to get to where I am. I still have about 30 pounds to go, and it was time once again to kick booty at the gym. Here's how my week went down:

Monday: Running/Walking 3 miles on treadmill
Tuesday: Running 2 miles on treadmill, Stregth Training
Wednesday: Running/Walking 2 miles on treadmill, Yoga
Thursday: Kickboxing class, Walking 2 Miles, Zumba class
Friday: Running/Walking 3 miles on treadmill

How do I feel? Every part of my body is in pain! My new kickboxing class sure put a hurtin' on me. This weeks worth of workouts wasn't too bad. I am out of shape though. I am amazed at how fast my body lost all muscle endurance, very scary. It shows me that in order to lose weight and keep it off I am going to have to work out forever!

Well there is my update. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

That Darn Puppy, Ice Baths, & More

So I get home from my fabulous vacation and what do I find? A super sick puppy :(

Jackson has a very bad bacterial infection throughout his large intestines and colon. Guess how he got it? From being over stressed at the doggy kennel! I was shocked, and also felt terribly guilty. After all, I put him there so I could go on vacation! He is quickly getting better and is enjoying all the medication (since I give it to him in bites of cheese, ha ha)

Everything is falling back into place, well everything except my workout routine. It is so hard to have a system that works then summer break comes and messes it all up. Throw in a few family vacations and BAM! You lose focus. I am determined to keep the weight loss going, I am half way to my goal. Still sitting pretty at 183. School will begin August 3rd and all will go back to normal.

Here's an interesting thing I've learned about summers in the desert. NO COLD WATER!! None, zip, nada...

Each night when I give the munchkins their baths I have to add ice cubes just so they can stand it! How crazy is this?? The cold water pipes are hot from being exposed to the warm temperatures so no cold comes out, meaning Scolding hot water no matter what. Yup, that's my mini-munchkin playing with Ice in the tub!

I hope you all are enjoying the sun and heat, if you need some let me know and I'll send some of ours your way :)

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Zoos, Jobs, & Butts, OH MY!

It's been a few days since I have written, you know what that means... Things are going on! First of all Father's Day was wonderful. We took my hubby to the Phoenix Zoo for the day. I know most of you are thinking "Why take him to a kids place? Wouldn't he rather play a round of golf?" True, but I am the decision maker around here (sometimes) and Fathers Day was 99 degrees. This week will end at about 110 degrees and I wasn't about to miss the last double digit day of the summer!! The mini-munchkin had this fascination with posing with goats, check it out:

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Oh I also learned an interesting piece of information this week, my hubby hates his new job! Yeah, that has been messing with my head big time. You see, when you uproot your entire family for the prospect of a better career, life, brighter tomorrow, and it doesn't seem that has been accomplished it kind of puts a damper on your spirit. So now what? Well, we have a 2 year contract with this company and we agreed to re-evaluate the situation later. The main reason this causes me stress is because my hubbys job is very location specific so if he were to go somewhere else to do the same thing we'd have to move pretty far, most likely back east. I am an adventurous type, and LOVE new places, I just hate packing and unpacking over and over! But, I would much rather move again soon then have an unhappy, grouchy hubby.

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Weight loss update, down another 3 pounds bringing my grand total to 27 pounds lost! I am thrilled, but secretly REALLY frustrated. After all this work I am still the same pants size, yup seriously!! What is the deal with my Butt?

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Fun things are coming up! The munchkins and I will be flying back to South Carolina in 2 weeks to visit my parents and some of my girlfriends. (I can't wait to see you guys!!) I am looking forward to the lovely marsh lands, southern food, and Spanish moss. YIPPY!

I never expected to miss the south so much. Just goes to show you that this California girl can love 2 coastlines :) I hope you all have a wonderful week.

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...

Inspiration, Goals, Weight Update & Other Fatty Things

In April of this year I finally got mad enough at my weight to really do something about it. I started out at 210 pounds and now 10 weeks later I am 186 pounds (yeah I know... should I really be sharing the actually numbers with you? Well, it helps keep me accountable.) 24 pounds lighter, yet I still have a ways to go.

One of the key's to my success so far has been my emotions. I used to try and lose weight for the wrong reasons: love, affection, attention, happiness... Nope, never worked. It wasn't until I decided to do it for ME that I saw results.

A few of my fellow blogger buddies have asked what my weigh loss regimen is. So here you go...

I joined a local Weight Watchers group and completely changed my eating habits. I used to eat fast food every day, shameful I know. And now I snack on cut up fruits and veggies from my fridge. I don't eat perfect all the time, but I make a conscious effort to make good choices.

Some simple changes our family has made are switching white rice for brown rice, eating more salads, not using mayonnaise, and the biggest help for me: Not eating out all the time.

Another big change was joining a gym, and actually going! At first every part of me hurt, but slowly it got easier and easier. Soon a habit had formed and now when I miss a day I feel SO guilty.

I try and work out at least 4 days a week, and on days when I just can't I do something physical (walk the dogs, ride bikes with the kids, do sit ups in the living room, etc.)

I wish there was an easy way to lose weight, to build muscle mass and lose fat. The real answer is it takes hard work, and patience because it doesn't happen over night. I wish it did!

There is a long road ahead still, but I'll make it one pound at a time :) So what's my goal weight? Not sure... I am more concerned with being fit and strong. I want muscle, I want to be toned, I want my body to look like p!nk:

DO you have any tips, struggles, or successes you'd like to share?

au revoir, adieu, ciao, till next time...