Time to get serious - Week 3

Today's weigh in: 159 pound

Total weight lost: 1 pound

Alright.  

COME ON Mr. Scale!  

You've got to be kidding me right?

I weighed myself 2 days ago and you said 155 pounds.  How does one gain 4 pounds in 2 days I ask!  I have been working my butt off (seriously) and haven't had a single potato chip or sweet treat in 10 days.  This is a major sacrifice for me and you're gonna do me wrong like this?  Maybe it's you.  You are 10 years old ya know, maybe you're just off your game and not as accurate as you used to be.  Yep, that must be it!

Ok, I guess I'm done beating up on my poor old scale.  But I really have been good this week and was hoping for another pound or so to be gone : (

Here's to better luck next week!

Favorite Things Friday

finding joy

I did a favorite things friday post a while ago using my senses as a way to find joy.  Well, I decided I would expand on this a bit because I am VERY grateful to be able to experience life in these ways. 

So here's my experiences this week through sound.

 These are all sounds that bring me joy.

Sorry no pics but just close you eyes and use your imagination OK :)

Cicadas in the heat of day

L belting out the words to "Dirt Road Anthem"

(and getting most of them right)

The scree of seagulls

The wind flapping the soft top on the Jeep

Hearing L tell an adult "I don't speak grown up"

Brothers whispering to each other when they are supposed to be asleep

The hum of the ceiling fan

The sound of the waterfall in our back yard

Little boys giggling and splashing in the pool

The American flag flapping in the summer breeze

Peepers just before bed

The ringtone for my hubby on my cell
(You & Me by Dave Matthews)

A quiet house with windows open to hear the rustling of the leaves in the breeze outside

Hope you had some great sounds in your life this week!

Are you there God? It's me Krista....

Dear God,

I need you.

This is certain.

But I feel like I can't find you.  

I suppose the longing I have for a tangible relationship with you is natural and completely part of your plan.  But I just can't help but feel frustrated and lost.  I look for you in the things around me, and I do see glimpses of you but sometimes I feel like I need a really big sign.  I want so badly to share you with my sons but how do I explain to them how to hear you when I so often feel like I can't hear you for myself?  

How does one "hear" God anyway?  

I know the best way to teach them is to lead by example.  I want to have an ever increasingly strong relationship with you.  

Teach me how.

I know you're here....but I long for so much more. 

So I keep looking.

Looking at the world around me which you created....

good job on that by the way....it is awesome ;)

Reading the Bible.  But it is bringing up so many more questions.  I feel like there is something wrong with me that I don't understand the truths that are written in there.  It scares me to even admit that.

So open me up Lord to all the ways you reveal yourself.  Help me to see all the ways you are working in my life.  Keep me from getting caught up in the things of this life and help me see things through your eyes.

Until next time...

Time to get serious - Week 2

Today's weigh-in: 159 pounds
weight lost: 1 pound

OK not what I wanted to see.
But at least the scale is moving in the right direction....

if only by a minute bit :(

What I am proud of though is that I have run twice and walked three times (pulling close to 100 pounds of kids mind you) and my muscles are sore so that's a good thing.

As far as eating, well let's just say I was out of town for the weekend visiting relatives and it's never easy to "diet" when traveling.  BUT I think I did pretty good.  We had ice cream every night but I only had it once....
and just a wee bit at that.  For a gal like me who likes to eat, this is a pretty major accomplishment!  Ever notice how hard it is to not partake in something even though everyone else is?
Darn I hate that.

So all in all I'll mark it as a success for the week even if things are slow going.


Got any tips?
How do you stay in shape?

Favorite Things Friday

Some random things that have brought me joy this week...

Love notes

Since my husband is off during the summer, I don't see my kids before I head out the door in the mornings.  So I have started to leave my oldest some little love notes all around for him to find when he wakes up.  He loves them so much he doesn't want to throw any of them away, he posts them up on the fridge.  I have to get rid of most of them because we have no space but I let him leave some of them on there.  Makes me so happy that we this little connection even when we aren't together.

Backyard Bravery

L wanted to go outside to play the other night.  He said "Can we go outside Mother?  I just adore the evening air".  What 5 year old talks like this?  Cracks me up!  So I took them outside to play and L wanted to try swinging on the rope swing starting from the TOP of the playset.  He said "I'm kinda scared Mom, but I think it will be fun".  He gathered his courage and took the leap.  You have to know my L though, he will normally avoid it like the plague if it is even remotely scary and just refuse to try.  He's very happy in his comfort zone thank you very much.  So this little moment of bravery really made me proud of him.

Mac N' Cheese please

I came home from work to the wonderful aroma of homemade mac n'cheese being made by my mother-in-law (what a woman!).  While this is not exactly diet food, who can resist an awesome surprise meal that they did not have to cook?  I tried to stick to a small portion but man I enjoyed every bite!



Spooning with E
My little wiggle worm actually asked me to snuggle him and promptly assumed the spooning position.  Melted my mama heart!  He's rarely still long enough to snuggle in any way.  Man I soaked it up!



Friendship

I had a great visit with my lovely longtime friend Dana.  We've known each other since I was 11, lived across the street from one another actually but became good friends once we hit highschool and we were both on the rowing team.  We've been great friends ever since!  She is such a positive and uplifting person to be around, I just can't help but smile when I'm with her.  Unfortunately we don't get to see each other as much as we would like but when we do, it's like no time has passed at all.  She is a true treasure in my life.



A new purchase

We just love camping so much we decided to buy a pop-up camper.  Our recent trip to Pymatuning showed us that our boys are at the age where we can really start branching out and taking longer trips.
And they LOVE IT just as much as we do.
My awesome husband sacrificed his dirtbike to help fund the camper cause.  He said the bike was just for him but he was going to sell it and do something with the money that we could all enjoy.  And he made a huge profit - gotta love that!  So alas we are now the proud owners of this cute little pop-up.  Watch out campgrounds of America - here we come!

Go check out Rachel's Favorites at Finding Joy!

Time to get serious - Week 1

Ok so I've been on this self improvement kick so I might as well keep it going right?  

If anyone else wants to join in, I'd be happy to have a buddy in this!

I need to lose some weight.  

This is not new but I've been slacking in my efforts given it is summer and I can fit into my shorts and such (granted barely fit but you get the idea).  But the other day I was thinking about the upcoming school year and how fall is fast approaching.  I cannot fit into a single pair of my dress pants for work!  

This will not do. 

I have bounced up and down the weight scale most of my adult life.  After I had E, I lost all the weight and was able to hold a good weight for about a year.  Then I started on a slow and steady creep up the scale again.  So I've been thinking about the reasons why I've been having such a struggle getting my eating and exercising under control.  I really do like to be physically active.  I enjoy pushing my body and seeing what it can do.  But for some reason I just can't seem to get into it this year.  I normally at least run on a regular basis in the summer since the weather is nice.  Granted July has been a little rough for me with my foot injury and then stomach issues but really I was slacking long before July. 

But I REFUSE to go out and buy new clothes when I have perfectly good ones at home that just don't fit because I haven't been taking care of myself.  

That said, I figured "hey, why not use the blog as a way to be held accountable for my goals?"  It may just give me the motivation I need if I broadcast my progress for the world to see.

That said starting today I will be posting a quick update on my progress every Tuesday for about the next 8 weeks.

The goals:

*Exercise a minimum of 4 times a week for at least 20-30 minutes

*Lose 16 pounds in 8 weeks

*Fit into my current dress pants by the beginning of October

*Quite binge eating

(tend to go a smidge overboard on sweets and potato chips)

I've included an actual # for weight loss but for me its really about how I feel and not the # on the scale so I'm not going to be too hard on myself about the #.

Starting weight:  160 pounds

Next update:  Tuesday 8/9/11

Stay tuned...can Krista do it?

I think yes.

Have a HEALTHY Tuesday!

Pymatuning buggy summer bash (aka Misc Monday)

It's been a while since I linked up with Carissa at lowercase letters so I thought I would do so today.  She's such a sweet gal, go check her out here.

I've been a little MIA lately.  My sweet non-blogging husband was laughing at me when I mentioned that I haven't posted or checked in with my bloggy friends in over a week.   I tried to convince him that this was indeed a long time for most bloggers :)  

I just got an eye roll.  

None-the-less I hope to be checking in with everyone this week.

Here's what we've been up to.....

Camping at Pymatuning Lake

This was such an awesome little mini-vacation but we will have to try and make it a longer trip next time!  We had wonderful weather (if a tad on the humid side).  Will post more about our trip later.

Stomach bug

Came back from camping with some strong stomach cramps.  Thought maybe it was all the junky camp food we ate.  A logical conclusion considering our menu consisted of hot dogs, kielbasa, bacon, potato chips, marshmallows, cookies, and store bought danishes.  

This is NOT my normal diet.  

But alas it lasted several days and I had a fever too so it had to be more than just too much bad food.  Well, I finally went to the doc who thought it could be a parasite picked up from the lake water but thankfully it was just a stomach bug of some sort.  The whole idea of a having a parasite kinda creeps me out.

Summer fun

We had our second annual church festival of the year on Friday at the parish my husband teaches at.  It really is one of the nicest fairs I've seen.  They have a TON of things to do there.  Lots of rides, game booths, balloon animals, free cookie decorating, performances, adult beer lounge, farm market, fire rescue demonstrations and probably more that I am forgetting.  My hubby worked the dunk booth, the kids always love the chance to soak their teacher.  I had to laugh because they would really wail the balls at the target but totally miss and I would try to yell out that they needed accuracy, not heat.  

Most missed but he ended up pretty wet anyway :)

Seafood Bash

We had our second (hopefully annual) steak and seafood bash with my mom and sister's family on Sunday.  It was indeed an event!  We had tomato mozerella basil hor' devours, marinated delmonico steaks, crab legs, scallops, broccoli salad, and cream puff cake.  Can I get a OH YEAH!  

I of course ate WAY TOO MUCH but it was worth it!

So that brings us to today, the first of August.  

Not to be a Negative Nancy here but we always get a little depressed when we hit August.  Summer is essentially over, you are surrounded with back-to-school errands and such (not to mention a certain gal has to face yet another birthday....sigh).  We will be squeezing in one last summer trip this weekend to visit my sister-in-law in Michigan.  My little guy is sick though so hopefully he will be over it before we go.  

Aside from the 5 hour car ride - I can't wait! 

Happy Monday!