Christmas Eve

Today has been a magical day! We woke up this morning to a blanket of fresh, white snow and we couldn't wait to play in it. We had to first do some last minute shopping and get some groceries which didn't excite Gabi but we did stop and have lunch out. Rick and I have been talking about hitting the New Year's sales and shopping for some furniture so since we were in the area we swung by our favorite furniture store to see what they had on display. We found a new sofa and loveseat we both liked and if you know my husband you know he is not an impulse shopper. So imagine my surprise when he told them we'd take it and wished me a Merry Christmas! It was so uncharacteristic of him! Gabi was anxious to get home and play so when we made it home we hit the woods! We had a fun little photo shoot and then built a snowman and went sledding. We finally gave in to the cold and came in and warmed up with hot chocolate! Gabi is now snuggled in bed ready for Santa! She has been so excited this year! The last 2 days she's been wishing away her vacation in hopes that Christmas Day would arrive quickly. Yesterday her plan was to help me clean and stay busy to make the day pass quickly and today's plan was to go to bed early because of course when you are sleeping you don't realize how much time has gone by! Santa is on his way so I guess i better get to bed so he doesn't pass by our house. I'll leave you with a few of my favorite photos from the day! Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Miracle

Well, my dad has been in the nursing home since August and has been waiting on an opening in the Veteran's Home. The nursing home was a necessity but very expensive and it only took a few short months to eat through his entire life savings. Well, Monday we received a call that there was an opening and he would be transferred to the VA Home on Wednesday. It is a Christmas miracle! We moved him in yesterday morning and went back to see him last night. He is happy with the move and impressed with the facilities. There are many young men living there and although he has the help he needs he also has more independence here too! They take lots of trips and have many activities so I'm hoping that Dad is happy here! He also qualifies for assistance and he will no longer have to worry about money. It has been a relief for all of us! I took this picture of him a few weeks ago when my sister and her kids were in town and went and had it enlarged and framed for his new room!

Holiday Crafting

My sister and her family finally made it in town for a visit! She has three kids and always seems overwhelmed which I don't quite understand. To me being a stay at home mom seems like the perfect job! When they are here I get so much done during naptime and I have a blast with the kids! After attending Gabi's basketball game early Saturday morning and visiting with Dad we headed home for lunch. After lunch Sally laid down and took a nap with the youngest and I decided to do a little crafting with Gabi and the twins. I whipped up some salt dough and divided it equally among the three kids. They kneaded it and had fun cutting their shapes. We baked them and they couldn't wait to paint them. After dinner I raided my scrapbooking stash and got out the acrylic paint, stickles, glimmer mist, and sequins. The paint went on well but unfortunately the stickles and glimmer mist just turned watery and ran off making a mess. So we decided that the paint was good enough! I tied a little ribbon loop on each one and bagged them up for each kid. They were so excited but secretly I had just as much fun as they did! I think I missed my calling. I should have been an art teacher!

Weekly Goals

At the end of July I started on a journey to lose weight and get in better shape! With my father-in-law just having quadruple bypass surgery it has reinforced the importance of eating right and exercising! I want to live a long and healthy life and I know that my eating habits can be much improved upon! Since July 26 I have lost a total of 22.5 pounds which is an average of 1.3 pounds per week! I know this isn't stellar but I have managed to keep those Thanksgiving pounds away! I have noticed some of my old habits kicking in again so it is time to set some goals and kick it back into gear. The year is almost over and I'd like to lose another 8 pounds by January 1. So this week my goals are:

• to log my food
• workout for at least 30 minutes 5 times this week
• log at least 10,000 steps daily on my fitbit (which I haven't worn in over a week)

This will be difficult as we have been spending every spare minute traveling back and forth to the hospital which is over an hour away and grabbing meals out. My sister and her husband are also coming into town next weekend to celebrate the holidays with us and we are planning a big family dinner but there is no time like the present!

Update on Father-in-law

Well, Monday my father-in-law went in for quadruple bypass surgery. He took a long time to come out of sedation and become cognizant of what was going on. On Tuesday Rick called me at work to let me know that he was still very confused and they thought he had suffered a stroke. A CT scan confirmed that he had some bleeding in the back of the brain in the area that affects motor skills and memory. Wednesday was difficult as his memory loss became more apparent and he was completely unable to feed himself! We stopped by to see him Thursday and we were so encouraged by his improvement! He was eating well, feeding himself and carrying on a conversation. Even the doctor was surprised by the rapid improvement! Gabi and I took him a photo album filled with family photos and took some checkers to play with him yesterday! He thinks it is October of 2000 and he keeps asking what lead up to him being in the hospital. He thinks he has lost a lot of time and missed a lot. Yet his total memory is not gone! He knows who everyone is. Rick's sister was talking to him about a dentist's office their company was building and Gene remembered that they were building it on an old salvage yard and joked that he had dibs on any old cars they found while digging the foundation! He is improving everyday and will move to the rehabilitation wing on Monday! Hopefully he will continue to improve daily and get to be home in time for Christmas! So please pray for a speedy and full recovery!

Proud Mom

I was such a proud mom today! Gabi has played basketball in the YMCA youth league the last three years. She loves going to practice but didn't quite get the game. She is not aggressive at all and she could go an entire game without touching the ball once! Well, Saturday she played the best game ever! Her team worked together and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! Gabi was right there guarding the other team and actually reached out and hit the ball and tried knocking it out of their hands! She was going after the ball and rebounding! She even stole the ball twice, took off down the court and scored 2 baskets! Way to go Gabi!

I Am Stronger

I was recently asked to think about a challenge that has made me stronger. Well, teaching high school students can be a constant challenge but when you lack a strong administration and leadership in your school that challenge is even greater. We went through a period of time in our district where we lacked a strong administration. There was no discipline or support and the students ran the school! We lost many teachers at semester which is almost unheard of in education and our students would brag that they were trying to see how many teachers they could drive away. I am normally laid back and quiet but I did not agree with the way many things were being handled. I stood up for what I thought was right even if that meant going against my administrator and received disciplinary action. It was a very difficult year. Not only did it make me stronger but during this difficult time I received so many calls of support from my colleagues. We stuck together and fought for our school and the following year the superintendent finally stepped in and admitted the problems, released our principal from his contract, and brought in an interim principal. Two years later and the joy of teaching is back! I work with truly caring teachers under a supportive administration and like they say what doesn't kill us makes us stronger!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Rick had to work but Gabi and I are thankful for his wonderful family and getting to spend time with them. I wanted to share the adorable little turkey that Gabi and I made this year! I can't take credit for the idea. Where do I find my inspiration? Well, no other place but scrapbook.com! I saw a pic of this as I was browsing the gallery and Gabi and I knew it would be the perfect appetizer to take to dinner! Gabi put in all the toothpicks and I arranged them on the body. We had so much fun with this and it was quite the Thanksgiving hit.

Thanksgiving was extra special this year as we had a new addition to the family! My niece Casey had a beautiful baby boy in October and we got to meet him Thanksgiving Day. Gabi is no longer the youngest of the family! We had 5 generations at dinner and it was so nice to see Papaw with his great-great grandson! We were also even more thankful this year to have the time to spend with family as Rick's dad underwent quadruple bypass surgery this morning! He was still in recovery tonight and sleeping but the surgery went well. We treasure every moment as you never know what life will bring!

God Works in Mysterious Ways!

Being the month of Thanksgiving we have lots to be thankful for! Rick's dad was going to go in last week for surgery on his elbow. While the surgeon was doing her routine checkup the day before the surgery she stopped as she listened to his heart and said she didn't like what she heard. She said she was no longer comfortable performing the surgery, canceled it, and sent him to a heart specialist. The heart specialist agreed that he also heard the "clicking" and sent him for tests on Friday. They discovered he has 3 blocked arteries and needs a triple bypass surgery! We are so thankful that they caught this before he had a heart attack! Keep him in your prayers as he meets with the heart surgeon on Monday! We are hoping they will perform the surgery quickly and he will recover and be home for Thanksgiving!

La Ofrenda

Did you know el Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday that is celebrated November 1 and 2? If you are Catholic you may know that November 1 and 2 are All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. El Día de los Muertos is a mixture of these Catholic holidays with ancient Aztec traditions. Many people mistake el Día de los Muertos for Halloween but in fact it is more like our Memorial Day. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. I have a new colleague (partner in crime) that has been a fun addition to our foreign language department this year. In honor of el Día de los Muertos her Spanish IV class created this awesome ofrenda or altar in memory of John Lennon and we celebrated the day with a fiesta in our classes! This month has not been good on the diet! My students brought in all kinds of amazing, authentic dishes from around the world and of course I had to sample it all! One student brought in nopalitos and it was fun to watch the expressions and comments as each student tried a bit of cactus! It has been a great learning experience and has opened them up to new cultures and experiences! I am having a great year but I'm still ready for a break! I'm looking forward to my favorite holiday. . . Thanksgiving!

Tagged

Megan from Crop Chocolate Designs tagged me with some very interesting questions:

1. Do you use a paper planner (like FranklinCovey), paper calendar (like a desk or wall calendar), digital planner (like a cell phone, palm pilot, smart phone, digi calendar (like Google Calendar, iCal), or nothing to plan your day & track appointments? I keep a wall calendar and it hangs in the one place in my home that gets checked way too often: the fridge!

2. What was the name of the last school you attended? (can be high school, college, university, med school, etc.) I got my Master's Degree from William Woods University.

3. Do you like the TV show BONES (new episodes air on FOX, older on TNT)? I've never seen it!

4. You see a 55 yr old woman and a 24 year old young lady walk into a restaurant--what is their relationship? Mother and daughter and I feel a twinge of sadness as I lost my mom while I was in college.

5. What languages do you know (speak, read, or write)? I read, speak, and write both Spanish and English.

6. Do you recycle faithfully? My family has recycled faithfully since I was in high school and before being green was even coined a term. My dad worked for a local landfill and started a community recycling program in the early 90's. It is a lifestyle I grew up with!

7. If I said the word "Ugaritic" what would you tell me it means Well, my students are always asking me random Spanish words and if I don't happen to know one they question whether or not I really speak Spanish! I've tried to convince them that we do not know every word in the English language and it is impossible for me to know every Spanish word. So, if you asked me what Ugaritic means I would just simply reply, "Yet another word I do not know!" I visit dictionary.com on a daily basis.

8. Where do you spend the most money on a regular basis for scrappy supplies? It's a toss up between Hobby Lobby and Michaels.

Now, I am tagging these fun ladies! Go check out their blogs:

Jade
Sarah
Kelly
Sue

Here are your questions girls:
1. What video gaming system do you own (if any) and what is your favorite game?

2. If you could only eat one food for the next year what would it be?

3. What was the last movie you've seen?

4. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?

5. What does your last text message say?

6. What brand of shampoo do you use?

7. Who would you cast to play you in a movie?

8. What was your favorite sitcom growing up?

First Milestone

Why is it we struggle with recognizing our own achievements? When my pants are loose I automatically assume they've stretched out. Yesterday while out walking I noticed how easy it felt. I also assumed it was because I must not be exerting much effort. Why is it so difficult to believe in ourselves? Well, I am going to change that and celebrate each step! My pants are loose because my body is changing! My walk is getting easier because I am in better shape and I am now down 20 lbs! I am on the right track and I am motivated to keep it up and kick it up a notch! I am 20 pounds closer to goal!

Cahokia Mounds

We have had a beautiful fall! It has been unseasonably warm and I love being able to spend time outdoors. We decided to take advantage of the weather and spend the weekend in St. Louis since there are so many great things to do. We decided to first pass through St. Louis into Illinois and explore the Cahokia Mounds. Who knew that this was the largest man-made earthen mound in the North American continent! The museum was fascinating! Gabi had to stop and read and look at each item. Our favorite display was the glassed in indian village you could walk through. It was very realistic and we were in awe when we were in the theater watching the movie about the history and at the end the screen raised and the village scene was on the other side! It was beautifully done! We sure got our exercise! We climbed the hundreds of stairs to the top of Monk's Mound. We agreed that it was the perfect time of year for this trip as we worked up a sweat walking to the top! After leaving the mounds we decided to stop at a local flea market! I felt like I was back in Guadalajara, Mexico! Lots of cool Mexican art, leather boots, soccer jerseys, and Spanish. I got to use my Spanish and chatted with one of the vendors and bought a soda. We then made a stop at the Mexican grocery store where they had pan y aguas frescas! It was awesome! We ended the day with a stop at the Mall for a little shopping and dinner at Olive Garden! What a great weekend!

A Collection of School Portraits

Well, it is that time of year again! Gabi brought home her school pictures last week and I had to get them scrapped! I started this mini album when she was in kindergarten and I am enjoying looking back through the years and seeing how much she has grown! Here's the album!

School Portraits Title Page
by Senora_x
Scrapbook.com

Kindergarten
by Senora_x
Scrapbook.com

First Grade
by Senora_x
Scrapbook.com

Second Grade
by Senora_x
Scrapbook.com

Peach Tree Farm

Gabi and I took a trip to Peach Tree Farm today and had the best day! We got to enjoy the sunshine as we strolled through pumpkin patches and fields of sunflowers! It was gorgeous. We went for a hayride, got to play with bunnies, and feed the goats! The highlight of the day for Gabi was having her face painted for the first time and for me it was having a beautiful backdrop to take lots of photos! I'll leave you with a few of my favorites from the day!

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't know what it is about fall but it puts me in the mood to bake! I have been craving my homemade chocolate chip cookies and apple pie. We were out of chocolate chips this weekend and Gabi has been so disappointed. After school today she asked if we could stop by Subway and pick up some cookies because if there was cookie that could compete with mine it would probably be Subway's! So instead I decided we'd come home and bake up some cookies together! That made her day! She was so excited! So I thought I'd offer up a plate of cookies to my cyber friends as well! Enjoy!

Weigh In

I seem to have hit a plateau for the last few weeks so this morning I was happy to finally see a 1 pound loss for a total loss of 16 pounds! It is time to kick it back into high gear. I've been suffering from allergies this past week and let it keep me from exercising. I went to the doctor today though and we had a nice conversation. He looked up the results of some recent blood work I had done and everything came out great! It was a relief to know all of my blood counts and thyroid were within normal range. My blood pressure has been up a little but he wasn't concerned and just encouraged me to continue eating healthy and exercise! Homecoming is over and school is starting to settle into a routine. I need to make the time to exercise daily! I won't make excuses. I hate exercising and I am very inconsistent in working out. But today I'm home from work early so it is off to hit the treadmill and make good use of those few extra hours of solitude I have today!

I'm at a Crosswords

I feel like my life has come to a fork in the road and it is time that I actually make a decision instead of sitting back and waiting for someone else to make that decision for me. The problem is I don't know which way to go! I am truly torn. There are benefits and drawbacks to both paths and of course it is always easier to stay on the path I'm used to traveling versus one that would require me to pave my own way. I have been married 11 years and I know that no marriage is perfect and it requires a lot of work. I agreed to try marriage counseling this summer but I feel like it has just postponed the inevitable. The counselor tried to make him see that he was not making his family a priority and that my concerns with his behavior were valid. But like always he rationalizes everything! I always thought he had OCD tendencies but I'm starting to worry that he may be manic depressive. Less than a year ago he went to his family all stressed out that we were living paycheck to paycheck. He was working around the clock and obsessed with money. His family sat down, listened to him explain our finances and tried to explain to him that we were fine. He never told me about this meeting and continued to work obsessively until he actually worked about 22 hours in one day without so much as a phone call home to let me know he would be out all night! When I broke down one day at a family dinner they told me that they had talked to him about his behavior and he didn't like what they had to say and he hadn't spoke to them since. Of course he wasn't attending this family dinner because he was working on the weekend as usual!

Well, fast forward to today. In the last month he has gone out and bought new furniture for our house without consulting me, a new car, finally put a deck on our house, and is talking about investing in a brand new $20,000 tractor! I thought he said we had no money!! We both work salaried jobs and make decent money. We have separate accounts and are more like roommates than husband and wife. I write him a check for half the property payment each month. He does pay the utilities but I've always paid for the cable and internet because he feels those are wants and not necessities and he doesn't spend money frivolously! He has also made it known for our 11 years of marriage that my bills are my bills and has not helped pay a cent towards my college loans. I put myself through college and I do have a hefty $25,000 in student loans but it is that degree that has provided me with the job I have! Many of my coworkers have qualified for an income based repayment plan for their loans in which they pay less than $100 a month and after 10 years the remaining balance would be forgiven. I tried to apply but because I'm married our joint income qualifies me for a $500 payment which if I were able to make that kind of payment I'd have my loan paid off anyways! So I do struggle to make it month to month! I pay him half the mortgage, I buy groceries 2 weeks out of the month, I pay for my student loans, I buy our daughter clothes and I struggle! If I were single I think I could handle the finances alone better than what I'm having to pay now. I also am starting to think I don't really know this man I married. He never talks to me about anything. He refuses to own a cell phone so I can never get a hold of him in an emergency. He doesn't have email or facebook and has always acted like he didn't even know how to use one. However, we were recently invited to a BBQ by one of his friends from work. They were telling stories and talking about other coworkers that all the wives seemed to know about. I didn't! At home he is all serious and nags me that I'm too laid back and don't take things seriously enough. When I asked him about the stories his reply is he doesn't bring work home. But when you work with someone 12 hours a day they are not just work. These are his friends. They were also talking about how he'd swipe their cell phones and leave pics on their phones or send texts from the computer! He has always stated that the reason he didn't own a phone was because he didn't know how to use it! He has never texted me either! Honestly, I do not know this man anymore and it is like he leads a double life! I have to do something I just wish I knew what that something was?!

Fitbit Data

Today was day 1 with the fitbit and I thought I'd share my data with you! This thing is so cool! It only takes 60-90 minutes to charge so I was ready to go last night! It comes with a wristband to wear at night and the data is amazingly accurate. I couldn't get comfortable last night so I wasn't surprised to see that I woke up 23 times! I did get up around 1 to take a trip to the bathroom and I forgot to shut off my alarm this morning and it went off around 5:30. All of this can be seen in my data! After showering this morning I stuck the little clip in the pocket of my jeans and every time I walk within 15 feet of my computer it automatically sends all of this data to my website! Gabi and I did some shopping at the mall today and then tried to go for a walk this evening before the rain hit. I'm pretty impressed with the 5.01 miles I walked today and I can see that I will be checking the clip regularly at school too to make sure I hit my 10,000 steps a day mark. So cool!

My New Toy

I have been working towards a healthier me the last 2 months! It is not a diet but rather a lifestyle change in my thinking, eating, and daily activities. I have said this before but I LOVE food and I do not plan on eliminating any food from my diet. They key is moderation and though I have been making healthier choices when it comes to eating I seriously slack in the exercise department! Well, as a reward for the changes I've made and in hopes to motivate me to exercise more I decided to invest in a heart rate monitor. I was doing some research online when I stumbled across this fun gadget called the fitbit! No, it is not a heart rate monitor but it definitely fits the bill as far as motivation goes so I ordered it! It arrived today and I can't wait to try it out! What does it do? The Fitbit accurately tracks your calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled and sleep quality. The Fitbit contains a 3D motion sensor like the one found in the Nintendo Wii. The Fitbit tracks your motion in three dimensions and converts this into useful information about your daily activities. The cool thing is that it has a base that plugs into your computer. Whenever you walk past your computer all of your data is automatically synced to a website. You can set goals and track them all online! The clip also has a display that shows your steps as well a flower that you can watch grow or shrink depending upon your activity level. I tend to take the elevator at work so I think this will encourage me to walk more so I can reach my goal daily. I am also fascinated with the prospect of tracking my quality of sleep. You can slide the fitbit on your wrist at night and it measures how many times you wake or move throughout the night. I can't wait to have some data to see online! Be on the lookout for some charts and graphs in upcoming blogs. I'm heading to the mall tomorrow so I better read up on my toy and charge it up!

Weight Loss Update

Well, I obviously haven't posted my weigh in for the last few weeks so you are probably wondering if I've given up! I am still here! I'll admit it has been a struggle lately. School is back in session and as department chair I have more responsibilities this year than in the past. It has been difficult to find time or the energy to work out when I get home and due to some health issues I've been pretty sedentary lately. So it seemed I hit a plateau. This morning though I was excited to step on that scale and see that I have finally broken through that plateau! I am now down a total of 13 pounds! This gave me just the motivation I needed to kick it back in gear! I had a meeting after school tonight so I packed a healthy snack and even managed a 45 minute walk when I got home. Evening meals have been my downfall so tonight I grilled chicken and had a salad and corn on the cob. I have a busy week planned but I'm going to tackle it head on! I need to start seeing a more consistent loss on the scale!

Labor Day Weekend

We had a very busy but enjoyable weekend. My sister and her family came into town and together we worked on helping Dad clean out his house. He has decided that he will sell his home since he will be moving into the Veteran's Home soon. We were finally able to move the piano to my house! I played all the way through college and growing up I couldn't pass the living room without sitting down to play a while. Sadly, I haven't played since then and was surprised to discover that I can no longer read sheet music as quickly and easily as I used to. I guess I will have to practice! After a long day of cleaning we came home, grilled and enjoyed a nice family dinner out on our new deck! It has added so much living space to our home! I will have to post pics soon! While I was in the kitchen prepping food my sister took some awesome pics of the kids outside! The pumpkins are the ones Gabi grew this summer. Rick took the largest one to work to weigh it on their big scales. The official weight of our largest pumpkin was 123.5 pounds!

Shut Up Already!

I am on a journey to a healthier me and working on losing weight. I had someone ask what plan I was using or what I was doing to lose weight. Well, to be honest diets or plans just aren't for me! I LOVE food! I love discovering new flavors and trying new dishes. My daughter is only 7 and I am proud that this is a quality that she also has! She is not a picky eater and will try anything! I once decided to cook tacos de lengua (tongue tacos) and she didn't hesitate to give it a try! I don't want to deprive myself of any food I may feel like eating. When I do this I tend to go on a binge trying to find something to satisfy that one craving I'm having and end up eating more than what I would have eaten had I just indulged that craving! So what do I do? I allow myself to have whatever I'm craving but I realize in order to lose weight I have to exercise more and eat less! So I have been walking more and I have even started taking the stairs at work rather than jumping on the elevator. When it comes to food I've been watching my portions and eliminating processed foods. Rather than take a frozen meal to work for lunch I have switched to whole wheat wraps with chicken and sprouts. To satisfy my chocolate craving I have stocked up on Yoplait Whips Chocolate Yogurt. If I feel like Taco Bell I have it but instead of ordering a Nachos Bell Grande I now order the cantina tacos and have them use only one tortilla instead of the 2 they normally wrap them in! I want to lose this weight for myself and who knows me better than myself? I do not need the advice and opinions of anybody else especially when those opinions are negative!

Now, I feel the need to vent a bit! I have a coworker that feels the need to comment on everything I eat at lunch! Last year she even went as far as taking the wrapper from my food out of the trash and she would read the nutritional content to me on more than one occasion! She would lecture on the amount of sodium it contained. She would also make comments on the fact that I took the elevator and berate me in front of our colleagues (many of which also take the elevator)! She wears her clothes at least 2 sizes too big and has mentioned several times that she had to have her favorite pair of linen pants altered this summer because they were just too big! That's great but if your clothes have been falling off of you for the past year then shut up about it and buy some new clothes! I'm sorry I can't eat 2 crackers with a tablespoon of hummus like she does and survive the day! I would be a bitch! Well, I guess I can be a bitch regardless of what I eat but hopefully you get the point! Sadly, my husband is the same way and coming from someone you love and trust is even more hurtful and destructive! He comes home from work and will ask what we had for lunch or dinner. Last night Gabi replied that we had Taco Bell. He immediatley goes into a lecture about how he thought I wanted to work on losing weight! I AM! I shouldn't have to justify every single bite I take to anybody but myself! Please! Does he not realize when he says these hurtful, rude things that it only sends me off on a binge! Sometimes I think he purposefully tries to sabotage my efforts! I mean he can start going off on a lecture last night because Gabi and I ate a taco but how many times have I been watching what I eat only to have him stop into Dairy Queen for ice cream or he will bring home something else ridiculously indulgent! Seriously?! Well, you all can kiss my skinny ass when I hit my goal! It may not happen in 6 months and it may not happen in a year but trust me when I say it WILL happen! I am taking one day, one step, and one bite at a time!

Week 3 and Week 4

In all the excitement of going back to school I haven't posted my last 2 weigh-ins! I lost 2 pounds in week 3 of my weight loss battle. Today's weigh in was a measly .5 pounds but that was to be expected with all the meals that were provided at our back to school meetings last week! So in 4 weeks I am 10 pounds lighter! This week is the first full week of a normal back to school routine. My goals for the week are to start off the day with a healthy breakfast, pack a healthy lunch and snack, walk for an hour each night when I get home, and have a sensible dinner! I am shooting for 3 pounds this week! Well, time to go lace up those walking shoes!

Back to School

Well, it is that time of year again! I have actually gotten a little later start than planned. Our building was approved for major renovations over the summer and got all new energy efficient windows as well as a central air and heating system! The renovations took longer than planned and we have had to postpone the start of school for our building! So Gabi started 2nd grade as scheduled last Thursday and I will have my official first day of school on Wednesday! Last week was quite busy with dusting, cleaning, and reorganizing my room but with the extra week of time we have been given to work in our rooms without all of the unnecessary meetings I am feeling better prepared than usual. My room is complete and I still have 2 days to plan my lessons and organize my files!

Gabi was excited to get back to school to see all of her friends. She seems to be blessed with a great teacher and group of kids in her class this year! She was so excited the first day of school to inform me that she had library and as a 2nd grader she now has the privilege of checking out TWO books! She checked out a chapter book about a fairy and read from the time she got off the bus! She read the entire 60+ page book before bedtime! She was so proud of herself and wanted me to start a reading chart for her! Hmm, she definitely takes after her mom.

Allison Davis Sketches

With all the stress I've been under the past couple of weeks I was really starting to feel down so it was a nice surprise to see one of my layouts featured on Allison Davis' Blog! I love sketches and I scrap a lot of 2 pagers so when I stumbled across a mention of her sketches on Two Peas I had to google her! I immediately ordered 3 of her sketch books and it was a great investment! In just 2 short months I've put them to good use! These are just a few of the many 2 pagers I've made this summer from her sketches.

Week 2

Another week down and I'm happy to report another 2 pound loss for a total of 7.5 pounds! I got quite a bit of exercise in last week but started to slack again on the food. I have been trying to teach Gabi how to ride her bike! She got a brand new bike for Christmas and I was starting to feel bad about it sitting in the basement all summer! Chasing after Gabi on the bike was great exercise! She was getting frustrated trying to ride it in the grass so we loaded it up in the car and headed to the park one day. The park has a 1.2 mile trail around a lake. We went around twice and she was stoked that she finally started getting the hang of it! I was stoked to be getting in a good workout and I'm thinking we will have to make this part of our after school routine. Well, this week my goal is to exercise for at least 30 minutes 5 days and track my food better. I'm hoping to lose at least 3 pounds this week so I can start back to school a good 10 pounds thinner!

Mango and Poison Ivy

Well, you learn something new everyday! I love Mangoes and eat them quite frequently. Quite a few years ago my eye swelled up the day of my sister's wedding. Of course I attributed that to crying but Rick always told me it was a reaction to the mango I had eaten! On rare occasions I would get a rash or swelling and the only thing I could think that I had done differently was eat a Mango. But I've eaten Mangoes before with no reaction so I thought they were crazy! Well, fast forward to today! I have poison ivy! I get it every summer! It started itching like crazy and the caladryl lotion was providing no relief. So I googled some home remedies and I discovered something shocking! Did you know mangoes belong to the same plant family as poison ivy and that the skin of a mango can give you that same rash as if you played with poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac? Obviously people eat mangoes all the time. The edible portion isn't going to cause problems. However, the vine of a mango contains sufficient urushiol to cause a reaction that rivals or exceeds that from poison ivy. The skin of the mango contains enough urushiol that if you are already sensitized to it, you will probably get a rash from exposure, usually on your hands, since most people don't bite into mangoes. I also found an article that recommended that you NOT eat a Mango while suffering from a poison ivy outbreak as it will make it worse! Crazy!

Well, back to the poison ivy! It goes unnoticed during the day but the minute I lay down I itch like crazy! It is so bad I want to claw my skin off! So in my online research I found a home remedy that has been working that I thought I'd share. A hair dryer! The hair dryer is the hands-down best method for getting rid of the itch. It provides immense relief from the itching afterward and helps dry out the rash. Just use your hair dryer on the high setting and heat it for as long as you can stand. You will start to get the itching sensation but immediately after the itch is gone! So those are my tips of the day! Avoid mangoes while suffering from poison ivy and use that hair dryer to dry it up!

Week 1

Well, it has been one week since my renewed commitment to my health! I was so excited to step on that scale this morning and see a 5.5 pound loss! I was truly on cloud 9 but unfortunately my excitement was short-lived! After un-plugging for several days I was bombarded with phone calls today from my siblings! My brother had to finally step up to the plate and come to town to take care of my Dad as I have told them I am no longer doing it! Well, my brother is getting a taste of what I deal with on a day to day basis. He thought he was coming in town to move Dad into the nursing home. Somebody stopped by and was asking questions and filling out paper work. My brother said my Dad as usual was lying through his teeth! He pulled the lady aside to give her the accurate information and discovered she didn't work for the nursing home but rather an assisted living apartments. Dad requires much more care than they are capable of! So naturally he was declined! My sister texted that he was crying and upset! So now another day has gone by and he says he will now go into the home but my brother can't take off work another day! Nobody is looking at the big picture! You can't just come down one day, move him into the home, and expect everything to be taken care of! Who is going to get the mail? What about the house and utilities? Who is going to make sure his grass is mowed so he doesn't get a notice from the city? They all just expect me to take care of it!

I am so sick of this game! I don't mind helping but I have a full time job, family, and home I have to take care of too. So I told them I was done and ignored all their calls the past 2 days and now they are calling and begging me to take him in tomorrow! That was what was supposed to happen today! Of course there is no guarantee that he will go in tomorrow and we will be back to square one! Then there is that big picture that I will be responsible for as well! I'm so tired! I was feeling a little guilty this morning about shutting out my Dad and brother and ignoring their calls but after I heard about what happened today I feel no remorse! It is about time my brother gets a taste of what I deal with. Now if he could only experience the midnight phone calls, getting the entire family up and dressed and driving to town to pick Dad up off the floor he'd truly know what I deal with! Am I being selfish? I just don't know how much more I can take!

Blame it on the Rain

Do you remember that oldie by Milli Vanilli? Well, I don't know if it was the rain, PMS, lack of sleep, withdrawls from sugar or what but I had a MAJOR meltdown today! I feel like everyone in my family takes, takes, takes and I have no more to give! Both my brother and sister have moved away and it seems the care of our Dad has all fallen on my shoulders. I'm the one that answers the phone in the middle of the night on a weekly basis never knowing if I'm going to hear the worst. I'm the one that sat with him in the ER and takes him to the Doctor. Well, I lost it today and decided I am no longer going to cater to their every need! It is time to take care of myself! So I did just that today! I unplugged my phones, headed to the mall, and spent the day with my daughter! It was just what the doctor ordered! We both got much needed haircuts and a few new "toys"! I'm kind of enjoying being unplugged! I was proud that I kept control of my emotional eating today too! Instead of stuffing my face I laced up the old tennis shoes and went for a walk! It was very therapeutic! The weather turned slightly cooler this afternoon as well which made it even nicer! I jammed out to some tunes and walked the stress away! Much healthier than my usual method of having a beer in front of the t.v. So that was my little success of the day!

Derailed

Yes, I have to admit my weight loss efforts were slightly derailed yesterday! It started with a midnight phone call the night before. Does anyone else have premonitions? Well, it has happened to me several times and this night was one of them. It was lucky that I couldn't sleep because our home phones have been out this week after a storm and there is no way I would have heard my cell had I been asleep! My dad fell once again but unfortunately this time Public Safety was calling to let me know that Dad was hurt and I needed to meet them at the hospital as they were taking him there via ambulance. He has a rare disease that has put him in a wheelchair and it has been a battle the last several years to convince him to move into assisted living. Well, they did some x-rays and let us know that it wasn't showing any broken ribs. My dad was in a lot of pain though and we both thought they would admit him. They said he didn't meet the criteria for being admitted and could go home any time. At this point I was almost in tears. I had no idea how I was going to get him home by myself as he was in so much pain and couldn't move at all. I pleaded with the nurses and asked what other options I had. They said they would have a social worker get in touch with me. So we went ahead and filled out the discharge papers and headed home at 4 a.m. It took 2 men to lift my dad from his chair to my car. I would have called home and had Rick meet me in town (as we live out of town) but like I mentioned earlier our phones are currently not working! So I had to drive home and wake up my daughter and husband and then we had to drive back to my Dad's house. All in all it was after 5 a.m. by the time I made it home and got settled into bed for the night! Well, it was a short night's sleep! The next morning I was up at my regular time! Dad called to tell me the hospital missed something on the x-ray and he had to come back in for another one! Seriously! WTH?

So we took another trip to the ER! They said they missed a faint line on the x-ray which was a pneumothorax or partially deflated lung. They wanted to do another x-ray to make sure it wasn't getting worse. The x-ray came back the same and the Doctor said they typically resolve on their own but he wanted to call several specialists to get a second opinion and determine if another x-ray was necessary. Rick started getting nervous because he had an appointment himself with the heart specialist at 4. The Doctor finally returned to let us know that we should come back in on Saturday for one last x-ray! So we thought we were ready to go but no we were told they would have to type it all up and we would have to go through the whole discharge process again! When they came to take vitals Dad's heart rate was so low the nurse was concerned and said she would have to consult the Dr. again! She decided to take his pulse manually first and got a higher rate so decided we were safe to go after all! What an ordeal! So we got out of the ER around 3:30, had to run Dad home and run Rick to his appointment! At this point I am VERY cranky! We were running on about 3 hours of sleep and because of all the time in the ER I hadn't even had lunch yet! So after Rick's appointment we hit our favorite Mexican restaurant! I hate to admit it but I pigged out! Rick and I ate 2 baskets of chips and salsa while waiting for our food! I ordered the grilled chicken but it was topped with cheese sauce and I ate it with 3 tortillas, rice, and beans! I don't even want to think of the calories I consumed in that one meal but to justify it just a little it was my lunch and dinner! So today I'm back on track! I am going to head out now for a much needed walk to de-stress!

It's Now or Never

I know it is only Wednesday but I am really proud of the commitment I've made this week to my weight loss effort! I stumbled across this blog and have been super inspired by her weight loss journey. In the past I've been hesitant to blog my own weight loss attempts because I know my track record! My motivation only seems to last a few short weeks or in all honesty days! This time is different! I'm tired of saying I'll start tomorrow or it will be easier when school starts and I am back on a schedule. I can keep putting this off or I can make the change NOW and look back in 12 weeks and see some major accomplishments. I am setting a goal to lose 75 pounds in the next year! I am going to blog my journey for all to see and I realize that there will be ups and downs along the "weigh"!

So what is the plan? Well, this week I am starting off small. I am working on portion control and adding in some exercise. We have an awesome garden this summer so it makes eating organic, fresh vegetables easy! We have more tomatoes than I know what to do with! Sunday night we had spinach stuffed tomatoes. Monday was hamburger stuffed tomatoes and Tuesday we had tacos with my fresh homemade salsa. Tonight we are switching it up and grilling up some mojito lime shrimp and chicken! As for exercise I popped in my Hip Hop Abs DVD and have already worked out twice this week! It has been a long time since I've done this and I could only make it halfway through but I'm taking baby steps. I'm also working on the sugar intake. We do not buy soda so I don't have a problem with that at home but we do drink a lot of tea. I occasionally use real sugar but most of the time I sweeten with a cup of splenda. I know artificial sweeteners are not healthy either so I've completely eliminated that from my tea as well this week and I haven't missed it! That is my plan for this week: portion control and exercise. I'll weigh in Monday again and let you know how it goes!

Anniversary Present

Yesterday Rick and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary! For our anniversary he bought me a new camera! I was torn between wanting a sleeker camera that would be easy to take with me everywhere and a camera with a powerful zoom and extra features. I decided it wouldn't be wise to get a step down from my current camera and went with the Canon Powershot with 20x optical zoom. I love taking nature shots and that zoom comes in handy! Of course I'd love to own a DSLR but that just isn't in the budget. So for now this is the next best thing. I have been playing around with my new camera and it will definitely take some getting use to. It has its pros and cons. The first con is minor: the lens cap is not attached to the camera with a strap like my previous camera. It also has to be manually removed and doesn't just pop off when I turn on the camera. The second issue I have is with the flash. My previous camera had an automatic flash. It popped up and went off when needed. This camera has what is called an automatic flash but you have to raise the flash each time you use the camera to turn it on. It will not pop up automatically. Again these are two minor inconveniences and have more to do with my sheer laziness than anything else.

The camera does have some pretty cool features that I'm loving. It has a swivel LCD screen so I can get a good self portrait! I also do not like spending time editing pics on the computer and occasionally like the option of cropping them right on the camera. My previous camera would only allow you to crop it in the same orientation as the original photo. My new camera however allows you to crop a photo right on the camera as well and you can crop it to be either horizontal or vertical no matter what the orientation of the original photo! Another cool feature I've been playing with is that you can take a black and white photo with spot color. You choose what color you want to be in color and anything in the photo with that color is in color while everything else is in black and white! The camera got high reviews on the website but for now my verdict is still out! I will post some test shots later this week!

Back From Vacation

This summer we invested in a pool and a deck on our house so our beach vacation was out! So we decided to take a little road trip to Johnson Shut Ins and Elephant Rock State Park. I had no idea how remote of an area we'd be in! Since we weren't on any kind of schedule we set out late in the afternoon and stopped in Herman for lunch. It is a beautiful German town on the river known for its wineries. We arrived to the Shut Ins area around dinner and were literally out in the middle of nowhere! We drove through two small towns and finally found a Motel that actually had a pool. We got a room for the night, had dinner, and enjoyed a swim. The next day we headed to the Shut Ins. We got there early and had the river almost to ourselves! Although it was hot the cool, clear stream was awesome! Unfortunately our day was cut short when a storm rolled in and they cleared everyone out. So we had a quick lunch and decided to drive the short drive to Elephant Rocks in hopes that the storm would blow over. What an awesome place to visit! We started out on the trail but it didn't take long before we were climbing and hiking on these giant granite rocks. Gabi was like a mountain goat and took off up these steep rocks like a pro! The views from the top were gorgeous! Gabi found a tight squeeze between two rocks that she decided to venture through. We wound our way through the rocks and at one point Gabi thought we were lost and said in a matter of fact tone, "Well we better start gathering some wood to build a home." We really had a great time exploring and taking pictures so we decided to head back to the little Motel for another night so we could spend a full day at the stream. We spent all day the following day in the water! Gabi snorkeled and explored the fish and rocks of the stream with her Dad. She is so funny! When she has that mask and snorkel on she is fearless! She can float for hours without so much as a though as to where she's at or whether or not she can touch! But take away her snorkel and she freaks out when she can't touch! So when we were exploring a little further downstream we had her put on her mask and swim and that she did! I wish I had my camera but I had to swim to get there and didn't have a waterproof camera with me! The rocks jutted high from the middle of the stream and formed natural water slides! It was crazy! Well, after two full days of rock climbing, hiking, and swimming we were exhausted and sore so we decided to make the drive home to enjoy our own bed! It was a great workout and one we will do again!

Time To Get Serious!

You might recall this post: Today's The Day. No, really it is time to STOP making excuses and START getting serious! Our vacation just reinforced how out of shape I've let myself become! We had so much fun climbing, hiking, and swimming but I had a hard time keeping up with Gabi and Rick. Gabi even commented as they were squeezing through some rocks that I wouldn't make it so they would come back and get me later! I'm an adventurer and I don't want to live my life on the sidelines! I didn't let her comment discourage me it only pushed me further and yes, I did make it through the rocks and kept up! So my motivation is renewed and I actually got on the treadmill today! Sadly I only managed 10 minutes at a slow pace (2.9 mph) but hey it is a start! I WILL get there! I have to take one step at a time.

The Hill

We have talked for years about taking a trip to The Hill (the Italian district in St. Louis) and having lunch. We go to St. Louis a lot and I can't believe we haven't stopped sooner! I had no idea it was so close to the Zoo. We walked around a bit and decided to have lunch at Amighetti's. The place is known for its Amighetti Special Sandwich which is often called the best sandwich in St. Louis. Its bread is made fresh daily as it was in 1921 by Louis Amighetti Jr. using recipes that were brought from Italy. I was in the mood for some pasta though so I ordered the Spaghetti and Meatballs with Gabi while Rick decided on the Lasagna. We were surprised when they brought our boxes of food to the table! First of all each take out box weighed about 5 lbs! The meatballs themselves were each the size of a small burger! Rick's lasagna alone fed our entire family for several days! Not only was it delicious and filling but it was cheap too! Of course after lunch we had to stop in a bakery for a cannoli and Gabi had her heart set on ice cream so our 3rd stop was for Gelato! I've never been so stuffed so we all agreed we needed to take a walk and decided to head for the Zoo! I got some great pics of the animals and we got the exercise we needed! But needless to say the diet program isn't going well! On the way home we stopped by my brother's house to wish my little nephew a happy 4th birthday! It was a great day!

Photo Shoot

I love this time of year! The sunshine, the smell of fresh cut grass, our hay fields. I did a little photo shoot with Gabi tonight on some of our bales of hay. We do it every year about this time and it is fun to look back and see how much she's grown. Here are just a few of my favorite shots from today!

My First Toilet Paper Roll Album!

Yes, you read that correctly! If you aren't a scrapper you may have never heard of such a thing! Well, in the Anything Goes Challenge that I'm completely addicted to over at scrapbook.com we were challenged this month to go green and recycle something so I decided to finally give this idea a try. I'm hooked! It was so simple, a great use of scraps, and I really love the final product! We no longer throw away our empty toilet paper rolls! I have a huge stash of them ready to be turned into little works of art. Before I share my album let me first share a little photo printing tip. I do not own a home printer so have to use a service like Walgreen's to print my pictures. I love having smaller pics to use in my mini albums but at many printing services your only option is to order wallets and you sometimes have to get 4 of the same photo. Not to mention that smaller pictures can be more expensive than the standard 4x6. So I have discovered PhotoSheet! It is a simple drop and drag program that allows you to pick how many photos you want on a sheet. I took 4 photos and dropped them into the program and it formatted them to 4 2x3 photos on a single 4x6 sheet instantly. Then you can upload those photos to your printing service or even your home printer and print out on a 4x6 sheet. You are getting 4 photos for the price of 1! It is a lifesaver! O.K. so without further ado here is my album!