It's Friday and I know It!!

See how happy I am!!

Taking a quick pic at work before anyone see's me...LOL!!

It is supposed to be beautiful this weekend so we have lots of yard work on the agenda. We also have a family bday party to attend but other than that we hope to be outside a lot! 

So I have joined the 30 Day Shred challenge - before pics have been taken but will not be posted until 30 days (because I am hoping for some drastic changes cuz they aren't pretty folks!!... ha ha) ... I'm doing Level 2 to start - still feel like hurling when I am done so I think it's a pretty good workout.. ha!

Watched the Hungry For Change documentary last night - good info. Seems like "clean eating" is finally becoming more popular - the more we learn about what is in all of our processed foods, the more scared we are getting to eat it. I myself would love to become more of a clean eater - it's a work in progress. If you haven't yet watched it, click here, you've got one more day to watch it for free. Very informative!

Ok, well I am getting ready to leave work so you all have a great weekend!!!

What's Your Calling?

Ok, I'm about to get deep with my post today =) So I am about to turn 30 in a few months and I've been having one of those "what is my purpose in life" feelings going on lately.

For a while now I have had a "burden" for doing volunteer work. I just feel like too much of my time is wasted, being bored, and doing pointless things when there so many better things I could be doing. Sitting at a job that I hate and find pointless when I feel like I could be "used" somewhere else, doing something that makes a difference in others lives.

So I am searching for volunteer opportunities in my community. I already signed up for my first one - the March of Dimes is having a walk here in a few weeks and I volunteered on their website to help in anyway possible. Ultimately I would like to get some kind of a paying job with a local charity of some sort. I just want a job where I feel like I'm contributing to society and not sitting in a corner staring at the wall letting all my skills go to waste. So I will be praying that God leads me in the right direction and opens the right doors because I truly believe this is what I am supposed to do. I would also love to get my children involved when they are old enough to do so. Everything with kids now is handed to them and my kids are SO spoiled. I want them to learn to appreciate what they do have and to not get caught up in all the materialistic things and to be willing to give their time to people less fortunate. We are all dealt whatever hand we are given when we are born, some of us just end up with a really crappy hand and those are the ones I really want to help.

I found this http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/ ... this looks like an awesome experience and something I would be willing to raise money to do.

So anyways this is what I have been thinking about lately. Life is too short not to follow your dreams!!

On a side note - had weigh-in yesterday, stayed the same, no gain, no loss. Which I was fine with cuz its the lovely TOM ... blech!

Progress ...

Well we survived Kindergarten Registration! Layton did awesome in his screening - they left a note saying, "Very sweet, sat quietly, listened well, very respectful" - That's my boy!! =) He tested average for some things but for most he was above average - we were so worried since he didn't get to go to preschool that he was going to be behind - but they said he is doing great and is ready to go =) Such a relief!

Yesterday when I got home from work I got a new book in the mail ... I ordered this last week after reading the reviews. I am kind of turning into a Jillian Michaels stalker - I really like her, I think the Biggest Loser made her out to be a crazy woman but I think she's cool - I kind of like her tough, don't wanna hear the crying, just do it - attitude. When I see her body type that is pretty much the look I would like to end up with as well. She isn't too thin, not too muscular, she has nice lines and tone - she has had her own struggles with weight loss so I also feel like she relates to someone like myself - so anyways I'm a Jillian lover =)

Here is the book:

I know that to lose the weight I need to count calorie intake and exercise, that is a given. I would  however, like to get more educated on what foods I am putting into my body and how they make my body react to weight loss. I could eat cheeseburgers everyday and still lose weight if I stayed within my calorie range, but I don't want to do that. I want to educate myself on what foods are best for me and my health and I think this book can help me learn that - we'll see, I will let you know what I think and maybe when I am done with it I can pass it on to someone else and help them do the same! 

Today at the office is something they call their "Annual Sales Meeting" - it last all day today and all day tomorrow. During this meeting they bring in TONS of food - 90% of it being junk. So when I went into the kitchen today this is what I was faced with:

Donuts & Bagels & hidden NutriGrain bars =)

This is only the half of it - later they will get out, chips, candy, cookies - it really is gross how much crap they consume in a 2 day period. I did take a Nutrigrain bar for later - 120 calorie snack isn't so bad. I will be avoiding the bagels and donuts at all costs though!

I am wearing a shirt today that I ordered right before Christmas but couldn't get it on, it was so tight in the arms and chest area that I couldn't even pull it over my boobs! ... But today I got it on and it's comfortable.

This picture looks horrible - I have a horrible mirror in my work bathroom, the shirt is cute I promise. Check out the studs on the shoulders! ha ha ... Love it!



So I am making some progress ... it will only get better from here! =)

Level 2 - SHOOT ME NOW!!

I moved on to Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred last night and I want to punch Jillian Michaels in the face! They make it look so easy, I was huffin' and puffin' on the first circuit. I can get through Level 1 pretty easy now and the only thing that makes me think this workout isn't insane is I felt the same way about Level 1 when I first did it. I thought she was crazy, I thought I would never get through it without stopping or dying =) ... But I made it through and now I can do it all the way through without feeling like death. So while I look at Level 2 and think there is no way I will ever be able to do this, I know with hard work and dedication I will soon be moving to Level 3 and complaining about how crazy it is as well, it's only a matter of time.

After I was done I felt like I was gonna barf - literally! I was shaking, sick to my stomach ... I guess that is a sign of a good work out but I don't like feeling like that, I like to feel good after a work out.

Anyways, here I am afterwards - I managed to smile but really I felt like death...

Oh yeah, beautiful hot sweaty mess...and raccoon eyes... 

Tonight is the night we take Layton to register him for Kindergarten. I am nervous for him, they will "screen" him to see what he knows. He hasn't gone to pre-school so he only knows what we have taught him. He is a super smart kid so I am not worried about that, but he does clam up around strangers sometimes so I am more worried he will wig out when they try to take him into another room without us. I just hope everything goes smoothly - I can't handle stuff like this, I am already stressing and could seriously break out into tears just thinking of my baby going to school. I want to keep them safe forever and not have to worry about other kids picking on them, or a teacher being ignorant to them  ... I need them to stop growing!!! I was wrestling around with Layton last night and I said - Hey you are getting too big! I thought I told you to stop growing, how come you keep getting bigger??? - His response was, You will have to ask God about that one mom! ... ha ha! Too smart for being just 5. 

Oh well - have a great day and I will let you know how it goes =)

Weigh In ...

Weighed in today ... and the results are ...

Old Scale:

New scale:

So I guess I will go with the new scale from here on out. So it looks like I lost a little over 3 lbs this week and I will take that and blow it up and hang it on the wall for everyone to see!! =) ha ha, sorry I'm in a goofy mood today and just a little happy to finally see a decent loss.

What did I do differently to finally see a loss - I did work son! ha ha. I actually tracked my calories, all day, everyday. I exercised as much as I could and I watched what I ate. We had 3 social gatherings this weekend, one including birthday cake and icecream of which I had none and one with brownie sundaes again of which I had none, but had fresh fruit instead.

The one outing was at my husband's uncle's house and they are the ones that had the brownie sundaes but the meal they served was awesome, very healthy choices. I find myself always making things I think others would like when I have a family gathering and most of the time those aren't the healiest choices. I realized after going to their house that most people would actually appreciate having some healthier options to choose from. His aunt said, we don't eat crap so why would we serve crap, people know what to expect when they come here. I like that and from now on I plan on doing the same! 

I have been doing The Shred quite frequently, but I am still on Level 1. Last night after finishing I watched the other 2 levels to see what I was in for and I'm scared! ha ha ha ... In level 2, I saw these very in shape women sweating their asses off and actually having trouble doing some of the moves ... I THINK I am going to try level 2 tonight, but I can't say I am excited about it - please pray for me! ha ha!

Have a great day!

Friday Randomness

Is anyone else experiencing this AHHHMAZING weather??? I love it - got the shorts and flip flops out this week. However, I do live in St. Louis so I won't be surprised if I am shoveling snow off the driveway next week, but as of right now I am sitting at the kitchen table with the windows open and the attic fan on, enjoying life.

Lovin' the Weather

Weird question - does it make sense to exercise at 9:00 pm and then get up and exercise at 7:00 am?? We didn't get home until later this evening and I couldn't workout until 9 - I thought about skipping it and just waiting until morning, but I didn't want anything to stop me because who knows what the morning will bring. However, we have 2 parties to go to tomorrow one late afternoon and one in the evening so my only hope of exercise is early in the morning - does it make sense to go to bed and get up and exercise again? It's better than not exercising all day right???

Saw this sign today at a beauty shop - it made me laugh.

I want this.

I want to be his baby-momma.

Thinkin' about cutting my hair like so.



You know you're a mom when the highlight of your Friday night was going to Target and buying a new pair of $2.50 flip flops ... don't be jealous, we can't all be Freakin' Awesome!!

Now I must go to bed because I am exhausted from all the awesomeness that is my life!

Have a great weekend =)

Reality Check ....

So I bought a new scale because I wanted one that weighed to the tenth of the pound, the one I had only did half pounds. After I bought it I thought about it and thought what if the new scale says I weigh a lot more than this one because it is an older scale and you always get different weights on different scales. So my scale got here yesterday and its awesome, very sleek, glass and big, I can fit both feet completely on the scale with room to spare.

The only problem ....





Old Scale...

This was taken in the afternoon when I first got the new scale in from the mail.



New Scale ... womp womp =(

So my old scale is about 6 lbs off and not in a good way =(  ... This pretty much means I was actually about 200 lbs when I started and not 194 like I thought.  When I weighed this morning I was 190.2 - so I don't know what to think - I guess I've lost about 10 lbs total (which is pathetic for 2 months!!) ... but if anything, this just pissed me off. I put on my running clothes and I ran my ass off.

What choice do I have at this point? Giving up is not an option. I have to start trying hard and that is pretty much all there is to it ... I refuse to fail again. I put on a pair of my shorts from last year, that were getting too big after losing the 23 lbs and yesterday they were very snug - it just angered me. I want to take all this anger and put it on the treadmill and any other workout I may be doing for the day.

I refuse to go another summer not wearing tank tops - not wearing shorts - not wearing a swimming suit - sweating my damn ass off because I have on jeans and t-shirt, instead of those shorts and tank tops.  I REFUSE TO BE MISERABLE ANY MORE!





Friday Randomness =)

It's Friday yeahhhhhhh ... The scale is moving (Holla!!!), saw 185 this morning =) The Shred is working .. This has been a long week, glad to see it come to an end.

So today gonna do something different and list some random food facts =) Cuz thats how I role...

1. Kissing may have originated when mothers orally passed chewed solid food to their infants during weaning. (I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit)
2. The earliest form of eating processed food occurred in early hunting cultures when the men who made a kill would be rewarded with a meal of the partially digested contents of the stomach of their prey. (This is turning into a barf fest!)
3. Food and sex have been linked throughout history. Some foods are thought to have sexual powers because they resemble human genitals. Casanova was said to offer oysters to his potential partners to whet their sexual appetite. (Sorry honey, no oysters for this momma.. yuck!)
4. The Arabs invented caramel, which served as a depilatory (hair removal) for women in a harem. (Thank you to the Arabs for making my Frappuccino so delicioso!!)
5. Worcestershire sauce is made from dissolved anchovies (including the bones) that have been soaked in vinegar. (Who knew?)
6. People were using garlic to repel vampires long before Bram Stoker’s Dracula was published. Folklorists suggest it is because vampires have a heightened sense of smell and the garlic’s strong smell was overpowering. Garlic is proven to be effective against two other bloodsuckers: mosquitoes and ticks. (Get your garlic necklaces ready for the summer ladies!)
7. A row of corn always has an even number. (No friggin way - I will be checking this one out!)
8. Nearly 27 million Americans eat at McDonald's—per day. (This is redonkulous!! I haven't had McDonalds in weeks and plan on keeping it that way!)
9. An American will typically eat the equivalent of 28 pigs in his or her lifetime. (That's a whole lotta bacon!)
10. Orange juice naturally contains a small amount of alcohol. (Screwdriver anyone??)
11. The most popular Campbell's Soup in Hong Kong is watercress and duck gizzard. (I'll stick with chicken noodle, thanks!)
12. The average chocolate bar has 8 insects' legs in it. (Hell to the no! Not my chocolate!! Say it ain't so!)
13. Onions have no flavor, only a smell. (I disagree, you can totally taste an onion!)
14. Grapes explode when you put them in the microwave. (Do not try this at home!)
15. Coffee drinkers have sex more frequently than non-coffee drinkers. (My poor husband, first no oysters and now no coffee - he doesn't stand a chance! ha ha ha)
16. Coconuts kill more people in the world than sharks do. Approximately 150 people are killed each year by coconuts. (ha ha ... Watch out of those killer coconuts, you never know when they will get ya!)
17. Apples are more efficient than caffeine in keeping people awake in the mornings! (An apple a day keeps yo ass awake!)

 So there ya go - 17 things you probably didn't want to know about food =) ... Think of how much we wouldn't eat if we really knew what was going on with the food we put in our bodies...

Have a great weekend!! I am going to try extra hard this weekend to stay within my calorie range and to get in my workouts - Weekends are my weakness!

It's Time ...

Ok, how pathetic is it that in a matter of 2 months I have lost only 8.5 lbs ... Its REALLY sad and quite frankly I am sick of it. It's time to step it up, NOW, before I let another 8 weeks go by without making some kind of a dent in the FIFTY FREAKING POUNDS I still have to lose. I am done coasting by, half assing my eating and exercise, enough is enough!

I started the 30 Day Shred on Tuesday, I ran Monday but decided I wanted to add something else to the mix. If you haven't tried The Shred, you need to. It really is a kick ass workout. Its only 20 minutes but by the end I am dripping sweat and crying for my momma. And after doing it 2 days in a row it takes all the effort I have just to get up out of my chair and hurts like a mother trying to walk down stairs. I am telling you this is a great workout for beginners. There are three levels. I have never gotten past level 1 but I plan to change that. I was actually shocked that I stuck it out both nights and finished the workout, there were a couple times I screamed at Jillian and thought about throwing my weights through the tv screen but I held on and finished. It SUCKS while your doing it but when you are done and you feel your muscles burning, its worth it.

So my goal is to Shred everyday for 30 days - might do before and after pics - I just don't know how dramatic they will be since I still have a lot of fat to lose. We'll see. Then I would also like to run 3 days a week to keep my running up.

The husband has decided he wants to try to start eating better and says he is thinking about starting to run too - we'll see - I secretely really hope he does it, we both need some major adjustments when it comes to diet and exercise. He ordered some protein powder the other day, which is a big step for him, he is a fast food junkie and rolls his eyes every time I talk about eating healthier. So I hope he really gets into this, it would be so much easier if we could do this together!! =)

Weigh in sucked the big one because as stated above I was still half assing last week, but I am going to stick with The Shred/Running/and Tracking My Calories this week - so hopefully I can log a good loss next week!!

Sorry, I know you all have to be tired of hearing my - "this is it" posts - but that's just how it is.