It's still December 25th so it's fair to still proclaim "Merry Christmas" at 10pm. It was a very low key day. I'm not used to Christmas being so easy going so it was a change. We all slept in until about 10am and spent a little time opening gifts. Gavin had the majority of the packages under the tree so it was fun to watch him open up his goods. He's finally at an age where he appreciates clothes for Christmas. I went to Old Navy yesterday and got some amazing deals. He now has athletic pants, jeans, and lounge pants that fit. And I only spent $40 for about $125 worth of merchandise.
I'm trying to pull all the random facts and information that's been floating around in my brain lately. I should have blogged a few times since the end of November but I let my grading duties take priority (obviously). After the semester ended at both ISU and DMACC, I wanted nothing to do with my computer so I've not logged onto this for awhile. I was thrilled to get through all my grading duties earlier this month. The last two weeks were 60-70 hour work weeks for me. Sadly I'll have the same thing happen in April/May when finals approach again.
I was not as organized as usual either with my Christmas shopping. I didn't really start until after Final's Week so there was some scrambling. I didn't even wrap some of Jon's gifts as we went shopping this past weekend and he just picked out some clothes and goods at Kohl's. We kept things simple this year too and I didn't get Gavin a ton of stuff either. (Thankfully he realizes that Christmas isn't about quantity.) A recent order to Amazon didn't come on time either so a couple items were missing from the tree. I blame the snow storm more than my procrastination.
The weightloss has been a little craptastic. We've been eating out more and more impulsive with our choices. Example: ordered pizza last night due to laziness and cravings. Really need to get my butt in gear for 2013. I got a Christmas card from a high school friend and she has dropped a lot of weight. It's actually bizarre to see her so thin as she's been heavy set since I've known her. I don't know how she did it but it was motivating to see her photo on the Christmas card. The Activelink gadget has also been reminding me of my sloth-like tendencies. I'm rarely making my daily goals for movement. I've been sleeping a lot lately...too much actually. It's amazing how a person can sleep in super late, be kind of productive, and feel exhausted by 3pm.
I haven't read anything for pleasure. Should be, but haven't dove into any books.
If you're in the mood for a semi-realistic historic movie, check out "Elizabeth". It was a random movie on my Netflix list and we watched it prior to Christmas. It was really good and the history in the movie was interesting. I have the sequel on it's way about the same character. Who know a queen of England could be so interesting? I haven't been wowed by any other movies though.
Anywho, I should sum things up so I can get to bed somewhat earlier. We depart in the late morning for Waukon for a few days. It will be nice to see the family and have some good times before it's back to the daily grind for ISU. (not sure if I'm teaching for DMACC yet....would be nice to find out if my classes have enough enrollment)
Merry Christmas!!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
Back to the Daily Grind
Greetings!
I'm happy that I held off on blogging until this afternoon. I was sooo tired this morning and my writing would have been very blah. I stayed up way too late so getting up in a timely manner presented a problem. Gavin still got to school on time but I was zoned out all the way to Ames. Luckily I got back into the needed groove before my 10am class. I got a lot of work done last night though...so I felt justified to stay up until 3am. I have about an hour left at work until I need to head south to pick up Gavin from school. Then I get to come right back to Ames to take him to his dentist appointment. Yippee! Having his dentist and orthodontist in Ames is a pain in the butt once in awhile but I like them both and didn't want to switch him. Especially his orthodontist, his life with braces will be done soon.
The break was very nice and I think I had a nice balance of downtime and work. I knew that avoiding work all week was impossible but I didn't want to bury myself in tasks. Monday and Tuesday were spent with work activities for the most part. Email took up some time on other days of the work. My health studies students had a major unit plan due today and some of the obviously procrastinated as I got urgent questions from them this past weekend. I was so tempted to write "You should have asked this question prior to break, I'm not wasting my break answering it for you." But alas I'm too nice.
It was fun seeing family for a bit during the break. I was able to partake in the Thanksgiving-Eve party and have some slush. I had not drank a lot in a very long time and I think it was the cause of my feeling very ill at 3am when I was trying to sleep. Luckily I woke up feeling fine and whipped up a large batch of meatballs for the Thanksgiving meal. I was disappointed about the lack of green bean casserole but made some this weekend for Jon and myself. Horrible in regards to Weight Watchers points but ever so tasty. It was fun to goof off with some of the cousins. My ability to catch and throw a football has become poor. My PE teacher peers would be horrified.
Jon wanted to buy a certain item that was on sale for Black Friday so we ventured out Thursday night. I guess he made a Gray Thursday purchase rather than Black Friday. It wasn't too crazy at Target as we arrived late after the 8pm opening of the store. Luckily the item was still available and in stock for purchase. Gavin went to a friend's house Friday through Saturday so Jon took the opportunity to try a new grocery store in Des Moines called Trader Joe's. It's organic and natural food at a supposed affordable price. Some of the items were quite expensive. The store proved that an item can be labeled "natural" or "organic" and still be fairly unhealthy for you. I looked at some things and calculated Weight Watchers points. Many things were put back on the shelf. I was hoping they would have satisfactory hummus to buy as I've recently fallen in love with a garlic hummus from a natural food store in Ames. It's kind of expensive and difficult to not indulge in. I couldn't find a hummus at Trader Joe's that explicitly stated it was garlic in nature. Several of the plain hummus options have garlic as an ingredient but I wasn't sure if that would meet my expectations. I should just learn to make the stuff on my own. Jon found reasonably priced salmon and I tried it for the first time. It's not too bad but not my favorite fish.
I was able to make it to Weight Watchers last Wednesday prior to leaving town and lost 3.8 lbs. It will be interesting to see what the holiday food intake has done to that total weight loss. I'm still wearing my ActiveLink. It finished my 8 day assessment. I wasn't surprised to learn that I'm not a very active person. I sit a lot in my car now. I sit a lot at my desk at work. Definitely need to get up and walk more often. One thing I learned during the 8 day assessment was that placing the accelerometer on my waist band was a poor choice. It stayed on if I wore jeans but if I wore athletic pants or dress pants, the stupid thing fell off a lot. I had to save it from a dive into the toilet a few times. Luckily you can pick different locations to wear it so I switched to keeping it in my pocket. I may end up keeping it attached to my bra as I feel it would be more accurate closer to my body. It seems for it to be loose in my pocket and not secured.
I need to lose about 7 more pounds to have lost 10% of my total body weight. It irritates me that I've been so close and I keep motivation. Jon's been going back and forth too but he has reached the 10% loss. He' also skipped less meetings and got an award for attending for 16 weeks. Just another case of knowing what I need to do and putting it into practice diligently. Sigh.
Alright, it's time to get myself organized so I can be on the road soon to provide taxi services for Gavin. Blogging was a lot more fun than grading some of those projects.
I'm happy that I held off on blogging until this afternoon. I was sooo tired this morning and my writing would have been very blah. I stayed up way too late so getting up in a timely manner presented a problem. Gavin still got to school on time but I was zoned out all the way to Ames. Luckily I got back into the needed groove before my 10am class. I got a lot of work done last night though...so I felt justified to stay up until 3am. I have about an hour left at work until I need to head south to pick up Gavin from school. Then I get to come right back to Ames to take him to his dentist appointment. Yippee! Having his dentist and orthodontist in Ames is a pain in the butt once in awhile but I like them both and didn't want to switch him. Especially his orthodontist, his life with braces will be done soon.
The break was very nice and I think I had a nice balance of downtime and work. I knew that avoiding work all week was impossible but I didn't want to bury myself in tasks. Monday and Tuesday were spent with work activities for the most part. Email took up some time on other days of the work. My health studies students had a major unit plan due today and some of the obviously procrastinated as I got urgent questions from them this past weekend. I was so tempted to write "You should have asked this question prior to break, I'm not wasting my break answering it for you." But alas I'm too nice.
It was fun seeing family for a bit during the break. I was able to partake in the Thanksgiving-Eve party and have some slush. I had not drank a lot in a very long time and I think it was the cause of my feeling very ill at 3am when I was trying to sleep. Luckily I woke up feeling fine and whipped up a large batch of meatballs for the Thanksgiving meal. I was disappointed about the lack of green bean casserole but made some this weekend for Jon and myself. Horrible in regards to Weight Watchers points but ever so tasty. It was fun to goof off with some of the cousins. My ability to catch and throw a football has become poor. My PE teacher peers would be horrified.
Jon wanted to buy a certain item that was on sale for Black Friday so we ventured out Thursday night. I guess he made a Gray Thursday purchase rather than Black Friday. It wasn't too crazy at Target as we arrived late after the 8pm opening of the store. Luckily the item was still available and in stock for purchase. Gavin went to a friend's house Friday through Saturday so Jon took the opportunity to try a new grocery store in Des Moines called Trader Joe's. It's organic and natural food at a supposed affordable price. Some of the items were quite expensive. The store proved that an item can be labeled "natural" or "organic" and still be fairly unhealthy for you. I looked at some things and calculated Weight Watchers points. Many things were put back on the shelf. I was hoping they would have satisfactory hummus to buy as I've recently fallen in love with a garlic hummus from a natural food store in Ames. It's kind of expensive and difficult to not indulge in. I couldn't find a hummus at Trader Joe's that explicitly stated it was garlic in nature. Several of the plain hummus options have garlic as an ingredient but I wasn't sure if that would meet my expectations. I should just learn to make the stuff on my own. Jon found reasonably priced salmon and I tried it for the first time. It's not too bad but not my favorite fish.
I was able to make it to Weight Watchers last Wednesday prior to leaving town and lost 3.8 lbs. It will be interesting to see what the holiday food intake has done to that total weight loss. I'm still wearing my ActiveLink. It finished my 8 day assessment. I wasn't surprised to learn that I'm not a very active person. I sit a lot in my car now. I sit a lot at my desk at work. Definitely need to get up and walk more often. One thing I learned during the 8 day assessment was that placing the accelerometer on my waist band was a poor choice. It stayed on if I wore jeans but if I wore athletic pants or dress pants, the stupid thing fell off a lot. I had to save it from a dive into the toilet a few times. Luckily you can pick different locations to wear it so I switched to keeping it in my pocket. I may end up keeping it attached to my bra as I feel it would be more accurate closer to my body. It seems for it to be loose in my pocket and not secured.
I need to lose about 7 more pounds to have lost 10% of my total body weight. It irritates me that I've been so close and I keep motivation. Jon's been going back and forth too but he has reached the 10% loss. He' also skipped less meetings and got an award for attending for 16 weeks. Just another case of knowing what I need to do and putting it into practice diligently. Sigh.
Alright, it's time to get myself organized so I can be on the road soon to provide taxi services for Gavin. Blogging was a lot more fun than grading some of those projects.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Break is Here...Woohoo!
The end of Friday could not come soon enough this week. My students were anxious and I tried to not seem too eager for next week's break Thanksgiving holiday. I still have plenty of work to do while at home so I stay sane the week after T-Day. A lot of major projects need to be assessed in the upcoming weeks so I'm trying to get the "other" stuff taken care of (grading less-major assignments, prepping final exams, etc.) Sadly I have to go into work on Tuesday for a little bit.
I started using a new piece of technology this week to hopefully help with the weight loss process. It's called ActiveLink. It's an acceleromter that helps to assess physical activity. (Looks like a pedometer but lights up.) It evaluates all dimensions of movement and intensity of movement too. You can wear it on four places on the body: the waistline, in your pocket, in your bra, or on a necklace. I've been wearing it on my waistline and I'm considering switching to my bra soon. Works well for jeans....however the contraption comes off easy with my dress pants and athletic wear. I'm hoping it's survived the number of times it was dropped in the last couple days. It about took a swim in a toilet today but that tragedy was averted thanks to physics.
I'm wearing it for a week for a baseline assessment. After this week, it will start presenting weekly challenges to me. The accelerometer will light up throughout the day showing my progress. When all green lights turn on eventually and flash, it means I've met my daily goal. The leader had a good way of explaining it as many of the Weight Watchers participants were skeptical. The leader says we all do some amount of activity each day. She told us to visualize filling a bucket with all the activity. The acceleromter helps measure what a person needs to do to make the bucket overflow and lead to consistent weight loss. Anyway, Jon was cool and bought it for me (I was going to save money and buy one in December). I'm very interested to see what goals are set for me.
Gavin and I finally made it to the public library and got cards. It's considerably smaller than the library in Ames. Neither Gavin and I could find the books we wanted and I randomly found books by Garrison Keillor so I decided to dive in and try one. I'm currently reading A Christmas Blizzard, It's very short and has been an easy read. Mr. Keillor has a somewhat eccentric style of writing. Not sure what I'll read after that.
My taxi duties are needed now so I'll have to write another blog later this weekend.
I started using a new piece of technology this week to hopefully help with the weight loss process. It's called ActiveLink. It's an acceleromter that helps to assess physical activity. (Looks like a pedometer but lights up.) It evaluates all dimensions of movement and intensity of movement too. You can wear it on four places on the body: the waistline, in your pocket, in your bra, or on a necklace. I've been wearing it on my waistline and I'm considering switching to my bra soon. Works well for jeans....however the contraption comes off easy with my dress pants and athletic wear. I'm hoping it's survived the number of times it was dropped in the last couple days. It about took a swim in a toilet today but that tragedy was averted thanks to physics.
I'm wearing it for a week for a baseline assessment. After this week, it will start presenting weekly challenges to me. The accelerometer will light up throughout the day showing my progress. When all green lights turn on eventually and flash, it means I've met my daily goal. The leader had a good way of explaining it as many of the Weight Watchers participants were skeptical. The leader says we all do some amount of activity each day. She told us to visualize filling a bucket with all the activity. The acceleromter helps measure what a person needs to do to make the bucket overflow and lead to consistent weight loss. Anyway, Jon was cool and bought it for me (I was going to save money and buy one in December). I'm very interested to see what goals are set for me.
Gavin and I finally made it to the public library and got cards. It's considerably smaller than the library in Ames. Neither Gavin and I could find the books we wanted and I randomly found books by Garrison Keillor so I decided to dive in and try one. I'm currently reading A Christmas Blizzard, It's very short and has been an easy read. Mr. Keillor has a somewhat eccentric style of writing. Not sure what I'll read after that.
My taxi duties are needed now so I'll have to write another blog later this weekend.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
I dislike getting older....
No worries, this isn't a rant or a huge complaint about the approaching 3-0. I didn't feel as wowed or excited about Halloween this year and I blame my age. I've barely watched any horror movies (luckily I can watch those year-round). My decorating was limited due to the remodel of the house so I'm hoping that next year I can really spruce up the front yard with some spooky stuff. Is it bad that a motivating factor for having another child is strongly associated to being able to dress up a little kiddo and Trick-or-Treat regularly for several more years? I'm hoping I feel more of the Christmas spirit and the holiday doesn't just slip by like Halloween did. I guess I feel old because life is all work, work, work and I'm not enjoying the fun little pleasures.
Gavin didn't trick-or-treat in Ankeny. He helped Jon and I hand out candy on Tuesday night. He did trick-or-treat on Wednesday night as he came up to Ames (thanks to my taxi service) and hung out with his friends. Due to his height, I believe this may be his last year of participation. I didn't take pictures or anything. I was in a rush to get to DMACC so I wasn't late for work.
The weight loss process has hit a nice mental bump. It always seems to happen around 20 lbs too. I'm lazy and complacent when it comes to tracking my food intake. I'm eating too much every day and I can tell I've gained some weight back. Blah! Work kept me from Weight Watchers last week. My taxi service kept me away yesterday. I need to just go in Saturday and get my weight so I know what's changed. I also need to make more of an effort to work out more regularly. My treadmill is covered with a comforter (needed to dry more after a ride in the dryer) and I think other blankets are sitting on the actual track. I'm seriously thinking of using the interval running program I got years ago from a friend to start back up with running. In a perfect world, I would wake up at 6am, run for 20-30 minutes, hit the shower, get all purdy for work, drive Gavin to school, and be on the road for Ames by 8:15am. It's amazing how difficult it is for me to get up that early. I'm even going to bed earlier most evenings.
Anyway, I really want to be close to a 30 lb loss by the end of the year. It will be tough considering that Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up quick. Here's the deal though....why do I get so worked up about the food related to those holidays? I can have turkey at any time. Same with mashed potatoes, green beans, etc. I'm actually not a fan of pumpkin desserts. I'm also not a big fan of cookies and stuff associated with Christmas. Yet I get around people and I feel the need to stuff my face. The psychology of eating really rears its ugly head around the holidays. I really want to go to Taki for my birthday meal too but I am willing to postpone that for an early 2013 venture if need be. I know I'll end up eating too much at that venue because it's so delicious. Thank God I don't live closer to that restaurant.
And to end this blog entry...here is a before picture of the house:
Here is an after picture. They completed the stone work yesterday.
We still have a ton of work to do....well the contractor has a ton of work to do. They still need to paint the trim on the house, put the gutters back on, paint the front door red (ISU red), insulate the windows, stain wooden part of the window frames, put trim around the windows on the inside, attach the storm doors, do the trim on the garage, etc. It will be interesting to see how much they get finished before the snow is flying. I just want the work done so we can do some major cleaning on the inside and outside.
I'm sure I'll be blogging again soon as I need to get my butt to Weight Watchers to weigh in and see what the damage is.
Gavin didn't trick-or-treat in Ankeny. He helped Jon and I hand out candy on Tuesday night. He did trick-or-treat on Wednesday night as he came up to Ames (thanks to my taxi service) and hung out with his friends. Due to his height, I believe this may be his last year of participation. I didn't take pictures or anything. I was in a rush to get to DMACC so I wasn't late for work.
The weight loss process has hit a nice mental bump. It always seems to happen around 20 lbs too. I'm lazy and complacent when it comes to tracking my food intake. I'm eating too much every day and I can tell I've gained some weight back. Blah! Work kept me from Weight Watchers last week. My taxi service kept me away yesterday. I need to just go in Saturday and get my weight so I know what's changed. I also need to make more of an effort to work out more regularly. My treadmill is covered with a comforter (needed to dry more after a ride in the dryer) and I think other blankets are sitting on the actual track. I'm seriously thinking of using the interval running program I got years ago from a friend to start back up with running. In a perfect world, I would wake up at 6am, run for 20-30 minutes, hit the shower, get all purdy for work, drive Gavin to school, and be on the road for Ames by 8:15am. It's amazing how difficult it is for me to get up that early. I'm even going to bed earlier most evenings.
Anyway, I really want to be close to a 30 lb loss by the end of the year. It will be tough considering that Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up quick. Here's the deal though....why do I get so worked up about the food related to those holidays? I can have turkey at any time. Same with mashed potatoes, green beans, etc. I'm actually not a fan of pumpkin desserts. I'm also not a big fan of cookies and stuff associated with Christmas. Yet I get around people and I feel the need to stuff my face. The psychology of eating really rears its ugly head around the holidays. I really want to go to Taki for my birthday meal too but I am willing to postpone that for an early 2013 venture if need be. I know I'll end up eating too much at that venue because it's so delicious. Thank God I don't live closer to that restaurant.
And to end this blog entry...here is a before picture of the house:
We still have a ton of work to do....well the contractor has a ton of work to do. They still need to paint the trim on the house, put the gutters back on, paint the front door red (ISU red), insulate the windows, stain wooden part of the window frames, put trim around the windows on the inside, attach the storm doors, do the trim on the garage, etc. It will be interesting to see how much they get finished before the snow is flying. I just want the work done so we can do some major cleaning on the inside and outside.
I'm sure I'll be blogging again soon as I need to get my butt to Weight Watchers to weigh in and see what the damage is.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Change is Upon Us
Greetings:
I had an evening that wasn't filled with course prep or grading. I got more things done around the house, worked further on some correspondence, and sat on my butt watching TV. (Currently watching a marathon of Roseanne) I'm pleased to announce that the Halloween decorations are up and I was able to find niches for several of them. I can't decorate the windows though or put anything outside due to the upcoming construction.
The contractor and his crew are going to start work on the house on Wednesday. I just checked the weather though....rain is predicted so we'll see if the Wednesday is actually the start date. A load of siding was dropped off today and the new windows will be appearing tomorrow. We get to move everything away from the windows soon so the house will be nice and disorganized.
I'm excited for the weigh-in on Wednesday as I did a good job with my food choices this weekend. We did a major shopping trip on Sunday and despite bringing in a lot of tasty food, I didn't find myself snacking tremendously. I gained last week so I'm still tetering around the 20 lbs mark. I'd really like to be close to a 30 lbs loss by the end of the year.
We tried a new recipe today. I created it yesterday in the crock pot. Check it out at this link:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/crock-pot-chicken-taco-chili-4-pts.html
It was very simple to whip together. I altered it a little bit. The recipe calls for two cans of diced tomatoes with chiles and I only added one. The other can was plain diced tomatoes. I was worried about the heat and spiciness. After sampling it tonight, I could have added 2 cans with the chiles. I also didn't add the optional chili peppers either. As you can see, you can add sour cream and/or cheese to complete the dish. I also bought Frito Scoops too and that was a nice addition of salty.
I'm pleased to announce that I have my permanent crown. They popped off the temporary crown (literally) and cemented the new one in place. I'm happy to have that chapter of dental hell over with. Now I get to whittle down the debt from the process.
I don't have anything real earth-shattering to share but I thought I better blog before work sneaks up and rules my life again.
I had an evening that wasn't filled with course prep or grading. I got more things done around the house, worked further on some correspondence, and sat on my butt watching TV. (Currently watching a marathon of Roseanne) I'm pleased to announce that the Halloween decorations are up and I was able to find niches for several of them. I can't decorate the windows though or put anything outside due to the upcoming construction.
The contractor and his crew are going to start work on the house on Wednesday. I just checked the weather though....rain is predicted so we'll see if the Wednesday is actually the start date. A load of siding was dropped off today and the new windows will be appearing tomorrow. We get to move everything away from the windows soon so the house will be nice and disorganized.
I'm excited for the weigh-in on Wednesday as I did a good job with my food choices this weekend. We did a major shopping trip on Sunday and despite bringing in a lot of tasty food, I didn't find myself snacking tremendously. I gained last week so I'm still tetering around the 20 lbs mark. I'd really like to be close to a 30 lbs loss by the end of the year.
We tried a new recipe today. I created it yesterday in the crock pot. Check it out at this link:
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/crock-pot-chicken-taco-chili-4-pts.html
It was very simple to whip together. I altered it a little bit. The recipe calls for two cans of diced tomatoes with chiles and I only added one. The other can was plain diced tomatoes. I was worried about the heat and spiciness. After sampling it tonight, I could have added 2 cans with the chiles. I also didn't add the optional chili peppers either. As you can see, you can add sour cream and/or cheese to complete the dish. I also bought Frito Scoops too and that was a nice addition of salty.
I'm pleased to announce that I have my permanent crown. They popped off the temporary crown (literally) and cemented the new one in place. I'm happy to have that chapter of dental hell over with. Now I get to whittle down the debt from the process.
I don't have anything real earth-shattering to share but I thought I better blog before work sneaks up and rules my life again.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
An October Update
Greetings on this fine Saturday:
I'm hanging out, spending too much time on the Internet (so much for just quickly checking my email), and decided I should create a quick blog entry. It was a typical week. Busier than I'd like but I was very productive and tried my best to keep up with all my tasks. This upcoming week is midterm. I will have a lot of excess grading to completing as I need to send in any necessary midterm reports for my classes. Luckily I have a gut feeling about those that need a report already. I'm sure my math at the end of the week will support that.
I had a successful weigh-in with Weight Watchers on Tuesday. I lost another 2.6 lbs so I'm very close to being down 20 lbs. I was surprised to have lost anything. It was that "fun" week of the month so I was feeling all bloated but hey, I'll take the weight loss. It's been easier making better choices. I'm still not craving restaurant visits but we're also doing a good job of eating out once in awhile so we don't desperately miss a certain food or cuisine. Hu Hot has been a favorite lately. If I only get meat and veggies, I can pretty much eat all I want. We've also visited the new frozen yogurt joint in town. It's called Cherry Berry and it's just like Orange Leaf in Ames. You grab your own bowl, fill it with self-serve yogurts, and choose your toppings. Jon's a lot better about covering his yogurt with fruit. I'm a sucker for Kit Kat and maraschino cherries.
I'm trying in general to keep myself moving more at home and work to increase physical activity but structured workouts haven't been a constant in my life. I'm in the large group of people currently that pay for a gym membership but barely use it. Bleh. I'm still lucky that my body is willingly letting me lose weight but I'm waiting for a plateau to hit.
Gavin had a positive report at parent-teacher conferences. The only class that was slightly disappointing was his French class. He currently has a C and I'm hoping he gets up to a B. He doesn't care for the class much and has felt behind for most of the last weeks as he didn't have the foreign language last year like others in his class. If he's trying his best I'm happy. And with the current situation, he probably is just average in the class so the C is a fitting grade. Sadly I cannot help him much, I know squat about French. I also learned that he's quite chatty in History class.
I guess that's enough of a update for now.
If you're someone that occassionally or regularly partakes in the Smart One meals, do consider the Breakfast Quesadilla. Holy smokes they are wonderful. They include egg whites, cheese, veggies, and turkey bacon. I'm so thankful for those and the breakfast sandwiches. It's been nice eating breakfast on a more regular basis again.
Have a good weekend!
I'm hanging out, spending too much time on the Internet (so much for just quickly checking my email), and decided I should create a quick blog entry. It was a typical week. Busier than I'd like but I was very productive and tried my best to keep up with all my tasks. This upcoming week is midterm. I will have a lot of excess grading to completing as I need to send in any necessary midterm reports for my classes. Luckily I have a gut feeling about those that need a report already. I'm sure my math at the end of the week will support that.
I had a successful weigh-in with Weight Watchers on Tuesday. I lost another 2.6 lbs so I'm very close to being down 20 lbs. I was surprised to have lost anything. It was that "fun" week of the month so I was feeling all bloated but hey, I'll take the weight loss. It's been easier making better choices. I'm still not craving restaurant visits but we're also doing a good job of eating out once in awhile so we don't desperately miss a certain food or cuisine. Hu Hot has been a favorite lately. If I only get meat and veggies, I can pretty much eat all I want. We've also visited the new frozen yogurt joint in town. It's called Cherry Berry and it's just like Orange Leaf in Ames. You grab your own bowl, fill it with self-serve yogurts, and choose your toppings. Jon's a lot better about covering his yogurt with fruit. I'm a sucker for Kit Kat and maraschino cherries.
I'm trying in general to keep myself moving more at home and work to increase physical activity but structured workouts haven't been a constant in my life. I'm in the large group of people currently that pay for a gym membership but barely use it. Bleh. I'm still lucky that my body is willingly letting me lose weight but I'm waiting for a plateau to hit.
Gavin had a positive report at parent-teacher conferences. The only class that was slightly disappointing was his French class. He currently has a C and I'm hoping he gets up to a B. He doesn't care for the class much and has felt behind for most of the last weeks as he didn't have the foreign language last year like others in his class. If he's trying his best I'm happy. And with the current situation, he probably is just average in the class so the C is a fitting grade. Sadly I cannot help him much, I know squat about French. I also learned that he's quite chatty in History class.
I guess that's enough of a update for now.
If you're someone that occassionally or regularly partakes in the Smart One meals, do consider the Breakfast Quesadilla. Holy smokes they are wonderful. They include egg whites, cheese, veggies, and turkey bacon. I'm so thankful for those and the breakfast sandwiches. It's been nice eating breakfast on a more regular basis again.
Have a good weekend!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Your Thoughts?
So my pal from Mason City brought this clip to my attention. Take a looksie and share your thoughts.
http://video.news8000.com/watch.php?id=36335
http://video.news8000.com/watch.php?id=36335
It's also listed on my Facebook page too. Not sure if the link will work or not.
http://video.news8000.com/watch.php?id=36335
http://video.news8000.com/watch.php?id=36335
It's also listed on my Facebook page too. Not sure if the link will work or not.
Friday, September 28, 2012
TGIF
Greetings Again:
Pleased to report that I lost another 1.6 lbs this past week and my grand total has now allowed me to reach the 5% milestone at Weight Watchers. You get some recognition and a nice big sticker to put on your tracking packet. I had actually forgotten about the 5% loss goal. Jon is actually getting close to losing 10% of his body weight.
I'm still at work at the moment but I plan to go home soon so I can grocery shop (yippee for payday) and straighten up the house. Gavin has a friend coming over so some of the rooms need tidying. I plan to do some more work in our storage room in the basement too. I've been looking at the bins of clothes I plan to wear again and I have an incredible amount of denim. I think I may have commented about it in the last entry but I keep finding pairs of jeans.
I'm also happy to announce that we are going camping next weekend. We didn't camp at all this summer due to time and the unpleasant weather conditions. I'd rather camp when it's cool outside than sweat to death due to the humidity, heat index, etc. We are trying to find some camp grounds that are not closed.
I'm keeping this short and sweet today. LeAnn reminded me that I didn't mention my Weight Watcher performance so I wanted to include that information before the next weigh-in.
Adios!
Pleased to report that I lost another 1.6 lbs this past week and my grand total has now allowed me to reach the 5% milestone at Weight Watchers. You get some recognition and a nice big sticker to put on your tracking packet. I had actually forgotten about the 5% loss goal. Jon is actually getting close to losing 10% of his body weight.
I'm still at work at the moment but I plan to go home soon so I can grocery shop (yippee for payday) and straighten up the house. Gavin has a friend coming over so some of the rooms need tidying. I plan to do some more work in our storage room in the basement too. I've been looking at the bins of clothes I plan to wear again and I have an incredible amount of denim. I think I may have commented about it in the last entry but I keep finding pairs of jeans.
I'm also happy to announce that we are going camping next weekend. We didn't camp at all this summer due to time and the unpleasant weather conditions. I'd rather camp when it's cool outside than sweat to death due to the humidity, heat index, etc. We are trying to find some camp grounds that are not closed.
I'm keeping this short and sweet today. LeAnn reminded me that I didn't mention my Weight Watcher performance so I wanted to include that information before the next weigh-in.
Adios!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Here Comes October
Greetings:
I'm very excited about the fact this week marks the end of September. I'm a BIG fan of October. It's a fabulous month. I started putting a few Halloween decorations out last night. My search for Halloween items actually led to the cleaning and organization of our basement. I was able to unpack some more boxes and make things look a little more tidy. We have a considerable amount of items for a garage sale next year. I located my box of coats and another container filled with fall/winter clothing for work. I was shocked by the number of jeans I had in a few boxes. I apparently went on a denim shopping spree in previous years. The cool thing is that many pairs were a size smaller than I am at the moment. I won't have to buy many new jeans at least when my caboose and waist shrink further.
I had some work to do for DMACC last night which is another reason why cleaning took priority. I'm more than happy to clean a bunch if it means I can put off computer work. Nevertheless, I got my work cranked out and did some grading too. I was able to listen to "Julie & Julia" too. I'm not sure why I like that movie so much. I'm actually thinking about getting that cookbook to see if there is anything I can create in my own kitchen. French cuisine isn't my favorite but I like the idea of putting a lot of thought and hard work into a good meal. Considering that cookbook as been reproduced and released more than fifty times, you'd think I'd be able to find a cheap copy somewhere.
I'm curious to see what the scale says tomorrow at Weight Watchers. I'm trying to be more mindful with my eating but I'm starting to snack more than I should in the evenings again. I'm also not diligent about tracking my food. I'll start assuming that I'm still in my point range for the day and I may have gone over. I was happy to count my manual labor last night so that got me some extra activity points that I could convert to food. I could be more active every day though. I'm really going to regret not being outside more often when the snow flies in a couple months. I really want to solidify good habits now too so Halloween candy, Thanksgiving food, and Christmas goodies don't shift the number on the scale immensely. Apparently many Americans gain at least 10 lbs over the holiday seasons in November and December. I'm not surprised by that at all. I actually read an article in the Des Moines register last week about our obesity epidemic. Right now 29% of Iowans are obese. If the trend continues, 54% of Iowans will be obese. Scary!! It makes sense though if you consider the age demographics in Iowa. There is an increase with the amount of overweight children and adolescents. Those kiddos are going to be the adults in 2030. If you are overweight/obese during your youth, it will most likely follow you into adulthood. Here's the article if you're interested:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012309190050&nclick_check=1
On a different note, I now have my temporary crown for my most recent root canal. The procedure went very well. The hygienist didn't read very well when I arrived though. She started prepping me for a root canal when I sat down in the chair. She seemed surprised when I notified her that I went to the endodontist to get the root canal weeks ago. And of course, two minutes later she finds the information in my file. Anyway, my mouth is now a total of 2K richer with the recent procedures. I get my permanent crown in three weeks.
I'm hoping to cruise through this week and have some fun this weekend. Gavin's having a friend over on Friday night. Hopefully we can visit the local orchard on Saturday or Sunday. I'm not thrilled that it will be super busy but it's a cool place so crowds are to be expected. I want to do more work on the basement organization and do some grocery shopping too as payday is on Friday. It's nice to finally get a full paycheck from ISU. The part-time work in the summer and the partial paycheck in August weren't comforting my checking account very well.
Hope everyone's well!
I'm very excited about the fact this week marks the end of September. I'm a BIG fan of October. It's a fabulous month. I started putting a few Halloween decorations out last night. My search for Halloween items actually led to the cleaning and organization of our basement. I was able to unpack some more boxes and make things look a little more tidy. We have a considerable amount of items for a garage sale next year. I located my box of coats and another container filled with fall/winter clothing for work. I was shocked by the number of jeans I had in a few boxes. I apparently went on a denim shopping spree in previous years. The cool thing is that many pairs were a size smaller than I am at the moment. I won't have to buy many new jeans at least when my caboose and waist shrink further.
I had some work to do for DMACC last night which is another reason why cleaning took priority. I'm more than happy to clean a bunch if it means I can put off computer work. Nevertheless, I got my work cranked out and did some grading too. I was able to listen to "Julie & Julia" too. I'm not sure why I like that movie so much. I'm actually thinking about getting that cookbook to see if there is anything I can create in my own kitchen. French cuisine isn't my favorite but I like the idea of putting a lot of thought and hard work into a good meal. Considering that cookbook as been reproduced and released more than fifty times, you'd think I'd be able to find a cheap copy somewhere.
I'm curious to see what the scale says tomorrow at Weight Watchers. I'm trying to be more mindful with my eating but I'm starting to snack more than I should in the evenings again. I'm also not diligent about tracking my food. I'll start assuming that I'm still in my point range for the day and I may have gone over. I was happy to count my manual labor last night so that got me some extra activity points that I could convert to food. I could be more active every day though. I'm really going to regret not being outside more often when the snow flies in a couple months. I really want to solidify good habits now too so Halloween candy, Thanksgiving food, and Christmas goodies don't shift the number on the scale immensely. Apparently many Americans gain at least 10 lbs over the holiday seasons in November and December. I'm not surprised by that at all. I actually read an article in the Des Moines register last week about our obesity epidemic. Right now 29% of Iowans are obese. If the trend continues, 54% of Iowans will be obese. Scary!! It makes sense though if you consider the age demographics in Iowa. There is an increase with the amount of overweight children and adolescents. Those kiddos are going to be the adults in 2030. If you are overweight/obese during your youth, it will most likely follow you into adulthood. Here's the article if you're interested:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012309190050&nclick_check=1
On a different note, I now have my temporary crown for my most recent root canal. The procedure went very well. The hygienist didn't read very well when I arrived though. She started prepping me for a root canal when I sat down in the chair. She seemed surprised when I notified her that I went to the endodontist to get the root canal weeks ago. And of course, two minutes later she finds the information in my file. Anyway, my mouth is now a total of 2K richer with the recent procedures. I get my permanent crown in three weeks.
I'm hoping to cruise through this week and have some fun this weekend. Gavin's having a friend over on Friday night. Hopefully we can visit the local orchard on Saturday or Sunday. I'm not thrilled that it will be super busy but it's a cool place so crowds are to be expected. I want to do more work on the basement organization and do some grocery shopping too as payday is on Friday. It's nice to finally get a full paycheck from ISU. The part-time work in the summer and the partial paycheck in August weren't comforting my checking account very well.
Hope everyone's well!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Maintenance...It's a Good Thing
Greetings:
I decided to stay on track at work today and not work on this blog. I attended Weight Watchers on Wednesday and was happy to see that I only gained 0.2 lb in the last week. I was striving to lose of course but was also accepting of simply maintaining due to the food I ate while in Chicago over the weekend. I'm grateful we did so much walking. The scale would have been scarier had we taken taxis or buses.
We took off early on Saturday morning and decided to just hang out at the hotel for a bit before heading into the city. We did eventually venture in for an early supper at Harry Carry's Italian Steakhouse. Jon had his bison filet and I had my Pesto Pasta dish. It was delicious as expected and actually quite different eating so much food in one sitting. I also indulged in an alcoholic drink and had a Moscow Mule. Sadly the martini I wanted was no longer offered.
We took the train into the city on Sunday and took our time to the north side for the Cubs game. I got to experience riding the subway on the way up and the "L" train on the way back to the train station after the game. The homeless population makes rides on public transit interesting. We got to the game plenty early and I got myself a nice big serving of nachos. Nachos are my sport-event food choice. I also got a hotdog and some CrackerJack. It was quite warm though and I actually got a sunburn. You'd think I'd realize that the sun would sunshine on a baseball game. I have a nice fairly fully container of sunscreen in the closet at home (Thanks Nicole) and yet I rarely remember to use it.
The ride home was rather tough since we were both tired. I couldn't stay awake after we got into Iowa. It was also tough to be perky for work the next day but I got it done!! Another thank-you to LeAnn for supervising her nephew over the weekend. He was happy to see pizza again...we've not had that for awhile.
I'm going to have a long Friday due to a full day with ISU and a seminar for DMACC in the evening. The light at the end of my tunnel is the fact that I don't have a lot planned for the weekend. I hope Saturday morning begins with some sleeping-in action. We're transporting a basset hound to its new home in the middle of the day. I may focus on unpacking further....yes I still have boxes in parts of the house that still need to be unpacked. I have too much crap.
Another biggie for the weekend is exercising more. I need to at least go for some walks or something.
TGIF!!
I decided to stay on track at work today and not work on this blog. I attended Weight Watchers on Wednesday and was happy to see that I only gained 0.2 lb in the last week. I was striving to lose of course but was also accepting of simply maintaining due to the food I ate while in Chicago over the weekend. I'm grateful we did so much walking. The scale would have been scarier had we taken taxis or buses.
We took off early on Saturday morning and decided to just hang out at the hotel for a bit before heading into the city. We did eventually venture in for an early supper at Harry Carry's Italian Steakhouse. Jon had his bison filet and I had my Pesto Pasta dish. It was delicious as expected and actually quite different eating so much food in one sitting. I also indulged in an alcoholic drink and had a Moscow Mule. Sadly the martini I wanted was no longer offered.
We took the train into the city on Sunday and took our time to the north side for the Cubs game. I got to experience riding the subway on the way up and the "L" train on the way back to the train station after the game. The homeless population makes rides on public transit interesting. We got to the game plenty early and I got myself a nice big serving of nachos. Nachos are my sport-event food choice. I also got a hotdog and some CrackerJack. It was quite warm though and I actually got a sunburn. You'd think I'd realize that the sun would sunshine on a baseball game. I have a nice fairly fully container of sunscreen in the closet at home (Thanks Nicole) and yet I rarely remember to use it.
The ride home was rather tough since we were both tired. I couldn't stay awake after we got into Iowa. It was also tough to be perky for work the next day but I got it done!! Another thank-you to LeAnn for supervising her nephew over the weekend. He was happy to see pizza again...we've not had that for awhile.
I'm going to have a long Friday due to a full day with ISU and a seminar for DMACC in the evening. The light at the end of my tunnel is the fact that I don't have a lot planned for the weekend. I hope Saturday morning begins with some sleeping-in action. We're transporting a basset hound to its new home in the middle of the day. I may focus on unpacking further....yes I still have boxes in parts of the house that still need to be unpacked. I have too much crap.
Another biggie for the weekend is exercising more. I need to at least go for some walks or something.
TGIF!!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Figuratively Buried Alive
Greetings!
I've decided to take some time to myself and enjoy much lunch and blog in the next hour. Life's been stressful and I'm slowly but surely burying myself in work. It's clockwork though. Each new semester, I find myself overwhelmed and kicking myself for not being more proactive with prep work. I'm wishing I had done more with my prep work this summer when I was only working part time. I've been feeling disorganized in the last week and it seems like I have a million things to do each day. I'm trying to not use my free time on weekends either. I want to devote that time to tasks at home, ventures out & about, church, Jon, and Gavin. We've been busy on weekends too so even if I feel like I truly need to work, I usually can't. I'm a little worried about this weekend's venture to Chicago. I'm more than excited to go but I have a nagging voice in the back of my head saying "You're going to be so behind come Monday morning." Stupid self-conscience.
Despite work being stressful, I do have a lot of good things happening with my health. I'm pleased to announce that I lost 6 lbs this past week. I honestly thought it was about 1 pound. I gained last week due to poor tracking and my wonderful time of the month. I wanted to lose that 2.8 lbs that I gained but I'm not going to complain about losing an extra 3.2 lbs. I'm especially pleased because we attended a wedding on Saturday and my attention to the foods on my plate really helped at the scale. I'm not a huge cake fan. I seriously contemplated a piece of cake but decided to eat some of the delicious mints they offered. You know those mints....I think they are made from cream cheese and molds are used to create flowers, bells, etc. I had them at my graduation party back in 2001. In the past, I would have still grabbed a piece of cake simply because it was there and everyone else was eating a piece. Heck it would have probably been 2 pieces of cake. I was also mindful with my other food choices. I didn't load my plate down with chips. The savory food item I did feast on was deviled eggs. I love those things and they were wonderful. I kept track of my points and did use some of my extra points for the week.
Jon and I are planning to visit a nice steakhouse in Chicago this weekend. I'm planning to get a pasta dish that incorporates pesto and asparagus. I had it last year when we visited the same eating establishment. Jon is planning to get a bison steak. I'm planning to have a martini or two as well. Alcohol is a bitch on Weight Watchers (alcohol sugars = a lot of points) but I want to indulge a little bit on our mini trip. We also plan to walk a lot and burn calories.
I've also been pretty diligent with taking a daily vitamin. I'm taking a basic multi-vitamin for women (One a Day brand). Ironically, I didn't take one this morning due some issues with oversleeping and severe panic with getting out the door on time. Taking a vitamin on a regular basis has been a goal of mine for YEARS. My mom helped reinforce this habit when I lived at home but I fell off the wagon when I left home in 2001. I had some success when the gummy vitamins were introduced a few years ago. I'm back to taking a basic non-chewable tablet.
I'm also flossing like a champ lately. I'm getting really sick of paying the dentist oodles of money so I want to prevent cavities in between my teeth. I also have receding gum lines and flossing helps to slow that. It's become a nightly ritual. I've been scolded about flossing for as long as I can remember. Hopefully my dentist sees improvements at my next 6 month check-up.
Exercise and extra physical activity continue to be a challenge. My Weight Watcher leader made a valid point last night. I need to write my planned workouts in my schedule. If it's in my schedule, it gets done. If I keep it on my mental "to do" list, I continually put it on the back burner or let my fatigue at the end of the day take precedence. I'm paying about $20 a month to use a gym. I want that bill to actually relate to how much I use the gym. I could be doing more exercise in the neighborhood too. There is a walk/run path in the park across the street....come on Jenny.
I was actually concerned about this week's weight loss because I did do some nightly grazing in the kitchen in the last two weeks. I sit down in the evening, the TV is on, and I get that urge to snack. I need to keep a handle on that too so I'm not eating extra, unnecessary calories right before bed. If I'm truly hungry that's one thing....if I'm just eating to eat, that needs to stop.
So the good news is that I'm almost at a 15 lbs weight loss. I hope to be at a 20 pound lost at the end of October. The season of food is starting up though. Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas goodies. Sigh. Bring it on.
I've decided to take some time to myself and enjoy much lunch and blog in the next hour. Life's been stressful and I'm slowly but surely burying myself in work. It's clockwork though. Each new semester, I find myself overwhelmed and kicking myself for not being more proactive with prep work. I'm wishing I had done more with my prep work this summer when I was only working part time. I've been feeling disorganized in the last week and it seems like I have a million things to do each day. I'm trying to not use my free time on weekends either. I want to devote that time to tasks at home, ventures out & about, church, Jon, and Gavin. We've been busy on weekends too so even if I feel like I truly need to work, I usually can't. I'm a little worried about this weekend's venture to Chicago. I'm more than excited to go but I have a nagging voice in the back of my head saying "You're going to be so behind come Monday morning." Stupid self-conscience.
Despite work being stressful, I do have a lot of good things happening with my health. I'm pleased to announce that I lost 6 lbs this past week. I honestly thought it was about 1 pound. I gained last week due to poor tracking and my wonderful time of the month. I wanted to lose that 2.8 lbs that I gained but I'm not going to complain about losing an extra 3.2 lbs. I'm especially pleased because we attended a wedding on Saturday and my attention to the foods on my plate really helped at the scale. I'm not a huge cake fan. I seriously contemplated a piece of cake but decided to eat some of the delicious mints they offered. You know those mints....I think they are made from cream cheese and molds are used to create flowers, bells, etc. I had them at my graduation party back in 2001. In the past, I would have still grabbed a piece of cake simply because it was there and everyone else was eating a piece. Heck it would have probably been 2 pieces of cake. I was also mindful with my other food choices. I didn't load my plate down with chips. The savory food item I did feast on was deviled eggs. I love those things and they were wonderful. I kept track of my points and did use some of my extra points for the week.
Jon and I are planning to visit a nice steakhouse in Chicago this weekend. I'm planning to get a pasta dish that incorporates pesto and asparagus. I had it last year when we visited the same eating establishment. Jon is planning to get a bison steak. I'm planning to have a martini or two as well. Alcohol is a bitch on Weight Watchers (alcohol sugars = a lot of points) but I want to indulge a little bit on our mini trip. We also plan to walk a lot and burn calories.
I've also been pretty diligent with taking a daily vitamin. I'm taking a basic multi-vitamin for women (One a Day brand). Ironically, I didn't take one this morning due some issues with oversleeping and severe panic with getting out the door on time. Taking a vitamin on a regular basis has been a goal of mine for YEARS. My mom helped reinforce this habit when I lived at home but I fell off the wagon when I left home in 2001. I had some success when the gummy vitamins were introduced a few years ago. I'm back to taking a basic non-chewable tablet.
I'm also flossing like a champ lately. I'm getting really sick of paying the dentist oodles of money so I want to prevent cavities in between my teeth. I also have receding gum lines and flossing helps to slow that. It's become a nightly ritual. I've been scolded about flossing for as long as I can remember. Hopefully my dentist sees improvements at my next 6 month check-up.
Exercise and extra physical activity continue to be a challenge. My Weight Watcher leader made a valid point last night. I need to write my planned workouts in my schedule. If it's in my schedule, it gets done. If I keep it on my mental "to do" list, I continually put it on the back burner or let my fatigue at the end of the day take precedence. I'm paying about $20 a month to use a gym. I want that bill to actually relate to how much I use the gym. I could be doing more exercise in the neighborhood too. There is a walk/run path in the park across the street....come on Jenny.
I was actually concerned about this week's weight loss because I did do some nightly grazing in the kitchen in the last two weeks. I sit down in the evening, the TV is on, and I get that urge to snack. I need to keep a handle on that too so I'm not eating extra, unnecessary calories right before bed. If I'm truly hungry that's one thing....if I'm just eating to eat, that needs to stop.
So the good news is that I'm almost at a 15 lbs weight loss. I hope to be at a 20 pound lost at the end of October. The season of food is starting up though. Halloween candy, Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas goodies. Sigh. Bring it on.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Sweet Relief (I Hope)
Howdy:
My day started with a wonderful root canal. My dentist made an emergency appointment for me with an endodontist in Ames this morning. She couldn't tend to my cracked molar hence her reference to a different specialist. My 8am appointment was supposed to be a consultation. He took a good look at the molar and immediately suggested he complete a root canal. He had time to do it this morning so I figured I might as well get it taken care of...I would have really stressed myself out if I let it go another week or so. He was very understanding about my issues with anesthetics and dental work. He tried a different numbing drug and it worked!!! It still wasn't the most comfortable procedure but I'm grateful he did it. It's pretty sore at the moment but I'm sure this pain will be completely worth it. I need to make another appointment with my dentist as she needs to take care of the crown for this root canal. Needless to say...I have more debt now. That hour long root canal cost me $1,000.00.....blah!!
I haven't been tracking my eating very well in the past days. I'm fairly certain that I've gained some weight. I've been impulsive with my choices. I'm also close to my fun time of the month which is contributing to my desire for salt and not-so-healthy foods. I've also not exercised much thanks to my mouth. I'm hoping to hit the gym on Thursday after work. Regardless of that, I do feel better. I'm sleeping so much better. I have better energy (even when my mouth hurts like hell). I'm waking up easier in the morning and getting more done throughout the day. It's truly amazing how much you can get done in the morning if you get up on time. I'm eating breakfast, packing my lunch, cleaning up around the house, even doing laundry some mornings. It's nice.
We got bad news about Gavin's football program today. They had too few 10-12 year olds enroll so they canceled his league in the program. I'm making it a priority to watch the basketball deadlines so I get him into a great program for the winter.
Work has been extremely busy. I'm working much longer hours this semester. I can't come and go between home and work easily so I find myself working longer in the office. It's helping me keep work at work and not bring things home. I'm constantly having to prep for my methods course for health education and my new DMACC online course. I can't seem to get ahead in those classes. Oh well.
Well that's enough for now. I plan to share a recipe this week. My coworker introduced me to a Mexican Lasagna. I created my own version this weekend and it was OK. It can be easily tweaked.
My day started with a wonderful root canal. My dentist made an emergency appointment for me with an endodontist in Ames this morning. She couldn't tend to my cracked molar hence her reference to a different specialist. My 8am appointment was supposed to be a consultation. He took a good look at the molar and immediately suggested he complete a root canal. He had time to do it this morning so I figured I might as well get it taken care of...I would have really stressed myself out if I let it go another week or so. He was very understanding about my issues with anesthetics and dental work. He tried a different numbing drug and it worked!!! It still wasn't the most comfortable procedure but I'm grateful he did it. It's pretty sore at the moment but I'm sure this pain will be completely worth it. I need to make another appointment with my dentist as she needs to take care of the crown for this root canal. Needless to say...I have more debt now. That hour long root canal cost me $1,000.00.....blah!!
I haven't been tracking my eating very well in the past days. I'm fairly certain that I've gained some weight. I've been impulsive with my choices. I'm also close to my fun time of the month which is contributing to my desire for salt and not-so-healthy foods. I've also not exercised much thanks to my mouth. I'm hoping to hit the gym on Thursday after work. Regardless of that, I do feel better. I'm sleeping so much better. I have better energy (even when my mouth hurts like hell). I'm waking up easier in the morning and getting more done throughout the day. It's truly amazing how much you can get done in the morning if you get up on time. I'm eating breakfast, packing my lunch, cleaning up around the house, even doing laundry some mornings. It's nice.
We got bad news about Gavin's football program today. They had too few 10-12 year olds enroll so they canceled his league in the program. I'm making it a priority to watch the basketball deadlines so I get him into a great program for the winter.
Work has been extremely busy. I'm working much longer hours this semester. I can't come and go between home and work easily so I find myself working longer in the office. It's helping me keep work at work and not bring things home. I'm constantly having to prep for my methods course for health education and my new DMACC online course. I can't seem to get ahead in those classes. Oh well.
Well that's enough for now. I plan to share a recipe this week. My coworker introduced me to a Mexican Lasagna. I created my own version this weekend and it was OK. It can be easily tweaked.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Off To A Good Start
Greetings:
I'm taking some "me time" and decided to crank out another entry during my lunch time. Today is a busy day thanks to my evening class at DMACC starting tonight. Yippy-skippy. I have a meeting to lead later today and I hope to be back down in Ankeny by 4pm. I need to attend an earlier weigh-in at Weight Watchers since I'll be in the classroom teaching at 6pm. I'm interested to see what my weight did with my choices over the weekend. Who knew that 2 Amaretto Sours were 14 points?!?! They were wonderful regardless.
Life has been on a pretty even keel. I've been very surprised by my ability to wake up early in the mornings. I've even been waking up earlier than my alarm. It's amazing how much you can get done between 6-7am. The earlier rising in the morning has also helped me eat breakfast regularly. (Gavin too)
I love the Smart Ones breakfast sandwiches. I've been eating the plain cheese/egg sandwiches this week. Sometimes I eat the variety with Canadian Bacon. Jon bought the kind with turkey sausage but that does not trip my trigger in the least.
I've also started attending the gym with Jon too. It's been enjoyable lifting weights again and I'm excited to expand that part of my workout. The cardio has been OK but I tend to compare myself a lot to the other people around me on the treadmills or ellipticals. I only used a treadmill on Monday. The machine's need to keep fiddling with the incline setting was fun. I didn't notice the change for a bit and my calves started killing me in the middle of my run. Yea, the incline was up to like 5. Whoops.
Keeping my workload sane has been OK too. I'm really trying to not work at home very much. Luckily my early arrival to ISU in the morning allows me to get a lot done. I'm trying to work ahead the best I can for both ISU and DMACC. I'm teaching an online class at DMACC (in addition to the Wednesday night class) so I have extra prep work for that class. Luckily it's really interesting (Sports Diversity).
One of my next big goals is to create more home-made foods that will keep nicely for leftovers. Smart One meals aren't cheap and I'd like to bring leftovers to work each week. It's tough making something that appeals to both Jon and myself. I'm hoping that I can find some good food/produce at the Farmer's Market on Saturday that positively influences our meals next week. I'm especially pleased that I have Monday off. Woohoo.
I guess that's all for now!
I'm taking some "me time" and decided to crank out another entry during my lunch time. Today is a busy day thanks to my evening class at DMACC starting tonight. Yippy-skippy. I have a meeting to lead later today and I hope to be back down in Ankeny by 4pm. I need to attend an earlier weigh-in at Weight Watchers since I'll be in the classroom teaching at 6pm. I'm interested to see what my weight did with my choices over the weekend. Who knew that 2 Amaretto Sours were 14 points?!?! They were wonderful regardless.
Life has been on a pretty even keel. I've been very surprised by my ability to wake up early in the mornings. I've even been waking up earlier than my alarm. It's amazing how much you can get done between 6-7am. The earlier rising in the morning has also helped me eat breakfast regularly. (Gavin too)
I love the Smart Ones breakfast sandwiches. I've been eating the plain cheese/egg sandwiches this week. Sometimes I eat the variety with Canadian Bacon. Jon bought the kind with turkey sausage but that does not trip my trigger in the least.
I've also started attending the gym with Jon too. It's been enjoyable lifting weights again and I'm excited to expand that part of my workout. The cardio has been OK but I tend to compare myself a lot to the other people around me on the treadmills or ellipticals. I only used a treadmill on Monday. The machine's need to keep fiddling with the incline setting was fun. I didn't notice the change for a bit and my calves started killing me in the middle of my run. Yea, the incline was up to like 5. Whoops.
Keeping my workload sane has been OK too. I'm really trying to not work at home very much. Luckily my early arrival to ISU in the morning allows me to get a lot done. I'm trying to work ahead the best I can for both ISU and DMACC. I'm teaching an online class at DMACC (in addition to the Wednesday night class) so I have extra prep work for that class. Luckily it's really interesting (Sports Diversity).
One of my next big goals is to create more home-made foods that will keep nicely for leftovers. Smart One meals aren't cheap and I'd like to bring leftovers to work each week. It's tough making something that appeals to both Jon and myself. I'm hoping that I can find some good food/produce at the Farmer's Market on Saturday that positively influences our meals next week. I'm especially pleased that I have Monday off. Woohoo.
I guess that's all for now!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
10 LBS Down
Greetings!
I'm allowing myself to procrastinate a little more before I crank out some more work this afternoon. I finished teaching at 12:10pm but sadly need to stay in Ames as I'm teaching a CPR class at 6pm. I may go to Panera later and get some soup and do work in a different setting. After this blog entry, I'm hoping to create more PowerPoint presentations for my health class. I plan to avoid work this weekend so it would be nice to fully prepared when I get to work on Monday morning. I need to start work for my DMACC online class too. I have to "lecture" for the online course which means creating guiding worksheets and/or PowerPoints for the students to review in addition to reading the textbook.
Jon and I have lost a combination of 20 lbs now with Weight Watchers. I'm at a loss of 10.6 lbs total. Eating well has gone pretty well lately. I was slightly worried as I ate A LOT of cotton candy at Czech Days. It's been nice having treats in the house that fit with our diet changes. Baked Cheetos are my savior. I've also been eating Schwan's Peach Frozen Yogurt in the correct portions. I do need to start making some more foods to bring as leftovers to work. I'm going to try and create a Mexican lasagna soon. A coworker brought some to work one day and it smelled amazing. Apparently you layer beans, meat, and salsa between layers of tortillas. She used Sweet Mesquite beans and her version smelled wonderful. I plan to use whole grain tortillas. I'm not sure if I want to add meat to it or not. I may put meat on one side and keep the other side vegetarian.
I've not been super active. I've gone to the gym once since I joined. Treadmill is still untouched. I can say that I'm making a solid effort at walking around more and standing more. I am going to need to make more changes though because the weight loss will slow down at some point. I'm not seeing huge changes appearance-wise but I have felt better lately. Energy is definitely up. Not sure if I'm sleeping better but I do feel more tired in the evenings.
I'm excited to take a quick trip to NE Iowa this weekend. Definitely will see the family but not sure if I'll see many friends. Our gathering Saturday night may be up in the air. I'm not sure when I'll be back to Waukon again. The weekends in September are quite full. Gavin has weekend football that goes into October.
Until later.....bye!
I'm allowing myself to procrastinate a little more before I crank out some more work this afternoon. I finished teaching at 12:10pm but sadly need to stay in Ames as I'm teaching a CPR class at 6pm. I may go to Panera later and get some soup and do work in a different setting. After this blog entry, I'm hoping to create more PowerPoint presentations for my health class. I plan to avoid work this weekend so it would be nice to fully prepared when I get to work on Monday morning. I need to start work for my DMACC online class too. I have to "lecture" for the online course which means creating guiding worksheets and/or PowerPoints for the students to review in addition to reading the textbook.
Jon and I have lost a combination of 20 lbs now with Weight Watchers. I'm at a loss of 10.6 lbs total. Eating well has gone pretty well lately. I was slightly worried as I ate A LOT of cotton candy at Czech Days. It's been nice having treats in the house that fit with our diet changes. Baked Cheetos are my savior. I've also been eating Schwan's Peach Frozen Yogurt in the correct portions. I do need to start making some more foods to bring as leftovers to work. I'm going to try and create a Mexican lasagna soon. A coworker brought some to work one day and it smelled amazing. Apparently you layer beans, meat, and salsa between layers of tortillas. She used Sweet Mesquite beans and her version smelled wonderful. I plan to use whole grain tortillas. I'm not sure if I want to add meat to it or not. I may put meat on one side and keep the other side vegetarian.
I've not been super active. I've gone to the gym once since I joined. Treadmill is still untouched. I can say that I'm making a solid effort at walking around more and standing more. I am going to need to make more changes though because the weight loss will slow down at some point. I'm not seeing huge changes appearance-wise but I have felt better lately. Energy is definitely up. Not sure if I'm sleeping better but I do feel more tired in the evenings.
I'm excited to take a quick trip to NE Iowa this weekend. Definitely will see the family but not sure if I'll see many friends. Our gathering Saturday night may be up in the air. I'm not sure when I'll be back to Waukon again. The weekends in September are quite full. Gavin has weekend football that goes into October.
Until later.....bye!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Bingo!
Greetings!
I thought it would be wise to blog one more time before the semester kicks off tomorrow. I have a few work-related tasks to do today so I'm 100% ready for tomorrow. I really need to kick it in gear so I'm ready for DMACC too. It doesn't help that the various DMACC campuses don't all start on the same date. My Wednesday evening course begins on August 29. My online course for DMACC begins on August 23.
I was happy to visit Protivin yesterday and partake in Czech Days. I made up from last year and won three times in Bingo. Had some good food, saw family, rode on "The Sizzler", and invested in a Czech Day t-shirt. The ride home was a little rough since I was tired but we made it back to Ankeny safe and sound.
I kept my Weight Watchers in mind as I bopped around Protivin. I was not going to miss out on Creamed Chicken. Other than being a little salty, it was delicious. I also indulged in cotton candy. I wish I had walked around more but oh well. I had one Czech roll (I can't spell it) and did not have any kolaches. Fortunately I'm not a huge fan of kolaches so the temptation wasn't severe. I did want a milkshake but I can have those anytime and anywhere so it really wasn't much of a treat.
I just finished eating a scrumptious lunch. I bought a package of gourmet pasta (made in Minnesota) when we last visited the Des Moines Farmers' Market. I've done a good job of measuring out 2 ounces of the pasta so my portion size is accurate. To make it more hearty, I usually saute' vegetables to add to the pasta and sauce. It usually doubles the size of the meal. Today I sauteed a small zucchini and mushrooms to add to the meal. The zucchini and mushrooms are zero points for Weight Watchers. I had hoped to post a picture of said pasta but it's taking mighty long for my phone to send it to my email account for download.
Weight Watchers was successful last week as I lost another pound. I had increaed my physical activity so I had expected to lose more. The leader helped me realize that the soreness I was experiencing may had caused me to retain water (which made me think "Duh!" because I should know that fact). My physical activity is low this week but I may go for a walk later and I should probably pinpoint a day to start using the treadmill. It's collecting items like it did in Ames. I think we have blankets sitting on it rather than having it cleared off for exercise purposes.
I thought I had other topics to blog about but nothing's coming to mind at the moment. I should probably dive into my work for tomorrow so I can relax later this evening and go to bed at a decent time. Gavin and I have to be up at 7:15am so I can drop him off at school around 8am. It's my plan to always leave for Ames after he's dropped off at school. The earlier I get to ISU, the sooner I can leave in the afternoon (hopefully at 3:30pm) so I get back into Ankeny at a decent time.
Here's my official "good-bye" to the summer.
I thought it would be wise to blog one more time before the semester kicks off tomorrow. I have a few work-related tasks to do today so I'm 100% ready for tomorrow. I really need to kick it in gear so I'm ready for DMACC too. It doesn't help that the various DMACC campuses don't all start on the same date. My Wednesday evening course begins on August 29. My online course for DMACC begins on August 23.
I was happy to visit Protivin yesterday and partake in Czech Days. I made up from last year and won three times in Bingo. Had some good food, saw family, rode on "The Sizzler", and invested in a Czech Day t-shirt. The ride home was a little rough since I was tired but we made it back to Ankeny safe and sound.
I kept my Weight Watchers in mind as I bopped around Protivin. I was not going to miss out on Creamed Chicken. Other than being a little salty, it was delicious. I also indulged in cotton candy. I wish I had walked around more but oh well. I had one Czech roll (I can't spell it) and did not have any kolaches. Fortunately I'm not a huge fan of kolaches so the temptation wasn't severe. I did want a milkshake but I can have those anytime and anywhere so it really wasn't much of a treat.
I just finished eating a scrumptious lunch. I bought a package of gourmet pasta (made in Minnesota) when we last visited the Des Moines Farmers' Market. I've done a good job of measuring out 2 ounces of the pasta so my portion size is accurate. To make it more hearty, I usually saute' vegetables to add to the pasta and sauce. It usually doubles the size of the meal. Today I sauteed a small zucchini and mushrooms to add to the meal. The zucchini and mushrooms are zero points for Weight Watchers. I had hoped to post a picture of said pasta but it's taking mighty long for my phone to send it to my email account for download.
Weight Watchers was successful last week as I lost another pound. I had increaed my physical activity so I had expected to lose more. The leader helped me realize that the soreness I was experiencing may had caused me to retain water (which made me think "Duh!" because I should know that fact). My physical activity is low this week but I may go for a walk later and I should probably pinpoint a day to start using the treadmill. It's collecting items like it did in Ames. I think we have blankets sitting on it rather than having it cleared off for exercise purposes.
I thought I had other topics to blog about but nothing's coming to mind at the moment. I should probably dive into my work for tomorrow so I can relax later this evening and go to bed at a decent time. Gavin and I have to be up at 7:15am so I can drop him off at school around 8am. It's my plan to always leave for Ames after he's dropped off at school. The earlier I get to ISU, the sooner I can leave in the afternoon (hopefully at 3:30pm) so I get back into Ankeny at a decent time.
Here's my official "good-bye" to the summer.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
History Repeats Itself
Just a random update with some random topics:
- The first week on Weight Watchers with Jon was a success. I dropped 6.6 lbs and he dropped a little over 4 lbs. My title comes from this occurence as I always do well the first week and the first month and then I become complacent.
- It's State Fair time and we are not going. I'm very much OK with that. None of the concerts trip my trigger and I don't need to be near all the fried foods. This year's main focus for fried food is the Bacon Wrapped Corndog. No thank you. I've had fried Oreos and a fried Milky Way in the past. Suprisingly they were delicious but corndogs and fried sticks of butter don't sound appealing.
- Gavin and I got a nice workout today with some functional fitness. We mowed the church lawn. We mowed the church lawn with the push mower only. I hate the new rider lawn mower they got...it's impossible to steer. Zero-Turn mowers = zero control. I was happy to push the mower though since it gave me Activity Points for Weight Watchers.
- I tried another new recipe and it was below par. It was a hamburger-noodle casserole. We added a little marinara to our servings and that helped. The whole wheat noodles made it rather blah and I didn't put a ton of cheese in it (followed the recipe).
- I lead the graduate student orientation that starts on Monday. It went well last year so it should be fine this time around. Like usual, I have some students that haven't checked their mail diligently or have communicated with me poorly. It will frustrate me if people aren't attending mandatory meetings or putting in the effort for class prep. The usual professor that tries to override my decisions for the orientation is working his magic again too.
- The upcoming weekends will be busy going into September. I'm excited to partake in Czech Days on Aug 18. I'll be going to Waukon the following weekend. I think (hope) we are staying around home for Labor Day weekend. We have a wedding to attend September 8. We're going to Chicago for a baseball game the following weekend. Gavin will also have flag football on Sundays starting in September.
- I really should be putting more time and energy into my class prep for the semester. I still need to finish all of my syllabi for both ISU and DMACC. I was told that my two DMACC classes may be canceled but I may have enough students enrolled now. I was really bummed when my boss called and told me they may be canceled but I now have more than ten students in both classes (whew). I'm teaching an online class for the first time this fall in addition to the usual evening health class.
- I finally got my way at ISU and have a grad assistant for Swim & Gym too. I thought it was ridiculous the department assumed I could ALWAYS be present for the program. Luckily I've never been sick or unable to supervise the program. It makes me feel better that another employee of the department will be present. I was concerned that I'd need to leave to attend Gavin's football games but that won't be an issue until next year.
- That being said...7th grade students in Ankeny don't have athletics!! I was a little pissed to find that out. Gavin's doing flag football again with a program called I9 Sports. He'll have football games on Sunday afternoons. I'm hoping they fulfill my request that he have practice on Monday nights so I can actually get him to practice. If practice is on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays...I can't transport the lad.
- Gavin starts school on the 15th. All school supplies are bought or found in our stash at home. He has a sufficient amount of nice clothes so school clothes shopping wasn't necessary. We'll need to buy some jeans in late September or October. He'll be walking home quite a bit.
- I've been grateful for the consistent supply of healthy foods in our house lately. Here have been my appetite fulfillers:
- Smart Ones Chicken Rancheros
- Cheddar cheese sticks
- Cucumbers with ranch and croutons
- Weight Watcher Chocolate Caramel bars
- A & E Lite Yogurt in various flavors
- Smart Ones Breakfast Sandwiches (Canadian Bacon)
- Chicken breasts on the George Foreman grill
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Stuffed Pasta Shells
I put on my thinking cap while shopping at Hy-Vee and came up with an Italian dish. I'm trying to incorporate more turkey in our lives since it's healthy and less points for Weight Watchers.
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground turkey browned and drained
1 bell pepper, diced
1 yellow or vidala onion, diced
1-2 cups of diced tomatoes
1-3 tsps minced garlic
1 cup of marinara sauce
1 box of jumbo pasta shells
1-2 cups of low-fat mozzarella cheese
I started off with cooking the onion and garlic in a skillet. I added the bell pepper to the mix.
I put the browned turkey in a large bowl with 1/4 cup marinara and let that sit.
I cooked the shells so they were partially done as I needed them to be a little rigid for stuffing and they finished cooking through in the oven.
When the veggie mixture was done, I added that to the browned turkey in the large bowl. Combine everything well. I also added some freshly diced tomatoes at this point.
I put a little bit of marinara down in the glass baking dish so the shells wouldn't stick to the bottom as they baked. I stuffed each shell with turkey/veggie mixture and set it in the bowl. The filling tended to fall out of the shells easily but it still worked out to have them all crammed in the 9 x 13 baking dish. I spread the extra filling all over the shells and sprinkled more diced tomatoes on top too. I also poured the remaining marinara over the dish to help keep things moist.
I sprinkled mozzarella cheese over one half of the dish for Jon and kept the other side plain for myself. I baked it uncovered for about 20-30 minutes.
I plan to add mushrooms the next time I make it. Meant to include mushrooms this time but somehow forgot. The dish heats up well too and made a good lunch this week.
I'm going to make a similiar dish with manicotti at some point but will probably use very lean ground beef in that recipe.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground turkey browned and drained
1 bell pepper, diced
1 yellow or vidala onion, diced
1-2 cups of diced tomatoes
1-3 tsps minced garlic
1 cup of marinara sauce
1 box of jumbo pasta shells
1-2 cups of low-fat mozzarella cheese
I started off with cooking the onion and garlic in a skillet. I added the bell pepper to the mix.
I put the browned turkey in a large bowl with 1/4 cup marinara and let that sit.
I cooked the shells so they were partially done as I needed them to be a little rigid for stuffing and they finished cooking through in the oven.
When the veggie mixture was done, I added that to the browned turkey in the large bowl. Combine everything well. I also added some freshly diced tomatoes at this point.
I put a little bit of marinara down in the glass baking dish so the shells wouldn't stick to the bottom as they baked. I stuffed each shell with turkey/veggie mixture and set it in the bowl. The filling tended to fall out of the shells easily but it still worked out to have them all crammed in the 9 x 13 baking dish. I spread the extra filling all over the shells and sprinkled more diced tomatoes on top too. I also poured the remaining marinara over the dish to help keep things moist.
I sprinkled mozzarella cheese over one half of the dish for Jon and kept the other side plain for myself. I baked it uncovered for about 20-30 minutes.
I plan to add mushrooms the next time I make it. Meant to include mushrooms this time but somehow forgot. The dish heats up well too and made a good lunch this week.
I'm going to make a similiar dish with manicotti at some point but will probably use very lean ground beef in that recipe.
Enjoy!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
A Day of Rest!
I am so happy that today/tomorrow is Sunday. We only have church and a potluck meal at church on our agenda. It's been a busy few days so I'm craving some down time at home.
Gavin particpated in his final camp for the summer and traveled to eastern Iowa to explore some caves. He was gone Wednesday-Friday and seemed to enjoy it. Now that I've typed this, I've realized that I neglected to start his laundry from that adventure. Shoot. He has a week and a half off before he starts 7th grade on August 15.
I had to work Friday night for DMACC. It wasn't great. I had an argumentative class that wouldn't stay on track with our topics and discussions. I was so happy to get out of there at 10pm. We got up very early today to particpate in a disaster exercise held at the Des Moines airport. Jon was the Exercise Director and has been stressing about the exercise for awhile now. Gavin and I were two of the many victims in the set-up plane crash. We had to be there by 7am and it was actually delayed in the middle of it due to severe weather. We even got a trip to an emergency room as the hospitals used the fake emergency for practice too. Our hospital didn't do very well. Gavin's fake injury was a femur fracture. I had a tib-fib fracture. It was fun watching all the firefighters/paramedics respond. Some issues did arise during the exercise and provide more stress for Jon so I feel pretty bad about that. He spent months planning the exercise and I don't think many people think about that.
Both Jon and I are participating in Weight Watchers now. It's been a good first week in our endeavor. We were both able to have hot dogs at the lunch today at the airport (free food) and still have a really nice meal for supper. We made our black bean quesadillas and a stir fry with green pepper, red pepper, yellow squash, zucchini, and mushrooms. I love that most vegetables and fruits are zero points for Weight Watchers. We could eat as much of the stir fry that we wanted. Both Jon and I have plenty of points right now in the process. I ate all my points today but there were days last week that I struggled to eat them all.
I think that's enough for now. Hoping to blog more next week since I hopefully have some free time at home.
Gavin particpated in his final camp for the summer and traveled to eastern Iowa to explore some caves. He was gone Wednesday-Friday and seemed to enjoy it. Now that I've typed this, I've realized that I neglected to start his laundry from that adventure. Shoot. He has a week and a half off before he starts 7th grade on August 15.
I had to work Friday night for DMACC. It wasn't great. I had an argumentative class that wouldn't stay on track with our topics and discussions. I was so happy to get out of there at 10pm. We got up very early today to particpate in a disaster exercise held at the Des Moines airport. Jon was the Exercise Director and has been stressing about the exercise for awhile now. Gavin and I were two of the many victims in the set-up plane crash. We had to be there by 7am and it was actually delayed in the middle of it due to severe weather. We even got a trip to an emergency room as the hospitals used the fake emergency for practice too. Our hospital didn't do very well. Gavin's fake injury was a femur fracture. I had a tib-fib fracture. It was fun watching all the firefighters/paramedics respond. Some issues did arise during the exercise and provide more stress for Jon so I feel pretty bad about that. He spent months planning the exercise and I don't think many people think about that.
Both Jon and I are participating in Weight Watchers now. It's been a good first week in our endeavor. We were both able to have hot dogs at the lunch today at the airport (free food) and still have a really nice meal for supper. We made our black bean quesadillas and a stir fry with green pepper, red pepper, yellow squash, zucchini, and mushrooms. I love that most vegetables and fruits are zero points for Weight Watchers. We could eat as much of the stir fry that we wanted. Both Jon and I have plenty of points right now in the process. I ate all my points today but there were days last week that I struggled to eat them all.
I think that's enough for now. Hoping to blog more next week since I hopefully have some free time at home.
Friday, July 27, 2012
And Summer is Almost Over...Sigh
Greetings:
I swear on the basset hound lying next to me that I've meant to post a blog entry for weeks now. I tihnk I always start my entries saying something along those lines. I'm pleased to report that I have today off so I've been able to stay at home all day. I had hoped to have accomplished more by now but I've made a nice dent in housework and laundry. My current project is unpacking more in the home office area since I still have 5 boxes sitting in here. I'm probably going to make a bigger mess by sorting through everything.
I haven't blogged since July 3 evidently so I'll re-cap the month's happenings:
I swear on the basset hound lying next to me that I've meant to post a blog entry for weeks now. I tihnk I always start my entries saying something along those lines. I'm pleased to report that I have today off so I've been able to stay at home all day. I had hoped to have accomplished more by now but I've made a nice dent in housework and laundry. My current project is unpacking more in the home office area since I still have 5 boxes sitting in here. I'm probably going to make a bigger mess by sorting through everything.
I haven't blogged since July 3 evidently so I'll re-cap the month's happenings:
- Summer Youth Fitness 2012 is over. I sound like a broken record but I wish I enjoyed that program more. The issues with employees, a few of the kids, and a few of the parents provides more stress than I like. But it's a children's program so I should start expecting weekly stress from different sources. The Family Night event went really well on Wednesday. Like usual I didn't order enough food but had increased the amount from last year...I guess kids really like cookies. Luckily we had the perfect amount of veggies and fruit though. What surprised me was the fact the kids did portion control....it was the parents taking three cookies and huge platefuls of fruits and veggies. It's like come on....I need to feed 100+ people, it's not a buffet.
- The garden is doing pretty well. The dry conditions are causing our giant tomato plants to tip over though so we've been in the garden a lot trying to brace and tie up the cages around a few of the plants. We've gotten our first riping tomatoes and picked a few peppers too. What's really surprised me is the maturation of the cucumbers. The are growing like crazy and I can't keep up. They are my favorite thing to eat in the summer with some ranch.
- Jon is going to start attending Weight Watchers with me. We are trying to figure out a meeting date/time that works for both of us. It may need to be Mondays at 5:30pm on some weeks but Jon may have evening meetings for work on the periodic Monday. Another date/time is Wednesday at 6:30pm but that option won't last long since I need to teach on Wednesday nights for DMACC. I'm assumining as he becomes comfortable with the program that he'll be fine attending meetings by himself on some weeks. I may actually need to attend some meetings in Ames at times.
- I officially checked out of my apartment yesterday. We spent a lot of time last Saturday cleaning and it paid off. Other than a broken towel bar in the bathroom, the rest of the apartment was clean. I'm in love with Mr. Clean Magic Erasers for the bathtub since I only spent like 30 minutes cleaning my tub/shower. As long as I've rented, I've not been diligent about cleaning my shower/tub and oven. I always pay for it when I clean prior to moving out. It felt good to hand over my keys and parking pass. It felt excellent to hand over my keys to the cleaning closet for the apartment. I never have to sweat and clean the laundry room and horrible hallways. I am helping them clean on July 31 as the rest of the tenants move out that day. Some extra money won't hurt but I'm sure it will end up being miserable.
- Random comment...I watched Bush perform a concert on the dish recently. It's no secret that I used to enjoy Gavin Rossdale greatly in the 90s so I was intrigued. The band has lost members. I believe Gavin and the drummer are the only original members. Sadly I wasn't super impressed. Gavin looks the same (sorta) but it was weird for me to see a 40-year-old bouncing all over the stage like a cocker spaniel. His voice sounded great so that was appreciated. I also saw No Doubt's new music video "Settle Down". I wasn't wowed by it but I've not been a huge fan of the band in the past.
- I have the next week off from Iowa State University. In theory, I have the following week off too but I need to go in to tidy-up my office and prepare for the semester. Lots to do still and I didn't get even 1/16 of my prep done in June or July. Bleh. Luckily I can do some of it at hoem too and won't need to make the trek to Ames often.
- Gavin is officially enrolled in the Ankeny School District. They have an open house next week but unfortunately he'll be at a camp and unable to attend. I'm hoping they can have him visit the following week so he's familar with the middle school. We won't have a lot of school shopping to do as I refuse to buy any jeans until it's cooler out. I'm hoping his new shoes are surviving well at 4H camp this week. His school supply list is a lot more simplistic compared to Ames so we don't have a lot to buy for his locker or school needs either.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Ankeny Updates
I finally took some time tonight to wander the property and house to take some photos. I think I'll start with the garden. One half of it is really taking off and flourishing. The other half (planted with seeds) is not doing so hot. Mental note for next year.
We have it fenced in so the rabbits and basset hound stay out. As you can see, the tomatoes are freaking tall.
Many of the flowers are now small green tomatoes. I only planted the BigBoy hybrid variety of tomatoes.
The cucumbers are taking off too and starting to crawl up the lattice we set up. There are a few flowers so hopefully we have some cukes soon.
This is the "dud" side of the garden. Two rows of green onion and two rows of carrots are massive fails. We have maybe two successful carrots growing and two tuffs of green onion. Boo.
Just another view of the garden...
A project completed by Gavin and Jon. We had an extra garbage can in the basement (used to store dog food) and decided to try and lower the water bill. Some of the storms in June have produced a lot of rain water for watering the garden.
The next pictures are the updated status of the house now that our large furniture is now in place. I'm really proud of the basement.
The treadmill and the love seat fit nicely. Gavin's been spending a lot of time down here since it's really cold.
We moved our shelf down in the basement to store all of the DVDs and such.
Our TV also found a new home in the basement. It's not connected to the dish yet (it may not ever be connected to it). It's nice having Gavin's Xbox down here and out of the way in the living room.
Nothing in this room has changed expect for larger and more frequent piles of dirty clothes. I'm just happy that I have a washer and dryer that don't require the use of quarters. It's also nice to not have to wait for another tenant to get their clothes out of the machine so I can finally use it.
This is the living room with 3/4 of a basset hound. She followed me during my photo shoot and I'm suprised she's not in more pictures. I didn't add anything to the living room.
Just another view of the living room and the entire dog.
It's not a dresser and it's not a chest of drawers. It's a "chesser". The nifty feature of this piece of furniture is the center. The square portion is actually a cabinet-like space that allows me to stick things inside the chesser that I'd typically put on top (jewerly box, perfumes, etc.)
This is the wonderful new king-sized bed. My back loves it. I'm sleeping better. I never make my side of the bed so I'm sure you can figure out where I sleep on it.
I have a lot of things to try and get done in the next weeks. I need to be out of the Ames apartment by July 31.
I guess that's enough for now....another update soon to come!
We have it fenced in so the rabbits and basset hound stay out. As you can see, the tomatoes are freaking tall.
Many of the flowers are now small green tomatoes. I only planted the BigBoy hybrid variety of tomatoes.
The cucumbers are taking off too and starting to crawl up the lattice we set up. There are a few flowers so hopefully we have some cukes soon.
This is the "dud" side of the garden. Two rows of green onion and two rows of carrots are massive fails. We have maybe two successful carrots growing and two tuffs of green onion. Boo.
Just another view of the garden...
A project completed by Gavin and Jon. We had an extra garbage can in the basement (used to store dog food) and decided to try and lower the water bill. Some of the storms in June have produced a lot of rain water for watering the garden.
The next pictures are the updated status of the house now that our large furniture is now in place. I'm really proud of the basement.
The treadmill and the love seat fit nicely. Gavin's been spending a lot of time down here since it's really cold.
We moved our shelf down in the basement to store all of the DVDs and such.
Our TV also found a new home in the basement. It's not connected to the dish yet (it may not ever be connected to it). It's nice having Gavin's Xbox down here and out of the way in the living room.
Nothing in this room has changed expect for larger and more frequent piles of dirty clothes. I'm just happy that I have a washer and dryer that don't require the use of quarters. It's also nice to not have to wait for another tenant to get their clothes out of the machine so I can finally use it.
This is the living room with 3/4 of a basset hound. She followed me during my photo shoot and I'm suprised she's not in more pictures. I didn't add anything to the living room.
Just another view of the living room and the entire dog.
It's not a dresser and it's not a chest of drawers. It's a "chesser". The nifty feature of this piece of furniture is the center. The square portion is actually a cabinet-like space that allows me to stick things inside the chesser that I'd typically put on top (jewerly box, perfumes, etc.)
This is the wonderful new king-sized bed. My back loves it. I'm sleeping better. I never make my side of the bed so I'm sure you can figure out where I sleep on it.
I have a lot of things to try and get done in the next weeks. I need to be out of the Ames apartment by July 31.
- Get the rest of my belongings out of my apartment, especially the kitchen
- Prepare for Saturday's garage sale
- Clean the Ames apartment (blah)
- Organize my office area in the Ankeny home
- Reorganize the kitchen in Ankeny and create a pantry in the basement
I guess that's enough for now....another update soon to come!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Not a big fan of PAIN!
I'm having a hard time buckling down to do anything super productive at work thanks to my back. I figured I'd whine about it in the blog. I gave in and have involved the medical community. I go back tomorrow and will visit with the neurosurgeon again. Apparently if I have something major like this, neurology has to be involved since they were involved last year with all the back shenanigans.
I spent a lot of time this morning being pissed at myself. I bet I could be 30 lbs lighter right now if I had stayed on track with Weight Watchers and boosted my physical activity. My back would probably be much happier. I actually think I'm more upset about that than the constant pain. I'm so grateful to be relatively tolerant when it comes to pain. I'm able to stand and walk so that's fantastic. I'd have to say my pain is around a 10 when I lie down, bend over, or sit. When I stand up or walk, it's only a 2.
I'm also worried because I'm depending on my body to cooperate so I'm useful and helpful for the rest of the move. I need to be sorting, packing, and preparing and not being able to sit and bend over is very problematic. Frustrating!!!
Anyway....just wanted to vent some disappointment and frustration before my work day gets underway. I'm hoping it storms soon so the temps drop. I've had enough 90 degree temperatures and heat index spikes.
I spent a lot of time this morning being pissed at myself. I bet I could be 30 lbs lighter right now if I had stayed on track with Weight Watchers and boosted my physical activity. My back would probably be much happier. I actually think I'm more upset about that than the constant pain. I'm so grateful to be relatively tolerant when it comes to pain. I'm able to stand and walk so that's fantastic. I'd have to say my pain is around a 10 when I lie down, bend over, or sit. When I stand up or walk, it's only a 2.
I'm also worried because I'm depending on my body to cooperate so I'm useful and helpful for the rest of the move. I need to be sorting, packing, and preparing and not being able to sit and bend over is very problematic. Frustrating!!!
Anyway....just wanted to vent some disappointment and frustration before my work day gets underway. I'm hoping it storms soon so the temps drop. I've had enough 90 degree temperatures and heat index spikes.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Another Much Needed Update
Greetings again:
It will be interesting to see how long this blog is....I'm having some pretty nasty back pain so I'm not sure how long I can sit up at the computer. A lot has been going on in regard to work and the upcoming move to Ankeny. Summer Youth Fitness is starting its third week. I'm about 90% pleased with how things are going. I've had some drama with some employees unfortunately so I'm trying to implement some managerial tactics to promote harmony in the work place. I'm afraid one of my situations will last most of the program and affect a friendship between two of my employees and it all stems to different teaching philosophies. I'm also unhappy with the work ethic of some of my aquatic teachers. It seems that if I'm not in the pool area watching, they tend to slack off and the quality of lessons diminishes. Blah.
We've moved more of our belongings down to Ankeny thanks to Jon bringing his Jeep up to Ames. I need to take a lot more there during this week and during the weekend so things are emptier before the movers come on June 29. I'm also anxious to see how much this move will actually cost so I can start using my savings for other expenses I have in the summer months.
Jon made some big purchases recently to benefit the cohabitation situation. We now have a "chesser" in the main bedroom. Chest of drawers + dresser = chesser. It's much taller than a dresser and was very much needed so we had enough dresser space between the two of us. We also have a new bed. We went to the business looking for a queen set but now own a king set. It's so odd having so much space in a bed. It doesn't move when someone shifts their weight or leaves the bed. It's also very tall and fits the room nicely. We expected it to look to large but I think it compliments the room. The salesman had a good point...the bedroom is for sleeping anyway, who care if the bed takes up a lot of space. It's still nice to have a walkway to the closet and in front of the chesser. I'll post pictures soon.
I was able to see my counselor last week so we had another good talk. I don't think I really learned anything new. She really agrees and reinforces a lot of things I say in the conversations. I'm still trying to work on things I do for myself but it's been tough lately with the move approaching and the stress of Summer Youth Fitness. I want to read so many different books but haven't had the time or energy to do so. Exercise is non-existent. Blah. Gardening is fun though....the garden is doing well and we have flowers on the tomato and pepper plants. I wasn't meant to raise carrots or green onion. They are growing poorly.
In addiition to Gavin and I joining Jon's household, another dog will be joining the house too. We are fostering a basset hound for a little while. His name is Nash and he was born with the glaucoma gene so he's unfortuantely blind. They are running out of foster homes in the area so we were asked to help with Nash until he is adopted. Jon's floorplan will also help with Nash's safety. He's supposed to move in on Saturday or Sunday when all of his vetting is complete. He is being neutered this week. He's pretty good and does remarkably well considering his disability.
I guess that's all for now. I'd appreciate any happy thoughts you can send my way in regards to my back. I've loved that it's been better since last year but I've had occasional pain every once in awhile that stops me in my tracks. Tonight's pain is the worse I've had in awhile and it's sticking around longer than usual too. Here's the kicker...all I did was bend over in the shower to adjust the water temperature. Right then I had horrible pain and my back gave out. I could understand if I was picking up a heavy box or something but bending over slightly??? Grr. Fact of the matter is that I need to lose weight and I've gained some back. This is my body's way of telling me to get back into gear with my weight loss because my poor vertebrae and interverebral discs are suffering badly.
Enjoy the start of summer tomorrow!!!
It will be interesting to see how long this blog is....I'm having some pretty nasty back pain so I'm not sure how long I can sit up at the computer. A lot has been going on in regard to work and the upcoming move to Ankeny. Summer Youth Fitness is starting its third week. I'm about 90% pleased with how things are going. I've had some drama with some employees unfortunately so I'm trying to implement some managerial tactics to promote harmony in the work place. I'm afraid one of my situations will last most of the program and affect a friendship between two of my employees and it all stems to different teaching philosophies. I'm also unhappy with the work ethic of some of my aquatic teachers. It seems that if I'm not in the pool area watching, they tend to slack off and the quality of lessons diminishes. Blah.
We've moved more of our belongings down to Ankeny thanks to Jon bringing his Jeep up to Ames. I need to take a lot more there during this week and during the weekend so things are emptier before the movers come on June 29. I'm also anxious to see how much this move will actually cost so I can start using my savings for other expenses I have in the summer months.
Jon made some big purchases recently to benefit the cohabitation situation. We now have a "chesser" in the main bedroom. Chest of drawers + dresser = chesser. It's much taller than a dresser and was very much needed so we had enough dresser space between the two of us. We also have a new bed. We went to the business looking for a queen set but now own a king set. It's so odd having so much space in a bed. It doesn't move when someone shifts their weight or leaves the bed. It's also very tall and fits the room nicely. We expected it to look to large but I think it compliments the room. The salesman had a good point...the bedroom is for sleeping anyway, who care if the bed takes up a lot of space. It's still nice to have a walkway to the closet and in front of the chesser. I'll post pictures soon.
I was able to see my counselor last week so we had another good talk. I don't think I really learned anything new. She really agrees and reinforces a lot of things I say in the conversations. I'm still trying to work on things I do for myself but it's been tough lately with the move approaching and the stress of Summer Youth Fitness. I want to read so many different books but haven't had the time or energy to do so. Exercise is non-existent. Blah. Gardening is fun though....the garden is doing well and we have flowers on the tomato and pepper plants. I wasn't meant to raise carrots or green onion. They are growing poorly.
In addiition to Gavin and I joining Jon's household, another dog will be joining the house too. We are fostering a basset hound for a little while. His name is Nash and he was born with the glaucoma gene so he's unfortuantely blind. They are running out of foster homes in the area so we were asked to help with Nash until he is adopted. Jon's floorplan will also help with Nash's safety. He's supposed to move in on Saturday or Sunday when all of his vetting is complete. He is being neutered this week. He's pretty good and does remarkably well considering his disability.
I guess that's all for now. I'd appreciate any happy thoughts you can send my way in regards to my back. I've loved that it's been better since last year but I've had occasional pain every once in awhile that stops me in my tracks. Tonight's pain is the worse I've had in awhile and it's sticking around longer than usual too. Here's the kicker...all I did was bend over in the shower to adjust the water temperature. Right then I had horrible pain and my back gave out. I could understand if I was picking up a heavy box or something but bending over slightly??? Grr. Fact of the matter is that I need to lose weight and I've gained some back. This is my body's way of telling me to get back into gear with my weight loss because my poor vertebrae and interverebral discs are suffering badly.
Enjoy the start of summer tomorrow!!!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
End of May Update
Greetings again:
I'm winding down for the night and actually feel pretty tired. I'm hoping to be nestled in my bed quite soon. It wasn't a full day of work for me but I did clean the hallways and complete my manager duties for the apartment building. It's amazing how cleaning can be a workout and work up a sweat. I'm just glad to have all that done before I leave for Waukon.
That being said...I'm very excited to go home for the extended weekend. It's going to be busier than I like but it will be fun celebrating, seeing family, and having fun. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a trip to the boat for some blackjack. Fingers crossed but not holding my breath. It sounds like my Mom is fairly organized for my sister's graduation party so I'm hoping Friday night and Saturday are pretty straightfoward.
I was given the opportunity to read the first too books in the "Fifty Shades" series. I was skeptical at first since the book was getting so much press and attention. I had heard the book was sexual and somewhat graphic but still figured it was like those romance novels that you seen with the Fabio and some tormented woman on the cover. Holy cow was I wrong. The author of the book was quite ballsy when writing the series and I was often surprised by what I was reading. Well done lady. I read the first two books in the series in less than a week. It says a lot when you can sit and read 10 chapters in one sitting. I can definitely understand why conservative groups are upset about the book though.
I'm also happy to say that I finally used my gift certificate my Dad gave me to have my car detailed and waxed. The Fusion looks very purdy. I'm hoping I can keep the inside and outside looking spiffy for awhile. They also did a good job of getting rid of the cigerette smoke smell. I'm sure it may return but I appreciate the temporary fix. It still irritates me that the dealership did such a good job of hiding the fact that a previous driver smoked. Bleh.
Tomorrow is Gavin's last day of sixth grader. I'm sure more of the teenage agnst will be appearing this summer. He's still excited about our move. We'll have a lot going on in the next thirty days in regards to packing and having actual movers arrive. I'm very excited to not pay rent much longer. Woohoo!
I guess that's it for now!
I'm winding down for the night and actually feel pretty tired. I'm hoping to be nestled in my bed quite soon. It wasn't a full day of work for me but I did clean the hallways and complete my manager duties for the apartment building. It's amazing how cleaning can be a workout and work up a sweat. I'm just glad to have all that done before I leave for Waukon.
That being said...I'm very excited to go home for the extended weekend. It's going to be busier than I like but it will be fun celebrating, seeing family, and having fun. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a trip to the boat for some blackjack. Fingers crossed but not holding my breath. It sounds like my Mom is fairly organized for my sister's graduation party so I'm hoping Friday night and Saturday are pretty straightfoward.
I was given the opportunity to read the first too books in the "Fifty Shades" series. I was skeptical at first since the book was getting so much press and attention. I had heard the book was sexual and somewhat graphic but still figured it was like those romance novels that you seen with the Fabio and some tormented woman on the cover. Holy cow was I wrong. The author of the book was quite ballsy when writing the series and I was often surprised by what I was reading. Well done lady. I read the first two books in the series in less than a week. It says a lot when you can sit and read 10 chapters in one sitting. I can definitely understand why conservative groups are upset about the book though.
I'm also happy to say that I finally used my gift certificate my Dad gave me to have my car detailed and waxed. The Fusion looks very purdy. I'm hoping I can keep the inside and outside looking spiffy for awhile. They also did a good job of getting rid of the cigerette smoke smell. I'm sure it may return but I appreciate the temporary fix. It still irritates me that the dealership did such a good job of hiding the fact that a previous driver smoked. Bleh.
Tomorrow is Gavin's last day of sixth grader. I'm sure more of the teenage agnst will be appearing this summer. He's still excited about our move. We'll have a lot going on in the next thirty days in regards to packing and having actual movers arrive. I'm very excited to not pay rent much longer. Woohoo!
I guess that's it for now!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Counseling Session Part I
Greetings!
So I started off my week in a proactive fashion and went through with the counseling session I scheduled at an office in Ames. I set it up through the Employee Assistance Program that Iowa State offers its employees. I had expected to be nervous and worried about the appointment but I really wasn't. I was really comfortable talking to her (I picked a female counselor...it seemed odd to talk to a guy about all this).
She took time asking about my family, my past, and all that relevant information. I went into it thinking I wasn't going to learn anything new. I've been telling myself for months...years that I know what I need to do and I know all the facts about weight loss. I have to admit some of her questions for me were quite hard. The first tough question was "If you had three wishes, what would they be?" Another difficult question asked what I did for myself on a regular basis to relax and replenish myself. One of her main conclusions at the end of our hour together was that I'm a "yes" person and that I'm not putting myself first very often. She thinks that I'm using food as my tool for relaxation and comfort because I no longer use or have other sources. I had never thought about it that way. She is correct, I don't really utilize my hobbies anymore. I don't play tennis anymore. I really don't get together with friends anymore for Ladies Night Out. I do try to read for pleasure but that's not very consistent. She said it's no wonder that I turn to food at night because it's become the consistent source of comfort and endorphin-release in my life. She gave me some homework/questions to think about before we meet again:
Another great visual she presented was that of a glass of liquid. She made me think about all the "straws" that are depleting me in terms of my energy and attention. There is a straw for Gavin, ISU, Jon, immediate family, friends, the Red Cross, and any other responsibility in my life. She said for every straw that depletes me, I need to have a source replenishing my energy, providing attention, and renewing my sanity in life. I really don't have many sources for that. And the sources I do have are not being utilized very well.
I do want to see her again but it won't be for weeks since her schedule is very full and she has time off for a wedding. It will give me several weeks to do some thinking and make some simple changes.
On a completely separate note....here is a picture of the complete garden. I didn't take any pictures of the garden with the fence erected around it but Jon did set one up to ensure the basset hound doesn't get in and dig. We do have the occasional rabbit in the yard too so I wanted them to have reduced access too. I bopped down to Ankeny tonight to water it. It needs to grow faster. Ha.
That's it for now!
So I started off my week in a proactive fashion and went through with the counseling session I scheduled at an office in Ames. I set it up through the Employee Assistance Program that Iowa State offers its employees. I had expected to be nervous and worried about the appointment but I really wasn't. I was really comfortable talking to her (I picked a female counselor...it seemed odd to talk to a guy about all this).
She took time asking about my family, my past, and all that relevant information. I went into it thinking I wasn't going to learn anything new. I've been telling myself for months...years that I know what I need to do and I know all the facts about weight loss. I have to admit some of her questions for me were quite hard. The first tough question was "If you had three wishes, what would they be?" Another difficult question asked what I did for myself on a regular basis to relax and replenish myself. One of her main conclusions at the end of our hour together was that I'm a "yes" person and that I'm not putting myself first very often. She thinks that I'm using food as my tool for relaxation and comfort because I no longer use or have other sources. I had never thought about it that way. She is correct, I don't really utilize my hobbies anymore. I don't play tennis anymore. I really don't get together with friends anymore for Ladies Night Out. I do try to read for pleasure but that's not very consistent. She said it's no wonder that I turn to food at night because it's become the consistent source of comfort and endorphin-release in my life. She gave me some homework/questions to think about before we meet again:
- What am I going to consider adding to my life to bring me pleasure and relaxation?
- What am I feeling prior to eating at inappropriate times?
Another great visual she presented was that of a glass of liquid. She made me think about all the "straws" that are depleting me in terms of my energy and attention. There is a straw for Gavin, ISU, Jon, immediate family, friends, the Red Cross, and any other responsibility in my life. She said for every straw that depletes me, I need to have a source replenishing my energy, providing attention, and renewing my sanity in life. I really don't have many sources for that. And the sources I do have are not being utilized very well.
I do want to see her again but it won't be for weeks since her schedule is very full and she has time off for a wedding. It will give me several weeks to do some thinking and make some simple changes.
On a completely separate note....here is a picture of the complete garden. I didn't take any pictures of the garden with the fence erected around it but Jon did set one up to ensure the basset hound doesn't get in and dig. We do have the occasional rabbit in the yard too so I wanted them to have reduced access too. I bopped down to Ankeny tonight to water it. It needs to grow faster. Ha.
That's it for now!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
My Biggest Enemy...My Big Toe
Greetings:
I had planned to blog on Friday but I'm glad I did not. I was so emotional on Friday and unhappy about a few things. I'm sure that blog would have been a long rant of self-pity and anger. I've had off and on issues with the toenail on my right big toe. Well it got real irritating last week so I called the doc Friday morning and they got me in to look at it. The doctor went back and forth about trying to work on it. Her first choice was for me to go home for another week and soak it three times a day in episom salt to try and get the nail out myself. I had tried that and could not get the toe to cooperate. Luckily she was willing to numb up my toe and cut it out after some discussion. I had a repeat of the dentist though. She could not get my toe completely numb so sadly I felt more of the procedure than I wanted to. I would have prefered to feel nothing of course. After about ten minutes, she was done and half my big toe nail was gone. Holy crap it was sore all of Friday and even on Saturday periodically. Apparently I'll have a normal looking toenail in about 9 months since it will take that long for the missing side to grow back completely. It's going to creep out those poor gals at the beauty school when I get some pedicures but TOUGH LUCK! I have pictures but I'll keep those to myself. They're a little nasty.
I've also had some weird bouts of vertigo. I spoke to the doctor about it too and they checked my blood sugar. Blood work was fine. I've been able to pinpoint when it happens so that's helpful. I typically wake up with it whether I'm standing or still lying in bed. If I make really quick movements (e.g. standing up quickly) I get dizzy. I'll feel a little unsteady periodically but the really bad dizziness only occurs in the previously mentioned situations. I'm hoping it will pass but I'm supposed to see the doctor again at the end of the week of the vertigo continues.
On a very good note...we planted the garden today!! It took maybe a few hours (including the trip to buy tomato and pepper plants). We planted four hills of cucumbers, eight tomato plants (better boy hybrid), three pepper plants (yellow and red), green onion, carrots (short and sweet variety), and radishes. I'm the most excited about the cucumbers. We sadly found out that we'll need to cut down a tree that Jon planted several years ago as it's splitting down the center and rotting. A good storm could actually knock a significant part of it down if it's windy enough. Jon's bummed since trees aren't cheap and he did some nice landscaping around it. However, it's removal may allow for us to extend the length of the garden next year. I'm not sure what else I would plant but I'm sure we could add more veggies to the plot.
I have a lot of summer camp work to do this week. I'll be hiring more life guards and aquatic instructors. Thankfullly a couple emailed me this week asking to apply for the jobs. Whew. I have a mandatory meeting for all the employees on Wednesday. I also need to sit down and do some finance/budget planning for the program too. Exploring the budget always stresses me out because I want to keep the program affordable for families but I don't want to run in the red by the end of July. Sigh. I'm also starting a summer independent study with a student tomorrow morning. He's a dual major with the department and was unable to take a required PE course in the fall. It conflicted with a mandatory athletic training course. Fortunately I taught the PE class before so I offered to work with him over the summer since I have to be at work often anyway. If he had to wait for the official class again, it would throw off his graduation an entire year. Not cool. He's incredibly smart and diligent so the class should be a piece of cake.
Onto some personal stuff...I'm meeting with a counselor tomorrow to discuss my eating habits and binge eating. When going to the doctor, they of course always check weight and height. I've gained a lot of my weight back. And I knew this....I could tell by how my clothes are fitting, etc. Iowa State provides resources for employees so I decided to check into it. I get to visit with a professional three times for free. Why not give it a try? It's been very frustrating this time around because I know that my age makes my weight status more critical. I'm no longer able to say that I'm overweight and still able to function well. It's affecting my cholesterol, stamina, sleep, mental health, and maybe even this dizziness crap. I'm not sure what to think about tomorrow's appointment but why not give it a whirl? It's driving me nuts that I have a challenge in my life that I've not been able to attain for years. Teenage pregnancy? Did it. College? Made it through. Graduate school? Not a piece of cake, but accomplished my goals. Losing weight and make my life healthier? Seesaw back and forth every time I try it. Blah!
Anyway...that's enough for now. Hopefully this doesn't reek like self pity. I hoped that waiting a couple days before blogging would prevent that. :)
I had planned to blog on Friday but I'm glad I did not. I was so emotional on Friday and unhappy about a few things. I'm sure that blog would have been a long rant of self-pity and anger. I've had off and on issues with the toenail on my right big toe. Well it got real irritating last week so I called the doc Friday morning and they got me in to look at it. The doctor went back and forth about trying to work on it. Her first choice was for me to go home for another week and soak it three times a day in episom salt to try and get the nail out myself. I had tried that and could not get the toe to cooperate. Luckily she was willing to numb up my toe and cut it out after some discussion. I had a repeat of the dentist though. She could not get my toe completely numb so sadly I felt more of the procedure than I wanted to. I would have prefered to feel nothing of course. After about ten minutes, she was done and half my big toe nail was gone. Holy crap it was sore all of Friday and even on Saturday periodically. Apparently I'll have a normal looking toenail in about 9 months since it will take that long for the missing side to grow back completely. It's going to creep out those poor gals at the beauty school when I get some pedicures but TOUGH LUCK! I have pictures but I'll keep those to myself. They're a little nasty.
I've also had some weird bouts of vertigo. I spoke to the doctor about it too and they checked my blood sugar. Blood work was fine. I've been able to pinpoint when it happens so that's helpful. I typically wake up with it whether I'm standing or still lying in bed. If I make really quick movements (e.g. standing up quickly) I get dizzy. I'll feel a little unsteady periodically but the really bad dizziness only occurs in the previously mentioned situations. I'm hoping it will pass but I'm supposed to see the doctor again at the end of the week of the vertigo continues.
On a very good note...we planted the garden today!! It took maybe a few hours (including the trip to buy tomato and pepper plants). We planted four hills of cucumbers, eight tomato plants (better boy hybrid), three pepper plants (yellow and red), green onion, carrots (short and sweet variety), and radishes. I'm the most excited about the cucumbers. We sadly found out that we'll need to cut down a tree that Jon planted several years ago as it's splitting down the center and rotting. A good storm could actually knock a significant part of it down if it's windy enough. Jon's bummed since trees aren't cheap and he did some nice landscaping around it. However, it's removal may allow for us to extend the length of the garden next year. I'm not sure what else I would plant but I'm sure we could add more veggies to the plot.
I have a lot of summer camp work to do this week. I'll be hiring more life guards and aquatic instructors. Thankfullly a couple emailed me this week asking to apply for the jobs. Whew. I have a mandatory meeting for all the employees on Wednesday. I also need to sit down and do some finance/budget planning for the program too. Exploring the budget always stresses me out because I want to keep the program affordable for families but I don't want to run in the red by the end of July. Sigh. I'm also starting a summer independent study with a student tomorrow morning. He's a dual major with the department and was unable to take a required PE course in the fall. It conflicted with a mandatory athletic training course. Fortunately I taught the PE class before so I offered to work with him over the summer since I have to be at work often anyway. If he had to wait for the official class again, it would throw off his graduation an entire year. Not cool. He's incredibly smart and diligent so the class should be a piece of cake.
Onto some personal stuff...I'm meeting with a counselor tomorrow to discuss my eating habits and binge eating. When going to the doctor, they of course always check weight and height. I've gained a lot of my weight back. And I knew this....I could tell by how my clothes are fitting, etc. Iowa State provides resources for employees so I decided to check into it. I get to visit with a professional three times for free. Why not give it a try? It's been very frustrating this time around because I know that my age makes my weight status more critical. I'm no longer able to say that I'm overweight and still able to function well. It's affecting my cholesterol, stamina, sleep, mental health, and maybe even this dizziness crap. I'm not sure what to think about tomorrow's appointment but why not give it a whirl? It's driving me nuts that I have a challenge in my life that I've not been able to attain for years. Teenage pregnancy? Did it. College? Made it through. Graduate school? Not a piece of cake, but accomplished my goals. Losing weight and make my life healthier? Seesaw back and forth every time I try it. Blah!
Anyway...that's enough for now. Hopefully this doesn't reek like self pity. I hoped that waiting a couple days before blogging would prevent that. :)
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