Saturday, January 31, 2009

Total Body Boot Camp

Today my @*! was handed to me. My Weight Watchers buddy and I signed up for this class and instead it should have been called "You-will-wish-you-were-dead" workout class. The trainer used free weights, running, and stair climbing to whip us into shape with an intense 2 min/exercise of about 15 torture moves that left me ready to faint. It was the HARDEST workout I had ever done. As I sit here two hours later, I swear my heart rate has not returned to its resting rate. Did I mention I signed up for another session in two weeks? I love it.

So after we thought we were going to die when we finished, she had us do it all over again but with heavier weights but shorter time. She had us run for 15 minutes before she tortured us. I can't wait to do it again. I am going to treat myself to one class/month.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Potty Training

Confucius says "Boys with little hoses make lots of mess in the bathroom".

Confucius says "Mother of little boys must clean bathroom often".

I'm a homing pigeon

Years ago, my friend Don raised homing pigeons. These pigeons, no matter where he released them would find their way back to his house. He would sell these pigeons but gave up because they kept flying back to his house. I have discovered that I am like a homing pigeon in regards to my children.

I don't know if it's because I am a stay-at-home mom or the habit started while I was nursing the boys. When I was nursing the boys, I can count on one hand the number of times I would be away more than an hour away from the boys. Two hours away from them seem to be my limit. I start to get anxious when I'm running an errand or attending any function that runs over two hours because I want to get home to the boys. I just love their faces and I just miss them. I am able to stay away a little longer but I lose focus for whatever I'm doing. When I am away, I don't like to lollygag because I want to get my errands done and come home to see the boys. Is this normal?

Last night I was talking to my lovely husband about this topic and then he asked me how many hours it takes for me to miss him the same way....ughh...awkward...when I scrunched my nose and answered "eight hours" he sighed heavily and responded with "now I know how I rate". In my defense, I spend more time with our boys. I would be mental if I missed him all the time while he's at work.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Pictures coming to a blog near you

We finally caved in a bought a new laptop that will enable me to easily download pictures right onto my blogspot so there will be pictures of events and people I speak of. All this time, I thought my internet connection was slow as slug but it was actually our old and dying laptop. I get frustrated to think that seven years is about the lifespan of a laptop. All that waste. Landfills full of slowly decaying laptops. I was very resistant about getting a new laptop for this reason but this laptop has only days before it won't boot up anymore.

I'm wearing real underwear Mom!!

Yikes!!! My three-year old baby Koo has decided this past week he is done with diapers except to go number two. He has not had an accident and I have not had to ask him if he has to go potty, he just runs in and goes...just like a big boy as he puts it. His big brother is his biggest hero. S.E. cheers him on and tells him he did a good job after each time he goes. He is wearing those handy dandy pull-ups and he prides himself in not making the stars go away on the front. For those not in the trenches of potty-training, pull-ups are transitional "diapers" - a cross between a diaper and real underwear. You can pull it up and down and do your business, but if you have an accident in them, there's no leakage. In the front are little designs as an indicator-if you have an accident, the designs disappear letting you know you've wet yourself. Cleaver.

I mean it when I say I don't have to stay on top of him. In all honesty, potty training was such a nightmare with S.E. that I didn't want to push Koo, especially since carpet cleaning in the dead of winter is right up there with dieting. Painful. Also, Koo doesn't seem to get grossed out when I change his number two, often reaching down to help me clean it...UGGHHH.

We'll see how it goes. We have been out and about town and Koo has not had an accident. My only worry is that he has to touch everything in the bathrooms: walls, toilet paper, door handles, etc., etc. Germs!!! I tell myself it'll be okay. Thorough scrubbing crazy lady.

I love learning about how different my boys are and potty training is another example. Now, I'm off to clean the bathroom AGAIN.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

4.4 lbs!!

4.4 lbs. loss and a lot more to go.

I lost 4.4 lbs this week and I don't feel like I've been robbed of food-my stomach did rumble a few times but it was because I didn't recognize that those were the moments when I was vunerable to snack and overeat. As soon as I snapped out of it by doing something else and drinking water, I was able to logically think of a better food choice.

I was a little shocked by two things: how much I used to eat and how much I eat now. Duh!!! I was surprised at how much weight I lost this week just because I've had a lot of things that would cause me to flub up on my diet. My son's birthday was a celebration to go out to eat ( I made allowances and good food selection), friends over to eat (cooked more vegetables and ate less), and my family member health declining. I am leaving to go see my Grandma over on the Pacific coast. She is 93 years old and she is not doing well at all. She's not eating. Panic. I just pray that God will help us travel safe and for us to spend as much time with Grandma. Will update as the situation progresses.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Happy Birthday to Koo


It was Koo's birthday yesterday and he was thrilled to tell anyone within earshot he was one, two, three (holding up three fingers)!! He and I went to our local grocery store bakery and he got a Bismark donut (round chocolate frosting with custard in the middle) and milk. We talked about what being three might bring: using the potty all the time, wearing real boy underwear, and going to school. Such big things coming up for him.

I take this time to thank my Husband for encouraging me to stay home with our children from the start. As I sat there across from him, I kept thinking-"Has it really been three years?" and "This is my baby". He got a kick out of my retelling of when he was a baby-how he couldn't sit by himself, talk, or walk. He was quick to tell me he was NOT a baby and that he is a big boy now. End of babytalk. They grow up too fast. Thank goodness I was there for every cuddle time after waking up from a nap and to see him everyday of his life (except in August one night when Husband and I went on an anniversary getaway). I love this child and I can't believe I was lucky enough to be his mom. Thank you God.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Weight Watchers

So I joined Weight Watchers last night and for the first time have been in an organized group setting to lose weight. I have been struggling with my weight all my life. I am looking to lose 25 lbs. so I don't run the risk of diabetes and other health problems. My knees are hurting and it's because everytime I've been at the weight that I'm currently at, my knees creak and throb when I get up from a sitting position. My legs can't handle this much weight. Plus, I hate feeling my rolls of fat around my midsection...I'm grossed out by it, how can I expect my poor husband to be attracted to me. I can't use the baby fat excuse anymore especially since my baby is going to be three in a week and I think that has also hit home for me.

I decided to join because I need the accountability. My kind of dieting has been being really good for about six weeks or until my schedule changes and I slip up. Well then once I've slipped up, I lose momentum and can't find the inspiration to continue. That's where I'm hoping the weekly meeting will help me...refocus. I was really nervous to go last night because it was admitting to the public that I'm fat-like you can't tell when you look at me.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Snow blower to the rescue!!


Snow in the Inland Northwest can range from light snow for a few days out of the winter months to months and months of constant snow (like last year). This past month we have had a LOT of snow. Last weekend when my arms and back were burning while I shoveled for the second time in one day, I couldn't take it anymore. I'm a fast shoveler, but after an hour, I still had to get the sidewalks on both side of the driveway...uuugghhh!!! I give up!!!

It's only January...the thought of three more months of shoveling knee deep snow finally pushed us over the edge so last week I asked my husband to buy a snow blower. Since there was not a snow blower available at any of the stores, we ordered one from the internet. In the past, whenever the topic of buying a snow blower would come up my husband would often joke that it would be our luck that there would be no more snow and it would be another equipment that would take up space in his garage (like the generator).

I don't care, bring on the snow blower. Each time I shovel snow, I pray that my neighbor three doors down would come home from work and clear our sidewalks with his blower. So our blower will be here this afternoon. Yippy!! Take that snow! Bring it on...let it snow!!!

Well, it has been warm (45 degrees) the past 36 hours and now most of the snow has melted. Go figure! With our luck, we won't have another snow storm the rest of the year. Oh well, maybe I can use the blower to hang the boys bike helmets on. Huh...