Pictures!

Who can resist taking rainbow pictures when you can see them off your own porch? I sure can't!













Praying Mantis anyone? I haven't seen one of these in years...but this one was on my neighbors front porch. Chris saw one the say before in a different town













And finally a picture of Reuben's new best buddy, Rascal. He's a mini dachshund. Whenever Reuben hears Rascal barking outside, he runs to the front door. He loves, loves, loves little Rascal, and Rascal loves to terrorize Reuben. He puts his cold nose on the back of Reuben's heels. He tries to sneak up on Reuben. It's all good doggy fun!

rotating platinum pants

I had no idea what to title this, and I nearly titled it "Happy Thursday", but I used the subject-o-matique on yahoo email instead. Rotating platinum pants is loads more interesting.

I decided that I need to post more frequently...that way anyone who comes here might be compelled to comment more frequently. Sounds like a plan, right? So here's what going on in my life:

1. Had to skip the gym yesterday. Ian (the baby brother) had a meeting at 3 that went long. I could have gone to the gym, but I was not willing to give up my WW meeting.
2. I gained a pound last week, but I figure that sometimes the 3 steps forward and one step back approach is not a deadly one and I still have a total loss of 2 pounds this WW go around, so I'm happy. I decided that I'd like to lose 2 pounds this week, so I took a bright yellow garage sale sticker with a pink "2" written in it. It's now living at the top of my computer screen so I see it all day. It's rather bright, so my eyes are attracted to it. It disappears after a bit, but it's still there, reminding my subconscious mind that my goal is 2 pounds.
3. Tonight is parent-teacher night. I like meeting the parents. Unfortunately, we don't get to see so many because apples don't grow on pear trees, and if you have and ED or school phobic kid, you can guess that more than likely, the parent is ED or school phobic. It's not true in all cases, but enough to make it true.

This is all I have for you lovelies. I'll come back again soon with some pictures I took this week that I think are totally cool. Check ya then!

Deadly week

I'd like to start by asking, "Where the hell did the week go?" I was going to post on Sunday while I was working at the library, except the security guard decided not to do any rounds and just sit at my desk and use the other computer. I didn't feel comfortable writing in my blog with him looking over my shoulder every 5 minutes. I hate that. It makes me feel ooky.

I haven't been following core this week. I think about 3/4 of my meals have been core. Better than nothing, and I refuse to get bent out of shape about it. Next week is a new week, and it's not as if I've been shoving food into my cake hole. I'm fine with it. It's mostly done. Whatever. Tomorrow night is weigh in and we'll see what happens.

Today I took Reuben for a nice walk. We usually don't go for walks. Usually he runs around my parents back yard with their dog, Una. I was happy that I got him out. He got to meet 2 dogs. One was a little beagle whose owner was worried about the size difference between them. When I told her that Reu's new best friend is Rascal, the mini dachshund who lives next door she was relieved. The other dog was Jake, who came bounding at us from across the street. Unleashed dogs make me uneasy. I don't know if I've explained Reu's situation completely. Reuben suffers from OCD and anxiety. He's on anxiety meds. He's not terrible good at meeting new people, unless they have dogs with them. It could be that people who have dogs just exude dog confidence, or that Reuben is distracted by the possibility of a new buddy. Who knows. Not me. So, I've got this strange dog running at us at full speed. Although Reuben likes most dogs, he doesn't like all dogs, and this very well could be one that he will not like. The strange dog's mom is yelling, "Jaaaaaaake, noooooooooo". Reuben has his hackles up. I'm putting myself in between the 2 yelling, "Is your dog friendly?" Jake was very friendly. Reuben was not exactly happy with Jake, but he didn't growl or show teeth either. I think he was put off by the fact that Jake came bounding out of no where. Now we're sitting on the couch, I'm typing, Reuben is asleep ( a result of over-stimulation: mental, physical and anxiety).

Ooooh, one last thing. I finally made it to the gym yesterday and I plan to go tomorrow, too! Woohoo for me!

Week One? All done.

I lost 3 pounds this week despite my falling off the core wagon a couple of times. I'm happy...but the true measure will be when I take my chub rub measurements next Sunday. Then all will be official.

I'm sorry that I haven't been around as much as I'd like...especially when it comes to reading all your blogs. I'm still reading, I'm just not commenting. Work has been a bear. I don't have my set schedule yet...but I'm getting closer with every moment. I've been pitching in extra at work to help out because I don't have the set schedule yet, so I have the flexibility to do so...and it's running me ragged. It's completely worthwhile because it helps keep the kids "in line" and my principal has told me more than once this week that he appreciates how much extra work I'm doing when times are tough. It's always good to make a positive impression on the new boss-man. I would have done it anyway...it keeps things calm!

Pigs in a Blanket...

are my kryptonite. Chris and I went to his bosses house for a little UFC...which was awesome because I forgot how much I like Forrest Griffin. He always seems like a nice guy...hardly trash talks, even though he wins most of the time. In his post match interview with Joe Rogan he said something along the lines of: The last match that I lost was motivating...I did go home and eat a lot of cookies, though. Totally endearing for a guy covered in blood. But hey...at least it was his own blood.

The main story here is that I went out and I only did so-so with food. There was bread and spinach dip, which I had in moderation (check!). I had diet coke instead of beer (check!). And then they came....the hostess brought out the pigs in a blanket. Yikes! It was after a ton of deliberation that she even made them. I, believe it or not, told her not to bother, and that there was plenty of food. The men, however, disagreed. Damn! So now I'm about negative 10 flex points left. My best bet is to just tone all my food down until weigh in. It's the only think I can do, right?

I heart Core!

I guess it might be just me, but Core is totally awesome. I forgot how good I feel when I'm right on track. the pic to the left is of my snack today. I made myself polenta chips and ate them them with salsa from Trader Joe's that has jicima and cucumber in it...yummers! I guess I'm becoming "hard core" so to speak.

I have 10 points left for the week (more when I start back at the gym on Monday...yay me!)...and I am fine with that. I had a great dinner out last night, and that's more important than the number of points I have left...right?

I also want to thank everyone for their ring suggestions. I'm still tossing around a few ideas. Once I make a decision, I'll let ya'll know. However, if anyone else wants to make a suggestion..please feel free.

Lastly. tomorrow is the day I'm going to take my measurements. I figure every other Sunday will be good enough for now. I don't want to upset myself...

It's all new!

Okay, so maybe it's not "all" new. I finally went back to Weight Watchers. I had not been to that meeting house in so long, that they no longer had my booklet. I had to start all over again. New folder, new books, new everything. Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better situation. There is nothing to remind me of past failures. It's a clean state. Joan, my WW leader (who is incredibly awesome) thought this was a great thing...a fresh new start. Just what I needed! So, I've been doing really well with Core today, and I hope it continues. We'll see if I survive happy hour tomorrow...

Also, I've decided not to pay too much attention to the scale. Sometimes, you can find a way to cheat the scale: no water, skipping lunch, etc...but you can't cheat THE TAPE MEASURE. In an effort to reduce my chub and how it rubs I am going to start measuring myself every 2 weeks. I think that will be the best medicine for defeating the chub rub.

And I think I've decided what my reminder will be. Let me start off by saying that I really wanted to find something that could be with me at all times. I believe I'm going to buy myself a ring. I found several nice ones on ETSY, I'm just waiting for the "right" one to show up (I'm not all that into jewelry). There is a woman who will customize a saying or a word on a simple ring, but I can't think of anything that would give me purpose without calling out "hey, I'm trying to loose the chunk". If I think of something, I might do that.

New Monkey!

My youngest brother, Ian, requested an evil sock monkey for his birthday. I finally finished the sucker. So here he is, done and done.

Here is a close up of his face. I enhanced his fangs with glow-in-the-dark thread for a little extra evil. Note the extra cool scar. This is one tough monkey!

And what evil animal could be complete without claws....they're made of floss, but they are claws all the same.

The Chub Rub

I was just commenting to Marta's blog The PudgeBudge when I realized 2 things....I haven't posted in about forever, and I hate that. Especially since my comment to Marta was that I missed her because she's been too busy to post in about 2 days...then I realized that I'm not the only one hangin' out here sometimes. Yikes! What if someone out there misses me? It may not be true, but then again, I have sitemeter, so I know someone is lookin' around for new stuff! So here I am.

The other thing (I've actually been thinking about for days) is: How I hate the chub rub! I am so tired of having my thighs touch to the extent that they do. When I was younger, and more athletic, and 124 pounds my thighs still touched...but it was more of a brush than a touch. I'm tired of not just the thighs, but there are other areas where chub rubs me the wrong way. I hate it and it stinks. I'm ready to start again. I've been sitting at the weight all summer and it needs to start coming off. I need to set up a better plan of action. I need to get out my crock pot and make some really yummy soup. I need to cook more than 97% fat free hot dogs. It's got to get better than this...especially the internal pity party.

I need to make myself something I can hold in my hand that could symbolize the chub rub for when I have weak moments. I'm not sure what this item is going to be, but I'm going to figure something out. I think I need some suggestions from you all...so what do you think my chub rub symbol should be?

I'm working at the library at the moment; it's my first Sunday since June, so I might be posting again as I sit here and agonize over what I'll be doing to start taking the chub rub away.

Can't Keep Up!

I can not wait to get completely back into the swing of things here at work. I'm struggling to get it all done. I know, I know, it's a working woman's cliche, but it's so true. I'm tired all the time because I'm not used to the sleep schedule yet. What's worse is that I went to VA over the weekend to visit with old family friends, but more on that later. I'm trying desperately to get back into the Core thing....I did pack lunch today and I've been good at keeping core foods in my work fridge. I'm hoping that it'll start to get easier at least some of the time instead of being hard all of the time. So I'm back to tracking my food. I'm trying to make use of my Komen Pink Ribbon pen as a physical reminder that by losing the weight again I reduce my chances of getting breast cancer, and that if I do get it, I'll be healthier and have a greater chance of kicking it. (I don't think I've ever mentioned it here, but my maternal grandmother died from breast cancer)

There are good bits to work. I now carpool with my baby brother, Ian, who got a job as a 1 to 1 teachers aid at another division of my school system. He's working with elementary school kids who have emotional disturbance. He started yesterday. Lucky for me, his school building is a block away from Starbucks, so I'm not really going out of my way at all!

Although I complained about the lack of sleep I got from going to VA this past weekend, it was wonderful to visit with old friends. They're a couple that my family used to go stay with every summer when I was a kid. Bill went through school with my dad and they were the best of friends. Bill met Sue when he was in college. They both have art degrees and are artisan leather workers. They things they make are amazing.

I'm also hopping on the band wagon when it comes to taking pictures of what I'm eating. I'll do it was much as I can and I'm not going to chastise myself if I don't get it done. It's a fun little project is all, and it could possibly help in the future when I can't decide what to eat...I can go back and look and perhaps psyched myself into eating something that's good for me...

Breakfast was fat free, plain Greek style yogurt with ground flax (I count that as core) and a FF latte from Starbucks.

For lunch I had whole wheat pasta with tomatoes, broccoli, red pepper flakes and a tsp of EVOO.

Oh, and the cleanse is a 2 week cleanse for those of you who asked.

First days of the school year

Only 10 more months until summer vacation! Yeah, it's that time of year again. Things have been pretty calm at work for the first 2 days of school. We have a good number of return students who understand how things are run, but we have a couple of new students who were big fish in little ponds last year...they just haven't realized yet that they are not the toughest kids at my school. This one particular young man was the "bad" and "tough" kid at his old school. He's been strutting around bragging "I got thrown out of my old school...your districts just decided to send you here" What he doesn't realize is that most of the kids have been thrown out of their own schools...it was just more than a year ago and they are continuing at this school because they are successful. I'm predicting one of two things will happen:

1. He'll stop the bragging once he hears some of the other kids stories, and/or sees that they are tons tougher than he is by how they carry themselves and ignore his bantering.


2. He'll say the wrong thing to the wrong kid and he'll get popped for it and lose all his "status" and be the low man on the totem pole until everyone forgets. Hopefully the kid who pops him won't be a girl because no one will forget that until June. Yup, the girls at my school are tougher than this kid (not that there is anything wrong or unnatural about being a strong woman!)

Other than that, not much is going on. I'm not following any specific plan, but I have reigned in my eating and I'm eating mostly core foods. I'm also in the middle of a digestive cleanse...I bought a kit at Trader Joe's last weekend. It was well priced (12.99). I like the idea of disposing of toxins. And frankly, it's keeping me from eating crap because I don't want to undo the cleanse before I even finish all the stupid pills!

It's been a while

I have been pretty busy for the past bunch of days. On Saturday, not only was it Marta's birthday, it was Reuben's. We got him a brand new dog bed that he fits on even if he sprawls out! He totally loves it. Its cover is made of denim so Reuben's OCD turning and scratching will not rip holes in it.


Reuben also had Una sleep over on his birthday. It wasn't' really a party because Una does nothing but harass poor Reuben. She loves him so very much, and does anything she can to get his attention. She would love nothing more than

for him to play with her or let her snuggle with him. As you can see in the pictures, she tries to get as close to him as possible without him noticing. At times, Reuben would be trying to sleep on my bed, and she would sneak up, stand on her hind legs and put her front paws on his head. Very amusing.

My best friend, Darth Bruce, had her birthday yesterday, so Happy Birthday Bruce!



Another Labor Day weekend thing is trying to cram as much fun stuff into three days as possible because school started today. No students, but I still had to go to work today. Blah!

And finally, I made my friend, Cathy, a sock monkey for her birthday. We have a sock themed birthday thing going for the last few years, so I thought this was appropriate. I gave it to her at work today, and he sat with her, in her chair, at her desk this morning as we got ready for out back to school meetings. I think she liked him. Another friend of mine, Collette, wants one for her 2 year old daughter, and I am happy to oblige.

Tomorrow is the big 8 for Reuben on Rye...I can't believe that he's that old (and still has that much energy). He will be having a sleep over with the famous Una tomorrow night, so I'm sure there will be many picture of dog to dog torture.

I made it through my first week back to work, but just barely. All I did was act as literacy consultant all week...not one student to be seen...and I came home exhausted each day. Wednesday I came home early, ate lunch and fell asleep on the couch for almost two hours...and still got to bed on time. Yikes!

It was also a bad week when it came to eating...mostly breakfast foods. Bagels from Panera. I'm happy to report, that as tasty as they are, I am sick of the cinnamon crunch bagels and reduced fat hazelnut cream cheese. At least I've got that in my corner. Soon, I'll be bringing my lunch to school and a supply of core snacks to leave in my fridge. My office is going to be a "safe" place. I also had a co-worker ask me if I would like to walk everyday at lunch to which I agreed.

Also: Happy Birthday, Marta!

Honey, I'm Killing Myself

I'm watching the ever entertaining "Honey, We're Killing the Kids" and I had that revelation...again: I know what I have to do to be successful and lose weight and yet, I'm not doing it. Ridiculous. My best weight loss is when I'm doing a variety of fun exercises and eating mostly core foods. It's just so strange that I know and understand the ins and outs of nutrition...but I can't get my emotions/motivation/self-esteem to actually get it done! WHY?

Update:

I got off my sorry ass and made a core dinner of lemon-pepper tilapia with quinoa

Kinesis

I was inspired by Marta, who just signed up to have her own personal trainer to ask what ya'll thought of:

Kinesis
Kinesis is a functional fitness strength training system done in small group sessions. It involves integrated movements of balance, core strength and burns 30% more calories than traditional equipment training. Thirty minute sessions include a circuit of 5 stations.

Yeah, it costs extra, but it sounds cool. The people I know who tried it are totally into it....so readers, tell me what you think!

Are you kidding me?

Hello...does that kid really say he plays with his poops in the toilet? Poops? In the toilet? And this is run during the day? Jeezie creezie, people. The first few times I saw this commercial I thought he said "boat" in the toilet. That was scary enough. Where are today's parents? Yikes!

Nothing special going on. I worked today. I'm thinking of telling them I can't come in on Friday, which would give me a 4 day weekend. Nice. Food is going so-so, but 5 o'clock is another hour, and tomorrow is day one of my WW week.

And Chai, no worries. At work I only blog complaints about my weight, and I don't care if they record that. I would blog about training if I were actually participating in any.....(sniffle, sob)

Busy-ness!

I am back to work as of today..just helping to organize the English curriculum, but it's back to work all the same. I had a fun day today with all the other high school Reading and English people, so I'm getting excited about the school year.

Next week is when I'll have my office set up with my office computer and I think I'll be able to blog more often.

I am exhausted, and not quite eight PM. Sheesh!

Hello from space!

I am feeling very motivated these days. I'm really tempted to plot my motivation cycle and compare it to my other cycle, if you catch my drift. It does feel like the planets are aligning for me these days, so I'm going to ride the wave while it lasts, and I hope it's a long ride....I'm rockin' Core hard and I'm enjoying it.


I have to send out a big "Thanks!" to Chai for having slide presentations on her site because that's where I got the inspiration for doing my photos that way. So, thanks Chai!

Summer is coming very quickly to a close, and although I'd like it to last a bit longer, I am getting excited about school. I get to make my own schedule this school year. My crazy coworker is going to be working out of another location, so I won't have to look at her. We have a new principal who, so far, is really awesome. I get to keep the office I had last year, so I don't have to move like I did the last 2 years. Nice!

Bronx Zoo

I spent mid day today at The Bronx Zoo with Mom and Ian. I'm estimating that all that walking earned me about 6 activity points, so double cool!

I might add more pics once I get the ones my mom took!

I'm feeling really motivated so far this week. I'm thinking it's going to last.

Farm Fun!

My mom, Ian (my baby brother) and I went to visit the animals at Muscoot Farm and had a blast. Ian hadn't been there since he was 9...he'll be 24 next month. We were the only adults there that didn't have toddlers with us....but who cares?

The Unkown Post

I have not one clue as to what to title this, so there you go. I think this post is going to wind up being an even bigger mish mosh of stuff than I usually stick in here, but what the hell?

I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but I decided to make a sock monkey's for Chris' boss' daughter's 1st birthday. I finally finished it. Here she is, all wrapped up. She actually has a couple of board books and a cloth book on her lap because I have to give books to babies as gifts. I'm a reading geek, after all.

The evil sock monkey will be sad to see the new one leave the house, but Evil Sock Monkey still has Reuben to snuggle with, and Reuben needs a ton of snuggling today because he's exhausted from swimming this morning.

And for no reason at all I decided to stick this picture in. It's the underside of an elephant ear leaf. I love those plants, and I never realized how beautiful the underside of those leaves are!

Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot Piiiiiiiieeeee!

It's a good thing that my goal for the week is to journal everything and not actually lose weight. You see, I love chicken pot pie*. Chris and I used to get a whole wheat double crusted one that was a measly 5 points. We haven't been able to find those in quite a while, and I've been craving one for about three weeks, so last night I was at the point of desperately needing one and it was cool enough to turn on the stove, so why the hell not? I ran out to the store and grabbed one that bragged of using only white meat, so I grabbed it and ran out. I ate it; it was delicious! I later figured out that it was 25 points. Twenty. Five. Points. I need to find those whole wheat ones....

In other news, I decided that I'm going to use the little purple cool notebook that I originally bought to use. Instead of taking a ruler to it for the points, I'm just putting a check at the end of the line for core, or the points number/flexies left. I had to get it into my head that nothing is going to be absolutely perfect, so why get frustrated.

I wrote recently about going to a tea room and to answer Marta's question: it's like a coffee house excepts it's all about tea, and tea traditions. It's very luxurious. You can have scones with creme fraiche and jam. You can have tea sandwiches that come on toasted bread with the crusts cut off. It's a very girly thing to do and definitely wonderful. We went to Silver Tips Tea Room in Tarrytown, NY. It is fabulous!

*Not as much as I love hotdogs, however.

Hanging in there

I had a rough start to the week, and I screwed up yesterday when I went with my mom and the local elementary school volunteer "grandma" to a tea room. It was wonderful! So I actually started logging in food today. I don't care if I wind up with negative flexies as long as I get it all down on paper. It's a start, right? One thing at a time, one thing at a time.

Oh Mah Gah!

I am floating on bloggish air at the moment because Jojo gave me this award:





"This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you've been awarded please pass it on to others who you feel are deserving of this award."

In turn, I am going to award this to:

Marta at The Pudge Budge
Trixie at Last Pick
Cory at Dragon's Loss

For all the extra support they've given me!

And to Chai at Eye2Mind for being just plain nice.

What have I done?

I think I screwed the pooch...now that I have sitemeter, and I can see how many people visit here, I feel compelled to be funny, charming and work on my writing skills. It's a little stressful. I'm sure it'll pass. I have to admit that the sitemeter thing is awesome. I had a hit from a European country today. Who knew? I sure didn't, but I'm glad I know now!

On another note, I'm back from WW and I'm down to 181.4, which is different from my Fatbloke weight. Strange, but true. I consider them to be separate entities, and life goes on. I'm feeling more back on track with food choices, which is awesome, but I'm struggling with the journaling thing. The 12 week planners don't do it for me...I feel conspicuous when I use them. I've tried using notebooks, but because I feel the need to transform them to be more WW friendly, they become too time consuming. I'm at a loss. Do any of you have a journaling system that works for you? I'm curious to know.

I'm also going to start running again. Just running. At least at first. I think that in the past I've tried to do too much when it comes to exercise and I get overwhelmed. I think I'm going to focus on the running, and maybe do some push-ups and various ab exercises at home. Once I get into a good routine with that, then I'll add spin or swimming.

Lurkers!

I just signed up for the freebie version of sitemeter because sometimes I would look at my sitecounter and do a mental head count (me, Marta, Darth Bruce, Trixie, Cory, Chai *and others that come around once in a while ) and sometimes the numbers don't gel. Sitemeter will let me me what state people are from, and how long someone stays. It's all in fun, I'm not trying to be Big Brother, I'm just curious about who comes and reads but doesn't post!

I hope I'm not freakin' anyone out. Please, come in, stay as long as you like. I'm just curious by nature and I love new people. Maybe I'm just plain nosy. I'm not expecting to see a million new people on here....I'm no Snackie, Foo Foo, Anne, or Nytro...all of whom get tons of hits. I just want to know a little more about you all.

So, if you are a lurker or a sometimes visitor, don't be afraid just to say "hi" so I can visit your blog and do the same.

* If I forgot someone, please don't be insulted!

Breaking out

It occurred to me today, as I sat with my 93% fat free burger with soy cheese, no bun, and a handful of french fries that I'm stuck in the mental rut of labeling myself as either being "good" or "bad" with food. I think that mindset is getting in my way, tripping me up, and possibly could be part of the reason that I self sabotage so often these days. I have to stop thinking in terms of good vs. bad; it only makes me feel down if I have something I've proclaimed as "bad". I need to think in terms of "Core" and "gotta spend some flexies"...that's all it really is, isn't it?

There has got to be more to eating to live than bad and good food. I admit, there are foods that are better for you. That's obvious. But is any food really that "bad" when eaten in moderation?

Day by day

I went to Target today and bought myself some stuff to help get back into gear. I got my self a small blue spiral bound notebook to use to journal my food. I also bought 2 athletic skorts! One of them is nice enough to double for work...like I can work and then just go running in it. How awesome is that.

I've decided that as part of this 600th new beginning, I'm going to take things in small increments....like 2 hours at a time.

Garden of Paradise

My mother's backyard had turned into an awesome place to hang out with the dogs. She decided to plant Elephant Ear plants and they have gotten HUGE!
Una is sitting a couple of feet in front of the biggest leaf...it makes her look like a small dog...she's not. She's a good 65 pounds!

I'm not going to do it

I'm not going to get on my own case. Like Marta commented here recently, losing weight is not a do or die situation. I refuse to drive myself crazy...especially this week where I've been hole up in a classroom from 8-5 (most of the time 4) learning about being a teacher-leader. There is a lot of moving around in this class and I come out of there totally beat! And then I drive home in a carb coma. I've decided that I'm still going to log all the stuff I ate for posterity. Then when I finally get myself together I can look back with the ghost of bad-eating-habits-past and laugh at my bagel gorge.

Other than struggling mentally with the whole process, I am tired from being in class all day...plus, I'm at work now. I want my vacation back!

The 600th New Beginning

I have been so ambivalent about doing the right thing when it comes to my body, it's not even funny. I am just not a happy person when it comes to eating, exercising, or feeling good about any of it. Yeesh! New plan of action? You betcha!

1. I am going to use a marbled notebook to write down my food. It has a ton more room and if I'm feeling crappy or I feel the need to record my mood, I've got the space. Also, I won't feel so conspicuous. Plus, because I'm going back on Core, if I'm having a hungry day, I might need the room for various fruits and veggies.


2. Even though I didn't want to, I went to a WW today. I went in between meetings so I got to hear the program spiel that I've heard before, but never from Joanie, the wonder leader.


3. I cooked a healthy dinner tonight. I cooked enough so that I can bring some to class tomorrow.


4. I need to get a good night of sleep tonight. That might make all the difference tomorrow. I'm currently taking a fabulous class about being a teacher leader. It's a great class, the professor is incredible, but the class itself is intellectually draining.

On the positive side, I have been drinking more than my fair share of water. I'm relieve to report that I've got that minor thing on my side.

Now for the down and dirty...has anyone else had Panera Bread's Cinnamon Crunch bagel with reduced fat Hazelnut cream cheese? Good lord...it's fabulous, so stay the frick away!

Got Tagged!

I got tagged by Chai! So here it is, 10 things I like about me, in no particular order:

1. I'm a good teacher. Reading is an important skill. I have helped all kinds of kids learn how to read: dyslexic, those with IQs under 80, the ornery. I am also good at finding things kids would like to read. I'm good at classroom management. I work well with my other teachers to work collaboratively and to team teach.



2. I'm a good wife. Hey, I being home the bacon and I fry it in the pan...except I look out for Chris' health...so it's soy bacon in a lightly oil sprayed pan that has no trans fats.



3. I'm the Alpha dog in my house. I'm in charge and the dog knows it...even my parents' dog knows it and I don't even live with her!



4. I can make my body do outrageous things: I can lift heavy weights, I did an Olympic distance triathlon, trail running. I'm not doing that stuff now, and I'd like to start it up again...hmmm, maybe I'll start that up again soon.



5. I have a good sense of humor. Or at least I think I'm funny. I'm not the funniest writer in the world, but if I ever met you in person...I'd more than likely have you laughing about something. Hey, I crack myself up....



6. I'm loyal. If you're my friend, you'll always be my friend. I'm there for you anytime. ANYTIME, dammit.


7. I'm smart. I don't want to sound pompous. I'm no super genius. But I have my bright moments, that's all.


8. I'm not afraid to speak my mind. I share my ideas and suggestions at work whenever it's appropriate or asked for.


9. I love my family, including my extended family. They are some of the greatest people I've even had the pleasure of meeting.


10. I like my nose. It's just the right size for my head. And it's very straight.

Okay, now that I sound like a total ego maniac who is constantly telling people how to change things at work, and cracking bad jokes....I guess my list is done. Although, if I were asked to do this list on a different day, the answers might be very different. I'm not sure who I should tag next...hmmm. I'll have to think about that.

Ready....Set....Lose!

Starting weight for FatBlokeThin's 2007 challenge is: 182.8!

Reuben the Gray

Reuben, who is anxious by nature and by lack of nurture when he was in the pet store, has been extra anxious and OCD as of late. He's been turning a lot before lying down...to the point that he pushed all the bed clothes off of my brother bed yesterday. I know exactly why it's happening...it's been so hot 'round these parts that he isn't getting enough exercise. He opts to lie down and veg. Me, too, to be honest.

So today, I took Reuben down to the river to swim, which is his favorite activity. I keep him on an extendable leash because if I didn't and he caught sight of a goose or a duck, I'd never see him again. He'd be across the Hudson in no time flat!

Anyway, I let him take the lead and we stayed in the water for 15 or 2o minutes...after that he swam towards shore. It was a combination of tired and filled with sea weed (which might be his favorite food...he loves to snatch it up while he swims) Once we got out, he got the bath of shame, pet by Lisa , rubbed dry and then into the car. Once we got back to the apartment, he couldn't keep his eyes open, no matter how hard he tried.

A Bunch of Stuff

I've got a few things to touch upon, and as you all know, I'm not afraid of jumping from one topic to another unannounced, but today I feel I should forewarn you!

First of all, I had to get up early this morning to go do some curriculum analyzing at school. when I walked Reuben in the empty lot at the end of the street...these giant foam mountains were in the creek....crazy, right? I'm fairly sure that they are soap bubbles...this afternoon they had decreased significantly.

I made a pit stop at the all powerful (and evil) Wal-you know who this afternoon and bought the new Whoppers Strawberry Milkshake candy. I loved them so much that at my next errand stop (the Vets to pick up Reuben's meds...that's another story) that I threw them away because I knew that they were in trouble.


Which brings me to my last bit...I am totally doing the FatBlokeThin weight loss challenge and I am going to ROCK! I gotta rock because I feel absolutely fat...blah.

What I'm up to...

Here's a quick view of what project I've been up to....another 9 patch quilt. I'm hand piecing it, and it's especially slow going because I'm only motivated in bursts where I'll sew for a little while and then put it down for days. Plus, I've got 3 or 4 other projects that I'd like to try, and I've got a bunch of chores to do and I just can't seem to get any of them done! Yikes!

This is quickly turning into a "Woe is me" situation. I'm only working about 10 hours a week, and I can't seem to get a thing done. I can barely get the dished done. I haven't been running. I think my motivation switch is in the "off" position.

When I'm 34

Here is my annual birthday picture...

That's right, it's birthday time 'round these parts. I can not believe that I'm 34. It was just yesterday that people were asking me what my major was....literally, I was waiting for maintenance to open the door for my grad class and I was mistaken for 25, so I'm good with this birthday thing.

I was trying to think of something funny so I wouldn't have a total cheese smile, but I had trouble keeping my composure when I started singing this:

And Marta, my mom is going to be psyched that you mistook her for my sister!

Busy!

I'm not sure why I want to call this entry "busy" because I haven't been that busy...it just seems that way with all the house business (we're not getting it, but more on that later), trying to prepare for my next grad class, going to a 21st birthday party for I a girl I used to babysit for when she was 3, and reading a million sewing blogs because I'm becoming obsessed with sewing.

Okay, the house. It was perfect. It was in our price range. It had an accessory apartment in the lower level for my parents who want to sell their house and watch my kids if and when I should have some. My mom and I went to see it, then Chris went to see it, then Chris and his mom went to see it. Everyone and their mother loved it...literally, apparently, but Chris convinced us that it wasn't the house for us for a number of reasons including that we would be paying a butt load of taxes on 3 acres of property that had 2 acres of unusable marsh land. Plus the driveway was a steep, downward turn, which could potentially be terrible in the winter. There was an upside to this adventure: It forced us to get our duckies in a row (pre-qualification wise), we all are on the same page about the type of house we want, and it's making me want to purge, sell things on eBay, and just get organized in a general sort of way.

Ah, Lisa finally turns 21...what a party. She had a jumpy castle, beer pong, and tons of food because her father is one of the top caterers in Westchester. Woo-hoo!

That's my baby brother (almost 24) holding the ping pong ball in a round of beer pong....nice.

And just for fun, a picture of Lisa's year old boxer, Boomer!

Schatz and Giggles

My mom and I went looking for houses for shits and giggles today with an agent named Schatz, so we've been saying "for Schatz and giggles"...but we might have found a house. Chris went with the agent this even while I got us pre-approved for a hefty mortgage. We know someone has made an accepted offer, but we also know they are giving the owners a hard time, too. If Chris likes it, we want to have all of our duckies in a row to pounce if we can. It more than likely will not work out, but hey, who knows? At least we'll be ready if this one does, or if we find the perfect house in the future....right?

A Quick Update

I just got back from my WW meeting and I lost a pound, so I'm now officially 179.2. Nice!

The road to Hell is paved...

with good intentions.

The wedding was a ton of fun. I didn't do tons of damage, but I did eat 2 zeppoli (?) and I did drink a couple of gin and tonics (which make me crazy, but that's a different post). The down side is that I didn't go running yesterday because I wasn't feeling well in the afternoon. (It was not a hang over...I was stone cold sober by the time dinner came at the wedding and I was the designated driver!) And today, I didn't go running this morning, I can't go out now because it's 94 and humid and I don't need an asthma attack. I'd go later when it cool off, but I'm teaching. I think today is a bust.

Argh!

Gotta keep my head above water!

Okay, here's the situation, my parents went away on a weeks vacation and...they left the keys to the brand new Porsche......(head slap) The real situation is this...I am out of points until Tuesday and I'm going to a wedding tonight with my best pal, Darth Bruce...I think my plan is to keep myself out of too much trouble tonight, ie eat as core as possible, be the designated driver, and dance until I'm sore. Then tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday, I've got to eat clean and hit the gym with a quickness and run until I cry in the hopes that I can stay ahead of the calories. Sounds like an okay plan, right? Then why am I panicking a little?

Truth is, I'm already a run behind. Last night when I was supposed to go running there was a thunder storm. I'll run in the rain, no sweat, but running when there is thunder and lightening? I can't bring myself to do it. I hear my mother's voice telling me to stay out of the shower, off the phone, out of the pool and not to stand (or run) near trees. Ugh. On the upside of the storm, I got to see this:

Strangely, it was still thundering. It was also raining on the western end of my street. Weird.

In other fun stuff, Chris got 2 new pieces for his new drum kit. I think he's considering it complete. He set it up in our living room last night. Fun for all!

WI!

I lost 2.8 this week! Yee-haw. I think I've found the right combination to make it all work....exercise, low stress, and huge amounts of fresh cherries!

No exercise today, just various errands and then a cool hour floating around the club pool...heaven.

Have a safe 4th, everyone!

July 1

I couldn't come up with a good, or even so-so title for today's post, so I didn't bother.

Things are going okay...the scale showed a smaller number this morning, but I can't let myself get too excited, I still have to work at it until Tuesday at 4. I also took my mom for a 6 mile bike ride this morning on her new bike. That went pretty well. I earned 2 APS for that, and I've got 9 flexies left until next meeting. Not bad...not bad at all.

I think I'm going over to my old WW boards stomping ground and rejoin the Ironman training board where you tried to get iron distances in over the period of a month. I think it's do-able since I'm on vacation. Can't hurt to try, right?

The last thing I've got to say is: I am so happy that it's cherry season! I could eat cherries all day long! And they are core...

Reuben the night time snuggler

During the day, weims are nothing but a blur of gray as they run, run, run....but what non-weim people don't know is how cuddly they are at night. I took these pics of Reuben over the last couple of nights and I thought I'd share the snuggle king....