Cheerleader Info Needed

Well I think I'm recovering nicely from finishing the Challenge... except my left knee aches like crazy. It was really nice not to wake up and head for the gym yesterday, but by last night the feeling that something was missing had settled in. By this morning, I was missing the gym and now I'm actually frustrated that I can't go tonight! Seriously, when did this become such a part of me that I can't miss a single day without going through withdrawals?

The new job is going well so far. Its had logistical challenges with The Husband's schedule & being down to one car... but we're making it work. The downside has been not being able to get to the gym; but I suppose a two day break is okay after how crazy the final Challenge days were. Tomorrow, I will get back to the gym for sure... and finally get my post-Challenge measurements.


Now, my faithful cheerleaders, I need you to email me your info. As in names & mailing addresses please (and yes, my dear Mama Pimp that means you too). True to my word, my official cheerleaders are going to be rewarded. The winner of the special gift will be announced Friday evening... I already know who you are... but you can earn an extra chance to win if I receive your info by 4:00pm PST on Friday. In case you're wondering what the "gift" is... its a surprise... I promise its good... and I did give a hint a few days ago that it required a trip to the bead store. :)

Its kids group night, and I'm already going to be late... but I wanted to leave you with my amusing moment of the afternoon. Sitting at a stop light on the way home from training, there were these two older guys along the side of the road (taking their picture in front of a pair of display jets). What caught my eye initially was the one guy trying to fix his hair, despite the fact that the wind was blowing steadily. So there I am innocently observing them & the one guy bends over, with his backside toward me, and I see a HUGE hole in his crotch! And let me tell ya... this old guy was not wearing underwear! The last thing I needed to see was old man butt hole on my way home.... ewwwwww is all I can say. Oh wait, I guess I should count my lucky stars that the hole was only on the back part of the crotch... or I would've really gotten an eye full. Still, I may have nightmares... I think I'm scarred!

The One You've Been Waiting For!

Around the World is DONE!!!

I FINISHED!!! All parts of the Challenged Completed!!!

332 Circuit Sets

279 Core Sets

378 Free Sets

48 miles on Elliptical

38.1 miles on treadmill

150 miles on bike

2,100 floors on StairMaster

In six weeks... well five, if I subtract the week I missed when we went to visit The Husband's family. Holy crapola! I can't believe I got it all done... well I can because I wasn't gonna accept anything less... but still there were moments when it almost didn't seem worth it.

Its a funny thing to finish... you would think there would be some mini-celebration or at least a huge sigh of relief. But there isn't... there is quiet and a calm feeling knowing that its done. And in this case, there was one delicious Strawberry Fields smoothie involved.

The rest of the day I devoted to relaxation, even though I have a ton of stuff to do this week & the new job starting bright n early Tuesday morning. I curled up on the sofa with a blanket and book. I chatted on the phone. I texted with friends. And I napped... or maybe I should say I became comatose on the sofa for a couple hours. I think you probably could have picked up the sofa and moved it without me waking up.

My reflections on the Challenge experience will be coming soon... maybe when I've replaced the brain cells that left my body disguised as sweat, lol.

Time for me to sleep... but not without an extra special THANK YOU to all of my faithful cheerleaders! I really don't know if I could have made it through without all of your support in the final days. You rock!!!

PS - Especially for Drazil - I do hereby promise to eat HUGE amounts of food with you! But I refuse to dawn a bikini, lol. :)

The Gym Sandwich

How does one make a gym sandwich?

Start the day with nearly two hours at the gym.

Spend the entire afternoon at the carnival & street fair.

End the day with another 1.25 hours at the gym.

There you have it... one gym sandwich. :)


For everyone who gave me permission to quit after my last post, I'm glad you were so concerned for my well-being and I appreciate it, however I have to say thanks... but no thanks! I've come way too far to stop now. Whatever seems to have caused my body's meltdown on Saturday seems to have passed... I was totally fine today.

The StairMaster is DONE!!! Yay!!!!! 200 floors today... so I actually finished with 2107 floors! While we were at the carnival, we had to walk up a flight of stairs to get to the food/shopping area... and OMG, I thought my legs were going to fall off by the time we got to the top.

I managed to knock out another 4.5 miles on the treadmill in my second visit to the gym. At beginning, I was thinking I might end up hurling after all the crap food I ate at the carnival... but it was okay once I got going. And no, I didn't eat that much crap food... just ate it fairly close to when I went back to the gym.

There I was, trotting along on the treadmill... and everything came to a crashing halt... the power went out (I guess in the whole town). Its a good thing I was walking; the lady a few machines down was running & she crashed into the front of her treadmill. It was a short outage & I was able to finish up with no problem.

So for the final day... I have 8 miles on the treadmill & 36 free weight sets. Is it weird that those numbers seem easy to me?


The carnival was lots of fun. We let the boy one have a wristband and he amused himself on rides for a couple hours. The food was wonderful... I ended up skipping the corn dog. This BBQ place had a long line... which around here we assume to be a sign of good food. I had a BBQ Baked Potato topped with cheese, sour cream & beef brisket. Not sure how it compares calorie wise to the corn dog - but I can tell you with total honesty it was some of the best food I've ever had in my life! And because I planned for an indulgence today... I was able to fully enjoy it without so much as a smidgen of guilt or anxiety. :)

I'm off to get some rest... the next time you hear from me I will have successfully completed the Around the World Challenge for the second consecutive year!!!

What do you have planned for this final week of April? Will you reach your goals for the month?

Dear Accidental Fat Chick

Dear Accidental Fat Chick,



You asked me to cooperate with your demands for three more days. I grimaced & unwillingly agreed with this request. Now, you have the nerve to tell me I must perform for a fourth day!!! Who do you think you are? Why do you not understand the warning signs I'm sending your way?



Today alone I gave the following "hints" that I'm ready to call it quits:

• Muscle fatigue


• Aching in my knees


• Aching in my hip


• Sharp pain in my thigh


• My total inability to keep my heart rate in a productive zone


• Abdominal pain that keeps on going like the Energizer bunny


• Unquenchable thirst (three times the "normal" water while you subjected me to the StairMaster)

And now, at this late hour, I am presenting you with terrible back pain... hoping (though I suspect in vain) that you'll take the hint & give me a good LONG rest.

Your demands are unreasonable & I'm sure they must break some rule in the proper care and treatment of the human body! I am sick & tired of being treated this way!! Let this be your notice, I'm not gonna take it anymore!!! You can't make me!!!

- Your Body

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I swear to you... every part of my body is ready to quit - to be done - to throw in the towel. Today's gym experience was the kind I haven't had in months - and not in a good way. I started out with free weights, which were okay. Moving on to the StairMaster, I immediately had problems. Within the first 30 minutes I had to stop the machine to catch my breath. Throughout the whole time I was sweating way more than normal, couldn't regulate my heart rate for the life of me & drank about three times as much water as I usually do on it. It was so bad that I was stopping every 15 minutes & then when I'd start again it would take every bit of my strength to keep on going. At 250 floors... I called it a day. Its very disappointing because I had lots of available time to get stuff done there today & my body just wouldn't cooperate at all.

We put off going to the carnival (my corn dog experience) until Sunday. The weather is supposed to be better. It should also be a little less crowded. Saturday is always a crazy busy day there because it starts with a parade in the morning & people seem to hang around for hours after.

We did do a quick walk through the street fair part of the event. There were so many tempting things that I managed to resist purchasing... though it seemed like selection is way down from last year. I did buy a hat - which is way out of character for me - but I really liked it. For food, I had bbq chicken on a stick, 2 small pieces of lumpia, and 1/2 an elephant ear with cinnamon & sugar.

We're having a late dinner of shrimp, baked potatoes & zucchini... I want brown rice instead of the potato, but I'm too tired & hungry to wait for it to cook.

Time to go cook... but first... a special thanks to Melissa for keeping me company while I'm at the gym. Text messages are a great thing! :)

A Gift, Food Confessional & Coming Changes

Or perhaps its more of a realization... the ending date of the Challenge is the 26th - which is Monday. Don't even ask why I thought it was Sunday. Seriously, I think all of my brain cells have exited my body disguised as sweat. Anyway - its an extra day - and it feels like a HUGE gift right now!

Quick update on the numbers

What I did today: 7.3 miles on the treadmill

What I have left (approximately): 12.5 mi treadmill, 450 floors stairmaster & 150 free weight sets

Totally doable!!!

I will be so excited when the last blank is filled in on my "passport!" My first stop after I leave the gym that day will be the store that has my Coach handbag displayed. They only have one left, I swear if I get there & its gone I may sit down (or collapse) right in the middle of the handbag area and burst into tears!

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Food confessional time here... The day started out soooo well (strawberries, low fat cottage cheese & fat free yogurt) & then came Jack in the Box... followed by Pizza Hut. I'm still within my calories for the day (by some miracle), but my body just feels yucky from all the crap I put in it. Let this be a good reminder that just because you're eating within your calories does NOT mean you are eating well. If you eat crap... you're gonna feel like crap... regardless of how many calories you've eaten.

And, I might as well confess ahead of time... I plan to indulge in one very bad for me corn dog at the carnival tomorrow. But, it is PLANNED for... and much anticipated... so once again I refer back to my insistence that I do this in a way I can sustain for the long haul - even if it means it takes me a little longer to get where I'm going.

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On a totally unrelated subject, we have a deployment date for The Husband. I can't say exactly when... but soonish I will be playing single Mom yet again (faux single Mom as I call it). We've known it was coming, but its sooner than expected & there is soooo much to be done before he leaves.

And, something I've neglected to mention, I am starting training for a new job on Tuesday! Its a temporary job, lasting eight weeks or so. It will be my first "real" job of any kind since I was pregnant with my son. I'm nervous because its been so long since I've worked. The timing is stressful with deployment quickly approaching & everything that goes along with that. We really need the money & my hours will be roughly the same as The Husband's... so hopefully I can balance everything without losing my mind.

Being a working Mom is totally new to me... I know a lot of you do it... and I need to know HOW? :-)

Dear Body... Dear Mind...

Dear Body,

Do you wonder what you did to deserve the torture you've been receiving the last few weeks? You did nothing, for a LONG time... that's the problem! Are you ready to throw in the towel & admit defeat? Well tough! That's NOT happening.

Your pain is evident & felt all over. Resistance levels & intervals that are normally met with mere moderate resistance now have to be pushed through with all your might. A few floors on the StairMaster & your knees are crying for reprieve. Scant minutes on the treadmill & your shins burn like they are directly over an open flame. Puny five pound dumbbells have become too much to lift over your head. Fatigue is apparent, as you fall asleep early & still have a hard time leaving bed in the mornings. I feel your pain & I'm ALMOST sorry for the burden that has been placed upon you. But I promise you it is all worth it.

Now, I have to ask you one HUGE favor... hang in there for another three days. You can do this for me! I know you're sore... I know you're tired... I know you're worn out... I know you long to languish in bed... but you will survive. I need you to do your part. Pretend your knees aren't crying. Pretend your shins are not burning from flames nipping at them with every step. Pretend your arms have the strength to lift to the sky. For just three more days, that's all I ask. Then, you can have a break, I promise. In the spirit of total honesty, it will be a SHORT break... but still a break.

By the way, I promise if you will agree to this arrangement for the next three days, I will supply you with a steady supply of medicine to calm your ailments. Good stuff, I swear it!

Thank you for your help in this matter,

The Accidental Fat Chick

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Dear Mind,

I've already spoken to the body... now its your turn. The body has been instructed on what it needs to do for the next three days. You need to do your part as well. Please stop sending messages to body parts that express anything other than relaxation and capabilities of endurance for the long haul. There is no time for the body to even think it hurts. So please, for the sake of the greater good... abolish words/thoughts/feelings like pain, ache, soreness, tiredness, etc from your vocabulary... just for the next three days. Then the whine-fest can commence. But until then, I need nothing but positive, can do messages sent to the body. Is this too much to ask for? I think not... and just think how pleased you will be when the last set is done, the last mile on the treadmill, the last floor! You can do this!

Thank you ever so kindly,

The Accidental Fat Chick

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Okay now that I'm done talking to myself... let me fill you in. I came home from kids group Wednesday night way too tired to even think of writing a post. I think I may have actually fallen asleep before my head hit the pillow. In the last two days at the gym, I did another 50 floors on the StairMaster, 55 sets of free weights & I FINISHED the elliptical (12.2 miles or so). So glad the elliptical is done... if you've been reading for a while, you might remember I spent four hours or so on it the last day of the challenge last year. That was so not happening this year, lol. I'm close enough that it feels doable, but still one heck of a challenge, to finish it up.

Thank you for all of the supportive, encouraging comments over the last several days. I am deeply honored that anyone finds me to be inspiring. I don't see it... I'm just struggling along like everyone else... but if my struggle helps or encourages someone else, then I'm happy for it.

Hope you're having a great week!

Ladies (and Seth)... Another Record Bites the Dust

A few weeks ago, I reported that I had lost my mind and had done 210 floors on the StairMaster. Self reflection as I was typing that post uncovered the fact that I had taken Midol before heading to the gym... therefore, my body had no idea what I was really doing to it. During that session, I did 10 or 15 minute blocks with a minute or two break in between to recover.

Well tonight that record fell!

No pre-workout painkillers!!

No "recovery" periods!!!

New record is....

302 FLOORS!!!!!!!!

302 floors of continuous motion.

Do you realize that is equivalent to walking (or climbing) over six miles straight uphill with NOOOOOO breaks???

If you're wondering, I burned over 1200 calories during this bout of insanity. Floors to 250-290 were really brutal. I slowed it down to a cool down pace for the last 12 floors. Honestly, when I pressed stop on that machine I was elated that it was over and that I had broken the 300 floor mark... and crazy as it sounds, I felt like I could have kept climbing.

Now the question remains, will I be able to move when I wake up in the morning?

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On another note, I made a discovery when I was getting dressed this morning. There is definition in my lower abs that I have NEVER seen before. I can't even pinch fat in that particular spot!!! After making this little discovery, I must have stood in front of the mirror staring for a good five minutes... I just couldn't believe it. All of those core sets for the Challenge must have done what their designed to do. Now, I'm ultra motivated to keep up with the core sets, even though that part of the Challenge is done.

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With less than a week left to go in the Challenge, its time to start thinking about how I will challenge and push myself when its over. I'm tossing some ideas around in my head... and will share soon.

What do you do to push yourself in your workouts? What motivates you to keep going when you'd pay money to stop?

Adding Some Color...

to a blah Monday. Its just been one of those days where I'm cranky for no real reason. Starting out this morning, I just couldn't wake myself up... therefore I got to the gym late and didn't get the full amount of time I needed. Maybe that's it. Or perhaps, its last minute notice about babysitting today. The babysitting itself has been great, we played outside in the backyard... its the short notice part that may have swayed my mood. More likely, its the fact that my "friend" George has chosen to pay another visit. Seriously, again??? I'm losing my freakin mind with this... but its the price I pay for forgetting my pills when we went out of town. And I have zero motivation to do anything today - which I'm not sure if its because I'm cranky or its part of what's causing me to be cranky. Either way, you can call me "Ms. Cranky" for now.

Rather than continuing my crankiness, I decided to get the pictures from Sunday's trip to the tulip fields uploaded. The flowers were beautiful, even though its getting to be the end of the season for them. There were a TON of people there... you would have thought we were on the way to a concert or sports even the way traffic was backed up getting to the parking area. Kudos to the facility for having decent parking attendants & for the 50% off admission they give to military families! There was a little bit of drama during our visit - two ambulances - we saw one lady fall in the mud, not sure what the other incident was.

Here are a few pictures from the day...


Behind the display gardens, they have huge fields of tulips. It was rainbow of colors, but there were so many people milling around that it was hard to get a good picture of them.


It always amazes me all of the different shapes they get the tulips to grow in these days.

That's my son standing under the tree, the evergreen tree. I just had to share this because its so darn funny. He is scared to death of evergreen trees (don't ask, its a weird fear no one can figure out), but this was so tall, he didn't even realize what kind of tree it was.

There's some serious stuff on my mind, but I'm not gonna try to tackle it when I'm Ms. Cranky.

Hope the flower pictures add a little brightness to your day...

~ Julie ~

The Final Week

By this time next week, Around the World will be OVER! Can you believe it?

I finished up with core sets today; so now I've completed core sets, circuit sets & the bike. Here's what I have left:

• 211 sets of free weights
• 12.7 mi on elliptical
• 23.8 mi on treadmill
• 795 floors on StairMaster

Doesn't look too impossible does it?

I ran the numbers - based on my typical pace - and it looks like I need about 13 hours of gym time for the cardio portion & maybe a couple extra hours for the free weights... so 15 hours total in seven days. It seems doable...

But I have a "secret" goal to finish early... I just think it would be really cool to finish early AFTER missing the whole week of spring break. Have I lost my mind? Quite possibly, lol.

Two days of "relaxing" at the gym has helped my body immensly. I have almost no pain or achiness for the first time in DAYS. Maybe that's why I'm feeling so energetic, but I've planned to work out twice a day every day except for Wednesday (and maybe Thursday) til its done.

Time for my cheerleaders to get their pom-poms ready for a busy week! :-)

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After I was done at the gym, we drove off the island to go see the tulips. We are so lucky to have these beautiful tulip fields about 30 minutes from our house. I took a bunch of pictures, so I'll share some after I get a chance to upload them. It was nice to go do something as a family - shocking that we had good weather & the Navy accommodated by giving him a day off at the same time. Unfortunately it was totally unplanned and spur of the moment things such as this lead me to...

Food confessional time AGAIN! This week has been TERRIBLE from a food perspective. Today for example; The Husband wanted to go to breakfast (something we rarely have the opportunity to do) so of course we did. I ordered a prime rib skillet... which was really nothing more than a beef fajita mix with hashbrowns. Plus it came with a side of toast, which I should have had them leave off... but no I ate one piece - which I guess is better than two. This might not have been so bad on its own... but we ended up eating out a second time. Round two I ordered a chicken fajita wrap... which I think was the healthiest thing they had (the other stuff was corn dogs, hot dogs, deluxe cheeseburgers), but still. If all of that isn't bad enough, we bought a small bag of kettle corn, which The Husband and I consumed before we even made it home; I could say he ate way more than I did, but I'd be lying. Small victories, I resisted the fudge & the milkshakes at the tulip fields. I'm thinking maybe I need to start doing a nightly post with my food log for more accountability or something.

Its been a good weekend... but I'm eager to get the new week started. What's going on in your world this week?

A Relaxing Saturday

After pushing so hard all week at the gym, I decided it would be okay to have a relaxing Saturday... so I only did 1 hour 25 minutes there. In that time I finished the bike - yes, I said FINISHED the bike! No more cycling for me... at least not for the next eight days. I also did 50 core sets - granted they were easier sets than I normally do, but I'm getting down to the wire here. I will be able to finish the core sets on Sunday. Hallelujah! I so much prefer to do core exercises at home (aka out of the watchful eye of other gym patrons).

On the way home from the gym, I stopped by the commissary for some groceries. I took some cheerleader advice and stocked up on snack-type foods that I can combine into meals. I also loaded up the cart with Healthy Choice frozen meals. Normally, I try to limit prepared foods like that, but I figure for this next week, they will be a good option. In the past I've hated the Healthy Choice meals, but the ones I've tried recently were pretty tasty. I'll be sure to report on them if they are worthwhile. Calories on them are pretty low, 270-310, and they have fairly low sodium for a boxed meal. I rounded out the cart with some staples and some low fat ice cream... so maybe, just maybe... I can say NO to the dipped cones at Dairy Queen. I don't know what the deal is in my head, but if I'm driving around town on a nice sunny day, I can't get the thought of those dipped cones of sinfulness out of my mind.

Erika came over for dinner and movies with her new boyfriend, Brandon. I'm getting used to him and she's been a bit better about balancing things... so that's been nice. She colored my hair while they were here - results to come once it doesn't look like a big poof ball anymore. It was a good time & now I'm just winding down, thinking how good its going to be to sleep.

The Husband came home from work with good news... he gets Sunday off... so I can sleep in and go to the gym in the afternoon. Yay! I should be well rested and really able to hit it hard... the clock is ticking.

I'm going to go to bed and dream of CHICAGO, BOOBS and finishing Around the World!

A Good Day

Friday was a GREAT day... as long as you don't ask me about what I ate. I've written it all down, but am stalling on adding up the calories. Anyway...



This morning started with 2 hours 20 minutes at the gym. Somehow I lasted a whole hour on the treadmill. My shins were killing me & then after the first sprint my right knee started aching badly. I walked most of it at modest 3.6... but forced myself to stay on for the whole hour. I think it helped to know that Erika would have painkillers in hand when she arrived at the gym, lol. So for the day... I got 3.6 mi on treadmill, 35 core sets and 5.4 mi on elliptical. Calories burned, 1097... 524 of that on treadmill (that's for you LauraLynne).



After the gym, The Husband and I went to Walmart... big excitement... but seriously the first time we've been in a store together for a LONG time. My "big" purchases... some pansies & a bottle of Excedrin Back & Body. I swear I could munch through that Excedrin like it was candy... but I suppose it wouldn't taste very good.



Oh, I have to back up for a minute. The Husband actually scored some points this morning. When he picked me up from the gym, he handed me an ice cold diet soda as I was sliding into the car! You have no idea how rare it is that he thought of something like that... and it was HIS idea to go to Walmart. I don't know what got into him... but its welcome to stay.



Erika & I planned to go to the bead store after she got off work... and here I was with actual "free" time while I was waiting. Ok, not exactly free time... I was babysitting her daughter, Alana & there is a TON of stuff to do here at home... but there was nothing I absolutely HAD to do. So... I took time for a long shower, put on a dress & makeup. That I would actually be able to pull myself together at this stage in the challenge is nothing short of a miracle. I was taking pictures of Alana blowing bubbles when she decided she wanted to take a picture... not too bad for a four year old...

I have to insert here... for most of my life I have HATED dresses with a passion. Something about losing weight has totally changed that. Now when I walk into a store, I am always drawn to dresses and skirts. Now if I could just do something about the pasty white legs (notice they are missing from the picture, not because she missed them, but because I cropped them out), lol.



The bead store was lots of fun. We shop there so much we've become friends with the Friday-Monday employee, so its social as much as it is about the shopping. Everything purple in the store was 20% off, so that was cool. Oh and I found this pendant that is soooo perfect to go with the dress I was wearing its like it was literally made for it.



Hint: The bead store holds the secret of the special gift one of my official cheerleaders is going to get from me. And, yes, you have to have the "official cheerleader" somewhere on your blog for a chance to win... so if you don't have her yet, go here to get her. :)



Not from the bead store, but from a "quick" trip to Walmart, you will find three boxes of hair color sitting on my kitchen counter. Stay tuned to see how that works out...



After all that running, I was glad to come home, sit down and actually catch up on reading a few blogs. Seriously, I have to say it, I've been missing everyone in blogland all week. As I was sitting, typing away, I looked up and saw this gorgeous sunset out over the water... so I had to pause for a few pics...

That's it... a good day... exceptional, perhaps considering the toll this challenge is taking. Did I mention how hard it was for me to get myself to the gym this morning? I wanted my bed soooooo bad, lol.

If you get a minute, go read Chris' post about excuses... what she shares is sooooo true & something I think we all need to hear from time to time.

Have yourself a happy Saturday... and you know where I'll be. :)

For My Cheerleaders :-)

Look, my loyal cheerleaders, I finally got a little something made for you. My first attempt & I'm dead tired so forgive me if its not the most beautiful creation ever. Is it possible she's so ugly, she's cute? That's what my son said about her... but what does he know? lol

Anyhow, if you're already an official cheerleader or if you want to become one, grab the cheerleader for your blog. And when that's done, you'll want to be sure to leave me a comment on this post letting me know. Why? Because my official cheerleaders are going to be rewarded when this "little" challenge is over and one lucky cheerleader (randomly selected) is going to receive a special gift from me!

Thursday's workout didn't exactly go according to plan. I had to shorten my workout time and focused primarily on the StairMaster. 200 floors on the StairMaster followed by an easy 4.5 miles on the bike. I chose to end it there because it was an evening workout and I will be getting to the gym at about 8am Friday morning... so I wanted a little recovery time. Maybe its more like my body demanded recovery time because my mind wants to be in that gym every possible minute til this is done.

Oh and a moment of confession before I head off to bed... I ended up in the drive-thru line on my way home tonight... at Jack in the Box. I ordered the Chicken Fajita Pita - which is only 330 calories - and ate it with a couple of mandarin oranges when I got home. It was an okayish choice in a pinch...but grocery shopping is definitely on my priority list.

I'm so glad its almost the weekend! Are you? What fun stuff do you have planned for the weekend?

He's Coming for Me!!!

Melissa, being the fabulous cheerleader that she is, sent me some rah rah text messages yesterday. Then she sent me this!

We've decided that I'm gonna envision this bad boy chasing me... if that doesn't keep my tush movin' on the treadmill I don't know what will, lol.


This got me to thinking, I need a pic of something on my phone that I can pop up to look at when I'm running. Something to be running toward... NOT away from like Mr. Gator. So, I'm going to stop by the store & take a pic of that Coach Poppy handbag on my way to the gym tonight.

I forgot this yesterday, because in all honestly after the gym it takes a while for my brain to return to semi-normal function. LauraLynne asked if I would share how many calories I burned on the treadmill yesterday. My HRM decided to be goofy and stop working, which I didn't realize right away, so I don't have a 100% accurate number. But at the end of the hour, it said I had burned 502 calories... so a bit more than that, but not sure how much. Not sure what happened with the monitor, maybe I need to shorten the strap more so it stays in position better.

My plan is to be at the gym from about 6:00-8:30 tonight. StairMaster, treadmill, free weights & core are on the agenda for the evening. I have to admit my body is all kinds of sore today. My shoulders both ache, my right wrist is causing terrible pain on & off, my right knee, both ankles and my shins are killing me... I'm a walking mess, lol.


Thanks for sharing your quick meal ideas. So far I'm really liking the idea of throwing snacks together into meals... because seriously I can't even find time to cut & wrap the chicken that's sitting in my fridge, much less cook a meal. How sad is it going to be if all those chickens sacrificed their little titties for them only to end up in the trash can because I failed to take care of them?

So I was sitting at the hospital while my son was in his therapy sessions and decided to go browse comments on the B.O.O.B.S blog.... and this is what I got:

Access has been denied!

You are seeing this error because what you attempted to access appears to contain, or is labeled as containing, material that has been deemed inappropriate.

So its official, the B.O.O.B.S are a bunch of inappropriate chicks, LMAO. The hospital network administrator says so! Yet it lets me read Drazil talk about her whootananny... go figure, lol.

I plan to be back later with another post... after all, I have new cheerleaders to welcome & news regarding the cheerleaders!

The Gym Today

Okay... I have about two minutes to write, so I'd better make the most of it. Otherwise we're gonna be hitting up some random drive-thru and them I'm gonna be all upset over the crap I put into my body. I "love" the hustle & bustle of Wednesdays... really I do...but I can't wait for the summer break already, lol. So, here goes...

I made it to the gym for 2 hrs 20 minutes this morning... after getting practically no sleep, so yeah I'm a little wiped out now. Its gonna take serious caffeine to keep me awake for my drive home tonight... Anyhow... I got in 5 miles on the elliptical, 4 miles on the treadmill & 40 core sets. Perfect numbers based on what I figured out yesterday...

I'll write a longer post when I get home tonight... if I can keep my eyes open long enough, lol. Wait til you see my new motivation to RUN on the treadmill!!! :-)

Oh... I could use some super fast, no cooking required meal ideas... because let me tell ya right now I'm gonna be spending all of my "free" time in that gym for the next eleven days.

My Cheerleaders & My Plan

Here it is - midnight - and I'm finally getting to sit down with the computer for a few minutes. Its been a LONG day!

When I put out the call for cheerleaders, I never expected such a response... my cheerleaders thus far:

* Chris
* Stacia
* Carrie
* Scuttleboose
* Seth - who pointed out that I don't have to do this... but I really WANT to
* LauraLynne - whose message came through to my phone while I was on the StairMaster; the vision of her dusting off pom poms made me giggle
* Melissa- who sweetly offered to text me cheers (I emailed my number to you)
* Wishful Shrinking
* MaryFran - my original cheerleader :)
* MochaTrina
* Drazil aka Mama Pimp
*K.
* My "anonymous" friend

You are all AWESOME!!! I'm trying to make a little button you can display... but I'm artistically challenged at the moment; I think my brain cells are all seeping through my pores at the gym.

Several people suggested I make a plan, if I didn't already have one. Rest assured I do have a plan. For what I have left to complete on cardio stuff (elliptical, treadmill, bike & StairMaster), it will take approximately 22 hours at my "usual" pace. Plus, I still need time for core & free weight sets on top of that. If I dedicate 2.5 hours per day to the gym, that will give me 30 hours total in the 12 remaining days. My plan right now is to do alternate days of elliptical/treadmill & StairMaster/treadmill, with core & free weight sets each day. I only have 18 miles left on the bike, so I will probably set it aside for a few days. Of course if I can pick up my pace a little I will... and hopefully shave a little bit off the required time. I'd be happy if I wasn't right down to the wire on it like last year... but at this point I'll take it however it comes.

Now for a quick report on my day... it was scale day... which I almost forgot with so much thought going into the challenge. I'm happy to report that I did weigh & was down 2.8 pounds AFTER having had a cup of water and three mini muffins!!! Yay!!! It feels good to know that I was able to get right back into a successful routine after being gone for a week.

At the gym, I got in 2 hours plus about 20 minutes - 160 floors on the StairMaster (slow pace, but was able to keep my heart rate a little lower), 25 free weight sets, 4.5 miles on the bike & 55 circuit sets. If my math is right, that makes 332 circuit sets & I am DONE with that part of the challenge!!! Yay!!! I think I got 3-4 emails with comments while I was at the gym which was AWESOME! It really helped keep me going. :)

My plan for Wednesday is to be at the gym roughly from 8:30-11:30am PST. Wednesday is kids group night & I'm taking my Mom home (finally!), so its another busy day ahead.

I'm behind on blog reading again, imagine that, lol. Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

Thank you for being my AWESOME Around the World Cheerleaders! 12 days to go....

Calling All Cheerleaders

At the beginning of the month Mary Fran appointed herself my personal cheerleader for finishing the Around the World Challenge. She is an awesome cheerleader & leaves me encouraging comments every day!

There are only 13 days left in the Challenge & I am STRESSED about being able to finish. I have soooooo much left to get done - 53 circuit sets, 167 core sets, 288 free weight sets, 23.3 miles on elliptical, 21.5 miles on bike, 33.4 miles on treadmill and 1.155 floors on the StairMaster. I have to finish this... failure is NOT an option!!!

Working under pressure is my forte... but really this is extreme - even for me. So... I NEED all the cheerleaders I can assemble. No joke - I need as many people as possible to keep me going... to comment, email, text - whatever... so there's a stream of motivation when I look at my phone out of boredom as I'm spending endless time on the treadmill & other instruments of torture, lol. If I'm being whiny & needy, so be it... but this "accidental fat chick" needs HELP & LOTS of it!

Will you be my cheerleader???

The Weekend Wrap

Before I get on to the weekend, I want to respond to the comments on my last post...

Chris - Thanks for your amusing antidotes... they made me smile. And you're absolutely right, much of my "anger" comes from the fear of knowing what she is doing to herself.

Drazil - You're so sweet for wanting to come rescue me! Its hard to know what to do... but I find myself biting my tongue a lot. She is here til Wednesday.

Josie - Thanks for your encouragement, especially when I know you haven't been feeling well. :)

K - I'm so sorry for your loss. I really do try to be as compassionate as I can. It just gets very frustrating at times because not only will she do little to nothing to help herself, but she does things that prevent me from doing what is best for me & my family (as far as living a healthy lifestyle). This post will give you a little bit of insight into my relationship with my Mom.

Okay... on to the weekend...

Saturday was a lovely day. I made these yummy chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.

Then it was off to the gym. The first hour there I spent upstairs where I did 40 sets on the circuit machines, 30 core sets & 50 free weight sets. Free weights are killer because my shoulder is so freakin sore... but I've got to get it done. Then I spent about 40 minutes on cardio, split between the bike & elliptical. My energy level was way low, which was really a bit frustrating considering how much of the challenge I still have to go.

We had company over dinner... DiAnne (the peanut butter cookie baker) and Erika (the BFF, who has been better lately). It turned out to be a great time... lots of food (which I tried not to overindulge in... but I ate too many cookies for sure) & many fun games of Dutch Blitz. My Mom was even pleased because we had potatoes and something with beef in it, lol.

Sunday started with blueberry oat pancakes. I don't know what my obsession is with pancakes lately, but I could eat a variation for breakfast every day I think. Sorry I was so busy eating I forgot to take a picture, oops.

Next stop was naturally the gym. There was an "incident" at home this morning which left me with awful chest pain... so I took it really easy. I just did 22 miles on the bike & 22 sets on the circuit machines. The good news is that I'm now close to having those two parts of the challenge completed.

This wasn't a typical Sunday because I didn't get much of my prep cooking done for the week. However, I managed to get a couple batches of Lemon-Poppy seed muffins baked & some brown rice cooked. For dinner I made these boneless wings and a simple salad with Asian dressing.

It was really yummy. And, would you believe my Mom actually liked it so much she asked for the recipe??? I'm still recovering from the shock!

Speaking of recipes, should I start posting them on here?

Overall, it was a great weekend. Hope the weekend was great for you too!

She's Gone & Done It Now!

All of you lovelies who told me to come here when my Mom was driving me nuts... you're in for a "treat" because here I am. And its not a pretty visit. She has seriously gone & done it. I am just seething inside - and that's after running my mouth (just a tad) and kicking my butt for 2 1/2 hours at the gym.





Remember we all agreed that I'm going on business as usual around here - well it seems that decision will be a source of discontent. We were watching Dr. Oz & he was giving the food comparisons for different meals at Mexican, Italian, Chinese, etc. When he gave the calorie count for french toast, she went on tangent number one of the day. She literally said that she can't wait to be dead so she doesn't have to worry about food anymore! Worse yet, she said it within the hearing of my son!!! OMG, I wanted to slap her!!! And, no I would never slap her... but good grief why on earth does she think its okay to say things like that? And why would you ever say something like that where a child can hear it? She clearly has no clue the impact of hearing things like that can have on a person. This isn't the first time she's said something similar... but the most blatant. Somehow, by the grace of God, I managed to keep my cool on the outside... while SCREAMING loudly inside.





After that unpleasantness I got myself ready & headed to the gym. Walking through the door I was wishing for a punching bag, lol. My workout today consisted of 160 floors on the StairMaster, a mile on the elliptical and 10 miles on the bike. I wanted to do more... but I just didn't have the energy to keep on for some reason. I burned 1,155 calories...so not bad.





A quick stop at the grocery store and I came home to make these yummy chicken fajitas for dinner.

Guess what? She complained about the fajitas... because... they were messy!

Oh and she HATES all things chicken, unless its rolled in flour & fried. Considering the fact that my menu is chicken, chicken, chicken, shrimp, chicken, chicken and chicken until further notice... she's gonna have plenty to complain about.

Here comes tangent number two (or three if we count the chicken/fajita comments as a tangent) of the day. I was watching (ok more listening to) Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution while I was cleaning up from dinner. I made a comment about the "poor girl on there probably weighing 300 pounds or more" and her immediate response was "well then she doesn't have the right to a good life!" STOP right there because that's where I couldn't bite my tongue another second. At my objection, she insisted that she had heard people saying things like that on some talk show recently, which she may have... I don't know what she watches. The thing is & what I said that I probably shouldn't have was that she lives her life in a manner that says she believes that. Everything about the way she lives says "I'm fat so I don't have the right to a good life." Me saying that had her in tears... and I feel bad for making her cry... I just couldn't hold it in... I'd had all I could take.





Sorry for all the venting... but really you guys are all I have right now because I don't dare share this with The Husband... he'd probably really let her have it & I'm TRYING to maintain the peace around here. Thanks for "listening" to me, you're the best! I promise I have a positive, upbeat "thankful" post coming SOON!



Hope you all have an awesome weekend! :)

Day One is Over

Thank you for all of the supportive comments about my Mom's visit. You guys are the best!

Day one is in the books & I survived. She had one minor meltdown when I mentioned the nutritional content of the ice cream cones from Dairy Queen (yes we had these today, it was my son's treat day after his therapy so planned in my week)... something about how the only thing you can eat - that's good for you - is raw fruits & vegetables... I sort of tuned her out. We're just going about our normal routine, not making a big deal out of things & not making concessions or compromising the way we live... which I think irritates her some. Despite her sitting with her Doritos & scads of sugar free chocolate, I did a really good job staying on track with my food for the day. 1426 calories total... including the ice cream!

The gym and I had two meetings today... sometimes I even surprise myself, lol. Round one lasted for about 90 minutes. I did 3.6 miles on the treadmill, 35 floors on the stairmaster & 20 sets on the circuit machines. My pace was slow on the treadmill - oh how I detest that machine! - and the only reason I managed to stay on it for a whole hour was that one of my friends was in the audience on The Price is Right, so I was trying to spot him. Whatever works. Round two was a solid hour - 115 floors on the stairmaster & 3.5 miles on the bike. I burned 975 calories in round one & 677 calories in round two - 1652 for the day! Splitting it into two sessions like that really cuts down on the fatigue, wish I could do it that way more often. Still, I'm starting to feel anxious about the gym challenge (more on that after I've had some sleep lol).

Just for fun... while we were doing our late Egg Hunt at kids group last night, we remembered a picture that was taken of me last year and attempted to recreate it for comparison. 2009 on the left & this year on the right.

What do ya think? Is there a noticeable difference?

We Didn't Even Make It Home...

before she insisted on stopping for food. It seems that she failed to eat a proper dinner & had to have food so she could take her medicine. So naturally we were supposed to stop at McDonald's for her to get a meal... because yeah that's the first place I'd go if I were hungry & needed to take medicine. I refused to go to McDonalds, but agreed to AM PM... not much better; but there are no fries there & you can at least add fresh veggies to your burger.

When we pulled into the "lovely" AM PM parking lot, I insisted on going in by myself, figuring that if she went in she would add to the "meal." I picked up a single cheeseburger for her and loaded it with veggies & mustard. For myself, I did get a corn dog... which was a thousand times better tasting than that nasty hot dog from the other day; not the best choice but surprisingly under 300 calories.

Next stop was the pharmacy for her to pick up her meds before we headed up here. Finally we were on the road, driving toward home. She chows down her cheeseburger in the span of about five minutes - which is being generous - I seriously think she may have inhaled parts of it. Then... OMG... you wouldn't believe what comes next. She starts digging in her bag from the pharmacy and out comes a bag of - you guessed it - Nacho Cheese Doritos. I'm not even kidding. Ding, Ding, Ding... I'm the winner! Husband is gonna have to pay up now; I should have bet him something worthwhile, lol.

That was the adventure home. And now... guess where she is? On my couch... sound asleep. Oh well, at least its quiet & I can blog. :)

Thursday's plan: Put child on bus, breakfast, go to gym, lunch, pick child up from school, take husband to work, take child to therapy, round two of the gym, dinner, laundry... relax or fall face first into bed. Of course all of that is with a smattering of blogging thrown in... because lets face it I need all the moral support I can get at this point. This is gonna be a LONG seven days, but...

Mama Pimp is right - I am IN CONTROL!!!

Here She Comes...

My Mother -remember her, the third member of the conspiracy? - is coming to stay with us for a week. I'm bringing her home with me after kids group tonight. After weeks of constant complaints about us not spending enough time with her, she agreed to come here to visit. Now I know this won't stop her complaints because she has this need for us to visit her at her house... but its the best I can do right now.

These visits cause me a huge heap of STRESS! She expects to be catered to when she is here & will go hungry for hours rather than pour herself a bowl of cereal. And if I'm puttering around the house doing housework or whatever she gets upset because she can't "visit" with me. Can you imagine how she's going to react when I disappear for three (or more ) hours to hit the gym?
Those things are annoying, but the biggest stress comes from getting a true picture of her poor health. When she is at our house she does one of two things - sits in a chair trying to look at magazines (which she can barely do with her low vision) or sleeps. She has sleep apnea and is supposed to sleep with one of those breathing machines - she refuses to use it. Its obvious when you spend any real time with her that she has NO energy and is so physically weak that even walking a block is too much for her. Its sad and frustrating for me because I know she could be doing things to take better care of herself but - as I've talked about before - she doesn't think she's worth the effort.... which is where another chunk of the stress heap comes in...

Its like a healthy lifestyle pushes all of her buttons & she has a temper tantrum (for lack of a better term) - sometimes mini & sometimes full blown. I've taken her to the store & literally had her in tears for suggesting that chicken breasts might be a better option than ground beef. It used to be that I would do an "extra good job" of setting an example when she was here... which just lead to meltdown after meltdown. So lately I've been pretty laid back with my routine when she has stayed with us... BUT I CANNOT DO THAT THIS TIME... not for a whole week & not in the middle of this gym challenge. I just can't. So I can imagine the meltdowns are coming... and I don't feel like I can deal with that right now either... better to deal with that than another gain on the scale though.

The Husband and I were actually discussing this for quite awhile this morning and - hold the applause here lol - we agreed that the house will be business as usual for the duration of her visit. He of course was full things he'll say to her if she starts butting in - I so wonder what would happen if he ever actually said any of the things he comes up with. Anyway, that means my typical gym routine (on overdrive for the challenge), the healthiest meals possible (except for Saturday night dinner might be a splurge) and no unnecessary trips to stores. This is just the way it has to be... I cannot get derailed... especially after last week.

Is it bad that The Husband and I are taking bets on how long it will take her to come up with a reason to need to go to a store? Plus, we're taking bets on what she'll actually buy at the store if she gets in the door of one. I say Nacho Cheese Doritos. He says frozen pizza. I would agree on the pizza, but I'm betting she'll be suggesting we order it from somewhere before the week is over.

That's what happening here... what's going on in your world this week?

Scale Day Report & Other Ramblings

197.8... that's the number that greeted me on the scale this morning. That's a gain of nearly two pounds (1.8 to be exact). Am I upset? Am I beating myself up? Nope, not at all. Yes, I'm disappointed in the gain... but at the same I am well aware that it could have been much worse considering the week I had. Though it was a rough week, I'm right back into my normal routine... so onward with no huge fits of regret.

I kept exercise to a minimum today - one hour on the bike. Its really all of the time I had. This new schedule The Husband is on BLOWS big time. If I go back to sleep in the morning (like I did today) there is no way I can get enough gym time before he has to leave for work. Here we are on day two of the schedule & he's already moaning about not getting to see me...

Food started out on a good note today - breakfast was oat pancakes with a little reduced fat peanut butter & sliced banana - and has gone steadily downhill from there. Trying to accommodate the family, I bought a package of hot dogs planning to eat one. Well, I ate my one for lunch... and let me tell ya right now it will be super easy to stick to just one - the thing was beyond nasty! It was a "quality brand" but the taste was so gross, I barely choked it down (seriously should have thrown it away & eaten something else). This type of experience is good because yeah I won't be tempted by the rest of the package sitting there, but bad because I will be munchy hungry because I was so unsatisfied by the meal. Sure enough, an hour or so later I found myself in the kitchen browsing the cupboards. I ended up making some nachos... but at least I measured - 1 oz of tortilla chips with 1 1/2 oz of 2% Mexican blend cheese. That seems to have ebbed the munchies... thank goodness! Dinner tonight is Erika's wonderful pasta salad... I will try not to overindulge... I may need two glasses of water before I eat, lol.

Have you ever noticed that the gym you go to in an effort to get (or be) healthy also offers an array of "unhealthy" options? This had never really occurred to me before, but one of my cousins posted on her Facebook status that she was thinking of tanning at the gym today & it started me thinking. My gym is filled with "unhealthy" options! There's the tanning beds - which I understand bronzed skin is important to some people - but knowing that tanning is as dangerous if not more so than exposure to the sun, I'll take a pass on that "unhealthy" option. Then there's the Smoothie Bar - beckoning by the front counter as I walk toward the exit. Every drink there is a minimum of 300 calories for the small ones & loaded with sugar. My only saving grace is that I rarely take my purse into the building & no money means no smoothie for me - which is a good thing. Why is it that this place that is there to encourage a "healthy lifestyle" offers all of these unhealthy options?

Does your gym offer "unhealthy" options? What are they?

Dreading Scale Day

My weekly scale visit is mere hours away & I'm dreading it big time. I only got in two workouts the entire week, granted today's was killer - but still. Then there's the facts of what I ate while we were gone. I tried to do the best I could with what was offered - but really it was miserable. To make matters worse, silly me forgot my "anti-baby pills" when we went out of town... so now guess who has come to visit. Yep, none other than the one I call George. Ugh, Ugh, Ugh... on top of everything else I feel more bloated than I have in months.

Speaking of the trip to see the family...

We hadn't been to visit since October & what I found there was shocking... and made me very sad. Two of The Husband's cousins have gained a significant amount of weight over the winter. This is really scary because there are ton of health problems in their family. The male one seems oblivious to it, but with the female cousin you can tell she is really bothered by it. She is someone who has come to me "guidance" several times in the past. She is also one of those people with a thousand excuses of why she can't do it... still waiting for her "some thing's gotta give" moment. I pray it comes soon... because not only is she on this dangerous path, but she is putting her son on the same path. He is nine years old & well beyond chubby. It just makes me so sad to see the pattern repeating itself...

Do you have family members like this? How do you respond when someone asks for help, but you can tell they aren't ready?

A New Record

1424! That's the highest number that I have recorded on the heart rate monitor!

By popular opinion, I went with Option #1 from my last post. But, I got to the gym about 45 minutes later than I planned & The Husband had to get a haircut on his way to work so I wasn't able to complete everything within the limited time. It was kind of fun letting you guys pick my workout... think I may make that a weekly thing. :)

Here's what I did:

• 110 floors on the stairmaster (target was 105)
• 24 core sets (target was 22 sets)
• 40 free weight sets (target was 38 sets)
• 40 circuit sets (target was 35 sets)
• 3.1 miles on elliptical (target was 3.04 mi)
• 4 miles on bike (target was 7.5)

I missed the treadmill altogether & was 3.5 miles short on the bike. Still I'm super excited about the new record calorie burn. Surprisingly I don't feel all that tired & only a little sore. I wasn't sure how it would go after taking a whole week off...

On the way home, I stopped at the Asian buffet. Now before you think I've lost my mind, STOP. I went in and got some sushi to bring home. Its a super good deal there & they have an excellent selection. I had 10 pieces which I'm estimating to be somewhere between 350-400 calories. Honestly, it was darn good today - fresh & flavorful - I would've eaten twice as much if I'd been in the restaurant so its probably a really good thing I brought it home.

The before & after meal water goal is going well so far. I'm not sure if its helping me eat less, but I can tell its a good indicator after the meal. Last night, when I drank my after dinner glass of water, I felt totally overstuffed... a clear sign I ate a little too much. I am so not a water drinker... but doing it this way is really helping me to get it all down, lol.

It feels so good to be home & getting back to my routine!

I'm off to explore in the kitchen... we'll see what I come up with...

Play Time is OVER! Have Your Say!!

Monday... that's the last day I was really in a normal routine. And here we are back to Monday again! After a week of "play time" I am soooooo ready to get back to business as usual. Keep reading for your chance to choose my workout. Today was mostly about unpacking... and of course, Easter fun. It felt weird not to be at Church on Easter, but we really weren't up to the hour long drive. My son loved his basket & hunted for eggs in the backyard. He was so funny because he'd be staring right at an egg and asking "where are the eggs?" lol.


After the unfortunate incidents of the "forgotten" birthday & almost forgotten anniversary, I took it upon myself to make my own Easter basket. The Husband's aunt actually suggested I do it while we were there visiting & helped me pick stuff for it. :)







Contents of the "basket" (I've wanted that Caboodle forever, she suggested I used it as a basket): two pairs of pjs, some panties, nail polish, one cadbury egg & the bag of pastel egg shaped Reese's Pieces. The Reese's actually got put into the eggs for my son to hunt, so I only got a few of them.

To support the efforts of getting back to business, I picked up a cart full of goodies at Trader Joe's after the wedding. Patience is a virtue in that place, we had to drive around the parking lot four times just to find a parking spot. Here's the Trader Joe's loot...





A little bit of everything... I had to limit myself because there was barely any room in the car since it was still packed with our bags from the trip. This is my first time trying the baby kiwis; they are a bit different, but I really like them. The Cilantro and Jalapeno Hummus is my new favorite dip for pretzels or homemade pita chips; its so creamy & smooth... and only 40 calories for two tablespoons.

Today: I went to the commissary and picked up a few other groceries. I haven't really meal planned yet, but the options are going to be pretty basic considering the groceries I purchased. Slowly, I'm getting stuff portioned out into single serving containers; its definitely a bit of work, but sooooo worth it in the long run.

My action plan for tomorrow: Get the child on the bus, have some breakfast & head off to the gym. I'm debating between a couple of options for my gym time & would love to hear your input.

Option 1: Visit all part of the Around the World Challenge

• 35 circuit sets
• 22 core sets
• 38 free weight sets
• 7.5 miles on bike
• 2.47 miles on treadmill
• 3.04 miles on elliptical
• 105 floors on StairMaster

Option 2: Knock out as much as possible on the StairMaster, treadmill & free weights

What would you do?

Majority rules here... this is your chance to choose my workout!

Home Sweet Home

Help me please! Wasn't I supposed to come home on Friday? Why then did it take until 7pm Saturday to get here? Hmmm... could it be the weatherman that predicted blizzard-like conditions on the mountain pass for Friday? Why yes, he gets some of the blame... but in his defense he did amend his forecast & report that the pass wasn't THAT bad after all. Moving on... could it be The Husband who chose to go off with his cousin, not answer his phone & walk into his Auntie's house stumbling drunk? Yep, he gets some of the credit too... but in his defense he was too drunk for it to have made a difference by the time the weatherman changed his tune. So yeah, we stayed over an extra day and I don't even want to say what I ate in that extra day... it was BAD, BAD, BAD. :( I cannot wait to get back to my routine & the gym (its crazy how much I miss it). Still have to face scale day & see how much these days hurt my progress... sigh.

We had to get on the road bright & early so that we could get to my nephew's wedding. The drive started out rather promising...

Down the road about an hour we saw this...

And they weren't joking about the snow & slush....

What they forgot to mention was that the advisory was going to change and start requiring traction tires - something we don't have - while we were midway across the pass. The road was miserable... but at least the snow and wind were mild when we crossed. Gawd, I miss 4-wheel drive!

Despite the slow moving across the pass we made it to the wedding... with about five minutes to spare.





It was a totally casual affair... though it was actually in a Church (I almost fell over when I got the invitation listing a Church, lol). Very thankful for that since my "wedding attire" was 90 minutes away and there was definitely NO time to go home for it.

The wedding happened to take place just a few blocks from a Trader Joe's, so being the smart girl that I pretend to be at times... I did a little shopping before heading for home. Oh & a quick stop at Ross produced what will hopefully become the replacement pants for my favorite ones. I'll share pics of the loot tomorrow... right now I have to go play Easter Bunny & then fall into bed.

I am one tired Mama tonight... long, long day... but soooooo glad to be home!

April's Lifestyle Goals.... and The Buffet Report

Okay... better late than never... here I am with my Lifestyle Goals for the month.

Lifestyle Goal #1 : FINISH the Around the World Challenge at the gym! Do you realize how far behind I am on this thing now?

This is what I would have to do on a daily basis IF I go to the gym on every available day between now & when the challenge ends (20 days because they are closed for Easter & I have one other day that I know I can't get there):

• 9 sets on the circuit machines


• 11 sets of core stuff


• 19 sets on free weights


• 3.75 miles on bike


• 1.85 miles on treadmill


• 1.52 miles on elliptical


• 79 floors on StairMaster

Considering that "stuff" ALWAYS comes up to interfere with my plans, I'm hoping to get it done with 15 visits to the gym, which would require this:

• 12 sets on the circuit machines


• 15 sets of core stuff


• 26 sets on free weights


• 5 miles on bike


• 2.47 miles on treadmill


• 2.03 miles on elliptical


• 105 floors on StairMaster

One minute I look at those numbers & think that doesn't look so hard... then the next I look and think "OMG, I'm gonna die before this is over" and visions of Mother's Day last year (when I was at the gym almost all the hours they were open) start swimming before my eyes. I know I can do it! After all, I'm in way better shape than I was last year when I finished the whole adventure!! And... there is that new Coach bag I'm working for... you can see it here if you missed it.

Lifestyle Goal #2: Drink one cup of water before & after each meal or snack I consume... starting tomorrow. Other than when I'm sweating like crazy in the gym, I haven't been drinking nearly enough water. I used to be pretty decent about this... don't know when I got out of the habit. If I do this 21 of 27 days (approx 75%), I will get myself a "special water glass" for at home use... something pretty, haven't picked out the exact "one" just yet.

That's it... just two goals this month... trying to keep it simple because I know Around the World takes a lot out of me. Besides, The Husband will be in pre-deployment (aka we need to be together every waking moment) mode soon so I don't want to to pile too much on myself right now.

Moving on to The Buffet Report...

Here is my first plate from last night's visit to the buffet.

Look at that... you can actually see a fair amount of white plate there! Everything in this picture was pretty tasty; I ate all of the mac & cheese, the roll, the chicken & half of the brisket. That chicken is Hawaiian BBQ with pineapple....so unbelievably good. Its probably best not to ask how much of it I consumed. My second plate had more chicken (lots more), mashed potatoes with gravy (which I took two bites of and decided they were gross) and a little corn. Plate number three (yes there was a third plate and yikes) had more chicken (seriously the chicken was amazing) and way too much corn bread. My only defense is that they had just put that corn bread out and its soooo tasty when its fresh. So yeah... I confess the buffet was carb & protein heavy... with not much to call a veggie or fruit in sight... except a few tidbits of pineapple. I do have to say it was a bit amusing walking out of the restaurant... everyone else in the family was groaning about how much they ate and how full they were while I was thinking to myself "I'm on the well satisfied side of things... but definitely not overstuffed."

Ok, now that my buffet confessional is over... I want to know...

What are your goals for April? How do you plan to reach them?

A New Award

Thank you to Shelli at Skinny Jeans ~ Fat Wallet for this sweet award! She actually gave it to me a few days ago, but life here in "vacationland" hasn't left me my usual time for blogging.

The Rules for this award:
1. When you have received this award you must thank the person that awarded you the award in a new post.
2. Name 10 things that make you happy.
3. Pass this award on to 10 bloggers & inform them.

10 Things That Make Me Happy:
1. Spring in the valley when all of the tulips are blooming
2. The sound of waves crashing on the beach when I'm falling asleep
3. A positive checking account balance the day before payday, lol
4. Being behind the wheel of a fast car on an open road
5. The size 12 dress hanging in my closet & the fact that it fits WELL!
6. Seeing Niko behind the bar when I walk into Applebees (the drinks aren't worth having if she's not there)
7. Blog posts that make me laugh so hard I'm crying.... hmmm bet ya can't guess who causes this most often lol
8. Pedicures
9. Good sales at my favorite stores
10. Office supply stores (love the smell lol) and craft stores

I've decided to give this award to everyone who commented on my post "Stop Being A Victim!" because that was a tough post to write & their comments made it feel worth the courage it took to share. So here they are:

• Josie @ Losing It
• Paula @ paulawannacracker
• mandy @ Finally Finishing It
• Syl @ Live, Smile, Run
• Rachel @ Rachel Murray's Weight Loss
• Sally (aka Girl Bandit) @ Ramblings From the Other Side
• Lesley @ Life as a Caterpillar
• Mama Pimp @ Its Just Me, Drazil & Sheniqua
• Cincimom11 @ Cincimom11: Losing the Baby Weight

Thank you for being my "Sweet Friends!"

No Foolin Here...

Ladies & gentlemen (wait, do I have any guy readers??? lol), I have no time for the pranks of April Fools today... so I swear everything you are about to read is the honest to goodness truth... fortunate or unfortunate as it may be.

Remember the dinner I was going to try not to eat too much of last night? Here's my plate...

Let's just say that my plan to eat a small meal went a bit awry. I had one small spoonful of the casserole after this. Hopefully the fact that I substituted a banana for the bread & butter that everyone else ate with their meal counts for something.

And about that chicken I was looking so forward to at the casino... I ordered it, they cooked it fresh and I was excited to sit down with it - 7 "flamin' wings" - at the only remaining table in the cafe area. *Insert here that I attempted to take a pic of them, but the 300+ pound security guy that came to yell at me for using a camera in the casino was less than helpful.* The first bite, of the first wing, was luscious - spicy with just the right amount of heat - and juicy. The first three were fairly tasty. On wing #4 the trouble began. There was such a thick layer of fat between the skin & the meat that I could NOT force myself to take a second bite. Wings #5 & #6 same story! Gross, disgusting, wretched nastiness! By wing #7 I gave up & was literally picking the flavored coating off the last piece - being careful not to get any of the nasty skin. And if that wasn't bad enough, when I got up and started walking around the casino, I had the WORST stomach ache I've had in ages. Lesson learned - NO MORE WINGS AT THE CASINO!!!

And while we're on the subject of the casino. I FAILED to make my regular donation! That's right, I actually left the building with more money than I took. Not a lot more - but a little - plus I bought food there. This is one time when it felt pretty darn good to fail, lol.

As I type, I am waiting for the rest of the family to assemble themselves so we can head off to dinner - at the freakin BUFFET! Honestly, I swear I will be lucky not to undo all of last weeks progress & then some at this rate. The good news is I knew what was going on for dinner ahead of time, so I had this for breakfast...

One grapefruit with 1/2 whole wheat bagel & a scant 1 tablespoon of reduced-fat peanut butter. 310 calories... and way satisfying. Plus, I've eaten a small portion of the leftover casserole from last night, which is actually pretty low calorie other than the rice since she used 96% lean ground beef, so I won't be famished when we get to the buffet (that's if we get to go sometime before now & next year).

We spent the afternoon visiting some local antique stores... and I've got to tell ya I never knew before today that its possible to pile on the calories while shopping for things older than dirt. Every store we went to had out trays of cookies and/or candy - free for their "valued" customers. Its embarrassing to report - but I had four huge malted milk balls (they were the best I've ever tasted) and five freakin cookies (not even homemade yummy cookies, but store bought sandwich cookies). Even more embarrassing that was pretty much what ended up being for lunch too! Ugh, I can't remember when the last time was I had that much sugar in a single day, much less an afternoon.

Even after all of that, I'm looking forward to the buffet tonight. I will follow my rules & it will be fine. They have awesome food & I know in advance what is worth using calories for. And the best part, I can steer clear of anything known as "beef." I swear its like I've had a "cow relapse" or something - going from eating beef maybe once a week to having had it (omg, wait while I try to count here) four times in a 48 hour period. The Husband has been "dying" for a good steak... I think his wait just got extended by a nice long period of time. Maybe that will be his farewell dinner before he goes on deployment, lol.

One "yay me" event of this trip: I have not had a single chip the whole time! Normally not a big achievement because I don't eat chips that often. But, they are everwhere here. The Husband ate them on the way here, they have bags sitting on top of the fridge beckoning, they pull them out at lunch or for snacks in the afternoon... and though they are right there mere inches from my fingers (and my nose) I do not reach for them. I am strong. I will not bend on this... small & insignificant as it may be. Now those addictively tasty pepper jack cheese sticks in the fridge are an entirely different ball of wax - or should I say artery hardening dairy product?!?

I'm gonna try to catch up on some blogs while these SLOW people are finishing getting ready, lol. I'll be back later with my April lifestyle goals & to take care of an award I received... hopefully tonight.

What surprising places have you found mounds of goodies free for the purpose of widening your arse? I must know so I can avoid them in the future, lol!