The Good and the Bad....

Two things yesterday on different spectrums.

The bad thing is - I didn't walk yesterday. The good thing is - it bothers me. A lot. I started an evening class last night that will meet twice a week for all of next month. So when I got home from school yesterday (as the teacher) it was about 3:45. I had to leave at 4:15 in order to get to my next school (as the student). I just couldn't fathom trying to walk (in the heat) in the brief 30 minutes I had between coming and going. And it would be too late (as in dark) when I got home (9:30).

So all the way to my class I obsessed. There was no way I was going to NOT walk for 2 days a week all month and break my momentum (especially when I read on my real age tip for the day that skipping walking was like skipping sleeping!) How was I going to do this?

Then - BINGO! The teacher tells us that she would like to start class at 5:00 from now on. Which means if I bug out of school at the end of the day I can make it home by 3:15 - be done walking by 4:00 and have time for a quick shower and be back out the door by 4:30. Sure...it'll be tight. But it's only 8 nights. And I've come so far!

I guess what's really making me giddy about all of this is that I was upset about not being able to walk. There was a time (not all that long ago) that I'd have welcomed any excuse NOT to walk. Like my socks were the wrong color or my favorie commercial was on TV.... So perhaps this is one of those "life-style" changes I've been waiting for that's finally becoming ingrained.

On a sour note - I went to bed late last night. I stopped by the other homestead to admire progress on our "hole". The gravel is in and the foundation blocks are starting to go up. I didn't get to bed until almost 11:30. And I woke up at 4:00 and couldn't fall back asleep. So no walking AND no sleep yesterday. I'm dragging today. Big time!

I need a salad!

Two Year Olds and Ear Plugs!

So after the Doctor put the tubes in my grandson's ears, he gave us these waxy type ear plug things and said to use them when he takes a bath. (Grandson and oldest daughter live with us....) Up until now we've been doing sponge baths because we've been a little confused on the whole issue of the ear plugs. But it was time to wash that mop! Sounds like a simple feat - but hardly so. Last night we tried.

The instructions say to roll the wax wads into a ball. Okay. Did that. The finished spheres were each about the size of a grape. Then they say to gently put them in the ear - but not actually in the ear. Do not insert into ear canal. Mold to ear and use outside. Huh?

So we molded and tried to just make them "sit" in the ear. Right! Then we attempted to make them go in the ear hole just a tad so they'd hold. Nope. We spent the greater portion of the bath fishing around in the water for the fallen ear plugs. We'd dry 'em off and try again. All the while trying to tell this two year old bundle of energy who just loves his bath - to sit still and not splash.

Yeah. So I finally figured out that whoever invented the damn things never actually tried them out to see if they'd work. So we tried to wash his hair without getting his ears wet. All the while I'm thinking "And HOW long do we have to do this?"

There's got to be a better way. Have any of you ever had to contend with this dilemma?

And on the diet front - did my walk....attempted some push-ups (girlie style) and did well with my eating! The scale is sitting firm at 175 but my clothes are feeling looser so I think we've got some muscle going on here.

I rolled up some deli turkey and lettuce in a whole wheat pita for lunch today. Added a slice of Swiss cheese just because I love cheese and I've been depriving myself. It's the whole good food vs. bad food mindset I'm fighting. It's all about moderation.

Now...does wrestling with a two year old in the bathtub count as any kind of exercise?

Upward and Onward!

So the weekend is behind me and it's onward to another week of good eating habits and daily walking. It won't be the same as walking the lake - but I know it'll be a better workout. I tend to "amble" when I tread the old dirt road that hugs our lake.

One thing I did this weekend that I'm really proud of ~ I continued to journal everything I ate! Normally I would've tossed in the towel on that one by now. but I've recognized how accountable it's kept me and how much it's revealed about my eating patterns. And it shows me how easy it is to get back on track. Right when you're sure you've blown it (like when I ate those 4 chocolate chip cookies in a row...they were small...but still!) I glanced back at what I'd eaten earlier that day and realized that I hadn't really blown it at all. I'd eaten a healthy breakfast and lunch and those cookies - while not the best for me - weren't enough to sabotage my efforts.

I noticed something else too. Sunday night I went across the lake to join some old friends for a campfire. When we walked back home...I was the only one not huffing and puffing. That was kind of neat!

Another plus of this healthier eating is that the whole grains have really helped put the brakes on my carb cravings. I'm tending to reach for a healthier snack if I'm hungry and that's something new for me.

I know now that it's time to get back to my strength training. I've put that on hold for too long now. Carmen has given her new Monday challenge and it's to do push ups. I'm not so good in the upper arm strength area. I'm rather wimpy. But I'm going to try. There's a good work out routine in my You-On A Diet book that I'm going to ease myself into. But it's the little baby steps that we incorporate into our lifestyle...one at a time until they feel like they belong - that truly make a difference.

My slacks are fitting very nicely this morning. There are slight hollows in my checks and I think just maybe...my jowls are a little smaller! (Darn I hate those things!)

I wish I could fast forward a few months and be where I wish I was now. But for now I'll be patient. Things are happening!

A Taste of Summer....

Summer has officially begun in our neck of the woods! Memorial Day Weekend heralds the start of an all too short season in Upstate New York. Ahhh...but what a way to start the show!

The weather was awesome and it felt so-oo good to be at the lake! There's something magical about cottages. It's like they freeze frame moments in time and re-play them for you over and over again each time you arrive. That musty smell...that captures every summer you've ever been there. The feel of the worn sheets on lumpy beds. The momento's of last summer that you forgot about.....the driftwood that floated up on shore after that one storm...the hydrangeas you picked last fall to dry in a vase. And all I have to do is pop in my Benny Goodman CD and I'm back to a time when the girls were young...first hubby was still alive...and dreams of the future were plentiful and almost plausible.

Now - I'm older. The girls are older. The dreams are older. And yet...the cottage is still the same. It waits for us each year. It doesn't care if the dreams have changed or we've changed. All that matters is that we're all there again.

It was so good to be there this weekend. It was so hard to leave.

And in spite of all the pull of past summers....I did okay with my eating. Sure there were times when I felt like I should fix up a tray of something and bring it out on the dock along with a pitcherful of some frozen concoction to help us hang on... but instead I grabbed a handful of nuts and turned up Benny Goodman.

Was I perfect this weekend? Absolutely not! Did I blow it? Not on your life! I made small changes that I will practice as the summer unfolds. And yes... I had bacon one morning. And I ate some of those chocolate chip cookies my middle daughter made. And I even had some macaroni salad. But I controlled my portions....kept myself moving....and feel pretty good right now.

Except for one thing. I wish I was there and not here!

Off to the Lake!

I'm heading off to the lake today to spend the next 3 days focusing on some serious R&R. My youngest daughter and her hubby have been there to open things up for us already so it will be a blissful turn-key arrival....lawn mowed, deck furniture out, boat in the water and ready to go, fridge stocked with staples, and heck - they even planted some flowers!

Exercise will not be a challenge this weekend. I love to walk around the lake and granted - many times I stop to chat with fellow cottagers who have just arrived for the season too - but I take SO many walks while I'm there that I know I'll get way more than my daily quota in.

Food, on the other hand will be a challenge. What's Memorial Day without the traditional hot dogs, burgers and macaroni salads? But I'm vowing to at least give it my best shot. I'm bringing lots of fruit & veggies and I've planned some alternative meals ideas that I hope my kids will "appreciate". Of course I can't be sure of what they'll bring (they've been blessed with being thin and able to eat about anything) so there may be some slips.

This is the deal though. I'm going to allow myself to not be perfect. I tend to be an "all or nothing" sort. As in - "Oh crap, I ate a cookie...I've blown it...might as well scrap this day & start again tomorrow..." Anybody out there like that? (I can hear the collective nodding of heads!) So I''m going to focus on the positive changes I've made. The extra good for you foods that I've incorporated into my diet (which in turn keep me from filling up on the not so good foods). Yes, maybe...probably...okay - I'm going to eat a burger. It's Memorial Day Weekend for gosh sakes! But instead of the mac salad one daughter is bringing, I'm grilling up some fresh veggies. And I'm bringing some nuts and dried cranberries to munch on if I get famished. I'll eat more than I have been the past week - but on the same token - I'll eat far less than I usually do. So it won't be a wash. If I can keep that mindset - I won't give in and give up.

So here's to long walks around the lake in the cool of the evening....lazy afternoons on the dock with a good book....laughter around the campfire with good friends who have been hiding all winter....the smell of pines.....the warmth of the sun....ooooh I can't wait!

So I'm checking off until Monday night. Y'all have a great holiday weekend and remember - it's all in the mindset. Focus on what you're doing right and you can't go wrong!

Mind Over Matter

When I got home yesterday I absolutely DID NOT want to walk. I was super tired from staying up late standing in our hole last night (lol) and the subsequent campfire that followed. This body of mine has grown accustomed to 7-8 hours of sleep and I really felt it yesterday. I was dragging all day!

But....I've realized it's mind over matter here and I had a little conversation with myself on the drive home from work that went something like this:

"I'm soooooo tired. I should probably skip walking today."

"No! You know how you are. If you skip today , you'll skip tomorrow."

"Why would I skip tomorrow?"

"Because that's how you are. You're an "all or nothing".

"But I need a nap. Maybe just a little nap and then I'll walk."

"You know you'll feel LESS like walking after a nap. Who are you kidding."

"But it probably wouldn't be good for me to overexert myself and walk when I'm this tired."

"Oh, pleeeeeas! Like carrying around 40 pounds of excess weight is good for you? Just put your sneakers on the minute you get home and do it."

"Okay, okay. I'll do it"

And that last line is where the mind played over the will. When I decided to just do it. And guess what? I did it! And I actually felt good while I was doing it. After about 15 minutes the endorphins kick in and everything starts to feel good. (Even my little broken toe felt good!)

And because I walked, I had the reserve to eat well yet once again. For dinner I covered a skinless chicken thigh with some diced fresh tomatoes, onions, a few calamata olives and some fresh basil - wrapped it in foil and baked it. It was so good! I had a side of some fresh asparagus that I rolled around in 1 teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil, some course salt , basil, oregano, thyme and pepper that I baked in the oven along with the chicken. It was filling and satisfying!

I've discovered the key to eating fewer portions (is to make what you've got more interesting.) Add more color, more texture and of course - taste!) The calalmata olives did the trick!

I've been running circles around the fruits and veggies too. Including some with every meal. And this morning - I actually had some color in my cheeks BEFORE I put my blush on. As in...I think I'm getting healthier!

We Have a Hole!

Well yesterday was an exciting day! And not just because I reached my first 10 pound goal or that my pants are feeling looser either... Yesterday we officially started our new addition. There's a prologue to this story that bears mentioning.

As most of you know, I lost my first husband to cancer and re-married several years ago. New hubby was a bachelor for over 20 years and lived in an itsy bitsy house that Realtors like to describe cunningly as a "bungalow". It's actually smaller than your average one bedroom apartment. We're talking micro-small here! But it rests peacefully on 4 magnificent acres that he has sculpted into a beautiful park. Really! It's like a park. There is a large pavilion that holds 6 picnic tables, an outdoor kitchen area with a freezer, microwave, sink and fridge, an outhouse with two rooms - one for the guys complete with sink, flush toilet and urinal, and another connecting for the gals - also complete with sink, flush toilet and shower. And then there's the 2 story water slide he & his dad built. There are trails and gardens and it's just wonderful!

But we don't live there.

He moved to my house (10 minutes away) when we got married. Because I had the kids (3 girls) and the bigger house. (He never had any children). We've maintained 2 houses for three years with the dream of adding on to his (obviously because of the wonderful yard). So finally, after 3 years of sketching our dreams on paper and watching them transform into blueprints, then contracts - we've begun! Yesterday they dug the hole for the basement. There is dirt everywhere ! But we don't care! We just stood there in our 24 x 26 x 12 feet deep hole, imagining where we would put the furniture when the first floor is built and reveling in the fact that after 3 long years- it was finally happening! We called family members from our cell phones and said "Come see our hole!" And they came, and we all stood in the hole and toasted our new dream together.

2007 seems to be the year of major changes and seeing dreams fulfilled. I'm excited!

And little Austin came through his ear "surgery" just fine. The Dr. said he's never seen such a good little boy. He actually smiled as they put the mask over his face to send him off into la-la land.

Things are good. Very, very good!