Long lost blogger

Why hello there!  I am such a blogger slacker.  No real excuse cause it's not like I am not on my phone (or iPad or laptop).  :)

January always means new things to better myself.  Time and time again I have had good intentions but failed in my follow through.  At the beginning of the year God spoke the word Thrive to me.  The word was already in my head.  You see, I am attending a conference for my Young Living business in February this year.  (www.thethriveconference.com)  We've been talking about the word Thrive and what it means in our Facebook groups.  It's made me think deeper on it.  So much so that I am making 2015 my year to Thrive.

What does that mean?
This means
*that I am working harder to create, protect, and KEEP my quiet time with Bible reading along with completing the Bible in a year.
*that I am getting back to the gym (took a break a few months ago when I was sick and never got back) and sticking with it!
*that I am focusing more on my family.  Because of this I am taking a Facebook break right now for at least 21 days.  I chose this for our church-wide fast because I am horrible at being on Facebook way too often.  My house and parenting (along with marriage) shows for it too.  So it was something that needed to go.  I will have to set boundaries for sure after the fast is over.
*that I am living life to the fullest.  Making memories like it's the only day I have.  Tomorrow isn't guaranteed.
*that I am going to be a completer, finisher, conqueror this year!  I am tired of not completing what I want to finish.
*that I am doing this all with lots of accountability to keep pushing me forward

What about you?  Where can you focus on Thriving in life?  What goals do you want to complete in 2015?

Changes in our household

I am now the mom of a kindergartener!  Keelan started kindergarten last week.  He is loving it.  It still feels out of routine to not have him at home with me.  Will take some getting used to I am sure.  :)  Keelan loves to ride the bus.  Each morning he runs across the street to the neighbor girl's house so he can talk to her.  She's probably 5 years older than him, but they get along most of the time.

Corgan has started playing football so our lives have been occupied with practice 4 days a week.  He has his first game tomorrow morning.  Can't wait to see them all in their uniforms and pads running around.  So cute at that age.  He is 7 and one of the oldest on the team but is one of the smallest.  He got a position playing on the line.  He amazes me at how tough he is.  I hope he enjoys it!

Marshall and I just celebrated our 10th anniversary yesterday.  We got to get out while my parents watched the boys.  We went to The Melting Pot where we indulged in a 4 course meal!  Wow, didn't think that was that much food until we were eating it all.  We were so full!  We were also given 6 chocolate covered strawberries since I had a coupon with their fondue club.  Everything about the whole thing was great!  We will definitely have to treat ourselves to it again...just maybe not 4 courses!  :)

I am still working full-time in real estate.  Things are going well there.  Stretching myself for sure most days, but it's rewarding.  :)

I am still heavily involved with Young Living Essential Oils.  It is still rocking our world!  It has provided financially in a great way.  I have also made some amazing friends.  I love hearing more and more testimonials on how they (the oils) are helping so many people!  It is mind blowing to me.  I make it a point and goal to use a new oil as much as I can so I have a good product knowledge.  I am preparing now for a big expo event at our local civic center next month.  I am eager to see how it helps my business.  If you, or anyone you know, are interested in information send me a message.

Tonsillectomy - Day 1

I wanted to keep a record of the days for my personal record and to help anyone else about to have a tonsillectomy.  I am 31 years old, almost 32. I am overweight and not as active as I would like

Stayed up til at least 11:30 last night eating and drinking. The last couple weeks I have had a cough so I was worried about not being able to have water after midnight.

I was up by just before or right at 5 am.  I got ready and then got the boys up. We dropped Corgan off at a neighbor's house so he catch the bus from their house for school.

We got to the hospital at 6. They were pretty quick getting me registered and in to pre-op. Our pastor came and prayed with us. (Thanks Pastor Nick!) I wasn't in pre-op long at all before they took me back. I remember wheeling in the hall and waking up in post-op. That is all I remember. The first thing I remember in post-op was coughing and them telling me to stop. They ended up giving me morphine to stop the coughing. I was talking with asking how my vitals were since I had issued with them with my septoplasty (08/2007). Everything was perfect....such an answer to prayer.

They got me wheeled into a room so Marshall and Keelan could come see me. We were only in that room maybe a half hour and then I was discharged and sent home. We dropped by CVS to give them my list of rxs. Knowing it would take some time we ended up running by Kroger for a couple of my requests - banana Popsicles and chicken noodle soup. I got my first bout of nausea. :(  Marshall then took me home so he could get my rxs. I ate some soup and got a good nap.

CVS wasn't able to fill my pain med without talking to the Dr. So it was a few hours before I was able to take another dose. I used the lidocaine to numb my throat.  It made me extremely drowsy so I laid back down.  Marshall was then able to get my loratab for me. He then went out to get my miracle mouthwash.

I have another episode of nausea that was worse so I took phenergan and rubbed on DiGize. Hasn't quite helped but is better now. Making sure to staying hydrated. The pain isn't too bad today.....but I am hoping and praying it stays like this. I will stay on top of drinking lots of water, eating protein, pain medication and essential oils.

Starting line...again

I'm back at the starting line...and I'm not proud of it.  I am proud that I am able to admit my fault and start over though.  Today I am starting a 5 week challenge.  To learn more about it and to join me visit link below.

Mamavation 5k

I’m running a virtual 5K with #Mamavation on March 30th. Would u like to join me? http://bit.ly/YGWaHR #mamavation5k

January results

I challenged myself to complete Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred in January.  I can say that I completed it.  Was it exactly as planned?  No, but I did it!  I completed 17 out of 30 Days.  There were a few days where I did other exercises.  I also had a few days off due to a bout with tonsillitis that landed me in the emergency room getting a CT scan.  (Luckily, it was not an abscess like my Dr thought...but I will end up getting my tonsils removed at some point this year.)  So I give it a completed sticker and a thumbs up!  I was noticing results within 3 days!  That really helped me to keep pushing through.  If I had to have a complaint about the program it would be the lack of a status bar telling you how much longer you had.  Maybe I'm spoiled having seen those in other programs but I find it helps me push if I can see just how much longer I have left.  Then again the planks and jumping jacks were hard enough.

So how were my results?  Well....I lost 5.2 lbs total and also a total of 7.75 inches all over!  4 inches off my waist alone!  I was very excited about that one.  My stomach is one of my trouble areas that I don't like.  I need to get to eating even better so that I can continue to lose inches there and get some lean tone.

Also in January I weighed in for Scale Back Alabama again this year. I did it last year and was able to lose over 20 lbs. In the last year I gained 10 of that back. I plan to lose at least that 10 and more for the program this year. I'm keeping my exercise programs changing to keep it fun. I'm also using varying foods so that my body doesn't get used to any one thing.  I would love any healthy recipes that you want to share!  As a working mom (well part-time at least) now things are a little harder.  I'm still learning the balance of working, having a child in school, and keeping house.  2013 is going to be the year I manage a lot of things better!

-----------------------------

Bring on February!!  I am starting a new exercise program tonight!  I am starting Slim In 6.  I have done this in the past but never completed longer than 2 weeks.  I am going to go the full 6 weeks this time!  The plan is to workout 6 days a week with a rest day.  I will still be doing doing family walks to help Marshall.  I will not allow the walks to be an excuse not to do Slim In 6.  That will be an add-on so that I am not only teaching my kids the benefits of exercising, but doing it with them.  Usually on our walks I push Keelan in the stroller and Corgan rides on Marshall's shoulders.  Towards the very end they both are antsy and ready to run a little bit.  We both enjoy running with them.  It's a good burst of energy at the end.  I love that our kids are loving to work out with us.  Now to get them more on board with eating good.

I'm back!

I'm back to blogging again.  I plan to do it consistently from here on out.  I really enjoy it, plus it's a release for me.  Getting stuff written, or in this case typed, out releases me from thinking about it for so long.  It also helps to solidify dreams and goals when I write them down.  It's a new year.  There are lots of things that I hope to do and see happen this year.  I don't call them resolutions because those are easily broken.  I choose to look at them at lifestyle changes to get what I dream about.  I've always heard, "fail to plan, plan to fail."  So a new year means new plans.  No failing for me.  It doesn't have to be for you either.  Take time each day to plan.  Dream big and allow God to use you.

One Year Challenge

I joined a One Year One Ton Challenge with a local group a few weeks ago.  I'm down 1.8 in the last 2 weeks.  Not ideal, but not bad.  Just time to push it a little harder!  I plan to start up Slim in 6 tomorrow and do it for 6 days along with walking/jogging a 5k on Saturdays (as I can).  Rest days will be Sundays.  The One Year One Ton Challenge is for all of us to lose 100 lbs.  It's a big goal for me (cause that puts me right at if not a little below my goal weight).  I am going to do my best to attain the goal anyways!

Been having some pain in my knees with jogging lately so I've been walking more than jogging.  I'm hoping the Slim in 6 will help build up my muscle strength and help lengthen my jogging times.  I feel like I should be further along in running...and I probably should...but it's been a long hard process.  Gotten to at least Week 5 of C25K three times now.  Got to Week 7 at the beginning of the year when I got bronchitis.  It's still a goal to complete the whole program sometime!  I refuse to beat myself up over it though.

Looking through the calendar of 5ks here locally to see which ones I can do.  I have a few that I really would like to do.  Now to get the money!  :)

Runner's high

Finally!  It is finally back!!  My runner's high that is....and maybe my blogger's high too (well maybe!).  Marshall was ordering pizza for supper tonight.  I knew that if I was going to eat it that I needed to run.  So I made myself get on the treadmill while the pizza was on the way.  I got in a quick 1.25 miles.  Most of that I ran too.  I pushed myself a little harder.  I had a little bit of arch pain and a cramp in my side.  So I focused on breathing, technique and drinking some water.  It helped the pains go away and I was able to run more.  I also got my MOTOACTV finally calibrated for the treadmill.  Now I can make sure to use it more when I do my treadmill runs!  I have a feeling that there will be lots of those this summer.  It's been so crazy hot here lately.  Course tonight was nice and cooler with a breeze.  Made me want to get out and do another run.  However there was some lightning nearby so that wouldn't have been a good idea.  :)

Both of the boys aren't feeling good.  Chest/head colds.  Coughs, snotty noses, gagging from drainage, and wheezing cries.  *sigh*  Poor babies.  I hope they both get to feeling much better!  Already seems like a better day today.  At least Corgan will take something to help.  They're both a bit whiny lately too....probably just from not feeling good.

So ready for a new goal so I'm challenging myself to lose 5 lbs by the 21st.  That's 2 weeks.  I'm going to be strict on myself again.  Eating much better, counting calories, drinking at least 95% water (the occasional coffee and tea....no carbonated drinks), and exercising regularly.  I have got to get my butt back in gear.  I think it will help my back and neck pain I've had for almost 2 months now.

11 weeks til Warrior Dash!!!  I WILL commit to finishing an exercise program whether it be Slim in 6, 30 Day Shred or Couch 2 5K.  That's another goal to have done before Warrior Dash.  I would love to be down 20 more lbs by the WD.  I can do it!!

*singing* Don't stop...Don't give up

Yes I am singing in that title.  Keelan is quite fascinated with Yo Gabba Gabba lately.  One of the songs on there is called Don't Give Up.  It's a quite catchy song....as they all are....and I find myself singing it.  Guess it could be a theme for me with my getting healthy journey.  I'm trying my hardest to get out of the slump but it's just getting harder and harder...and the days til Warrior Dash are getting closer and closer.  It doesn't help that I've been dealing with back and neck pain pretty bad for over a month or two now.  I, however, will not allow that excuse to validate an end to my journey!  It's NOT over!  So until I breath my last breath I will continue to sing "Keep trying.  Keep trying. Don't give up. Never give up."

Insanity

5k update: I finished the 5k on Memorial Day in 48:32. That's a little bit slower than my last 5k....but I was having some foot pain and it was extremely hot out. Still not a bad time for walking the majority of it.  I just didn't push myself like I wanted to do.  I didn't get good sleep the night before for some reason.  It was still nice to get out for a run and have my husband there with me.  He didn't run with me this time...but he did take some pictures.  Here's one.  :)

24 Day Challenge is almost over.  I haven't been eating good at all.  I was so strict with it for a bit.  Then Mother's Day and my birthday happened making it hard.  I have 2 more days left.  This weekend I will do measurements again to see how they have changed.  I'm focusing more on them than the scale.  

I've changed up my training a little bit.  I have downloaded the 10k app for my phone.  It's a couch to 10k type thing so I will just pick up where I was in C25K.  However I haven't done any running other than my 5k this week.  We started Insanity by Beachbody on Tuesday....doing it Tuesday and last night.  Tonight I did the 30 Day Shred level 1 workout.  Might try to get a run in tomorrow.  I don't think I can do extra workouts and continue to run 3 days a week.  I want to work on strength most of all to prepare me for the Warrior Dash that I am doing in Sept.  That is something that is going to push me to my limits for sure!  So I'm doing everything I can to build up my strength and endurance.

Debating about which race to sign up for next.  Maybe one for the end of June or early July.  I've found a 4th of July one that I would like Marshall to do with me.  We'll see about that.  I'd love to get in runs with him.  He used to run lots of miles every day....so I want to help him get back to it as it is something he loves. :)

Is this thing on?

I feel like no one reads my blog anymore. I know I haven't exactly been a great blogger but I'm trying to get better. :) Still working on the 24 Day Challenge. I'm on Day 14 I believe. Time to get it on full force. I made it through my birthday celebrations. I'm buckling back down to finish strong. I can do this!! Signed up today for another 5K. It's on Memorial Day through Downtown. Should be a nice run. Need to try a run without headphones since they are not allowed in this race.

24 Day Challenge

I am on Day 4 of my 24 Day Challenge. So far so good! I'm really enjoying eating even healthier...eating cleaner. The clean eating is so that the cleanse phase works better. I've already lost 5 lbs. I had a little cheat this morning at our ladies' brunch at church but I made sure the majority of my plate was healthy fruit. I skipped the cookies and the cute cake pops. I did have a small sweet treat, a few baby quiche, a sausage ball, mini cinnamon roll, a breakfast casserole and 1 glass of fruit tea. The rest was fruit. Didn't go back for 2nds either. I've gotten a lot better at that. Before I would have such a full plate and go back for even more....overeating. Overeating was my major weakness when it comes to potluck style or buffets. I always want to try some of everything. I have found that my choices have gotten much better but also that I don't neglect myself of sweet treats either. I just don't overindulge in them anymore. I'm trying to cut them out completely right now so that the cleanse can work better. I'm not feeling like I'm missing out on anything. Course I will have a Mother's Day and birthday in the middle of this 24 Day Challenge. Oh well. :) I've challenged myself to 30 miles in 30 days. I have 12 days left in that 30 days and 17.44 miles left to run. Hope to be able to get it done! Only a week left on my 30x30 list....gotta get a move on! :)

100th post

I can't believe I only have 100 posts. I'm not a very good blogger..haha. This post is my 100th post though so it needs to be a good one! We are advisors with Advocare. I've used the products off and on the last couple years. I'm at a plateau with my weight loss where I'm losing motivation. So I had Marshall order me the stuff for the 24 Day Challenge...and he has decided to do the challenge with me!! I can't wait to see how this sparks weight loss for both of us. I also believe it will help motivate us since we're doing it together. The first 10 days we will do an Herbal Cleanse and use Spark (energy drink). Days 11-24 we'll use MNS Max 3 (vitamins and amino acids - for maximum energy and appetite control) and Meal Replacement Shakes (1 meal/snack). We will also add Catalyst to help with maximum results for workouts. I will do a full measurements and starting weight post before I start. I am still running 3 times a week. I will start Couch 2 5K week 3 this week. I restarted the program to get all the way through it. I've done pretty good so far. Need to make a plan on how to manage the hot temps and running. Might have to start doing it before the sun gets up. That'll be a hard one for me. I like my sleep a little too much. :) I am debating about adding Slim In 6 again or going with Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. We'll see. Right now I have a bad pain in my right shoulder/upper back I need to get better before I do anything other than running. I eventually will be adding bike riding with the family. Gotta find a bike first. Slowly making more progress on my 30x30 list. I only have 2 weeks from tomorrow til my birthday so I need to get to work! :)

5K update!

I did my first 5K this past Saturday! It was so much fun! I started it out jogging...and it felt GREAT! So great that I pushed to see how far I could go running before walking. I wore my MOTOACTV and listened to a local radio station during the race. I wish it had been the Christian station but it wouldn't pick up even though I was really close to the studio. :( I was able to run the first 7 mins....a half mile. I think I only stopped because I got to that half mile mark. I didn't need to stop...so I need to work on pushing it a little more. After that 7 mins I walked approx. 1 min-2 mins and then jogged again for a few mins. I tried to keep that interval going...walking a few and jogging a few. I think only once did I walk for more than a few mins. I would say that I ran about 70% of it - maybe more. Not bad for my first 5K or considering I had bronchitis the week before and was only able to run 1 time in the 2 weeks before. I finished in a time of 46:58. I had a first goal for 50 mins. I kept an eye on my MOTOACTV and saw that it could be possible to beat 45 mins so I pushed a little harder. However right at the very end I started getting a side a cramp....so I walked it out as best I could. I did run across the finish line! :)

I started C25K over this week. I will finish it this time and be able to run even longer distances without stopping. I'm hoping to be able to share running with my husband and kids as well. Running is something that Marshall used to do and that he misses. I also plan to get bikes for the both of us so we can have other ways to exercise as a family. It's very important to us to instill good exercise habits in our kids so they don't end up overweight. Exercise will help us all to have better attitudes with each other as well.

I need to look over my 30x30 list cause we're almost down to the last month before I turn 30! I haven't done good on my Bible reading at all. That should've been the number 1 thing to complete on that list so I'm going to have to get back on it big time.

Scale Back Alabama

So I had my weigh out today for Scale Back Alabama which is an 11 week weight loss program the state does to encourage weight loss. I lost 20.6 lbs in that time! I'm down a total of 23.8 lbs for the year! Only 1.2 away from 25 lbs which is 10% of my body weight I started with! I can't get over how much I've lost so far. It feels so good and boy it shows in my clothes and the way I feel.

I actually bought my first dress that wasn't in the plus size dept for Easter this weekend. I'm not in those sizes completely yet but that dress was and it felt GREAT! I got lots of comments which made me so happy. :)

My first 5K is only in 2 DAYS!!! I'm so excited and a little nervous all at the same time. I need to find what I'm going to wear. My shirt that I bought at the beginning of the year for it is TOO big....as are my shorts. I have another pair of shorts that may work. Will figure that all out tomorrow. Gotta plan a good dinner for tomorrow night as well. :) I will update again after the 5K with how I did.

I have now used my MOTOACTV twice....once for a walk with the family and then today for a run. I LOVE it!! It's so easy to motivate me cause I can look at my wrist (I'm using the wrist band) and see my pace. I can adjust my speed to better my pace. I love the FM radio feature. I haven't used the MP3 portion just yet. Need to play around with it and see how it works.
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with Motorola. They sent me a free MOTOACTV to try and share how I like it. I am not being compensated for my time or words in any way.

MOTOACTV

I was recently chosen by Motorola to receive a free MOTOACTV to try and share my opinion about it. I'm hoping it will be delivered sometime this week. I can't wait to try it out. I will use it mainly for running but I plan to buy a bike and start riding soon as well. I'm excited to be able to share riding bikes with my family soon. Marshall will be getting a bike too so it will be good to share something together to get healthy.

Size change!

I did some shopping today and was pleasantly surprised to find that my size had changed! I am now down 2 pants sizes and 1 shirt size! Woohoo! I only bought a shirt today but I can't wait to buy new pants. I am selling some of my bigger stuff to help the budget so I can get new (to me) clothes. There is a yard sale group for plus size clothes on Facebook. I'm hoping to not need the group for too long as my big goal is to wear misses sizes instead of plus size! :) It can be done.

Not sure what my weight loss is this week just yet. I will weigh in at church in the morning. I'm hoping for at least close to 2 lbs or over 2 lbs. I'm 2 lbs away from 15 lbs gone!! So ready to get to that 15 lbs.

Still running. Got in 2 runs this week along with a Slim in 6 workout and 1 night of Zumba. Will run tomorrow afternoon to get back in the groove. My body is sore from my last run. I had done the Slim in 6 workout earlier that day. Trying to keep my workouts different so my body doesn't get too used to anything. So far so good. 6 weeks til my first 5K race!

Countdowns

Seems to be countdowns lately for me. Corgan will register for Kindergarten is just 2 weeks. I can't believe I will have a Kindergartener this year. I won't have to be a referee all day when the boys fight. I know Keelan will miss his big brother but it'll be so good for the both of them. Corgan still has a lot of work to be ready for school...but we're working on it. His main thing he needs to learn is writing. He's just not interested in it so I need to find a way to make it fun.

Another countdown is to my 5K race. It is just less than 8 weeks away! I am trying to figure out the best ways to get prepared for it. I need to add cross-training to my week between runs.

Can't forget the countdown to my birthday either! Just 3 months from yesterday I will be turning 30. I need to get a move on my 30x30 list! :)

Snap out of it!

That's what I'm saying to myself. I have every reason to have good excuses as to why I didn't get my runs in this week like I needed to. However instead of dwelling on them I choose to shake it off and get back on board! I have 8 weeks til my 5K and it's still my goal to run the entire thing. I can do it!

I have made progress in losing weight. I believe I am down 11.2 lbs since the beginning of the year. Will be weighing in tomorrow for our Biggest Loser contest at church. I was able to lose over 4 lbs last week and 2.4 the week before. I'm quite proud to see the numbers going down. I need to come up with a reward for 15 lbs since I'm so close to it. Still working out my rewards along the way to keep me going. :)

Well, I need to get in the bed. If it's not raining I will doing a walk/jog 5K with our group at church in the morning before weigh-in. If it's raining, I think we'll do Zumba on the Wii or something inside.