It’s all up to me

In about an hour the school year will officially be over.  I have a few workdays to put in over the summer but I get paid extra for them so I don’t mind it.  All I know is that I don’t have to write lesson plans, manage behavior or deal w/school frustrations for the next 2 1/2 months.  Hooray!

Other frustrations have crept in, however.  Long story short, instead of beginning construction on our home next week it will probably be a month.  The guy at the bank acknowledged that he didn’t contact us about a few things so the appraisal will take 4 weeks.  Without the appraisal our builder can’t get money and w/o money he of course can’t build our house.  The bank needs about 8 different documents and to top it off, the guy who needs them is going on vacation, starting TOMORROW, for 2 weeks!  Thankfully we didn’t have students today so my hubby was able to track a few things down and we met w/the contractor over our lunch hour in my classroom.  Hubby is at the bank right now trying to get things rolling.  Deep breaths, take deep breaths.

Had to improvise for lunch b/c typically we go out on the last day which means I didn’t bring anything.  Since lunch was spent w/my contractor I had my hubby pick me up a sub.  Not the most nutritious thing on the planet but given the circumstances it was the best option available.

Worked out at 4:20 this morning (yay, I got to sleep in 20 minutes) and it should be the last time in quite a while that I’ll have to get up at 4:00.  I’m sure I’ll get up about 6:00 or 6:30 but that’s luxurious compared to the schedule during the school year.

Tonight we go to my grandma’s b/c it’s her 80th birthday.  I’m also sending the kids home w/my parents and hubby and I are doing intense work on the house for the next 3 days.  We’re also having a new furnace and new carpet installed.  I will be so thankful when that’s done b/c then we can have our garage back and start to put up window trim, baseboards, etc. that makes it look like a real house.

Progress toward workout goal:  29/300

I’m in a mood and it’s very strange. Today was the last day w/kids so all I have left until summer is 1 day of meetings tomorrow. Normally I’m ecstatic by this point but I think all of the uncertainty regarding next year is getting to me. I know that I’m teaching some computer classes but nobody can tell me the specifics of what I’ll be teaching. I’m not the most technologically savvy person on the planet so I can’t just wing it when school starts. I am definitely a planner and my boss is not so I’m not 100% sure that I trust him when he says he talking w/reps from the district to see what this new course should entail.

I also think that I’m nervous b/c my classroom will be moving next year which is really bumming me out. Of course I like teaching, but the best parts of the day generally come during the 4 minutes of passing time when I’m with the teachers by my room. Next year I’ll be by myself and I’m not someone who does well w/isolation.

As long as I’m going down this road, I think I’m also moody b/c I realized tonight that I don’t really “fit” at my school. What I mean is that although I have a lot of friends at school not many of them are close friends, people I would share deep, personal issues with. One of my closest friends is retiring and she’s the glue that holds a lot of people together. I’m trying to stay positive for next year but I have a feeling that it’s going to turn more into a job than it ever has been before.

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Today is going fairly well w/my new plan. I got up at 4:00 to workout since I had the cookout after school. My older son had kindergarten graduation so I escaped from school for an hour or two to be part of that. After school I finished packing up my room so that things can be moved over the summer. At the party I did very well with my eating, following my new plan. I stuck w/diet soda instead of beer and waited to eat until I was hungry. I took about half of what I would normally eat and then went back for a little more about an hour later. When I got home I was hungry about an hour later so I ate some cottage cheese w/tomatoes and then for a snack tonight I had a banana. I like feeling more relaxed about food. I don’t know if this is something I can do for a long period of time but for this week it’s working.

Progress toward workout goal: 28/300

Yesterday didn’t end well food-wise and knowing that the next week is going to be chaotic moment after chaotic moment I needed to make a plan to get through. I know that I could stick to the old plan and that I could truly do it, but I’m not willing to put forth that much effort. Instead, my goal is to maintain for this week. I stepped on the scale this morning and it said 230.0, next Sunday it will say the same. Here’s how I’m going to do it:

1. Weigh myself every morning.
2. Eat at least 5 servings of fruits/veggies daily.
3. Eat at least 3 servings of dairy daily.
4. Exercise daily. My regular routine will be changing but I will make time to workout every day.
5. Eat when hungry and that’s the ONLY reason.
6. Drink water, water, water.

For Eileen’s challenge, sticking to this plan for this week will earn me a star. At the end of the week, if I’m at 230 or lower I will keep my stars. If I’m over 230, I’ll delete them (if possible) or just deduct them from the rest of the month.
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Today I did my CE weighted workout. Then we took my older son and looked at cabinets, appliances, paint, etc. I’m happy to say that we have picked out the paint for the new house which honestly was going to be one of the hardest tasks. We’re making progress on getting our house ready, it’s nice to see the clutter going away and piles getting smaller. After this week, when the carpet is in, it’s going to look like a completely different house

Progress toward workout goal: 27/300

Once again I got up this morning and really didn’t want to do the pilates/yoga workout that I do on Saturdays to relax. I know part of the problem is that it’s the same workout that I have done for a while so I’m probably bored, but I do it while Kyle does his chest therapy and it’s too noisy to hear the DVD, so I have to do a workout that I know well enough to follow simply by watching the screen. Maybe now that summer’s almost here (1/2 day w/kids on Monday, cleaning my room on Tuesday and that’s it!) I’ll take the time to experiment w/a few new workouts so I can rotate the selection on Saturdays. Anyway, I did the workout even though I didn’t want to, mostly b/c I decided that buffalo wings and blue cheese dressing constituted a healthy supper. Even though I know I went over calories, I’m proud to say I didn’t chuck everything and go on a binge. There is definitely something to be said for not keeping crap in your house.

Long story long, I remembered why I like this workout. Normally I work out at a very intense pace and this one is slow and stretches me out. I sounded like a bowl of Rice Krispies because as I twisted and held poses there were audible snaps, crackles and pops. Once it was done I realized that I was in the right frame of mind to make it through the day making healthy choices. I know that feeling can change on a dime so I’m not going to take it for granted, but at least I’m not battling any demons right now.

We’re still working on major decluttering this weekend. My hubby is currently at the dump getting rid of a bunch of stuff we just had to have at one point in time. We’re also going to make a run or two to the storage garage this weekend to get rid of a bunch of stuff. Right after school on Tuesday I’m taking the boys to my parents’ house until Friday and my hubby and a few of his students are going to move all of the furniture from our main level and pull up the carpet b/c the new carpet will FINALLY be installed on Wednesday/Thursday. I’ll be so glad to have a garage w/cars in it instead of carpet!

While hubby was packing up the van w/junk I fit in another workout so I’m at 90 minutes for the day! I love getting all sweaty first thing in the morning

Progress toward workout goal: 26/300

“Mom, I lost my underwear at school today.” What?????? That was something my 6 year-old said to me last night. It’s much more innocent than it sounds b/c they wore their swimming gear while washing the outdoor toys for the last few days of school. He wore his swimming trunks to school and apparently his undies got lost somewhere.

The second comment from today, though, wasn’t as innocent. I was in the bathroom after school and overhead some boys talking in the hallway. One must have been making fun of the other but all I heard was the comeback. “Oh yeah? At least I’m not the one who f’d the donut.” If you’re having trouble figuring it out, imagine the movie “American Pie.” Gotta love middle schoolers.

So far today has been good and I have faced a few challenges. We had a goofy schedule w/awards assemblies but I stuck w/my schedule. Bringing star crunches for the kids worked since I don’t like them. I worked out for an hour before school and then hit the gym for an hour after school. I was starving when I got home so I had my regular snack of strawberries w/yogurt and almonds. I was still hungry afterward and did eat 2 starbursts that were laying on the counter but then I got myself busy going through things to pack up for the storage garage vs. garage sale. My hubby is out for the night and usually when I’m home w/o him it’s a night of secret eating so I wanted to keep myself busy. In a few minutes I’ll get supper going, feed Kyle, feed myself and then continue packing. I still can’t believe that in a couple of weeks we’re going to have this house whipped into shape to get it on the market. It’s such a mess right now that it’s driving me crazy. Can’t wait until 1 1/2 weeks from now when we’re out of school and we have new carpeting. Then there will be nothing to get in the way of hours and hours of organizing every day. Sadly, I love to do that!

Progress toward workout goal: 25/300

With summer coming (1 1/2 more days w/kids, yay!!!) I will have a lot more time to workout. I really want to make an impact this summer but I don’t want to waste my time. I have heard of people overtraining and actually burning fewer calories than they would have if they backed off a bit but what IS overtraining? Does anyone have info about this? I’m going to work on a workout schedule over the next few days for the summer and I have been researching some interval workouts for the elliptical. I like the structure of being told to go for a certain number of minutes at a specific level so I’ll follow a plan instead of just mixing it up myself.

I have another chance to kill the all-or-nothing thinking. I was starving this morning and the guys down the hall had cookies. I ate one, but then withheld the snack that I had in the fridge down the hall. Overall the calories were probably equal. I’m proud b/c later I wanted more cookies, not b/c I was hungry but just b/c I wanted them. I didn’t eat them. It should go better tonight b/c the cookies at our house are gone and there’s nothing else around here that I’m really dying to eat.

Speaking of that, I’m bringing treats for my tough group of kids tomorrow b/c they have really stepped up to the plate lately. I was debating at the store last night on what to get. I was smart and bought Little Debbie Star Crunches. They’re cheap and I don’t like them, so I could easily pass them out to kids and not eat any myself.

Workout today was the regular CE weights workout and the TJ workout w/the weighted gloves for a total of 90 minutes. I love this CE workout b/c my muscles actually shake during several of the exercises. I love that feeling!

Progress toward workout goal: 24/300

One week from today will be my first official day of summer vacation. I can do it. Beyond dealing w/the kids during that time I’m also worried b/c it could be a warzone as far as food is concerned. This week is fairly normal, but the South Beach Diet wraps that I have taken for lunch all year are no longer available. Today was the first day I had to make my own lunch and it was fine, I’m just glad there are only a few more days where I have to get a lunch ready in the morning. Next week, the AP who is a good friend of mine is having an end of the year party at her house after school. She’s retiring so I definitely want to go and although I know I won’t have to eat when I’m there, getting through the party w/o indulging will be tough. Tuesday morning we have our end-of-the-year faculty breakfast which will be loaded w/unhealthy food. And then Weds-Fri we’re living in our basement b/c we’re getting new carpet on the main level, having a new furnace installed and a new patio poured in our backyard. I’m also pricing clothes for a garage sale and going out for breakfast w/a good friend on Thursday. I know that if I take each situation as it comes that I can get through it, but knowing myself, if I make one poor choice it can easily turn into a week of gluttony. I can’t let that happen b/c I really want this summer to be one where I transform myself. One of the “silver linings” I tried to find in me staying in my current job is that when I return in August people will really be able to see a change in my body.

This morning I got up at 4:00 and did the low-impact version of my CE Wednesday workout. I’m hoping this will take care of the knee pain that seems to pop up every Thursday. It’s the only thing that makes sense, considering that the Wednesday workout is full of intervals and plyometrics. I barely felt like I got a workout this morning but if it keeps me from having knee pain it will be worth it.

I also cut the grass after school for a total of 90 minutes today. I will get to 70 stars this month.

Off to deal w/a grumpy 6 year-old. They went to the pool as a celebration for honor roll today and he’s VERY tired. He’s a grouch now but at least it means an early bedtime and quiet evening for us.

Progress toward workout goal: 23/300

This was a crazy day. First of all, I hate kids! Not really, but middle schoolers in June are not a fun bunch to be around. If anyone out there is on a school board, do not EVER approve a school calendar that goes into June. Yes, you may have early release days in August for heat depending on where you live but a 1/2 day of school in August is more productive than a full day in June. We go until next Monday, I hope I can hang on by my fingernails until then. Thankfully I’m giving a test tomorrow, we’re making oragami on Thursday and an internet scavenger hunt on Friday so they’ll be busy little buggers.

The morning was spent debating my future at school. Several people think I should take my passing-over for the guidance job to the union since I’m qualified yet they went out of the district to fill the position. As much as I want the job, that’s not how I want to get it. I had dismissed the idea but a friend ran the situation past her union rep and the union rep said I should call. So I have my friend who is the counselor in the department trying to find out if all 4 members of the hiring committee chose the new person or if there were people advocating for me. I’m still guessing I won’t do anything b/c there are several counselors w/i retirement age but it’s always interesting around here.

After school I hit the gym for an hour and I also got up at 4:00 for an hour. It was amazing, though, how hard it was to get out of bed this morning. Usually I jump out of bed (ok, maybe I don’t jump out at 4:00 but you get the idea) when it’s a weightlifting day but today I snoozed for a few minutes. Do you think it had anything to do w/the chocolate chip cookie-nutty bar incident from last night????

After school we met w/our builder to get the official dollar amt. and see our floor plan. Just as I worried, the amount to do everything we want is just a tiny bit beyond our budget. We want to have the basement finished right away b/c having construction going on a year or two from now w/Kyle in the house would be a nightmare. But we’re not willing to put off building for another couple of years until we can afford more. So we’re going through each area and seeing where we can cut money. So far we have eliminated the fireplace, replaced hardwood w/ceramic tile and carpet and chosen a lesser quality countertop. We figure we can always replace a countertop easier than we can add square footage. But at least we’re moving ahead. Our builder will make the changes and we should get together later in the week to sign the official contract. It’s funny, now that we’re actually ready to sign paperwork I’m calm and my hubby is getting nervous

Progress toward workout goal: 22/300 (I jumped 2 days b/c I forgot to report this yesterday)

It’s the first of June, a beginning of a new month on the W8loss Challenge.  How do I start?  By eating a piece of cake.  A teacher’s son graduated over the weekend and she brought the leftover cake to our lounge.  I was in and out a couple of times today but this afternoon someone was raving about how good it was.  I’m generally a cake snob so I tried a tiny bit of frosting and it was AWESOME.  So I had a piece.  Now normally I would say “oh well, today is a wash.  Plus, summer is coming and I’ll kick it in the butt then.”  But today I’m going to change that.  It was a small piece and I have a mid-afternoon snack anyway.  So, to keep myself on-track w/calories and earn that damn food star I have to:

• go to the gym after school
• cut my post-gym snack in half (almonds, yogurt and strawberries)
• add in an extra serving of veggies w/supper and eliminate 1/2 the cottage cheese
• skip my after-supper treat of sf pudding

When I pull this off I’ll be w/i the range for the day and still count it as a successful food day.  I’ll update later to hold myself accountable.
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8:00
I’m here to testify to the resurrection of all-or-nothing thinking. It won. I swear, though, that I burned about 100 calories wrestling w/myself over what I was going to do. I baked chocolate chip cookies yesterday and thought I’d be ok b/c they really weren’t that good. Guess not. Even just-ok chocolate chip cookies are pretty damn good, especially when you slather them in peanut butter.

I did eat a healthy supper and worked out for 90 minutes after school so all is not lost. I just didn’t earn my food star for today.