Loosin It… Again

Well according to the scale… any gains I made this week are gone.  I know better than to weigh everyday, but sometimes I just like the reassurance that all of the calorie counting and exercise are doing something!  I didn’t go over in my points yesterday, but I did eat really late last night so maybe that is just messing with my weight this morning.

Yesterday was a busy day!  I mowed the yard, weed whacked, planted my hanging flower baskets, and my patio containers.  I also found time to do laundry and clean up the main area of the house.  By the end of the day I was absolutely EXHAUSTED!  Austin was pretty manageable yesterday.  He actually rode on the riding lawn mower the whole time.  He was so cute with his little safety goggles and ear muffs!  I thought he would want off after the first 30 mins, so I took him off and got off.  He turned around and ran back up on top of the mower and tried to put his ear muffs on.  So I took that as a sign he wasn’t done, and we finished the rest of hte yard. 

DH is really cranky these days.  He is working tons of overtime, not as much as they would like or as much as our bank account would like, but enough to keep him away from home a fair bit of the time.  I’ve been trying to help with some of the household stuff, which he appreciates but I think he also misses his routine.  I can’t do it all myself, but I can take care of quite a bit of it.

Today I am meeting an old HS friend for lunch.  She is in the midst of a nasty divorce.  So I am sure I will get an earful of info from her.  Well ladies… need to get DS#1 off to school!  Have a great Thursday!  We are almost to the weekend!

Morning Ladies… Happy Hump Day!  I never really got out of my funk yesterday.  I hope it doesn’t carry over today.  I RESOLVE to make today a better day!  I did get my planter boxes filled with dirt and my plants!  I have broccolli, kale, lettuce, and walla walla sweet onions.  I am so excited to see how this goes.  DH made me two planter boxes, but we only set up on box for now.  I am thinking about getting a topsy turvy tomato planter.  I think they would do really well on my back deck.  They also have a topsy turvy strawberry planter!  YUM!

My weight is down this morning… about a pound from Monday’s weigh in.  I hope it isn’t a fluke!  I would really like to start making some progress.  Food is okay, I am still breastfeeding, so I am not sure that my points are right.  If I stick to my daily points, and don’t use any of the flex points I have NO energy by the end of the day.  So I think my calorie consumption might be a little bit higher.  But why can’t we dip into my fat reserves?  I have plenty!!! 

Oh… I finally took my car in that started having problems last year!  We didn’t really have the $$$ and I just KNEW it was something major.  I didn’t have time, energy, or finances to deal with anything major.  So the car has been sitting here for the last 1 1/2 years, I finally took it in….. it needs a TUNE-UP!  OMG… so freakin mad at myself that it is something so simple!  And because I let it sit for so long, I have an additional $400 expense.  So it will cost around $700 to get it fixed, much better than the thousands of dollars I was expecting.  As fate would have it, my substitute vehicle I have been driving in it’s place needs a tune-up too!  But I am contemplating doing that one myself.  As soon as it is fixed up, we are going to sell it.  I watched some fix it videos on line, and it doesn’t look to hard for the van.  All the parts are right up front, and it “look” easy.  Ha ha… we will see if that is the case!

Well ladies… I better get a move on!  I hope everyone is doing well!

Morning Ladies!  It is shaping up to be a beautiful day here today, I hope that is enough to pull me out of my blah mood!  I have no particular reason for feeling so blah…  I guess it is just one of those days. 

Yesterday I got a nice surprise in the mail.  A copy of the upcoming Healthy Cooking Taste of Home magazine.  Inside there was a note that one of my recipe submissions had been selected and was included in the magazing.  The funny thing is… I submitted that recipe over two years ago!  But it was nice to get recognition and a free copy of the magazine.  It was for my balsamic glazed flank steak pita’s.  I have won twice with different variations of this recipe.  Once with Newtons Own and got a beautiful carved pepper mill, and then this time.  I had to make changes, because you can’t submit the same recipe twice.  But in reality…they taste almost the same. 

Yesterday I went out and rode and worked the new horse.  I haven’t ridden her yet as she is still settling in to the new place.  But I did ride the other horse, briefly.  Austin woke up about ten minutes into my ride, Boomer heard him cry and he slammed on the brakes.  LOL… he knows that if the baby cries we get to quit so he is really good at alerting me immediately when the baby fusses!

I have lots of chores to get done today.  We finally got my planter boxes finished, so I need to get my plants in!  I have broccoli, walla walla onions, lettuce, and room for more.  Any suggestions what I should plant? 

Well ladies… have a great day!  Renee… I know you aren’t reading this but I am keeping you in my thoughts ALL DAY today and I hope you have a speedy recovery!

Morning Ladies!  Happy Monday.  I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day weekend.  The weekend was busy but good.  Saturday I had my riding clinic and pilates.  Although we didn’t do much pilates, it was mostly focused on my balance.  Which my horse put to the test by being a bit naughty a few times.  

Cameron had picked out a few presents for me for Mother’s Day and he was soooo excited to give them to me.  So Sun morning… before the sun was even up he was in our room with gifts in hand.  LOL… they were great gifts too…  a picture frame, a bookmark that he made at school, and a model horse that looks like our baby horse.  He was most impressed with the horse figurine.  It reminded me of when I was a kid, and my dad always wanted a boat.  So I bought him a small toy boat model.  I remember finding that boat in the garbage a few years later and being totally devasted.  (It was a toy… as an adult I know why he finally tossed it.)  But  I will be keeping this model horse forever!

Then we went to my mom’s for a lunch/early dinner.  My niece was bringing her new boyfriend for the family to meet.  He seems like a really nice guy and she is really happy which is the  most important thing.

All in all food was over my limit, but the scale was kind to me this morning and I lost 2 pounds.  My weekend weigh-ins showed up to a 3.5 pound loss on Saturday, but the weekend schedule kind of messed with that.  Maybe I will make up for it this week.

Well ladies… have a great Monday!

Morning ladies…  TGIF!  I can’t believe this week is over already!  Food yesterday was okay… but I am afraid come Sunday I am going to need ALL of my flex points!  My mom is having everyone over for a Mother’s day celebration.  It is my nieces b-day and she will be bringing her new “beau” to meet the family. 

Yesterday we had some excitement at the barn.  The new horse got spooked in the cross ties, reared, and flipped over backwards.  Luckily she was okay, and I only got a small rope burn.  She has a small cut on her side, but it should heal up quickly.  It was definitely a little bit stressful for everyone.  She is very timid and insecure.  One of my jobs will be to try and instill some courage in her.  She is just SO terrified of the outside world.  Which is funny, because she is a big girl!  But I guess size doesn’t matter when it comes to being brave.

This weekend I have a riding clinic where we will be doing pilates on our horses.  LOL… I have NO idea what to expect.  I have never done a ridden pilates class.  My friend is doing the ground exercises and she is signing up for a yoga/pilates class today.  Two pilates classes in a row?  LOL… not sure she will be walking or sitting up come Sunday!

Well ladies.. have a great weekend and a super mother’s day!

Morning Ladies!  Yesterday was an exciting day.  We swapped the horses, which went seamlessly.  Djinn gave her owner a little bit of problem loading in the trailer, but eventually decided to get in.  Merry was a perfect angel and just hopped right in the trailer.  (She loves going places!)  Djinn was a little bit nervous with her new home, but settled in just fine.  I stopped by Merry’s new home on my way home and she was loving being surrounded by all the little ponies.  She had already told her pasturemate that SHE was the boss!

Then we had our own little Cinco De Mayo celebration with tacos, beans, and rice and a little bit of cerveza!  While I was “pretty” good with my food, I definitely went over in my points.  But that is what flex points are for… right?  It is annoying that my DH eats so much food, and can still lose weight.  Really ticks me off!  So I am glad that we aren’t dieting together.  He is getting a bit of belly on him, but I know if he decided to work out and cut down on his cals and beer it would be gone in like a month.  I can starve myself for days on end and lose a pound!  Although it was kind of funny last night, we were teasing DS#1 and telling him I was going to swing my leg over his head.  He is quite tall, but I can ALMOST do it without knocking him out.  DH who is 10 inches taller than I am, kicked his leg up like he was going to do it and he almost fell on his butt!  He forgot that I am in a lot better shape than he is!  He groaned and complained that “that hurt” and limped away.  :LOL: 

Well ladies…I need to bet the boys fed and get everyone going this morning!  Have a great day!

Yay!  We are half way through the work week.  LOL… but as many of you know that doesn’ t really effect me right now.  ;-)  I do however have lots and lots of things to do, and those chores don’t seem to recognize a break.  I have lots and lots of housework to do, but that is nothing new.  But what is new, is that I am getting a new horse to ride today!  We are swapping DS’s pony for a friend of mines dressage horse.  She is going to train the pony to drive for me, and I am going to exercise and get her dressage horse back in shape.  I rode her in the past, she is a super nice horse ( a little bit on the crazy side), but nice.  Of all of her horses, she was my favorite.  My friend is more into training driving horses these days, specifically ponies!  So it is a great trade.  I don’t know how long we will be swapped. 

Still keeping steady on my eating.  Yesteday I rode really hard, and I hurt everywhere!  My back is really stiff, and my legs are sore.  (Always a good sign of a good ride!) 

DH has been complaining about gaining weight with his job.  I asked him if he wanted to go on WW with me and he LAUGHED!  LOL… I knew he would never do it… but I had to ask.  He told me he has been on a diet since he was 25.  (SNORT… yeah right!!!!)  He will reap the benefits of my better eating and lose weight anyway.  (That is really annoying by the way… he will lose weight without all the heartache and trouble.)  He even mentioned last night that he lost 4 pounds.  I felt like telling him to “thank” me.  :-)  But I didn’t say anything.  Meals have been fairly lean lately, grilled lean meats, brown rice, and a veggie.  Last night was an excpetion, but I kept MY serving size small. 

Well ladies… I am off to start my day and get this house in order.  It seems like an endless job!  Have a great day!

Morning Ladies!  Yesterday I signed up for a pilates class.  The catch… I am going to do it on my horse!  LOL… yep…now they have ridden pilates!  I was going to do just the floor exercises to get better riding position, but after giving it some thought I decided what the heck… I might as well do it with my horse.  So this Saturday I will be exercising on horseback! 

I actually HATE normal pilates.  I find it painful and torture.  I hope it is better on the back of  a horse.  Today is my day at the barn.  I haven’t been very dilligent in my riding lately.  I have been spending a lot more time visiting, and a lot less time riding.  I take lessons every other Saturday.  They are great… super intense.  At the end of the ride I look like I just spent an hour with Jillian at TBL ranch.  :-) 

Normally I really concentrate on what we learned and put it into action during the week, but the past couple of weeks I have been really bad.  The lessons are expensive, so I need to refocus so that I actually get something out of them rather than just being tortured for an hour!

I got on the scale this morning and it is up 1 lb… I think the batteries are dying in my scale or it is just really inaccurate.  I did drink three huge glasses of water before bed last night.  For some reason I was so thirsty!  I expected to be up half the night going tinkle… but I only went once.  So maybe all that water is still in there and that is why the scale is up.  Not that it matters… Mondays are my weigh in day. 

Well ladies… I am off for the day!  Have a good one!

My first official… back in the saddle again… weigh in….  The scale at that exact moment recorded a loss of 3.6 lbs.  The day before it recorded a loss of only 1 lbs… so I am not sure how accurate it is, but I liked the number so I am not going to challenge the scale. 

Weekend was good.  We went to the park and had a picnic on the beach.  The weather was perfect.  DS#1 loved the park they recently renovated the playground, and it has lots of fun stuff.  DS#2 busted his lip open within five minutes of our arrival tripping over a curb, while clutching a piece of chicken.  He is pretty busted up on his lip, but being a boy he is tough and just moved on without giving it too much thought.

Sunday we went and did some shopping.  We were looking for some stuff for DH’s boat.  We have gotten out of the practice of going places as a family.  It is easier to go alone…leave the kids.  But I really miss the time we spend together so I told DH we need to make a better effort.  Our time is precious… I don’t want to miss anything.

Last night I got sucked into the show, “Buried Alive”.  It is about hoarding.  I realized I walk a fine line between hoarding and not… my house looks nothing like theirs but I can identify with their emotional connection to STUFF.  Especially clothes that you once fit in, when you were at a happy point in your life.  I have several pairs of pants hanging in my closet awaiting my body transformation.  Realistically, I will never be that size again.  The birth of two children, 8 years of excess weight, and time have taken their toll on my body and it won’t happen.  To be honest… I don’t “need” to be that size again.  So I feel inspired to “let go” of some of my emotion baggage and stuff.  I don’t know if I will get to it today, but sometime this week I am going to purge my closets.  When I lose weight, I will use it as an excuse to buy NEW skinny pants!

Well ladies… have a great Monday!

Morning Ladies!  Well we finally made it to Friday… although in my life almost everyday seems like a Friday!  I made a really stupid mistake last night that cost me $56!  I am so mad at myself!  I forgot to transfer money to a different account and got hit with two OD fees!  I am so frustrated.  I knew I had to transfer the funds, and I just forgot.  It is the first time I have gotten on OD on this account, although I have been close a few times. 

Today should be my weigh in, but I started my new journey on Monday.  I got on the scale and it shows a loss, but not what I was hoping for.  So I have decided that my weigh-ins will be on Monday.  That will hold me accountable over the weekend.  I want to give myself the benefit of a full week of “clean” eating before I get my hopes up or down. 

With DH working so much, I am trying to pick up some of the slack and take care of the basic yard work.  We have a 1 1/2 acre yard that is terraced and a real maintenance headache!  It is hard trying to find time to get the lawn mowed with a little 14 month old running around, but DS#1 is really helpful in watching him so that I can get it done.  Yesterday I got DS#2 to fall asleep in the car, parked the car where I could see him with windows open and radio on and mowed the lawn.  He slept through the whole thing!  Once I turned the mower off… he woke up!  We are lucky that we are well off the main road and no one comes down our drive.  Because I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving him out of my arms reach.  Our dogs are also helpful and very protective of their “kids.”  No one comes down our driveway unless they have too. 

DH will be working this weekend, I still need to get my planter boxes done.  We have some trim work that I want to put on the bottom of the deck before I move the boxes in place and fill with dirt.  The trim has been waiting to be put on for 9 months!  I guess I will have to do it myself.  Time to get out my handyman pants and “get er done!”

Well have a great weekend.  Today I get to go ride my horse and play with my pony!