Well, we didn't finish curriculum writing on Friday, so most of us are back at it again today. It is hard work, but being part of this crew, especially as a teacher with only one year under her belt, feels like a huge privilege. One of the teachers I'm working with has been teaching 44 years, and almost all the rest are department coordinators. I'm definitely the baby of this group!
Even though I've been chained to a desk for the last bit, I'm still working out and getting moving. The new trainer has been challenging me to add more movement to my week, especially cardio, and I've been challenging myself to get 30 minutes a day. I'm doing better at it, even though I haven't met the goal every day. Saturday I tried out a new wii fitness program my husby brought home, and even on the easiest level it kicked my royal backside! My knees ached a bit too much after, so I'll have to adjust the workout a bit, but other than that, it was great fun. I still want to get to the pool and join in one of the water aerobic classes, but I keep making excuses to not go. Not sure what is up with that except that I see people I work with at the gym. Occasionally I see a student of mine, but that isn't too often. I just need to get over myself and do what I love because I know it is good for me.
Arabella's post reminded me to start looking for NSV's instead of the ones on my scale. I've felt rather betrayed by the little box lately, especially since I've been working out more and eating well. I jumped on this morning and it showed me down 4 lbs. from last week. When there is that big of a drop, I usually wait about half an hour and try again, just in case, and... well, this time the scale showed me up 10 lbs. Ummm... ok... yeah. I'll just have to wait for tomorrow morning to give it another try.
I've got to jet out of here in a few, but wanted to drop in and make an accounting of myself as a solid start to the week. I'm outta here, one Fresh Start card firmly in hand!
arabella-what a lovely nsv! hope respiratory infection is gone now and that you are feeling back to 100%. neat to hear that dh and ds's relationship is so good now.
kat-loved hearing about your garden and all those lovely fresh veggies. i don't have a garden myself, but i am always amazed at those of you who can grow things. your recent walk in neighborhood when you checked out new streets, etc. sounded so delightful. i used to love doing that in the neighborhood where i grew up. brings back fond memories when you spoke of this.
andria-sounds like you sure have been working hard with curriculum development. it must be interesting, and neat working with those who have been teaching for so long and hearing their perspective too.
anagram-glad to hear you had a good time when princesses visited. hope computer problems are all a thing of the past now. ( i hate that stuff!) congrats on newest little grandniece!! i know you will miss your little neighbors when they move soon, as i am sure they will miss you greatly.
---and royal salutations to ceara, kaylets, janga, and all who dwell in the palace!
have remained op, though at times grudgingly. i fell a couple of weeks ago, and though so grateful nothing was broken, i did get pretty bruised and am still sore, but definitely less so now. also had cold last week, but that too is much better. being sore has made it a bit harder to exercise, so have had to modify program a bit, but have been able to stick to most of it pretty well. actually, the stretching portion of it has probably been pretty helpful, in fact. listening to nice music now, and about to tackle the always dreaded paperwork, but know the background music will make it much less painful. well, take care, dear royals. thinking of you.
...and here I am! Let's see how much I can pack into this post in such a short time!
wsw...I'm hoping that you're feeling much better and I'm quite impressed that you worked out in spite of your injury! (I'm pretty sure I would use that as an excuse to NOT work out... which probably explains why I'm in maintenance limbo... ) Anyway, good for you! Oh! And! I am in complete agreement with you about music making things better! Kinda like that 'spoonful of sugar making the medicine go down!'
Arabella... I can totally relate to the pleasure you get from seeing your 'boys' together. When my son was in his early teens, there were a number of rows between father and son that I would just as soon forget... and they are quite close now, which makes my heart glad too!
andria... Of course you are swimming with the big fish! Obviously they recognize talent and intelligence... both of which you've got!!
anagram... congrats on new grandniece! I'm sorry to hear your little next door friend will be leaving you, I'm sure you've left as much an impression on him as he has on you!
OK... time's up! Actually I'm over... boss will have a cow to pay me for posting!
Aye, Kaylets, YIKES! Glad you had your NSV, Arabella. I'm sure you look great!!! And glad your boys are making you happy!
wsw, you persevering soul, you. Hope all is better. Andria, it sounds like a NSV to me that you are included in that group.
Gardening sounds fun, kat, but I chuckled out loud about being paid overtime for posting
Computer problems off and on. Mostly on but aggravatingly showing up just to torment me.
Getting ready to head out for my Elderhostel program on Sunday. L O N G time since I've stayed in a dorm but I'm REALLY looking forward to this. IF I were to have a "bucket list", this would have been on it Of course, I was going to be pounds thinner by my starting off date.............
Interestnig how when I made my mind up to make an effort to stay on the wagon, so many habits instantly came back to mind. As I type, I realize, the stair climbing I began 2 days ago was unconciously timed each trip to the ladies room at work.....Just worked out that way.... What I was initially doing was finding the stairway when I thought I had to have "a snack". Hmmmmmm..... guess that means I was heading to the fridge each time I was going to the ladies room..... HMMMMMMMMMM................
I am huffing and puffing after 3 flights...... which reminds me how much I need to do this.....AND it is putting a real dent in that "MUST EAT" feeling......
I wonder if you need to get your heart pumping to certain level to get that dent..... Hmmmmmmm.....
So.
HERE WE GO SATURDAY, HERE WE GO!
I will be back Sunday evening. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Here's an interesting queston I posted elsewhere........
Q A.... Very interesting answer....
"How would you feel if a family member wanted to marry someone they've only know for 30 days?"
Another beautiful weekend! I'm hoping to get out early to do some planting/pruning/primping around here, I sorely neglected my growing things yesterday, having spent the entire day on the beach with dh. We got a good long walk in, on which we discovered some wonderfully uncrowded beaches, that we fully intend to utilize on our next outing. I've never been a huge fan of crowds, and find that the older I get, I'm even less tolerant of them!
Anagram, enjoy your Elderhostel adventure! I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!
Kaylets... good work on hitting those stairs! The huffing and puffing does help to curb the cravings! I know, for me, the more I exercise, the better I eat... I don't want to waste/waist all my good efforts, I guess! Re: your question-- I guess it would depend upon which family member! If it was my daughter or son, I'd have to try to talk some sense into them... you can't possibly know someone well enough to marry in 30 days! Not saying that you couldn't be completely infatuated, head over heels with, but to marry? Why would you? What's the hurry? (spoken like a true Mother!) I think though, in this day and age, marriage is treated as a crapshoot... in our throwaway society, it's no big deal if a marriage fails, the odds are stacked against it's success anyway. Sad. There's a classmate of DDs that, at 23, is already married and divorced and looking at #2! WHY?
Okay, coffee's done... and not a moment too soon! I'm finding myself nodding at the computer... putting myself to sleep, I guess... I won't burden you, my friends, with the same fate!
Have a loverly day, all! Get out in the sunshine!
Last edited by katrinabgood; 07-19-2009 at 09:43 AM.
Confession time. I've been avoiding the palace this last week. I've been hating on myself pretty hard, and I just know that kind of behavior doesn't suit a , so I stayed away.
Even though I've promised myself time and again to not let the numbers on a scale rule my life, the fact that I'm still up ten pounds has me completely freaked out. I've done everything I usually do here at home, even some extraordinary measures, but that number just isn't doing a real shift. And it is time for me to get back to reality--the reality that I'm a big girl, all grown up, and that I don't get to wallow and pout if things (like a weigh-in) don't go my way.
Now, on the positive side of things, I've been working out really hard, harder than I can remember in a long time. The trainer and I are meeting twice a week for an hour, and I'm not just sitting and watching tv with the family in the evenings; I'm getting up and doing intervals on the mini trampoline as well as other forms of activity. Slowly, but surely, my head is getting wrapped back around the concept of not just keeping steady movement all day but also having structured exercise/cardio multiple times a week.
Food has been changing here as well. We've cut out a lot of unnecessary fats that had been allowed to sneak back in, and the same goes for the simple carbs. Vegetables and fruits are way up, and eating out is way down.
With all that going on, it would be wonderful to have a plausible explanation for my scale going the wrong direction, but that just isn't going to happen. I'm seriously considering delivering said scale to the trainer and asking him to not allow me to touch the thing for a month. Right now it is the biggest thing holding me back, and I'm too addicted to the numbers to not get on it every morning. Every time I get on it, though, and I don't see what I want, I'm left depressed and frustrated all day. Time to break that cycle!
Had to take a quick break in there to drive the eldest princess to work. I realized as I was walking back into the house that there was a bounce in my step, and I'm not feeling lousy about myself for the first time in about a week. Why is there so much power in admitting you have a problem and then making a plan to address it? I don't get it, but I do know it works.
Anagram, sorry about the computer problems, but the Elderhostel sounds like it will be great! As for the being pounds thinner before starting to check things off your list... guess you have to go back to the "it's the journey, not the destination" cliche? I'm just glad you do good things for yourself. Your example is a constant reminder that I have to nurture myself.
Kaylets, I know what you mean about habits coming to mind. I'm seeing things around me that I used to do regularly, but they have slowly slipped by the wayside. Funny, but I was wondering about the heart pumping thing yesterday as well. After thirty minutes of interval jogging on the little trampoline I had no appetite whatsoever, but on the opposite end of things, I know strength training leaves me really hungry. I have to be careful what foods I'm around for at least an hour. As for your Question, I have to say that it depends on the family member. There are some of my siblings I trust to make wise decisions based on head and heart, but others certainly are based too deeply on hormones!
Kat, you always find a way to bring me back home, even if that isn't your direct intention. Thank you.
wsw, hope all the soreness is gone now from your fall, but trust you to find a silver lining no matter what. I loved the idea of stretching and the nice background music. You reminded me of something else nice I can do for myself. I keep things far too quiet when I'm not happy. Also, I was serving up a dainty portion of dinner last night, and I had to smile because it made me think of you.
Arabella, love your NSV! It is one thing to have other people acknowledge our changes, but when we can actually see them ourselves... wow, that is a big deal!
Quick question before I go--have any of you used walking poles? If not, do you know anyone who uses them? I've been intrigued by them for a long time, but even the cheap looking ones aren't a cheap price here. It would be nice to hear some other opinions, especially brand names, before I make my own decision.
Time for me to get outta here and get some things done around the house. Take care all!
Gah. I just accidentally clicked shut a very long post. I'm just going to quickly recap an amazing story from it. This happened to my sister.
One of her sons is bipolar and doing drugs and she's told him he can't come home until he has a clean drug test. Understandably, she's upset and worried about him.
She spends a lot of time at her partner's cottage, some 45 minutes away from her house. On the route is the cemetery where our dad is buried. Every time my sister passes the cemetery, she says "Dad, I need your help." Friday was no exception.
Farther along there's an old farm house with a sign "Hooked Mats for Sale." She's always wanted to go in and check them out but never has, in the ten years she's been driving past. On Friday, she had no intention of stopping there -- she was in a rush and had no money. Nevertheless, after she'd passed she found herself making a U-turn and pulling into the driveway.
There was an elderly woman sitting on the porch looking at a photograph. "Come on in, dear," she said. "I was just looking at a picture of my old boyfriend. Wasn't he handsome?" She handed the picture to my sister. IT WAS DAD!
My sister said that she felt like he was saying "I'm here." Pretty wild, huh?
I had so much more, including personals. Darn spastic fingers! Will post this before I lose it.
Arabella, your post just took my breath away! That must have been such a comfort to your sister, to know that Dad is listening... I'm getting all teary now! Every so often I get a little sign (i think it is, anyway) that my dad's around. It feels good!
Andria... I'm with you 100% ! Know exactly where you're coming from, re: staying away when you're feeling down on yourself... and then you find out this is exactly where you need to be! About the scale... (stern motherly voice) LOSE IT! It sounds like you are doing all the right things; rejoice in what you're doing right, measure your success by your clothes, a tape measure, your state of mind! If you have to have it, do the once a week thing.
Whoa! After 7, gotta punch out! Will try to get back later!
Last edited by katrinabgood; 07-20-2009 at 07:05 PM.
Kaylets, thank you for such a beautiful gift this morning!
Kat, the scale goes into hiding this morning. Thank you for the stern voice.
Arabella, what a beautiful story! One of my sisters had something similar happen shortly after my mom passed away; I'm not sure if I shared it with you all.
My sis was in the waiting room at the hospital while her eldest daughter was giving birth. Jen had stepped out for just a moment because things were intense, and she needed a breather. The baby was being delivered early due to some complications, and all my sister wanted was to cry on Mom's shoulder. Just then she realized something was pressing into her beneath the couch cushion. She reached down, and there was a little green rock engraved with a shamrock. My mom was born on St. Patrick's Day, her favorite color was green, and she loved shamrocks. Jen felt so comforted. She knew right then that Mom wasn't so far away.
I worked out hard yesterday, and I am feeling it (in a good way) today. Instead of resting on my laurels the rest of the day, I got the family out of the house and we went to the zoo. We couldn't stay too long because the cloud cover that had been providing a little heat relief didn't last, but we did get out and about. That night for dinner the family was suggesting going to a pizza buffet, but the royal consort gave me the option of choosing a Souper Salad buffet instead. As far as the choice goes, let's just say, I made a magnificent salad, and we all came home feeling good about ourselves. Wahoo for win days! Now, to get up and moving so this train keeps chugging along in the right direction.
I've always been a bit weird about posting back-to-back, but we were on page 2! Besides, I have to share some interesting news. I did put up the scale, and as strange as this might sound to some of you, it has been a struggle to not get it out. I'm counting it as a triumph that I have gone almost 48 hours without weighing myself. Because I haven't been weighing myself, I also haven't had to fight down the nasty head talk that was becoming a growing problem. I can be just as bad to myself as good, if given the opportunity. I'd rather be good and loving, though.
The next step in this progression was to get myself measured. The measurements were NOT going well yesterday. Enough so that the woman doing them stopped and said she was going to go straight to fat measurements with the calipers. My measurements were basically the same or slightly larger than in January, which just didn't make sense to her. She has seen how hard I've been working. Thank goodness for those calipers! She actually did my hip three times to make sure it was right. She was that blown away by the change.
So, my body is definitely in an awkward stage. I've lost a lot of fat. I'm definitely gaining lots of muscle. Her advice to me was to wait three months before doing measurements again and to stay away from the scale except once every couple of weeks. Ouch... that part even hurt to type out. But I think it was what I needed to hear. The message to me is that now is not the time to concentrate on numbers; now is the time for hard work, getting healthier, and feeling good about myself.
Hope everyone is well and able to return to the palace soon!
Good for you, Andria! It's so good to look at things in a different way... we tend to get mired down in same ol', same ol' and can't see that which is right in front of us. Awesome news about your measurements! Losing fat is LOSING. What you're doing is working! Taking the focus off the number on the scale takes your mind away from the compulsive calculating and comparing that we tend to (over)do. Which does serve it's purpose, at times, but to use ONLY that as a measurement of success, can sometimes undermine our efforts. Keep it up, girl! You're doing it! Kaylets, you'll never know what good timing your video share was for me! I've been going through a bit of a bumpy road with my sister of late. She stopped talking to me over a month ago, over something so trivial you can't imagine. I made a few attempts to lighten things up and move on, but she wasn't having it. I finally asked in an email when this was going to end, and she replied by recounting two years of 'slights' (in her mind) that I've inflicted upon her. I figured that since we're being honest here, I'd reply to each "charge" with my own version of each.... and well.... HELLO, PANDORA! WHAT ELSE YOU GOT IN THAT BOX!?! Anyway, life is beautiful, and it does no good to dwell upon ugliness... so, thank you for sharing!
In response to all that negativity, I'm counter-attacking with POSITIVITY! I took myself back to WW this a.m. I absolutely LOVE the leader, what a ball of energy! I gave the weigher my old book but she said she was going to start a new one from today, which was okay with me, but it wasn't til much later, at home, that I realized that I never did get the new book from her with today's weight in it! So I don't know where I'm starting from and that's okay... I'll find out next week when I weigh in, and see a LOSS, naturally! I was feeling good about that, and then, as I was leaving, I noticed there was a Super Cuts hair salon next door. Being in dire need (my usual stylist~my sister~is on hiatus, shall we say?) I marched right in and got my hair cut! Not bad at all, either! The girl actually listened to me and did what I wanted her to do! After that, I hit the local produce stand and stocked up on some lovely fruits and veggies... came home for lunch and when I'm done here, I'm taking my bike for a tune up. So, it's a good day, all in all!
I'm off to make some bruschetta for a barbecue later today.
Here's hoping that everyone is having a sunny, fun-filled weeked!
Last edited by katrinabgood; 07-25-2009 at 02:41 PM.
I'll just have to wait for tomorrow morning to give it another try. 
) Anyway, good for you! Oh! And! I am in complete agreement with you about music making things better! Kinda like that 'spoonful of sugar making the medicine go down!'
I'm sorry to hear your little next door friend will be leaving you, I'm sure you've left as much an impression on him as he has on you!
s!
WHY? 
thing for a month. Right now it is the biggest thing holding me back, and I'm too addicted to the numbers to not get on it every morning. Every time I get on it, though, and I don't see what I want, I'm left depressed and frustrated all day. Time to break that cycle! 
Taking the focus off the number on the scale takes your mind away from the compulsive calculating and comparing that we tend to (over)do. Which does serve it's purpose, at times, but to use ONLY that as a measurement of success, can sometimes undermine our efforts. Keep it up, girl! You're doing it!