Family Challenge

I was walking through Lowe's with dad John and I get this very strange text from my sister.  It says something to the effect of, "are you still trying to lose weight..if so, how much?"  After I shook off the peculiarity of this I answered that was planning on losing more, what my goal weight was and how many pounds it would take to get there.  Of course, I promptly followed it with a "why do you ask?"

Jo had this brilliant idea to make a little contest out of losing weight...the Biggest Loser, family edition.  There are 7 of us competing.  It is pretty simple- there are two categories.  Percentage of weight loss and inches lost.  Each week for 8 weeks we email our weight and measurements to Jo who plugs them away and announces the weekly winner.

I will be honest here, I highly doubt I will be a winner.  I don't have a TON to lose but I am giving it a real, honest valiant effort.  I am highly competitive so I couldn't let this pass me by without giving it my all.  More than my desire to win, however, is my desire to live a much healthier lifestyle.  After a lot of researching and trying to figure out what I could incorporate into my family's lifestyle, I have started to take a shot at clean eating.  For anyone who isn't familiar with clean eating, the principles are fairly basic:

-eat things from the farm.  Fruits and veggies are key as well as grain-fed beef and chicken

-avoid processed foods.  If you can't pronounce something in the label, it doesn't go in your body

-eat 5-6 meals a day every 2-3 hours

Seriously, that is basically it.  You can, of course, research and find more info.  I have just broken down the basics super quickly for you.  Finding recipes is actually fun and I couldn't have picked a more perfect time to start this part of my journey.  I mean, the farmer's markets are just opening up and fresh produce is all around! 

Enjoy this recipe....it was my afternoon snack and it was super yummy!

Green Smoothie

2 c. spinach

1/2 c. blueberries

2 bananas

1/2 orange

1/2 c. coconut milk

1 Tbsp. flax seed

Put blueberries, orange and bananas into a blender.  Blend and then add spinach, flax seed and coconut milk.  Blend and enjoy.  This made enough for 2 cups worth so I had one today and saved one in the fridge for tomorrow.

A Little Backstory

My sister and I ran the Disney Endurance Half Marathon in January of 2010.  It was actually that training process that began this blog.  It journaled my progress from starting as a non-runner to running a respectable 3.5 hour 1/2 marathon.  (In all fairness, we would have finished sooner except my bladder and bowels INSISTED I find a bathroom mid-way through!). The training was sometimes grueling but overall, I enjoyed it.  I found peace running mile after mile and it was an awesome way to drop left over baby weight from when Connor was born.  I was smaller at Endurance Weekend than I was for my wedding...and this is saying something since I wore a size 2 wedding dress.

I distinctly remember feeling blessed as I prepared for Endurance Weekend.  This blog (my sister had one that journaled her journey as well) was a chance for Jo and I to connect on a different level than we had before as sisters.  We were supporting, encouraging, motivating, inspiring each other to continue to push and do better from a thousand miles apart.  The day of the half was early and it was COLD.  As in, sleeting rain and freezing temps in Central Florida, cold!  We trucked, we did awesome!  We did it together.  We crossed the finish line holding hands and bawling our eyes out and I remember thinking, "I did it!  That was amazing!  I will never do that again!"

Sure enough, things happen.  Not 2 months later we moved from Savannah to Columbus, GA.  2 months after that I was pregnant with Alaina and her pregnancy and first year was very difficult for me. I, literally, didn't have the time to find time for myself and it started to show.  Flash forward to this past February.  Something the Northeast part of the country does that is completely foreign to me is this "winter break" thing.  The children in school get a week off each February but no one is sure why.  They get their time at Christmas and another week at Easter, so just for giggles, they get ANOTHER week during the coldest, snowiest part of the year as well.  On Tuesday of this dreaded winter break, I called my dad who lives in Orlando and told him, "put us on the calendar for the end of February 2014, I will not be spending another week in February alone in the North Country with kids home from school."  I noticed pictures being posted of the Princess Half Marathon during this same winter break and my wheels started turning.  Almost like an inner turmoil, "I really want to.  I remember the pain last time.  It would be so cool.  My lips were blue for hours after the finish.  Who would watch my kids while I run?  Would dad and Cheryl be willing to watch them?"  Back and forth and back and forth until I got a random text from my sweet sister that said she was considering running it.  THAT was my sign.  That was what I needed to say, yep, you got this...again!  

So here we go...again.  My blog turns back into my journey.  From beginners running 101 and prepping for my Color Run 5K in August all the way through the Princess 10K AND half marathon.  Yep, we are crazy enough to do both back to back all for that beautiful glass slipper medal!  

It is the training, it is the new family challenge I accepted for my family (I will share that tomorrow), it is life and all the struggles that go along with trying to do something for myself in the middle of doing the single mom thing and deployment challenges.  All I ask is that if you chose to read and follow along, be kind.  There are so many people that want to hold you down when you are trying to rise above, change your life and be better and I ask that all negativity stays out of my world.  Thanks and enjoy!

T

1000 Books

Ben and I are quite avid readers.  Ben can plow through a book in no time flat.  For me, I take a little longer...usually because I just don't have the time.  I love to read in bed at night, but let's be honest, aftr I get the kids to bed and spend some time with Ben I sometimes just collapse on my pillow!  My goal is to read 12 books a year, one per month.  Sometimes it is a challenge, other times I become so engrossed I can whip through a few in a month.

We have passed on this trait to our kids, who also love to read.  Connor will ask to read 5 or 6 books each night during our bedtime routine and he is starting to get into chapter books, which is cool.  At least it is better than some of the "little" kid books we are still reading with Alaina.  And the little peanut will trot herself off to her room by herself (she gets away for quiet time on her own) and when we got in to peek at her, she is surrounded by board books, completely amused.

It got me to thinking about the importance of developing a love for reading (and reading comprehension) at a young age and I started researching "books for kindergarten," "reading challenges," etc.  I came across the 1000 book challenge.  Quite a few libraries hold these challenges in their local communities.  Of course, I couldn't find one close to us but it didn't mean I couldn't hold a little challenge of my own....and now the 1000 Book Challenge has begun.

I created a couple excel documents.  One is a 2-columned page with about 30 blocks in each column, providing enough space to write down the book, the author and the date.  I used a hole punch and hooked them all together for one big packet we keep in Connor's bedroom.  I also started researching books for his age group and made another excel document of books to make sure I grab to pick up.  If he (and by "he" I mean "we") read 1000 books before his first day of kindergarten we will do something super special together.  I am not sure what we will do yet, we certainly have time to figure it out and honestly, if I were to tell Connor the reward now...ha!  He would nag me about when we are going to go constantly!!  I was thinking something along the lines of going to a water park (it will be the right season up here)...who knows, but more than anything, I love that I am challenging him to read more.

If you are interested in a copy of the reading list (it currently has about 300 books on it, some we have read, most we haven't and does not include any we have in our current bookshelf) or the reading log, please leave me a message with your email address or you can PM me on Facebook.

Happy Reading!

Movie Night

It's back! Movie Night! We were slowing starting to implement this months ago but then football season happened, Ben's weeknight schedule was completely unpredictable and I wasn't organized at all to undertake a full-fledged memory making movie night. I spent the last couple weeks researching, planning and preparing movie nights to cover us for the next 6 or 7 months. Tonight was our first night and we watched The Little Mermaid.

Normal movie nights will have a craft or activity that kind of matches the movie and the dinner is movie themed. Tonight, for example, we had peanut butter and jelly(fish) sandwiches, seashell pasta and starfish fruit (clementine oranges.). For dessert we had mermaid tails (pistachio pudding), which Connor thought was hysterical.

Another fun one is for Tangled. We have long haired spaghetti (buttered spaghetti noodles), roasted butternut squash and for dessert we have blue jello with an orange slice on top (kind of like the boat on the water).

Anyway, Connor is really getting into it and I am so excited for next week- The Fox and the Hound. It is all about friendships....unlikely friendships, at that and in perfect timing for Valentine's Day. Stay tuned, I will actually take pics next week!