It would seem my laptop has decided to stop working.  :-(  I'm pretty bummed about that.  I kept trying to get it to work yesterday but I finally gave up.  Tonight I'm on the ancient desktop.  I don't think I've used this thing in about a year! 

Today was the final weigh in for my gym's weight loss challenge.  I came in 2nd place!  YAY!  That means I get 2 months free membership!  Ok, so the competitive side in me (which is a pretty big side) is REALLY pissed at myself for not getting first.  I TOTALLY could have gotten first if I had not eaten cake at my daughter's birthday.  UGH, I need to learn to let things go.  I'm really bad at that!  I came in 2nd by ONE PERCENT body fat loss!  Somehow if it were like 10% I wouldn't be so hard on myself, but I really could have lost that extra 1% if I had not screwed off so bad this weekend.  Whatever - I got to have fun at my daughter's birthday AND got second place.  Not too bad I guess when you look at it that way!

I'm coming to the end of my C25K program - I only have 2.5 weeks left - and let me tell you it is getting HARD!  I was DREADING today's run!  I was supposed to do it yesterday but I psyched myself out!  It always seems the last 5 minutes are torture for me.  What made it worse was that I was stuck on a treadmill with a TV that didn't have a remote OR closed captions!  Today was 5 minutes brisk walking to warm up, and then 25 minutes straight running.  The first 5 minutes were hard (after the warm up) but I kept telling myself to stop looking at the clock, just get lost in the music.  The middle wasn't so bad - I guess I kind of got lost in my music (again, podrunner ROCKS!!!!)  Then the last 5 minutes I kept catching myself staring at the clock.  I have come to the conclusion that running is about 90% mental and 10% physical.  Ok, so it may be a little more physical than that - but you get my drift.  There is SO much mental exertion used on a run, at least for me. 

I appear to be having problems with my blogger account - as in, I keep getting a message that I have logged in somewhere else.  I'm going to have to cut this short and figure that one out. 

Thanks for reading!  Have a WONDERFUL night! -Monica

I'm still alive....

I'm still alive - I've just been CRAZY busy today!  We had to drive an hour away to have my son's eyes checked.  We ordered him his new glasses - they are super cute.  I can't wait until they come in!  Then we raced home to clean the house and I had to start the cake.  OMG this cake is going to be AMAZING!  I hope I can pull it off!  It's 3 tiers!  The hard part is going to be the fondant - but I think I can pull it off!!  I am so tired now - it's 1 am and I'm STILL waiting for the last of the cake to finish in the oven.  Tomorrow I will do the fondant.  I had hoped to finish painting the dining room - but it didn't happen.   I'm going to pray nobody notices the edges that didn't get done.  :-/  Oh well - gotta learn to let go.  My eating really slacked off today.  I don't think I overate per say - but I didn't count my points and that wasn't a very good thing.  Tomorrow I'm back in action!  I DO plan on having some pizza and cake - but I am serving up a nice big veggie tray and I will mostly partake of that!  I'm saving my run for Sunday.  I think my heel will thank me for the break.  Now that I've been on my feet all day, it's really hurting again.  YAY the oven is beeping - that means I can go to bed soon!  The party is going to be really fun!  

Thanks for reading!!  Have a great Saturday!! -Monica

Quiet day/busy night

Today was a quiet day at home with the kids.  It was nice!  The baby did not want to take a nap today, so that was a little rough!  I had my weight watcher's meeting today, but I had to leave early because my son was being a royal turd!  It was a good week!  I lost 2.8 lbs!  That leaves me down to 255.2!  I'm down a total of 32.2 WW pounds and 37.2 total!!  Holy cow!  I'm melting!!!!  MELTING!!

Tonight we have a lot of housework to catch up on.  Saturday is my daughter's birthday party so we're having a bunch of people over and I am making a ginormous 3 tier cake!  My kids do not want to go to bed tonight and of course nothing can get done until they are asleep!  I wrote a song parody to describe our house tonight!  To the tune of "Crazy" by Patsy Cline: It's crazy, at my house cause children are crying. They're crying, cause they want to stay up all night. I swear, I'd like to hide in a dark closet. So I can't, I can't hear cryin' no more. Losin', I think I'm losin' my marbles. Why can't, my kids for once go to sleep. Crazy, at my house cause children are cryin. They want one more story, want some more water, but I want to go to sleep.

Tomorrow is going to be nuts for me.  I always stress before a party.  I want everyone to enjoy themselves!  I'm dragging out my Music Therapy gig bag so I can do a music circle with the kids.  I also have an 18' parachute that we are going to pop up beach balls with and also run under and let the parachute puff over our heads!  It will be fun!  I hope the grown ups like it cause that's all I've got! HAHAHA  I'm a little nervous because I have not seen most of our guests since before I lost any weight at all.  I really hope someone notices. I think I will be pretty bummed if they don't!

I'm not going to go running until Sunday.  I may sneak one in tomorrow, but I was really VERY sore today.  I'm not sure if my body is asking for a little rest.  It all depends on how I feel tomorrow!

Have a great night and as usual, I thank you for reading my crazy thoughts!!  -Monica

They're baaaaaack......

My face pains.  This stupid disorder is so frustrating.  I always feel depressed the first few days the pains return.  I guess I keep hoping they won't come back - then they do and it's a major let down.  I did NOT want to go to the gym tonight.  I didn't even want to cook dinner.  I was just feeling bummed out.  Well, I cooked dinner - it was really good - turkey Italian sausage, cannellini beans, tons of garlic, kale - served over pasta.  Even the kids ate it.  Well, Colin wouldn't touch the beans -but that is not surprising!  After dinner I sat on the couch with Pete while the kids played on the floor.  It was nice to snuggle with Pete - we don't really do that very much.  After I got the kids in bed, I dragged my sorry butt to the gym and I did my run.  It was pretty hard - 5 minutes warm up walk and then 22 minutes straight running.  It actually wasn't THAT bad - but the last 7 minutes were BRUTAL.  It took all of my mental capabilities to keep myself going.  I just kept doing the one more minute thing.  I guess that's my best trick.

Well, I just got home a little while ago.  I'm really tired.  I still can't shake the blues - usually running will clear that up for me.  I know part of my bummed out feelings are coming from the fact that I'm still not happy with what I see in the mirror.  I know it took a long time to put the weight on (by the way I friggin HATE when people say that to me - I want to bitch slap them) but jeez - almost 40 lbs - you'd think I would see a bigger difference than I do.  I just feel so fat and ugly.  I wonder if I will always feel like that.  Have I been fat for so long that I won't be able to appreciate it when I'm NOT fat anymore?

Maybe I'm just going to take a shower and turn in.  Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.  :-/  Sorry to be such a bummer.  I hope I didn't drag anyone down.

Have a good night - thanks for reading! -Monica

A little "me" time!

Tonight would have been an upper body workout night - but my arm is still on the mend and I don't want to piss it off any more than it already is!  Therefore, tonight will be a "me" night!  I have one kiddo in bed, I'm going to leave the other one to my hubby and I'm going to take a hot bubble bath.  I have a bottle of cheap wine (I'm only going to have one or two glasses - no worries!) I have a small bar of chocolate (I saved up points for this!), some soft music, and a good book!  Oh MAN it has been a long time since I've done this!

It was a busy day today - I actually got my daily goal of fitness points (on my fitness meter) before 5pm!  That is rare!  Tomorrow is going to be just as busy!  Oh well - better to be busy than bored!

Today I was skyping with my Mom.  I got up to go stir dinner and when I came back she asked me who was at my house.  I told her it was just me and the kids - why?  She asked me whose legs just walked past the computer.  I laughed and said they were mine.  She was shocked!  She said my legs had really gotten smaller!  My pants were all baggy!  Know what's funny?  I remember trying these pants on at Thanksgiving and they were so tight they looked like nylons. HAHAHAHA  I LOVE it!

So my next athletic adventure..... hooping!  I have a friend who is AMAZING with the hula hoop!  She does all kinds of tricks and she dances with it.  It looks SO cool!  I have to save up for an adult hoop - they are about $30 bucks.  I REALLY want to get into this!  I'm still going to run - but this just looks like so much fun!  I'll bet my son will love to hoop with me!  She says it is one heck of a workout and by the looks of it - she is not joking!  She has lost an amazing amount of weight - she looks SO beautiful!  She looks like she is having SO much fun though - and THAT is what draws me in!

Well, I hear my "me" time calling me!  Oh Lord, hubby just served me my wine in a plastic cup.  HAHAHA  Men - they don't understand the finer points of life - like wine vs champagne glasses.  He cracks me up!!

Thanks for reading!!  Have a great night! -Monica

Back in the saddle again...

It feels GREAT to have another run under my belt!  It's not getting easy - but it's getting easier!  I think that must mean I'm getting fitter!  Tonight's run was AWESOME!  To think, I almost skipped it!  We had quite an eventful day today!

My son was standing on the living room chair so I told him to get down before he got hurt.  Does he sit like a normal person?  NO - he jumps in the air and puts his feet out in front of him so he lands on his butt.  Problem is, he fell to the side and nailed his nose on the arm of the chair.  OH MY GOD I have NEVER seen so much blood in my LIFE!  I kind of freaked and rushed him to the ER.  Thankfully the bleeding stopped and he seemed fine.  We waited for THREE HOURS at the ER and I decided we were just going to go home.  He was gabbing up a storm and laughing and singing.  He was just fine - save for what appears to be a black eye in the making.  Poor kid.  Of course - I sounded like an evil mom from hell when I chastised him in the ER for not listening. LOL  He sat in my lap and snuggled me for a while.  Of course my rule after you get home from the hospital is to strip at the front door and head straight to the shower.  The germs at the hospital totally gross me out.  I never let him play with the toys they have there - I know he thinks I'm mean, but people can be just gross!  Anyway - we all got home and got everyone in their jammies.  It was almost 8 pm and I realized that nobody had any dinner.  I was VERY tempted to go and get McDonald's.  Trust me - I just about grabbed the keys - but then I tossed a chuck steak on the grill and we had some broccoli and rice with it.  What a crazy day!

After I finished my run tonight, I was walking past the huge mirrors on the wall at the gym when I spotted something.  It was a shocking sight - I don't remember the last time I saw this.  What did I see?  I saw my butt!!  WHOA I'm starting to get some shape to my butt!  How awesome is that??

I got home feeling pretty darned good!  When I opened the door, what greeted me?

Yeah - he would probably kill me for posting this - but I thought it was super cute!  My hubby fell asleep with our daughter on the chair!  (Yes the chair where my son decided to rearrange his face this afternoon!) 

All in all it was a good day!  It was a bit hectic there for a while -but we pulled through!  I even managed to eat right in the face of adversity!  I REALLY wanted to grab a chocolate bar from the vending machine at the ER.  I didn't though!  

Well, I'm off to la la land!  Thanks for reading!  Have a GREAT night! -Monica

Unplanned day off...

I took today off - I had not planned on it, but my arm hurt SO bad.  I know I could have run with an injured arm - but I just did not want to.  Plain and simple.  I'm glad I had so much rest today because it actually feels a little bit better.  I will definitely be running tomorrow!

It was pretty hot out today - I really enjoyed it!  It was fun to put the kids in their summer clothes!  I have no idea why that was fun for me, but it totally was!

Well, I'm signing out - I don't want to reverse any of the benefits that resting my hand gave me!

Thanks for reading - good night! -Monica

I'm not sure what is going on...

With my wrist - but it's getting worse.  I think I may have to suck it up and go see my doctor.  I went to lift my daughter and I screamed out in pain.  I think I scared my hubby a little! LOL  Thankfully today was a rest day - but I didn't do a whole lot of resting!  I painted the dining room - mostly.  It needs a second coat - plus I didn't do near the ceiling - Pete gets that job.  I'm afraid of heights - I can't even climb a chair!  I don't know why I'm that way, but I am!

I ran into my neighbor today - we have not seen each other since December.  She was SO excited and going on about how great I looked!  That really made my day!  She said she was looking out the window last week and saw me walk by.  She said she started yelling to her son OH MY GOD look at MONICA!!  LOOK at her!  LOL  She really knows how to make me feel good about myself.  Well, until she mentioned that I needed to get my eyebrows waxed. HAHAHAHA  Thanks girl - my monobrow would take over if it weren't for you!  HAHAHA

Today we were at target and I saw that they had performance capri pants on sale for 14 bucks!  I didn't think they would fit - but I tried them on and they were PERFECT!  Pete was so proud of me, so he bought them for me!  I'm SO EXCITED!  I can't wait to run tomorrow!

I sold a bunch of baby stuff at the consignment store today.  It's not really a consignment store because they actually flat out buy from you - but you get the idea.  I got Susie a couple of cute tops and a jumper by HANNA ANDERSON!  WOW!  I got the Hanna Anderson outfit for 4 bucks!  What a deal!  I love that I can trade in things that don't fit her anymore and get her all new stuff!  One of the tops still had the tags on it!

I think I'm going to call it a night - my wrist is not wanting me to type anymore.  I've noticed I have a smaller range of motion that usual in my fingers on that hand.  That can't be good.  :-/

Have a great night!  Thanks for reading! -Monica

I damaged my polar. :-(

I am kind of bummed out!  I damaged my polar today!  I'm kind of surprised that this hurt it actually.  I was running on the treadmill and I accidentally whacked my wrist on the arm of the treadmill.  Now I have this little section of broken pixels?  I guess that is how I'd describe it.  SO not cool.  I'm going to have to save up for a new one.  It still works, thankfully, but I'm worried that if I do it again the results could be disastrous!  Complete suck city.  I won't be able to get a new one for some time - I hope it holds out!  I guess in a way it's good - I really wanted one with GPS, so now I have a reason to upgrade.  Too bad I can't afford to!

I feel pretty guilty today - I ate like total crap.  Well, that's not ENTIRELY true.  I ate great all day - and then hubby got home and I ate KFC.  It would not have been so bad - but I ate entirely too much kfc - then I had some cookies.  It always seems like my eating starts to slip towards the end of the month - I think it has everything to do with the fact that our cupboards are starting to get bare so it's harder to come up with healthy meals.  I know, I could have and definitely SHOULD have spent the 10 bucks that we used at KFC to get some chicken breast and I could have made a healthy meal - but truth be told, I'm sick of cooking.  I have to plan EVERYONE's meal EVERY day.  I never get any input.  Here is my daily conversation with Peter.  "What do you want for dinner tonight babe?"  Peter's response "whatever, I don't care.".  AAAGGGHHHHH - I hate that conversation.  One day he is going to give me an idea and I'm going to faint.  HAHA  Oh well - today is over, tomorrow is another day.  Isn't that a Dr. Seuss saying?  "Today was good, today was fun -tomorrow is another one."  I think that will be my motto when I screw off.  Maybe I just needed a good goof off.  I feel like my resolve has strengthened now so maybe it was a good thing after all!!

My workout kicked hiney tonight!!  I can't believe I'm almost done with the C25k!  How exciting is THAT??!! I can't believe In another week I will have been running for 3 months!  YIPPEE!  I found myself thinking ahead today and for once I was not thinking about how much weight I had to lose or anything at all about weight.  I was thinking about how excited I was that I will FINALLY be able to run in the turkey trot on Thanksgiving.  HAHA  For some reason, I have wanted to run in that race for over 10 years.  Ever since I heard about it really - it just sounds like fun!  I FINALLY am going to get to do it!  I don't want to sound cliche or lame, but it's like a dream come true!  A silly dream, yes - but a dream nonetheless!  HAHA  Yeah yeah - I'm a goon.  Now you know where my son gets it!

Some awesome news!  I'm still in first place in my gym's weight loss competition!!  (1st place in my gym - like 500th nationally)  I really want to win - 1st place gets 3 free months gym membership!  We really could use that break!!  I am almost a full percent above the next guy - but they have not weighed in for a month.  Who knows though - there are DOZENS of people who have not weighed in since the first weigh in - maybe they will weigh in on the last day and have lost 20% or some crazy thing!  I'm down almost 5%.  Truth be told - I think I'm down more than that.  The last time I weighed in, I felt like I was retaining water.  I'm looking forward to my last weigh in!  Cross your fingers for me!!

Well, time for a shower and some rest!!  My wrists are still really hurting so I'm going to take a week off of weight training.  I think it's probably for the best.

Time to Tackle the Spackle!

I hit an awesome milestone today!!  I have officially lost 10% of my body weight!!  I got my keychain from weight watchers today!  WHOO HOO!!  I am ALSO officially in the 250's!!  258 to be exact!  I am SO excited!  So according to weight watchers I have lost 30 lbs!  Take into account the 5 I lost on my own BEFORE weight watchers and that's 35 lbs!  My son weighs 36 lbs.  It BLOWS MY MIND to think that I've lost the equivalent of my SON!  That is just insane!

Here is my keychain and 25 lb weight charm!  WHOO HOO!  I'm going to fill that sucker UP!!!

It's crazy to think I've lost THIS much weight!  A WHOLE PERSON worth of pounds!!  :-P  I love this pic - he is such a goon!

I figured I'd write my blog early today since I am not working out tonight.  I definitely need a rest day after that insane run yesterday!  I'm still feeling pretty proud of that!  I think I'm going to try to talk hubby into going to the store with me just to walk around.  We're so damned broke - but sometimes it's fun to window shop and dream about the things we wish we could have.  LOL  That's pretty pathetic huh?  I like just being with him and the kids - for some reason we all like to window shop - even Pete!  Maybe we will hit up home depot.  I think we still have a store credit for them - we need to buy some spackle so we can fix the walls in the dining room.  We used to have really ugly wood paneling in there - it was SO dark.  Removing it would have cost an arm and a leg, so we filled in the grooves with spackle.  It wasn't the BEST solution - but it was livable.  We should have let it dry and give it a second coat before we painted, but we had wanted to get it done - so for the past 5 years we have had visible grooves under the paint in there!  A few months ago we saw a few gallons of "oops" paint at the store.  That is when someone has it mixed up, but then decides they don't like the color.  We liked the color!  We REALLY liked the price!  $5 a gallon for valspar!  That's pretty darned good paint!  Since the weather is supposed to be so nice this weekend, we were thinking we would tackle the spackle!!  That room really needs a pick me up - after our wildman and his messy, dirty ways!  It will be nice to have a freshly painted room for our Susie's birthday party!

Well, I had better go and feed my brood!  Thanks for reading!  Have a wonderful night!! -Monica

I'm on FIRE!!!!

I can't BELIEVE IT!!  I DID IT!!!!  I ran the 20 minutes!!  It was hard but I feel pretty darned good now!  I never could have done it if I didn't download a podcast from podrunner!!   My friend told me about that site - it's totally free.  I did some online research to figure out how many beats per minute a 4.5 on the treadmill is - I figured it was around 155bpm, so I chose a podcast at that pace.  It was PERFECT!!  My feet hit the treadmill on every downbeat!  Even my breathing fell into rhythm!  How COOL is that?  I am SO using that tool from now on!  There were times when I didn't think I was going to finish - I kept thinking that I wanted to quit.  I managed to keep telling myself just a few more minutes, you're half way there, you're almost there, just one more minute - etc.  There were a few times when I realized I had gotten lost in the music and I had gone almost five minutes!!  I'm so going to use podrunner in a race!

Today I had a dentist appointment.  OH MAN do my teeth and jaw hurt!  I feel like they used a jackhammer on my gums!  I am happy to report that my teeth and gums are in great shape!  I had a lot of plaque under my gum line - that is why I am so sore now.  Apparently I have been flossing wrong my entire life!  I had no idea!  Well, I am NOT going to be flossing tonight - I am really in pain!  I don't even want to brush my teeth tonight - it's that bad!  Oh - this is awesome - at the dentist they checked my blood pressure and it was AWESOME!  124/56!!!!!

Hopefully tomorrow I will feel better!  I'm excited to take Susie to have her pictures taken!  I hope we get a good shot!  She is going to look like a total doll baby!

Tomorrow is weigh in day - I hope I lost something this week.  I'm hovering right over 259 - officially breaking into the 250's at Weight Watchers feels like a really big deal for me.  I have not been able to get below 255 in FOREVER!  I am going to have a party when I hit 254!

Thanks for reading!  Have a great night!  -Monica

Bitchfest time

I think today was HANDS DOWN one of the most frustrating days in my LIFE!  I won't say it was the hardest - because I had the hardest days of my life when my son was born almost 3 months premature.  Anyway, it went like this.  I went to bed at 1 am.  My son woke up at 3 am.  He screamed bloody murder for about 30 minutes.  I finally got him back to sleep in his own bed.  I got into bed, put my head on the pillow and was just about to drift off when my daughter woke up screaming.  That was at 4 am.  I ran in there fast because I didn't want to risk her waking my son up again.  She never went back to sleep.  So I had to tackle the day on 2 hours of sleep.  It was not good.  Sleeplessness makes me short on patience.  I tried SO HARD - but my son kept PUSHING.  He knocked his baby sister over a kazillion times, he opened the fridge and left it open, he wouldn't eat his meals, he wanted to watch too much TV, he got greek yogurt all over my couch.  OMG the list goes on and on and on.  I decided we needed to get out of the house so we went to the library.  We were having a great time!  They have a room there called the discovery center.  They set up a new theme every couple of months and the kids get to go and play in this educationally themed room.  My daughter (who started walking yesterday YOU GO GIRL!!) was pushing around a toy shopping cart and my son was putting the pretend groceries in her basket.  It was really sweet.  Well, there was this older boy there - I'd say 5 or 6.  He was a COMPLETE bully.  He kept saying smart ass crap to my son, but I just waited to see what my son would do.  The kid's father was a complete waste of flesh - he just sat on a chair at the end of the room and read a book.  This kid kept telling my son he was doing things wrong (which is insane because it's a PLAY area).  He had a really nasty and mean tone in his voice.  Then this kid looks at me and says "you're not supposed to be here, you're not a kid".  OMG that pissed me off.  REALLY?  Smart mouthing an adult?  That shit would NOT fly in MY house.  I told him he was a rather opinionated boy and he agreed that he was.  I was starting to really get irked.  If my child had said something like that I would have been on it like white on rice.  Then the straw that broke the camel's back.  My son sometimes drools when he is really concentrating on something.  Well, he drooled a little bit on the toy cash register.  Not a lot - and I was going over to wipe it off with a baby wipe.  This bully came over and grabbed the toy and yelled really loud "Don't SLOBBER on the toys - you're gross."  OH MY GOD, my Mama bear instinct kicked in and I told the kid he was NOT to talk to my son that way.  The kid's dad STILL did nothing, so I told my son we were leaving and I said in a loud voice "Colin, when a bully pushes you around the best thing to do is just turn around and walk away.  The rule in our house is to always be nice (it really is - it's written on a list of rules on the hallway wall) but SOME people don't know HOW to be nice.  That is when you have to really remember to ALWAYS be nice - even to people who are not nice to you.  Ok, so maybe I wasn't following my own rule, but I was FURIOUS!  I swear, I have NEVER been that angry at a stranger in my LIFE!
     After that horrible experience, we checked out our books and I decided to take the kids to the carousel to have a little fun.  We did have a great time.  Since we were close to hubby's work and he got out in an hour I decided to wait downtown and pick him up.  To kill time we walked to the running store and I talked with the guy there and figured out what my next pair of running sneakers will be.  He helped me find the right shoes for the way I run - it was really great.  Then it started.  My daughter.  She started screaming and she didn't stop for TWO HOURS!  She was ok if I held her but the SECOND I put her down it was like the earth had spun off of it's axis and we were hurtling toward impending doom.  It was bad.
     We finally got home and I just gave everyone leftovers for dinner and put them both to bed an hour early.  I left for the gym.  Realized when I had gotten there that I had left my water at home.  UGH - oh well.  Luckily I had a warm bottle of water that I had gotten earlier but had forgotten to drink it.  It was warm but it worked.  I get to my first lift and put on my headphones.  What is the first thing I hear?  "Battery is low".  Of COURSE it is.  Thankfully it didn't die until I was on my last rep of my last set.  Then I get out to the car and it had rained and of COURSE I was parked in the lowest part of the lot - I had to walk through a lake to get to my car.  PHEW - ok, bitchfest is over.  Tomorrow can only be better right?  Sorry for complaining about everything - but it seriously was a rough day!  My ipod is charging, I'm about to take a shower and then have some hot tea, then head to bed!  Tomorrow is my 20 minute run. YIKES!  I'm seriously scared!

Thanks for reading - even in my grouchiest hour!!!  -Monica

Creator of the C25K program, I humbly bow down to you...

Because you thoroughly kicked my ass tonight!  HOLY COW was that a HARD RUN!  I'm kind of scared out of my friggin mind for the next installment of running torture!  20 minutes straight!  AAAHHH!!  I feel pretty good right now but while I was running, it was nothing but sheer will that got me through!  Tonight I had to "jog" (yeah right, I feel like I'm running from apocalyptic zombies) 8 minutes, walk 5, jog 8, then go home and die. HAHA  The first 8 wasn't so bad, but the second 8 was really, really hard for me.  I just had to keep saying to myself "only 2 more minutes, only a minute and a half, only 1 minute etc...  It was HARD!  I'm so proud of myself for doing it!  I seriously need to get myself some capris - I was ROASTING!!!  It probably doesn't help that I was wearing a cotton T shirt - but I can't really afford a wicking shirt in my size at the moment.  I figure in another month or two, I should be able to fit into the tech shirt from my race!  It's funny - at one point while I was running tonight I thought to myself "holy cow, there is nobody here at the gym - if I drop dead they won't find me until the morning." LOL  My brain things bizarre thoughts when I'm running!  Anyway - I'm pretty stoked about this whole C25K experience.  I had tried to do it years ago (when I was much thinner) but I failed miserably.  I think I just didn't know how to push myself mentally.  Whatever is different this time, I'm glad it's different!  I'm just so amazed at the ability of the human body to adapt to new challenges!  When I first started, the idea of running for 1 minute made me shake in my boots!  I just ran for 8 minutes straight!  One thing about the program that worries me a little (although it's pretty far in the back of my mind) is that at the end of the program they assume you've been "jogging" at a 10 minute mile pace.  Are they friggin kidding?  That feels like SPRINTING to me!  I wonder how I'm going to cover the difference between the 30 minutes this program is getting me ready for and the extra 10 I'm going to need to finish a 5k at that pace?  There must be other training programs online that I could search out to work on my speed. 

Right now I am pretty darned sore - nothing is injured or anything - just muscle aches.  I'm so proud of myself for that too - I started out with an injury but instead of quitting, I worked around it!  I know in the past I would have quit for sure!  Today was not the best eating day.  I did pretty good all day but I got lazy at dinner time and didn't really count the points as I cooked.  I don't think I went over - if anything I probably went under my allowance.  That's the problem with getting lazy - you don't know for sure what you've done!  Tomorrow I'll be a better girl! 

So I wonder if you would do me a favor?  I see I only have 12 people who subscribe to my blog.  I'm starting to wonder if anyone ever actually reads what I write!  If you are reading this - could you just give me a quick shout out?  You could just say "here" if you want!  I guess it makes me feel better to know that I'm not just saying all this for nothing.  It means a lot to me to be able to help someone out - even if it's just giving them the idea to start.  Know what I mean??? 

Thank you so much for reading!  It really means a lot to me - more that you know!!!  Have a wonderful night!! -Monica

An unexpected discovery...

This morning we were running around, getting ready for church.  That is our typical Sunday morning M.O..  Well, this morning there was a new twist on our routine.  I had to change my outfit SIX TIMES because all my dressy shirts were too big!  How cool is that?  I finally had to pull out a shirt that I wore on my honeymoon!!  Guess what?  It fit better today than it did back then!  How exciting!!  I'm going to have to make a trip to goodwill soon or else I'm going to be walking around naked! HAHA

Hubby got a lot of projects done around the house this weekend!  It was so nice to have those things finally repaired!  I'm so thankful he knows how to do these things!  If we had to hire out, we would be in big trouble!  After I finish writing this, I'm going to head into the kitchen and dining room so I can wash the floor on my hands and knees.  I generally wash it with that libman freedom mop.  I really love that thing - but the floor is due to have a deep cleaning that you really can't get with a mop.  I'm actually not dreading it - I used to because it would make me get so out of breath but not anymore!!

A few weeks ago I ordered a headband from a small company called bolt headbands.  I was kind of bummed that it wouldn't stay on my head.  I tried hair clips and bobbipins.  NOTHING would make that thing stay on.  I finally contacted the company today.  I don't know what I expected but I definitely did not expect the quick and helpful response that I got!  The owner emailed me a few minutes later and told me to mail back the headband and she would send me a sport headband (the one I got is more of a fashion accessory, so it does not stay in your hair as well).  She also said she was going to send me a free gift!  How nice is that?!  I'm so excited to get my new headband!  I really like running with them - they keep the sweat out of my eyes!  It's so nice to have such amazing customer service!  I'll have to post a pic of my new headband when it gets here!

Pete gave me such a nice compliment today and I don't think he even realized how nice it was!  He told me that when he saw me running yesterday I looked like I was running easier.  I'm taking that to mean I looked like I knew what I was doing because it sure as hell was not an easy run for me!  HA!  I really am proud of myself for starting this and sticking with it!  I know for a fact that this is the longest I have ever stuck to a workout and diet plan EVER!  I think part of that is the fact that I am not looking at this as a diet and exercise plan.  I'm just looking at this as the way I need to live.  My son told me that he wanted to run like Mommy - in circles at the park.  HAHAHA  Actually - that really made my day too, because that tells me that I AM making an impression.  I'm not just making an impression - but I'm making a HEALTHY impression.  That is so important to me.  I want my children to grow up healthy and fit - I don't want them to ever suffer obesity.  It sucks hard. 

Well, I hear my floors calling me.  I suppose I should get to it!  Thank you so much for reading!   Oh - and by the way, I've posted new pictures and measurements in their respective tabs!   Have a wonderful night!  -Monica

Why don't you run over here??

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day!  It was so nice to have a warm, sunshiny day!  I started out in kind of a bad mood though and I just couldn't shake it.  I decided it would be nice to forget about the C25K training for one day and just go out and run.  I'm SO glad I did that.  It made me feel SO much better!  I went to the park and did 6 laps (5k).  I did pretty well - I finished about 1 minute slower than my 5k race pace.  That's not too bad considering the race was totally flat and the park run has some slight but steady hills.  Plus, on race day you are so pumped with adrenaline - you can't help but go faster!  I managed to keep my pace right around 14:20 which is AWESOME for me!  When I was rounding my second lap this woman smiled at me and said "You really inspire me!  I can't run at all!"  That made me feel so good!  Then right around my 3rd lap I passed this man who was sitting on a bench.  He was kind of creepy.  I was glad I had forgotten my headphones because I wanted to be aware of where this guy was at all times.  I'm not sure what was off about him, but he kept talking to me.  Maybe it's the New Yorker in me that is still leery of the Oregon friendliness at times but I still think this guy was creepy.  The first time I passed him he said something to the effect of "Don't give up", the second time he said something like "Keep going honey".  He had something to say at each lap.  On my second to last lap he asked me how many more laps I had left.  I did NOT want to tell him the truth - I had some freaky idea that he would try to kidnap me or something.  You had to see him to know why I felt this way.  I told him I was on my last one (when I really had one more to go).  When I came back around the last time he said "I see you're still running - how about you run over here and we go and grab some beers".  WHOA - freak me out!  I told him no but thank you and I just kept going - I never even slowed down.  I was SO thankful to meet up with my husband at my finish line!  I didn't realize until later that he was hitting on me!  I have NEVER been hit on before!  Even though the guy was a creeper - I still felt flattered!  Now I just need a hot guy to hit on me and I will feel over the moon!  No worries - I would NEVER act on it - just to catch someones eye would seriously make me day!

For some reason I have been REALLY hungry today.  I've been good - I'm still within my daily points - I actually have 7 more left.  I usually save a few points so I can have a snack at bedtime.  I know everyone says you are not supposed to eat after 8pm but that just does not work for me.  If I don't eat a bedtime snack that has carbs and protein, my blood sugar is high in the morning.  I don't know what I'm going to eat tonight.  I usually have a sugar free hot chocolate (it helps tame my sweet tooth) and popcorn or something but for some reason tonight I am DYING for something substantial and sweet.  I'm going to ignore it and hope it goes away while I'm sleeping.  I don't know why the heck I am so darned hungry right now.  Dinner was really good tonight - I made homemade rice pilaf, steamed cauliflower, and chicken breast that was grilled inside of foil with a bit of olive oil and some garlic and herb Mrs. Dash.  It was SO good!  The only problem with the pilaf is that it's VERY hard to stop at one serving.  Matter of fact - I'm having a hard time getting it off my mind while it's in the fridge.  Luckily my husband feels the same way.  Hopefully he will finish it off before I wake up in the morning. HA!

Monday I am starting a 6 week weight loss challenge with some friends so I am going to take before pics and some measurements.  I'll update those stats on the page here since I have not done it in a while.  I'm thinking I'll just suck it up and finally post my actual measurements instead of just what I have lost. 

Thank you so much for reading!  It really means a lot to know I have people reading!  Have a great night!! -Monica

I'm once, twice, three times so lazy...

:-P  ok, maybe not lazy - injured though.  I think it's from carrying my daughter all over the place because I have tendinitis in my wrist.  I was going to do an upper body workout but I do not want to push my wrist.  It's been my experience that with a few days of rest, ice, and advil - I will be good to go!  Thankfully I don't need my wrist to run!!  Tomorrow's run, quite frankly, scares me!  I'm thinking that I will try to do it in the park for the first time.  I have been reticent to run off of the treadmill - just because the treadmill FORCES me to run at a certain pace.  Thankfully I have my Polar to see what kind of pace I'm pulling.  I hope I can kick myself hard enough to stay on track!  We shall see!  Wish me luck!

Alright - so if you didn't notice the title of today's post is sort of a goof on one of Lionel Richie's songs.  I am currently watching a special broadcast on TV of different country singers covering Lionel Richie songs.  First I have to say I LOVE Lionel Richie!  I always have and I always will!  Something about his music makes me feel SO good - all the way down to my toes!  I even made poor Peter dance with me in the living room!  I seriously love that he is willing to dance with me!  I love the fact that, if my son was awake, he would be squeezing in between us to dance along!  I love my family so much!

So today has been quite the Friday the 13th!  First my daughter woke up around 5 ish.  I got her back down (actually hubby did - he let me get some sleep since I ran so hard the night before!).  Then my son AND daughter got up at 6.  That is an hour earlier than usual.  UGH.  Then we couldn't find my son's glasses ANYWHERE so I had to put his sports glasses on him for school.  We got out the door pretty late and I was so worried we would be late for school.  I hauled cookies to get the kids out of the car seats, get the baby in the stroller and run the two blocks from the parking lot to the school - only to find out that there was no school today!!  Oh man, my son threw a FIT because he wanted to go to school!  We got home and played and did some musical games.  My daughter fell asleep on my shoulder and I loved it so much that I let her take her nap on me.  My son was happily playing with his Leapster Explorer so I figured it was a good trade up.  I didn't realize my son had gotten up and went into the fridge.  The problem is, he didn't close it.  When I walked into the kitchen some time later and saw the open door, I ran up to it to check the thermometer inside.  It was 65 degrees!  OH NO!!!  I had to throw everything away!  I don't know how I'm going to afford to replace everything that was lost.  I was so pissed.  I was going to give him a time out, but he was SO upset when I had to throw away his yogurt and milk - I think that was punishment enough.  I thought anyway.  An hour later he did it again!  Really?  How could he never have done this before and then do it twice in one day?  Friday the 13th.  UGH - so I put a lock on the fridge.  I think my son is quite insulted by this - but TOUGH!  It makes me sick to think of all that I had to toss.

Well, I'm going to get back to my Lionel Richie!  I do love him so!!  Have a wonderful night!  Thank you for reading!  -Monica

They're out to get me...

My disorders!  At least, that is how it felt tonight!  I did my run tonight  - week 5, day 1.  It was pretty hard, but not as hard as I thought it was going to be.  About 10 minutes into my run I started getting face pain attacks.  OH MY GOD they were bad.  I counted 7 or 8 of them.  I'm sure the people at the gym thought I was losing my mind.  It's sort of a knee jerk reaction to gasp and then slap my hand to the pain.  Thankfully my pains are very quick - although still VERY intense.  There were a few times that I almost quit.  I was thinking - who would blame me for quitting with such bad face pain.  Then I realized - I WOULD!  I pushed on.  The last two minutes were TORTURE!!  I wanted to quit SO BAD!  I didn't though!  I just looked straight ahead and concentrated on a little black smear on the wall.  It's funny the strange things that pop into your head when you are trying to clear your mind!  First I thought the black spot was a booger and I imagined someone flung it there while they were running. GROSS I know.  Then I imagined the spot was blood from some guy's tooth because he accidentally knocked off the emergency stop button and when the treadmill suddenly stopped he slammed his mouth on the treadmill panel and knocked out a tooth.  OMG my mind is insane sometimes!  Anyway - after my run I noticed I was feeling shaky.  I checked my blood sugar and it was 65!!  YIKES!  That is pretty low.  I won't drive anywhere unless I'm 95 or above.  Luckily I had a bag of my son's fruit snacks in my purse. That did the trick.  I had to sit in my car for 15 minutes, waiting for my sugar to come back up.  I'm not sure what to make of this blood sugar problem.  It seems I've gone from diabetes to hypoglycemia.  If this keeps up, I'm going to have to call my doctor.  I was hoping to wait until I've lost 60 lbs before going to see him.  I wanted to shock him - somehow 30 lbs does not quite have the same shock value!

Ok - that was a really long and weird paragraph.  Sorry about that.  HAHA  I'm just glad to be back in the saddle after two craptastic weeks!  Today's run was great, my eating was great, and I still have a few weight watcher's points left over for a sugar free hot cocoa and some popcorn!  Then I'm off to bed!

Thanks for reading!  Have a GREAT night!! -Monica

Rest day/game day

I took today off - my tailbone is quite sore and I want to be able to run tomorrow!  I have been getting really tired of my son's backtalk and attitude lately.  I am starting to wonder if this is not coming from his cartoons.  It seems to me that a lot of cartoon characters have LOUSY attitudes.  Therefore, my son will be SEVERELY limited in his television watching.  I am proud to say he didn't watch a lick of TV today.  I had music on all day long and we played a LOT of games.  Tomorrow I am going to do a lot of crafts with him.  I have to admit - his behavior was much improved over yesterday!  He really enjoyed game time with Mommy and Daddy tonight!  Honestly - it was one of the nicest evenings we have ever had together.

Tomorrow is also my weight watchers weigh in.  I'm a little nervous - I am not sure if I actually lost anything or not.  My weight loss seems to have dropped off a lot.  I'm sure a lot has to do with the fact that my daughter is really self weaning off of nursing  lately.  It breaks my heart -  I really miss nursing her!  If I have not dropped at least one whole pound this week, then I'm going to bump off one point for my daily target.  Hopefully that kickstarts something!!

Since I am not going to the gym - I am going to turn in early!  I don't remember the last time I went to bed before 11pm!  My allergies are really acting up today too - it's those beautiful cherry blossoms.  They are SO beautiful - but my body does not appreciate them as much as my eyes do!  I hear my bed calling me, I'm actually almost excited about it!  HA!

Thanks for reading!  Have a wonderful night! -Monica

Not all equipment is created equal

I learned this the hard way today!  I usually run on the second treadmill at my gym, but for some reason I decided to run on a different one.  I'm partway through my run and I'm thinking WOW this is so much harder than usual.  Then I glanced down at my polar and the pace was almost a full minute faster than on the other treadmill!  WHOA!  It was hard, I won't lie - but I still did it!  I finished week 4 day 3 of my couch to 5k.  I'm dreading next week - the third day of next week has me running for a full 20 minutes!  I know I can run an entire 5k - obviously I've done it already - but when I run my training program it is MUCH faster than the pace I did the 5k at!  If I can keep up training at this pace, then I should be able to do a sub 40 5k!  WOW that would be AWESOME!

Oh - and THIS is awesome!  This morning I weighed in at 257!!  Of course I was naked - why would I weigh myself any other way! HAHA  Still - 257!  I have to admit - the 250's freak me out.  I'm probably going to be a bit of an emotional wreck until I get out of the 50's.  The reason is that I have NEVER been able to make it lower than 255.  I have not been lower than 255 in about 9 or 10 years!  I know I can do it - but for some reason the 250's fill me with doubt and fear.  I feel like slapping myself out of it but it isn't quite that easy.  I am SO going to do a dance when I hit 249!  My Mom is coming out to visit this summer - my goal is to be OUT of plus sizes by then.  I might be remembering this wrong because it has been SO long since I've shopped in the regular sizes - but isn't 18 considered non plus?  Well, that is the goal - size 18 or smaller by August.  I'm pretty sure that is doable.  I'm in a 22 now and it's getting a little baggy.  Not loose - but baggy!  I'm workin' my way down baby!

     This pic was taken around 1996 - I was a size 9.  I thought I was fat.  UGH I wish I could go back in time and bitch slap myself.  Anyway - I am going to look like this again and I can't wait!

Thanks for reading!  Have a wonderful night! - Monica

I need a new tape.

Cause this old one keeps playing in my head and it's not helping.  I did NOT want to go to the gym today.  I went anyway.  Usually when that happens, I start to feel better once I start lifting.  That did not happen today.  I kept catching my reflection in the mirror.  All I could think of was how fat and ugly I look.  I HATE when I get to feeling this way.  I'm not even sure what brought it on, but I can't shake it.  I think the past week of being sick and inactive really took a toll. 

I'm just going to pretend I don't feel like crap about myself right now.  I tried like hell to sync my polar to my computer so I could download my running information.  I friggin give up.  I tried for TWO HOURS!  I wanted to throw the damned thing against the wall.  I wish I could afford a Garmin - from what I've read, they are MUCH easier to work with.  Maybe some day I guess. 

I DID have fun with my son today!  Pete, Colin and I all played catch in the yard while the baby napped.  It was SO much fun!  Colin doesn't quite have the hang of catching the ball yet but WOW can that boy throw!  He is going to have one heck of an arm once he gets the hang of taking a step when he throws!

I guess that's all I've got to say today.  Hopefully a good night's sleep will help erase that awful tape.  In the words of Stuart Smalley "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it - people like me." LOL 

Goodnight!  Thanks for reading! -Monica

Yes I'm back... Well I'm BACK IN BLACK!!

Black running pants that is!  WHOO HOO!!  Health has returned to my house!  Easter is over, excess candy is in the trash!  I had my first run in a WEEK!  It wasn't too bad.  It was definitely a little harder and I do have a little junk still in my lungs but I only noticed that after I stopped.  I sounded a little like a hardcore smoker - and I've never even taken a puff in my life!  It was a rough week for sure.  I didn't exercise a LICK.  I ate like crap.  That's ok, because I'm back on track now.  I was one of two people at the gym on Easter Sunday - but I am SO glad I got in because now that I have the "return workout" under my belt, I can go on as usual! 

     Yesterday we took the kids to an egg hunt at a local church (yes, the second one of the season! HA)  It was a LOT of fun!  I actually wore a shirt that I have NEVER fit into!  I bought it almost 5 years ago.  I bought it because I absolutely LOVED the color, but they didn't have any in my size.  I figured "I can lose this baby weight pretty quickly" so I bought it.  Whatever.  5 years later and I still have that baby weight, and then some!  Well, not anymore!  Pete took a picture of me in the shirt and I'm really blown away!  I actually look almost normal!!  Take a look!

I still have a really fat and saggy lower belly - that never seems to go away.  I wonder if it's actually just excess skin?  I dread having to surgically address it some day, but I have to be realistic!

After seeing how good this shirt looked on me, I decided that I would wear a skirt and heels on Easter Sunday!  I can't even REMEMBER the last time I wore either!  I have proof!!!!  This skirt had not fit me in at least 4 years!  The shirt is a 2x!  I can't even remember the last time I wore a 2x!

     Today when I ran I wore my new race shirt!  I have never worn a technical shirt before!  I wasn't sure if I should wear it - it's a lot tighter than I'm comfortable  with, but I really wanted to try it out!  I'm not sure I like it, I felt really hot in it.  Once I got outside it felt really cool and refreshing though, so I won't pass judgment until I get a chance to run in it outside!  I also wore my wicking headband for the first time and I LOVED it!  I didn't have to wipe the sweat from my eyes once!  The only thing I didn't like was that I was constantly having to reposition it, but I can live with that!  Here is a pic of me in my tech shirt!  I'm going to do my progression pics in this for a while!

 





 I'm so excited to be back!  I was starting to worry that I would never get back on track if I didn't ditch this cold soon!  Thankfully I didn't gain anything back so I can just pick up where I left off!  I'm back in black baby!  (running pants!)  Thanks for reading!  Have a great night!  -Monica

Doctor's orders....

I finally gave in and went to the doctor today.  Thankfully I don't have the flu - but I DO have a very nasty virus that has been going around.  The doctor seemed to think I was at the end of it and that I should be feeling more like myself in a few days.  He told me to go home and go to bed and to stay there for two days. HAHAHAHA  He is so funny!  I do plan on heading to bed early tonight though.  Tomorrow is a busy day, so I had better get some rest!

     I'm happy to announce that I have figured out the time discrepancy between my polar and the race!  I noticed that my race day showed two splits - one was five minutes!!!!  When I think back I remembered setting my foot pod to see if it was working.  I must have accidentally started the clock - and when it beeped that my foot pod wasn't registering movement I must have stopped it - that was about 5 minutes!  The time for the second split was about ten seconds slower than the race time.  I remember at the race thinking that I had to run all the way back to the start line - they didn't have a finish line.  They had the sound booth set up about ten seconds before the finish line.  So there you go!  I really DID run my 5k in 43 minutes!!!  I can't wait to see what my next race time is!

I'm still feeling kind of crummy.  I have a feeling this cold is going to turn into a sinus infection - I am really prone to them.  My teeth are starting to hurt and that is usually the sign of an impending sinus infection.  JOY.  Oh well - I can still run with a sinus infection - it's this terrible chest congestion that makes running a bad idea.  I think I am going to run tomorrow though.  I've already lost a week and it kind of pisses me off.  What can you do though - viruses abound!

On a REALLY great note... I had my weight watcher's weigh in today.  I didn't really want to go - but I have not missed a single weigh in for the past 10 weeks and I wasn't about to do it now.  I was ready to hear that I had gained 3 lbs but I DIDN'T!  I actually lost a little less than one pound - but it was enough to put me over the 25lb mark at weight watcher's!  I got my little 25lb charm!  That is so cool!  3 more pounds until I hit my 20% mark!  I can't wait to look the way I feel!  So what are some non scale changes that I have noticed so far?

1.  My  knees don't hurt anymore when I get out of the chair!
2.  When I woke up this morning my PJ pants had fallen off!  How does that even happen?  They have really gotten loose!
3.  My blood sugars have been AMAZING!  I have only had 2 or 3 blood sugars in the pre diabetes range in the past two months!  I'm hesitant to check off that goal on my 38 in 38 - but once my doctor agrees - then I will check it off!
4.  My son asked me how many points was in his fruit snacks.  LOL
5.  I bought my Easter shirt in a size 2x!!!  HOT DAMN!

Ok - now I'm off to my hot tea and then bed!  Thanks for reading!  Have a wonderful night! -Monica

I almost made it today...

When I got up this morning I threw up a few times.  I felt HORRIBLE.  Then I started to feel a bit better.  I was sure I was going to go to the gym.  I was actually pretty psyched about it.  Then about an hour before my husband got home it hit me again.  SERIOUSLY?  I've never had a stomach bug last this long before.  I've gained like 4 pounds back this week.  UGH.  I'm going to go to the gym tomorrow no matter what - even if I have to wear a barf  bag around my neck!  I have got to get back on track even if it kills me!

Sick day number 2... but amazing news!

This morning I was sure that I would be able to do my run tonight.  I had some errands to run so I packaged up the kids and whisked them away to the grocery store.  I got about a quarter of the way through my shopping when I suddenly felt as if I were going to vomit.  I got dizzy and the cold sweats - then the body aches came back with a vengeance.  Apparently, grocery shopping was too much for my body to handle.  Hopefully I will be back on track tomorrow.  I really wanted to go running tonight but I know that would not be a wise thing to do.  I suspect I have the flu (even though I did get a flu shot).  I also suspect that I may never have actually HAD the flu before since I don't remember ever feeling quite so lousy.

Now for the AMAZING news - and I DO mean amazing!  I got the results from my race.  My official time was 43:32!  WHAT!!!!!!  I was shooting for sub 50 and I got sub 45!!  NO WAY!!  In all honesty, when I crossed the finish line I totally expected my Polar to say 46 minutes, I was shocked and a LITTLE disappointed by 49!  My average pace truly seemed to be around 14:55 - the only time it slowed was when the wind was brutal or a few times when I started getting lost in my own head. (yeah, I'm THAT kind of runner lol)  I don't know how my watch could be so different.  Who knows, maybe I need to re read the instruction book. There ARE a lot of bells and whistles on that thingy!   I can't imagine the time from the race keeper would be off.  There were only 65 ish people in the race so it's not like there was a lag time from the air horn to when my foot crossed the start line - it was a matter of seconds really.  I'm pretty sure I was in the third row of people - we probably could have done the whole race in three rows if we all stood shoulder to shoulder! HA  All in all, it was a GREAT experience!  My dream of a 10 minute mile suddenly seems possible!  YIPPEE!

Ok, well, my baby girl is screaming again.  She just feels plain lousy - quite honestly, so do I.  I won't lie - I have not been tracking my meals very well for the past two days.  I promise tomorrow I will go back to normal.  It doesn't help that the house is practically bare.  I TRIED to go grocery shopping today but I didn't make it.  I'll have to give hubby a list and send his butt out the door!  Oh boy, now my son is crying too.  How many weight watcher's points do you think a shot of rum is?  HAHAHA  Joking, I'm still nursing my daughter - I don't get to drink for a while.  :-P

Thanks for reading!  Have a WONDERFUL night!  Hopefully I'll be back to myself tomorrow!!! -Monica

I am SO SICK...

I can't stand it.  My body aches all over, my stomach is NOT  my friend today.  I think I am going to sleep on the bathroom floor.  Needless to say, I will NOT be going to the gym today.  I really hope this blows over by tomorrow.  I hate feeling this way.  Worst of all, my baby has a slight fever.  :-/  It's times like this I REALLY wish I had family around.

I PR'd!!!!

The race was GREAT!  The weather?  Not so much.  It was raining pretty steadily but the worst part was the wind.  There were a few times when it honestly felt like I was running in place!  I managed to run the entire race - no walking at all!!  With the exception of the really windy times as well as trying to dodge a few hug puddles - I kept my pace pretty well!  I finished in 49 minutes exactly!!!  The goal was to do a sub 50 race and I DID IT!  I'll bet I could have finished in about 47 if 1. it wasn't so windy.  2. It wasn't raining so hard and 3. I wasn't so sick.  I am so proud of myself!   The people putting the race on were really nice - and they had a good sense of humor!  Since it is April fool's day - they gave the medals to the BOTTOM 3 finishers!  How cool is it that I was nowhere NEAR the end!  The final entrant came in about half an hour after me!  When I got into the home stretch I saw my husband and children at the finish line!  Colin was yelling "GO MOMMY GO" over and over again!  I dug down deep and ran as FAST as I could to the end.  According to my polar- I finished up at a little  over a 10 minute mile for that last stretch!  I can't even imagine running an entire race that fast!  I can't wait to be able to do that!  I averaged a 16 minute mile but I'm sure that was due to the wind.  Whenever I looked at my watch it seemed like I was going at about a 14.56 pace.  Anyway - hubby took a pic of me as I crossed the finish line.  I'm pretty sure I made the same face when I gave birth to my children.  HAHAHA

Pete told me I was not in the center of the frame because I was running too fast. HAHAHA  Whatever - you'd think that would place me in the FRONT half of the frame!  He is a goof!

     When I got home I took a hot shower and collapsed into bed.  This cold is pretty bad.  During the race my lungs were burning and it had nothing to do with running.  Right now I'm dreading hubby going to work tomorrow.  I wish I could stay in bed all day and rest.  I swear - whenever my son gets sick, I get sick.  It never fails.  I had better make this short - my daughter is screaming her head off right now.  I swear - everyone feels like garbage in my house today.  

Thanks for reading!!  Have a wonderful night! -Monica