My friend Trish and I both are feeling the pounds of time and need to get into shape. We have been encouraging each other for a few weeks now, and today I think we may have committed to a HUGE step in that direction!
I committed to training for a 5K run! (not actually run it, because I am not a runner, have no endurance at all) And Trish just may be along for the ride with me! Yea Trish!
Today I downloaded these Runner Interval Podcasts that really will help motivate me towards that end. The idea is you take 9 weeks to ease yourself into 5K shape. You run for 60 secs, walk for 90, run for 60 ..... each week you increase the running times. I did the first week's workout today ... in the house. It was really not that hard at all. In fact, I've been working out harder than that all month. I'd love to try it on a track or outside where my stride would be more normal. (But I'd have to wear shoes -ouch!)
Anyway - I'll keep you posted on how this goes. The podcasts (love my ipod!!) really help keep you going without using a stop watch, which I tried this fall and found cumbersome so I stopped.
Eeekkkkkk
Monday, January 25, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
It Has Been Awhile!
I've been behind in all my blogging as of late. Oh well; I only do this because it is fun, and also to help keep far away family and friends up to date on what is going on in our lives. They can holler if they feel a need for an update!
So what is new in my personal life? I have made the commitment to get into shape and loose this excess weight! It is going to be a long road, I know. But I feel committed to the process and hope that at least 60lbs will come off! That is a whole glob (literally and figuratively!) of weight to loose!
My friend Trish & I are cheering each other on. I am seriously thinking of joining the gym with her. That way we could meet up a few times a week and work out together. Great excuse to see each other, and better way to help a friend be healthy!
In November I enrolled in a Power Yoga class, and while it kicks my butt, it is fun-ish. But I need more than one day of working out per week. We got a Wii in Sept., and for Christmas we got the Wii Fit Plus. It is fun, and if you are creative you can get a decent cardio work out in on that. But after 3 weeks I am getting a bit bored with just that.
Bill and I also talked about investing in a treadmill. Not sure about the final outcome of that conversation, as it was very brief. But living in the land of rain and snow it would make working out easier in foul weather.
Today I did a workout I developed last fall - but did not stick to for more than 10 days! It is an interval training ... walk for 5 mins to warm up, then run stairs for one minute, walk laps (around house) till recover (usually 3-4 mins) then do stairs for another minute, walk till recover ... etc. until I have 20 mins of elevated heart beat. I can use my wonderful ipod as a stopwatch, and now I know my splits, so I can see over time how my recovery time is improving! whoo hoo!
Weight loss wise, I have actually lost 13lbs since Dec. 26th. The Wii board consistently weighs me in at 20lbs more than my bathroom scale. sucks! I'll just have to work at getting that 20 pounds off of me. And then some ............
So what is new in my personal life? I have made the commitment to get into shape and loose this excess weight! It is going to be a long road, I know. But I feel committed to the process and hope that at least 60lbs will come off! That is a whole glob (literally and figuratively!) of weight to loose!
My friend Trish & I are cheering each other on. I am seriously thinking of joining the gym with her. That way we could meet up a few times a week and work out together. Great excuse to see each other, and better way to help a friend be healthy!
In November I enrolled in a Power Yoga class, and while it kicks my butt, it is fun-ish. But I need more than one day of working out per week. We got a Wii in Sept., and for Christmas we got the Wii Fit Plus. It is fun, and if you are creative you can get a decent cardio work out in on that. But after 3 weeks I am getting a bit bored with just that.
Bill and I also talked about investing in a treadmill. Not sure about the final outcome of that conversation, as it was very brief. But living in the land of rain and snow it would make working out easier in foul weather.
Today I did a workout I developed last fall - but did not stick to for more than 10 days! It is an interval training ... walk for 5 mins to warm up, then run stairs for one minute, walk laps (around house) till recover (usually 3-4 mins) then do stairs for another minute, walk till recover ... etc. until I have 20 mins of elevated heart beat. I can use my wonderful ipod as a stopwatch, and now I know my splits, so I can see over time how my recovery time is improving! whoo hoo!
Weight loss wise, I have actually lost 13lbs since Dec. 26th. The Wii board consistently weighs me in at 20lbs more than my bathroom scale. sucks! I'll just have to work at getting that 20 pounds off of me. And then some ............
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Life is Crazy
The beginning of the school year always leaves me in a fluster ... I can't imagine working full time and trying to do all these "beginning of the year" activities AND keep up with the house and kids life. sheesh, talk about super moms! I just spent an hour "finding" my kitchen after a really busy week ... and I was semi-caught up before that hour. I spent another hour today cleaning the living room too. And I spent about three hours bitching about Girl Scouts with the Queen of GS. Not the most productive day, but it is what it is.
And now our dog is barking outside. Ug. Well, my life is crazy and I do not seem to be keeping up very well. That is where I am in the grand scheme of things right now.
but its all good. the girls and Bill and I are enjoying eachother and learning and growing together.
And now our dog is barking outside. Ug. Well, my life is crazy and I do not seem to be keeping up very well. That is where I am in the grand scheme of things right now.
but its all good. the girls and Bill and I are enjoying eachother and learning and growing together.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Sew, Exactly What Have I Created?
In less than a month I have created the following items for the girls and their dolls. The scary thing is that I have more projects on the cutting board. I have many wonderful ideas of things to make still. This freedom to design my own is addictive!
2 blue t-shirt dresses
2 yellow t-shirt dresses
green pants and shirt for Abby
Red rain coat for Abby
Blue daisy dress for Ivy
Yellow apron for Ivy
Pantaloons for Laura
Pantaloons for Ivy
red rain coat for Barbara
Black t-shirt dress
13 items and no patterns. This is what I like to do now. ....who'd ever a-thunk!!
2 blue t-shirt dresses
2 yellow t-shirt dresses
green pants and shirt for Abby
Red rain coat for Abby
Blue daisy dress for Ivy
Yellow apron for Ivy
Pantaloons for Laura
Pantaloons for Ivy
red rain coat for Barbara
Black t-shirt dress
13 items and no patterns. This is what I like to do now. ....who'd ever a-thunk!!
From T-Shirt to Dress
The girls LOVE to wear Bill's t-shirts, and he has a ton of them (thanks in part to my grandfather, who gleans free UofM t-shirts at all the sporting events he attends - which is a lot!) One day, when the girls had no pajamas to wear, I got the idea of making one of the t-shirts into a nightgown for them. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I loved the concept.
Well, one day a few weeks ago I snagged two blue t-shirts from Bill and created my first masterpiece! The girls love them (they are easy to wear) and actually wear them as dresses. I have since made 3 more dresses (each one a different style) and really enjoy this! eeekkkk!!
The sewing on all the dresses is, ummm, primitive at best, but I have learned a bit about sewing, and actually am getting better as each project is attempted. My last one involved quite a bit of cutting and re-sewing, and t-shirt fabric is not easy to work with because it rolls over and is hard to line up properly. BUT, I love the looks of the finished garment, and am going to attempt to sew on out of regular fabric this fall!
I am actually really enjoying this creative sewing venture. No patterns, no rules, just my imagination and vision to guide me.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Oh Martha!!
I ran across this list of things Martha says I should do every day:
1. Make the Bed: Tidiness begets tidiness. A crisply made bed makes the whole room seem more orderly, which makes it less likely that you'll let other things -- such as clothes and papers -- pile up around it. (This has never worked in my house. And, really, I like a loosely fluffed bed anyway. I just do not like a crisply made bed when I lay down to sleep.)
2. Manage Clutter: Whenever you leave a room, take a quick look around for anything that isn't where it should be. Pick it up and put it where it belongs. Insist that everyone in the household do the same.(Obviously Martha does not have two young kids living with her. OK, and me!)
3. Sort the Mail: Take a few minutes to open, read, and sort mail as soon as you bring it inside. Keep a trash bin near your sorting area for junk mail. Drop other mail into one of four in-boxes: personal correspondence, bills, catalogs, and filing. (I am actually fairly good at this one. As long as it is ME that brings in the mail. Then there is mail that is addressed to Bill ... it just sits around unopened for ever. Or opened and dumped on the counter.)
4. Clean as You Cook: Instead of filling the sink with pots and dishes, wash them or put them in the dishwasher as you prepare a meal. (But, then you burn your food you are cooking. This really does not work for me.)
5. Wipe Up Spills While They're Fresh: Whether it's tomato sauce on the cooktop or makeup on the bathroom counter, almost anything is faster and easier to remove if you attend to it immediately. (I really try. I do!!)
6. Sweep the Kitchen Floor: Every evening once you've finished washing up after dinner, sweep the floor. This will keep tough-to-clean dirt and grime from building up, which will make the weekly mopping much quicker. (Duh - obviously she does not have a shedding pooch around that simply necessitates this action! I'd say I sweep 6 days a week. Occasionally I miss a day due to business and such.)
So ... why is my house soooo crazy? Oh yea, clutter. Lucy.....
1. Make the Bed: Tidiness begets tidiness. A crisply made bed makes the whole room seem more orderly, which makes it less likely that you'll let other things -- such as clothes and papers -- pile up around it. (This has never worked in my house. And, really, I like a loosely fluffed bed anyway. I just do not like a crisply made bed when I lay down to sleep.)
2. Manage Clutter: Whenever you leave a room, take a quick look around for anything that isn't where it should be. Pick it up and put it where it belongs. Insist that everyone in the household do the same.(Obviously Martha does not have two young kids living with her. OK, and me!)
3. Sort the Mail: Take a few minutes to open, read, and sort mail as soon as you bring it inside. Keep a trash bin near your sorting area for junk mail. Drop other mail into one of four in-boxes: personal correspondence, bills, catalogs, and filing. (I am actually fairly good at this one. As long as it is ME that brings in the mail. Then there is mail that is addressed to Bill ... it just sits around unopened for ever. Or opened and dumped on the counter.)
4. Clean as You Cook: Instead of filling the sink with pots and dishes, wash them or put them in the dishwasher as you prepare a meal. (But, then you burn your food you are cooking. This really does not work for me.)
5. Wipe Up Spills While They're Fresh: Whether it's tomato sauce on the cooktop or makeup on the bathroom counter, almost anything is faster and easier to remove if you attend to it immediately. (I really try. I do!!)
6. Sweep the Kitchen Floor: Every evening once you've finished washing up after dinner, sweep the floor. This will keep tough-to-clean dirt and grime from building up, which will make the weekly mopping much quicker. (Duh - obviously she does not have a shedding pooch around that simply necessitates this action! I'd say I sweep 6 days a week. Occasionally I miss a day due to business and such.)
So ... why is my house soooo crazy? Oh yea, clutter. Lucy.....
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Time Consuming
I have been spending a ton of time this past week planning learning activities for the kids. Tons of time. Too much time, probably. And I have little to show for it. grumph!
So I shall continue - hopefully with a printer that works soon. That may help the process along some, since some of my ideas involve printing out stuff. I'd like to do a lapbook or two with the girls. I also want to do something - not sure what - with Lauren and her ravenous reading habit. We're talking entire books, complete with some heavy content, in 24-48 hours. Is she really grasping the content when she zooms through them so quickly? (most likely not really)
So, here I sit, still ... again ... even more, searching and planning. It is time consuming I say!
And then there is all this cleaning I have mentally committed myself to this summer. groan groan groan! I really hate cleaning, and it seems that I do not much else but that since I became a stay-at-home mom. Why is that? Is it because I have not much else to "occupy" my time and therefore feel productive? Yes, it is something along those lines. Oh well.
And finally, my idea to have the girls prepare their own meals this summer is surely time consuming! I just spent 30 minutes talking them through slicing an apple and trimming off some bruised parts. Thirty minutes for Two apples! I could have done that in 2 minutes, but that is not the point, is it? again, groan :) but with a positive spin.
me and my bright ideas
So I shall continue - hopefully with a printer that works soon. That may help the process along some, since some of my ideas involve printing out stuff. I'd like to do a lapbook or two with the girls. I also want to do something - not sure what - with Lauren and her ravenous reading habit. We're talking entire books, complete with some heavy content, in 24-48 hours. Is she really grasping the content when she zooms through them so quickly? (most likely not really)
So, here I sit, still ... again ... even more, searching and planning. It is time consuming I say!
And then there is all this cleaning I have mentally committed myself to this summer. groan groan groan! I really hate cleaning, and it seems that I do not much else but that since I became a stay-at-home mom. Why is that? Is it because I have not much else to "occupy" my time and therefore feel productive? Yes, it is something along those lines. Oh well.
And finally, my idea to have the girls prepare their own meals this summer is surely time consuming! I just spent 30 minutes talking them through slicing an apple and trimming off some bruised parts. Thirty minutes for Two apples! I could have done that in 2 minutes, but that is not the point, is it? again, groan :) but with a positive spin.
me and my bright ideas
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