Weigh loss update

I'm happy to report that I'm down 3.5 inches and 4.5 pounds :)

Tag Team

Today was a tag team day today.  Do you ever tag team with your spouse?  The tag team reference is from wrestling where one wrestler would tag out of a fight so that he/she could get a rest while the other one fought the battle.  Yes, I watched wrestling, lol.  I like this term because parenting can be like that.  With family day being a holiday Monday this year in Ontario today was our Monday.  My husband was off work today which made things so much easier.  He got up with me and the kids and while I made French toast (tag) he got them dressed.  Then he drove me to work (tag) and took my seven year old to her appointment.  He picked me up from work and brought me home to a mostly completed dinner .  I made broccoli and cheese sauce while (tag) he relaxed and after dinner (tag) he took my oldest to brownies and got gas for my car while I (tag) made banana bread with my youngest.  Then the little one had a bath given by me and (tag) he put her pjs on.  Then it was time to pick up our brownie so I went and now (tag) he's giving her a bath.  The little one is having her banana bread and after her bath so will the big one.  Soon it will be bedtime which we alternate and it's his turn.  Teeth brushing, stories and back rubs from daddy tonight.  Having a partner who helps makes all these tasks so much easier and it occurred to me that these everyday tasks would be much harder if I had to do them all myself, especially when they were babies.  Imagine not having a break from a baby unless family or friends came over...GAH.  But tonight is a good night so I'm enjoying it because there are nights when it's not so easy and when my spouse isn't so helpful.  There are still lunches to be made and clothes to be put out for the next day but I don't mind because tonight it's been a good tag team night.  Thank you honey. 

Life, Luck and the Universe

Ever wonder about how you got to your place in the universe?  How did you end up in North America , raising kids, living where you live, with the job that you have?  How did it end up that you fell in love with the person you did?  Most of us are here because our grandparents or their parents emigrated here from other places, such as my great grandparents, who settled as farmers.  My great-grandparents settled at a lake an hour north east of where I currently live.  My grandparents inherited the land but settled in Toronto.  So there are the basic logistics of how I got here.  I should explain, that the reason I’m even thinking about this is because I want to go on a vacation.  Don’t get the connection?  Well.  I was thinking about how some people are so lucky.  They were either born into a place of privilege or just were given opportunities along the way that propelled them into their place in life.  I had to work for every single thing I’ve ever owned.  I started working in fast food places when I was 14 so that I could afford Doc Martin’s and leather jackets.  I worked through college (2 part time jobs and a full course load) so that I could rent an apartment.  (Graduated with honours too tyvm).  I’ve had about 10 different jobs in the last 10 years.  Some of them similar, some very different to what I went to school for.  It’s been an interesting ride and I’ve worked very hard over the years.  But I’ve never had a tropical vacation.  When I was 24 I went to work at a full-time career and bought a house.  All of my savings were used for the house and then for my wedding.  And now, my car is paid, my daycare costs are declining and I still agonize over paying for a vacation.  And yet some people, also through hard work, and some just by luck or privilege have had many, many tropical vacations.  Or traveled abroad a time or two.  And then there is the exact opposite of the spectrum, those less lucky than us, who worked hard but were not lucky enough to buy a house or who were plagued with health problems.  I guess I fall right into the middle.  Neither lucky nor privileged (financially but very blessed family wise) and not doing too badly either.  I just want to take my kids someplace warm, for a week, and do nothing but play and sleep and eat.  That's all.  It would be great if it could happen without me having to save money for it...lol.  I think I'll try something that has worked in the past for me, visualization.  Because feeling sorry for myself isn't working for me.  I’m going to tape pictures of sandy beaches, blue skies and tropical drinks to my fridge to motivate myself to get to that vacation.  And maybe, just maybe, I’ll win the lottery, or a promotion will fall into my lap or the stars will align and I’ll get that vacation just by sending it out there into the universe. And I'll take that negative energy I'm sending out by wishing I had more money or status and turn it into something positive. 

If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen.

One sure thing about becomming a mom, you will spend more time in the kitchen.  This weekend I was off 3 days and a lot of that time was spent in the kitchen.  It was mostly because I didn't have any other plans for the weekend (bliss!) and my husband did all of the running around, picking up kids, dropping off kids etc.  So I got up at 7:45 am twice this weekend -(without the kids waking me?!) and headed to the kitchen to make coffee and breakfast, cleaned up after breakfast and it started from there.  I got the girls 30 glasses of milk or water or juice, plus snacks, lunch and dinner.  I grated, I crock potted, I fried, boiled and baked.  And it occured to me today that my kids don't even like my cooking much but there I am anyway toiling away.  I spend so much time in the kitchen, preparing lunches, throwing stuff out, rinsing and sorting recycling that my kids will actually come to me while I'm sitting in the living room - while their dad is in the kitchen - and ask ME to get them stuff.  I don't mind the kitchen that much though, it's cozy and warm and to keep up with eating healthy I try to make a lot of things from scratch.  And the kids?  They love to help with mixing or slicing mushrooms.  Now if I could just get them to eat the good stuff I make, I would be thrilled.  Where do you spend a lot of your time?

Throwing stuff away

This month I've thrown away:
A blender
A heater
A cool air mist humidifier
A small food processor

There were all broken and couldn't be fixed.  It seems like such a waste to throw away these large items.  I wonder if I had purchased a higher quality item, would they have lasted longer?  Likely.  Oh the things you learn about consumerism as you get older.  The blender I had for 10 years and the small food processor at least 7 because I used it to make baby food.  They were all old items and I finally had to let go.  Funny how they all seemed to give up their life around the same time but they don't owe us anything, they all lasted a good length of time.  I also had to re-purpose some old towels into rags and donated a large bag of clothes this month.  It seems like the more I look and reconsider, the more items I realize I can do without.  I still have a long way to go as our garage walls are full of items I don't use but it's a work in progress.  With every month I get rid of a little more and try not to purchase too much to replace them.  I was given a new food processor for Christmas and will likely buy a new humidifier and the cycle will begin again.  Good bye crap!

Update

I'm still at it!  Going to the gym 3 times a week and still enjoying it.  I'm still finding it hard to stay away from the french fries and candies but this change isn't about totally changing my eating habits - it's about getting active.  I'm happier and feeling stronger and more toned.  I haven't "weighed in" yet, I'm going to wait until a month goes by to do that - but I am more conscience about what I'm putting into my body.  I don't want to ruin what I've started or want to feel that I've just lost a workout by eating badly.  Eating well was never really been my issue, it's the inactivity.  So on Sunday nights I make some roasted vegtables and eat them for lunches instead of a sandwich or a burger and I think that's a good enough change.  I bring veggies and fruit for snacks and I'm staying away from the potato chips.  I'm sleeping better too.  All in all it's been a great start and I am looking forward to keeping it up and seeing and feeling the changes I'm making for the better. 

Me

Firstly...I have been trying to post pics but they are posting sideways so I had a pic to share but decided not too because of this. Any tips?

OK so I did my first workout last night and it felt great.  I also was weighed and measured and my body fat index was taken.  Big sigh.  Here goes...
Weight - over 200 pounds.  Suffice to say that I'm heavier than I've ever been, even heavier than I was at the peak of both my pregnancies. 
Height - 5'9"
Measurements:  bust 46 inches, waist 40 inches, hips 46 inches.

So there we are.  Yep, I'm overweight.  And I won't even mention my body fax index...gah!

Onward and upward....or in this case downward :)