I am sweating today!

I have to keep this short as DQ has had the boys for a while and I need to get home (I am at work.)

(FYI - I saw the "Sex and the City" movie last night and LOVED IT! Even though it was my cheat day I did not get popcorn. I went to the grocery store and got some Skittle and water.)

I worked out with my boss today at school. She has her CSCS and was also a division one athlete in college. She still holds some NCAA records in field hockey! Needless to say she knows her stuff. She is trying to help me do some different exercises that are more efficient that just the machines. She did strength training with me and then is going to print a variety of work outs for me that I can take everywhere I go this summer.

After the strength stuff I ran/walked for 20 minutes and then biked for 20 minutes. I just couldn't do another five.

Have a great weekend!
til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

whew!!

yesterday afternoon I pulled on a pair of shorts, ones that I bragged about last week, and they were tight. Granted they were fresh from the dryer but they were tight. I was so so bummed. DQ and I talked and I said I would be happy if I had a one pound loss this week. That would be one less pound on my body, four sticks of butter gone.

I slept in this morning as late as I could but I was up at 5:30 AM. I am going to shoot myself if I don't sleep more this weekend! Anyway I stripped down to my skivvies and hopped on to the scale. Wait for it...wait for it...YES! the down arrow again! And not only the down arrow but the down arrow with a 2.2 next to it!!! yea me!!! I was so so excited. That makes a total of 12.2 lbs gone. ya-hoo!

I have been thinking about what I am doing differently these past two weeks. I have really really tried to cut out anything white opting for whole grains instead. I am also doing cardio for 45 minutes. On most days I drink a gallon of water. That's fun!!!

gotta run to class.

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

Last chance workout!

Dinner out last night, eating wise, was relatively succesful. I ordered something called the homewrecker. It is a giant burrito. I usually get it with beef, lots of cheese and sour cream. Last night I got it with grilled chicken, a sprinkle of cheese and just a tiny bit of sour cream. I got water instead of soda. When I sat down I immediatley cut the homewrecker in half and only ate half. I did have several chips but left some on my plate.

My friend and I ended up staying at the restaurant until about 9:20 PM. Moe's is a solid 15 - 20 minute ride to my house so I didn't get nearly as much sleep as I had hoped.

Gym time was good today but painful. I did legs and then decided to run/walk. I called today my last chance workout. If any of you watch the Biggest Loser you know that the last work out before the weigh-in is called the last chance workout. So I tried to crank it but my left hip was really bothering me. I must have looked funny to other people as I was almost moaning out loud towards the end. If it didn't hurt so much I would have done more. Maybe I will do more this weekend. By the end of next week I will be able to have more time at the gym so maybe I can do longer cardio or sleep in a little.

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

Maybe it's that time of the year

I am a teacher and the school year is winding down. This time next week I will be looking at my final full school day. YEA! But with the end of the year comes a lot of work. My school, like many schools, has teachers write comments about their students. "Johnny was a delight to have in class this term. He really worked hard at strengthening his batting skills. Blah, blah, blah." Don't get me wrong. I find value in writing these comments. They just take so long to write. I have to write 137 of them and I am DYING over here. I have about 15 left so I am WAY ahead of the game - oh wait - 19 left.

All that said I am in just a blah blah mood. I think it is the food issue. Maybe I need to re-evaluate what I am eating. Maybe I am PMSn except I can't really be as I just finished my period about ten days ago. Either way I want to eat everything. Someone once told me that it takes six weeks of doing something for it to become a habit. Well I am exactly five weeks in and can't wait for the "habit" way of thinking to kick it. I still want to reach for the bad stuff. I have a jar of Fruity Cheerio's on my desk and am ready to dive in. How bad can they be??!! They are whole grain!

Speaking of whole grain I have been all over the place with my breakfast this week. I had the egg breakfast yesterday but Monday and today it was cereal. ONLY cereal - no yogurt. But I hope it isn't too many carbs. Today I had one of my favorite Kashi cereals - Cinna Raisin Crunch. http://www.kashi.com/products/good_friends_cereal_cinna_raisin_crunch hmm mmm good. Lunch was a small salad - no dressing as the tomatos and cucumbers were covered in some dressing. I also had half a PB sandwich as there was no real protein to be had. The bread was 12 grain. I didn't look to see if it was whole grain. The PB wasn't all natural or low fat but I used it minimally. I will just have a cheese stick or almonds - not both - for my afternoon snack as I am going out to dinner tonight.

Tomorrow is my last workout before my next weigh in. I haven't worked on my abs nearly as much as I had hoped. Bummer. I keep forgetting. I told myself I would do them at night but that hasn't happened. Anywho I will have to make the most of the work out. Maybe I will run again. Haven't really done that since Sunday.

off to write more comments -
til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

how many days until summer vacay???!!!

It is about 9:30 PM Tuesday night. It has been a long, long day. I hate complaining because I feel like everyone has long days. I don’t have too much room to complain. I have a job I enjoy, I get to live in a fantastic town in MA and in a week I will be done with work for the summer (OK, maybe two weeks.) That said – it was a long day and I can’t wait to crawl into bed.

My work out today was so-so. I cranked on my five minute cardio warm up. It took me forever to get through my leg work-out but I didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry. I decided to do the elliptical today. But after about ten minutes I had had enough. I stayed on for fifteen minutes and then moved over to the bike. DQ had downloaded some shows about Mt. Everest and I watched one of those. It helped pass the time.

I don’t think I mentioned that my left hip has been bothering me. Whenever I get up from sitting down I look like a little old woman trying to stand up straight. OUCH! Sometimes when I run, and I have been doing it for a long time, my toes go numb on that side. Today I spoke to our athletic trainer and she mentioned sciatica. She told me to lay off the running. She told me to jump on the bike. I just don’t feel like I am working as hard. I know I am not burning as many calories. I may try running tomorrow…I just don’t know.

I have eaten very well today but it is getting harder and harder to say no to the bad stuff. I really, really want all the bad stuff right now – cookies, brownies, the works. But I keep telling myself to wait until Friday! Tomorrow night I am going to a Mexican restaurant for dinner. I am hoping to just pick at my meals during the day so I can enjoy myself! I have already decided to replace the ground beef with grilled chicken and no sour cream. I love sour cream!

til tomorrow –
Mummy Q.

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope it is a gorgeous where you live as it is here in MA today. Gorgeous weather - no need for A/C. The boys and I spent some time at the pool this afternoon and I got fried. I put on the SPF 50 too late and now I am paying the price. Use sunscreen people! I don't have a favorite brand - Target brand works fine for me!

I woke up at 5:30 AM and went straight to the gym. At first I thought it was closed because there were only two other cars there. But I peered through the window and I saw the TVs on. Sure enough that was June at the front desk. There was one other person in there. A man I see there every morning.

I did my five minute cardio warm up and then worked my arms. I was only going to bike today but I felt like I was on such a roll with my walk/jogging. I started to walk/run again but today I was changing it to two and two - two minutes walking two minutes jogging. I decreased my running speed in the hopes that I could go the entire 45 minutes. After twelve minutes I had to excuse myself to the restroom. When I cam back I did about three more minutes and I was done. Just couldn't do it anymore no matter how much I bullied myself into staying put. I hopped on the bike and did thirty minutes and then went to the elleptical and did twenty more minutes. I sweat like crazy but felt like I let myself down. I will try to better tomorrow!

til then -
Mummy Q.

The Devil Made Me Do It

I know it seems like a running theme here, but I didn't sleep so well last night. Holden and I had a campout in my room as DQ and Scout were at a Cub Scout Campout Holden moves a lot in his sleep and snores as loud as his father. And again I was up at 5:30ish. I snoozed on and off again for another two hours.

I ended up going to church without going to breakfast. I know, I know...it is the most important meal of the day. But I had to do a bunch of stuff before we left. So when I came home I made myself a huge lunch. Two eggs, two egg whites and a slice of plain toast. I meant to buy some "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" yesterday but I forgot. It was a HUGE meal though and held me for most of the day.

I decided to make brownies today. I must tell you that I love brownies. Love them. I made them for DQ and his friend who were doing a bunch of manly men work to our windows to prepare them (the windows) for our AC units. The brownies came out of the over looking devine. I was going to step away. Even as I was cutting them I was determined to ignore them. Then...well...I thought "I will have half a piece." That half turned into many whole pieces and before I knew it I had put away four or five. Seriously. I couldn't stop. They were so good. The Hershey kind with chunks of chocolate inside. Hmmm Hmmm good!! I felt terrible afterward. Absolutely terrible.

5:00 PM comes around and I head to the fitness room on campus. I was supposed to be meeting a friend there. She was super late but another one of my co-workers was there. Just so happened to be one of the most attractive men on campus. I was so intimidated. This man has so much discipline when it comes to taking care of himself. He works out every single day. Every day. Amazing. I hope to have that dedication one day. Anyway - it was nice having him there as we chatted and it made the running portion of my treadmill experience go a little faster.

Towards the end of my run/walk I started to lose steam. I am definitley someone who has to work out first thing in the AM. I was on my second to the last running interval and I lost it. Stopped running to walk. As the "time remaining" was winding down and I was was psyching myself up for the last two minutes of running I remembered the brownies. So when the treadmill cranked up again for the final running interval I chanted to myself "BROWNIES! HOLDEN!! LILLY!! FITNESS!!!" over and over again. Brownies to remind myself of the slip I had today. Holden to remind myself that if he can do it I can do it. Lilly to remind myself of the Lilly Pulitzer pants on the way and Fitness to remind myself I want to be fit!

Dinner was whole wheat pasta and some sauce with frozen veggies. Bleh...but I didn't cook it.

Tomorrow - Memorial Day. The gym is open normal hours. So if I wake up early I am going to hit the gym. Well, no matter when I wake up I headed there. At least I know that if I wake up at 5:30 AM I will have somewhere to go! Speaking of the gym I Googled Gaylord, MI, the town I will be in for a month this summer. There are two gyms there. I have a call in to both of them to see what they can do for me while I am there!

til tomorow -
Mummy Q.

oh so tired.

I finally made it to bed around 12:20 last night and for some reason was up at 5:22 AM. Needless to say it was a long, long day and I am oh so tired right now!

I managed to squeeze in a run today but it was pitiful. I skipped the gym and ran what's called a rezzy. The school we live at backs up to a resevoir. If you run the streets around it is called a rezzy. I ran a rezzy and then some and it was only 3.1 miles. I thought for sure I had gone farther. I was slightly bummed. And I didn't think I was working as hard because I wasn't sweating as much. That said it was about 62 degrees outside with a nice breeze but still. I like it when I sweat bullets.

I have eaten next to nothing to day. Literally nothing. Breakfast was a Luna Bar. Lunch was one ounce of almonds and the a cheese stick. Dinner was a spinach chicken apple walnut salad from Uno's. I picked off most of the cheese and didn't use the salad dressing. I did have some of Holden's crust from his pizza. For dessert I had a skinny cow ice cream sandwich. I tried the mint - holy moley was that tasty!!!!!

Lets see if I can insert some pictures - hold please!

(five minutes later!) I did it! YEA! These are pictures of the resevoir, taken while I was running. Well, I stopped to take the picture with my phone. The first picture is with the rezzy on my left while I was running. I had just missed having a huron in the picture.


The second picture is taken on the opposite side. I am almost done running at this point!

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

My story - LONG LONG POST!

before I start...I need to add more pictures to this blog! I should take a picture of the 21st of each month so you can see how things are going. Hmmm...I will have to look and see what I can find for April 21. I took a few pic's Thursday night so maybe I can crop those to be just me.

it is Friday night and I can't sleep. DQ and I just finished watching the season finale of "Grey's Anatomy." I love, love, love that show and am SO in love with Patrick Dempsey. He is hotter than hot. But I can't sleep. I can't sleep because I am so excited. Today's weight loss has totally energized me. This happened a month ago - when I first started working out. I couldn't sleep because I would lie in bed thinking about how great things will be, how great I will feel when I lose some weight.

This week I have been bidding on clothes on e-bay. I love clothes that I can't really afford but somehow buying them on e-bay makes it all better. Today I stumbled upon a pair of Lilly Pulitzer capri's (which will be full length on me!) and I won them. I was so excited I was dancing. Lilly Pulitzer is considered a boutique brand which means it is probably cut smaller that your average stuff. BUT - this afternoon I tried on a bunch of clothes from the left side of my closet. The side of the closet full of clothes I am "waiting" to get into. Well trying those clothes on made me feel even better. I tried on the vineyard vine skirts and I think I am going to be able to wear them on the cruise. I also tried on all kinds of pants. One size 16 pant fit - I could zipper them and everything - but they were too tight to be seen in public. But I got them on! I also got on the JCrew pants I have. The ones with bees all over them that I want to be able to wear in August. I couldn't get them zippered but I got them over my hips. That's progress. SO...I am thinking if I am close to getting those pants on then a pair of size 16 Lilly Pulitzer should be do-able in a month or so. This has given me all new motivation to kick butt in my work outs. My focus for the next two weeks - until graduation - are my abs. Yes, I will continue everything else, but I found some ab exercises I can do at home or work. I'll keep you posted.

So...my story. I have been meaning to sit down and write this for a while. I won't give you all the gritty details, and others may disagree with my version of events, but this is MY blog, so this is MY version!

I don't remember always being overweight. I think if you were to look at my childhood pictures you would see I was pretty average looking. My parents were a healthy weight when I was younger. My father was a Marine and always took good care of himself, relatively speaking (if you don't count the alcohol abuse!! wink wink. He has been sober for 28 years now though! YEA DAD!) I always remember my mum being healthy as well. But my first recollection of having a belly was when I was seven or eight. We were living in Quantico, VA. My dad...hmmm...guess he hadn't retired yet because we still lived there. It was the summer and we were at a friends house. They lived catty-corner to us. I was wearing green bikini with some red and white in it. I was sitting in one of those old folding chairs (think late 70's, early 80's). As I was sitting there, I looked down and noticed the roll. No, not the kind you eat. A stomach roll. A roll of fat. Hmph. There it was. I think I still have that roll today!!

In sixth grade I had two awesome Lacoste (back before it was uber chic and uber expensive) t-shirt and short sets. One was red and one was yellow. One day at school one of my teacher's told me I had to retire one set. It was too "snug." I was devastated.

In high school I really started packing on the pounds. I was never really sporty (although I am now a PE teacher! go figure!) but I wanted to be. I didn't play sports outside of school. Unless talking on the phone was a sport. I was REALLY good at that.

My junior year in HS my mum and I joined weight watchers. This was 1988. I don't remember the program much back then. I really can't think right now (it is midnight after all!). What I do remember is that in the first week I lost seven pounds. SEVEN pounds! And on the night of my second WW meeting, I came home and told my dad how much I lost. He was very proud, and then promptly sent me out for chips and dip. Oh the irony. I did very well on WW. I was a superstar my senior year. I was captain on the field hockey team (by default. There were only three seniors. The other two deserved to be captain. I only got it because coach felt badly for me. Didn't want me to be the only senior without the captains pin!), ran indoor track, had a college boy interested in me. It was great. I looked great and felt great.

Fast forward to graduation and college. It was a struggle but for the most part I kept the weight off. I went through a Jazzercise phase - seven classes in five days. Picture this - I wore a THONG leotard and "jazzed" in the front row! I thought I was the bees knees!!! By the end of college I joined a gym. I think I was a size 12-14 by then. But I was religious about the gym. Until I met DQ.

Oddly enough DQ and I worked out at the same gym but didn't realize it until we started dating. We met in February of '97 and I think by the start of summer I was done at the gym. By the end of that summer we were engaged. I had all these plans to be a skinnier bride but it didn't happen. I was crushed, when at what supposed to be my final fitting they couldn't get my dress zipped up.

After we were married DQ and I became runners. Or joggers. Or DQ was a runner and I was a slogger. I call it slogging because it is a little faster that walking but not quite running. DQ has always been a runner but not me. I hate it when I start but love it when I am done. We jogged a lot and when we moved to CA in '99 we entered a lot of races. I joined a running group. Even got an awesome jogging stroller after Scout was born in '00. Holden came along in '02. Even then, even when they were little, I joined a gym and would go at 5:00 AM and work out for half an hour. It was great.

Late summer of 2003 we moved to MA. DQ decides Atkins is the way to go and we give it a try. We both had some success but I personally hated it. Hated Atkins. So off to WW I went. It also helped that my insurance paid for my membership. I had great success and by May of 2004 I was creeping into size 14 again and almost and my pre-married weight. That summer I ran a four mile race in my hometown and was NOT the last person to finish. It was so cute - all my men were waiting for me at the end with a caramel macchiato. The boys were so bummed to have missed me at the actual finish line that I had to re-enact the moment.

At the end of the summer I was solidly a size 14. At the back to school meetings one teacher called me "stunning" and another teacher didn't even recognize me. "Do I know you?" she said to me in the teachers room. NICE!

Then September 8th came. To make a LONG story short, Holden fell out of a third story window and landed on the concrete courtyard below. He was rushed to a trauma center, had a tube put in his brain and was admitted to PICU. For the first few days we didn't know if he would even live. It was a super scary time.

Two days after the accident, we were at the hospital surrounded by family. My brother and I decide to go to the cafeteria to get some food. PICU was on the fifth floor so we decided to take the stairs down. I vividly remember telling my brother "I worked too hard to get where I am now, I am not going to let this get me down." Famous last words.

By mid October my size 16's were tight. By December I was leaving the 16's and entering
size 18. A year later I was a size 18W and that is where I have been ever since. For a while I was in total care taker mode with Holden. But he is A-OK and there really hasn't been any excuse for me not to get healthy since then.

I have given it plenty of try's. A year after the accident I started working out again. Lost about eight pounds and then bagged everything. Probably every month, and certainly every January since, I have said to myself "this is it...I am going to make this work." Yet here I am, in 2008, finally doing it.

So what was the difference? Why now? Well the first thing is we bought an itouch. It is the latest and greatest ipod and I love it. I have no business purchasing it as it is super expensive. DQ and I told ourselves that it would be an anniversary present to each other. Once we had it I wanted to use it! Secondly I found a gym that is only $25/month. There is a gym RIGHT by our house - I could bike there in ten minutes. But it is $60/month. My gym is open early and cheap. Although it seems you get what you pay for. BUT - it has the equipment I like!

Thirdly - I am so, so tired of trying on clothes - anywhere, home or away - and not having anything fit. I am tired of being afraid to run into people I know in my hometown for fear of what they will say AFTER they see me ("ohmigod - she is so big!"). I am tired of my kids seeing me eat like crap and then being a hypocrite and telling them they can't eat like me. I am tired of being embarrassed of myself at school functions with all the Junior League small town MA mothers. I am tired of being the fattest teacher at my school. I am the PE teacher for Christ sake! For some of my students I will be the only PE teacher they know. I am mortified that for some of these kids, when they are in college talking about childhood teachers, they will say that their PE teacher was the fat one who couldn't do a push-up. Now don't think I am being hard on myself. I am not. Everything I am saying is the truth and that's OK. The reason it is OK is because I am doing something about it.

So...here I am on a Friday night. Can't sleep because I want to work out. If my gym were 24 hrs I would probably be there right now. Maybe I will dream about working out and looking good in my new clothes! Or maybe I will dream about meeting Patrick Dempsey. I have a secret fantasy that somehow Oprah will get a hold of my blog and have me on the show. You know - one of those "I did it without surgery" episodes. Then she will have a surprise for me. The curtain will raise and there will be Patrick Dempsey in all his glory. He could bring his wife too. I am not one of those psycho fans who thinks he is going to leave his wife for me! Then Oprah would have another surprise for me. She will have contacted Shep and Ian (founders of vineyard vines) and they will want to surprise me with a wardrobe of vv stuff!!! A girl can dream, can't she!

OK...I better get to bed. As I am drooling over Patrick Dempsey I have two cold sores on my mouth (nice visual) and not sleeping isn't helping!!!

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

thanks for listening!

I HAD A BIG WEEK! I HAD A BIG WEEK!!!

BEFORE I SAY ANYTHING ELSE: A HUGE shout out to my BFF Kellie who is getting married today. Congrats to Kellie and R. They are having an intimate cermony overlooking a pond. How pretty!! I'll be thinking about you all day!

Now back to me...haha...I told myself last night that if I woke up at 4:30ish on my own then I would go to the gym. Bahahaha that didn't happen. I was zoinked. Alarm went off at six and I dragged myself to the bathroom. I was a nervous wreck. I have a digital scale that saves my weight for me, but it does this little scanning action before it tells you what you did. So I held my breath (not really!) and waited. Then what to my wondering eyes do I see but a down arrow next to the number 3.8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEA ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am on cloud nine. And screw that trainer...I ate like he suggested and I liked it. I dealt with the challenges and came up on top. Screw him. That either makes 9.8 pounds lost or 11.something lost since April 21. I just can't remember my starting point.

So between all the compliments I got yesterday (one from June, two parents at the banquet and then my hubby last night) and this weight loss I am feeling good. Oh yea...and I am wearing size 18 shorts right now. I know, I know...huge by some standards...but at least it isn't 18W anymore. I purchased these shorts, three pair, last summer and couldn't get into them. Now I am debuting a pair today.

As for my eating today...well...a croissant isn't that bad, is it?? I am going to eat well for lunch because we are hoping to go to my favorite restaurant for dinner, PF Changs. www.pfchangs.com If we go I am telling myself that I will get the Thai lettuce wraps as a meals, not just an appetizer. I'll let you know!

Have a great long weekend!
til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

I love June!!

and I don't mean the month. The woman who opens the gym every day is named June. She opens it well before 5:00 AM. She is the friendliest person at the gym. And today she complimented me. As I said good-bye to her she said "WOW - you have been working hard!" I said thank you and then she said "it is really starting to show!" That made my morning. I told her even if she was lying she made my day. She assured me that she would never lie. I skipped out of the gym.

I had a good work-out. I did my legs and then walk/ran for 45 minutes. It was a good time. NOT! The first twenty minutes were fine. It is after that when I start sucking wind. Especially the last 15 minutes. I am sure the longer I do it the better I will get.

This week has been nutty and even though I have lost a lot of classes due to different events, my days and afternoons have been busy. So right now it is bedtime and I am just now sitting down to write this!

When I am at the gym I think of so many stories I want to share with you. By the time I sit down with the computer I forget most of them. It is so annoying! I wish I had a way to record my stories while I am at the gym so I can put them "down on paper!"

Tomorrow is weigh in day. I am not going to the gym and I canceled my training appointment. To my knowledge he has not called me back. That's OK though. As for the weigh in. I am not expecting too much. I ate really, really well this week. Even tonight - it was tough. We had our Departing 8th Grade Banquet. All four of my advisees are 8th graders, and all four are leaving Fay after this year. It was an emotional night and one filled with fattening foods! We started with a salad which I had with a little bit of dressing. Dinner was starch, starch, starch. Chicken stuffed with stuffing, little baby potatoes and mashed yams. YUCK! I had one half of the chicken, two bites of stuffing, and one or two of the potatoes. Then there was dessert. Ohmigod it was cheesecake. Hmmmm Hmmmm good. I love the graham cracker crust so I started at the back and shaved off the back and then had about two more bites. Left all the rest on the table. Do you know how hard that was. SO HARD! I love, love, LOVE cheesecake.

Back to weigh in day - I am trying so hard not to get my hopes up. But if I haven't lost a few pounds I am going to research thyroid problems!!

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

I am breaking up...

with my trainer!! I swear I am...Back up to Monday. There was a trainer'esque type person at the gym. I had seen him on weekends but never that early in the AM. He is very personable and I wondered to myself if he was a trainer or not. Fast forward to this morning. I am on the treadmill with two women to my right. Again this guy comes in and he starts talking to them and giving them tips to maximize their time on the treadmill. When he left I asked if he was a trainer. Turns out he is! His name is Kenny, and according to these women he is super nice! I told the woman right next to me my story and she balked. I told her that I hadn't done a single exercise with a trainer yet and she said that on her FIRST session they chatted, talked goals, and then hit the circuit. I am so jealous!!

So yes, I made it to the gym this morning. I was tired from being on duty last night and I dragged all the way through my workout. I upped the weight on my tricep extensions and as I type this I can feel it. Tomorrow should be tons of fun! I did the treadmill and hated every minute of it. At twenty eight minutes I was like "this is it...I am jumping off and doing the ellipitcal." But I don't like to end on a run so I walked the next three minutes. Then I bullied myself into staying on the treadmill and finished the entire thing. I had even made myself a deal that I would stay on until I got to 3.1 miles but kept going.

I have been eating very well this week. I had the scrambled egg breakky this morning. It was actually good. I cooked it much slower than the other morning. I did have a cookie this afternoon but it is a small one and it is one of those 600 lb Gorilla cookies (www.600lbgorillas.com) No transfat and other yucky stuff. Mmmmm Mmmmm good!

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

A dollar, a headband and my itouch

before I get started - a quick shout out to my BFF John. He lives in Thailand but spends a good deal of time here in the states from time to time. He just had a long visit and we had the opportunity to chat often. He left for Thailand today and I am a little sad. He won't be back state side until about October. So sad.

So...this morning I was actually up before my alarm! 4:21 I woke up. Weird. I did snooze until 4:30 AM but it was much easier to get up. Out the door in no time flat. I was wearing a new
t-shirt. I love Life Is Good products (www.lifeisgood.com) and bought the shirt this weekend. It has a pair of tennis shoes on it with the caption "Gotta Run." So that is what I did this morning. I remembered my five miunte warm up (forgot it yesterday) then did my leg routine. Jumped on the treadmill and away I went. I normally set it for just thrity minutes and the psyche myself into the last fifteen. Not today. Maybe it was the t-shirt, maybe it was my frustration at the dumb a$$ trainer but either way I set it for 45 minutes. Walked at 3.6, ran at 5.5. It is my goal to walk/run everyday this week and then next week I will try to run two, walk two off and on.

I don't think I ever mentioned that my Athletic Director here at school is a certified trainer. She also has extensive knowledge in health and nutrition. She took my food journal home and looked it over. I sat down with her this morning and we went over everything. She made a lot of great points and is far more positive than my trainer. I think I am going to combine a little bit of everything - what I already know from my years on weight watchers, what my trainer told me and now what Kim is telling me. Something has got to work!

One month from today I will be on my cruise. YEA! I don't think I am going to reach my goal of wearing that vineyard vines (www.vineyardvines.com) dress to graduation but I may just squeeze into the skirts on my cruise. I have four weeks to do it. I should be able to if I work hard. If I can't get into them then I will pack them for the rest of the summer and keep trying them on.

I am on duty tonight so I will be pooped tomorrow. OH yea - I have orientation tonight. I am starting classes at a local college. It is a graduate degree in Nutrition Education. My first class is Nurtition Science in the classroom. I am scared to death but also very excited! Anyway - between that and duty I am going to be tired tomorrow AM.

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

Monday morning blues, again

I forgot to post two days in a row which bums me out. BUT - I was home alone with the boys all weekend and I didn't really have two minutes to myself to sit down and write. Even when they were in bed I was doing something that did not involve the computer.

Saturday morning rolled around and I did indeed have a babysitter. I left the boys with a friend and I headed off to the gym. I was so excited because I thought he was finally going to show me some exercises! YEA! NOT!!! Remember he had asked for a three day food journal - two week days and a weekend day. I did that, and more, and took it in. Our whole entire session, half an hour, was spent going over my journal and talking about what I should be eating. I think the guy is a punk. He is 23 and thinks he is Gods gift. At least that my assessment after two meetings. I told him I was disappointed that I hadn't had a "big" weight loss week. He replies "I can help you have a big week but you aren't going to like it." JERK!!! He does not know me. He does not know my motivation or what I am willing to do at this point. What I think he should have said is "I can give you a menu to consider. It might help have a big week. Take it or leave it." But don't tell me I am not going to like it. Ass. At the end of the half hour he says "well, my next client is here so I have to go. Next week we will look at some exercises and also think about what training package you want to buy." So again I was on my own for exercising. Again I told him I wanted to work on my abs and again we didn't even leave the lobby. I felt so dismissed. I was at the gym for another hour and not once did he come over and offer me any encouragement. NO. He didn't even look at me as he was walking past with another client.

So - those of you who know me know I am no good at standing up for myself. I keep saying "I will see what happens next week." I have another appointment to go this Friday and we are supposed to work out. But at this point I don't even want to go there any more. I spent the rest of the weekend considering leaving that place and going to Golds. It is the same distance away. But I suppose I could stay at this place and just not use this guy. I am there so early in the morning there aren't really any trainers there. I don't know what to do. What I do know is this knocked me for a loop.

On Sunday I had arranged for a babysitter but then she forgot she had a recital. Instead of asking her to come after the recital (she is a boarder) I bagged the whole day and went out for ice cream!! Uhmmm Uhmmm good!

Speaking of eating I did OK over the weekend. Saturday I think I did really well. Luna Bar for breakfast, sandwich and fruit for lunch and then a home made grilled chicken salad for dinner. Sunday was filled with sugar. Breakfast was half a Belgium waffle from the dining hall, lunch was the ice cream and dinner was another chicken salad. I swear I didn't really snack at all.

I did get up and go to the gym this morning. I think I only have three more weeks of getting up at 4:30 AM. Once the students are gone from DQs school he won't have to be at work so early so I can sleep a little later. YEA!

I am also trying to stick to the diet my lovely trainer perscribed for me (prescribed?). Breakfast was scrambled eggs made with one whole egg and then an egg white. Plain bread on the side. Blah.

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

Shoot me now!

OK...so it's Friday. I slept pretty well. I was on duty but was in bed, lights out at 10:45 PM. Slept in until 6:00 AM and went RIGHT to the scales. When my weight first came up I was like "wow - I've lost 6 lbs!!!" Then I realized that I have lost six pounds from the beginning - like since March. I think for this past week I lost 1.2 pounds. I say I think because I use a digital scale and sometimes it is hard to see the little numbers. So I am not sure if it was 1.2 or 1.4 pounds loss.

I have made Friday my cheat day. I feel ambivilant about a cheat day. I need one - all week I say "nope - wait until Friday" but then I don't want to gorge myself. Although this morning I had a chocolate donut and a Crunchie bar (thanks Mum!). Now I am nibbling on Smarties. But I did turn down cake earlier and lunch is a turkey sandwich. I am not sure about dinner - I think we are going to a bbq.

Still looking for a babysitter for my gym time tomorrow. Wish me luck!

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

blah blah blah

couldn't think of a catchy title for today...sorry!

I was able to get in my workout this morning. YEA ME! DQ didn't have to leave until 6:30 AM so I kept my routine. I did my arms. I think I need to increase the weight on the bicep curls/tricep extensions. I am currently doing thirty pounds and it isn't very taxing. It isn't always easy but today I didn't feel like I was really working them. So maybe I will up it five or ten pounds. Then again I meet with the trainer on Saturday so maybe he will have some new exercises or some thoughts for me.

Cardio cardio cardio! UGH! I wasn't in the mood today. I did the five minute warm up on the elliptical, then arms, then I jumped on the treadmill. Walk/ran for thirty three minutes. Then twelve back on the elliptical. I think I worked off another 100 calories on the elliptical but it was a strain. That said I have a constant dialog in my head when I am working out. It goes something like this "If Holden can do it, so can you!...think of all the clothes in your closet you can't wear!...think of the scales on Friday!" it normally gets me through the last bit of the work out.

I am weighing myself tomorrow but I am not working out. I can't even get to the gym until 4:30 PM - OK maybe I will get over there - but that means I can't get the boys until almost 6:00 PM and that will make them sad. Hmmm...it's OK to take a day off, right? I have only taken two days off from working out since April 21. One day won't be too bad?

Back to the scales...I am a little worried. I started my period yesterday (sorry John!) and I am not sure if I am retaining water or not. I just don't feel like I am losing weight (are you tired of hearing this now??!!!) although Wednesday night a colleague asked me if I was losing weight. Gave me a little pep in my step!

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

Why can't I get a good nights sleep?

I thought if I worked out consistently I would be sleeping better. That is not happening! UGH! I had to work until 8:30 and was in bed by 9:30 PM but I could not fall asleep. On and off until midnight (at least that was the last time I looked at the clock.) But I rolled out of bed - fixed my clock to the correct time and set my alarm for five minutes earlier. I was through my warm-up and strength training by 5:10 AM and plopped down on a bike. Last night I downloaded the most recent episode of "Desperate Housewives" and watched that while I biked. It helped a little. I wasn't checking out the time as much but I still hate biking. But I think I will get more TV shows to keep watching. I wish iTunes had "Brothers and Sisters." I love that show!

I ate well yesterday. Dinner was glazed salmon. I ate in the dining hall so I am not too sure what it was glazed with. But it was good.

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

I am starving

It is 2:00 PM local time and I am starving. I only had lunch two hours ago. I am trying to hold off another half hour until I have a snack (cheese stick and almonds). I am just feeling poppy. I have now officialy been doing this, this, weight loss/lifestyle change for three weeks and I don't feel any different. Except hungry! I have only missed two days at the gym (OK - if you count that Sunday where I tried to work out and got one mile in then it would be three days). UGH! Pants don't even feel remotely loose yet. I think when that happened last week I was high or something.

I got the best night sleep last night ever. I was asleep by 9:45 at the latest. When the alarm went off at 4:35 I was out of bed. Then it took me a while to get out the door. I had laid out all my clothes but forgot a sports-bra (a necessary evil) and then couldn't find the ipod. Ended up being only two minutes later than usual but it felt much later. I think I am going to set my alarm for five minutes earlier so I can get to the gym that much sooner. Now that I am doing a five minute warm up and 45 minutes solid of cardio I am there a little longer.

Did arms today at the gym and then 45 minutes walk/run. I increased my speed on the running to 5.3 but that didn't make much of a difference in the long run (no pun intended). I still did just over 3.2 miles. I was sweating and by the end my right ankle was bothering me. Any notion of going a little longer was squashed.

I have dorm duty tonight but I think DQ is taking it for me. He will be out of town from Thur- Sun so I am taking his Thursday night duty. It will be great if he DOES do it for me so I can get right to bed! I will sleep in on Thursday morning since I can't leave. DQ's flight is really early in the AM so I can't leave the boys alone! I am going to ask my boss if I can work out in the AM or after lunch - here at work - rather than try to go to the gym. Friday is REALLY tricky but I might be able to squeeze something in after sports?! Sorry if I am sounding redundant but it helps me to talk it all out. Blogging is also helping keep me accountable. If I write it down, maybe someone will read it. I am not sure who is reading this but hopefully someone is!

Today at school we have an informal dress day. That means everyone can wear whatever they want. For me that meant flip-flops! YEA!! I have a flip flop obsession. My favorite brand are Eliza B's. www.elizab.com A little pricey but so worth it! Anyway - I am not too sure if it was a good move as there is not a lot of support compared to tennis shoes. I am hopeful that I can still move tomorrow!

til then -
Mummy Q.

Monday morning blues

Around 2:15 AM I woke up with terrible stomach cramps. I couldn't sleep (DQ's snoring wasn't helping!) and all I could think of was "how will I work out?! I have to work out!" I just lay there and prayed (literally) that the pain would go away. My mind was racing with possibilities of what could be causing the pain. The yucky chicken at dinner? The cake for dessert? the grape tomatoes I had at 8:30 PM? What was it??!!!! UGH. I finally fell asleep again around 3:00. When the alarm went off I was still crampy but was hoping to expel what ever it was. Didn't happen so I got dressed and left.

At the gym I started with the 5 minute cardio warm up. That got my digestion going. After a quick bathroom break (can we say awkward - so many people in there) I worked on my legs. I think my quads are the weakest part of my body. I only do 30 lb leg lifts and it kills. I decided that since my stomach was still urpy I would do the bike. HATE IT!! hate it...hate it. But I did 30 minutes on there and then did my final 15 on the treadmill - walk/run. UGH.

For breakfast I had one of those Carnation Instant Breakfast things. It is tasty but not very filling. 220 calories but I am not sure how good for you it is. I bought them thinking they would be Slim Fast-ish but I don't think they are.

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

Happy Mother's Day

Did you know that this is the 100th celebration of Mother's Day? The woman who started the observance was never married and never had children. She just wanted to show her mother how much she loved her! So sweet.

So this Mother's Day went well. Flowers were delivered on Friday from DQ. They are beautiful. Gerber daisies - love them! Scout and Holden had each made things at school. So sweet. Scout's card was the best. There were ten reasons why he loved me. "I love Mom because she taught me to talk!" "I love Mom when she makes me laugh by cooking with me." Again, so sweet!

I did manage to work out today. Only cardio. It wasn't until the late afternoon and I just didn't have the gumption to get going. But I did do 45 minutes of cardio. I wasn't nearly as fast as I was yesterday - 3.5 or 3.6 on the walk, 5.0 or 5.2 on the run. My legs hurt. But I love the sweat. I know that sounds gross, but I love it. I think because it means I am working hard. Once I was done I sat in my office (I worked out here at school) and could feel the sweat still rolling down my back. LOVE IT!

I ate OK this weekend. We went out to dinner last night and I oinked. We ate Chinese and I had planned on asking what their healthiest meal was...but I didn't. We weren't seated until almost 7:30 PM and I was starving. As I looked through the menu I saw scallion pancakes and I was done. Then I saw chicken and cashews and I was really done! Hmm hmm good. I oinked on the scallion pancakes but tried to slow down on the chicken. I even tried eating with chop sticks to slow down.

Today was again just OK. We went to the movies in the late morning. I bought Skittles from a local market. I went in ready to purchase just a normal sized bag. But I walked out with a bigger bag. I didn't eat the whole thing, but I did help myself to the boys popcorn. Then we had lunch at McD's. I ordered a salad but had several fries. Dinner was just a mess. We had to eat in the dining hall and it was hard. Chicken smothered in something thick - sour cream and cheese? I only had half a breast, maybe one spoon of au gratin potatoes and then a salad. I wasn't going to get dessert but it was yellow cake. Oh how I love yellow cake. So yummy. I was only going to eat half of my piece but I ate the whole thing. I am so full now!!!

I am ready to hit the gym tomorrow AM. Clothes are laid out. I will make my lunch and snack between commercials of "Extreme Home Makeover." I can only go to my gym Monday - Wednesday, but have a babysitter lined up for Saturday. I will try to work out at work on Thursday.

till tomorrow -
Happy Mother's Day to all -
Mummy Q.

I ran a 5K today

OK...so I didn't run the whole thing...I ran/walked...but more about that later.

I didn't totally blow the day yesterday. Maybe I did, but I guess it could have been a lot worse? I did have my Bertucci's salad for lunch but I also had three (yes three!) hot rolls with butter. I also had an entire Crunchie bar (thanks Mum!) and some chocolate chip cookies. The cookies didn't have any trans fat or hydrogenated (sp??) oils. At dinner I barely at anything - I was stuffed from the cookies.

This morning I had my first session with a trainer at the gym. I am really starting to not like my gym. I like the equipment but I don't like the people. The woman who is there at 5:00 AM is great - very nice. But when you are there with the whole crew, they aren't very friendly. They all sit together and chat. And the women that work there are all dressed to the nines. This is a gym!!

I get there right on time and introduce myself to Greg, my trainer. He asks me to have a seat while he finishes up with someone. That took a while. He was very apologetic - apparently they were short handed this morning. When we finally got down to business he tells me that we aren't doing anything today -just talking about my goals and getting to know each other. I have to tell you I was really, really bummed. But what could I do. So we chatted, talked about what I wanted to work on, how I got to be where I am now. Turns out he has a degree in nutrition. That will be helpful! He got it from the same place I am starting at the end of this month. I think the best thing that came out of today was 1) I need a 5 minute warm up before I start strength training and 2) my cardio needs to last 45 minutes. So we parted ways, agreeing to meet again next week for a real session (thank goodness he didn't charge me for today). I jumped on the elliptical and cranked it to resistance level five. I figure I am only on it for five minutes, might as well make it worth it. Then I did my arms - I did them quickly as I was now looking at a 45 minutes session on the treadmill.

The treadmill was good. I was only going to do it for thirty minutes and then spend fifteen on the elliptical. By the way, I still need to make a good running playlist. Something loud and angry. Anyway, I walked for three minutes, ran for two. Walked at a 3.6 pace, ran at 5.2. With eight minutes to go I decided to do all 45 minutes on the treadmill. I kept watching the calorie counter. You know, the indicator that tells you how many calories you have burned?? When I was over 300 calories I thought to myself "I wonder how far I have run?" Imagine my surprise when I saw that I had run almost 3 miles! By the time I finished up I had burned over 400 calories and ran over 3.2 miles. YEA ME! I haven't gone that far in years. It felt so good. I felt so strong. Then I walked into the bathroom. Surrounded by mirrors, reality set in. I still have a LONG, LONG way to go. I cannot tell you how deflating that was. When I was on the treadmill I felt so strong; I had visions of doing the Marine Corp Half Marathon NEXT spring. Then I looked and the mirror and all those positive vibes melted away. I took one look at myself and wanted to cry. BUT - I plug along. I didn't put it on in a week, I am not going to lose it in a week.

I came home and made a great lunch. I just bought some grape tomatoes and they are DELICIOUS! I think DQ and I are going out tonight so I am going to have to chose wisely!

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

I LOST TWO POUNDS!

ok, I know the last time I lost two pounds I was bummed. But this week I was so excited! I woke up at 4:30 AM and weighed in. When I saw the down arrow (my scale is digital) I did a happy dance. I went right back to bed. I didn't sleep as hard as I thought I would but I napped on and off until 6:00 PM.

Last night I followed my plan at dinner. I made a big salad and took four chunks of sirloin, sliced them, and put them on the salad. I did have one more chunk without the salad and it took all I had not to have more. I didn't really like dessert too much so I had one small spoonful from Davids.

Today I am going to stick to eating well but will also not deprive myself of anything. For breakfast I will have my cereal (if DQ saves me any!) and for lunch I already know I am having a Venetian Salad from Bertucci's. One of my Leadership classes is getting lunch delivered. Most kids are happy with pizza from Dominos but these kids wanted pizza from Bertucci's. I ordered myself a salad. Dinner has to be at the dining hall since DQ is on duty this weekend. I am not sure about getting any kind exercise but I will be working out tomorrow morning.

Speaking of working out I will probably work out Sunday - Wednesday of the up coming week. Then DQ is going out of town for FOUR days. I can work out on Thursday at work but Friday will be tight. Saturday I can drag the kids to the gym with me but will try to get a babysitter. DQ comes back that Sunday (the 18th) but I will still try to find a way to work out.

I will write tomorrow after my training session.

till tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

Senior moments...

I can't believe I forgot to post yesterday! I also forgot to put on moisturizer in the morning. I am have senior moments already!

You know what it is...the time that I would normally post I am now logging my food on Sparkpeople (www.sparkpeople.com). Also yesterday I had a to-do list a mile long. I got everything accomplished except blogging!

So...where to begin. Tuesday night I went out with the "gals" to celebrate a friends birthday. We go a Mexican restaurant that has a Mariachi band. It is LOL funny. Anyway - when I went I still had a lot of calories to eat for the day but still wanted to eat well. I was going to just have a few tortilla chips but that ended up being more than I had intended. I ordered the Taco Salad with grilled chicken. It way yummy - seasoned grilled chicken on a bed of lettuce with "grilled" peppers and onions. It also had a small fried tortilla shell. I wasn't going to eat it, but I did!! I didn't eat the bottom, just the sides. And it was small. I used to work in a Mexican restuarant where the shell was HUGE!!! But I swear this one was small!

After dinner I came home tired but prepared to do my weekly put to bed dorm duty. Then I got a gift! DQ offered to do it for me. Well, a trade. I will do his tonight (Thursday) and he did mine Tuesday night. YEA! I was in bed as close to 9:00 AM as possible.

Yesterday (Wednesday) I worked on my legs. Then I jumped on the bike. I hate the bike, but I have a pain in the ball of my foot and am trying not to put too much added pressure on it. So I biked for 30 minutes. It was BORING!!! I watched the news instead of listening to my ipod.

I ate really really well yesterday. I am trying to take lots of vegetables and fresh fruit to work. I didn't take my lunch because I thought I was going out. But I didn't so I went to the dining hall and made a salad and put grilled chicken breast on it. It was a tasty treat! I have been trying to cook dinner at home so last night was a pork roast, rice and a salad.

This morning (Thursday) I am did arms and the bike again. On the bike I upped the resistance so I didn't bike as far as I did yesterday, but I also went ten minutes longer than yesterday.

I have packed my lunch again as well as my snacks. I have to have dinner in the dining hall but it is my favorite meal so that is OK. I have a plan. Dinner is marinated sirloin tips. I am going to have four tips, slice them up and put them on a salad. I am not sure what dessert is, but if it is something I like that will keep I am going to take it home and eat it tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow (Friday) I don't think I am going to the gym. Beside the fact that I have put to bed duty tonight, I am going to the gym on Saturday. I finally have an appointment with a trainer and that is Saturday morning. So I think I am going to sleep in. I was also thinking that I would wake up at 4:30 AM, weight myself and if I had LOST weight I would go back to bed. If I gained weight I would go to the gym. We'll see. Any suggestions??!!!

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

No catchy title today

I can't think of anything catchy for a title today. While I was at the gym that song from Life Goes On came on (oblade obladoo...) and that was my little boost for the morning.

I did arms today. Good times. Then I hit the treadmill. Ran/walked. Walked three minutes, ran two. Did it for 33 minutes. I was sweatingl like crazy. It felt great.

I am trying to log my food on Sparkpeople. It is not as familiar or as user friendly as Weight Watchers, but I am going to try to make it work for the week. It is free!

BTW - this weekend I bought some magazine/book thing put out by Womens Health magazine. "Slim down secrets of 2008." I really like it because it is not some hokey diet. It is very thorough. In the beginning of the book it helps you figure out how many calories you should be eating. There are two categories - active and not active. If I followed the formula for active then according to this I am supposed to be eating over 3000!!!!!!! How insane is that! Just last week I was reading how Mariah Carey ate between 1000 - 1500 calories a day to lose her weight. I know my caloric intake needs will go down as I lose weight, but over 3000 calories seems a little excessive.

I have just eaten a really healthy lunch. Brought it all from home. Lunch here was a cookout, and as good as it smelled, I sat at my desk with my turkey sandwich!

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

What a glorious day!

it is Monday afternoon and a beautiful day here in MA. High 60's or low 70's, sun is shining and I am NOT at work!! YEA!! I had a little bit of duty in the morning (did I already tell you all this??) but then I had a nice lunch and went to the gym. I debated walking around the block, or riding my bike, but figured I am paying for the gym, might as well use it!

I worked on my legs. I think I will do every other day. So this week legs will be MWF and arms TuTh. Then I hopped on the treadmill. I ran/walked. Walked for three minutes, ran for two. I need some strong music on my ipod. Maybe I will Google "running playlists." Running to "How Will You Know" by Amy Adams (McAdams?) from the Enchanted CD just did inspire me to run. But when "Janie's Got A Gun" came on I was cranking!

On the way home I stopped by a local farmers market and got stuff for salad and a fruit salad. I pulled out chicken for dinner and am looking forward to grilled chicken salad and some fresh fruit for dessert!

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

I snuck one in...kind of!

It is Sunday night, and I am just now getting around to checking in. The weekend went exactly how I thought it would go. Saturday I was busy, busy, busy. I didn't work out, and I ate so-so. I actually did well until the evening. Part of my dorm duty this weekend was to take the kids to the mall for dinner and a movie. All the adults ate at Bertucci's. By the time we were seated I was famished. While I was waiting for my Venitian Salad with dressing on the side I had not one but TWO dinner rolls with butter. Damn they were good!! I resisted the urge to get anything at the movies so I guess that is a little pat on the back for me!

Today my hubby left for a conference for two days. I knew getting a work-out in would be a challenge. But I did try. In the late afternoon I tool the kids down to the gym - as in where I teach, not where I work out. The boys were going to play while I walked/jogged laps for thirty minutes. About ten minutes into it a group of "townies" came in for their Sunday night basketball game. No problem...I am flexible like Gumby. I moved the boys upstairs to the fitness room. It is right next to my office so I thought I could get a 20 minute walk/run in while the boys played on my computer. Well Holden can't be more than three feet from me so he hung out with me. Then Scout came in and wanted to walk on the treadmill. I am all for encouraging exercise so I helped him set it up. He was doing great until his brother wanted to join in. Before I knew the both fell down...one of them being whisked away by the treadmill. I had visions of strangulation and burns from the treadmill so that was the end of that. I closed down shop and we all went home. Luckily I was wearing a pedometer and I know I got at least one mile in. Better than nothing I suppose!

Tomorrow I get a treat - my headmaster closed school for the day. YEP - just closed school. It is called a "Head's Holiday." He even closed down all the offices. NO one has to be here. Oh yea - except the people who have to take care of the boarders and that would include me. My duty is in the AM until lunch. I am hoping to make a training appointment at the gym for the afternoon. If not I will at least get a workout in.

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.

Thank Gosh it's Friday!

I had every intention of going to be early last night, but that didn't pan out. I was in bed just after 9:30ish, but when DQ came into bed after duty I woke up. God bless him - he used an itty bitty light to read by, but I swear that thing lit up the entire room.

When the alarm did go off this morning, as usual I didn't want to get up. I mean I really didn't want to get up. But I knew if I didn't work out then I would be mad at myself later. I went, but didn't put much effort into it. What I mean by that is when I was on the elliptical, I didn't do the resistence I had been doing, and I didn't work very hard to get my heart rate up. Over in the land of weight training I worked my legs and some abs.

I did weigh myself this morning, and I am the same as I was on Monday. I am going to look into Weight Watchers. Online that is. Oh wait - I was going to try SparkPeople. I will look into that first. I will do that today. Luckily, as tired as I am, I have an easy teaching day. I do have a game this afternoon, and am on duty this weekend. HOWEVER, not that this means much to anyone out there who hasn't ever worked in a dorm - it is my LAST duty weekend of the year, and I only have to work Friday and Saturday. Granted I have to be up until 11:00 PM both nights, but it is the end! I don't have to work Sunday because DQ is going out of town, so I am doing all my duty hours Saturday, and I got someone to cover put to bed since the boys can't be alone! YEA!!!

I am not working out tomorrow, and I don't think I can on Sunday. At least not at the gym. There will be no sitters to be had around here this weekend. Monday will be tough to get a workout in because DQ will still be gone, and school gets out early for professional development. I am going to try to cram a walk in during the last period of the day that day, but I will have to see how the day goes.

Not sure when I will check in again!
til then -
Mummy Q.

What's that smell?

no, I don't stink this morning. I forgot my ipod and was forced to listen to whatever was piped in over the gyms speakers. They have XM satellite, and it was classic rock (channel 46 for you XM listeners out there). This song came on while I was working on my abs and the chorus was something about "what's that smell. it's all around." I have never heard it before, nor do I think I will ever hear it again, but I got a good laugh.

Today I worked on my arms, a little ab work, and then cardio. Again on the elliptical I didn't clear 300 calories, so I jumped on the bike for a ten minute cool down.

I think I need to join weight watchers or something. I am really being mindful of what I am eating, but I am willing to bet I am not within a good range. I am not eating terribly, but there is always room for improvement! For example, I went to BJs last week to get snacks for my advisees. While I was there they had chocolate covered pretzels, a container of them, for $1.99!! Nothing at BJs is that cheap, except for bananas. So I pounced. Now they are sitting in my office. I try to limit myself to one a day, but yesterday I probably had three. I am sure if I tell my advisees they are there, the pretzels will be gone in a day. So...perhaps if I do Weight Watchers again it will help. I just hate to spend the money. I feel like I should know already what to do! I tried SparkPeople earlier in the year, but I found it hard to use. It is free though. Perhaps I will try it for one week and see if I can figure it out.

I am also trying to figure out whether or not to weigh myself tomorrow AM. I am thinking of switching my weigh in day to Fridays, starting tomorrow. But I am just not sure! Hmmm...lots to think about today!

til tomorrow -
Mummy Q.