Menu Plan Monday

Here is what we will be eating this week:

Monday: Beer battered fish, long grain wild rice, green beans

Tuesday: Taco salad, macaroni and cheese (for the kiddos)

Wednesday: grilled ham and cheese, carrots, tomatoes and cucumbers

Thursday: Cheeseburgers, veggies , fruit

Friday: Caribbean Jerk chicken, baked potato, corn, smiley tator tots

Saturday: dinner out?? This is our 6th Wedding anniversary....

Sunday: Cheeseburger macaroni (bumped from last week), leftovers

For more great menu ideas visit: orgjunkie.com

31 Day Exercise Challenge: Days 9 and 10

Yes I did exercise yesterday. No I did not blog about it. I was way too tired last night.

But I did exercise. I didn't do 20 minutes continuous, but I did more than 20 minutes total. I walked around Walmart carrying a sleeping Jacob for at least 20 minutes or more. And let me tell you my shoulders are sore from carrying him; he is HEAVY! And I made sure to do the stairs here at least 5 or 6 times. I also walked a lot yesterday morning. So even though it wasn't to a dvd, I feel I did do at least 20 minutes of extra exercise that I normally didn't do.

Today, I worked out on the Wii Fit for about 45 minutes (I think it was 43 minutes). I did the free ride biking game, the hula hoop game and the advanced step game. It was fun!

On another note, I think I am PMSing or something, because I have been snapping at Bill and the kids, and I have been STARVING all day and wanting CHOCOLATE and SWEETS!!!! Not a good thing, but a definite sign of PMS. Ugghhh....

But looking at the bright side, I am still on track for my exercise challenge! Yay! Go Me!

2011 GOALS: Midyear Update

On December 31, 2010, I made a list of my goals for 2011. Now, here we are...July...a little over 7 months later...time to look and see where I am and what I need to work on still....


PERSONAL GOALS:

• Lose 20 lbs. --- Right now I am at 218lbs :( and I would love to be below 200. I was at 199 on the day of our wedding (2005) and I would LOVE to be there again. I had so much more energy then. To do this I plan on:
• exercising 20+ minutes a day Monday- Friday. During the winter, I will do this after the kids are in bed (9pm) and then shower before bed. When warmer weather comes, I will reevaluate this and see about doing more outside. I will begin by doing 20+ minutes on the Wii Fit.
• I will work on drinking more water. I drink way too much soda and need to focus on getting healthier.
• I am now up to 220. I have been down to 209 then Igained it all back due to stress eating. I am working on exercising and will add eating better and cutting out soda in the 2nd half of this year.
• Read 26+ books this year.--- One of the passions that I used to have was reading. I LOVE to read. Unfortunately with having 2 young kids and dealing with issues in life, this hobby has been put on the back burner. This year I want to reignite that passion by reading at least 2 books a month. I would love to do 1 a week, but I want to be realistic as well.
• I have done this. I am averaging about 5 books a month so far. Some I have reviewed on this blog. Others I have just read for pleasure.
• To try out at least 1 new recipe a month.--- I have gotten into the habit of making the same things over and over, and while there is not a problem with that, I am growing tired of making and eating the same things. I also received 5 new cookbooks for Christmas so time to put them to good use.
• I have become more creative in the kitchen. I have tried out one new recipe a month at least. And I am getting more in the habit of cooking more from scratch rather than relying on box meals or fast food.

FAMILY GOALS:

• To better my relationships with Bill and with my children
• I would like to implement a date night at least 1x a month with Bill. This could be dinner out, movie out, movie in after the kids go to bed, getting chinese takeout and eating after the kids are in bed, etc. Right now we are averaging going out for our anniversary and  maybe 1 other time a year and that is NOT good.
• We have been on a couple dates this year. We are not doing it every month but we have done better so far.
• I want to be more patient with my kids. I tend to lose my patience quickly with Rebecca and need to work on becoming more patient with her. I may do this by making and planning activities to do with just her.
• I AM trying. I am more aware of how I interact with her and am trying to become a YES mom instead of a no, or not now mom.
• To read for at least 10 minutes a day to Jacob and for at least 30 minutes with Rebecca. We are doing well reading to Rebecca; however we have been really slack about reading to Jacob. I will do this by beginning to read to Jacob before he goes to bed every night.
• I am still reading to Rebecca, but not so to Jacob. I really need to get on this.
• Make a schedule and stick to it to limit tv watching for the kids. Right now they watch way TOO much tv and it is beginning to show in their behavior.
• We do good, then bad, then good, then bad...It is getting better now as I am limiting them in the morning and then again in the evening. They do NOT watch cartoons in the afternoon now, so I guess that is an improvement.

FINANCIAL GOALS:

• Make a budget and stick to it.
• Continue to gain Mypoints, Rewards points through bank, Pinecone research money, and swagbucks to use toward gift cards to be used to buy gifts
• I have done this.
• Save and KEEP $1000 in the emergency fund---we have had to dip into this a couple times this year and I would love to see it STAY at $1000.
• We have been able to keep over $1000 in our savings account this year, even with the move and other issues popping up. I would like to continue this.
• Continue to coupon and write letters for coupons (at least 5 a week)
• I have continued to coupon. However I have yet to write for coupons.
• Have 2 no (low) spend months---January and June
• Yes for January...no for June. I think July is shaping up to be a low spend month due to necessity.
• Work on paying down the Discover Card bill
• Not happening
• Figure out a way to bring in more money by working from home---ideas I am throwing around are tutoring, copying family home movies to DVD, making and selling simple cakes, being a part of the farmers markets to sell home baked goods....
• I thought I would be babysitting this summer but that did not work out. But I am tutoring once a week from home so that helps a little. Need to do more though.

BLOG GOALS:

• To write on the blog 4-5x a week.
• I have done better at this for the most part :)
• Gain more readers--- I would like to have at least 80 readers by December 31, 2011
• to do this, I want to join at least 1 blog hop a week
• I have NOT joined at least 1 blog hop a week, however I HAVE reached 91 Followers! Thank you!!!!!!! I am revising this goal to see if I can reach 100 Followers by Dec. 31st!

And last but not least:

So that is where my goals stand as of today. Some I am doing well on, others not so much.

Have you reviewed your New Year's goals and aspirations?

How are you doing on them?

31 Day Exercise Challenge: Day 8---SO MAD RIGHT NOW

Before you read any further....I DID exercise today. That is NOT what I am mad about.

Today, I exercised on the Wii Fit, doing the Free Step game, but adding my own weights to it. It was a workout and I did it for 30 minutes. I also watched Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition that I had on our dvr.

That was the good thing.

Now on to the bad thing. The BAD thing that made me SO MAD!!!!! I cannot tell you how mad I am at myself right now. I am so ANGRY at myself.

What made me so mad, you might ask?

Well, I weighed myself on the Wii tonight. I hadn't weighed myself on the Wii since May 1. I have been weighing in the last 2 weeks on my scale in the bathroom and I knew that I had gained some weight. Well, let's just say that the Wii has a way of awakening you to the seriousness of the issue and to the overall weight that you have gained or lost since the last time you weighed in....

So in May I weighed in. Tonight I weighed in again. 2 months later.....

I GAINED 13.4 lbs!!!!! IN 2 MONTHS!!!! That is SO AWFUL!!!!!!

I am so mad at myself. Why did I let myself go?

Do I know how I gained the weight?

Yes I do.

I have been eating a lot of snacky stuff and eating a lot of cookies, ice cream, etc. during the move and after the move. I have gotten away from eating well and exercising. I have been a slob.

No wonder I have been feeling so poorly.

Well, TONIGHT THAT BEHAVIOR AND THOSE EATING HABITS STOP!!!!!! I am so tired of feeling like this and I need to have it change. I think about my kids and my relationship with my husband and I can see how it is affecting them negatively.

I WILL lose the weight that I have gained and I will take responsibility for where I have gotten myself. Now I WILL take responsibility for taking it off.

5 Question Friday---Get to know me better!

One of the things I like to read about online is other people's lives. Who are they? What makes them tick? Why do they write about the things they do? One of the things that I have seen on some of the blogs that I frequent is a link to the Five Question Friday blog hop, sponsored by My Little Life . This week I have decided to join in.....  
1. Do you think cursive writing is overrated? (Schools in Indiana have now voted to take teaching cursive writing out of their curriculum.)

As a former K-2 teacher, I do not think cursive is overrated. I love seeing the different handwriting styles of my former students. That being said, I know why some school districts are taking it out of the curriculum due to the increase in use of computers and bad handwriting by some students. I do not think it is overrated and if my daughter's school decides to take it out of the curriculum, then I WILL teach her cursive at home. It is a skill that needs to be learned in my opinion.

2. Do you still use a pocket calendar or notepad or do you keep your info on your smart phone?

Well considering I do not have a smart phone, I do use a notepad and a wall calender. Even if I did have a smart phone I would probably still use paper and pencil. I am old fashioned like that. There is something to seeing everything written out on a wall calender that makes me feel organized and good.

3. What 3 things would you save if your house was burning down? (family & pets are already safe)

My kids' baby books, photo albums, and our lock box with birth certificates, SS cards, etc in it.

4. Country Mouse or City Mouse, err Person?

Little bit of both. Right now we live in a small city, which my hubby thinks is living in the country. I lived in a BIG city for much of my life and I feel so much more at home here in the little city. So probably more country than city, but not all the way country.

5. If you could pick ANY reality show to go on, which would you pick?

Probably, The Biggest Loser. I have struggled with my weight most of my life and would love to just get it together.

So there you have it. There is a little bit of me, in the answers to 5 questions. :)

31 Day Exercise Challenge: Day 7

Today was a lazy kind of day. Not really good, not really bad. Jacob has been cranky all day long. And I have been depressed. I am thinking that it is because of my diet. But I am reluctant to change my diet now as I am trying to get into the habit of exercising for this month. And I am trying to not change too much at once so that I fail....maybe my challenge for August will involve my diet....

Back to the challenge at hand though....

Today was Day 7.

I did exercise today.

 I did the 3 mile walk on the Leslie Sansone: Walk Off 10 Pounds  DVD. I do okay through the first mile, but by 2.75 miles I am sweating and feeling it.

I will say this it is a good workout to start with though and it does get your heart rate up. It lasts about 40 minutes or so total including warm up and cool-down.

I cannot believe I have exercised for 7 days in a row. It feels REALLY GOOD to have accomplished that! And I feel good after I exercise. So it is win-win!

How are you doing on your challenge?

31 Day Exercise Challenge: Day 6--Richard Simmons and tanktops

I think I have this exercise thing figured out. I think I have figured out that during the summer at least, while it is HOT upstairs in our house (the main floor has a/c, but due to an older hot water style heating system no place for vents upstairs) I will be exercising at night and then showering and then going to bed. I hope that the shower cools me off....

So that is what I have done. I DID exercise tonight. I was able to FINISH the Richard Simmons' DVD but it was hard. I was sweating and it did get my heart rate up so I think for me it is a GREAT workout!

Now off the subject of exercising:

 I have been thinking the last couple days that Rebecca needed some more tank tops. She only has a couple and it has been HOT here lately. I was also thinking that I would like to get Jacob another tank top outfit. I was wondering how we were going to afford to buy these things, since I have not been working and our checking account balance is really, really low.

Well, prayers were answered. I received a HUGE box of clothes from a family friend that was filled with clothes for Rebecca, including 6 tank tops and 10 pairs of underwear that are the perfect size for Rebecca! There was also short sleeve shirts, pants, rain boots, a coat, and night shirts as well! Then we went to my in-laws house for the Fourth of July and they bought each child a new outfit. A tank top and short outfit for Jacob and a tank top, shorts, and flip flop outfit for Rebecca. I am truly blessed!

I hope everyone is having a great day!  

31 Day Exercise Challenge: Day 5

I almost didn't exercise today....almost being the key word there. I have had a busy day...

Took Rebecca, Jacob and my brother Josh to a friends house this morning for a play date. I did walk there (about .25 mile one way) and back, so that was good. Then I skipped having McDonald's for lunch and instead had a banana and some Irish bread that I made. Then I went to a meat packing plant with my mom and sister that also has a store associated with it. I am trying to find a place to buy meat cheaper than Kroger. My mom, knowing that we had almost no money in our account, bought us some hamburger patties, ribs, a pork roast and some smiley potatoes for the kids! Thanks Mom!! :)

After coming home, I had to clean up the house and start laundry and get dinner together. As soon as the dinner dishes were done, my phone rang and it was a friend wanting to know if my hubby was available to go play softball on her hubbies team as they needed some more players or they would have to forfeit. So we packed the kids up and went and watched Bill play. It was a lot of fun. By the time we got home, I gave the kids a bath and in bed by 10 and I thought I was too tired to exercise....but....then I knew I would be mad at myself if I didn't. So I decided to do 30 minutes of the Free Step game on the Wii Fit and watch my dvr'ed episode of 19 Kids and Counting! I love that show!

So all in all I did exercise so my challenge is still on!!! Yay! Go Me!!

How are you doing in your exercise challenge?

31 Day Exercise Challenge: Day 4

I did find time to exercise today. I was going to get up early this morning and workout as I knew that we were going to be gone all day going to my in laws for lunch and then to my parents' house for dinner for the 4th of July.....However, I decided to sleep in a little this morning and instead snuck in a workout right before we left. Bill decided to go running, and I decided to work out on the Wii.

I did 22 minutes on the Wii Fit Plus game, the free step game. I did that while the kids watched cartoons.

All in all, exercise wise it was a good day. However, I ate way TOO much of bad food so have to work hard this week to do better. But at least I DID get my exercise in, so I am still on track 4 days in.

How are you doing?

4th of July and Menu Plan

First of all, I would like to wish everyone a HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!!

Now on to our menu plan for the coming week:

Monday: Cookout food---hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken, chips, etc.

Tuesday: shredded bbq chicken sandwiches (crockpot), corn, sliced tomatoes, fruit

Wednesday: fish, macaroni and cheese, peas

Thursday: italian chicken, potatoes and green beans

Friday: hot dogs, baked beans, fruit

Saturday: cheeseburger macaroni and peas

Sunday: Ribs in the crockpot, and something on the side????

For more great menu ideas, please visit orgjunkie.com

31 Day Exercise Challenge: Day 3

Today was one of those days where I just never really fell into a rhythm doing anything and that made me mad and I was just annoyed. Do you ever have those days??

Well today I just kind of did nothing this morning....then Bill went to work and after I got the kids lunch and put Jacob down for his nap, I decided that I needed to get some things done. So I decided to exercise. This is how I knew I was in a mood, because I put the Leslie Sansone walk DVD in that I did in day 1 and day 2 and her voice was ANNOYING to me today. I did the first 5 minutes and just could not concentrate other than to think that she was ANNOYING me!

But I didn't give up...instead I went to my DVD shelf and pulled out an oldie but goodie that I had gotten 2 or 3 years ago and never used. Can you believe that I actually wanted to work out to Richard Simmons?? LOL

I did. I decided that I would do this and see how the workout was....Let me tell you...it was HARD!!! This DVD includes 11 songs and I made it through 8 of them. I was so tired after the 8th song that I had to stop. I can't believe it gave me such a workout. It is funny actually because I feel like I worked harder than I had in a long time. I exercised for 35 minutes on this DVD...so I did get my at least 20 minutes in. So I would call day 3 a success.

On another note, I have also been on a cooking/baking spree lately. Today I baked 8 loaves of Irish bread, made up 3 bags of marinated chicken for the freezer, and shredded and froze 8 zucchinis. Between stirring the dough for the bread (which is really thick and hard to stir) and shredding the zucchini, I think my arms got extra work in today as well! :)

Well I am off to do some menu planning for the week. I will share what we are eating tomorrow!

Did you get your exercise in today?



31 Day Exercise Challenge: Day 2

Man today was a busy day!

Woke up this morning to rain, then sun, then rain...

Had planned on going to the Farmer's Market on the square, and decided that I wasn't sugar so I wouldn't melt, so Rebecca, I, my mom and my sister went. It was pouring down rain, but that was okay. I got some new potatoes, 6 zucchini and some organic blueberries! Yummy! And they had a special presentation with the cast of Cinderella, where the kids could meet and greet and Rebecca got to meet Cinderella, the fairy godmother, and Mother Goose. It was fun and Rebecca enjoyed it.

After that, we came back home and left the kids with my mom and my sister, while Bill and I had a date lunch. We went to Allison's Finer Diner and the food there is always good. After lunch we went to see Mr. Popper's Penguins.

It was a cute, feel good movie. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. It was just what I needed!

Then I came home, dropped Bill off and went to Walmart, Aldi and Kroger to do our grocery shopping. Then came home, put groceries away, fed kids, exercised, got the kids in bed, cleaned up the kitchen and living room. Now I am TIRED!!! LOL

But I am happy to report that for day 2 of my exercise challenge, it was a success. Again I did the 3 mile walk on the Leslie Sansone DVD and I really felt it. But it is a good feeling, knowing that I am doing this.

Now it is off to bed, so that I can get ready for a big cleaning, baking day tomorrow! :)

31 Day exercise challenge: Day 1

So I thought I would get up at 7am before the kids and work out....

Well I didn't.....

I woke up when Bill woke up for work around 8 or so and then went back to sleep and woke up around 8:45 or so and Rebecca was awake. So much for that. I did weigh myself first thing and I DID NOT like the number on the scale. I knew that I had gained some of the weight I had lost back...but I didn't think that I had gained it ALL back.

So my starting weight today is:... 220 lbs. **GROAN**

Did I mention I DID NOT LIKE this number on the scale!!!!

Well after I weighed myself, got the kids breakfast, and put on some workout clothes, I decided to do the Leslie Sansone: Walk Off 10 Pounds dvd that I borrowed from the library. (I decided not to buy any workout dvds to save money. Instead I will borrow them from the library (they are 14 day loans) and then if I find one that I love, then I may decide to buy it as a reward.)

This dvd gives you the option to do a 1, 2, or 3 mile walk. The 1 mile walk takes about 20 minutes, the 2 mile walk takes about 35 minutes and the 3 mile walk takes about 45 minutes. I decided to just give it my all and see how far I could go. I will tell you that after the first 20 minutes I was sweaty but not really feeling anything. After 2 miles, I just decided to go for the 3 miles. At about 2.5 miles I was tired, but I kept going and I did the whole dvd. I really liked this workout!  And it was cute that Rebecca did a lot of the workout with me, while Jacob was running around playing.

So Day 1 exercise wise was a success. YAY!

Diet wise I did okay. I have decided to keep track on paper what I eat and especially what I am feeling when I am snacking. I am finding that I have to keep myself busy in order for me to not to snack in the afternoon. It really is the snacking in the afternoon and late evening that has brought me to this problem. Hopefully I can fix that! (Not this month, but in a different month. I am just writing down my eating habits now so that I can analyze them and see how I have been doing.)

I also wanted to do no eating after 9pm this month...and it is now 10 pm and I haven't eaten anything since 8:30. I am drinking diet coke, but am not eating anything! So I can call that a success as well! YAY!

So I would call day 1 a success!

Are you joining in? How did day 1 go for you?