Friday, February 29, 2008

Leaping for JOY!

     Come to the Montessori Auction tonight at 6:30 at the Elks in Omak! I guarantee you will have a SUPER time!!!!

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Stumbled upon some motivation

     Good news! This morning I rode the stationary bike for thirty minutes. I was just feeling it. And, it was exactly what I needed to make my day just as great as it turned out to be!
     To make things even better, I drank tons of water today. First day in quite awhile that I made the water goal.
     I ran into my friend Patti tonight who has lost some weight, and she looks GREAT! Turns out she is going to Weight Watchers!!! What's even better is that two of my friends and I are going to start next week, and she is also friends with them.
     I am eager to start WW with my friends. I think it really helps to have that support, and I find myself actually looking forward to starting.
     I also was talking to a friend of mine at school, who happens to be a coach, and he told me that he would quasi-train me in the weight room, since he is working with his players. COOL!
     I did also make a connection with a local trainer, but our schedules aren't going to mesh until summer. SO, at that point, I might be really ready to hook up.
     Even though I have lots going on in my life right now with organizing the auction (Montessori Auction this Friday, at 6:30 p.m. at the Elks - Open to the public, and Hawaiian attire strongly encouraged.), I am excited that we have plans to make us the priority next week, and I personally plan on placing as much time and energy into ME that I have invested in the auction--both GOOD causes!

Friday, February 22, 2008

Weight Watchers, maybe?

     My girlfriend and I are thinking about joining Weight Watchers. I know several people who have been active in the local group here, and who have found some good success in the past couple of years.
     I did join Weight Watchers eons ago, when I lived in Leavenworth, and I really liked the points set-up.
     Really it's all about being accountable. Whenever I write down what I eat (which points makes it way easier to keep track of, I think), and journal water consumption and exercise, I always am more successful.
     Then it just cycles back to STAYING motivated. I kinda feel like if I do it with a friend, then we can keep each other motivated.
     I tell ya, when I watch The Biggest Loser, I always think that I could do REALLY well, if I had that sort of support.
     That's a big reason as to why I contacted a personal trainer, and I am trying to make my schedule work, so that I can work out with someone on weights several times a week.
     I am also excited because our school has a new gym all set-up now, and it even has some awesome cardio machines.
     I will be happy when Saturday rolls around this next week, and our auction is over! Then, then, then :)

Thursday, February 21, 2008

A bit of a blur, nothing new!

      Life has been full and busy; I know, nothing new. As well, I don't have anything new to blog about as far as the weight and wait of trimming down.
      I did make contact with a personal trainer, and I am hoping that our schedules will mix just right, so I can work with her.
      But, I am going to wait until after February 29th! Once the auction (Come to the Montessori Auction!!! It is Friday, February 29th at the Elks in Omak at 6:30! Hawaiian attire is welcome to the Leaping into a Luau Auction!) is over, life will settle down (ha ha, yeah right!).
     I haven't been especially focused on nuturing my body, but I have been paying attention to my mind and soul lately.
      Besides meditating, I have been taking time to enjoy things in life I really want to enjoy! Lots of reading, some writing (working on that novel), spending time with the kiddos, etc.
      I also started celebrating Spring a wee bit early by cleaning! I have cleaned out the Buick (and, it's actually parked at Rick's until I sell it), since I bought a new (well, new to me) car! Yahoo!
      And, I was able to work more in my classroom and unpack (and throw away/recycle, might I add) things that were still boxed from the beginning of the year, since we didn't have any time before school to deal with that stuff. I figured I would have to wait until this summer, but I have just been motivated to DE-CLUTTER my life!
     Last night, we had a really fun family night. After we ate together, Jordan and Sarah played and read and were just all around goofy; they had Ricky and I just cracking up most of the night. Then add in four dogs, and it was a BLUR, indeed! It's times like those that make me miss Cody, though. We all do.
      I love that the days are lighter and lighter, and I love even more that Daylight Saving Time (I always thought it was Savings, but it's not; it's Saving) is sooooo much earlier now (3 weeks)! Bring on March 9th! Of course, this is the second year of it being in early March, and I love it because it feels like we have more time to be outside AND exercise!

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Don’t be a victim!

     I recently have been in contact with several women who are involved in trying to make something powerful happen in our community.
     I know we think we live in small town USA, and that violent crimes (especially random ones) don’t happen here, but they, in fact, do. And, besides that, do you not travel to the big, scary city every now and then?
     Women in our community have been assaulted, and we even have occurrences in which their attacker was NOT someone they knew. So, don’t kid yourself that something as terrible as a rape couldn’t happen to you because you live here.
     Local Sensei Debbie Fudge is offering a women’s self-defense seminar, taught by women FOR women. The date is Saturday, Feb. 23rd from 9 am to noon at the Omak school of Karate.
     I suggest inviting your daughter into going with you, too, especially if she is headed off to college soon! Or, if you know any other young ladies, pass on the info to them, too!
     Registration is $40 if registered by Feb. 20th, and $50 if after. If you are interested in taking the class, call 509-322-0802.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Hope your V-Day is sUpEr SWEET!

     Valentine's Day is my favorite commercial holiday, without a doubt! The day just feels crazy and charged with electricity, or maybe that energy is just SUGAR!
     Just remember, you don't have to eat all those chocolates at once! What's great about V-Day candy is that it is usually portion-controlled! Just one little bite a day, if you NEED chocolate or whatever sugarfied delight you receive.
     I am saving my calories for our dinner tonight! We decided to take our kids with us to a special, fancy dinner, and they are BOTH excited :)
     I really thought about that, and it makes sense. Normally a V-Day dinner is a couples thing, and we could've had our oldest watch our youngest, but instead we invited them to join us, and they both were tickled to be included.
     This weekend Ricky and I will be sans kids (they both will be the other parents), so we are going to have date night on Friday instead of tonight.
     I am excited for the gift I gave Ricky today. I had the portrait his son painted of him framed at Heatherdales. Let me tell you...they do amazing work! I especially loved the option to go with barnwood for the frame.
     It's really cool right now because as I look at the mountains, they look like they have pink cotton candy floating above, a nice touch for Valentine's Day!!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Shilly-shally!

     If you know about shilly-shally, you know that it comes from Shall I? Shall I? Then it sorta morphed into its synonym, dilly-dally.
     It can mean to be indecisive or hesitant and to waste time or dawdle (which I did look up dawdle's etymology and it is from toddle).
     SO, I feel like my weight and my decisions surrounding it are all shilly-shally at the moment. You see, I seem to see-saw.
     I haven't weighed for weeks, using the excuse that the scale I was using needs batteries. Like I couldn't go buy the batteries and bring them to school?
     Although my eating has MOSTLY been OK. I have pretty much stopped drinking water, and I am not exercising either. I do feel like I have gained a little weight back.
     Today I went to Wallwebbers for lunch, and I ate a yummy BBQ meatball sandwich and seafood soup. So yummy I can only imagine the calories. Well, really I don't want to imagine.
     But, on the glittering side of things, I had lunch with my friend Tim, and he talked with me about a couple of ideas that directly relate to my life right now. Motsly, our coversation hovered around goals and positive thinking and creating happiness.
     Perhaps my shilly-shally days are coming to an end.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Busy weekend!

     First Friday night was HECTIC, but happy :) Jordie had his last b-ball game of the season. Then our little one danced her heart out (and, I have a great video I will try and upload).
      One of my groups was running concessions, which ran out of EVERYTHING. We aren't in charge of ordering, but boy, what a BUSY and profitable night!
     I also spent time with my good friend's baby. He is such a doll, and he just feels like the calm in the storm. Even on such a busy evening, just holding him relaxed me.
     I actually read up on that, and there is a hormone called oxytocin, which is a happy hormone. And, studies have shown that holding a baby or a puppy releases this!
      You can check out an article about it:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4625213
     We decided last night to stay in and watch movies, which we were all in the mood for comedies!
     We spent time yesterday and today making stuff for our baskets for the Montessori auction (February 29th!) and making Valentines cards!


     We had so much fun making these cards! We researched ideas, and then we actually changed the saying from the original one and added a pencil! My step-daughter Sarah did everything except the writing of our saying and the tying of the pencil. She was soooo funny!
     You can check out my other blog for something else I worked on, another project! It was overall a good weekend!!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Get up and MOVE it, move it!

     I had so much fun watching my step-daughter at mini-cheer camp the past two afternoons! And, they have their big performance at the game tomorrow night, which will be tons of fun (plus, many of my friends from Leavenworth will be in the house to see our little cutie, since we are playing them!).
     While watching the kids run around, laugh, and learn new dance skills, I thought about how much fun I had when I was a little girl, living in Spokane.
     My mom enrolled both my brother and me in a City Parks and Recreation program for the summer. It was a day camp for two months, and culminated with an overnight weekend.
     I participated in that program for several years while growing up. I had so much fun and learned lots of cool things, but more importantly I was outside ALL day long!
     I was thinking about how different today is for our kids than just thirty years ago. We didn't own a computer or a game system (when I was a teenager, my parents did buy the Atari).
     Perfectly content and not knowing differently, I loved living outside from sunrise to well into the night.
     The other day in my class I talked about playing kick the can in our neighborhood, and I couldn't believe how many kids didn't even know what the game was. It actually made me kind of sad.
     I love that I have summers off because the kids and I spend as much time outside as possible. We go swimming (both at the pool and the lake), jump on the trampoline, make forts, play with the animals, hike and camp.
     I even recently read a great story about a teacher who used a stationary bike in her classroom during reading time! While the teacher reads a book out loud to her students, they take daily turns at riding the bike and clocking the miles. Then they write those miles onto a map of the United States to show how far they travelled. Very cool!
     Ya know, sadly there are even schools where PE has been completely cut out of the program!!
     It was fun watching our little ones be so active this week! I was talking to my girlfriend Michelle about how I should start up a camp this summer. I definitely have some big ideas!

A comfy place we go...and, introducing Ambrosia Apple!

Whenever we travel to Wenatchee, we always stop at our favorite roadside restaurant, The Lone Pine Fruit and Espresso Stand, just south of the Beebe Bridge. It’s a delightful place, which I think many people just miss, mostly because they are in such a hurry going or coming. We always leave earlier, if necessary, to guarantee a stop there, and occasionally we will grab a yummy treat and our lattes to go (if time is short).

They have comfy chairs and fun things to check out and discover, besides delicious food! We love the service there, people are always friendly, and all the food rocks: sandwiches and soup, pastries, etc. They also have a cool selection of PNW wines and microbrews to boot! (I do have a pic on my other blog that I took of our coffee on the checker coffee table.)

I even have one of the best Christmas presents ever from there! Rick actually drove down there just to pick up a bracelet (made from a cow horn) for me two years ago. They also have live music in the summer, and Rick and I have included that on our “to do” list for the summer of 2008!

This past Monday, I discovered the Ambrosia apple as a perfect snack. I bought one to eat while Rick ate a homemade cinnamon roll. We both loved the apple so much that we purchased a big bag to bring home.

I, of course, had to then research this apple, since I had never found one before. It turns out it has some close-to-home connections. It was actually discovered (on accident) in an orchard in British Columbia. Lucky for me, as it is now my favorite apple! Our little one devoured two apples as a snack yesterday after her cheer camp, and then she wanted another at dinner!!

So, stopping by one of our favorite places was definitely one major plus for two trips this week to Wenatchee!

Quick update!

     Life has been HECTIC, but good this week! Monday and yesterday we made trips to Wenatchee for doctors' appointments. Add in a Montessori board meeting (AUCTION is coming!!!!), mini-cheer camp for our little one, and a sick horse (thought we were going to lose another, but he is improving!), and life was crazy.
     I ate good both of those Wenatchee days, as I had yummy salads, and I also tried the low-calorie Sammy from Quizno's.
     I have noticed that now that I am not focusing on water, I am just not drinking nearly as much. SO, I need to start a big push, TODAY. I don't want to let it get away from me.
     I have not been exercising, even though I have the bike in my house. I need to find the motivation. I want to do it. I will do it.
     I do feel that my eating is positive. I am hoping I can weigh today or tomorrow, as the scale has been out of commission, but hopefully it's up and going now.
     I have more to tell you about...I will write more later this evening! (also, update my other blog tonight).
     Have a SUPER day!!!