Day 336 - Revirginizing

This whirlwind of a year has surely taken a toll on my blog, and my energy. It's amazing how the lack of exertion actually makes you feel more sluggish. My lack of exertion hit me hard this morning. Coupled with the adrenaline crash from finally passing the Real Estate State Board on the 28th and signing with a Broker on the 29th (Century 21 Shaw Realty), I can clearly physically feel how unhealthy my body is, and how weak my muscles are, and how drained I am.

Today is December 1st, 2012. I blogged almost every day from January until around April/May when we sold our house. I lost weight. I felt healthy and strong. I had TONS of energy. And then, someone took my Twenty. No, let me rephrase that: I gave away my Twenty.

As a wife and a mother, giving is a natural concept. It's built into my DNA. It's my life source. Maybe that's why this blog fizzled. I wasn't designed to take.

Maybe I should change the name of the Blog to "Giving Back Twenty" - Win Win, right?

I'm going to go put my sneakers on right now and jump on the treadmill, because if I don't do it right at this very minute, I will find something else in this house that "needs" my attention. brb.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

......ten minutes later. Experiencing technical difficulties. Grey's Anatomy Season 9 is not on Netflix and the ABC app is missing the first 2 episodes. I tried reaching someone to borrow their HULU account, but she's in Vegas and it's 8am there. She probably just went to bed. No one said this was easy.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

No luck. I settled for picking up at the 3rd episode of Season 9 and tracked two leisurely 15 minute miles. First time on the treadmill since, well, I can't even remember.

One of the characters on Grey's used the term "revirginizing" after regretting her decision to give her virginity away. I can relate to that. I feel like I have given something up to external life forces, who, in return, seized total control of and monopolized my time for the past 6 months. I think today is the day that I "reTwentizize" and forget the past 6 months ever happened. New house, new career. That was yesterday. Today I begin to move forward again. Join me.

Day 292 - Sand Spurs, Sisters and Spiders

I've been struggling the past few days to get through this Real Estate School stuff. Have I not blogged about it yet? I'm so sorry - I've been slacking in the blog department (says, Amanda Kennedy-Turner).

I got back on the treadmill this evening, so let's take a moment to celebrate that fact. YAY Me!!! Lil C didn't have school today. A Thursday...strange, but we made the most of it. It's a good thing, though. Lil C woke up stuffy and he slipped into Daddy's side of the bed when he left for work...smearing germy germs all over Daddy's pillow. We milked it for all it was worth... Snuggled until around 8:30am. (I'll be blogging about Daddy being sick in a week, so stay tuned. THAT will be a good one).

I spent the morning doing my real estate school (40 pages of Real Estate info on "The Fed" - zzzzzzzzzz) while Lil C ate breakfast and then watched some cartoons. My sister surprised me with a visit around 2pm. She had a testing/interview this morning in downtown Tampa and dropped by afterwards to chat. She brought wine. Now, I generally don't have a problem with enjoying a occasional mid-afternoon glass of vino with the hermana, but I was still in my PJ's. THAT was weird. I think that must be how alcoholics feel. It felt so wrong, but so right...all at the same time. I'm still a little weirded out about it. PJ's + wine = something I'm not quite ready to address. Pretend I never said anything.

While I was in my PJ's, Lil C was still in his underwear. Once the big sister left, guilt got the best of me, so I got the boy dressed and we tackled the sand spurs on our front lawn. How do you get rid of sand spurs? You Move. Kidding. I had Lil C spray the plant with weed and grass killer, then I cut off the spurs and put them in a baggie and sealed them up. THEN, we had lunch on the pool patio and knocked a dirt dauber's nest down and when it hit the concrete, about 50 paralyzed spiders came tumbling out. We were amazed. I had NO IDEA those dirt daubers killed spiders. I'm torn. The Spiders kill the bugs, but the daubers kill the spiders. WHO DO I SIDE WITH??? Reminds me of our political system. smh.

Finished up the night with Daddy teaching Lil C how to Tie Dye. This should be a required course in Jr High School. (This would be a perfect place for someone to say, "Just Sayin'" - but I won't. I hate that quote. Duh - we know you're just sayin' - you just said it.)

Moving on. Living, Growing. Struggling. Surviving.

Day 277 - Fork in the Road

We've all been here in one way, shape or form. It can be a scary place...

Intimidating.
Daunting.
Disheartening.

It's no surprise to me. I've seen it on the horizon for the past year, but that doesn't make it any less intimidating. The kids are grown and fairly self-sufficient, and with Charlie's "gentle insistence," I suppose it's time to get back in the money. We have big dreams for our new home and acreage, and we have one starting college next year - an extra paycheck might just make things a little easier around here.

Changing careers again in a big way. I've been putting feelers out for several month now... checking out different industries... even interviewed for my old job a couple of weeks ago. I haven't heard back on that one, and in all honesty, after visiting my old workplace downtown and talking to a few old colleagues, I hope I don't hear back.

When I left the company 10 years ago, the place was buzzing with sales and promotions and energy. However, when I visited a couple of weeks ago, it was like walking through a funeral parlor. Absolutely dreadful. I suppose after sucking all of the life out of its employees, it's now sucking the life out of itself.

Chapter 4 in The Life and Employment of LeighAnn Monaghan will be titled: Real Estate. The last fork in the road I faced was in 1996, choosing between real estate and GTE/Verizon. It's ironic that I find myself back at the same fork in the road...15 years later.

On an unrelated note...remember those 100 crunches and 100 leg lifts from 2 days ago? Holy Cannelloni!!! My core is sore. Must be working.

Signing off to go lace up the old sneakers and start a sweat-fest. I have a muffin top to destroy.

Photo: Pulled it off of Google. It's the digital magic of some unknown artist.

Day 275 - Thank You Melissa Kendall Gray

Want to know what motivated me to do 100 crunches, 100 leg lifts and 45 minutes on the treadmill? Three words: Melissa. Kendall. Gray. She posted some pics of me on Facebook from, like, FOREVER ago. I probably weighed 130lbs - slim and trim - and I'm sure that at the time, I still felt overweight. Sickening, really. Twenty five pounds later, I want to go back in time and smack myself.

I love you, Mel. I miss you tons. I wish you never moved back to Indiana, for my own personal reasons of course. I know that you are better off there with your main squeeze and your immediate family, but I still miss you like crazy.

This one photo in particular struck a nerve. It' of Charlie and Me...he's kissing my cheek with our old Jetski (and Matt) in the background. We used to have tons of fun on those things. I also used to Scuba dive and ride a Harley motorcycle. Maybe it's because I'm approaching the big 4-0. I feel so cliché.

I think it may be time to turn a few of those "used-to's" into "still-do's" :o)

Day 271 - Rotten on the Inside

I love Groupon. I promote their business and they give me money. It's win-win. In fact, if you have a business that needs promoting, just give me money, cash preferably.

The BFF and I snagged Groupon Coupons for Tradewinds Dinner and Casino Cruise that leaves out of John's Pass in St. Pete and sputters out into International Waters (a.k.a. The Gulf of Mexico) so that their patrons can enjoy some "Vegas-Style" gaming.

All I can say is, it wasn't worth the free Groupon dollars, or the gas that I wasted driving out to the coast. Their "dinner" choice was either frozen boxed lasagna with dinner rolls that reminded me of elementary school lunch or meatloaf & mashed potatoes that looked like something you would see in a prison cafeteria.

To top it all off, the bathrooms were not air conditioned and opened up right into the gaming area. This would have been all well and good, except that someone on that boat was clearly rotten on the inside and decided to "make a deposit" and share it with the rest of us. You smelled it every time the door opened up. It affected my game. I wasn't happy. I had to find a spot that was upwind from the bathroom.

I DID, however, get to spend some quality time with my girl J.V. and we met a couple of cool cats who were just as disappointed in the cruise as we were. Enjoyed the adult conversation and learned a thing or two about gaming. One currently owns the nightclub Joyland County Night Club and the other (or both of them - can't remember) owns the patent on the original Jager Bomb Hurricane Shooter glass/cup/whatever it's called, and sells/distributes them out of Sarasota, FL. I'm not big on doing shots. My sisters and true friends know that if you've ever seen me do a shot, you've probably been fooled. I've mastered the fake-a-shot slight of hand. I fake it fast and then dump it before anyone notices.  Shots always seem like a great idea in the moment, then not so much a few moments later. I prefer to sip on a glass of vino.

As for my "Twenty" today, I spent a good hour on the floor stretching my lower back out. Even had Charlie help with a few stretches. If you're a committed follower of this blog, you would know that I pulled my back out last November doing 75lb dead lifts coming off a season of no activity. While my brain was shouting, "You Can Dooooo IT!!!" my body responded with "SMH.....sucker."

I am now a fan of the warm-up. 

It's been almost a year now and my back still hurts about 80% of what it did a year ago. Stretching helps, but only if I do it every single day for a ridiculous amount of time. I remember being young and invincible, listening to "old" women talk about the benefits of stretching daily. Hmmmpft.

Well, I suppose I've finally arrived.  Welcome to Oldville, we've been expecting you!

Day 270 - Too Pretty to Sweat

That day when you realize that you haven't actually "done" your hair in over 2 weeks. I recently just bought hair ties in bulk.

I suppose that should have been my first clue.

I'd say it's a combination of new house stress, car repair stress, kid in her senior year being out of school district stress, making new friends stress and husband wanting you to go back to work stress.

Taking a glimpse into the past: I was invited to go have dinner and drinks last night with a new friend.

Ugh.

That meant I would actually have to "do" my hair and makeup. Talk about a moment of truth. Poor Charlie. I may have actually divorced me by now. Being a stay-at home mom, it's easy to fall into the shower-every-other-day routine.

Fast forward through the torture of trying to make myself presentable: we met at Kokopelli's... apparently it's the only decent place to have dinner in Dade City. I was impressed and I will definitely go back again...met the owner...his name is John - very friendly and welcoming.

The Awakening:
It was the time that I spent on my hair getting ready for my girlfriend date that brought my attention to the fact that I have truly let myself go. Thank goodness I had a pre-scheduled hair appointment today. Normally, I would have asked for a trim and possibly a few foils. Instead, I sat down in the chair and heard these words come out of my mouth: "cut it all off...lots of layers and lots of dramatic contrast." I almost slapped myself. WhAT?????

Thank goodness for my new hair stylist (Kesha @ Bella Tower Spa in Dade City across from Pasco High School). Had she not recognized my obvious moment of insanity, I would probably have Ellen Degeneres hair right now. Not that Ellen has bad hair. I LOVE her hair - but it's skinny chic hair. Wouldn't have the same effect on this big head.

Spent the morning hours in foils, and the afternoon in a Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger KeraTriplex Treatment. Yeah - say THAT 3 times fast. All I can say is my hair feels like silk. They said it should last about 3 months. I'll let you know. Regardless, there is something to be said about having someone make you beautiful. 

I was planning on throwing on the sweats and pumping out a mile or two on the treadmill when I got home, but I didn't want to mess up my pretty new hair. Too pretty to sweat!! Ha! My blog, my rules.

Day 269 - The Weight of the World : Lifted

Holy Toledo. It's over. The stress, the sleepless nights, the worrying, the secret, the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, the fear of completely ruining my daughter's life: GONE!

Lifted away in one swift click of the mouse.

It's the reason that I quit blogging. It's the reason I have gained back all of the weight that I lost earlier this year. It's the reason I wouldn't let anyone "check-in" to my home on Facebook or Twitter. It's the reason that I choose live an honest life. I don't handle dishonesty very well. I'm a terrible liar and I don't like having secrets.

Instead of dishing details, all I can say is the School Choice gods were good to me. It's official. She may have to drive a little further to get to school, but it's a good feeling knowing my Band Captain, Mu Alpha Theta officer, National Honor Society, AP & Honor student, top 20% of her class, well rounded beautiful daughter will get to finish out her high school career without having to change schools! 

(don't roll your eyes - you'd brag, too, if she was yours) 

The sky has opened and the sun is shining again...the warm fuzzies are back. Unfortunately, so is my muffin top.

So, with that being said, I hereby declare today a new beginning. Picking up where I left off...45 minutes on the treadmill, 100 kitchen counter push-ups and 50 sit ups. Life is good again.

Day 239 - That's Where I Draw the Line

Day 3 on the treadmill. Things are starting to look better. If you are a reader of my blog, you'd know that I used to watch old episodes of Grey's Anatomy to get me through my workout. Since finally catching up on the entire last 3 seasons, I found myself with a less-than-impressive Netflix collection to choose from. Glad we sold our stock when we did. They dropped from $300 to $60/share in one year. Ugh!

So, I tried watching the pilot episode of One Tree Hill. I remember seeing them in the tabloids in the grocery store check out lines....that means that it HAD to be a good show, right?? (rolling my eyes and shaking my head). That lasted about 20 minutes. I got frustrated and that was the end of my workout. Maybe I was a little winded from taking so much time off, but I blamed it on the show. Whatever. My blog, my rules. 

On a funnier note, Daddy (what I call my awesome husband when he's nice) brought a black leather jacket into my new Mom Cave and hung it on a coat rack. He said it matched and thought I would like it. I thought that was pretty nice so I said "Thank You, that was sweet" and he left. Five seconds later he came back in carrying my black lab and pretended to try to hang her on the same rack... I almost spit my wine out. We had a good laugh. Laughter is key to happiness. If you don't have much in your life, figure out a way to get some!

Day 238 - Space & Time

Everyone needs personal space, but not everyone is lucky enough to have their own personal space. A place where the rules are whatever we make them, the energy is in our complete control and we can do with the space whatever we want to.

So, in addition to reclaiming my "Twenty," I also decided to claim my very own physical space in the new house. It's a room just off the pool deck in the back of the house. There are two sets of french doors that offer a gorgeous sunset every night............. in all of its glory...... as the sun drifts into the tips of the pine trees.......... reflecting its remnants of crimson and orange off the glass-like pool water.

OK - back to reality. Bottom line, I needed my own personal space. Before, I used to get in my car, drive to the clubhouse and go to the gym. The gym was my personal space. Not so glamorous, and not so personal, but it served its purpose. Unfortunately, the only views were that of my sweaty messy self.

Now, after 3-4 days of non-stop sanding, taping, painting, moving, drilling and hanging, I ALMOST have a place to call my own, sans carpet, but that will come next month! Doing a workout on this treadmill with these views might actually be a pleasure...in my new Happy Place.

Day 164+73=237

So, yeah. I'm back.

Sold a house. Homeless for 2 weeks. Bought a house. 2 family vacations. WAY TOO MUCH FAST FOOD. Roadtrip to Tennessee. New A/C. New car. Daughter's driving. Major renovation. Swedish houseguest. 20th Class Reunion (GO EAGLES!!!) 2 kids' birthdays and one heck of a summer.

Drained: Physically. Emotionally. Financially.

How much weight did I gain back, you ask? Oh, you know you were thinking it.

That would be about 12 lbs. Everything that I had taken off before the move. Right back where it was. So, my pants are a little tighter, but I pumped gas for an elderly obese lady today who was struggling to get out of her car. It felt good to help her. It also reminded me that if I don't get this weight off, I could BE her one day.

How am I going to fix this without the cushy clubhouse gym of my old neighborhood?? My old treadmill came home today.  I gave it to my mom years ago, who gave it to my sister, who gave it to a friend, who is moving to Nashville and gave it back to me. I will call him "Perderpeso" - you'll have to figure that one out on your own.

So if you do the math, or google it, today is day 237. That's 3 solid prime numbers that, when placed next to each other in this order, create a composite number. What does this have to do with my blog? Nothing. Nothing at all.

Day 163 - Upside Down and Backwards

Life has been flipped upside down for the Monaghan Clan - in a very good way, and I can't tell you anything about it....at least not now. It's not a HUGE deal...I will share it in time.

All I can say is, I know what it's like for those people who travel all the time and live on the road for months at a time.  It makes it very difficult for me eat right, exercise daily and blog about my daily happenings when I have to withhold information that I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to share.

Things should settle down by this weekend and I should be able to blog every day again...OR~~~~~> if you want to provide ideas for blog posts until I can share the news, it would make life so much better for me. Not blogging is killing me and it weighs on my mind every day that I don't post something.

I think I'm going to go walk 3 miles now to start burning off all the the fast food I've been eating for 2 weeks. Ugh!!! I feel like a chicken nugget.

Vacation next week....7 days of sun-n-surf and awesome family time!!

Photo is of a gator that my brother-in-law caught during alligator hunting season. Creeps me out every time I have to walk by it.

Day 151 - Popcorn = No Babies

Lil C was reading an article over my shoulder a few moments ago. It was a Prevention article titled "7 Foods That Should Never Cross Your Lips"

 
CHARLIE: "Mom - why is microwave popcorn on a list of foods that you're not supposed to eat?"
ME: "Not sure, let me read it to you (I get to the part about causing infertility)
CHARLIE: "What is infertility?"
ME: "Its when you can't have babies anymore."
CHARLIE: " !!WHEW~~ Thank goodness!!!"
ME: "Why is that good?"
CHARLIE: "(rolling his eyes, then awkward pause) Duh. Because I'm a BOY. I don't HAVE babies, so I can eat the popcorn.... -->> He runs out of the room in a huge rush leaving me baffled..."
.
.
SIERRA: " (Yelling to me across the house) MOM - WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T HAVE BABIES IF I EAT POPCORN???"

This is how rumors get started. smh. My life is a comic strip.


Incase you're interested in reading...here is the list and a link to the article.

I'm going to go do 100 pushups with Lil C on the livingroom floor.

1. Canned Tomatoes

2. Corn-Fed Beef

3. Microwave Popcorn

4. Nonorganic Potatoes

5. Farmed Salmon

6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

7. Conventional Apples

http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/7-foods-should-never-cross-your-lips#ixzz1wOdeTYfK

Day 150 - Loaf-a-pa-looza

I've been on a Loaf-a-pa-looza break for 10 days and gained 5 lbs back. Wonder how THAT happened??? Lots going on in my life that I just can't blog about, and it's killing me...literally.

Going to go sit with my ex-grandmother-in-law tomorrow. She broke a hip and is now recovering in a rehabilitation center...

She's not too happy about not being in her own home, so I'm going to hang out and talk about her great grand daughter (My baby girl) all day long.

Maybe I'll blog more about that tomorrow...and I'm going to try to get my twenty while I'm there. Push-ups and sit-ups maybe??

THANK YOU TO MY READERS

Every so often, I check my blog stats to see who's reading. I am astounded to find that many of my readers are from countries all over the world.

I'm not sure how they are finding my blog, but to see them coming back to read again is the best gift ever!!

I would LOVE to hear feedback from you if you are a daily reader. You can message me directly, (pingleigh@yahoo.com) or post a comment below if you can. I'm always curious to know how my readers found me in the first place.

If someone forwarded my blog to you, please let me know. I would love to send them a personal Thank You!!

Special thanks to my readers from these countries. Without you, I would not blog.

United States
Russia
Serbia
Australia
Germany
Costa Rica
United Kingdom
Ukraine
Canada
Ecuador
Poland
Saudia Arabia
France
India
Estonia
Iraq
Singapore
Israel

Day 140 - Second to Last Prom

No time for exercise today. Well, I COULD have, but I just didn't want to. Today was filled with getting Sierra ready for her Prom tonight. I have to give shout out's to Aunt Rhonda for taking Sierra shopping to get her jewelry and shoes, and to Michelle for doing her hair.

She looked like a movie star... It feels like it was just yesterday that she was playing Pretty Pretty Princess with her step dad...and now she looks like a beautiful young woman.
At least once a week, she will crawl up onto my lap and demand my undivided attention. Although it was physically less painful when she was 3 feet tall and 40lbs, it is much more rewarding now.

I hear so many stories about kids and parents relationships falling apart through the teenage years, and I feel blessed that we have never had to go through anything like that.

She's my pride and joy and it makes me a little emotional to think she'll be off to college after next year. She's not going far and I know I will see her often... but I will be outnumbered by the Charlies, and life as we know it will change forever.

Day 139 : The Green Belt

Slipped in a 45 minute speedwalk at the gym this morning, then hammered through my daily routine... Dishes from the night before (This drives my BFF crazy - she can't sleep until her sink is empty), vacuuming, sweeping, running something to Sierra's school that she left at home, grocery shopping, and laundry...

I know we have a busy weekend ahead, so I'm trying to get all of my housework done so we don't have to do it this weekend. Lil C had Karate testing tonight. I'm so proud of him.

He earned his Green belt today. After Green, it's Brown....then Red....then Black. Once he earns his black belt, I want to start taking Karate myself. It's never too late to try something new. It may take a little longer to achieve, but it's something I've always wanted to do...and it may come in handy when Lil C becomes a teenager.

After testing, we enjoyed a quiet family night at home. No movie theaters, no restaurants, no parties...just quality time with the ones I love. Friday nights like this are under-rated.

Days 136 - 138 : It's All a Blur

Life has been a whirlwind and I can't remember much from these three days. There is nothing on my calendar other than Karate practice, and my Facebook posts were as follows:

May 17th:
"Sierra just sent me a text during class (as ironic as that may be) -->She just learned that she's in the top 15% of her class. I don't know how she does it all. She is amazing."

and

"Just busted my last pair of $2 Flip Flops. They gave me the best year of their lives, but I am laying them to rest now. I know that if I spent a little more on the shoes, they might be better quality and last longer, but then I wouldn't get to shop as often. It might be cloudy today, but I'm shoe shopping...I'll glow my own sunshine."


May 16th:
"Early mornings, I do not miss you."

May 15th:"Florida FCAT Crisis?? SMH. Call in to listen to the conference call. I just called and was told it starts in 2 hours."

And this brings me to the Facebook post that might be the reason for my memory loss:

May 15th:
"Best part of my day? Started the day with an unattainable to-do list, then attained it. Worst part of my day? Sierra elbowed me in the forehead...hard. I'll call it a win, overall."

I know I was at the gym at least one of these days...just can't remember which one.

Day 135 - My Secret Stash

Went to the gym this evening and there was a sign on one of the treadmills that read "Out of Order." So, of course I chose to jump on the only other working treadmill. It was my lucky day!!

Halfway through my Grey's Anatomy episode, a couple walked into the gym together and the lady hops up onto the broken treadmill, removes the sign, plugs it it, turns it on and proceeds with her workout. REALLY??? My first thought was that she purposefully put the sign up to ensure availability when she wanted to workout. I had my sunglasses on, but I could see her look up at me every so often. After 10 minutes, she stops the treadmill and puts the sign back on.

Well, you know me. I couldn't let this one slide without asking her about it.

According to her theory, people from the CDD/HOA Management group for our community neighborhood are trying to exchange all of the equipment that is owned for rental equipment. On top of that, the treadmill isn't even broken. Sounds fishy to me... I wonder which CDD Board Member that "broken" one is going to end up in. Maybe he owns the rental company too. I'd make it my mission to find out, but I just don't have the time these days.

That's my conspiracy theory and I'm sticking to it!

On a funny note, my 16 year old daughter just found my secret stash of her baby teeth. Yes, I kept every single one (with the exception of her wisdom teeth - that's where I draw the line). She was pretty grossed out. I keep them right next to my kids' umbilical cord clamps!!

Have a great week folks!!

Day 134 - Mother's Day of Rest

I woke up to an empty house. On Mother's Day? Are you kidding me??

Turns out Daddy dragged both kids to the grocery store early in the morning to get everything he needed to make my favorite breakfast of all: Eggs Benedict. Yum!!!

So, I ate my Eggs Benedict while enjoying my bouquet of flowers from Sierra and sipped my java in my new custom decorated coffee mug from Lil C....and by the way, it's official. I'm the World's Best Mom...well, maybe 2nd only to my mom, who I think is the best mom in the world...EVER. As I get older and have to deal with some of the issues that she had to with my own kids, I just think about all she had to endure with THREE GIRLS, and I am forever in debt to her for giving us everything that she did. Mind, body and soul.

No workout today, but while Daddy took Lil C to a birthday party, Sierra and I headed out to my Mama's house and ended up spending the entire afternoon and evening over there, sipping on wine, playing horse shoes and just enjoying some estrogen company with my mom & two sisters. I am so blessed to have the relationship with my mom and my sisters that I do. Nothing could replace that. I don't say it enough. I would be lost without them.

Photo: Mom & Dad with three girls under the age of 7. My heros.

Day 133 - Solar Heaven

I got my twenty in today, but it didn't seem like a workout at all! Spent the afternoon at the BFF's in her new pool. Initially, we had the pool all to ourselves and just drifted around, sipping our cool drinks, soaking in the summer heat. At one point I had the pool all to myself, so I took advantage and swam 10 hard and fast laps across the length of the pool. I was breathing heavy after the 4th pass. Good stuff. Swimming must burn some serious calories!

Later in the day, when the whole gang came over, we all got in the pool and started walking around in a circle and made a whirlpool/ripcurrent so strong that you could no longer stand still. Legs were BURNING!! Another good workout...especially when we all decided to turn around and reverse the whirlpool. Wholy cow. My legs were like jello when we finished.

Wrapped up the afternoon hanging out in the hot tub in 90 degree weather. We didn't care. It felt awesome, and our legs thanked us!!

Photo: Kids in the hot tub with BUBBLES!!! They had a blast.

Day 132 - Emotional Rollercoaster

Hit the treadmill this morning and enjoyed another Grey's Anatomy episode. I can't believe I quit watching this 2 years ago. Feels good to get back into the swing of working out. All it takes is 45 minutes a day and my energy levels increase all day long.

Tonight was Sierra's Year-end Band Banquet. She's a Junior this year so she got a little emotional when they started handing out awards to the Seniors. I think it hit her that she was going to be the one saying goodbye next near. She was sitting across the room with her boyfriend and friends, but I watched as she wiped away a couple tears with a napkin. Made me sad to see her sad, but thinking about all of her accomplishments made me happy again, then the thought of her leaving home and going to college made me sad again. It was a rollercoaster. Then she was voted "Best Smile" and 1/2 of "Cutest Couple" - so I was happy again. :o)

If I weren't so affected by emotions, life would be so easy and I would workout and eat right every single day. But, if given the opportunity, I wouldn't trade my emotional craziness for anything in the world. 

Photo is her "Best Smile" shot.

Day 131: Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner

I have to admit, I let April get away from me and I'm not very happy about that. Lots happened in those 30 days, and like a fool, I handed over the reigns without a fight.

Do you know how many calories I failed to burn in a month? 200 calories x 30 days = 6000 calories. That's approximately 2 pounds of fat that is still sitting on my belly and butt.

Well, not exactly. I spent more time at the gym than the average American, but it wasn't up to the standards that I now have set for myself.

What a waste.

My last blog post titled **CENSORED** was liberating, in a censored sort of way. I typed it out this morning, sat on it for a few hours while cleaning the house, then hit "Publish," threw on my tennis shoes, grabbed the iPad, and headed to the gym.

Baby's back.

FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y97bWP33d8I

Days 128 - 130 : **CENSORED**

I lied. Maybe THIS will be my last combo-day-post. Read through to the end and you may understand why.

I alternated between lots of editing on Monday and Tuesday with sets of 20 kitchen counter push-ups because I'm not allowed to do the treadmill for another couple of days. These are getting old and my arms are starting to hurt. However, after racking up 140 of them in an 8 hour period for 3 days in a row, the jiggle is gone and my pits are more defined... LOVE IT!!

I am starting to have treadmill withdrawals, and I can't wait to get started back on Season 7 of Grey's anatomy. I have the entire current season recorded on my DVR and it's clogging up my storage. Ugh!!!

I'm opening up a little here, in hopes of getting my mojo back. I've been having an internal conflict with my writing. I feel like I've been censored, so to speak, and it doesn't feel good. Earlier this year, I posted about some kids at **censored** where I was working and someone complained. How in the world this became an issue, I DO have an idea, but "as an employee of **censored**" it was inappropriate to post and I was advised of this a couple of weeks ago when it was brought to my attention. I didn't name names in the post, and I thought that they were funny and light-hearted. However, writing about the happenings at **censored** was enough to cause a stir. I totally understand the reasoning behind the complaint, and gladly agreed to remove the posts, but it's still a bit disheartening. What does this mean for you? No more blogs about unnamed kids at **censored**. I'll wait here while you go get a tissue. *sniff*

In writing this blog, I try to bring joy and motivation, humor and the occasional useful tool to people who are struggling with balancing the daily issues of life. Through my Facebook page, I see posts by friends who are living the high life, jet-setting around the world, friends who have to choose between paying a utility bill or buying groceries, friends who are going through Chemotherapy and having mastectomies, friends who are living in countries where they are oppressed and living in a police state, friends who are single parents and then friends like me...who are somewhere in the middle of the road, doing the best that we can with what we have.

What does all of this mean?

It means that in the grand scheme of life, this situation is simply a ridiculous blip on the radar and that **censored** might benefit from re-evaluating where and how they spend their time and energy, possibly making a shift to focusing on the positive things in life and making the world a better place as opposed to **censored****censored**.

And with that being said, I'm back.

Photo: Me.

Day 127 - Creative Therapy

Spent the majority of my day working on this collaborative project for bangstyle.com...in between sets of 20 kitchen counter push-ups and editing photos from the banker's conventionzzzzzzzzzzzzz all day. Talk about a snoozer. If you're a regular reader, you know why I can't do my regular workout...so I'm left to do only upper body for the next several days...made me a little nervous at first, but.... no sweat...not going to let that throw me off track. Push. Up. Push. Up. Push. Up. I. Will. Have. Guns. In. 4. Days.

Day 126 - PJ Poetry - The Comfort Zone

My calendar was bare.
I didn't do my hair.
I slept in a chair and
Dreamed of the fair.

I did clean one room,
But not with a broom.

Daddy was productive
And caught up with his chores.
Then he rested with me
while drinking a Coors.

One post on Facebook
Is all that you get.
I will be back, though.
Don't you fret.

Photo of the day is an image I found on Facebook. I found it fitting for me being that I spent the entire day in my PJs, piddling around in my own comfort zone.

Days 121-125 : Wacky Week

This should be my last "group post" - I hereby promise to my awesome readers to try to post something everyday again....even if it's just a photo of my feet. I'm stuck at 11 lbs down, but I guess that's better than 11 lbs heavier.

While I increased the length of my workouts, I also decreased the frequency of workouts...going from 5-6 days a week doing 20-30 minutes, down to 3-4 days a week doing 45 minutes. There is definitely something to be said about that.

My Wacky Week:

Monday: Started packing some more today. I hit all of the high stuff today. I think I climbed up and down my step ladder 50 times today...hands free. Definitely got a leg workout there, and all of the reaching, lifting, squatting, etc...I think I burned more calories than I would have on a treadmill. It was a great day, though. Lots accomplished...

Tuesday: Early morning Award ceremony for Lil C. He's in 1st grade and was one of 11 kids chosen out of his entire school of 800 students to receive the award for leadership, community awareness, grades, and a few other measurements. So proud of him. He can be such a terd at home. When I first received the notice that he was chosen to represent the school, I had to message his teacher to be sure there wasn't a mistake. No mistake. Turns out, he's a gem of a student at school...wish he would bring that kid home sometimes. Ha!

Wednesday: Had to spend the entire morning speed cleaning because we had a home inspection AND an appraisal that were coming today. No time for me during the day, so I made sure to hit the gym once Daddy got home. My daughter joined me this time. I'm hoping that she will continue to join me. Even though we're both watching our shows on the iPads, it's nice to know that she's right there next to me. She'll be packing up to go to college this time next year. Kinda makes me sad, but she won't be too far.

Thursday: Spent 6 hours shooting a banker's convention at Saddlebrook Resort & Spa. Thank goodness the time was broken up into 3 hour sessions, one session in the morning and the other in the evening. Now, while I consider myself to be fairly intelligent, I was humbled at this event. I understood approximately 40% of the words that were spoken. Clearly, I don't do finance. I mean, seriously, check out the frontal lobe on this guy. While I didn't make it to the gym today, I probably did 50-60 squats as I skulked around the convention getting shots without being noticed.

Friday: Got stuck with a needle about 30 times in the back of my legs. I bought a GROUPON for a $99 Sclerotherapy session. CLICK HERE to see a video clip of it. It wasn't too painful, but I have to wear these hideous medical grade compression hose on my legs for a week, plus no treadmill. I'm going to focus on upper body while my legs heal. Wrapped up the week watching my BFF's son perform with a local theater group (Arts in Motion - Pasco). What a great show!! Hope to go see the older kids perform "Grease" on Sunday.


Saturday: Drove into Tampa to watch my daughter's school's Band (Wind Ensemble) perform in their State Competition. Wow. I am in awe of people who are musically gifted. I've never understood music, couldn't grasp the concept. CLICK HERE to see one of their performances. While the sound quality on my cell phone stinks, they received two "Excellent" grades and one "Superior" - Well done, WRHS. Wrapped up the afternoon and evening at a Cinco de Mayo party at the house of a family who takes in wounded wild animals. The had lemurs, a bald eagle with one broken wing, wild boars, geese, opossums, rabbits, baby key deer, and a few others. They are all kept in very large cages and are surrounded by woods...a very natural habitat.

Stay tuned for a weeks worth of creative upper body workouts!!

Days 118-120: Impractical Jokers

Finally. A weekend to relax. No responsibilities, no kids, no husband. Don't get me wrong...you all know how much I love my kids and family, but this mamacita needed some time to regroup.

Cleaned the house for a couple of hours on Friday so that Daddy could enjoy his weekend at home in a clean house, then headed up to Lake City with the BFF. She goes up to her dad's farm to sit with her mom who suffers from Alzheimer's while her dad goes out of town. I go with her to help her maintain her sanity.

Unfortunately, our sanity was short lived. In the first 10 minutes, her mom disappeared... she decided to leave the property and take a walk up the side of the highway. Talk about an adrenalin rush. It was dusk and getting dark very quickly. We all split up, took off in cars going both directions...

By the grace of God, I found her walking along the side of the road, and managed to coax her into the car by using her daughter's name. She doesn't recognize me anymore, but she does respond to my BFF's name. Alzheimer's is such a horrible disease. It breaks my heart.

After an hour or so... we gathered our emotions and managed to have a fabulous weekend. Pedicures, online poker, RuPaul's Dragrace marathon (her mom LOVED this one), sunbathing and we discovered a new favorite show ...it's called "(Impractical) Jokers." We laughed until we had stomach cramps and almost pee'd our pants. Here is a link to one of the clips: http://www.trutv.com/video/impractical-jokers/come-on-people.html

I feel recharged, refreshed and ready to take on the world. Thanks for reading. Peace out.

Day 117: Fight Fire with Fire

Thursday, or better yet, quoting my friend, Shawna - it's Friday-eve. I've always said that if you're feeling low on energy, do the opposite of what your brain is telling you to do. Your brain will tell you to get more rest, but your brain is wrong. Taking a brisk walk when you're feeling an energy deficit will actually help increase your energy level. If you're in this category, try it. I challenge you. Once you see it for yourself, you will be a believer.

I woke up this morning with extreme pain in my toes and my fingers were sore too. Only now, there is a spot on my kneecaps that hurts as well. What's covering your kneecaps? Skin? I haven't taken a human biology class since high school. Maybe there is some connective tissue of some sort. I'm sure I'll be googling it after I finish this post.

I'm baffled as to what is going on. I asked Daddy to pick up Lil C from Karate tonight so that I could go to the gym. Whatever it is, I figured I'd try to take the same concept that I mentioned above and apply it to this pain. It's a risk, but what's the worst that could happen? More pain? No biggie. I'm tough.

I took it a little easy at the gym and started slower...taking longer to ease up to a 3.8 on the treadmill while watching the final Season 6 episode of Grey's Anatomy. I knew someone was going to die...thank goodness it was the newbies. I also think I figured out why I love the show so much. These characters push themselves to levels they don't believe in their minds that they can reach...and most of the time, they succeed.

That's the only way to live your life. Try to do something once a week that you don't think you can do. If it turns out you can't do it, then you've lost nothing. Give 100% and you can't lose.

If you're a committed follower of this blog, you know that I've had a rough month. Not blogging every day like I promised, sick kids, husband out of town, daughter's wisdom teeth extraction, fevers, vomit, packing boxes, and now this arthritis scare.

Life happens. Deal with it and move forward.

Daddy has offered to hold down the fort while I spend the weekend with the BFF in Lake City at her dad's farm. Nothing but pedicures, peace and quiet, reading, poker, wine and soaking up the rays for a bit. He's pretty awesome like that.

Out of the blue the other night, he came to me and told me that I should write a book. He's been reading my blog and thinks it's pretty darn good...maybe it was because I blogged about how awesome he was. Hmmmmm. This may not seem like a big deal to most people, but you have to know Charlie. He doesn't hand out compliments on a regular basis. It's on very rare occasion that he offers an unsolicited compliment to anyone. Felt good.

Photo is where I'll be Saturday morning...drinking my coffee and reading the rest of that book.

Days 115-116: Falling to Pieces

Woke up Tuesday with sore toes...shouldn't have done so much packing in flip flops, I guess. Worked out Tuesday afternoon and watched the 2nd most horrific episode of Grey's Anatomy to date. There was a shooter in the hospital and he shot almost EVERYONE!!! And when I say "shooter" I don't mean an assistant photographer!! OMG, there was blood everywhere. A few times, I know that I gasped pretty loud because the three people who were in there working out all looked up at the same time.

Wednesday woke up sore again...this is now day 3, and it's getting progressively worse each day. I'm starting to get a little worried. I'm not a complainer when it comes to my own body aches. I have a fairly high tolerance for pain. Charlie thinks I need to get checked for Fibromyalsia, or whatever that disease is. My back has been sore since November. That's 5 months. MRI scheduled for Friday to check my discs. It really sucks getting old. My older sister told me that things just start to fall apart at 40. Well, I have 2 more years to go before I'm 40. This isn't looking too good.

Drove out to Brandon to see my parents and my baby sister, who just so happened to land a job that day...Congrats, Sis!!! We ate Babe's Pizza and drank some red wine on the back porch overlooking the peaceful lake that we grew up on. No workout Wednesday...hurting all day...toes, fingers and knee caps. Plus I didn't want to see what happened on Grey's Anatomy. Someone is going to die. I can feel it.

Did a little investigating on my family medical history and discovered that my mom's twin sister was diagnosed with a rare form of arthritis. She wasn't much older than I am right now when she received that diagnosis. She can't remember the exact name, but I'll certainly find out what it is and hopefully save years and years of misdiagnosis. Bloodwork on Friday. Cross your fingers.

Photo is of my piggies from 2010. If I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, I want to remember my toes like this. Young and pretty. No comments on the fat toes. ffffttttt. None.

Day 114: Back to the Future

This day could not have been any better (for a Monday, that is).

I purged 50% of the crap from my closet, packed up the rest, hit the gym for a quick 45, made dinner, watched the movie "Wild Hogs" with the family, learned that 'Wilfred' was coming back on the air for a 2nd season and then Daddy agreed to hold down the fort while I go have some girl time with the BFF in Lake City this weekend...Nothing but sleep, pedicures, poker, Vitamin D, and sleep.
..hopefully in that order each day.

It doesn't get any better than this.

Day 113: Peace and Quiet

Enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning...

Daddy cooked breakfast for everyone, like he does every Sunday morning... then headed up to the BFF's to partake in some Vitamin D while the kids swam, and the big boys shot bow & arrows at the pine trees.

Well, Lil C didn't actually swim. He's like me. I won't get in unless the water is at least 85 degrees. BBBrrrrrr...it was only 77. My first purchase once we're in the new house will be a solar heater for the pool.

Nothing much else to tell ya, other than today was therapeutic ...a nice segue into TAKING BACK TWENTY....again.

I'm down 10 lbs from January 1st. Feels great, but the honeymoon phase is wearing off. Time to focus on the next 10. Gettin' this rear back in gear, people. Put down the chocolate cake and step aside.

Day 112: Crossing the Bridge

Daddy finally made it home. Whew~ I often don't give him enough credit for all that he does around here to make life go smoothly. Here's to you, Charlie!! You are the best husband ever.

Today Lil C crossed the bridge to become a Tiger Cub. He was so proud. Once the ceremony was over, he dove right into his new handbook, checking out all of the cool things he'll get to do on his way to becoming a full fledged Boy Scout.

I spent the entire morning packing up several boxes and helping to keep Sierra comfortable. She swelled up like a chipmunk this morning...even more than yesterday. She's so cute...thank goodness the nausea subsided and she can eat more soft foods...she lived off of mashed potatoes and ice cream for the first two days. Unfortunately, so did I...and it did a number on my digestive tract. I remember now why I vowed to ease up on the carbs and sugar. They taste yummy going in, but once they're there, it gets ugly...bloated up like a puffer fish.

Things are finally settling back to a normal schedule. Sickness is gone, Daddy's home and Sierra is functioning on her own. I think I can see the light at the end of this long, crazy tunnel that I've been in for 2 weeks.

Days 110 - 111: Chipmunk Cheeks

Daddy is still out of town. Realized why he takes the garbage out of the house so quickly when I throw empty meat containers away. I spent a good part of an hour trying to figure out why my kitchen smelled of decaying flesh when I woke up Thursday morning. It was the packaging from 10lbs of chicken that I put in there on Tuesday. It was definitely vomit worthy.

Then baby girl had to get her wisdom teeth out...all FIVE of them. This is the first time I've ever cared form someone who is coming out of anesthesia. Wow. Scared me a little when she wasn't back to normal an hour later...but doc said it was normal.

!!! GROSS STORY ALERT !!!!!

We learned a valuable lesson tonight, Sierra and I. Do NOT take prescription narcotic pain meds on an empty stomach. I tried to help her get to the bathroom in time, but instead, we both slipped in her projectile vomit and almost added ER visit to our day. We were able to catch ourselves on the wall and bathroom counter, so no one was hurt. Thank God.

She didn't laugh right away...but once it was all cleaned up, we laughed about it.

Good times.

Days 108-109: Single Mom

Daddy is gone this week. He takes the dog out at 6:30am, gets Sierra off to school at 6:45am, makes my coffee in the morning, takes the trash out, cleans the litter box, waters the garden, takes Lil C to Cub Scout meetings, and entertains the kids in the evenings. It has been a little rough on the homefront, but we are managing.

I spent the majority of my days packing up my office/storage room. There was a TON of stuff in that room, and it was definitely a workout.

I was so motivated by the large pile of "donation/trash" I created by cleaning out the office that I dove right into Lil C's room. Three large garbage bags later, his room was cleaned. He hardly noticed. I also now know how he was so fast and efficient at cleaning his room. He'd shove it all into his closet...toys, laundry, garbage, whatever. At least I didn't find another booger collection.


What hurts the most? My back. What hurts the 2nd most? My toes. I made the terrible mistake of doing 12 hours of packing and stretching and lifting and box moving in $10 Wal-Mart flip flops.

A friend from CA who just recently moved told me that she did the same thing and is still paying the price. Packing is a workout. You bend, you stretch to reach things, you lift heavy things, you carry heavy weights, you sweat... My recommendation: wear tennis shoes.

Now that I have those rooms all cleared out, I feel much better about the rest of the house. My body is in a little bit of pain, but I'm still down 10lbs. My workouts have become a little more domesticated these days, but sweat is sweat, and sweat feels good!

Days 105-107: Snapped

It's the name of a show on television... the Oxygen Network

I am almost there. Not literally, but I can certainly relate to the ladies on this show... Never heard of it? It's pretty interesting. Click Here

This weekend was non stop. Reunited with the treadmill after 9 days of seclusion with a 7 year old boy and cartoons, Poker Night, Real Estate stuff, Birthday Party, Real Estate Stuff, Cookout, Real Estate stuff and then finally crashed, only to wake up to Monday morning.

I think I need a time out.


3 days of speed packing and my back is killing me, too. Note to self: Do not wear flip-flops while packing boxes.

Aren't you glad you clicked the link to read this? Now you know how I feel.

Photo is serene...a lake near my house. I will stare at it for a few hours, and drink a couple glasses of wine.  That's should fix things. Or maybe it's where I threw the body...muuaahahahaha. JUST KIDDING!!!


Peace out.

Day 103 - Abducted by Aliens

Who are you and what have you done with my husband?

In the same day, my husband, whom I often refer to as "Daddy,"

1.) Offered to babysit the kids so that I could get out of the house and socialize with my adult friends

2.) Called me from work JUST to tell me that the chicken that I had grilled the night before was absolutely perfect and very delicious

3.) Only called me one time while I was spending time my friends (and it was only to verify the amount of medicine to give to Lil C, so it doesn't really count), and

4.) Had the dishes done and the kitchen cleaned when I got home.

Suspect, I tell ya, but I'll take what I can get.

He might actually feel bad for me since I've been stuck inside for 7 days with sick kids, or he might be seeing signs that I'm about to crack and he'd rather take the offensive and be proactive than be on the receiving end when I actually DO crack.

No, I didn't work out today. I DID, however, do 20 kitchen counter push ups at the BFF's while her hubby opened a bottle of wine for me. I can't really count that as exercise, though. I was just warming up for my 8oz bicep curls.

On an AWESOME note, I'm down 10 lbs. Yep, you read it correctly. 10 lbs. AND, my belly button ring has come out of hiding. I'm celebrating by wearing a tube-top tank today. Yay me.

Photo is of my jeans. I think it might be time to retire the fat jeans and go shopping.

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Day 101-102 - Institutionalized

I have spent the past 7 days stuck in this house with sick kids.

Knowing that I would not be able to get to the gym, I did random kitchen counter push ups through out Day 101 and then speed cleaned on Day 102.

When speed cleaning, if you have two shoes to carry from the living room to the bedroom, take one at a time and walk twice as fast. Continue with each and every item that needs to be put away.

I wish I had actually counted the push-ups. If you start at 9am and do 20 of them every hour or so, you can manage 160. It's so easy, and it burns so good!! That pound that I gained last week was gone this morning (technically day 103). Kind of diggin' that.

I've always heard that the longer it takes you to take the weight off, the longer it takes you to put it back on. If my math skills are as sharp as they used to be, and if I live to be 90 years old, I SHOULD be able to eat right and exercise for the next 26 years, and then splurge for my final 26 years??? I like my math. These are the things that I think about when I'm stuck at home for 7 days. Feeling a bit institutionalized.

Photo: Coloring Eggs on the Tuesday AFTER Easter. Better late than never!!

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Day 100 - Spongebob: My Inspiration

Wow. I've been at this for 100 days. I'm down a total of 8 lbs. It would have been more, but I started to slack.

I think that I was happy with the 8 lbs that I had already lost, therefore becoming complacent:

 [com·pla·cent (k m-pl s nt). adj. 1. Contented to a fault; self-satisfied and unconcerned]. 

While being complacent has its place in life, it has no place in Taking Back Twenty.


I celebrated this day with 100 kitchen counter push-ups, and they kicked my complacent butt. 


If you're a committed "Taking Back Twenty" reader, you know that we're in the process of selling our house, moving, buying property, finding a place to rent and building a new home. Talk about stress levels through the roof. My new found complacency has allowed me to fall right back into my "Lose, Stop, Gain" pattern. It's a vicious cycle that ended today. 

I'm not going to get down on myself because that will lead to more avoidance and fear of failure. That is the hardest thing to remember. This process is not a win/lose or pass/fail situation. Just like everything else in life, there is a cycle, and it's time to ramp it back up... If it means the laundry isn't caught up or the house isn't spotless, or the beds aren't made, then so be it. 


Quoting my positive influence, Spongebob Squarepants, "Now it's time to briiiinnnngggg it around tooowwnnn."

If you haven't experienced the funny and positive nature'd sponge man-boy, please check it out here: "Bring It Around Town by Spongebob Squarepants"


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Day 97 - Back to Square One

I have no spare time. We have been scrambling for 10 days now...getting paperwork done, taping boxes getting ready to start packing, doing due diligence on the property that we want to buy, and now for the past two days, tending to two very sick children. They each had a separate illness, and now they have traded and each has what the other had the first two days.

Today, we met with a builder to discuss pricing, which did nothing but raise Charlie's blood pressure...we may have to find cheaper property to build the house that we want.


I've gained a pound back, but it feels like 10. However, I DID find a wonderfully delicious comfort food snack at the grocery store tonight... cheesecake filled chocolate graham cracker cookies. Holy crap. I will have to ban them once I've eaten the entire bag.

Sitting here after midnight typing my blog because it's the first time today that I've actually had time to stop and sit uninterrupted. I think I'm going to close this post out right now, go back to the beginning and re-read my own blog. Mentally, I feel like I am back at square one. Physically there hasn't been much change. I think that's the beauty of losing it the old fashioned way...you get a longer grace period before having to pull out the fat jeans.

Days 94 - 96 : Crazi-Daze

I apologize to those who were hoping for some funny antics about my workout, or about something funny that happened these past few days, but we have been scrambling getting everything ready for our closing, PLUS trying to sketch a design for our new house and secure the property we want to buy.

With all of that going on, I also have 2 sick kids.

Forgive me. I will get back on track soon, and then blog about how life happens and we will all fall out of our routine every once in a while.

Day 93 - White T-Shirt Contest

Did you really think I would enter a white T-Shirt contest? Ha! Not even at 18. I was the one watching, thinking to myself, "OMG - who raised you?" Now I'm the one telling my daughter, "Don't be that girl."

I had a nice relaxing weekend in Daytona with my sister and the girls, but today was about getting back on track. I was feeling a little thinner this morning, so I decided to try on the white tank top. I tend to avoid wearing white tank tops because of how they accentuate the curves that aren't supposed to be there. You all know which curves I'm talking about. The ones on your belly that look like the Michelin Man. Yeah - those. Well, today they were less noticeable...especially if I stood up REALLY straight and tall.

I hit the gym around 11am, which made me feel really young and fit. I was surrounded by 6 old people who were probably there on Dr.'s orders. I hooked up the iPad and clocked 45 minutes at 3.8, which is a comfortable pace if you're watching TV at the same time.

I got a text from my sister today around 4:15p that said she was on her way over to my house to do P90x - Oh CRAP!! I had forgotten that I had committed to doing this with her 4 days a week. Instead of jumping in head first, we did the stretching video today and all I could think about was how dirty my floor was. But I enjoyed it...felt great...and the guy in the DVDs is hilarious. He reminds me of Jim Carey.

Days 88 - 92: Daytona Beach Spring Break 2012

What a fabulous weekend. We got an offer on the house on Thursday...an offer that we couldn't even think twice about refusing. They offered $3K more for the house than we paid for it 4 years ago. So, needless to say, we accepted the offer and should be closing on the house within 45 days. Let the fun begin. This put me so far behind in my editing that I was up until 3am finishing my final edit before I had to head out of town for the weekend.

Spent the past few days in Daytona Beach for my daughter's Winterguard Competition. I brought my laptop with me to keep up on the blog, but Hilton Oceanwalk charged $10/day for internet service. They also charge $20/day for parking, $6.95 for a side of sausage with your breakfast, and $6 for a can of soda... What a ripoff.

Other than that, the WRHS Winterguard show was amazing. CLICK HERE to take a peek. We stayed 2 nights so that the girls could experience Daytona Beach Spring Break 2012. I came home expecting to have gained 3 pounds, but I didn't...no gain, no loss. LOVE IT!!

Now on to trying to find a new place to live, or rent, while we find our perfect homesite!!! Nervous and excited all at the same time!!! Have a great, productive week...going to hit the gym every day this week...I have lots of make-up calories to burn off!!

Photo is a self portrait of me, my new "Housewives of Wesley Chapel" hat and a glass of wine in a paper cup... in the Hilton Oceanwalk Elevator. 

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Day 87 & 88 - Abbr.

Day 87 - Worked out. 45 minutes. Treadmill.

Day 88 - Spent some time in the chair with Master Danny and had to reset my cell phone so I lost tons of contact numbers. Did NOT work out.

Day 86 - The Big Bad Wolf

I let the acrylic on my big toes grow out for an entire month longer than they are supposed to, and my Two Little Piggies started looking like the Big Bad Wolf. After my Mini-Pedi, I was going to go hit the gym before Lil C got home from school, but I didn't want to mess up my shiny new nubs, so I waited.

Instead, I dove head first into my editing. I have two sessions to edit this week... it's probably going to take me a few hours to finish each batch. Thankfully, I was able to fix dinner in the gaps between editing batches while the images uploaded to my editing software. I'm a great multi-tasker. Some might say that I'm borderline ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). There is a VERY THIN line between the two, you know? If you are a multi-tasker who can't seem to get anything done, you're not a multi-tasker. You have ADD. On the flip side, if you have been diagnosed with ADD, yet have a knack for getting a lot of things done in a day, you don't have ADD. You're a master multi-tasker.

OK - I'm bored with this now.  ADD? Who cares. If so, I don't want any meds. Life would be one big bore if I had to focus on any one thing for more than 15 minutes.

Thank goodness for Grey's Anatomy episodes on Netflix...that's the only thing that keeps me on the treadmill for 45 minutes. Two days in a row...that's 400 calories: gone. If I keep this up, I may actually start losing again. It seems like I've been stuck at 8 lbs for weeks...until yesterday...but then again, I've been wussing out more than normal too. Do you think the two are correlated? Hmmmm.

Check out this calculator to see how many calories you burn in a day (it's a general idea...not exact): http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-burned.php

There's no trick or secret code, people. Less in + More out = Weight Loss

My magic number is 2140. I burn 2140 calories just during my daily routine.
Scientifically speaking, a human must burn 3500 calories to lose 1 lb of fat.
If I eat 2140 calories each day, plus burn an extra 200 calories a day (which I do by walking for 45 minutes), it will take me 17.5 days to lose 1 lb. (200 x 17.5 = 3500)
HOWEVER.....if I reduce my caloric intake to 1840, plus burn the additional 200 calories, that puts me at a total deficit of 500 calories per day which means it would only take me 7 days to lose that same 1 lb. (500 x 7 = 3500).

That's a 300 calorie difference. Do you know what has 300 calories? One single serving of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies. No joke. It's a very delicate process. Peace out - brain is tired... took much thinking about one particular thing.

Day 85 - Hunger Pangs

Enjoyed a nice lazy Sunday morning, thanks to our extremely late night last night. I feel like I have been wussing out on my workouts lately, so the 1 lb loss this morning was a very nice surprise. I decided to measure myself again and discovered another 1/2 in loss on my neck and on my arms. This is one more reason to not beat yourself up over not working out for a couple of days when you know that you should have. That was my goal when I started this little venture. It was MY time and I would do the best that I could to take back what I needed to both stay sane and reduce my waistline.

I do miss the times when I could lose 10 lbs in a week, but that never lasted more than a few months, always resulting in a return of the lost weight and then some. I'm finding that it's a very delicate balance, and by slightly adjusting what you eat along with slightly adjusting what you do physically, you can lose weight. I'm down 9 lbs total in 85 days and I haven't been over exerting myself by any stretch of the imagination. Changing that tomorrow.

On the food front, I've started a slow and gradual decrease in processed foods and increase in whole, GMO-free foods...focusing on the things that we use on a daily basis. So far, I've replaced Lil C's chicken nuggets and corn dogs with turkey sandwiches, apples sauce, bananas and yogurt. I've eliminated soda, corn oil and Splenda and replaced it with water, grape seed oil and raw agave sweetner, respectively. I used to drink a 2 litre of soda every day...it took me 3 months to break myself of that habit. I tried switching Lil Charlie's cereal, but I made the mistake of letting him see the box. Lesson learned!! Thanks to Aunt Rhonda, I'll be mixing it with our remaining "Cinnamon Toast Crunch" cereal and then eventually completely replacing it in an old "Cinnamon Toast Crunch" box...stay tuned for whether that works or not. Fingers crossed. Going at it slowly, I have yet to see an increase in our grocery bill.

This afternoon, I joined the gang for a matinee movie: Hunger Games. I haven't read the book yet, but after seeing this movie, it is definitely on my list of books to read this year. It had some bloody violence, but it was survival violence, which I view differently than evil violence.

I brought the sippy cup with me and taught my new friends a very valuable lesson in sanity preservation. I learned from the master. She knows who she is.

Hope you all have a wonderful week. Thank you so much for reading. I wish you would leave me more comments. {o.O}

Day 84 - Midnight Madness

Two photoshoots today. One at 9am and one at 11:30am, then had to clean the house because we were having a party this evening. However, before the party, we headed out to a 50's style sock hop to help raise money for a local kids theater group. I've been trying to talk Lil C into joining, although he really doesn't have any time in his schedule. He refuses. No way, no how, he says.

While at the sock-hop, he was hula hooping like a rock-star...swingin' his arms and shakin' his rump in front of what was probably an audience of about 100 people. Totally hamming it up. That kid has no fear...and apparently he has no insecurities because on the ride home, my BFF asked him why he didn't want to join the theater. His reply: "I'm way better than all of them." I love his self-confidence, but I think he might need a great big slice of humble pie!!

Post Sock-Hop: What I had imagined would be 10-12 people turned into 24. Twelve kids and twelve adults...but I wouldn't have it any other way. We hung out in the kitchen, swapping laughs and then played a friendly game of Spoons, which ended in one of my new friends sliding head first across my huge kitchen island, almost falling over the edge and nearly losing his pants as someone tried to same him from sustaining serious head trauma. Totally diggin' my new friends. How often is it that 6 couples could hang out together and EVERYONE gets along. I'm still trying to memorize which kids belong to which couples...guess that will come in time.

Photo: The twelve kids. They were better behaved than the adults.

I'm writing this on Monday. I'm fairly certain that I hit the treadmill between cleaning house and the Sock-Hop, but I can not confirm that with 100% confidence.

Day 83 - Friday Night Family Fun

No exercise today, but I certainly took back TWO HOURS tonight. Here are two videos to help you understand how we spent our precious Friday Night!!

Day 82 - おいしい料理

Today was the BFF's birthday... the day that she finally catches up to me so that we can be the same again. However, if you ask her, she'll tell you something different....something along the lines of, "No, I'll ALWAYS be younger than you." Hahahaha. It's our thing. I try to make her older than she is and she rubs it in.

I joined her for lunch today at a local Japanese hibachi restaurant. I couldn't believe the prices. They were half the price of the dinner menu and you get the same amount of food. You can order the chicken dinner for $8. It includes the hibachi chicken, fried rice and vegetables, soup and a salad. The No. 7 McDonald's meal is almost $8. Scheesh!!

I know where I'm going to lunch from now on!!

I made my way back home and then set into my routine for Thursday evening... get Lil C from the bus stop, start dinner, go to Karate class, come back home, eat dinner, do the dishes and crash. But, before I submitted to "the crash," I decided to put on my tennis shoes. Although it's more than likely psychological, when I put my tennis shoes on, I immediately feel a renewed sense of energy. A second wind. So I hopped in the car and headed to the gym.
 
When I got there, I could see that there were about 7 teenage boys working out and I just wasn't in the mood to deal with that, so I went back home and did some Pilates-type exercises (called: Closed Kinetic Chain) along with some stretching on the floor, as I watched a Grey's Anatomy episode. Sounds easy, huh? Try getting onto your hands and knees and kick your foot back and then up towards the sky. Do that 100 times and your rear end will be en fuego. (On Fire) Then, from a lying position, lift your upper body and your legs off the ground at the same time, balancing on your rear end. Do this 10 times for 10 count holds. En fuego, I tell ya. En fuego!! ( yes, I know my Spanish is terrible...after taking 2 years of it, the only thing I remember is cierto la puerta because I sat right next to the door in the back of the room and she asked me to close it every single day.

Looking forward to the weekend!! Enjoy yours!!

Photo: The card I gave her for out BFF-iversary