an unusal weekend ahead

So -- I'm in a very unusual position for the weekend!  Mr. Steady and I are going to be home all alone!  It wasn't planned at all and now I'm trying to decide what to do with 2 1/2 days without children.  Hmmmm...

My 13 year old is going on a church trip beginning tomorrow right after school until Monday, and my 10 year old is going with a friend to their lake house. 

Exciting stuff!  I'll be making a list today so I that I make the most of my free time.    We don't have extra money (or energy right now) to do any traveling, otherwise it would be a great opportunity to take a quick weekend trip somewhere.  But, honestly, I am looking forward to just being home alone.

What would you do with an unexpected respite from your normal routine?  I'll have about 60 hours...

my 21 day challenge

January thru April were crazy busy for me this year.   But since we have gotten back from our vacation, I've been able to spend the month of May simply relaxing and taking care of my family and things around the house.  It's been really nice!  During my downtime I'm realizing that I needed to make my health a priority and now is a great time to get serious about it since I don't have too much extra stuff going on.

I truly wish that I could tackle my weight with the same passion and dedication that I tackled our debt.  It was so much easier for me to say "no" to spending money and "yes" to savings/debt reduction than it is for me to say "no" to food, and essentially saying "yes" to weight gain/poor health.   I've tried thinking of my extra weight as extra debt and it was a great kick start, but old habit eventually crept back up and the weight, of course, came back on.   What seems to work best (which is truly common sense) for me to lose weight is to eat whole foods, exercise daily, and have someone hold me accountable.  If you've read my blog for a while, you know that I'm constantly recommitting myself to weight loss.  And if you haven't been following me, you can simply do a search of "weight", see what comes up, and see that it's been an on-going struggle.  Will this time be different?  I honestly don't know.   But, I've got the time to focus on it now and I have you guys to keep me accountable. 

So, what's my plan?

I'm giving myself a challenge for the next 21 days.  I'm challenging myself to follow an eating plan that my (longtime ago...) personal trainer gave me in 2004.  The thing I love about this Meal Plan is that is shows what types of foods I need to have at each meal, along with how much I need to eat.  It's about 1450 calories a day.  For example, breakfast consists on 1 fruit (usually I would choose a banana, grapes or blueberries), 2 servings of milk (yogurt), 2 meats (2 egg whites and a string cheese), and 1 fat (a slice of bacon).  It ends up being a lot of food and a great way for me to start the day.  When I eat this way for breakfast I rarely need a snack before lunch!   Will I do this perfectly?  No...I know of a few social functions on the calendar where I'll want to eat something other than what's on the Plan.  But, my goal is to get right back on track after I have a fun night out.

Along with my Meal Plan, my goal is also to follow the running schedule that my marathon coach gave me back in 2003.  I haven't been exercising much this year, but the first 3 weeks of the running schedule are great for easing back into running.

Do you notice anything?  Back in 2003-2004, when my children were little, I had a trainer at the gym and was part of a running team with a coach.  Being healthy and having a healthy weight were so much more of a priority to me then.   I turned to exercise to relieve stress.  Now I turn to food and wine not only to relieve stress, but when I'm happy, when the weather's nice, and when I need a special treat!

So - 21 days, 3 weeks to commit to a healthy diet and exercise plan.  Of course I'm hoping to lose some weight, and in 21 days I'll be happy with the results and come up with a new challenge for the next 21 days.

If you have something you'd like to challenge yourself to over the next 21 days, let me know and we can support one another!

wasting time...

I sat down to the computer to write a post and got side tracked jumping from one thing to another.  (I'm sure that never happens to anyone else! )  Essentially, I'm wasting time.  So, instead of trying to think of what I want to write, and where to begin in telling you what I've been doing for the last 2 months, I'm going to jot down what I ought to be doing...and then go do it!  I've got basketball games to sit through this weekend, so perhaps I'll write a bit in between games?

I'm not sure if I can get all of this done today, so we'll make it my weekend list!


3 loads of laundry
Apply Round Up around fence line
Try and teach myself how to start and use the weed eater
Lay 20 bales of pine straw in flower beds
Water the front and back yards
Transplant fern from front porch to barrel under back porch
Tidy house (Mr. Steady and my FIL are coming in tonight from Las Vegas!)
Make sure guest bedroom and bath are both clean and ready for FIL
Change sheets on my bed
Write letter to a friend in my Bible Study group
Update expenditures on my $$ log
Go to Sam's
Take son to orthodontist appointment
Remember to get copy of contract at Ortho for our insurance
Think about logistics for starting a summer Bible Study at my house
Purchase tickets for my boys to fly to Texas in June
Remind oldest son to clean his bathroom and mow front yard
Remember to pick up my oldest from school since he's not riding bus today
Prepare snack bag for basketball tourney and figure out where we are going and what time we need to leave
Add to compost bin and turn it

I feel like I'm forgetting something, but this will at least give me a visual on what I should be doing instead of playing on the computer.

Y'all have a good Friday!  

hello again!

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day yesterday!

I have to admit that mine was bittersweet.  Mother's Day 2011 was the last time I saw my Mom before she passed away in January.  And I'm thrilled that I had the chance to share that weekend with her last year.  We went shopping together and I took her to lunch while my Dad, my hubby and my boys went to watch my youngest son play in a basketball tournament.  It was one of the nicest weekends I'd spent with my mom in years.

Yesterday was a day spent in introspect.  Our minister subtly challenged us Moms to be godly women who set good examples for our children.  I spent the day the day thinking about what I am doing and what I am not doing to set a good example for my boys, and asking myself if I'm being the kind of mom I want my boys to have.  All of these thoughts are going on in my mind while I'm missing my own Mom.  Needless to say it was an emotional day and I was thrilled when it was time to go to bed and let the day end!

So, today is a new day and I'm ready to be back after a much needed break from blogging (where I took a break from many organized and not so organized activities, and took a fabulous trip to Italy).   

I have a fresh perspective on things and am happy to be back to my neglected Steady Plodding site!