Three Weeks Before
Big Bear and I just couldn’t get up the gumption to put up any decorations. We didn’t want to put up a tree. We didn’t feel like pulling out any of the
Santa came early to our house. First he stopped by with this for Polar Cub:
Big Bear and I always celebrate
This year Big Bear had been fighting a nasty cold all week, and it hit hard on
Big Bear’s mom makes a big breakfast on
This year Big Bear’s brother –who spends the night at my in-laws with his girls every
Big Bear did feel better by the afternoon, so we went over to my mom’s for surf and turf. I can’t talk about the turf, but the surf was oh so good!
Day After
Big Bear’s mom called and wanted to make breakfast. Big Bear and I picked up my nephews and we all went out to the farm. It was a lot of fun. We spent the day with my nephews, Frog face and Turtle nose. We played games back at our house, went to the mall, and had a wonderful day! It was the best day of the entire week!
The ingredients are all accounted for and ready...
I'll try to post updates as I go along. 
It has taken a full year, but all of the Marching Pandas are out of here!!! No offense to any of you, but in the nearly four years we have been waiting I have never been so excited to have a month completed.
In this post I told you about the “Winter Meltdown” the YMCA was offering. I was nervous, but excited about attending. I have needed something to ‘click on my switch’ to lose weight.
Today Big Bear's family is having their Thanksgiving celebration. My mother-in-law plans it this way so that everyone can be there, and then on Thanksgiving we don't have to eat two meals. Also this way Big Bear and I can head north to Chicago for Thanksgiving with my brothers and not worry about how to divide the time.
· The Olympics
Our nieces, Miss C and Miss B, came for a short visit yesterday with my mother-in-law. It’s always fun to see the girls.
It is said that there are underlying issue when a person battles with weight. Sure, I guess I could blame stress at work, stress of the adoption, family and friends, or even food manufacturers, but come on ~ REALLY!?! I’m a big girl. I don’t feel the need to blame anyone but myself.
Calories in ~ calories out, I know the formula. It is just a matter of following that formula and sticking to it. There is my problem, STICKING to it! When I am regimented and strict with working out and with my diet I have no problem seeing the pounds fall off. I just can’t seem to find the middle ground. If I’m not working my ass off, I’m not working it at all. I get lazy. I enjoy sleeping past four in the morning. I enjoy eating. I enjoy spending the evening with my husband making dinner and watching a movie or TV.
When I am in the ‘healthy mode’ something happens, I can’t explain it, but it is as if a switch is turned on and I’m ready to ‘get healthy’ again. I start working out and eating better. Everything seems to click. Then I will stumble and the switch is turned off. Before I know it, the pounds are creeping back. I am stuck in this sad, never ending cycle.
The switch has been off for a while, and I am waiting for it to click back on. I have the most important reason in the world to want/need to get healthy but I just can’t get into it this time ~ no matter how hard I try.
I have absolutely NO desire to be a fat mom. I am already going to be a ‘mature’ mom. I want to be a healthy mom who can and will do anything with my girl. I want to be around for a long, long time. I need to find that damn switch, but it seems so far out of reach. Last week a coworker forwarded an email that she received from the YMCA. The Y is going to have a ‘Winter Meltdown’. It sounds like it is going to be a version of The Biggest Loser. It is open to people who would like to lose 20 or more pounds. There will be special cardio and toning classes, private weigh-ins, and incentives given for highest percentage of weight lost.
At first I was so excited. This sounded like it was EXACTLY what I needed to do to flip on my switch again. I tend to be a little competitive (cough, cough), and not doing something to the best of my ability is not my nature. I was excited when I first read the email. I made myself seriously think about it for 24 hours before rushing over to sign-up.
The next day I did stop into the Y afterschool to sign up. As I was walking back to my car I thought, “What the Hell did you just do?” I began to think, ‘what if I am the only person who has more than 21 pounds to lose?’ and ‘This time of year?’ Are you crazy? We are weeks away from pumpkin pie, holiday parties, and Christmas treats. HELLO!?!?! I figured I had a week to let the dust settle and wrap my brain around all of this.
Wednesday night I received a phone call from the Y. They wanted to set up a time for a fitness test. Fitness Test????? No one said anything about a fitness test? Good Golly? Stress level rose a little higher…
To get me through this I think about the fact that hopefully not too long after the holidays are over we will be receiving our referral. I seriously do not want to be miserable traveling to China, all the while wishing I would have, should have, could have done something about my weight. I know I won’t be where I want to be before we travel, but I will have a head start.
This program will be a good thing, as long as I am not the ONLY one with more than 20pounds to lose. It will keep me motivated even when I really want that piece of pecan pie. I’ll share a piece of pie with Polar Cub next Thanksgiving.
Monday is the first meeting and my fitness test (Oy!). Hopefully this will be what finally helps me flip that bloomin’ switch. Will I bore you all if I post about it here? Part of me wants to post, but this is one of those topics I am never sure if it’s too much information. What do you think?
Time to get it in gear!
Today the students at the school where I teach put on an amazing Veteran's Day assembly. The band, choir, and orchestra performed. There were Veterans present from wars past and present. Speeches were given by the principal and a Veteran who graduated from our school several years ago. He has served in Afghanistan and just came home this past March. The entire student body sat silent as he told the stories of two fallen soldiers he served with while in Afghanistan. It was an amazing moment to have over 1,000 high school students sitting in complete silence.
The blogging world, as I know it, is slowly but surely dwindling away. People are not blogging like they used to in the past. I have taken several breaks from blogging because at times it is difficult to come up with topics to write about. Other times I have written a post and then not posted because I think it is either too much information, it was written in a heated moment and I shouldn’t say it, or I don’t think anyone really wants to read my mumblings. There are the families that are home now and have much better things to do than sit in front of a computer. I KNOW I will be one of those who won’t be on the computer much once Polar Cub is home.
Choosing a name for your child, I have learned, is a very sensitive, personal issue.
Such a GREAT beginning!!!
Any time I feel like I am coming down with something I start taking this as soon as possible. I honestly think it has helped me several times. Last week I still had a stuffy nose, but nothing I couldn't deal with. Big Bear, on the other hand, was down and out. He really has had a hard time getting over this cold. I tried to get him to take some of the Esberitox, but he didn't believe me. He ALMOST said I was right, almost. :o)
...and don't forget Jerry!
Don't get me wrong Mr. Mouse I don't mind seeing you outside in the field, in a stall, or at the zoo. I will NOT, however, tolerate you in my house. Thank your lucky stars there is no evidence of you in the kitchen or this would be an all out WAR. For now it's just a battle, so you better scurry and look for a warm place some where else!
