Isn't she a cutie?! We love our Memaw, and are very blessed to celebrate her 96th birthday today. She is an amazing woman: still lives alone, makes her daily cornbread and vegetables, and enjoys keeping up with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She even enjoyed those two crazy boys posing with her as he opened her birthday Snuggie early a couple of weekends ago. She is my handsome hubby's grandma, and I will never forget what she said to me 21 years ago. I was 7 months new into the family, meeting all the family in South Carolina for my hubby's younger brothers college graduation, unsure of myself, pregnant and feeling seasick constantly, and trying to find an early morning breakfast table in the hotel dining area. She called me over to her table, chatted with me non-stop, and told me,"Honey, you and I have something in common; we are both outsiders in this family, and so we have to stick together." Now at that point she had already been an "outsider" for over 25 years, and now that I look back on her Matriarchal influence realize she was anything but an outsider, but at that time in my naive and young mind she couldn't have said anything better to make me feel included, loved, and secure. I know, being an outsider shouldn't have really made me feel secure, but knowing she, the oldest and highly revered lady of the family wanted to cohort with me even in the realm of outsider made me feel ironically included; I had an ally. To this day she still makes me feel like we are friends with something in common. I have a funny feeling that everyone else in the family feels the same way about her. Happy Birthday Memaw, and thank you for making my world a lot brighter!
While recovering from the horrible stomach bug this morning I saw this link over at Diane's fittothefinish.com. She did this on her blog and I thought it was fascinating. Anyway, if you go to www.wordle.net, and type in a web address it picks out the most commonly used words and prints them out randomly. You can keep hitting the randomize button a million different times. I spent way to long playing with this! Thank you Diane for the fun tip!
Our family was hit with the super stomach bug this week. Not fun. I was hoping I was invincible, but found out Friday morning I was not. I had not felt that bad in a long time. Hopefully it is behind us, and we are all on the mend! Today the weather is finally feeling springish, my children have gone outside, and hopefully the throw up buckets are retired until next winters flu bug hits. Sounds like perfect circumstances to start getting my ten pounds off before Easter. Now if my head will just stop spinning, I might think about the elliptical in a day or two.
I am giving credit to Stephanie from Nieniedialogues.com for the video above. Amazing and really motivating if anyone needs some new exercises for their daily routine!
I need some new exercises for my mental muscles. What I am gathering from my blog reading of late is that the bottom line is it is all in our heads. If our heads are right our actions follow. Of course if we can manage the right actions long enough, our heads get in gear and follow too. Back to the original chicken and egg debate I guess. Mental then action or action then mental. Ideally one should support the other. The stronger my mental muscle is directly affects my choices and decisions. BUT while I am growing and stretching that weak mental muscle, my actions of exercising consistently and eating healthy encourage and inspire the often times weak mental muscle.
Mental muscle workout: I want the evening unhealthy snack. If I give in I reinforce the instant gratification brain muscle and promote my normal cycle of defeat. If I stretch that mental muscle (review my calories, goals, long term desires) and push past the instant food gratification, I strengthen my mental muscle. When I do that I can almost feel my brain growing. I mean that in jest but wait- not completely. When I go to bed with my mental muscle strengthened and stretched my head feels like it is bursting with pride, accomplishment, growth, and peace. Defeat is such a discourager.
I am thinking out loud here, and almost confusing myself. Bottom line is this is my to me, myself, and I pep talk to get it together. NOW. During the month of February I lost ZERO pounds. ZERO. Let's see....at that rate I will get to my goal....in...a..NEVER. NEVER. Never is not okay. I have a little rose jacket waiting for me. Now is the time in my yo-yo history where I begin drinking hot cocoas (already begun), hang clothes on my elliptical, and model my stretchy pants. Okay the stretchy pants have not really ever gone away yet, but I dream of the day they do. So reality check before I gain the 14 pounds back. Yes they are still gone thank goodness. I also lost 12 inches since I measured on January 13, 2010. So 14 pounds and 12 inches gone are a great start, but I need to keep going forward!
This brings me to my goals. I did not do very well with my February goals. I did accomplish some of them. I did journal my food and exercise more than not. I did start my closet. I did have family game night. I have been debating to goal or not to goal for the month of March. Debating for 4 days into March. I know I need some goals, but I don't want my goals to stress me out giving me an excuse to give up. So I guess I will say a few goals out loud that I am thinking and hope I find the metal muscle to make them a reality. Today I will start journaling my food and exercise again. I need to finish my closet before one of my children gets lost in there. I need to lose around ten pounds to fit into my Easter skirt from two years ago. Ideally I would like to do this by, yes, Easter. That means ten pounds in the next 4 weeks. Start working out mental muscles cause I am gonna need you!
I am a Believer, lover, mother, daughter, teacher, and friend. Sharing my journey while I try to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. My last baby is six. My tangible inspiration is my Little Rose Jacket hanging new and unworn in my closet.
Isn't she a cutie?! We love our Memaw, and are very blessed to celebrate her 96th birthday today. She is an amazing woman: still lives alone, makes her daily cornbread and vegetables, and enjoys keeping up with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She even enjoyed those two crazy boys posing with her as he opened her birthday Snuggie early a couple of weekends ago. She is my handsome hubby's grandma, and I will never forget what she said to me 21 years ago. I was 7 months new into the family, meeting all the family in South Carolina for my hubby's younger brothers college graduation, unsure of myself, pregnant and feeling seasick constantly, and trying to find an early morning breakfast table in the hotel dining area. She called me over to her table, chatted with me non-stop, and told me,"Honey, you and I have something in common; we are both outsiders in this family, and so we have to stick together." Now at that point she had already been an "outsider" for over 25 years, and now that I look back on her Matriarchal influence realize she was anything but an outsider, but at that time in my naive and young mind she couldn't have said anything better to make me feel included, loved, and secure. I know, being an outsider shouldn't have really made me feel secure, but knowing she, the oldest and highly revered lady of the family wanted to cohort with me even in the realm of outsider made me feel ironically included; I had an ally. To this day she still makes me feel like we are friends with something in common. I have a funny feeling that everyone else in the family feels the same way about her. Happy Birthday Memaw, and thank you for making my world a lot brighter!
