Staycation VBS Style

Who needs expensive vacations when you can visit the Amazon Jungle (week one VBS), the Big Apple (week two VBS), and the Big Beach Bash (week three VBS next week)!  My two youngest are having a blast.  This is their first year to go to more than one week of VBS, and I'm thinking it might become a tradition.  Yesterday was big, bad, and bold hair day as you can see above.  They had a blast before they even walked out the door.

My boys spend a lot of time with me (I teach them until middle school usually), and yesterday my Peter asked me what I did while they were gone each day.  After I told him he said, "Pretty much what you do while we are here."  Pretty much.  Actually I am shocked at how time flies and I manage to get nothing done. 

When I was younger and my children were little I had a neighbor who complained about how she never got anything done.  In fact, she was really bad about starting projects and never finishing them.  For instance she tore half her kitchen wall paper down and took many months to complete the job while staring at half torn down wallpaper.  She took her kitchen cabinets off to paint them, and you guessed it, took many months to complete the project.  She also needed to lose fifty plus pounds, and talked a lot about wishing she would.   We were friends, and I couldn't help but observe these things since she discussed them and I saw them almost daily.  Back then, over 14 years ago, I was somewhat driven and couldn't relate to why she didn't do what she wanted to do.  

Fast forward 14 years to a tired and less driven me.  I cannot criticize her because I have projects waiting on me that are not half done because they aren't even started.  I wish there was a pill for motivation.  Traditionally the week after I teach VBS is a rest week, but after this weekend I need to kick things up a notch or two.  For instance my 8 AM alarm clock setting should probably ratchet down an hour or more. During the school year it is 6:30 AM, and it's so tempting to sleep later in the summer. In my forties I have had a harder time getting my get going mojo going.  Anyone else?  Once in a while I have a day where I bounce out of bed ready to accomplish a boat load of tasks and stay focused for hours.  Those days are rare, and remind me of how I used to wake up like that all the time: ready to conquer the world. Not so much world conquering happening around here these days. Again, is this the forties or just me?  I guess the only way to work out of this unmotivated slump is to start with getting up earlier.  If I start  my morning with hot lemon water, The Word, and prayer my day seems to begin much better; like I am in charge of my day, instead of the day running me.  Awww it's just so tempting to sleep later in the summer, but I've got to choose better over easier.  So my goal for this Monday is to run the day instead of it running me, beginning with my wake up time. 

Another thing I have to start doing is list making.  Diane at Fit to the Finish had a good blog about this, and it reminded me of what a list maker I used to be.  I still am in crunch times like holidays, birthdays, and party hostessing.  I need to make more lists on regular days. When I was growing up my mom never even made grocery lists.  I was amazed that she just shopped without any plan.  Well, fast forward to me now and you'll find me at Kroger with no list...unless of course I'm there getting dinner party supplies. I used to always plan out my meals and their accompanying shopping necessities with lists upon lists.  I'm a visual person and visual lists are good for me. I need to face the truth/ reality, and seeing it in lists on paper will help me.  

So my two goals for the next week are lowering my alarm clock and starting some tangible lists.  Of course I'll need to get up when the alarm goes off and actually tackle those lists, but starting a plan gives me hope that my get going mojo will get going.  I don't want to get to August, back to school time, and not have anything accomplished over the summer.  I think all of this will help in my healthy journey too because my get going mojo affects everything. What gets you going and keeps you focused on accomplishing your goals? 

Painless Personal Profile Accomplished

Food == Fun....NOT SO, NO, NO, NO.  After I picked up Robin and his brother Peter Pan from a nearby VBS (it was super hero day, and yes this is their second VBS which makes me mother of the year- not, but they are loving it), Robin announced that he wanted to go directly to Sonic to use his free ice cream coupon from VBS.  I started thinking what "FUN" that would be; lunch on a hot summer day with my boys at the drive in.  Then I reminded myself that food is not fun; at least I need to break that mental attitude in my life.  Food for me needs to be nourishment and fuel.  I need to find fun in living: snapping pictures of Robin in full dramatic poses,hugging my hubby in the kitchen, pushing my grocery cart with strong healthy legs, feeling the hot sunshine on my face, listening to the afternoon shower out my window, and even getting my not so stellar personal profile results.  FUN.

I am home with my Life Time Fitness Polar Body Age four page personal profile.  I only weighed two more pounds on their scale in clothing and shoes (and water), so I think my scale is very accurate.  I'll give you the rundown below.


Body Mass Index:  28.1 falling into the overwight level of 25-29.9.
Cardiovascular-Max V02:  31.5  this fell in the Moderate level of 28-31.
Bicep Strength:  55 falling in the average level of 37-55.
Sit and Reach:  8.5 falling in the lowest level of POOR 0-22.  Really poor actually!
Body Composition (FAT):  35.2%  OUCH!! falling into the HIGH category 30.1- 35.0.  Really a little into the edge of VERY HIGH.
Overall Fitness: 44 falling into the average range of 41-60....barely falling into that range.  Good starts at 61 and excellent starts at 81.

My body age was 53 compared to my chronological age of 46...OUCH!  They say I have an "Obtainable Body Age" of 41.  That sounds like a challenge!! They say I need to improve my body composition, flexibility, strength, and cardiovascular V02 scores to improve my Body Age.  They say I need to lose 25 pounds to be in the normal BMI range and decrease my Fat Mass to 33 from 58.  The program says my BMR is 1503 calories a day (the calories I burn just living).

The trainer, Neil, said I have upper cross syndrome and some lower cross syndrome.  I totally agree.  My posture is awful, and I have two herniated neck disks that flare up routinely.  He said he will help me develop a strength training regime that will strengthen my upper and lower back.  I need endurance in those areas to support my bad spine.  I can hardly keep my shoulders back/up without wanting to let them sag within 60 seconds.  When I do my upper body exercises at home the part I hate the most is my shoulders and back exercises, and I need them the most!

My body fat is very high and I didn't need a program to tell me that; I've got very big mirrors in my bathroom that are doing a fine job at a cheaper rate.  BUT the flexibility was worse than I wanted to admit.  POOR...the lowest category.  I am so stiff, and I don't like feeling like I'm 85 already.  The trainer suggested four lessons of one on one Pilates, and then two group Pilates classes a week for a few months.

He, Mr. Neil, also suggested I do the Metabolic Tests that measure my Cardio point and my Calorie point.  He said these will tell me my exact basal metabolic rate and my cardiovascular level so I will know how to stay in my proper training zones helping me get the most out of my workout.  Getting the most out of my workout will help me BURN MORE FAT....music to my ears.

Of course none of this is free.  I am beginning to wonder what is free for our hefty monthly family fee. I would like to try the pilates for my flexibility issues, and I would love to do the tests just for their data.  I love data.
Maybe I can count this as my early birthday present for the next ten birthdays???

Oh and can you guess what tomorrows VBS theme is? Yesterday was tacky day followed by hero day today.

Big, bold, and bad hair day.  Yes, to help us out, the nice kindergarten teacher even sent home green hair paint in Robin's bag, and as we were pulling onto our street I heard this strange hissing sound behind me as Robin said,"I don't see the green in your hair Peter."

Tuesday Results

My daughter's lunch plate above minus the tiny piece of chicken she had on the side.  Maybe a little more lunches like her and a lot less twix trifle and I might have better Tuesday results next week.  My weigh in was horrendous.....ABSOLUTELY HORRENDOUS.  Overall though my week was really fantastic.  I enjoyed making memories with my boys and their cousins, loved Camp Outrageous, and ended the week with a wonderful summer night date night with my handsome Camp Outrageous technical supporter (thank you honey for printing all those pictures).

I could have, and should have eaten like a sane person in a clean manner; when I stepped on that dreaded scale this morning I certainly wished I had.  I am such an emotional eater.  I think I celebrate with food as much as I use it to medicate sadness.  Thus why during the happy month of December I always gain weight.  Last week I felt a lot of pressure to make the week happy for my boys and their visiting cousins, organized and delightful for my supportive and wonderful Camp Outrageous workers, and personally special for my 40 Camp Outrageous students.  It was a good pressure, but still weighed on me.  As the week started to come to a successful end I felt a great feeling of relief and pure exhaustion.  As the week came to an end my nibbling and munching accelerated.

Saturday night Terry and I celebrated with a date night dinner and a movie.  We tried a Mediterranean restaurant; it was delicious and somewhat healthy.  The owner was just too nice however.  He suggested our selections and we complied right down to the "special tea" that was delicious but full of honey.  He checked on us so much that I felt like I needed to eat every bite.  Not that eating everything was a sacrifice considering how yummy it was.  If I had ended there I probably would have been okay, but it was a slippery slope that found my spoon in the twix trifle the rest of the weekend.

I didn't make the TT....it mysteriously made its way to my fridge while I was out.  Sometimes when I am in the zone (oh zone I love you) I am not even phased by desserts/sugar, but last week I forgot the zone existed.  It is totally my fault.  I am not going to let my poor food choices overshadow the fact that the rest of last week was fantastic.  I am thankful for my blessings, and will get my healthy mind and body into gear as I get back on track.

I thought losing 40 plus pounds meant losing it again would be easy.  I am realizing that losing the second half may be harder than the first half.  Tomorrow I meet with a trainer at the gym (using free joining "bucks"); maybe she will have some insight and help.

WEEK 18 RESULTS


Fasting Blood Sugar for 6/7 through 6/13
85
87
89
86
88
103
99

Morning Blood Pressure for 6/7 through 6/13
92/62
98/64
94/65
97/63
99/57
90/60
102/68

Dreaded Scale Numbers for 6/8 through 6/14
+1
-0
+1
-0.5
too scared to weigh...NOT GOOD!
too scared to weigh....NOT GOOD!
+ 1.5

This week I GAINED 3 pounds bringing my total weight loss to minus 40 pounds.  It is never a good sign when I am afraid to weigh.  I hope I can lose those 3 pounds this week and get back on track.  It seemed like it was so hard to lose 1 pound a week the last few weeks, and now I gained 3 back in one week.  UGH.  Obviously I have issues with overeating if I can gain 3 pounds in one week.  I am amazed by the journeys of some who start losing weight and never miss a week of losing at least something, and they NEVER gain.  Any of you out there who lost a lot of weight and had weeks once in a while when you gained?  I don't want to yoyo with weight all my life, but I have a ways to go until I conquer this battle.

Exercise for 6/7 through 6/13
None; played in pool for almost 2 hours.
3.0 miles/47.45 min. outside/ upper body
3.0 miles/47.22 min outside
None; CO clean-up day.
3.0 miles/ 35.20 min elliptical
1.2 slow walk outside
3.9 mi/ 46 min. elliptical, lower body

Looking back over my food for this last week I realize it was not good all week.  Today was a healthy eating day, and I hope tomorrow will be another one!  Maybe that trainer will have some magic to share with me! :)

Still Here. Just in R & R Mode.

I'm in REST and RECOVERY mode from a fantastic week at our Camp Outrageous combined with playing super Aunt/Mom to four active boys.  While I am taking it easy for just a day or two (those dirty bathrooms and summer projects are knocking at my door), I am trying really hard NOT to devour the bakery walnut apple cinnamon bread sitting on our counter.  Last night after the Camp Outrageous show, my star struck Aidan went on an autograph extravaganza (pictured above). He wasn't too sure he wanted to get close enough for a picture with Jay Bear. 

It was such a wonderful week.  Totally worth the lack of exercise and fun size candy bag I succumbed to by the end of the week.  Three of my daughters worked with me, and I was so proud of them.  They got notes, pictures  and lots of hugs from the sweet kids.  I couldn't resist posting the sweetest note complete with darling drawings given to my Emma from one thoughtful admirer/friend.

While Emma was receiving her lovely note, I had one small sweet child express to me her biggest compliment. One that I have NEVER heard before.  In the noise and confusion of the last few minutes of the last day winding down, and children walking out the door, one excited little girl waved her arms at me to draw me closer to tell me with a beaming smile and big blue eyes that, "YOU look just like my GRANDMA!!!"  I, of course, said, "Did you say GRANDMA???"  "YES, YES," she said, "JUST LIKE HER, NO REALLY, YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH YOU LOOK JUST LIKE HER."  She was beaming, and I was pulling my chin up from my belly button and searching for my best poker face.  All I can say is I hope that Grandma is the best 46 year old looking grandma ever. 

I did try not to go too crazy with out of plan food, and even had a family exercise night Wednesday evening.  It was fun.  Me, my hubby, and my oldest three children (can I call them that when they are 21, 18, and 17?) all did an in the dark walk/jog/run for 47 minutes.  I had bragged on how delightful my humidity light dark time workout the evening before had been, and they all decided to join me the second night.  Of course the humidity was full force and the temperature was higher, making them all think I had lost my mind, but we had a lot of fun.  Something I would not have enjoyed or encouraged us all to do 43 pounds ago.  

Anyway, after my R and R  this weekend I plan to be back full force attacking this weight loss and blogging about a few things like ANTS in my HEAD, and how my husband miscalculated the mileage on my walking route causing a few ANTS in my HEAD that I needed to squash.  I also never made time to tell a little of my life/background story while I was sharing it at Camp Outrageous.  I will try to do that also this summer.  I'm off to hit the elliptical before I have a date night with my hubby.  I'm leaving this fellow and his monkey friend home.

  

Tuesday Update ALREADY???

We invited the cousins who moved to the United States from their homeland of South Africa last December to spend Camp Outrageous (our Vacation Bible School) week with us.  My two boys, the two who have four sisters right above them, are in boy heaven. I think the cousins  are having a great time, once they got over their disappointment  that there would be no zip lines or real tents to sleep in (it is called CAMP Ourtrageous).  Our mornings are filled with fun at CO, and in hopes of keeping my house in one piece, our afternoons are spent in the pool.  So far my plan is a success; nights two and three found them crashing in the bed.  My husband and I were giggling at the snoring coming out of the bedroom adjacent to ours last night.

I am loving teaching our fantastic group of 36 third graders in our awesomely decorated room (cough on the room decoration part).  I try, but I won't be winning any room decorating awards in my lifetime!  But my main focus is the sweet children and the time I get to spend encouraging and teaching them for one short week.  My daughter snapped the photo of me teaching the boys without me knowing it.  Horror of horror. When I left the house in my new summer shirt I didn't see this person in the mirror.  Honestly, I still see  myself at goal weight, and when I see realistic pictures of me with 39 extra pounds on I am still shocked.  Reality oh reality, I need a bigger dose of you.  Maybe I just need to keep taking pictures.

SIDE VIEW....keep'in it real here thanks to Emma my secret photographer.

One last photo of our entry door Amazon animals; like I said....REALITY is not my strong suit!  We like our crocs big and our elephants and palm trees small.

WEEK 17 RESULTS


Fasting Blood Sugar for 5/31 through 6/6
90
88
81
80
70
86
89

Morning Blood Pressure for 5/31 through 6/6
99/63
86/54
94/63
89/61
92/57
95/63
104/60

Dreaded Scale Numbers for 6/1 through 6/7
-0
-0
-1
-0
+1
+0.5
-1.5
So this week continues my minus 1 pound streak AGAIN.  Not a habit I want to continue unless the alternative is not losing or gaining...in that case 1 pound a week will get me there eventually in 39ish more weeks.  I just really would like for it to be quicker than that.  So my total loss so far is 43 pounds.  Tonight I let myself have some ice cream...ugh.  This fresh air and swimming daily is really making me hungry and munchy.  I also haven't taken the time to eat breakfast while leaving the house early for CO.  I think that is setting me up for munchies later too.  I don't know; this week is a little bit of survival mode.  When CO is over and the cousins are gone, I hope to work harder at this again.

Exercise for 5/31 through 6/6
2.13 miles/ 30 min. dreadmill at gym/ upper body workout
None.  Pool and heat wore this mama out!
3.8 miles/ 46 min. elliptical/ lower body workout
3.5 miles/46 min. elliptical/ upper body workout
None. Baseball and shopping!
None.  Decorated CO room all afternoon!
4.1 miles/ 46 min. elliptical/ lower body workout

Have a great week everyone!! I love summer, but I am trying to figure out my healthy/dieting life and how I work it successfully in this new (and temporary) schedule.

Baby It's Hot Outside

If only the heat melted pounds I'd be Twiggy right now.  This is what my car temperature read yesterday after I survived two final baseball games and a celebration lunch.  To be fair it did slowly climb down to 109 degrees.  I think the heat must have gotten to my brain because I completely gave in and ate pizza at the luncheon.  I had planned to stick to my two plates of salad, but somehow found myself eating pizza and dessert pizza.  Below are a few pictures of THING 3 and THING 4 at their final events.  Notice the handsome coach eating amongst his players.

It is HOT, and I love the heat over the cold, but it is HOT.  One wonderful thing about the heat and weighing 43 pound less: NO SPANX.  Seriously, I wore spanx all the time before.  I would have been dying in it today.  Really, I don't know how I thought that itty bitty spanx was making 43 pounds disappear, but I didn't leave home without it...rain or shine, cold or hot.  Summer and the heat is so much better without all my old fat rolls.  Not that I don't still have enough left behind, but it's light years better.

In fact, I went shopping for capris for Vacation Bible School (VBS), now called Camp Outrageous (CO). and was amazed at the sizes that fit.  Whohoo to the size tens and medium shirts that fit!!  I did buy size 12's reluctantly.  The cheaper price overruled my vanity.  They do go on and off without unbuttoning and unzipping though, so unless major washing shrinkage happens they may not be around very long.  What didn't fit well?  DRESSES.  My apple shape makes my chest and waist still to big to look good in a dress yet.  I can't wait to wear dresses again someday.

This week is our church's  Camp Outrageous.  I love it and look forward to it every year.  I can't wait to spend this week with thirty four plus awesome third graders.  We invited my husbands seven and nine year old nephews (recently relocated from South Africa to the United States) to join us for the week.  My boys are ecstatic.  I may or may not have much time for blogging this week.  Between CO, nine children, pool time, workout time, husband time, and nap time there may not be much blogging time.  I would love your prayers this week!  During CO each year I always tell my life story, so the children can see how God worked through and blessed enormously in my entire life.  I tell the story slowly ( a little each day) and anonymously telling them the story is my life on the last day.  I would like to mirror the story here on my blog this week if I find time to sneak back to my computer.

Half My June Plan Out the Window

I thought I had a two part plan for the month of June to get my weight loss rolling again. The first part killed the second part, or maybe summer killed the second part, or maybe I killed the second part...but the second part isn't going to happen; not in June anyway.
The first part of my plan involves joining this place (below).  Check. Done.  We already have the sunburns to prove it.

Best decision ever.  We have been three times already.  I was hoping the gym and pool would get my boys away from the video games, computer screens, wrestling matches and into the fresh air leaving them too exhausted for those wrestling matches.  It is better than I imagined.  My eleven year old is swimming at least one mile in laps every time, and my six year old, the boy who didn't want to put his face under water on day one, by day three is swimming!  An added bonus: childcare!  I wasn't planning to use it much, but  my six year old visited the playroom while I worked out upstairs the first day, and he now begs daily to go back.  I'll have to indulge him once in a while; it's summer after all.

I hope to use some of my free joining "bucks" to see a trainer once or twice.  I'd also love to try a few different classes this summer. Besides some cardio classes I'd like to try yoga and pilates.

Part 2 was food related.  Since I started this journey doing a full month of the Clean program cleanse, I thought my halfway mark would be a good time to do it again for twenty-one days.  I geared myself up mentally to start on June first.  June first we came home from the pool happy and exhausted.  I didn't have enough time to prepare a meal following the program (before we had to run to our next event), and my heart just wasn't in it.  I still plan to eat clean as much as possible, but summer and a strict cleanse just don't go together.  I actually have more time in the winter when I am home daily than I have in the out of routine summer months.  Maybe I'll do one again in the fall or winter, but not now.  So part one kicked part two to the curb.  I just want to be more flexible with myself and family right now.

So my summer plan is pretty simple: lots of family time, exercising, eating clean, and surviving the heat!  I would love to lose eight to ten pounds each month, but the scale is moving slower these days so we'll see!