Stuck on an escalator

YO-YO QUEEN

That's me.  Master of the Yo-yo diet.  With a little help from Wikipedia I realize the analogies are endless.  There is the shape of the yo-yo: Imperial, Modified, and Butterfly, etc.  I'm not even going there on my yo-yo shape (including the weight distribution issue).  The yo-yo techniques caught my eye: more on that in a second.  The friction sources: how quickly the yo-yo returns to the hand of the player.  Performance accessories.  I might dedicate an entire blog to my performance accessories because they are endless.  Those accessories needed every time to succeed on my newest yo-yo journey, only to be left behind cluttering my closets and cupboards.  Your welcome Amazon and Target.

There are several yo-yo techniques with the basic one called sleeping.  How long the yo-yo can spin before traveling back up is the sleeping state.  On average however, I can spin for about 12 weeks before slowly climbing back up to my original weight.   I started this blog in January, of course, ready and willing to finally shed the weight.  You guessed it: I never wavered for a strong 12ish weeks.  Then I started my yo-yo journey back to my original January weight.  I succeeded with a bonus pound to boot.  Such an over achiever I am.  I am discouraged, sad, frustrated, but not without hope.  This month I am starting again. Praying I last longer than 12 weeks.  A lot happened this spring and summer and I hope to post a catch-up blog soon.  

So here I go again.  I'm starting slowly; taking one day at a time.  I am actually just trying to make it through today, and praying that will turn into a lot of successful days that turn into a lifetime of successful living.  I am healthy, here, blessed, thankful, and starting anew.  Thank God for new beginnings!!

Breaking News: Tomorrow is May

I realized in the middle of today that this is the last day of April.  Wow, I blinked and lost all of April and half of March.  So I pondered what important information to blog about on my one day of April blogging, and found myself overwhelmed with choices.  Do I update on the last 6 weeks, and if so do I start now and go backwards or start then catching up to now?  Okay, even that thought bores me.  So I'll wrap up the six weeks of non-blogging by saying they were very busy; hence no blogging.  I traveled on two college tours, hosted a lovely bridal shower, dealt with and continue to deal with a family situation,  entertained children for spring break, taught three grades, hosted Easter, hosted surprise out of town family, taught three grades, and generally tried not to get run over by the constant traffic of the revolving door in our house.

I am spending this week recovering from last Friday's event.  Seriously, I am getting old because a pound of work seems to require a pound of rest these days.   Just the memory of those hours of cleaning, shopping, ordering, cooking, organizing, and  NOT SLEEPING are making me tired this week.  So in honor of last weeks supermom impersonation, I am giving equal time to my slacker mom impersonation.  Lots of slacking and resting, which is probably wise considering there are 150 guests on the graduation party list for next week that will require me to dig out my supermom costume again.  I did think to myself and regrettably mention out loud to my better half that this place would be amazing if I worked that hard on a regular basis; I have got to learn to keep my thoughts to myself.

Anyway, what did happen last Friday?  Prom 2010.  32  prom kids plus parents at my house for pictures, followed by 26 prom kids staying for a fancy sit down meal prepared and served by parents.  I was a little doubtful we could pull it off, but it was delightful.  So much fun.  Lots of laughing in the promers area, and in the parental servers area.  My middle daughter even asked why so many parents stayed around long after the prom kiddos left for the big dance, and I thought she really doesn't see her mama hang out with friends enough!  Below are a few fun pictures of the event that consumed my week.  Oh, and my healthy journey progress?  I will try to post an update on that very soon!

The azaleas were picture perfect (see at top of blog), and my cleaning helpers were very excited.  What happens on cleaning day stays on cleaning day (especially from mom who is cleaning somewhere else.)

Here is my prom girl getting ready.  Below is how I still picture my prom girl getting ready. :)

The dinner tables were ready and waiting.

The pictures began; I'll spare you the 5 million and show you a few favorites.

Dinner is served.  My sweet daughter and her friend volunteered to serve dinner.  First they helped me make some fun salads.

Then everyone found their seats and began one of the loudest dinners I have ever witnessed.  Lots of singing and laughing involved.

Some cute sister pictures...one sister was gone for the evening.

And to end the pictures my prom girlie with her Toms for Prom.  She and her date decorated them the night before.

Happy 96th Birthday Memaw : Our Favorite St. Patrick's Day Girl

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!

2 Words: STOMACH BUG

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.

Mental Muscles

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!

Lost and Found

Sparky is our 11 year old oustide guard dog; the one who would play ball with an ax murderer, a band of robbers, the weed sprayer man, and the stranger who knocked on my back door by mistake recently. He lives to chase the tennis ball; it is his destiny and he doesn't deny it.
Guard dog Sparky decided he needed an adventure yesterday. His two acres were stifling him and the weather was finally perky. His lovely red shock collar in the photo above was laying in the garage, and he only needs about a day until he starts singing FREEDOM when that collar comes off. If you want a silly dumb dog or a dog that sits still, do not buy a Jack Russell Terrier.
When I realized he was missing last night I was so sad. My oldest son, Mr. Bodybuilder, drove around looking for him until I called him and told him to come home. Search and rescue would have to resume in the morning. My hubby thought maybe he would show up at the back door in the early sunrise. It was cold last night, Sparky hates the darkness, and I did not sleep well. I kept staring at his bed where he should be. This morning I kept looking at the back door where he is usually looking back in at me. No guard dog.
Long story short to save you the details, we were reconnected to Sparky through a couple of angels late this morning. A sweet dog loving lady found him up and boarded him overnight at a vet. The younger boys and I picked him up; there was lots of rejoicing, laughing and Little Ceaser's Pizza (for the boys, not Sparky or me).
Now I am staring at the back door and he is staring in at me. I am counting my blessings, and thanking God that Sparky is spared another day to chase his destiny. To chase it with his shock collar on that is!