A bit of this, a bit of that

Just a bunch of stuff going through my mind right now:

It's storming like crazy here. Like, power's out at work type of crazy! We're on generators right now.

Carissa is in deep doo doo. We still haven't figured out her punishment, but she broke a bunch of house rules yesterday. She's been doing so well, but my FIL was babysitting yesterday and she took full advantage. And I caught her using her last name and location on the computer. I FLIPPED out. She is grounded from the computer for 2 months. I need her to understand that it's SUPER dangerous to do that.

Tomorrow is Mom's Night Out at The Melting Pot. And it's 1/2 price night, can't beat that. Too bad I can't car pool because I'm leaving from work. I'd like to have a few or ten appletinis.

I don't know what to do about Jocelyn's birthday party. Our pool is likely going to take another 4-5 weeks. Do I put it off for that long? Do I suck it up and do it now with a big hole in my yard? Do I have it someplace like Chuck E Cheese (please no one suggest that)!

Carissa is starting competitive soccer. It's going to be intense. They practice 3 hours per week and have games EVERY SINGLE SATURDAY starting on September 8 and going through February! And then they have four tournaments that are Saturday and Sunday! And I'm not a very good sideline mom. I tend to scream and yell and get all agitated. Not bad stuff, but encourage the kids. I need to learn to keep my big mouth shut. I'll probably go hoarse if I don't!

I just joined BlogHer. It sounds really cool. I would've loved to have gone to the conference. For no other reason that I would have LOVED to have had the chance to hang out with all of those cool gals, and be child free for a weekend. Plus, my friend Nichole lives in Chicago so I could've visited her! We'll see where it goes. I'm no blog genius, but I really enjoy it.

I spent WAY too much money this weekend. I was having a pity party for myself because my husband made me mad. And shopping always makes me feel better. I bought a bunch of stuff at Victoria's Secret, NY and Company and Mervyns. Oh well.

I am doing really well on Body for Life. I'm down to 141. This is the lowest I've been since before Xander was born. And I'm only 5 1/2 weeks into the program. I am hoping to get down to 135. I have actually started to enjoy working out. Might it be that I can lock myself in my room for an hour to lift weights (sans children)? Maybe.

I don't feel like making dinner tonight. I hate making dinner on days that I work. I have no motivation. I love to cook, but not after working all day. And Carissa broke my crock pot on Monday, grrrrr.

I guess this turned into more of a bitchfest. Oh, well.

Body for Life

So, I'm into my third week of the Body For Life challenge. I have to say that I'm really loving it. The whole philosophy involved weight training and cardio on opposing days. Also, six small meals of protein and carb each day. And ten glasses of water. Plus, you get one day of no exercise and one cheat day food wise.


So far, I'm not finding it hard at all. I actually eat more than I used to, but much healthier. And a lot more protein. You would think it would be hard to drink 10 glasses of water a day, but it's not. I have two glasses with each meal. Getting me to 12! And usually I have at least one when I work out!


The workouts are easy. You alternate upper body and lower body weight training with 20 minutes of cardio. For my cardio on Tues, Thurs and Sat I either walk around the block (1 mile) while pushing the stroller and run the last stretch or ride my bike around the block with the bike trailer or do a Tae Bo video. I can already tell my stamina is increasing. In the past I couldn't ride my bike completely around the block (we have some big hills), but now I can! And I never used to run, even for a little bit, but now I can run about 2/10 of a mile.


For the weight training I have a bench and dumbbells at home. I had to start really light because I haven't ever lifted weights. I start with one set of 12 reps with the lightest weight, then one set of 10 reps with the next weight, 8 reps with the next weight and 6 reps at the highest weight. Then back to the second highest weight for one more set of 12. Then one quick 12 rep set of something else. I do this for each body part. Alternating lower and upper body days. I must say that I definitely feel stronger. My arms are definitely getting toned. And my legs hurt for DAYS after my first workout.


My goal is to lose about 15 pounds. Although I'd be happy with around 10 pounds if I gain more muscle. Ultimately, I just want to tone up. And feel better.


Here are my before pics:

Hopefully my after pics will look like these: Emily