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May 29, 2012

I Need A Vacation From My Weekend

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So, how was your weekend?

Mine was…busy. You’re supposed to rest and relax on weekends, right? Especially three-day holiday weekends? Ha. Not for me.

Saturday we took Cosmo to his first public outing as a non-vicious dog. (For those who are confused: a new Ohio law recently took effect stripping the vicious dog laws of any breed specific language. Now a dog is considered dangerous based on the individual dog’s behavior and not just because he was born a pit bull. It also means dogs like Cosmo can be adopted at local shelters instead of held and then euthanized.)

Clearly a threat to all. (Photo by Condo Blues.)

We were downtown for the PetPromise Rescue Run – a 5K fundraiser for the rescue group that gave us Cosmo. So many of the volunteers recognized him, all commenting on how BIG he’s grown.

The event was very dog-friendly and dogs were encouraged to be a part of the 5K. There were baby pools full of water for dogs to splash in and plenty of open grass for play.

Cosmo made a friend.

It was also crazy hot, so we walked two miles of the 5K before calling it quits. Cosmo was not used to the long walk, and to further complicate things, he refused to drink from any of the water buckets set out for the dogs. Somehow I find myself surprised that the dog who eats weeds, cardboard, and bugs had issues with germs from other dogs.

We’re walking…we’re walking…

Sunday was Mira’s birthday. She spent the entire day reminding us she was now five years old, and we responded by reminding her that she now has more expected of her. She didn’t like that part of turning five. We were visiting my mom for our annual Memorial Day weekend cookout, and for dessert we pulled out cupcakes and a candle.

I still can’t believe my little Miranda is five now. She’ll be going to kindergarten in the fall. She’s full of attitude and energy and more attitude and goofiness and yet more attitude and OMG if it’s this bad now what will she be like at sixteen?

Despite her desire to be a comedian, I continue to think of Mira as my sweet, serious baby…who still acted like a teen.

What are you lookin’ at, goat?
Monday was – wait for it – hot again, so we spent most of inside, with one short trip to a cookout. 
This is the last week of school for Cordy, meaning it will be the busiest week imaginable, with awards ceremonies, field day, and the school talent show.
Oh, did I mention Cordy auditioned for the TALENT SHOW? My child, who can’t stand crowds and really hates having attention on her and applause and would usually prefer to hide in the corner with a book, decided she wanted to be in the talent show. And she’s in. More to come on this later in the week – assuming she goes through with it.
Filed Under: Cordy, Cosmo, family time, growing up, holidays, Mira ·


Feb 15, 2012

Twuu Wuv

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Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. Or as we preferred to call it in our house: Tuesday.

The day started with me getting home from work to give Aaron a Valentine’s Day card that he was already aware of because someone forgot to hide it when putting away the groceries and accidentally left it in plain sight this weekend. But unlike when he first saw it, I had signed my name. So, you know, it was still new.

Aaron then gave me a card and a box of chocolates, despite an agreement I thought we had made to not buy anything for each other. Apparently he had said I didn’t have to buy him anything, not that he wasn’t going to get me a gift. He should be coaching politicians on doublespeak, because he totally got that one past me.

Those actions were all accomplished from 8:00am until 8:05am. And that was pretty much our Valentine’s Day.

What about the rest of the day? Oh, that was pretty uneventful. He left for work, I went to bed. I got up early to go to a work meeting in the late afternoon and found Aaron and Mira in the living room. (He had to get the sick child from school.) Then I went to my work meeting, came home, we ate a quick dinner, put the kids to bed, watched a little TV, and then I fell asleep on the couch until it was time for me to get ready for work again.

It’s true, we’re romantics.

All joking aside, Valentine’s Day isn’t a big deal for us anymore. When we were dating we took it seriously, but with our wedding anniversary less than a month away from the national holiday for hearts and expensive jewelry, we’d rather save most of the romantic (and pricey) gestures for our anniversary – a date that actually has a significant meaning to us.

(And don’t get me started on all of the cute Valentine’s Day gifts and crafts I saw on Pinterest for moms with way more time than me to make for their kids. I do not feel obligated to whip up a special day for my kids, or create homemade Valentine’s cards for their classmates. Generic Care Bears valentines worked for me, so Tinkerbell valentines will work for them.)

I hope everyone had a fantastic Valentine’s Day and got to celebrate it as much as they wanted it to be celebrated. For me, I got a little surprise chocolate in my day and a reminder that my anniversary is less than a month away!

Filed Under: Aaron, daily life, domestic zero, holidays ·


Jan 4, 2012

Let’s Do This

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Alright, new year, new goal. This is it, 2012 – I’ve got big plans for you.

I declare that this will be the year I hit my goal weight.

I’ve steadily lost weight for the past three years, ending each year smaller than the previous one. Since I started tracking my weight again, I’ve gone from 212 pounds to a low of 166 pounds earlier this year. As is usual with my holiday season hibernation, a few pounds did sneak back on, but they won’t be there for long.

A goal weight I’ve always had in my head is 158 pounds. That’s the number provided by the BMI charts as the absolute highest weight I can be for my height and be considered a “healthy” or “normal” weight. I’ve never aimed for anything lower than that because I’ve never been anywhere close to it in my adult life. The closest I’ve come – other than at the moment – was back in 2003, when I was ~170 pounds for my wedding. Even my wedding wasn’t enough to get me to that magic number. (Wait – no negative talk here. 170 was still damn impressive considering that five years prior to that I was nearly 250 pounds.)

But this year, 158 is in sight. I know I can get there with a lot of hard work, sweat and willpower. I’ve come this far already, so I know I have the strength in me to do it.

In 2012, I’m going to make it to 158 pounds and officially be considered normal by BMI standards and insurance charts.

Which is probably the only time in my life I’ll ever be considered normal in anything.

I stepped on the scale today, and the current number is 170, which is a number I’m already pleased with. Holiday indulging for the past three months only resulted in a four pound gain from my lowest weight – that’s a win in my book. It tells me that the lessons I’ve learned from years of doing this are taking hold, and even indulging isn’t the same as it used to be. I can have a piece of pie – or even two – and not spiral out of control into a free-for-all binge. All Charlie Sheen jokes aside, I’m winning at this.

New year, new me. I’m ready.

Filed Under: holidays, weigh-in · Tagged: , ,


Dec 23, 2011

And A Pinkie Pie On Every Tree

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One of the things I love about blogging and social media is the ability to have a direct line to the people who can help you out.

For example, Cordy and Mira love My Little Pony.

Wait…I don’t think that’s quite strong enough.

What I meant to say was: Cordy and Mira LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! My Little Pony. They can’t get enough of the new show on the Hub network, and our house is now filled with ponies and accessories. It’s nearly the only TV they watch.

Each year we let the girls pick a new ornament to add to the Christmas tree. It’s fun to see how their interests change each year by looking back at the ornaments they choose. So of course when it came time to select this year’s ornament (and knowing that this is the year of My Little Pony for both kids), I did a little internet searching and discovered that American Greetings made a 2011 My Little Pony Pinkie Pie Christmas ornament.

Perfect!

One problem, though. The ornament was sold out everywhere. It seems My Little Pony has an enormous adult fan following, and once word got out about the ornaments, they were quickly bought up. Sold out online. Sold out in our local stores, too.

I looked at resellers to buy one, but I refused to get into a bidding war on eBay and spend $30+ on a $7.99 ornament. I didn’t want to reward someone for buying up all the ornaments to turn a profit with the collector crowd.

So I did what any desperate blogger might think to do – I reached out via Twitter, asking American Greetings for their help in tracking down an ornament. I explained that my two daughters are fans of the show and really wanted this ornament for our Christmas tree this year.

I was hoping they might be able to tell me if there was somewhere online to buy one, or if they planned to send out another shipment soon. I was happy to pay for one, I just needed an actual ornament to buy. They quickly responded that they would look into it for me.

I waited for days and didn’t hear anything further. I wasn’t sure how much they could help – if it’s sold out, it’s sold out, right? So I was completely unprepared for them to go above and beyond and respond with this:

And then yesterday, a perfect Pinkie Pie ornament showed up in the mail. Two little girls cheered with joy and Cordy declared the @amgreetings Twitter maven “the nicest person in the world!”

The dreary, rainy day yesterday suddenly got A LOT brighter for these two.

So now Pinkie Pie has joined the cast of animated characters on our tree. As befitting her importance at this moment, she’s front and center:

with Batman climbing up for a visit on the lower right

Have I mentioned social media is awesome? Thank you, American Greetings, for helping this mom get the perfect 2011 ornament for my daughters!

(And just because this is the new era of full disclosure: yes, American Greetings did send it to us for free, unexpectedly. There was no agreed on review or anything like that – I just wanted to share my joy at a company doing something really, really nice for my family.)

Filed Under: Cordy, holidays, Mira, people who don't suck, pop culture · Tagged: ,


Dec 14, 2011

Hibernating & Indulging

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This time of year is always hard when it comes to weight loss. It starts with Halloween and all of the trick-or-treat candy, then progresses into the Thanksgiving meal-o-plenty, and ends with a steady slide into decadent holiday baked goods and party foods. It’s no wonder so many people start diets on New Year’s Day – you need to detox from all of that excess!

My own weight loss has never been a steady line moving downwards. It’s more like a series of hills, up and down, with smaller ups and greater downs. It takes longer than a straight line, but I can’t argue with the method since despite the small gains each year I’m still 80 pounds lighter than my heaviest weight.

The last three months of the year are what I call my hibernation phase. This is when my workouts and eating habits slack off as I focus on the holidays and the end of the year. I exercise less because I want to spend more time with my family on holiday traditions. I generously partake of Halloween candy, and never miss a chance to fill up on party foods during the Christmas season. And yeah, I gain a few pounds back, too.

Halloween and Christmas are my two favorite holidays – completely restricting myself would only make me miserable. My #1 rule of weight loss is that this is a change for life – if I have to turn down brownies and pastries and cheese balls during the holidays for the rest of my life in order to be at a healthy weight, I can guarantee that I’ll be overweight forever or be the most miserable skinny person you’ve ever met.

So I plan for it. I know I’m going to overeat and I go for the foods I enjoy the most. I try to offset these heavier meals with small, healthy meals or meal replacement shakes/bars (since there aren’t holiday parties every day, right?) and I don’t get too upset at seeing the scale inch up a little.

By the time I’m packing up the Christmas tree and taking down the last of the garlands, I’m usually sick of all of those rich foods and ready for something different. (Yes, it’s true – you really can eat enough cookies to develop a temporary aversion to them!) January is a natural re-commitment to eating healthy and working out, both because I’m burned out on calorie-heavy foods, and it’s now so cold I want to move more just to stay warm!

As for those few pounds I added at the end of the year? As long as it wasn’t more than five pounds (and it rarely is), I shrug it off and consider the joy I had from the holidays worth the small gain.

So far, this plan has worked for me. I’ve lost anywhere from 10-20 pounds each year, and gained 5 at the end of the year. (This year it’s only been 2 pounds gained so far, partially thanks to a stomach virus that swept thru last week.) I’m still coming out ahead, I’m happier, and by taking my weight loss slowly I’m improving the chances it’ll stay off for good.

So if you’re curious about what workouts or meal plans I’m following at the moment, you won’t find anything here. I’m currently in hibernation, enjoying the holidays. Check back with me in January and you can bet I’ll be working towards losing a little more of myself.

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Filed Under: holidays · Tagged: ,