Last night was weigh-in night at Weight Watchers. I've been sneaking up on my 5% goal and I was really hoping to make it. For those of you that don't know, the 5% goal is losing 5% of your starting weight - which for me meant losing 9 pounds.
I've felt thinner this week. Several people have commented on it and my clothes are getting bigger on me. Before too much longer, I'm going to have to completely retire my largest size shorts - they're practically falling off me. I was really hoping the scale would be good to me.
I stepped onto the scale in my bathroom before leaving for meeting. I had lost over 2 pounds since the previous week and was well under my 5% goal so even with the difference between my scale and theirs, I was likely to make my goal. Apparently not eating anything since lunch and drinking a crap ton of water was paying off. ;)
At meeting I weighed in and it did not disappoint. I lost 2.0 lbs according to their scale. I easily made (and surpassed!) my 5% goal.
I've now lost 10.6 lbs since I started back to meetings.
I've lost 14 lbs over all.
The next goal is my 10% goal for which I have 8 more pounds to lose. I have about 20 more pounds to lose overall.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Achievement Unlocked: Tie Shoes
Liam is nearly 6.5 years old and doesn't know how to tie his own shoes. There are two reasons for this. The first is that I'm lazy and haven't sat down to teach him. The second is that I'm lazy and I don't buy him shoes with laces. So, everything is velcro and he can get them on without my help.
But, I have a very clear memory of myself in kindergarten. I remember that there were construction paper cut outs of shoes hanging on the wall in the classroom with various class members names on them. I approached the teacher and asked her why my name wasn't up there. She told me that those were the kids that could tie their own shoes. My response was classic. "Oh that? I've been able to do that for ages!" Then I proceeded to demonstrate for her so she could put my name on one of those construction paper shoes.
Here Liam is, just 6 weeks away from starting first grade and he doesn't have that knowledge. Yesterday I sat down with him and a pair of my cross trainers to coax him through this young rite of passage.
I figured it would take more than one teaching session and quite a bit more practice but in about 15 minutes flat he picked up. He started to get frustrated a couple of times but I tried to keep it fun and he worked with me until he was doing it all by himself without me talking him through it.
The next thing I knew he was clomping around like this:
Next up: buying him tie shoes of his very own.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Summer Swim
Liam finished up swim lessons for the summer at the end of last week. While he didn't manage to graduate out of the level he's in (and that's OK, he's just not there yet) he did get a lot more comfortable in the water.
On the last day of classes, they got to do the fun stuff like ride the water slides and jump off the diving board. These are activities that Liam has been exceedingly wary of doing on his own - even with the lifeguards there to catch him. I invariably had to ride the slides with him (which, while fun, is impossible if I have Jamie in tow and no other adults to help) so I was really hoping he would master this one thing.
He didn't let me down.
On the last day of classes, they got to do the fun stuff like ride the water slides and jump off the diving board. These are activities that Liam has been exceedingly wary of doing on his own - even with the lifeguards there to catch him. I invariably had to ride the slides with him (which, while fun, is impossible if I have Jamie in tow and no other adults to help) so I was really hoping he would master this one thing.
He didn't let me down.
That big slide is the one he FINALLY went down on his own.
No hesitation - all by himself!
Leaping Liam!
We'll work with him at the pool the rest of the summer and then he'll repeat the level next summer. I'm just glad he loves the water and isn't so afraid of it anymore.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
There Was A Stage Show
Toward the end of the school year, Liam received an invitation to a classmate's birthday party to be held over the summer. It was to be a Star Wars themed party held for Liam's classmate and his two younger brothers (who also have birthdays around the same time). I should have known from the invite that this was no simple kiddie party.
The invitation included photoshopped pictures of the kids as Star Wars characters, the characteristic Star Wars font, and the text laid out in that "scrolling into the void of space" way that begins all Star Wars films. This missive was delivered inside a paper towel tube that was dressed up to look like a light saber.
That was just the invitation.
Yesterday was finally party day. Costumes were encouraged so we pulled out Liam's Luke costume from a couple of Halloweens ago, threw his Jedi robe over the top, and grabbed one of his play lightsabers. I accompanied him to the soiree.
I am beyond mad at myself that I forgot my good camera leaving me only my iPhone for documentation because it was so over the top it had to be seen to be believed.
We walked in to find life size cardboard cutouts of C3PO and R2D2. A photographer was waiting to take Liam's picture with them. That done, we headed to the REGISTRATION TABLE (for a kid's birthday - like it was some international conference on human rights) where we picked up our name tags, checked in, and got a light stick for use during "Jedi Training."
Oh dear.
We went on into the hall where the party was being held to find multiple tables of food and drink set up. Everything was labelled as to what it was but using Star Wars themed names - ie "Mace Windu Mac N Cheese." All of the signage (of which there was plenty) had been lovingly printed out and affixed to stiff boards to make it look as professional as possible.
Liam was instantly overwhelmed.
He went to sit with one of his other classmates while I found the Mom to say hello. She was dressed as Leia from Return of the Jedi.* Dad was Han Solo. Grandma was Queen Amidala. Grandpa was C3P0. The boys were Obi Wan, Luke, and Yoda - wearing costumes that could have walked off the set of the films.
I tried to get Liam to eat something but he was feeling too overwhelmed by it all to even think about food. He seemed very uncomfortable so we just sat together for awhile while he took it all in and got comfortable with everything that was going on. Eventually, it was time to get the festivities rolling and it was like a flashback to Kindergarten Carnival. The kids were divided into small groups. Each of those groups was led by an adult. They took the kids outside and rotated them through a number of party games that had been set up in stations. This took around an hour or so. I don't know because I was inside talking with other parents where it was cool.
Then they came inside and it was time for the stage show.
Yes, as I stated earlier, there was as stage show.
Two dudes dressed as Jedi got up on the stage and, with microphones (so it was EXTRA loud), they proceeded to lecture the kids on the ways of the force, give them a demonstration of Jedi skills, and then lead them through some basic Jedi training.
And then Darth Vader arrived.
We're not talking just any Vader here, either. This guy had a primo costume. It was not flimsy. It was not cheap.
So he shows up on the stage and the kids got to battle him one by one with their newfound Jedi skills. Liam, the young padawan, learned his skills well.
Now, all of this took at least another 45 minutes. After the kids did their thing with Vader, they got goodie bags (backpacks with the Jedi logo on it) and homemade lightsabers made out of pool noodles, craft paper, and tape. They went back outside for a Jedi obstacle course and a Death Star shaped piñata that they each got 3 whacks at before it finally broke and there was a grand melee for candy. While this was going on, the parents were given a slip of paper telling us that our child's photo from their arrival (you know, the one with the droids) was now ready for pickup.
They brought a printer just to print out these pictures.
Finally the kids came back inside. It was now 7:00 pm. The cakes had not yet been cut or served. I told Liam it was time to go, we gathered up our stuff, and went home.
I leave you with a few of the (crappy) pictures I took. I hope it gives you a sense of the completely out of control nature of this party. The kids had a great time and that's wonderful but the amount of work and money that went into this thing was almost obscene.
The invitation included photoshopped pictures of the kids as Star Wars characters, the characteristic Star Wars font, and the text laid out in that "scrolling into the void of space" way that begins all Star Wars films. This missive was delivered inside a paper towel tube that was dressed up to look like a light saber.
That was just the invitation.
Yesterday was finally party day. Costumes were encouraged so we pulled out Liam's Luke costume from a couple of Halloweens ago, threw his Jedi robe over the top, and grabbed one of his play lightsabers. I accompanied him to the soiree.
I am beyond mad at myself that I forgot my good camera leaving me only my iPhone for documentation because it was so over the top it had to be seen to be believed.
We walked in to find life size cardboard cutouts of C3PO and R2D2. A photographer was waiting to take Liam's picture with them. That done, we headed to the REGISTRATION TABLE (for a kid's birthday - like it was some international conference on human rights) where we picked up our name tags, checked in, and got a light stick for use during "Jedi Training."
Oh dear.
We went on into the hall where the party was being held to find multiple tables of food and drink set up. Everything was labelled as to what it was but using Star Wars themed names - ie "Mace Windu Mac N Cheese." All of the signage (of which there was plenty) had been lovingly printed out and affixed to stiff boards to make it look as professional as possible.
Liam was instantly overwhelmed.
He went to sit with one of his other classmates while I found the Mom to say hello. She was dressed as Leia from Return of the Jedi.* Dad was Han Solo. Grandma was Queen Amidala. Grandpa was C3P0. The boys were Obi Wan, Luke, and Yoda - wearing costumes that could have walked off the set of the films.
I tried to get Liam to eat something but he was feeling too overwhelmed by it all to even think about food. He seemed very uncomfortable so we just sat together for awhile while he took it all in and got comfortable with everything that was going on. Eventually, it was time to get the festivities rolling and it was like a flashback to Kindergarten Carnival. The kids were divided into small groups. Each of those groups was led by an adult. They took the kids outside and rotated them through a number of party games that had been set up in stations. This took around an hour or so. I don't know because I was inside talking with other parents where it was cool.
Then they came inside and it was time for the stage show.
Yes, as I stated earlier, there was as stage show.
Two dudes dressed as Jedi got up on the stage and, with microphones (so it was EXTRA loud), they proceeded to lecture the kids on the ways of the force, give them a demonstration of Jedi skills, and then lead them through some basic Jedi training.
And then Darth Vader arrived.
We're not talking just any Vader here, either. This guy had a primo costume. It was not flimsy. It was not cheap.
So he shows up on the stage and the kids got to battle him one by one with their newfound Jedi skills. Liam, the young padawan, learned his skills well.
Now, all of this took at least another 45 minutes. After the kids did their thing with Vader, they got goodie bags (backpacks with the Jedi logo on it) and homemade lightsabers made out of pool noodles, craft paper, and tape. They went back outside for a Jedi obstacle course and a Death Star shaped piñata that they each got 3 whacks at before it finally broke and there was a grand melee for candy. While this was going on, the parents were given a slip of paper telling us that our child's photo from their arrival (you know, the one with the droids) was now ready for pickup.
They brought a printer just to print out these pictures.
Finally the kids came back inside. It was now 7:00 pm. The cakes had not yet been cut or served. I told Liam it was time to go, we gathered up our stuff, and went home.
I leave you with a few of the (crappy) pictures I took. I hope it gives you a sense of the completely out of control nature of this party. The kids had a great time and that's wonderful but the amount of work and money that went into this thing was almost obscene.
There were three cakes (one for each kid) but my picture of the third one is all blurry.
These were kites that they hung from the ceiling as decoration.
Entirely edible Jawa cupcakes.
Mind? Blown.
----------------------------------
*After a question from a Twitter friend, I feel compelled to clarify that Mom was dressed as the ass kicking Leia during the Endor raid, not the metal bikini clad Leia during her captivity with Jabba.
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*After a question from a Twitter friend, I feel compelled to clarify that Mom was dressed as the ass kicking Leia during the Endor raid, not the metal bikini clad Leia during her captivity with Jabba.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
A Not So Fabulous Week
This would be the part where I would like to crawl under a rock and not talk about this but I feel like I need to put myself out there. I don't know why but I'm just going to go with it.
So. Weigh-in this week was not so amazing as the last two. I lost a little bit - 0.2 lbs - but only a very little bit. I knew my body was going to have to slow down its breakneck pace at some point but I was so hoping to drop just 1 pound this week. If I had, I would have made my 5% goal. Even more frustrating is that my scale at home weighed me 0.5 lbs less than what the scale at Weight Watchers did. Sometimes my scale matches theirs and sometimes it doesn't. It's entirely unfair.
I think maybe I'm slipping a little bit. I'm not being as hard nosed with myself about what I eat and what I track. I'm still pretty diligent but I need to be REALLY diligent. I'm not there; there is room for improvement.
Also, I just don't exercise. I hate to do it and I would much rather sit down after the kids are asleep than get up and go walking. Thus far, I have given into that impulse. This being the case, my big goal for this week is to walk at least three times. If I can do it more than that, so much the better. I have a route mapped. I have an iPod full of tunes. I just need to do it. Interent, please bug me until I do.
However, there were a couple of bright spots in the week. The first: I am in smaller clothes. My shorts are all smaller now and stuff that was just barely acceptable now looks very nice on me. The second: I was able to wear my mothers ring today for the first time in many, many months. It's meant to be worn with my wedding set, on the other side of my engagement ring from the wedding band. I love how it looks when it's all together but all three at once is a squeeze my fat fingers weren't tolerating. Today I was able to slip it on in the morning with ease and wear it all day.
Despite this not being my best week, I'm trying to push the reset button and refocus myself on what I need to be doing. Tomorrow is a fresh day with a fresh chance to do my very best.
So. Weigh-in this week was not so amazing as the last two. I lost a little bit - 0.2 lbs - but only a very little bit. I knew my body was going to have to slow down its breakneck pace at some point but I was so hoping to drop just 1 pound this week. If I had, I would have made my 5% goal. Even more frustrating is that my scale at home weighed me 0.5 lbs less than what the scale at Weight Watchers did. Sometimes my scale matches theirs and sometimes it doesn't. It's entirely unfair.
I think maybe I'm slipping a little bit. I'm not being as hard nosed with myself about what I eat and what I track. I'm still pretty diligent but I need to be REALLY diligent. I'm not there; there is room for improvement.
Also, I just don't exercise. I hate to do it and I would much rather sit down after the kids are asleep than get up and go walking. Thus far, I have given into that impulse. This being the case, my big goal for this week is to walk at least three times. If I can do it more than that, so much the better. I have a route mapped. I have an iPod full of tunes. I just need to do it. Interent, please bug me until I do.
However, there were a couple of bright spots in the week. The first: I am in smaller clothes. My shorts are all smaller now and stuff that was just barely acceptable now looks very nice on me. The second: I was able to wear my mothers ring today for the first time in many, many months. It's meant to be worn with my wedding set, on the other side of my engagement ring from the wedding band. I love how it looks when it's all together but all three at once is a squeeze my fat fingers weren't tolerating. Today I was able to slip it on in the morning with ease and wear it all day.
Despite this not being my best week, I'm trying to push the reset button and refocus myself on what I need to be doing. Tomorrow is a fresh day with a fresh chance to do my very best.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Women The World Over Are Jealous
The eyelashes kill me.
And it's not just Jamie that has them. Both of my boys are blessed with them. Liam was three in this picture, but they're just as full and thick today.
Why, yes, I did just make a whole post about my kids eyelashes.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Happy Independence Day!
What better way to celebrate than with cupcakes?
Yes, I know I'm a day early. So what?
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