Water...FTW!

FTW = for the win. I had to look it up the first time I saw it on twitter so I thought I'd just tell you and save you the search of urbandictionary.com.

I quit cokes yesterday. I gained 1 1/4 lb. at WW. I was expecting it. Once again I had indulged a little more than I should have but am quite sure that I did well with the portion control of the food.

The cokes...not so much.

I am addicted to cokes. I admit it. The addiction is compromising my ability to get my body where I want it to be. I can justify drinking one a day but I know in my heart that there will be too many days where I can't stop at just one.

When I am with family doing something special I have figured out how to either make choices that will keep me in my points allowance or make a conscious decision to eat things that will make me go over my points. Either way it is a conscious decision and when I decide to go over my points I always feel it is worth it. The choice to drink coke is almost always made subconsciously or for convenience and NEVER worth it.

I literally cried a little at the WW meeting when I decided I had to quit them. I told my friend and WW cohort immediately to give me some accountability. I am not sure why the tears came to my eyes. How bizarre is that...crying about cokes? Silly is what it is. I think the tears are more about coming to terms with myself and my inner brat/princess/child about choices I have to make to be healthier. This losing weight is sometimes more of a battle in my mind than anywhere else. That battle can be so difficult but is proving to be SO WORTH IT!

I am taking charge of my body. I'm not going to let my future be controlled by a stupid addiction to cokes that I know I am bigger than and stronger than. For heaven's sake I quit smoking two years ago. If I can kick the nicotine habit I CAN.DO.THIS!!!

Short and Sweet

Weight Watchers Wednesday

I know I know...it's Thursday. I'm easily distracted! I lost...wait for it...wait for it...5.5 lbs. this week!!! Woo Woo! I am 2.5 lbs away from my 10% goal. I would love to reach it next week but I realize this is a marathon not a 5k and I am just going to keep plugging away and celebrate all downward movement on the scale without any "expectation" of how much I "should" be losing every week.

Fresh Flowers


More on my Wii Fit challenge tomorrow...or the next day...you know when I am less distracted!

The 2009 Camping Extravaganza!

Weight Watchers Wednesday
Gained 3 1/2 lbs. this week.
Defeat they name is s'more...and they were totally worth it!

We went camping last weekend.

When one of the counselors at my kids aftercare program found out we were camping she said, "you don't strike me as a camper". I'm not really. Given a choice I am usually going to opt for my bed and the creature comforts of home. Luckily I haven't always had a choice and therefore can and do appreciate "the camping".

When I was a girl we started out with tent camping. I am the youngest of three girls. My parents always had their own big tent and then the three of us would squeeze into this tiny little tent. At the time it didn't faze me but looking back I am really curious about it. However I'm not going to ask because I'm too afraid the answer might involve my parents having "the sex". We moved on and into a pop up pull behind thingy and to be honest I felt that thing was way more work than it was worth. The putting up and then the taking down and cleaning blah blah blah. Tents just seemed easier. Then my parents got smart or better paying jobs and we started renting cabins and houses on the lake. That is my preference...all the amenities of home but right on the water. Before I started dating Sexy I hadn't actually camped since I was a teenager.

Sexy has some friends from Louisiana that like to come and camp in Arkansas. I totally understand that cause everything in Arkansas is better than in Louisiana. They preferred the "off the grid" type camping that I had never experienced. No electrical hook ups. No bathroom just a stones throw away. The first year we were dating Sexy went without me. However, all his friends brought their wives or girlfriends and kids and he made it clear that the next year he wanted me to come along. I'm not sure how we came to be kid-free on that weekend but it was just Sexy and I that made the pilgrimage to the Quachita National Forrest to join his friends for their annual camping event. It was a blast but very different from the camping I was used to. That was the last year of camping for that group of friends. Everyone moved far far away. Our family has continued the tradition. Last year was year three and we took some of our friends with us. They had been wanting to go camping. We had a good time. This year it was just us.

Fighter Pilot totally called this one on day two when he said, "This is the BEST CAMPING TRIP EVER!" The caps are indicative of his yelling! It really was a great time. There is nothing like going "off grid" with your husband and kids to let you relax and reconnect. There were no tv's, cell phones or interwebs to attend to. It was just us and mother nature. It was awesome. Here are some of my pictures of our adventure. (not the best quality because they were taken with my camera phone) It was cold and wet but magical.


Our tent was right next to this. It sounded beautiful but loud. The first night, in response to me talking about how beautiful it was Fighter Pilot said, "Can you turn it down? I'm never going to get to sleep!"


Our lovely compound. It is way to big but totally awesome. We have gotten much faster at putting it up and taking it down.


The camp "kitchen".


I love a campfire!


but not as much as I LOVE these punks!

Acky Breaky Heart

Weight Watcher Wednesday

I lost another 2 1/2 lbs. I am down 23.5 lbs. total. I was a little worried because I went to a tasting at a hotel for a lunch my office is hosting. I happen to be good friends with the catering manager of this hotel and he told the people from my office who arrange these things to bring me along for the tasting. It was so yummy. We got to sample three different entrees. The samples were basically 1/2 a portion. Then we got THREE desserts. Full portions. Double chocolate cake, banana pudding made with the hotel's signature cookies instead of vanilla wafers and bread pudding. I love dessert! I ate the full 1/2 servings of each entree and 1/2 of each dessert. It was my lunch and dinner. I guess it all worked out since I lost weight. To be honest though it is not often I get to eat such wonderfully prepared food and there was no way I was going to turn it down. It would have been worth gaining a couple pounds! Luckily that didn't happen! Could I possibly use more exclamation points?!

Meanwhile back on the ranch...

Sassafras is nine. She got her first blemish this month. She also no longer believes in Santa Clause...something about a bar code on her tv last year...what.ev.er. She is too smart for her own good.

I knew that motherhood would be hard work. What I was totally ill prepared for was the emotional difficulty that comes when they grow up. My theme song has always been "I don't wanna grow up". I embrace the silly. I often refer to myself as a 5 year old and to be honest I often act like one...in good and bad ways! I guess I should have known that watching them grow up would be hard. She is the most awesome little girl in the world and I am sure she will be the most awesome tweenager but why why why! Don't get me wrong I burst with pride for her accomplishments and milestones but one day she will roll her eyes when I call her "baby girl". It is breaking my heart.

Wii Fit

We got a Wii for Christmas last year. "We" meaning that Sexy and I purchased one for the family. (cause that is the whole reason we have a family...so we can buy toys and claim they are for the family...we are smrt!) I wanted to get a Wii Fit but the only thing harder than finding and purchasing a Wii for Christmas last year was finding and purchasing a Wii Fit! Sexy got me one for Valentines Day and I bet I was one of the few wives who received said gift that was truly grateful! Oh honey, exercise equipment for Valentines Day...you shouldn't have...really.

I am positive that I have mentioned previously that I don't like to exercise. I thought...Wii Fit will make it fun and I'll stick with it and it will work. So Sexy gets it all set up and I go through the initial "body test" and it takes my already shorter and wider than average Mii (which I made shorter and wider than average in an attempt to be somewhat accurate in creating the Mii) and makes it FAT. My Mii...FAT. I know I'm fat. You don't have to make my Mii fat to emphasize the point! So lets just say that in order to PUNISH the Wii Fit I didn't use it for 8 months. If I could figure out how to capture an image of my fat Mii and put it on the interwebs I would share it with you cause that is how I roll! Alas, I haz no IT skillz!

The point you ask...and for once I actually have one...I have issued a Wii Fit challenge to myself. The purpose of the challenge is to create a habit of using the Wii Fit. The challenge is to "play" on the Wii Fit and earn 20 minutes of tokens at least 3 times a week. This is the challenge for October. I am planning on meeting that challenge and raising it in November but we will deal with that WHEN it happens. I am actually going to try and get three sessions in this very short week of October. I did my first session last night and it actually was fun! I know I was shocked too! I saw some very distinct improvement in my capabilities and I'm actually sore today!

da flu

I'm pretty sure I had the flu. Not sure if it was seasonal or H1N1. Either way it was pretty terrible. Sexy got it first on Friday. He thought it was a sinus infection. We attended my 15 year class reunion Saturday. It was fun and exhausting and I could tell that Sexy felt terrible but knew it was important to me that he be there so he was. Then on Sunday morning his "sinus infection" moved to his chest. By Sunday evening I was sick. We were both hoping it wasn't the flu but when we woke up Monday morning we both felt like we had been run over by a big Mack truck. I basically took NyQuil and slept every minute that I was able. We tag teamed and got the kids to school. We weren't able to take Fighter Pilot to his football practice which was also his picture day. Sassafras did make it to soccer practice but only because I could just drop her off and pick her up. We managed to get everyone feed and in bed and pass out. Tuesday in the early morning my fever broke. Tuesday morning I actually considered going to work but decided to heed the "don't return to civilization for 24 hours after fever" warning as not to turn my whole office into zombies. I barely ate Monday and Tuesday was only a little better. Wednesday I was able to go to work but was incredibly weak. I am hoping some rest this weekend will help me fully recuperate.

I didn't lose any weight this week but also didn't gain. I did eat too much a couple of days but I really think that the not eating for two days made my body panic and that is why there was no movement on the scale *shrugs* I am not an expert so who the hell really knows!

The picture below is of the kids on our first outing on the trail that runs behind our neighborhood. It was fun and adventurous. One of the things I would like to change in my life is my level of activity. Not just with exercising but with parenting. I would like to be one of those parents who plays with their children instead of just watching their children play. I also think that it would help instill in them a preference of activity over inactivity. I have no such preference and would mostly rather sit on my ass and watch tv. We had a blast!