Getting healthy

Last night, I was watching The Biggest Loser: Couples and the girl who was voted off said something that struck a chord with me.  She said she was always going to start a diet on Monday but Monday never came.  I’m much the same way.  I’ll get it in my head that on Monday I’ll do whatever it is I want to do or stop doing what I want to stop only Monday becomes next Monday.  Why wait until Monday?  Why not start NOW?

Today, I went to the store and stocked up on healthy treats and I’ve been searching different forums online for weight loss ideas.  Not so much a diet, but more of changing habits to live healthier.  I don’t want Khaila to think that it’s okay to be obese.  Yes, I want to show her that no matter how you look on the outside it doesn’t change the inside.  I want her to be confident with her body image.  At the same time, I want her to be healthy.  And yes, I’m a little scared of her being the “fat kid” like I was and if I can instill good habits now to save that pain later, I’m going to!

I weighed myself tonight and I was shocked at the number!  The last time I got on a scale was a few months ago and I could have cried when I saw 245!  Today, without really paying attention to what I’ve been eating, without working out, I’m down to 220!  I attribute that to actually eating MORE and not putting my body into starvation mode as well as getting back to work in a more physically demanding position.  I’m looking forward to the success of seeing a one as the first number on that scale, hopefully in about 10 weeks!

D is for Dolls

No, I don’t mean the type that my daughter is in love with. I’m talking about grown men who play with dolls. In particular, today is dedicated to Jeff Dunham and Terry Fator. For Christmas 2006, my brother and sister-in-law gave me Jeff Dunham’s Arguing With Myself. At first I thought it was a lousy gift. I hate to put that in print but I admit that I was sure it was going to be awful. Now, I’m only allowed to watch when I’m with someone because parts of it get me laughing so hard that I can’t breathe! Here’s a clip of Jeff Dunham for those who haven’t heard of him.

About a week ago, my mother-in-law sent Rick a clip of Terry Fator, a ventriloquist who was on America’s Got Talent. This man certainly does have talent! One of the clips I watched is below. He is a ventriloquist who does impressions of singers. My jaw hit the floor the first time he got up on stage you could tell that the judges weren’t thrilled to see another ventriloquist who thought he was the best thing since sliced bread. Terry Fator just might be!

Amazing!

Wish me luck!

Well, it’s official.  Tonight I submitted my first article for publication.  I’m nervous, scared, certain that it’s crap and I’m just waiting to officially receive my first rejection letter.  I know it’s not, but now I have to convince myself of that.  I’ll know by the end of next month if it’s accepted or not.

And with that, I’m going to do my yoga for the evening (again, but it’s only 10 minutes and I feel extremely relaxed after) and go to bed.  Tomorrow is sure to be a hairy drive into Madison with the blowing snow we’re getting.

C is for Coffee!!

It’s an exciting day in my round of the alphabet game.  Those who know me (including Khaila) can attest to the fact that I am a coffee addict.  It may be the one addiction that I never give up.  I even applied for a job at a coffee shop and worked in the mall through the Christmas season because of my addiction.  What more can a girl ask for?  I was doing something useful, I had fun, I got paid, and I got two free drinks every day!

My employees have begun to joke around that if they have to give me bad news, they’re going to bring coffee to soften the blow.  I’m not sure that would work but I’ll wait and see if anyone does it and then see how it goes.  In the month since I started my job, everyone has gotten used to the fact that I have a bottle of flavored creamer in the cooler at all times.  I’m sure it’s not a healthy substitute but I’ve found that if I use flavored creamers I don’t use sugar.

Khaila now comes up to me and says “Mama needs coffee” if I wake up on the wrong side of the bed.  I don’t remember saying those words to her at any point but I’m sure it may have happened.  And how can you stay in a bad mood when your daughter makes you laugh first thing in the morning at the same time as reminding someone over four feet tall to brew a pot?

Yes, my name is Heather and I’m a coffeeholic.

The Liar’s Diary

About the time I started this blog, I also joined several groups on Cafemom that were related to writing.  One of the posts I saw made me realize that writers are a community of friends and family.  The post was about Patry Francis and helping to promote the paperback release of her book today, January 29th, 2007.  Recently, Patry was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and is focusing on treatment and beating the cancer which doesn’t leave the time I’m sure she’d like to have to promote her book.  The post I read was a call to the blogosphere to help get the word out about The Liar’s Diary.

I must admit that I had grand plans to get the hardcover, read it, and post my thoughts on the book.  Those plans were derailed by life and today, I am happy to say that I have ordered this book and look forward to reading it.  Once it arrives, it will be the next book on my list of before bed reading material.

To read more about Patry, her story, and her book visit Susan Henderson’s site.  Reading what she wrote today assures me that the little bit I can do to help out is worth doing!

B is for Back

Or birth control, you choose!  It seems that there is a downside to having a kid quickly.  When I delivered Khaila, the labor was under eight hours and the pushing was about 20 minutes total.  That sounds lovely until you fast forward about six months.  About that time, I found out that I had messed up a disk in my back (probably during the fast delivery according to two doctors) and once that was combined with lifting and caring for a little one it got to the point where I could barely move.

Now, two years later, I have a job where I’m constantly on my feet.  This is not good for someone who could stand to lose about 70 pounds!  I’m working on the weight issue (and I would assume I’m getting somewhere given the number of compliments I’ve gotten from friends and family lately) but it’s not quite enough.  Tonight, on the advice of a friend, I picked up a beginner yoga DVD.  I’m hoping it will help stretch my back as well as give me a way to relax.  As I tell my stepmom, I like “calm Heather” much more than “stressed Heather”.

When did I become technologically stupid?

Maybe I’m just tired, but I’ve been staring at my dashboard for too long tonight trying to figure out where in the heck to put script code for a blogroll.  If you know, would you like to take pity on someone who has apparently lost the little knowledge she had?

A good time was had by all

Today, as promised, we got out of the house.  Having a husband who has avoided going out in public for various reasons for most of our marriage, I was sure it wouldn’t happen or that we would have a “girls day” which generally means me trying to be happy on the outside and enjoy time with Khaila while I’m ticked at Rick for not tagging along.

Adding to the uncertainty, the destination I picked out was Olbrich Botanical Gardens which anyone who knows Rick will agree is about the furthest down the list on places (or type of place) he would like to go on a Sunday afternoon.  Surprisingly, he was completely on board with my idea, we packed up the van and headed to Madison.

First stop was by my work to feed the apparently starving-because-her-parents-don’t-love-her two year old.  I work six days a week, the last thing I wanted today was pizza but she has been asking for it all week and couldn’t have it because she had been sick.  Next stop was Wal-Mart which is more exciting that it should be.  We recently got a Super Wal-Mart that has underground parking, many energy saving features such as skylights and flourescent lighting that is set to a light sensor so they dim depending on the natural light coming in (today most of the lights were off, it was interesting to shop in a mega store by natural light), and they have CART ESCALATORS!!!  I should not be so excited by something like that but I am.  What will they think of next???

The botanical gardens were a blast.  Khaila had fun looking at all the different plants, the birds, and the ginormous koi that were swimming through the ponds.  She enjoyed the upper level the most and kept trying to climb the steps to the steamy walkway.  While we weren’t there long and we didn’t make the trek outside today I think it was a success and I think we will definitely be going back!  Where else can you entertain a family for $2.00 and learn something in the process?

Next week we’ll be heading to the Madison Childrens Museum.  Being frugal, we’re going that day because it’s free the first Sunday of each month.  If we enjoy that, once Rick is back to work a family pass will be on the list of things to get.

A is for Accomplishment!

I really hope she doesn’t mind, but I’ve loved reading Beth’s alphabet themed posts.  Since half of the time I find myself trying to figure out what in the heck I want to write about, I’m going to steal borrow her idea and start my own alphabet.  And if I find out that it is an original idea that belongs to her, I will stop.

Since today is the first day, we’ll start at the very beginning.  The first word that popped into my head was accomplishment.  This morning, I woke up and rather than get ticked off about everything that didn’t get done this week I decided to see what I could get done without killing myself trying to get everything done.

For about six years now, I’ve been a huge fan of Flylady and her ways of cleaning.   The trick is to know that you can do anything for 15 minutes and that it’s okay if everything isn’t done.  Rather than work yourself ragged to get everything done right now, you take it slow.  And when you “fall off the wagon” you just drag yourself back up without getting down on yourself for everything that fell apart.

Using this method, I have managed to clean the living room, catch up on most of my dishes, and I have two loads of laundry done.  Most Sundays, I get up, get upset that everything isn’t done, work myself silly for an hour and spend the rest of the day mad at myself, mad at Rick for not helping, and mad at Khaila for not picking up her toys.  Even better than the sense of accomplishment is the sense of peace that I’m feeling at getting a good start to my day.  Now, I think it’s time to sit down with my coffee and suffer through watch Shrek the Third yet again with Khaila.  This afternoon, once the remaining dishes are done and another load of laundry is in the dryer, I think we’ll head up to Madison for some much needed family time.

The book that has stayed with me

I can tell you, without question, the book that made a huge impact on my life.  “A Theory of Relativity” is a book that I will never forget.  Originally, I picked this book simply because I needed something to occupy my time and Jacquelyn Mitchard was an author from home.  I was living in Nebraska at the time, depressed because I was 600 miles from my family, and bored to tears.  It was spring and the library was only about a mile away so I began to walk there weekly.

The front room in our crappy apartment (yes, I have a history of crappy apartments) had windows on two sides that let in an obscene amount of light.  The makeshift bed made of two by fours and a sheet of craft foam was surprisingly comfortable for curling up on and getting lost in the pages of a book.

The day I finished this book was a particularly down day for me.  The sun was warm and I found myself relaxed.  Then I read six words that made me break into hysterical laughter, “Oregon, the town not the state”.  I knew the book was partly set in Madison and I had imagined the neighborhoods, knew where the characters had gone shopping, everything.  This line struck me as funny simply because Oregon is my hometown and if you are from Oregon, you know that whenever you tell someone where you are from you say “the town not the state” because otherwise the next question will be “What part of Oregon are you from?” and then you have to explain that you mean a small town seven miles south of Madison.

That afternoon I was still 600 miles from my family but thanks to the words in the epilogue of “A Theory of Relativity” I felt a bit more connected to the life I had left behind.  Sometimes a small detail can make a world of difference to the reader, that’s a lesson I hope to remember as I try to hone my own writing skills.