Word Press

Guess who got bored due to being snowed in?  Yep!  I got a little bored so I decided to change Balance for Mere from Blogspot to Wordpress.  Check out the new site.  It is a work in progress.

Please update your Google Reader and Blog Rolls.  

http://balanceformere.wordpress.com/

Thanks!

Snowed In Weekend

It looks like I won't be leaving the house much this weekend.  We have about 8 inches of snow outside and it is still lightly falling.  I am looking forward to keeping busy but enjoying the peace that snow brings.  

This morning I was excited to make Kath's Classic Oatmeal.  Stove-top oatmeal beats microwave oatmeal any day of the week. 

I made his and her bowls.

Her bowl:  a close-up

Here's my To Do list for the weekend:

• Complete report cards
• Do No More Trouble Zones (maybe twice)
  
• Finish cleaning and vacuum
• Do some major cooking
• Laundry
• Go sledding
• Have a dance/cardio party for one or two (if Husband decides to join in)
• Organize clothes closet
• Organize dresser
• Finish my current book so I can read Salinger in honor of him
• Do some other school items that are complicated to explain
• Drink hot chocolate

What do you have planned for the weekend?   

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

but cleaning can be so delightful when you have nothing better to do!

Well, we made it through the day without an early release but around four o'clock the snow arrived.  By six o'clock it was snowing heavily.  

And of course Ansel Husband wanted to photograph it.

I decided to use the time to clean out our cabinets.  And they were a mess!  I hope my mother-in-law doesn't ever see this.  :)

Pantry Before: 

Pantry After:

Refrigerator Before:

Refrigerator After:

While cleaning I discovered I had a stock pile of Evaporated Milk (all expired).  I have no idea how or why it's all got there but it is not longer in the house.  Have you ever noticed an item that you stock pile for no good reason?

Have a great Friday night! 

Update:  We have already gotten about 3-4 inches and it is still snowing. 

Three Thing Thursday Focused on Snow!

The weekend is almost here!  My week went by quickly (thanks to two workdays) but I am still glad it is almost over.  Anyone have big plans for the weekend?  I don't because... it's going to snow!  I'm looking forward to being shut in.

1.  There is a really good chance that it will snow tomorrow afternoon through Saturday.  I live in the South (North Carolina) where we might get one good snow a year but that is not very common.  In December we got 4 inches of snow before Christmas and that is a lot for us.  Now the forecasters are predicting 6-10 in my area and the models show it to start snowing around 3 o'clock in the afternoon.  Which means school will be crazy!  The kids will be excited but who could blame them?  Then the day will be crazy because there is a good chance we'll get an early dismissal.  My goals for tomorrow are to stay calm and relaxed and make sure everyone goes home safely.

2.  Tonight Husband picked up Jason's Deli for us for dinner so I could go to the grocery store before the above mentioned snow hits.  I love take out from Jason's.  Where is your favorite take out place?

3.  As of today I have run 80 miles in the month of January.  There is a good chance that might be my last run of the month.  I'm ok with that.  I was hoping to get in 15-20 miles between now and Monday but even without it, I hit my January goal.  

Picture from the December snow (photographed by Husband).  This is the view from my dinning room window.

Wake Up MEre!

Aside from my lovely 10 mile run/walk on Sunday I don't have much to be proud of.  My diet has been less than stellar, even knowing that I am competing in a weight loss competition.  This morning I tried to use the weight loss competition to motivate me to make better choices and it simply didn't do it!

So what motivated me?  A reminder that I have PCOS!  I made myself get on Web-MD and look at the symptoms and problems associated with it.  It clearly states that a good diet with exercise is the best thing I can do for me.  The bottom line is if I want to have a baby I need to treat my body better.

Motivation isn't a horizontal line; there are curves, peaks and valleys along the way.  What motivates you when your resolution wanes? 

I think I'll be enjoying a healthy spinach and vegetable quesadilla and fruit for lunch and a great sweat session this afternoon, before attending a work function with Husband tonight.  And in the meantime my job today isn't teaching but assessing.  I have a love/hate relationship with report cards.

Last Call

Have you ever closed down a bar?  Did you stay until the last call?  I don't think I ever did but would stay until the party ended.  Today I didn't close down a bar but closed down the gym.  The YMCA that I am a member of closes on Sunday at 5:00.  I stayed until the employee said they were turning off the lights.

I did 10 miles today!  This is a personal record!  It was a combination of running and walking and took about 2 hours.  It felts great!  I love seeing how far I can go or how far I've come.

This is one of my favorite songs to listen to as I run.  I try to time a race so this is towards the very end.   

And now the rest of my evening will be stretching and eating tacos with my mom and family!  Have a great Sunday!

In My Own Biggest Loser Competition

Last year the school nurse held a Biggest Loser competition and I didn't join in.  And to be honest I felt like a not cool loser left out.  This year I had to participate!  So I'm in.  Today was day 1 and our weigh in day.  I don't anticipate losing much weight.  If I lost 6 pounds in the next 10 weeks I would be thrilled.  Losing 2-4 would be really great too.  So clearly I won't be much help to my team in my percentage but I am helpful in other ways:  for every 100 minutes of exercise my time loses 1 pound.  I don't quiet get the math but know that me sweating is good for my team.

I am excited about the competition because of the team effort.  I don't want to let my team down.  And I would love for my team to beat the other team.  My team is comprised of teachers and the other team is administration and office staff.  It's all in good fun but the winning team and Biggest Loser does win some cash.  I am already trying to clean up my diet and focus on better choices.  Eating a pretty clean diet last year helped me drop weight last spring so it's worth the effort.  Have you competed in a weight loss program at your work or gym?  How did it go?  Any tips?  

I may or may not watch The Biggest Loser tonight.  I am kind of indifferent to this season.  Are you going to watch it?

image source