A Friendship in Pictures

One of best friends growing up got married yesterday. It was beautiful and so nice to see her and our other best friend. We don't get to see each other often so when we do it is a special occasion.

I decided to show pictures of the 3 of us as an illustration of my weight loss.

December 2004



August 2006



July 2007



May 2009

Itsy, Bitsy, Tiny, Winy, Blue Bikini

She wore an itsy, bitsy, tiny, winy, blue polka-dot bikini,
that she wore for the first time today!

After running this morning and relaxing around the house, Husband and I loaded up our stuff and lunches and head to the beach. I love sitting by the beach. It is so relaxing. It also gave me plenty of reading time. I walked to the edge of the surf to at least put my feet in the water. Boy, was it cold! Husband of course loved it and spent the majority of the time in the water, his usual.

Now, we are going to shower and get ready. We are heading to Wilmington (about an hour's drive away) for a friend's wedding! I am reading one of the scriptures... the bride asked me to read in my "teacher voice". I am really excited about dancing. Wedding receptions are so much fun!

Running, Beach, Twilight! All to My Delight!

All week I had been looking forward to running while at the beach. I LOVE running in different places. This morning Husband and I sleep-in (hallelujah!) and then went for a run around 9:30. By this time the heat and the humidity had already set in. The scenery was beautiful; I found a couple beach homes that I plan to buy when I win the lottery. Just having a different location gives me new excitement for running. We ran pretty much the length of the island (in terms of where the roads are). Tomorrow I hope we'll wake-up and get up a little earlier so it'll be cooler and we can run a little farther, perhaps run the island twice or one and a half times.

Here are some pictures from the canal house where we're staying. Be-u-ti-ful!

After running we came back to the house and relaxed and cooled off. We lounged around on the deck. I began reading Twilight and am now deeply engrossed in the book and almost at the half-way mark. We decided to go to the beach after lunch. I loaded a bag of goodies and our towels. We decided to walk since it wasn't that far. We set up shop close to our access part and Husband immediately got in the ocean. The man is a fish with 2 legs and 2 arms. After about 30 minutes the thunder that had been in the distance was getting closer and closer and the sky became very hazy and almost fog-like. I made the executive decision we were heading back to the house and waved to the Fish (aka Husband) to come in.

It rained for about an hour, more great reading time. After the shower passed I spent several hours on the upper deck, Twilight in hand.

This evening we went to a typical southern beach seafood place. I love seafood. Husband doesn't so much! Then we stopped by a grocery store for some Ben and Jerry's Frozen Yogurt. We wouldn't do this at home but since we're on vacation it's nice to take a more relaxed view of things.


Special Note: I did dawn a 2-piece today. Although I am no Victoria's Secret model, I felt hot! I felt proud of my body and what I have accomplished! I will never be tiny or a size 2 but I've got curves. No pictures of me in a 2-piece were taken today without having my cover-up on. Tomorrow I plan to have a picture taken by my photographer, Husband.

Bikini or One-Piece... BOTH

As I believe I have posted before, this year I bought 2 bikinis. This is a big deal for me! I have not been in a bikini since I was 18; I'm 26 years old now. Well in packing for the beach, I had to decide to pack just my bikinis or bikinis and my older (but still somewhat cute) one-pieces. I am not proud to admit this, but I packed both. I don't feel comfortable enough to just take the bikinis. I am afraid I'll have a "fat" day and decided that I am more comfortable not showing so much skin. I know my body looks better now than it has in a long time but that doesn't mean that I'm not still self-conscious. I hope that when I return on Sunday I'll be able to announce (and show) to the world that I was in a bikini.

Bikini or no bikini I am looking forward to the beach. I want to do several morning runs. I want to sit on the beach and enjoy the sun. I love watching the waves and enjoying the sounds. It is so relaxing! I love the feeling of peace I get at the beach.

What do you wear while at the beach or pool... one-piece or bikini?

I Can't Do It All, All the Time

I am really hard on myself when I can't do it all. Each day I want to be able to work, workout, cook dinner, keep the house clean and still be an enjoyable wife for Husband to be around. I want to be able to do it all! In a perfect world every single day I would be able to do so.

Today I had to remind myself that I can't do everything. It was a super busy day at work today. There is a TON of paperwork associated with the end of the school year. I completed some very important things and I feel good about that but I didn't get to work on my substitute plans for Friday. Husband and I are leaving tomorrow evening for a weekend at the beach; a friend of mine is getting married at the beach on Saturday. Yay! That is the light at the end of my tunnel.

So after work (and a retirement reception for our assistant principal) I forced myself to come home and get started on laundry, sub plans, packing and cleaning. I really wanted to run! I had drank all the water required for a great run. I was in the running mood but unfortunately life got in the way. I am trying not to be disappointed in myself. I am forcing the line "I never regret a run." out of my mind. And replacing it with "I can't do it all, all the time." I will postpone my awesome run for the beach, where I intend do enjoy some fantastic runs!

Now off to do some serious packing. So here is the question... are you a good packer? I over-pack way too much!

Drink Your Water!

When I first started to exercise and eat well I drank water because that is what "dieting people" do. I would force down my 64 oz. of water like a good, little dieter and check it off as a requirement met in my day.

Since then my view of water has changed greatly! When I began running I noticed how my body performed differently with or without a proper amount of water. I think I have found my body's requirement of water. If I run in the afternoon (3:00-5:00 p.m.), I need to have drank anywhere from 72-96 oz. of water prior to running. Today I had only drank 64 oz. and had a bad run. I developed pain in my stomach, which is typical when I am dehydrated (or not properly hydrated). My body doesn't perform well without a lot of water. How much water does your body need to perform well?

In other exciting running news, we found out today about our results from Saturday's race. Husband finished 2nd in his age group! I finished 5th! I am happy to have completed the race. I was excited to have finished in well under 30 minutes (my pre-race goal). I was THRILLED to have finished 5th!

Wedding Coordinator Wanna Be

If I wasn't a teacher, I think being a wedding coordinator would be a lot of fun! I enjoy the planning process and creating the "perfect" day! When a friend of mine (her mom and my mom are friends too) said she was getting married this May, my mom and I said we would help out in anyway possible. So we were given the task of setting up the reception site and greeting guests as they arrived.

Setting up the reception site was not an easy task. It took the majority of the day. We put up lights, lanterns, and their initials. We folded napkins and helped with the table decorations. We oversaw everything and made sure things was PERFECT. We handled any problems so the bride or her family never had to know! It was stressful but worth it when everyone arrived and was happy!

Before the guests arrived Husband enjoyed his new favorite hobby - photography. He took some awesome pictures of the reception site and all the details that the bride can't notice the day of but will enjoy seeing in pictures later.

The reception was a lot of fun! I love reception food but nothing is as good as wedding cake! I also love dancing and the pure joy that is experienced. You can feel the love in the air. It brings back so many wonderful memories from my wedding day, which was the BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!

First 5K Race!

Today was the day! Today Husband and I ran in our first 5K. The event was sponsored by a local church and the proceeds went to benefit a shelter for victims of domestic violence.

Arriving I was so nervous. Everyone looked like "serious" runners, who I think are so intimidating! Luckily we saw some people we know from our Young Professionals Group. Just seeing friendly faces put me more at ease. We had decided to be at the middle-back of the pack. I didn't feel as though I would like the congestion of being close to the start. I am guessing there were 150 racers there today.

The race began and I felt ok. I definitely didn't feel my normal self but I decided to run on the excitement of the race. I had my stopwatch on so I was able to keep track of time but because I didn't know the track/trail the time didn't mean much to me. Sadly, there were no mile-markers. Around mile 2 or so I started to feel bad and was losing my energy and focus. Then I started thinking and reminding myself of all that I had done. I reminded myself that I had once been overweight! I have been a "fat" girl who never thought of running. I shouldn't be running this 5K and here I am!

During the race I tried to use others to help me keep my pace. It gave me a good perspective of how fast I was going. When I realized I had only 1/2 a mile left I started thinking "You're going to do it! YOU ARE going to finish this! I was so excited. I sprinted across the finishline and as a result felt a little light-headed when it was done. Once I had a bottle of water and a banana I felt more like myself.

So, here are the results from OUR FIRST 5K: Husband finished in 27:30 and I finished in 28:10! I am very proud of us! Under 30 minutes just seems amazing to me!

My Body Retaliates

Last night Husband's cousin called us to see if we would babysit their almost 3-year old daughter. They are so good to us so we felt like we should. The only problem was they went to see an 8:00 movie and they didn't get home until 10:40. So we didn't get home until after 11:00. For a girl that gets up at 5:30 most mornings and needs 7-8 hours a night to function, it was rough! It is so hard to imagine that when I was in college I would have 2-hour sorority meetings (that I would sometimes lead) that began at 9:00. It's hard to live life as a 26-year old when my day starts so early.

Anyway, my body is doing it's typical retaliation for lack of sleep: grouchy (my poor students), sore throat, achy body. And to make matters worse, I HAVE MY FIRST OFFICIAL 5K TOMORROW MORNING! Yikes! So tonight I am going to bed early and get up drinking water. I think this gross/slight cold will go away with 10 hours of sleep. Yes, when I am really tired by body will allow me that amount of sleep.

I'll close with a photograph of our sleeping beauty, Ella Blue.

Preparing for My First 5K

Oh my goodness, I am starting to get nervous and excited for Saturday's 5K. It was nice running last week as a "running buddy" because I could observe and see what a race is like without being an official runner.

So I am asking for advice. What do you eat the night before a race? Am I suppose to eat carbs Friday night? Should I exercise Friday afternoon?

I am planning on my typical breakfast of blueberries, yogurt and oatmeal (at least 90 minutes before the race begins). What pre-race rituals do you have? Do you wear something in special when you race? If I am going to start a ritual, this is the race to start.

How should I plan to recover after the race?

Twisting Like a Pretzel

Last night, after dinner I really wanted to do something active. However, Husband wasn't interested; he had enjoyed a good workout unlike his wife. So I thought for a moment and weighed my options (Wii Personal Fitness Coach, old school TaeBo VHs, old school yoga DVD). For some reason the yoga dvd won out. I did The Perfect Yoga Workout --- Fat Burning Yoga by The Crunch (circa 2001).

The last time I did yoga was the summer 2007 and I was in a class of senior citizens who were able to hold poses way better than I can. I enjoyed this workout dvd; it went quickly. One of the hardest parts (besides making my body twist and turn like a pretzel) was the breathing in and out through my nose. I don't typically doing that when I'm working out; usually it's in through the nose and out through the mouth.

This workout included mountain poses, swan dives, folding-flowing series, lunges, twisting lunges, standing poses, standing-flowing series, abdominal sequences, cool down stretches and final relaxation pose. There were downward-dogs, plank, reverse plans, 4-leg tables, and other odd named things I can't recall.

I think I may try to attend some yoga classes at my Y this summer. As I was doing the dvd I wished I had someone to help me with my form, answer questions, and guide my movements. It was a good workout, heavy breathing and all. And I did feel more relaxed or "zen" like when it was over. Surprisingly, my body (back especially) isn't sore or tight this morning.

Who likes yoga? Can you recommend a good dvd or website for beginners?

Changing My Mind -- Side Stitches

Below is the post I wrote about an hour ago. Since then I have looked online and have pretty much self-diagnosed myself with side stitches. I will try some of the breathing exercises tomorrow and see what happened. I don't think it's the potassium, I haven't experienced any cramps.

Any advice is still welcomed! I love learning more about running and working with my body.

Thanks!

Advice Please! Potassium?

I ran this past weekend in a 5K. It was hot but I didn't run super fast. On Sunday I did the step-climber (lots of sweating!). Since then I have not had a good run or workout since AND I have been experience sharp pains under my rib cage and on my sides while running (usually around 1.5 miles). I talked to a trainer about it and explained that I had been drinking tons of water (3/4 gallon) so far today. He suggested that it was probably due to lack of potassium. My response was I ate a banana this morning. He suggested to eat more bananas and more protein, to replace what I lost running on Saturday.

Ok, so here is the balance question? How do I balance maintaining my weight (calories in/calories out) with this suggested increase in protein and potassium? I feel like I'll be eating too many calories. Please give suggestions of foods you enjoy that are high in potassium. I've googled it and plan to eat more bananas, cantalopes, and others included on the list.

I love learning more about weight loss and fitness but wish it didn't have to come as a result of a painful run.

I will accept any and all advice. What do others who run eat? I would appreciate a sample meal menu. Do you eat extra potassium after a run? How long until I've restored the potassium? Will I be ready come my 5K race on Satuday?


*Note: This was not the same trainer who made yesterday's butt comment.

A Comment Concerning My Badonkadonk

I workout at a YMCA. It's a great place with good machines and not too many people who take fitness/weight loss to extremes (body-builder types). Most people in there are kind and supportive and are interested in being healthy. I like it because I can workout there without feeling self-conscious.

A funny thing happened today. Earlier in my workout a trainer who was off-duty had been joking with me; he does this every once and a while. I had completed my short run and short time on the step-climber and was putting on my jacket (it's breezy outside today). The trainer came up to me and started off with "Don't take offense to this." I'm now thinking that some offensive is about to come out of his mouth (i.e. you have bad running form or you should lift weights, etc.). He says "You don't need to lose any more weight. You're losing your butt." What???? I am a pretty modest person and don't typically anticipate another person commenting on my body. I stammered a reply about wanting to lose weight in my stomach and thighs but the weight is coming off in that area. I said thanks and bye.

What I should have said is this: "Thank you for your compliment. It is very kind of you to try to flatter me. Really, I am trying to tone my stomach and thighs. My ultimate goal is to be a strong person. I have begun running and love seeing how I can challenge my body. Thanks for the observation. Bye!"

What would have said? Are you good at coming up with responses to odd comments? Clearly, I am not.

Design Your Perfect Weekday

If you could design your perfect weekday (M-F), what would it look like?

Here's mine:

• 6:30: wake-up
• 6:45-7:30: quick run (treadmill or outside-- depended upon weather)
• 7:30-7:45: breakfast
• 7:45-8:15: get ready and leave
• 8:30-12:30: teach (which includes 1 hour of planning*, and plenty of snacks)
  
• 12:30-1:15: a long lunch and some blogging or t.v. time
• 1:15-1:30: major ball throwing with Ella Blue
• 1:30-2:30: run errands and/or relax
• 2:30-4:00: workout with strength training
• 4:00-4:45: long walk with Ella; I'm dreaming she is also good on the leash and would let me take her for a walk
• 4:45-6:00: clean house, laundry, cook dinner
• 6:00-7:00: dinner date with Husband and some t.v. time
• 7:00-7:40: internet and blog time
  
• 7:40-8:10: quiet time with a book or a long chat with a friend
  
• 8:10-8:30: long, hot bath
  
• 8:30-10:30: Movie time with Husband
• 10:30: Bed!
  

The title of my blog is BALANCE! And although I am very happy, love my job and try to make time for everything, I can't do everything right now. Most days are imbalanced. It's fun to dream about a perfect day!


* Teacher in the U.S. have spend more time with students and less preparing per day than most developed countries.

Worries and Realizations

On Friday as my students were playing in the park, a co-worker and I started talking. She is roughly my age and has lost a lot of weight due to following Weight Watchers. She looks great but still wants to lose more weight. We started sharing our stories and thoughts about this whole weight loss journey. We both stated that before we never thought about calories/health/fitness. We both appeared happy but behind those smiles were somewhat unhappy people. We both stated that in high school we missed out on many things because of our weight. We've both changed but we both somewhat worry about returning to our unhealthy lives.

Prior to about 5 years ago (but mainly in the last 3 years), I never thought about what went into my body. I never weighed myself or made myself walk any farther than I had to. Looking back I feel that I was so ignorant and uneducated. I am sure I had some understanding of healthy food and calories, I had 9th grade physical education. Did I not care then? Did I have my focus on other things? Did I think so little of myself that I thought I deserved to be bigger? Did I think that this was the best I would ever look?

My biggest weight loss worry is that I'll slip and return to my own ways and stop caring. I worry that once I have children I will accept the mom jeans and the donuts at the soccer games and gain weight. I worry that I'll see my body as only as a baby making machine and not as something that is also strong and fit and capable of doing things. My hope is that I'll be able to be a role-model to my children about being healthy. My hope is that I can be an example and an instigator for my family. I deserve to be strong and healthy. I deserve to be happy. I deserve to not see every picture as a bad picture. I deserve to treat my body as something valued and valuable. Only time can tell how life and I will change, but I do now realize that I determine what happens. It's my body and it's my life.

Mixing My Favorite Things All in One Day

Today has been a great day. I am already tired and yet so happy because it was just that wonderful day.

It began by waking up and getting ready for the Girls on the Run 5K. We got there early and I was able to hang out with some former students and some parents. It was really nice. Finally the race started and it was so crazy because there were 300-400 girls plus running buddies all tight together at the start. Unfortunately most girls started out really fast and soon began slowing down. Luckily I paired up with a student I had in reading group. She is now a 4th grader and together we ran pretty much the entire race. She kept a great tempo and we talked for a large portion of the race. The race included a lot of long hills and none of the girls had trained on that; they had only ran on our school's flat track so it was a surprise to some. Overall, every single girl did awesome! I was shocked at how well they did. My partner and I finished in 33 minutes which I think is awesome considering we didn't get started right away. This time makes me very excited for next week's real 5K. If I can finish under 30 minutes I will be thrilled!

After Husband and his partner finished we got some water and headed up the mountain to Boone/Blowing Rock. This is my favorite place to shop... outlets! I bought several shirts, a size 6 (Yay!) pair of capri pants and 2 skirts. The highlight of the shopping experience was JCrew giving me a 15% discount for being a teacher (doesn't hurt to ask)!

When we were satisfied with our shopping experience, we loaded up our left over Subway sandwiches (from last night), which we had in a cooler in the car, and grabbed the chips we brought from home and got on the trolly to take us to downtown Blowing Rock. There we walked around for a bit and finally ate lunch in the park and people watched. Before getting back on the trolly and heading back to the outlet, we grabbed some fudge from Kilwin's. Yum-O! There are so many flavors but Husband and I always seem to get peanut-butter and chocolate; the classics are classics for a reason.

Once we returned to our car, we headed to Boone to Earth Fare. All week I had been looking forward to going. I had looked online to find out what were on sale so that I could buy those and use those in this week's menu. In the grocery section, we bought a whole rotisserrie chicken (for $6.00), 3 boxes of Annie's macaroni (3/$5), peanut-butter, banana chips (for Husband), a frozen burrito (for Husband) and some other goodies for the care-package I'm putting together my The Simple Life Challenge buddy, Kristin. I also bought myself a new waterbottle, A Sigg. I had been using a Camelbak but I had lost the straw and it was getting gross, even after cleaning. I am happy with my new purchase.

Husband and I both love the deli section and hot bar at Earth Fare so we decided to pick up dinner there and bring it down the mountain to enjoy at home. So tonight's dinner was a hodge-podge of different things we wanted to try. We enjoyed a chicken meatball, tri-color tortellini with squash and zucchini, broccoli salad, cheese and jalapeno grits, and a simple side salad. Dessert included a half-wedge of chocolate cake and some strawberries. Everything was yummy!

And now I am going to shower and watch a DVD of Husband's choosing because I will probably quickly fall asleep.

Putting on My Big Girl Shorts

I rarely wear shorts to work. Most days I'm in skirts or dress pants. However, on field trips or field days I usually do wear shorts. Today was our final field trip of the year and so last night I grabbed a pair of navy shorts from my drawer and put it in the bathroom with my staff shirt. The navy shorts had been purchased last summer (and fit then) and are my newest shorts (hopefully not after tomorrow -- I hope to do some shopping).

This morning I showered, got ready and dressed. I was shocked when I put on the shorts. They were too big! They hung from my hips so the crotch was much lower than I care to wear. I had Husband take pictures simply to document the evidence.



Most days I exercise and try to eat right but do not expect to see a lot of results. Well, today the results were evident. And I might brag, I have abs forming!

The Glory of an Awesome Run

I have stated this before but prior January I never saw myself as a runner. I was a pro of the elliptical but scared of the treadmill. I was so envious of the people on the treadmills. However, years and years ago I had decided that I wasn't a runner; I thought I wasn't enough of an athlete or wasn't in-shape to run.

Then in December I was getting frustrated because I was getting no results because I was doing the same exercise and was not pushing myself. I was also letting my diet go. So one day I decided to run because all the other machines were full. I started out really slow. One day I ran 1/2 a mile and was so proud of myself. The mileage slowly increased overtime. I felt like superwoman when I completed 2 miles and I floated off the treadmill when I ran 3.1 miles. Today I ran 4.66 miles on the treadmill and it was an AWESOME run! It felt great. And again I floated, sweat and all, off the treadmill. This is my 2nd longest run ever. On Sunday I ran 4.5 miles outside but about a month ago I ran 5.0 miles on the treadmill and played mind-games the whole time. Today there were NO mind-games. I focused on my form, my speed and my pace. If I hadn't set the timer for 45 minutes, I probably could have completed 5 miles in all.

Now, I know there are so many other people out there who consider a 4.66 mile run, a short run. However, for someone who NEVER saw herself running, I feel like a champion and ready for my first 5k: Saturday, May 23rd.

Debunked Funk but the Punch Killed my Run

I have debunked the funk! Well, for today I did. I have done a really good job of eating clean today and simply eating fruits or vegetables when I become hungry. I feel great and I had a really great day. I can't link it completely to eating clean but I do think it made a difference. My energy and focus in the classroom remained consistent without the ups and downs from the sugar-high.

So here's what I ate today:

• 6:30 -- Breakfast: 1/2 cup blueberries (originally frozen but overnight thawed), Simple Harvest oatmeal packet, 1/4 cup fat free plain yogurt
• 9:20 -- Snack: banana
• 10:00 -- Snack: 14 almonds, orange
• 11:35 -- Lunch: Arnold's slimwich sandwich with 1/2 tomato and a slice of cheese and a side of green grapes
• 12:15 -- Snack (sweet craving): Kashi TLC cereal bar
• 2:00 -- Snack: pear
• 3:15 -- Snack: pineapple and a cup of punch (I helped to throw a bridal shower for a teacher in my grade-level who is getting married this summer)
  
• 5:45 -- Snack: 1/2 cup Fiber One and 1/2 cup fat free milk
• 6:30 -- Dinner: chicken, spinach, onions, corn and cheese quesadilla (using Flatout wrap) with some black beans
• 7:15 -- dessert: 1 piece of chocolate
  

Wow I ate a lot! But a lot of good, clean foods. I also drank over 90 oz of water (spaced throught the day) , my morning Diet Sundrop (my coffee) and a glass of unsweet tea at lunch. However, even with all of the water (which usually determines a good run or a bad run), I still had a bad run and I know what the culprit is... PUNCH! The punch that I drank at the shower had some ginger-ale in it. When I arrived at the YMCA, I got on the treadmill so ready to run and so excited. After about 1 mile I started experiencing terrible stomach pain. I had to stop. I felt sick. My stomach was hurting so bad. All the carbonation was hitting my stomach hard and my body was not happy! I left the YMCA sadden but not discouraged. Tomorrow is another day to eat clean and complete a good run!

Eat Junk... Get in a Funk

I am in a funk. I am in a rut and just a bad mood. And the reason is due to the JUNK that I have eaten in the past 10 days! I have eaten more junk in the last 10 days than I have in the past several months. And not only my body feels it but my mind and soul do too. I feel restless, frustrated and unsatisfied. I don't feel like myself. I don't feel happy.

So here is what I am going to do... I am going to become a "veggie-n-fruit-oholic"! I am going to focus on eating more and more fruits and vegetables (and of course still keeping it my version of clean) and I am going to stop counting calories for the rest of May. Fit, Sexy, Super-Wife replied to a comment that she was going to eat clean and eat until she's satisfied. I think that's not a bad approach. I feel confident the number of calories I consume will stay relatively within my normal (1400-1600 calories a day).

I need to clean up my insides and my mood... starting tomorrow! I will be enjoying some of the dessert pizza I've made for my Mom. Today's her birthday! Yay!

Teacher Eater

I am not going to lie. Some days I get jealous reading other blogs and seeing the nice lunch they eat every day. Some people come home and eat, others work at home, some eat out. Their meals seem creatively engineered. I eat at school. I eat either a chicken wrap or a sandwich with spinach and fruit (sometimes an apple -- this teacher's staple). It is simple. It is quick and it is mostly clean (one big positive). I sadly don't have the option of eating in other places or allowing inspiration guide my mid-day meal. My lunch is less than 25 minutes long and thankfully this year it is duty-free which means someone else watches my students while I eat.

Nonetheless, In those 25 minutes I have to get my class to the cafeteria, get my lunch heated, eat it and use the restroom before the busy afternoon begins. I eat lunch either in my classroom (alone and so very rarely) or in a workroom (copier, laminar, bulletin board paper and tables and chairs for lunch). It is far from fine-dining and does not lend it's self to an enjoyable meal. In the workroom, every 3-5 minutes another teacher is coming in and another one is leaving. It offers us a few minutes to talk as adults but most of the time it is talk about school. And the lovely clock is a constant reminder that the moments are fleeting so you feel like you're just stuffing your face trying to get lunch in before having to leave. I tried eating more mindfully (as Beck suggests) and I only ate 1/2 of my lunch. My lunch only consists of 250-300 calories so I need to eat my whole planned meal.

The thing that really makes me sad and jealous is how sad my lunch looks. I usually spread out my meal on a tray from the cafeteria. I would love to use a plate but I don't want to be wasteful and use a paper plate and I don't want to transport a plate back and forth each day. So here it is on a big tray and I feel like a 2-year old in a high-chair.

Does anyone have an suggestions of ways I can enjoy my quick lunch like an adult? I do, however, remind myself that in a few short weeks I'll be eating my lunch at home and in a leisurely manner. Perhaps on my fine china... maybe, but probably not. I don't want to hand-wash it!

Happy Mother's Day Recipes

Happy Mother's Day! I have had a great day with my mom... planting flowers and enjoying dinner together.

I decided to include some work of my students. They each wrote a recipe to be included in a class cookbook. This recipe has two goals -- a different writing genre and a Mother's Day gift.

Munster Macaroni
by a student who has a dry sense of humor

• 1 ten inch block of Munster cheese, shredded
  
• 1/2 cup of cream cheese, shredded
• 2 pounds of macaroni noodles
• cooking spray
  

1. Pour macaroni into a pot with hot water.
2. Cook noodles for 10-20 minutes on medium heat. Drain noodles
3. Spray cooking spray on pan.
4. Pour the cooked noodles into the pan.
5. Sprinkle cream cheese over the noodles.
6. Put the Munster cheese on top of the cream cheese and noodles.
7. Put the pan in the oven. Bake in oven for 22 minutes at 100 degrees F.
8. Let cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Grape Ice-cream
by a student who is loving, silly but kind

• 28 purple grapes
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon sugar

1. Pour grapes into a medium size bowl.
2. Stir with a wooden spoon to crush some grapes.
3. Pour the milk and sugar into the bowl with the grapes.
4. Stir again until mixed.
5. Take the spoon from the bowl.
   
6. Put in the freezer for 1 hour. Enjoy!

I am sure their mothers will enjoy the cookbook! I enjoyed helping them write it because it is their 8-year-old approximations.

And now for a recipe that you can use! These are Husband's Aunt's recipes. They are yummy, simple and sweet!

Aunt Bonnie's Homemade Vanilla Ice-cream

• 1 pint whipping cream
• 2 cups of sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons of vanilla extract (if adding fruit to the mix later, only use 2 tablespoons)
• 1/2 gallon milk

1. Mix together
2. Let the ice-cream maker do it's job.
3. Place in freezer for 1-2 hours before so it is firm

* If adding fruit (cherries, peaches, strawberries, etc.) add in about 1/2 way through process)

Aunt Bonnie's Homemade Chocolate Ice-cream

• 1 can Hersey's chocolate syrup
  
• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
  
• 2 pints half-and-half
• 1/2 pint whipping cream
• Milk: add enough for the desired consistency

See above directions!

And of course I had to sample it once it was done.

This afternoon I decided to go for a run. It was beautiful! While running I thought about different Mother's Days. I remember the last one with my grandmother. I remember the one during my senior year when my mom spent the whole day helping me with a huge biology project. And then I started thinking about today. Today on Mother's Day I ran. I ran because I want to be healthy and fit because I think that may help me get pregnant. I have PCOS and so getting pregnant will not be easy for me. I want to be a mother so badly! I hope and dream that one day I will be a mommy. It is my life's dream. I'm not becoming fit just to help me get pregnant but if it makes the process easier, quicker and less expensive than that it is great! I want my body to be strong, period. This body will hopefully allow me to get pregnant, carry the baby(s) and give birth than that is awesome. I want my body to be strong and fit when the time comes to have a baby and after having a baby.

I couldn't end today's post without a word about my wonderful Mother. She is an amazing woman. She is strong, giving, kind and loving. She is one of my BEST FRIENDS. I love my Mom!

Taken at my bridemaid's luncheon.

My Super Saturday in Pictures

Today has been a busy day. Husband and I accomplished a lot. I decided today that I would chronicle the day in pictures. I won't do this everyday but it was fun today.

The day began with my typical breakfast: 1/2 cup blueberries (I use frozen and let it defrosts during the night), 1 packet Quaker's Simple Harvest oatmeal, 1/4 cup fat free plain yogurt. YUM! I eat it pretty much every morning and I love it!

The major goal of the day was to remove pansy (fall and winter flowers) flowers from our front flowerbed and plant impatiens (summer flowers). I had to store them on my car overnight because Ella, our pup, likes to attack flowers and/or new things in the yard. I readied myself by wearing my favorite gardening/rafting shoes. They are easy to clean because they (the shoes) don't get dirty. My feet wear the dirt. After about 2 hours of work, I decided a morning snack was necessary, while sitting under a huge gardenia bush.

Planting the flowers was a workout! My back and arms are feeling it! I am sure I'll be reminded of today's work tomorrow when I get up. Planting the flowers took some time and was very dirty work. I was glad to see that Ella was there to lend emotional support and give encouragement.

I guess I should have worn gloves.

I finished the flowerbed (while Husband cleaned some inside). I still need to plant some flowers in some pots for the back of the house; that my be on tomorrow's To Do list or might be put off until later. After finishing the yard-work, I went inside the house to enjoy a nice lunch and bask in the glow of finishing my project. My lunch consisted of a B.S. sandwich (my take on a B.L.T.) which included Arnold's sandwich thins, turkey bacon and spinach. I also enjoyed an orange. After lunch I relaxed, read blogs, vegged out and 2 hours latered enjoyed a snack of cereal with a side of Shape magazine.

Later Husband and I decided to go for a run. I wanted to run about 4 miles but the weather had a different plan. After about a mile of our run, the skies grew really grey and we could see rain in the distance. We were able to run 2.5 miles and get back to the car before the skies opened up and a huge thunderstorm arrived.

Once home, I was hungry. And decided to enjoy a Kashi TLC chocolate bar and some more water. I forgot my favorite water bottle at school so I am using my second-string bottle. It works. I decided to work on some things for school while Husband enjoyed some Wii time before cooking dinner. Cooking dinner is generally Husband's department on Saturday so I try to pick something for him to grill especially during the summer. The chicken was maraniated in Frank's Red Hot sauce; one of Husband's favorite companions to chicken.

After a shower (I was gross!), I enjoyed my favorite "special" desert. Smores! Yum! Now the rest of the evening will include (hopefully) a movie, and an at-home manicure and pedicure.

Ok, I am tired just thinking about today. I am ready to relax and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow's a big day -- a day to honor my awesome Mom!