Community

December 7 –Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)
I am so lucky at my job. Even if I complain that I don’t like the way things are going job/education/public school/meetingsoutthewazoo-wise, I am very lucky to have fabulous friends and coworkers there. Even when the day-to-day demands are obnoxious and I am feeling unsatisfied and unappreciated (90% of the time), I have this fabulous community to lean on, vent to, and share with. This is a rather new community that we have discovered this year because we all have young children and we get together often for playdates and parties. This has been an invaluable source of camaraderie and friendship for me this year. There are days where I don’t want to work where I work, but then I think of my coworkers and have second thoughts….
The community I would like to connect more deeply with in 2011? My family. Not just my immediate family, but all family. I feel like sometimes we are in such a rush to do trivial stuff that we don’t connect enough with our family. I mean, really. We see our extended family once per year. That’s crazy. Of course, distance makes it hard, but there is skype, and facebook, and the telephone. I want to do a better job of keeping in touch with family. And speaking of my immediate family, my husband and I need to do a better job connecting with each other as well. Someone find me some extra time, quick!
Reverb10

Make.

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin) Reverb10

You know my creative self has made some shit this year. But the last thing I made was this football toss game for the boys' birthday party this weekend. The kids actually LOVED playing it, as silly as it was! I'll give credit where credit is due, too....Todd helped me color some of it. Some. :)

Part 2 of the prompt today is about what I would like to make in the future....and I have a definite answer for that. I started a t-shirt quilt when I was pregnant with the boys. THEY ARE FOUR NOW. I need to finish that pig. For real.

Let Go.

December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley) Reverb10

Here are a few hints of what I have let go of this year.....

What do all of these things have in common???? Here's another hint:

Got it now?

Wonder

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

Short answer? I didn't.

Long answer? I can't think of a single time this entire year that I purposely cultivated a "sense of wonder" in my life. Usually, wonder is brought on by outside forces, so asking how I cultivated my own wonder is interesting to me. I may have made my children wonder a few times, but a time where I made myself wonder? Maybe I am misunderstanding this. Nah, I don't think so. I'm out for this one.

We are 4!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE MOST WONDERFUL BOYS ON EARTH!!!!!

Moment

Losing

December 2 Writing.What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?(Author: Leo Babauta)

I decided to tweak this one a little bit, because I am not a writer of anything more than this silly blog, so instead of the word “writing” I am changing it to “losing.” What do I do each day that doesn’t contribute to my losing – and can you eliminate t? Every day I do 2 things that don’t help me lose the weight I want to lose.

The first one is drinking water – or not drinking water, as is the case here. I do not get anywhere near the recommended water intake for Weight Watchers (or any other weight loss program.) I probably drink 2 glasses of water a day, unless I am working out, and then maybe 3. I have a water bottle sitting next to me the entire day, I just don’t drink it. Part of the problem is that I am always teaching, talking, or doing something else, and taking the time to stop and take a swig doesn’t ever occur to me. I need to fix this. Any suggestions?

The second thing that is not helping me LOSE is my attitude toward mornings. I need to get out of bed, get on the bike, and get it over with. I have trouble fitting in my exercise in the afternoons/evening, so getting my fat butt out of my warm and cozy bed to do a workout would be the best solution. Do I do that? Nope. I need to, though. But I’m so tired! Any suggestions?

One Word and Wednesday Weigh-In

Over at Reverb 10 there is a challenge - of sorts - that asks bloggers to commit to answering 1 question a day. I am intrigued, so I signed up. Here is the first question:

December 1 One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)

My 2010 can be encapsulated with the word: WANT. I have begun working hard to change my health, my family's health, and my professional goals so I picked the word "want" because the first 3/4 of the year I spent wanting to do these things, but didn't have the motivation. When the end of summer rolled around, I realized I had to fix things in my life. And so I started and I am motivated to go the distance.

One year from today, I want my word to be: GOAL!

Wednesday weigh-in? Not so much.....I gained .6 - the first time I have gained since October. Also the first time I was drinking a massive amount of alcohol for days on end with family.......time to regroup and get it done next week.

Thanksgiving wrap-up

Had a fun Thanksgiving week with family! Here are some pictures of the boys' first time bowling, for their birthday:

Here is baby Charlie in his favorite location at Gaga and Papa's house: We had a little party for the boys with strawberry cupcakes and fun birthday glasses:

Pretty girl Charby at Thanksgiving dinner:

Courtney and baby Charlie: Miss Beautiful Beads:

More twins!

All the gorgeous cousins posin' with their princess dolls:

Wednesday Weigh-In and Charms

I got 2 bright and shiny charms to add to my 10% keychain today - the 16 week charm which means I have been in attendance that long....AND....the 25 pound charm! I hit 25 pounds today, and I am thrilled.

What am I doing that is working?
-Exercising a lot. I do the stairmaster, I have been running, and I love going to spin class. Last week I earned 35 activity points.
-Following the WW plan. Staying on my points is key.
-Pre-tracking. If I pre-track my day, I don't eat anything that I didn't already type in. This has been good for me and keeps me in check mentally.
-Talking about it. I talk to my friends and family about my progress and what happened in meetings, etc. And I blog!
-Going with friends. This helps us all motivate each other. I was out of town for today's meeting and the first person I called with my news was my friend Anna, who has been doing this with me since the beginning.
-Choosing healthier foods. I'd rather eat a sweet potato than 2 oreo cookies - this is a big change for me. Yes, i still want the oreos....who doesn't....but I would rather choose the more satisfying potato 9 times out of 10.

I have dropped 2 pant sizes and 1 shirt size. It's exciting and motivating.

You can do it, too!!!

Photo credit

Wanna see my allergy pictures???

So, the results of my peanut testing is.....drumrolll.....inconclusive! Hooray!

I need to get a blood test to confirm, but as you can see from my reaction to the skin prick test....I am either allergic to all nuts or not allergic to any nuts! Exciting, yes?