tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66509212826137207202024-02-07T06:41:10.990-06:00Take the Long Way HomeGinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-25460784744615345382013-02-06T11:06:00.002-06:002013-02-06T11:06:12.402-06:00I fell off the wagon. <div style="text-align: center;">
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This was me yesterday and today, really, already. (I stole this picture from a blog I just started reading and think you should check out if you're keen on that sort of thing. <a href="http://mcgfamily4.blogspot.com/">Is This Thing On?</a> I like her style.<br />
I fell off of the good eating wagon. I am not a 'clean eater' by any means, but I had been doing very well for the last few weeks on upping my veggies and downing needless sugary crap. Until yesterday happened. Yesterday I was pretty much drooling on myself over the thought of a cheeseburger and, since I hadn't grocery shopped in roughly 4 weeks, I didn't have a full dinner to pull together and I convinced Eric to take me out for a burger.<br />I want to tell you we got delicious gourmet cheeseburgers that were cooked to our specifications. I want to tell you that the indulgence was worth it.<br />
We went to Hardees. No. It was not worth it.<br />
This morning, because I'm on crappy food hangover, I guess, I forgot my lunch and I have exactly lettuce to eat, so I decided Hey! Breakfast out will fill you up longer and the you won't be so desperate for real food at lunch and a salad will sound good! (Fat girl reasoning at it's finest, I'm sure.) So I got McDonald's breakfast and had a frap and a sausage egg and cheese McMuffin and that <i>may</i> have been worth it. I'm not sure yet.<br />
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I'm trying to make getting exercise fit into my day. I sit at a desk all day, as I've lamented previously, and it's not exactly an environment conducive to weight loss. Lately, though, I've been doing a lot of leg lifts and squats at my desk when the office is empty. What a glamorous life I lead.<br />
I'm starting to worry that 30 by 30 is too lofty a goal. There is cake in my life sometimes and I am not good at saying no to cake.<br />
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It is now almost my lunch time. I have been sort of blogging all day. And, results are in. The breakfast was worth it. I am not very hungry.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-77775321160961604282013-02-05T14:48:00.000-06:002013-02-05T14:49:01.355-06:00What's In A Name? Today I am linking up with Amanda at <a href="http://myveryownmodernfamily.blogspot.com/">My Very Own Modern Family</a> for her link party:<br />
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Amanda loves baby names and so do I. I may maintain a list of baby names I love, that I am constantly editing, even though I'm done having babies. What? Not everyone I know is done having babies and maybe someone will let me name theirs. It could happen. So, when I saw around blogland that Amanda was asking people to talk about their children's names and why they gave those names, I knew I had to join in and stalk all of the other posts!<br />
I have, as most of you know, two girls. So, without further ado!<br />
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<b>Eva Anna-Mercedes </b>- I picked out Eva's first name when I was newly pregnant. I loved it. It felt so glamorous to me (that sounds super dumb right now but it's true) and I was set on having something a little different but not random or too foreign. Eric was uninterested in the name to begin with and we initially settled on Kendall. We were set on that until... well, I changed my mind is what it boils down to. It's a great name but I heard someone use it for a boy and then someone else said something about "Ken Doll" and that was the end for me. I wanted to formally name her Evangeline and call her Eva, but Eric told me that sounded like "a scary witch name" and there were hand gestures involved and I lost that battle. He liked Lucy and I liked Eva and we went into the delivery room without being positive. But, when she came, I asked him if she was Eva or Lucy and he declared her Eva. So, Eva it was. Anna-Mercedes is a big name with a lot of meaning. My grandmothers were two amazing women who I really wanted to honor and I was terrified I wouldn't have a second girl and then someone would be left out. My paternal grandmother was Anna Elizabeth and my maternal grandmother was Irene Ann, so I used Anna as a way to mash-up honor the both of them. Eric's grandmother, Nana, is Mexican and might be my favorite person alive today. She's adorable and sweet and her name is Mercedes. I have loved that name for pretty much forever as well, but Eric did not think we should name our first born after a luxury car brand, so I stuck that together with Anna to get a long ass middle name packed with a lot of meaning. (Both of my grandmothers are dead, but Nana is going strong. She cried when she found out Eva's name and she carried a picture around to all of her little friends to show them her "Tocaita" (spelling is probably butchered) which means, roughly, "person of the same name". She was so incredibly honored and I'm so glad we did it.<br />
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<b>Audrey Elizabeth</b> - Man. After all of that you would think Audrey's name would have more meaning than it does. But, as i said, I wanted to honor EVERYONE with that first shot in case the second child was a boy. So, when Aud came along, we were kind of short on inspiration. I liked Irene very much, but my sister had used that as her youngest daughters middle name and I didn't want to reuse the name. I know. So dumb. Audrey had been a name I loved when I was a little girl and carried around a baby doll and a baby name book. It was probably the first name that I actually loved. I have no idea why I didn't even consider it for my first child. It never even came to mind. But, when we were expecting Audrey it was a forerunner early on. We went into the delivery room unsure once again, but knowing that her name would be either Audrey or Vivienne. When she came, Eric said she looked like an Audrey and it stuck. Elizabeth is my confirmation name and also my Granny's middle name. I lost her while I was pregnant with Eva and I guess it felt right to give her a double nod. That, or I just liked the name.We had considered (or I had) trying to honor our mothers as both of them have Marie or Maria in their names, but I'm not a big enough fan of that one.<br />
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Well there you have it. Short books on why I named my girls what I named them. With both I had a short period right after they were born where I panicked that I had ruined their lives with their names, but, no. They're exactly right for those two.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-80678893742910924522013-02-04T12:52:00.002-06:002013-02-04T12:52:34.239-06:00Weekend RecapHola friend(s)! Happy Monday to you. How was your weekend?<br />I promised a recap of the trip to the Goodwill Outlet and I am disappointed to tell you that I don't have much to share! It was pretty dead, to be honest, and I don't know if it was the freak three or so inches of snow we got or the football game that was apparently happening yesterday that caused the shortage of crazy. There was one man who had some kind of pointy object and was kind of menacing, so there is that, but otherwise not a lot to share. Disappointment was pretty large.<br />
I did get to have a fantastic lunch with some friends and that was nice. Grown-up time without the children. It was incredibly low-stress and I really needed the recharge. After the lunch and before the Goodwill we went to Walgreens to pick up some latex gloves because I am not digging through the bins of Goodwill rejects without some kind of barrier between me and the God only knows what this is in those bins. While Julie, Elizabeth and I waited in the car, Steph and Becky ran in to get the gloves and we were accosted by some man not once, not twice, but three times. I am afraid of pretty much everything and I'm always certain that someone is out to get me, so when this man would not stop approaching my car, I just drove in circles around the parking lot... I win.<br />
Saturday I took the little ladies to Target with me and they were really well behaved there. (I stress the word <i>there</i> because that was about the only time they were well behaved for me this weekend.) Eric had drill and that means I single-mothered it on Saturday and part of Sunday. It was...a trial. I have not been alone alone with the girls in weeks since Eric's parents had been visiting for so long - and lets just be honest here. My kids are kind of needy and I'm not one of those patient moms who keeps calm when both kids are whining. I just whine right back. The drama llama was loose in my house this weekend is what I'm saying.<br />
Saturday night we went for a quick drive and Eric mentioned that the children had been sleeping through the night for the last week or so and then of course that ended the streak. Remind me to hit him for that tonight because, man, I need my sleep.<br />
I don't think Friday night actually happened, because I can't remember any of it. At all. It's all that quality sleep I'm missing...<br />
I have started a new something as far as working out goes. TJ, the trainer at the gym I do boot camp at, wants me to drop my body fat percentage quickly, but he wants me to build up muscle, too. Last week I lost muscle mass as well as fat. I'm fine with that, but TJ has other ideas. He suggested that squats, push ups, and sit ups were the best exercises to do to quickly build up my muscles, so the last two days I've been doing 100 sit ups and 100 squats. I hurt my wrist on Saturday (when I caught Audrey as she tried to dive face first out of the car onto the Target parking lot) so I've been laying off of the push ups until today. My plan is to do those things in addition to my regular work outs - so, even on boot camp days, I need to get these things in. Here's hoping I can drop the fat, but get leaner quickly.<br />
Anyone have any good tips for building up your muscles but still burning off the pounds? I am most concerned with getting that number on the scale down!<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-56625557753752703842013-02-01T11:09:00.000-06:002013-02-01T11:10:09.983-06:00Fab Friday<br />
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Since I'm really super good at the negative, I thought I would talk about some good stuff today! I'm linking up with <a href="http://www.theeverydayjoys.com/">The Everyday Joys</a> on the Fab Friday posts. So, without further ado...</div>
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*Sunday I'll be hitting up the Goodwill Outlet with my girl Steph and maybe her fantastic sisters. It's... a hot mess in there and I can't wait to see if we find the tall man in the girl pants again. Loved him. I shall report back next week with any good finds. I may take pictures, but I worry that my camera will not survive that place. It's likely someone would rip it out of my hands.</div>
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*It being Friday means I have two glorious days where I don't have to watch CNN. We have it on non-stop at work and I can always use the break.<br />
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*A few weeks back we booked our very first family vacation that does not involve going to see Eric's family. That's right. We have never, since we got together, gone away from home NOT to visit his family. While I love his family and all that, it's going to be amazing to have a vacation where I don't feel like I have to be on my best behavior.<br />
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*THIS:<br />
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I don't have a source for this. Bad, I know...</div>
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What are some fabulous things happening with you lately? </div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-5103109637093295572013-01-31T15:21:00.001-06:002013-01-31T15:23:00.880-06:00This one turned out to be a downer. I kind of felt like I owned it at boot camp last night. I really did. I didn't quit at any point. I just pushed through and got it done and that was really nice. Until I looked at my fitbit and saw that I had not burned nearly the amount of calories I needed to burn to hit my boot-camp-day goals. Dang it. The frustration was overwhelming. I thought I had control of it.... I went home and got right on the elliptical with the intention of burning off a handful more of those calories -even if I still didn't hit my goal. Well, the more I thought about it and the more tired I got... I lost it. I cried. I wheezed. It was not pretty. And Eric? He was already in bed (at 8:15) and when I was crying he just laid there. Super supportive, that one.<br />
I feel better about it today. I went in for the weekly weigh in this morning and I was down a few pounds. Four, to be exact, but I weighed last Thursday in the evening and this one in the morning, so it might not be a fair comparison. I was also down half an inch around my waist and half an inch around my hips. I should be proud of those things and I am. I'm also afraid I won't hit my 30 by 30 goal. I worry that I've set myself up for failure on this one.<br />
This is kind of why I don't set goals for myself a lot of the time. Because if I miss them, the panic and the sense of failure turn me into an insane person. It goes from being "I didn't lose 30 lbs, but I did lose 20 and that's good!" to being "I've failed. I'm a failure at life. Nothing is ever going to go right again. Maybe I can eat that weight back on in the form of ice cream".<br />
TJ, the trainer at the gym, wants me to focus on building muscle and lowering my body fat percentage. I've lost pounds, but I've also, apparently, lost muscle mass.<br />
How the hell am I supposed to focus on gaining one and losing the other?<br />
Anyone have any tips for me?<br />
What are your goals - long term and short term? For me, it's still the 30 by 30 and being able to run The Color Run on my birthday without walking any of it. I think I'm going to stop worrying about that muscle mass stuff and just focus on getting the weight off. I know you need the muscle, but for now, it's all about burning up the calories.<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-43325830512752334292013-01-29T15:49:00.000-06:002013-01-29T15:49:03.237-06:00Blogging questionHi friends.<br />
Does anyone know when it's 'okay' to put a blog button thing on your sidebar? I am working towards the Operation Red Bikini goal and I see that some of the fine ladies involved have a little sign on their blogs that indicate they're doing it to. I wanna join that party! Do I just do it or do I need someone's okay? Am I as bad at being a blogger as I think? Your input is needed.<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-75089517051211912162013-01-25T11:08:00.002-06:002013-01-25T11:08:46.596-06:00Finally Friday!What is it about having ONE day off in the week that makes it feel like you were not at work for seven days? We had Monday off in honor of MLK day and so I had to spend most of Tuesday catching up on <strike>reading all of my favorite blogs</strike> work and things and that means this here blog got ignored. That and the fact that I lead a very boring life and am once again second guessing the decision to even TRY to blog. There is so little worth sharing! So! I shall bullet point today.<br />
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<li>I was down two pounds on Wednesday morning and felt pretty good about that! Until I went to boot camp last night and turns out it was Weigh In Thursday and their scale showed me four pounds heavier than mine had the morning before. Also, the owner, TJ, used his fancy phone to calculate our body fat and I am shamefully fat. Shamefully. So it gave me a little more oomph in my workout but also made me want to fall into a vat of whipped cream covered stuffed french toast. Tasty.</li>
<li>The in-laws head home Monday. I'm having the mixed emotions about it. I'm glad to get the girls back to their regular every day (and, okay, me too) but the good company and delicious food will be missed. I'm getting a sneaking suspicion that my mother-in-law would be happy to move back to the area. I would not object to that move. </li>
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<li>To clarify, we really do love having them here. Angie is a sweetheart and Eric and Jim get along famously and have the best time doing projects together. But, I am a creature of habit. I'm someone who does best when things are <i>just so</i>. It's always an adjustment to have house guests and this visit has probably be the best one yet. I'm learning how to mellow on my crazy lady behavior and they're learning how we roll. It's been lovely, even if I'm ready to just have my little family in my house.</li>
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<li>So on Wednesday I had this great plan for the evening. One might even call it idyllic. (one would be dumb. Dumb, dumb, dumb.) A few weeks ago Steph had purchased some Melissa and Doug wooden mirrors for me for the little ladies. They came with these gems that you could glue on, stickers, and glitter glue. Basically, little girl crack. The night before, right at bedtime, Eva had wanted to have her hair french braided and her toes painted, so I thought, how nice for us. We'll do that, too, and it will be little girl heaven time. Yeah. No. We did the mirrors and it was glorious. They both loved it even if Audrey is too little to trust with glue of any fashion. Then, we did toes and followed it up with piggy tails for Audrey and double french braids for Eva. They even got to watch a freaking episode of Doc McStuffins. It was delightful. Until Doc ended and Eva had a high speed come apart because we wouldn't indulge her desire for another show. I'm surprised that the police did not show up at my door based on the level of screaming and flailing that took place. Sister has a voice that travels and she screams like you are stabbing her if you cross her at the wrong time. The lesson learned: Don't do nice things with your children. End of story.</li>
<li>Both children cussed this week which just shows what a stellar parent I am. Eva said crap and Audrey (you'll remember her as the child who doesn't speak) said shit. I really win at this job. </li>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-10073997382135994652013-01-18T15:33:00.001-06:002013-01-18T15:33:50.940-06:00There is no point to thisToday is not a goal reaching day. It's just not.<br />My goal is to move. To burn calories. To make my heart race and my blood pound through my veins.<br />
I'm a receptionist. I get paid to sit on my ass and smile.<br />Most days, I have a friendly little person who comes in and sits by me and lets me run off and galavant around the building so I can sort of meet those goals. She's off today so my job is to NOT GET UP. It's a little frustrating. I won't get in my ellipitical time tonight because we're taking my in-laws out for dinner for their anniversary, and if the last four weeks have been any indication everyone will be ready WHEN I WALK THROUGH THE DOOR and I will not even have a moment to, ahem, use the facilities. And we're hitting up The Pasta House and I promise I will not eat an entire dinner sized order of fettuccine alfredo and nor will I eat more than <strike>two</strike> one of those delightful tiny loaves of bread. I will be a grown up and show restraint and also order the spaghetti with that light tomato sauce. I can't think of the name. Life is no fun.<br />
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So, last night, randomly, Eva pokes me in the bottom lip. "Mommy," she says, "why is your lip pink, but this one" here she pokes my top lip "....looks like this...." I don't know what 'looks like this' is. I was fairly certain my lips were uniform in color until last night. This is the same child who, while I was pretending I liked to run, repeatedly asked her daddy "Why is Mommy SO SLOWWW". Girlfriend has a way of knocking you down a peg.<br />
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I'm getting itchy again about Audrey's speech. Or, rather, lack thereof. Most words sound exactly the same if she bothers to say words at all. Most words, that is, except for "shoes". She has a serious fetish. She can't say Eva's name but she has been able to pronounce shoes clearly for many months.<br />
It might be time to bring in a speech therapist. I'm really considering calling and having her screened. I hope it's nothing. I hope she's lazy and quiet. But, I'd rather know now if she's going to be speech delayed.<br />
Does anyone know anything about this stuff? Am I crazy? 20 months old with maybe ten words and various animal sounds doesn't seem like enough....<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-55581809951626558262013-01-16T11:28:00.002-06:002013-01-16T11:28:21.700-06:00trivial thingsWeighed in yesterday and today. Yesterday I was down two pounds. Today I was only down 1.5 from my starting weight.<br />
Might have something to do with the chimichanga I had for breakfast. Or the BLT I had for lunch. Or the lasagna I had for dinner.<br />Whatever.<br />
Last night was not a stellar night in Casa Bennett. There was fighting. There was NO SLEEP. There was <strike>silently thinking I should probably smother my husband</strike> me being quietly bitter.<br />
I don't like fighting with Eric and I specifically don't like doing it in front of his parents and that happened last night. I'm not going to go into the whole situation here, but we bickered, quietly, and then I felt exceedingly uncomfortable. Having house guests means feeling like you have to be always 'on' if you're me and 'on' does not include heated arguments. But, when the guests are staying for 6 weeks, I think there is bound to be at least one of those moments. Still, there was no resolution and I went to bed with a chip on my shoulder. I'm trying not to hold onto that chip - That's a lie. I love my chip right now, but I will try to get over it by the time I get home tonight. Because I'm a grown up, as much as I hate that fact right now.<br />
Eva got up at least five times last night. She could not rest, for some reason, and I am at my wits end with that whole business. I needs me some sleep. Straight through the night sleep. Eight hours, uninterrupted would be great, but I'd settle for seven. Really. I don't know what to do with her. She wakes up and she does not settle down and try to fall back asleep. She immediately calls out for us. She wants to come to my bed (at ten thirty). She wants to go downstairs and play (at somewhere after midnight). She wants to go potty (thirty seconds after I left her room after she wanted to go downstairs). She wants to come to my bed AGAIN (somewhere around three when I'm at my weakest) and I finally let her. Eric also got up with her once or twice, but I can't remember those times. Anyone? Anyone have any advice on this? Home girl is three, going on four. Her bedtime falls between seven-thirty and eight. We read a story. Rock. Sing a few songs. Lights out. EVERY NIGHT she is up at least once. Sometimes there is fighting before I even get out of her room. Someone tell me how to get this kid to give me a break. I beg of you.<br />
I have been running the stairs at work barefoot today. Just two flights. I think anything more than that might be conspicuous. Someone might find the shoes.<br />
<br />I have a new goal. I'm going to run a 5K. For real this time, though. The Color Run is in St. Louis on my actual birthday - my 30th. I think that's as good a time as any to get my ass in gear. Who's with me?<br />
<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-29303873699337797052013-01-09T15:07:00.000-06:002013-01-09T15:07:05.006-06:00Weight and other items of interest to no one but me.I lied. I said I would probably be weighing in on Fridays, but that is a damn lie.<br />I am weighing on Wednesday. Because my facebook challenge told me to. And I am down half a dang pound. That is not impressive. That is not good. And I have been a failure at my challenges to myself for the most part. I DID plank and do wall sits yesterday and I will today, but prior to that was a big fat zero. I lose.<br />
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My in-laws are still visiting. It's been a fairly delightful visit so that's very nice. Last night, I was doing my planks and my mother-in-law, Angie, wanted to know what the heck a plank was. So, I showed her. And she proceeded to whoop my ass at planks. Thanks Angie. The woman has never done a plank in her life and she held for a full minute the SECOND time. The first time Eric didn't time her throughout, but I guessed it to be about forty-five seconds. For the love. Really. I did fifty seconds and wanted to die. Planking is boring, yo. I seriously despise it. But, I really would like to be able to do a two minute plank at some point because right now, Eric is showing me up in that department. Anyway. After Angie schooled me in planking, I showed her some other basic yoga moves that I like and the little ladies decided to get in on that. They were kind of rock stars at mountain pose. Startin' 'em young.<br />
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I said "other items" and that included an 's' so I feel like I need to come up with something else to discuss with you, but this is pretty much my life for the time being. Tonight I am going out for drinks with my friend Sheena. I'm so cosmopolitan! Drinks on a Wednesday!<br />
<br />
Tell me something good.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-39990395578951522412013-01-04T08:57:00.003-06:002013-01-04T08:57:45.153-06:00Weekly Weigh InNo, I am not sharing my weight with you people, whoever you may be. I'm not that brave and I'm also not that much of a fan of hating myself publicly. What I will do is tell you that my weight is up AGAIN. UP. I am now almost at the weight I was after I gave birth to Audrey 19 months ago.<br />
19 months.<br />
Holy crap.<br />I have got to get it together, yo.<br />
Confession: I have not worked out since the New Year. And, to be honest, I have not worked out in a shameful amount of time before that, either. Shameful. Instead I have been spending my lunch hours eating like crap and effing around on the internets. I'm not excited about the work that it takes to lose weight. I'm excited about the prospect of not being fat - obese, even -but I'm not excited about the journey. I'm hoping that Operation Red Bikini and the new challenge I'm joining via the Mama Laughlin Fit Camp on facebook. (I'd link, but I can't access facebook right now, so just google that business if you're interested)(or go to this link and see what it's all about! <a href="http://www.fitnessunscripted.com/2012/12/my-gift-to-you-jennifer-o.html">FitnessUnscripted</a>.) The challenge will run the course of The Biggest Loser's television season and will even overshoot my birthday goal of thirty pounds.<br />So, I need to be clear here with my goals. I will report my weight issues once a week, probably on Friday. I won't be giving my actual weight because that's insanity and terrifying to me. But, I will tell you how much I'm up and how much I'm down. And, I'll be keeping a rundown of my work outs. Sorry if that stuff is boring, but it's what I've gotta do. I need some accountability now and I need ya'll to hold me to my goals. The plan is to get up Monday-Friday at 4:25 when Eric leaves and get my ass on the elliptical. Just thirty minutes, probably, but still. It's a start. And I'm going to do what I can in those thirty minutes. It'll be pathetic to start, but that's just the start. I'm hoping to work out somewhere, somehow at lunch every day as well. Or, I'll even say just four days a week. AND, finally, I'm challenging myself to a Plank-A-Day, Yoga-A-Day, and a Wall-Sit-A-Day as challenged by <a href="http://fatchicktofitchick.wordpress.com/">FatChick2FitChick</a>. Yeah, it's a lot, but each of those things will only take a minute of my time to start with and can really help get my focus going. I hope.<br />
Who's with me on any of this? Anyone? Anyone? Is this thing on? Steph, you better be reading this, since you're the reason I'm trying to write it again!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0 !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-53047757292989167432013-01-02T12:00:00.000-06:002013-01-04T08:57:53.909-06:00A little self-indulgenceI love reading about the people who's blogs I read. I recognize that I have like four readers and that two of you know me in person already, but I'm going to indulge myself and pretend like there are people out there wondering about me and my life. Makes me feel like a real blogger.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>A. Age: </b><span style="color: #134f5c;">29. I turn 30 in April and I am not even really panicking about it at all. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>B. Bed size:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">Queen. I'd be fine with a full, to be honest. I'm one of THOSE people. I like to be all up in Eric's business when we sleep. I chase him off the bed, pretty much. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>C. Chore you hate:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">Folding the girls' clothes. So many tiny socks. Ugh.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>D. Dogs:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">We had one, once. For about a month. It ate everything. My clothes. Shoes. Door frames. My wedding bouquet. He's gone now. I'm only mildly disappointed. The truth is, we didn't have the time and it wasn't fair to him to be alone so many hours of the day and not get the exercise he needed. Poor puppy. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>E. Essential start to your day:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">I don't really have any thing essential outside of the ordinary. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>F. Favorite color: </b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Today? A green with just a hint of blue. I bought a cardigan at Target in this color and am loving it.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>G. Gold or Silver:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">Silver</span>. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>H. Height:</b><span style="color: #134f5c;"> 5'7"</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>I. Instruments you play:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">I played the flute in grade school. I was... not good at it.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>J. Job Title:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">Receptionist</span>. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>K. Kids</b>: <span style="color: #134f5c;">2 little ladies. Eva is 3, will turn four already in July and THAT makes me panicky. Audrey will be 2 in May. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>L. Live:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">On the East Side. I'm from a little town in Illinois, east of St. Louis but still in the Metro area, I guess. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>M.</b> <b>Married: </b><span style="color: #134f5c;">April 19, 2008.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>N. Nicknames:</b><span style="color: #134f5c;"> I don't have any.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>O. Overnight hospital stays:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">Just with the ladies. Two nights with Eva and one with Audrey. But, then there were four more with Audrey, but I wasn't admitted. I just refused to leave her. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>P. Pet peeve<span style="color: #134f5c;">: </span></b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Poor grammar. Bad manners. People who scuffle their feet. Mullets. Leggings as pants under inappropriate tops. Tardiness. I could go on and on. I'm crabby. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Q. Quote</b>: <span style="color: #134f5c;">I don't really have a favorite that I can think of right now. And I'm not feeling clever enough to come up with something original.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>R. Righty or Lefty</b>: <span style="color: #134f5c;">Righty</span>.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>S. Siblings:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">2 sisters. Both are older and both are pretty damn delightful. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>T. Time you wake up:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">Prior to this year? 5:10 a.m. but the new goal (which, I recognize I'm a few days late on) will be 4:30 or so for some friendly time with my elliptical or a video of some variety.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>U. University attended:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">Pfft. College is for kids who don't have a deadbeat boyfriend to support, right? I dropped out of SWIC (a local college) after about a semester because my boyfriend was a piece and I felt a lot of pressure to work so I could support both of us. Yay for great life choices.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>V. Vegetables you dislike:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">Green beans. Peas. Brussel sprouts (though I've had them cooked right ONCE and loved them.)</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>W. What makes you run late:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">I'm rarely late. It makes me twitchy. But, on occasion, something will happen with the girlies and that will put me behind a bit.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>X. X-rays you've had:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">Ultrasounds. Teeth. Um. My back when they were worried I had some kind of autoimmune thing. My leg when I was in a car accident while in high school. I think that's it? </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Y. Yummy food:</b> <span style="color: #134f5c;">Almost all food is yummy. This is why I need to lose about fifty pounds.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Z. Zoo animal favorite: </b><span style="color: #134f5c;">OH! I love the zoo. St. Louis has probably the best zoo in the country, I think. I went to the San Diego zoo and I was not that impressed. They have Pandas, which are my favorite, so they win in that category, but... Man. So, Pandas. And Red Pandas. I love me some Red Pandas. </span></span><span style="color: #134f5c;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-50040147660974790372013-01-02T07:59:00.002-06:002013-01-02T07:59:38.907-06:00ResoluteLast year, I didn't make any resolutions. I'm consistently a failure at them and so I opted out. This year, I'm opting back in. I'm a failure because I don't hold myself accountable and because I'm lazy and one of my resolutions this year is to be decidedly UN-Lazy and to be Accountable. Brace yourselves, because I have a feeling I'm about to get wordy with this one....<br />
There is no reason, at the age of 29, I should be indulging in cookies for breakfast or having more than one dessert in a day, just because I want to. I need to get control of myself and make some better freaking decisions. My schedule does not really allow for much down time for working out. That's a fact. It's the way my life is right now. So I will have to MAKE time. I will have to get my happy behind out of bed at four thirty instead of five ten and get on the dreaded elliptical. I will have to work out WITH my children present and deal with them climbing all the hell over me. I will have to actually work out over lunch instead of sitting here at my desk screwing around. It is time.<br />
Another resolution is to master my new camera. That bad boy cost my parents a pretty penny (yes, my parents still get ups all Christmas gifts. This year, they went big for Eric and I and we got the camera) and I'm not going to have it go to waste by taking pictures only in automatic. That's for pansies. (Note that I've now owned a fabulous camera for over a week and I still haven't even downloaded the software so I can put the pictures on this here blog. Because of the Lazy. See? it's full circle.) I don't have any delusions that I'm ever going to be a fabulous photographer or that anyone will pay me to take their pictures, but I'd like to post pictures that other people will not scoff at and maybe take FREE pictures for some family friends who don't have the money to pay someone to do it for them.<br />
Joy. That's the word of the year for me. I'm going to seek it and I'm going to create it. I'm not going to sit back, anymore, and wallow in my feel-sorry-for-myself. And I'm GOOD at wallowing. I am. But, hell, even I'm tired of me being that way. So, it's time to put on some sassy pants and grow the eff up. I'm not going to let other people's drama eat away at me anymore. I'm going to work on recognizing that the only person I can control is ME (well, and the little ladies because at 3 and 18 months they don't get to have a whole lot of decision making) and I'm going to focus on that. I spend a lot of my time being bogged down. I'm not a happy person by nature. I find a lot of joy in the little things, but I also find a lot of sorrow if I let myself. And, as I've stated, I'm an excellent wallower. It's a skill. I'm hoping to find little ways, every day, to bring joy into my life, but not just for me. I want to GIVE joy, as well. We'll see how this goes, but I started yesterday. Found a little something that made me think of my best friend at the store and bought it. It's nothing much but I know it will bring a smile to her face and I love that I will be giving her a little piece of joy without even having to work hard at it.<br />
Another thing I love is what Megan at <a href="http://honeywerehome.blogspot.com/">Honey We're Home</a> did. Instead of creating a list of regular resolutions, she created a More and Less list. It's a wonderful idea, I think, so I'm going to ALSO steal that concept and jot down a few of those things myself:<br />
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Less Worry~More Faith<br />
Less Quantity~More Quality<br />
Less External~More Internal<br />
Less Down~More Up<br />
Less Television~More Movement<br />
Less "Not now, girls"~More "Let's play!"<br />
Less Processed~More Fresh<br />
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With that, I'm going to shut up for a bit. Hopefully I will spend some of my time today learning about that camera and thinking of little happy things I can do and not eating terrible things. Wish me luck.<br />
What are your goals this year? Do you do resolutions, have a 'word for the year' or are you looking to change your life in some other way?<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-79748311634299516232012-12-27T12:47:00.000-06:002012-12-27T12:47:01.139-06:00New CameraSo, I got the fabulous new camera for Christmas. It's a Canon Rebel and I'm so excited about it!<br />
But I am poor at using it.<br />
And, well, let's be honest. There's a lot of pressure to post beautiful photos. I feel like if I'm going to post a picture, it better be lovely. It had better be the most wonderfully staged, well composed picture that I have ever taken. And, that's a tall order. I have yet to even download the software onto my computer to take the pictures off of the camera and put them out there for use. I am behind, friends. I am not good at this. But! I am practicing. I have been taking ridiculous pictures of Steph, my deskmate(?), and I am hoping to just copy down a bunch of other fabulous photographer's setups for beautiful pictures and magically transform into a fabulous photographer myself.<br />
Why is this so hard? Why do I have such high expectations for something that, in truth, is trivial? Frustrating.<br />
<br />
Aside from my glorious <strike>new life partner</strike> camera, I got a lot of delightful things for Christmas! A bluetooth thing so I can drive and talk and not scare my mother to death. A beautiful scarf from my mother in law. A stellar new crockpot. (Incidentally, I felt incredibly old when I opened my crockpot and it was as if my wildest dreams had been fulfilled.) Eric bought me a beautiful sweater throw blanket from Target that I repeatedly showed him. He also got me a FitBit and I'm so looking forward to trying that baby out! It was a wonderful Christmas and I could go on and on about that, but not today. Today I'm going back to obsessing about figuring out how to determine ISO, Apeture, and Shutter Speed to take the most beautiful, blog worthy pictures that have ever been taken.<br />
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How was your Christmas? Did Santa treat you nicely?<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a><br />
<br />GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-7833205866285550792012-12-20T13:27:00.002-06:002012-12-20T13:27:51.207-06:00Operation Red BikiniI am not a self-motivated person for the most part. I don't get excited about working out and I don't have a 'game plan' in my head. I do best if I have someone screaming in my face, making me do the work. That is the only way I have ever lost real weight. I was a member of a gym where the instructors knew me and guilted me if I didn't show up and give it my all. I lost about fifty pounds and felt fabulous.<br />
I have gained that and more back in the last seven years.<br />
It's shameful, really.<br />
So. I am taking the challenge from <a href="http://southerngrlgetsfit.blogspot.com/2012/12/operation-red-bikini-details.html?showComment=1356021071901#c1106038302098862800">Southern Girl Gets Fit</a>! A red bikini is so far out of my comfort zone that it kind of makes me dizzy, so my 'red bikini' will be a size ten. Nothing amazingly small, nothing out of this world. I'd even take a twelve, but the ten... that's my red bikini. The twelve would be like a black tankini, but actually wearing it in public. The red bikini is the holy grail.<br />
Saying this makes me feel like a broken record. I'm forever promising myself that I'll get back into some semblance of a healthy shape, but then giving up at the first turn. Maybe this challenge will help me stick to the plan. I'm currently searching for a gym like the one I had before. One I can AFFORD to attend. I don't like working out alone. Like I said, give me someone yelling in my face to push harder and I'm gonna put it all out there. Give me a treadmill and some free weights and you might as well hand me a hot dog and a 32oz Ski. <br />
After Christmas Eve I'll FINALLY have a camera and I will post a "before" picture and then I will weep. It won't be one of those like some brave women do where they're just in a sports bra and tight fitting pants. I'll be in yoga pants and a tank top, but trust. You will be able to see the horrors.<br />
Hold me to this, yo. I need to get my ass in gear.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-10814901011113304142012-12-13T14:17:00.002-06:002012-12-13T14:17:24.913-06:00House Guests<br />
Happy holidays!<br />
I have pretty much been sucked dry lately. There is not an ounce of motivation in me to write, move, think, etc. All I want to do is eat delicious food and maybe nap? I'm not sure what the story is here. I just really want to lie down most of the time, maybe in the bath, with wine. Whatever. Moving on!<br />
My in-laws will be here a week from yesterday. They live in Mexico and we haven't ever had the chance to spend Christmas with them, so I'm super excited that they're driving up. Previously, when they've visited, we had a spare bedroom upstairs. Then we had Audrey and that became her room. They came when she was tiny, and we just left the bed up in there for them and let her sleep with us, but this time we decided to go a different route.<br />
We built them a bedroom in the basement.<br />
From scratch.<br />
And by we, I mean my husband and his friend, my father, and my brother-in-law with some help from my uncle on one occasion. I mostly painted. And hung stuff up. But, whatever.<br />I wish I had a camera because the before and after pictures could be really stellar, but I'm not getting one until Christmas Eve. So, you'll just have to trust me. We've got a blue-grey thing going on the walls, which was a disappointment because it is NOT true to the color chip. We put up white curtains and used furniture we had around the house. I finally got to put up a pretty chandelier in a bedroom, so I'm pretty freaking pleased with that. (Eric insists on ceiling fans mostly.)<br />
We also redid the stairs going to the basement. The area had previously been completely unfinished, with raw wood stairs and naked drywall on the walls. We had my brother-in-law texturize the walls in there and the bedroom and slapped some fantastic Palladian Blue (Benjamin Moore) paint up. We bought treads at Lowe's and some 1xsomethings at our local hardware store and painted the treads black and the 1X's white to use as risers. It turned out pretty fabulous, if you ask me!<br />
Anyway, that's what's been going on in Casa Bennett. Have you had any projects going on lately?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54490/381/21DD0811995612A234EC8F09761819C0.png" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px !important;" /></a>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-11586047362927313192012-09-28T10:32:00.002-05:002012-09-28T10:32:59.345-05:00I hate running.For real. It is the worst idea I have ever had. Why did I think this was something I could get interested in? I started reading all these running blogs. I read articles. I bought new shoes. Bought a stop watch. Now I want to do almost anything besides run. I'm on week 5 or 6 of the Couch to 5K and running has gone from being something I was excited about and looked forward to doing to something that I think about all day in the most dreaded way.<br />The thing is: I don't hate working out. I used to do a step aerobics class and I LOVED that. I did a kick boxing class and enjoyed it. Even weights and body weight training... I'm fine with it all. But running is owning my ass. It is making me feel small and pathetic. I want to quit.<br />
I probably won't, though. Because my husband won't let me and my friend Stephanie will shame me from here to next Sunday if I do. But, I swear. This might kill me.GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-27530525509996237502012-09-11T12:25:00.001-05:002012-09-11T12:25:56.804-05:00A Day In The LifeI'm linking up with <a href="http://www.thestanfieldclan.com/">Holly </a>from "Where We Can Live Like Jack And Sally". (NOTE: I'm ridiculously excited that I figured out how to put the link in using her name.) This is the first time I've ever linked up to something and I probably won't do it again for a while, I'm sure. It's a scary step to me, putting my name on a list with some other more experienced bloggers who actually edit and review their posts and all that good stuff. I'll get there someday, I'm sure, but right now I am a big fan of type it and hit publish and move on with my day.<br />
Anyway.<br />
Lately, my first alarm goes off at 4:50 because I am dreaming of getting up and working out in the morning - though this has yet to happen. Neither my husband nor I have heard this alarm either day this week, so I think my phone is conspiring against me. Next is a five a.m. alarm that I have decided is ten minutes too late to get up to work out and twenty minutes to early to start getting ready. So, the next one goes off at 5:20 and I haul myself out of bed and into my bathroom. I shower at night because I know that I'm lazy in the morning, so I wash my face, brush my teeth, do my hair and make up, and attempt to get dressed before I hear Eva call out "Mommy Daddy, I'm awaaaake" at three second intervals, with increasing volume until one of us goes in to get her up. She doesn't get out of her own bed because we've trained her to stay put. I don't want her wandering at night, but this means she also will not get out in the morning. Such is life.<br />
If she doesn't wake up and call for us, Eric usually gets her up and either dresses her or lets her dress herself. (Incidentally, I'm so excited to have a kid who is old enough to dress herself.) I hurry to finish dressing and get Audrey up and fight her into a clean diaper. How is it that babies are so damn strong? That kid. It's like wrestling a drunk monkey to get her changed in the mornings. We all head downstairs together to get shoes on and all that basic stuff. Lately Eric's schedule has allowed him to help with daycare drop off, so I take Audrey into her room (where she runs to her teacher, then points to the door and orders me to "go") and he takes Eva (who we then have to wave at through the window for an inordinate amount of time) and we part ways there.<br />
I have an hour long commute. It is the devil. Today I got gas and food on my way in. The gas was not necessary, but I wanted to eat and needed an excuse to stop and buy food. I wanted to eat because I was feeling crabby - I managed to forget my rings, my earrings, and I also had a giant hole in the ass of my pants and had to go back in and change. Fun morning.<br />
I work as a receptionist at a law firm. I sit next to one of my best friends all day (Hi, Steph!) and really enjoy the people I work with. For the most part. In my private life, it's well known that I don't actually like people that much, so this is big... the fact that I enjoy the people I interact with on the daily. On a good day, Steph and I will say something phenomenally funny and laugh until we cry. Then we get to write it down in a book for future review when we are not so funny. I sometimes work out at lunch, if I can get someone to go and do it with me. I am not a fan of doing things alone. Yesterday I got in a half hour over lunch and felt pretty good about it!<br />
Hour long commute home. Woo.<br />
With the advent of The Running, my nights are a bit different than they used to be. We run Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Sometimes the kids insist on walking back home once we get to the sidewalk and last night was one one of those nights. It was also the night that Audrey discovered her shadow. She had to pause to check it out A LOT. It took us twice as long to get home because she was suspicious of that dark spot following her around.<br />
Once we did get home, I made tacos - including a home made taco seasoning. Eva ate well and bragged about it pretty consistently for the rest of the night. Audrey... was not good and did not eat. That is all I will say about that. She was a tiny hot mess. We made our way upstairs for bath time and then watched The Voice while the girlies played. At some point, Eva decided we had to look at pictures of Santa Clause, so The Google found some for us and I taught Audrey that Santa says 'Ho Ho Ho' which she refused to say until I was talking to Eric and then said it, super fast, under her breath.<br />
Bedtime went surprisingly well and I finished up my night with a shower and some Words With Friends. I turned off the television at 9:30 for the night. At this point, Eric had been sleeping beside me for a good forty five minutes. Because he's practically ninety.<br />
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<a href="http://www.thestanfieldclan.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="linkup" height="295" src="http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z468/suit1/linkupbutton.jpg" width="295" /></a></center>
GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-20762356590340441152012-09-10T15:09:00.000-05:002012-09-10T15:09:00.562-05:00Calorie Counting and all that jazzI think it's time for me to start logging what I eat and counting calories. I am actually UP two pounds this week and that's with four days of running (or rather Couch25K running, but still) and push mowing my half acre, hilly lawn. I haven't been super with the food stuffs. It's not my jam. I like to eat. A lot. And I like good food that's not good for me. (I say that, sitting here, having just eaten some snack bag of cheddar cheesy goodness and drinking a Mountain Dew....)<br />
The truth is, this is harder than it has been in the past. And I didn't ever intend for this blog to become just about my eating and running habits, but I'm hoping that if I keep writing it down, I'll keep it in the forefront of my mind instead of hiding from what's really going on.<br />
What's really going on is this: When I focus on it, I'm excited about weight loss. I'm excited about eating better - feeding my body versus feeding my cravings and emotions. I'm excited about running and working out and teaching my girls to live a healthier lifestyle. I'm excited about getting fit. But, I'm not focusing on it ENOUGH. I'm not making it a major part of my life. It's an after thought. So, when someone asks if I want a cookie, OF COURSE I WANT A COOKIE. And then I eat it. And then twenty minutes after that I feel like a fool for having eaten it. I struggle with this. I struggle with not hiding from the fact that I KNOW I should not have that cookie. I struggle with acknowledging that it's not a good choice and then I struggle with making myself make up for those mistakes by doing better the rest of the day. Calorie counting is daunting. I'm not excited about that. But, I found a website, via another website, where you can plunk your recipes into it and it figures up for you about how many calories one serving would be. So, I'm going to try it out. Soon. I think for the time being I'll just be logging the food and exercise and trying to force myself to be a grown up and actually face my issues...<br />
Do you count calories?GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-21645978128535894602012-09-07T11:34:00.002-05:002012-09-07T11:34:37.330-05:00I can't come up with a title to save my life. Just a rundown of a few things because I haven't posted in a while and that makes me a terrible new blogger person.<br />
<br />
1. This weekend is going to be GLORIOUS. We've had a lot of really hot, really dry weather for a really long time in these parts and I cannot wait to enjoy the mid seventies tomorrow is offering. My middle sister and I (Hi BOO!) will be hitting up some yard sales in the a.m. and then going to my fervit (favorite) cousin's bridal shower. When we're done with THAT, hopefully the hubs will be done with Drill (he's in the Guard and this is drill weekend) and we'll head out to watch a parade and maybe visit with some friends.<br />
2. We are not very social. We'd like to be, but we're lazy and parents to two monsters, one of whom (Eva) hates other people, so we never get out much. I'm ridiculously excited to go the parade and visit!<br />
3. I'm up to running three minutes at a stint. This is not much to regular people, but it's a huge feat to me. For real. Two weeks ago I was struggling to run for one minute and on Monday when I ran the first three minutes I felt on top of the world. I thought I could do it again right away. I was wrong. But, still. I did it. And then when I did the second three minute set, at the end, Eva asked Eric "Why is Mommy running <i>so slow</i>?" And then I finished the last fifteen seconds, collapsed on a table and wept.<br />
4. Having your child call you slow when you are working as hard as you possibly can is really disheartening.<br />
5. I am getting the itch to do some kind of a project. There are a few things in my way. Money is tighter than normal because Eric hasn't been working any overtime, so blowing money on some kind of supplies is not really a priority. Also, time. Also, that's about it.<br />
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Anyway, have a glorious weekend. I'm hoping to start next week with a new game plan, adding in a few mornings a week with exercise at the ungodly hour of quarter to five.GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-18673591237115121752012-08-23T14:09:00.000-05:002012-08-23T14:09:04.277-05:00What CountsI ran yesterday. I had a slight headache and wanted badly to not run, but I ran and that's good. It was stupid hard and I'm not good at it and I was embarrassed but I did it. And, in the long run, that's what counts.<br />
What counts is getting off my butt and moving more. What counts is NOT making excuse after excuse and finding 'reasons' to continue being lazy. I don't love working out. I don't love eating healthier. But, I will do these things. I will make these changes. And eventually, I will enjoy them more. And that is what counts.<br />
I weighed myself the other morning. I won't tell you my weight because my shame is too large (though not larger than the number on the scale, apparently, or it would not have crept up so high). What I will do is say that my number ended in 6.5 and that my first goal is to just get that last number to a 0. I will be giving myself the last few days of this week and then the next two weeks to hit that number. This is the first REAL goal I've set for myself in a while. I think that the 6.5 pound loss will make a difference in the way that I fit into my clothes and the way that I feel, though it might not be a huge deal to most. It's a start. And making a start, as I've said, is what counts.GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-73980154121654849142012-08-17T07:55:00.000-05:002012-08-17T07:55:33.831-05:00Couch to 5KI think I'm really going to do this. I'm planning on signing up for the Glow Run in St. Louis on Oct. 6th. I have never, ever,ever run for fun in my life. I've barely ever run because it was expected of me. I don't run. I don't like to. Or, I didn't. I know that if I want to succeed I have to lose the defeatist attitude and look at this positively. I have to say "I'm going to love running in the long run!" "I"m going to have so much fun doing races with my friends!" and things like that.<br />
The truth is this: My favorite thing in the whole wide world is taking a bath while reading a book. You do not get much more leisurely than that unless you add in wine and now I want nothing more than to do just that. Bath. Book. Booze. Anyway. That does not sound like a recipe for me to be a runner. But I want to be. I want to lose weight and I want to feel better and I've been told this is the way. So here I go.<br />
I'm looking at the Couch 2 5K program, but does anyone have any other suggestions?<br />
<br />
GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-52328252525095471062012-08-13T15:14:00.000-05:002012-08-13T15:14:06.925-05:00Do you wanna take my picture?This weekend Eric, one of his buddies, and my father worked all day Saturday to put up drywall in the new bedroom in our basement. When we built the house, we did not have the money in the budget to finish the basement and I didn't feel like taking on renters to finance the project, so the basement has been and empty, concrete hole since then. Well, Eric's parents are coming for Christmas and since we had Audrey, we no longer have a guest room. I wanted to take pictures of that space coming to life and share them with you but then Eva "took a picture" of Daddy and proceeded to drop the camera on the bathroom tiles, denting the lens casing (or whatever you call that), thus rendering the camera useless.<br />
Awesome times.<br />
This weekend also marked the first time I've gotten to be with my three long-term best friends at once in.... right about two years. There are lots of pictures from that night, but I didn't take any of them since Eva destroyed my camera right before we headed to the party.<br />
I want to buy a really nice camera. I want a DSLR or whatever the heck they are. Because they take gloriously good pictures and I want to have that capability. I don't, however, have the money in the budget for such a camera, so I'm going to have to go with a more affordable model.<br />
Anyone have any recommendations?GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-65597095646371427012012-08-03T09:19:00.000-05:002012-08-03T09:19:38.049-05:00This weekThis week has been a struggle for me. I go through phases where I just feel sort of in limbo with life. I want SO MUCH to be Betty Crocker and Martha Stewart and Nanny Jo from Super Nanny all rolled into one and I have a hard time accepting that I am just myself. I get home from work, after my long commute and I am tired. I don't want to make dinner or clean the house. Usually dinner gets made, but the house is left to it's own devices which is to say it's left in the hands of a three year old and a one year old who are on a mission to get every single thing out of every drawer and bin and just drop it where they wish. <div>Something has to change and I think we all know it's me. I have to find contentment with my life as it is or make changes to make it what I want it to be. And I think I pick the latter. I say that often and don't follow through, but today I am feeling strong about it. So next week will find me up early to get on the elliptical. That will hopefully get my body moving and get a positive start to the day. Every night will find me at least picking up the house and making sure the counters are wiped down. I will smile more and say yes more to my children. I will find the time, even if that means going to bed a little later, to enjoy the small things in my life. </div><div><br />
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</div></div>GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6650921282613720720.post-24935347801168474472012-07-24T13:34:00.000-05:002012-07-24T13:34:58.957-05:00Eva.Today, my Eva turns three. I had her at 5:01 p.m. after something like fourteen hours of labor and thirty one minutes of pushing. (TMI?) There may be a day when I feel like telling that story, but today is not that day. She was giant. Her head was huge and she weighed 9lbs 10oz. She was delightful.<br />
Except that the kid did not sleep. And she was the clingiest child ever.<br />
All of those things still hold true. She is marvelous. She is loving and sweet, but does not want you to cuddle her or touch her too much. She does not like a lot of people, but the people she likes she LOVES. She is cleverer than you want a kid her age to be. She is funny and too smart. Her use of language is both hilarious and fantastic. The kid knows how to turn a phrase.<br />
She also still does not sleep worth a damn.<br />
I am, according to her, her best friend. And that is my favorite role in the world right now.<br />
Because at three, it's awesome to have Mommy be your best friend. And, as a Mommy to a three year old (who stubbornly has been calling you Mom lately....) it's awesome to be her best friend.<br />
When gets a little older, I will no longer have the role of best friend. And that's how it should be. But, for now, I adore that title.GinaAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189861393383232836noreply@blogger.com1