BLT4ever

Our Christmas begins tomorrow!  We’re all of course excited!  I am almost blissfully happy with who I am and all that I have.  God has so richly blessed me, I feel almost as if I live a charmed life.  I have my problems, number one being money and debt.  Our debt isn’t huge, but we don’t want to be in debt at all, so even what we have isn’t comfortable.  I guess because of the spending this time of year, our debt always seems to magnify itself in my mind and I can feel a nagging tug of stress in the back of my mind at any given time over it.  I know that satan would like to get the best of me over this subject, but I refuse to give in.  I am going to enjoy my Christmas time, and all my blessings.  My husband, my kids, our home and soon my husband will be home again.  I couldn’t be happier!

Tomorrow we start our Christmas at 11:30 am by picking my mom up at the train station.  Then at 3:30 pm we are going to Chick-Fil-A for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of chicken nuggets.  At 5:00 pm is our Christmas Eve candelight service at church (!!! this is always so nice, and exciting).  Afterwards we drive around and look at homes done up for Christmas.  Then it’s home for the annual birthday cake for Jesus; we light a candle on the cake and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and then we each eat a piece.  Then we each open up our Christmas Even present, which is always jammies and slippers, and we go put them on and get cozy on the couch for the annual viewing of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”  After the movie my husband reads “Twas the Night Before Christmas”.  Then we set the cookies and milk out for Santa and head to bed.  I think this day is my favorite of the two days.  This year, since my husband is not home to read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” in person, we are going to be clever about it.  He’s going to call home at the appropriate time and we’re going to put the phone on the coffee table and put it on speaker so that he can read it out loud to us all.

Christmas day itself, the kids wake us up before anyone is allowed downstairs.  My husband and I always want to be a part of it all; we just gotta see their faces when they first see all the presents under the tree.  We have doughnuts (Entemanns from a box, not fresh lol) for breakfast and check out what is in our stockings before we get to the actual presents.  As for the presents themselves, everybody gets three things from my husband and I (going by the three gifts that were given to Jesus), and one from Santa.  Santa does always bring several things that are for the entire family too though.  We have a nice big turkey dinner that is akin to Thanksgiving dinner, and just spend the day enjoying each others company.

On the 26th we head out for a couple of days visit with extended family members.  Pretty much always ending the entire season by spending New Years Eve at home playing video games together waiting for the midnight countdown.  That evening culminates with us all in the front yard hollering while slamming things around to make lots of noise.

Man, I love tradition!

Anyway, I most likely will not be back on here until the 28th or 29th.  So had to make sure I came on one last time to wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!  I promise to behave while away.  I’ve set my goals for the rest of the year rather simply, at:

1. Drink at least 128 oz. of water daily and avoid sodas and egg nogs.
2. Get in at least 45 minutes of cardio a day just so I can maintain.
3. Enjoy foods all foods that may be presented to me, but within moderation.
4. Refuse to stress out over money/bills, and just enjoy my many blessings!

I know these are no where near as stringent as my usual goals. But, from here on out I am going to have so little time available to me. You guys know how it is!

I shamelessly stole this from one of my buddy’s, Rebecca Dawn, blog.  This thing truly had me ROFLMAO’ing.  So, I just had to copy and paste it here.  That-a-way I can refer to it as often as I need to.  hehe

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they’re serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It’s rare.. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you’re going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It’s a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they’re made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year’s. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you’ll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They’re like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you’re never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day ?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “Hot Damn - what a ride!”

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

I have only eight more weeks left to go before my hubby comes home from his thirteen month deployment!  That is such an exciting thought to me.  Eight weeks is hardly any time at all.  I have got to step it up a notch….or two or three lol.  I’m currently 44 lbs lighter than I was when he came to visit in early July, which is cool…but I want it to be more than that.  Gotta be at least 60 lbs lighter…if not 70 lbs lighter!  So I am going to set a new goal for myself and that is to STEADILY lose 3 lbs. a week.  I believe this is do-able.  The key is in being consistent and sticking to my goal.  I don’t know why it is, but setting new goals makes it all so exciting again!

The flu is gone from our home!  It coursed through both of my latest two to get it in less than 24 hours!  WOOHOO!!!!  So far neither I nor my oldest son have got it.  He almost never get sick, so I am betting that he won’t.  Me…if I don’t come down with it today or tomorrow, I think I can safely assume that I am in the clear.

So, since everyone was feeling good last night, we all went to the Christmas party at the dojo.  Had a GREAT time!  One of my Sempi’s, Karen, introduced me to a most delicious mixed drink that I am sure was LOADED with calories.  An eggnog drink mixed with half and half, and Kaluha.  I had THREE of them and then two rum and cokes (mixed with Coke Zero - so calorie-wise not bad there lol).  Those eggnogs with Kaluha were AWESOMELY tasty!  I didn’t really eat anything there.  Had one bite of a breadstick, one small lumpia and a couple of chips with a layered dip.  Figured I should have a little something in my stomach before drinking.  But I wasn’t really hungry and I also didn’t want to be snacking on the things that were there because they were all so high calorie…and I wanted to help compensate for the drinks.  I’m sure with those three eggnogs and Kaulhas that I took in a good 1k in calories.

Overall though, I did good and am not worried about it being a set back in any way.  Drinking lots of water to flush it all out of my system today.  Besides, why do I work as hard as I do, if not to live my life in a joyous way?  We had great fun and made lasting memories and that is what is important.

I’ve got lots of wrapping to do…I’ve got next to nothing done as far as that goes.  I think that I will get it all done today and tomorrow.  It is so very exciting to me that Christmas is just a few days away!  Not just for the obvious reasons, but because Christmas is always the time that I planned on letting myself get excited about my husband’s homecoming being near.   OMGOMGOMG it’s almost time to start counting down the days lol…we’ll make a paper chain round about January 1st.

Well, now my 12 year old son and 18 year old daughter are sick with the stomach bug that my youngest had a few days ago.  No telling if my 16 year old son is going to get it too or not.  He almost never gets sick but when he does, OMG does he get it bad.  Who knows if I’ll get it or not either.  I do so hope that if it is the fate of us all, that we will get it within the next day or two so that we can have done with the whole mess by the time Christmas Eve gets here.  I felt so bad for my 12 year old, Nick, though.  We were at the dojo last night to watch the demonstration team and my peers testing for their next up colored belt, when Nick first got sick.  Poor guy was in the bathroom there for so long being sick, and it was pretty violent with a mess everywhere.  I had my daughter get him a fresh pair of clothes and I got the bathroom cleaned up good….OMG was it a nightmare; a nightmare for him to go through and a nightmare mess to clean, too.  It was a blessing that no one really knew what was going on, aside of the dojo owners who are more friends of ours than anything else, and by the time we got him all cleaned up and changed into clean clothes and the bathroom cleaned, and it was time to go, there was hardly anyone left in the lobby.  The few that were there were all friends and wished Nick well.  So, it could’ve been worse and more humiliating than it was.

Hey, on the bright side of things - before all this happened, I got several compliments for how good I looked in my 501 jeans!  :oP  Most of the time these guys all just see me in my workout clothes or my gi (karate uniform) and I’m all sweaty.

My 7 year old son, Noah, and I went ahead and went to see “The Tale of Despereaux” last night at the 10:20 showing, since things were settled down at home with Nick and he had his brother to take care of him in my absence.  The movie was good, and it was really nice to get away and not have to think of anything for awhile….just got lost in a good story.

My daughter started getting sick with it in the middle of the night some time.

Anyway, I guess at least it is only about a 24 hour thing!  Gotta find the good in all situations lol.

I have to get going….I just noticed the time; I’m supposed to be at the dojo in ten minutes to help set up for the party tonight.  The sick ones here are doing fairly well.  No one has thrown up in about four hours or so, and my son who never gets sick so far is doing good and will give me a call if I’m needed, and the dojo is only five minutes away.  So, at least it’s all guilt free.

I hope all is well with you and yours!

 Yay!!!  I have been so immensely, richly blessed by God with the spouse he’s given me.  I can honestly say that I married my best friend and couldn’t be happier….well, I could if he were only home!  He is the best husband, father, provider, lover, friend…all of it.  Since we knew we wouldn’t be together to celebrate, we celebrate our 20th last year by going down to San Diego for a few days in the gas lamp quarter.  Had a wonderful time!  I still want to celebrate it though, even though he is far from me right now physically, I’ve never felt closer to him emotionally.  So, I’m going to take the kids our to see the new movie, “The Tale of Despereaux” tonight after we go to the dojo to watch my peers test for their next up color belt in karate.

I’m excited, today is the last day of school for the kids before Christmas vacation.  So, for our home the Christmas mood is in full swing and everyone is joyful.  Noah got a little sicker before he got better, poor guy got severe diarrhea too.  But, he’s not gotten sick with either the diarrhea or vomiting since yesterday afternoon, so he was able to go to school today.  I am making sure that I go no where until he gets out of school at 12:30 (Fridays are early day), just in case.  We live right across the street from the school and I can be over there right quick to get him if need be.  I would die of guilt if I were out somewhere if the school called and he needed me to come pick him up.  Especially if he had an accident in his pants or accidentally threw up on himself.  Sorry for being so gross here, but I get these awful visions of my little guy sitting in the nurses office in a most horrible way.  So, we’re not going to go tackle the hill today as I had been planning on doing.  I figure we can do the hill some other time.  I can get in my morning cardio on the treadmill here just as good, and will do so after I get off of here.

Thought I was done Christmas shopping, but I need to get out and pick up two more things today after Noah gets home from school.  I can leave him here with my oldest son, that way I won’t have to worry about him but I can grab those last two things.  Got a busy few days ahead of me, as I’m sure is the same for most of you out there!  Tonight is the dojo test, taking the kids to the movies.  Tomorrow is more baking to get ready for the Christmas party at the dojo tomorrow night from 6-10.  I’ve also volunteered to help get the dojo ready for the party but I’m not sure what time I need to go to do that.  Haven’t got much wrapping done, so will need to do all that too.  My goal is to be done with everything by the night of the 22nd so that I can give the house a thorough cleaning on the 23rd, which will segway into a joyous Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

As for my weight loss this last week, it’s gone really good!  I weigh myself daily because that seems to help keep me on track…I just don’t count it though until every Sunday morning.  Had to weigh myself this morning anyway, to send my weigh in for the wild cats.  I lost 9 lbs. since my weigh in last Friday morning!  Which is awesome!!!  Not surprising though, because the previous two weeks had been spent gaining weight while sick and doing nothing but eating and sleeping.  So, I knew I was going to have a great loss this week since I stayed on track.  Hoping to lose another pound or two by the time I do my regular Sunday morning weigh in, but we’ll see.  For now, I’ll take that 9 lb loss and love it!

I’m in the middle of more baking, just bought a train ticket for my mom to come down on Christmas Eve morning, am watching “The Santa Clause 3″ with my kids and am also getting ready to write my daily email to my husband.  Busy, busy busy!  Hence the reason why this is only going to be a quick check in lol.  My little guy Noah is very sick with a stomach bug today.  He started throwing up round about 3 am and has been doing so every few hours since then.  He’s all cuddled up and cozy here with his blanket and pillows, and we’ve been watching Christmas movies all day.  Started with “The Muppet Christmas Carol” and then moved on to the “Santa Clause” movies.  Poor little guy, it breaks my heart that he is sick, especially this time of year.  I pray he is well ASAP and that no one else gets it too.  What a crappy time of year to be sick!

We’ve having another chilly and rainy day today, which has atually brightened all our spirits.  I know how backward that sounds, but when you live where we live and experience bright blue, sunny skies almost every day of the year, this change is AWESOME!  We’re loving it.

I’m still on track for losing weight.  This is day three of being back on track for me, and so far so good!  I’ve not had any foods that I shouldn’t have, and have been getting in my three hours of exercise daily.  I am anticipating a good weigh in this week.  Which is cool, but geesh…I am so far behind where I wanted to be for this time of year!  It’s all good though really, because at least I am headed in the right direction.

I mentioned up above that I just bought a train ticket for my mom to come down on Christmas Eve morning.  I had the idea last week sometime, for me and one of the kids to take the three hour drive up to her place to bring her down here on the 23rd so that she could spend Christmas Eve and morning here with me and the kids.  She’s not had a truly joyous Christmas in years and I thought she’d love being with the kids and I.  So, we’re all excited about it!

One of the most exciting things in our lives right now is that we have just under two months to go before my hubby comes home!!!  :D  About eight weeks left to go.  The way weeks fly by, he’ll be home in no time!

Gotta go make some dinner for everyone now.  I just wanted to check in to keep my accountability.

We NEVER, well, almost never, get rain here!  It’s been raining all day and the temperature outside right now is 47 degrees!    I wish it was colder and snowing, but I’ll take it…it’s the best we can hope for.  It’s supposed to be like this for pretty much the whole week.

I’m back on track AGAIN, today.  These past three weeks have been just pathetic.  I was so happy being so close to being under 200 lbs. and yet here I am AGAIN at 215 lbs.  I am going to fight it the absolute best I can this week in the hopes that it will put me back on track, in the good habits of not overeating again, in time for Christmas day and the temptations it will bring.

I didn’t get outside for my usual morning run, which I am missing greatly.  I’ve not had a good run since November 30th.  But, I did get in a good walk on my treadmill.  I want to ease myself back into running over this next week, rather than jump right back into it because my lungs are still a little congested and I don’t want to give myself a relapse.  I did make it a strenuous walk though.  I walked for 30 minutes and kept the pace between 3.5-4.5 for the majority of the time, and the incline from 5-10%.  For a little bit there I did put the incline at 0% and ran at 6.5 mph…just not for long.  Am going to get in my strength training in about an hour.  Then tonight it’s kickboxing for an hour.

I’ve eaten good; a bowl of cereal for breakfast and a correct portion size of spaghetti for lunch.  I’ve had nothing to drink but water so far…right around 32 oz. at this point, as my 64 oz. mug is about half full.  Still plenty of time left in my day to get in my full amount of water, too.

Been busy making chocolate peanut butter balls all day, and when my youngest comes home from school we’re going to start working on some gingerbread men and sugar cookies.  We got in a lot of baking over this last weekend, too.  Made Snickers surprise cookies, soda cracker cookies (omg are those hard to resist!), rice krispy treats, chocolate chip cookies…I think that was it so far.  My kids and I always do ALOT of baking around this time, and we couldn’t very well not do it this year because Mommy is trying to lose weight!  I just need to behave myself and allow myself to have a little treat here and there without going overboard and pigging out.  I am confident I can do this, as sweets aren’t my real downfall anyway.  I’m more a meat and potatoes kinda gal lol.

Anyway, that’s it for me…I just needed to check in for accountability, and am going to try to do so more often again now that I’m not too sick any more.  I hope that all is well with you and yours who are reading this.  Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

But wanted to let you all know that I am alive.  I’ve not been on in forever because first, the Thanksgiving holiday and all our family visiting.  But after that, on Monday December 1st I woke up sick and have been sick ever since.  It’s been this nasty head cold/larengitis/sore throat/flu thing.  Basically just been laying around sleeping off and on and eating…yeah, I don’t know why I let myself eat so bad but I have been just eating whatever whenever.  I am terrified of weighing myself!!!!  Seriously.  But, I will.  I gotta do my weigh in tomorrow morning for the Wildcats team.  My last weigh in there was at 205…I am praying that I don’t go above 210 tomorrow but I won’t be surprised if I do.  I still am not 100% better so am only easing myself back into my workout routine.  I am now “feeling” better but the coughing fits and having to blow my nose often are still there.  At least I can talk again though!!!  My voice was COMPLETELY gone and to even try to talk hurt soooooo bad.  Anyway…wanted to let you all know that I have not fallen off the face of the earth.