Still kickin'.

I was going to update on day 3, but I after the kids went to bed I popped in a movie and folded my laundry (really the only way I can get through it...such a boring task!).  By the time I remembered, I had powered down the laptop already. 

Today was day 5 and while I'm still looking for my ambition, I am holding to my 30 day commitment.  I *will* finish this 30 days and in a row.  No skipping.  Anyway, so far so good.  The only thing I really hate at the beginning of working out is that the results don't happen overnight.  So it's hard to stay motivated when you don't see change right.now.

But, I'm still doing it.  I do the 30 Day Shred, some ab work some from cards I tore out of a magazine (roughly 5-6 minutes worth), and then I hop on the stationary bike for 20 minutes.  Every 5 minutes I up the intensity a quarter turn on the dial for 60 seconds.  They are small enough workouts where I'm not standing in the same spot forever.  Plus when I'm on the bike I can listen to my Ipod or watch some tv, it all depends on the time of day I work out.  I try and do it when one of my shows is on, then I feel like I'm multi-tasking, I get my workout in and entertain myself at the same time:)

Day 2.

I made it through day 2:)

It helped a lot that Tay had a snow day today.  She kept an eye on the little ones and I fit in my 20 minutes, some ab work, and 20 minutes on the stationary bike before lunch!  I used 5 pound weights yesterday because I figured, "It's 20 minutes, I should be able to handle the 5 pounders."  Eh.  Today for some of the moves I used the 5 pounds, some of them I used my 3 pound weights.  It may be 20 minutes, but there is *very* little rest in there.

I love when I can get my workout in early in the day.  It inspires me to see what else I can get done.  Today I washed the sheets on our bed, balanced the checkbook, ran some errands, and I'm on my first load of towels.  Now, I just need to quit ignoring the dishwasher....

Commitment.

Today was Day 1.

Day 1.  Level 1.

Back in July I needed a swift kick in the (workout) ass so I enlisted the help of Jillian Michaels and her 30 Day Shred.  I did it.  All 30 days with one "hiccup".  We went camping with DH's family from Thursday to Sunday so I had to skip Friday and Saturday (I walked around the campground and swam instead).  I did complete it though, just not entirely in a consecutive 30 day stretch:)  While I didn't lose a lot (1-2 pounds) that wasn't my goal.  My goal was to firm some areas and tone up.  Oh, and it was a springboard into working out again.  30 days is nothing without a challenge.  The 30DS is tough, and I welcomed the challenge.

Anyway, on my 3rd cookie (M&M....mmm....) today, I wondered whether I was going to go for the 4th or do something else about it.  The 30 Day Shred is 20 minutes.  You can't even excuse that away.  I have 20 minutes to plant my fields in Farmville but I can't fit in a workout?  BS.

So today was Day 1. 

Changes.

Do you know the best time to get an idea and run with it?  Well, it most definitely is not at 2am, lol.  At first I wanted to paint our room.  Then I imagined the decor that I'd put on the walls.  How I would rearrange the furniture.  What would stay, what would go.  How this would help with Lexi's room.  Yeah, I didn't get a lot of sleep!

Basically what we are doing is updating our room to a grown-up room.  No more white walls and necklaces dangling from a shelf.  No more cluttered dresser top.  I ordered a jewelry armoire to hide all the boxes and random hanging jewelry in our room.  I also moved the glider from Lexi's room to our room.  She needs the space and I want the comfy place to read, surf the web, etc.  Sometime soon we will paint our room a color called "sufficient" and to me it is.  It's a warm color that will make our bedroom seem cozy.  Sleep inducing.  Maybe-dare I say it-relaxing?

Lexi's room will be painted a shade of lavender.  We'll move her dresser and give her a little more room for larger toys that seem to overwhelm her room at the moment.  We'll also take the oppurtunity to finally change her crib into a toddler bed.  *sob* Oh well, change is good!

Holy funk.

This nasty depressing weather has GOT to go.  I need green grass and warm temps.  I need the sun to rise earlier in the morning so when I get up to get Tay going for school I can stay up and work out, read, chill, etc.  Anything that is just mine until the other two hellions rise for the day, lol.  For now as soon as she's on the bus, I'm back in bed. ::sigh::  I enjoy my sleep, it's the quietest time of the day.  No one asking for juice or yelling that someone touched/poked/looked at them. 

I worked out yesterday but I so didn't want to.   I'm in a vacation funk.  Everyone seems to be hopping on planes and heading to warmer locations for downtime.  I want some of that:(  We're taking the kids to Florida in late March but let's face it: that is NOT a vacation.  Driving our ancient motorhome 1500 miles only to wear ourselves out visiting Disney World, Sea World, Univeral Studios, etc. before we drive back home.  Fun? Sure.  Relaxing?  Oh hell no.  My mother-in-law and both of DH's sisters flew to Cozumel yesterday.  Granted these trips were part of gifts to us in place of physical gifts to open on the last 2 Christmases and birthdays.  DH's brother and his wife went to the Dominican Republic last week.  Now his mom and sisters are on their trip.  It was my understanding that we could do whatever we wanted for our trips and DH and his mom decided we'd do Florida.  Um...thanks?  I love my kids, but my word I need a break from them.  We take them camping during the summer.  We don't get out a whole lot on our own either.

In the last 5 years, DH and I haven't had a vacation that was just us with no household/parental/work responsibilities.  No picking up hauling/snow plowing equipment for our business.  No driving all day to stop at 10pm only to get up at 6am and start again.  I want a few days of just relaxing.  Sure, we can still have some activities in there, but on our own.  No wondering if the kids can do it too.  Meals where it's just us and no kids (at our table.  I'm cool with kids on vacation, just as long as I don't have to watch/discipline/clean them up;).  Just a few days.  A little recharging.  I need that.   

Anyway...about that working out.  I did my workout, but I didn't like it.  I was bummed everyone is going to warmer climates and I wanted to sulk.  I figured that a workout might do me some good.  Eh.  At least I did it.  I didn't today.  Today I got my hair trimmed and that made the day a little better.  Perhaps tomorrow will have a different attitude where I won't scowl at my stationary bike!

Helping Superman.

DS has an old Halloween costume in which he was Superman.  Funny kid still fits into it and some days he has the urge to be Superman so he throws it on and plays hero for the day, lol.  Well, the hero just needed to use the bathroom and needed his "uniform" tied in the back when he was done.  It's too small for him so it's funny to see the waistband of his Wall-E underwear sticking out over the opening in the back. 

All week I have worked out one way or another.  I have watched what I ate and with the exception of last night and today, I think I did pretty well.  I'm skipping working out today simple because I drank last night (little dehydration going on here) and I'm tired.  Soooo tired...

Last night I got together with two of my closest friends to have a "slumber" party.  Basically a mom's night where we didn't have to be moms!  No kids, no husbands. Just wine, snacks, movies, and good conversation.  We didn't crash until 3am so I think tonight is going to be an early one, lol.
 

Downtime.

That word can have many different meanings. 

• Last night's game.  It is a sad day to be a Vikings fan.  Bad calls, horrible decisions, and complete disbelief over the team that rocked it all year only to biff it so bad in the end.  Even if they had won, they would not have deserved it.  With that being said, I cannot fully express my disappointment over the lack of...well....fairness.  I know the refs are suppose to do their best to be their own brand of Switzerland, but no control over the ball + seeing it on the ground does not equal a complete catch in anyone's book.  When that type of call works in your team's favor, you can't help but feel a little guilt under your thrill, knowing that something wasn't right there.  When that type of call doesn't work in your team's favor, you can't help but feel helpless knowing that you were cheated and the chances of the other team confessing their error are zero. And for all the hype over Favre and his "skills", he threw the ball when a run (and the resulting field goal) would have worked and he forced overtime.  It was a sloppy game.
• I need to get back on the work out wagon.  Along with taking care of our home, children and all that goes with it, some days I feel like a hamster running on a wheel.  Too bad the scale isn't showing that;)  Every day it's a different excuse: it's too chilly downstairs, my workout area is a mess, I don't have time (that one is the biggest piece of BS of all).  It's just a couple of pounds, but I am approaching a number that I haven't seen in 6 months. A number that I wanted to be done with.  A number that I refuse to see on the scale again.
• With holidays and birthdays finally done, I need some downtime. To get things organized, finish some long ago started projects, and to not plan anything big for a while.