Friday, March 21, 2008

9-lives and counting.....

First of all....I need to preface this post that I am not a huge animal lover. It goes back to when I was 17 and my mother moved me around to a lot of different rental properties and I had to give my adorable puppy away. I was heart broken and vowed that I would never get attached to another animal.

Anyways....we have a cat....her name is Sadie Mae. Sadie was a gift to my son on his 4th birthday. Let me just say that a kitten is NOT a good birthday gift for a 4-year old. Granted, he was thrilled and we had some fabulous Kodak Moments....followed by weeks of scratches and tears. 8-years later....the cat is still a part of our family. She is a very moody cat...as are most cats. When she does not like something....she vomits! This morning, I awoke to a fresh pile of cat puke just under my chair, next to this computer. She is a smart cat....she knew that hubby or I would be on the computer first thing and we would see the little gift she left for us and hopefully get the message that 'she is upset'. The only thing I can figure that she is annoyed with is Spring Break and the fact that I have been home all week, along with the two youngest children. It has upset her routine of napping and roaming the empty house for hours on end. Well sorry Miss Pukey Pants...I pay the mortgage, so just deal with it! Yesterday we had a playdate with some friends, so the added chaos in the house probably set her over the edge. I guess she will just have to wait a few more days until Monday rolls back around and we are back into our normal routine and grove. In the meantime, hubby has some cleaning up to do this morning. We have a rule....daddy cleans up cat puke and mommy cleans up kiddo puke.

Does anyone else have moody pets???? Mine is horrible and she is lucky to be alive after she puked on my scrapbook table and peed on my ironing board!

Monday, March 17, 2008

AHA Moments

Since January 3rd I have officially lost 10 pounds!!! To be completely anal...it is 10.7 pounds. In talking with friends, students, and other Fabu-Less Ladies about my weight loss / body transformation journey, several comments have really stuck with me.


First Comment -I have gotten too competitive - I TOTALLY AGREE! I think that I lost sight of the true vision, which is a healthier lifestyle! Granted, it would be great to win that big pot of cash at the end of the 20 weeks, but that is really not my ultimate goal. I want to be healthier and have more energy and feel sexy in my own 30-something body.


Second Comment - I did not need to lose any weight - I AGREE (SORTA) - I needed to lose a few pounds of pesky fat so that I could focus on toning and firming. I want to wear a smaller size of clothing and look good and feel good and have more energy! If I did not drop a few pounds, I would have never been motivated to continue. Plus, dropping that weight makes strength training easier and firming up these muscles is really what I want to do. Remember...I want those tank top 'Kelly Ripa' arms.


Third Comment - I should not feel guilty about eating a donut occasionally, as I cannot avoid donuts the rest of my life - I TOTALLY AGREE and THANK YOU for reminding me of the big picture!!!!


Well, it is Monday of my first Spring Break in many, many years. I am up before the rest of the Cooper Clan and I am going to do my exercise tape and my upper body toning. Then we have a ton of errands to get done today. There is supposed to be thunderstorms today, so I am not sure how much we will get accomplished outside of the house....but I have several closets that desperately need a spring cleaning!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

KUDOS to the Hubby!


Today (March 16th) is our 6th wedding anniversary! My husband has been nagging me all week long about what we are doing. To be honest, I am simply too tired to try and plan some fabulous celebration, the he will be less than thrilled with and complain that I spent money. So basically, aside from having a family dinner with my side of the family for an early Easter celebration, I had nothing planned. Nor did I get the hubby anything. He could care less about greeting cards and I have learned over the last 8 years never to purchase him anything unless he gave me a specific list....he is worse than Rachel on Friend's. At any rate, I just figured it would be a typical weekend, so why bother putting any energy into something and then being disappointed......

On Saturday, I went scrapbooking from 10 til 5 and the hubby stayed at home with the kiddos. I had had this event planned for over 3 weeks and I was looking forward to my free time to just hang with some Scrappy Gals and be creative. When I arrived home shortly after 5:00, I was pleasantly greeted with a vase of yellow roses and a Pink Zune MP3 player!!! I was shocked and surprised and excited and PROUD. My husband loaded up three children and went shopping for me!!! The roses are pretty and the Zune is AWESOME!!! It does way more than the MP3 player that was last year's Mother's Day Gift...which the husband has stolen from me. I am thrilled and very happy with my husband. I have already uploaded music and photos and other neat stuff to my new toy. Now my daily walks will be even better as I will have static free music, plus, the Zune is PINK. (The Zune is the Microsoft version of an IPod)

To make the husband look even more fabulous....he had an opportunity to attend the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City and watch KU play, but since it was our anniversary and my family's Easter dinner, he declined. I know that must have hurt him a little....okay, A LOT....but he made the decision all on his own. I told him that I would not be upset if he went to the game, as long as I was allowed to spend the same amount of money on new clothes that he would spend on tickets, gas and food. I am very happy and touched that he chose his family over the Big 12 Tournament. I guess he does love me after all.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Misery


Have you ever eaten so much food that your body just feels sluggish and miserable??? That is how I am feeling today. During my body transformation journey, I have slowly started to eat healthier. I have definitely increased my daily fruits and vegetables, decreased the fat, and almost eliminated my soda intake. Well today, I am completely out of my normal schedule and routine...so my eating has subsequently suffered. I have been able to drink a lot of water today, but with only 1/2 of a green tea....I am dragging and it is only 12:23 p.m. I have 10 more hours left in the day!!! I just feel gross and completely embarrassed that I ate a donut! A fried, sugar glazed, round delicacy sent from heaven....or at least the donut store. I am trying to reverse the affects of the indulgence with a healthy salad for lunch and a nice, large bottle of green tea!!! Wish me luck!!!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Karah's 1st Wagon Ride - March 9, 2008


It was a beautiful day outside....warmer temperatures and sunshine, so I begged the hubby to drag the wagon out of the shed so that I could take a stroll with the kiddos. It was Karah's 1st Official Wagon Ride and she did great. Neither of the kiddos attempted to jump ship during our 45 minute - 2 mile hike. It was gorgeous weather and a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. An added bonus - it was definitely a complete body workout!!! My legs were busy keeping up the pace....while my abs were engaged and helped keep my core strong...while my arms got a fabulous workout pulling that wagon up and down the hills. Not sure I could handle a workout like that daily, but I am going to strive to get out and walk daily!!! The Walk Across Kansas incentive has started and I joined a team with the other Fabu-Less Ladies, so I have yet another incentive to get out and move!!!
Only one more week til SPRING BREAK!!!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

The Right Direction

After having a pretty rough time with the flu and getting off track with both diet and exercise...I made a renewed commitment to myself to forget about the past and look towards the future! The fabulous sunshine has lifted my spirits! After some encouraging words from my fellow FABU-less Ladies, I entered the week head on with healthy meals and exercise everyday! After 9-completed weeks of the body transformation, here are my results so far:

Loss of 9 pounds!!! Loss of 8 inches over my total body broken down as follows:

Waist - down 4"
Hips - down 3 1/2"
Thighs - down 1/2"
Bust - same (still nursing)

I still have 11 weeks to reach my goal.....I would still like to lose another 5-6 pounds and slim down the waist, hips and thighs a few more inches. I am currently concentrating on sculpting some 'tank top arms' and firming up those abs. After 3 children and 2 c-sections....those ab muscles are pretty loose! Again, I have to remind myself daily that this is a life style change and once I reach my goal....the work does not stop. I will need to continue to eat healthy and exercise daily to maintain my rockin new body!!!

Tonight we are having pizza, as my son's preschool is doing a fundraiser. I am going to order a veggie delight on thin crust! Please give me the strength to limit my pizza consumption to one slice and fill up on veggies and salad!!! I just keep telling myself to listen to my body and to stop eating when I feel full!!!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Motivational Thought of the Day

This little animal is called the Naked Mole Rat and is from Africa.

So if you are having a bad day and feeling sorry for yourself....remember.....you could look like a dick with buck teeth!

Happy Hump Day!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Who's Your Daddy?

Can you say "Grandpa Cooper"????



Anyone looking at these photos can tell just exactly who my baby daddy is!!!

All Tuckered Out - Miss Karah

On a Sunday morning while Seth and Mommy were playing outside, Karah decided to take a snooze in the the midst of the toys! OUCH, the carpet is not that soft.

Karah Jo - 13 months old




Karah Jo - 13 Months Old


Waiting on Lunch - Mommy was in the kitchen fixing lunch while Karah was watching a Baby Einstein video. Either the video was boring or mommy was taking too long because Karah laid down on the floor and took a nap.

Terrific Tuesday

It is only 6:00 a.m., so I am not sure how terrific of a day it is yet, as my daycare called to let me know that she is closing today, so already the daily routine has had a wrench thrown into it. However, I did rise at 5:00 a.m. to workout. I clocked 20 minutes on my Elliptical and then did some upper body weights. I also saw a commercial on TV with Kelly Ripa. Man, that woman has some rockin arms! I would LOVE to have sculpted, shapely arms before tank top season. I think that I need to buy some heavier dumb bells and beef up my routine. I did find the Kelly Ripa Workout on the web, so I need to mark that as one of my Favorites.

The insatiable appetite was a curse on Monday....as I seemed to snack all day long, along with eating 3 meals. It is a curse and I really hope that I can get a grip on this situation. I really worry about this summer when I am off work and have way more free time to just sit around and nibble. It will be vital that I keep myself busy and active, otherwise, I will eat my way back up the scales before the fall semester begins.

Well, it is time again to start my morning 'beauty' ritual...(hahaha), so off to the shower.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Monday Again

Well, it is Monday morning again! I had a great weekend and I started out my week with some cardio and lower body toning. My elliptical needs to have the batteries changed, so it was a pretty weak cardio attempt, but at least I got my body moving. The scales were my friend today, so I was pleased with the number....132.0. I have this obsession with the scales and checking my weight daily. I have heard conflicting advice about my daily weight checks...but Mondays are typically my official weigh in days....plus Thursday when I log my weight for the FABU-less ladies challenge. At any rate, I was happy with the number and it reaffirmed to me that my scales are not broken.

I do seriously need some help with my food choices. I was horrible all weekend long! I would eat something healthy like carrots and watermelon, then end my meal with ice cream. And for supper on Sunday night, all I had was ice cream! I did go shopping and bought tons of fresh veggies and fruit, so let's hope I can stick to my WW points this week.

Well, I need to get busy! My students are calling me!

Sunday, March 2, 2008

***Wonderful Windy Weekend***

It is Sunday afternoon, and I am just blissful with the way that my weekend turned out. It has been the first weekend in a very long time that I was just at peace and happy. The long winter weather and the recent flu had really started to put me in a funk. But the sunshine gave me some added energy and I truly enjoyed the weekend.


Friday evening started off nicely. I dropped the 11-year old off at the friend's house and I joined a few friends for a Pampered Chef party. It was nice to hand off the parental baton to the hubby and spend an evening doing nothing child related. That may sound selfish, but with 3 children, I rarely have any 'me' time, let alone adult time. I learned at the party that pre-shredded cheese has been coated with cardboard to keep it from sticking/lumping back together....HMMMM, I decided at that moment that I would only buy blocks of cheese and shred them myself from now on. It may be more work, but it is cheaper and healthier.


I got back home around 9:00 and the hubby had put the baby to bed for me, which was FABULOUS NEWS.....but I had 3 hours to kill before picking up the 11-year old from the skating rink. I knew that I did not dare sit down and watch TV, as I would fall asleep and perhaps forget to pick my child my up....so I cleaned house. My son going skating ended up being a blessing in disguise, as I got almost my entire house cleaned on Friday night....minus the loud stuff. I have discovered a new purpose for Friday night! Pretty sad, but that is my life!


The husband went to bed early....as he was getting up at 3:00 a.m. to go hunting! (CRAZY)


Saturday morning was pleasant, but I was tired. After staying up so late on Friday, 6:30 a.m. came pretty early, but I had a full day ahead of me, so we got around and made the most of the SUNSHINE! I opened up the windows and the sliding glass door and let the fresh air envelop my entire house. It was wonderful. I finished up the house work, including some laundry. We headed out around 11:30 to grab some lunch and then attend a basketball tournament that the Tech College was sponsoring. The two youngest kiddos had a blast, running around and playing with the other children. The oldest help run the concession stand and he had fun hanging out with some 'college' kids; plus he clocked in 3 hours of community service. We took a brief break from the B.B. Tourney to attend a baby shower for a friend. It was at a country church about 10 miles from town, so we had a nice drive in the country. I should have just dropped off my gift and left, but we stayed for cake and punch. The 4-year old was still wound up from the B.B. Tourney, so he wanted to run wild through the church. Luckily they had a playroom for him and another little girl to play in. We stayed about an hour and then headed back into town. The baby fell asleep on the drive home, so we stopped by the tourney to pick up the oldest kiddo and then headed home for some quiet time. The kiddos played nicely together, while I finished up laundry and just relaxed a little.


Late afternoon/evening rolled around, so I threw some chicken and potatoes in the oven. The neighbor lady had her grandchildren over, so we went next door and played with the other kiddos. Seth had a blast. It was still warm and the wind had calmed down, so we enjoyed the evening outside. Hubby got home around 6:30 p.m. after a LONG day of hunting. We ate supper, the 4-year old was asleep by 8:00, and the baby was asleep by 8:30. I spent a little time researching the Internet for grocery ads and sale items and worked on my grocery list and menu for the week. I turned in early, as it had been a long day. Oh, the 11-year old left right before dinner to spend the rest of the weekend with his grandparents, so it was pretty quiet in the house.


We awoke Sunday to another warm, yet windy day. After a nice breakfast, we all went outside to play. We introduced the baby to bubbles. She was a little scared of them. She tends to be pretty shy and a little scared to try new things. Her personality is completely different from her active brothers, who have NO FEAR and don't know a stranger. She usually buries her face into mommy's chest whenever a stranger talks to her. The neighbor's grandchildren were back outside, we played with them for a little while again. After those kiddos went home, the baby took a nap and the 4-year old and Mommy ventured out to do some shopping.


We stopped by Payless Shoes for the BOGO sale. I was super proud at how well behaved he was the 4-year old was in the shoe store. Then we went to Aldi's and Dillon's for about two weeks worth of groceries. (Again the 4-year behaved nicely) I had researched the ads and made my first attempt to do some budget grocery shopping. With the price of gas on the rise, everything else we consume has increased in price; not to mention taxes, so our budget has gotten a little tighter these days. Feeding a growing family of 5 can get pretty pricey, so if I can pinch a few penny's and shop the sale ads, I think I need to make this a weekly ritual. I have had two different friends tell me that they do this weekly and that it really does save them money. I am still shocked that a gallon of milk was priced between $3.60 and $4.26. That is outrageous!!! I think these people who keep raising the price of oil and gas need to try and live on my salary for a year and realize that this economy is really hardest on the middle-class working families. We don't qualify for any assistance (not that I would accept it anyways), but we struggle month to month to just stay above water and keep our checkbooks outta the red, while working full time jobs and being productive, responsible, and respectable members of society and contributing to our communities....also while being positive role models to our children. For me, I don't have a nanny or a maid. Nor do I have a criminal record. I am just the average American woman...trying to maintain a happy and loving home for my family.


Anyways, after unloading the groceries and making a quick lunch for the family, I am off to take a little nap and prepare myself for the thunderstorms and then snow that has been forecasted for the next two days. Thank You to mother nature for the brief break from the nasty weather. The sunshine was wonderful and renewed my spirit and energy.


On a final note, the hubby just called me into the living room. He was watching some cheerleading competition on the TV. My 13-month old daughter was standing there, clapping and bouncing up and down. You Go Girl.....she is going to be a dancer/cheerleader type. She is following after her mommy...which pleases me to no end!