hi, little blog. i've lost 11.5 lbs. i was down 14.5 (a half-pound away from my mani-pedi, yeah!) but i fell off the "eating right" wagon and gained some weight back. oh well, i'm trying not to beat myself up about it. rachel and i are zumba-ing three times a week now, and jessica and i ran wednesday night after a two-week hiatus due to scheduling conflicts. josh has done something awful to his back and shoulders, but if he feels up to it, i'm going to jog tomorrow night - possibly with katherine.

the summer II semester at richland started this past monday, but the start date class i'm taking - medical terminology I - was pushed back to this monday, 7/18 to give more people a chance to sign up. i don't know if that means the class will be really small, or if it'll be cancelled. i'm hoping it's not cancelled; that'll put me behind a semester, and i'll have to make it up somewhere. i'm happy to be on track with my classes, thanks to mama and daddy who paid for this med term class. hopefully i'll be able to pay for the rest, but they've both told me they're happy to help if i need it.

i'm loving the summer with the babies. we've gone swimming more times than i can count, had playdates with friends, and eaten lots and lots of fruit. the kids and i have righteous tans. :-)

hey-oh, i've lost 12.5 lbs!! i'm so excited. :) i tried a zumba class at the Y and it was so much fun; i can't wait to go again. jessica and i have been jogging once a week, and my endurance is getting so much better. it's nice to see improvement in these areas as i go. at work now, will write more later...

i've lost 6 pounds. can't seem to lose more than that, which is irritating. i've been going to the Y three days a week and jogging one day a week. i'm starting to think that's not really enough. i've had moments of upset and discouragement, but overall, i feel like this is my new lifestyle and i won't be going back to couch potato status. my eating habits are a very long way from improved. for example, i ate apple pie for breakfast this morning... *sigh*

josh is on a cruise. he'll be home on sunday. the kids and i miss him, but have been having a nice time here at home. i've tried to do something special each evening with them. last night after the Y, we went to McD's for ice cream and playtime. tonight vesta's going to watch them while i go jogging with jessica. i hope i can actually jog the whole time tonight - i think i'll be able to. i jogged for about 10 mins on the treadmill last night. it's so much easier on the treadmill, though.

i'm feeling like a failure in the school-mom department. micah's report cards from the first couple of six weeks were really good, and she's been regressing in some areas. i'm not sure, but i think working with her more on thins at home would help. i've also gotten lazy about bedtime and wake-up time again, letting her stay up too late and sleep in too long in the morning. i should know better by now. she needs a good 20-30 mins in the morning before she's ready to eat anything, so most days she goes to school without breakfast because i haven't allowed time for it. what a horrible, selfish thing for me to do. :( this year was trial and error for me, and i'll do much better in the fall. my poor, sweet girl...

i didn't bomb that test after all - i got a high B, and an overall A for my nutrition course!! YEAH!!! sociology final's on monday, then i get to decide what to take over the summer. NOT A&P.

josh's first art show was last night. his was by far the best stuff there, but i'm biased. his work is just so unique; there's nothing else like it that i've seen. that seems to be what everyone else thinks and says, too. he got a lot of positive feedback and sold three prints. i can't wait for his next show!!

i have three amazing friends who are helping me get healthy, and i'm very grateful for them. my high school bud, jessica, and i have been jogging at breckinridge park once a week, in preparation for a 5k in the fall. i said once before i was going to run a 5k, and it didn't happen... it's happenin' this time, y'all. believe it.

my friend from work, rachel, and i have joined the richardson YMCA and are working out there twice a week. i put in an hour on the recumbent bike before work this morning without her because she's a weenie - her words, not mine. :-)

and my friend alison is doing the Lose It! app alongside me, logging her food and exercise, and is throwing encouragement and support my way daily. love her.

i've been doing really well with my diet, staying well under 1,500 calories every day, and have been exercising as much as i can. i feel happy and proud and on my way to finding myself under these layers of babyfat and scones and carrot cake... i've lost 6.5 lbs so far.

josh tells me how proud he is of me every day, my dad and vesta bought me cute workout clothes for my birthday, my grandmother's paying for me to get my hair cut, and my mom's going to buy me some new running shoes since mine are from high school. everybody's holding me up!! grateful, grateful... my perpetual state of being.

today i feel a lot better on way less food. my mood is on the sour side, but that's because i BOMBED my nutrition test last night. at least, i'm fairly positive i bombed it. the really frustrating part is that i studied really hard, but i didn't study all the right things. there is so much material, it's really hard to know what to focus on. i thought i was prepared, but as soon as i got to the short answer questions, my heart sank. i did very poorly on the math and chemistry questions. *sigh* i'm not looking forward to finding out that grade... and the other really frustrating thing is, there were two extra credit assignments due last night, and i did neither of them. smart, huh? >:/ i haven't gotten any exercise done today, but it's only 2:30... there's still time for some situps while i watch TV, or maybe even a bike ride with micah and rowan later this evening. we're going over to a friend's house after school, then joining them again for dinner at the chick-fil-a near our house, which is hosting a fundraising night for micah's elementary school. i've been very stingy with my calories today because i plan on enjoying a chicken sandwich, fries, and a sweet tea at dinner. :-)

yay!! finished the day at 66 calories under budget. :-) :-) haven't done any additional exercise, but i might squeeze in 10 mins of situps before bed...

my poor, neglected blog... i'm on a journey to lose some weight. i'm 5'7" ( i think) and i weigh 188.5 lbs. that's in the obese category, unfortunately, and it's the heaviest i've ever been without being pregnant. here's what i'm doing:

• using the Lose It! app on my iPhone


• exercising every, single day for 30 minutes even when i don't feel like it (walking, jogging, situps, weights, jumping jacks, biking with the kids in the trailer)


• meditating every day and putting my intentions on taking care of my body, and visualizing myself all slender and healthy and happy

i would do weight watchers, but i can't afford it just now. i wish i had started this journey earlier so i could look cute in a swim suit this summer, but there's always next year! ;-) i like the Lose It! app - it was recommended by my nutrition instructor - but it seems to have fewer options that the WW app. day before yesterday i rode my bicycle for about 18 minutes pulling the 20-lb trailer with both kids, weighing together about 67-70 lbs. yesterday i ate too many calories and didn't do any exercise. today, i'm doing well so far, and did simple exercises like crunches or jumping jacks during commercial breaks while i watched TV and did housework. i get so depressed when i think about having to change my eating habits... i don't like change, and i especially don't like it when it has to do with food.

the weather's been so lovely, the kids and i have been spending a lot of time outside. school's going well. with alison's help i figured out that i'm on pathway one to becoming an IBCLC, and i should be done with my required classes in roughly 18 months. i should be able to sit the exam in july 2013. i'm so excited!! soon i'll begin taking my LCERPS online a little bit at a time, as i can afford them. i need 90 total, and have already gained about 20 (i think) through the LLL conference and a class i attended a couple of months ago.

micah is about to finish kindergarten. i simply cannot believe it!! she is growing up so quickly. josh and i briefly talked about homeschooling next year, but decided to keep both kids in school. micah has made so many friends, and i've gotten to know some of the parents, too. i really like micah's teacher and will probably request that rowan be in her class when he starts kindergarten in two years. i know they can't always honor those requests, but maybe we'll luck out!

i abandoned this blog post for a few hours. now it's 8:15, i have mucho studying to do, and i only clocked 15 mins of exercise today... *sigh*