Progress and Plans!!!

Another busy week and I have finally made it through week 4 of the P90X.  I did the weight and measurement re-check.  I've lost 9 pounds.  I was hoping for a bigger number here because I feel like I've lost more.  Here's the tricky thing with weight loss and working out - Muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue because it is much, much denser - more compact and useful.  So I work out to build up muscle tissue, which increases metabolism, burns off the fat tissue faster, but does not accruately reflect the difference in body weight.  I have lost inches, though, and that shows up in how my clothes fit.  This is pretty sweet!  I have gone down almost 2 complete sizes.  :)  Oh, Happy Day!  I have been able to wear pants that I haven't gotten into in over a year.  This feels really good.  I know I have a ways to go, but feel possitive about the results so far.  At the start, just going by pounds, 35 was the goal.  However, if I can get into all those old sizes again, I am not real concerned what the number is on the scale.  Being female - that's how we need to look at it.  

For example: When I graduated high school - at the peak of my physical fitness, I weighed almost 150#, but wore size 7.  That's the old really skinny size 7, not the enlarged size 7 of today. In case you haven't noticed that about our clothes sizes.  They have shifted the smaller number to a larger measurement.  I know - sucks and keep us complacent.  Rotten scoundrels.  :(

Well, we are one week closer to that gand-baby arriving. Bry has her inducement orders for Nov 8th.  Not sure if she'll make it to that exact date, that will depend on her body and the strain of pregnancy on her heart.  If the body feels it is too much, labor will begin.  So far she is doing prett well.  Baby is doing great.  They are so excited for Korbin to arrive and finally get to hold him as they have been seeing ultrasounds of him for months.

OH, more excitement on the horizon!  Me, my sis, and cousins Lynn & Cindy are taking a carribean cruise next October!!!!  It will be so much fun and this is going to make 2012 a very long year.  Between now and then I will become a grandma, Alexa will graduate and be off at college, Scott will become an Eagle Scout, Meg will get her driver's license, then there's youth conference, girls' camp, high adventure, and possibly two scout camps and the holidays to get through.  I guess it will go faster than I think and I will really need that break.

If you don't have anything exciting in your future - plan it!  Fun doesn't usually happen by chance - we need to plan that too!!! Have fun planning!

Love ya,
Bren

October - Flying by!!!!

Sorry,  didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted.  I have made it through 3 weeks of the P90X.  Still hyped to continue.  I worecapris that I haven't worn since the summer of 2010, whoo hoo!!!!  I won't get on a scale until after completing week 4, though.  I still don't want to be discouraged if it isn't as low as I think/feel it should be.  However, good news to report in addition to being able to wear the capris.  I went shopping yesterday for a shirt to wear under a sweater and trying on the clothes - larges were too big.  Sweet!!!!  I know my arms are much smaller and show some definition.  It hasn't been hard to refuse donuts or other sweets, either.  When you work so hard at something you don't want to screw it up and defeat what work has been done.

Scott is finishing up Cross Country, Alexa is done with Football Cheerleading.  Of course, they are both getting ready for the basketball season - which isn't too long for Scott being in the middle school, but cheering for basketball is really a nightmare.  They cheer not only for the boys' home games, but the girls'.  So it is double duty and that can be 3 or more games in a week.  Hopefully, most weeks are only 2 games.  We don't have enough cheerleaders to do split sqauds, so they all do both.

I'm also waiting for Bry to have that baby.  I will fly out to help her for about 10 days.  Sometime after 10/24 with the latest date being 11/7.  It depends on her body, if it feels taxed by the preganancy before the 7th, it will begin labor and the docs will let it go.  Which isn't an entirely bad thing - the baby won't be as big as he would be if she went all 40 weeks.  So far, Mom and baby are doing great.

Then throw the holidays into the mix and lots of things are happening in the next couple of months.

Did I ever say there was a 'dull' moment - didn't think so.  Keeps me busy, happy and out of trouble, which I was usually good at finding when I was in my teens.  :)

Have a great day and keep looking for the good things in life - you will find them and they will make you smile - lots!!!!

Love Ya,
Bren

Homecoming week is done!

  This is always such a crazy week.  If regular school weeks weren't bad enough with homework, sports and everyoe else's schedules - throw homecoming in there and you just go nuts.  Alexa made the Homecoming Court, that made her happy.  It also drove her crazy.  Not only was there Vocal Jazz practice one morning, but they had to practice dancing with other members of the court one morning.  She was also in the Powder Puff football game that had practice before school 3 days.  This game is a tradition in our school where the Junior and Senior Girls face off in a flag football game.  Sounds not too bad, but Gwen had her shorts ripped off when she was a Senior - thank goodness she was wearing leggings underneath!  Underwear these days doesn't have much cloth to them.  Anyway, the game can be pretty rough, I think they maybe should wear the regular football gear.  Often lots of bruises on the girls when they're done.

Our team did win their football game last night.  Not sure the last time they actually won their homecoming game - quite a few years ago.  Now today is the dance.  Alexa, on court, can't figure out how to do her hair - yes this afternoon just 2 hours before she has to leave.  Well, that went over with me real well.  I am such a girly-girl and knew just how to help her.  NOT!  I tried to think of some type of suggestion, but none worth actually doing.  She was mad at me and stomped off to her bathroom.  20 min later I figured I had better go in to see if she was coping.  Her hair was looking really cute and I was able to help her curl the back.  She had it pulled up and away from her face with bobby pins and long curls draping down the back.  Nothing I could have given her direction on.

This is Meg on the left in her $15 dress from Goodwill.  She shortened it and wears a black t-shirt underneath so it is more than just spaghetti strap.  Alexa is on the right in her $36 JC Penney dress.  We added the red layer to the bottom as a peek-a-boo skirt and she is wearing a black shrug underneath to make it modest.  There really isn't a good choice out there this year for dresses.  All are short in length and low-cut on top. 

Something called 'NORMAL' returns next week.  So looking forward to it.  :)

I did pretty well starting back on the P90X.  I missed yesterday's workout and today's.  But will go again with it on Monday.  I might stretch out tomorrow.  I still feel better on the program and will keep at it.

Have a great rest of the weekend!  Go Pack Go!!!!

Love ya,
Ben

Ready to try again!

I had been thinking that I would give the everlasting 'cold' two weeks after Bry & Mark left to go away enough before beginning the P90X - again.  I really felt a lot better at the end of last week, so I started on Monday the 26th.  I feel great!  With the candy-type protein bars and the whey powder shakes of chocolate, I don't feel like I am giving anything up.  That's amazing!  I am not hungry and eat right when I do eat.  One of the main requirements to the program is to eat - I can do that no problem.  I am a little sore with beginning the workouts, but otherwise, feel good physically.  My struggle is endurance, but that will begin improving as I stick with the program.  Today was a Yoga day and I felt rejuvenated when I was done. 

All I have to do is think of my 'before' pictures and motivation isn't a problem.  I see a difference already and am excited to see how much of a change it will be when the complete program is finished.

Next week I begin my 4-day work weeks.  I chose to reduce my hours at work for a couple of reasons.  1) I could really use another day in a week to get stuff done at home that I really never have time to do {like the book work for Fred's offices and cleaning}  2) the school district needs to cut expenses wherever they can and with most purchasing put on hold, there goes most of my job.  I pay all the bills for the district, so if they aren't buying things then there aren't bills that need to be paid.  I also have stream-lined a lot of what I do to be more efficient. 

Now that we have a full month of school done, I am finally settling into a grove.  It takes a while.  When school starts, so does the early morning seminary class I teach to youth from church who attend our school district.  5 am comes awfully early each day, but it's a great way to begin a day.  Then I started the exercising and time goes quickly.  Lots on my plate or should I say 'plates' and it takes a little time to adapt to it all and have it run smoothly.  I'll be very glad when this homecoming week is done, too!

May everyone have success in accomplishing all that they need to do!

Love ya,
Bren

Hoping to feel better

I am STILL trying to kick this cold, or whatever the illness is.  Today begins week 6.  My voice is almost back to normal and I can complete entire days without needing a nap.  I am, however, still feeling worn out and usually cough up a lung in the evenings.  Not back to my exercise program because of the coughing.  I will give it another two weeks, then I begin the program again no matter what.  If I keel over during exercise at least I go out doing what helps me feel good.

I haven't been slacking, though.  The harvest is in from our garden.  62+ quarts of tomato juice, 28 quarts stewed tomatoes, 21 quarts spaghetti sauce, 28 pints salsa, 7 quarts tomato soup, 4 - 2 quart jars of refrigerator pickles and lots of shreded zucchini in the freezer.  Don't worry, we're not done yet.  I will do another batch or two of soup.  Then there is the outrageous amount of butternt squash we have to bake, mash and freeze.  This is Meg after picking all the squash with Dad.  Some of the squash are spaghetti squash, which will be fabulous with my homemade sauce!

Bry & Mark were home for a week, just enjoying a restful week with family.  We really didn't do much just hang out together, have a baby shower, and take a day trip to Dave's Falls about an hours' drive north of us.  It is a beautiful place with great scenery, rocky outcrops, white water rapids, lots of trees and just gorgeous.  We took some of Alexa's senior pics there.  Can't take a bad pic with scenery like that.  Bry is so cute being pregnant.  She has 9 weeks to go and everything looks good.  I only worked 1/2 days to spend time with them.  Adult children are so wonderful to be around.  Teenagers really do turn ito human beings again.  :)

Have a great week and we get further into the Fall season!
Love Ya,
Bren

Still trying to kick this cold

   This has been a long illness.  That fact alone is driving me crazy.  I had to suspend the P90X program, which disappoints me because I did see results.  Nothing too dramatic, yet.  My arms look thinner - lost quite a bit of the 'bingo wings'.  Yippeeeee!!!!  My legs slimmed down a bit, too.  I notice my pants fit a bit looser in the hips.  Another Yippeeeee!!!  No real slimming in the waist - darn it.  Until I get well enough, working out just isn't possible coughing through the whole thing.
   Bry & Mark are coming home for a visit on the 11th and I have HAVE to be better by then.  So the P90X is on hold until after their visit.  I am super excited to get going again though.  If 2 1/2 weeks can have the results above, what will 13 weeks' results be?   Makes me want to dive right in again!!!!!
   School has started, tomorrow we start seminary and we are canning like crazy.  Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes.  We froze lots of zucchini.  We will have tons of butternut squash. We'll also be able to make several batches of salsa.  Not sure what kind of green chili peppers I have, but it will be a great salsa.  Our Roma tomatoes are finally ripe enough for a batch - just at the same time the green chili peppers are ready, too.  Then there are the cucumbers we didn't know we planted.  Fred thought he bought melon plants.  He did get melons, but a few less than he thought.  The darned cukes have been quite prolific.
   Scott is submitting his Eagle project proposal this week.  He is building dog exercise pens for the Humane Society in our county.  It is a big project, but a very beneficial one.  The state passed a law saying all dog shelters/kennels need to give each dog 2 hours of exercise a day.  That's hard for a humane society to do.  The dogs are lucky to be walked twice a day for 20 min each time.  Takes a lot of volunteers.  The dog pens will allow the dogs to be put outside for extended periods of time - without all the volunteers.  He will have to fund-raise the money needed to purchase the materials.  He hopes to have the pens built by the end of May, best case scenario would be by the end of November. 
    Alexa is in cheer again and busy every night of the week with practice and a game on Friday.  Not sure when we'll finish her Senior pictures.  Soon, I guess.  We've taken some, but would like to take more.  Never really a free day for any longer project.

Just keep swimming!  It's better than going with the flow.  :)

Love Ya,
Bren

No. . . . I am not dead, yet!

I have had this really nasty sickness - not bacterial, probably not whooping cough, but something viral for sure.  I lost my voice last week and do not have it back yet.  It started two weeks ago Friday with a little tickle in my throat.  For those that know me, know a little tickle usually turns into a 3 month cough, which drives my family crazy.  Ok, so the littlle tickle was just that for 3 days.  On Monday, the voice was gone and I was feeling awful.  I stayed home from work Monday and 1/2 day Tuesday.  I made it at work all day Wednesday.  I woke up Thursday morning with a very sore throat, felt like a big marble sitting at the top of my throat and very little energy.  Stayed home all day last Thursday and Friday.  Friday was worse than Thrusday, so I went to see the Dr.  He gave me an antibiotic because the throat looked infected with something.  I really wanted to die - felt that bad.  Sleep was impossible, couldn't stop coughing long enough to sleep more than two hours.  Nothing helped the throat other than ice water - helped with the swelling.  Saturday I did not feel one bit better.  The swelling was feeling worse, so I even tried an ice pack on the outside of my throat - eveything was swollen at this point.  Still wanted to die.  If someone had dug me a grave and told me to crawl in, that I'd get some sleep, I would have.  Just cover me up and let me go.

I cleared my schedule all weekend.  I managed two hours at work on this past Monday.  Still not feeling like the meds were really helping.  I consulted with the Dr and he said it wasn't bacterial so I could stop the meds.  Good thing, because I missed work Tuesday because the meds cleaned me out.  Oh, that was fun.  The ice water continued to help the throat swelling, even just a little bit was a big improvement.  I went to work yesterday and today for 6 hours each day.  I am finally feeling better - no voice yet, though.

I have gotten some decent sleep the last 3 nights.  A chloraseptic losenge helps hit that tickle spot - long enough to get to sleep and a hydrocodone helps relax and drift off.  (these are left over from my bulging disc event that I had last November).  I don't take many drugs, but they are wonderful when really needed.

I am so grateful tomorrow is Friday!!!!  Next week, it is back to the P90X and feeling much, much better.  I haven't blown it too badly while sick.  Possibly lost a few pounds because the appetite hasn't been there.  Pants are fitting looser and that's a plus!

Have a great weekend and hope none of you get this nasty sickness - would wish this on no one!!!!

Love ya,
Bren