See you tomorrow!

Today has been kind of crazy. I had planned on exercising in the morning and spreading my jumping jacks throughout the day. Then we had an emergency ward fast called for a guy in our ward yesterday afternoon. I can't exercise if I can't have water so that pushed my exercise to tonight. I didn't think there was any way I could do my hour long video and my jumping jacks. My video has 4 different "breaks" in it were they run in place, jump rope and do jacks for almost two minutes. When I got to the first one I decided I would see if I could do 100 jacks instead. I did it so I decided to do that every break. By the end of the video I had done 400 jacks, so I paused it before the cool down and did 100 more. Yay! I felt like I wanted to puke, but I am very proud of myself for doing it! That means I completed all of the challenges!! There were only 5 right?
I can't wait to see you all tomorrow. Everyone drive safe!!!

Last post before the big day

Hey everyone,
I am trying to cram 5 days of work into 3 days and it is making me a little loopy. I didn't even shower or get dressed today. I did however put on makeup and did my hair to go to Kelsee's soft ball game tonight. I didn't want to scare anyone. I ate good today and didn't have any treats. I am going to stay up late and get up early again to hopefully get all of my work done.
Love you all and see you tomorrow.
Love,
Tara

Final Post

So this is my final post. Didn't do well with eating today, but did go to Zumba. I've got to pack and clean out my car. Lacey and I are going to drive. We hope to be there around 4:00 or so. Seriously can't wait to spend 3 awesome days with you guys. Thanks for organizing this challenge. It has been good for me and I plan to get back on the program after our trip. Love you all!

Sick, but I don't care...

I'm still sick, but I'm coming to Utah no matter how I feel. I don't have strep throat and I don't think I'm contagious in any way. I hope you all can put up with my little red nose though :( I'm still eating well and staying away from sweets, but my plans to work out yesterday fell through... I just didn't feel well and thought it would make me worse to workout, so I went to bed early. I'm hoping to hike and ride bikes, etc. while I'm up there visiting with you all though!

Family Day

Today, Mike took off work. We spent the day together as a family. We ate terribly, but we went to this awesome place kind of like Jumpin Jacks and Mike and I climbed/jumped with the kids so that was a little bit of exercise, but nothing rigorous. I need to get this Easter Candy out of my house!!!!!!! I can't resist chocolate! Did all of my bonus point stuff over the past couple of days, I think the 500 jumping jacks were the hardest. Everyone get well and can't wait to party with ya! Love ya!

I'm so Excited!!!

I'm so excited I can hardley stand it!!! I didn't excercise today because I'm still a little sick and I don't even care!! I haven't done any of the bonus excercises and I don't even care!!! Who needs excercise when I get to see all of you in two days!! Gotta dash! Love, Kim

Today was much better than the last two days. Lacey and Kim, I hope you are feeling better by Wednesday! Tara that is awesome on your 5k time. I am enjoying running a little more every time.
I can't wait to see you all and PARTY!

2 more days

Hey gals, I did my 5K today and shaved 5 and a half minutes off my time. I wanted to die by the end, but I kept telling myself that the faster I ran the faster I could get off the tread mill. I hate running with a passion. I didn't have any sweets today. That's the first in four days. Easter and Cam's birthday kind of threw me for a loop. I can't wait to see all of you!!
Love,
Tara

A little good... a little bad

I've been good and bad. With being sick I haven't wanted to do much, but that has been forcing me to keep drinking lots of water, taking vitamins and getting plenty of rest. I haven't wanted to work out at all, but I needed to take some photographs of these flower fields before blooming time is over, so I took a short road trip out to the fields and walked around for a couple of hours and did lots of squats trying to get the right angles, etc. I'm still sick, but not as bad as I was so I'm going to get back to hard core working out tonight. I plan on knocking some items off of the bonus list and maybe riding my bike on the beach strand after. Kim, I hope you get better before the retreat too!!! I'm getting really excited to see everyone :-)

Easter

I didn't do very well today, but had already given myself permission to do so. I drank soda, ate candy and had seconds at dinner, but we stayed at my brother and sister-in-laws until late (about 9:30) and I was getting hungry again, but resisted the urge to eat again. So, tomorrow is a new day, we plan on going to the gym first thing in the morning. : ) Hope everyone had a very nice Easter! Our trip is so close I can hear the laughter.

I pretty much blew it today. In fact I didn't really want to post about my failure but I needed the point. Kim - I think you should get extra points for no candy. That is pretty impressive.
I can't wait to see you all in 2 days!!!

Happy Easter

I hope everyone had a great Easter and ate as much candy as I did. Only a few more days until the retreat!! Can't wait to see you all!!
Love,
Tara

Sick!

I have been sick for two days so I have mostly been in bed doing nothing. I'm trying to get well before the retreat. I've been taking all my home remedies and resting so hopefully I'll be better by Wednesday. I miss you all so much and I'm so excited to see you and laugh our heads off! I haven't exercised or eaten all my veggies for the last two days, or done any of the bonus stuff. Oh well. I didn't eat any Easter candy. Shouldn't I get 20 points for that! JK Have a wonderful day. Love, Kim

Had such a fun day at the park today! Amy was there! It was like a little girls retreat teaser! We had a great time catching up. We also got to meet Cole, and see Jenni's ring. Super fun! I ate all day long...

Easter

I gave in today - I ate Easter candy. We had a family picnic at the park and I had seconds of everything. Then the kids had an Easter egg hunt and I ate their candy. I should probably feel more guilty than I do. Oh well. I forgot to post yesterday that I did my push ups and sit ups. There was already over thirty push ups in my work out (not all at the same time) so I figured I might as well finish them. There is also a lot of sit ups in that work out so I finished them as well. Then this morning I ran my 5k. I actually went a little farther then last week and I did it in the same amount of time. So that was an improvement. Of course I ruined it with what I ate today. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Happy Easter

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Easter! Have a great Day tomorrow!

Hungry and tired

Didn't do so well today. We did go to the gym this morning, I was tired though (probably from working out so much lately). I did 2 miles, some arms, some legs, and a little abs, oh and I started my 500 jumping jacks (I still need to finish). Then I felt really hungry today, I did well on breakfast and lunch but then I snacked too much and dug into my grandma's candy door when we went to visit her. I'm giving myself a break tomorrow to fully enjoy Easter and Cheesy Potatoe Casserole! : ) I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter tomorrow. Love you all. See you soon!

I'm back

Right before we went camping I did my 50 push ups. Well let me just tell you that I was sore the entire time. I tried to do the 500 jumping jacks and only got 300 done. I guess that means I'll have to start over on that one another day since they are all supposed to be in one day. Trent was making fun of me because I was doing them in our campsite. I ate way too much crap up camping and I don't think tomorrow is going to be any better since it's Easter. We did got on two hikes while we were camping, so at least I got my exercise in. I will have to get back on the wagon on Monday. I'm excited to hear about Jenni!! Yeah, I love weddings! I hope that you are feeling better soon Lacey! I hate sore throats!
See you all very soon!! Love, Tara

quick blog

This will be a quick one, Mike and I are about to watch a movie. Took Blake to Knott's Berry Farm today, that was a fair amount of walking. Ate a few bad little sweets that the kids brought home from school, but ate small portions at lunch and dinner. Resisted getting any naughty snacks at Knotts. Just did an hour of Zumba at home, I video taped class last night. That's it. Happy Weekend everyone. Our time together is getting close now, can't wait!!! Love you all!

Sick today :(

I'm not feeling well today. I've had a sore throat for a couple of days, but didn't think much of it until I woke up this morning and felt like death and couldn't swallow. Usually my throat is only this sore when I have strep throat. I took some advil and vitamin C and gargled salt water and surprising it's feeling better so maybe it's not strep, but my body just feels worn down and I don't have much of an appetite. I think it's going to be difficult to eat all my veggies today and work out. I'm still going to try to do it, just at a more mellow pace. Congrats Kim on being a "mother-in-law" as Melissa put it LOL! Isn't Jenni only like 12 or something??? Kidding, I just think of her as being a little kid still... where has the time gone!?

I Did It!!

I finally broke through my plateau this week! Yay! This week has been hard but I am still going strong! Thanks for all of your inspiration!
Shelly

Kim you are officially an old lady. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Eat your heart out girl, because your "Mom" status just got traded out for "mother-in-law" status! You can't even say mother-in-law without thinking, "old". Ha, Ha! I'm just teasing! I'm so excited! I seriously can't believe little Nenni is old enough to get married! This is crazy! She needs to come to the girls retreat so we can all help her plan her wedding! :) I know that's just what she wants, is all of her crazy aunts giving input. But don't worry Jenni girl! Shelly and I already have big plans for your cake! Ha, Ha, Ha!
PS
Tara I'm so jealous you are going camping. I want to go...

2 year olds are no fun!

First off, Congratulations Kim! I want to see pictures of him at the retreat, and hear about how they met. I'm SOOOOOoooo excited about the retreat, I'm getting ancy (spelling?) now! Second, Blake was driving me CRAZY today! He was so whiny and needy! I even took him to the park, and jumped on the trampoline with him, and spoiled him with a homemade smoothie, but he was only temporarily distracted. I have to admit to a couple of naughty words coming out of my mouth a few times (which is REALLY really rare). So, at one point I was hungry and frustrated so I ate a little snack size bag of sun chips and a little handful of M&M's. But, in the evening, I went to the gym and did a 5K and an hour of Zumba (the Diet Pepsi at dinner gave me a little boost), so hopefully the working out undid my bad eating. Oh, I video taped Zumba tonight so we can have some fun up at the cabin. Did I mention that I CAN'T wait for Wed!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love you guys! PS- right before prayers, Blake was sucking on his fingers (which he never does), so I had the thought that maybe he was working on a tooth. I had him open his mouth and lo and behold, there was a new molar peeking through. I gave him some pain medicine before bed and he'll be getting some tomorrow too!

Congratulations Kim!! I can't wait to meet him. He sounds like a good guy.
Today was kind of a ho hum day. I did finally exercise this afternoon for an hour. I really need to get to the store and get more veggies. I am running out of options. I was reading an article today about how a cup of chocolate milk is really good for you to drink right before or right after your workout. I have read this before. I guess the sugar helps get the important vitamins to your muscles faster and helps your muscle grow stronger. I probably just botched that but it was something along those lines. Anyway, I don't plan on drinking chocolate milk during this challenge but I might consider it after this one is done. Keep up the good work everyone!

My baby is engaged!!!

Jenni and Cole got engaged tonight. I can't believe it. How can I have a daughter getting married?!?!? I haven't seen her yet, she just called and is coming soon so I'll get to tell you about her ring soon. I went to dinner with my friends tonight at Denny's. I chose the most fattening thing on the menu and ate it all and I didn't even care. I didn't even exercise today. Oh well. Life's good anyway. Gotta dash! Love, Kim

Heading out Camping

My kids are off for spring break for a few days so we are heading south to go camping. I packed all kinds of bad food for camping like hamburgers and hotdogs and marshmallows. I don't think I will be able to resist much. It's just one of those things. It's easier to eat good when you aren't away from home.
I don't know if I will be able to blog tomorrow since we will be gone, maybe Trent can bring his laptop. I like the challenge items. Good thinking Melissa!
Love you all,
Tara

Social life killing me...

Sometimes my social life takes up my time in the evenings when I would normally exercise. I have to fix this problem so I can get the whole hour and a half of exercising in. I usually go to the YMCA with Summer or work out at home or at the beach. I also have a 24 hr. fitness pass that I kind of forgot about because I never use it LOL... so, even though I'm going out to dinner tonight with friends, when I return home I'm going to walk to the 24 hr. fitness and work out tonight no matter how late it is!!! I've been doing good with my eating still... had grilled salmon with asparagus, green beans and mushrooms last night, yummy! Although I don't have that big of a sweet tooth I do love me some Snickers! I was grocery shopping last night and saw a nice big snickers at the checkout stand and almost picked it up, but it would've looked out of place next to my fruit, veggies and fish, so I left the snickers alone and went and grabbed a tangerine instead :-)

Six days! Just six days! Whoot, whoot! I can't wait.
So today was actually a pretty good day until a few minutes ago. I just got back from working out and my next door neighbor had brought over some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! I had to eat one. It totally killed my work out but I don't even care...it was so worth it! She seriously makes the best everything! She makes amazing soups and calls me to see if I want some for dinner! Hello! Do you ever have to ask? I always want someone to bring me dinner. She is so awesome!
So I just emailed everyone the new challenge, be sure to check it out! Love you all!

Today was okay - I probably ate more than I should of, but I exercised long and hard today. I really wanted something sweet this afternoon so I ate a spoonful of honey - does that count as a treat? I wanted to have some Nutella on crackers but Brett said that would be a treat, so I restrained myself. Doesn't Nutella sound good? I can't wait to see you all in a week!!!

I exercise to eat!!

So I got my exercise in today. Ran this morning and then played basketball for an hour afterward. My eating was not that great though!! Still trying to drum up the self control. Kim maybe I need some of your herbs! Have a great day everyone! Angie

Carob Brownies

So I decided to make a healthy dessert for the retreat. I made Carob Brownies. I used olive oil, whole wheat, honey and carob powder along with eggs baking powder etc. The frosting has honey, carob, and powdered milk etc. The batter was yummy but even though I baked them less time then the recipe said, they still are a little over done and dry. The frosting is yummy though. Most of my kids don't like them. I froze a pan to bring and see what you all think. I just wish they weren't a little burned. My oven is gas and sometimes it way over does things. Most of the time it is ok though. Oh well. Just trying to make some healthy food for us. I can't wait!!! I need a break! Love, Kim

Better day

Hey everyone, Thanks for your words of encouragement, it means a lot to me. I just want you to know that I did not give into the chocolate yesterday. I do intend on having some ice cream and a brownie tonight for Cambria's birthday though. Well I better run, I have a million things to get ready for her party.
Have a great day!
Love,
Tara

Week two progress...

I did better the second week of this challenge than I did the first. I plan on going all out for the third and final week! I have to get the whole working out for an hour and half down... that's my weakness for sure, so I want to push myself this week to work out longer and harder than I normally would.

Tara - that is so crappy! I wish there was something I could do. If the chocolate will give you a moment of peace then eat it - if it won't, don't. I would go for the eating it. Just don't eat to much because then you will feel crappier.
I want you all to know that I skipped the very yummy looking dessert at my primary meeting tonight. Even when they put one in my hand, I thought of you all and took it home to Brett without one snitch! It's a miracle!

Eat some chocolate already Tara!

Tara, SO sorry! I think you get bonus points for even thinking of NOT eating the chocolate. I gave in to some sweets today. Brianna came home from Achievement Day Girls with a plate of decorated sugar cookies, so I had one and she had candy filled plastic eggs, so I had a few little chocolate candies. I did go to Zumba though and hopefully burned it off my sweet treats. It was a lot of fun and a REALLY good work out tonight, I'm all sweaty! Down 7 lbs now. Thanks for putting this challenge together, (Melissa?) I think.

Point for Tara...

If I'm allowed to give you my 1 point for not eating a sweet today I will so you can eat that chocolate!!!!! Sorry you got the bad news from the lawyer :-(

Eat some chocolate!!!

Tara, that is DEFINATELY a reason to eat some chocolate- maybe even the whole bag! I'm sorry you have had to go through all this for so long. I hope things work out. Today I went for an hour walk with Jerry and didn't even have an accident! Yesterday we went for a 1/2 hour walk and I messed my pants. Oooh I was so mad! By the way Melissa, I have a mouse in my pantry too. I've also seen him run under my washer and there are droppings on my sewing room counter! Yuck! I bought some traps today so here's to MOUSE DEATH!!!
So in church Sunday the bishop's daughter gave a fabulous talk about our royal birth and how we are princes and princesses. She was saying how we should act like we are princesses, talk like princesses and EAT like princesses !!??? Can't you just see us eating like princesses; cutting up tiny bites with our knife and fork real proper like, chewing each bite 100 times, dabbing the corners of our mouth with our cloth napkins, and making delicate conversation, while our servants wisk fabulous food in and out of the room. :) :) :) Really it got me thinking that some of my eating habits are not very princess like. Maybe I shouldn't stuff my face so often. Just food for thought. I'm feeling better today; not as tired. Pepsi hasn't tempted me so that's good. Well I've been to two orthodontist appointments today, one in Nephi and one in Moroni, so it's dinner time and I need to get to work. I love you all. You are all my inspiration!!!! Love, Kim

No good, very bad day

I am wondering if this law suit thing with the house in St. George will ever be over. I am so sick of it. It has been a couple years since we last heard from Centennial Bank and they popped up again over night. They got a judgement from a Judge in Ogden against us for 140,000 dollars. I guess it is just going to force us into bankruptcy. Maybe we will move to Vernal and take a job there. Who knows, I just want this to be over and done with. I wish we never did that investment house.
Anyway, my visiting teachers came today and brought me a bag of chocolates. I haven't had one yet, but I'm still thinking about it. I need something to calm my nerves. Hope tomorrow is a better day!
Love,
Tara

Speaking of Jill???????

Where is she!?!? I heard on facebook that she's pregnant!? I assume she's not participating in the challenge because of that. That is so funny she was putting on Sam's jacket... oh how I miss that girl and all you guys :-)

I've had ongoing stress/pain in my neck/shoulder/back/hip/knee (basically my whole left side is a mess) and it's been acting up this week. It's something I need to have a doctor look at but I know there are some things I can do to help it on my own. One of them is yoga and meditation so my goal starting tonight is to focus on that as well as working out (which seems to loosen my muscles up). I think I get it from sitting the same way at a desk 5 days a week with my hand on the mouse in an office that actually slants down to the right, so if I let my feet up my chair will start sliding to the right LOL. You would be so surprised what a little meditation can do for so many parts of your body, so if anyone is interested and doesn't want to go to the gym to do yoga, you can just go to Youtube and search for meditation videos and give it a try! I did a 10 min. one on my lunch break once and was shocked at how much I relaxed... I prob. looked like an idiot sitting at my desk with my eyes closed, etc. but it was worth it LOL! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY SHELLY!!!! I don't get on the computer over the weekend so I'm sorry I missed your birthday. I hope you had a great day :-)

You are all amazing!!

You guys inspire me! Summer you make we want to run a 10K! OK not really but it might be fun if you were here running it with me! Bring those running shoes so we can do a little run up at Pine Valley. I'm so excited for the retreat! This week was not my best I think my points went down by almost half! Oh well! Lissa thanks for the good laugh, or should I say Jill thanks for the great laugh!! Love you all, Angie

Chubba here.

Summer, why you gotta be showing us all up? Who runs a 10k twice in one week? Seriously...I really need to get my butt moving to keep up with you guys! We had some yummy Cheese Cake and Key lime pie for Shelly's birthday celebration tonight! Happy, Happy Birthday Shelly! Sorry you all missed it, it was super yum! :) Ang, I can't believe you didn't loose ten pounds in a week with that calling! I sure would. I hate being in charge...I love being a helper! You are going to be amazing of course...you are such a great planner. Bring on Girls Camp baby! Whoot, whoot!
Tara, I am still laughing about Trent going to that class with Kelsee. I would pay good money to watch him sit through that! Ha, Ha! I love it. In all reality, it will probably be more embarrassing for Kelsee than Trent. Kim, you just need to move up here so when you have those days with no energy you can come lay on my couch and we can laugh. I miss you!
Lacey, you are my inspiration...only one cookie! I'm going to think of you every time something yummy calls my name this week! I can't wait to laugh so hard it hurts. Just one more week!
P.S.
Speaking of laughing...
Today Jill was at my house and was getting her boys ready to leave. She had Sam's hoodie and started putting it on like it was hers. She had the sleeve all the way up her arm before she realized what she had done. We both busted into laughter! Ahh, I love sisters!

10K again

I did OK on eating today, but really need to start eating more fruits and veggies. Since I was bugged with myself, I decided to punish myself by doing a 10K again. It took about an hour and 20 min. It actually felt really good. I also did a little bit of arms and abs. I'm really enjoying working out and this challenge has pushed me to do more of it! Nice workout today Shelly! Good job! Kim, hopefully you will wake up with more energy tomorrow, we've all had days like that! Angie, good for you letting Jillian boss you around! : ) Love you guys! PS. I was at Target this morning and picked up a bottle of Multi Vitamins. So there's one more point I can start adding.

Party's over

I decided today that I need to stop counting chips as a vegetable...Just kidding I never did that! I did decide though that I am not going to have any chips this week. I love chips and salsa, but I know that I always eat more than my serving. We had a birthday party at Mom's tonight and Melissa got me cheesecake for dessert. It was yummy, I love cheesecake! The birthday cheating is over though. No more treats until the girls retreat - that includes Easter. Think I can do it? I did exercise for 1 1/2 hours today so at least I kind of balanced out the bad - right? Lacey - you are such a good example! Way to go on the healthy snacks! I hope you all have a great night!
Love, Shelly

Tired!!!

I am so very tired today. I can hardley function. I finally drank a Pepsi, but I am still so tired. I don't know what is wrong with me. I hate days like this. I am so ready for our retreat! I miss you all! Thanks for inspiring me everyday. Love, Kim

Starting a new week

Hey everyone! Wow Angie, that is a great calling for you, you will do a great job!! I got my exercising in this morning. We did another Jillian Circuit training. It kicked my fanny! I just found out this morning that Kelsee has her maturation clinic on the Friday of our girls retreat. The letter said that they are to bring a parent with them. I told Trent that he would have to go since I was going to be gone. He started freaking out and said he wasn't going. He said he would be the only Dad in there with all the other Mom's. I hope he will go so Kelsee won't have to be there alone. Way to have Healthy snacks at your party Lacey!
Have a great day!!
Love,
Tara

Grand Prix weekend...

So it was Grand Prix in Long Beach this past weekend, which means lots of social gatherings for me, which equals lots of yummy food and treats! I'm surprised I actually did pretty well not being tempted by too many fatty foods. I did give in to a butterscotch chip cookie that was sitting in front of me at one point, but that's the only sweet I had. I thought ahead and made food for the party that would be healthy and luckily my friends were also in the mood for lighter/fresh foods since it was 85 degrees out! We also love to dance and ride bikes around town, so we did that and lots of walking at the races. I didn't get any hard core working out in or blogging over the weekend so I'm going to work on that this week.

I blew it!

Angie - I am so excited for you! You are going to make an awesome YW President. Those girls will be dang lucky to have you! I didn't do so hot today! Between the seconds on funeral potatoes and the pie and ice cream, I have some major exercising to do tomorrow! Tara - Thanks for having a bowl of ice cream for me! Love you all!

Major Failure this weekend!

OK so Melissa you gained 5 pounds since being called to young women's, I think I gained 5 pounds since I was called as the YW president on Friday! Talk about overwhelming!! I threw everything out the window and ate way to much crap and drank some Dr. Peppers. Oh well!! Tomorrow is a new day. Hopefully I can quite stressing and just enjoy these awesome Young Women. Can't wait until next week. Love you all!!

walk with the kids

It was a nice day. After dinner, the kids and I (Mike had to play at a Fire Side) took a long walk down to their Elementary School. I jogged around a little on the grass. It wasn't an intense workout today (doesn't seem right on the Sabbath), but better than nothing. Also, I haven't had any soda or carbonated drinks in the last 4 days, that's an accomplishment for me! Water is starting to taste better and better. : ) Counting down the days until our retreat! Love you all!

Family Walk

Yesterday I didn't exercise, but today we went for a walk to the temple and up and around it. We showed the kids were Jerry first kissed me. It was fun but my feet and legs hurt. There are some steep hills up there. Well tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it! Here's to healthy and happy living! Love, Kim

Happy Birthday Shelly

Hope you had a great birthday Shelly! I had a bowl of ice cream for you. I finally gave in after two weeks of no sweets. My kids were driving me crazy and the house was a mess and so I broke down. It was so yummy, I drenched it in chocolate syrup. I will go back to being good tomorrow. I went on a long walk with the family this morning and so I hope I burned off a little ice cream.
Have a great week!!
Love,
Tara

So I'm really not doing very well on this no sugar thing. In Young Women's today (side note: I've gained 5 lbs since being called to Young women's. Way too many treats) they had Cadbury mini eggs (which I buy in bulk every Easter and then freeze a few bags for later). This year I have resisted the temptation to buy even one bag, but when they were laid out before me today I had to have a handful. I'm just happy it was only one handful and not three or four. Baby steps...right!

I Did It!!

I did my 5k this morning! When I woke up it was raining but I decided I would just have to get rained on. Luckily it stopped right after I started. I did it in 41 min. I know that is pretty slow but I had some good hills too. The biggest achievement for me is that I ran 90% of the way. That is huge for me. I haven't even run a mile in years! I don't know if I have ever run that far without stopping. The only time I walked was right at the first to warm up, and after going up a hill when my heart rate got to high, and half way up another hill. For the most part the way is flat, but I did try to keep running on the hills. I actually really enjoyed doing it and I may make it my new Saturday morning workout. My goal is to shorten my time and to run the entire time. Thank you for pushing me to do this. I thought of all of you running when I wanted to stop and walk. You are all doing so awesome, thank you for inspiring me. I love you all!!!

Family Exercise

So I stayed up WAY too late last night sewing and making hair bows to match the girls' skirts, so needless to say, I didn't make it to the gym this morning. After finally showering and getting ready for the day, the rest of the day kept me busy. Both girls had a birthday party to attend. We met up with Mike's twin and his family for lunch at Mc Donald's, I got a 6" turkey sub from Subway (next door) and a fruit & yogurt parfait from Mc D's = about 400 calories total. So I resisted the famous Big Mac Combo (don't want to know how many calories that would have been!) It was a REALLY hot day today, at one point my car thermometer read 88 degrees, so I waited until after dinner then put Blake in his car w/a handle, tied our little dog's leash to it, Paige was on her scooter, and I jogged/ran to the California State University Long Beach Pyramid and walked up and down the stairs quite a few times. Also did a little bit of walking lunges and a tiny bit of abs on the grass. The kids had fun doing the stairs and Blake (2yrs.) was copying me with the walking lunges, (so cute)! It was nice to get a little work out in and have the family enjoy it too. : ) Melissa, no you do NOT have to be nice to Jordan if he didn't deserve it! It's worth losing the point over! : ) Tara, great job on the 5K! My kids and I LOVED Pirate Island Pizza when we visited Melissa a couple of Summers ago! How fun! Love you all. Good night, going to be early tonight, wow, maybe I'll actually get a point for 7 hrs of sleep for once! PS. forgive me for any mistakes in this post, I'm sleep deprived.

I wasn't nice to my husband today. Does the point count against you if they deserve it?

I did my 5K

Well I kind of blew it last night. We went to pirate pizza for Cambria's birthday last night and I ate a huge salad bar and two big pieces of pizza. It was so yummy. I wish I had the same control that Summer had when she went out with Mike.
This morning I ran my 5K and then I worked in the yard all day. I am beat!!
I can't wait for a day of rest tomorrow.
Have a great day everyone!
Love,
Tara
P.S. I loved seeing that little clip from last year. I can't wait.

Date Night

Mike and I went out tonight, but before leaving the house, I pulled up the restaurant's nutritional guide and figured out what would be a smart choice. I ended up getting a Chicken Cesar Salad (El Torito) with the dressing on the side. I put just a drizzle of the dressing on, then added some salsa and squeezed a lemon over it too. It was pretty good, of course a taco, enchilada, beans and rice would have tasted better, but at least I it didn't leave feeling too guilty. I didn't have a chance to work out today. :-( Mike has to work for a bit in the morning, so I think I'll take the kids to the gym and try to do an hour and a half to make up for today. Good night everyone. Love you all!

I like to move it, move it!

Except, the only problem is...I only like to move it, move it with you guys! Can't you all come over every morning and make me dance, dance or something?! So, unless chasing kids up and down three fights of stairs today counts as exercise, then I'm down that point again! Love to you all!

Just a thought to make you smile: (Kimmer...this time next year we could very well be calling you Grannie! That girl better call me, if and when she's engaged! Oh, I'm so excited!)

You are all beautiful and amazing!

Just wanted to tell you all how beautiful and amazing you all are! You inspire me! I can't wait until our retreat. Those pictures are making me salivate! I am going to dinner with Jerry, Jenni, and Cole and I'm sure I'll blow it. I'm just letting you know in advance. I also made rye bread today and had 3 pieces with lots of real butter. Boy was it yummy! I did turn down cherry chocolate ice cream which is my favorite! I just can't turn down everything! Oh well! Have a wonderful night! Love, Kimberly

Hello

Planning on doing my 5K tomorrow. I did a Gillian work out today and then I jumped on the trampoline with Sawyer this afternoon and did some work in my garden as well. I haven't had too many temptations. I did eat some cheese off some tacos that I was making for my kids last night. Cheese is my weekness.
Next week I think will be weekness because I have Cambria's birthday and the kids have spring break. We'll see how it goes.
Love you all, Keep up the good work.
Love, Tara

Loving this challenge...

I'm really loving this challenge. Before I started it I was eating a lot of healthy foods at home, but I would eat bad foods on the weekends and whenever I would go out. This has pushed me to work out more than 2 days a week and to cut out more of the not so healthy foods I was eating. I did the 5k yesterday and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My knee held up and I pushed myself to run a little.... BUT boy am I sore today!!! I almost passed out in zumba class after the 5k LOL! I thought maybe I would just do 20 min. of the class then bail, but I stuck it out for the whole hour. At points I had to just do it with less intensity than I normally would. My abs are definitely hurting too, but I feel great today even though I'm in a bit of pain... it's a good pain I guess :)

Frustration

I am feeling frustrated. Even though this is about being healthy I was really hoping to lose some weight. I have been pretty diligent and I have exercised like crazy and the weight is not coming off! I just wish I had something visible to show for it. I feel pretty good though so I guess that is what is important. I am also getting better at making healthier choices and feeding my family more veggies. If nothing else I want to set a better example for my family and help them be healthier. Keep up the good work all of you!

Quick report

It's almost 11:00 so I'll be quick. I turned down yummy cake and peach tapioca salad at Relief society tonight and Crispy Cream donuts and Katelyn's homemade cookies when I got home. I am sooooo sore from my running yesterday, but I still went on an hour walk with Jerry to the bank and back. (Thank goodness for Top Stop bathroom :)) We've been visiting with Jenni and Cole and they just left. I have to go to bed. I'm tired!!! Love, Kim

Thanks for you're encouragement girls! I had a good day today! PS I got a cat!

Bad Day!

Yesterday I gave in to a peanut butter cookie (that was not even good) then that set me off and I had an orange roll that I made for the kids and a handful of jelly beans. Oh well, I am doing good today, so far... Angie

Great Job Everyone

Summer, don't worry about the scores, you are doing great! Five pounds is awesome! I wish I could go to Zumba with you and Lacey, it sounds like a blast. I have done pretty good today and I passed up dessert at Relief Society last night. I have lost 4pounds so far and I am hoping that I can keep going. If it would ever warm up outside I would love to go on a walk.
I did an Insanity work out this morning. It was awesome!!
Have a great day everyone!!
Love,
Tara

Sewing Adventure

So I didn't post last night, or work out because I recently was given a sewing machine and didn't even know how to thread it! I bugged my expert seamstress sister-in-law to give me lessons. So I was at her house last night from 7-10. I made a skirt for Paige. It's cute from a distance, just don't look closely at my seams. I hadn't sewn anything since I was a teenager taking Home Ec. I'd made a pot holder and when I presented it to my mom, her response was "what is it". You can stop laughing at me my pro sewing cousins! So anyway that's my excuse for being "bad" yesterday. Doing well today. Even went through Mc D's drive through for Paige (she begged with her puppy eyes) and I didn't order anything for myself. I'll be doing Zumba tonight. I can hardly wait for the retreat, wish it was tomorrow! Love you guys! Keep up the great work and thanks for inspiring me. Down almost 5 lbs now.

Crazy Adventurous...

I'm not sure if it was the 9 hours of sleep I got last night or if I'm just getting more energy from working out, but I'm feeling crazy adventurous today and I think I'm going to do the 5k after work AND do an hour of Zumba (if I can survive it) and 200 crunches. I woke up early today and did 50 crunches, so 150 to go. I made garlic chicken last and a medley of fresh sauteed veggies! Melissa... wish you could do zumba and bike rides on the beach with me too! You should come and visit and I'll make you lots of yummy healthy food and we can work out at the beach and ride cruisers around! And please, don't stuff me in the back seat of a car again this year :-)

So, so

Today was so, so. I ate a little more than I should have but I did get in my veggies and exercise. I really need to get to the store though - I am getting sick of spinach! Kim that is so awesome that you did your 5k. I am supposed to do mine in the morning but the weather is going to be bad. I may end up not being able to do it until Saturday. Sometimes I wish I had a treadmill. Melissa, that picture is hilarious. It is getting me excited for our girls retreat!!! Love you all!

Another teaser!

This makes me laugh!

burger, french fries and pizza!

Yep, that's right. Today I ate a burger and french fries for lunch and pizza for dinner. Yuck! I had to head down to the duplex today yet again and I just picked up lunch for the girls on the way, thinking I'd be home in time to make a really yummy, healthy dinner. Nope! The inspector was forty-five minutes late, my girls were running in the road and I was spreading fertilizer on the lawn using my hand with a plastic bag over it for protection. Seriously! I had to do an emergency call to my neighbor to pick up car pool for me and keep my kids until I got back. I'd die without this neighbor! I got home at six and dinner was pizza. I hate days like today. I feel like crap! But, on the bright side, I didn't eat any treats today...just focus on the positive, right?! You guys are doing so awesome! Thanks for inspiring me! Melissa PS Caught that dirty little mouse in my kitchen this morning and happily my big, strong man was home to dish out that nasty little rodent's fate. This is serious business. I'm in full on fight mode!

Zumba vs. 5k

I contemplated doing the 5k last night instead of zumba, but zumba won me over! I am planning on doing the 5k tomorrow though. Don't worry about your time Kim, I have bad knees and can't run at all without them hurting for days after, so I will be walking the whole thing... maybe a little jogging if I can handle it. I'm expecting it to take me a while to finish, but I'm going to do it anyway.

I did it!

I want to report that I actually did the 5K today. It took me 49 min. and I ran almost 75 % of the time. That's a miracle considering I haven't ran in ages!! I do remember the days when I used to run 3 miles four days a week, and I did it in 25 minutes. Ah, youth! I did have to jump off the treadmill and head to the bathroom after only 4 min. My bowels always get moving the minute I start exercising. Then again about half way through I had to go again. I have no control. It makes me so mad! That is why I usually walk on the sidewalk in my backyard or on the treadmill. Way too often when I go for a walk away from home I have an "accident". It's so great to get old! As soon as I was done I took 800 mg of Ibuprofen. I'm hoping it will help with the inflamation and pain. I was cursing your name Melissa after only a few minutes. Can next week's challenge be a little less painful on the old ladies?!?! Way too go Summer, Angie, and Melissa. My time is a whole lot slower, but you inspire me. Tonight I am going to that youth dance. The youth committee chose to have vegetables and dip and no cookies. Awesome huh. No temptation tonight!! I'm not even going to have any dip. Have a wonderful day! Love, Kimberly

Dang

I forgot to post yesterday. Those are supposed to be the easy points to get. Oh well, hopefully I can make it up this week somewhere else. I got my but kicked by Gillian this morning and I am hoping to go on a walk this afternoon if the weather is decent. Maybe I can do my 5K tomorrow.
Loves,
Tara

I'm tired!

Not much to say today except that my day began at 4:45 AM when Blake decided to get me up!!!!!!!!!! I actually didn't drink any soda today (for the first time since this challenge began) and got in an hour of Zumba. Please, pray that Blake will let me sleep a little longer tonight! I'll have a more lengthy post tomorrow. I'm DONE for the day, goodnight! : )

Can you blame me?

I chugged three gulps of Dr. Pepper after opening my pantry to find the mice got in again! What's a girl to do? I had to drink away my sorrows. Then I picked myself up and cleaned the mess up. After that I marched myself right into wal-mart and bought some cat food and little mouse toys. I'm going to train this kitty to be a mouse eating machine! We found a cat that we are hopefully going to pick up tomorrow. I want to die every time I see mouse poop! Why me? On a brighter note, way too go Angie! I can't believe you ran that by yourself and you ran the entire time! Way to go Summer for running a 10k! Seriously, you are my hero! Lacey, I am with you girl...I hate the exercising! I wish I could ride bikes on the beach with you or something that didn't seem so much like exercise. Kim, do you have a brace to wear on your ankle while you do your 5k? GO get one if you don't, they are super cheap. Hurting yourself is not allowed! :) Good luck with everything...I hope the two days helped. You are so amazing for sticking with the no sugar thing! Good job! Shelly and Tara, good luck with your 5k! I can't wait to hear about it!

Plateau!

I have been on a plateau for a very long time. Mom told me to eat protein for two days to help get off of it. So today is the second day. Needless to say I haven't gotten points for veggies. I can't wait to get back to veggies tomorrow. I'll let you know if it works. I have only been getting a half hour of excercise. I don't know how some of you can excercise for 1 1/2 hours. Where do you find the time or energy. I am hoping to do the 5K tomorrow. I will probably walk the entire time. I'm still pretty out of shape and my ankle just throbs when I walk for a 1/2 hour. It's the ankle that I hurt in the car accident and had surgery on in high school. I'm afraid I will be in a lot of pain after 3.1 miles. I am determined to do it though. I have a youth dance tomorrow night I am helping with. I'm not sure that I'll be able to dance after walking that far the same day. We'll see! Love, Kimberly

Nothing too new...

Not too much to report today. I'm still eating my fruits and veggies and drinking water, etc. I have the healthy eating pretty much down, but I HATE working out! LOL I think I'm going to have to keep exercising in fun ways like dancing, zumba, hiking, etc. Something about the gym just doesn't motivate me. I am however going to try the yoga class again at the gym this week, I went to one a while ago and really liked it, especially since I'm trying to tone up! P.S. Shelly I may not have a sweet tooth, but I love pasta, bread, chips, anything starchy & salty... so that's my weakness and what I'm working on limiting through this challenge!

Better Every Day!

I am so glad we are doing this together. Thank you so much to everybody for participating. Your blogging helps so much too. I am inspired by all of you! This has been so good for me to not be as focused on my weight and to be more focused on healthy living. Don't get me wrong, I want to lose the weight, I am just hoping to make some lifestyle changes. Ang, Summer and Melissa - You guys have inspired me and I have set my 5k for Thursday. Like Tara, I have also not had a treat since we started. It has been hard! I love treats! Lacey I envy you when you say you don't have a sweet tooth. I have survived though and each day is a little easier. Yesterday and today I exercised for 1 1/2 hours. My legs have been so tired by the end of the day when I do those longer workouts. But I can tell that my endurance has increased. Hopefully it will show when I run. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

5K baby!!

Ok so I know you all are thinking big deal, Angie ran 3.1 miles. But really it was a big deal to me. Let me explain. You would post this challenge this week when my running partner is out of town for the whole week. Now let me just tell you that I HATE, HATE, HATE, to run by myself. If I am by myself I never run the whole thing. ( that is if I even go at all) I need someone by my side the whole way. Anyway, I psyched myself up this morning and I did it all by myself without even stopping once. I pushed myself hard and ran it in 28 minutes. Thanks Melissa for the challenge. Without it I would have just been walking this week. Way to go Melissa and Summer, you guys are amazing. Everyone get out there and do this I know you can, even if you have to walk it. Love you all! By the way does Banana Bread Count as a treat? Ok I already know the answer!! :)

P.S. I updated my Blog so check it out!

Bounus Points

I had some "making up" to do for my bad eating yesterday, so I decided to push myself and do the 10K! It took about an hour and 15 min. I ran the first 4.5 miles, then sprinted the next 1.2, then slowed it down gradually the last 1/2 mile (did that add up? my brain is done for the day). Thanks for the challenge Melissa! I have to admit that I did drink some Diet Pepsi before I ran, to get some extra energy, bad, bad, Summer,... slap on the wrist. Did well with eating too. I'm enjoying this 3 week challenge more and more, my bad attitude (at the beginning) has been changing! Great job today Melissa! I'm proud of you! And thanks for posing the old photo, good memories! Tara, way to resist the goodies!!! And Kim, I admire you for resisting the soda (I'm working on that one). Love you guys!

5k...check!

(This is us in just a few more weeks! I can hardly wait!)

That's right ladies! I DID IT! I went to Mom's clubhouse tonight with plans to exercise, but once I got going on the treadmill I figured I better just go for it! It took me just under 40 mins (I know that's ridiculously slow, but I was pretty proud just to finish without puking!) I ran the entire last mile, but the first two were run some, walk some! I know I am in for some serious pain tomorrow, but I can go to bed tonight knowing, "I CAN DO HARD THINGS!" That feels good. I went to the club house completely exhausted and overwhelmed with everything on my to do list right now. I wanted to just go to bed instead of exercising, but I thought of all of you encouraging me and I went anyway. Now I have a much brighter outlook for tomorrow! Amazing how that works. Thanks for the awesome tips Lacey and thanks for all the recipes and encouragement from everyone. It really has motivated me to do a little better each day! Angie, I was wondering if you could post the video of your butt/thigh work out on the blog. We need it!

Last night I read a book called "Food Rules" by Michael Pollan. I've read it before, but it's a quick read(one hour) and very motivating. I just wanted to share two rules. The first is, " Eat food. It's not food if it's called the same name in every language. (Think Big Mac, Cheetos, or Pringles)". And second, "Eat some foods that have been predigested by bacteria or fungi. Many traditional cultures swear by the health benefits of fermented foods-foods that have been transformed by live microorganisms, such as yogurt, sauerkraut, soy sauce, kimichi, and sourdough bread. These foods can be a good source of vitamin B12, an essential nutrient you can't get from plants. Many fermented foods also contain probiotics-beneficial bacteria that research suggests improve the function of the digestive and immune systems and, according to some studies help reduce allergic reactions and inflammation."

PS

I included that one so we could all eat lots of sourdough toast and not feel guilty!

Monday

I haven't eaten a single treat this week. It has about killed me. I'm hoping to do as well next week. I did good on my water and veggies and fruit and got my exercise in. I can't wait to try out all the new recipes. Have a great day!

Thanks for the ideas!

Thanks to all of you for the ideas you are sharing. I love hearing them. Angie, maybe you could bring a little sample of that granola to our retreat. I would love to taste it. Today I got a 1/2 hour walk in with Jerry. I was hoping to do more but maybe tomorrow. Today I am feeling very tired and weak. I have these days too often and I'm tired of it. I'd just like a big Pepsi but I am refraning. I almost gave in at the grocery store but I thought of all you and didn't want to lose another point today so I left the Pepsi there. Thanks for inspiring me. Gotta dash. Love, Kim

Tips/Ideas

* Re: roasting veggies - around 400 degrees for about 25 - 30 min. (depends on personal preference for how soft or crunchy you like your veggies). Turn once or twice during cooking and make sure they're laid out flat on the pan so they all cook evenly. One of my favorites is roasting red bell peppers... they come out so sweet and taste like a little treat. You could roast a bunch of different peppers and onions and throw it over a nice green salad and you have a fajita salad (add some chicken or fish). Throw some balsamic vinaigrette (almost no calories) and little bit of olive oil on it.

* Replace mayo on your sandwiches with smashed avocado... it's a healthy fat.

* When dishing up your dinner plate, grab a smaller plate and fill that up instead of a large one and eat slowly!

* Cut up several difference pieces of fruit and toss them in lemon juice and put in tupperware in the fridge. You will most likely eat more fruit if it's easy to grab and you don't have to cut it up each time you think about eating it. Worked for me!

* Squeeze lemon juice in you water if you want a little bit of taste to encourage you to do drink more. From what I've heard lemons have more vitamin C than oranges do.

Chocolate Ice Cream & Pizookies!!!

Ok, I admit it, I slipped on the treats this weekend! I don't even have a sweet tooth and it's pretty easy for me to stay away from any kind of sugary yumminess. However, I was reminded how much I like creamy chocolate ice cream on Sat! Then I had that taste lingering in my mouth and we made pizookies at my dad's on Sun. and that tasted pretty darn good as well! I did a lot of walking around this weekend but no real hard core working out so I plan on catching up with that this week. Tonight I'm determined to fit 200 ab crunches in my work out routine. I used to do at least 200 a day when I was involved in dance classes and I want those abs of steel back by the summer time!!! I have been eating super healthy though (minus the 2 sweets I had) and my fridge is full of squashes, lettuce, spinach, onions, garlic, pears, apples, green beans, basil, strawberries, grapes, oranges, fish, chicken and so much more that I buy at the farmer's market every Saturday! Since I'm learning to cook it's fun to come up with creations with all those items. I know it's easier being single and taking my time cooking for one and not worrying about feeding a family, etc. so I REALLY give you all major bonus points for doing all this while taking care of families and dealing with those temptations I probably don't face!

Homemade Granola

I love this Granola recipe. I just made some today, so I thought I would share:

1/3 C. Canola oil

1C. Honey

5 C. Old Fashioned Oats

2C. coconut

2C. nuts (Almonds, Cashews, or Pecans) Chopped into chunks

1/2 C. sunflower seeds

1/2 C. Pistachios or Pumpkin Seeds

Fruit mix:

1 1/2 C. dried Apricots, diced

1 C. raisins or golden raisins

1C. craisins or dried cherries

1- Wisk together oil and honey

2- Combine remainder of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour honey mixture over and stir.

3- Spread onto 2 greased cookie sheets.

4- Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Stirring once during baking. Remove from oven and scrape into large greased bowl.

This is a yummy chewy granola!

No will power this weekend!

So I did great last week, until Saturday and Sunday! I just could not stay away from the treats! Kim I need your will power! I'm hoping today goes better. I'm having a morning star veggie burger for lunch, with avocado and salsa on it! Here's to no treats today!!

Hey sisters- I wanted to blog last night and tell you how wonderful I was and I didn't eat a single cupcake at Ashton's birthday party, but then I came home and ate a chocolate chip cookie! Why? Just because I wanted to. :) Aside from the cookie I had a pretty good day of eating but no exercise. I think you are all crazy...no one should feel like they have to exercise on Sunday. It should be a free day for sure. But whatever. We are making up these rules as we go along anyway. Look for your weekly challenge in your emails today and send off your points for this week. Count Sunday's points with last week. Today is a new week! Loves!

NOT a good day!

Lacey and I made a joint decision to have a little enjoyment tonight at my dad's house. We had taco salad for dinner, and pizzookies (spelling?) pizza/cookies with ice cream on top for dessert! Yum! I probably didn't earn any points today, except for blogging, that's worth a point, right? So, tomorrow I'm going to have to work my booty off at the gym. Good night all, love you!

Kim - I purposefully didn't make roast for dinner because I knew how much I would eat. I also didn't exercise today - I guess I will have to do double or something to make up for it. If the weather would cooperate Sunday would be a lovely day to go on a walk with the family. Otherwise Sunday is my day off for exercising. Summer - I am looking forward to the Zumba lesson! I hope you all had a great day! May you have an even better tomorrow.

Sunday report

Just to let you know. I ate too much roast beef and potatoes and gravy for dinner, and had 2 pieces of bread smothered in real butter. I also just ate something and it's bed time so I won't get that point. I didn't excercise either. Jerry and I were going to go for a walk but kids always change plans! Well, I have a half and hour until I lose my point for 7 hours of sleep. Since all the kids are still up and no one is obeying my order to go to bed, and Jerry is still talking to Jenni and Cole I don't think it will happen. I did drink enough water! You know how I love my ice water. I also didn't eat any cake. Did I tell you all about the plaque Jenni gave me for Christmas. It says, "It took a lot of will power but I finally gave up dieting". That's what we should all do!!! Ok just kidding. Really I just want to be healthy and develop good habits and just be happy with the size I am. Have a good night. I love you all to pieces!! Love, Kimberly

Quick note

Hey everyone,
Are we supposed to exercise on Sunday? I walked around outside with the nursery kids, does that count? We had a Thanksgiving Dinner for dinner tonight, I'm sure that is going to add to the scale tomorrow. It sure was delicious though. I still have two more turkey's in my freezer.
Love,
Tara

Good day

Today was a pretty good day. Breakfast- 1 egg. Lunch- Subway's new "Souper Combo" a 6" sub and a soup. I did no mayo or cheese on the sub so that was only about 280 calories and the chicken noodle soup only has 60 calories. Then for dinner, I'm diggin these frozen dinners called Michelina's Lean Gourmet, only 300 calories (and only cost $1 at Target!) Also had a Light yogurt , and some carrots. The kids had a Primary activity- biking, scooters, anything on wheels, so I put on my roller blades and pushed Blake around on his little bike with a handle. That was a little exercise, but not much. Then after the kids went to bed, I did an hour work out video (cardio, arms, legs, and abs). I'm doing well resisting desserts, so far, but haven't really been around them much. My dad is having a "Singles Party" at his house tonight and said he'll probably have left overs to share with us tomorrow, so that could be bad news. I just bought my first tub of Fage (that you guys all rave about) and am excited to try it. I want to mix it into some canned chicken and then add some chopped pickle, we'll see how it turns out. Love you guys, and GREAT work everyone!!! Melissa and Shelly, way to get your butts in gear! Tara, I'm sure that many loads of laundry burned some calories too! Good night, off to dream about our "Girls' retreat" : )

Repenting

Today I did 1 1/2 hours of exercise to make up for my eating last night. It has been a much better day and I am going to make some yummy chicken soup for dinner so it will end on a healthy note! I do wish it would stop snowing though!

Still snowing!

Hey everyone! Today has been my catch up day. I have done 6 loads of laundry so far today. Trent is happy about that because he was out of clothes. I have eaten pretty good today. I am going to a baptism tonight and I hope that there are no treats to tempt me.
Have a great day!
Love, Tara

I did it!

And I want to die! I hate exercising. My muscles feel like jello. Thanks Summer for checking up on me to make sure I was doing it. I might need even more encouragement tomorrow! Keep up the good work ladies! I now have even more reason to eat healthy today because I don't want all that pain and suffering Jillian inflicts to be for nothing! Love you!

Is Texas Roadhouse for dinner really bad? I only ate two yummy rolls (plus a bite of a third). I tried to keep my portions down. I split a meal with Brett and tried to eat less, but I am not sure if I can honestly give myself my point for portion control. I guess if I ate more than one roll I can't. At least I didn't eat my usual three or four! I will do better tomorrow! I did pass up on treats today though, so that is good!
Keep up the good work everyone. It is so fun to hear from all of you. Lacey - how long does it take to roast veggies in the oven? That sounds good. All of you keep the good ideas coming, I need them. I love you all!

Happy snowy day (not really)

Sheesh, it snowed the entire day today at my house. We went from blossoms on the tree on Monday to 5 inches of snow on Friday. I want spring to come and stay!!
Fun to hear from Summer and Lacey!! I can't wait to see you gals in a few weeks. I did not do so hot with my eating today. I didn't really eat too much, I just ate crappy food. I still stayed away from the sweets though. I was so tempted to eat some Lindt chocolates that I have hidden away. I cannot tell you how close I came.
Love you all,
Tara

Melissa Here!

Super cute blog! Who rigged that? Nice job! Summer...down three pounds...wa-hoo! Good work cuz! Lacey, I love your veggie idea! I'm going to have to try that! Things have been going really well for me except the dang exercising. Why can't I get my butt moving? I want to, I just don't want to more than I want to get my errands run or clean my house or take care of my kids, or blah, blah, blah! Excuses! A little motivation here pu-lease! Can you all please call me tomorrow morning to make sure I started my day with some refreshing exercise. If Jillian isn't kicking my butt by 8AM tomorrow maybe one of you could step in for her.

Down 3 lbs.

Hi Everyone, I've been doing "my own thing" since Monday. I'm just counting calories and working out everyday. I'm not quite disciplined enough to earn very many points, so you can all sigh a breath of relief, I'm no threat. I admire you guys for the changes you are making, but I'm just not there yet. So, since Monday, I've been writing down my calorie intake and trying to keep it as close to 1,000 per day as possible. Also, I've been eating a little bit of fruit and veggies (which isn't normal for me and my bad eating habits). I love working out and so Monday- I did an hour jog/run on the treadmill, Tues.- an hour of Zumba, Wed.- hour on the treadmill and a little arm workout, Thurs- an hour of Zumba then 30 min run on the treadmill, Tonight- my gym is closed for remodeling, so I'm going to either run around the neighbor hood for a 1/2 hr. or run on a friend's treadmill. So anyway, keep up the great work everyone, it sounds like you are all working hard! Love you guys and thanks for inspiring me. -Summer

Hi Lacey!

Hi Lacey! I'm so glad you are posting. I love your vegetable idea. Maybe we could make it at the girl's retreat. I want to learn the salsa! Well today I did Oxycise and walked on my treadmill. It's the getting 7 hours of sleep that I'm struggling with. My teenagers NEVER want to go bed at night! Well gotta dash! Love, Kim

Hey, new girl on the Blog!

Lacy, that sounds so good!! Oh yah and I want to see you salsa!!!

First Blog ever!!!

Thanks for the invite Shelly! I didn't think I was going to be able to figure out how to blog! Let's see if this posts successfully. So far I've been doing good with eating my fruits & veggies, drinking plenty of water and working out. I went to zumba class yesterday with Summer for an hour and we worked out another half hour after that. Just to spice up my workout a little, I decided to go salsa dancing on Wed. I danced my booty off for over 3 hours!!! Needless to say my legs are hurting, but it was fun. Not sure how you all eat your veggies (steaming is probably the healthiest), but I like to cut a variety up and toss them in some extra virgin olive oil and add "herbs de provence" (a blend of herbs/spices that my french chef friend turned me on to - you can buy a jar almost anywhere and it adds a lot of natural flavor), and squeeze fresh lemon juice over everything and roast them in the oven. Super yummy, if anyone is looking for a tastier way to eat veggies, but still keep it healthy :-)

Thanks!

Thank you everyone for being so supportive. I couldn't do this without all of you. When I am tempted with really yummy cream cheese frosting I know that if you can resist then I can too. Melissa don't worry about the cookie. I have been reading Anne of Green Gables - and you know what she says, "Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it!" Here's to a lot of good tomorrows and a healthy life! I love you all!

You are my Heroes!!!

Good job Angie and Tara!!! Thanks for doing the no sugar with me. I hate being alone. Keep inspiring me!!! Tara, when do you do laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning, diapers, animals, churchwork, homework, etc., etc., with 3 part time jobs???? You are super mom! Good luck. Love, Kim

Pretty good day

Hey gals!! I woke up early and did my free lance articles then I had training all morning for my new job for foreign exchange students from 9:00 to 12:30 and then I did my telemarketing job all afternoon and then tonight we went to dinner with the other exchange student coordinator. What a long day. 3 part time jobs is a lot of work. We went to dinner at golden corral and sat right by the ice cream machine. I didn't touch a single dessert. Woo Hoo!! I saved up all my calories today so that I could have a few cheesy bread sticks. They were so yummy! I didn't go back for any seconds either. Love, Tara

Good Day! Well Sorta!

So I work at Jims grandparents on Thursdays from 8:00 to 1:00. It is so hard to be good when I am there because there is always, always a box of donuts (maple bars are my favorite) cinnamon rolls, cookies, and a fridge full of chocolate. Nice huh! But today I resisted. No sweets! However I did have a grilled cheese sandwich on white bread for lunch. Probably not any better than a donut! Oh well! Anyway here's to no sugar!!!

You are all so awesome!

I love you all. Thanks for posting! Just for the record. Jenni is NOT engaged. She and Cole have talked about getting married late fall but it's just talk. He will be gone to Alabama for 3 months this summer and then they will decide when he gets home. I just need to be prepared in case! Way to go Angie on not letting mom sabotage you! Mom, you should get a spanking!!! Keep up the no sugar Angie- YOU CAN DO IT!!! Melissa, on the other hand, with those little twinners and the mice and all- you might need a little sugar and chocolate- just not too much! I think mopping should count for something. Way to go Tara on being good too! Today I did 2 Oxycise videos and walked on my treadmill which added up to an hour. I've had my green drink of course and lots of carrot sticks and a bran muffin and blueberries. Tonight I have to teach at Stake Auxillary training. We decided to not do refeshments. Yeah!!! No temptation to face. There anyway. Well, gotta run! Have a great day. Together we can do it.

Question:

How much cookie dough can you eat before it counts for two points, not one? I'm caving! Help me. :)

Today was a good day!

I did great today! No sweets! Now that is an accomplishment for me. Mom even tried to sabotage me with pumpkin pie! Here is hoping tomorrow goes as well. Good luck all! And Kim what is this about a wedding. You need to lock that girl up!! Angie

Kim, you make me laugh. Don't worry, we will have you looking like a glamor girl before the wedding! Wait...what wedding? Jennifer, you better call me! Anyway, remember when mom was going through that healthy stage years ago and would put olive oil on our toast. I actually really liked that. You might want to try an oil like that or canola so you still have a little taste. Also, if you cut out all the fat from your diet you will be a lot hungrier and your body will hold on to the fat it has. So just switch it out for good fat, like those oils and nuts. Have you ever tried laughing cow spreadable cheese? I really like to put that on my toast in the morning. It only has 1.5 grams of fat and 35 calories per wedge...plus it tastes like cream cheese! Yum! Today was a pretty good day for me, except I didn't exercise...unless you count scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees. I read in a magazine that mopping can burn up to 200 calories an hour. Doesn't that count for something. Alright, tomorrow is double time for sure! Loves!

Way to go!

Good job gals!! You inspire me as well. What is this about a wedding?? Am I missing something. Was the dear John already sent out? I ate really good today and I haven't had any headaches, so that is good. I have had a really busy day and Trent took the kids to a softball practice for Kelsee so I am enjoying a few moments alone. AAH! I think I'll go walk on my treadmill so I can get an extra point for exercising. Love you all!! Tara

If I'm going to have a wedding this year I better lose some weight!!

I am in! I can't be fat for Jenni's wedding pictures!!! I just want to report that I made homemade cinnamon rolls yesterday and I haven't even had a lick! Everyone had one for breakfast along with the green drink I made them. I want them to have balance you know- cinnamon roll - green drink! :) Of course I had a 100% bran muffin that I made a few weeks ago and froze, with my green drink. I made them with honey and no sugar. I did smother it with tons of real butter. My new resolution is to eat them with no butter. Hey, I just had one without the butter and it was good. No more butter on them for me! I love to read all your posts. You totally inspire me. I've lost 10 pounds since the first of February. I'm hoping to lose another 5 before our retreat. If I can cut out the french fries and large portions, and bread and butter, maybe I can do it. I have been completely off sugar since the first of February and it feels great. If any of you try to sabotage me at our retreat I'll put Nair on your eyebrows! :) Let's keep going at the retreat. We'll "Just Dance" and laugh our heads off for excercise and eat carrots and celery and fruit smoothies with honey! How does that sound? Have a wonderful day! Go chew some gum! Love, Kim

I'm Totally In!!

I have to start something or I'm going to blow up like an elephant! I'm so glad you guys are doing this. I started making green drinks last week, the way Melissa makes them. They are so yummy, and you get a serving of Vegies along with fruit. Good Luck to all!!

Just sent all of you your spread sheets... I'm so excited to get started! I wanted to post a new thing I tried for dinner tonight that was a huge hit. Jordan and I loved it! The kids liked it too, but they ate the noodle half! So I read in a magazine not to long ago that you could replace lasagna noodles with cabbage and just make the lasagna the same. It sounded good, but I didn't want to ruin an entire lasagna if it wasn't, so I just used cabbage in half. I always saute chopped red peppers and onions and I added that to my ground beef. Then I add spinach to each layer as well. I just cut the cabbage into strips and layered it in place of the noodles. It was really yummy! Definitely worth trying! Loves, Melissa

I'm committed

Hi sister's, I am totally in. In fact, I started today. I have done really good. In fact I have a pounding headache because I haven't had any sugar or chocolate today. I took 3 ibuprofen and that didn't even touch it, so I just took two extra strength Tylenol and am starting to feel a little relief.
I did a program kind of like this with some friends last summer. One extra thing we did was that you had to pick one new habit that you wanted to accomplish and stop a bad habit. You had to choose these at the beginning and follow through for the entire period. I think it would be fun to add this dimension and you can get one point for each, each day.
Love you all!!
Tara

3 week challenge!

Calling all sistas! You up for this? Are you in or are you out? If you are in, leave a comment professing your commitment (you better be FULLY committed) and then put your money where your mouth is and send it my way. Best of luck, love you all! Melissa

Refried Beans

I have been telling Angie I would get her this recipe for a long time, so I thought I would just share it with everyone. It is really good and really easy.

Crock Pot Refried Beans
1 cup + 3 Tbls. dried pinto beans
3/8 onion quartered
1 jalapeno whole
2 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cumin
3 2/3 cup water

Sort and rinse beans. Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook 8 hours on high, adding water as needed. Drain some of the water. Remove jalapeno and onion. Mash to desired consistency with a potato masher.

I usually double this recipe. My sister-in-law Becky gave me the recipe and she said that it doesn't turn out if you try to triple it. I like to use this recipe to make bean enchiladas with corn tortillas. I put the leftover beans in the fridge and Brett likes to eat them with chips. If you like your beans more spicy you can also puncture your jalapeno at the end to let out some of the heat from the seeds. Also when I drain the water I drain it into a cup in case I drain to much and need to add more when I mash them. Call me if you have any questions!