Jumpstart!

That was a beautiful and tasty salad wasn't it? 2 MONTHS AGO, right? SORRY! This supermom got caught up in BEING Supermom though so I haven't blogged like I should. Nor have I worked out like I should, but I have been getting in exercise when I can and I'm maintaining my loss.

So, what have I been doing? Well I've been chasing pigs. That's right...pigs. My son raises a pig for the Duchesne County Fair each year and you've got to walk the pig every night for exercise and to get it ready to show. And you have to keep it moving and keep it out of the flowers, off the deck, out of the feed room, in the yard...that sort of thing. So, I chase pigs for exercise. Good times.

My 5 year old was videoing this, btw....


Next year I will NOT look like that as I chase hogs. I guarantee it.

Here is Hogzilla, by the way. A lovely near 300 lb bluebutt hog for the fair. Funny....I'm trying to get his weight up to where mine is now.



My 11 year old is raising a lamb as well this year. The lamb is hilarious. He is pesky and would love to come right in the house if I'd let him.

We've also gotten a new dog and we have to chase her around a bit as well, but mostly she just likes her boy:


I've also been mowing the lawn. It's rather large. My son and the lamb have helped quite a bit too though.




There has been a lot of baseball and softball. I coached my daughter's team and watched many of my boys' games.

That's my guy in the black t-shirt

My beautiful daughter was baptized


and there was a kid's rodeo where we gained several new pets....










I'm jump starting the whole Healthy Edge thing though so don't count me out! I have started a new regimen and eating plan so stay tuned to hear all about the new additions and deletions I'll be making. Busy mom here, trying to find the balance between family and work and not finding a whole lot of time for ME. But, I'm not going to let my lifestyle choices affect my children's busy, healthy, and active schedules. Stay tuned....

Less quantity...better quality!

I'm going to attribute my weight loss to making a few, simple dietary changes. I'm not overeating anymore. I have cut my portion sizes back considerably and I try to make healthier choices. For example, I have a salad everyday for lunch. And I LOVE them.

My friend, Kirsten, got me hooked on bleu cheese crumbles and craisins on my salads and I absolutely love that Wish Bone brand spray dressing...Asian Silk flavor. Yum. I really do enjoy eating a salad when I have all that and it's made a huge difference. I keep some grilled chicken cut up to add to my salads sometimes and/or I add a couple ounces of turkey or ham. I am not a snacker, but if I do need a little something I reach for crunchy veggies like carrots, celery or bell peppers.

Portion control is key to healthy eating habits though. 2-3 oz of meat is all I will allow myself at lunch and dinner. A 3 oz. portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. I have also added more veggies (my yummy salads) into my diet and an average portion size of a vegetable is about the size of a fist.

Now to just stick to it more than I have been....

Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

SO, I haven't worked out since February. I haven't really gotten back ON the wagon yet, but I haven't been eating horribly either. I haven't been on a scale since February either. I had to take my oldest son to the insta-care clinic today so just for the heck of it I thought I'd step on the scale.

WooHoo! I've lost 30 lbs! And I'm under 300 lbs. Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

Just think how much I'd have lost if I had really been trying though. At any rate....WOHOO...I'm excited and motivated again. Let's do this!

Picking up the pieces....

Ok...I'm trying not to be a downer, but I'm sitting here bawling as I read the comments people leave me on my blogs and I'm overwhelmed with emotion. People are good. They really are. There have been so many people who have called, brought food, came over, just said HEY, chatted with me about stuff, asked how my mom is doing, sent cards, flowers and/or money and listened to my little brother tell all his favorite stories about my dad for hours. Everyone is awesome, so THANK YOU. So much! From the bottom of my heart...Thanks.

You know, my dad was so proud of me for losing that first 20 lbs. He was. He handed me a 20 dollar bill as a prize and said, "Now go kick some weight-loss butt!". He knew I had alot of people pulling for me and he didn't want me to disappoint anyone. He saw how many blog followers I had and people commented to him in the community all the time about the contest and he didn't want me to let them down.

Now I feel like I'm letting HIM down by not getting back on track so quickly. I'm not doing this for him, I'm still doing it for ME (and because I want to beat Michelle and Christine) and look good in jeans by next winter and ride horses with Michelle next summer, and...oh I could go on an on....lol. My point is though, I know my Dad is watching and cheering for me. He was always my biggest cheerleader and fan in life....never missed a game or event...and it's from him I get my competitive nature. I'm not going to let him down. I'm getting back to it.

This next 20's for you, Dad!

And then my daddy died....

My daddy died March 22nd. It really sucks. I've been a total flake since it happened, too. I'm trying to snap out of it, and plan on having a great week this week, but it's hard. I was in a fog for that first week and since then I've just been forgetful, unable to concentrate and store information and just generally flaky. My eating hasn't been great, but it hasn't been too bad either.

I haven't worked out for 2 months. I got pneumonia in February and had to get over that, then I got really busy and didn't get back in to workout routine mode. Then my dad died and everything has been on hold ever since.

It was an unexpected death, even though my dad hasn't had great health for 20 years. He had atherosclerosis, which is clogged and/or weakened arteries. He hadn't been getting enough blood flow to his stomach and bowels and those organs died. It made him very sick and he was in a great deal of pain. We discovered it too late in the game and there was no way we were going to make him live with a nutrition line and never be able to eat again, so we let him go. We told him he didn't have to fight it anymore. He died within hours of an exploratory surgery. We kept him comfortable and sedated and he died peacefully.

It still really, really sucks though. Here's a link to my other blog with pics and a tribute to my daddy, the greatest guy I ever knew. http://rookacre.blogspot.com/2009/03/goodbye-daddy.html

I'm Back!

Wohoo! I'm all better now. It's about time, too.

I was really pretty sick for about a week, but getting completely over it took forever. I was weak and got tired really easily and got winded. I did breathing treatments for 2 weeks and still felt like I could do them the 3rd week. It was a nasty bug!

I gave myself plenty of time to get over it though, nearly a month, and I'm ready to get back to working out. I've got to get back into a groove, find a workout that works for me timewise since I'm much more busy now that baseball is starting back up and we've got more 4-H hogs coming and it's time to walk the hogs daily. It's just my BUSY time of the year.

Another thing I've got to work out is my little guys and babysitters while I workout at the gym. Unless I just bag the gym and workout at home. I have a few people who will watch them, but it's not just a 30 min. time slot we're talking here. If I go to the gym while I'm in town, it's a 2-3 hour ordeal and #1- I'm just not willing to give up that much time just to workout in the gym and #2- I don't want to give up my time with my boys to workout. It's an inner struggle and I'll have to find the balance.

I love, love, love my time everyday with my 3 year old. It's just that lil' guy and me til' 2 pm every day and I love spending that time with him. He'll be going to Head Start next year and I won't have that anymore so I'm kinda being stingy with my time spent with him.

Also, having pneumonia and just slowing down to rest and not run, run, run has been NICE. I've loved it. My house is clean, my laundry is done and I'm HERE to take care of kid stuff at school. That's what I want to be. Their mom. Not a gym-runner mommy or gone all the time working.

Plus, I don't want anyone on my butt telling me what to eat or how to workout or any of that. I was starting to feel like my life wasn't mine anymore and I'm taking it back. It was my own fault for spreading myself too thin, thinking I could do it all, but I'm over it. I will find time to workout somehow and someway, but it may not be in the gym all the time anymore.

Hit Me Like a Freight Train

Well here's something fun. Pneumonia. What a treat. I have been way sick since last Thursday. Turns out it's pneumonia.

I started feeling heavy in my chest with congestion and just NOT good. I had to take care of a bunch of things (Valentine's, treats, a party at Head Start) and had a ton more to do (make more cookies and help with another party in 2nd grade, take kids to tumbling, coach basketball, play women's basketball, get my son to baseball....all kinds of stuff), but after I did the sweatiest Bunny Hop ever on record at Head Start, I came home and just crashed. And I do mean CRASHED. I've been down ever since.

I laid in my bed shivering and shaking under 5 blankets on Thursday and Friday as my fever raged on. My body ached terribly. I had a horrid headache and bad cough. Saturday I sweat it all out, had windows open, heat off, the works, and felt even more lousy. Pretty much the same scenario on Sunday.

I tried to feel better on Monday, I really did. I tried so hard to will myself better, but it just wasn't happening so I called my mommy and had her take me to the doctor.

I went to see Dr. Kent Smith and when he walked in I said, "Hey, I need you to approve my new weight loss plan. It's the "get real sick and don't eat for days" plan. Is that ok?" Apparently it wasn't because he made the nurse give me a breathing treatment and a shot in the butt (of which he said he wasn't fond of so he stepped out of the room while I got one....wimp!) and then loaded me up with antibiotics, breathing treatments and a nebulizer to take home. Thanks, Doc Smith!

So far I'm not feeling well yet, but I am breathing more easily. I've never been sick much in my life. But this hit me like a freight train, knocked the wind out of me (literally), and ran me under a few more times.

I'll be back to working out eventually, I'm sure. But for now, I'm going back to bed.