Saturday, October 27, 2007

Party Time

One thing that is so fun about having a little girl is getting to dress her up. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I do, but Natalie is just so cute when she's in a super girly outfit that I can't help myself! I know I have to enjoy these moments now, before she starts picking all her own clothes. I don't really want her to be too girly... I want her to be athletic, smart, sassy and all those great things that help girls not focus so much on their looks. But I have to say, a little bit of girliness is welcomed.

Here she is at her friend Sara's tea party for her fourth birthday. Her mom made the hats, which are adorable. The girls (ie, moms) made the necklaces too, which were a big hit. Now see, isn't a lit bit of girliness fun?

Party Hats

And here she is getting ready for her first cup of tea.

Tea Time

Monday, October 22, 2007

Fitness Challenge, Week 2

Week two of our eight week fitness challenge is complete! It was a good week... and, I have a new coach. Of the two foot tall variety. I ran with Natalie a couple times this week, which we refer to around here as "going for a stroller ride." She loves this as we get to look for dogs, birds, bicycles and school buses (her fav.) Essentially, I strap her in the stroller with a sippy of water and some cheerios, raisins or goldfish. Then we head out the front door and do a three mile loop. Mind you, this is while pushing a 27 pd child in a 19 pd stroller. I usually run to the turnaround point and then walk for a minute while I drink water before I start running again. This is no longer allowed. Now, whenever I slow down, Natalie says "no mommy, RUN!" I don't know where she got this, but it makes me laugh every time and keeps me going.

And something else happened this week too, I remembered how great it feels to be exercising. I have noticeably more energy. I'm sleeping better. And I just feel better all around. I'm really trying to focus in on this, and to enjoy the process and lifestyle change and not focus so much on the numbers on the scale. That is hard for me. I want to see results fast. I want that little dress I haven't worn for years to fit right away. But I keep reminding myself that this is a longterm process and it's only the day-to-day changes that will provide the results I seek. So, I'm going to try to keep that focus. But the good news is that I've lost a bit of weight too! I'll give you the stats when we reach the halfway point through the challenge.

So, let's get down to the dirt here... you all want to know who won this week, don't you? Now, you have to remember, that really no one loses as we're both getting in better shape. It's really and win/win and... alright, forget that BS, I won, I won!! I managed four runs and one pilates tape this week. Dean did a respectable three runs and one bike ride, but not quite enough to inch out a win. I have to say, if you're looking for a fitness challenge with a partner, this game really works. Even though by Sunday I knew I couldn't lose, only tie at the worst, I ran because I wanted that win! And it was a rough one as we were at my inlaws and I was a bit hung over from a night out with Dean before and had to run on a treadmill. But the prospect of winning a week was just the encouragement to get my butt on that treadmill.

Oh, and as for Dean. He'll be cleaning out the refrigerator this week. Tee-hee! But I better get my game on this week, cuz I know there will be paybacks.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Lanai Livin'

Found today while sweeping our lanai. Our fully screened lanai:

- 3 dead black mud dauber wasps (yep, the kind I'm allergic to, yay!)
- 2 live lizards running around the pool fence
- 1 petrified dead small frog (perhaps the baby of our previous visitor?)
- giant spiderweb over corner of pool
- Several dead "bugs". Non-identifiable. Something of the beetle family.

And then, from my front door to the mailbox, I counted at least 12 lizards. This was after many had already run into the bushes before I started counting. Dean and I have both noticed on our runs that there is a noticeable increase in baby lizards. Guess they all had an end of summer party like we did when it finally started to cool down.

Oh, and by cool down, I mean highs in the upper eighties, lows in the low 70s.

Fitness Challenge, Week 1

Next month, Natalie will be 2.5 years old. Here is my big confession: I have still not lost all the pregnancy weight.

When she was three months old, and I was still adjusting to motherhood and not sleeping a lot, it was okay. When she was six months old, and I had started to lose some of the weight, it was good. Then she was nine months old, and I passed the "nine months on, nine months off" official stage, it wasn't great, but still sort of okay. When I she reached her first birthday, I knew I was out of excuses.

Now, at almost 2.5, it clearly is my lack of effort, and nothing else. It's time to step it up. Dean also has some fitness goals he wants to meet. We have both recently started to get more exercise, and I've been focusing on cooking more healthy meals. Dean found a great way for us to have some fun while kicking it into high gear. In true Dean-style competitive spirit, he bought us a copy of The Fitness Challenge Game.

Game On!

The game works like this, for eight weeks, two players set a goal for number of weekly workouts (we went with recommended 3x/week) and you put a star on the chart for each workout, worth 1 point. When you complete your third workout for the week, you get a 3 point star. So the goal for any week is 5 points. We put the chart up on the fridge to track our progress.

Each player picks 15 wager coupons. At the end of each week, the winner gets to hand over one of the coupons. These are for things like:
- Get up early with the kid
- Clean out _____
- Give me a massage

And then there is one big stakes coupon the overall winner gets. Basically, one of us gets to go on a shopping spree for a set $$ amount. I so want to win!

The weeks run Monday to Sunday. We have just completed week one. Every Monday you can check in for the weekly update. I figure, if we go public, we'll stick to it. So if you read this blog, please post a note to cheer us on!

So now... drumroll please, here is our chart with this week's winner:

Fitness Challenge Chart


Can you guess who is purple and who is orange? I'll let you know later. But if you can't read the chart yet, we tied! So it was a great week. In fact, we both ran 4x/week. This is great as I've been averaging about 2x/week for the past few months, and that just wasn't cutting it for weight loss purposes. So no coupons handed out for this week. Dean is out on a run as I type this. Miss Natalie is napping, so I'm off to do Pilates. Stayed tuned...

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Happy Birthday Grandmama & Grandpa Kelley!

In a strange twist of fate, Dean's mom and my dad share a birthday. So... Happy Birthdays all around!

Here is a link to the Oct 11th horoscope for the coming year if you are interested:
http://www.cafeastrology.com/birthday/october1107.html

Dad - a retro Happy Birthday Cool Pop!! Hope you have a fabulous day and enjoy your gifts. Your horoscope says travel opportunities are likely. I think that just sealed the deal on your promise to visit FL next year! :)

Janet - I hope you have a wonderful day and we are looking forward to celebrating with you this weekend. We'll have some special birthday treats awaiting you! Your horoscope mentions you'll be more involved in lectures and debates this year. Hmm... looks like you might be spending more time refereeing Dean and Robert's political debates this year.


Here are some special video birthday wishes for you both from Miss Natalie. Can you tell they were filmed before combing her hair!

For Grandmama:


For Grandpa Kelley: