. . . Meal Planning . . .

I usually try to plan my meals out for the week, or at least for Monday-Friday. I have realized how much this really helps things flow smoother in the afternoons when i get home from work. I have not been a huge crock pot chick but yesterday when i was looking through a stack of recipes that i have not tried, there were 3 that were healthy crock pot recipes that i decided to try. I REALLY need to love crock pot recipes because they do make your life so much easier after working all day. Naturally when i decided to try new recipes after already going to the grocery store, i had JJ make a quick trip back to get a few things. I usually pick my meals based on what i have gotten from the store but if i am going to try new crock pot recipes, i think it would be WISER to plan my meals first and then make a list. We will see how it goes. Here is what our menu looks like for the week...

Monday- Sour Cream and Onion Chicken
Tuesday- Pot Roast and Potatoes (non-crock pot but i cooked it yesterday so it is ready minus the potatoes)
Wednesday- Black Bean Chicken
Thursday- Creamy Parmesan Broiled Tilapia (not crock pot)
Friday- Easy Taco Soup (with chicken)

And for Saturday and Sunday, we usually eat out one day and/or decide the day of what we will have. Planning for the weekends are hard because that is usually when we have more to do. We will see how these turn out.

Sunday Workout

Well, i can check off exercise for today. YAY!! I knew that even though my quads were a little sore, i had to at least walk today just to keep things going. My usual route is 4 miles exactly and that is what i did today. I actually planned on walking the entire time because i wanted to be able to walk tomorrow. However, after the 2 mile mark, i decided that i was going to run exactly a mile and no more. So, i did it. My legs actually felt pretty good while running but i didnt want to do too much damage for tomorrow's workout. I was tempted to do 1.5 miles but decided to just stick with a mile. I will be glad tomorrow that i did. My legs were a little like jello once i got home but it is a good feeling. Best pace 8:36...pretty good for just starting back!! Depending on my time later, i may even try to get a workout video in. If not, no biggie!! Now on to my meal planning/cooking for the week. HAPPY SUNDAY!!

Summary:

Distance:	4.00 mi
Time:	55:15
Avg Pace:	13:57 min/mi
Avg Speed:	4.3 mph
Elevation Gain:	145 ft
Calories:	503 C

	Your swim efficiency is calculated by your total time plus strokes normalized to 25 meters (fixed distance). This allows you to compare your swim efficiency to another pool or open water workout.

	Your SWOLF score is the time in seconds plus the strokes it takes you to complete one pool length. For example 30 seconds plus 25 strokes equals a SWOLF score of 55.

Details

Timing

Time:	55:15
Moving Time:	53:22
Elapsed Time:	55:15

Avg Speed:	4.3 mph
Avg Moving Speed:	4.3 mph
Max Speed:	7.0 mph

Avg Pace:	13:57 min/mi
Avg Moving Pace:	13:56 min/mi
Best Pace:	8:36 min/mi

Speed

Pace

Elevation

Elevation Gain:	145 ft
Elevation Loss:	142 ft
Min Elevation:	252 ft
Max Elevation:	329 ft

Heart Rate

Avg HR:	159 bpm
Max HR:	184 bpm

* The Color Run *

What a FABULOUS day today was. Months ago, I registered to run The Color Run 5k. It was all because I saw a picture on Pinterest (my fav site ever) and decided from that point that I was going to do it. Just one picture made my mind up.

This was the VERY picture that i pinned!!

I told myself time and time again that I was going to start running so I would be ready for the race. I wasn't going to be this fat girl walking because I wasn't able to run. As time grew closer, I never got off my rear and got myself ready for the race. I decided a few days ago that I was going to get back to running. I have it all planned out. However, just 2 days before the race, I was determined to back out. I couldn't do it. My vision of doing it was that it was going to be all of these skinny, seasoned runners running and I was going to be the stand out fat girl and the only one walking. Wednesday, I asked Jackson if I could get him registered, did he want to do it?! It wasn't much to my surprise that he did. From that point on, I was determined that I was going to run it. All because I could NOT let Jackson down! I knew that he would want to run the entire race. Today came and I was ready. I didn't care what I had to do, I was running the entire 5k race. I set my Garmin and we were off. We ended up running the whole time except for the areas that the colors were. Most people were on the outer areas so they would get "colored" more than those in the middle. And boy was there a line at each area. So we did get a few breaks. Jackson absolutely LOVED the race and wants to do more. It was perfect for me also because now I am motivated and that was the perfect jump start to my running regimen.

Me and Jackson after it was over. This was one of the BEST days that i have in a long time!!

 









~ Cleaning, Organizing and Planning ~

Well, today i am off work... YIPEE!! And i am spending the day finishing up the boys rooms, cleaning out clothes that are too small for them, re-organizing their closets, removing all of the FAT clothes out of my closet and planning the time each day that i am going to dedicate to working out. I know that it does not sound like a FUN day off, but there is so much that i can get done on a day off that i just have to do it. My idea of doing this today and maybe tomorrow will hopefully relieve me of having to do any of this house stuff on Saturday and Sunday. Then, i hope to just hang out, relax and spend time with my family at a birthday party and my boys the rest of the weekend.
This past Sunday, i decided it was time to change things around in Jackson and Chayton's rooms. We re-arranged both rooms completely, patched holes and re-painted. After getting Jackson's room re-arranged, i decided that he needed a new comforter. From that, it turned into everything in his room being changed from a "sports" theme into a "baseball" theme. And i have to say that it looks really good. We will get his new bedding today and once everything is perfect, i will post pictures. He loves the new stuff and cannot wait for it be done. Chayton's room remains with the same bedding, pictures, etc and it will for a little longer because i LOVE his sweet Frog pictures and i will keep those as long as i can. He honestly could care less what his room looks like at this point. I also went through all of their clothes and packed away all of the stuff that was too small. Jackson lost a LOT of pants because he has grown SO much in height which breaks my heart.
Now on to my closet...I decided that i WILL NOT remain the size that i am right now, so i have removed all of the FAT clothes from my closet. I pretty much have no clothes that will currently fit me except for t-shirts, running pants and scrubs. All of the bigger summer stuff is also ALL gone. I absolutely REFUSE to put those things back on and will not buy other things to wear until i lose weight. I know this was kinda crazy to do but it actually made me feel better and has motivated me to get moving.
The past few days i have been planning my workouts/running. I have decided that tomorrow was my start day. IT.WILL.HAPPEN. I am planning on getting up in the mornings and get my running done. We all know that in the beginning i will have to walk/run but i am going to do it. Then, if i decide in the afternoons that i have extra time to get in one of my video workouts, i will do that also. I plan on doing a combo of running/weight training so i can accelerate my weight loss. We ALL know that i am not a patient person and things have to happen (like yesterday), so with weight loss, that will be no different. I am currently eating (for the most part) pretty good. I am planning  on cleaning it up a little too. Love, love, love my new Blendtec blender and will continue making my "green" smoothies. Those have made me feel so much better.
Enough of my rambling....now back to getting things accomplished!!

: Past Weekend Projects :

Well, i told you that i had some things i needed to do this past weekend...and I did them!! I know. SHOCKING!! I got all of my recipes together and got the notebooks together that i am going to keep the recipes in. I just have to sort through all of the recipes and put them under my tabs. That, in itself, will be a work in progress. I have one notebook fully completed but i have a TON more recipes to add to it.

The other thing that i really needed to do was work on my applique/monogramming projects. And this i TOTALLY accomplished. I have had my machine for a year now and had no idea how to do the 3 letter monograms. It is not very easy (and time consuming) but it does work. I have been wanting to use the Hog applique that i bought months ago and i finally did it!! I still have to figure out how to cut the extra material for the appliques before i do the final satin stitch because that would be so much faster and easier! The way that i have been doing it takes FOREVER to cut around the applique with these special scissors to get the excess material off. And then it is very difficult and scary at the same time because you can cut the shirt or the satin stitching very easily. And that is NOT fun after you have almost finished your project. I am going to attempt to cut the material after the tack down stitch but am scared if i leave the hoop on the machine, it will move and then the other stitches will be off. Or, i can try removing the hoop, cutting around the applique and replacing the hoop. Then you still have to worry about the hoop not lining up perfectly again. So, that is a work in progress but hopefully will get much easier. (the following pictures are from my phone so they aren't the best but it gives you an idea)

Chayton's HOG shirt...i have the material to make matching pants.

And this is Nennie's sweatshirt that i did for her birthday! It turned out pretty good. The letters look a little off in the picture but i guess it is the way i had it layed out because they are even.

I also monogrammed the hood. Now, I want one!!

{ RUNNING }

Running is a passion that i used to have. It is something that made me feel more at ease and a lot less stressed & anxious. The past few years, running has escaped me. I go through spurts where i do it for a bit and then stop again. WHY would i do this to myself if it makes me feel so good?? I.HAVE.NO.IDEA. Most of the reasoning, i guess, is the lack of time that it takes to commit to it. I have decided that TODAY is going to be the day that i figure out WHEN i am going to fit running back into my schedule on a daily basis. Figuring out WHERE is the easy part. The MOTIVATION will come after i do it the first time. I am motivated to get started, i just have not put forth the effort to take the first step to do it! I have to do this for me. I am not the same person that i was back when i weighed 115-120 lbs. I have turned in to someone that wants to go NOWHERE that i have to get dressed up to go. I prefer to stay hidden within the walls of my house because no one sees me there and it feels like my safe haven. I was back to my small self when Jackson was 2-3 years old because i was able to work out/run every single day when i got off work at 3:00p. And from that point, it has just been downhill. I am going to do it. I have to. I have the desire to do races. I REALLY want to do a half marathon so i am going to commit to get started so i can find a half that i can train for.

ON the BACK BURNER

Yes, i have been slacking (once again) on the blogging. I get so wrapped up in everyone else's that i forget about my own. And i have so many different things going on during the weekends that this definitely plays backseat to MANY more things! Maybe, just maybe, i can try to get back with it over the weekend. I always have a list of a lot of things that i want to accomplish over the weekends and there are a lot of things that i just don't get to. Back on my agenda for this weekend is ORGANIZING!! Some areas in my house need re-organizing and i have TONS of different binders that need work.

The other thing on the agenda is sewing/applique projects/monogramming. I have a stack of adorable material just waiting to be used and many appliques that i have purchased that are also in need of being used. Some of these things have been lingering for oh, about a year!! I started out doing pretty good with things on my machine and then they just fell off the side of a cliff.

I am really going to try to get some of these accomplished this weekend. I won't hold my breath!! But wish me luck!