Live Everyday...

Every single day of our life is usually spent with the normal day to day chaos of routine things like work, school for the kids, sports, and so forth. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow so we really need to wake up every morning and just live!! Live in the moment for sure. I know that is very hard for every one of us but imagine what our lives would be like if we did just that!! This is something that i have been trying hard to work on. I am always focused on the what ifs of the next days, weeks, months that i do not really just focus on the day. I really need to try harder at this! When things happen to others it makes us so thankful for our lives, health, jobs, etc. I am totally guilty of this. It infuriates me every time that something happens to someone that i know that gives me a reality check and i always vouch to NOT to continue on living in the future. And that is what brought me back to the present day today. Two people that JJ and i know are dealing with two different illnesses that are very serious. And both of their issues just put that sick feeling in your stomach/weak feeling in your heart and you just want to make things all better for both of them. One of them is a friend that JJ and i have known for a long time but have only seen here and there the past years.  She has been diagnosed with a fist size brain tumor and they are operating on her tomorrow. The pathology will depict whether it is cancer or not. She is married and has 2 little boys that depend on her every single day. The other one is a guy that JJ has coached with the past few years. He had knee surgery and ended up developing a clot in his leg that went to his lung. Luckily, he was able to make it back to the hospital when he knew something just wasn't right. JJ visited him today and he told JJ that he literally thought he was dying. And i am sure he did with what was going on. He is very lucky. I ask that you PLEASE pray for both of these young people that deserve every day just like you and i. These are two things that you never want to go through and deal with as a mother, father, husband, wife, sister, brother, daughter, son, aunt, uncle. etc nor do you want anyone else to go through as well. Today has opened my eyes (once again) to the fact that this could be you or i dealing with these unforeseen illnesses. My heart just breaks for these sweet people and their families!! Tomorrow will definitely be a different day for me. I will try much HARDER to focus on living in the present!!

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH

Yes, today is one of those kind of days. My sweet baby boy, Chayton, did not sleep very well last night from about 1:45am until the time that i had to wake up. He would toss and turn and then be still for a few seconds and then whine a little. Then repeat. I started thinking that something was wrong with him but i felt on his belly and felt his head for fever and he wasn't coughing...so i am not sure what was wrong. I know he had to be one tired little boy today! Altogether, i just feel crappy blah today and i guess some of it may have to do with the fact that i ate terrible on Saturday and had a few drinks and i also did not get to RUN friday, saturday or yesterday. That in itself was definitely enough to feel bad. But i will get myself back on track today! I have been doing SO good and i knew this weekend was going to be bad on the diet. I will just have to pick up where i left off on Thursday and not think another thing about the past.

I definitely needed this motivation today!!

I have updated my blog with some Running Blogs that i have found and they have been great for motivation. I especially LOVE Skinny Runner! #1 she is an absolutely doll. #2 she definitely has motivated me to want to run more just by everything that she does. It totally makes me look like a whimp (hence her 4 marathons in 8 days!!!). #3 she has shirts that you can order that are perfect for running. #4 she also has links on her page to great running accessories (BIC Bands- to hold your hair back, compression socks, laces, etc...). You will have to check out her page. I would ♥ to have her body for sure!!

Here she is with the shirt on that i ordered! Adorable huh?!

Birthday Festivities

We have been busy over the past few days celebrating JJ's birthday and, of course, a basketball game thrown in the middle. It all started Friday (on JJ's birthday)! We went to Sekisui in Bartlett for birthday dinner with his parents. Naturally, i forgot my camera. Remembered when we were halfway there but it was too late to turn around. The food was good, as usual, and Chayton was actually on his best behavior which made dinner a little bit easier! Then, after we got home, we gave JJ his birthday box (HA)...totally didn't have time to get his presents out and wrap them. So, we just gave him the J Crew box!

 My 3 boys!

And then Saturday after Jackson's basketball game, we met my sister and her boys, along with mom, at On the Border for another birthday celebration for JJ. The food and drinks were yummy and the company was perfect. JJ sure is one lucky guy to be surrounded by so much love!

 Gifts!

 Jonathan & Kayla

 Camden

 Austin, Jax & Huds

 Austin & Jackson

Hudson

 Chayton loves cheese dip!

We had a great weekend with family!! And we spent Saturday night with Jackson and his friends. We were planning on hanging out with our friends last night for more celebrating but decided that it was Jackson's turn to have friends over. They had a blast!!

 Zach, Jackson and Luke with their ipods/ipads!

 Chayton hanging with the boys!

And again...

It's FINALLY Friday!

Today is my favorite day of the week...FRIDAY! And today is also JJ's birthday. What better day to have a birthday on than a Friday. We will be celebrating his birthday this weekend. He received a phone call this am before school started from his 2 precious baby boys telling "Happy Birthday!" And there isn't anything sweeter than listening to Chayton tell someone Happy Birthday. I will definitely take pictures this weekend and will update you on the activities.

Jackson had a basketball game last night so i was not able to get my workout in. That was ok because i planned on taking last night off because of this so my feelings were not hurt. I had exercised the previous 6 days so this one day wasn't going to hurt...well maybe it will but i will just have to suck that one up. There is always the next 6 days!! And after indulging in eating out for JJ's birthday and maybe some drinks to celebrate, i will definitely NOT be able to take a day off again until Jackson's basketball game next Thursday. But it will be calories well spent!! Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!

~ Dreary Days ~

I think i may have just figured out why i have been in a funk yesterday and today...the #1 reason is my weight loss being STUCK (which is the obvious) but the #2 has just hit me. The beautiful nasty weather!! There has not been anything to actually go wrong in the past 2 days to put me in this mood (knock on wood) but as i sit here at work and look out the window, it just clicked!! Why would i feel all happy and cheery when i gaze out the window a lot during the day and it is just BLAH! And that is exactly the way i feel too. For once, i only have 2 things weighing on my mind and that is my weight and Jackson's basketball. The basketball cannot end quick enough and the countdown is on. But my weight will stress me until it starts decreasing on the scale again. I am at the beginning of this journey and i cannot hit a plateau now. UGH!!!!! I am debating on changing my way of eating to proteins and vegetables only and see what happens. I am going to stick to what i have been doing until Sunday and then determine that morning if i am going to change. I have remained so positive for the past few weeks and this hault on my losing just has me drained. But i will just keep envisioning what i want at the end and try to push through this!! These pics keep me going...

I ♥ Jessica Biel and her body!

And i also really ♥ Alex Morgan

I would just LOVE to look 1/2 as good as she does!!

Wednesday Workout Update

Yesterday i just wasn't feeling it!! Maybe it was because the scale hadn't moved in 2 days. I know i shouldn't weigh every day but i do! I feel like it keeps me in check with my daily progress. I know things fluctuate from day to day but weighing myself daily is something that i have always done while on my health kick. It is not helping me right this second because i have not lost any more weight and i am frustrated. Enough about that- here are my stats...

Wednesday Treadmill exercise:

2.5 miles (ran 1.5/walked 1.0)

354 calories burned

59.6 carbs burned

33:09 total time

Tuesday Workout Update

I had many things to do yesterday afternoon so i did not have time to update my workout info. I ended up doing pretty good but when i started, i wasn't sure that was going to be the case. All i needed was about 55ish minutes. Doesn't sound like a lot of time but when you have a husband that had to go back to the high school, an irritable 9 year old that isn't in the mood to be helpful, a whining 20 month old that wants me to hold him or Jackson to play with him, dinner to cook, a kitchen to pick up, baths to give, things to get ready for school the next day, bath for myself and laundry to do, it is a huge amount of time that could be spent on one of the other things. All of this i really wanted to complete by 7:00pm because it was Tuesday and The Biggest Loser comes on and i just love that show. Needless to say, it was all done and we were able to start the show about 7:20ish which wasn't too terribly bad. Had i known that it was only an hour show because the State of the Union was coming on at 8:00, i would not have had to hurry at all because i would have just recorded it and watched it starting at 8:00. But, it is over now and it all got done.
Tuesday Treamdmill Exercise:


4.0 miles (ran 2.0/walked 2.0)
556 calories burned
93.1 carbs burned
53:26 total time

Today i chose to do intervals on the treadmill because that is what i used to when i did a treadmill workout and because i read an article that reminded me about interval training burning more belly fat. So, what better reasons to do that as my workout. And it felt pretty good.