Happy Mom, Happy Kid, Happy Dogs

First, get this. Just a few short days after me getting my first iPhone last week, my iPad died. When I took it to the Apple Store, they told me it was fried. Urg. I know they were honest with me, but I felt like I was at the mechanic and they were telling me everything was broken on my car and that it would cost me a gazzilion dollars to fix it!

So. On Thursday, I purchased the new iPad, with the extended warranty.

On Friday, the Internet at home went out, which I really hoped had something to do with destroying my precious iPad, but apparently it didn't. Time Warner showed up at 4:30 pm on Saturday and didn't leave until 7:00PM!!!!

Today, Sunday, all tech things seem to be working properly and all is well. I tried to pretend like it wasn't bothering me and spent lots of time outside and busy around the house, but it was DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!!

Now, on with the updates and happy news.

The Dogs went to the groomer and look adorable, but refuse to pose together!!!







Tess finished her first full week of employment at Southwest Airlines in Dallas and is ecstatic!! Not only does she think she is really going to enjoy the job and the people, but Tess has learned LOTS and LOTS of information about saving money, 401k's, insurance.......health, dental, vision, life, and yes, even CAR insurance!! The benefits they offer are truly amazing and after starting to plan a budget, she realizes what a incredible opportunity working for Southwest is going to be........and FREE UNLIMITED FLIGHTS!!!!!!

(Oh, AND, most of the business by her apartment building, which is by the airport, offer 10%-15% discounts to all Southwest employees!!)

We are just so happy for her. I am planning to go see her and celebrate "Mothers Day" with her at the end of June, since we didn't get to be together this year.

Mike and I are planning to go see her in August or September, or who knows? Maybe both!!! It's FREE!!!!!

Okay, weight loss........

This has been a really long journey for me to the 160's. I did get to 165 last summer, for like a week. Then the low 170's crept back and I just hung out there for a while, knowing what I could get away with, and what I couldn't get away with. Then, the week after my rotator cuff surgery in February, the UPPER 170's crept back. That was scary. I think a lot of that was directly related to the surgery, but I did NOT like it, surgery or no surgery.

Two weeks after surgery, Roberta entered my weight loss journey with me, as my "coach". She made me set goals. Goals with a date attached to them, which I had not done since joining Weight Watchers in September of 2009. Weight loss goals with timelines attached to them make me panic. Too much pressure to succeed. Too much pressure to follow the rules all the time. Too many obstacles in the way for me to be able to do that. But, hesitantly, I agreed. I also agreed to "charts", which I had never made a part of my weight loss plan, EVER! Charts make it all real and your results are in your face!

Last week, I panicked with where I was on my chart, and knowing what social events I had scheduled for the rest of the month, I just felt like I would not be able to get to where I needed to be by the end of May.

Roberta set me straight by reminding me that I had to decide right then and there, how important it was for me to really reach my goals or not, and what was I willing to sacrifice to get there.

I worked like crazy this week following all the rules.

I walked like crazy!
I drank LOTS of water!
I ate a ridiculous amount of fruits and veggies!
I wrote down every bite I put into my mouth!

And I lost 3.2 lbs!

I did gain 1.8 last week, and it was my hope to get that off and then some, so I was quite pleased to step on the scale and see......

162.4!







That number is important for two reasons.

1. I earned another "5 lb" award at my meeting, which means you get recognition, then typically, if it is okay with you, they say your total weight loss, and mine is now 45 pounds. I'm like, uh.....YES I want recognition, and please tell the whole world!!! I'm stoked!!!! :)

2. I worked hard to lose about 20-25 pounds before I got pregnant with Tess. The day I found out I was pregnant, I weighed 162 pounds. I remember feeling really good about myself at that weight, but still knew that I should weigh less than that. Anyhow, I have weighed 162 only a couple of times during the last 21 years, and it feels amazing to be back at that weight, and to know that I will soon weigh less than that, and that it will now be forever.

My goal shows 160, and I need to officially change that to 150. I set my goal at 160 some time ago, remembering how great I felt at 162, but I know now that I need to weigh less, and that it is doable and a realistic goal for me to achieve. 160 is also off the BMI chart for my 5'5" height. The max is 150. Who knows, maybe when I get there, 145 will sound appealing.

I have decided that when I reach 160 at the end of this month, I will start to post photos of food again and be a bit more detail about what I am eating and the quantities. I really want my blog to be a useful tool for anyone trying to lose weight, and I know that the last ten pounds is going to be a real challenge. I want to be able show exactly what foods I eat and what my exercise routine is to get there.

So, it was a great week in "Julie's Weight Watcher World" and I am already excited for next weeks weigh in, because that weight will be a number I don't think I have weighed since shortly after High School.






"love the life you live, live the life you love"

Short, Simple.

The dogs are at the groomers and I am determined to make a huge dent in my ever growing "to do list" that I got a really good start on yesterday.

I have no idea why I can get so much done when Mishka and Tucker are not here, but I have a hard time walking by the two of them and not stopping to wrestle for a bit. I swear they smile every time!!

I did have an iPad catastrophe yesterday which led me to spend my morning at the Apple store today.

I believe my choices this week with food and exercise are going to lead to a very satisfying morning at the scale tomorrow!!

Trust me, I will blog about it immediately following my meeting!!






"love the life you live, live the life you love"

Congratulations Jessie!

This is my niece, the daughter of my brother, the cousin of my daughter, the Granddaughter of my mother and father, and the twin sister of her brother.
(I'd give a shout out to her friend in this picture, but I have no idea who that is.) While I was saving seats for the rest of the family, she sent me this picture!






So I sent her this one of me, concentrating on the proper use of my new phone!





She's a pretty kick ass kid.

Look at that sweet, sweet baby face!




This is Jessie with her twin brother Jack, and their mom, Robin.
Jack and Jessie lost their mom unexpectedly when they were 8 years old. I really don't know how, but at 8 years old, Jessie took on the roll of caretaker, hugger, lover and biggest supporter of her dad and brother, no matter what. Her kindness is reflected in that sweet little face of hers.




I truly think she is beautiful, and not just because we come from the same gene pool. :)



The twins!




This is Jessie at Prom with her friend, Dylan!




He graduated with Jessie last night too!




Jessie and I spent the 30 minutes before Graduation texting. I loved being able to chat with her and feel her excitement before her graduation! She wanted to know all the important stuff. Who's there? Where are you sitting? Will you be able to see me? Will you promise to yell really loud?

(We did our best! I might have hurt Mike's ear.)

Here, she was letting me know they were all about to come out, and I was trying to let her know who all was there. This silly new phone of mine and my fingers have not yet become one. I was trying to type fast and let her know that along with her dad and I, Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Mike were all there too! But I realized this morning that my short hand for grandpa showed up as GPS! I don't care. I am still in love with my new phone!!




I literally got there over an hour early to find seats to suit all of my moms desires. Closest to the car as possible, as few steps as possible, and close to the bathroom. This left us on the 10 yard line and as far away from the graduating class as possible! But at least we were there for her, and really, that's all that mattered.




It was a class of 344? Jessie really is in this picture you guys. :)




This girl loves her Dad! This picture was taken on Mother's Day. At breakfast, she gave him a card, and wrote on the envelope, Mr. mom.
(I had to steal her Instagram so I could show you just how cute they are together, and the sweet message she wrote about him.)







Jessie started playing soccer in grade school and continued through High School, and also was a pretty awesome Cheerleader! She actually went to my High School, so its pretty cool to see her in her Shawnee Mission North Indians Cheer uniform!





Seriously, dontcha wanna hug that kid??




This is the gigantic tattoo she got in honor of her mom. (Ouch!) The stem of the flower is her moms birthday.




This picture is included simply because I love it!




Jessie makes me smile. I've tried to be the best Aunt possible to her and to always let her know I am there for her. I hope she knows how much joy she has brought to me just by being Jessie.

Congratulations Jessie!
You truly are a Strong, Amazing, Kind and Beautiful Woman!
I Love You!

14 Weeks POST-OP

I went to see the Doc on Tuesday morning to find out if I needed the dreaded CORTOZONE shot in my shoulder to make PT move along a little faster, and in general, see how I am doing and where I am at on my mobility.

Great News! I am still improving, and at this time, the CORTOZONE shot is not necessary.

Mobility.

I can put my right hand on the top of my head, but not without discomfort. I am getting there though. I can not quite put my right hand on my hip, but I am Sooooooo much closer to being able to do that. The biggest goal now is to get to where I can put my right hand behind my back. Apparently this is the most difficult for everyone, and eventually it WILL happen. I can't quite lift my right hand straight above my head, but I have improved greatly since from weeks ago.

Stability.

I actually can move my arm further on all of the above task, with assistance. This is good. When they ask me to do certain things, I request doing them with my left arm at the same time. It's like my right arm forgot how to do certain things all by itself. I find this to be very strange, but they say its actually quite common.

Strength.

I passed all the test with flying colors. I think I have no strength at all, but apparently if you can resist the Doc trying to push your arm down, that's awesome!

Bootcamp?

Not yet. Doc wants to see me again in four more weeks and prescribed me four more weeks of physical therapy, three times a week, and physical therapy at home twice a day. At home therapy will likely continue for the next several months.

I hate feeling so flabby and weak, so I asked if I could try a plank or a push-up. Doc said I could try, but he would be surprised if I could hold a plank for more than 10 seconds!!! Urg.

Then we discussed the possibility of a CORTOZONE shot at my next appointment. I guess it really numbs things up and would allow me to push through a movement that I can't seem to push through. I asked him to explain to me in detail the shot. So he did. I then thanked him and told him I was nervous before we talked about it, and now there is pretty much no chance at all that I will want that. He said...."I just like to be honest" which is actually one of the things I like the most about this Doc!

I plan to push through the next four weeks and avoid the shot.


Okay, food and exercise.

Exercise

I did not plan my errands well yesterday, and should have gotten out of bed earlier and walked. Needless to say, I did not exercise. Feeling a little frustrated with myself about that because I know I need it to reach my goals on my timeline, and I want to make sure I figure out how to schedule my days better so that doesn't happen regularly, even after reaching goal weight.

Food

I really wanted a good weigh in at the surgeons office because, the tech that weighs me in, and I, have become buddies. I let him know that his scale is a good three to four pounds off, and he actually agreed. We talk about WW and exercise and etc. After weighing in, he looked at my chart, smiled, and said.....

"Nice job!!!"

:)

Totally worth only having coffee and milk for breakfast.

Then to Hy-Vee for a nice big salad full of veggies, kidney beans, edamame and grilled chicken.

Lots of snacks yesterday.....

Fruit, yogurt, veggies and Peanut Butter and banana toast late in the afternoon.

Then I took a ziploc bag full of leftover chicken breast to the graduation. Weird, I know. But It was all cut up in bite size pieces, and it was protein, and it was convenient. Otherwise I would have had dinner at 9:30 pm. I was simply sitting in the stands waiting on everyone anyhow, so there I sat, eating my chicken, drinking my bottles of water.

When I got on the scale this morning, I knew I had made really good food choices, no matter how dorky my chicken in the bleachers was.








Tomorrow? An update on Tess. She started her job on Monday and could NOT be happier!!


Congratulations to all the Graduates!!


"love the life you live, live the life you love"

A Great Day Outside

I was very committed to my treadmill during the cold and rain, but I was really ready to get outside and finally BREATHE......

And as much as I do enjoy the path through our neighborhood and the ridiculously large family of turtles that I like to say "hello" to, I like to change up the scenery on occasion.

Heritage Park is fairly close to home, and made a perfect "Meet in the Middle" spot for me and a friend. It's always good to catch up with a friend while getting in a little exercise!

If you take the right paths, it's a little over 2 miles around the lake. I took a wrong turn on the second lap, and came up shy of my 4 miles, but I was in a hurry to get home to the carpet cleaners so they could clean up the coffee disaster I made last week, so what was done, was done.

(I LOVE MY NEW IPHONE AND ALL THE APPS!)




Here's just a bit of the scenery I was able to enjoy......




















After the carpet cleaners left and the laundry was going, and dinner was prepped, Tucker Man and I took a time out in my new hammock.




He might like it just as much as I do.




He insisted on trying to lay on every inch of it.




I tried to explain that lying in the middle really works best.




He can be a bit stubborn.




Look at him PRETENDING to be comfortable!




Then he discovered being by my side was best. Then I drifted off for a short nap.






I woke up to the smell of something on my neighbors grill, and as much I hate our grill, and can't wait to get a new one, I lit it and cooked up some yummy chicken breast to top our Caesar Salad with.

We enjoyed dinner on the deck!

I just didn't want to go inside for the rest of the night! If I could have, I would have folded laundry on the deck, but I really didn't want to carry it all that far.

:)















"love the life you live, live the life you love"

Family Brunch, Family Dinner.....success in Points!

After my motivational meeting with my coach on Saturday morning, I am prepared for a very successful week!

I am going to give you way more details about my food choices in this blog than I am certain you care to know, but I really felt good at the end of the day, and the details of how I got through it were important to me, and were also the result of meeting with my coach and feeling motivated.

Mike and I met my mom, my niece and my brother at Ihop, (apparently the only place my mother will go for breakfast), at 11:00 for our first celebration of the day.

Me, Mom, Niece




I think my Mom said...."I'm going to look so short in between the two of you!"
We told her she looked short no matter what.
I'm 5'5". Mom's 4'8".

:)




I love this kid! She makes me so proud.




I prepared myself for brunch by eating some scrambled egg whites and a couple of clementines before we left the house to go to Ihop. It felt silly to basically "eat a meal" before we went to "eat a meal", but the yogurt I had at 7:00 am wasn't enough and I did not want to show up at the "House of Pancakes" with my stomach growling, and pancakes were sounding DELICIOUS!!

Have you ever ordered something for yourself from the children's menu? Well, I hadn't. Ihop actually has the calorie count listed beside several items on their menu, including the children's menu! I liked this! I ordered the "Baby Cakes" from the children's menu! My meal included 5 silver dollars pancakes, Egg Beaters (I substituted Egg whites) and one slice of turkey bacon, which I didn't eat. My meal was 210 calories and I believe $3.99!! Bonus!!

The weather was great, so when we got home from brunch, I headed out for an easy 4 mile, one hour walk. I'm so excited about all the cool apps on my iPhone!!!





Later in the day, we headed to my in-laws, but before we left, I filled up on fresh fruit and water. I decided to take my big plastic cup with the lid and straw with me to the in-laws. I knew if I had it with me, I would continue to drink extra water, which I did. The Dinner Menu? Turkey, Ham, buns for sandwiches, potato salad, potato casserole, baked beans, green salad and pineapple and strawberries for the kids. Without even thinking about it, I put on my plate one piece of turkey, one piece of ham, no bun, 1/8 cup of potato salad, 1/8 cup of potato casserole, no baked beans, LOTS of green salad with a tiny bit of Ranch, and lots of strawberries! Once I realized I actually had points left for the day, I made a pot of coffee and had a small slice of cake! It was perfect and I left with my appetite completely satisfied and satisfied with the decisions I made.

The best part of the day though, was meeting the newest addition to the family!

Little Rylynn is the fourth great grandchild for my in-laws, and they were loving all the hugs and kisses and picture taking time!



The days eats.....






Feeling Happy!!





"love the life you live, live the life you love"