2011 - A Year of Promise

A Year of Promise. That is really what every year is, isn't it? A year full of possibilities, of dreams, of questions, of wondering where I will be and what will have happened in exactly one year from now and is it at all what I was hoping it would be? I am not one to wax philosophical so I won't but I really do love new beginnings and wondering ever so much about the journey that lays ahead!

I am not as keen on looking back at what as happened mostly because I hate looking at my shortcomings! Exactly one year ago today, I made these choices:

1. No sweets. That's right - no chocolate, no Kit Kat bars, no cheesecake, no Pepsi, no Saucy Hot Fudge Pudding, no homemade Hot Fudge Sauce to smother my ice cream, no Slurpee's, no homemade iced tea - get the point??!!
2. Run 500 miles. That sounds a little extreme, however, if you break it down, it is only 1.36986301369 miles per day or 9.61538461538 miles per week. Totally doable! Check out the running woman on the side to watch my progress.
3. Lose weight! #1 and #2 should help with this. So will Jillian Michaels and Billy Blanks. One of the reasons I love being pregnant is because I don't worry about my weight. If I have a big tummy, it is for a reason. Now I have no excuse (and I don't consider 5 kids an excuse!!). So, by the time 2011 rolls around, I'd like you to see about 15 pounds less of me.
4. Read through the entire Bible. I see this one as being the most difficult. I tend to get bogged down in Leviticus and Numbers. Something about all those lists. Okay, so if I get through most of the Bible, I will consider this done! After all, just watching the state of your physical being and ignoring the state of your spiritual being is pretty useless. Hell couldn't care less if you are thin.
   There you have it. My goals for 2010.

Oh, boy! How did I do?

#1 - Success! A whole year without sweets! Some people say they could never do this! You know what, you totally can! There are sweets people and there are salty people and I am far over on the sweet end of the scale. It is simply a matter of saying no to that sweet option. Not that hard. You could totally do it. Not that I am suggesting you need to but it is a great way of stretching your will-power. At times I felt like this was a dumb decision but it was made and I am stubborn so I persevered and here I am!

#2 - Running. Oh, how I hate running. I actually did run for a few months. And I hated pretty much every minute of it. Well, some of it wasn't too bad but really, on the whole, I hate running. This was the dumbest decision I made (dumber than no sweets) and I really failed. But I am still okay. I still like me. I just don't like running! I also realized that sometimes I may set my goals just a teensy bit high. Maybe just a tad unrealistic. You think? So maybe just setting more reasonable goals (for myself and those around me) would be a really good thing to do!

#3 - Lost weight! I started the year at 142 pounds and am now comfortably at 130lbs! I fluctuate between 129 and 132 but that is to be expected. I am lighter now than I have been my entire married life. I guess no sweets and no pregnancy probably helped! I have now dropped from a size 8-9 to a size 6 and I am no longer wearing medium but size small. For as long as I can remember, my whole adult life, I have been a medium, a size 8-9. It feels really weird to be shopping in the small section or looking to see if they have a size 6. I swear the selection is smaller! But, I am so excited to have lost about 12 pounds and couldn't be more proud of myself!

#4 - Read through the Bible. This is my greatest disappointment and, unlike running, I really feel I failed in this. I admitted when I made this choice that it would be my toughest and it was. Why is it so very hard to take a few moments a day to spend pretty much zero energy (as opposed to running) to read my Bible. I know it is a battle but this is one I really want to win. I will not give up on this. I will read through my Bible in a year one of these years!

That brings you up to speed on how last year's goals went. I am not one to make resolutions. I rarely do, actually. But I will make one this year. Only one. One that is very important to me. READ MY BIBLE! I bought myself The 365 Daily Promise Bible in the New Life Version. It features one of God's promises for every day of the year. Each day contains a OT passage, a NT passage and a passage from the Wisdom Literature (Psalms, Proverbs). Hopefully this year will be my year of victory. Hey, if I can go a whole year without sweets, I can read through the Bible, right? I mean, how hard can it be??!! :)

Now I am off to have a steaming cup of hot chocolate, something I haven't indulged in in over a year and accompany it with some Death By Chocolate Trifle! Mmm, mmm, good!

I'm Dreaming of a Dark Chocolate Cheesecake!

Only 25 hours and 47 minutes, people! Do you have any idea how long I have waited for this moment? I do! I have waited 524, 113 minutes! Yup, in only 25 hours and 46 minutes (time is a ticking!) I CAN HAVE CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!! And I am just a wee bit excited! And the first bite of sweets to cross my lips and tickle my tastebuds? I've done a lot of thinking and cheesecake it is. Deep Dark Chocolate Cheesecake drizzled with Raspberry Coulis and garnished with a hint of whipped cream! Oh, I think I shall die, it will be sooooo good. A little dramatic, yes, but you try going an ENTIRE YEAR without sweets and then see how much you look forward to that first delicious bite! Jay was smart enough to buy my favorite chocolates for my stocking - Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, M&M's, Chunky Kitkat, Ferrero Rocher, other dark chocolate goodness (actually only the Reese's were actually in the stocking, the rest I am supposed to pretend I don't know about but I was right there when he bought it!). Oh, I am drooling with excitement! Gotta go pull out the cream cheese from the freezer so I can make the cheesecake first thing in the morning to give it time to chill before MIDNIGHT! I have never looked forward to January 1 with as much anticipation as I am right now (and I am now down to 24 hours, 38 minutes)! What does January 1 hold for you?

Resolution Check-In - March 1

February was a good month in some regards and not-so-good in others. Here is the monthly check-in.

Here are the goals (in black) and my updates (in red).

1. No sweets. That's right - no chocolate, no Kit Kat bars, no cheesecake, no Pepsi, no Saucy Hot Fudge Pudding, no homemade Hot Fudge Sauce to smother my icecream, no slurpies, no homemade iced tea - get the point??!!

Much better this month. Less temptations and no "accidents!" Only 10 more months to go!

2. Run 500 miles. That sounds a little extreme, however, if you break it down, it is only 1.36986301369 miles per day or 9.61538461538 miles per week. Totally doable! Check out the running woman on the side to watch my progress.

Okay, so if you have been checking my running woman, her numbers haven't changed. That's because I lost track of what I had posted on the blog somewhere along the line. Thankfully, I always write on my calendar what I ran. So, last month I only ran 29.15 miles. With 28 days in the month, I should have ran 38.356 miles. My total for the year is 70.9 miles which puts me 9.9219 miles behind for the year. However, I am not concerned. I have been able to run 3 miles at 5.7 mph a couple of times and it has become quite comfortable. I see myself making up those lost miles easily. Personally, I feel like I am farther ahead than last month just because of the speed and distance I am now able to run. I have even run at 6 mph on numerous occasions. So, this continues to go well!

3. Lose weight! #1 and #2 should help with this. So will Jillian Michaels and Billy Blanks. One of the reasons I love being pregnant is because I don't worry about my weight. If I have a big tummy, it is for a reason. Now I have no excuse (and I don't consider 5 kids an excuse!!). So, by the time 2011 rolls around, I'd like you to see about 15 pounds less of me!

Still losing!! I am now about 7 pounds down from January 1!! Halfway there! WOO HOO!! Oh, but Jillian and Billy haven't figured into the equation yet.

We will see if they ever do!

4. Read through the entire Bible. I see this one as being the most difficult. I tend to get bogged down in Leviticus and Numbers. Something about all those lists. Okay, so if I get through most of the Bible, I will consider this done! After all, just watching the state of your physical being and ignoring the state of your spiritual being is pretty useless. Hell couldn't care less if you are thin.

Not so good here. I am about 1 week behind. I could give excuses but I won't. I have a bit of catch up to do but my goal is still attainable and I am not about to give up!

There you have it - February's update! I hope March goes well for you and your goals!

Resolution Check-In - February 1

Well, I thought I would let you know each month how my New Year's Resolutions are going. After all, I did make some lofty goals so I thought it was only right of me to keep you updated as to how things are going.

Here are the goals (in black) and my updates (in red).

• No sweets. That's right - no chocolate, no Kit Kat bars, no cheesecake, no Pepsi, no Saucy Hot Fudge Pudding, no homemade Hot Fudge Sauce to smother my icecream, no slurpies, no homemade iced tea - get the point??!!

So far, so good. Actually, I have a confession. 2 of them. I did eat chocolate. Totally unintentionally. Honest! I made pancakes for the kids and put chocolate chips in them. I had them on the serving plate and the chocolate chips were on the underside. I started munching away on it when I realized I was eating chocolate. About 6 chocolate chips. I know, I know. I felt terrible. It has nothing to do with my will-power failing, just my brain going dumb for a moment. After all, I was the one who put the chocolate chips in them! I should have remembered. Confession #2. We went over to some dear people's house the other day for lunch (rarely happens that we get invited to someone's house for a meal). I took a sip of the juice without realizing there was 7-Up in it. I promptly gave the rest to my daughters and drank water for the rest of the day. My will-power is holding up just fine. It is tempting sometimes to eat the wonderful sweets I still make but I just grab some water and start cleaning instead. So, all is good!

• Run 500 miles. That sounds a little extreme, however, if you break it down, it is only 1.36986301369 miles per day or 9.61538461538 miles per week. Totally doable! Check out the running woman on the side to watch my progress.

If you have been checking out my little running woman, you will see that I am at 41.75 miles! I need to be running 1.369 miles per day to reach my goal so I should be at 43.835 miles by now. I am only 2.08 miles off my goal. That is fantastic. I started the month running 1.5 - 2 miles per day about 5 days per week at a speed of 4 mph. I know, I know, I can walk at that speed. However, I am now running 2 - 2.5 miles per day at 5 - 5.5 mph. That is what I love about a treadmill. It is so much easier to measure your progress. Ultimately, my goal is to run at 6 mph 3 miles per day.

• Lose weight! #1 and #2 should help with this. So will Jillian Michaels and Billy Blanks. One of the reasons I love being pregnant is because I don't worry about my weight. If I have a big tummy, it is for a reason. Now I have no excuse (and I don't consider 5 kids an excuse!!). So, by the time 2011 rolls around, I'd like you to see about 15 pounds less of me!

I have lost weight! About 3-5 pounds, depending when I weigh myself. I also bought a body fat/hydration scale but I am still figuring out how to get consistent results. Who knew that hydration levels could affect body fat levels so drastically??!! I still don't get the relationship. All I know is, I need to drink even more water than I already do, which is a tonne. See, this scale says that I am on the low level of hydration, and I drink a lot of water, and my husband is on the high end of hydration and he hardly ever drinks anything. I don't get it! Anyhow, yes, with all the running and no sweets, I have lost weight. I am seeing definition in my calves and by my hip bones. And I bought a pair of size 7 pants that actually fit me! I am soooo excited! All this work is paying off!

• Read through the entire Bible. I see this one as being the most difficult. I tend to get bogged down in Leviticus and Numbers. Something about all those lists. Okay, so if I get through most of the Bible, I will consider this done! After all, just watching the state of your physical being and ignoring the state of your spiritual being is pretty useless. Hell couldn't care less if you are thin.

Thanks to a Bible reading plan sent to me by a friend, I am keeping up with reading my Bible everyday. Some things I still don't get, like the entire book of Romans (something about the Romans class I took at college really gave me a dislike for this book. It just makes no sense to me. Having to dissect EVERY. SINGLE. VERSE. really killed it. I digress). Other than that, this is going well, too!

So, there you have it. I made it through January without any hot chocolate, the thing I miss most! Ice-cold fruit smoothies, though delicious, just don't give you that same cozy feeling on a bitterly cold winter evening! Only 11 more months and 458.25 miles to go!

New Year, New Me!

As usual, we rang in the New Year with style - our own style! A long time ago, before we started "smothering my parents with grandchildren" (quote from Christmas - couldn't resist, Dad!!) we would get together with our dearest friends and spend the evening dipping various delectable treats in chocolate and chatting away while waiting for the New Year to finally arrive. This tradition started before Jay and I were even married and continued until after our son arrived, maybe even until after our second son arrived. However, with the continuation of our kids and the arrival of theirs, the tradition for us has changed to just include our family. We were hoping to make it happen again this year with the whole big clan but they were sick and have a brand-new-less-than-2-week-old baby girl in the house. Oh well! So, shirts off (uh, just the kids - though Jay would like to see that change to include me, too! Go figure!!) and chocolate on, our New Year now includes chocolate, fruit and marshmallows with our kids and a bedtime that precedes midnight! What a lot of fun!

I made sure to enjoy every ounce of chocolate I could possibly shove in my face seeing as I won't be indulging in some for another year! Yup, you read that right! So, in no particular order, here are my goals for 2010. Now, if you know me at all, I don't usually do this. I am not a New Year's Resolution kind of girl. I laugh at the people that make the goal on January 1 and break it on January 2 and again on January 3, etc. etc. I have been percolating these ideas for a while and I have a vast amount of determination soooooooooo:

1. No sweets. That's right - no chocolate, no Kit Kat bars, no cheesecake, no Pepsi, no Saucy Hot Fudge Pudding, no homemade Hot Fudge Sauce to smother my icecream, no slurpies, no homemade iced tea - get the point??!!


2. Run 500 miles. That sounds a little extreme, however, if you break it down, it is only 1.36986301369 miles per day or 9.61538461538 miles per week. Totally doable! Check out the running woman on the side to watch my progress.


3. Lose weight! #1 and #2 should help with this. So will Jillian Michaels and Billy Blanks. One of the reasons I love being pregnant is because I don't worry about my weight. If I have a big tummy, it is for a reason. Now I have no excuse (and I don't consider 5 kids an excuse!!). So, by the time 2011 rolls around, I'd like you to see about 15 pounds less of me!


4. Read through the entire Bible. I see this one as being the most difficult. I tend to get bogged down in Leviticus and Numbers. Something about all those lists. Okay, so if I get through most of the Bible, I will consider this done! After all, just watching the state of your physical being and ignoring the state of your spiritual being is pretty useless. Hell couldn't care less if you are thin.

There you have it. My goals for 2010. And I am so excited to see what this year brings. After all, in a house with 5 children aged 6 and under, excitement is always around the corner!