Upcoming Family Plans

I know it is still a little ways off but I am just so excited. We are going to Disneyland and California Adventure towards the end of October. We have been there two other times with K but both times we went it was in April (perfect weather and perfect crowd sizes). This time we are going to go in October so that we can enjoy the Halloween decor that will be in both parks. Check it out. I have a feeling that despite the fun decor we will have to deal with icky crowds (my least favorite thing). We tried booking at the California Grand for one weekend and it was completely booked and I mean completely (no deluxe rooms, no standard, no downtown Disney view, NOTHING). So we opted to go the following weekend and were able to get reservations at the Grand. We weren't willing to stay anywhere but the Grand.

Can I just say that the Grand is truly grand! We have stayed at the regular Disneyland hotel and were not impressed. It is convenient for going to the park and good for a family's budget but it definitely lacks in a lot of ways too. If you are willing and able to spend a little more money, the Grand can not be beat for both convenience and amenities. We stayed there last time so we will do the same this time around. I do not think we will ever stay anywhere else when we visit again in the future.

A cute story I have to tell is that the last time we were at the, Grand, we bought a whole bunch of Nightmare Before Xmas toys (plush figures, Jack Burton themed "Mickey" ears, etc). We brought it to our room when we came back for a mini nap after lunch, before going back out for more fun. When we returned at the end of the day, after dinner, the room service folks had set up all the Jack toys on one of the beds, left a little note, and took a picture of all of the toys set up at the head of the bed. What a great experience and surprise that was for our son (who is a Jack fan). The turn down service made for a fun experience.

I have one more story to praise the Grand experience. We brought a bag of toys to keep K busy during the drive there and during downtime in the hotel. We ended up forgetting that bag when we left. We forgot some of his favorite toys (oh no)! Somehow the toy bag ended up under a bed (I think that was where it was). So many many hours after checking out and getting home, we called to see if they had located the bag in our room but at that point they had not found it. However, they said it could still be with the janitorial folks who may have picked it up when cleaning the room. Sure enough, a few hours later they called us, had located it, and Fed-Ex'ed it to us.

We are just going to make it a weekend trip (leave Saturday morning to do the 5 hr drive and then spend half a day in California Adventure park Saturday, a full day in the Disneyland park on Sunday, then another half day in both parks on Monday (or whichever 1 park we feel we need more time at). Then we make the drive home Monday afternoon, hopefully before hitting the LA traffic (ugh). What will make this trip special, aside from it being during Halloween is that we will be bringing my mother. We are bringing her because she has never been to Disneyland and has always wanted to go. She is very happy to hear she is invited. Hopefully she can tolerate the non stop walking and standing.

Next weekend we are going to see the Walking with Dinosaurs show. K is too old for dinosaurs (never really been his thing either) but it should be a fun outing just the same.

Oh I am so excited to be going to Disneyland again.

My Reminder Repost

I am reposting this first post that I ever put on my blog. I need this reminder to myself to get back on track again.

Today I am CHOOSING to become healthier and in turn more fit. I am CHOOSING to be healthier so that as my son grows up I will still be alive to watch him grow up, give him advice, and to be his mom. I am CHOOSING to lose weight so that I can have a 2nd child. I am CHOOSING to eat better so that my health will improve. I am CHOOSING to become active, even if it is in small steps. I am CHOOSING to stop being overweight, eating unhealthy, eating in excess, and being sedentary.

I realize it has been a CHOICE to be the way I am today. I have CHOSEN the wrong road and I must now focus on finding the correct road. It might not be the perfect path where I eat all the right food and exercise every day. My road might have a few rocks on the path but those rocks will not impede my progress. They might stall my progress or set me back a few steps but they will not stand in my way. I CHOOSE to climb over those rocks and continue down the road I should have CHOSEN.

One might thing I am setting myself up to stumble over rocks on the path but in reality I am being realistic. I know that there is no perfect road and my path will be different from someone else's. My path might have some rocks or boulders and someone else might have pebbles or mountains in their path. I CHOOSE to acknowledge that there will be obstacles but I am also CHOOSING to do what I need to in order to overcome those obstacles.

I CHOOSE to become healthy, to get active, and to move forward. I CHOOSE my life instead of overindulgence in food. Tomorrow is no longer the day for beginning this process. Today, I CHOOSE today as my starting point. I will not look back on past failures but will instead look forward towards success.

Just an update

Not a lot happening right now. It has been another busy work at week. I just finished dealing with meetings today so tomorrow should be a little calmer (though there is a conference call in the am).

K has been well behaved. He goes back to school next week (Aug 21). I can not believe he is going into first grade. Where did time go? Before I know it he will be in 12th grade! I am excited about all he will learn but I am sad to see him growing up, I want him to grow up but he is still my baby. Today I asked him if he could stay my child and stay young forever to which he replied he could create a potion to drink that would let him. Ah, if only it were that easy :)

We are headed up to the Bay Area on Saturday & Sunday. We finally get to visit with papa and all the cousins. I can not wait until we can move back to the Bay Area. Having R gone 5 days a week is not fun! I miss him and more importantly K misses him. Last week when R left (at 3:30 am, so as to get to work on Monday in time), K woke to his goodbye kiss and then K got sad about R having to leave every week. He misses Dad and thinks Dad has had to work up there too long. It broke my heart that he got so upset. He has been so strong this past 1.5 yrs while we have had to live this way (for financial reasons and due to a house we need to somehow sell before we can move up north again). Poor kid missed out on Dad being able to be involved in his Kindergarten experience and now first grade! Mind you R came to any Friday event he could get to on time but he missed out on all the daytime award ceremonies where K always received awards. Poor K AND poor R. We need to get this darn house sold or rented out already. We are all soooo done with having to live apart.

I digressed. We will be headed to the Bay Area for R's work company picnic at a theme park (fun!) and then a day spent with family. R then took 2 days off so we could have a mini vacation with K before he goes to school on Thursday. Monday plans are spoiled due to an out patient surgery I am having (dermatology related) so we are basically just left with Tuesday to do something (maybe a movie).

That's all I've got for you for now. OWL has not been going well this past week (I have a visitor on its way in the next day or 2, hence horrible cravings). I am hoping to report back better OWN news on my next entry.

Slacker with posting

Yes, I have once again slacked off on posting. However, I am down 8 pounds! Yippee. I am still nowhere close to where I need/want to be in weight loss. I am not feeling any difference in my clothes yet. :(

I have not been exercising though. I got my monthly visitor followed by a bladder infection so I haven't felt like exercising. However, I have been good about watching what I am eating. I haven't journalled at SparkPeople for a little bit. I am not sure why I haven't. As soon as I can get through this infection, I'll resume exercise.

All things considered, I am pretty happy that I am down 8 pounds and staying on track with my eating.

Update on OWL

I have't been posting too much here because I've been over at SparkPeople logging all my food, exercise, and earning my SparkPoints each night. Not a bad thing in regards to staying focused on weight loss.

I think I have lost about 5 pounds. My monthly visitor arrived today (oh joy) and I have had my cravings the last few days (and I caved in a bad way). When the weekend comes around I do not count my calories like I do on the weekdays BUT I do monitor my intake and try to make better choices overall. For example I did not finish my buffalo burger when we ate out and I only took 2 little bites of the potato salad that came with it. We went for ice cream and I would have opted for sorbet but the 1 flavor they had for sorbet didn't excite me so I opted for a chid size scoop of strawberry icecream in a cup. So....when the weekend is here and we are out and about, I am not denying myself things but I am trying to make better choices thn those I made before).

I went grocery shopping today and loaded up with some fruits, some high protein and fiber) cereals, high potein bars, and 2 deli meats. I have found in my journalling that I am not eating enough protein during the week so I am hoping to remedy this problem. The one "bad" food I bought was a package of Skinny Cows (though they are not really bad as long as I account for the calories).

I do need to do more exercise this week. I have slacked off a bit with the 100 - 112 degree heat.
I will add stomach crunches into my routine this week. I will do them on the exercise ball.

I think I will formally weigh myself for an official status on Friday.

Operation Weight Loss (OWL) - Day 2

I ate great today until dinner time. Why I chose to make Hamburger Helper is beyond me. I ate a little more than I should have. But it motivated me to work out a little longer than yesterday so that has to be a good thing. I burned 339.7 calories tonight (about 100 more than yesterday).

Two other positives: (1) I was so close to eating those chips in my desk but I didn't. However, I still have not thrown them away. Hmmmm. (2) I wanted my 60 calorie Jello pudding after dinner but knowing what I had consumed at dinner, the extra 60 calories did not sound worth it so I bypassed the pudding. Yippee.

I have already washed and moisturized my face (a new habit that comes with my get healthy/look better routine), brushed (and flossed) my teeth, and I have my 20 oz water bottle next to me for the night.

Aside from my dinner selection, I made some great choices today.

Operation Weight Loss - Day 1

I do not have a lot to report without boring you with the details of what I ate/when I ate it, how many calories, etc.

I tracked my calories to the best of my ability on SparkPeople tonight and I stayed in my calorie range (I ate approx 1372 calories). Even though my range is 1200 - 1550, I personally am aiming for 1200 - 1300. I missed my burned calories goal by 2 calories. I used my elliptical for 16 minutes and burned 238.3. But the positive thing is that I exercised.

One negative thing I did today was eat a single serving bag of Lays Sour Cream & Onion potato chip I had a my desk. I knew better but it looked so good. I need to get rid of the other 2 bags of chips in my drawer before I eat them too. (Please note that chips are my biggest weakness). I ate them and I feel like they are wasted fat grams and wasted calories. Why did I eat them? To the best of my knowledge simply because I knew they would taste good.

Tomorrow is a new day. I will throw away the chips n my desk or bring them home for my son.(Really, not for me!) Ok, ok, I will throw them away or put them in the work community food cabinet.

Tomorrow's goal is 20 minutes on my elliptical.