The Plan 2010: How's It Going?

Hi from snowy Tulsa. My 8 year old is wishing for another snow day and at the moment, I'm about 50/50 at the possibility. The roads outside the neighborhood are clear, but the neighborhoods are pretty icy. This has given me plenty opportunity to think about how THE PLAN is taking shape for 2010.

Health: Lose the last 15 pregnancy pounds. So far, that is not happening for me. In fact, I've gained 2 pounds. For February, I'm going to increase the intensity of my workouts and really focus on my fruit/vegetable intake for the day. I'm also going to cut out unnecessarycarbs/sweets and see if that helps the number on the scale. By workouts, I'm going to work my way up to running a 10 minute mile non-stop and continue with interval sets of abs and arm work.

Personal:

• A co-worker returns February 4th and I'm going to focus this month on remaining positive and secure in my other relationships that I've built while she was gone.
• Money-wise, my goal was to keep my credit card statement under $1000. Although that did not happen (read: snow/ice storm and poor planning) I'm going to work on that for the month of February.
• Knitting-wise, my goal is to knit a pair of socks per month, which I did thank you very much. I'm already planning some February socks and here are January's:
• On the marriage side, I'm going to find a place to wear those sexy-mama shoes I bought at Ross a few weeks ago. Aren't these full of the AWESOME?

My knitting friends say I need to just wear the shoes and that's all...something to consider...

Weight Loss Wednesday

136.5 still.

This is after exercising 6x in 10 days (400 calories each time) and eating a 1300 calories/day diet.

But there was one mess up: Saturday night I had a few drinks before and after my employee banquet. I think that is why my weight-loss is unchanged. I spent a few days recovering from that.

So I guess it's true that you can have your wine and be skinny too.

Where's Your Skinny Pictures?

me and Vincent in 2006

Can't find your skinny pictures? You have 2 choices:

1. Give up and continue eating in your same pattern, hoping for different results.

2. Get going and start eating/exercising for living and make some more skinny pictures!

So, I was looking for some inspiration pictures for my fridge and phone and could not find them anywhere. I think they were taken pre-digital camera. I know that I was my fittest when I ran a 1/2 marathon with my sis-in-law Teal.

So I have recommitted to eating better even more. Here's what i've been doing this week:

1. Eating raw or juicing for at least one meal and snacks.

2. Drinking my weight in ounces of water minimally daily.

People who are involved with the whole raw food movement are so very helpful in getting newbies started. I found Penni Shelton of Real Food Tulsa last summer and signed up to be one of her guinea pigs for this book that she was writing. So for 10 weeks I focused on eating mostly raw fruit/veggies and dairy. At the end of the 10 weeks, I lost about 6 pounds, even with not going completely raw for the 10 weeks. In those weeks, I tried raw milk and cheese, a little drink called Kombucha, ate many fruits and veggies and had a much tighter, flatter stomach. Going through the 10 weeks helped me get back to eating real food again and helped me tame the sugar beast again.

Her book, Raw Food Cleanse: Restore Health and Lose Weight by Eating Delicious, All-Natural Foods - Instead of Starving Yourself, is a great introduction and testimony to how changing your eating habits, even a little bit, can help you become a healthier you. It's available per Amazon. She also has a network devoted to the raw food lifestyle, if you are interested.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Yay! I lost 1 pound despite drinking a scotch and/or wine for a week with my in-laws this week. I know many of you are thinking, yeah, that's water weight, but I'll take it. While they were here, I managed to sometimes limit portions and eat vegetarian when I could. And I walked with Rianne. I wish Rianne could be my personal trainer. She has so much willpower and she walks so fast my shins hurt afterward.

We celebrated Vincent's 8th birthday? It's crazy how he just keeps getting older and more mature. I still remember him as my baby.

I did manage to eat a piece of his birthday cake and then take 8 2nd graders to a place called Incredible Pizza.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Back in the saddle again with Jen from Rosey Little Things for Weight Loss Wednesday. I would like to say that I lost 2 pounds, but i haven't and here's why: schedule problems. Since Ava almost 2 years ago, I have been unable (or unwilling) to get up at 5am to go run. It's like something has switched off in my brain. Maybe it's the cold temperatures, school looming, I don't know. Pre-Ava I could get up at 4:30, wake up sufficiently and then go workout, no problems. I've been getting up about 5:30 and have not made it past my cup o'tea. So, because that's not working, I'm going to have to suck it up and go from school to the Y for my runs. That also means that my kids are going to have spend another hour somewhere else so that their momma can get a workout in. OR I'll get everyone fed, bathed and put to bed and THEN I'll go.

Diet wise, I've cut back on all the overindulgences of the holiday season, but I haven't cut it out entirely. I'm still eating a little bite of chocolate chip cookies here, and a little of the kids' dinner here.

Goals next week are to actually run 3x and to cut the food impeding my goals. Maybe then I'll be a little lighter next week.

Progress on My Sock Goal

I have started the pair of socks for January 4 TIMES! Yes, I started one pair twice on size 1's, frogged, and started another pair on size 3's twice. I'm trying this Duckies pattern and needed to change the pattern because, alas dear reader, I am not a size 9 but a size 7. The yarn isYarnPirate BFL in crocus or something like that. Not my usual colors of bright and brighter, but it's turning out nice.

On to the second one. I've heard of sock knitters not making the same sock twice, choosing a different pattern and then calling the socks fraternal or something like that. I think I'll have to do that for a pair I started like a year ago and can't remember the pattern or the how many I cast on. Is that bad?

Love Your Stash in 2010

Well for the first half of today I have cleaned/straightened the kids' bathroom, my bathroom, the kitchen drawers and cabinets and while I was doing that I thought about my plan for 2010. So here are my crafting goals for 2010:

1. Finish quilts. I have 4 quilts on my shelf in one stage of "almost finished" or another.

2. Knit a pair of socks a month, either for myself or someone. I can't believe I have enough yarn for 12 pairs of socks. I have some great sock patterns too, and a book I haven't even tried on knitting 2 socks at one time.

3. Work on my first embroidery project designed by myself. My great aunt, Mimi, had an embroidered cross-stitch sampler in her kitchen that read, "No matter where I serve my guests, they always like my kitchen best." It was so true of her! Whenever we visited, we would sit for hours in her kitchen just talking about family stories. Sometimes, this happened at 5 o'clock in the morning too, as she and Pop got up for breakfast (an a cigarette, lots of them) at that time. i have so many great memories of her and want to preserve them by hanging the same saying in my own kitchen.

4. Catch up on scrapbooking. I need to make some decisions about whether 2010 will be my last year of traditional scrapbooking or not. Although I love to scrapbook, the digital versions are so much easier and they cost less in time and money. And, that would clear off a large part of the craft closet.

All of these resolutions will help me really start to work on my craft stash. Eventually, I will need to make more decisions about the kind of fiber I want to work with as an artist because Ava will need her closet more and more as she grows up.

What are your crafting resolutions for 2010??