~ 10 lbs in 100 Days - Week 6 ~

I'm retaining water....so is this cat.

I find that during 'my week' I retain a lot more water than usual. I also prefer not to weigh myself as it's not going to be a pretty sight. It raises the question though, do you work out during your period? I generally do. Unless it's my one bad day. The rest I generally feel better by working out. Usually helps with the cramps and water retention.

Also, getting a good sleep helps with weight loss. I've heard this before. Here's an article by CBS that gives some info on that.

That's all for today, I haven't been getting enough sleep lately, and the brain is not functioning well today.

Weight loss to date.

Host - 3

M - 5

BJ - 5

CC - 6

E - 3?

T - 2

A - 6

Did I forget anyone?

~ Cruel Joke ~

Have you ever had a joke played on you, one that was just not funny. That is currently happening to me, at 12:23 am...a cruel joke. I'm tired, really tired. I've had a crazy day...but here I am blogging because if I make myself horizontal in my bed my eyes bug open and my mind starts racing and I lay awake listening to B breath. This is dumb. Why can't I sleep, after all I'M TIRED!

1. Have you ever had one of those days where you're running crazy, trying to get everything done. This kid here, that kid there, what's for dinner, where are my keys. Why are we missing a child? That happened today. Finally get home for the day, bringing in the mail, sorting through the junk, then it dawns on me....don't I have a girl? Nice mother, forgets to pick up her child. She was perfectly safe and unaware as she was playing at a friend's house, but really. Bad Mommy.

2. What is the dress code in your office. I work in an office one day a week. It's my day to dress up a little...rather than the jeans, T-shirt and hoodie that are my regular attire. I pull out all the stops. Accessories and perfume even. But others don't seem to have the same dress code standards. Putting on a jacket does not hide the fact that you are wearing Lululemon Pants. Fancy as that is, I'm sure you paid the same as the gross income of a small town for those pants, but they are still work out/lounging wear, not office attire.

3. Do you have a restaurant at your house? Normally we do not. What I make is what you get. Don't like it, well go find another mommy. I've explained to my offspring that I don't purposely make disgusting food, though they think so. I do in fact pride myself in being a good cook. In putting effort into make a variety of meals. But they assume that I'm searching the dumpster at the grocery store in search of the grossest item possible and then I cook it up and put it on our dinner table. Granted you can never win with a family of 6. Tonight was restaurant night. Thursdays often are as I work and then O has choir right as I get home. We don't walk in the door until after 5. If I have been enthusiastic then I have something quasi prepared, and if I'm amazing ( which is not often) I have something in the slow cooker. Tonight was neither of those. The quick meal at our house is pancakes and eggs. There are other quick meals, but this tends to be the one I fall back on. S does not like this meal. O tolerates it. T and J eat it like they've lived on a deserted island for the last year. Tonight consisted of Pancakes and Eggs, and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Nothing like Ketchup and Syrup mixed on the same plate.

4. I hate flies. I hate them in my house. There is a fly in my house and I can't find the fly swatter. I think it is mixed in with the recycling. I've resorted to a rolled up newspaper. Why do flies buzz so close to my face. Do I have a sandwich on there that I'm not aware of? It's like they're taunting me. "Can't catch me". Well I got the sucker today. Thank you Calgary Herald. He didn't die right away, I had to smash the crap out of him, but I don't have any anger issues. Then just as I was about to start my dance of triumph...another one flies by. Do I appear to be a woman that needs more irritation in her life?

5. I go to an Acupuncturist to help control my migraines. Notice how I haven't been talking about them lately....Acupuncture. I was asked the other day if it hurts.....um, needles in your skin. It's not that bad. My shoulder has been hurting lately when I haven't had enough sleep. Ironically it's not hurting right now. My Acupuncturist (that's hard to spell...I'll now be referring to her as Dr. A) is also a Massage Therapist. This way when she finds a particular part that the jabbing the needles doesn't help, she can drill her fingers into my muscles just to add to the experience. It would seem that my shoulder has been hurting because my elbow and lower arm are tight. My should no longer hurt, my elbow and lower arm do. I think I paid money for that.

6. We've been saving for a while to take the kids on a surprise trip in the spring. It's a surprise, remember that if you see my children.....surprise. What is currently surprising is the state of the US economy and the effect it is having on our dollar. That trip may be put on hold. I don't want to cash in my $$ at 75%.

We've been saving for a while to take the kids on a surprise trip to Lethbridge in the spring. It's a surprise.....

7. I hate running. I love running. I hate running. I love running. I hate starting a workout. I love finishing a workout. I hate increasing my intervals each week. I love getting closer to my distance goals. I hate the sweat, muscles tightness and strain. I love the scale number decreasing. I hate the shin splints and numb toes. I love the jeans fitting better. I hate running. I love running.

8. What is you're feeling on Tweens? I currently own a Tween, I'm thinking of returning him. He's mouthy, emotional, doesn't want to work, tries to parent the kids. He's starting to notice name brand clothes, and wants expensive shoes. He's also funny, starting to understand my jibes, teases his mother and is turning into a great babysitter. I think his return policy has also expired. I guess I have to keep him.

9. Guitar Hero has recently graced our home. B's brother lent it to us. For those of you that know my quiet, unassuming husband....picture him rockin' it out to Guitar Hero. Oh no, he's not good at it. He looses. But still the rockin'.

10. Our van is starting to show it's age. We've had it for 7 years. I've but hundreds of thousands of km on that thing. It was once referred to as my 72 hour kit. It has food, water and blankets in it most of the time. B prefers not to enter this area. The kids in I live in that thing regularly. There's even a movie system in there. J thinks the Van is actually named "Go Diego Go".

Can you hypnotise yourself?

You're getting very sleepy. Follow the swinging watch. Why do they say that, it just makes you motion sick, not sleepy. Listen to my voice....also, that's not relaxing, it's irritating.

You're getting very sleepy....if you take some Tylenol PM....you will get very sleepy.

You're getting very sle.......

~ 10 lbs in 100 Days - Week 5 ~

How is the intensity during your workouts? I find that increasing my intensity is stalled, not by my muscles but by my mind. My head tells me that I can't do more, when my muscles still have some capacity. This is proven as I increase my running intervals each week. Even in weeks where my workouts haven't been fantastic, I'm able to increase the interval the next week without dying. This week has been a prime example. Tuesday I ran and didn't have a lot of time, but wanted to get some kind of workout done. So I ran two 5 minute intervals. Today, I had time to do a full work out. I did four 5 minute intervals. It was tough, but I accomplished.

Increasing your intensity can also be done by keeping your intervals constant ( if you're running) but adding resistance. I do this by increasing the incline of my treadmill. By adding one minute to each of my intervals this week and increasing my incline one notch, I burned 60 more calories and ran .3 km more than last week. I'm slowly working up to the 5 km run that I have Dec 31st. Today I ran 4.02 km.

Oh, and the picture....that's just for a little inspiration!!

Pounds - I'm down another pound - Finally! It's taken nearly 2 weeks to get off 1 pound. Frustrating! Let me hear your results this week.

Host - 3

J

E

M

C

A

T

B

~ ABC ~

Stolen from JL...

My ABC's

A= Age: 33

B= Bed size: queen

C= Chore(s) you hate- cleaning bathrooms, folding laundry

D= Dessert you love: cheesecake

E= Essential start your day: Cereal and Newspaper

F= Favorite actor(s): Owen Wilson - he's funny.

G= Gold or Silver: Silver

H= Height: 5' 8

I= Instruments you play: piano

J= Job title: Mom, Maid, Babysitter, taxi,bookkeeper

K= Kitchen color(s): tan and burgundy

L= Living arrangements: me, hubby and the kids

M= My name is: Tiffany

N= Nicknames: Tiff

O= Overnight hospital stay: too many to count

P= Pets: Fish and a Snake

P= Favorite quote: "You irk me, you're irksome.

"R= Right or left handed: right

S= Siblings: 3 younger brothers and 1 sister

T= Time you woke up today: too darn early

U= Unique about you: Can wiggle my ears

V= Vegetable you love: Tomatoe

W= Worst habit: - Procrastination

X= X-Rays you've had: Everything - I've had a MRI

Y= Yummy food you make: everything, of course

Z= Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

My ABC's aren't much different than JL, likely why we are such fans of each other!!

Now you know my ABC's ~ I want to know yours!

~ What's up Dock?! ~

It's been a busy week.

Something about having a long weekend, as great as that is...gets me behind for the rest of the week. Last weekend was crazy with my grandma's funeral and then Thanksgiving. I had very little sleep and a lot to do. As a result, I was in semi-comatose state when I showed up to work on Tuesday. I only work one day a week, and it wasn't a good one. So I muddled through and continued on a week destine for disaster.

I'm hoping this week is better. For one, the Monday is actually falling on Monday.

Fun on the weekend - The Corn Maze

A and I had been talking all summer about taking the kids to this fun filled destination. We never seemed to get it done.

This weekend we went and had a great time. It's about 30 minutes east of us (Hey JL, that's also about 30 west of you...check it out) It was a sunny day and the kids had fun running through the corn trying to find the end. They were rewarded with a cookie from the nice lady and it was a fun time.

You know.....the corn.

B is excited - J is unsure.

This little ear of corn is happy? It was sunny.

Having a snack afterwards...once again J is unsure about his choice of family.

Piece of licorice in his mouth, not a tumor.

And now I sit here, in my running apparel, trying to summon the energy to get on my treadmill. I didn't sleep well, I'm dragging.....

Maybe I'll perk up by making snarky comments about life and others = )

1. The purpose of the corn maze is supposed to be fun.....yes? So fun, in this case, is defined by being lost. We enter the maze and the kids immediately take off in every direction. We're not sure if the little ones are with the big ones, or if the little ones have wondered back out to the highway. We can't check, because of course, we're lost. So the adults are now wandering together. No children in site, just a bunch of adults wandering through the maze thinking they're having fun, when really....they're lost. Random children are encountered at various turns, crying is heard and a 'lost' child found. At one point we actually find ourselves back at the entrance. Do we exit with relief that our lives can now continue and we will not have to wander for eternity...no....we turn around and go back into the maze. Like we were having such a blast the first time around.

2. I'm drowning in work. I know I said I was cutting back, and I have....significantly actually. But at the moment I'm losing my battle with the paperwork. It's a good thing for the $$. Sept/Oct are expensive months. Back to school, back to sports, back to life. It's pricey. T is in Scouts and Basketball. S is in Activity Day Girls and Basketball. O is in Preschool, Choir and Soccer. Mom is in denial, Dad is in confusion. J - he lives in his own world, it's free for now.

3. Why do we get so much junk mail. We recycle.... a lot. We try to reduce our disposal. But man, the amount of paper that comes through this home. If I wanted to lose weight in 30 seconds, date unknown men, win a kabillion dollars or go on a dream vacation to Acme....I'd be set.

4. Friday night we have K&C over and watch a movie. We have a multitude of movies to choose from. So we choose Leatherheads. Well C chose it...I'll blame him. It's a fine enough movie, but to give you the full story.....oh, I can't remember. Someone was snoring during the movie, and it wasn't me.

5. Hey DD - Happy Birthday!

6. And Miss JL - man you're getting old....I am so much younger than you!! = )

That's it...I can't even make it to 10. So sad that I'm so tired that I can't think of bad things to say about people....that's really tired! As Mr. O says..."I'm running out of Awake"

~ Season of Thanks ~

14. I am thankful for BJG who is an amazing SIL and and even great photographer....thanks for the new pics.

15. I am thankful for great friends, who support me and drop their lives to help me when I am in need....thanks for the help DD.

16. I am thankful for a large family.

17. I am thankful for a great hair stylist. It's trite, I know...but I'm never worried when I sit in her chair.

18. I am thankful for my treadmill. It's getting chilly out there.

19. I am thankful for vehicles that work, electricity that powers and water that flows from my taps.

20. I am thankful for a good books.

~ 10lbs in 100 Days - Week 4

I've decided that Thanksgiving Dinner and weight loss are not compatible....and I had TWO dinners. So I didn't lose, but I didn't gain either, so that has to count for something.

This week it's time to measure. If you measured at the beginning, see if there is any change this week. Sometimes you'll start losing inches before pounds.

Welcome and Congrats to Miss CC who lost 5 pounds last week. 5 pounds!! That's craziness....especially since she lives with me, and I didn't lose 5 pounds.

Keep going, don't give up. Let me know your weight loss (if any after the Turkey)

See you next week.

UPDATED!

Host - 2 lbs - 1.5 inches

BJ - 4

M - 3.5

E - 3

C - 5

T - 2

A - 2

~ Review ~

Things I Want My Daughters to Know

I didn't think I was going to keep reading this book after the first couple chapters. It wasn't grabbing me. I'm glad I did. It's revealing story of 4 daughters who lose their mother and have to keep on living. It's real, it's honest and I enjoyed it.

~ Goodbye ~

13. I am thankful for a Grandmother that made me feel special.

Louise Shipley

Feb 11, 1918 - October 7, 2008

~ 10 lbs in 100 Day - Week 3 ~

How's the activity level going?

My brother asked me that today. We're training for the City Chase in June. Sounds a long way off, but it's a race that can take up to 6 hours, so we need to be in shape.

I personally don't enjoy being hungry. Don't know many that thrive on starvation. So I'd rather work it off, than cut back. I try to make healthy food choices, as I sit here typing with chocolate in my mouth....and I don't eat late at night. But still, I like the feeling of being relatively full.

So, I run...a lot this week inparticular. Haven't weighed yet, but I will.

Pounds so far...

Host - 2

BJ - 3

M - 2

E - 2

T - 2

JP - ?

A - ?

TH - ?

Keep at it. Next week is the four week mark and we'll all be measuring to see if the waist is a tiny bit trimmer.

~ 2 Years Old ~

The J Man turned 2 this past Sunday.

And as is said by every mother "How did he grow up so fast??!"

~ More Thanks~

I can't falter on my own challenge, so here are a few more of my Thanks for the month of thanking.

6. Family - our families are great, and not. As all families, sometimes we love them because they're spectacular, and sometimes we love them cause we share a name.

7. Jobs - I am thankful that Brian and I are employed and able to support our family and even save a little. Makes grocery shopping a lot better when the credit card clears.

8. Friends - I have the greatest friends in town, and out of town. They put up with my instanity, my Junior High love for them (that's what Mr.C calls it) and my many OCD issues. I love you guys, you keep me going.

9. Old Friends - not to say they are aging or aged, but to say they've been in my life a while now. Miss TH, I found picture of A & S together in the bath when they were small and we lived our lives together. I miss living our lives together. I miss you.

10. Faith - in the last six months or more, I have had a struggle with my own personal faith. But as I slowly come back from a spiritual absence I am becoming more and more grateful for the patience of One who knows me well.

11. Sister in Laws - I have three SIL. I am slowly getting to know them. I have always been a lover of males, they are easy to figure out. The female persuasion however, they are a little complex. I am grateful for SIL's that teach me a little and allow me to slowly learn.

12. Chef - I am grateful for a mother that taught me to cook.

~ Month of Thanks ~

October is Thanksgiving here in the Great White North.

I challenge all to post what they are thankful for....I'm doing 31 for the days. May I start with the most obvious, and most important.

1. Brian - I am thankful for the amazing man that I share my life with. He is opposite to me in nearly every way....and its works for us.

2. T - This boy is the greatest challenge I face as a parent, and yet amazes me nearly everyday.

3. S - My beauty is kind and loving, patient and accepting, funny and smart....she's all me, and all Brian, which of course makes her perfect.

4. O - this boy is ray of sunshine in our home. He's always happy, he's always funny, he's my snuggle bug.

5. J - This little man has been easy goin' since the first day. He was an easy baby and continues to just fit right into our family. He's Mr. O's shadow. He's crazy and fun, snuggly and stubborn, loving and silly.

I continually feel inadequate to shape the lives of this family. Constantly feel like I'm failing them and yet see glimpses that possibly I'm succeeding a little everyday.

~ City Chase 2009 ~

Why do I keep signing up for races that I'm not in shape for??!!!

My brother D and I are going to be partners in this race, pretty excited. Good thing I have 8 months to train for it.

~ Reviews ~

Before I Die By Jenny Downham

I didn't finish this book. The premise is that the 16 year old girl is dying of cancer. She, of course, has a list of what she'd like to do before she dies. However, the first item is have sex. Then proceeded to have a detail account of her first experience with a guy she meets at a bar. Thanks but no thanks...I have too many book on my TBR list. Not highly recommended.

Last Light by Terri Blackstock

This books is about a modern world completely shutting down and civilization learning to continue life without any power. If was an interesting story, and certainly one that puts my own prepardness level into focus, but the writing was great.

10 lbs in 100 Days - Week 2

Week Two - any success?

I'm here to report that I lost 1.5 pounds....for a total of 2. Small numbers, but a start.

My tip for the week.

I find that if I leave my runners on all day, I get more done. Try it. Not that comfy to curl up with a book and your shoes on. I tend to to keep on working around the house. I noticed that Flylady suggested the same thing. Wake up in the morning, get dressed right to your shoes. Start your day off with a bang and keep on going.

Let me know how much you lost this week.

Totals I've received so far.

Host - 2

BJ - 3

M -2

E?

JP?

A?

TH?

JL?

Come on slacka's.....give me your numbers.

What is my plan to stay motivated? Just signed up for a 5K race with my SIL.....on DEC 31ST!! I'll have to keep running just to keep my pituty warm.