Spring Ahead- SUCKS

I know the majority of you out there in blog land enjoy the changing of the seasons from winter to spring and you give me grief for my love of snow, but with spring comes the dreaded Daylight Savings Time of losing an hour.

I already get up at 5 a.m.  My internal clock and my furry alarm clocks make sure that my day starts bright and early and when I'm up, I'M UP.  No going back to sleep for little ole me.  I get overly excited if I make it to 6:30 a.m., think I'm on vacation.

So with the time change you would think that I would be getting up at 6, cause if I used to get up at 5, add an hour, that's 6 a.m., right.  WRONG.

Now I'm getting up at 4 a.m.  Which makes for a very long day, but then I go to bed a 9:00 p.m. like I'm 10 and have to go to school the next day.  I go to bed before anyone else in my house.  Sad when you go to bed before your own kids.

So does anyone else suffer from this syndrome.  I don't seem to have the problem when we add an hour in the fall but spring kicks my happy butt each time.  Takes about a month before I fully acclimate and get back on track.

So you think I would take advantage of this extra time and maybe get in an extra workout.  NOPE!!!  My bed takes me hostage and the covers will not let me go, so as a hostage I have to do as they demand and stay snuggled in, but I do watch tv and catch up on my media sites.  I get more done before I get OUT of bed that no wonder I feel like I'm constantly on the go.  I pay my bills on my phone, I listen to music, I find out the weather for the day, I think about what I'm going to wear to work, I check my calendar and try to figure out how to fit everything I need to complete into the rest of my day.  I text friends good morning, or I play with my fur babies til they push on my bladder to the point I have to get up and use the restroom and feed them.

So to all you who have looked forward to Spring to come,  congratulations its almost officially here, next Tuesday, March 20th is the first day of Spring, but first we get to enjoy a little light snow and freezing rain the next couple of days in my area.  So get to have a couple of snuggle days left before Spring demands our attention outside.

But Daylight Savings Time sucks, especially in the Spring when we lose an hour.  My hours are precious and I hate losing it.

So if I wish to not longer participate in DST, then I either have to move to Hawaii or Arizona, cause they don't do DST.  Maybe do Spring in Arizona, and Summer in Hawaii, cause I have to be in Iowa for Fall and Winter, cause I couldn't be in heat all year long, but I'd have an amazing tan I can guarantee you that.

So have a peachy week my friends and will work on my internal clock and see if I can get it reset before I get too grumpy and start snapping at complete strangers due to lack of proper sleep.

Doing Too MUCH all at once

Every mom knows that feeling that you are doing a thousand things as once and still not getting anything accomplished.  Well that has been my last two weeks, I am constantly busy running to and fro and I don't feel like I have accomplished anything except learn how to navigate on ice in my fancy dress boots without breaking a hip.

I used to stress about not getting things done, but hey there are only 24 hours in a day (that's right for the next week of so until Daylight savings, then we Spring forward and lose an hour). So then on that day we only get 23 hours.  We just can't win!

Time goes by and guess what you can't keep it in your pocket and you can't get it back.  So every minute deserves your full attention.  I try very hard when I'm talking to someone face to face to put my phone away.  The person I'm with deserves my undivided attention and that is what they will get, but sometimes the courtesy isn't reciprocated.

Nothing is more disheartening than when you are in the middle of a conversation and the person you are speaking to takes out their phone and starts scrolling or texting.  Am I THAT boring that you need additional entertainment in my presence?  Anyone who has met me knows that I can bring the entertainment and fun factor to a conversation to an almost deafening level, but one look at their phone and I lose heart a bit.

I know we all have busy lives, kids, husbands, family, church, friends, and community that pull us this way and that, but are we paying attention while we are in the moment.

Think about all those pictures on your phone or videos that you took that you practically watched whatever it may have been through the lens of your phone or camera.  Did you really do anything with those?  10 to 1 odds they are still on your phone or you have transferred them to the cloud or your computer and they are just sitting there.  You had full intention to scrapbook or print them out but where are they really.  Sitting and have you looked at them since.  NOPE!

Hey I'm just as guilty, but have decided to be in the moment.  To enjoy those around me and to give them my full undivided attention.

Every day is a gift, some you don't really want to open cause you know there are going to be challenge, and others you rip that wrapping paper like a me on a cupcake, if I still ate cupcake, so in general  like the Tasmanian Devil.

So my gift to you this week is to try to be in the moment.  Put your phone away, put it on silent, not vibrate and pay attention to those in front of you or around you.  You can meet the most interesting people if you JUST LOOK UP FROM YOUR PHONE!

So that's my observation this week.  Last day of February, so a new month and hopefully some sunshine, but this is Iowa, the weather is very fickle.

So have a peachy week my friends and be AMAZING!

SEX-Now that I have our attention

I apologize for my brief absence, but my world has been crazy busy, not a good excuse but good things have been happening.

I started the Body Boss program 3 weeks ago and I am noticing a change in my strength and tone, I also am so sore some days that I think, "what the heck am I doing to myself?"  It's not something that I can see at the present time but it is definitely something that I can feel.  I am able to do more of a "real" pushup rather than a partial pushup,  plus if my inner thighs and butt soreness are any indication, I am assuming that those muscles are getting the appropriate attention to be just a bit firmer to look a tad better in a pair of shorts this summer.

With everyone and their cousin getting the flu or cold around me, I've been lucky enough so far to dodge that bullet.  I think my OCD obsession with washing my hands and religious taking of all my vitamins with extra Vitamin C and Lysine in order to help my immune system is helping, but a cold or the flu at this stage in my adventure would be a bit of a backlash for my strength training, cause I can see if I don't do what the program calls for on the days I'm supposed, I can tell a grand difference heaven forbid I get a bug and am out of the game for a week or more.

So I'm going to touch on a sort of taboo subject that maybe you don't speak out about with strangers, well, I do, but shyness is not something that is in my DNA.  Since losing all this weight, my sex drive has definitely heightened.  Like on a scale of 1 to 10, I was a 4 maybe a 5, nowadays I'm like a 18.  I find myself wanting to buy pretty lingerie and what's even better, I can find things that fit and look good and aren't circus tents made of satin.

Why is talking about sex such a taboo thing among people?  We all have or think about it, some maybe more than others, but when I was heavier my drive wasn't obsolete but I wasn't dancing on poles either for attention, (ok there was this one time on a boat with my sister-in-law, but was only for one song and in our defense we had been drinking and in the sun for quite a while, right "M").

But now that I have energy and am liking the way my body looks (not perfect, my stomach is always going to be what it is, but I've had 3- 10 lb children and I liked cake so that is always going to be there.)  But I feel this need to buy PRETTY THINGS.  Before it was all about support and comfort, now I"m willing to sacrifice a little support for pretty and sexy.

Now if you had asked me before if I ever felt sexy, I would have honestly told you, "NO", randy and lustful, "YES", sexy would have been a definite no.  As the weight came on, I was very conscious of my body and even though my husband loved me no matter my size, in the back of my mind it did bother me, but at the time I was too far gone in my head to come to grips with that.

With the extra energy comes lots and lots of benefits, I don't get tired easily, I have great rebound energy and to be honest, if my husband didn't get tired, I would attack him all day long, but staying in bed all day is not always an option, kids, work, the world seem to call ort attention away but let's say it's a perk for him too.

So I consider it a unknown surprise with the weight loss.  Did I think it would increase my drive?  NOPE!  Was that ever mentioned to me when I started this adventure? NOPE!  Would I have done this sooner if someone had told me that it was be so AWESOME?  HELL YES!!!  So I'm telling you.  When you feel better about your body and yourself, your brain can concentrate on other things that maybe you forgot that you haven't focused on in a while.

I like getting dressed up and looking pretty every day. I do my nails, even just got a pedicure, which if you know me is not something I do (to put in perspective it was only my 3 pedicure EVER!), I find I put on lipstick, I take time to put on makeup.  With help and encouragement from my daughter, I pick cute outfits to wear (I ask for her help cause I want to look like a 48 year old sexy woman, not trying to look like a 20-something, I know who I am and I just want to be somewhat age appropriate)
All of these things are extremely foreign to me as I've never ever been a girly girl.  But this year I've decided to step up my game and spend time with friends, no more sitting at home watching TV, no more sweatpants and sweatshirts as my going out clothes.  I buy clothes that fit, even if they hug my curves, no more covering up, I've worked hard for what my body looks like now, I when I wear clothes that fit right, it shows.

So there you go, another story in my saga.  I've lost 110 pounds so far and in another week will be my 15 month anniversary.  I really feel I've been able to keep going.  Happiness will do that do you, you get a little taste and you can't help but get addicted and want it more.

So there you go, I feel sexy now, I'm not going professional or starting to take on a lover (ha ha) or become a cougar, but it's nice when someone compliments me on my outfit, my hair, my overall work and not that I NEED the validation, every person needs to know that they matter and even if it's a "You look great" comment, it's very nice to hear.

So if your resolution was to do better this year, don't give up. I have noticed that the gym used to be packed and now it's starting to be a bit emptier, don't give up on YOU!  You deserve to be happy and if you don't do the work, how do you expect results?

So I leave you with this fun thought?  And thank goodness it burns calories and not add them.

Year Coming to a Close-Goodbye 2017- HELLO 2018

So with only a few days left in this wonderful year of 2017.  Many pounds have been lost, much happiness has been gained.  Clothes have been purchased in smaller sizes.  Miles and miles have been ran and thousands of squats have been done.  Planks are stronger and core is building.

Now is not a time to slack, but a time to push forward and up the ante.  I haven't hit my ideal goal (Around 16 more pounds to go) that I have in my head and that will be my main goal this year along with increasing my strength and muscle.  Also I think I need to do 10 5k's this year.  These aren't resolutions, because if you have ever done a resolution, you are all gung ho the first few weeks and then you say, "forget it" (ok maybe you say something a bit more colorful, but this is a PG13 blog) and it gets put down like broccoli at a chocolate festival.

January seems to be everyone's starting point for a healthier life.  I was at my gym the other day and just marveled at how there was only a few people there, I could use any machine I wanted or floor work without having anyone next to me.  This is be a fleeting memory until February.  The first month at my gym, seems like people are coming out of the woodwork.  I have to go later in the evening to get a machine, which is fine. I say bravo to them for starting their adventure, but come the second week in February, there seems to be a bit more machines open and if the weather gets colder and snowier, it gets to ghost town status some nights.  So if your goal this year is to go to the gym, don't give up.  I started last November 2016 and made a commitment to work out at least 6 times a week.  In the winter I do the majority of it at my gym, but when it gets a bit warmer, I do like to venture outside and sometimes it's easy to slip a quick 30 minutes at home, but I work out 6 times a week as a rule.  Now it's not a resolution, it's not a goal, it just IS.  It is what I do, like breathing and blinking.  It's just something that I don't even think about anymore as HAVING to do, but as something I DO!

So when you are writing your "resolutions", be realistic, the worst squasher of resolutions is having unreal expectations.  Don't set yourself up for failure!  Set yourself up for success.  Make a goal and stick to it.  If you want to lose weight, remember every pound is a success.  If you want to quit doing or start doing something, science says it takes about 21 days before it starts to be a habit.  So give yourself a 21 day goal to see where you are.  By then, you know whether it is something that is working for you or against you.

As I re-read my blogs, I am amazed at what I shared, my warped sense of humor, and also how far I've come.  I never thought I could be where I am now, but here I am, killing it like a rock star.

So 2017 was my BIG year of change, though I officially started in September 2016, 2017 was when I did all my big milestones, hitting 100 pounds of weight loss, being able to wear a pair of size 10 jeans, being able to run, being able to do a plank for longer than 10 seconds, and being able to let go of all the hurt I was carrying for so long.  This was my biggest accomplishment, at least in my eyes.

So with 2018 just around the corner, write down what you want to see happen to you, put it in an envelope and open it in July (yes JULY), this way if you haven't quite gotten things on your list done you still have 6 months to give a another shot.

So a very Happy New Year to all my readers and to all friends and family that have given me their supports, their humor, and their love to help me this year.  2018 is going to be even better, so stay tuned.

So see you next year my friends, have a peachy New Year's Weekend!

15 MONTHS, What a difference a face makes!

So as I while I'm sitting and waiting for that jolly elf St. Nick to come to my home, I was thumbing through some old photos. And low and behold, did I find some.  I was in shock.  Shock and disappointment in myself for letting my world get so out of control that I lost myself in the process.

If you are a reader of my posts, you know I struggle with putting up my "old" photos as my memory and the actual photograph don't always seem to be the same.  I don't remember being so swollen, in my eyes it didn't seem that drastic a change.  But since my daughter and I like to snapchat, looking at my face now and seeing what my face was before my adventure is mind blowing.

Now I see a sparkle in my eyes and a glimmer in my smile, in my before pics I can feel my unhappiness, even though I'm trying to mask it, but the camera doesn't hide much.

It will be officially 15 months today, December 19th!  15 months, I can't believe I have been doing this for 15 months, I would get excited if I stuck with something for 15 days and some things 15 hours was a struggle.  I am forever grateful for those of you that message me and encourage me and compliment me on my journey.  I'm getting better at taking compliments and I am getting a strange affliction to dressing up more for work and day to day.  I like the way my clothes fit and when I slip into my size 10 jeans and they fit the way a pair of jeans are supposed to and I look in the mirror and think, "WOW, is that really me or is this one of those fun house mirrors, and I look behind me to see who the skinny person is that is standing there"

So to give me some perspective I happened along 4 pics from my before world.  The two on top are pre September 19, 2016 (that summer I believe, since I was golfing), the bottom left is one month and the bottom right is 3 months. (I only know this because of the dates on the pics, my memory isn't that good)

I wouldn't say I'm proud of these pics.  But in all honesty, I really don't remember myself like this, but it was the way I was.  Key word there is WAS!  I'm NOT going back, forward is the only key I am hitting these days.  I only get one chance at this crazy ride called life and I'm taking advantage and you can join me or you can get out of my way.

But here are my after "face" pictures.  I have lots because before I didn't want to be in the pics and know I snapchat daily because it's fun and it makes me smile even more.

Most of these were taken in the few weeks if not  days.  I am so amazed at the difference in just my face.  Ignore all the different hair colors, I like to shake it up quite a bit, so you never know what color I will be every 6 months.

So as of Dec 19th, I'm still pedaling to work.  A friend said maybe I'm tempting the snow gods cause the last time we didn't have snow fall by now was in the 1930's.  I say, bring it on.  I WANT SNOW! an I double dog dare the snow gods to bring it on.  I will even put my tongue on a pole, but only thing that would happen today is it would leave a nasty taste in my mouth.  So hopefully, my tempting fate and egging on the snow gods, perhaps they will grant me the wish of a white Christmas.

So as I wait for Santa and look forward to spending time with family and friends over this holiday weekend, I'm happy to say that I am truly and honestly happy this year.  I have no expectations, but my heart is full, my butt is smaller and if this is the best I do, just the change in my face and expressions are enough for me.

So a very Merry Christmas to all my readers and thank you for helping me along the way.  I'm not done yet, but 15 months is a big milestone in my book, cause look at the smiles I have now.  I missed out on that smile for so long, that I plan on sharing it ALOT!

Merry Christmas my friends and until next week, I wish you a peachy rest of your day!

Holiday Goodies EVERYWHERE!

So this is the season of holiday merriment and joy and time together.  But it's also the time for baking and making all sorts of amazing goodies that you only do once a year.  Every time I turn around there is a cookie or candy beckoning me to pick it up and give it a home in my belly.  There's chocolate, cherry, strawberry, fudge, nuts, cinnamon, marshmallows, and every other wonderful sugar filled concoction know to man floating about where ever I seem to be roaming.

I have to admit, I have been very tempted this year.  I not much of a sweets person anymore, in fact, they don't taste the same to me, so I guess the lack of sugar has effected my taste buds somewhat.  My biggest weakness is frosted sugar cookies.  With just the right amount of frosting on a soft sugar cookie and I practically have a 50 Shades of Grey moment just looking at them.  And if I'm being perfectly honest, if Christian Grey were standing next to me and feeding me sugar cookies, I would sacrifice a few pounds for the pleasure.  (Don't judge me!  lol)

So with the holidays, comes the goodies and also the need to lower your guard and you think, I'll just have one bite, which leads to two then to the entire thing being gone and then you decide that you have shot that goal out of the water and might as well just enjoy and suffer the consequences later.  Then later arrives and if you are anything like me, you could give yourself a good kick in the backside for being a cotton headed ninny muggins (any Elf fans out there, shout out to you).  I know I am extremely hard on myself but when it comes to others, I'm Miss Support.  It's easier to focus your energies on helping others, but you can't forget abou you.  It's not a selfish act to take care of you.  As someone who took about 47 years to figure this out, I am hopefully embarking my wisdom on you.  Now I'm not perfect and I still have the guilt, but now I tell the little man I call guilt to go sit in the corner and take a time out.

Christmas should be time of joy and wonderment.  Not a time of stress and guilt over what you are eating or drinking.  Moderation is key.  Is it easy???  HECK NO!  If it was easy, I wouldn't be writing about it and you wouldn't see hundreds of infomercials on how to lose weight.  I watch those now and think of all the money I have spent over the years to lose weight and until I decided to do a complete overhaul and go the "do or die" method of changing my life habits, nothing was going to change.  I'd probably have a nice condo in Arizona after all I have put towards the "quick fix"

So update, it's December 13th and I AM STILL RIDING MY BIKE TO WORK!  The wind and the cold can be a challenge but until I see actually white fluffy stuff on the ground, I'm going to be pedaling my butt to work every day.  I really want it to snow, not because I want to quit riding my bike, but because I want snow for Christmas!  I LOVE SNOW and I am getting all giddy with anticipation that it will be here SOMEDAY!

I did a quick step on the scale and I'm down 109 pounds, a couple pounds difference from the last time I stepped on it, but I am doing more strength training, so hopefully some of the fat that is on my body is turning into muscle.  Amazing things are happening, I can do sit ups and crunches and not have to grab my legs to get up.  I do believe I actually have a core that is working now.  I can do jumping jacks though I am still a bit apprehensive because of my knees, but I can do them where before it was a definite no go.  I get very proud of myself when I go to workout class and I can actually do what the teacher wants us to, no variation.  This is a huge ego booster and makes me want to do more.

So I'm just telling you that the journey is worth it, and maybe you have a New Year's Resolution to start working out or eating better, but why wait til January.  Take small steps and eventually they will be leaps and bounds.

So don't sweat the small stuff, especially if it's a small frosted sugar cookie.  One cookie isn't going to hurt.  But if you happen to see Christian Grey and he has a whole plateful of cookies, I say "GO FOR IT" and have an extra cookie for me!!!

Have a peachy week my friends and if you have snow, please send some my way!

Good Morning Canadian Wind!

So December is ticking away quickly.  Any one else remember when you were a kid and it seemed like it would take forever for Christmas to get here.  Well, I guess when you are doing the waiting, instead of the shopping, things go by slower.  This week we enjoyed highs in the 60's and then a wonderful Canadian breeze came in and today we are enjoying nice 20 degree weather.  And YES I did still ride my bike even though there was a windchill that made it feel like 6 degrees but hey I didn't have to use blush to get that rosy glow.  I did, on the other hand, have to wait about an hour before my ears and nose defrosted.

Been doing a lot of ab and leg work lately and boy can I feel it.  You never know how much you use those muscles until you work them out and then have to use the bathroom the next day.  Talk about a realization in the human anatomy.  You don't realize how many muscles in your abs and legs you use to get up and down until you work them to soreness.  But hey, no pain no gain RIGHT!

I also had the pleasure this last weekend to take my daughter to her first concert.  We saw KATY PERRY on her Witness Tour and it was FANTASTIC!!!!  LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!  I sang and screamed so much that as a bonus for my family, I had absolutely NO voice on Sunday, which depending on how you look at it was a blessing or a curse, depending on who you were.  But the boys seems to enjoy me being silent for a change and not silent because I was angry at one or more of them for something they did or didn't do. ha ha

I got all gussied up and wore clothes I never thought I could wear.  I didn't wear something that covered my butt and to be perfectly honest, I felt AMAZINGLY GREAT!

This working out thing is, forgive the pun, WORKING OUT!  I feel great.  And with the small exception here and there, I'm overly happy.   Which is good since it's the holiday season.  I'm not sweating the small stuff, this has been a very stress free holiday for me so far.  My kids haven't asked for much and mostly have requested time to go and do things together.  I'm way under budget for what I planned to spend this year and I am slowly but surely buying clothes that fit and guess what, when you get to my size, stuff is actually really on sale.

I'm so looking forward to the next few weeks, which are filled with parties, friends, and working out, but I'm so thankful that I went on this adventure (and am still on it) but I never in a million years thought I would feel the way I feel now.

So while I look into buying a stabilization bar to put next to my toilet at home for future workouts, perhaps I can ask Santa for one, a pretty one that has rhinestones might be nice.  So remember to take one day at a time.  If your day starts to go south, don't make that few minutes derail you from your North Pole happy place.  I know it's easier said than done, but nothing is worth anything without a little effort, right?  I mean Judy the elf took 1,200 years to perfect hot cocoa in the Santa Clause, so if you need a day, month, or year, that's just a drop in the bucket.

So as I suffer through abs and leg days and remind myself that I am paying someone to torture me on a regular basis and that I LIKE IT!  Be kind to yourself, because if you don't have your own back, who will!

So enjoy the rest of week and if you are in the Midwest, bundle up buttercups because it's going to get a little chilly out!