Weigh in Wednesday - Week 2

Woke up this morning and realized it was Weigh in Wednesday.  I ventured downstairs to the scale and proceeded to step on it............Really???  Down 1 lb.  One little lb.  Not exactly what I was hoping for since I have laid off soda for the enitre week but I guess it is still considered good news since it is minus 1 and plus 0.

I remember the first time I was told I was "fat".  I was sitting in choir class in the 6th grade and the girl sitting next to me put her hands around her thigh and was able to touch her thumb to thumb and forefinger to forefinger in a circle around her very skinny thigh.  She said, "I bet you can't do that".  I, of course, could not.  So starts the self conscious feelings of being overweight.  Through out junior high, high school, and college, I maintained a pretty good weight.  It wasn't near what the medical field would consider "normal" but I was comfortable. I exercised some.  Volleyball in the fall, softball in the spring, church softball and walks in the summer.

The problem started when I got married and went to the store and could buy whatever I wanted without mom standing behind me telling me no.  It was doughnuts, pop tarts, and chocolate milk for breakfast.  Then comes the realization that I can drive to McDonald's by myself for lunch, and dinner, and midnight snack, and breakfast the next morning.  When I became pregnant, I was eating for TWO now.  Therefore, I needed doughnuts, pop tarts, and chocolate milk times two.  After three pregrancies that would mean that I was eating alot of food. The only exercise I ever did after college was restling dogs and mean cats for their vaccinations and carrying around 10 lb babies. 

The thing that bothers me the most is that I am heavier now than I was when I was pregnant with my last child.   It has been 4 years since I had that last child.  Technically, I don't think I can keep saying "I just had a baby and this is still my pregnancy weight". 

Since my day didn't start off with the numbers I had been wanting why don't we just keep that trend going throughout the rest of the day.  So I go to KMart......to buy a swimsuit.......where the numbers were also not what I was wanting.  I took three suits, in three different sizes into the dressing room.  I started out with the smaller size, and then went to the next size, and finally had to settle on the third size I had selected which was a high number.  Thus went my mood straight into the toilet.  I decided just now that there are a couple of bright sides to this excursion to KMart:  1.  I have a swim suit for an upcoming vacation.  2.  I am even more motivated now than ever to lose this weight.  Bad news is that I just spent $30 on a swimsuit that I am hoping I will not be able to wear next summer.

I know that I won't wake up the next morning and poof the weight has disappeared.  Although that would be really cool.  I know that I have to work on it to get rid of it.  It took me years to put on and it may take me years to take off but; I need to start somewhere.  I know that I can't do it just by eating better, that I need to exercise as well.  So, here's to using what I do know and making a better try of it this next week.

A Perfect Summer Day

Today was a day I had been longing for, for a very long time.  A peaceful Sunday with nothing to do.  No softball games that needed to be played, no birthday parties to go to, no meetings to attend, no errands that desparately needed to be done, and no house that needed to be cleaned.  After we came home from church and I made the girls their lunch (Harry had to work today) I decided that with a heat index of 100 degrees or more, I was just going to relax in the recliner with a good book, probably ICarly on the tube, and the wonderful, wonderful sound of the air conditioner blowing in the background.  All of the sudden, I had 3 pairs of hopeful looking eyes staring at me and asking "Can we go swimming?".  It's too hot out there to sit with them for hours on hours watching them swim.  I can't get in the pool due to the fact that I don't have a swimsuit that fits me.  More and more negative thoughts kept flowing through my head until I finally realized: IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU! It's about them having a wonderful summer and memories to cherish when they are older.  When we were kids, there were four of us siblings, we used to swim from the time we got up until the time we went to bed.  The above ground pools started out small and eventually kept getting bigger as we got older.  We laid on rafts, we tried to see who could hold their breath the longest, who could swim the fastest under water, how many coins can we find on the bottom of the pool, and volleyball with the beach ball. Dad used to sit outside watching us while listening to the Cardinals on the radio. Everytime the beach ball went out of the pool, he would get up to get it. I don't remember him ever complaining about the million times he had to go after the ball.  I even remember us constantly going around the pool in a circle until there was a whirlpool effect and we could just glide along with it in our tube.  I wish I had a scanner to put old pictures on here.  I recently found one of the four of us in the pool all trying to sit on a blowup alligator at the same time.  We are all laughing and smiling, not a care in the world except having fun.  I preceded to tell the girls "yes" and they ran to get their suits on as happy as could be.  I still got to read my book while swinging on the swing.  I still heard the air conditioner running in the background (wasn't feeling it though).  But I also heard another sound that was sweeter than all the cool air on a hot summer day:  the sound of my girls laughing and playing, being happy, and making memories that will last a lifetime.

After Harry came home from work, he finished off the perfect summer day by doing some grilling for supper.  He made BBQ chicken breasts that were cooked to perfection.  Nothing says summer like some BBQ on the grill.

Add to that some almond rice pilaf, sweet corn on the cob, and homemade strawberry lemonade and you have a delicious summer supper.

Weigh in Wednesdays

I already know what some of you are thinking.  Here she goes again, trying to lose weight.  Yes, I'm trying it again.  Maybe one of these tries it will actually work.  I am hoping this time does the trick.  After being in the high humidity these last couple of days, I realized that I need to lose this weight or it is going to be major health issues for me.  Let's face it, I'm not getting any younger and 40 is quickly approaching.  My body is already starting to ache, I have trouble breathing when walking, my clothes look sloppy on me, and quite frankly I just don't like what I see when it comes to my weight.

So, today I start again.  I have no soda in the house, which is a very good start.  I have had a reasonable breakfast and lunch.  Patiently waiting for 3:00 so I can have my afternoon snack.  Who am I kidding, I'm not patient!  I'm about ready to go change all the clocks in the house to 3:00 just so I can eat! Breathe in, breathe out.

I will now do something that I have never done before.  I am putting my actual weight on here.  I am hoping by putting myself out there completely, I will be more determined to get the results I need and want.  So here goes:  my weight today is 236.5 lbs.  My long term goal is to lose 100 lbs.  I realize that I need to shoot for shorter goals at a time, so the 1st goal I am setting for myself is to lose 10 lbs.  Wish me luck!!

Each Wednesday I will update on my progress.  Here's to the new and improved me!

A Trip to the Grocery Store

"Mommy, can I have some orange juice"?  We don't have any, I have to go to the store.  "Mommy, can I have some yogurt?"  We don't have any, I have to go to the store.  "Mommy, can I have some toast?"  We don't have any, I have to go to the store.  It wasn't so much the repetitive phrases that kept bouncing back and forth but the look on my middle daughters face when I kept telling her we were out of things.  Especially her favorite things.  She just looked so sad.  Finally, I decided it was time to make a trip to the grocery store.  As I looked back in the checkbook, I realized I had not been to the store to do stock up shopping since the end of May.  I went to the store for milk, bananas, and bread here or there, but I didn't realize how much stuff we were actually out of.

I always loved grocery shopping!  When I was a kid it was fun to go with mom and help put things in the cart.  It was even extra special when you asked for that certain box of cereal with the cool toy in it and mom finally said she would buy it.  As I got older, mom would ask that I do the shopping.  One of my favorite places to go was Aldi's.  I knew that we would need 2 carts (shopping for 6 immediate family members, 2 boyfriends, a girlfriend, and a Granny adds up to 2 carts) .  I knew exactly where everything was located.  I could whip through that store, buy $100 worth of food and be out of there in record time.  Back in the day, a $100 worth of food from Aldi's was like finding a gold mine.  Fast forward a few years, now I'm married and I'm shopping for only 2 rather than the above mentioned 10.  The first time my husband and I went shopping we took my Granny along.  As we walk into the store I ask him if he has money.  He says he has about $15.00.  Granny and I just look at each other and start laughing.  We just moved into our apartment and the refrigerator and pantry (which I miss terribly) were bare.  Thanks to the help of Granny paying the difference we did purchase some things to get us by until pay day.

Fast forward 10 more years and I'm back to buying for 5 (plus a cat).  The difference between shopping now compared to shopping back then makes me not really like going to the grocery store anymore.  The prices of things are outrageous!  It amazes me how expensive it is to make sure our family has something to eat.  The other problem that infuriates me is the fact that the prices keep going up but the products keeps getting smaller and smaller.  Potato chips used to be a pretty good size, I opened a bag the other day and they are now about the size of a quarter.  I bought the girls a treat, Chips Ahoy Cookies, when I opened the bag the cookies were so small they dropped right into my cup of milk.  I remember when I used to have to take a bite out of the cookie so I could make it smaller to dip in my milk.  And yes, I was using the same cup both times.  I have a hard time getting rid of things.  The same is true for peanut butter, ice cream, salad dressing, and more.  It is even more frustrating if you are trying to eat healthy.  It is all over the news, in magazines, and books that this is the fattest our nation has ever been.  In some states, it is considered child abuse if your child is labeled as obese.  Yet, the prices of good healthy food (fruits, veggies, multi-grain breads/noodles, meat/dairy without preservatives or antibiotics) are even more expensive than the not so healthy food.  I know it all comes down to big corporations and the government (which I really don't want to get into) causing most of the price increases.  It's just very disappointing that this mommy of 3 has to decide whether to spend the extra money on healthy food and not pay something else or give them the unhealthy food because it's cheaper and we can have electricity.

Maybe someday soon, something will change.  Either the prices will start falling or maybe we will all get gigantic raises.  Until then, I will do the best I can for my family with what I have.  I guess I can say that grocery shopping still gets me a wee bit excited. It's one of the only times I have to myself.

My Summer Friend

When I was growing up we had the best neighbors.  Two of my favorites were Bill and Myrtle Calvert.  On nice days, Bill would sit outside on his favorite chair and sing praises to the Lord and hymns as loud as he wanted.  It was Bill that taught me the words to Jesus Loves Me.  He always hollered across the road, "You know Jesus loves you!" with a big smile on his face and a wave of his hand.  They were wonderful Christian people.  There is no doubt in my mind that when these two people entered the pearly gates of Heaven, they were met with "well done, my good and faithful servants".

As soon as school would let out for the summer, I would venture out onto the front porch everyday waiting to hear these words from Bill:  "Dena is coming!"  Dena was their granddaughter and my best summer friend.  She was a couple years older than me but I so looked forward to her coming down every year.  I thought that trip from Decatur to Marissa was about the same distance it took to get from the United States to Australia.  I would sit out on the front porch in my terry cloth shorts, tie on tank top, and my pink and white tube socks pulled up to my knees, just waiting, and waiting, and waiting for her to show up.  Finally, that classic red car (for the life of me I can't remember the make or model) would pull into their driveway.  I would wave and then wait some more so she could visit with her grandparents.

Finally, she would come across the street and the summer could begin.  We would swim, and swim, and swim some more.  We also liked to take walks together.  I was so excited when mom thought I was old enough to walk up to main street with Dena all by myself.  We walked up to the Shaw Pharmacy and got a milk shake.  It was there with her that I bought my first item of makeup.  There were trips in the evening to the CreeMee for ice cream and jaunts on the tire swing that hung in the Calvert's front yard.  The best part though, was when Dena got her driver's license and her grandpa let us drive the classic red car down to the Sparta Walmart.  That was the first time I rode in a car without an "adult" and it was the coolest feeling in the world.  All was not good though.  Mom let me stay at the Calvert's one day while she went to the IGA.  She told me to stay in their yard.  Well, when the cats away the mice will play, so Dena and I decided to go for a bike ride.  She was riding her bike while I was on the back (which is also a big no no according to my mom).  While riding a block away, we saw my station wagon (yes, I'm really dating myself in this blog) going down main street heading for home.  We turned around and tried to race mom home.  We just crossed the intersection of the road right when mom turned to come towards the house.  Needless to say, she didn't even take the groceries in or get the kids out of the car and she was across the street dragging my behind home.  Then there was the grounding.  After enduring the few days apart, we were back together again.

Of course, we eventually got older.  Dena stopped coming to visit.  We both went our separate ways.  I was busy with my boyfriend and sports.  She had become a mommy.  I saw her twice whenever her grandparents passed away but we didn't get to visit much during that time.  Quite awhile after I had been on facebook, she requested me as a friend.  I was so happy to hear from her.  She still looks the same as when we were young.  She is now the mother of three and the grandma of one adorable little granddaughter.

Dena made my summers fun and exciting.  It was she that taught me how to put on eyeliner.  It was she that gave me a tape (dating myself again) of the first rap music I ever heard, even though I couldn't understand a word that they were saying.  It was she that introduced me to Seventeen magazine.  It was she that gave me my first training bras.  I don't think she realized how important those summers were to me. For a brief period in my life, I was not only a big sister but I too had that "big sister" that I always wanted. 

The Meaning Behind my Title

I thought I would enlighten you as to the meaning behind the title I chose for my blog.  No, I did not grow up on a farm but I did grow up in a small town that might as well be considered the country.  My love for the country came from visiting my Uncle, Aunt, and cousins that lived on a farm and from camping with my Granny and Gramps.

When I was younger I loved to go to my Aunt and Uncles house.  They live down a really long lane with fields on each side.  The unfortunate part is that they did have 3 other neighbors so they weren't alone out where they lived but it was still peaceful.  They had sheep, goats, horses, cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens and the dreaded geese.  (I think it is because of these geese that I have an aversion to fowl of any kind unless it's cooked).  I enjoyed playing outside there.  Just running, and bike riding, and swinging from the tree swing.  They even had a pond way out yonder that we swam in a couple of times.  (Not that I would want to do that now, thanks to the movie Jaws, but it was cool back then).  I was so amazed that you could get eggs right out from under the chickens instead of buying them from the IGA.  I loved picking vegetables out of the garden.  I loved the sounds of the animals, the birds, the blowing of the corn stalks in the wind, but the best sounds came at night.  The bugs.  The tree frogs.  The owls.  Natures very own lullabies.

That is why I want to live in the country.  I want to hear the corn stalks blowing in the breeze, not the big eighteen wheelers that fly down my road shaking the whole house.  I want to open my windows and let in the fresh country air (side note:  no  pigs will be allowed so it won't be stinky).  I want to sit outside in a swing with a glass of sun tea and a good book with nothing but the sounds of the birds, crickets, ok and the sound of children playing in the background.  I want to stand at my kitchen sink, look out the window and see nothing but fields of gold. I want to watch the storm clouds roll in, not watch how close it's getting on the computer thanks to weather underground.  I want to make dinner with the vegetables grown in my garden, not bought from Schnucks or Shop N Save.  I want to go to sleep with nature's nighttime lullably playing in the background, not some nature CD I bought from Best Buy because I can't open my windows.  I want to walk down a long lane to get my mail in rain, sleet, snow, and hail. (OK maybe not hail because that usually means high winds and for that I will be in  my basement). 

Until that day, I will continue to decorate my home with country decor, read my country magazines and books, cook my country dinners with produce from Schnucks, and I will keep my hopes alive that someday my dream will finally be my reality.

Let's Give This a Try

I have always wanted to do a blog.  I enjoy reading my other friends blogs, as well as complete strangers, but it seems like their lives are more interesting than mine, and therefore no one will want to read mine.  Then it hit me that there are people out there that will be interested in what I write, my family and my friends.  So here goes a new adventure in my life!  I'm not computer savvy, unless it comes to playing Farmville, so I may not do anything fancy to look at on the screen but I hope my words, memories, ideas and reflections will be worth pondering as well as pretty to look at.