Just Another Day

Wow! I didn't realize that it had been over a month since I last posted!  Let's look back a little bit.  I had been MIA before my last post and I never explained why.   Well to begin with I was out of town for about a week and a half.  Being out of town started with Declan's pediatrician calling and telling us that the x-rays that he had on his head at his previous checkup had come back with the appearance of a partial coronal suture fusion and harlequin eye deformity.  And that meant we were going to have to see a pediatric opthamologist as well as a pediatric neurosurgeon.  So we started making the appointments and visiting doctors which after all the appointments and talking with the neurosurgeon the doctors concluded that the x-ray and x-ray report were bad and the he did not have either of the problems that it listed.  So needless to say there was a lot of drama before hand and many many prayers after.

On the weight-loss front there has been some change but not much, hopefully I will have a nice change this week and be able to report it back here !

Half Marathon

So, I have been MIA for a bit...more on that later.  First, I finished my first HALF MARATHON! And let me tell you it was HARD!  So much harder than I thought, even though I trained for it and felt really prepared.  Originally I wanted to finish in under 3 hours and then I just wanted to finish.

My official time was 3:16:44 and I am happy with that (for now).  So I ran the Knoxville Half Marathon and I don't know if any of you have ever been to Knoxville (or run this race) but it is HILLY! I mean hill after hill after hill it felt like there was no down hill just up and flat.  I am looking for another race to run later this year that is a little less hilly and then to run Knoxville again next year in better shape and hopefully down some pounds to really see how far I have come!

I was supposed to run this race with my sister and college roommate....but they both bailed so I ran it alone and talked to a few people along the way.  I didn't even put in my headphones instead I decided to just enjoy the race atmosphere which was a lot of fun! I feel like I really have the running bug now and can't wait to do more races!

What Day Is It?

Oh yeah.... It's the day that I am supposed to step on the scale and see the number GO DOWN, too bad that didn't happen today.  Let me explain.   I am still working out and I am still paying for Weight Watchers but for some reason I was just not feeling it this past week, and was that reflected this morning, ugh.  It also does not help that we help run a family business (a small country inn in NC) and we have been recently redoing/updating our cook book.  Can you see where I am going...we have been testing recipes which means eating, not lots of eating, just little bits here and there.  Like today I make broccoli casserole, homemade yeast rolls, and mini cheesecake bites (those are in the oven now and smell AMAZING!).  I also made homemade this Italian Flatbread, (I think I found this on Pinterest) and it was super easy and very good.  I made them so that I could make Seamus pizza's (instead of buying frozen ones).  I am going to freeze some so that I can pull one out a bake him his own little pizza whenever I decide.  So I did all that with two boys (one acting CRAZY and one wanting to be held) and I still am going to work out later.

I have been watching Biggest Loser this season and I really like their theme of NO EXCUSES.  I have to really work on this.  Yes, I get to cook and be around wonderful food on a daily basis, but I also live next to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and have access to many many outdoor trails.  I just have to get out there and get on them!  Another week down, many more to go!

Oh, don't you just love when your child/children look at you and light up, like you are their world!  It is one of my favorite parts of being a parent!!

ABC Book

I saw this idea somewhere (Starting on Pinterest) and then I began looking around and found lots of fun examples, tutorials, ideas, whatever you want to call them.  So I started playing around with some of the pictures that I already have and actually got a pretty good start.  I feel like I have been pretty bad at printing pictures off and I think that this is a fun way to print some pictures and let Seamus interact with the pictures too!  I am hoping to finish this by Easter and give it to Shay then :)

I have had a ton of fun making this book!  I think I am only lacking 9 letters.  I will definitely be making a book for Declan in about a year as well!  It's fun to use pictures from the past 2 years and to see how much Shay has grown up!

So here are a few sneak peaks at what I have so far:

One of those Days

Today was one of those days where EVERYTHING made me mad.  Seamus bounced off the walls, literally, Declan fussed no matter what I did, the house seemed to get messier and messier and all I wanted to do was have 5 minutes to myself.  5 minutes of quiet, 5 minutes of me.  So I did what any other sane person would do, I yelled and yelled and slammed door and finally left.  Where did I go you ask?  The grocery store, yes, the grocery store.  Anytime I really need time to myself and just don't feel like exercising  (AT ALL) I go to the grocery store and walk up and down every isle and it may seem silly but it gives me time to clear my head and get my mind focused back on taking care of my family and how blessed I am to have money to buy food and the ability to make yummy meals for my family.

I came home renewed and grateful.  I baked a loaf of irish soda bread and prepared some cookie dough from one of our Hemlock Inn recipes that will be baked later tonight or tomorrow.  Tomorrow is another day and I will make the best of it.

Weight In Wednesday

204.2 yay!!  I wanted to be under 200 but I am happy with any loss.  Yesterday was my birthday and we went out to an Italian restaurant in town for dinner (and of course dessert).  I stayed within my points by "cashing" in a few of my activity points.  So this week I plan on trying not to use any of my weekly points and just stick to the daily points and hopefully get under 200.  

I am just over 30 days from the half marathon date!  Still keeping up with running/training on one hand it is getting easier and as the distances get longer not so much.  

Today

I did not feel like running today.  I started out (the weather is BEAUTIFUL) and was running a at pretty fair pace but still thinking about NOT wanting to run and then I rolled my ankle.  Nothing too terrible just enough to stop me and make me walk the rest of the way which I really wanted to do anyway.  I saw some dear and ended up having a nice walk and feeling pretty good afterwards.  I am trying to talk myself into starting the shred to incorporate some simple strength training into my routine.

It is my birthday today so that's fun.  My sweet husband let me sleep in and made breakfast and cleaned the kitchen...no wait that is what I was dreaming of when I was woken and got up with Declan at 5am.  We are going to dinner a little later and then watching Tower Heist :)

My Weight Watchers weigh in day is tomorrow and I am hoping that will be a really good birthday present.