YIPPEEEE!!!!

Yesterday ended week one of the Summer Wellness Program. I lost 4 lbs! YIPPEEEEE!!! And this morning I was one more pound down. Amazing! I have only a few clothes I can fit into, but should be able to fit into my bigger clothes by next week. Most of my clothes I have are size 10's so I have a little while before I get into those. Our challenge this week is:

THREE PART – PLAN, REWARD, SHARE

1. WRITE DOWN your specific plan/goal:
a.Certain Weight? Pant Size? Specific Health Goal? A race?

2. DECIDE how to reward yourself without FOOD!
a.A manicure? A new pair of pants? A vacation? YOU choose, just
NOT food. It need not be costly, but DOES need to be for YOU!

3. SHARE YOUR PLAN!
a. Tell someone on your team about your plan and WHY it’s so important to
you.

Ok, So my goal is to be 136 lbs, although at the end of this, I may lower that. But, I'd be very happy to be this. That's me around a 7/8. I would like to be able to play dodgeball with my family without dying. I would also like to dabble in running. I plan on running a 5K in a month and will make more goals based upon that race. I would love to run the race in Savannah, GA over the bridge in December. I think that would be awesome!

Because I plan on winning the challenge, my prize money will go towards clothes. For my own reward, I also would like some new pots and pans and pretty dishes to eat on. (10 years of marriage and kids have kind of taken a toll on my kitchenware.) I really think when your food looks good, and is presented nicely, you take more time to eat it. I usually shovel, so I'm working on that. I think it would also be cool to take a cooking class. I have heard of these couple classes in Atlanta. That may be a fun anniversary.

There you go... I'm super excited and know this is going to be a challenge, but I already am feeling so much better. Wish me luck. ">

Baby Shower

My dear sweet friends threw me a baby shower at my favorite restaraunt that just opened up in Statesboro... Olive Garden. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. It was pretty easy to be good as I ate Soup and Salad (with dressing on the side) and breadsticks.... ok, had to eat 2, but these beautiful cupcakes, no problem saying no. I wanted them, but I had my one treat for the week (1 scoop icecream which by the way made me sick)....Anyways, we got so many adorable baby clothes and a few toys which Amie loved to give Mia. I am so blessed to have good friends.

From That to This

Ok, So how do you get from a cute pregnant person to a not so great looking after the fact? I am almost embarrassed to post this picture, but I want to be held accountable. I just started a new Summer Wellness Contest sponsored by one of my old roommates Dianne. She looks fantastic and it all started with cutting out her sugar, running and drinking water (lots). So, I'm in this contest for the next 12 weeks. There are 4 teams and we each submit points we earn for being healthy. It's a new way of living your life, rather than a diet. After the 12 weeks, there will be prizes distributed based on the points from the teams. I did this a few years ago, well, just cutting out sugar. And that alone, helped me lose the baby weight from Amie. Now, I'm exercising and just eating better. These first two days have been horrible. I have had a headache (Sugar Withdrawal is REAL), and now my body just aches. The first day I couldn't even ride the exercise bike with out dieing. Day 2 was a little better, but now I'm sorer than anything. I feel like it's basketball tryouts in High school all over again. Well, every 4 weeks I'll post a new picture of me. I know I'll reach my goal weight and then maybe reassess and shoot for a lower goal weight. I also would like to run a 5K on June 5th. That gives me a month to recover more from being dormant for 10 months. Wish me luck. I can't wait to let you see the new me!

Blast to the Past

When I finally rolled out of bed after getting Mia back to sleep, I didn't know what to expect the others to be doing. I heard the Wii on and Mollie's music blaring. (Hannah Montana). When I walked into the girls room this is what I found. They were sitting in front of the fan singing and dancing their hearts out. It reminded me of me when I used to do the same thing. What is it about the effects of the fan. Of course back then it was Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Belinda Carslile and Debbie Gibson.

Wow! Almost a whole year since I've written. Much has happened since my last post...... We had a wonderful summer full of fun... spent a rainy camping trip with my family at Disney, played at the pool in Augusta, GA with Brian's family, went to Ashville, NC for my 10 year anniversary with my sweetheart, oh, got pregnant.... so that brings us to 9 months later. We now have our 5th addition!

MIA DANIELLE RUSSELL

Born on March 25th at 10:46 am

7.0 lbs 19.5 inches long

She is such a sweetie! She has Benjamin's temperament and we are so thankful. She eats well, sleeps well (of course she grunts all night, but that's better than crying right?!) She tolerates all the loving and holding and hugging and kissing that the rest of the kids give her and she is just a wonderful blessing to our family.

I'm feeling great and ready to get back into a routine. I'm even up for a Summer Wellness Challenge and will keep you updated on that. I hope to be better at posting. I am great at looking at others blogs and realized if I just took a few minutes less on that, I'd have time to do mine. So, here I go once again.