I Found the Ten Pounds I've Gained

Today I was motivated to work out extra hard despite the crick in my neck. I had plenty of motivation in the form of pictures! Pictures do not lie and no, I am not posting the picture here.

I met my husband for lunch and I was looking at pictures he took of me last night after our Memorial meeting. (the Memorial of Jesus' death) I found the 10 pounds I've gained! They were all in my face and in my arms. It's amazing what a difference 10 pounds can make.

So today when I went to th gym I stayed on the treadmill an extra 15 minutes to work off this fat. I needed it and I need to do it again on Friday.

So that's that.

My Quest for Attractive Plus Sized Clothing

I am the first to admit that I am no fashion plate. I dress for comfort and I dress in what makes me feel good about myself. One rule I have always followed even before I lost weight was this: It doesn't matter how big I am I will always make sure I look nice. That includes make-up, hair and accessories. Accessories, especially shoes and purses, being the most important.

When I was larger and even now, because I'm still on the larger size of things, I have always noticed how plus size clothes isn't the best looking in the store. Most plus sized clothing looks like it was designed for older women. This was especially a problem when I was in my twenties and I wanted to dress younger and cuter. It's been a challenge to find cute clothes.

Somewhere along the way I discovered Avenue. It was either new in my market or I just noticed it. I found that Avenue had a great selection of cute casual and dressy clothes that didn't look old. Sure, I had to pay a little more for it, but let's face it, you always have to pay more for better quality. Avenue is more expensive than Lane Bryant, but I found clothes that really suited me. The only complaint is regarding the way their slacks are cut. I am a top heavy plus size, not a bottom heavy. So the pants are usually big on the butt.

A few years ago I discovered Torrid. I loved a lot of their cute funky outfits but Torrid is sometimes too Goth and young for my taste. And what is this insistence on making the dresses and blouses sleeveless? Don't the designers understand that plus sized clothing requires sleeves to cover my big arms? Either that or I'm going to have to buy the sweater or jacket to match so I can cover up.  I bought around two dresses from them before and some really cute shoes. You can also order online.

My next choice for nice plus sized clothing is Target, but even they disappoint me sometimes. I've shopped there and found the cutest things and then I've gone there and everything looks dowdy, like something my grandma would wear.

My best wake-up call that an outfit belonged on a grandma was the time I went to a conference and a really elderly lady walked by in a much smaller version of an outfit I owned, but thankfully was not wearing at that very moment. I thought the outfit was nice and even now when I think of it I really liked the skirt. In fact, after that incident I put the jacket away and only wore the skirt with different blouses. But I wouldn’t wear the whole outfit together because I knew that an old lady had worn one just like it. It was eventually too big on me and I gave it away.

Now if I Google plus sized clothing I find several places that sell some really nice outfits. Some are expensive and some are reasonable. It all depends on your budget. Other than Avenue, Torrid, Target (sometimes) and some of these places online it's pretty slim pickings! I think there is a great market for really cute, attractive, young looking, affordable, plus sized clothing.

Right now I am still in the middle of plus sizes and regular sizes. Depending on how something is cut, and how small the top is, I may wear a plus size. If the designer was more generous on the top, or if I can wear a tank top underneath and keep the top open, then I can wear the larger size of the regular non-plus sizes. Although someone wrote online that anything in the double digits, like size 10 is already considered a plus size! Unbelievable but true! And forget about plus sized couture. It doesn't even exist. Not really.

I’m not going to lie! I can wait to wear a size 9 again one day and be done with this search for cute plus sized clothing. Because I know it will happen eventually! I have faith that I'll finally kick this food addiction and that I'll become a running fool. When that happens I can shop wherever the heck I want and when that day arrives it will be a very good day.

My Mommy Badge for the Week I've Had

This is a Mommy Badge my daughter gave me a couple of years ago.

This week will go down in history as one of those times that one of us (or all of us in this case) got really really sick. You know, you always remember those times that were really bad. My husband and I always remember our honeymoon to Italy. I was deathly sick when we arrived in Milan and I spent the first 24 hours asleep. My poor husband had to go in search of medication and tried to communicate with the pharmacist. He also had to venture out alone looking for breakfast and coffee. Unfortunately I'm the one who speaks Italian and he's the one who doesn't. My husband never forgets that.

Then there was our first year anniversary. My husband was very sick and ran fever all night. I kept putting a cold washcloth on his head and on his body to bring down the heat. I never forget that.

Well this week will be one of those we never forget. It was a week when every single one of us has been sick. I have been sick since Tuesday and I still haven't been able to shake it. Part of the reason I haven't gotten better is because I had to fly to Albuquerque overnight for sales calls on Friday. I was miserable on the way there, through a three hour delayed flight, and the next day back. I can't shake all this phlegm in my chest!

It started with my son Monday and Tuesday, followed by me, and now my daughter is fighting a fever and the cough. My husband is also a little sick but it hit him more like it hit my son, touch and go. Whatever it is decided to camp out on me and now on my daughter.

I was joking with a colleague from Dallas that I haven't worked out this week but I probably lost weight from not eating. I hardly ate a thing Tuesday through Friday. My appetite just started to return yesterday.

Plus, one of the nasty side effects of the lap band is that I can hardly eat when I'm congested because of the mucous. I get extra tight and I can only get warm soup down. A good trick when you're congested is to drink hot tea before attempting to eat anything.

I am hoping and praying that my daughter is better by tonight and tomorrow morning. The kids are on Spring Break but unfortunately because of the week I had last week I can't take any vacation time. I had originally planned on taking two days. They will visit their old baby sitter one day (she took care of them when they were babies so they love going there) and I still need to figure out other plans for the rest of the week. I'm hoping work goes well enough so that I can at least take Friday off.

I also want to be better by tomorrow evening because my daughter has cheerleading and I'd like to go to the gym for a little while. Even if it's just to walk. I just need to run and move!

Life's Many Obstacles and Adventures but I Have a Mommy Award

My Best Mommy Award by my daughter

Today I think I deserve this award. Notice she's inside a margarita glass. How appropriate!

6:30 a.m. Started waking up. Felt son's body and he was really warm, too warm.

6:45 a.m. Woke up my husband and told him to check my son too. He agreed. We decided he would take our daughter to school.

6:50 a.m. Woke up my daughter to get dressed for school.

6:55 a.m. Son woke up having a coughing fit and said he had to throw up. He pushed my daughter out of the restroom and he threw up phlegm. Nice.

7:00 a.m. Encouraged daughter to get dressed for school.

7:35 a.m. Husband took daughter to school, Son was watching cartoons.

I was up and checked work e-mail, etc..

8:30 a.m. Convinced son to lie down for a little while so he could get some rest. He slept for one hour.

9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Washed clothes and did some work. Sister called to remind me my father had his pacemaker check-up this evening and I volunteered to go next.

Husband called and said he was bringing lunch.

Husband called back. Truck was broken down.

Drove to pick up husband and to bring him back home. We all ate lunch and then he went back to work in my SUV.

I continued to wash clothes. In the end I washed every single piece of dirty clothing in this house. A major accomplishment.

4:00 p.m. Started making dinner.

5:50p.m. Husband drove up just in time so I could go help my father with his pacemaker check-up.

6:01 p.m. Walked into my father's house. He had just hung up the phone with the pacemaker lady. I had to wait for her to call back. She never did so I called her and I was put on hold.

6:25 p.m. Left my father's house

6:35 p.m. Made it to my house and tried to eat some catfish, asparagus, and Portobello mushrooms. Just a few small bites of each. Big mistake. Why haven't I learned that I can't eat in a hurry. I'm especially tight, no matter how small the bite. I didn't even get to enjoy what I cooked!

6:45 p.m. Husband asked me if I was taking my son. He had to go check on his truck to see if he could get it running. (my nephew was taking him) I realized then that I was not going to run at the gym as planned.

6:50 p.m. On the road to take my daughter to her first cheerleading class.

7:00 p.m. Husband calls. He forgot jumper cables in car. I say I'll meet him back at his truck after I drop off my daughter. I do and then drive back to pick up daughter. I stop at TMobile on the way because I need a new car charger for my new phone. The old one doesn't fit.

8:15 p.m. Daughter gets out of cheerleading. She's ecstatic and loved her class. I'm so happy! She's obviously worked out and sweated. I'm so glad I found an activity that she'll enjoy!

On the way back home we stop to assist my husband. He couldn't get the truck started with the other person's battery. We try mine. Doesn't work either.

9:00 p.m. Finally get home. Son is still too warm. I'm out of Tylenol and only have Motrin. After eating a little bit more I head out to Walgreen's.

9:45 p.m. Walk into Walgreen's. Buy the Tylenol and a few other things we need for the house.

10:15 p.m. Get home. Daughter is still awake. I wake up son to give him Tylenol. He asks me to read To Kill a Mockingbird. I read a couple of pages and son falls asleep again.

11:30 p.m. I still need a shower and to make lunch. I also need to figure out what I'm going to do with the my son if he's still sick tomorrow.

No, I never worked out, but I sure feel like I did.

I Just Forgot the Mammogram...How Convenient!

I turned 40 exactly 3 weeks ago and I conveniently forgot all about my mammogram. Just plain forgot!

Today I came home to find a little postcard with pink flower and a woman on it. I wondered what it was and I turned it over to find that it was a friendly reminder from my OBGYN. Same doctor I've been seeing for the past 17 years. The reminder was for my annual pap smear and then it hit me. "I'm forty now! Dr. Miro told me to schedule a mammogram around my birthday."

Yeah, well the thought of having my big ol'boob squashed up in that torture device just makes me cringe! No wonder I forgot! If you know me well you have to think about that one. Imagine my breasts squashed in that thing. I have a feeling it's going to be very painful. But none-the-less I believe in prevention and I know I have to do it. I know I do. So tomorrow I'm going to call Dr. Miro's nurse to schedule the inevitable.

Now that Odyssey of the Mind is over I hit the gym hard, three days in a row! I ran every day and I'm not even sore. It's amazing. I guess that's my body's way of telling me it's time to step it up! Next week I'm going to move up to the next step of running more than I walk. I will eventually get there!

Odyssey of the Mind is Finished!

I am so glad that my daughter had this great Odyssey of the Mind experience and learned how to compete. But I'm not going to lie. I'm so glad it's over with and that I can continue on my exercise journey. One of the bad side effects of trying to be Super Mom is that sometimes (OK, a lot of the times) you put yourself and your health on the back burner.

I went to the gym today and I ran. And the best part about it? I didn't even feel like I skipped one week because of Odyssey of the Mind practice all last week. (competiton was on Saturday)

Prior to last week I had been building back up to running. So today when I went to the gym I decided that I wasn't going to spend another week preparing to run. I decided to just do it. I started with the 60/90 run and I did quite nicely. Now if I can only go to bed so I can rest for weight training tomorrow.

So this is a very short blog entry, probably my shortest to date. It's 11:30 and I need to shower and go to bed. Just as way of an update. The kids are doing fabulous in their own beds and I wish I'd done this a long time ago. I loved co-sleeping with them the time that I did but all good things must come to an end. They are both old enough to sleep in their room and right now they are sharing a room. My daughter calls it "the nusery" like in Peter Pan. Good night!