constant busy work
diligent, active...weekend
alas, fresh breath, ah
Still waiting for that 25th hour to get it all done...
24.9.10
12.8.10
not a princess
While heading outside to turn off the lawn soaker in the front part of Kevin's "lawn," I noticed about 10 little sparrows playing in the water. After watching them frolic in the water for a few minutes, it was time to turn off the water and carry on.
Making my way back to the lawn soaker created puddle...the little sparrows flew away. Remembering that all Snow White or Cinderella had to do to get her little friends back was sing, I tried it. It did not work :( That is the moment I realized that I am, in fact, not a Disney princess.
15.4.10
failed
Diet Trials (Flat Belly Diet) lasted for about 1.5 days...barely. If I have to eat...no, rather look at, another grape tomato I might vomit a little. For lunch on the first and second days of the Flat Belly one is supposed to consume 1 pint of grape tomatoes...1PINT! For those who aren't quite sure how much that actually is...it's one container from the grocery store...a whole container.
The other reason the Flat Belly didn't work very well, for me, is because we went to DC for the weekend. My plan was to stay on FB Diet for all of Friday but I didn't quite calculate airport food into the situation...next time.
Now DC on the other hand...AMAZING! The weather was beautiful and my family was quite full of surprises. Not necessarily the surprises like "We're pregnant" or "We just bought a new house" more so their surprising comments like "You have to marry my cousin." Hmmm...I hope the bf isn't shy and knows that wine was involved ;)
All in all the trip was pretty amazing. 9 mile run Saturday morning followed by a stroll around Georgetown, drinks at the top of the W overlooking the White House and the National Mall, followed by dinner at PS7 which is ranked in DCs Top 100 and an amazing set of desserts at Hook by the soon to be famous Heather...and that was all on Saturday. Sunday included brunch at my aunts on Capitol Hill, a walk to and around Eastern Market then DuPont, and complete with a trip to Red, White and Bleu (Adam's wine and cheese shop) just in time to finish the bottles from a tasting!
Great trip for sure...even if it didn't include a diet. Guess I'll just have to try again...
The other reason the Flat Belly didn't work very well, for me, is because we went to DC for the weekend. My plan was to stay on FB Diet for all of Friday but I didn't quite calculate airport food into the situation...next time.
Now DC on the other hand...AMAZING! The weather was beautiful and my family was quite full of surprises. Not necessarily the surprises like "We're pregnant" or "We just bought a new house" more so their surprising comments like "You have to marry my cousin." Hmmm...I hope the bf isn't shy and knows that wine was involved ;)
All in all the trip was pretty amazing. 9 mile run Saturday morning followed by a stroll around Georgetown, drinks at the top of the W overlooking the White House and the National Mall, followed by dinner at PS7 which is ranked in DCs Top 100 and an amazing set of desserts at Hook by the soon to be famous Heather...and that was all on Saturday. Sunday included brunch at my aunts on Capitol Hill, a walk to and around Eastern Market then DuPont, and complete with a trip to Red, White and Bleu (Adam's wine and cheese shop) just in time to finish the bottles from a tasting!
Great trip for sure...even if it didn't include a diet. Guess I'll just have to try again...
7.4.10
diet trials
As my friends will tell you, I have tried almost every diet in the book. Yes, I would like the pleasure of looking like a supermodel but at the grand age of 28, I am sure that will never happen. Instead, I must settle for some sort of goal...such as Thomas's Law...134. This is, and will remain my goal weight until I reach it...to which I am sure, I will love! As one jerky ex-boyfriend told me once "as soon as you are happy with your body, the battle is lost."
We need to get this 152lb (currently with happy belly) body into 134lb form. Now, some may think it's crazy for me to be so open about my weight (big or small by whomevers standards) and this process but...it's me. Please don't get me wrong, all people...and I do mean ALL people both love and hate their bodies. For the most part, I love/am completely content with mine. However, lately, especially with "happy belly" I could tighten up and slim down.
In my life, I have done everything as simple as measuring everything I eat to entering all caloric intake through livestrong.com to the South Beach diet. Each holding it's own and showing body improvements as long as I stick with it. Problem is...I don't stick with it. Maybe for a week or so but not on the weekends and definitely no longer than two weeks. In a month my friend is getting married. Now, she needs to lose no weight at all for if she does, I am afraid she will disappear altogether. However, her fiance would like to lose a few so this week, they started the Flat Belly Diet. I am in the wedding and would also like to lose a few so I have made the executive decision that I too will be doing the Flat Belly Diet.
This crazy diet will unofficially begin tomorrow and officially begin on Monday, April 12. Not officially starting until the 12th because we are headed to Washington DC this weekend to enjoy all that the city has to offer. I will be blogging about the Flat Belly processes...successes and challenges beginning on April 12 and ending Thursday, May 13 (32 days later). I can do this!
We need to get this 152lb (currently with happy belly) body into 134lb form. Now, some may think it's crazy for me to be so open about my weight (big or small by whomevers standards) and this process but...it's me. Please don't get me wrong, all people...and I do mean ALL people both love and hate their bodies. For the most part, I love/am completely content with mine. However, lately, especially with "happy belly" I could tighten up and slim down.
In my life, I have done everything as simple as measuring everything I eat to entering all caloric intake through livestrong.com to the South Beach diet. Each holding it's own and showing body improvements as long as I stick with it. Problem is...I don't stick with it. Maybe for a week or so but not on the weekends and definitely no longer than two weeks. In a month my friend is getting married. Now, she needs to lose no weight at all for if she does, I am afraid she will disappear altogether. However, her fiance would like to lose a few so this week, they started the Flat Belly Diet. I am in the wedding and would also like to lose a few so I have made the executive decision that I too will be doing the Flat Belly Diet.
This crazy diet will unofficially begin tomorrow and officially begin on Monday, April 12. Not officially starting until the 12th because we are headed to Washington DC this weekend to enjoy all that the city has to offer. I will be blogging about the Flat Belly processes...successes and challenges beginning on April 12 and ending Thursday, May 13 (32 days later). I can do this!
two pounds per inch
A little before this past holiday season, I had an interesting conversation with a couple of my guy friends. We were discussing, in depth, the appropriate weight of a girl.
At first it was as simple as "she has to weigh less than me" but then turned into a complex theory...we'll call this theory Thomas's Law.
According to Thomas's Law a girl...excuse me...a datable girl must be no more than two pounds per inch tall. For instance, I am 5'7" or 67" tall. In order for me to find my datable weight I would take 67 x 2 (for the 2lbs/in). The most I could weigh at my datable weight would be 134lbs.
Humph...who are we kidding...I might have been that weight at the beginning of high school but after I learned about how much I loved sports (tennis, soccer, gymnastics, cheerleading) I quickly put much muscle mass onto my frame. Since then, with the exception of the freshman 10-15 in college, I have dabbled in the 145-155 category...no where near the two pounds per inch rule. In fact, for my weight to be acceptable, I'm going to have to grow to be 6'2"! ;) Or...I will just have to live with being 2.2lbs/in.
After I realized the truth that I was undatable it was time for a massive reconstruction plan on my diet and exercise lifestyle. My plan was to exercise more, eat healthy, watch portion size, etc. Trouble with that...I was already doing pretty well in all of those areas. I have always worked out 3-4 times per week and I eat extremely healthy during the day and at night with the occasional cupcake and alcohol intake.
At first it was as simple as "she has to weigh less than me" but then turned into a complex theory...we'll call this theory Thomas's Law.
According to Thomas's Law a girl...excuse me...a datable girl must be no more than two pounds per inch tall. For instance, I am 5'7" or 67" tall. In order for me to find my datable weight I would take 67 x 2 (for the 2lbs/in). The most I could weigh at my datable weight would be 134lbs.
Humph...who are we kidding...I might have been that weight at the beginning of high school but after I learned about how much I loved sports (tennis, soccer, gymnastics, cheerleading) I quickly put much muscle mass onto my frame. Since then, with the exception of the freshman 10-15 in college, I have dabbled in the 145-155 category...no where near the two pounds per inch rule. In fact, for my weight to be acceptable, I'm going to have to grow to be 6'2"! ;) Or...I will just have to live with being 2.2lbs/in.
After I realized the truth that I was undatable it was time for a massive reconstruction plan on my diet and exercise lifestyle. My plan was to exercise more, eat healthy, watch portion size, etc. Trouble with that...I was already doing pretty well in all of those areas. I have always worked out 3-4 times per week and I eat extremely healthy during the day and at night with the occasional cupcake and alcohol intake.
3.3.10
and then karma rears her ugly head
Royally screwed is how I can describe myself over the past hour and a half. Whatever the deal is, I can honestly say that this must be my little taste of karma. Good news is that so far, everything has been pretty minor.
finished blog and left work by 3:05...not bad so far
pretty clear drive on North Ave from Grand-Damen
stuck behind slowest driver in the world
large truck blocked both lanes on North through the Western intersection
lots of horn and blockage happening...me in the middle...
park in lot to get security tag taken off gift
pay $6.25 for 15 minutes ($0.41/min)
head to Borders to get book club book (Gang Leader for a Day)
park in free lot
pay full price because my teacher card has magically disappeared
Again, nothing too bad...just a lot at once after a little while of only wonderful things.
finished blog and left work by 3:05...not bad so far
pretty clear drive on North Ave from Grand-Damen
stuck behind slowest driver in the world
large truck blocked both lanes on North through the Western intersection
lots of horn and blockage happening...me in the middle...
park in lot to get security tag taken off gift
pay $6.25 for 15 minutes ($0.41/min)
head to Borders to get book club book (Gang Leader for a Day)
park in free lot
pay full price because my teacher card has magically disappeared
Again, nothing too bad...just a lot at once after a little while of only wonderful things.
somebody's hero and other small surprises
Life continues to unfold and each and every day brings something new or renewed.
ISATs (this wonderful testing...no child left behind b.s.) started yesterday and with the start of the test, as with the start of anything one is nervous/anxious about, all of the jitters have, as they say, left the building. This week is quite nerve-racking for the kids so I did my best on Monday to be their (each and every student's) personal test-taking cheerleader. Going room to room before students left school on Monday (why to get their good nights' sleep of course) reassuring students that they already have all of the tools they need to be successful and to do their best was a difficult job!
Many of the students, even though they have taken the ISATs before, definitely felt the pressure to do well. This concept seemed a little strange to me seeing that when I was in elementary school, I recall no pressure at all. In fact, I experienced the exact opposite of that. For me, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills just happened to appear on my desk once a year as a surprise. Yes, not a very good surprise but a surprise nonetheless. Now, with No Child Left Behind and the threat to close schools and fire teachers, students pretty much know the testing dates as soon as they walk through the doors in August. So much time is spent emphasizing the importance of the test that it's of no wonder why students are stressing out.
This positive burst of excitement and enthusiasm about the tests definitely helped boost their spirits...at least I'd like to think so. After the first day of testing, I made sure to go back to each of the classrooms that I had so generously pumped up to get feedback on the tests. Most students told me that they did really well on the tests and that they weren't as bad as they had previously thought. One boy in particular who had expressed his concerns of testing on Monday let me know that he was nervous at the beginning of the test but then realized that he completely understood what was going on in the test and in turn "rocked" the test. (As a teacher those words are music to my ears :)
Walking through the halls this morning, I was stopped by one of my favorite fourth graders with a "good morning Ms. Bell!" After the casual good morning response the conversation went as such:
Me: I know you did an awesome job yesterday...are you gonna rock the test again today!?!
Students: Yeah! It was easy and I'm ready!
Me: That's awesome (insert high five)! You're a rock star...actually you're my little rock star!
Student: You're my hero.
Me: (taken aback) Wow! Thank you. That's a big job, I sure hope I can make you proud.
Student: You already do.
Usually it's the teachers and parents who are expected to pass out the positives like candy in order to boost the confidence of our youth...but after sometime contemplating...who does this for the adults?
It's rare. It's unusual. It's magical. It's worth it.
It's the tiny reminders, like the hero comment, that remind me of the why...the why am I doing all of this? the Why do I care so much? It's the reminder that I'm touching lives and making a difference.
Thanks Neyda ;)
ISATs (this wonderful testing...no child left behind b.s.) started yesterday and with the start of the test, as with the start of anything one is nervous/anxious about, all of the jitters have, as they say, left the building. This week is quite nerve-racking for the kids so I did my best on Monday to be their (each and every student's) personal test-taking cheerleader. Going room to room before students left school on Monday (why to get their good nights' sleep of course) reassuring students that they already have all of the tools they need to be successful and to do their best was a difficult job!
Many of the students, even though they have taken the ISATs before, definitely felt the pressure to do well. This concept seemed a little strange to me seeing that when I was in elementary school, I recall no pressure at all. In fact, I experienced the exact opposite of that. For me, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills just happened to appear on my desk once a year as a surprise. Yes, not a very good surprise but a surprise nonetheless. Now, with No Child Left Behind and the threat to close schools and fire teachers, students pretty much know the testing dates as soon as they walk through the doors in August. So much time is spent emphasizing the importance of the test that it's of no wonder why students are stressing out.
This positive burst of excitement and enthusiasm about the tests definitely helped boost their spirits...at least I'd like to think so. After the first day of testing, I made sure to go back to each of the classrooms that I had so generously pumped up to get feedback on the tests. Most students told me that they did really well on the tests and that they weren't as bad as they had previously thought. One boy in particular who had expressed his concerns of testing on Monday let me know that he was nervous at the beginning of the test but then realized that he completely understood what was going on in the test and in turn "rocked" the test. (As a teacher those words are music to my ears :)
Walking through the halls this morning, I was stopped by one of my favorite fourth graders with a "good morning Ms. Bell!" After the casual good morning response the conversation went as such:
Me: I know you did an awesome job yesterday...are you gonna rock the test again today!?!
Students: Yeah! It was easy and I'm ready!
Me: That's awesome (insert high five)! You're a rock star...actually you're my little rock star!
Student: You're my hero.
Me: (taken aback) Wow! Thank you. That's a big job, I sure hope I can make you proud.
Student: You already do.
Usually it's the teachers and parents who are expected to pass out the positives like candy in order to boost the confidence of our youth...but after sometime contemplating...who does this for the adults?
It's rare. It's unusual. It's magical. It's worth it.
It's the tiny reminders, like the hero comment, that remind me of the why...the why am I doing all of this? the Why do I care so much? It's the reminder that I'm touching lives and making a difference.
Thanks Neyda ;)
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