Day 7 and already behind!

listening to the kinks - this time tomorrow. LOVE this song. "...this time tomorrow, where will be be? this time tomorrow, what will we see?"

so yesterday was a bust. in the exercise and parenting department - not in the "really nice visit with a friend and her kids" department. then 6:00 hit [après swimming lessons] and yeah. I am once again the president of the bad mom's club. I know you have all been there before, but last night I wore the crown! blah. I didn't exercise today [rain issues!] but I didn't drink either, so I am counting it as a success!! needless to say, I promptly went to bed to begin the day on a fresh note.

and fresh it was!! a 6 am bikram class. my goal today had been to do every pose at least once. fought through the dizziness and totally reached my goal. there were poses I had NEVER done [balancing stick and rabbit!] and today I did them. WOOHOO! and since today is my birthday, I have a 10 am appointment with my guy at the apple store, then a pedi, then swimming lessons, then dinner with my sweet husband at dadeo's [sans kids...they are having a sleep over at grandma's!! man, I'm spoiled!].

you have a good day too...I never blog this early, so I never get to say that! be good to yourself!

on yoga and coffee

so, I did it today. I braved the fears of the hot room and went to bikram this morning with allison. for all my panic and hot issues, it really wasn't that bad. okay, dripping sweat is never that attractive, but I wasn't wearing my date panties or anything like that. I am going to aim to go every day this week and use my $20 pass to it's fullness!! AND, since the studio is SO close to my house, I really have no excuses. I could walk there. okay, so I may faint on the way home, but you know what I mean!

John and I went for a 30 minute power walk last night. we dog-sat steph's dog over night and the boys had a sleep-over at auntie's house. a win-win!

AND, dear, sweet Kathy left me muffins in my mailbox on saturday night. they were WONDERFUL one-point muffins! and now I need the recipe!

back to yoga. LOL I have to say that I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. did it kick my ass? absolutely. it's a hard work out. I was reading on-line about calories burned doing bikram and I think that they guy saying that it wasn't a real workout has never been. [yes, someone said that!] I like a good ass-kicking. and I SO hope that this gets my weight loss kick started. I am committing this summer to my good health and I am off to a good start!

Day 2

walked to starbucks and back this afternoon - BEFORE the thunderstorms hit! 45 minutes at a 10 min/km pace - not too bad! and, in good news, I was down 1.2 today. 30 weeks and down [yes, I really want to use the word "just" here!] 19.6 lbs. that is an average of 0.65 lbs per week. not quite what I had been aiming for, but hey, it's definitely better than nothing [which is what would have happened, if I hadn't started this journey at all!]. if I can kick it up a notch, and make it to 1 lb a week, I could really be down 44.6 by the new year. THAT is a number I do like! BUT, since I often get ahead of myself, let's just aim to be down 1.4 this next week so that I can make the 10% mark. the ever elusive 10%. THEN, we [I] can focus on the next 10%.

okay, enough about that.

if you are not up for an exercise challenge, why not try a 30 day challenge of your own making? try changing just one habit. create a healthy habit. one thing, one month, one change.

as I was walking today, I was thinking that I am really going to aim to blog through this wee challenge of mine too. keep me accountable!

and kathy - YOU ARE NOT OLD!! [or matronly!!!!] not even CLOSE!

xoxo

holy bagina

okay, so I know you are all looking at my title saying "bag-ina" and thinking "HUH????". think no further. it rhymes with vagina. it's ty's new phrase - mainly because I say "holy dinah" a lot. he thinks it's funny. he's right. I have no good reason for using that as my title either - just feeling funny. LOL

so it's friday night. you'd think sitting down that I'd have something to blog about. as I sit here, nothing is coming to me. my life is rather dull when on summer vacation. no busy things. no real stress. so, I think I am going to invent some. for real.

I am going to invent for myself a 30 day challenge. kinda like a birthday-ish lent. no sunday's off. no easter at the end. no 40 days. just 30 days. it's my birthday in less that a week and at this time of year I begin to feel my age, just a bit. yes, I will be 37. THAT FREAKS ME OUT! funny enough though, a friend of mine said to me a couple of weeks ago - and perhaps as a put-down that I took as a complement - that I really like a 15 yr old in an adult body. he had a point. I don't really act my age, mainly because what does an almost [okay, like in 3 years] 40 year old act like??? and if you use icky words like: stuffy, matronly, grey, wrinkled, menopausal - I will scream in your face. let's be honest. I may have a few grey hairs lingering beneath all the dye jobs and I just may have some wrinkles because I kinda like to laugh and I may just be someone's mother, I am not really that old. yet. nor will I ever be. especially if stuffy is part of the definition. okay, sorry about my anti-aging rant. perhaps I protest too much!!!

the challenge - if you wish to participate with me - is such: I will exercise for at least 30 minutes for 30 days. starting today [yes, I walked 30 minutes tonight!] and ending on august 2nd. WHO IS WITH ME??? [oh, and there are rumours about starting hot yoga next week so I can get my ass kicked...let's see if I get up the nerve!!]

AND, tomorrow is weigh in day. LOVELY. last week, I was up 1.4. I'd better be down this week because this is driving me CRAZY!!!

so close

so tonight, unlike last night obviously, I feel like blogging! about what, I do not know...yet. maybe I'll do my list thingy - only it's not really mine, I borrowed the idea from sarah. she looks like she's a nice person, so I hope she doesn't mind.

1. there are 3 teaching days left in the school year. although I am extraordinarily exhausted and on the verge of a big sore throat, I am sad that this year is ending as I feel like it's been my best teaching year ever. I love my class. I loved my job assignment. it wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I connected with my kids in a way that I hadn't the year before. I learned a whole bunch about myself and both my abilities & inabilities and I am excited to try it all over again next year [only without the stress of the leadership course!].

2. there have been some staffing changes at my school. my good friend scott is moving [and taking his family] to germany to teach. scott is the reason I am in jr high and I am already feeling kinda sad about the whole thing. scott and allison are really great people and I'll miss them at all our little get-togethers. teaching across the hall from scotty has really been a ton of fun and he's helped me so much over the last two years. not to mention, he often shows up with coffee. a little sad, and perhaps a little jealous. happy however that yvonne is moving up.

3. get to go to the lake this weekend with some ladies that I hardly know. okay, bit of a lie. I know connie REALLY well and I know two of the other ladies kinda well and the others, well one I don't know at all. regardless, I am arming myself with THE killer margarita recipe. [THANKS, E!] all will be well.

4. I think I have swimming lessons [for kids, not me] every day in July. sheesh.

5. I am contemplating trying hot yoga [allison & michelle's fault] just because I need my arse kicked and I want to lose some serious INCHES over the summer. is it awful to do it just to shock people?

6. I was up .4 on sat. I am SO close to hitting my 10% goal. one pound away. I want the dumb keychain they give away.

7. I have been stamping up a storm this week - cards for everyone! I just need to make something nice for nate's teacher. I can do that. tomorrow, perhaps?

8. john and I started watching season 1 of arrested development last night. freaking hilarious.

9. my kids [nate & ty] are driving me NUTS! however, I have a plan. an elaborate plan that will begin when summer break begins. it's the anti-whining, anti-temper plan. it's just in its formation, so I'll let you know if it works!

10. there is no number ten. there rarely is. that's okay.

xoxo.

soon, I promise.

4 more days left. well, technically 6 but only 4 with kids. I will blog after the chaos is over. I promise!!

xoxo

thoughts on community

the whole process and thought on "community" intrigues me. and even more so today. not too sure what makes today any different, but as I was with the boys this morning, I felt connected to my community - my city - in a strange way. last night I did a stamping show with some parents from my school. similar experiences, different perspectives. it led me to a place in the conversation where I felt that I needed to put my money where my mouth was, sort a speak. there is a little girl in my school who is going through some really intense stuff and I discovered a way to reach out that really is of no cost to me, other than some time. in taking that step, and in making that offer, I was connected, in community to this family. today, I took the boys to the market. although I didn't see any of my friends, we bought cupcakes from seth's grandma [and were invited, yet again to izzy's birthday party!], we visited the honey lady, who told me she had meet up with my cousin earlier this week, we bought pasta from ernesto and I taught the boys how to put money in guitar cases of great musicians. although I don't know these people, I have shared experiences with them and therefore share community or experiences with them. driving back home, I was thinking about this, looking and being struck by how grateful that I live here in edmonton. I really do love this city and it's people. while thinking this I saw a couple of things. a group of hasidic jews walking home from synagogue. families playing in the park. neighbours talking and laughing with each other.

a few months ago dean spoke about a term: communitas. communitas is an intense community spirit, the feeling of great social equality, solidarity, and togetherness. it is also a bit more than this, but this is the piece of the definition that strikes a chord with me. I cannot live in isolation. I cannot raise my children in isolation. I cannot celebrate in isolation. I need my community. I need to create a spirit of communitas with my words and my actions and in how I treat the people in my community.