The Think Method

I'm using the think method today.

Today I'm thinking that I'll do a *real* blog post. (This one doesn't count.) I've been browsing my pictures and trying to get them organized. I honestly have so many soccer pictures from the fall (12.4 GB so far) that it is overwhelming. I still have Bryce's last game to finish. I'm hoping that there is a great picture of each child in there somewhere for a great soccer post. Then I can delete like 10 GB of bad soccer pictures.

Then I'm hoping that I can find one decent picture of Oakli in her Halloween costume. She is "literally" the most dramatic child I have ever met. She can make more faces in 2 seconds than anyone I have ever met. That includes hand and arm gestures. She is amazing and I never know if I am going to get a normal picture. I guess that is just her personality and it will probably never change. So that is my *thinking* for today. The rest of my *thinking* will go out the window because I am heading to kindergarten today. There doesn't seem to be much thinking going on in a kindergarten classroom, although we'd all like to pretend that there is. I don't know how kindergarten teachers do it, it is more like organizezd chaos, but somehow Mrs. Graham gets it done, and she is the BEST! Anyway, it is Chase's "sharing" day today and he wants to bring Oakli for his sharing. Go figure.

Final Day ~ Day 31

Today is my final post of the post for a day, for a whole month. I do confess that I had many things planned for the final day. Many just slipped my mind, some just don't seem relevant any longer, and others just make me feel more tired than I already am. This was very hard to do. Many of you already know that, if you've been following my my posts, you'll know that, because I've said it more than once. I don't know that I'll ever try this again. I've liked the challenge, but the stress has been very hard. I don't do well with stress. I'd rather do things on my terms, and knowing that I "have" to post every day, has been stressful for me. There have been a few days that I have nearly forgotten to post. With all that said, here are a few things for the final day.

July truly is my favorite month. Yes, it is my birthday month, and that is part of it, but not all of it. I love to be warm, so that is a big factor as well. So farewell to July. I had planned to "honor" the 7th month of the year with all kinds of 7 things today, but honestly, I can't remember what I was going to do today. Such is the life of a mom. I did walk 7.7 miles today, if that counts for anything. Maybe I'll work on freeing 7 flies from the house, because they are really starting to drive me crazy. It is easier to get them out the windows than it is to hit them with the swatter.


Yesterday while I was sitting here (probably wondering what I was going to type) I saw a neighbor lady walk by. She was definitely out for an "exercise" walk, but she was talking on her cell phone. Okay, pet peeve here. Why do people talk on their cell phones, why they are trying to get exercise? I just don't get it. I can understand an emergency or something like that, but not while you are exercising. Whatever. I didn't really think much of it, until she walked back by going the other direction. It was like an hour later. By this time I was out picking raspberries, and she was (still?) talking on her cell phone! Some people. Sheesh! This is going to sound rude, but maybe that is why her butt is still kind of big. She can't really walk very fast and have a conversation on her cell phone the entire time she is trying to walk.

I think I'll go make dinner now, now that it isn't bed time and I don't "have" to try to think of something to blog about. I fully intend to continue my frequent blogging, just not every day. I'm hoping for a few times a week. I find it truly enjoyable, and I'm hoping that by spreading it out a bit, I can put more substance to it (compared to the last week).

Thanks for all of you who have read along with me over the last month!

Fools ~ Day 21

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me for seventy years and bill me $100 trillion while I sit by and accept more of the same? Then shame on all of us for being ignorant and powerless Americans. If we fail to speak up and speak out against this madness then we should be prepared to accept everything we get. Samuel Adams said that those who prefer the "tranquility of servitude" had best be prepared to "crouch down and lick the hands which feed you." That advice is as relevant today as it was back then.

~Glenn Beck

I wonder what kind of fools we'll turn out to be.

Hunh.

This is hard ~ Day 8

I have to admit, posting every day is hard. Reminding myself of what I was going to write about from an idea that emerged from day 5, here goes. It isn't any great announcement, but it is something that I have been working on for most of this year. As of today, I have walked 835 miles. I'm on quite a streak, if I do say so myself. I started my streak of exercising at least 5 miles a day, 6 days a week, the day after my first half marathon this year, but I started keeping track of my miles at the beginning of the year. It has been quite eye opening for me. It has also been really good, because now my streak is so long, I don't want to break it. This is week 26 and it really keeps me motivated to exercise every day.

Please hurry and bury Michael Freaking Jackson. As I am writing this, they still HAVE NOT buried him yet, even though all the memorials were yesterday. How long is this going to drag out?

**Thanks Natalie for the picture.

Weight Loss, No More!

It is finally over, and yes, I have emerged the victor!




I do have to admit, it was not a surprise to me. Over-confident you say? I argue, nay. My reasoning is, 4 months of consistent HARD work. This family weight loss challenge started November 4th, and I was off and going with a bang, and I didn't stop (and still haven't). I don't really know how the others have done, because most of the rest are in Utah and I only have one brother here in Oregon. And I have only "spied" on him once. So how do you loose 37 pounds in 4 months you ask? Consistency I tell you! It can be done without any crazy fad diets or starvation tatics. Yes, I did have to cut back, but I didn't starve.


Exercise... well, you learn to live with it. Just short of taking my scale with me on vacation (now that would be crazy!) I still did exercise while I was on vacation, half way around the world. (We were supposed to weigh in 3x a week as part of the rules of the competition. We made a special arrangement while we were on vacation.) It gave a new perspective on my vacations though. I'm still glad I did, no matter where I was. It was nice to make the time for it.


On average, I walked at least 5 miles a day, and I still do 6 days a week. The thing that got me motiaved to start walking those distances is Doug and I started doing half-marathons. I don't run. Running is like a 4-letter word for me. I don't like it, and I don't think I ever will. Now walking a half-marathon, that is something I can do, and I have actually gotten faster at. While we were in Hawaii in January, we did one. I've done 3 now and they are gettine easier all the time. The more weight I have lost, the easier they get (go figure! - no pun intended there...) So now that I am in shape for them, we intend to do more, and I don't have to keep the training up for them, it just comes naturally. I can decide that next week, "hey, I feel like doing that half-marathon". No problem! It is a great feeling! I just keep my iPod loaded with music that keeps me moving to a pretty fast tempo and I am good to go. During the winter months, I get a lot of shows caught up on while I am on the dread-mill. So as you can see, it isn't something that I really enjoy, but it is nice to get on with my day once the exercise is done. Now the challenge begins to maintain the new body that I have worked so hard for, so I will probably maintain the lifestyle that I have grown accustomed to for the last 4 months, with only a few changes. I don't know yet what those changes will be, but they will be few and far between. Another change that I have noticed is that I can confidently say that I have overcome the addiction to food. Sure I still want certain things once in a while, but food is just the stuff that fuels my body now. I don't crave stuff all the time. When I am bored I look for something to do, rather than for something to eat. Now, if I can just keep that up, then I will be good for a good long time.


For those of you who are dying to know, I am now a size 4.

One side note: I am working with a neurologist to get my migrane headaches sorted out. I am on a new medication now to prevent the migranes in the first place. This has been really good for me because it has forced me to drastically reduce my sugar intake, which has probably been a major factor in my migrane triggars. I had some of those yummy girl scout cookies (which really weren't that good), and yep, I got a migrane right away. I got a little carried away and had too many cookies, it wasn't just a cookie or two.

~ Kari

Need I say more?

The abuse of the !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy smokes, am I guilty of this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have just decided that I am going to try really hard, not to use an "!" mark, unless it is totally warranted.

Forvigeness is a gift you give to yourself.