Projects...craft time!

In one of my posts awhile back..."Joys of Self-Discovery" I mentioned that I was going to start doing crafts again. Well, one thing that I realized since then, is that, the crafts I enjoyed 10+ years ago have changed. I used to LOVE to paint...ceramics (plastercraft) mainly. And, one of my desires was to hand paint an entire Christmas village. I actually started one in high school for my mom, but never finished.I would get lost for hours just painting. Kept me from eating. ;)
Well...I have realized that I no longer have patience for that now. With the time restraints I have as an adult...or should I say mother...I like projects that I can finish quickly.  Remember...I'm all about "Instant Gratification"! And, I think I have developed a severe case of ADD over the years, so it's even worse now!!
One day, a few weeks ago, I sat down with Sydney and we painted some butterfly flower pots. And, as disappointing as it is for me to say this...it wasn't as fun as it used to be. :(  But, that's ok. There are plenty of other things that I can do. And, I always have some new brilliant idea to try...or "expensive" if Mike would have a say in it. But, he doesn't...so, we'll go with brilliant!  And, as we all know, some work and some don't. So here are some of my crafty projects that I have completed. Not all of them are recent, but I still wanted to share them. :)

***This is my most recent project. It's more of a motivational tool really. I filled a glass jar up with pebbles...one pebble to symbolize 1 pound...200 to be exact. Which I labeled "Pounds to Lose". The other jar is my "Pounds Lost" jar. For every pound I lose I move a pebble over to that jar. Kinda hard to see the letters, I may have to change that.

 ***This is a hair bow holder that I made for Sydney's hair bows. I started with an unfinished plaque and individual letters and then painted everything and glued on the letters. Sydney loves Princesses, so I decorated it to that theme. I also made most of the bows.

***I am forever trying to organize my family. I have made several charts and fun boards to help. They aren't always as functional as I had imagined, so I frequently redesign them. Sometimes, it's the materials that I use that don't work.

The first one is my favorite, but I had to retire it because it fell apart. Plus, I didn't use the "Reading" section. I used a cork board and stuck velcro in the spaces to hold the cards that I made. Whenever the week was over, I would change out the menu cards and rotate the kids' cards. The tugging of the velcro ended up ripping the cork off the board. So, I had to make a new one.

This next one is the one I currently use. It is actually a lot more convenient and easy to use, but I like the look of the first one better. This one is just a regular picture frame. I decorated the cardboard insert with scrapbook paper and ribbon and stuck it in the frame. I use the glass as a dry erase board, so it makes it super easy to update each week. I don't have to make tons of "meal" cards and thumb through them each week.

***The next round of pictures are from a little craft get together that some friends put together. A bunch of ladies made crafts to sell to each other for the holidays to use as gifts or whatever. I have to say my crafts didn't turn out as good as I hoped. The magnets didn't stick very well. Sorry to whoever bought some...I am happy to give a full refund if you weren't satisfied! :) The jars~ I wanted them to have slots for coins, but ran out of time to do it. So, I didn't like their functionality. The Altoid tins~ I liked those. The First Aid one has a little tube of Triple Antibiotic that I made using a straw and a lighter to seal it up.

***The next few are just some things that I painted for Sydney's room a long time ago. Two were painted on blank canvas. The dragonfly was an unfinished ornament and the ladybug was a stencil. The flowers I painted on her wall. The flower heads were stamps, but the rest was free hand.

So, these are some of the crafts that I've done.  I have lots more ideas!! Now I just have to find time and figure out which ones I want to start on next. :) 

Kudos to me!

   

I just have to give myself a GIANT pat on the back! I am SO proud of myself for the determination I have had over the past couple of months. I have consistantly been eating healthy, exercising and journaling what I eat since I started Weight Watchers. That is unheard of for me!!
Whenever I joined WW in the past I would eat healthier, but I would not be faithful with journaling. I hated it! It was too time consuming and a big pain in the butt! But, honestly, I think I hated it mainly because I usually cheated and didn't want to write it down. And, for those of you that know me...you know that I am VERY honest! Which means that my journal had to be honest or it would just nag at me! So, eventually, I would start losing a little less or gaining when I went to the meetings. All because I wouldn't keep track of what I ate. I got over-confident and thought that I didn't need to because I had been doing it for so long. Well...after losing a little less and then gaining, I would then start maintaining my weight. That frustrated me, so I would quit. Then I would GAIN big time because I got mad at myself for failing again.
And, exercise was never something that I did. Sure, I would walk every so often or go to the aqua class whenever my schedule would allow it. But, that was it. I had EVERY excuse in the book as to why I couldn't. And, they were all lame. Truth is...I was scared to exercise! I mean, let's face it...I get stared at because of my size. And, I didn't want to subject myself to that. We all have our insecurities...mine is my weight, obviously. So, I would feel like there was a huge spotlight on me whenever I would walk into a gym or even whenever I would take a walk down a main street. This fear kept me from following through with any of the goals that I made for myself involving exercise.
Well...the tables have turned. Now, I don't give a rat's A** who stares at me when I go to the gym! And, I now journal everything that I eat! Maybe it's because I'm older and wiser now! ;) lol
The exercising part has helped me out the most. It has helped me to make smarter food choices, which in turn has made it easier for me to journal..because now I like what I am writing down. And, after I exercise, the last thing I want to do is eat crap and take away all the benefits of the hard work I just did.
My trainer has been a TRUE blessing to me! I just have to give a big shout-out to McKell for telling me about her!! McKell, you are AWESOME! Anyway...my trainer knows exactly what I need and exactly how to push me. She is so encouraging and educates me about everything from fitness to nutrition. It has been SO helpful. I am really enjoying exercise because she keeps it new and fun and changes it up for me. I love that! I get bored doing the same thing all the time! Plus, I am losing inches, so I am noticing the little changes a lot quicker than I would with losing weight alone. The little changes like...it being easier to tie my shoes, being able to hug Mike a little tighter and just overall feeling better.
One thing that I have to remind myself of though, is to relax and allow myself to mess up. There are days that I am TIRED and I just don't want to exercise and that's ok. I will make up for it the next day. I am really trying to be real and not expect myself to be 100% all the time. By giving myself that ok, it doesn't feel like there's as much pressure. I do want to lose this weight quickly, but I am not going to make myself miserable in the process. Don't get me wrong...I will not allow myself to get lazy, but I will recognize if I need a day off. If I want to eat a little more, I do, because I have extra points that I can use. But, I will not allow myself to go over that.
This past week I lost 5 lbs!! Which really brought my spirits back up after my gain last week Yes, I know it was a small gain, but I still was bothered by it.
I have now hit my 5% goal and received my 20 lb star! YAY ME!!
All I can say is...I AM ROCKIN' THIS! And, I can't wait to experience a lot more changes in the weeks to come!

Good days and Bad days

So, I gained 1.6 lbs this week. That really sucks!! One of the goals that I had for myself was to not gain. Even if I only lost 0.2 lbs, I would be satisfied because it was a loss. I just didn't want to gain!!! UGH!
I know...that is an unlikely goal, but I like to set the standards high. Remember...I am the "Unrealistic Optimist".
This week I had 3, possibly 4 things against me.
First...I ate out A LOT this week. I had family in town which contributed to that quite a bit. I was out and about a good portion of each day. I will say though, I didn't binge on fast food and soda like I normally would. I made much smarter choices and I stayed away from soda too! Yay me!! It is SO hard to estimate points when I eat out! I have to eyeball portions and hope that there aren't any added oils or dressings that aren't on the menu. I do the best I can and I usually over-estimate what I think the point value would be.
Second...It is that time of month for me...day #2 on weigh-in day to be exact...which is my heaviest day. Sorry...TMI probably. But, it can make a huge difference, especially with my water retention problems.
Third...I saw a new doctor Monday and she suggested that I take my medications differently. I normally take them all at night, which is probably not the best thing to do, but I forget otherwise. So, what I did was set an alarm on my phone to remind me. Now, I split the doses up. One of the pills I changed was my "water pill" to help retention. So, my body is probably adjusting to that right now also.
Fourth...I don't know if this is a cause, but it could be. My trainer gave me a new circuit...adding all new exercises and increasing the difficulty. Which is really good because that means I'm getting stronger! :) But, I hear that when muscles are sore it means that you're retaining lactic acid in you're muscles. And, I have been pretty sore! A GOOD kind of sore though! :) So, that could be a contributer too.
One thing that I DO know is that I am following my plan and exercising like a MAD fool!!
What's really weird for me is that I'm actually enjoying exercising and eating healthier. It makes me feel SO much better...physically and psychologically. I have made a Motivation Board for myself to look at...I work best with visuals to help remind me of why I need and want to do this. And, my trainer suggested that I write a Mission Statement to hang up and read everyday, so I did that too.
I'll tell ya though...PMS really messes with my moods and today I am dragging and down in the dumps. But, tomorrow I will SUCK it up...I will perk up and get my butt moving!
Next week I BETTER get that weight off!! I was SO close to my 5% goal and it really bummed me out when I gained! GRRRR! Don't worry...I'm irritated...I vented...I'll be better and back to my usual self tomorrow! Can't keep me down...
Here are some pictures of my Motivational Board and Mission Statement. Sorry if they're hard to see and read. I think I need a new camera. The picture quality and clarity aren't as good as I would like.

On the bottom it says: Go to waterparks (not humiliated) and ride rollercoasters (right now I can't fit in most of them)

I really miss cute shoes, especially Doc Martens. I also loved wearing Levi's, my bubble butt made them look good...back in the day. ;)

I REALLY want to play sports again and keep up with my kids. I want to go horseback riding. And, I want to fit in theater and airplane seats...COMFORTABLY!

Learning from failures...

It's so exciting as a mother to watch your kids grow up and figure things out. But, it is just as exciting to realize that I am growing up and figuring things out too!
I am pleased to say that I have finally learned patience...at least with the weight loss process, anyway. Every time that I fail, I learn something new. So, I have learned A LOT! I've learned that I can't completely change all my habits at once, although it would be nice. Way too many to tackle at once! I have to take one or a few at a time, start small and be satisfied with my progress no matter how insignificant it may feel. It all adds up! And, if I fail, don't get frustrated, just pick something else. And, then readdress the failed one later. It may just be the wrong time for that one.
Over the past few months I have reflected a lot on all my failures, in order to figure out why I failed. This is what I came up with...I am too hard on myself...I was trying to change too much all at once...and I didn't ask for help.
I am too hard on myself. No matter what I did, I should have done more. If I walked 30 minutes, I should have walked 60. If I ate 3 vegetables, I should have eaten 5. It's never ending. It's a constant state of disapproval. Which is NO good for the psyche. How will I ever be happy with myself, with this attitude. Now, I am much more satisfied with my efforts and congratulate myself for each day that I make a positive change. In time the changes will get bigger and bigger.
I was trying to change too much all at once. For some reason I thought that I would be totally fine with introducing all of these weird foods into my diet and saying goodbye to all of my familiar foods. I have now realized that in order to enjoy a healthier lifestyle, I need to be able to eat things that are appealing to me. I have to be real and think long term. I love food...I will always love food. So, let's figure out how to lose weight and still be able to love food. I don't do well, when I am told I can't have something. That's why I love Weight Watchers, nothing is off limits. Fortunately, I am smart enough to know what I need to eat, so I follow the healthy guidelines as such. And, knowing that I can have a GIANT, warm and gooey chocolate chip cookie if I want, makes eating healthier that much more attractive.
I didn't ask for help. Here was my attitude before..."I put the weight on all by myself, so I sure as heck can take it off all by myself!" WRONG! STUPID! Yes, it is ultimately my decision to change things, but there are a lot of factors that are needed to help motivate and educate. And, I am not too stubborn to ask for help anymore.
This year has been life changing so far...it started last fall and has continued on into this year FULL force! I love where I am at mentally and emotionally right now (physically is getting there). Taking the time to focus on my behaviors and habits has really paid off.
This is where I am at after 5 weeks...
18.2 lbs gone...less than 1 lb away from my 5% goal
12.5 total inches gone (over the whole body)...6.5" is from my waist and 3" is from my hips
I am currently soda free and have had very little fast food
I am cooking and eating home much, much more and I am totally fine with it!
I am loving this!! I feel so much better and it is just beginning! My goal is to be under 300 lbs by my birthday (July 15). I have not been under 300 in almost 8 years! So far so good! :)