5 on (ALMOST) Friday!

I can't believe it is the last day of January ALREADY!  Where did that month go?? I missed linking up yesterday... So here is my "5 on (Almost) Friday"

1. I will be so happy when tomorrow's game is over.  We are so not football fans (I know, it's almost unpatriotic to admit that!)  Up until yesterday, I didn't even know who was playing in the Super Bowl (other than the Patriots...because "team spirit" day at work was the talk of the week and my boss is a huge Patriots fan).  The whole "Deflate Gate" was hard for me to wrap my head around and the drama has been slightly ridiculous.

2.  I am reading a really good book.  I picked it up after seeing that it was written by Colleen McCullough, who wrote The Thorn Birds (which I LOVED).   

3.  So, here ends the first month of the 2,015 in 2015 Mileage Challenge.  I had set a goal of hitting an average of 5.5 miles per day and I am thrilled to say that, as of last night, I have logged 175 miles this month! That's 4.5 miles more than I needed AND today isn't logged yet.  I am going to bank those extra miles for next month (knowing that I won't be getting in 5.5 per day when I go on vacation).  Yay, Me!

4.  For Christmas, my hubby bought me a tv for my dreadmilling pleasure.  I am not really into watching tv, my attention span is not very long, but I needed something to stare at as I get those miles in.  This past weekend, all the moons and stars aligned and the tv is now working!  The big question was... What to watch?  I surfed through Netflix and found an intriguing show that aired last year.  If you've ever watched Salem, you know it's a "little" dark (Quite the opposite of Downton Abbey!).  The second season doesn't air until the spring.  If you haven't seen it, give it a try and let me know what you think!     

5.  My final "5" for today is this... I am lusting after these boots.  I don't know why.  I've never owned a pair of Uggs before and have never really wanted to jump on that bandwagon.  I don't know if it's this insanely cold, snowy weather pattern we are in (they look cozy), or if it's the fact that I am tired of having cold feet (I've heard they are super warm), or if I am just jonesing to spend a gift certificate that I got LAST Christmas (as in 2013) but...Ooooo, I want them :)

 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

A Wish and A Bet

Okay...so I *may* have over-wished this one....

For the last two years I have hung this in my classroom.  Everyone chuckles when they see it.  Tomorrow (IF we have school tomorrow!), I may have to take it down or risk being lynched.  Every year I wish for snow (not 20 inches of snow, but just "enough").  There is NOTHING better than a snow day.  An unexpected day off?  To do whatever?  Yes, please.  I LOVE them!  I'm ready to go back now, but the last TWO days have been great.  No regrets, not even in June (unless it's 100 degrees, then there will be crankiness!)  For now... Life is Good :)

Well, good.... except for the "bet".  I am a week into a DietBet and I am stressed.  I didn't expect to be stressed.  I thought it would be "fun" and motivating.  Yeah? No.

Here's the run down so far... Last week's weigh in was GREAT.  For the second week in a row, I was down 2.8lbs.  I don't get it. I do the "same" things every week.  The exercise is the same, the food is basically the same, and so on.  Some weeks are better than others and I am okay with that.  2.8?  Great.  This week? Not so great.  Monday was weigh-in day.  This week I was UP 1.4 (Really? I sign up for a DietBet and I gain weight, doing the same thing I have successfully been doing for months?  WTH???)  But that isn't the only irk.  The woman who weighed me in on Monday?  Grrrrr.  She was not my usual weigh-in person.  Because of the snow, my regular lady was not there.  THIS woman was a rude cow.

Upon announcing my weight, she said...
Did you track?  You need to track, you know. (Uh, yeah. No kidding?)
Did you change your exercise?  Exercise is so important to losing weight. (No, well yes...I have actually increased my time on the dreadmill, but thanks for asking)
Did you stay within your points?  Although you have extra points every week, you need to use them carefully.  (YES, I have stayed within my points... now you are annoying me, Cow.)
Then she says (with a little eye roll and exasperation)... Well, you must have done SOMETHING to be up that much.

EXCUSE ME?  Um, wow!  I could have a total rant fest here, but it's not worth it.  I am bummed out and trying not to be discouraged.  I did come home and weigh in on my own scale... it shows that I am down .8lb from last Monday (and that was at night, fully dressed!), so again, I don't really get it.  Logically, I know the closer I get to my "goal", the more difficult it becomes to lose those few remaining pounds.  I've been here before.  I guess my frustration comes from feeling like I still don't know how this all really works.  I thought I had a good formula going.  The right balance of eating healthy and exercise.  I am hoping this week was just a weird fluke.  I am trying to let it go; it is what it is. (Right?)  Here's hoping for a more successful week!   

5 on Friday

Click here for the Link Up

This has been a long week, but it's FINALLY FRIDAY!!.  To celebrate, I am hooking up with the gals who host 5 On Friday.....

1.  Sunday nights are now the BEST thing ever! :) Downton Abbey has returned for my viewing pleasure and I am able to curl up under a pile of fleece for a nice relaxing hour.  As I surveyed my domain on Sunday, I did kinda shake my head.  Flannel jammies? Check.  Fuzzy robe? Check.  Fleece blanket? Check. Tea? Cookie? Cross stitch project?  Check, check, check.  What has happened to me?  When did I become my grandmother?

It has been fabulous and I plan on doing it again this Sunday.

2.  This week's weigh in was good and I feel like I am back on the right track.  This is what I am trying to tell myself... 

3.  Fitness update:  5.5 miles a day is not always easy, but I've been pretty successful.  As of yesterday, I've moved and grooved away 84 miles...  84/170.5...  Half way through the month = approximately half way through the miles.  Keep on, keepin' on!

4.  I treated myself to new clothes this week :)  Happiness is a pair of jeans that fit and a new sweater to bundle up in.

Gotta love Old Navy!

  
5.  The most exciting thing about this week though... My daughter got ACCEPTED TO QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY!  YAY!  She is over the moon and I could not be prouder!!  

Hope you all had a great week!  Enjoy the weekend :)

5:15

5:15.... That's the new time I have been getting up in the morning.  You may not know this about me, but I don't like despise getting out of bed in the morning.  I am not a morning person and would prefer to rise when I am good and ready.  I'm kind of a big baby about it.  Every day goes like this...At 5:45, the alarm screams at me to get up.  I shuffle across the room to turn it off and stagger BACK TO BED (I know the point of having it across the room is to get me UP and moving in the the right direction, but I digress).  I then huddle in bed, thinking about getting up, being productive, facing the day with a smile.  It takes any where from 15-25 minutes to make me a believer.  Groaning, I finally haul my butt out of bed, only to panic because now, I am running late.

Sunday, I decided to change all that.  In conjunction with my pledge to do 2015 miles this year, I realized I need to get up and MOVE in the morning.  My activity level during the day is not always consistent and I often have commitments at night that cut into any time I may want to spend on the dreadmill.  So, for the past two mornings, I have set my alarm for 5:15 in order to get 2 miles/30 minutes done before I "start" my day. 

Before showering, before coffee, before my eyes have completely focused.... I am up (kinda...  I think I was actually sleep walking this morning!) 

So, what have I learned from the last 2 mornings?
1.  Getting up earlier has not killed me (much to my amazement!)
2.  The music I prefer in the wee hours of the morning is VASTLY different from what I prefer at night.  No Katy Perry, no Charli XCX, no Maroon 5.  That's all great and peppy for ending the day, when my brain has been at warp speed for hours.  My morning vibe needs to be much more mello as I ease into the day.  Think James Ingram, Boyz ll Men, and Diamond Rio. 
3. My foot has been GOOD.  It think exercising first, then the gentler pace of walking around/resting throughout the day, ending with the night splint stretching is a better routine.  Time will tell.
4.  I begrudgingly admitted today that I might actually prefer dreadmilling in the morning.  I feel accomplished before I even leave the house and the time seems to go quickly in the morning, probably because the time is defined and limited (and I am seriously half asleep for the first 10 minutes or so).
5.  I need to go to bed earlier at night!

What do you think....Morning or Night (or somewhere in between)?  What is your preference and have you ever tried to shake it up and do something different?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  It's so hard to believe it is 2015, ALREADY!  My family has a busy year ahead of us... we are looking forward to 2 Bridal Showers, 2 Weddings, and 3 Graduations.  

The end of 2014 eased its way out in a nice, happy way.

1.  There was this girl, whom I got to spend time with...

My cousin's daughter

We had a fabulous New Year's Eve with family.  Hung out with my brother, his wife and their kids.  We went bowling (I haven't done that in years!!) and then we went back to their house for Chinese food.  My parents joined us for an unexpected surprise.  On New Year's Day, she and I went to breakfast at IHOP.  Ah... "dessert" for breakfast.  What a nice way to start the year!

2.  I wrapped up another month of walking...logging 133.7 miles for the month.  I moved more last month than I did in November, which surprised me!  My dreadmill use was definitely less since I was so busy with the holidays, but the time spent shopping added to my walking totals.  Looking ahead... I may do a year long challenge of 2015 miles in 2015.  Yikes!  That means approximately 5.5 miles per day.  Every. Day.  Still debating about that!

3.  My weigh in this week was a little scary anxiety inducing, but I did it any way.  I had decided that it was "okay", no regrets.  *Sigh*  I am up 2.4 lbs.  My first gain since I started in September.  Obviously, I am still not back on track because I continue to...

This cracks me up!

4.  A while ago (probably last summer), I created a bucket list of things that I'd like to accomplish over the next few years.  I added it to my Blog this week (FINALLY figured out how!).  Check it out.  What do you think?  Do you have a bucket list?  Short or long term goals?

5.  My New Year's Resolutions... Start on that Bucket List!  By the end of the year, I'd like to have completed 15 of the 50 things I've listed.  Obviously, health and fitness are at the top of my list.  Overall, I am liking the direction I am going in... right now, I am in a pretty good place :)