Goodbye NROLFW

Well, life has thrown a wrench in my plans. Things were going smoothly with my exercise routine. I was certainly building muscle, maintaining my weight and feeling pretty good.

And then an injury. I will get into the details of this in another post. It is a long story for another day. However, the injury has come with two requirments.....taking it easy (because that's so easy to do with two kids and a full time job) and not lifting anything heavy. GREEAATTT.

I finally built up some strength and now I cannot lift anything for at least 6 weeks.

I am so afraid that this is going to send me backwards. I am afraid of gaining weight. I am afraid of how much I am going to hate the gym if all I can do is cardio.

I want to stay positive. It is just hard when you work really hard at something and then have to walk away from it. I have followed NROLFW for 9 weeks and I never cheated...not even once.

So goodbye for now New Rules of Lifting for Women. I have really enjoyed how you make my arms, back and legs look. I hope we will meet again soon.

There will be cheesecake...

I have a confession to make...this is serious people, so try not to judge me too harshly.

Yesterday I had THE worst day of eating I have had in 7 months..

First let's start with the justification (because you know I like to make excuses):

The two reasons this happened were,

1. my day did not go as planned, so neither did my eating

and

2. My husband was in celebration mode.

Let me explain and I will start with number two

My husband has lost 52 lbs total in the past 9 months. This can be contributed to the fact that he stopped drinking and he started training. His major goal was to make a low weight class at a tournament he competed in yesterday (Grapplers Quest). He had to be 168 lbs and he did it. He also happened to take 2nd place in both of his divisions in his very first competition ever. Go Hubby!!!

So what did he do. He stopped at Cheesecake Factory on the way home and brought home mass amounts of food.

It was the tastiest stuff I have ever put my mouth on. Seriously, I wanted to roll in around in it.

I had 3 avocado egg roles. This is probably my favorite food ever.
Half of a chicken Thai pasta dish covered in peanut sauce. And if you know Cheesecake Factory you know half of a dish is like 4 servings.
And of course I had to have 1/2 a piece of snickers cheesecake.

I probably would not have felt so guilty about this had I not stuffed my face with disgustingness earlier that day.

I was running super late to get to a fall festival where I was meeting a friend. This resulted in a Ham egg and cheese on an English muffin from Dunks.

Then, after realizing the "restaurant" that was advertised at this fall festival was actually a shack with a microwave...the kids and I ate a gourmet lunch of luke warm hot dogs (barf) and a shared bag of good ole' lays.

AND (yes there is an and) we also stopped to get a soft serve ice cream on the way home because sometimes I bribe my children so that they do not embarrass me in public (don't bother lecturing me on this bad parenting move, sometimes it's about mommy survival).

I don't really feel guilty about this. I think sometimes you just can't worry about it. I have been pretty darn good at controlling myself and Cheesecake Factory does not just show up at your door on just any occasion.

It might be considered a problem that I woke up at 6am and ate the remainder of the Thai Chicken. And it may become a problem that the other half of my cheesecake is taunting me as we speak and it is only 8:45 a.m.

Tomorrow there will be veggies. Lots and lots of veggies. But today, I am pretty sure there will be cheesecake.

Big dreams, boring workouts

Tomorrow is Friday...thank goodness.

I made the gym every day but Tuesday ( I had parent's night Monday night and I was exhausted) and I fully intend on going tomorrow morning. I have been in a bit of a funk there. I am still following NROLFW, but I feel like I do so much of the same stuff. I may need to modify for a while...but I'll get back to that another day.

Lately I have been down in the dumps about where I live. I would give just about anything to sell everything and move to Maine. I love my house...but I feel like my neighborhood is going downhill. I wish I had the courage to just change everything...but when you have kids you really have to think about more than just yourself. The quality of education is good here and who knows what it would be like in some rural town. I have a great job, with fantastic benefits. Plus my in-laws are here....but some days I am sad that I don't have the courage to take the chance. You only get one life. Maybe there is still a chance? It's hard when you know if you ever left, that it could devastate other people...but yet it is what you and your family really want.

Maybe I am just having back to work blues. I get very overwhelmed this time of year. Maybe my dream of moving to the boonies is my attempt at escaping from my stress. Who know? I have pledged that I will never move my kids anywhere past 5th grade. So I have some time...10 years to be exact.

Joe is my hero

Joe, of Trader Joe's is my secret lover...

I'm pretty sure he is not a real person, so I think it's okay to say this.

I made the treck to the big city of Hyannis. If you don't know Cape Cod, this is kind of a joke. Hyannis is not a big city, however it is the only place on the Cape with a mall and is where you have to go if you really need to buy anything. It also is home to a lot of trashtasticness, so I try to avoid it. BUT they do have a Trader Joe's....so I have to take a trip every few weeks.

Why to I love TJ's so much? Well back when I was a fat a$$ less healthy person, I loved it because I was lazy and they have great frozen food and premade stuff. Now I like it because you can get several clean eating staples for a fraction of the cost of other places.

I have blogged abou this before and don't want to restate everything I buy there.

However, I will mention a few things that are a bargain:
1. sesame seed oil
2. precut stirfry veggies (you get a lot of variety for the price)
3. preseasoned brussel sprouts (seriously, give them a try..I promise they are not what you think) a recipe will come later this week
4. whole wheat flour
5. premade, fresh salsa
6. organic apples
7. organic whole wheat pasta
8. organic, free range chicken breast
9. light organic string cheese
10. extra firm tofu
11. Raw Almonds and dreied fruit (VERY good price)

Good prices, healthy food and excellent-non-trashy employees= who wouldn't love this place?

What I want...'cause yeah, I'm in a greedy mood

It's Saturday, the sun is FINALLY out and I am trying to figure out where to bring the kiddos today. I feel like I have to step up my game in the fun department because now my quality time with them is limited to the weekends. I don't want to become the forgotten parent.

I was just sitting here thinking about how I really want a Starbucks carmel machiato. I could easily drive off and get one, but I am really trying not to buy coffee on the go. This is probably my biggest weakness and I need to be good.

This got me thinking about what else I want that I don't currently have but also don't really need. My life wish list if you will.........

1. A larger, cleaner vehicle that can transport my kids, dog and other crap in a slightly classier way then my currently filthy, aging Ford Freestyle. I think I want a Pilot.

2. A fence around my yard. We have a beautiful, large yard but it is so open to everyone who walks by...including many of the neighborhood kids who I have had as students. Plus I would love if the kids, chickens, dog and cat would be contained in a fenced area. for now we are working on a privacy fence across the front...but it will be forever before we can afford one all the way around.

3. Another baby. I know, it is crazy...but I am starting to get baby fever again. I just stopped nursing my daughter...so sooner than later would be nice.

4. Intensive, one on one pilates instruction 3 nights a week. Ha, I'll keep dreaming on this one.

5. A secretary at work. I can't even imagine what a fabulous teacher I would be if I didn't spend half my damn day doing crap that is pointless and does not have anything to do with the quality of education.

6. A tropical vacation in the winter during February vacation...because New England winters start to get intolerable right about that time.

7. A family day that included my husband at least one day a week. I miss him a lot.

8. A fully finished basement with a giant, padded playroom. Because rainy days with kids are no fun.

I think that is all. I mean, is it all really too much to ask? The good news is...a few of these are not totally unrealistic,,,so I will live for those!

What do you really want, even if you don't need it?

My new self and mommy moments

Hey there,

Remember me? The teacher, who went back to work and couldn't stay awake past 8?

Yeah, the first week back to work tends to take everything out of a teacher. I equate teaching to acting on stage for 7 hours straight and that spells exhaustion.

Not much has happened around these parts- my mom came to visit and it was amazing because she took the kids and I back to school shopping...which made things much easier on us and on our wallets (love you mama)
We had an okay start to school, minus the usual madness and drama associated with the start of the year.
My son is starting preschool tomorrow and I am so worried...Will he make friends? Will his teacher appreciate and know how to channel his energy and enthusiasm? Will people be nice to him? Is his backpack cool enough?
Can you tell this mom is freaking out a little? I mean he is MY baby...I want to world to know how fabulous he is and what if they don't? I mean they will, right?

Other than my emotional mommy feeling, things are going well.

I managed to work out every morning this week...even this morning when it was pouring and lightening out when I woke up.I have cooked every night and stuck to my meal plans.
My first week back to school used to be a huge moment of weakness for me. The old me would have certainly gotten takeout at least one night and most likely skipped the gym with the excuse that I was too tired and busy to make it. But the new me ignored the excuses and kept going. I have to say I am proud of my new self.

Food, Work, Life

Before I say anything, let me start with some pictures of  recipes I have tried in the past week:


Sweet Potatoe and spinach Hash with Turkey Bacon, Poached Eggs and Cheddar Cheese



Grilled portabella mushrooms in balsamic topped with slices of tomatoe, mozerella and basil




Broiled Salmon with tomatoes and feta on top of Greek quinoa (quinoa, garlic, spinach, red peppers and greek olives)



Tilapia fish tacos with greek yogurt chipoltle


 I LOVE food. If you would like any of these recipes, just let me know and I will post. Someday maybe I will get a good camera so these pics don't look so bad. I have not posted in forever for two main reasons- 1) I started back at work.2) We live near the cost, which means we prepared for the hurricane (which was a bad tropical storm here) and we lost power and then the internet/ cable for a few days.  Starting a new school year is exhausting. I am going to have to really be disciplined if I am going to keep cooking and working out. So far so good. I am on workout sets 7 of NROLFW and I haven't slacked on that at all, which I do MWF.  The summer is over for me, but it was a good one. I am trying not to get down on myself about all the things I didn't accomplish during my weeks off, like the million lessons I should have planned, all the cabinets I didn't clean out and a less than stellar garden. Instead I will reflect on what I did accomplish: 1.A killer tan2. An amazing trip out West 3. Logging serious time in my beach chair4. Getting Liam to love the ocean water.5. Celebrating my baby girls first birthday.6. Celebrating the engagment and wedding of great friends.7. Growing some nice fresh herbs and tomatoes8. Cleaning out my closet and donating 2 lawn bags full of clothes.9. Teaching my son how to recognize letters.10. And most importantly, spending some quality time as a stay at home mom. Who cares if I never got to the bank to deal with our bank accounts? I had LOTS OF FUN!