Saturday Slimdown

Well I am back linking up with Teaching with a Touch of Pixie Dust for Slimdown Saturday.  

A little late I know.  I spent all day yesterday working on report cards and conference prep so I could enjoy today.  I am still going even though I have not reported in a few weeks.  Here is how it is going.

 I have lost an additional pound since I last linked up for a total loss of 9 pounds.  Now that is not nearly as far as I had hoped to be by this time.  I have been trying to eat clean for almost 8 weeks, so that is just slightly more than 1 pound a week.  That is not biggest loser speed, but I have a real life and don’t live on a ranch where I have time to workout 2-3 times a day and a kitchen full of just healthy foods to prepare for meals.  I need to keep it in perspective and be happy that I am at least making progress.

I am proud of myself that I am sticking to it even though I am not seeing the “big” results yet.  I will say I know I have had a bigger change in inches because my clothes are fitting better.

I know what I need to do to kick it up.  The same thing I have been saying for 8 weeks now…EXERCISE!!! That’s it.  That is the catalyst that I am missing and I realize that.  I need to stop making the excuses…I’m tired…I really need to…you get the idea.  That is what I need to better at this week, making it a priority no matter what.  It should be actually easier this week and that goes along with my goal for the week.

When you read my goal you were probably thinking, what? Well we are leaving on Wednesday for 6 days in Las Vegas for a family vacation to the NASCAR races.  So my goal is to try to keep eating clean as much as possible and still feel like I am enjoying my time with my family.  On the other hand it will make my goal of more exercise much easier.  I won’t have school, so I won’t be spent by 6pm.  Usually my hubby and I go down to the hotel gym each morning for a workout and then there is a ton of walking to the track, around the track, on the strip.  So I should definitely make my previous goals of 10,000 steps a day no problem. I just need to keep my eating in check so I don’t ruin all the great exercise I am going to do and the progress I have made so far.

My quote for this week is…

I loved this and thought it was a great thought to keep on the front of my mind.  How are your goals going?  Make it a great week friends!

Slim Down Saturday!

I am linking up for my weekly accountability post with Gina from Teaching With a Touch of Pixie Dust.

Here are my stats for the week.

It has been a tough week for me.  I know the above results speak otherwise.  I am thrilled to have lost another 2 lbs this week.  Finally I feel like I am back on track with my my weight loss.  But. It. Was. Hard. This. Week. 

  

My college son came home Monday for just one night, since he had an appointment with the orthodontist.  So he wanted to eat at his favorite restaurant.  It is a local Mexican place in our town.  I was sooo good all day knowing I would be going out that evening.  I already had it planned in my mind I would order the grilled chicken salad, no cheese and no dressing.  I would just put some fresh salsa on top.  However, I didn’t figure on how hard it would be to resist those chips they bring before the dinner.  Not to mention that it would take longer than usual to get our dinner, I guess since we had a group of 12. Well I only ate ½ my salad, probably in part because I think I ate my weight in chips while we were waiting.  Oh My! Well, live and learn.  Maybe it was a good thing to have a little cheat.  I guess my body said, “Oh, I guess we are not starving”.

The rest of the week I was really proud of myself for staying on track with my food. I will say it is getting easier.  This may sound odd, but the healthy food is actually tasting even better, if that is possible.

My exercise, however, is another story.  Once again I had an epic fail in this department.  I did not walk, I did not join a class, nada, nothing.  By Wednesday, I was not feeling too well and it has only gotten worse.  I keep telling myself it is just a bad allergy episode.  However, that little voice in the back of my head is getting louder with “It is a cold”.  I don’t want to believe it.  But I look awful, feel awful and just the mere thought of any exercise puts me into a cold sweat.

 

So my goals for this coming week are the same as the last.  Exercise 3-4 days of the week and join 1-2 classes for support.

Finally, here is my inspirational quote for the week…

I thought this was perfect for this past week and going forward!

How was your week?  Be sure to head back to Gina’s and see how everyone else did this week.  Decide to be the best you can be this week friends!   

Slimdown Saturday

I can’t believe it is Saturday already.  The weeks just seem to be flying by.  I am linking up with Gina at Teaching with a Touch of Pixie Dust.

Here are my deets for the week…

Well it wasn’t the week I was hoping for with only a 0.8lb loss.  However, some loss is better than no loss right.  I will take it.  A positive from this week is that despite not “feeling” this week I stuck with it. The eating whole foods part anyway. There were several times this week I so wanted to “cheat” but I stayed the course and I am proud of myself for that. I also got back on track with my water intake with the help of this little guy…

I had ordered this on Amazon months back, but just never started using it. I read the directions Monday so I could start using it. Now I am hooked and love it.  It counts my ounces of water for me so I know right where I am at and how far I need to go.  I did have a tough time making it to recess a couple of days, if you know what I mean… #teacherproblems

I didn’t really meet my exercise goals either.  I am going to stop beating myself up about that and just move on.  I did get on the treadmill two days, better than no days, right? But I didn’t make it to the gym L I think I need some buddies to help motivate me.  I have several friends who attend classes at a small gym in the next town.  I have decided that this week I am going to join a few of the classes and hope that because others that I know are going to be there it will motivate me to Get. It. Done. I also need to remember to put my fitbit on in the morning.  Several days I forgot, so it is hard to make your goal when you don’t know how far you have gone. 

Here is my quote for the week…

 I love this!  How did you do on your goals for the week? I would love to hear about it.  I am here cheering you on!! Make this week your best!

Slimdown Saturday!

I am linking up a little late with Gina at Teaching with a Touch of Pixie Dust for Slim Down Saturday.  

Let’s get right down to business.  Here are my stats for the week:

 OK, let’s be real.  The reason I am linking up late is I was feeling down in the dumps.  I was not happy with my number on the scale.  I lost .2lbs.  Really .2 are you kidding me??  I felt like I had been super good on my diet this past week and I really expected more.  I thought if I waited until this morning maybe the number would be better. NOT! In fact it was .2 up from yesterday.  But I am reverting to yesteday’s number since that is the day we were supposed to link up anyway and I didn’t want to post a ZERO.

I am trying to look at the factors.  Could it be water weight? Maybe, I didn’t drink as much water this week, which actually makes you hold on to water.  I may not be eating enough calories?  Sometimes your body rebels when it thinks it is starving.  There were a few days when I barely had a 1,000 calories.  I wasn’t trying to be that low, I was just super busy during the day and still had like 700 calories to go by dinner.  Now if I went to Jack-n-The Box that would have been easy to do.  But when you have half a plate of veggies and some lean protein, it is not so easy.  Honesty I just wasn’t hungry after all the veggies.  SO, I will try to be sure I even out my calories better this week.

Yet another factor could be the thing I failed at AGAIN.  I did not exercise this week.  I know that for me exercise makes all the difference in losing weight at a faster rate. I have done this a time or two, or three, or four.  I have always been like a yo-yo with my weight, since I was 17.  

Something I did right this week was cook whole foods almost every meal.  One evening we were out late and opted for Panda Express, I had steamed veggies and Teriyaki Chicken with no sauce so I made the best of what could have been a bad situation.  I already shopped yesterday and have my menu for the week so I am sticking with that plan despite my less than stellar results in the weight department.  I will say at least my jeans feel looser.

My to do better is obviously exercise, and my goal is 10,000 steps a day in addition to a weight or cardio work out at least 3 days.  It has been so hard to get to the gym and I am letting that be an excuse, but no more.  I know that once I get going it will be so much easier and soon become a welcome habit.  I dug my fitbit out of drawer and it is charging so it will be all ready for the morning. Progress right?

My quote for this week is…

 I think that pretty much sums it up. Hope you all are doing well with your healthy eating and exercise plans. Leave me a comment and let me know how you’re doing, even if you haven’t linked up you can be in on the accountability!  I would love to be your cheerleader! Make it a great week friends!

Five for Fraturday, Saturday Slim Down & A Surprise!

I am doubling down today…well not exactly, then I'd be playing blackjack which I am not…I am joing 2 linky parties and I have a little surprise to share too!

It has been a crazy week.  We don’t ever get snow, no chance even, but we have horrible fog.  We had at least a 2 hour delay every day this week except Friday.  2 days buses were even canceled, so I only had 11 out of 20 kiddos.  One day the 2 hour delay turned into a 3 hour delay, just a total mess!

Needless, to say I am glad this week is over because my lesson plans were a total wreck!  Everyday, I was rearranging and moving things around to accommodate our strange schedule and my lack of students.  As a result we did not get everything done that I wanted to this week. But we did get in some great review and learned a few new things.

On with the fun. First I am linking up with Kacey at Doodle bugs for her Five for Friday on Saturday, per my usual tardiness with this linky…lol. I am always spent by Friday evening and don’t get anything accomplished once I get home.

Since I have failed to link lately I am going to be sharing 5 things from the last several weeks. I must warn you it is a little long and overloaded with pics.

So how was your holiday break?  Does it seem like a distant memory already…haha! We had a great time.  We had many family gatherings with way too much good food. We then headed to the beach to camp out for 5 days.  

Yes that is ice on the windows and top of the truck.  That is exactly why I was ready for the beach! I call it camping, but that isn’t exactly right.  It is more like trailering.  All I have to do is press a button to turn on the generator and tada, we have all the comforts of home. TV, Video games for the boys, Keurig machine for me. But, we do open the door and step into the sand and the view is incredible. We always camp with several other friends and family members so it is a blast.

Even when we are not at the race track the boys are racing….

We also spent two weekends at the race track.  It is great family fun and I love watching my boys.  It is a little nerve wracking at times, I will admit.  My babies, I know they really aren't anymore, are going 60+ miles an hour around a track bumping other cars.  But they love it. It gets pretty exciting, especially when they are winning.  Which we have fortunately been doing a lot of lately.

We started back to school on the 8^th, yes a Thursday.  Our admin thought it would ease the kiddos back into the school routine easier.  So we only had 2 days of school.  Not a lot of time.  We did finish up our study of digraphs by doing a circle map of PH.

You can find our other digraph circle maps here and here. We then completed our ph soundbrochure.  These are from Simply Kinder and they are terrific.  They give a great review of what we have covered and my favorite thing is they each have a section for home.  Something easy the kiddos can do with their parents to keep everyone involved. They love them and think they are special since it is a “brochure”…lol. It cracks me up sometimes that they get excited about the simplest things. 

Despite our crazy week this week we did dive into blends.  I start with the “L” blends.  This week we studied BL and CL.

For our short week we did a fantastic job in writer’s workshop.  We wrote about what we did on our vacation…of course.  They are growing so much as writers and I am supper proud of my kiddos.

These two didn’t know any of their letters when school started and now they are stretching out their words. So excited for them.  In case you don’t read kindergarten…(left side) "We are playing soccer outside." (right side) "My and Luna’s birthday."

This sweetie just melts my heart with what she wrote.  “I and my brother are playing soccer.  Me and my brother we love each other.”

This little guy did a fantastic job sounding out his words, and he was super busy during vacation.  “I went to Anthony’s house. I went to Chuck-e-Cheese.  I saw Anthony at John’s Incredible Pizza. I went to the buffet. I saw Ricardo. I went home. I ate a donut.” Sounds like a great vaca to me.

We also read one of my favorite winter books. Sneezy the snowman.  We then wrote about the story elements. 

 Next we drew and wrote about the effects of making bad choices.  They did a great job sequencing what happened in the story, what the bad choices were and the consequences.

They look great hanging in our quilt display, too!

Finally we completed a spin, graph and build a snowman.  I love incorporating math with our ELA units. 

Our snowmen made such a cute wall display in our room!

These activities for Sneezy can all be found from the fabulous Deanna Jump here. 

This week we read my favorite book for learning about Martin Luther King Jr.,  Martin’s Big Words.  We also discussed vocabulary from our story to get a better understanding.

We even made these adorable Martin’s from Katie Knight’s American Hero’s pack.  They came out adorable. Sorry for the lack of pics.  They needed quite a bit of guidance with this one so I didn’t have time to snap more of the fun.

Well, you have made it this far, whew!  So I figured I would share my surprise before moving on to my 2^nd linky. 

 Friday I got some big news.  I was chosen as Teacher of the Year for my school/district.  I was totally surprised and humbled. I work with a great bunch of teachers and feel totally honored to have been bestowed this award. I was pretty excited I have to say!

Now for my next linky.  I am joining Gina over at Teaching with a Touch of Pixie Dust for her Slim Down Saturday!

I am 10 days into my resolution and this is how it is going.

I am down another 2 pounds this week for a total of 5, woo hoo!  Inch by Inch I’ll get there.  At least that’s what I keep telling myself when I am eyeing those donuts in the teacher's lounge. I have NOT had any by the way.  

My positives for the week are I cut my caffeine down to 1 cup of coffee a day.  If you know me this is quite an accomplishment.  The coffee it self doesn’t have a ton of calories, but what I put in it to drink it sure does…lol. I am choosing instead green tea and I am really enjoing it.  I also managed to increase my water intake.

I did have an epic fail in the exercise department.  As in, I did none, at all, not even a little.  I know that I have to in order to get the results I ultimately want.  I do enjoy working out, I just have to make it a priority. I know once I get back in the habit it will be much easier. SO that is at the top of the list…again this week!

For this next week I am really trying to stick with all whole foods.  Which means really cooking every night.  A few times this past week I was so tired I resorted to a lean cuisine in the microwave.  I know that was better than hitting the fast food drive through, but I know I can do better.

This was my inspiration this week…

Well congrats if you made it through this marathon post.  I love reading all your comments.  So let me know how your week went.  Be sure to check out the two linkys above and have a great week!