You're My Inspiration

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Today is a shout out to one of my many sister-in-laws. She has been on her own journey to getting healthy, and she has been successful in meeting some of her own personal goals. I think about her a lot when I am feeling discouraged, because knowing that someone else out there is going through the same thing is comforting.  I'm sure she has had challenges along the way, I'm sure there were times when she wondered if she was doing the right things, but whatever obstacles she may have faced, she seems to be overcoming them no problem. But getting healthy is not all that she is about. It's not the only reason she is an inspiration. Long before then she's shown many qualities that still make up who she is today and what makes her an inspiration. For example, she is one of the many Mom's I know who has to carefully balance work and family life and she seems to do it well. Her kids are happy kids, she tries to give them everything she feels is good for them, yet she still has an identity outside the home. She works hard to create lasting memories for her children and her husband is lucky to have her. She works in a profession that is often under appreciated but it is a profession that helps others, nonetheless. She is a person who stands up for herself, she speaks her mind, and her cardinal rule is treat others how you would like to be treated. She is a person who strives to do better, to learn more, to challenge herself and others.  She is one of the people who inspired me to get on with a healthy lifestyle. I knew after I had Maya that I would have to get back to my old self, lose some weight, and create a good life for my daughter, but I was having a hard time staying motivated. She without knowing it, by her example, gave me the kickstart I needed. So thanks sister-in-law, you are my inspiration!

Other people who inspire me:

triplet lady, mountain climber, wise one, non-quitter, cheerleader, nurturing soul, mumsie, survivor, MIL, boss lady

RANT OR RAVE

The leaves have been turning and falling all around us lately. So beautiful. I feel lucky that I can look out the window every day and see so many colours. 

Other beautiful things:

backyard creatures, island getaway, french city, cottage fun, maritime, summer vacation, mexico paradise, growing, mountains, under the trees

RANDOMS

Hey everyone it's Miss Maya! My Mom is busy so I told her I would say a quick hello on here. What have I been up to? Well, how about I tell you about my day yesterday since my Mom took some pictures. 

The day started with some time on the floor. Here I was having an in depth conversation with Gunther about Cheerios. You see, I like to practice picking them up and putting them in my mouth and Gunther likes to sit under my feet and catch the ones that I drop on the floor. Anyway, we were just chatting away when my Mom decided to show up with the camera. 

She said she wanted to get some cute pictures of me just doing my normal daily stuff. 

I wanted to play with my toys so I said, "Ok, lets get to work!"

Then I realized that my Mom put all my toys in a circle around me to see if I could move around and grab them. 

Hmmmm, it wasn't working out so well. I hadn't learned how to get around a whole lot yet. 

Needless to say, I was a bit skeptical about this idea, so I looked to see what Mom would say. 

She just kept taking pictures of me, but Gunther nodded in encouragement. 

I decided to try getting on my hands and knees, but my body just wouldn't do it from my sitting position. 

 

I asked my Mom for help but she just kept smiling and taking pictures. 

So I thought a bit more about it. 

I looked at Gunther again but he just looked away and said, "Kid, I'm just a dog....I lost interest like ten minutes ago."

So Mom finally said "You can do it!". 

I knew I had to do something or I would be stuck sitting here all day.... 

So eventually I leaned back and rolled over on my stomach and before I knew it I was twisting around on the floor. 

I can't believe I did it! I got to my toys! I mean, I have stretched and leaned, and rolled to get toys before, but I've never dragged my body in different directions! 

I spent a lot of time figuring out these cups...

But then the phone started ringing and I just had to get it. 

I tried so hard, but in the end, I just missed. 

I was super mad about this. 

In the end I decided I had enough and asked Mom to take me upstairs for a nap. 

And that's pretty much a typical day in the life of Miss Maya.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Progress Report

PROGRESS REPORT

Time for another progress report. I'm gonna break it down like this:

Progress:

I have been working out very consistently, my activity level has been good lately. I am getting to kickboxing three times a week. Going for hour walks with Maya whenever the weather presents itself. When I work out I can do things faster, longer, with more effort without feeling tired.  On days I cannot find some kind of exercise to do Maya and I go to the mall to walk around, or I lug loads of laundry up and down the stairs, or I get down on the floor with Maya and do some abs. 

A lot of birthdays and what not have been going on and I have had to try to make healthy food choices at fast food restaurants, people's houses, etc.  I was able to indulge a bit for Chris' birthday, but the rest I have been pretty good with planning ahead or making last minute modifications to what I eat, although sometimes that has backfired (more on the in a minute). 

Another pair of jeans are falling off, and some other clothes are getting too big, but I am not fitting in to the next size yet. Weird. I fit into the next bridesmaids dress but it is still a bit too snug so I am going to wait to post pictures when it fits more properly. 

Overall physically I do feel a lot better, I notice that my legs are not as flabby, my neck blob is going away a bit, my but is getting a bit smaller. 

Setbacks:

For the past month the numbers on the scale have barely moved. I go down two pounds only to go back up again a few days later. Then I lose three and go back up one, etc. This week I am basically at the same number I was more than three weeks ago. Frustrating. But I'm sure there are some reasons. 

Even though I have been making good choices when I go out, there are times when I cave at the end of the day and have a jam sandwich or popcorn or a protein bar, all things which are "extras" that were not part of my meal plan that day. A few things have lead to this. Let me give you one example: We went to this kids play centre for my nieces birthday and afterwards they took the kids to a fast food place for supper. I improvised and ordered a salad. I tried to find the one on the menu that would be the most healthy, although it still had some things I had to pick out. When I got home later that night I wasn't feeling satisfied cause the quality of the salad was just not that good, so in turn I ended up caving and snacking for the rest of the night. Another example: there have been a few times when I would come home from kickboxing feeling pretty good and then step on the scale to see that I have not lost any weight that week. So then out of self pity I would get into the "I give up" attitude and snack on empty calories like crackers, sandwich, etc. All of these things usually happened before bed which is problematic in itself. 

Sometimes I have seconds at dinner, for example more chicken, or more quinoa, etc. My husband questions really I am still hungry or just trying to fill up. Most of the time I convince myself that I am not full yet but who knows maybe I need to be more cautious of this. 

I have not been getting enough sleep at all. I really think this has had an affect on me emotionally and physically. It's like the missing piece that I am not getting to have a healthy lifestyle. But there's not much I can do about it at this point except hope it will get better before I go back to work in March. 

Overall I feel I am still making progress and experiencing the benefits of eating healthy on a consistent basis. Even with some of my snack attacks I have been pretty good overall. And it's not like I am going out and having chocolate ice cream and McDonalds every day.  I will keep at this, as long as it takes, and even when I am most frustrated. I will try to remember that I am changing my lifestyle and that in itself is a good thing.  But still, I want to lose more weight, so hopefully if I step it up a bit, I can make that happen. I still want to fit into my wedding dress by the end of the month so we'll see what happens!

Memories

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

In the new year, we've got a few family trips planned with Maya. When we look back at pictures of us as a family, creating memories for our child, I don't want to be thinking "Jeez, I wish I looked / felt better then".  I don't want things like that spoiling my memories.  Instead, I just want to be thinking about the good times.

RANT OR RAVE

The other day I talked about buying this book. Well, I am done reading it. I read every night before bed. Even though I should be trying to get to sleep as early as possible (to prepare for Maya waking up 2-3 times a night), I can't help but cuddle up and have some "me" time. 

The basic message in this book is to eat a diet of non-processed foods with little or no meat, eating mostly plants. It also stresses the need to reconnect with the pleasure of food, eating socially, and thinking outside of the traditional beliefs we have about food. He also explains how processed foods came to be, which is interesting, and cautions that foods fortified with vitamins are not as good as whole foods. 

Anyhow, this book has really left me feeling much more confident about eating and much more overwhelmed about eating at the same time. There are a lot of things in the book that I agree with whole heartedly. There are some things that I still wonder about. Some of it validates the beliefs I already have about food, some of it makes it more complicated. Mostly more complicated because if I were to embrace the concept of this book a hundred percent, I would have to make some changes which I feel is very difficult to do when you are competing with how our culture has changed regarding food. 

You see, it talks about getting back to basics, cutting out processed food, enjoying eating again, having more sensible portions (not the usual portions of the Western diet), getting back to having a relationship with the makers of your food, knowing where it comes from, etc. These are not new concepts but the thing is, when you go to a kids' birthday party and they are serving macaroni and cheese or you go to a friend's house who is serving white rice and ready made appetizers, how do you politely decline what they are serving? Do you bring your own food and look like a snooty "I'm too good for your food" kind of guest? Do you eat before you go and just not have anything at the party and in turn be the only one at the table watching everyone else eat? I tell myself that eating what someone serves you once in a while is not going to hurt you but when you are invited to things more than once a week how do you cope? When I was reading this book I had a new appreciation for someone who is, say, a vegetarian or a vegan. 

This book was not suggesting that you follow a strict eating guideline, but in a way it did. The good thing is it did make eating seem a lot simpler. It gave the dieter a green light to stop dieting and just eat healthy. It gave good reasons why you should spend more money on your food (which helped me make peace with yesterdays' rant). It helped you understand that you don't need to eat food fortified with vitamins and nutrients if you just eat the good foods themselves. The biggest message I took from this book is that you have to look at food as a whole, as a culture, and we need to stop processing everything and promoting all of this factory farming that goes on. Overall I agree with the general premise of this book, but like anything, I feel you need to take some of it with a grain of salt and remember that the author is trying to make traditional "nutritionism" look very evil in order to get the reader to see his point of view.  So it would be interesting to see a more balanced argument about such issues, but nonetheless, he makes some very good points. 

See for yourself and give it a read. 

RANDOMS

A while back I talked about taking on some hobbies to keep myself busy like sewing. I think I'm gonna make some home made Christmas stockings to spice things up this year. I'll let you know how it turns out. 

Both of these are going to inspire my project:

www.polkadotchristmas.com

www.breakfastfordinnerblog.blogspot.com

Strength

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Although I still have much more to accomplish, I am physically getting stronger. Because I am carrying around a little less weight I am feeling a bit like my old self again. That in itself keeps me going today.

RANT OR RAVE

Seriously, this is something that has always bothered me and has been something that is not a new issue, just like my beef with oversized portions. The issue is the cost of wholesome "real" food versus processed junk food. How is anyone expected on a limited budget to eat healthy when you have to pay, for example, six dollars for pears or eight dollars for grapes? It's no wonder that someone such as a single Mom with three kids would be buying macaroni, frozen pizzas, and Burger King.  I know there is such a bigger and more complex reason why this is the way it is but I still don't like it. I have always forked out the money for decent food time and time again but resent having to nonetheless.

Image source: http://wagnerfpa.wordpress.com

There are times when I have seriously considered starting a garden, and if I didn't have a full time job and busy schedule during the summer I probably would. Maybe next year. Our society is in such a bad funk when it comes to our priorities with what we eat. Sure it's all about supply and demand but we really are being held hostage in a way.  There are many families that cannot speak with their pocket book and the food manufacturers know this and take advantage of it. Then we have generations of kids that grow up relying on such food and becoming addicted to it. Just my opinion.  What do you think?

RANDOMS

Someone from my online birth club posted this on facebook a little while ago and it made me laugh. I was thinking, "Wait a minute! Did Maya write this?"

Awake Training for Parents:

Dear Fellow Babies,

OK, here’s my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 5 months. The first few months were great – I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, around the clock. Then something happened. Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse.

I’ve talked to other babies, and it seems like its pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 5-6 months. Here’s the thing: these Mommies don’t really need to sleep. It’s just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep – they just don’t need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.

It goes like this:

Night 1 – cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it’s hard. It’s hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it’s for her own good.

Night 2 – cry every 2 hours until you get fed.

Night 3 – every hour.

If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it.

Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don’t give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I know it’s hard! But she really does not need the sleep; she is just resisting the change.

The other night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with:
-My sleep sack tickled my foot.
-I felt a wrinkle under the sheet.
-My mobile made a shadow on the wall.
-I burped, and it tasted like rice cereal. I hadn’t eaten rice cereal since breakfast, what’s up with that?
-The dog said “ruff”. I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL.
-Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room.
-Too hot, too cold, just right – doesn’t matter! Keep crying!!
-I had drooled so much my sheets were damp and I didn’t like it touching me.
-I decided I was sick of all the pink in my room so I cried.

It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies’ internal clocks.

Sometimes my Mommy will call for reinforcements by sending in Daddy. Don’t worry Daddies are not set up for not needing sleep the way Mommies are. They can only handle a few pats and shhing before they declare defeat and send in the Mommy.

Also, be wary of the sleep sheep with rain noises. I like to give Mommy false hope that listening to the rain puts me to sleep sometimes I pretend to close my eyes and be asleep and then wait until I know Mommy is settling back to sleep to spring a surprise cry attack. If she doesn’t get to me fast enough I follow up with my fake cough and gag noise that always has her running to the crib. At some point I am positive she will start to realize that she really doesn’t really need sleep.

P.S. Don’t let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out.
Trust me.
Sincerely,
Baby J

Other People

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

I'm not gonna lie. Lately I have been losing a bit of my motivation because the numbers on the scale have just not moved a whole lot. I know it's not just about the scale but when you are working towards a goal it is hard to ignore. Sometimes I think...what's the point to all of this. But then I see other people who have gone through a similar journey. I see their before and after pictures and I see how they are doing now and remind myself that I can do this to, I just have to keep trying. So today, I am motivated by other's progress because if they can do it so can I. 

RANT OR RAVE

I'd have to say though, it has been a bit rough this time of year in terms of being around junk food all the time. Between birthdays and halloween, it seems I am always faced with fast food, desserts, and the like as we are on the go attending such festivities. It's hard to plan around it sometimes. I have done pretty good so far, but I would just like to say that it makes me a bit cranky sometimes. Not because I am not allowing myself to eat the junk food, but because it messes up with my routine of eating at home and of having control of what I can make to eat. Sometimes I end up eating an early dinner so that when I go places I have already eaten something healthy but then by the time I get home and go to bed I am hungry again. But such is life. I know it is just going to get worse as Christmas approaches but what can ya do?

RANDOMS

Don't you think Skype is such a great thing? Last night Maya was able to show off her lady bug costume to  a bunch of family members with just a few quick calls. 

Speaking of which, I am not dreading my reflection on skype as much these days. 

Here are a few more pictures of Maya in her Halloween costume getting ready to visit some friends.

Hope your Halloween was fun!

Done Worrying

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

I don't want to go to bed worrying about food anymore. I don't want to worry about what I ate or didn't eat. I don't want to worry about whether I am going to eat healthy the next day.  Today I am motivated to just live my life. 

RANT OR RAVE

My parents came over for dinner yesterday. Doesn't fruit always taste even better when someone brings it over as a colourful fruit salad in a fancy bowl?

RANDOMS

Happy Halloween!

And for anyone with kids, here are a few halloween jokes you can use today!

And here are some more:

• Why did Dracula's mother give him cough medicine?
  Because he was having a coffin fit.
• What did Dr. Frankenstein get when he put a goldfish brain in the body of his dog?
  I don't know, but it is great at chasing submarines.
• Why wasn't there any food left after the monster party?'
  Cos everyone was a goblin.
• Why did the vampire's lunch give him heartburn?
  It was a stake sandwich.
• Dracula decided he need a dog, which breed did he choose?
  A bloodhound.
• What would you call the ghost of a door-to-door salesman?
  A dead ringer.
• What do skeletons always order at a restaurant?
  Spare ribs!
• Who was the most famous French skeleton?
  Napoleon bone-apart.
• Who won the skeleton beauty contest?
  No body.

Cankles

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Cankles. I have a mild case of 'em. I don't want 'em. 

RANT OR RAVE

The frost is all over this morning. Eeek! They started playing Christmas music at a kids play centre I went to yesterday. What? I thought they at least waited until AFTER Halloween? The leaves are not even completely gone yet. I don't want my parental leave to end. Why does time keep passing by?

RANDOMS

Today we are having dinner with Maya's Grandma and Grandpa. I'm gonna cook a good ol' roast in the slow cooker. Chris is off again. Sundays are starting to become my favourite days. I will leave you with some more sweet Maya goodness....