Family Pics and House Repairs

This next week brings us Oct. 15. On the 15th, there will be a home inspection. Houses for rent need to be inspected annually to ensure that they are habitable. At least that's how they do it here. So there is a last mad dash and scramble to get things cleaned up (BLECH) and repaired. My dad is over today to repair the front door and the ceiling upstairs. Both things he said he would do.

I have been doing all right with adding exercise to my schedule. I'm accomplishing on average at least one 10 minute segment of pilates or yoga a day. I'm really trying to make it consistently both. Once I am comfortably ensconed in that, I'll be extending the sessions, working my way up to 30 minutes a day for each. Every so often I take a day off, I'm working on keeping that from being habit as well. It's so hard sometimes to start back up after a day off, and I don't want to lose the flow that I've been getting.

We did family pics in the park yesterday. I'm trying to decide if I want to post them all here or not. Who am I kidding, of coarse I do. So without further ado, family pics. I do need to say that most of the pics that are blurry were done by either James or Katy. The one of the 4 of them, I did, but I was also distracted trying to get James to cooperate and Izzy to just sit there. Jason took film pics too, so I'm hoping that those will have turned out better.

The weather was gorgeous thankfully. Of coarse, I wanted pics taken in sweaters and it was 80 degrees! I had everyone put on shirts under their sweaters so they could take off the hot shirts when they weren't needed in pics. We didn't get any of Jason and the girls, or me and each kid, or Jason and each kid, like I want to get, but we can always do it again later.

Izzy really was having nothing of taking the pics. It's why he's always crying or frowning. James wasn't too pleased either until Katy knocked over Jayden to see if that would make him smile. It worked, in fact it made him break out laughing! Jason got some pics of Izzy on the slide, so I'm hoping those turned out well enough to not need to try to do another photo shoot with Izyy.

A lot of people tell me that the girls look like me. I find this funny. I know that they resemble me, it's inevitable after all. I think Katy is the most beautiful girl I've ever known and that Jayden will grow up to be quite a looker. However, I don't see myself this way at all, and that is what makes the comparison of how I look compared to them funny in my eyes. I know Jason would disagree with me.

As you can see, it was a gorgeous day. The fall colors are starting to come out in full force around here. Sitting there in the park, watching the kids play, looking at all the beauty surrounding me reminded me of why I don't want to move from this state. No matter the economic issues or anything like that, fall and winter are really my favorite times of year and I won't give those up for an all year 'round sunshine fest.

Prayers and blessings everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing weekend to be able to start off the week on a fresh foot.

More Than a Month Later...

Well, it's been more than a month and I have TOTALLY slacked off until now. Well, not totally, but definately quite a bit. I have my weight consistently below 280, which is great. However, I haven't done any exercise or anything like that until now to do it. I've been eating less. Paying closer attention to when I am full. Trying to make sure I drink a lot more water and drink a lot less soda. That's it though.

Tonight was the first night I did concentrated exercise. Don't get me wrong. In the past month I have been trying a lot harder in a lot of aspects of my life. Doing more things myself, when before I would ask someone else to do it. Trying harder to get more housework done. Climbing up the stairs more frequently. Walking places. That kind of thing.

I have 2 videos that have 5 10 minute segments of exercise on them. They are designed so that the segments can be used individually or mixed and matched or all together as one long workout. I have one set that is Pilates and one that is Yoga. I did the yoga tonight. The 10 minute "beginner" yoga. Until I get back in the groove of doing yoga regularly (I used to) this will definately count for cardio too!

I want to get to the point where I am doing a pilates segement in the mornings, maybe up to 3 segments together even, and then a yoga sement, again eventually up to 3 segments together, at night. I'm not sure if I want to go for every day or not. I do think that once it becomes habit, I'll wind up doing it every day simply because it IS habit.

That is my next step. To make the exercise habit. My goal isn't to lose a ton of weight. OK, to most people it will be quite a bit of weight lost. However, I'm not shooting to be 135 or 140 pounds here. I'd like to see 200, or possibly 10 or 15 below that. I know I'd feel really good about what I have accomplished if I can do that, when I can do that.

I know that as I age, I will need to stay on top of my weight for the simple health reasons. There is so much that runs in my family, on both sides, that I can prevent just by being a healthier weight, and maintaining that weight. I also need to be a better role model for my kids. I want and need them to understand what HEALTHY is. Not as the media portrays it, but as life says it is. They need to see the work that it takes to be and remain healthy.

I will admit that I would like to be a "hot mom". By today's distorted standards, thanks in a great part to the media (all media, print, t.v., movies) I will never be the skinny waif beautiful. I do want to instill in my children a true sense of beauty. That women are beautiful in a lot of different shapes and sizes. That curves are good and sexy and you can't have curves unless you go under the knife and have them falsely put there or you have fat on your body.

I'm a work in progress, I admit that much is true. I will always be a work in progress, that I also understand. Right now happens to be a heavier construction period than at other periods.

Prayers and Blessings everyone. I'm sorry I missed Thankful Thursday. Life has been a little hectic around here this week.