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Aug 31, 2012

Two Months & Goal – Now What?

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I’ve reached the end of my two month ambassador program with Slim-Fast, and I have to say it’s been a great success. I did the Slim-Fast program for four months at the beginning of the year, and that experience helped me get within two pounds of my goal weight. This two months has helped me finally reach that goal weight (YAY!!) and consider what’s next for me.

When I set my goal weight, I’m not sure I ever expected to see that number on the scale. I based my goal on the top of the BMI “normal” range for my height, which is 158 pounds. Now that I’m finally here, it’s time for me to re-evaluate and decide if I want to consider this good or continue on in weight loss. On one hand, I’m so happy to reach the goal I set so long ago and I’m ready to celebrate a little. This has taken YEARS and I’m ready to not carefully consider everything going into my mouth for once.

On the other hand, I’m still not entirely happy with myself. My doctor would like to see me lose a little more (preferably fat) around my waist for optimal health. So maybe losing another 10 pounds, with the added goal of more muscle as well, would be a better goal? I’m not entirely sure yet.

Either way, maintenance is a must until I make a decision. And I’m not taking that lightly. I’m still using Slim-Fast because it’s a nutritious, quick meal when I’m in a rush. It keeps portions in perspective for me, too. I’m not strictly keeping to the plan until I decide for sure if I’m going to lose more weight or not. But a Slim-Fast snack bar in my purse is still a fantastic snack when I’m out, and our dinners still are between 500-700 calories per portion.

Any diet program has the possibility of becoming routine, leading some to get bored with their program. I’ve been lucky in that I like routine, but also there’s enough variety and flexibility in the Slim-Fast program to give me plenty to choose from for each meal or snack. The key is to not let yourself become bored. If you feel limited by the choices in front of you, it’s time to switch it up a bit, and a good diet is flexible enough to place that control in your hands without straying from the plan.

I always like a shake for breakfast, but tend to switch up which flavor I go with. I also occasionally experiment with my shakes – there’s no need to keep just to the pre-mixed flavors! Try blending a Slim-Fast shake with a handful of berries, or a spoonful of peanut butter and a banana (great with the Rich Chocolate Royale!) – it’s like having dessert for a meal, without the calories of a fast-food shake. It does add some calories to the meal, but they’re minimal compared to binging from boredom, right?

Keeping your snacks interesting helps, too. I have a pantry stocked with different kinds of snacks that are close to 100 calories a portion. If I’m craving salty, I’ve got 100-calorie packs of nuts. If I want sweet, a Slim-Fast snack bar is perfect. If I want cold or crunchy, I’ve got apples or bags of baby carrots and hummus. I have several options available to me to fit whatever mood I might be in, and to keep me interested in my food choices.

A big thanks to Slim-Fast for asking me to serve as an ambassador again for these past two months. They helped me finally reach that elusive goal, giving me a fantastic end to my summer. I even bought and wore a bathing suit without shame when we were at Lake Erie two weeks ago! Beyond the bathing suit, I once again need (nearly) a whole new wardrobe to go with my smaller size. Size 8 jeans are here to stay, and it’s time to toss out all of my large shirts and sweaters for medium ones. (And even some mediums are loose!)

 Shopping for clothing is finally fun!

It has occurred to me that some people read weight-loss blogs and think, “Well, that’s great that YOU could do it, but there’s no way I could do that.” Allow me to just say: NO, I believe you can do it.

I’m not a glossy infomercial featuring someone who lost a bunch of weight in a short period of time (and somehow got a tan in the process – ever notice that?). It took years for me, with some yo-yo’ing and a lot of frustration and false starts. I’m naturally lazy, I love food and have been an emotional eater for years. I’m crazy busy with kids and a job that has me in front of a computer 8-10 hours a day. I have no more willpower than the average person.

Make a small change, stick to just that single small change until you master it, and then move on to another small change. The effect ads up. Get outside help if needed. Slim-Fast is great for teaching about portion control. Signing up for a group exercise class with a friend can provide accountability. Create a plan for yourself that’s as flexible as you need while still producing results.

I’ll post soon about what’s next for me. I have some ideas, but need to finalize the direction I want to go. However, I think another 5K will be in my future soon. Stay tuned!

Disclosure: This post was created in connection with my appointment as an Ambassador in the Slim-Fast® Summer Slim-Down Challenge. Visit www.facebook.com/slimfast to join the conversation.

Filed Under: food, motivation, success · Tagged: , ,


Aug 30, 2012

Don’t Let The Praise Go To Your Head

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We signed the girls up for gymnastics over the summer. The once a week classes were our best hope for our two daughters developing any coordination, balance, or the ability to not trip and fall while walking on a smooth, level surface.

Both kids insisted they wanted to take gymnastics for the fall session, so we signed them up again. Last night was the first night of gymnastics, and both Cordy and Mira did a fantastic job. We were really impressed with how enthusiastic they were and how much progress they made in a single night. So impressed, in fact, that we told them on the way home that we had a surprise for them.
“Since you worked so hard tonight at gymnastics,” Aaron told the girls, “we’re stopping for ice cream on the way home!”

“YAY!!” both girls cheered.

“You’re the BEST parents in the WHOLE WORLD!” Cordy exclaimed.

Mira looked at her sister and sighed. “Weeelllll…I don’t know about the WHOLE WORLD, but they’re pretty nice sometimes.”

Filed Under: Aaron, Cordy, daily life, kid logic, love, Mira ·


Aug 29, 2012

Two Kids, One School, One Bus, One Car

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Friday was a first not only for Mira, but for me. Because of our school’s late start for kindergarten, Mira had to wait two days after Cordy to begin the school year. But then the morning came, and she anxiously waited for the bus with her backpack on her shoulders.

Right next to her sister.

It was the first time I was sending both of them off on the same bus, to the same school. I may have a shed a tear. Of happiness.

For once, I didn’t have to keep track of two kids and schedules at three different schools. (Mira did a half day of preschool at a private preschool, then a half day at our local school district last year.) I didn’t have to wait for two bus drop-offs. I didn’t have to schedule parent-teacher conferences at different schools across the city. Logistically, it’s a dream come true.

Mira’s first day started a little rough, though. I let them both ride the bus that morning, even though I had to be there for kindergarten orientation. When I walked into the school, right at the end of breakfast, I saw Mira standing in the middle of the cafeteria with a group of teachers and aides around her. She was crying and they were wiping something off of her. A teacher quickly told me it was orange juice, and it had sprayed all over her dress and shoes.

Nearby, Cordy was yelling at another girl, “How DARE you spill juice on my little sister on her first day! You’re awful!” Cordy was completely incensed, to the point of making the (older) girl cry. I tried to calm Cordy down, assuring her it was an accident and apologizing to the other girl for Cordy yelling at her. Seeing Cordy stand up for Mira was not something I expected for Mira’s first day.

After meeting with the kindergarten teacher, I went outside to say goodbye to Mira on the playground. She was near tears again, frustrated that a group of boys could jump up and grab a bar on the playground equipment but she couldn’t quite reach. I gave her a hug, encouraged her to make friends instead of get frustrated, and then left, hoping she’d keep it together for the day.

The only big problem with Mira’s first day was the afternoon bus. The bus was scheduled to drop them off at 4:30pm. It’s an hour ride, which is long, but tolerable when they go to school on the other side of the city.

Cordy’s first day, the bus didn’t drop her off until after 5:30pm. The driver assured us it was just a first day issue, and they’d be closer to schedule the next day. On Thursday, the bus dropped her off at 5:20pm, with the driver saying, “We’re getting better!” It didn’t feel better, honestly. But I hoped they would get it right on the third day.

The bus dropped the girls off at 5:10pm, forty minutes after the scheduled time. Way too long, in my opinion.  It wasn’t a good situation and I wanted an alternative.

And then common sense hit me: hey, I have both kids at one school! I don’t have to let them ride a long time because I’m waiting on another bus that will get here sooner, like I did last year!

So on Monday, I made the choice to pick them up from school. It’s a little inconvenient for me, but one hour out of my day so that my daughters only spend 25 minutes traveling home from school seems worth it. And it was kinda fun: waiting with the other parents by the bike rack and seeing kids faces light up when they come out of the building and see their parents.

Tuesday, I decided to give the bus one more try, only because Mira asked to try it again. And I waited. And waited. And waited. They got here at 5:13pm. Crazy.

I’m incredibly thankful that my kids are at the same school now, and thankful for a job that gives me the flexibility to go pick them up each day so that they don’t endure an hour and a half or longer bus ride home.

I’m also so very happy that both kids are loving school, and even seem to be getting along when together at school. I’ve been told they spend their recess time playing together, which is funny when you consider at home it’s one constant battle of “leave me alone!”

While we’ve had a few tiny bumps in the road so far, I’m expecting a fantastic school year. And now I shall happily fall back into a school year routine and forget the chaos of the previous three weeks.

Mira - Kindergarten

Filed Under: Cordy, daily life, Mira, school ·


Aug 27, 2012

End of Summer Trip, Day 2: Put-in-Bay

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After a busy day at Cedar Point (you can read about Day 1 here), we wanted our second day to trend towards some low-key fun. So we drove to the edge of Lake Erie to take the Miller Ferry over to Put-in-Bay.

 on the shores of Lake Erie

For those who aren’t local, Put-in-Bay is a popular little town on South Bass Island just a few miles from Ohio’s mainland. The island’s main business is tourism. Families, seniors, history buffs, nautical aficionados, college students, wine lovers, or even people who just like driving golf carts: there’s something for everyone.

You can only get there by boat or air, and it seems a little silly to fly only a few miles. The Miller Ferry is the well-known, reliable way to get to the island, and with two kids who have never been on a boat, I couldn’t wait to introduce them to my favorite way to travel.

Cordy was a little nervous about getting on a boat at first. As she saw it coming to the dock, rocking from the morning waves, she worried that the waves might go over it and pull it under the water. While waiting for the ferry to unload, we discussed flotation and buoyancy (science!) until she felt certain that it was safe. Luckily, there weren’t a lot of people traveling at 9:30am on a Friday, so we snagged front row seats on the second level.

Both kids were unsure how they felt about the rocking of the boat at first. But then…

…they LOVED it! Cordy held tight to the rail as the wind blew her hair back, and for a moment I was fully expecting a Titanic “I’m king of the world!” declaration from her. The best I got was, “I LOVE boats now!” Close enough, I guess.

That’s the island off in the distance.

Once we reached South Bass Island, we picked up our rental golf cart from Island Bike & Cart Rental. The island is only a few miles wide, with very limited parking. You can bring your car, but it’s really not that convenient, and you’d be stuck behind slower moving golf carts the entire time anyway. Besides…golf carts! Aaron and I had to agree to take turns driving our golf cart to avoid a fight. Zipping around the island by golf cart is waaaaay too much fun. (And there’s plenty of golf-cart only parking all over the island.)

We decided to leave the day up to the kids. We gave them a list of several attractions and let them decide where we were going. The first stop was Perry’s Cave Family Fun Center. This little complex is several activities in one. The main attraction is Perry’s Cave, a natural cave and underground lake you can tour to see where Perry (aka the Hero of the Battle of Lake Erie) and his troops found water and shelter in the War of 1812.

The cave formations are cool, but not for the claustrophobic. Cordy and Mira were fond of “headache rock,” especially after seeing adults hit their heads on it, despite the name being explained beforehand. They didn’t have to duck at all – one advantage of being smaller. I’d show photos here but apparently I’m a lousy cave photographer – nothing but flash.

In the store, you can buy a bag of dirt and then take it outside to pan for gemstones. Sounds kinda simple, but you’d be amazed how much value you can get out of this activity for kids. They took their time emptying some of the bag into the screens and dipping it into the water, then shrieking in delight as they watched the water wash away the sand and reveal sparkling stones of every color. There’s a provided gemstone card to determine what each gem is, too.

Then Aaron and the kids got lost in Fort aMaze’N, while I stayed on the observation deck and laughed at them. (I later went back and did the maze with them.)

There’s also a Butterfly House at Perry’s Cave, filled with exotic butterflies from all over the world. It was almost overwhelming walking through the indoor gardens with so many butterflies all around you. But at least some held still for photos.

So I guess we didn’t let the kids completely pick the day’s agenda. I insisted on the Upper Deck of The Boardwalk for lunch, only because I had heard they have fantastic lobster bisque. It’s true – the lobster bisque is amazing. The view from your table is pretty good, too – nothing but lake views as far as you can see. Not that the kids complained, either – they had activity packs to keep them busy and their meals were served on keepsake frisbees.

I’m no food blogger, clearly. But this was DELICIOUS lobster bisque. I may have licked the plate.

After lunch, we browsed the shops of downtown Put-in-Bay, had some ice cream, and took a ride on Kimberly’s Carousel. It’s an all-wood carousel, built in 1917, and has more than just horses to ride. I was on a dog. You can see a rooster behind me and Mira.

Then it was off to see Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial. Cordy was willing to brave over 800 steps to climb to the top of the monument, but by mid-afternoon there was a line and we were less willing to have Cordy wait in a line in an enclosed space. We’ll plan to climb it next time.

It’s tall. I had to lay on the ground to get this shot.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent visiting the Crystal Cave (the winery sitting on top of it is more interesting, FYI) and the Aquatic Resource Center, where you can see local fish and kids can learn to fish for free.

or just sit and admire the view

Then as we neared dinnertime, we went to the far side of the island (East Point) to look out over Lake Erie before the end of our day. The kids were asking Aaron to show them how to skip stones, and with all of the smooth, flat rocks surrounding us, he was happy to teach them.

Everyone was tired by this point, so we decided to call it a day and begin the long golf cart ride to the Miller Ferry dock on the other side of the island. Aaron got to do the final drive, so I sat on the back of the cart with Mira, watching all of the sights go by us. Mira nearly fell asleep on the ride back to the ferry dock. She sighed and rested her little head against me with a smile on her face, saying it was one of the best days ever.

It was a bittersweet ride back across Lake Erie on the Miller Ferry. The kids were thrilled to be on the boat again, but sad that the day was over. We spent time on the lower level this trip, watching the waves go by.

The day was far more low-key than our previous day at Cedar Point, but even low-key fun eventually wears you out. Two minutes after turning out of the parking lot to start for home:

I’ve only been to Put-in-Bay once before, when I was a child, and I’m surprised at how much I forgot. Both Aaron and I agreed that we’d like to come back to the island again soon, though, so I have a feeling our kids will get to know Put-in-Bay better than I did. There’s still so much we didn’t do: the nature center, kayaking, mini-golf, nature trail walking…and we didn’t even try to visit Middle Bass Island or Kelly’s Island.

It was a lovely way to end the summer, and a much needed family vacation for us. With solo trips to other cities, work, more work, summer camp, and so many other demands pulling our family in different directions, taking even just two days to reconnect and have fun together helped us create new family memories that I hope will last.

Full disclosure: we were invited to Put-in-Bay by Miller Ferry and generously provided with ferry tickets, a golf cart rental and passes to Perry’s Cave for our visit. All other attractions, souvenirs, meals and lodgings while at Lake Erie were covered by our not-so-robust paychecks and the ever-popular credit card. All statements made here are my own. 

Oh, and when on the ferry, be sure to check in on Foursquare at the “Middle of Lake Erie” location, just because you can.

Filed Under: family time, local fun, love, memories, reviews ·


Aug 23, 2012

First Day of Second Grade

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“But I miss my old teacher, mommy!”

I was worried that Cordy’s first day of school was going to go poorly. She’s had a lot of anxiety about being in a new class with a new teacher, even though she knows the teacher from breakfast and lunch times at school. The school work might be too hard this year, and she might not see her friends. So as we waited for the bus yesterday morning I tried to reassure her that she’d love her new class and her friends from last year would be with her.

She was happy to have her new school clothing and new backpack, though, and she put on a brave face waiting for the bus.

Srsly, when did my little girl turn into a KID?

Unfortunately, the bus didn’t arrive on time. After it was more than thirty minutes late – meaning Cordy would be late for school if it didn’t show up right then – Aaron made the choice to take her to school instead. We couldn’t risk setting the whole year off to the wrong start by making Cordy anxious over being late to school.

The bus did show up an hour after it was supposed to be here (and 10 minutes before class was to start at a school on the other side of Columbus), and they promised that they’d be on time the next day. They were only 15 minutes late today.

Mira was very unhappy that her sister got to go to school and she didn’t. Kindergarten always starts a day or two late in our district, so Mira won’t begin until Friday. She pouted at the door as Aaron’s car pulled out of the driveway.

I spent the whole day worried about how Cordy’s first day would go. They are team teaching this year, meaning she’ll have her class subjects split between two teachers, and have to adjust to two different styles of teaching and classroom management. Could she handle it?

Waiting for the bus to bring her home was even more stressful. Her route was scheduled to drop her off at 4:30. Fifteen minutes passed the scheduled time and I chalked it up to being the first day of school. Then thirty minutes passed. Then forty-five. Calls to transportation resulted in a busy signal or a “not in service” message.

Finally, just over an hour after her scheduled drop-off time, and two hours since she got on the bus, she arrived at home. If this continues, we’ll strongly consider picking them up from school each day. Last year’s afternoon bus promised to get better and still never improved beyond an hour and a half ride home.

Sneak attack photo. But hey, she managed to not lose her necklace all day!

The verdict? Cordy had a great first day. She loved her new teacher, she was happy to see her friends and she was no longer anxious about the school work. As we walked in the front door, her backpack erupted into a mountain of paperwork (for me? you shouldn’t have…) and she rattled off all of the good points of the day without taking a breath between each. We worked through her first homework assignment together as she smiled and sighed, “School is gonna be awesome this year!”

Oh, I hope for nothing less than awesome.

Cordy - 2nd grade

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Filed Under: Cordy, school ·