Project New Me update

When I first started this project I was 185, I didn't do so well for a couple of weeks and went up to 187.  I am proud to say that as of Monday I have turned the corner.  I went to see my doctor and got back on the diet plan that I had lost 20 lbs on last year.  This week alone I have dropped 4 lbs, SINCE MONDAY!!  YEAH ME!!!

I am taking my lunch to work, I even turned down the crab wontons that Kyle offered me for dinner tonight.  Instead I had a salmon lean cruise meal.  And it was really good.  

I still need to work out more to help boost my weight loss.  It is very hard for my to motivate myself at 7 at night when I have been at work for 11 hours.  But my goal to to keep trying and not to get discouraged.

Starting weight: 185 lbs
Current weight: 183 lbs
Goal weight: 145 lbs

So here are my goals:

1. Drop 5 lbs

2. Work out every day even if it only for 10 minutes (Number of days in a row of working out: 0)

3. Drop 10 lbs

4. Follow my diet (Number of days in a row of following diet: 4)

5. Drop 15 lbs

6. Don't cheat, ie no candy (Number of days in a row of no cheating: 11)

7. Drop 20 lbs

8. Drop 25 lbs

9. Drop 30 lbs
10. Drop 35 lbs
11. Drop 40 lbs

Days of Thankfulness

I have been bad with posting what I am thankful for each day.  I am going to catch up today and try to be better going forward.

Day 14 (1/21): I am thankful for a quiet day at home with Riley. She had no scholl so we got to spend the entire day together.

Day 15 (1/22): I am thankful to have a husband that loves like Kyle does.

Day 16 (1/23): I am thankful for coffee on morning where it is very hard to get up.

Day 17 (1/24):  I am thankful that I have been staying motivated about my diet and have been really good about not cheating.

Day 18 (1/25): I am thankful that it Friday and I get a 3 day weekend with Riley and Kyle.

Day 19 (1/26): I am thankful that Kyle, Riley, and I got to play in the snow today.  It was just enough snow to be fun and not enough to be a pain.

Day 20 (1/27): I am thankful for getting time to spend with Kyle's family.  We don't always get to spend alot of time with them, but today my niece had her 1st birthday party and I got to see Kyle family for at least alittle while before my allergies acted up and we had to leave.

Day 21 (1/28): As the 28th is my mom birthday, I thought that I would sing her praises as to why I am thankful for her.  My mom is amazing she has been watching Riley since I went back to work after having her.  She is so selfless.  She offer to come in the morning when Kyle is having a late night so that he can sleep.  

Day 22 (1/29): I am thankful for my sister-in-law Julie.  She came all the way up from VA with my adorable baby nephew to watch Riley today.  As my mom is on a well deserved vacation in FL.

Day 23 (1/30): I am thankful that I had a child free evening last night.  Riley had a early morning appointment, so she spent the night with Grandma and Pop.

Day 24 (1/31): I am thankful for being able to go out after a long day at work and get my hair done.  I always feel like a new person after getting my hair done.

Day 13 of 365 days of Thankfulness

I am thankful for the Raven football team!! We are headed to the Super Bowl!!! Thank you Ray Lewis!

Movies from 1999

It is amazing the destruction that 2 toddlers can make in 12 hours. This morning my house was clean and neat. By 9 when both kids were in bed it looked like this:

But it was so much fun watching them play with each. It was worth the mess. And to make the day even better I get to have a girl's night with my best friend. We are spending to night watching movies from college. First up was 10 things I hate about you and now we are watching She's All That. Health Ledger and Freddie Prince Jr in one night only thing that could make it better would be some Ryan Phillippe. To bad we are old now and I can see us sitting through a third movie without falling asleep. Oh we'll there is always next time.

Day 12 of 365 days of Thankfulness

I am thankful for how free Riley is when she laughs. It make me realize that I need to let go and laugh more often.

Day 11 of 365 days of thankfulness

I am grateful for great friends. One of my best friends is staying with us for a few days. I am really enjoying it. It is like being back in college again.

Days 8, 9, & 10 of 365 days of Thankfulness

Day 8:

I am grateful that I am able to work 10 hours days at work because it gives me another day to stay at home with Riley.

Day 9:

I am grateful for my father and that he taught how to use tools.  I was able to adjust Riley's wheelchair all by myself without having to try and schedule the wheelchair company to come out.

Day 10:

I am grateful for pinterest and youtube.  I am using tips and videos to try to motivate myself to losing the weight that I want.

Finding my motivation

I am trying to set myself up to succeed this time with my weight loss.  I have spent the evening trolling the internet and pinterest looking for exercises that I will be able to do at home when Riley is around. I am making sheet to hang around my house to remind that exercise does need to take forever and that I can do small things while doing other things and get moving a bit everyday.  

I have one sheet that I am going to hang in my bathroom that are things that I can do while brushing my teeth and getting ready in the morning.

Another is going to hanging near my TV for things that I can do while watching TV, during commercials  and playing with Riley.  

And a third one will hang in my kitchen for things I can do while making dinner..

After I print all of these out I am going to laminate them so they won't get ruin or ripped by Riley.

Starting weight: 185 lbs
Current weight: 187 lbs
Goal weight: 145 lbs

So here are my goals:

1. Drop 5 lbs

2. Work out every day even if it only for 10 minutes (Number of days in a row of working out: 1)

3. Drop 10 lbs

4. Follow my diet (Number of days in a row of following diet: 1)

5. Drop 15 lbs

6. Don't cheat, ie no candy (Number of days in a row of no cheating: 4\3)

7. Drop 20 lbs

8. Drop 25 lbs

9. Drop 30 lbs
10. Drop 35 lbs
11. Drop 40 lbs

Day 7 of a year of thankfulness

I am thankful for quiet Sundays that turn into a pj day and end with cuddling before bed with Riley as I read her a story. She is very into books now and most days will not let you read a book to her without her trying to turn the pages before you read the whole thing. Tonight Riley laid on my chest like she did when she was a baby and let me read her the entire book Russell the sheep without one trying to take the book from me. Instead she listened and watched me attentively as we enjoyed listening to how Russell the sheep tried to get to sleep.

Day 6 of a year of thankfulness

I am thankful for the Raven win today. It shows you that if when it looks like the end and that you are going to loss that if you just have a little faith that a long pass may just take you to the end zone.

Day 5 of a year of thankfulness

I am grateful for a 4 day weekend.

Day 4 of 365 days of Thankfulness

I am thankful for a 4 day weekend this week.

Day 2 & 3 of a year of being thankful

So I didn't get a chance to post yesterday I am post two today

Day 2 

I am grateful for my mom. (I am sure she is going too make an appearance on this list several times throughout this year) I came home from work yesterday and she had vacuumed my whole house. It seems like something so small but it is wonderful to not have to deal with that when I get home from a long day. My mom rocks. 

Day 3

I am grateful that I was able to motivate myself this evening to do an exercise video. Here is to a new start to a healthier life. 

A Change in Thinking

Recently I was having a conversation with another mom of a different needs child, we were discussing a possible new diagnosis that they were looking into that has the potential to shorten her child's life.  She told me that at this point they don't know if it is true or not, but I commented that it would be good to know because she might do things different if they knew they only had few years with their child.  Maybe they would go to Disney earlier than they would otherwise, or they would take a photo of their child everyday.  She went on to tell me about a friend of hers that is currently dealing with just that with not one but two of her children.  This woman walked into find her kids doing something that most parents would have started yelling about, but she couldn't bring herself to yell, so instead she laughed and took a picture.

This conversation got me thinking why should a child dying changes how we act toward them.  If you only get a few years with a child because they are sick and you then make sure to take a photo everyday or you plan a trip that you would have otherwise put off until "they were older," or you laugh off small misbehaviors.  Why not do that with a healthy child too?

This world is unpredictable.  A health child could be diagnosis with cancer, or get in a car accident.  Look at the parents of the Sandy Hook students.  I am sure they are all wishing for one more photo or one more trip or one more anything.

We should cherish EVERYDAY we have with each other.  Whether it is child, or husband, or wife, or moth, or father, or brother, or sister, or friend.  Don't wait until tomorrow to tell someone that you love them.  We live in a world where we are so focused on what we don't have that we forget to look at what we DO have.

I have recently watched two movies that drove this point home. And yes they could be a bit preachy, but sometimes preaching isn't a bad thing if it gives you a new perspective.  For anyone that is interested the movies were "Courageous" and "The Heart of Christmas."

I watch my Facebook feed all through November and everyone was posting what they were grateful for, but as of December 1st that was no more.  Are we only grateful for our lives and the little things in them on month of the year.  I am going to try to find 1 thing I am grateful for everyday for a year. Some days I may not write a full post but I will try to at least post what I am grateful for each day.

So Day 1 of the year of Thank you for my life.

I am grateful for the joy on Riley's face when I walk in the door from work.  She greets me with a big smile, a yell of happiness, and a giant hug.  It is a great way to end a good day or even better a bad day.

Manual setting

I have always enjoyed taking photos. I would not say that I am super awesome at, but  I have fun.  This past summer I decided to invested in a new nice SLD camera. I brought a Nikon D90. I I would shoot in auto mode or use some of the preset modes but never went any were near the M.  The dreaded manual mode.  I have been pinning lots of photo articles but never got around to read any of them. Surprise surprise the procrastinating girl procrastinated about reading stuff.  I know I know.

So in December I finally looked at myself and asked what I was waiting.  I had this great camera I had even had a few additional lens but never knew the right way to use them.  So I took the big step and turn that dial on the top of the camera to M.  And I have being very good about keeping there.  I think I have a pretty good handle on aperture and ISO.  I have started playing with my shutter speed and I have even looked at a histogram or two.  Now I still have a long way to go but I have been happy with a few shots. 

I wish I had more time to shoot but I have been trying to take my camera when I go out.  Unfortunately I work 10 hour shifts and it it dark when I leave in the morning and dark when I come home.  I am looking forward to when the day set a little longer so u can take my camera with me to work and shoot some shoots on my way home. 

Check out my photography page.  I uploaded a few of my newer shots.

Here are some of the articles and sites that have found the most helpful.

http://somegirlswebsite.com/showing-love/2011/11/moving-into-manual-mode-its-easier-than-it-seems/

http://media-cache0.pinterest.com/upload/18718154670753327_nUxLnqSy.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/oqd4sz.png

http://www.iheartfaces.com/2011/07/dont-say-cheese-5-tips-for-getting-natural-smiles/

http://www.elizabethhalford.com/photography-tutorials/photographing/how-to-photograph-your-christmas-tree-how-to-get-twinkle-bursts-of-light/

Update on Riley

I have not done a Riley post in awhile.  

Riley has made some big progress recently she is pulling up on anything and everything that she can get her hands on.  She has also started doing a really hands and knees crawl.  She has been army crawling and rolling for a long time now, but just within the last week or so she has started really crawling.  It is awesome.

She also got her wheelchair because ...SHE STARTED SCHOOL YESTERDAY!!  You heard right my baby is in school.  Riley turned 3 in December and that meant that she aged out of the Infant and Toddlers Program.  In order for her to still receive services she needed to start going to school.

We had our 1st IEP (Individual Education Program) meeting at the end of November and it went very smoothly.  Through Infant and Toddlers Riley was getting PT once a week, OT twice a month, speech twice a month, and the developmental specialist twice a month.  With her IEP she is still getting PT once a week, but she is also getting OT once a week now.  She is still getting speech twice a month.  Plus she is in school 5 days a week for 2.5 hours a day so they are working on PT, OT, speech, and developmental stuff through out her time in the classroom.  But someone is coming to work specifically with her according to the schedule above.

My husband and I dropped her off yesterday and as soon as another child walked in the room it was like we did not exist.  I think she is going to be fine.  Mommy's on the other hand we a bit sad to see her go. I was proud of myself though because I did not cry like I thought I would.  It was a bit to hectic getting out the door and into class for me to get upset.  I think school is going to be a great thing for her.  I can't want to see how much progress she makes between now and summertime. 

We have switched to a new orthopedic doctor because we were unhappy with the one we were seeing before   He put Ri in a cast on her right foot to try to straighten it out more and it worked well.  So she in now in new AFOs that are higher then the ones she had before.  They now come up to just below her knees.  We are going next Friday to meet with the doctor again to discuss the surgery that he wants to do on her knees.  Riley is missing about 20 degrees of flex in both of her knees.  Think about trying to walk with your knees bent at at 20 degree angle, and how tired you would be.  That is what she is dealing with now.  I don't have more information at this point but will after next Friday.  I will post after that meeting.

Here is a picture from Riley's 1st day of school.

Update to pages

I have added a few new definitions to the the "Medical Terms" page and changed the name to "Definitions" as there are now going to be special education terms in there too.

I have also added a few new pictures to my photograph page. 

Restart of Project New Me

So I have not posted for awhile and I have not been following Project New Me.  So this is a restart of Project New Me.  I am going to go back to the doctor that I used last year to drop 20 lbs and restart that diet.  I unfortunately can not get there until next Friday, so I am on my own until then.  Please wish me luck and be sure to call me out if I am slacking.

Starting weight: 185 lbs
Current weight: 182 lbs
Goal weight: 145 lbs

So here are my goals:

1. Drop 5 lbs

2. Work out every day even if it only for 10 minutes (Number of days in a row of working out: 0)

3. Drop 10 lbs

4. Follow my diet (Number of days in a row of following diet: 0)

5. Drop 15 lbs

6. Don't cheat, ie no candy (Number of days in a row of no cheating: 0)

7. Drop 20 lbs

8. Drop 25 lbs

9. Drop 30 lbs
10. Drop 35 lbs
11. Drop 40 lbs