WOW MOM! Look what we got!!!

Mo and Mer's Blog got an award- from not one follower, but two! So thanks to Midlife My Way and A New Dawn for Me. 
To claim our award we've been asked to tell you seven things about ourselves and then pass the award on to some blogging friends.  Since we got 2 awards that means that Mer gets seven and Mo gets seven. Here is goes Mer's List-


1. I married my high school sweetheart. Yes, we have been together for 25 years, but married only 16 of those years. We owned our first bakery together in 1998-2000 closed it when the dot.com crashed. We built the dream again and now own 3 bakeries. 
2. I am a middle child. I have 1 older sister and 3 younger brothers. My sister is my Pilate's instructor who stretches me out on Sundays. 
3. I have played 5 different musical instruments in my life. I have played the violin, piano and cello as a child, but did not stick with them. Then, later in life I picked up the guitar, but gave up after I wasn't good at doing a bar chord. I picked up the ukulele this summer and I love it! It is small enough to carry around and 2 of my brothers and sister play with me in the same group so when we get together we practice. I love it! And I can play a bar chord on it!
4. In 2003, I got my MA in Educational in Leadership. It was the hardest 3 years of my life. Working two jobs, going to school and trying to keep up with my family.  
5. In 2004, two major things happened. I buried my father one week and then, went to celebrate our 10 year anniversary we took a very special trip the following week. It was a bittersweet time. We took our family to Paris, France and lived in a little flat for 10 days in the Maris District and had a wonderful time eating our way through bakeries and bistros, and visiting museums. 
6. I love the outdoors and wish I could camp and hike all summer long. I hope that when my son is a little bit older that we can all go on some extensive camping trips to Yellowstone, Dinosaur National Monument, Mount Rushmore, Yosemite, Death Valley, etc.
7. I love being a teacher. I never dreamed that I would be a science lead teacher. Not only am I in the classroom teaching 6th graders, but I support, train, coach, coordinate and create the science programs, curriculum, assessments etc. in the same school district that I grew up in. My teachers that I had as a student are now my peers. 


Here are my nominations-


Chubby McGhee - She is on the journey with us and I love her pictures. She inspirational when it comes to working out! 
Skinny Me- Love, love, love her positiveness, and the affirmations.
Absolutely Narcissism - not about weight loss blogger, but she speaks her mind, is just sassy, and passionate about life.

And I thought no one was reading....


So proud to say that our blog got nominated today. Yes, woo hoo and all that. Not only has this blog helped me and Mer get a little bit connected almost like at the hip like we were in college, but I have received encouragment from Mer that I can do this. Encouragment from other bloggers, stories, funny little things and the chance to see that it isn't just me that can struggle with this lifestyle I have decided to lead.

So I will be the first to say THANKS to the many who nominated us and I will proudly take the honor. To claim the award we need to tell you seven things about us - so, I will just tell you about me - MO - and I am sure Mer can claim her part of the award when she can.

1. I have owned 3 houses since 2000. Two sold and came out with money in my pocket - thank goodness. Now I am the proud owner of my third (and final) home and I can say it is all MINE MINE MINE!! My brother tells me that I have a "hand me down" house because I knew the person who sold it to me and that most of my furniture is begged, borrowed or just taken, but heck I am proud to say that this house is the best "hand me down" I have had in years.

2. I have 4 sisters and 1 brother - yes, we were a big group. I can't go a week without talking to my little sis, or even sometimes a day. (And to think that we used to fight like cats and dogs - oh, wait - that was me who picked the fights, she just made sure she was tougher then me).

3. I lost my mother almost 14 years ago and my father just 8 months, 4 days and 2 hours after his loving wife of 36 years. I was just about 30 years old and wonder why I lost my parents so young in my life. I have the hardest time seeing others that still have parents and even some that still have grandparents. It was hard to lose them, but I know they are both in heaven looking down at all of us kids smiling at how successful we have become. I am fearful that I might get Alzheimers like my Mom (who died at what I believe is a young age of 60) and confident that I won't get Parkinsons Disease like my father. I do not consume myself with the fear or "what if" - I am living my life just as they did - active!!! My parents were an inspiration to me in more ways then I can mention!!!

4. I am not a good garden person - killed the roses I received as a house warming gift in the first week of having them. I can't stand doing the lawn, but when it is all done I feel accomplished that I made that lawn look so nice and well groomed.

5. I used to live in Las Vegas, Nevada. My theory on those 3 years - A great place to visit, but so glad that I am back "home" and close to my family.

6. In 2009 I took a dream vacation to Hawaii. My little sis and her boyfriend showed us around and we saw everything!!!!! Best trip ever!!! We climbed Diamond Head and so glad that I wasn't like another lady that had to be air lifted off the mountain - had a good giggle when I saw her husband finish the climb up before he headed to the hospital to check on his wife. I had a little bit of a dizzy spell, but glad that I made the trip up and back with my own two legs.

7. I want to travel from Point A to Point Z on a road trip of the United States. Visit many historic places and let me son see the many other wonders of America!

Going to make my nominations - just a few this time -

A New Dawn For Me - It's a new dawn, a new day!!!

The Fat Mom - she is doing 5K's left and right - awesome awesome awesome!!

Pounds off Playoff - because he is doing a stair challenge - just the fact that he is climbing stairs and SO MANY is a huge inspiration!!

Oh, and by the way - those Girl Scout cookies in the freezer - still haven't touched 1, nada, zip, zero!!


Staying MOtivated

Day 48- You gotta want to

My weigh in this week: Drum Roll Please- 3 pounds down! And I am at the weight when I discovered I was pregnant with my miracle baby (I was told at 37 that my eggs were not viable and I should think about a donor.)and had to stop Weight Watchers. This was almost 5 years ago. Boy, time flies when you are a busy, stressed out working mom! I struggled last month with no gain and no losses. It feels good to finally be here and now, all I can say is to stay strong, fuel your body with the best, savor the two bite rule so you don't deprive yourself, measure everything you say you are going to portion, stick to your workout plan no matter what and believe you can do it and you will!

Now a word from-
From 100 Days of Weight Loss (Spangle)-

Spangle makes us look deeper to see what we really don't want to do. She asks that you write a list that start with


"I don't want to"-

•  get up and go to boot camp in the morning.
•  plan my meals and portion out my food.
•  set my goals for the week.

It feels so good to just see that list that I wrote above.  Sometimes just admitting it helps make you see how ridiculous you are being. I sometimes need to throw my 2 year old tantrum and write in my magic notebook how much I don't want to do something. Now Spangle makes you go through the list above again and this time add in front- "Wait a minute. Of course I want to..." Spangle continues to say that if you are still having a hard time come to grips with the part that you don't want to do and set some small goals so that you can get work up to it. So an example of this was my exercising journey I started with going to boot camp for 1 hour 2 days a week. I believed that I could do it so I did. Then, I added another day doing 1 hour of Pilates. It has been a hard, rough road, but I am determined to get myself in shape and healthy. I feel really strong and confident both physically and emotionally. And I make myself believe by saying these 3 things to myself-

REMEMBER:
YOU CAN DO IT!
JUST ONE MORE DAY!
NEVER GIVE UP!
Always,
Mer   

A Book I Want to Read: Switch

Switch- How to Change Things When Change is Hard by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

I belong to a study group of teachers. We get together once a month to discuss our profession. We do it with protocols and get a lot done in a short amount of time. We are all committed to this group and have found something very special since we are all very passionate and want to be the best teachers and people that we can be.  The librarian brought this book to the study group this month and had us read the first chapter. I want to read the rest of the book, but so far this is what I got out of it- 
 
The chapter explains this great analogy to explain what is happening in ones mind when trying to make a change-
The emotional side is the Elephant and the rational side is the Rider. The Rider is smaller than the Elephant so the Elephant wins most of the time when it comes to direction. Another way that helped me see- the Elephant is the passion and the Rider is the planner. When the Elephant has a ton of passion and no rider you get an Elephant that is charging around with no direction. When you get a Rider with no Elephant to ride you have no motivation.  When you get both to move together you can get change to happen with ease. 

I was thinking about this in relationship to my lifestyle change and how I am the Rider: the planner, the reader, the researcher, the experimenter and it took me a long time to get started on this change, but once the Elephant in me became passionate about taking care about myself it propelled me to do just do something about it.   I needed a crystal, clear path one that would get me to my goal weight, to the active lifestyle and the balance in my life so that I can be my personal best.  The 100 Days of Weight Loss Book, this blog, Mo and my magic notebook has put me on a path where I am accepting the wisdom within myself and I am gracefully starting to finally be the person I like to be. I thought I was only going to lose weight during this healthy lifestyle change, but obviously it is much more than that and so thankful of the doors in my mind it is opening. Everyday that I stay on this journey it becomes easier and not too much of a struggle. I feel that my "toolbox" is getting some great new tips, tricks, inspirations, motivators that I can use daily to keep me tuned up.

I am looking forward to getting this book and reading more to understand change.  

REMEMBER-
YOU, THE RIDER, CAN DO IT!
THE ELEPHANT WILL TAKE YOU THERE JUST ONE MORE DAY!
NEVER EVER GIVE UP ON YOU PATH!

Always,
Mer
 
 

Day 47- Kick the Can't

As a teacher, I hate that word- "CAN'T." So one year when I had a workshop where I set up a worm bin in my classroom I had a brilliant idea. I promptly taught the kids that the worms would eat our paper. Then, I told them to write a list of everything that they think they can't do. They wrote everything from "I can't run the mile" to "I can't get 100% on my spelling test." Then, to their surprise I had them tear their "I can't" into little strips and we feed them to the red worms! So they no longer existed in our classroom. Next, we made mini paper headstones with epitaphs of their dead "I can'ts" With something like this- Here lies Mer's "I CAN'Ts" may they always be pushing up daisies and will never hold me back from learning or doing anything. 

Here are some phrases from 100 days of Weight Loss (Spangle) that helps makes what seems impossible possible-

• I'll find a way...
• This is hard, but not impossible to...
•  Maybe I could...
• I wonder if I......

This is great way to get yourself unstuck when you are stuck and feeling negative. It is more important to focus on the action and progress that you have made. 
 
One of my favorite quotes that I keep in my magic notebook that helps me eliminate that "can't" attitude is this- 
 
Around here we don't look back for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things...and curiosity keeps us leading down new paths"- Walt Disney 

SO KEEP MOVING FORWARD!
DON'T LOOK BACK FOR VERY LONG!
YOU CAN DO IT!
JUST NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

Always,
Mer 

 
 

Day 46- If not Food then what?

Spangle suggest in her book 100 days of Weight Loss to make a list of things that are more important than food. She starts by having you put food in the #1 spot and then list things important to you. Then, she has you move it to the 11th spot so that it is on the bottom and not as important as the other things in your life. 
 
Here is my list of 10 important things with #11 on the bottom: 

1. To do my personal best as mom, spouse, sister, daughter, friend, teacher
2. My health and well-being
3. My marriage
4. My family and friends
5. To lead an active lifestyle
6. My career
7. Learning to play the ukulele
8. Traveling and experiencing different cultures
9. Archiving my life via photography & scrapbooks
10. Reading for pleasure and to learn new things
11. Food

Spangle suggest a book by Barabara DeAngelis called Passion. Angelis asks that you spend an entire day deepening your commitment in one area of your life by expressing it in your words and behavior.

Here is me writing to a friend about one the important areas of my life- As I recall, the question was what makes you feel alive and passionate?


I want to be appreciated and valued for the hard work that I do daily not just as a teacher, but as a mother.  I take my children very seriously and I strive to make sure that I give them everything that they possibly need physically, mentally and emotionally. I let them make mistakes and I help them problem solve. I teach them to take care of themselves and others. I praise all their strengths and work on their weaknesses so that they can understand that they sometimes have to work on things that are hard, but that they can do it.  I'd like to think that I am a tough mom who expects much, but loves with all my heart. I would go to the ends of the earth for my kids.

As you can tell, I have put my family very high on my importance list. And by doing this simple exercise it has made me realize what is really important to me and it made me realize how much emphasis I put on automatic, mindless eating. I was thinking about what I was going to eat after I had just finished eating a meal. I can feel the "brain waves" starting to really make a change in the way I think, the way I see food, the way I am conducting my life. I am approaching it with more awareness, empathy,  understanding of myself and others. The emotional piece that I have been struggling with in this healthy lifestyle change now has a clear direction because I have been working on the inside of me, the emotional part, and really getting to know myself- embracing and accepting it all.  I had spun my wheels over analyzing things and rationalizing this change on how to do it and what to do. Now, because of my own goal setting, my own planning and my own action the journey is set in motion. There are hard days, but now I know I will win this.  I know that this is going to take time and I am very impatient with myself, but I am learning to do like Darla,"Loving Me Experiment is working." I'm taking it one day at a time...

REMEMBER-
YOU CAN DO IT!
JUST FOR ONE MORE DAY! 
NEVER EVER GIVE UP!
Always,
Mer
 
 



 


 

 

 

Day 45- Food important or not?

From 100 Days of Weight Loss (Spangle)-

Two main questions that I have to answer-
 

1. When is food important?
2. When is food unimportant?

There are times when food is really important like my surprise birthday party. It was one of my favorite restaurants that we went to  and I also had one of my favorite desserts. I made the decision to make food special and important since it was a special occasion. Just because it is a special event doesn't mean that I allow myself to overeat, but that I simply enjoy the company, food, atmosphere, aromas, flavors, and textures around me.  
Then, there are times when food is just food to fuel my body and give it energy to go. That to me is when food is routine and unimportant. An example for me is breakfast. I eat, but my focus is checking in with my kids before they start their day. So I choose to put am emphasis on being with them and caring for them. Feeding myself happens, but it is not the focus of my morning.  So, I make sure I have a healthy breakfast of eggs, vegetables and toast.  I do have to have my 1 cup of coffee and then, my body is fueled, ready to go!
Have a fabulous weekend!

REMEMBER: TO SAY THIS TO YOURSELF TODAY!
NEVER EVER GIVE UP!
JUST FOR ONE MORE DAY!
YOU CAN DO IT! 
Always,
Mer