"Crazy Runners"

I've always sort of made fun of runners. Not because I don't like them, but because I have always thought running measured very close to torture.

I mean, think about it. Why on earth would you willingly run somewhere when you could, oh I don't know, walk, bike or heck, DRIVE?

What can I say? I'm lazy and not ashamed to admit it. That is until I noticed the ill effects of my laziness. YIKES!

If you're a follower of my blog, you know that I've been doing this Biggest Loser thing. I started off walking on the treadmill because that's really all I could do. Then it got to a point where I wasn't working hard enough anymore. The next logical step was to run.

Really? Do I have to?

I've been running consistently on the treadmill and the street for about 5 weeks. I still don't love it, but I sure love the effects!

A friend of mine talked me into running a 10k (6.2 miles) on Thanksgiving day. At first I thought she was crazy, but then I figured it would be a good way to burn those Thanksgiving Day calories. So I registered.

This is us crossing the finish line!

It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. We took it slow and steady. I think we were one of the last people to finish, but the point is WE FINISHED! I am very proud of that. 6.2 miles may not seem like much, but for someone who has never liked running, it was a big accomplishment. In fact, I'm thinking of framing my race number... ; )

Who knows, maybe you'll see me in the Portland 1/2 Marathon this year!

Making Progress!

This week I wasn't really expecting to lose anything. Not because I didn't try, but because I've gotten used to getting on the scale and not seeing much of a difference.

I was pleasantly surprised though!

When I weighed in on Tuesday I had lost 3 pounds! WOO HOO!!! I almost didn't believe my eyes. My trainer came over when he heard my exclaimation and congratulated me. It was nice to finally see some real results.

Hopefully it will continue... we only have one week left.

Operation Christmas Child

Every year our church participates in Operation Christmas Child. It's put on by Samaritan's Purse http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/index/ and they distribute gifts to children all over the world who wouldn't normally get anything for Christmas.

What you do is get a box that's about the size of a shoe box. Fill it with toys and return it so they can ship it.

This year is our first time participating in OCC. Our boys each picked a box at church a week ago. They were asking why we were taking these boxes home, so we asked if they like opening presents on Christmas Day. Of course they all said "yes". We explained that some children don't get to do that because their moms and dads don't have money for presents, or they don't have a mom and dad at all.

They seemed to understand how sad that would be. We asked if they would like to give presents to those children so they'd have something to open on Christmas Day. All three of them said that was something they wanted to do. We then explained that's what the boxes were for.


All week the boys bugged me about shopping for the kids who were getting our boxes. I didn't have time until yesterday. We went to the store together and picked out all sorts of fun stuff to put in the boxes. We chose to give boxes to little boys the same ages as our sons.


Today we sat around the table and packed the boxes up. Each of our boys drew a picture for the boy who will get their box and we included a picture of our family.


We're hoping to continue to do this every year as the boys get older. We think it's a great way to teach them how important it is to be generous.




I'm very proud of how excited our kids were about this and hope they will always feel that way about giving.

A Near Stand Still

This week I worked SO hard! I was at the gym 6 days and worked really, really hard while I was there.

Dispite that, I still didn't even lose an entire pound. UGH!

The good news is that I did lose a pants size and I am able to go faster and longer than I used to.

My friend talked me into running a 10k on Thanksgiving, so I'm working on getting used to running on the street. It's tough, but I think I'll be able to do it. The nice thing about running that far on Thanksgiving Day is that I won't have to worry so much about what I eat!

The Most Amazing Soap!

Several years ago, my friend Susan started a soap company. It's called Greenfield Soap Co. http://www.greenfieldsoap.com/ She makes all her soaps in small batches and will all natural ingredients.

My children and I have always had mildly sensitive skin and it never ocurred to me that it would be improved by switching soaps. Even after Susan told me that I should try her soap I still didn't do it right away. Then I started changing diapers all day long...

There was a short time when I had 3 boys in diapers all at once. *shudders*

I was spending a large chunk of my day changing said diapers and of course washing my hands after the fact. My hands were like snake skin that year.

I still didn't even think about switching my soap until I recieved a bar of Susan's soap at a baby shower as a prize or something. I'm not about to let something go to waste, so when I ran out of my precious anti-bacterial soap I stuck the homemade bar at the sink in it's place.

We've been using "Susan's Soap" (as it's called in this house) for probably 5 years. We use it at all the sinks and in all the showers. It's just that good!

In the last 5 years we've been healthier than ever. Of course we get the occasional cold or stomach bug, but in general it's obvious to me that we have stronger immune systems. (It does help that I'm a hand-washing-nazi too!) Our skin is not nearly as dry as it once was either. AND we haven't had trouble with eczema since switching soaps.

I'm not saying that you should go replace all the soap in your house, but if you're not happy with the liquid anti-bacterial stuff, give Greenfield Soap Co. a try!

Minor Set back

I've been really consistent with my diet and excersize over the last week. I had a minor set back though... a girls weekend at the beach.

Those always include lots of food and very unhealthy snacks. I am really proud to report that I ate small portions of the yummy food and snacked minimally. I definately ate a lot less than I normally would on a vacation.

I did however splurge on some clam chowder, crab fondue and a beer. I'm only human after all.

I only got one workout in all weekend when I was hoping for two. At least I worked out though.

After the set back weekend, I was surprised to discover that I still lost a pound! I put in a lot of extra effort at last night's team workout session and I plan to continue that everyday this week. I love results!

Lookin' Good!

This week has been pretty hectic for me. I still got my 6 workouts a week in though. I also celebrated my 30th birthday so of course there was food that didn't fit into my "diet".

I've gotten used to going to the gym and no longer stare at the equiptment wondering what I should do next.

I can feel my body getting stronger and I'm definately gaining endurance. When I started I could only walk on the treadmill and it wasn't a very brisk pace. Now I can run for an entire 30 minutes! I generally walk for 15 minutes on either end of that 30 minutes of running, but eventually I'll get up to running more.

My diet is still a bit of an issue. Being a busy mom, I have a hard time finding quick things to eat that also fit into that "healthy" category. I do my best though and make sure I take advantage of every second I have at the gym.

On Sunday I wore a black dress to church that I hadn't worn since the Harry Connick Jr. concert. It was a bit tight at the concert, but was loose on Sunday! Every person I talked to told me how great I looked. That made me feel fantastic!

Then tonight I got on the scale at the gym and discovered I'd lost TWO WHOLE POUNDS!!!!! WAHOOO!!!! That brings me up to about 4 pounds lost total. We're halfway through this challenge and I hope to lose a bunch more weight, but I'll be happy to drop dress sizes too! ; )