Another Sunday

It's Sunday night and I wish I could say I'm ready to face the new week but really, I could use another Sunday.  This weekend was busy.  On Saturday we took the kids to a 4 year old birthday party at a "giant indoor arena with gigantic inflatables."  There were a couple bouncy houses and a HUGE slide that I couldn't get enough of.  I might have had more fun than the kids bouncing, jumping and sliding. I love that my body allows me to let loose and have fun when the opportunity arises.  This is exactly the kind of thing that would have left me stuck on the sidelines in my prior life.  Not so now, I was right in the thick of things, having fun with my kids and laughing it up.  GREAT party Michelle! - another Michelle, I'm not talking to myself just yet.  Or at least not today.

After all the bouncing and sliding it was time for party food.  I had a couple pieces of pizza, a slice of ice cream cake and too much candy to list here.  On the drive home I couldn't believe the weather, just gorgeous, and perfect for a bike ride.  I sent a text to our sitter on the off chance she was free and voila!, we're in business. 

So Miguel and I took an easy 15 mile spin around town before stopping for some lattes on the way home.  Sitting outside, drinking coffee on a sunny Saturday afternoon - that's an ideal way to pass the time.  

After the ride I had to hustle and get ready to go into the city for dinner with some of my favorite girlfriends.  You know you're having a full day when you have several wardrobe changes.

Ready to hit the town!

We ate at West of Pecos in the Mission.  I started with a vodka soda and shared heartily in the chips and guacamole appetizer.  And then in the Green Chile Mac-n-Cheese (cave-aged cheddar, anaheim chiles, cornbread crumbles) appetizer.  Yummm.


Choosing my entree was tricky.  There were some good steak options, a salmon entree, and other tempting offers.  But what really sounded good were the ribs, Ancho & Apricot Pork Ribs.  Do you know I nearly didn't order them because I was thinking I should get something with more volume?  Talk about old thinking.  I wanted the ribs, order the ribs.  Since when have I lacked for food?  Maybe it was the vodka talking.  And I'm so glad I did, they were de.li.cious.  We all shared bread pudding for desert and it was good until we ran out of ice cream, then it was too dry.  

After dinner we headed across the street to what felt like a hipster, or at the very least youngster, bar.  I had another cocktail while we continued our long overdue catching up.

I got to bed way too late and found myself dragging my feet a bit today.  I would have liked to go for a run but it just didn't work out that way, which is fine.  Instead Miguel and I had a late morning at home with the kids before heading out for some essential errands.  My eating continues to be in the "more than necessary" department.  We went to Chevy's for dinner and I had chips and more chips, tortilla soup, followed by shrimp & crab enchiladas for my entree.  After all the chips and soup I could only eat about half my entree, but I still had plenty of room for desert - a mini sundae that I didn't need but enjoyed nonetheless.  I did manage to talk myself out of a margarita.  It sounded good and I was in desperate need of the magical powers of tequila, but it didn't feel right.  One has to draw the line somewhere. 

I got nothing to say about my eating choices these days.  It is what it is.  Some of my pants are a bit tight, and I can see my mid-section rounding out.  I keep telling myself that once I'm in the clear from this pneumonia thing I'll have plenty of time to reel things in and tighten back up.  I've got another full week until my follow-up chest x-ray.  How much damage can I do to my waistline in a week?  Don't answer that.  Anyway, I sure hope I'm taking it easy enough to be 100% clear by then.

Alright, that's all I got.  Off to dreamland.

My Happy Weight

It's Friday...woot!  I'm feeling pretty good today, enjoying the pleasant weather and my own sunny outlook.  I got out of the shower this morning to music and singing and little feet dancing around the kitchen.  If that doesn't put a smile on your face, well, maybe you're not a morning person. Heck, I'm not a morning person, I like to wake up slowly and lounge in bed for a while before I actually accept the reality of morning and get my feet moving.  But once I'm out of the shower I'm usually feeling pretty good.  And then add coffee to it and, zing!  We're in business.

Last night I went out for a mom's gathering.  I ate a very small dinner beforehand and then munched on some of the snacks at the club.  Lest you think I was out nightclubbing, I mean a sports club.  Our get-together was hosted by a local fitness/tennis/pool/etc club.  I had a couple glasses of wine and chatted up some of my mom buddies.  The mention of clubbing does remind me we're overdue for a dance night.  Must get something on the calendar soon.

Anyway, back to today.  I hopped on the scale in the midst of all the morning music fun and was pleased to see 138.6 pounds.  Yep, that's become my happy weight.  I do feel a little extra pudge in the tummy department, likely due to about a million times less ab work (and overall decreased muscle mass I'm sure).  But I know when I'm able to be fully in the swing of things again, it will tighten back up a smidge.

I went to my WW meeting today and was happy to see my long time WW buddy Gina there.  She and I have been at this game since my beginning over 6 years ago.  I had a nice time chatting about "diet" stuff, WW and the rest of it.  The meeting was good, though not highly relevant to my life.  We talked about Points used on beverages.  I'm a water girl so practically the only time I drink calories is for alcohol.  We talked about wine some, but mostly when I drink I'm not thinking about points or calories or the rest of it, mostly I'm trying not to think and just have a little fun.

Let's see...I had a plan to go to the gym and do a 15 minute run followed by weights.  But I had a lot of phone calls this afternoon and then a completely insane, too interesting to kick out person ended up in my office.  She got my attention by following about a foot behind me until I stopped and turned to face her, "I'm following you, I'm a stranger," she said.  Ooook, where do we go from here?  Turns out she knows someone I work with and had a few (entirely crazy but gravely important) things to tell me.  I got all caught up in the moment and spent too long listening to her, and watching her.  She was striking in her appearance, easy on the eyes, and, like I said, entirely out of her mind.  Anyway, that was the best part of my day.

By the time I got to the gym I had less than a half-hour to do my thing.  So I dropped the strength training plan and just ran.  I started out on the treadmill with a 3 minute warm up walk (as usual) and then hit 6.0, an easy run pace.  Things went along fine, I threw in a 7.3 (my previous fast pace) for one minute, started to push for two minutes and then remembered I'm still recovering so took it back to 6.0 for a total of 20 minutes of run time.  A quick cool down walk and I was done. 

Can I share a picture of my baby girl?  I took the kids for a haircut on Wednesday and I love her with short hair. 

My wildling child

Equal time for my boy...

At his 4-yr checkup, getting a hearing test.

And because this is a diet/fitness blog...I'll close with a picture of what I had for lunch today.

Curry chicken-n-rice, beans, salad and chili soup.

The rest of my food day was not stellar.  There may have been chips and cookies involved but to protect the innocent, I'll say no more.  Until next time!

Phenomenal Woman

I was still a teenager when Maya Angelou came to the college I was attending.  I'd never heard of her but my English professor was offering extra credit to those who went to see her and wrote up a response.  The auditorium was crowded and I got there late.  I remember sitting on the floor in the back of the room, listening.  Maya is a powerhouse of a human being, her voice booms without a microphone.  When she read this poem I thought I'd never be the same.  The force of her strength in femininity captivated me and I've been an awestruck fan ever since.

Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou

Getting Back in the Groove

I haven't blogged up until now because honestly, I haven't been feeling myself this week.  Could be hormones, could be the pneumonia thing, or a combination of that and other life distractions. 

So I was sitting in my office on Monday afternoon thinking, "wow, it's warm in here."  I turned on my little desk fan and took off a layer of clothes.  I finished up my work for the day and headed to the gym with a plan to do an easy, short spin on the bike and then lift a few weights.  Glen and Mark were at the front desk so I stopped to catch up for a few minutes.  While I'm standing there I realized I was feeling hot again.  This is not a good sign.  I took off another layer of clothes and acknowledged that I probably have a fever.  Dammit!  So I walked my butt back out the door and went home to take my temperature.

99.1°, not too bad.  But I really shouldn't be having a fever at all.  My doctor is on vacation so I sent a message to her back-up person on Tuesday morning.  Later in the day I got a message back saying if my fever reoccurs that I need to be seen.  Phew, no doctor visit needed.  But I figured that since something is up with my body, I'd better skip the gym again.  I considered that maybe the running on Sunday was a bad idea but in the end, I really don't think so.  I ran so easy, so effortlessly, I can't see how that would have messed me up. 

Today, Wednesday, I was home with the kids.  My eating has been somewhat sloppy lately but I woke up this morning with a renewed motivation to not let my weight creep up during this time of almost no exercise.  Eating healthy has always been so much easier for me when I'm exercising, it's like the two go hand-in-hand.  The last couple days when I've gotten on the scale I'm a bit over 140.  Still well under my goal weight but I'll tell you the truth, I now see 140 as a yellow-light weight.  145 would mean it's time to sound the alarm, take action.  So far it seems if I'm eating a healthy diet and getting a good amount of exercise, the high 130's is where my body wants to be.

Speaking of my body, I've been wondering how my lungs sound.  Good thing I have a nurse buddy who was willing to make a house-call.  She listened and said she could hear a little bit of stuff (my non-medical term, not hers) and that I'm probably 85-90% clear.  Yay!  That's some good progress.   I have another 1.5 weeks until I get my follow-up chest x-ray, and I need to be 100% clear by then.  Things are looking good for that. 

Anyway, back to today.  I took the kids for haircuts, they were little angels, and then to the candy shoppe for a treat.  They chose lollipops over frozen yogurt, which really surprised me.  In the afternoon my mom came to hang with the kids while I ran some errands and went to the gym.

At the gym I rode the upright bike on level five for 15 minutes and then another of my self-made full body workouts, doing a little bit of everything.  I increased the difficulty a bit by doing 2 sets of things instead of just the 1 set I've been doing.  I felt really good but some of the exercises were a challenge.  My poor muscles have lost a little of their umph.  But no worry, I'll get it back.  In the meantime, I can't say I'm unhappy with my body these days, despite all the downtime. 

Post workout contentment.

A Lucky Runner

Saturdays are normally a day we reserve for family activities but Miguel had to work so the kids and I were flying as a threesome.  We had a birthday party in the morning, a pirate themed party, which was so fun.  The weather was gorgeous and they even had a pinata!  I'd had a pretty big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast so I wasn't that hungry at the party.  I still ate a sandwich and some chips.  Oh, and cake of course.  Myra got into the spirit of the party.

Aye matey, the pirate's life for me!

And I got into the spirit of warm weather!  Only four more days until spring officially starts.

After the party we all came home and enjoyed some down time.  I had been toying with the idea of walking the Emerald Across the Bay 12k the next morning (today) but when TTOTM started and I considered how cold it would be at 8am, I decided against it.  Just didn't sound like my idea of fun.

So Miguel and I went out for dinner.  It was a long day for both of us but we rallied.  We started in the bar where I had a vodka & soda or two.  We were eventually moved to a table but had been happier in the bar so we went back.  The restaurant just felt too bright.  Dinner was good.  For some reason steak sounded good to me so I ordered a cajun rib-eye, which came with spinach and jalapeno mashed potatoes.  I've had cheesecake on the brain lately so I had that for desert.  It wasn't as good in real life as it was in my head.  By the time we got home around 10:30pm I was exhausted and was asleep by 11pm.

The kids slept until 8am this morning.  Woo-hoo!!  I was actually awake before either of them.  I have a friend who needed a head-shot for her business so I ran to her house and took a few pictures before...wait for it...a neighborhood waffle party!  You heard right, a waffle party.  Our neighbors own a waffle truck and invited the neighborhood over to indulge.

And indulge we did.  We have a lot of kids in our neighborhood and they got to run around and play while the adults socialized.  It was a yummy gathering.  I had my camera so I snapped a few pictures of the sweet faire.

Freshly ironed

With chocolate sauce (I had mine with caramel and chocolate).

I hope you're not feeling too jealous right now!  I ate mine and then I might have finished off one of the kids, which was practically whole.  But at least I didn't take the offer to take some home.  Two crunchy/sweet/savory waffles with caramel, chocolate and whipped cream is probably enough for one day...or even for a month!

After the waffle party we took the kids to the soccer field.  Miguel had a game later in the afternoon so we took the kids early so he could kick the ball around with them while I got some exercise.  I had a plan to take a 30 minute walk.  We were in Sausalito, just a few blocks from the Mill Valley-Sausalito trail so I headed toward that.  But within a few minutes I felt the urge to run.  I was all alone with myself and it didn't take long to convince myself it was ok to run as long as I took it really easy.  And I agreed with myself that I would stop if I felt winded.  I'm so easy to please when negotiating with myself.

I started running and for the first few minutes my body felt a little weird, like I was moving in places that aren't used to moving.  It wasn't a bad feeling at all, just different.  But within about 5 minutes I settled into an easy, comfortable pace.  I coughed a little bit here and there, which I think was probably good for my lungs.  My doctor actually said they used to recommend a jog around the block to help clear out the lungs.  This turned out to be a bit longer than around the block, I think I ran for about 35 minutes.  I didn't have my Garmin on so I have no idea of distance or pace, other than "easy".

It felt so wonderful to be running!  The weather was pristine and my legs moved with ease.  There were only a few moments when I felt like I was working and each time I just slowed down.  I'm curious to know my pace but it's probably better that I don't.  Running by feel was what I really needed to do and seeing my pace could have messed with my attunement.  The most important thing was the positive feeling I had.  I just love running.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!  WW posted the above on their FB page this morning and when I saw it I was reminded of something I've been told a time or two, "You're so lucky you like running."  Sometimes I take the time to tell the person about how I hated running for years, how I didn't start to like it until I trained for my first half-marathon and experienced the long run.  Something about a longer distance made running click for me and we've been in a beautiful love affair ever since.  Maybe I got my first runner's high, maybe it was a matter of confidence ("I can run, I really can!"), or maybe it was about relaxing - something you have to do on a long run - more likely it was a combination of all those things.  All I know is, I stuck with running for years despite not really liking it and eventually, I got lucky.