Saturday, February 23, 2013

I'm Alive!!!

My dearest Bethany,

Wow! Keep up the good work! No matter how long it's been, you continue to motivate me. I am so proud of you! And I am so disappointed in my absence from our blog--I didn't realize how much I need this (Yes, I am tearing up.)

It's been a rough two months. Heaven bless my beautiful parents for taking us under their roof during this long job-hunting process. It's been quite helpful on our wallets, but not so helpful to my hips, if you know what I mean. I try really hard to wake up early and exercise, and I've done better, but if I even roll over in bed my entire family wakes up!!! And working out with little ones crawling between my legs is difficult:) But even if it takes me three hours (which it often does) to get a video finished then so be it.

On the upside, I have gone 10 days without sugar! This is a record for me!! And I plan on continuing evermore! Sorry chocolate--you give me headaches. See ya cookies--you make my tummy upset. I feel confident that I can rid my addiction. I can do it.

In fact, just writing this right now has motivated me to go for a run. Thanks for always having hope in me, Bethany. You don't know what it means:) Gotta jet--a very slow jet!

Love you!

Megan


Thursday, December 27, 2012

An Experience

It is so easy to get down on yourself, especially when progress toward a goal is glacially slow and so very, very visible.

Last week I had an experience that gave me a boost.  I went to get my hair colored and deep conditioned.  My colorist and I talked about world travel, the education system, advanced math and literature.  Then she left.  As I sat in the chair letting the color sit, I listened to the conversations around me.  I heard gossip, plans for lying and emotional manipulation, poor grammar, group planning of hurtful texts and a whole lot of empty headed nothingness.  (Not that there is anything wrong with a little mental fluff of the happy and kind variety.  We all need that from time to time.)

No, the point is that despite feeling disappointed about the image staring back at me from the mirror I started feeling quite good about the person on the inside.  I felt smart.  I felt honest.  I felt classy.  I felt considerate.

There is everything right with wanting to look better and progress toward a goal.  But I must fight the tendency to let that localized dissatisfaction become general poor self image.

I'm a pretty decent gal.  I deserve to feel like one.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

slow, but in the right direction

I have lost four of those six pesky Thanksgiving pounds.  Yeah!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

The Plan

It's Christmas time! ! ! !

I love this holiday.  There is so much to enjoy, and that includes food.  To combat my tendency toward excess I have a plan.  I am going to make a list of the treats I really, really want to make and/or enjoy with my family and then limit myself to those treats.  That way, I don't indulge on Hershey Kisses or all the other fluff that is good, but not great.

So the goodie list is:

Share a chocolate orange with my family after reading the story about the Christmas Oranges.

Make peppermint marshmallows and enjoy in some hot cocoa.

Have a dish of peppermint ice cream with hot fudge sauce.

Make cinnamon rolls with the kids.

And, if during the season there is something unexpected and fabulous that I want to enjoy then I am leaving myself one fabulous pass for Oregon and one for celebrating with my family.

I look at that list and that is a lot of yumminess, but honestly it's a lot less than I would usually eat.

So there's the plan.

I am interested to see how it works.

Happy Holidays!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Mr. Incredible

Picture it:
5:20 am
I am sitting in a chair.  One child is curled up on my shoulder, her sodden diaper soaking through my pajama pants.  I am feeding the other one.  I haven't slept more than two hours consecutively.  There is no way on this rolling blue planet that I am going to exercise.

The first two times I exercised two days in a row I got the flu.  The third time my children did.  Being either insane or determined I exercised two days in a row again and my baby started waking up 4-5 times a night.  His growing is interfering with my shrinking.

Lately I feel like Mr. Incredible in the scene where he is trying to leave Syndrome's computer room.  Giant machines start shooting heavy, sticky balls that glom onto anything they touch.  Despite super-human efforts, Mr. Incredible goes down.

How do you combat the glom-ball effect?

I don't know.

Sometimes, just showing up for another day of mommyhood takes all I have.

Thank heavens for desire.

I know what I want.  Maybe, some days, just wanting it is all I can do toward achieving the goal.  But if I keep that desire alive my window of opportunity will come.

Here's to future windows.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

On we go

Megan Francine Aurelia Biddle!  (no cyber stalkers that is not her real name)  Welcome back.

You gained 5 lbs. over Thanksgiving?  Guess what sister, I gained 6.  I knew I was doing this blog with a kindred spirit.

I have missed you.  I need you.  You are fabulous and way funnier than I am so you are never allowed to go AWOL again.  Okay, you can have a pass for comas and escaped hamsters.

Amen to the whole hating the maternity pant thing.

On the plus side, in the last month I have had some major victories.

I started attending a pseudo-weight-watchers group in my neighborhood.  We weigh in, share victories, eat a healthyish treat and set goals.  Just having access to an accurate scale is a blessing.  My scale at home changes five pounds if I rock from my heels to my toes.

We have a sister-in-law who has had great success with livestrong.com.  I have avoided calorie counting for years.  It drives me nuts.  But that six pounds made me crazy (crazy trumps nuts) and I created a Livestrong account and I have tracked for six days in a row - a lifetime record.  In my brain I hear a stadium sized crowd leaping to its feet and cheering.

And I did something last Saturday that I have wanted to do forever.  I made a meal plan for three meals and two snacks for every day of the week - made my grocery list from my plan- and then shopped from my list.

Woo Hoo!  Even standing on my heels on my scale I can tell that I am making inroads into that superfluous six.

I WILL wear real pants again one day.  I just know it.

~Bethany Feronia Adelaid Boynton

(did you notice?  the last three initials spell FAB - as in fabulous)