Team weight loss: Day 1

Well, we had our first meeting tonight. It was a bit of a disappointment because we mostly just talked about the program. We didn't weigh in yet, nor did we take measurements. That will happen next time, I think. We got to work out for only about 15 minutes, mostly to determine our aerobic threshold. My shins were fatigued too early so I sort of petered out and I'm not sure I came up with an accurate AT number. But it gives me a pretty good indication as to what it might be.

Well, gotta go. I'm watching "The Biggest Loser" for inspiration. I LOVE that show!

April 5, 2010 is a very important day for me...

I am beginning the T.E.A.M. Weight Loss program at Lifetime Fitness. I plan on using this site to keep an online journal during my weight loss odyssey. I hope this will be the kick in the pants I have been needing to get me to lose the extra weight I have gained over the years.

Here's the magic number for me: I need to lose around 50 pounds. That's a whole heck of a lot, I know! And I know I won't lose all 50 pounds during the 12 weeks I will be in the LT Fitness program. However, I hope to be well on my way to that goal. I hope to lose around 24 pounds or more during the T.E.A.M. Weight Loss program. That seems like a reasonable amount for a 12-week period but if I lose more, I won't complain!

What has spurred me to get off my Irish-American arse and get moving? Recent medical visits have revealed that I have high cholesterol and triglycerides. I have probably gained 35 pounds since going back to work in 2004. I lead a sedentary life, I eat more than my fair share of junk food, and I don't count calories. I am not currently a good example to my children, which pains me to no end. I would not wish for them a life of constantly obsessing about their weight, which is something I have been doing for years and years, even before I was this overweight.

A new Lifetime Fitness has opened up in our town and the entire family is becoming more active, which is a wonderful thing. I hope to become an inspiration to my children and to anyone else who may be dealing with these issues.

Wish me luck!

Close To My Heart...

...it feels like old times. I am once again a consultant with Close To My Heart. This time I just want to start out by doing it for myself but I won't be too upset if people want to host gatherings and attend workshops!

Lizzie and I had a great time opening up the consultant kit. The cats even joined us! I got the scrapbooking and card making additions to the kit, which has me sitting on easy street! I love all the stamp sets, ink pads, papers, embellishments, and books I got! It is too sweet for words! I am going to go play with my stamps now. Maybe I'll post something later...

Spring Break is here!

It's so exciting around our house: the kids are asleep, Chris is playing MW2, and I am quietly typing away on my much neglected blog. Where's the exciting part, you ask? Well, it's SPRING BREAK and even though we don't seem enthusiastic about it, we are! I am still getting over a sinus infection but I am determined to get some real scrapbooking done during my vacation. And I even hope to post some of the layouts. Don't hold me to it, but I swear I'll try!

Well I'm brimming with so much anticipation that I think I'll go to bed and write more later.

Bonne nuit!

Thinking about scrapbooking...

...but not actually doing it. It's 1:00 a.m. and I am just thinking about all the cool things I'd like to accomplish with my wonderful hobby but I know that it would take too much effort to get anything out at this hour of the night.

I am even thinking about stamping, if you can believe that. I'd almost given up on stamping but I was perusing the Close to My Heart website and I started to miss the fun of stamping cards and layouts. I used to be a CTMH consultant, you see, but I bit off more than I could chew with a newborn, a toddler, a return to work, etc. I bought way too much stuff and became overwhelmed by the whole thing. Now that my kids are older and more independent, I may dabble in stamping yet again. More on that later.

Well, the sleepies are taking over my eyelids so I will bid you all adieu. A la prochaine!

My former French teacher met the president of France today!

I just read Renee's blog where she explained her serendipitous meeting with Nicolas Sarkozy today. I am very proud of her and her son for representing Americans in a positive light during their discussion with Monsieur le President.

Bravo, Madame!

Here's a link:
http://blog.frenchmetro.com/2010/01/unbelievable-morning.html

In a good place

It has been an incredibly productive and relaxing week for me with three snow days under my belt. I have finished the 2010 Archiver's calendar where I made one layout for each month. I want to take 1-3 pictures of us and put them in the calendar. When each month is finished, I will put each layout into the 2010 scrapbook and I'll have instant layouts. Cool idea.

I used my Cricut for each title and I can't say how much I love that machine! I got three new cartridges for Christmas and I used the heck out of Designer's Calendar. Obviously, it went hand and hand with my project but it has so many capabilities. I love the Cricut!