saying, 'no, no temptation!'

Jackson doesn't have a wide vocabulary as of yet (he isn't even two), but he can say NO, NO clearly and emphatically. In fact, I often overhear him telling himself 'no, no...(insert indistinguishable jibberish here). When I sneak over to see what's going on, many times I see him standing by the stove or holding a spoon aimed to drum on a wall or about to dump his milk on the floor. He sees the temptation and tells himself no, out loud. Not such a bad idea...it doesn't seem to always help him make the right decision, but at least he's trying. Perhaps I can learn from my sweet and sassy toddler.

It's only been two days since I've started 42 days to Fit, and I've already had to exercise my self-control muscle several times. Now that I'm trying to steer clear of 'desserts', I realize how often sweets are presented to me throughout the day...in the teacher's lounge at school, at the bank, on a friend's coffee table, at birthday parties, in our own pantry. They are everywhere! The flip side- they are everywhere! I don't need to feel like I'm being deprived when there will be plenty of opportunities for me to eat some m&ms tomorrow or the next day, etc.

In fact, I'm gearing myself up for two big celebrations this weekend: a toddler birthday with cupcakes and ice cream, oh my! And, of course, the Super Bowl. I'm not going to completely deprive myself at these events, but I think coming up with a strategy and food limit will be wise for me. I don't want to derail myself and undo all of the hard work I've put in this week.

I've also done some meal planning. Here is a link to the meal planning template I chose to print out: Meal Planning Template

Here are two new recipes that we plan on having again on 'meatless Mondays':
Portobello Pasta and Angel Hair Pasta with Artichokes, Zucchini, and Lemon

Both of these pasta dishes have subtle flavors, but my family enjoyed them. I like having something light and refreshing for dinner.  And the angel hair pasta was delicious in my lunch the next day. I even shared some with a friend who also had positive things to say about the recipe (we didn't have any portobello pasta left-over).  Nummy! (That's what Jackson says.)

Fitness Test- 42 Days to Fit

I survived the fitness test. It really wasn't too bad, but definitely showed me how out of shape I currently am. Jeremy did it with me (what a supportive husband). The first exercise was to see how many push-ups we could do in a minute. So I measured a stack of books to equal three inches from the ground to make sure we were pressing close enough to the ground.  Jeremy went first and it didn't look too hard. Then I got on the floor to assume the 'real' push-up position...Yikes! I felt like that should have counted for something! My goal was to do one and I did it, but I'm sure I looked pathetic. (I definitely felt pathetic after watching Jeremy doing his first one seemingly effortlessly). However, Jeremy was encouraging and I ended up getting a whole 4 pushups (nose to the books and all) in just 1 minute- ha.  I definitely think I have room to grow in this area! So here were the rest of my stats:

1/2 Mile Walk/Run:   9 minutes 8 seconds
Push-ups (in 1 minute):       4
Tricep Dips (in 1 minute): 24
Wall Sits (hold as long as you can): 1 minute 30 seconds
Sit-ups:  Level 2 (Arms folded across your chest-complete one full sit-up with elbows touching thighs,  
              heels can not leave the ground)

Pretty pitiful! I don't even have a good excuse like I just had a baby or major surgery or something. Oh well, I've got to start somewhere. The good news: I have plenty of room for growth! I just keep telling myself, "Practice makes progress!"

42 Days to Fit

I'm trying out a new fitness program called 42 Days to Fit. Each week there is a food and exercise challenge that snowballs into the following week up to six weeks. The hope is that by making gradual changes each week you build good health habits over the course of the program. Plus the changes aren't so radical that you end up completely giving up after two day (supposedly-I'll keep you posted).

This week I need to take the fitness test...nothing too scary. As for the week one food challenge: no desserts and only water to drink (I'm going to drink 1 cup of black coffee in the morning-that's permitted). I'll be doing a cardio work out three times this week for 20 minutes and some strength training on two additional days.

Overall, this seems like a program that will fit with my life. The real problem is sharpening my self-discipline and self-control skills. It seems like I always have a reason for not working out or for 'celebrating' something with food. It also seems if I don't think about whether or not I want to get up and work out, but rather just do it (like on autopilot- or like going to work) then I will find success.

So my six week fitness journey starts today. If anyone wants to join me, come on! I seem to do better when I know other people are denying themselves that delicious piece of chocolate cake (or that second piece).  If you have any great motivational tips on how to get healthy, please share...I need all the help and encouragement I can get!

Feel the burn, y'all!

Christmas Plague 2013

Now that we have a baby, time seems to pass so quickly. I barely have time to eat, potty, and shower before another month has passed and I've yet to accomplish any of the goals on my 'to do' list. But it's a new year so I've resolved to get out my list of goals from 2012 and get to work on that list rather than making a new one.  One of those goals is to try to better document what's happening in our crazy life. Christmas is a great place to start.

The original Washer 6, plus spouses and children, minus Jeremy Washer, celebrated Christmas at the new Isley house. We moved the second week of December (in freezing weather) and thought it would be a great idea to host Christmas. This deadline helped us to prioritize our unpacking and get the house some-what set up and livable. 

Christmas was so much fun this year because of the kids. They get so excited about Christmas...it makes it more magical for the rest of us. Jackson still doesn't seem to understand how to open a gift, but it didn't matter because Eva Grace was busy unwrapping ALL the gifts in an attempt to find her presents. Thankfully Santa still comes for all of us (despite our age-thanks Santa). And this year we attended the Christmas service at St. Paul's Church where the kids acted out the Nativity. Jackson and Eva Grace were both angels (ironic ;).  Christmas Eve was filled with chaos and crying (Thomas and Jackson were fighting over trucks) lots of food and fun had by all. We had a great time playing a game called Nouns in a Bowl (or something like that). David explained the rules and, in typical Washer fashion, we kinda listened/followed instructions. Nonetheless, we had a great time laughing at one another! I took some good pictures of this game, but Laura made me delete them. BOO!

The Christmas break was filled with many more magical moments, but also what I'm calling Christmas Plague 2013. Eva Grace and Laura started the epidemic that spread through the entire family. The flu did not discriminate based on age, race, sex, eye color or anything else. We all got it, including my in-laws who were only at the house for a few hours on Christmas Day. Through experiential learning, I think we've all gained a complete understanding of how the plague can wipe out an entire village. Thankfully none of us died, we just felt like we might for about nine days.

We definitely won't forget about our involuntary participation in the 2013 Christmas flu microcosm, but we also won't forget celebrating the birth of our Savior with almost(we missed you Jeremy Washer) all of our immediate family. I'm so thankful that everyone made an effort to travel all the way to dusty, West Texas for Christmas...who knows when we will all be together for Christmas again!

(Jackson fell in love with Aunt Sophie, who he calls Shoop)