a day late in posting this.....or 2 days depending on when you think I was supposed to post my monthly update! I'll assume I can use the boys' birthdays as an excuse? but I don't think that is the truth. life overall has been slammed and May was no exception to that! hey, I did my first half marathon people......and then flew out of town the next day for work.
Scrapbook layouts: 0 (goal of 2)
seriously! no time to scrap!
Operation Write Home cards: 5 (goal of 2)
but only because I am in the card kit swap. (thank you Peggy for the great kit!)
Scrapbook purchasing versus usage:
I don't recall making any purchases this past month. I haven't had TIME to shop......well for craft supplies at least!
Pounds lost: 1.6 (goal of 2)
guess this is the aftermath from being SUPER vigilant in April?!?! might also be a result of being so busy and trying to step up my workout. I think my appetite my have stepped up more than the working out has been burning off. but I am glad to see on paper that I have not been progressing. maybe it will be what I need to get on track in June?
Dolly walks: 14 (goal of 24)
well.....that is what Endomondo says. and it is probably right considering I did 2 races without Dolly (American River Parkway and Bay to Breakers - forgot to mention that, didn't I? crazy last minute....it was fun and should be its own blog post) thankfully the boys......including Jeff......have been walking her too. I am not sure how it is going to go now that summer (and the 100+ heat) is here. Dolly wasn't happy on our walk yesterday and it didn't even break 90 while we were out. but I am fine with later night walks........as long as they are before my bedtime! lol!!
Blog posts: 3 (goal of 2)
I only got 3 posts........and one was actually written in April. (please see comments about the races and working out and being busy with work.....)
Books: 3
great month for books! 3 really good books.....and a lot of magazines, to be honest! The Girls of Atomic City was a really great story (true story)......I don't know that I would have written/compiled it the way the author did, but I loved hearing about the women who worked on such a huge project without knowing what they were involved in!
June is another month.......and I am already 2 days in to it....guess I better go walk Dolly, scrapbook, make cards, read books, and find things to blog about!
Monday, June 3, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
If I were a betting man.......
isn't that the phrase?!?!?
of course I am a woman......and I think betting is generally not a good idea. but that didn't keep me from joining a site called DietBet. the premise is that having placed a bet, you will be incented to try harder to lose the weight!
in most cases it is $25 to join and as many people as want to can join a group. there are some groups with higher buy-ins......and a few specialty groups. you can win a trip to the Biggest Loser Ranch, donate water to charity, etc. all very cool! at the beginning of the month you "weigh in" and send them a photo of yourself on the scale and one of the scale showing your weight. they give you a "secret word" to help time stamp the photos.
the goal is to lose 4% of your weight in the 4 weeks. I like this! the percentage thing levels the playing field. afterall, it would be much easier for a 300 pound person to lose 10 pounds than a 190 pound person. but 4% means your weight loss goal is personalized for you based on where you are at when you start. you will also be disqualified if you lose too much weight or they find out you used unhealthy means to lose the weight (not sure how they would do that.......perhaps you shouldn't have that box of Fen-Fen laying by the scale?!?!?) the whole plan seems well thought out and I applaud whomever sat there (or walked on their treadmill) working it all out.
however........at some point in a healthy lifestyle change, weight loss is not your main goal. yes, when your BMI says you are "obese" you need to focus on bringing the numbers down. but at some point you need to start thinking about the end game. if you work on toning and gaining some muscles, you are not going to lose weight. you will be more healthy, but you will not necessarily weigh less.
THIS is why I won't join another game. sure, I still have pounds to lose. but I found that I was making some decisions that benefited me for the game (btw, I lost 5.7% of my weight during the game so this isn't a case of sour grapes......oooh! wine! lol!). but these decisions weren't what may have been the best for me in the long run. had I not been in the contest, I might have added some strength training to my schedule. looking ahead, I am signed up for another half marathon that I want to do some running in. I should have started training for it two weeks ago (but was still training for my first half!) and it includes cross training and strength training. but muscles weigh more than fat! that would hinder the weight loss.....I might LOOK better but I didn't want to lose my $25!!
see my point?? at my weight and physical condition it probably isn't really an issue. I can build muscle AND still lose weight but I don't even like the feeling that my choices might be influenced. my end game is to feel GOOD and look good......not what the scale says.
of course I am a woman......and I think betting is generally not a good idea. but that didn't keep me from joining a site called DietBet. the premise is that having placed a bet, you will be incented to try harder to lose the weight!
in most cases it is $25 to join and as many people as want to can join a group. there are some groups with higher buy-ins......and a few specialty groups. you can win a trip to the Biggest Loser Ranch, donate water to charity, etc. all very cool! at the beginning of the month you "weigh in" and send them a photo of yourself on the scale and one of the scale showing your weight. they give you a "secret word" to help time stamp the photos.
the goal is to lose 4% of your weight in the 4 weeks. I like this! the percentage thing levels the playing field. afterall, it would be much easier for a 300 pound person to lose 10 pounds than a 190 pound person. but 4% means your weight loss goal is personalized for you based on where you are at when you start. you will also be disqualified if you lose too much weight or they find out you used unhealthy means to lose the weight (not sure how they would do that.......perhaps you shouldn't have that box of Fen-Fen laying by the scale?!?!?) the whole plan seems well thought out and I applaud whomever sat there (or walked on their treadmill) working it all out.
however........at some point in a healthy lifestyle change, weight loss is not your main goal. yes, when your BMI says you are "obese" you need to focus on bringing the numbers down. but at some point you need to start thinking about the end game. if you work on toning and gaining some muscles, you are not going to lose weight. you will be more healthy, but you will not necessarily weigh less.
THIS is why I won't join another game. sure, I still have pounds to lose. but I found that I was making some decisions that benefited me for the game (btw, I lost 5.7% of my weight during the game so this isn't a case of sour grapes......oooh! wine! lol!). but these decisions weren't what may have been the best for me in the long run. had I not been in the contest, I might have added some strength training to my schedule. looking ahead, I am signed up for another half marathon that I want to do some running in. I should have started training for it two weeks ago (but was still training for my first half!) and it includes cross training and strength training. but muscles weigh more than fat! that would hinder the weight loss.....I might LOOK better but I didn't want to lose my $25!!
see my point?? at my weight and physical condition it probably isn't really an issue. I can build muscle AND still lose weight but I don't even like the feeling that my choices might be influenced. my end game is to feel GOOD and look good......not what the scale says.
Friday, May 3, 2013
#TeamHerkimer and my first guest blog post!
Shortly before the horror at the 117th Boston Marathon, a friend at the Sacramento Zoo asked me to write a guest blog post about our family’s participation in the 32nd Sacramento Zoo Zoom. This is that blog post:
That gave me the next crazy idea. Why not have the Zoo’s tortoise as our own personal mascot? Herkimer, the Desert Tortoise, is an Animal Ambassador for the Sacramento Zoo and gets to meet and mingle with zoo guests.
Thus, #TeamHerkimer was born! We embraced our slow tenacity. With help from Kreative Design/Marketing I had t-shirts made for the race including our name and team motto.
It all started with an off-handed comment: “Sure I could do a half marathon…….if I could walk it!” A few days later a friend sent me a link to a walking half marathon the first weekend in May (aka TOMORROW!!). There was no time limit! How could I ignore that challenge? So my husband, Jeff, and I signed up and I started training.
In preparation, I knew I would want to complete a 10K, and what better than the 2013 Sacramento Zoo Zoom? We love participating in Zoo events and this would give us the experience we needed on our way to that half marathon. But, the same concern arose: time limit. I was assured that we would have at least 2 hours to walk the 6.2 miles. I could do that, right? And if we were the last people to cross the finish line, who cares? Slow but steady still completes the run! Our teenage boys both agreed to do the 5K making this a family event.
Thus, #TeamHerkimer was born! We embraced our slow tenacity. With help from Kreative Design/Marketing I had t-shirts made for the race including our name and team motto.
Boy did we stand out against the turquoise run shirts! It was great! Even better was meeting our inspiration, 86-year old spunky Herkimer! He loved our shirts and team spirit! Just look how excited he is! Equally as fun were the fans #TeamHerkimer inspired along the race. Several of the more hare-like participants took a moment to high-5 us or shout out a cheer as they sped by. In fact, one of the guys in the lead complimented our motto as he lapped us to place in the top 10. Whoever he was, he totally made my day!
So how did #TeamHerkimer do? We finished the race! Out of 555 participants in the 10K, Jeff and I placed 538 and 537, respectively (he let me beat him), with an average pace of 15:48. Hubby placed last in his age group and I placed 74 out of 77 in mine. Appropriate positions for #TeamHerkimer! The boys really took the team motto to heart and finished with a 17:17 pace, both second to last in their age groups.
But #TeamHerkimer did what they set out to do and had a blast doing it! Look for us next year!
I will be honest, I did not consider myself a “runner.” As my boys like to remind me, I walk fast. I walk for my health and to exercise my dog, Dolly, not for speed. I did not know when the Boston Marathon was taking place. I had runner friends who were talking about it, but the event was so far off my radar that it wasn’t until I heard about the explosion that I started paying attention. In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon, the camaraderie of the ZooZoom was even more poignant. These people didn’t know us but they showed us that the running community is a family…….a big happy, sweaty, supportive family! I may still only walk really fast but I now consider myself a part of that family, a “runner”……a really slow runner. But the running community has opened their arms to my tortoise-paced self. What more can you ask for?
Thursday, May 2, 2013
The Year of 24 - Month 4
Scrapbook layouts: 2 (goal of 2)
and this is only because of the crop day the last weekend of the month. seriously! no time to scrap!
Operation Write Home cards: 2 (goal of 2)
yeah well.......I made my goal, right?
Scrapbook purchasing versus usage:
this needs to stop........but it did slow down during April. I am back to just not buying at all. no scrapbooking = no buying!
Pounds lost: 6 (goal of 2)
I did a whole lot better this month at minimizing my bad days and more walking......well only 4 more miles (which seems low since I felt like I was doing more)...... probably joining Dietbetters gave a little "umph" to my efforts!
Dolly walks: 22 (goal of 24)
missed by 2.....but Dolly didn't notice! we hit 10 miles on 2 separate occasions. now she is crazy trying to get in to the car thinking we are heading out for a trek! being down and out with a nasty cold in the middle of the month and the start of baseball season (Go River Cats!) didn't help either. I am starting to think this goal might be unrealistic but am going to keep it because getting Dolly out is important!
Blog posts: 3 (goal of 2)
recap, National Grilled Cheese Day, and a really gross recipe memory......what an odd month! I have a few blog ideas planned for the future so hopefully you will see them soon! I also did write another blog post but it was as a guest on another site. it hasn't been published yet but I will psot here once that has happened.
Books: 4
(although Goodreads only shows 3 for some reason.....)
of course Lover at Last from JR Ward was my favorite of the month. but, I really enjoyed all the books I read in April. it was a good book month! I would highly recommend The Girls From Ames. excellent book about friendships.
so looking back on April, it seemed like a pretty good month! too bad it flew by so quickly!
and this is only because of the crop day the last weekend of the month. seriously! no time to scrap!
Operation Write Home cards: 2 (goal of 2)
yeah well.......I made my goal, right?
Scrapbook purchasing versus usage:
this needs to stop........but it did slow down during April. I am back to just not buying at all. no scrapbooking = no buying!
Pounds lost: 6 (goal of 2)
I did a whole lot better this month at minimizing my bad days and more walking......well only 4 more miles (which seems low since I felt like I was doing more)...... probably joining Dietbetters gave a little "umph" to my efforts!
Dolly walks: 22 (goal of 24)
missed by 2.....but Dolly didn't notice! we hit 10 miles on 2 separate occasions. now she is crazy trying to get in to the car thinking we are heading out for a trek! being down and out with a nasty cold in the middle of the month and the start of baseball season (Go River Cats!) didn't help either. I am starting to think this goal might be unrealistic but am going to keep it because getting Dolly out is important!
Blog posts: 3 (goal of 2)
recap, National Grilled Cheese Day, and a really gross recipe memory......what an odd month! I have a few blog ideas planned for the future so hopefully you will see them soon! I also did write another blog post but it was as a guest on another site. it hasn't been published yet but I will psot here once that has happened.
Books: 4
(although Goodreads only shows 3 for some reason.....)
of course Lover at Last from JR Ward was my favorite of the month. but, I really enjoyed all the books I read in April. it was a good book month! I would highly recommend The Girls From Ames. excellent book about friendships.
so looking back on April, it seemed like a pretty good month! too bad it flew by so quickly!
Friday, April 26, 2013
Shit on a Shingle.....mmm, mmmm good!
yes, you read that right. and if you were my father's daughter, you can still remember the taste and texture of this extra special not-so-delicious treat.
(the biggest problem with this blog post is how to approach it: totally chronological from the inception of SOS, from my childhood experiences with it, or what brought it to mind now......)
but since this is MY blog.....about ME and MY life......
when I was a kid my dad did a reasonable amount of the cooking. probably more than most men did at the time. he watched and loved the Galloping Gourmet and would cook some fancy schmancy dishes (like escargot and a really yummy dover sole dish that I remember had a cream sauce.......and green grapes). he also cooked what he called Shit on a Shingle. (nice language dad!) at the time I knew nothing of it's illustrious history, just that it looked like a cream of ______ soup meat mixture on top of toast. I don't remember liking or disliking it......it was just WEIRD!
well......as a grown up, a friend posted on Facebook that having asked her family for dinner suggestions they responded with a "whatever shit she wanted to make" or something similar. heck, sounds like a perfect request for SOS....so I told her about my dad's recipe. what I didn't know was that OTHER people ate this stuff too! in fact, it is some sacred old military recipe! obviously, being a Navy man, that is where my dad was exposed to this dish.....which I guess is chipped beef and not hamburger (hey, I was a kid! what did I know?!?!?)
I was startled to find out that my weird family dinner dish was in fact a REAL meal.....what meal or family tradition have you thought was yours alone only to find out EVERYONE does it too?
btw.....in case you are craving Shit on a Shingle now, here are a few good recipes! I remember dad serving it with overcooked peas.
(the biggest problem with this blog post is how to approach it: totally chronological from the inception of SOS, from my childhood experiences with it, or what brought it to mind now......)
but since this is MY blog.....about ME and MY life......
when I was a kid my dad did a reasonable amount of the cooking. probably more than most men did at the time. he watched and loved the Galloping Gourmet and would cook some fancy schmancy dishes (like escargot and a really yummy dover sole dish that I remember had a cream sauce.......and green grapes). he also cooked what he called Shit on a Shingle. (nice language dad!) at the time I knew nothing of it's illustrious history, just that it looked like a cream of ______ soup meat mixture on top of toast. I don't remember liking or disliking it......it was just WEIRD!
well......as a grown up, a friend posted on Facebook that having asked her family for dinner suggestions they responded with a "whatever shit she wanted to make" or something similar. heck, sounds like a perfect request for SOS....so I told her about my dad's recipe. what I didn't know was that OTHER people ate this stuff too! in fact, it is some sacred old military recipe! obviously, being a Navy man, that is where my dad was exposed to this dish.....which I guess is chipped beef and not hamburger (hey, I was a kid! what did I know?!?!?)
I was startled to find out that my weird family dinner dish was in fact a REAL meal.....what meal or family tradition have you thought was yours alone only to find out EVERYONE does it too?
btw.....in case you are craving Shit on a Shingle now, here are a few good recipes! I remember dad serving it with overcooked peas.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Friday is National Grilled Cheese Day!!!
seriously........seriously love these made up holidays! not quite sure why this one isn't considered a federal holiday, but whatever! you know I love celebrating them and this one is no different!
if you are local, you might considering hitting up Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen for some gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. be sure to tell them Susan wants her Chevelle back on the menu......gosh darn it!
if you are more adventurous.......head down to San Francisco!! Tillamook is going all out to celebrate this monumental event! they are hosting a National Grilled Cheese Day happy hour from 5pm to 7pm at The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen! you get a FREE classic grilled cheese sandwich, cheese samples, games, prizes and more. (oh and for those cheese lovers over the golden age of 21......Speakeasy Brewery's local Big Daddy IPA will be $3.50/pint....sounds like a good pairing to me!)
if you can't make it......you can still play along:
if you are local, you might considering hitting up Drewski's Hot Rod Kitchen for some gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. be sure to tell them Susan wants her Chevelle back on the menu......gosh darn it!
if you are more adventurous.......head down to San Francisco!! Tillamook is going all out to celebrate this monumental event! they are hosting a National Grilled Cheese Day happy hour from 5pm to 7pm at The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen! you get a FREE classic grilled cheese sandwich, cheese samples, games, prizes and more. (oh and for those cheese lovers over the golden age of 21......Speakeasy Brewery's local Big Daddy IPA will be $3.50/pint....sounds like a good pairing to me!)
if you can't make it......you can still play along:
- enter to win a year's supply of cheese by sharing your "cheesiest" grilled cheese moments beween today and April 12th on Instagram....tag your pictures #Cheesaholic and @Tillamook to enter! Rules are HERE!
- make your own celebration! Tillamook has oodles of great grilled cheese recipes! they even have a great Yum! Dance you can do to celebrate......or make room for more grilled cheese!
and before you ask........no, I won't be going down to SF for the fun. I am being a good and dutiful mom and spending my evening in chaos in an overstuffed high school gymnasium watching way too many kids make way too much noise.......wish they were offering grilled cheese sandwiches and beer!
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The Year of 24 - Month 3
Scrapbook layouts: 6 (goal of 2)
and this is only because of that crop weekend right as the month started. otherwise, nada....zipo.....ziltch!
Operation Write Home cards: 14 (goal of 2)
I really really think I made more than this. probably because I made several cards this month that were not sent to OWH.
Scrapbook purchasing versus usage:
let's not think about this right now okay........PeachyCheaps!
Pounds lost: 1 (goal of 2)
yeah, well.......I walked a whole lot more but I also had a lot more days where I was "just over" a bit on calories. funny how that works out. but I am totally upping my game for April! I joined a dieting bet. and I don't like losing bets.
Dolly walks: 23 (goal of 24)
Just shy one. not bad considering how many days I wasn't home until late or whatever. in addition to walking Dolly, I completed my first 10K and hit the treadmill two days.
Blog posts: 5 (goal of 2)
and, unlike February, I am happy with the content of my posts: zits, my 10K, people who are idiots, and a reminder about a really fun charity event! add a book and/or movie review and I would be really happy. maybe in April???
Books: 4
I am completely fine with this number. like I said, one a week is right on track for me! I finally got to finish up Charlotte au Chocolat. it was an interesting look at growing up in the food service industry. I kept forgetting that it wasn't decades ago. it always seemed like that. I got a little more reading done in Telegraph Avenue but had to return it (again). maybe I'll get it finished the next time around?
I think my favorite book for March was Tiger Lily. it was about the girl that Peter Pan loved before Wendy. I guess I am a sucker for those alternative story lines?!?
AND.......I am currently reading Lover at Last from JR Ward! I will tell you now.....it will be my favorite book of April! lol!
and this is only because of that crop weekend right as the month started. otherwise, nada....zipo.....ziltch!
Operation Write Home cards: 14 (goal of 2)
I really really think I made more than this. probably because I made several cards this month that were not sent to OWH.
Scrapbook purchasing versus usage:
let's not think about this right now okay........PeachyCheaps!
Pounds lost: 1 (goal of 2)
yeah, well.......I walked a whole lot more but I also had a lot more days where I was "just over" a bit on calories. funny how that works out. but I am totally upping my game for April! I joined a dieting bet. and I don't like losing bets.
Dolly walks: 23 (goal of 24)
Just shy one. not bad considering how many days I wasn't home until late or whatever. in addition to walking Dolly, I completed my first 10K and hit the treadmill two days.
Blog posts: 5 (goal of 2)
and, unlike February, I am happy with the content of my posts: zits, my 10K, people who are idiots, and a reminder about a really fun charity event! add a book and/or movie review and I would be really happy. maybe in April???
Books: 4
I am completely fine with this number. like I said, one a week is right on track for me! I finally got to finish up Charlotte au Chocolat. it was an interesting look at growing up in the food service industry. I kept forgetting that it wasn't decades ago. it always seemed like that. I got a little more reading done in Telegraph Avenue but had to return it (again). maybe I'll get it finished the next time around?
I think my favorite book for March was Tiger Lily. it was about the girl that Peter Pan loved before Wendy. I guess I am a sucker for those alternative story lines?!?
AND.......I am currently reading Lover at Last from JR Ward! I will tell you now.....it will be my favorite book of April! lol!
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