One day off

Today is going to be a busy day! I worked the past 3 days (12-hour shifts), have today off, then back to work tomorrow. So it's going to feel jam-packed today. I have a ton of reading to finish for school, a 2 page paper to write (not hard, just gotta get it done), laundry, working out, groceries, a quick trip to Kohl's to use my Kohl's cash, conferences tonight and Biggest Loser. My husband offered to get the groceries, but I don't have the whole list made out yet and sometimes it's easier for me just to run through and get the things that I know we need. Plus, I'm a little controlling about the shopping. Sometimes when he goes, he spends all the money for the week, and there was still stuff that we needed. I think this is one of the "learning" moments that I'm supposed to let him do it so I can get stuff done today other than that, but the whole control issue keeps coming back :-(.

I ran my longest distance at the gym the other day. 5 miles. Woo hoo! I know it doesn't sound that long to some people, but it's long for me! I'm not sure what I'm going to do for a workout today. Probably something at home since it'll be a busy day. Either treadmill or dvd. I've been counting points for weight watchers the past 2 weeks, I've lost 4 pounds. Three the first week, just 1 this week. I was a little bummed cause I was hoping for 2, but a loss is a loss. I'm trying to decide what weights program to do. I would like to focus on running, so I don't think that I want to do heavy weights right now. I was doing New Rules of Lifting for Women, which was a great program, but it's a lot of heavy lifting, and it doesn't work real well with running. I've read that I should be doing lighter weights for my legs since they're already "bulky" and I don't want to bulk them up anymore, they need to thin out!

My husband is still really leaning towards doing a marathon this spring. I'm proud of him. I think it's great to have a goal. I'm looking to do a 10K this summer. With working and school, I don't have time to train for a marathon w/ him, plus he said he needs me to drive him back home. He's looking into the St. Louis one in April.

Well, time to get the kids to school, then start my homework for the day.... Have a fantastic day!

My life right now...

Life has been very busy lately! I started back to school for my BSN through Spring Arbor University. I only have one more week of my first class, it's going by quickly! Not sure what I'll do with my bachelor degree, but it could come in handy some time down the road. I'm meeting lots of new people in class, we have about 24 students. The biggest struggle has been trying to balance school work, working, and family time! I try to do all of my homework while the kids are at school. Because of that, I've been doing most of my workouts at home instead of the gym. (No drive time, easier to get other stuff done around the house at the same time, like having the washing machine going while I'm working out at home). I was very worried about gaining weight while doing school, since priorities change. So I've started counting points again to make sure I stay on track, and working out at least 4 days a week. On days I work, I've been trying to go the gym afterwards (except on weekends). I'm enjoying the balance of working out at home and the gym, less boredom since I'm mixing it up. I've been doing a lot of Turbo Jam, Biggest Loser dvds, and walking on the treadmill at a high incline. I need to start running more again. I really want to do some more 5K's this coming spring/summer and beat my old times! Jon is thinking of doing a marathon! I'm definately not to that point (especially with doing school) but I would try a 10K if I can find one close by on a day that I'm off work.

I can't believe that it's almost Christmas! I have a few things bought, but feel very behind! I just got a crown today, and Jon got one last week, so money is very tight right now. Hopefully I'll have some more spending money to finish our shopping by early December. It's hard because I have a 30% off coupon for Kohl's for right now, and they're doing Kohl's cash (you get $10 for every $50 that you spend) so I could get tons of shopping done, but it would have to all go on a credit card so it wouldn't really be a "saving." The one time I get a 30%! LOL.

The boys are doing good in school this year. We have their conferences on Tues. Josh is already reading chapter books! He's in 1st grade. He LOVES to write stories, too! Adam is still really enjoying reading as well. Writing... not so much. Good thing for computers, he'll be typing a lot when he's older to avoid writing. LOL.

The dogs are both doing well. They get very excited and jump when people first come over, but then calm down and act like their lovable selves again. Emily is still in the chewing stage, so we're having to remind the boys to keep their toys picked up. She loves raw hide bones :-)

Well, that's all for now. Hadn't updated this in forever.

Updates...

Haven't been on here much lately... I've been doing some blogs on my sparkpeople.com site, but that is all fitness-related stuff...

We got a new dog! Her name is Emily. She's about a year old, boxer mix (just like Monte), we've had her for a week. She was a stray in Bellevue, we got her at the downtown animal shelter. She is the sweetest dog, I just love her :-). The boys and Monte also adore her! Like Monte, she DOES NOT bark! I'm totally amazed, she's definately an answer to prayers! We've been wanting a female boxer for quite some time now...

Our trip to Disney was great, seems like so long ago now. Not sure where our next vacation will be to... I have vacation the week before the 4th of July, but Jon can't get the same week off. It was the only week I could take at work. I plan to do something fun with the kids, and I might run in the 5K at Binder Park Zoo.

The boys are doing a running class at the Y Center. They love it! They go twice a week for an hour and learn about nutrition and do some games and running. They will be running a 1 mile race on June 13th. They're very excited!

I've been back at the Y Center working out again for a little over a month, it's going great! I'm doing the New Rules of Lifting for Women program. The book is by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove. Diet wise I'm just trying to make sure I get enough protein and eat good carbs. No more 100 calorie packs! LOL!! Well, that's all for now ;-) Have a great night!

Ramblings...

Work went ok today, even though I had a busy group. My patients were all so nice and it was one of those days when I was able to feel like I was actually making a difference in patients lives. Some days it gets so hectic that it feels like I'm only doing the bare-minimum because we're so overworked. Our charge nurses at work have been telling us all that we're going to be working a TON of overtime this summer, not looking forward to that... We're short nurses and we have to cover vacations...
After work I wanted to run. Didn't go as well as I wanted it to. My left knee was aching and I was hungry. I ended up doing about 20 minutes and called it good for the night. Tomorrow is a new day, plan to run outside with my dog (2 year old boxer named Monte). Hopefully he is in a running mood and not wanting to pee on all the mailboxes instead, lol!
I'm hoping to find a new Bible study to do. I was doing a Beth Moore one called John, but it wasn't what I had planned... I should just stick it out and do it, but would love to hear any recommendations anyone has.
Two days off of work. Woo hoo! I have to get laundry caught up and pack for our trip to Florida! I work the weekend, then we leave on Monday for a week. The boys are sooo excited! I'm hoping to not gain weight while we go, since everytime we go I do. I feel like I'm getting to the age that weight is so much harder to take off.

Running!

I have started running! I was doing only exercise dvds and not seeing a whole lot of improvement. Well, I got this wild idea one day that I want to be a runner. The first day I only ran a few minutes but ended up with horrible shin splints. After healing, I was back at it. I did extra stretching before and after my runs, and bought new running shoes (Brooks Adrenaline). I was running 1 song, walking 1 song while listening to my ipod. Now I've been walking to warm up (3-5 min) then running for 20 minutes, then walking for another 5-10 minutes to cool down. I'm planning to sign up for a 5K this summer at Binder Park Zoo. I did one 2 years ago in South Haven but didn't have enough outside time running. Now that the kids are in public school I'm able to run outside on nice days. I downloaded some upbeat songs, which really helps!