Preschool?!

This evening I will wait in line to register my daughter for preschool.
Is it just me, or does every Mom feel like they're an imposter?
My oldest gal is almost 3.5 years old and it still feels strange to type a sentence like the opener.
I have a daughter?  Actually, I have two!  Now that, my friends, is still unbelievable.
Two little people are fully dependent on Blake and I.
I can't even keep plants alive.
You can breathe out now.  My children are fine.

Back to the school thing.
Vitamin A is so, so ready for school!
We visited Nana and Papa K, Auntie and Uncle K and Great Aunt and Uncle C last week.
Actually, truthfully, we went to snuggle with brand new baby Hailey.  (Love you guys too!)
She is so sweet and lovely and I couldn't love her more!  Great job Garth and Mel!

While we visited, the girls and I went to Nana's school.
Audrey absolutely adores Nana's school!  She loves the kids, she loves playing and she really just loves everything about it!
She was sitting at her desk, chatting with the kids and carpet and put up her hand when asked if she had packed her math homework.
She is so, so ready for preschool in the Fall, but I'm not sure I am.
I feel like the older she gets, the cooler she gets, and the more time I want to spend with her.
How selfish, right?
I totally get why people homeschool their kids.
They're selfish.   ;)

Audrey's speech is improving in leaps and bounds.  Basically, she will climb up to a seat at the table, where we're seated, and say, "OK.  Guys.  What are we doing today?".
Clear as a bell.
And it friggin' cracks me up everytime.
Not everything she says is appropriate though.  Really, though, what toddler is entirely appropriate?
Ellie is a crazy vocal kid, and she can talk the ear off anyone, so Vitamin A has started addressing this.
"Shut your piehole, Ellie!".
This is a problem.
Just try not to laugh at that, though!

Not only has Ellie really found her voice, but she's become a crawling beast!
She pulled herself by her arm and pushed with her power toes for a long time, in a zombie-like fashion, but one day, a couple weeks ago, she figured out how fast she could move by crawling and hasn't looked back!
Her older sister never, ever crawled, so this all took some adjusting to!
Our house never had to be baby-proofed!

Ellie will be 11 months old in 6 days and still doesn't have a tooth!
That doesn't mean she can't take down a half a chicken breast though!  That girl can eat!
She out-eats her older sister!

All these milestones being met, moved on from, makes my gut ache.
I really, really want them to stop growing.
It pains me as much as it makes my heart swell, and I feel like these emotions are at the root of motherhood.
Becoming a Mother (or Father!), brings so many unknowns.  Constant change.
Do we every really know what we're doing?
How many children does one have before they're considered an expert?
IS there such a thing as an expert in Motherhood?

Caught in moment of weakness.
Playing with her sister!

The Cost of Weight Loss

First things first.
Yesterday was the Boston marathon and would have been a regular running event, had it not been for the waste-of-skin-douchebag(s) who planted bombs and in effect, caused pain and suffering for hundreds of families.
Are we safe nowhere?
The Boston marathon.  Probably the most famous running event in the world, and a race for the elite, as you must qualify (I would need to run a 3:35 marathon - *choke) and also be chosen from a lottery, as there really are THAT many people who qualify.  The Boston marathon.  And instead of it being a joyous day, filled with victories and successes, it was marked by a terrorist attack.
But the running community, and the world, are strong, and resilient, and will bounce back and not let this tragedy become a defining moment, but rather a day to remember victims but also to continue to run this race and create everlasting, happy memories.

On to the seemingly petty subject of this post.
Though yesterday's events eclipse any of today, I think it's important to talk about the little things because it helps us to move on, and focus on the mundane, yet happy moments that occur everyday.

Weight loss is such an incredible journey, and I feel so fortunate to have had so much success and continued motivation to reach my goals.
BUT...
I'm finding that my budget is taking a big hit in order to replace my old wardrobe.
If you consider, for a moment, I need to replace almost everything.
Many people have a second wardrobe from when they were a small size, but I've never been this size in my adult life, so had I kept some of the clothes from high school (which was 15 years ago - um, what?!?!), I would be able to fit those clothes.
I must replace underwear, workout gear, jeans, shirts, summer wear, coats and swimsuits.
Basically, I can still fit into my pajamas.
I also think it's important to get rid of the old clothes, because (as I'm sure everyone knows!) it's so very easy to slip back into old habits, grab an old, larger pair of jeans, and carry on.
If this isn't an option, then one has no choice but to be accountable to one's wardrobe.

In addition to the cost of shopping - and I know many would think, "what the HELL is she complaining for!" I started thinking about the cost of weight loss, in itself.
If I start thinking about how much I've spent in my lifetime on gym memberships, fitness classes, workout gear, running shoes, sports leagues, etc.,  I could come up with a rather large number.
Do I consider any of that expenditure in waste?
Nope.
Not even a little bit.
I've never been that gal who signs up for a gym membership, pays the $30 or $40 or $50 monthly fee, only to not spend a single moment at the gym.
I've always, always, found the value in money spent on my fitness and health.
And you should too.
Do you have a gym membership you don't use?  Do you pay for yoga classes you don't attend?
If it's not something you like to do, then don't do it!  But find something else that you do enjoy so that you can easily take care of your body, because at the end of the day, health is on the very short list of things in life that truly matter.

Taking care of our health is so very important, and if the government offered tax breaks, or subsidized the means by which we have to look after our bodies, then maybe more people would do it.
Is it not proactive to gain and maintain health and fitness, rather than lean on our healthcare system when our bodies fail us?
Will we never learn?

Their Chariot Awaits!

*Revised to give props*
So, before I delve into this post, I thought I'd share with you my results from the 12(ish) week challenge I just took part in.
This was strictly a nutrition challenge done through my bootcamp, BMS Bootcamps, and although near the beginning I was training for a half marathon, for the most part I exercised regularly.  That shows ya how important nutrition is!!
Starting on January 21 and ending on March 28, so more like around 10 weeks, I lost 19.4lbs and almost 16.5"!
I did not win a prize, but I absolutely, without a doubt, unequivocally won.
This weight loss journey has been very different for me in that I have not yet felt "done", and I still do not.
Too often, I get comfortable, and feel pretty good about myself and decide to live at that weight, although I know I'm capable of much more.
I have encountered hurdles and obstacles almost daily, and yet I have been able to see past them, to the end goal, in order to be able to persevere.
I'd like to lose 10 more pounds, but ultimately I'd like to leave 20 more behind.  I know that 10 is easily (HA!) achievable, but 10 beyond that will be extra challenging.  I can do this.

Here are some pictures of my journey, and I will admit that the "before" picture was taken in late December and I thought I looked pretty darn good, so with 20 less pounds I think I'm doing alright!

This Saying is SO SO true!  LOVED doing those
blasted ropes!

I stayed very diligent, and although I had a couple of quittin' kinda weeks, I never gained, and I've learned so much about myself and I've discovered that I really, truly LOVE to exercise!  So, on a recent visit to Fort McMurray, I crashed a cross fit type class.
I'm including a picture taken by the fabulous trainer, Kelly Pollard who runs these classes at her gym called Ultimate Sculpting and I was so lucky to get the chance to train with her again while we were visiting.  She snapped a pic of me doing the ropes and I didn't even know she'd taken the photo, because I was SO focused - and you can kinda tell!

So with this new physique comes a new appreciation and even MORE love for running!  I've set my sights on the Walt Disney World marathon for January 2014, so I will be a busy gal training for several halfs, a couple triathlons and then my second full marathon!

When we learned we were to welcome a second little person, my husband and I invested (and that's definitely what we did!  INVEST!) in a Chariot Cougar2.  It's a fabulous stroller and the only double one we own.  We've used it for pulling behind the bike, in the mall and just out for walks with the girls, but I had not taken it out for a run.

I had planned a long run one evening last week when my husband got home from work, and because of a miscommunication, my plans had to be modified.  I had yet to take the girls out running in the double stroller, mostly out of fear, and so I strapped them in, gave them snacks and lots of blankets and set out for a short run. I had given myself the slack to run 5.5km, instead of the 8 I had planned.  I quickly realized that pushing the girls really wasn't as difficult as I'd thought and did the entire 8 I had originally intended to do - only around 4 minutes slower than my non-stroller-pushing time!

Since discovering how easy it is to take the girls along with me for my runs, I've taken them 4 times in the last 6 days!  They love it, I love it and it gives me a little extra challenge - especially up the hills!  PLUS, as a bonus, they are sleeping really well at night!

So, I leave for you a mess (literally - I'm so computer stunned it's not even funny!) of pictures with captions to try and explain what the deuce is going on!

Next time I write, I'll be several pounds less!!

www.bmsbootcamps.com
www.ultimatesculpting.com

BEFORE
December 2012

Taking my monkey girls out for a run!
Look how cozy that little pod looks!

AFTER
March 2013