Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink 5 cups of water per day
- Do at least 10 minutes of yoga per day
- Make effort to walk around office floor once every hour
Pennies earned:
54
I am now over halfway to a whole dollar! As you can see, I've added a fifth goal this week. I want to try to keep active even at my desk job. Truly, I didn't really start to gain lots of weight until I started sitting on my rear for most the day, every day! I'm hoping that forcing myself to just walk around my office floor once every hour will help mitigate some of my mid-section spread. In terms of everything else, I'm still having a bit of trouble building consistency . I am also having some problems fitting in a balanced diet that doesn't go over my calorie limit. I blame it on my sweet tooth and my love cheese. Oh how I love cheese!
What's a bit discouraging is that after all time time, there is no progress yet. I did lose an inch around my hips, but my weight and everything else is still the same. I'm starting to lose my motivation. If I don't start to see results soon, I'm not sure I'll want to continue this much longer. I mean, if all this effort doesn't amount to anything, then why bother making the effort, right?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Battle of the Bulge check-in
Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink 5 cups of water per day
- Do at least 10 minutes of yoga per day
Pennies earned:
41
I haven't posted one of these in a while. As you can see, I really haven't gotten anywhere since the holidays started. I should have earned a great deal more pennies by now, but it's been difficult getting back on track. However, I'm trying keep myself accountable with these posts, for honesty's sake, the above is where I am.
I did add a new goal though. This is to encourage me to maintain and increase my flexibility as I continue to try to keep to an exercise routine. Plus, I just love the way my body feels when I do it regularly. I may increase the number of minutes but for now, 10 minutes will do.
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink 5 cups of water per day
- Do at least 10 minutes of yoga per day
Pennies earned:
41
I haven't posted one of these in a while. As you can see, I really haven't gotten anywhere since the holidays started. I should have earned a great deal more pennies by now, but it's been difficult getting back on track. However, I'm trying keep myself accountable with these posts, for honesty's sake, the above is where I am.
I did add a new goal though. This is to encourage me to maintain and increase my flexibility as I continue to try to keep to an exercise routine. Plus, I just love the way my body feels when I do it regularly. I may increase the number of minutes but for now, 10 minutes will do.
DIY stone bath mat
A stone bath mat is definitely an interesting project. Personally, I like a fluffy mat, but if you prefer stone, you can make one yourself with the tutorial linked below! I really like the looks of this project and am considering making a welcome mat version.
http://www.lowescreativeideas.com/idea-library/projects/stone_bath_mat_0110.aspx
http://www.lowescreativeideas.com/idea-library/projects/stone_bath_mat_0110.aspx
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Lemon powered battery
http://www.mnn.com/family/education-activities/blogs/how-to-make-a-lemon-battery
Sunburst mirror
You know those circular mirrors stuck in the middle of a bunch of sticks radiating out in a sunburst design? Turns out you can make a simple one of your own without spending loads of money on the designer brand name! Check out this tutorial:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=307583.0
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=307583.0
Analog Animation Tutorial
This is a really cool tutorial on how to make your own animated images with paper! Another great one from Dude Craft:
http://www.dudecraft.com/2010/01/scanimation-style-tutorial.html
http://www.dudecraft.com/2010/01/scanimation-style-tutorial.html
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Wedding ring? Check!
So how did I come to buy this ring and not another? Well, from the start, I knew I wanted something very thin, no more than 2mm wide. I have thin fingers and have always had a problem finding rings that are small enough to fit or at the very least, won't look like it swallowed my whole hand. I think my engagement ring is about 2mm wide. My all-time favorite ring was my mother's, and is a lovely rose gold ring about 1.5 mm wide. On occasion, I'll wear a thicker, more flashy ring, but I have to be in the mood for it. For everyday wear, I prefer something very simple, won't draw the attention of random thieves, and won't get caught on fine fabrics and delicate yarns when I work with them. I work with my hands a lot and some of the yarns and fabrics I've handled will get caught on nothing more than dry skin! So I would rather my everyday jewelry not give me grief in that respect. I have no patience nor presence of mind to keep removing and replacing my jewelry for every craft project.
I admit that the Wedding Industrial Complex did briefly tempt me to consider the currently wildly popular wedding band that is set with diamonds all around. That got me thinking. Conformity with your peers may make you more acceptable because people think they understand you and know you, but is it really what you would choose had you been left completely to your own devices? I don't know if I mentioned this before, but sometimes, I am sad that I ended up with a diamond engagement ring rather than a ruby ring like I had always wanted. What was kind of upsetting is that even though I ended up with the kind of ring everyone thought was "appropriate," it was still looked upon with pity and scorn because apparently, the diamond wasn't big enough for some people. So my caving into social pressures did nothing but make me unhappy and left me feeling inadequate. In the end, it's my ring and I do love it. It's just that sometimes, I wish I had stuck to my guns and chosen a ruby ring.
Anyways, I originally thought about getting something more ornate, like this or this, but I eventually decided I didn't like the look of the ring. Those are made with a mold, rather than hand-carved, which seems to make the details less striking. I then saw this post on Etsy Wedding. I saw how pretty a simple, really thin band looks and I just knew that it was something I would wear every day. It turns out that very thin rings tend to be known as stacking rings and doing a search for stacking rings will yield some beautiful results on Etsy! After some browsing, I noticed that I gravitated towards rings that were either totally plain and looked like a fat wire around a finger, or rings with a hammered texture. I wanted a ring as thin as possible. I eventually found a lovely 1mm ring. The concern is that 1mm rings are very thin and may bend and break over time. So when I saw a strong, platinum version, I knew I found what I wanted!
I ordered it last December and a month later, I received it! When I finally got to see and touch the ring in person, I was able to appreciate just how tiny the ring is. I was a little afraid I would lose it! This is definitely a ring I wouldn't want to take off cause I would definitely lose it somewhere! I tried it on and rubbed covetously before my fiance demanded that I hand it over to him. He promptly pocketed it and hid it when we got home so I can't secretly wear the ring around the apartment when he's not around. Oh well, I guess I'll see it again on our wedding day! Now all we have to do is go ring shopping for him!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Avoiding the loss of your camera
http://www.andrewmcdonald.net.au/a-pictorial-guide-to-avoiding-camera-loss/
WIC (Wedding Industrial Complex) burnout
When I first started wedding planning, I dove right in. I bought magazines, registered on websites, researched blogs and trolled through the wedding goodies on Etsy. I was immersed in it and soon realized that in order to have that magazine wedding that everyone seems to be telling me I must have, I'd have to spend a phenomenal amount of money that I don't have! In fact, now that I'm slowly coming back to my senses, I regret having lost myself and put down deposits on so many things that I now feel may not have been worth it. Some things I've come to realize lately:
- It's just one day. All of this time and money is being spent to try a make one day look like a magazine shoot.
- Your wedding is not a magazine shoot.
- Nor are you a stick figured model. You are a real woman, who is loved enough by someone that he/she wants to spend the rest of his/her life with you - not because you look like you could model a wedding dress, but because you're beautiful as you are, inside and out.
- Your partner wants to marry you, with or without professionally applied makeup.
- All the money in the world will not make your guests remember if the colors of the napkins match the chair sashes.
- Most people throw away the invitations.
- Your guests may not even care if you skip favors altogether.
- You are throwing a party to celebrate the beginning of your new life together, not putting on a show. What I mean is, the people who are there are supposed to be there to love and support you, not judge you based on how "fancy" your wedding appears to be and if they will judge you on how expensive and showy your wedding is, then maybe they don't love you as much as a good show.
- The MOST important thing about a wedding is that everyone has a good time. Your guests are not going to remember what your wedding colors were, but they'll remember if your wedding was fun. They'll remember things that make them go, "Wow, that is SO them!" and "Now THAT was a great party!"
- The above comment applies to you and your partner as well.
- It is HARD not to get sucked into the Wedding Industrial Complex!
- But it IS possible to stay grounded as long as you keep reminding yourself that you're not doing this to show off to other people, but you are doing this because THIS is how you want to throw a celebratory party!
I also want to say is if you are like me and have already spent a lot of money and put down deposits with promises to spend lots more money, it's okay. It is indeed hard to stay grounded against the Wedding Industrial Complex and almost no woman I've ever met is completely immune or hasn't been sucked into it - even a little bit. So if the money's already been spent or promised, then let it go and enjoy a day of extravagance when it comes around. I don't believe in going into debt to pay for a party, so I haven't been spending money I don't have, it's just that I feel a little sick when I realize just how much I'm actually going to spend on one brief, shining moment. The truth is, that moment will be shining whether or not you have that poofy dress, the sparkly lace veil or a giant sculpture made of cake. When I realize that last bit, I also realize how frivolous and unnecessary a lot of my wedding expenses are and will be. So right now, I'm just trying to be happy with what I've done and be okay with the amount of money that's going into it. It's already done. The money is as good as gone. No point in crying over spilled milk, right?
So the other thing I've been dealing with is Wedding Industrial Complex burnout. Lately, all I've been feeling is utter disgust and defensiveness when I see, hear or read about wedding related stuff that even hints at attacking how I'm going about getting married. It's my business how I get married. I seriously don't understand this urge to butt in and judge me and my wedding decisions. This includes the people around me who look at my engagement ring with an expression of scorn and/or pity, and the people who look at me and say I need to lose weight if I want to look pretty on my wedding day. I've been beaten down enough just living as I do. I don't need proponents of the Wedding Industrial Complex adding to my lifelong issues with my body image, manipulating me through my ingrained fear of failure, and pressuring me to lose my identity for the sake of conformity.
The truth is, my fiance and I probably could have a more conformist wedding, but it wouldn't be us. The most memorable weddings, for me, have been ones that focused more on having a good time at a good party than on the dying flowers, the matching color scheme and how every detail will look in photos. Even if we were to call our wedding a "budget wedding," we did not interview and contact hundreds of vendors to find the best of the best of the best for our price range. We usually just hired the first person who was good enough for our price range. In my experience, obsessing over getting the best or the best deal will only cause more stress and frustration than not. Like the saying goes, "Don't let 'the best' be the enemy of the 'good enough." Also, my fiance and I simply do not have the time nor the patience to devote to searching and then interviewing tons of vendors. Once I get an item off my list, I move on to the next item and/or doing things like maintaining my job and preparing for married life. It is because I moved so fast through my checklist that I'm now so far ahead that I can actually take a break from wedding planning and just enjoy life for a few months!
Now, if I can only lose 20 pounds during those few months...
- It's just one day. All of this time and money is being spent to try a make one day look like a magazine shoot.
- Your wedding is not a magazine shoot.
- Nor are you a stick figured model. You are a real woman, who is loved enough by someone that he/she wants to spend the rest of his/her life with you - not because you look like you could model a wedding dress, but because you're beautiful as you are, inside and out.
- Your partner wants to marry you, with or without professionally applied makeup.
- All the money in the world will not make your guests remember if the colors of the napkins match the chair sashes.
- Most people throw away the invitations.
- Your guests may not even care if you skip favors altogether.
- You are throwing a party to celebrate the beginning of your new life together, not putting on a show. What I mean is, the people who are there are supposed to be there to love and support you, not judge you based on how "fancy" your wedding appears to be and if they will judge you on how expensive and showy your wedding is, then maybe they don't love you as much as a good show.
- The MOST important thing about a wedding is that everyone has a good time. Your guests are not going to remember what your wedding colors were, but they'll remember if your wedding was fun. They'll remember things that make them go, "Wow, that is SO them!" and "Now THAT was a great party!"
- The above comment applies to you and your partner as well.
- It is HARD not to get sucked into the Wedding Industrial Complex!
- But it IS possible to stay grounded as long as you keep reminding yourself that you're not doing this to show off to other people, but you are doing this because THIS is how you want to throw a celebratory party!
I also want to say is if you are like me and have already spent a lot of money and put down deposits with promises to spend lots more money, it's okay. It is indeed hard to stay grounded against the Wedding Industrial Complex and almost no woman I've ever met is completely immune or hasn't been sucked into it - even a little bit. So if the money's already been spent or promised, then let it go and enjoy a day of extravagance when it comes around. I don't believe in going into debt to pay for a party, so I haven't been spending money I don't have, it's just that I feel a little sick when I realize just how much I'm actually going to spend on one brief, shining moment. The truth is, that moment will be shining whether or not you have that poofy dress, the sparkly lace veil or a giant sculpture made of cake. When I realize that last bit, I also realize how frivolous and unnecessary a lot of my wedding expenses are and will be. So right now, I'm just trying to be happy with what I've done and be okay with the amount of money that's going into it. It's already done. The money is as good as gone. No point in crying over spilled milk, right?
So the other thing I've been dealing with is Wedding Industrial Complex burnout. Lately, all I've been feeling is utter disgust and defensiveness when I see, hear or read about wedding related stuff that even hints at attacking how I'm going about getting married. It's my business how I get married. I seriously don't understand this urge to butt in and judge me and my wedding decisions. This includes the people around me who look at my engagement ring with an expression of scorn and/or pity, and the people who look at me and say I need to lose weight if I want to look pretty on my wedding day. I've been beaten down enough just living as I do. I don't need proponents of the Wedding Industrial Complex adding to my lifelong issues with my body image, manipulating me through my ingrained fear of failure, and pressuring me to lose my identity for the sake of conformity.
The truth is, my fiance and I probably could have a more conformist wedding, but it wouldn't be us. The most memorable weddings, for me, have been ones that focused more on having a good time at a good party than on the dying flowers, the matching color scheme and how every detail will look in photos. Even if we were to call our wedding a "budget wedding," we did not interview and contact hundreds of vendors to find the best of the best of the best for our price range. We usually just hired the first person who was good enough for our price range. In my experience, obsessing over getting the best or the best deal will only cause more stress and frustration than not. Like the saying goes, "Don't let 'the best' be the enemy of the 'good enough." Also, my fiance and I simply do not have the time nor the patience to devote to searching and then interviewing tons of vendors. Once I get an item off my list, I move on to the next item and/or doing things like maintaining my job and preparing for married life. It is because I moved so fast through my checklist that I'm now so far ahead that I can actually take a break from wedding planning and just enjoy life for a few months!
Now, if I can only lose 20 pounds during those few months...
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
2010 Resolutions
Tis the season to make resolutions! Well, I have to admit that I usually don't keep them throughout the year, but I still do it for the fun of it! So here is my list of resolutions for this year:
- plan out my meals better
- lose 20 pounds!
- exercise regularly every day
- get married!
- drink more water daily
- make apartment presentable to guests
That's all I got so far. Hope I get it all done this year!
- plan out my meals better
- lose 20 pounds!
- exercise regularly every day
- get married!
- drink more water daily
- make apartment presentable to guests
That's all I got so far. Hope I get it all done this year!
Battle of the Bulge check-in
Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day
Pennies earned:
23
I didn't get home in time to exercise last night as the dinner party lasted quite a while. I am definitely feeling unhappy about not having been able to exercise yesterday and I'm definitely feeling my level of motivation dropping because of the unhappiness. I better get my rear in gear and push myself to do something tonight!
Surprisingly, I stayed within my calorie range, but I attribute that to my having planned for a heavy dinner by having a very light salad lunch. Too bad I couldn't get in any exercise though. As I mentioned before, I am a bit sad about that. Well, we'll see what happens tonight!
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day
Pennies earned:
23
I didn't get home in time to exercise last night as the dinner party lasted quite a while. I am definitely feeling unhappy about not having been able to exercise yesterday and I'm definitely feeling my level of motivation dropping because of the unhappiness. I better get my rear in gear and push myself to do something tonight!
Surprisingly, I stayed within my calorie range, but I attribute that to my having planned for a heavy dinner by having a very light salad lunch. Too bad I couldn't get in any exercise though. As I mentioned before, I am a bit sad about that. Well, we'll see what happens tonight!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Battle of the Bulge check-in
Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day
Pennies earned:
21
I missed two of my three goals. I missed my exercise goal by 5 minutes and I went over my calorie range. I did manage to get in six cups of water though. So at least, I did one thing right. Yay!
Well, today is a new day. I actually have a friend's going-away party to go to where there will be more food and drinking. I am playing with the idea of foregoing the drinks altogether tonight. Now is the time to start reining myself in and getting myself back on the track I was on before the holiday season started. I suppose in preparation for a heavy dinner, I should have a light salad for lunch. Not particularly looking forward to having a salad on a cold winter day, but I know that's what I should do. At the very least, I hope to get home early enough to squeeze in my exercise goal!
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day
Pennies earned:
21
I missed two of my three goals. I missed my exercise goal by 5 minutes and I went over my calorie range. I did manage to get in six cups of water though. So at least, I did one thing right. Yay!
Well, today is a new day. I actually have a friend's going-away party to go to where there will be more food and drinking. I am playing with the idea of foregoing the drinks altogether tonight. Now is the time to start reining myself in and getting myself back on the track I was on before the holiday season started. I suppose in preparation for a heavy dinner, I should have a light salad for lunch. Not particularly looking forward to having a salad on a cold winter day, but I know that's what I should do. At the very least, I hope to get home early enough to squeeze in my exercise goal!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Happy New Year!
Goal:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day
Pennies earned:
20
I must confess, I did not keep up my momentum during the holidays. I did continue to exercise almost every day, but I didn't bother tracking anything and most certainly didn't rein in my eating and drinking! I let loose, but I didn't go crazy. As a result, I didn't gain any new weight, but I didn't lose any either. I suppose I could slap myself for not having kept up the program through the holidays, but truthfully, I had a great time and I don't regret having a great time! I also feel good that I did fit in some exercise almost every day, even if it wasn't much. I feel that the exercise helped to keep my weight stable despite the fact that I was eating more calories than I usually eat.
Anyways, it's a new year and a new decade! I have not awarded myself any more pennies since my last entry since I can't honestly say I tracked myself since then. So I'll just continue from today on. I'll add a new goal next week. Happy new year!
- Exercise 20 minutes per day
- Stay within calorie range per day
- Drink at least 5 glasses of water per day
Pennies earned:
20
I must confess, I did not keep up my momentum during the holidays. I did continue to exercise almost every day, but I didn't bother tracking anything and most certainly didn't rein in my eating and drinking! I let loose, but I didn't go crazy. As a result, I didn't gain any new weight, but I didn't lose any either. I suppose I could slap myself for not having kept up the program through the holidays, but truthfully, I had a great time and I don't regret having a great time! I also feel good that I did fit in some exercise almost every day, even if it wasn't much. I feel that the exercise helped to keep my weight stable despite the fact that I was eating more calories than I usually eat.
Anyways, it's a new year and a new decade! I have not awarded myself any more pennies since my last entry since I can't honestly say I tracked myself since then. So I'll just continue from today on. I'll add a new goal next week. Happy new year!
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