week 5 in pictures

Another week has come and gone.  It's amazing how quickly time flies.  I had some time today to reflect on where I was last year at this time.  Just over a year ago, I had a procedure on my heart to fix an electrical disorder that caused my heart to race uncontrollably.  You can read about it here.    I am so thankful that I have been able to continue to do what I love and for the blessings the past year has been. Ok, back to this week!

Sunday: Did some planking and my Lucy love bug had to get in on the action...she follows me everywhere!  

Monday: I am the student council advisor at the school where I teach.  We are having our prom at a new venue this year.  Monday, we took a trip to check out the venue (the LC for those of you who live in Columbus).  It is a really cool venue, and I think the kids are really going to enjoy having prom here!  I know I am getting excited about it! 

Tuesday: I had a really great workout at Boot Camp on Tuesday.  I was feeling so good afterwards, I decided to document it by taking a pic!  Yep, I am a sweaty, gross mess....but I am really happy about it! 

Wednesday:  After Tea was done with bells practice, we went to Subway to get dinner for the fam.  The sunset was gorgeous..and my little girl was holding my hand.  Even though it is blurry, I love that pic!  

Thursday: My CKCS are sisters...and it is sometimes scary how closely they mimic each other.  They just naturally do it.  I snapped a few pics of them just being cute.  Then when I went to check on Tea, I really took a good look at the posters she has hanging on her door....I love that she is so confident in who she is!  This made me a proud mama!  

Friday: Kayla and I both have iPhones. I ordered a bunch of cases from Amazon.com.  They are soooooo cheap!  Some of them arrived on Friday.  Later, Tea was sketching in her sketchbook.  I was pretty impressed by what she drew.  She has always been artistic.  

Saturday: Every now and then, I like to feel girly.  :)  I haven't painted my nails in FOREVER!  I felt like doing it, so I did!  :) I have never been able to grow my nails, so they are short.  But at least they are pretty now! :)

Hope this week brings everyone out there great things!  

Pi Day 5k

Oh my goodness!  I just found a Pi-Day 5k in Columbus!!

As a math teacher and runner, this race was made for me!  I am so excited about this...maybe even almost as excited about the Canton marathon in June!

And, yes, the race is 3.14 miles run the weekend before Pi Day (3/14).  The only thing that would make this better is if it was run ON 3/14 at 3:14pm!  :)  A girl can dream!

weeks 2 and 3 of clean eating.

The last couple weeks have gone pretty well.  I have lost another 4 pounds, putting me at 9 pounds since I started this 3 weeks ago.  I feel pretty good.  The weight is coming off.  And I am eating a lot of food...no calorie counting necessary!!

The last couple weeks have brought their challenges.  The whole family had a Monday off, so we decided to go see a movie.  Of course, everyone in my family wants popcorn, candy, pop, and icees.  I had to be proactive and brought a snack with me: dry roasted peanuts and dried cranberries.  For a drink I got a bottle of water.  It was actually more satisfying than I thought it would be.  Then, they wanted ice cream after the movie.  I just had to use some self control and not get any.  That was tough, but I was proud of myself for resisting!

The last couple of Fridays, we have gotten pizza.  Instead of eating pizza, I have ordered a salad.  This past Friday, however, I tried a small bite of pizza....and boy did I regret it later.  My stomach was terribly upset with me.  I have learned my lesson!

Here are some of my favorite meals/snacks so far:
~I LOVE yogurt with blueberries and a little granola. I have discovered a love for blueberries that I did not know I had.  Yummmy!!  Love how they POP in your mouth.  :)
~ Natural peanut butter on ANYTHING!    (especially apples and/or bananas)
~ Wheat germ.  It adds a nutty crunch to anything.  I tried a whole wheat tortilla with sliced apple, peanut butter, and wheat germ today...it was AMAZING.

~Making my own salad dressing. It's fun, and they are very flavorful! I have made a red onion poppyseed dressing that was my favorite so far!
~Dove dark chocolate covered almonds.  Before I began clean eating, I did not like almonds or dark chocolate!  Now, I look forward to my 3-5 almonds each day!

What do I miss the most? Two things, ice cream and pop.  I totally expected to miss ice cream.  The pop came as a surprise.  Hopefully, that will diminish, but sometimes it's all I can do to resist!

Pro's
~ Eating fresh food makes everything taste better.  Not to mention, I have lunch for the next day.  Leftovers are so easy to pack.
~ I am more deliberate about what I eat when I go out.  I ate at Panera.  I had to think carefully about what I was going to eat there.  I ended up getting a pick two with a Fuji Apple Salad (no pecans or cheese) and a bowl of chicken noodle soup with a side of an apple.  I also went to Bon Vie one night for a GNO, and got a Grilled Salmon salad.  Except for the dressing, it was as clean as you could get.

Fuji Apple Salad

Grilled Salmon salad

~ I don't have to count calories!
~My sweet tooth has become easier to handle.  It's funny, because I never really liked blueberries before (they didn't taste sweet enough for me)...now I can't get enough of them!

Con's
~The family not doing this wholeheartedly with me makes it challenging at times.  But I am getting used to it, and I know that in the long run, it's for the best.
~ Fueling for a long run is tricky.  Still trying to figure that out.  I would really like to find a "clean" alternative to gels.  Does anyone out there have any suggestions?

I want to say goodbye to these!  

I found a magazine at the checkout line the other day called Whole Living.  I am considering subscribing to it.  I have also looked at a couple of cookbooks on Amazon.  Any suggestions?