Spring Break! A week every school-aged child and school teacher looks forward to each spring. Coming off a 4 1/2 week work-free recuperation, I can't say I was burned out or really needed the break, but who am I to argue? I was most excited about having time to do whatever it is I want. In a perfect world, that would happen, but with five kids...eh, it didn't. I did have a few successes and many failures over the last week, so onward to the chronology.
Successes!!
1. Gold's Gym!! Yep, I was cleared to go back to the gym this week, so last Saturday I returned. They had a great deal on personal training and it's a long story, but I had to purchase a four-month training contract to start my membership back up at the same rate. I agreed, only because I think it will help to have someone help me get back into a weight training routine without injuring or stressing my knee. My trainer's name is Chad; he's from Alabama, so he has a Southern accent and says "yes, ma'am" a lot. haha! Hopefully he can teach me some stuff I don't already know!
2. Cleaning- My bedroom is clean. So is my bathroom. Of course, my laundry is piled to the ceiling, but we will add that to the "Failures" list.
3. The Easter bunny was prepared- I finished my Easter shopping for four of the five kids (what do you buy an 18-year-old for his basket?) by Thursday. Usually this Easter bunny shops late Saturday night and complains at 2:00 a.m. as she's constructing baskets. Not this year!
4. Easter dinner- A plethora of tantalizing treats, most of the recipes I had gathered from Pinterest earlier in the week: a Honeybaked ham, twice-baked potatoes, roasted green beans and mushrooms in a light balsamic drizzle, mosaic jello squares, deviled eggs, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. An overwhelming YUM!
Now for the failures (boo! hiss!)
1. My diet- Big fat fail this week, with the emphasis on FAT! I came close to staying within my calorie goal range most days this week, but there was more than one day when, at some point, I threw in the towel and stopped counting. One of those days was "Fondue Night". I certainly may have eaten my entire day's worth of calories in cheese. Well worth it, though. I deserve a splurge now and again. Overall, though, I spent the week hungry. It didn't matter when I had last eaten or what I had eaten...I was hungry all week long. As scary is it to admit, I was looking forward to going back to work just so I wouldn't be tempted to eat!
2. Bored kids and projects- I had planned on doing a few projects with the kids and a few sewing projects and nothing got started. We did, however, spend some time at the park, so I guess that counts. Teddy spent his week at work and the older boys spent theirs fighting over who gets to play on the Xbox Live profile. Happy, happy, joy, joy.
3. Bad blood- For whatever reason, the more Coumadin I take, the thicker my blood gets! It makes no sense, but it is what is happening. My doctor still says not to worry and that he will get my dosage right, but I'm getting further and further off track. My INR is 1.4 and should be between 2-3. Last week it was 1.6 The week prior 1.8. I don't get it!
Overall, I'd say my +'s outweighed my -'s this spring break. My goal for the next month is to lose five pounds by watching my diet more closely and adding more cardio into my workout. I'm up to 30 minutes on a 10 incline on the treadmill (walking at 2.7mph) and 30 minutes on the bike on level 9. I hope to add to that this week as well as to my upper-body workout! I'm not entering the home stretch. Only eight weeks left to a summer of freedom. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...
