1. I started a new eating plan on Monday. It's not hard, except that I'm trying to get used to what I'm eating. The plan is called The Six-Week Body Makeover. It's not a big deal, really. You just EAT to LOSE. It's what you eat (and what you don't eat) that is important. I can eat protein, carbs (a few), vegetables, and fruit. Everything needs to be fresh - nothing in cans, or boxes - just fresh. Which is really nice actually. You eat 6 times a day - three meals and three snacks. That's to keep your metabolism revved. You figure out what your body type is, and then when you understand that, you pick out the meal plan that is best for your body type. I'm a body type "C". For proteins I get lean chicken breast, turkey breast, any kinds of seafood, and egg whites. The problem I'm having is that I have to eat a protein for every meal and snack (except my nighttime snack). I'm running out of different ways to cook chicken breast! I'm getting awfully sick of egg whites. And I can't stand seafood. I can have potatoes and rice, but no bread or pasta. (Withdrawal!!!) But, the good news is that I can have lots of fruits and vegetables. Probably the hardest part is staying completely away from sodium - it just seems that things taste so much better when you add a tiny bit of salt. AND I can't have dairy products right now - they are WAY high in fat and sugar. So, I'm having milk and cheese withdrawal. I'm really never hungry. And it's working - I've lost 7 pounds so far. My goal? Just hoping to lose some weight so I can feel better. And I want to learn about food - the best way to fix it, and what's good (and bad) for my body.
2. Alex joined the Track team at Lone Peak High. So, I spent a buttload of money on shoes, shorts, shirts, fees, etc. I've never had a kid in track before. I've never BEEN to a track meet before. Last night was my first one. And of course, they ask the parents to help. So, there were 4 area schools at the meet. I helped with the Discus - that pancake shaped, heavy metal thing, that HUGE guys (and girls) throw as far as they can. The farthest was 122 feet! Alex ran the 100 and the 200. I missed his first race because I was at the discus. Then, I waited FOREVER for all the rest of the events to pass before his next race came up. Finally, I headed home, because (1) he didn't really want me to watch him run, because he didn't think he was that fast yet, and (2) it was dinner time and I needed to get home and worry about everyone else. So, we ate dinner, and then about an hour later I get this text from Alex: "Where are you? I ran the 200 and took first place! My time was 26.44." Oh. My. Hell! I ALWAYS miss Alex's triumphs. No lie! No matter what cool thing he does, I'm not there to see it. What a loser mom. (I had him give me a play-by-play when he got home, but it's just not the same as being there and screaming my head off because Alex just kicked butt in a race. Geez!
3. My sis, Kris, hurt her back last week - really bad. She has some major disk problems, and about 5 months ago got shots in her back to help. And it did help. But last week the shots "ran out" or something, because one day she woke up and could not move. Seriously. It was bad. I spent my day taking her to the doctor to get more shots. They didn't work immediately (they take from 24 hours to 6 days to work), so I got her home and on the sofa, and then when her boys came home from school, I went home. Her husband and oldest daughter were out of town at the time. Around 11:00 pm, TJ (my nephew) called and told me he was taking her to the emergency room. Long story short... I ended up staying the night at her house, and then spending a couple of other days with her. The biggest (and cutest) problem is Ellie - she's my niece, who is 2 1/2, and Kris couldn't even move off of the bed. So, it was ME to the rescue. Which is ok - I owe her BIG TIME for taking me to EVERY single plastic surgeon's appt. last year during my breast cancer.
4. Grant and his girlfriend, Alyx, broke up. I won't say anything else about that, except I'm sorry and sad. :-(
5. Michael's girlfriend, Ashley, is having surgery on her knee today. She'll be in a full leg cast for awhile. Bummer. Good luck, Ashley.
6. This week promises to be a busy week - Kris and I are trying to get ready for the Just Between Friends sell (used kids clothing/toys) here in Utah. We are gathering clothing to sell. When we've got everything, we have to tag it all (with bar code tags) and hang everything on hangers, pack the trailer with all of it, and then next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, we will be at the sell. I handed out about 75 fliers yesterday in my neighborhood. I really hope to get lots of clothes. It's a great time for everyone to go through all their kids clothing and toys, and do a big Spring Clean. We are raising money for our foundation... The Four of Hearts. The money will help us travel, and buy supplies, for our trip to Guatemala in the summer. We are taking teens to work at an orphanage there. I hope. It's going to cost about $1200 per person, and I'm worried about coming up with all of the money. Is there, by any chance, a ka-billionaire who reads this blog who would like to sponsor (i.e. pay for) our trip to Guatemala?!
7. It's the last week of the quarter for the kids again. That means late night homework sessions for the last two weeks. They are trying to catch up, and do extra credit for all of their classes. It's just a big pain in the butt. I NEVER had this much homework. Seriously. There is no time for them to just be kids. Alex commented one morning as I was driving him to school in the dark, that he never sees daylight! He gets to school in the dark, and comes home when it's almost dark. Poor kid. It is self-imposed: he took an early morning Jazz Band class, and after school drivers ed, plus track team. But, still. That's just sad. Once again, I'm looking forward to summer. AND hoping that yet another kid survives High School.
8. I made some pretty good money working on a book for a client this last week. I've been really busy trying to get it done. It's for his father's 80th birthday party, so there was a definite deadline. The family I worked with is great, and the book was beautiful. I hope they are happy with it. I'm finding that my favorite part of my job as a Cherish Bound consultant is helping people with their stories. I love making books, and preserving memories for and with people. I just hope that business picks up, so that I can make some more money, or I'm going to have to get another job.
9. The last thing in this post... I promised to advertise for a company that came to my door: the Kirby vacuum company. I wasn't 100% pleased, but I was amazed just the same. A girl came to my door and told me they would clean a room's carpet for free. I told her I didn't want a sales pitch because I wasn't going to buy anything. She said - no problem, we'll just clean your carpet. Ok. So, I moved all the furniture out of the room (you know how long that takes). I picked my Greatroom. It's not huge, but it's still probably about 20x18. Plus they asked me to pre-vacuum before they came in. So I did. They set up and started the sales pitch. I told them I had no intention of buying a Kirby vacuum. Just clean my carpet. The end result? When they finally got the message that I was NOT going to spend over $3000 on a vacuum (yes, $3000 - or 36 payments of $80, plus interest!), they decided that they would just hurry and get things over with - in other words, clean only a small patch of the entire room, and then leave. So, I was not too happy about that. It was a typical sales rip off. BUT, I will say that the young man that cleaned my patch of carpet was AMAZING! His name is Scott and I really liked him. He did a great job on the small part that he did. The Kirby vacuum is also AMAZING. Really, there is just no other word for it. It really SUCKED! Literally. I could not believe what was in my carpet. I have a dog, so I know there is dog hair in my house. And I know that I don't have the best vacuum. And, our carpet is pretty stained - it's 10 years old, and it just doesn't look great anymore. All of that said, I still can't believe what was in my carpet. Here's a picture of what the Kirby did to just a small 6x4 foot patch of my carpet....
Yep, that's dirt on those black squares. Ok, so I don't want you to gross out... the rest of my house is not like that... but, WOW! Can you believe that?! It just shows how stupid it is to have a dog in the house, and what a crappy vacuum I have right now (it's a stupid Kenmore). Hopefully my husband doesn't read this blog post - he would have a heart attack if he knew I posted that picture. So, don't tell him!
That's about it. I better go update all of the rest of my blogs. Time just gets away from me. Have a great day!
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1 comment:
Kara, I am in awe. You are such a remarkable woman! And at the same time, we are totally sharing a brain. (I've got a daughter in a college/high school program, and she's making herself and everyone else completely NUTS this week!) And I have to admit, I spared a little mental fist-bump for your use of the word "hell" in this post. Bless you, sister!
I want to know more about this Cherished Memories thing. And your foundation. And your Guatemala trip. I guess I need to read your blog archives!
I'll be in Provo for Storymakers in April. I'd love to meet you!
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