I’m taking the plunge to Google calendar.  I used an electronic calendar when I worked in an office full time.  It was strictly for business.  All of my personal items have always been tracked on paper.  I don’t have a smart phone and paper has always seemed faster and easier.

Unfortunately, it makes it impossible for Stephen to keep track of the kids and I.  I still don’t have a smart phone, but I do have a tablet that will have the calendar accessible whenever I have internet access.

We just went through and added all of my current obligations.  It was much simpler than the paper one for things like Nick’s preschool which is reoccurring.  I’m still not convinced that this is going to work, but I’m going to give it a try.  I can always go back to paper, but I have a feeling it’s going to be full steam ahead.

Now, I just have to remember to look at the calendar on line everyday.  This is going to be an adjustment.  I’ll keep you all posted.

 Posted by at 9:16 PM
 

I turned 41 today.  It’s just a number and I don’t really feel any older.

I spent most of the day at home with the kids.  We had 2 extra visiting this morning.  They brought me these beautiful flowers.

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Nick drove me nuts most of the day.  He was particularly winey all day.  It was extra tough since I have laryngitis.  It’s hard to read to kids and have normal conversation when you never know if actual words will come out when you speak.  I used to get laryngitis all of the time.  I’m glad it’s not as often and for shorter periods of time these days.

We ended up ordering a pizza for dinner.  Then, we headed out for my surprise.  After a trip to get Nick’s glasses fixed again, we went to Mitchell’s Ice Cream.  It’s turning into a birthday tradition in our household.  They have great ice cream.  It’s made locally.  And they have a train set for entertainment.

All in all it was a good day.  I’m looking forward to dinner out tomorrow to finish my birthday celebrating.

 Posted by at 8:11 PM
 

I’m spending this week on vacation in Hawaii.  I’m fortunate to have the support of my family to make this trip possible.  I plan to see as many sights as possible while spending time relaxing.  I will be spending quite a bit of time by myself.  I will enjoy the solitude in the midst of the hustle and bustle that Honolulu offers.

I have plans to see Pearl Harbor, Waikiki, Bishop museum, Chinatown, North Shore and more.

I also plan to spend time exercising and hiking.  Lot of walking will be in order as well.

I haven’t been eating well lately.  The no sugar/flour plan works well for a while, but it’s not sustainable within my lifestyle.  The probably is that I can do anything for 3 or 4 weeks.  I haven’t learned the skills necessary to practice moderation.  This week, I plan to focus on moderation, local eats and fresh!  I plan to try the Hawaiian shave ice that is so popular at Matsumoto.  I plan to not have a candy bar or other treats that I could have anytime I choose.

I know that I feel the best when I am eating well.  Eating well for me that means limiting sugar and fat and eating fresh fruit and vegetables along with whole grains.  It’s not that hard on paper, but in life it’s so tough.  I’m in need of a retreat of sorts, and I think this is just what the doctor ordered.

 Posted by at 9:00 PM
 

Three years ago today, I had the honor of attending the wedding of Jeanne and Aaron.  The wedding was held in Dakar, Senegal in Africa.  Aaron and I have been friends since seventh or eighth grade, and  I was happy to act as an official witness for this very special occasion.  I met Jeanne for the first time just 2 days before the wedding.  She is amazing, and I knew right away that she was the one for Aaron.

Happy Anniversary Aaron and Jeanne!

The civil service:

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The church service:

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Wedding portrait:

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The happy couple with the witnesses:

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Family photo:

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Aaron and Jeanne with the United States visitors:

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Aaron, Jeanne and myself at the reception:

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A photo of us in our African outfits in Jeanne’s home town for a celebration:

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The United States visitors with Aaron and Jeanne in Thies:

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I had many great experiences during my trip to Senegal.  It was certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity.  It’s not very often that one of your best friends gets married on another continent.

Congratulations on 3 great years!

 

On Friday, I fell off the wagon.  After clean eating (no white sugar/flour type stuff) for many weeks, I ate a ton of junk food.  I can’t even begin to explain why.  In addition to good normal food, my day consisted of Oreos, Candy and Chips with Dip.  YUCK!  It didn’t even taste good and made me feel even worse.

I am fortunate to have an understanding husband who is able to go with the flow when I have a bad day.  I got right back on the wagon by dinner time.

I spent the weekend concentrating on my food, drinking water and really trying to listen to what I needed for fuel.  Tonight, while I was on a date at Blossom, we were eating some corn chips.  We actually threw the extras away when we were done with dinner.  I’m so glad that we didn’t waist them.

I’m feeling great today after a detox and productive weekend that ended with a nice date.

I feel like I’ve been going through the motions lately, but it’s time to kick it up a notch.  I need to make better plans for fruits and veggies and make the most out of my workouts.  My weight has been declining slowly (except for a gain last week) and I’d like to see the numbers continue to go in the right direction.

Next up: 45 min of cardio and 15 minutes of abs/core in the morning.

 Posted by at 11:10 PM
 

I haven’t written much about my weight lately.  So, I thought I’d give everyone an update.  I love Weight Watchers, but since I stopped going a few weeks back, life has so much less stress.  I didn’t realize how hard it was on me to take the kids to the meetings.  Paying $40 a month to not be able to participate in the support part of the experience didn’t make sense.  I love having Thursday mornings free as well.  We’ve been trying out the local U-Pick places and it’s been a blast.

Now, my trainer weighs me once a week.  That gives me some accountability.  Several weeks went by without a trainer appointment due to my knee, but on Wednesday, I weighed in.  I was down over 9 pounds.  I am very happy that the lack of activity didn’t impede my progress.  Obviously, my food choices are paying off.

I’m happy to be in the 270’s and on my way down!  Some members of my family recently had some health issues and when things hit home, it’s a bit easier to take care of yourself and work even harder to become healthier.

I’ve had several big changes lately.  I cut out all sugars except honey and maple syrup.  So, I’m not eating white sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar, rice syrup, corn syrup etc.  I’m on the fence about agave sweetener.  Since we have an unopened bottle in the cupboard, I will probably go ahead and allow it.  It’s similar to honey and maple syrup, but it’s not available locally.  I haven’t been perfect – like when I didn’t realize that Penzeys Pizza Seasoning had sugar in it and I allowed some cranberry bread and I’m sure the cranberries themselves had sugar added.  But, if my only sugar is contained in a bit of spice or a few cranberries, I’ll call that a WIN!

I also quit eating white flour.  So, anything with white flour has been eliminated.  It’s amazing how many “whole wheat” products really aren’t whole anything.  I’ve been focusing on more whole grains and making bread or buying 100% whole wheat bread from Great Harvest.  They make it with honey and grind their own wheat.  Along with this, I’ve stopped eating white rice too.  Most of the time, I’m having quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, wheat berries, corn meal, etc.  I love it and I’m so much more satisfied.

Between the new flour and sweetener plans, I have essentially eliminated fast food, soda and unplanned desserts.  I don’t even miss it one bit.  I still have lots of treats, but they are whole grain and honey based or made with other “real” foods and take some planning.  For example, we enjoyed homemade strawberry ice cream last weekend.  We had to plan ahead.  I also make banana bread fairly often.  It’s been fun to learn how to cook with honey and my taste buds have adapted so many items are tasting great without any added sweetener.  I can’t remember the last time I had fast food.  I feel great about that and the example that it sets for Nick and Sally.  I also don’t feel deprived one bit.  That is extremely nice.

I’m still working on vegetables.  It’s getting better and I’m definitely eating less meat and more vegetables.  I’m enjoying some spaghetti squash while I type this post.  Now, I do need to figure out some more vegan recipes that are tasty so I can work on my biggest food vice left – CHEESE!  I just eat way too much cheese.  But, it’s a process.

I’m also glad both CSAs have started along with U-Pick season.  Our kitchen is well stocked with fresh fruit and vegetable that will rot if we don’t eat them.  This provides extra motivation to eat at home and cook fresh yummy dishes that everyone will enjoy.

 

 

 

 Posted by at 9:05 PM
 

As I get ready to head to Fit Bloggin‘, I thought I should tell my weight story.  Life Lyn Style is just over 4 months old.  I started this blog to help me be more accountable with my food and exercise.  Since starting the blog, I’ve met many other bloggers (virtually) and have been amazed at the number of “fit blogs” that exist.  The web is full of other people just like me who are trying to better themselves and live healthy lives.

I’ve been overweight most of my life.  I remember being called “big butt” as early as elementary school.  I remember joining Weight Watchers for the first time during my senior year of high school.  At that point, I needed to lose about 50 pounds.  I came within 9 pounds of my goal, and then I started college.

At the University of Akron, I had unlimited access to the food court.  At that time, this consisted of a pizza place and McDonald’s.  I ate all of the time.  Looking back, it’s amazing to me just how much crap I ate during college.  My weight ballooned to around 260 pounds.  For the next 8-12 years, I weighed between 250 and 280.  I also have been a Weight Watchers member several times over the years.   My weight was fairly consistent.  I also tried to not let my weight get in my way.  I’d like to think that I’ve been successful.  I know that it has held me back here and there, but I don’t focus on that.  I’ve done 12 week-long bicycle rides.  I’ve walked 2 marathons and a couple of half marathons.  I met my husband Stephen while on one of the bicycle rides.  Since I met him in 2003, we’ve had 2 children.  With pregnancies came more weight gain.  The OB appointment before my daughter was born (Nov 2009), I weighed in at 344.  Yikes!  That is such a huge number to type!

Shortly after Sally was born, I rejoined Weight Watchers at 326 pounds.  In the past 18 months, since Sally was born, I’ve managed to get down to the 280’s.  I’ve been consistently there for a few months now.  Recently, I dropped my Weight Watcher membership since I wasn’t able to attend the meetings with two toddlers.  With over 100 pounds more to go, I try to focus on real food and exercise and know that the rest will come.

 

 Posted by at 5:00 PM
 

About a year ago, I studied for my ham (amateur) radio license test.  Most people get their license so they can operate radios, but I wanted a license so I could get a specialty license plate.  So, I memorized a 400 question test bank (with the help of a computer program that my husband wrote), took the test and passed.  Unfortunately, life, paperwork and bureaucracy  got in the way of me ordering my plates.  So, after almost a year, they finally arrived.

My husband, son and daughter put them on the car today.  Funny thing is, with the kids and their car seats, my husband usually drives that car and I drive KG8IH on “his” car.

No workout today, cardio in the AM.

 Posted by at 9:23 PM
 

My about page was originally added in January.  I’m having some database problems with my extra pages, so I am moving this content into a post so that it will be accessible to new readers by looking at the category options.  I’ve also made a couple of updates.

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Hi, I’m Lyn.  I’m a thirty something (for a few more weeks) year old stay at home mom.  I have a 3 year old son and a 15 month old daughter.  I am overweight and am working hard to be more healthy and fit.  At this point in my journey, I have over 100 pounds to lose.  I am a Weight Watcher member and believe in moderation and variety in what I eat.

I live in North East Ohio with my husband and kids.  My son is almost 3 and my daughter is 1. I want to raise them to eat well balanced meals, be active and enjoy the parks and museums that the area has to offer.

This blog will talk about my food log, workouts, recipes, favorite eats, eating locally and other interests as the need arises.  I’m starting the blog with food/workouts and will add other topics as I get my feet wet.  I’d like to get a consistent base with regular posts established first.

Hopefully, I will be more accountable by sharing.  If I can help a few people out along the way, that would be great too.

I hope you enjoy Life Lyn Style.

Lyn

 Posted by at 2:20 PM