I spent two days last week at our summer administrative leadership retreat with my school district. This was only my second retreat, but it was the best I've been to mostly because we spent lots of time talking philosophically about the direction of our district - our next steps in our goal of continual improvement. It was invigorating and exciting to talk about possibilities and brainstorm with others that share a common goal. I've been thinking about it so much, in fact, that I decided the best way to get it out of my head (or to the next step in my head) is to write it all out.
What follows is a part educator/part mom that is in no way reflective of my employer, but instead reflects what I hope is continual professional and personal growth on my part.
This means some of you will stop reading here, and I'm okay with that.
Much of the conversation started with being the "school of choice" for parents and students. (I realize this has multiple meanings, but I'll only address one of them here.) I don't see this as being competitive, necessarily, but instead being the school that is the very best learning environment for every kid. We talked about who our "customers" are, and it was a pretty interesting conversation. Parents? Students? Employers? Colleges? Legislators (i.e. the oft-far-removed people who make all the big decisions)?
We also discussed the concept of choice. What does choice look like in a school or school district? It's easy for me to see this in the secondary world - choice is online courses, and choosing the classes that teach you the appropriate skills but interest you the most, and being able to go to school from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. if you choose, and on and on.
But in the elementary world it's not that simple. How can our elementary schools provide choices for parents and students? What choices would people even want?
One person at my table said, "Many of us are parents. What choices do we want for our own kids?"
So I started thinking about my own two Hickmans.
Tucker is a math kid. Some of you have heard this story before, but I'm going to tell it here because it's relevant. In first grade, Tucker went to second grade for math. He went every day unless the second graders were taking a test. (In first grade there are no number grades for math, so the test taking was irrelevant to him.) He LOVED it! He loved that he was good at math and challenged in math and that he could do second grade stuff in first grade. It was (and still is) a point of pride for him.
Then he became a second grader, and he had to take second grade math again. My understanding is that second grade number grades were needed for the report card and that since he never took any tests as a first grader there really was no way to be sure he had mastered the second grade concepts enough to move on to third grade math. By the way, third grade has STAAR testing and all that other good stuff, and it wouldn't really be relevant to a second grader taking third grade math. For all I know, he stunk at second grade math the first time around, and he needed to take it again. No grades, remember?
He went to a phenomenal school with phenomenal teachers, and as a mom/educator, I understood some of the reasoning for putting him in second grade math again. There's also that weird dynamic of "we work together so I don't want to imply that I know more about your job than you do" that comes into play when dealing with teacher kids. I trusted (and still trust) the teachers and administrators at that school to do the best thing for my kid, so Tucker did second grade math again. It didn't seem like that big of a deal to me at the time.
Now, though, I wonder if I did the right thing. I know I didn't do the wrong thing - an extra year of math never hurt anyone - but was it really the right thing for Tucker? Could he be getting ready to take fifth grade math instead of fourth? Or could he be farther ahead than that, soaking up math concepts like a sponge if given the opportunity to keep moving forward at his own pace? Did this glimpse into the ability to move faster and then the subsequent "second graders only learn this material" make him less interested or less excited about pushing himself to his absolute limits? Could this manifest itself not only in math but in other things, too?
And such is the age-old question of every parent: Did I unintentionally screw up my kid forever with something silly?
Back to the educator convo - How does choice factor into this? More importantly, how does it factor in without tracking kids beginning in preschool and pre-determining what they'll be able to do in five or ten or fifteen years?
I'm still working on this one.
Disclaimer: Tucker's math teachers have been amazing every year he's been in school. I have great respect for them and their ability to differentiate for all skill levels in their classrooms. This is not about them, but more about the system and how it works for every kid differently.
Then I though about Little Hickman #2, and what choices I want for him in school. Keaton is very smart, but more than that he's creative and willing to experiment and likes to DO things rather than talk about them. What choices would I make for him? Primarily, I want him to have teachers who appreciate this about him. I want someone who realizes that when Keaton laughs, it's contagious - one of the best sounds in the world. I want someone who understands that sometimes he's not confident because he sees things differently than other people - in a brilliant, interesting perspective that I would miss if it weren't for him. I want someone who pushes him to be and do everything he wants to and some things he doesn't want to because he's the kid who gets the "work" out of the way so he can get on to the stuff that really matters (mostly fun and getting to know people - the kid has never met a stranger).
So is teacher choice the answer to choice in elementary schools?
Maybe, but there's a part two to this story. I work at Keaton's school, and I have a part in putting kids in classes. I have the ability to choose, and - get this - I didn't.
I would put Keaton Hickman with any second grade teacher on this campus. We have two new teachers coming on board, and they are fantastic, so they are included in the "any second grade teacher" that I'm talking about. I thought about choosing and talked about choosing, but ultimately it's too hard to choose because all of the choices have so many strengths.
And here's the A-HA moment. Maybe for us in elementary schools it's not about providing choice as in "pick your teacher" but instead choice as in "the teachers here ARE the best choice." The same could be said for the environment of the school, the curriculum, the administration, even the facilities.
It's fundamental to everything we as educators do (the good ones anyway). We will love your kid, get to know him, see where he is academically, and exhaust every resource we have to help him find his own successes today and for the rest of his life.
And so the Little Hickmans parallel this entire question of choice. Tucker is about the numbers and rules and such, and Keaton is about the people. And my job as a mom is to make sure that both of them have the very best public education (and private education for that matter) has to offer. And my job as an educator is to make sure that every kid who walks into my school will have the very best public and private education has to offer.
Meeting the demands of those jobs is something we have to choose to do every single day.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Recipe Experiment Day
Ahhh...a Saturday at home. I told Trey last night just before we went to sleep that I had no plans to clean house or do laundry or do anything else productive today. I planned to be lazy all day long.
He asked if that was his hint to leave me alone all day.
The truth is Trey never intentionally guilts me into doing anything, but if he's mowing the lawn or doing the dishes and I'm curled up in bed eating popcorn and watching Netflix amid a disaster of a house, I feel like a terrible, lazy person. Just like people can't cry alone around me, I guess Trey can't clean alone, either.
We slept until a whopping eight o'clock, then stayed in bed until about 8:30 watching Fashion Police and hoping the kids wouldn't wake up. Trey made omelets for breakfast - with spinach and onions and jack cheese, and Coco Loco's green sauce - and they we delicious!
I decided to make the bed. Then I noticed there was some mail piled on the dresser and thought I'd go through that. Then I remembered Tucker's baseball uniform needed to be clean for tonight, so I started some laundry, but first I had to fold and put away all of the laundry in the dryer.
Next thing you know, our bathroom, bedroom, living room, and kitchen were clean and the pantry and refrigerator were cleaned out.
So much for doing nothing.
Then I decided to have a recipe experiment afternoon.
First, I made a healthier version of banana bread that I found on Pinterest (of course). It's healthier because it's made with unsweetened applesauce and honey and wheat flour instead of oil, sugar, and white flour.
Here's the recipe:
He asked if that was his hint to leave me alone all day.
The truth is Trey never intentionally guilts me into doing anything, but if he's mowing the lawn or doing the dishes and I'm curled up in bed eating popcorn and watching Netflix amid a disaster of a house, I feel like a terrible, lazy person. Just like people can't cry alone around me, I guess Trey can't clean alone, either.
We slept until a whopping eight o'clock, then stayed in bed until about 8:30 watching Fashion Police and hoping the kids wouldn't wake up. Trey made omelets for breakfast - with spinach and onions and jack cheese, and Coco Loco's green sauce - and they we delicious!
I decided to make the bed. Then I noticed there was some mail piled on the dresser and thought I'd go through that. Then I remembered Tucker's baseball uniform needed to be clean for tonight, so I started some laundry, but first I had to fold and put away all of the laundry in the dryer.
Next thing you know, our bathroom, bedroom, living room, and kitchen were clean and the pantry and refrigerator were cleaned out.
So much for doing nothing.
Then I decided to have a recipe experiment afternoon.
First, I made a healthier version of banana bread that I found on Pinterest (of course). It's healthier because it's made with unsweetened applesauce and honey and wheat flour instead of oil, sugar, and white flour.
Here's the recipe:
Directions
Here's the result:
The review? It's pretty darn good. It's heartier than my usual recipe, but anytime I use wheat flour the result is a rougher texture. It's also just as sweet as my usual recipe, and it probably would have been even sweeter if my bananas were a little more over-ripe. Will I make it again? Sure! Why not? I like it just as well as my regular recipe and it has "better bones." Trey really liked it, too.
Experiment #2 was a recipe I also found on Pinterest. This one is roasted shrimp enchiladas with jalapeno cream sauce, only I didn't follow it exactly. First of all, I had a chicken that I needed to cook, so I replaced the shrimp with chicken. Second, I didn't include the cabbage and carrots, but I added extra spinach because I had spinach. Third, I made layered enchiladas instead of rolled enchiladas because a) even on recipe experiment day I can be a little lazy and b) I can usually get away with using fewer tortillas if I stack instead of roll. Fourth, I just poured all of the sauce on top because it seemed silly to save some to add after they cooked. I tried really hard to stick to the two cups of cheese, but I probably used an extra half cup.
Jenny, a friend form work, made the enchiladas last week and told me that it took a long time and virtually every dish in her kitchen, so I was prepared for that. I didn't feel like it took too terribly long, but I wasn't in any hurry and didn't have anyone waiting to eat them, so I don't guess I would have noticed if they took too long.
Here's the recipe:
Roasted Shrimp Enchiladas with Jalapeño Cream Sauce (adapted from Gimme Some Oven):
Yields 3-4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
For the jalapeño cream sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the shrimp onto the prepared baking sheet. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste, and gently toss to combine.
Place into oven and roast just until pink, firm and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces.
Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish or coat with nonstick spray.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage, carrot, spinach, chipotle pepper, oregano and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach just begins to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. Add the shrimp and gently toss to combine.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in the flour until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the sour cream. Add the jalapeños and garlic powder and simmer unitl the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro.
To assemble the enchiladas, lay the tortilla on a flat surface and spoon 1/3 cup of the shrimp mixture in the center; sprinkle with cheese. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down onto prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and shrimp mixture.
Pour half of the jalapeño cream sauce evenly over the top. Place into oven and bake, covered, until lightly golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Serve immediately with remaining jalapeño cream sauce, garnished with cilantro.
Here's the result:
The review? Uh-Mazing! They are super delicious! I will make them again when I want to make something impressive! Trey sampled them and said, "They taste like a restaurant," which I think is a compliment. They are kind of thin, so I may make them in a square pan next time so they're thicker. I worried that adding the extra sauce from the beginning would make them soupy, but it didn't at all. If they heat up well as leftovers, they will be a double win!
Side note: Because Trey was mowing I had to de-bone the chicken myself. There aren't many things that gross me out more than picking apart a dead animal carcass, raw or cooked. But I was a very brave girl and I did it. I think I only gagged twice. Trey should be very proud.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Dancing
I can't dance.
Seriously, I can't do it. I have no rhythm.
Tonight, however, I danced my face off.
It's always funny to me how God brings people into our lives.
I met many of my very best friends at the New Teacher Induction Program in August of 2003. Chrissy, the principal at the time, was pretty insane to hire me in the first place because I had no student teaching or real in-the-classroom experience. But she did it anyway.
I remember thinking how smart and qualified and cool all my of NTI group members were. I thought I would never fit in or be as great as them. I felt like the kid who got picked last for the team, even though I have absolutely no idea whether or not I was picked last.
In the last nine years, that group has become my closest friends. My "people" if you will. We've been through marriages and divorces. We've lost and gained personal children and student children and parents. We've gone to grad school and changed teaching fields and found things to be passionate about and learned that work isn't everything. We can be happy for each other and kindly critical of each other and we always support each other. Always. It sort of feels like we've grown up together.
Tonight we celebrated another of my people finding his perfect match - his happily ever after.
And I danced. And I didn't care it was bad and no one else did either.
Because they are my people.
Seriously, I can't do it. I have no rhythm.
Tonight, however, I danced my face off.
It's always funny to me how God brings people into our lives.
I met many of my very best friends at the New Teacher Induction Program in August of 2003. Chrissy, the principal at the time, was pretty insane to hire me in the first place because I had no student teaching or real in-the-classroom experience. But she did it anyway.
I remember thinking how smart and qualified and cool all my of NTI group members were. I thought I would never fit in or be as great as them. I felt like the kid who got picked last for the team, even though I have absolutely no idea whether or not I was picked last.
In the last nine years, that group has become my closest friends. My "people" if you will. We've been through marriages and divorces. We've lost and gained personal children and student children and parents. We've gone to grad school and changed teaching fields and found things to be passionate about and learned that work isn't everything. We can be happy for each other and kindly critical of each other and we always support each other. Always. It sort of feels like we've grown up together.
Tonight we celebrated another of my people finding his perfect match - his happily ever after.
And I danced. And I didn't care it was bad and no one else did either.
Because they are my people.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
I won!
I won I won I won I won I won!
I was riding the car when I read the results on mybcs, and I almost jumped out of my seat! I gave Trey a high five that was like this super-awesome we just won the Super Bowl high five, but in reality I think he didn't know what I was doing and ducked before our hands actually hit. Maybe it's just that I'm so strong now that he thought maybe my high-five would hurt. That's probably it.
I have happy danced and read and re-read the final results all evening, and I'm just giddy. I can't believe it! I had resigned myself to the fact that I had done my best - put it all out there - and if we didn't win then that would be okay because I worked like I wanted to win. But then I actually won, and it was way better than just working to win.
I posted a few times ago that I refuse to diet, and I still do. If I just say no to the bad stuff and buy the good stuff at the grocery store then I'm WAY better off. I've learned how to eat apples without cutting them up first. This is a big one for me because apple skin gets stuck in my teeth (which is annoying) and for some reason biting into an apple is sort of like eating meat off of a bone (something I would never do). I've tried protein pancakes (they weren't that good), protein shakes (it was good, but only worth 8 grams of protein for me because I could only drink about a third of it. I also don't like drinks with milky consistency - like milk and protein shakes), artichokes (okay, I steamed it and then threw it away four days later because it scared me), and asparagus (which I've had with dinner every night). I made my first and second and third and fourth frittata because they are easy and heat up well for breakfast. I've had salad dressing on the side. I've had FroYoYo german chocolate cake yogurt (at 8 calories an ounce) instead of Hagen Daas. I've had a better food plan.
(Full disclosure: I'm also currently eating a cupcake. It's lemon. There was this one food truck...)
At BCS Fitness I was pushed more than I ever in a million years would push myself. It was kind of awful, but I liked it.
Is a little part of me afraid that I'm just a few episodes of Ice Loves Coco and a few cupcakes away from packing those 15 pounds right back on? Absolutely. But a little more time at BCS Fitness will certainly help. Then, I'll have to have a new plan for how to work out on my own the right way.
But for now, I WON!
I don't want to brag (yeah, right), but this is my blog for all of posterity and when I come back and look at this years from now I'll want to remember. The two boys together scored 172.5 points. I scored 145 by myself. I killed it!
Okay, I'll stop being annoying now.
I was riding the car when I read the results on mybcs, and I almost jumped out of my seat! I gave Trey a high five that was like this super-awesome we just won the Super Bowl high five, but in reality I think he didn't know what I was doing and ducked before our hands actually hit. Maybe it's just that I'm so strong now that he thought maybe my high-five would hurt. That's probably it.
I have happy danced and read and re-read the final results all evening, and I'm just giddy. I can't believe it! I had resigned myself to the fact that I had done my best - put it all out there - and if we didn't win then that would be okay because I worked like I wanted to win. But then I actually won, and it was way better than just working to win.
I posted a few times ago that I refuse to diet, and I still do. If I just say no to the bad stuff and buy the good stuff at the grocery store then I'm WAY better off. I've learned how to eat apples without cutting them up first. This is a big one for me because apple skin gets stuck in my teeth (which is annoying) and for some reason biting into an apple is sort of like eating meat off of a bone (something I would never do). I've tried protein pancakes (they weren't that good), protein shakes (it was good, but only worth 8 grams of protein for me because I could only drink about a third of it. I also don't like drinks with milky consistency - like milk and protein shakes), artichokes (okay, I steamed it and then threw it away four days later because it scared me), and asparagus (which I've had with dinner every night). I made my first and second and third and fourth frittata because they are easy and heat up well for breakfast. I've had salad dressing on the side. I've had FroYoYo german chocolate cake yogurt (at 8 calories an ounce) instead of Hagen Daas. I've had a better food plan.
(Full disclosure: I'm also currently eating a cupcake. It's lemon. There was this one food truck...)
At BCS Fitness I was pushed more than I ever in a million years would push myself. It was kind of awful, but I liked it.
Is a little part of me afraid that I'm just a few episodes of Ice Loves Coco and a few cupcakes away from packing those 15 pounds right back on? Absolutely. But a little more time at BCS Fitness will certainly help. Then, I'll have to have a new plan for how to work out on my own the right way.
But for now, I WON!
I don't want to brag (yeah, right), but this is my blog for all of posterity and when I come back and look at this years from now I'll want to remember. The two boys together scored 172.5 points. I scored 145 by myself. I killed it!
Okay, I'll stop being annoying now.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
The End of the Contest
First, let me say a few things to remember. I've had the opportunity of late to read over some really old blog posts, and it makes my heart happy to remember silly things my kids said or did years and years ago. I just spent a few minutes looking at old pictures on Trey's facebook (Keaton couldn't remember our vacation to Kemah, so we looked at pics), and now I'm feeling nostalgic. I'm sure the two (skinny) margaritas I just had have nothing to do with it.
This morning, before he got dressed, Tucker put on catcher's gear. This means that he was wearing underwear, a chest protector, leg pads, and a helmet. I SO wanted to take a picture, but he's nine now. At some point that has to be illegal, right?
I survived Academy with the boys twice today. They tried to sneak out and go without me because without me they spend WAY too much money, but I caught on to their little trick and tagged along. Tucker and Keaton both really wanted those titanium necklaces, and they had enough money to buy them today. It took two trips because Tucker was indecisive.
Tonight we grilled steaks and vegetables and then we sat out on the patio and enjoyed the evening. The Zac Brown Band Pandora station played in the background while we relaxed and the boys...wait for it...threw a ball back and forth. It just doesn't get much better.
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Now, on to the contest.
It's over.
We don't know the winners yet. They should be posted some time next week. The total weight loss was reported as a teaser, and the girls won that. I think it's to throw us off the course, and in the end the boys won. It's really impossible to tell, though. Here are my final results in case your interested:
Total weight loss: 15 pounds, 9.2%
Body Fat Percentage: down 4.6%
Measurements:
neck: down .5 inches
chest: down 2.75 inches
waist: down 8 inches
hips: down 3 inches
plank hold: increase 390% (from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, 27 seconds)
push ups: increase 300% (from 6 to 24)
squats: 43% increase (from 81 to 116)
row calories burned in 5 minutes: 56% increase (from 39 to 61)
I did all of this math myself, so it could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time I screwed up at math. :)
My reaction?
Oh my holy moly goodness!
First, I lost 14.25 inches from my body. That's more than a foot! I can't believe that's even possible, much less in eight weeks. It's still a little surreal.
The day before my final assessment, I did a little practice in my living room so I could have goals to shoot for. I had Keaton time my plank hold, and I did one minute easily. I knew I could do at least two, so I went in with a goal of more than two. I wish I had held on for three more seconds because I like round numbers, but I really gave it all I had.
(By the way, when I practiced, I had Coach Tucker helping me out. "Planks? You mean hover? I LOVE hover! I bet I can hover more than you! Let's do it together. Come on! Come on! You can last longer than that! PUSH!" It was funny and a little...well...weird having my nine year old work as my personal trainer.)
Have I mentioned that push ups suck. They really, really, really suck and I hate them. I would rather do burpees. For reals. I told the trainer before my final test that I knew I could do 15, but I wanted to do 18 because that would be three times as many as when I started. Then, when I was in the middle of it, she said, "Go for 24!" and I did. I'd like to point out that I actually did 27 push ups, but three of them were not low enough to be counted. I think those combined should at least give me 1 1/2 more.
I also had to take a written test about the movie Food, Inc and the book The Paleo Diet. This was the only thing I got mouthy about because I'm really good at taking tests. It was a ten question test, and I got a 70. A 70! When Brad told me, I knew exactly which three questions I missed because I had it narrowed down to two answers and picked the wrong ones. I would like to point out that I got every question from the book correct, and two of the three questions I missed were about numbers. It was that darn movie that got me. In my mind, I could see the graphics on the screen that answered the questions, but I couldn't read the numbers.
I did my fitness test during the first half of Thursday's workout, and I really couldn't do much in the second half. My hamstrings cramped (from the squats, I'm sure) and I was just completely out of fuel. I mostly just stretched during the second half. I knew that I gave it everything I had in the fitness test, so I can't really be disappointed if the girls lose.
When this whole thing started, I told Trey I'd like to lose 20 pounds, and after losing 15 it seems silly to stop now. I need to get a plan together for working out, and I've decided this includes putting the gym on my calendar two or three days a week. That way no one schedules anything in my afternoons that seeps into my gym time. It also makes me go, which is great.
I think I'll also suggest to my local gym that they begin posting a "workout of the week." Part of the beauty of BCS Fitness is that we never did the same thing twice. At the gym by myself, I know that I'll just do the same thing over and over, and that thing won't be the hardest exercises. I need someone telling me to do something different each week, something that will make me push myself.
I also need to continue my meal planning and cooking at home. I've discovered lots of stuff that I didn't know I liked - like asparagus - and I need to keep looking for those healthy foods and adding vegetables to every meal. I learned that I like protein bars (these are my favorite), and while they aren't low calorie health food, they are better than having a candy bar or pretzels or some other nutrition-free snack when I'm starving and have to eat in the car.
I guess the most important thing I've learned is that I was lying to myself. In my contest entry to BCS Fitness, I wrote, "I feel like I'm just made to be over 160 pounds." Well, I'm not. I feel better at less than 160 pounds, less than 150, and being heavier than that is because I'm too lazy to take care of myself. It feels a little harsh, but it's true.
And so, the journey begins. I'll post later about whether or not the girls won and I get another 8 weeks of free training.
I'll also be on the lookout for new experiences to blog about. Anything with heights is out because I'm terrified of them, but I'm open to other suggestions.
Travel blogs are always fun. Remember How do you Say Buggy in Spanish and The Korean Spa Adventure? If anyone would like to send me on a trip, I'd be happy to write about it.
This morning, before he got dressed, Tucker put on catcher's gear. This means that he was wearing underwear, a chest protector, leg pads, and a helmet. I SO wanted to take a picture, but he's nine now. At some point that has to be illegal, right?
I survived Academy with the boys twice today. They tried to sneak out and go without me because without me they spend WAY too much money, but I caught on to their little trick and tagged along. Tucker and Keaton both really wanted those titanium necklaces, and they had enough money to buy them today. It took two trips because Tucker was indecisive.
Tonight we grilled steaks and vegetables and then we sat out on the patio and enjoyed the evening. The Zac Brown Band Pandora station played in the background while we relaxed and the boys...wait for it...threw a ball back and forth. It just doesn't get much better.
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Now, on to the contest.
It's over.
We don't know the winners yet. They should be posted some time next week. The total weight loss was reported as a teaser, and the girls won that. I think it's to throw us off the course, and in the end the boys won. It's really impossible to tell, though. Here are my final results in case your interested:
Total weight loss: 15 pounds, 9.2%
Body Fat Percentage: down 4.6%
Measurements:
neck: down .5 inches
chest: down 2.75 inches
waist: down 8 inches
hips: down 3 inches
plank hold: increase 390% (from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, 27 seconds)
push ups: increase 300% (from 6 to 24)
squats: 43% increase (from 81 to 116)
row calories burned in 5 minutes: 56% increase (from 39 to 61)
I did all of this math myself, so it could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time I screwed up at math. :)
My reaction?
Oh my holy moly goodness!
First, I lost 14.25 inches from my body. That's more than a foot! I can't believe that's even possible, much less in eight weeks. It's still a little surreal.
The day before my final assessment, I did a little practice in my living room so I could have goals to shoot for. I had Keaton time my plank hold, and I did one minute easily. I knew I could do at least two, so I went in with a goal of more than two. I wish I had held on for three more seconds because I like round numbers, but I really gave it all I had.
(By the way, when I practiced, I had Coach Tucker helping me out. "Planks? You mean hover? I LOVE hover! I bet I can hover more than you! Let's do it together. Come on! Come on! You can last longer than that! PUSH!" It was funny and a little...well...weird having my nine year old work as my personal trainer.)
Have I mentioned that push ups suck. They really, really, really suck and I hate them. I would rather do burpees. For reals. I told the trainer before my final test that I knew I could do 15, but I wanted to do 18 because that would be three times as many as when I started. Then, when I was in the middle of it, she said, "Go for 24!" and I did. I'd like to point out that I actually did 27 push ups, but three of them were not low enough to be counted. I think those combined should at least give me 1 1/2 more.
I also had to take a written test about the movie Food, Inc and the book The Paleo Diet. This was the only thing I got mouthy about because I'm really good at taking tests. It was a ten question test, and I got a 70. A 70! When Brad told me, I knew exactly which three questions I missed because I had it narrowed down to two answers and picked the wrong ones. I would like to point out that I got every question from the book correct, and two of the three questions I missed were about numbers. It was that darn movie that got me. In my mind, I could see the graphics on the screen that answered the questions, but I couldn't read the numbers.
I did my fitness test during the first half of Thursday's workout, and I really couldn't do much in the second half. My hamstrings cramped (from the squats, I'm sure) and I was just completely out of fuel. I mostly just stretched during the second half. I knew that I gave it everything I had in the fitness test, so I can't really be disappointed if the girls lose.
When this whole thing started, I told Trey I'd like to lose 20 pounds, and after losing 15 it seems silly to stop now. I need to get a plan together for working out, and I've decided this includes putting the gym on my calendar two or three days a week. That way no one schedules anything in my afternoons that seeps into my gym time. It also makes me go, which is great.
I think I'll also suggest to my local gym that they begin posting a "workout of the week." Part of the beauty of BCS Fitness is that we never did the same thing twice. At the gym by myself, I know that I'll just do the same thing over and over, and that thing won't be the hardest exercises. I need someone telling me to do something different each week, something that will make me push myself.
I also need to continue my meal planning and cooking at home. I've discovered lots of stuff that I didn't know I liked - like asparagus - and I need to keep looking for those healthy foods and adding vegetables to every meal. I learned that I like protein bars (these are my favorite), and while they aren't low calorie health food, they are better than having a candy bar or pretzels or some other nutrition-free snack when I'm starving and have to eat in the car.
I guess the most important thing I've learned is that I was lying to myself. In my contest entry to BCS Fitness, I wrote, "I feel like I'm just made to be over 160 pounds." Well, I'm not. I feel better at less than 160 pounds, less than 150, and being heavier than that is because I'm too lazy to take care of myself. It feels a little harsh, but it's true.
And so, the journey begins. I'll post later about whether or not the girls won and I get another 8 weeks of free training.
I'll also be on the lookout for new experiences to blog about. Anything with heights is out because I'm terrified of them, but I'm open to other suggestions.
Travel blogs are always fun. Remember How do you Say Buggy in Spanish and The Korean Spa Adventure? If anyone would like to send me on a trip, I'd be happy to write about it.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Is there a woman I can talk to?
You know those commercials that say, "Is there a woman I can talk to?" I think they're for soup or something. That's how I feel this morning. I need someone who understands to be excited for me. Trey gets it, but he's not a girl (thankfully).
This morning in my new usual routine of trying on 47 pairs of pants to find some that fit, I made a shocking discovery. Jeans I haven't worn in years - literally like four years - fit me now. It felt so good that I tried on another pair, some of my favorite comfy jeans that I just couldn't get rid of even though I never really thought I'd wear them again, and THEY FIT, TOO!
And they don't just fit, like I can get them on and buttoned but not necessarily breathe in them, but they are actually wearable for an extended period of time. In fact, I may need a belt with one pair. For reals.
It's been about five weeks of eating healthy and working out, and I've lost ten pounds and almost ten inches. Crazy.
My thoughts for the day before I head to an early morning dentist appointment:
1) I don't think I was particularly down on myself for being heavier than I thought I should. I didn't like it, but it's not like I was unhappy with my life or anything. I have a great life, even if I also have a big butt. (Does anyone else hear the lyrics to "Baby Got Back" in their head right now? Sorry, I digress.) Being healthier is just, well, better.
2) I have not starved myself, suffered, or even been hungry in the last five weeks. I've just eaten more spinach, carrots, hummus, apples, egg whites, shrimp, and other really yummy stuff. I had a birthday, too, so there was cake and margaritas and more cake and a cookie in there somewhere and some chocolate bread pudding from Cafe Eccel and a glass of red wine because I was on a hot date with my husband. I don't have to totally deprive myself from treats, I just have to save them for times when I really want them and not eat sugar because I've had a bad day.
3) If I'm not sweating - seriously dripping gross amounts of sweat - I didn't work out hard enough. Previously I went to my gym 4-5 times a week, set the treadmill on 3.5, and walked away for about 30 minutes. I left there with a petite drip of perspiration on my brow. That's not working out, and it's also not worth my time. To really get good exercise, I have to be willing to get gross.
Okay, off to the dentist! I wish you all get that warm fuzzy feeling today that comes when your favorite jeans fit!
This morning in my new usual routine of trying on 47 pairs of pants to find some that fit, I made a shocking discovery. Jeans I haven't worn in years - literally like four years - fit me now. It felt so good that I tried on another pair, some of my favorite comfy jeans that I just couldn't get rid of even though I never really thought I'd wear them again, and THEY FIT, TOO!
And they don't just fit, like I can get them on and buttoned but not necessarily breathe in them, but they are actually wearable for an extended period of time. In fact, I may need a belt with one pair. For reals.
It's been about five weeks of eating healthy and working out, and I've lost ten pounds and almost ten inches. Crazy.
My thoughts for the day before I head to an early morning dentist appointment:
1) I don't think I was particularly down on myself for being heavier than I thought I should. I didn't like it, but it's not like I was unhappy with my life or anything. I have a great life, even if I also have a big butt. (Does anyone else hear the lyrics to "Baby Got Back" in their head right now? Sorry, I digress.) Being healthier is just, well, better.
2) I have not starved myself, suffered, or even been hungry in the last five weeks. I've just eaten more spinach, carrots, hummus, apples, egg whites, shrimp, and other really yummy stuff. I had a birthday, too, so there was cake and margaritas and more cake and a cookie in there somewhere and some chocolate bread pudding from Cafe Eccel and a glass of red wine because I was on a hot date with my husband. I don't have to totally deprive myself from treats, I just have to save them for times when I really want them and not eat sugar because I've had a bad day.
3) If I'm not sweating - seriously dripping gross amounts of sweat - I didn't work out hard enough. Previously I went to my gym 4-5 times a week, set the treadmill on 3.5, and walked away for about 30 minutes. I left there with a petite drip of perspiration on my brow. That's not working out, and it's also not worth my time. To really get good exercise, I have to be willing to get gross.
Okay, off to the dentist! I wish you all get that warm fuzzy feeling today that comes when your favorite jeans fit!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Fitness Update (but mostly food)
Before we get to the food, I have an exercise comment.
I was not able to go to BCS Fitness last week at my regularly scheduled timed because I had to work later than usual, so Brad let me come on Wednesday instead. That means I worked out Tuesday AND Wednesday, and at the end of the workout Wednesday I wanted to lay down on the floor and not move again until Friday. Wednesday was hard - beyond hard - and I almost didn't finish. Luckily, during partner work I was teamed up with Patty (I think that was her name), someone who obviously is no stranger to hard workouts, and she encouraged me and maybe picked up my slack a little.
I didn't want to go from Wednesday to the following Tuesday without working out, so this afternoon I went to the gym. I decided ahead of time that I was going to walk five minutes and then run five minutes for thirty minutes total. This is slightly more rigorous than my usual gym routine of setting the treadmill on a breezy 3.5 miles an hour and watching Ice Loves Coco.
Unfortunately, as soon as I started walking on the treadmill my knee starting screaming at me. I thought maybe I could stretch it out and it would feel better, but it just hurt more. This turned out to be a good thing because I got on the elliptical instead. I ellipticalled (I have an English degree that allows me to make up words) for thirty full minutes, and I would now call that a pretty easy workout. That's a long way from where I was.
By the way, Ice Loves Coco wasn't on, or that part of my workout would have been the same. Guilty pleasure tv, anyone?
It dawned on me today that my knee has never bothered me while working out at BCS Fitness. I have no idea why - my guess is that it's either because there's someone there making sure I'm doing exercises correctly OR because I'm so focused on not passing out that I don't notice.
And now food.
Currently I'm munching on baked sweet potato chips from a recipe I found on Pinterest. They are delicious and wonderfully, well, munchy. These are a little softer than I think they should be, and had I arranged them in a single layer on the baking sheet they would be even better.
Tonight for dinner we had shrimp with creamy orange chipotle sauce, and oh my holy goodness it was good. I found the recipe in a cookbook that a friend from work let me browse (thanks, Jenny), and tonight is the first time I've made it. It makes four servings and has about 138 calories per serving according to my fancy app. The recipe says to serve it with linguine, but I didn't have any so we ate it over brown rice. YUM!
We also had sliced avocado and asparagus. I don't think I've cooked asparagus before (maybe once) but Trish gave me a quick explanation of how she cooks it when I asked for suggestions on my facebook (thanks, Trish). I put it in a shallow container with a small dollop of butter and some salt and just enough water to cover it. She said to microwave it, but it occurred to me that I had no idea how long. Well, it turns out I have a very smart microwave because it has a setting for cooking fresh vegetables (you just punch in the weight in ounces) and the asparagus came out perfectly.
Then, I spent about 45 minutes tonight preparing some things for this week so that I won't be tempted to just have pepperoni rolls because I don't have time to cook.
First, I made prosciutto and green olive pasta salad and packed it in containers for lunch. I haven't eaten it yet, but it sure smelled delicious when I was making it. At three servings per "batch" it's about 276 calories. The recipe says it's four servings, but I could only find three empty containers and since I'm having it for lunch I decided that my version would just be three.
The pasta salad came from Jenny's cookbook, too. I can't remember the name of it, but I'll find out. Maybe she'll just post it here. :)
Finally, I made the stuffing for apricot stuffed pork tenderloin, which we'll have for dinner tomorrow. We don't have to be at the baseball fields until 7:00, so I've got time tomorrow to stuff it and cook it for 30 minutes This came from my niece, Jackie's, Paleo cookbook, The Paleo Diet (thanks, Jackie). I did a little taste test on the stuffing, and it seems pretty good. I guess we'll find out tomorrow.
Also on the menu for the week, Trey's green enchiladas. He usually makes them the night before and they heat up really well, so those are great for a night when we have to be at the baseball field at 5:30. I also want to make individual meatloaves again because they were perfect for lunches and a quick dinner last week.
My new favorite breakfast recipe: spinach and feta frittata. It smells heavenly when it's cooking and it heats up really well so you can make it ahead of time and have it for breakfast during the week.
So far, so good. While I'm working out better, I think food choices are going to be a huge part of me participating (and hopefully winning) the contest. I definitely feel better. Getting dressed in the morning takes about twice as long because the pants I wore two weeks ago are likely to fall down which could result in a very unfortunate flashing incident at my elementary school. My smaller sizes don't quite fit yet, but I think I'll get there. I feel reasonably certain I haven't peaked at a week and half!
In the last couple of years I have learned to love to cook, but I get easily bored with cooking the same thing all the time. I especially love spicy food and food that can be prepped or even completely cooked ahead of time. If you have a fantastic healthy recipe, please share!
I was not able to go to BCS Fitness last week at my regularly scheduled timed because I had to work later than usual, so Brad let me come on Wednesday instead. That means I worked out Tuesday AND Wednesday, and at the end of the workout Wednesday I wanted to lay down on the floor and not move again until Friday. Wednesday was hard - beyond hard - and I almost didn't finish. Luckily, during partner work I was teamed up with Patty (I think that was her name), someone who obviously is no stranger to hard workouts, and she encouraged me and maybe picked up my slack a little.
I didn't want to go from Wednesday to the following Tuesday without working out, so this afternoon I went to the gym. I decided ahead of time that I was going to walk five minutes and then run five minutes for thirty minutes total. This is slightly more rigorous than my usual gym routine of setting the treadmill on a breezy 3.5 miles an hour and watching Ice Loves Coco.
Unfortunately, as soon as I started walking on the treadmill my knee starting screaming at me. I thought maybe I could stretch it out and it would feel better, but it just hurt more. This turned out to be a good thing because I got on the elliptical instead. I ellipticalled (I have an English degree that allows me to make up words) for thirty full minutes, and I would now call that a pretty easy workout. That's a long way from where I was.
By the way, Ice Loves Coco wasn't on, or that part of my workout would have been the same. Guilty pleasure tv, anyone?
It dawned on me today that my knee has never bothered me while working out at BCS Fitness. I have no idea why - my guess is that it's either because there's someone there making sure I'm doing exercises correctly OR because I'm so focused on not passing out that I don't notice.
And now food.
Currently I'm munching on baked sweet potato chips from a recipe I found on Pinterest. They are delicious and wonderfully, well, munchy. These are a little softer than I think they should be, and had I arranged them in a single layer on the baking sheet they would be even better.
Tonight for dinner we had shrimp with creamy orange chipotle sauce, and oh my holy goodness it was good. I found the recipe in a cookbook that a friend from work let me browse (thanks, Jenny), and tonight is the first time I've made it. It makes four servings and has about 138 calories per serving according to my fancy app. The recipe says to serve it with linguine, but I didn't have any so we ate it over brown rice. YUM!
We also had sliced avocado and asparagus. I don't think I've cooked asparagus before (maybe once) but Trish gave me a quick explanation of how she cooks it when I asked for suggestions on my facebook (thanks, Trish). I put it in a shallow container with a small dollop of butter and some salt and just enough water to cover it. She said to microwave it, but it occurred to me that I had no idea how long. Well, it turns out I have a very smart microwave because it has a setting for cooking fresh vegetables (you just punch in the weight in ounces) and the asparagus came out perfectly.
Then, I spent about 45 minutes tonight preparing some things for this week so that I won't be tempted to just have pepperoni rolls because I don't have time to cook.
First, I made prosciutto and green olive pasta salad and packed it in containers for lunch. I haven't eaten it yet, but it sure smelled delicious when I was making it. At three servings per "batch" it's about 276 calories. The recipe says it's four servings, but I could only find three empty containers and since I'm having it for lunch I decided that my version would just be three.
The pasta salad came from Jenny's cookbook, too. I can't remember the name of it, but I'll find out. Maybe she'll just post it here. :)
Finally, I made the stuffing for apricot stuffed pork tenderloin, which we'll have for dinner tomorrow. We don't have to be at the baseball fields until 7:00, so I've got time tomorrow to stuff it and cook it for 30 minutes This came from my niece, Jackie's, Paleo cookbook, The Paleo Diet (thanks, Jackie). I did a little taste test on the stuffing, and it seems pretty good. I guess we'll find out tomorrow.
Also on the menu for the week, Trey's green enchiladas. He usually makes them the night before and they heat up really well, so those are great for a night when we have to be at the baseball field at 5:30. I also want to make individual meatloaves again because they were perfect for lunches and a quick dinner last week.
My new favorite breakfast recipe: spinach and feta frittata. It smells heavenly when it's cooking and it heats up really well so you can make it ahead of time and have it for breakfast during the week.
So far, so good. While I'm working out better, I think food choices are going to be a huge part of me participating (and hopefully winning) the contest. I definitely feel better. Getting dressed in the morning takes about twice as long because the pants I wore two weeks ago are likely to fall down which could result in a very unfortunate flashing incident at my elementary school. My smaller sizes don't quite fit yet, but I think I'll get there. I feel reasonably certain I haven't peaked at a week and half!
In the last couple of years I have learned to love to cook, but I get easily bored with cooking the same thing all the time. I especially love spicy food and food that can be prepped or even completely cooked ahead of time. If you have a fantastic healthy recipe, please share!
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