Mad Monday (not literally)

First thing first...

I want to say a HUGE congrats to my friend K who starts her new job today. She landed her DREAM job. It just goes to show that God only gives you what you can handle at any given moment. He knew that she needed the time to focus on her house rebuild after the tornado and now that she is back in, she could focus on a new job. Congrats girl!

Next thing...

Xavier is at home from school today. Saturday night he was up saying his stomach hurt. And while he didnt complain about it yesterday, he really didnt eat much. This morning he was saying his stomach hurt again and he didnt want to eat and just laid his head on the kitchen table. I finally decided that he was just too punky to send to school. If he is sick, I dont want to get the other kids sick. And if it just exhaustion, he really should catch up on sleep so he doesnt get sicker.

So I put him back to bed. And here it is 10am and he is still sleeping. Hopefully he will feel better when he gets up.

Going back to to last night...

I didnt end up doing zumba or the elliptical.

Instead I went for a walk with K. I finished her picture that she wanted and so when I delivered it, we went for a walk. Now when I walk, I power walk. 4.3 mph or so...a good quick pace and I use a higher knee walk so my heart rate gets higher. Well K isnt used to that. We havent walked lately. So we had to turn around about 3/4 way thru the walk. I am hoping to talk her into walking again tonight. I will whip her into shape. LOL.

Today I did P90X shoulders, chest and abs. Lots of push ups and pull ups. I LOVE the pull ups, hate the push ups. Some of them just kill my bad shoulder. So I just do modifications like regular push ups instead of military or I do more pull ups instead of push ups. And folks- before you think "OMG she does a ton of pull ups" I use a band. So they really arent a true pull up on a bar but I still get great results from it.

So tonight I am going to either walk or do zumba or elliptical.

I am also going to implement a no snacking after 7pm rule with the exception of gym nights where I dont get home until 8:30 or so. Then it will be a quick bit of protein laced food and then to bed. I have to stop the snacking.

I also have been taking the Greens and the Thermofit. I think the Thermofit is going to work just fine. I just need to stop over eating and sabotaging myself with snacks and alcohol and let the stuff do its thing.

The Greens are fantastic and have been giving me lots of energy. Even Xavier had some this morning. I think I am going to start giving it to the boys in their orange juice in the morning too. It is a great way to get your fruits and veggies and I recommend checking it out. It does turn your orange juice green just as a word of warning. But it is orange flavored. I even cut my juice in half and dilute it with water before adding the Greens to it.

I also have a great thing that has been distracting me away from the kitchen a bit. My painting.

I mentioned I finished K's painting. Here is how it turned out:

And here is the next project that I am working on. It is based on a Gustav Klimt painting called Water Serpents II. I started it yesterday and will continue it today.

I plan on this going above our bed in the master bedroom. The picture is a bit blurry but it is because of how I had to take the picture. This will probably take me another few days to finish depending on how much I work on it. I may limit myself to working on it at night because that is when I do my snacking. If I paint then I cant snack.

And my friend A might be interested in a painting too. She just needs to figure out what her and her partner want. Very exciting. I dont mind doing them for my friends if they buy the canvas to get my name out there. If their friends want one, then I will start charging for my works. Hopefully I can turn this into a business. I have really missed painting!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Tip of the Day:

I saw this on Shape.com and had to share.

It is called Carbs without Cause: 8 foods worse than White Bread

1. Fancy Coffee Drinks- Not only can these have as many calories as a meal, (sometimes upwards of 400) their carb count can be on par with a pre-marathon pasta binge; some have 60–80g of carbs per serving. Add in sugars, saturated fats in whipped cream, and chocolate flavorings, and you've got dessert in a very large plastic cup.

2. Bagels- Bagels are a morning ritual for some, but according to Villacorta, unless you're hitting the gym right after (and plan on staying until lunch), you may want to rethink, even if you opt for whole wheat.
"Depending on the size, I normally recommend a bagel to someone who is going on a two- to three-hour run afterwards," he says. The reason is portion size. Many deli bagels can have 250-300 calories and more than 50g of carbs each.

3.  Juice drinks and smoothies- (this one surprised me) Smoothie and juice spots are everywhere, and they can seem like a healthy drink to get on the go. But a 16oz fruit-heavy juice can have as many as 75g of carbohydrates and 64g of sugar (ditto for smoothies). If you can't start the day without juice, stick to about 4oz, which has a reasonable 15-20g of carbs.

4. Cheese Crackers (like the cheese crackers with peanut butter in the middle)- If you're going to indulge in a few processed carbs, don't do it here. While the carb count isn't necessarily through the roof (about 18g per serving), these orange snacks are particularly cringe inducing because there is literally no other redeeming nutritional factor. They're full of chemicals, additives, and artificial colors, plus they may also contain high-fructose corn syrup. And don't be fooled by organic versions. They may be filled with less artificial junk, but processed flour and high-fat cheese can still be "organic."

5. Baked Goods at Coffee Shops- Muffins used to be a baseball-sized treat. Now they're more like softballs, with some containing nearly 64g of carbs and more than 30g of sugar. If your morning muffin is made with processed flour, sugar, and butter, it's really no different than a slice of cake. Stick to a two-ounce serving and choose whole grain ingredients—think bran, not lemon poppy.

6.  Yogurt with Fruit on the Bottom- It's the ultimate chick pre-workout/afternoon/late-night snack, and yogurt on its own is a great choice. Problem is, that fruit is sugar central. All yogurt contains lactose, which is a naturally occurring carbohydrate; generally in a single serving it equals about 12-15g of carbs, which is fine, but when you add the jammy fruit you can nearly double that amount. You end up with nearly 30g of carbs, half of which is the processed, quick-burning kind. Stick to the creamy (and protein-packed) Greek variety and add some cut-up fresh fruit.

7. Movie Theater Popcorn- It may seem obvious, given the size, but for many of us it's a key part of the movie-going experience, and besides, even if you order a bag once a week, how bad can that be? According to Villacorta, very. Popcorn is already about 1,200 calories, almost all from carbohydrates (and a whopping 580mg of sodium) for a large-sized bag. That's before you add the butter. Don't waste an entire day's worth carbs and calories while you mindlessly munch your way through The Hunger Games.

8. Yogurt Covered Raisins- Essentially candy for health-food nuts, and who eats just one—or five? In fact, a scant ¼ cup contains 20g of carbs and 19g of sugar. Skip the bulk candy aisle at your health food store and pick up a small bar of dark chocolate instead.