Get Up Offa That Thang

I am not a runner. I can honestly say that I am not sure that I was ever a runner. I mean I made do in P.E. but it wasn't something I enjoyed. Volleyball and tennis, yes. Running, no. I have been known to say such things as, "why run when you can walk" or "the only reason to run is if someone is chasing me". Yeah, you could definitely say that running isn't my thing. But in the last few weeks I have decided that I want to run. Maybe it's temporary insanity, probably is, and maybe it will last, no one knows, but for now I have decided to run. Maybe I should say that I want to run. Yes, that's better. It's more of a desire or goal right now than an actual thing I do.

Some of you or maybe all of you have probably heard of the Couch to 5K program. It's a training program for beginners {you could definitely call me a beginner} put out by Cool Running. Have you ever heard of a running festival? I hadn't. For some reason putting running and festival together as an event just seems, well not very festivalish in my opinion. Festivals usually involve bad for you but it tastes good food, jugglers and other such frivolity. It's amazing the things you learn reading a running website. Anyway, I am looking for some crazy, uh, I mean, brave people to join me in this endeavor. You all know that misery loves company. I'm just kidding. Lets just say that I am challenging others around me to get fit and be more active. It's a nine week program and you can print it off from the link above. Once a week I'll post about how I'm coping, hum I mean doing. I would love for some of my bloggity friends to join with me in getting off that couch and get moving. If any of you are interested I will add a Mr. Linky to my update posts and we will all groan, I meant, blog together.

My goal is of course to run a 5K and for me that 5K is in May, on the 15th. It's the annual Start! Heart Walk. It will be a momentous occasion. I will be celebrating my own healthy journey success, honoring my son by doing something for awareness and getting his mama healthy and raising funds for research and education. So for those of you who read this blog and will be participating in the Heart Walk with me, I suggest you get you running shoes out too. ~Smile~

In three short months, I will lace up my tennis shoes and run. {Insert Rocky Theme Song here}



I actually wrote this post two weeks ago, just been tweaking it. Hubs and I got new iPhones last week and guess what app I found. That's right a C25K app that actually talks you through each workout. YAY!! No stopwatches needed or running while trying to look at my watch (that would not be good). I've got my armband, I'm ready to go.

Rockin' The Walk

It was amazing. At one point, I just stood there and watched all the people. Hundreds and hundreds. All walked for a different reason, but all were walking to benefit education, research and family support for the American Heart Association. I was dumbfounded by electricity of it all.


(I know it's blurry, we were walking inside at Busch Stadium and it was packed!)

Linton, Makiah and I walked. I pushed Samuel and Daniel in big double (term lovingly given to the double stroller), Fiona and Cara also walked with us (THANKS). Linton is behind the camera and I do my best to stay off camera.



We passed people in red shirts, green shirts, yellow shirts, purple shirts, blue and white shirts. Teams were everywhere. Hospital teams, company teams, teams walking in memory of someone or in honor of a survivor. I think the purple shirts are the ones that stick out the most in my mind. All of them, and there must have been 25-30, wore a laminated sheet with a picture of a small child attached to the back of their shirt, all the kiddos had a stroke in utero. Survivors, before they were even born. I had never considered a baby having a stroke in utero.



I thought of all the mommies and daddies walking in honor of a child that had survived, or one that hadn't. Even though I didn't know them or them me, we knew each other. At one point a lady bumped into me, which wasn't hard to do and she looked up to apologize I read her shirt. There was a picture of a little boy with her and on it was written my baby and the dates of his life. As we met eyes to apologize there it was--the pain I recognized as my own. A pain that is carefully layered behind life moving on. She smiled and apologized and I could tell that she could see the same thing I saw. We both moved on--both in the walk and everyday.





Some don't understand why I walked, and that's okay. They don't need to understand. It is a productive way to honor my baby. Nathaniel will always be a part of me, of us. I will never stop missing him and all the milestones never achieved. But I can honestly say, I'm still walkin'.

STL Weekend At-a-Glance

I think that Linton and I have the BEST friends EVER.

Last weekend we went to St. Louis for the Heart Walk and fun with friends, who are actually more like family. I don't think it will matter how far away we roam, in many ways St. Louis will always be home. So today is the first installment of our trip!

Friday we arrived and we relaxed for a few minutes and then went to church. Bible study was great. Pastor Blash started a series on the One God doctrine. After church and much chatting, we left and headed to Cara's (the one who's getting married and deserting the posse), for wonderfully tasty Indian food and of course, more fellowship. It was really great to sit around relaxing, talking and debating various Biblical topics. You know, just the typical, save the world stuff! I guess we felt we had to squeeze in as much time as possible into Friday and we stayed up until 2:30 Saturday morning!

Needless to say, Saturday morning was the Heart Walk and 6:15 a.m. never came so early! We got ourselves dragging around, and we finally got ourselves to the Heart Walk. I will devote an entire post to the Heart Walk, but all sum it up right now by saying it was great! I know, I am a whiz with adjectives. Heart Walk post will be up tomorrow.

After the Heart Walk, we headed back to Cara's and Linton and I cleaned up and went to lunch with Pastor Blash. We left all three kiddos with Cara and Fiona (I am telling you the best friends a girl could have), and they all took a nap. Wimps! ~Smile~ Only kidding of course. If we hadn't been at lunch we would have napped too.

Later that afternoon the people began to gather for the BBQ. Linton was prepping the food (yes, no way was he getting out of grilling) and making the sauce. We ate and laughed, ate some more, talked, ate and laughed into the night. The rest of the BBQ/party details you will have to wait on, that's for another post, complete with pics!! After all that walking and partying you would think we would head to bed early, but because we are absolutely crazy we stayed up Saturday night until 2:30 AGAIN!

Sunday morning, brought about more dragging around. We finally got moving and went to church. Sunday School was another great lesson and Linton preached second service, which was good. Then after service was a pot luck! It was really wondreful to be able to hang out with all of Fresh Anointing UPC after service. The food was fabulous and the fellowship was even better than the food. Then, I am not sure who thought of it, but someone decided to have gospel karaoke. It was great. We got to hear people sing who never sing in church, for one reason or another. We laughed and sang the afternoon away.

When we finally got back to Cara's house we were all beat, but none of us cared. We talked and laughed some more and then we started a Phase Ten game. Because we were all starting to fade, we made it a Phase 5 game. After trying to stay awake, I finally called it quits at 1 a.m. and went to bed.

On Monday, we slept in!! ~~I hear the angel choir singing Hallelujah~~ We hung around Cara's house and then late morning headed to Whole Foods. Picked up a couple of snacks for the road later and then on to Elephant Bar Restaurant. GREAT FOOD!! Then it was time to bid Jonathan (who went with us) and St. Louis farewell and head home.

It was a great trip and I will be posting more specifics of some of it over the next couple of days. St. Louis family WE LOVE YOU and thanks for a great weekend!!

Where Did The Time Go??

Hello, my name is Mamalovelock and I occasionally blog here.

I realized today that it had actually been two and a half weeks since I posted. I guess I have been a bloggy break without actually saying it.

I just needed a break. I haven't really read any blogs either. Not because I don't love all those I read, I just needed a break. Not from you all just from blogging. Things have been really busy and crazy around here and blogging took a lower priority in the month of April.

Tomorrow we leave for St. Louis, and the Heart Walk is Saturday. Makiah's birthday is also Saturday, so the weekend is looking good. I will be glad to see everyone and we will be back with many pictures, of course.

So, my bloggy break will continue until Monday. I will back with my usual mediocrity then. Thank you and good night. =)

If Anyone Has Seen My Willpower, Please Send It Home

Does that tell you anything????

No, really, I haven't done terrible, but I haven't lost really anything in the last 3 weeks. My own fault, I dropped off the wagon when Daniel went into the hospital and getting everything back on track hasn't been easy. My eating wasn't great either, again, my own fault.

I started this post on Saturday and now, Monday, I am finishing it! I think I am back on track with the food, but the exercising--different story. I want too, but I am so busy trying to get everything else done, that I haven't been making time for it. That stops today! I have to exercise, it is key to the weight decreasing. So I am going to start scheduling my times to exercise! I also need to get in gear and preparing for the Heart Walk, or I am not going to make it!!! I refuse to fail! I will walk in the Heart Walk and finish it!! Tomorrow morning I am heading to either the treadmill (at the gym) or the high school track to walk.

On Wii Fit, one of my favorite things, there is a section of Yoga. Never really got into Yoga, but I have fallen in love with it on the Wii. I thoroughly enjoy it and it truly is a workout!! I avoided yoga because it was always associated with terms like~~"finding your center"~~"feel the earth's power"~~and other such things. If I am wrong, please don't be offended, but I know my center--God and the power, same thing. I have found yoga to be very relaxing. I usually play slow worship music and concentrate on God or His word and I always come out feeling better. If I am going to tap into something, I want to tap into more of God.

Also, I have been playing so much Wii Tennis that my right arm is incredibly sore!! When we moved a little over a year ago, I got rid of my tennis rackets, because, well, they were loved and very worn!! So I have requested a shiny new racket for my birthday! Which is May 9, by-the-way. I'll be 30!! I used to love to play tennis and I want to get outside and play for real. Don't get me wrong I love my Wii Tennis, but I am ready to get out of my living room. Linton and I are both very competitive and though I'll probably never actually beat him, I am going to make him work for a win!!

So as for my workouts~~
~Wii Fit--various exercises on there, about an hour a day.
~Wii Sports--Tennis--usually for about an hour after the kids are in bed!
~Crunches--30 per day
~Wall Push-ups--30 per day
~Lying Leg Curls--50 per day
~Squats--30 per day
~Toe Touches--70 per day
~Bi-cep Curls--20 each arm
~Tri-cep Curls--20 each arm

My exercises are split up throughout the day, for two reasons. One, is so that I can actually get stuff done around here and, two, so that I can keep the metabolism working. I am back to drinking 12-14 cups (8 oz) of water a day. I also try to drink 3 cups of herbal tea a day.

So, now you have been updated on the Great Slim Down '09. Now I have a literal mountain of laundry waiting for me in the laundry room area! I must go sort and start it before it comes together to form a giant monster of dirtiness!

Have a happy and blessed Monday!! =)

What's Going Here You Ask??

Maybe you don't want to know. Sickness of all types of yuck have been going on here. Just when we thought things were getting better, Sam and Makiah started running fevers and had sinus ick. So I took them to the doctor and they both have Upper Respiratory Infections and that caused Sam's asthma to jump in too. Daniel on the other hand was doing great. I thought, "we are nearing the end of the illness tunnel", when I was snapped back to reality by fever, cough, runny nose and sinus ick. Yes, Daniel is now sporting his very own URI. So I continue with the disinfecting and nose wiping.

At this point I am wondering if a thermal cleaning is possible. Just zap it all!

On an up note, the weather has been grand and as soon as the kidlets are well again, we are heading outside. We may do school outside every day--just because.

Anywoo, in an attempt at a real post, I thought I'd at least sing the praises of our trip to St. Louis, now two and a half weeks old. It was wonderful. We had a grand time of ministering, relaxing and fellowship. It was so needed. There are some people that will always be important and play an important role in one's life and the church family we have over there are those people. Dear friends that are more like family than friends. We all hold them dear and always will. I don't think it will ever matter how far we roam from each other, we will always be close.

I am getting back into the swing of the Great Slim Down. I have to say that I let up during all this mess, so much to do besides exercise. Yes, I kind of fell of the wagon for a few days, but I am not going to stop. I re-started the exercising today. Actually when I weighed, I found a nice surprise. I just knew that I had picked up a pound or two. I was truly amazed to find that I had lost another 1.8 pounds. I'll take that! I am also going to start seriously training for the Heart Walk that is quickly approaching. I plan on being out the door by 6 in the morning and on the track. Can't wait actually~~the solitude, just me and the iPod. It may end up being more for my mental health than exercise at this point!

Well, I need to get ready for church now. Hubs is staying home with the sicklets so that I can actually go to church.

Slim Down '09 Just Got A Whole Lot More Fun!!

I have to admit that though I know exercise is the way to truly lose weight, that sometimes it's just not FUN. So I had slacked off just slightly and I needed a pick me up. Well, I got it this week. We have a new addition to the family.

Welcome cute, little, FUN Wii Fit. . . . where have you been all my life??

I have to say that I absolutely love it. I was more than a little curious as to whether or not it would actually be a workout. I got my answer and yes it is. I don't know that I would use it as my sole source of activity, but it definitely gives you a workout. It also tracks weight and BMI, which is helpful. There are many exercises and I like that, because it keeps it from being boring.

Anyway, as for my progress. . .like I said, I had slacked off a little, but I am back full force now. I have been soda free for 51 days and still crave it occasionally, but I haven't caved. I have had a little more sweet tea than I had been, but my water intake is still good. Exercising has been what I slacked off. I didn't stop, I just wasn't doing as much. Since the beginning of the year I have lost 11 pounds and over 12 inches. I plan on being down 5 more pounds by the end of February and as many inches as choose to leave.

I am still doing strength training and aerobics daily. I have added balance training (apparently I am off balance and I should be tripping when I walk), and also some Yoga poses. I am not into the meditation portion of yoga, but the poses do give you quite a workout and help with balance, strength and flexibility.

My first mini goal is to lose 25 pounds by the end of March. My second mini goal is have to lose another 15 pounds before the heart walk in St. Louis. Lofty goal that second one, because I'll only have a month, but ya gotta shoot for something!

Heart Tip: Know your numbers!! There are certain numbers that everyone should know to make sure they are healthy. These numbers tell you a great deal about how your body is doing. You can't reduce your risks if you don't even know you are at risk. These numbers are: HDL--good cholesterol, LDL--bad cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, weight and BMI (body mass index). Knowing all these numbers will give you a good idea of your risks for heart disease. I suggest you also know your blood sugar. Most people who develop diabetes don't even realize they are feeling different until their sugar is way too high. Once you know your base line numbers, your doctor can better monitor any changes.

Here are the links again to my Heart Walk page and my team's page. I haven't done a whole lot of recruiting or fund raising yet, but all in good time.

Hope hope you all are having a fabulous Friday.

Lace Up Those Sneakers and Let's START!

BIG News!!! Drum roll please. . . . .

I'm officially in training. Training to participate in a 5K, this mama is lacing up her pink and white tennis shoes to walk in the American Heart Association START! Heart Walk on May 2nd, in St. Louis. I am so excited!

I have wanted to walk in it for several years now, but this year I am doing it! I first considered it a few years back, walking in Nathaniel's memory, but I didn't. So this year, I decided, there is no time like the present and I am going to walk. I'm walking for several reasons. These are in no particular order--personal accomplishment, to raise money and awareness to a cause that I am passionate about (and hits very closely to my heart) and it is something productive to do annually in honor of Nathaniel. The most important reason being the last one. According to the AMA 36,000 children are born with a heart defect each year! I was a mama with a baby in that statistic group almost 9 years ago and if it hadn't been for research and research funding, my precious Nathaniel wouldn't have lived past 15 minutes, literally. I also want to add that I believe that God's a healer. First and fore most prayer should go up for those dealing with or born with heart disease, but I also believe that God gave some people the brilliance to work on these kiddos and others to be giving enough to fund the brilliant. So let me say, emphatically, that God brought Nathaniel through those three years and he used some very kind, amazing, brilliant and talented people to complete that task! I know that the Great Physician guided our earthly physicians and what a team they made!!

~~Shout out to Dr. Eric Medelloff (the surgeon), Dr. David Balzer (Nathaniels primary Cardiac doc) the Cardiac Team and the fabulous staff of St. Louis Children's Hospital!! You guys ROCK!!~~

Team Nathaniel has been formed. I have a personal web page through the AMA and a Team Page. Right now the team is me, I haven't started recruiting yet, so if you want to join me you are more than welcome. I shouldn't really say it's just me. Makiah is walking with me and I am pushing the boys. This is a family event. Hubs will be designing a Team Nathaniel t-shirt for those walking. If you can't walk, but you want to help, sponsoring is good too. No pressure to do either, I just wanted to share with all of you what I am doing. Joining and/or sponsoring can be done on those two web pages. Join on the team page and donations can be made on my personal page.

Now, here's your heart tip for Saturday: go nuts!! You have now been given permission to go nuts--walnuts, cashews, flaxseeds or sesame seeds, macadamias and most importantly almonds. Nuts pack a healthy punch for your heart by providing some healthy fats. They also give you something crunchy to munch on with the benefit of it being good for you. Watch out for the salted ones, they pack too much sodium! I like to add raw nuts to my salads or throw them in my chicken meals. Pack some to munch on during those walks for a nutritious boost of energy or as a cure for the afternoon drag. One serving at a time is just perfect for great health!

Gotta run now, do some cleaning, then off to celebrate Dad. Tomorrow is his birthday! I'll be posting pics tomorrow of my wonderful daddy!

I hope everyone is having a splendid Saturday!!