Autumn Goals

So, day bazillion in Disneyland.  Having kids that are bigger means we can cover a lot of ground in a short period of time.  It’s amazing that things have changed so significantly in the past two years with their growing up.  I used to say taking the kids to Disneyland was like trying to herd cats through the mall at Christmastime, slow and meandering- but now they are focused, fast and driven.  Both ways are fun and nice.  I’ve loved every single phase of parenthood- I have yet to get to a point where I’m ‘over’ being a mom and for them to ‘just grow up already.’  If anything I want to make them slow down, molasses them, make them stay little.  It was lovely when we were walking behind toddling Gigi down Winnie the Pooh’s path and just as lovely to be watching my big boy, Jude, look like one of the oldest kids in the Jedi Academy.  I can’t wait to bring grandkids, too.  Shhhhh….  Every phase, I’m telling you.  I had one day where I went over 20,000 steps and what got me there was going in the evening and morning.  To get a bunch of steps, at Disneyland, you really have to put in your time.  Line standing equals no steps.  Going home at 3:00 to swim in the pool and laze around the hotel room watching cable tv doesn’t help, either.  I suppose going fast and accomplishing a lot in that short period of time comes at a cost.  LOL!

Gigi bought this dress as a bonus back to school outfit.  She got so much attention while wearing it that she turned to us at one point and said that she felt like she was little again and wearing a princess dress.  We called her Princess Guinevere, the Sky Princess.  Even if she won’t dress up for the park anymore, she will always be a princess when in the Magic Kingdom.❤️

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish as school starts, fitness and weightloss wise. 

• First, I don’t think I’m going to become a certified Zumba instructor.  I was really excited about the prospect and was about half a second away from registering when I took a Zumba class this summer and instantly, the injuries I had recovered from during the prior month reappeared.  My back hurt.  My shoulders hurt.  My breast-support-muscle injuries started returning.  I don’t think dedicating a significant part of my life to that is a good idea.
• I used to host bi-weekly Zumba workouts in my classroom after school, but I don’t know about that so much this year.  My son will be attending my school with me, which is a change, and I’d hate to make his day longer by adding two nights of Zumba to it.  I’m considering one day a week, but really I’m just hoping that another teacher might take it on and host sometimes, too.
• I’m mad about running with Gigi.  Simply crazy about her!  I want to make sure we keep running and connecting.  That’s the most important thing for me right now- maintaining my relationship with her, helping to maintain her relationship with running and continuing to develop as a runner, myself.  I’m pretty serious about training for a whole, entire marathon, now.  It sounds so unappealing, but at the same time, it sounds thrilling and like such an accomplishment!  Imagine having that experience and memory of your own mother or father to hang onto.  I’d love to share that gift with her.
• Fat, fat, fat.  Skinny Meg went and had a boob job AND lower body lift and looks simply AMAZING.  All of her hard work is right there, for all to see, now!  Abs are visible, tummy is flat, thighs look smooth- it’s been an amazing transformation.  While plastic surgery is, likely, something that I will never be able to afford, I do like the idea of getting to a place where, if the opportunity came up, I wouldn’t feel like I needed to lose more weight or get into better shape to have it.  While my entire motivation in the beginning was to ditch the skin after I lost the fat, now I feel pretty satisfied at the prospect of just getting that far.  To that end, I really want to focus on losing some fat this fall.  It’s going to be really hard, again.  I eat like a runner who runs a lot, because I do run a lot, so to lose some fat means I’m going to get a bit grumpy, frankly, as I dial the calories around and figure out a method.  First thing that needs to be adjusted is my night habit of ice cream.  It’s so hard for me to deny myself ice cream (seriously) but if I want the results I need to get my rear in gear.  Once I get to where I want to be I can eat like a runner again, as long as I keep running!