the2beths

Man Alive, have we been hit by sickness at my house. It started last Sunday, the night after we had our families over to celebrate Henry's birthday. Henry had quite a weekend, Thursday we went to Chuck E Cheese, Saturday we went to a 1st birthday party of a friend's, and Sunday all of his favs came over for his birthday. My niece Ava spent the night that night. Henry went to bed at 7:30 as he was exhausted. Ava and I were watching a movie we rented when all of a sudden at 930 Henry starts crying for me. I went up there and he was burning hot. He has never had a really high fever so I did my best to stay chill but I was freaking out a little inside. Ava was very helpful and got him some cold milk and a cold rag while I located and administered Tylenol. I kept him downstairs with us for a while because I wanted to make sure the Tylenol did its job. And it did so I put him back in his bed. I figured he just had a big weekend and got a little bug from being worn out.
Wrong!
It ended up lasting the whole week and it ended with pink eye. We went to the doctor and he didn't have strep, it was just a virus. So we just had to wait it out. On Tuesday my throat started to hurt and by Thursday it was unbearable and I felt sick. I went to Urgent Care. That didn't really help. Long story short, I ended up at my Primary Care doctor yesterday, which I should've done in the first place and I am feeling so much better today. Except I have pink eye. Hahahah. (And Ava got strep! Antibiotics helped her within 3 days.)

And we are going on vacation Thursday and our whole downstairs is getting painted while we are gone, and because I've been sick my house looks like an episode of Hoarders. So I have been busy today trying to dig out from the whole of 8 days of illness. Thank GOD for my mom. She came home from her boat vacation to help us out. She has Henry while I get this stuff done. So, I better get back to it!

Here are some pictures from some birthday stuff of Henry's. I didn't get too many. Also, we had to cancel our birthday/anniversary night away because of illness. Major bummer. My birthday has been rather unremarkable for the last several years. I think I need to plan something next year.

Xoxoxox,
Beth WA

Good Morning! Last night I begged my mom to keep Henry for the night so I could get some decent sleep, i.e. sleep past 645 am. Well, I slept until 9 and it was glorious, only to find out Henry slept in until 9:15 at my mom's. 🙄
Now more than ever I am convinced we need black out shades in Henry's room.

I haven't blogged in a while as I was reminded last night (ahemmm… Heather) We've been having a fun summer. My brother was in town for two weeks and my niece and sister in law are here, too but they get to stay the whole month of July. We went to my parents boat for about 5 days and for 2 days of it we were all up there and it was super fun. Here are some pictures.

Henry and my mom fell asleep on the way home.

It was fun family bonding! It is now Monday because I forgot to hit "publish."

Xoxoxo,
Beth WA

Good morning! 

Henry slept until 7:20 this morning and it was glorious!!! There is such a difference between waking up before and after 7 am for me. At 10 am I am dropping him off at my mom’s and heading to Columbus to my eye doctor’s office to pick out some glasses and hopefully get mine repaired. I have some money on my Flexible Spending Account that I have to spend by Friday. I am pretty happy about it. My glasses are pretty new but I’ve never loved them like my old glasses. 

My doctor is the husband of one of my bff’s from high school so her and I are gonna grab lunch after. It will be a nice outing for the day.  

We are in the beginning stages of a lot of home improvements. One of them is painting all of our downstairs. We went and got samples of the paint and painted spots all over to see if we like the colors we chose. The other thing we are doing is redoing our downstairs bathroom. We went to Lowe’s yesterday and they are supposed to call today to schedule an appointment to come out to our house to measure and find out what we want. We are also getting a new garage door. These are all things we’ve really needed. 

Here are some pics from last week:

We went to the zoo with my mom. 

My great niece Myla spent the day with us. 

We went to visit my bff, Liz, and it was so great to catch up with her. She is very inspiring! You should check her out.  She’s lost over 100 lbs! 

On Saturday, after attending Body Pump for the first time in ages, I had lunch and drinks with my friend Bethie. Our other friends couldn’t make it so I tried to include them as best as I could. 

While I was doing that my inlaws and Craig took Henry to a fire truck event. He loved it! And got to spray the hose!

I also took some head shots of my dad for his company website. Look how cute he is. 

I had to take it because this is what was currently holding the place of his pic. Hahahahaha. 

And Saturday night we had a sleepover with my great niece.  Myla and Henry play so well together. They both have hilarious imaginations and dramatics. 

It was a good week. Going back to body pump was HUGE for my attitude and self esteem. I was really anxious about returning because I feel like a failure because of the weight I’ve gained back. I know it’s just my own mind but I did a lot of thinking this weekend and I hope that I can get my actions to match my goals. ❤️

Also, this week I am making a to do list as far as selling the stuff I want to stuff and getting things out of my house. It’s so full. It stresses me out. And it’s hard for me to get rid of stuff. It’s emotionally exhausting unless I am really in the mood. 

My brother and his family come next week and I am over the moon excited about that!!!! 

Ok, I have to go get in the shower. 

Have a great week everybody! ❤️❤️❤️

Hmmmph. I’m on the struggle bus major and I am gaining weight. Mostly due to evening eating. And last night I had a Eureka moment. I have been eating very small breakfasts. Like really small. Because unlike the school year I know I can eat again when I want. But I think that is making me super hungry around 8 or 9 at night. So it starts with real hunger but then I eat and eat and eat and self loathe and self loathe. 

But, today I am going to try the bigger breakfast. Then my mom, Henry and I are going to the zoo, and this evening I am going to Body Pump for the first time in ages.  I am nervous. But I am just going to keep the weights light. And two of my good friends will be there if I need support. And my other good friend is the instructor. 

Also, we got a new mattress and I never want to get out of it in the morning. It’s amazing. I don’t wake up with aches and pains and I actually get restful sleep! 

I hope everybody is having a good week! Xoxoxo

Beth WA

Slow mornings in the summer are my favorite. 

I have been working on regulating my sleep schedule because I was napping when H napped then I couldn’t fall asleep at night which would cause me to be super tired when he woke up the next morning at his regular 6-645 am. It was also causing me to go on a food frenzy from 9pm -12 am every night. Not good. 

I’ve been doing really well with exercise, and hydrating, but as always, I am eating too much. I’m working on it, but trying to focus on the positive. I think the elimination of evening eating will help. Last night was a successful night!  (I define successful as not eating after dinner. Heather! I did it!!!) The nutritionist that spoke at my gym said that a person should not have to eat after dinner. And that really resonated with me. The eating after dinner that I do is usually a habit or ritual, and not actual hunger. And once I start with something small it’s hard for me to stop. So, its best that I just don’t eat after dinner.  #workinprogress

I’ve been going to the gym most nights around 8 to walk on the treadmill for an hour and watch Netflix. I have joint pain and a lot of weight on my bones so, I just walk slowly at an incline and watch a television show.  Currently I am watching “The Keepers.”  It is a disturbing show but it makes the time go by fast. The purpose of this trip to the gym is not only for the cardio, but it helps me mentally to get out of the house by myself for an hour and a half. And it’s nice for Craig and Henry to get a little alone time. I hope to continue that throughout the summer. So far, I look forward to that time and haven’t wanted to skip it. 

I’ve mentioned the coaching club that I am a part of that is run by my friend Stacy. It is a group of women working together for a common goal of healthy mind and body. There is a nutrition aspect, an emotional aspect, and a fitness aspect. I am loving it so far because of the accountability and encouragement. And plus she has a calendar to print out with daily tasks and workouts that she has generated. I have been doing those as well. And I love her printouts in a binder with page protectors. 

This is from yesterday when I was going one of the workouts from the challenge. You can see my binder on the left. These workouts are 20 minutes and I am doing them in addition to the treadmill at night. Next week I add body pump back in twice a week. I have had anxiety about going back to Body Pump. I can’t even explain it but I am going to go back! I love what it does for me and once I get back in the swing of it I know I’ll be happy. 

I hope everybody is having a good week! 

Xoxoxo,

Beth WA

Good morning. We are a tired bunch here at the Allman house. 

Somebody is an early riser and then likes to have a slow morning. My sleep is so messed up from him due to naps and short night’s sleep. I need to get that straightened out this week because I’m tired of being tired. 

This past week Henry and I went up to my parents’ boat with my mom. He loves it up there. The weather wasn’t great and he didn’t sleep well at first so he was a little difficult but he still had a great time. 

He loves his Grammy. 

You’ll notice he is wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and a coat. It was so windy at the park which is right by the lake. And the temperature without the wind was in low 60’s. 

I’ve been doing pretty well with eating and am just getting back to regular exercise. I’ve joined an online/Facebook coaching club that my friend Stacy runs that is a great accountability factor for me and she has real life tips for making weight loss sustainable and fit into your life easily. Plus she is really encouraging and I know that for me that is something that helps me succeed in whatever it is I am doing. 

Accountability and encouragement. 👍🏻

I am yet again trying a new gym schedule as we adjust to my husband, Craig’s new schedule at work, and my schedule of no work and being at home. So this weekend I decided that from now on  I would do my Body Pump on Tuesday night and Saturday morning. And then I would go two-three other times during the work week at 7:45 pm or on Sunday during the day and do my own workout.  I also have a bunch of 20 minute at home exercises that I do with Stacy’s challenge. I feel with so much weight to lose at this point I need to be adding in some extra cardio. Plus, it will be nice to get away by myself, watch some Netflix on my phone and zone out on the elliptical or treadmill for a while. I have so many shows I want to watch that I just don’t get the chance to watch at home. 

Anyway, on to other things… Thursday night I went to see a concert with my friend Heather that was called the Four Voices.  It was Mary Chapin Carpenter, Joan Baez and the Indigo Girls and it was amazing. The venue is an small and outdoor, and the weather was so amazing. 

While we were at the boat we went to a TJ Maxx and in about ten minutes I found some cute shirts and a skirt including this shirt that I wore to the concert. 

I loved it and it matched perfectly with the necklace and capris I wanted to wear it with. 

I like long shirts. 👍🏻

Goals for next week:

*Exercise 5 times

*Go on 2-3 fun outings with Henry

*Take a few loads of stuff to goodwill 

*Throw away 5-7 bags of garbage/clutter

*Get my step goal of 10,000 on most days. 

*128 oz of water a day. This usually is not an issue, as I love drinking water. 

*Take care of my broken glasses issue! Henry broke my glasses and they are driving me crazy. But first I have to deal with paperwork with my FSA account. 🙄
Today my neighborhood is having a garage sale, meaning over 50 houses are taking part in it. If I was more prepared I probably could have taken part in it. But, instead, I will be selling all of my stuff online this summer. I have a bunch of baby stuff, maternity clothes, and other stuff to get rid of. 
Okay, I am off to enjoy the weekend. Going to the gym later this morning and perhaps some garage sale-ing. 

Xoxoxoxo

Beth WA

The first week was filled with naps and relaxation. It’s so weird. I am always so exhausted that first week as my body lets go of school stress little by little. I took naps with Henry, which I don’t plan on doing this summer as it messes with my sleep! I did minimal house work, and was basically pretty lazy. But I am ready to get to my summer goals and bucket list. 

Goals:

Make a bucket list with Henry and do the things on the list!

Work on losing weight by nourishing myself with healthy food and getting as much movement as possible. Also, by being kind to myself and being a part of a coaching club and really participating in the process. 

Going on dates with my husband. 

Cleaning out the basement, and really the whole house.  We need to get rid of so much Stuff. 

Selling my baby stuff. I need to get it organized and get pictures and post it. 

Working on our budget. 

Redoing our bathroom, and getting a new garage door. Install new kitchen sink. And maybe some painting. 

Spending time at my parent’s boat. 
Here are some pictures from this past week. 

Have a great day! 

Xoxoxo,

Beth WA

Good morning! Yesterday was my official first day of break but I had only 4 hours of sleep the night before so it really just felt like a blur. Today Henry slept in until after 7 so I got over 8 hours of sleep and I feel great. It’s going to be a beautiful day so I need to find something for H and I to do that is outside. For some reason he woke up wanting to go to Chuck E Cheese. That is definitely not what I had in mind. Hahahaha. I don’t even know where he got that idea. He must’ve dreamed about it last night. 

So right now I have my favorite view. 

Coffee and Henry. 
Yesterday I got my hair cut and colored and it was long overdue. I had to cancel my last appointment, so I had major roots. I had her cut it shorter in the back and color it dark every where except blonde highlights in the front. I like it like that. 

I didn’t have her style it because I was hoping to catch a catnap at the tail end of h’s nap at my mom’s house. And that’s exactly what happened. It was 45 minutes to carry me over which was great because I didn’t get to bed until after 10.  

I have lots to do today, but for now I am sitting on my butt drinking coffee! Woohoo!! Yay summer. 

Xoxox 

Beth WA

I have one more day of work and then I’m finished for the summer. Woo hoo! 

I have to finish closing up my classroom, doing permanent records, a meeting at 10:30, luncheon, and 8th grade graduation and dance. It’s a long day but only one day! Hahaha. 

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Prior to my Lexapro days I would have never gone out of town this weekend. It is hard to explain, but I just wouldn’t have.  But I am so glad I did. Henry and I went to my dad’s boat on Lake Erie and he had a blast. The place they dock their boat has a pool, restaurant, park, walking path, a beach, and an ice cream parlor. 

As you can see, we both had a blast. Henry and I plan on going up there a lot this summer. 

Here’s to summer vacation!! Woohoo!!
Xoxox,

Beth WA

This is the kind of title I would read and want juicy gossip. But you should know me better and know that my life is pretty boring and drama free. Just the way I like it. 

The relationship I am speaking about is my relationship with food and my body. It’s the most unhealthy relationship I have. I have been counting and classifying food since I was 12 years old. I’ve done ever single diet and workout plan known to man. And none of that had been sustainable for me, obviously. 

So, I am working on something new. I’m working on my relationship with food- as far as restricting or classifying it as good and bad. I am working on not overeating at meals, and not eating after dinner. I am not counting my calories. I am trying to focus on protein and vegetables and fruit. But no food is off limits.  I’m trying to listen to my body’s hunger signals and act accordingly. 

These thoughts have always been in the back of my mind.  Recently, a nutritionist spoke at my gym and she said these same things and that really resonated with me. And the thing that finally got me to trust my gut was my friend Stacy – she is a proponent of this way of thinking and offers support by way of a blog, a newsletter, and support group that are uber helpful in my journey. She is a trainer and body pump instructor at my gym.  She offers so many 20 minute at home workouts that are so helpful at this juncture in my life. I love my gym so much it’s just not usually practical for me to go as I’d have to hire a sitter most times. 

So, that’s where I am now. Hopefully this will eventually lead to weight loss. 

Anyway, onto other topics. Tomorrow is my last day of school with the kids. I have to go back Tuesday for a meeting and for 8th grade graduation then I’m completely finished!. I am so excited, I can’t stand it. I am so ready for this summer. Henry and I are going to make a bucket list of all of the things we want to do this summer! 

Well, I’m off to hang with my boy before bed time. 

Xoxoxox,

Beth WA