simply charlaine

lets all move on over together!

northpolemama — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:53:03 +0000

my blog is changing addresses, same blog, same posts, all the old stuff will still be there, just a new address. You can now find me over at www.simplycharlaine.com I’ll be tweaking it here and there for a few weeks I’m sure, but all new posts will show up over there. Come on! Follow me!

week 4

northpolemama — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:21:42 +0000

ever since i can remember when I go to bed at night and I’m laying there in the dark and quiet I tell myself tomorrow I’ll be a better person. Tomorrow I’ll make better choices, I’ll get more done, I’ll be nicer to people, I’ll take a shower (lol, only half kidding about that last one). This last 4 weeks I don’t remember saying that even once. Did exercising just magically make me a better person? Of course not. But it has given be more energy to get more things done, put me in a better mood and made me sleep better so I am automatically nicer to people, aade me feel like every day I’ve accomplished something that I hadn’t the day before, and even given me a reason that I couldn’t put off that showering for a second The scale? It hasn’t moved these last 2 weigh ins, but the tape measure has and I am stronger and am jogging now not just walking. I won’t lie and tell you I didn’t get frustrated by the numbers, but I’m not quitting now. There is no way I can quit because I know I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I did.

like my dad told me last week, “according to the smoke stack in town, it’s gonna be a good day”. And to think, I”ve been checking the weather channel all these years.

northpolemama — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:40:33 +0000

Just a quick update about my weekly workout progress. After only 2 weeks I am so much stronger! Ok, that’s a lie. I’m not strong at all, but I am way less not strong than I was in December! I am up to 3 sets of 12 (from 1 set of 16) and I can finish the entire workout without feeling like I’m going to drop dead before I get done. That, my friends, is serious progress! I also lost another pound this week. You may know from watching The Biggest Loser that week 2 is difficult, so I was expecting not as big a loss as the first week. I’m still ahead of my schedule though so that’s awesome! Also? Today I jogged over a mile! Big progress on the way to finishing that 10k in June!!
And the sun is inching its way back into our lives up here so that’s always a good sign!
What’s good in your life this week? I’d love to hear!

splish splash

northpolemama — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:16:10 +0000

this is one baby who loves taking a bath! I can’t wait to take her swimming!

Week One of Hell (ok, it wasn’t really that bad)

northpolemama — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:50:57 +0000

this is what I don’t want to look like, ever. so last week I started my resolution to reach my few attainable goals by June of this year. Yesterday was weigh in day and I’m happy to report that I lost 5.5 pounds! I can’t wait to see if I lose again next Sunday, what a great boost to my motivation. I am just going to kind of spell out here what I did last week and how I feel a little different this week already.

it starts with weights, free weights to be exact. This week I did one set of 16 on various different body parts. I guess the key is control, it’s all about controlling the weight and not letting it control you. I also had to hold these stupid weights and lift them over my head while I did squats rolling up and down on a giant ball, that was the freaking hardest thing ever. But you know what? By Saturday I could do the whole set without feeling like my legs had turned to jelly. Tomorrow I start two sets of sixteen. I’m scared. So weights and squats and bands I do on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Treadmill everyday but Sunday. Sunday is a day of rest after all.

did I mention weights? What about balls?

there’s all kinda balls up in my garage.

and books, lots and lots of books about working out and training and all kind of things I don’t understand I just follow directions and it seems to be working.

don’t forget the treadmill.

I also have been tracking everything I eat. I’m still nursing miss teeny so I haven’t really restricted calories, but I am tracking and staying within a healthy, for my weight and activity level, limit. I’m still pretty much eating everything I did before only in moderation. Except soda. Dr Pepper is my downfall and I had to cut it cold turkey so that’s the one thing I miss, but saying goodbye to my chub is so worth it so I said goodbye to the Dr and hello to my new friend water. She’s a little more boring but won’t get me into so much trouble. I’m tracking all my food two different ways, myfitnesspal.com and weight watchers. Weight Watchers has a special program for nursing mothers and so what I do is track my food on the phone with this awesome myfitnesspal app that scans barcodes and then enter into WW to see how many points I’ve used. Last week I came in under my points value, which was nice, and I wasn’t hungry or anything all week. That’s really saying something because I’m the queen o’ Twinkies. SO that’s it, working out, logging my food, and losing weight!! Can’t wait to update next week and report if I’ve lost any more!! If you are doing anything similar let me know! I’d love to support you and visa versa!

PS: I forgot to add the part where I couldn’t walk or move for 5 out of these 7 days and I had to take 800 mg ibuprofen to sleep at night and I whined before every workout that I couldn’t do it, I just knew it was impossible but then I did it anyway. So yeah, it was kinda hell, but I did it. Next week can’t be that bad…can it?

so this is a little embarrassing…

northpolemama — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:15:02 +0000

Yesterday I was backing up the last half of 2011 photos off my computer and into my external harddrive and the way I separate out the photos is by date and then a short codeword about each batch. Then I have separate files with years, months, days, and subjects so I can quickly find what I am looking for. Now I am the first to tell you that I take a lot of photos. If I go a day without taking one it’s a very rare thing. But it did come to my attention that I MAY be a little exuberant taking photos of the newest member of our household. She’s not yet 7 months old and I have taken…wait for it….over 10,000 photos of her. (and that’s not even counting phone pics, which I also take almost every day) Eek. I have a good friend with an awesome photoblog who wrote recently about mindful shooting, acting like you use film so you don’t just go crazy clicking. I think I should probably add that to my list of New Years resolutions, or get more storage. Here’s a few (a very few) of the 10,000 I took in the last 6 1/2 months.

so 10,000? A little excessive maybe…but I’m so glad I have every single one of them because what they really are, are memories. Irreplaceable memories.

This year is all about me getting my groove back!

northpolemama — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:27:05 +0000

I have a specific list of goals to do just that! I really feel like 2012 is MY year, I mean here it is January in Alaska, dark and hovering around -40 F and I still feel like I can kick butt at this life thing! That’s unheard of! I have personal, career, and physical goals I’d like to meet this year, but right now I’d like to focus on the physical goals and maybe later I’ll share the others with you. These are goals I’d like to have met by June, and I think they are completely doable if I stay on track.

1. Lose 50 lbs

2. Be able to run a 10k (specifically the Midnight Sun Run on June 16th which is the day the sun shines for 24 hrs here in Fairbanks)

3. Cut sugar out of my diet completely (this will be so hard, I’m not confident I can actually pull it off, we’ll see)

So there they are. Written down they seem easy-peasy, but while I have to actually not eat that donut or drag my butt out of bed to get on the treadmill…well that’s when it seems impossible. If you have goals for this year I’d love to hear them!

In the spirit of not posting without a photo, here is myself, my oldest daughter, and my youngest son striking a pose at the airport (one of the nations 10 most beautiful airports, actually) right before she headed back to college last week.

all that AND we can turn left.

**side note—my word for the year is GROOVE! Please share yours if you have one!

Happy New Year!

northpolemama — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:45:52 +0000

this was the temperature last night as we were headed to watch the annual fireworks display. Fireworks & Alaska? They just don’t mix. In the summer it’s light all the time and in the winter you have to watch them from inside your car. Everyone tries to make the best of it though.

these kids were jumping off the roof of their car into the snowbank on the side of the road while we were waiting for the show to start. While I had my camera out shooting them a little boy peeked his head out of the car in front of us. I, thinking he was going to jump as well, pointed my camera at him as he got out of the car and turned his back to us at which time Shawn says, “I think he’s going to pee”. Awkward. We all turn away. Cue laughter.

I love fireworks, but am I the only one who thinks Disneyland ruins any chance of awe at all other fireworks shows? I do miss sitting out by the banks of a river on a warm summer night watching the lights and listening to a band play. (and the frosty drinks that went with it)

its pretty cool though, to watch them in the cold and snow and head home for a nice warm beverage of your choice.

Anyhoo…we rang in the new year with Dick Clark, the littles and sparkling cider. Kisses all around, can’t ask for more.

today we wore our jammies all day and in between her brother making her laugh herself silly we practiced sitting.

she had a spotter, no worries.

I can’t even imagine 2012 being anywhere near as good as 2011 was, but I have eternal hope and I’m up for anything! Happy New Year to you and yours!

a day in the life…

northpolemama — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:03:02 +0000

not that my day is any more exciting than yours. actually I’m fairly sure it’s quite the opposite. there are one or two things that may be a little different than where you live though, so on Mondays I’m thinking I’ll show you a day in the life of someone (me) who lives in a frozen crazy land 6 months out of the year. We started out the day with a cup of coffee for mommy and the Today Show with baby still in jammies and we had some fun camera time while daddy was on the phone

then we played with a new toy

but little bit is still pretty little so we have had to come up with a solution so she can play and not just dangle there (she loves that danged thing, but her little legs just don’t reach the ground even on the lowest setting)

exercise equipment to the rescue. then we headed to town..where there is quite a bit of snow already.

this is a local dentist office, when I first moved here I remember thinking what a cool building for a dentist this was. I think I’m desensitized now.

then we ran a few errands, nothing too exciting.

so, there…a day in my happy, fun, but pretty normal life..how about you? Is it snowing already where you live? Did you get out and about or stay in your jammies all day? Did your kids or co-workers do anything funny? I know you all have stories! Share them with me!

northpolemama — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 08:55:20 +0000

My family is all sleeping..my sweet baby girl bundled up next to me in her miracle blanket sleeping like a, well…like a baby. I know everyone says this but I really can’t believe it’s been 3 months. Pretty soon she won’t want to be swaddled at night, as it is that’s the only time we swaddle her anymore. During the day when she naps she likes her arms free and she throws them up over her head like a teenager laying on the beach on Spring Break who doesn’t want to get those white stripes down the insides of her arms. When she’s not sleeping she likes sitting up and looking around, not too much of the swinging going on, maybe once during the day she’ll spend a few minutes in there, sometimes even sleep for a while, but she doesn’t love it like some babies.

She’s growing, my tiniest little bitty, and I aim to soak up every tiny little beautiful minute of it.

Oh, have you seen that Geico commercial with the apps? We’ve been having a lot of fun with this one… is a gentleman with a brostache invited to this party?

everyone has had to try it..

maybe we’ve been having a little too much fun with it.