WLC 5: Circle

Dancing (and singing) to Mommy's favorite, Coldplay's "Til Kingdom Come"

Well, I am happy to report that I LOST 1 pound this week. If you've done the math . . . that brings me back down to what I was three weeks ago (since I gained 0.4 last week and 0.6 the week before). So basically, I'm back full circle. At least I'm back down, though! Next week, I will be lower than ever. If I can keep my vacation eating in check, that is...

A picture of the Shenandoah Valley in the fall (compliments of http://www.nationalparkreservations.com/shenandoah_skyland.htm)

Yes, you read right. VACATION! My wonderful parents are flying into town on Tuesday and Robert actually has a BREAK from Tuesday through the rest of the week. So we decided to go on a real live vacation with my parents. We're going to go to Williamsburg, a historical and by all accounts cool town in southern Virginia, then we are going to Virginia Beach. We'll have three days staying in hotels (THANK YOU ALEX!!!) and our days to do whatever we fancy. I can't believe it's happening next week! I am first of all overjoyed to see my parents. Then to be getting away for a real break... away from my home (love it as I do, there's always work to do!) . . . *sigh.* I can't even describe the joy.

But I WILL take lots of pictures and share. OOOOH, I forgot one of the prettiest parts of our trip: we're driving to Williamsburg via the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. The leaves are just turning and I'm hoping they speed along the process so that by next week, we'll have a colorful drive. Lots of colors or not, I'm sure it will be gorgeous. And no, I haven't been to ANY of these places, so I am super excited!!!

Peter and Dada snuggling cheek to cheek (Peter loves smushing his cheek into our cheeks -- so sweet!)

In Peter news... Peter has picked up the habit of fake choking. That's right, fake choking. It is very scary to hear (so I always have to check) and actually very funny (aside from the scary sounds). He does it when he wants attention. Like when I put him down for a nap. It's his way of loudly protesting. Of course, I HAVE to check on him when I hear it, so I try to do it on the sly... just crack open the door and peek in . . . but sometimes he catches me and it sets him off again. Darrgh. I guess it's just one of those things!!!

Well, love to all. Sorry I am blabbing at you so excessively, but I hope you have a great day and a great weekend. (-Jocelyn)

WLC 4: Smile!

Yes, I gained. 0.4 pounds. Not quite half a pound, but still a gain.

I think my problem (still) lies in emotional eating. A habit I am hoping to eradicate through heartfelt application of weight-loss principles. Faith better work in weight loss, because I am simply going through the motions (doing)... hoping I will gain the conviction and ability behind the motions sometime later. With faith, you often have to "step into the darkness," per se, to gain testimony or knowledge. The best way to gain a testimony of a principle is to live that principle, hope that you can believe it is true, and keep going through the motions (and the hoping) until the conviction comes. Maybe it's the same for weight loss. I hope so. I'll see.

Sorry it's been a while. The weekend was exceptional, with Conference. I was so sad to have it end, but I am grateful for the many words of inspiration that touched my heart. Here's hoping I can "be a little better" (as President Hinckley is fond of saying) and continue to progress in my many endeavors.

Peter is 8 months old today. How crazy is that? He is learning so many new things, I can't even believe it. He is crawling, very slowly, one crawl at a time. He hasn't quite mastered the arm movements, but he gets the legs. It makes me a little sad that he's becoming mobile. Partly, selfishly, because it means I need to be better at picking up and I need to finish babyproofing. Okay, I guess the whole sadness is selfish, because I'm also sad that he's so into going and moving and exploring that he doesn't cuddle much anymore, like he used to, and I love my cuddle time with him! Don't worry, I still force it on him (haha)... no, he likes it... when he's tired and not super curious. I know, I know, he's only 8 months, but as he keeps getting older and older... it feels like I'm getting closer to the time when he'll no longer be my baby. And that makes me sad.

In a HAPPIER light, though, he is 8 months and he is healthy and happy. AND even if he is always on the go (usually rolling, though he always tries crawling first now), he also always smiles and coos and giggles when I look at him or smile at him or try to make him laugh. So I still have my Mommy Magic.

Isn't it the best feeling to earn the pure, undiluted smile of a baby? Well, it's even better when it's your own child, in my opinion. I earn more smiles a day than I can count, but supply-and-demand economics do not apply; their value never diminishes for me. Peter's smiles remain among my greatest assets. (-Jocelyn)

WLC 3: I'm Back

Yawn. Stretch. Peek one eye... then the other... as slowly I awake to the bright, glorious world of reality. Well, blogging reality.

That's right, I'm back! I was completely dazed and distracted for... let's see... four full days (from Wednesday evening until an hour ago)... absolutely CONSUMED by a good book. Three good books, actually.

My mom mailed me (thanks, Mom and Rachel!) the three-book Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. I have to tell you, I was skeptical. I approach popular books very hesitantly. I think it's an ingrained English major "I'm better than bestseller; give me hard-to-read Thoreau" thing. But honestly, I was hooked pretty much from page one... so much so that her book earned the highest compliment I can give a good book: it was so compelling, I forgot I was reading.

I was experiencing the book fully; to the point that hardly anything "broke" my focus except the use of the saying "Sure, sure" (which bothered me because Robert says it, mimicking Paul Newman in The Hudsucker Proxy). When I am "into" a good book (aka obsessed... the way I get whenever I really like a book), I will step out of my reality in a sense and step into the book's reality. It's as if I'm not reading at all; I'm just there, with the characters, experiencing what they are experiencing. Almost always, though, even the best of books pull my editor-trained brain back out, because I notice errors or things that bother me... either misspellings (there were a few), bad punctuation (yes, I caught a couple instances), bad dialogue (just the "Sure, sure" usage), character inconsistencies (none that I can think of; the characters were the real pull of Twilight for me), or plot/overall story inconsistencies (none that bothered me).

The thing is, (first editions of) the best of books with the best of editors will almost always have a few misspelling and punctuation errors. Sorry for sticklers out there, but it's true, especially in today's money-crunched publishing world (whole other blog right there). But tiny spelling/grammar/punctuation errors are inconsequential, in my opinion, compared to flaws in the storyline or in the characters. All of this very long and probably boring schpeal is to say that the Twilight series was impressive because it both had few of those "smaller" errors (a "than" that should of been a "that"; a missing "to" in a sentence; a missing comma) and it also had none of the major errors, meaning I was "in" the world of this book more than almost any other book.

Onto what you're all waiting for: the WLC. I know you've been wondering how I did. Well, hate to disappoint, but I gained last week. It was only 0.6 of a pound, and I am more committed this week. I was sick for much of last week (not aided by my late nights spent reading) and I did the unthinkable last Sunday and made a too-large batch of (oops) chocolate chip cookies. From now on, when I make cookies I'll either give most of them away... or I'll freeze them so I'm discouraged from shovel eating. You live and learn. *Sigh.*

There you go! I am recommitted to losing weight. Recommitted to living life. And (of course) recommitted to blogging.

So see you again tomorrow! (-Jocelyn)

WLC 2: The Basics

Hello everyone! Well, as you may remember... this is the much anticipated (by me at least) first day of WLC (Weight Loss Challenge) reporting. I am happy to say that I (drum roll, please):

LOST 1.4 pounds this week!

Wahoo!

It feels good to lose weight. It feels even better to just be healthy. I have so much more energy and self-confidence, simply because I am doing the basics: eating well and exercising.

I subscribe to the Weight Watchers–induced mindset that you should enjoy eating to the point that you savor each bite (rather than just devouring it without thought). In other words, as I read from a Weight Watchers success story earlier this week, it's all about "discipline, not deprivation." That positive attitude is so important to me in my goal to be healthy and lose weight. My survival, must-eat-everything-in-sight-except-the-ramen (ewe) instincts kick in when I start to think that I'm depriving myself. It's kind of sad, but true. So I've learned that I am much more likely to succeed when I let myself eat what I want—just in moderation, keeping track of what I eat (food journals, woohoo, another topic for another day).

Also, as part of eating, I try to include at least five fruits and vegetables (it gets easier as you get used to it and buy with this goal in mind) and at least six glasses of water a day. And you know what? When I get my fruits and veggies and my water, my cravings for high calorie foods (aka CHOCOLATE) go down, because my body is satisfied.

The second basic component of my WLC is exercise. I'll delve into this topic in more detail in future weeks, but basically, exercise is good. Simple as that. It's hard to get motivated to do it sometimes, but it really makes a difference in my overall well-being.

There you go! Hope you survived the schpeal. Now for some cute Peter pics, taken when he was tired at his jumper. He loves this thing so much, he'll keep jumping with his head resting on the side when he's ready for sleep. It's pretty cute. :)

Have a great week! (-Jocelyn)

The WLC

>>Believe it or not, this shot was actually not "staged." He had spread all his rings around him in this very artsy way all by himself.

Hello. Back again, as promised (with cute pictures, as promised). I am just a woman of my promises!

Now, you may be asking yourself, "What is the WLC? Wobbly Leg Crankiness? Weird Lollipop Cravings? Where's Larry Challenge?" Well, I'm going to tell you. That's what makes me so nice. (Name that show!)


The WLC is my own personal abbreviation for my own personal Weight Loss Challenge. As many of you know, I am trying (along with the majority of America... isn't it so true?) to lose weight. I could blame it on the "baby," but let's just say that before the alleged kid, I was still a little soft around the edges. I am determined to get rid of said softness... one step at a time.

So in order to motivate me even more to keep up with my exercise and healthy eating habits (AKA weight loss), I am going to post every Friday and tell you how my weight loss efforts have gone that week. Feel free to comment with encouragement and advice. This challenge is between me and me... so it is a personal journey I'm taking, but I'd love any support people can throw my way.

Sound like a plan? If that sounds embarrassing or boring to you, fine. Just look at my pictures on Fridays. For the rest of you, thanks for reading and for caring. :)

Oh and just so you know, I will NOT be posting my weight at any time. I WILL, however, be posting my weight loss, starting with my weight today (which is 12.2 pounds under what I was six weeks after having Peter, wahoo).

Wish me luck! Now... pictures of my own little spazz child. :) (-Jocelyn)