THE CO-OP

This is the pure yumminess that I got at I picked up at the Co-op today. $15.00

* 4 Grapefruit

* 1 Sack Carrots

* 2 Red Peppers

* 14 Bananas

* 8 Tomatoes

* 6 Tangerines? Or small oranges

* 10 Apples

* 11 Pears

* 1 Bunch Asparagus

* 1 Head Romaine? Lettuce

* 5 Zucchini

* 5 Cucumbers

All fresh, local (stateside), and without the use of the big business super-market.

Now I just have to plan my 2 week menu around these healthy and DELICIOUS foods!

Enjoy your weekend.... and don't forget to go for a run!

MAMA Moment #2

Moments As Motherhood Arrives: MAMA

January 23, 2010- driving in the car with Kday and Layla

Last weekend we were heading down to the SLC Outdoor Retailer Show, Kday in the drivers seat and Layla tucked into her Chicco. I slipped a CD into the dash and we rocked out to the easy listening of Bambi songs. I was half listening to what Kday was saying to me when I realized that we are totally a family. A family driving in a mom car. A mom car with a baby in it and baby CD playing. It was the sound of the baby CD that brought me to the reality of the moment. It was such a funny realization, I felt like such a mom. I loved it.

2-fer Run #6!!!

Yup, I did it. 2 runs in 1 day. It actually felt really good. And the sun was shining! We all got our daily dose of Vitamin D and felt so great afterward.

I'm really wanting to crank the number down on the scale though and it just isn't budging!

My dietitian keeps telling me to be patient and she tries to remind me about all the biological shifting that happens on a molecular level - after a plateau before weight loss can take place... .bla bla bla. I just want to fit into my clothes again already!

I'm just going to do it. I'm going to put my weight goal out there... on the world w1de w3b. No excuses, no postponing.... just do it.

ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY POUNDS. It's not a low number. Especially for a lot of people.... I think a lot of women my age would be miserable to weight that much. But not me. I have been working toward that number goal for over 2 years now. A toned, healthy, physically fit 140. It's going to happen. When I put my mind to something - it happens. Layla's first birthday is the deadline. THERE... DONE... IT'S REAL.... NO HOLDING BACK.

Don't make me do it alone. I'm LOVING all the help I'm getting from you! Keep it coming :)

I DID IT! Run #5

5 RUNS IN 1 WEEK.

One week down.... one to go (to make my 2 week "get me out of a rut" goal)

Because I was a slacker... I have to do a 2-fer today. 2 RUNS. Later this afternoon I'll be pounding the pavement for the second time today. It will be great. I'm taking the advice from a dear friend who knows what she's talking about. You know who you are:) I might just have to hire you as my running coach. (seriously, she knows what she's talking about... check her out here)

Questionable productivity

Yesterday felt productive. I cleaned my house galore... with LOTS to still clean (another day) and I visited with a dear friend. Dinner was also thrown together and the dog was bathed in the tub by Yours Truly and given a not so professional doggy hair cut. No running was accomplished. But at least we're clean.

Today.... after work and other To-Do items... I guess a run is in order. I had hoped to accomplish it early this morning as to get it out of the way, but I slept in instead.

ATTENTION READERS:

PLEASE DO NOT LET ME SLACK OFF TODAY AND SKIP MY RUN!

I need to keep up the momentum and I can't miss 2 days in a row. Your hassle is welcome in the comments section. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KINDNESS :)

Entourage Run #4

Yesterday I hit the pavement again! Luckily I was called off work, so I was able to delay my 6am run until 11 am. I had quite the entourage between Layla in the Charriot and Kashi alongside! It took us a while to get bundled up and settled in for the ride. But I took the chilly opportunity to use my N1ke+1P0d again and here's the stats:

Distance: 2.75 miles (I'm very aware that it's a short distance... but c'mon people! I gotta start somewhere:))

Time: 31:46

Pace: 11:31 min/mi (keep in mind I was pushing a heavy jogger stroller!)

It was super hard trying to manage the kids (kashi and Layla) but we did it and it felt GREAT! The REALLY FRUSTRATING PART? My weight is not budging. I have been monitoring my calorie intake very closely and I can't seem to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I'll ask my dietitian this week what her opinion is. It's SO hard to keep running and eating healthy when the results are unseen. BUT... I won't stop. Today will probably by a night run of the DHS stadium stairs with Kashi, and tomorrow will be a rest day because I have an early staff meeting at the hospital. But maybe I could squeeze in a Pilate's DVD.

Happy Tuesday!

Layla says:

"Go clean your bathroom! You know it needs it!"

KIT DAILY Catch up

I know the Holidays have technically been over for almost a month! But we've been VERY busy around here with some exciting adoption related events. So I am afraid to say we're a LOT behind on our KIT daily Do's. I haven't mopped in weeks. Dust bunnies are floating around the house on every horizontal surface available, and the laundry is piling and piling and piling up.

Lucky for me... today and tomorrow are slow at the hospital and I got called off! So I'm spending the next 48 hours catching up and getting back in the groove. The mess has been driving me crazy, but it's all well worth it because this month has been the best month of my life!

Lots of things to post about... but for now it will have to wait because I've got LOTS of folding to do!

NO BAKE COOKIE RUN #3

Kday- getting Kashi all riled up

3.6 miles

43 minutes

11.9 min mile

The 4 no-bake cookies that I ate before the run felt like fire balls in my throat. I had planned to just cheat by hitting the stairs at DHS again, but by the first block I felt really good so I changed the plan. I headed out on Main Street and felt pretty good. I worked on my visualization skills and tried to picture myself running this summer in the physique I really want. It helped boost my speed and self confidence, until I'd see my shadow against the light of the passing cars and I'd return to reality. But I felt good and it was the longest run so far this season. Tomorrow is an off day. Monday I'm back on... You better hold me to it :) My weight hasn't budged which sucks. I've been eating well too, but that's a topic for another post. Good Night!

Sday- trying to act motivated for the run tonight

Sday- actually feeling good after my run

IT'S ON

I am absolutely, 100% forcing myself to go for a run right now because I promised you all i would and I don't want to let you down. Also, KDAY is about to get Kashi all riled up by asking him if he wants to go running. Can't let them down either. This retched, unmotivated state of mind is miserable, but I hope with each venture out, one foot in front of the other, I'll soon be back in the game.

I will return in an hour with a recap. Thank you all for the support. I couldn't do it without you.

IT'S NOT LIKE I TOOK IT TO MATH CLASS

I get a chance once a month to hit the indoor tennis courts at Lagoon and play some sweet doubles with some really good players. Tonight was great, I felt really good and my timing was on and we won 6-4, 6-1. At the end of the night one of the players told me that her co-worker knew me in high school.

She said, "Oh ya, I knew that girl... she always carried her racket around school."

What the heck are you talking about girl?!?! Shaa, maybe I carried my tennis bag from the locker room to the courts... but it's not like I took it with me to math class and used it instead of grid paper or something. What a weird thing to say.

I kinda feel dumb now.

I hate hearing what people thought of me in high school. I was totally oblivious of my social skills and I can't remember a single name of 99% of my classmates. I just went to class (when I wasn't sluffing) and played tennis and tried not to look as stupid as I felt. It's so weird that people remember me.... I don't even remember me 10 years ago.

But maybe that can be my new "thing," to carry my tennis racket everywhere :)

STAIRWAY TO PAIN - RUN #2

Who's idea was this? After 5.5 hours of sleep.... the alarm started to chime. I tried to figure out a way that I could go later today but there are just too many things on the agenda. And besides, 6:40 am wasn't exactly "early to rise."

My legs felt like slush. I REALLY didn't feel like the normal route, so instead I headed to my alma-matter and prayed silently in my head for the gate to the stadium stairs to be open. My prayers were answered and Kashi and I hit the steps in sync. If I thought my legs were mush before the stairs... I was in for a big surprise. I could barely make my way down the stadium and back without feeling about 2 beats short of a heart attack and my legs crumbling below me. I did as many as I could in the short time I had this am. It was hard. It really didn't feel as good as I had hoped. And the thought of running again tomorrow makes me kinda irritated. But it must be done.

Kash had way more fun than I did.

Night Run #1

That's not a lightning bolt... just my trusty head-lamp :) Although, some day I'll be fast enough that I could actually create an lightning bolt....

Wednesday Jan. 20, 2010:

I tried and tried all day to get out during the speckled moments of blue sky and get some MUCH needed Vitamin D during a run. But Lady has been sick and not wanting to leave my arms for much other than a lot of warm baths. I think I gave her 4 baths today (long story.) Anyway, I finally got around to my run that I promised myself I would do today. I told kday that it was do or die. So around 11:00 pm I headed out for a quickie. (get your mind out of the gutter.... a quickie run)

I JUST GOT A NEW NiKE-iP0D for Christmas and tonight was my first time using it. I haven't really played with it enough to figure out all the bells and whistles but here's what the pleasant voice stated through my earbuds at the end of my run:

Distance: 2.25 miles

Time: 25:51

Speed: 11:27 min/mi

Nothing to be proud of. It was short and slow... but it's only the beginning. (the voice didn't say that... I did :)

Kash came too.

And P.S.: I HATE the way I look right now. I swear my nose even gets fat when I gain weight. But I just have to have faith in the process. It's worked before and it will work again.

June= 140 lbs.

LET'S BE HONEST...

I wish I could tell you that I've been running my ever widening buns off. I have to be honest here though, I haven't even been setting my alarm to get up at 5:50 am to run. After weeks of hitting the SnooZ button over and over and over and over.... I finally gave in and just set it to 7 am.

I don't know what my problem is! I have been working weekly with my dietitian and I'm trying to get motivated. But I am really, really struggling to muster up the motivation to stop shoveling garbage into my mouth and start running every day. When I weighed in around 200 lbs I was way more motivated to count calories and attempt to walk-jog every day. I don't know what my damage is! The number on the scale keeps going up and my self esteem and confidence are plummeting.

THE PLAN:

I'm writing here. No escape. I need YOUR HELP to keep me on track. PLEASE HASSLE MY COMMENTS SECTION every day for the next 2 weeks (long enough to get me in the habit)! I will post a picture and running re-cap with stats from my new nike running chip at least 5 days a week for the next two weeks! Starting today. The tentative schedule for the next week is:

Today

Thursday 21st

Friday 22nd

Saturday 23 rd

Monday 25th

Wednesday 27th

Thursday 28th

If you all do a great job and help me out.... I may let you follow along with my planned weight loss goal. To finally get to my goal weight by June 18th. If you're really lucky, I might post my weight. YIKES> If that doesn't motivate me.... I don't know what will!

BIG GIRL BARRETTE

Yesterday Lady sported her first big girl hair barrette. I'v been trying to find something, anything to do with her wild, pin straight hair that stands straight up. It's the cutest thing ever!

Layla liked it too.

LOVE LOVE LOVE....

My new purse that Kday got me for Christmas. It finally came in the mail yesterday- all the way from Istanbul, Turkey!!!
I love it kday! Thank you :)

Later today... a post about KIT in the Kitchen!

KEEPING IT TOGETHER

KIT- In the Kitchen

Do you hate sifting through 14 different tupperware lids trying to find one that fits atop your tub of leftovers so you can throw it in the fridge already? I do. Don't wait until spring to clean out your drawers and cupboards... do it now.

ORGANIZING TUPPERWARE

Step 1: Take a look at your sad, disorganized tupperware drawer and say "goodbye."

Step 2: Make "like piles" of all the tupperware by stacking similar shapes and sizes each in a separate pile. Do the same with the lids.

Step 3: Match up each container with its rightful lid. 1 container & 1 lid... no need to keep 3 extra lids for only 1 container. (p.s this is a great time to assess what sizes you're lacking and need)

Step 4: Here comes the hard part.... THROW AWAY ANY EXTRA LIDS!!!

Step 5: You may want to keep any extra containers for storage around the house. I use mine for organizing our tiny drawer-less refrigerator.

Step 6: Get out your trusty Label Maker - or use permanent marker (it won't last as long) and label each container and matching lid with coordinating numbers.

Example:

All five of the small round Zipl0c lids are #2 and all five of the small round Zipl0c containers are #3. All three of the square GlAd lids are #4, all three of the square GlAd containers are #4.

Any single sets are labled as S1, S2 etc. and they'll be stored in a separate pile.

Step 7: Stack and store in whatever method makes sense to you and your needs.

P.S. Kevin just laughed when I showed him "the system."

THINK HARD

"Lost Generation is a palindrome video that reads the same backwards as forward, but has a totally different meaning."

Swiss Miss

Kday stumbled upon this rad video. Kinda makes you think. I like it.

Useless Thesaurus

I sat down last night to write about what an amazing day we'd shared as a family. I tried to come up with a word that could describe what I was feeling. I couldn't find one. So I tried to find a lot of words that could describe it... couldn't. I looked up every word in the thesaurus that even remotely came close to describing my emotional state... nothing measured up.

I was naively unaware that I would feel different after walking out of the courtroom. But I absolutely felt different. My true and unconditional love for Layla didn't change, but my ability to finally accept myself as her mother-- did. After 4 years of failed fertility treatments, "no" was always the answer to my question of worthiness to be a mom. Yesterday the answer was finally "yes." Yes the judge stated (on the record,) " Without a doubt in my mind- Kday and Sday will make amazing parents and Layla is lucky to be their daughter." Wow.

No longer do I feel like the second best mother for Layla. I finally just simply feel like her mamma. It feels perfect.

Done. Happy. The End.

LEGALLY

It's here. Our six months of waiting for the paperwork, interviews, home visits, and shared custody to be over... It's here. Today is a big day. I can't wait. For the first time in my life, mine and Kday's names will be listed as Mother and Father on a birth certificate. It's something that most people don't even think about during the shuffle of hospital discharge paperwork. I'm weird that way. It was always the small things that made my heart ache when we were waiting to become parents. But today Layla will finally, legally, be known to the world as Layla Marie Day. Daughter of Kday and Sday. She will have a new legal identity. A Socia+l Security # to match her new name. We won't forget the beautiful Chinese name that her birth-mother gave her. It translates to "beautiful and talented." But after six long months, today is our day to name her. She will be our Layla. Legally.

Sday Running

Sday is running again. Not the blog, sday herself. The countdown to Ragnar's Wasatch Back is on... and I am in the worst shape I've been in since October 2008. January 1, 2009 I was 8 lbs away from my goal weight. Then I put on my "baby weight" with the stress of the adoption. But I am kicking it into gear in a serious way. Working weekly with my dietitian, counting calories (the way I lost my original 73 lbs) and hitting the frozen pavement. I'm loving it.

This was our run this morning at 6:40 a.m

Ski clothing on to keep us warm + head lamp to see and be seen

Running through the breath clouds

Kashi donned his boots to keep his tootsies warm too

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

SORRY THAT WE GOT KICKED OFF OF SDAYRUNNING.COM BECAUSE GOOGLE APPS APPARENTLY STOLE MY DOMAIN NAME WITHOUT NOTIFYING ME OF IT'S EXPIRATION.

So, here we are. We'll be moving back to sdayrunning.com soon. I hope I haven't lost too many readers in the mean time.

This will cheer us up:

Layla laughing from Kevin Day on Vimeo.

SOMETIMES

I've had a few inquiries about the outcome of this post. I'll just say this... scary is sometimes worth it, and sometimes it's just hard. No regrets though. Even though the outcome of hard situations don't always turn out as planned, the important thing is that we face them and use it as a learning experience. I'm growing, and though I have a long way to go before understanding all the roles of an adoptive mother... I know I'll get there. And having Layla as my daughter is ABSOLUTELY worth it.

MOMENTS AS MOTHERHOOD ARRIVED #1

M.A.M.A:

In the last 6 months as a mother I often find myself stopping dead in my tracks and thinking, "Oh my gosh! I am totally a mom right now!" This segment is to chronicle those moments because I LOVE them!

December 31st 2009 - MAMA moment #1:

Driving to SLC to meet up with Kday for a very special lunch date at Ruth's Diner. Lady and I had been running late and I forgot to put the sweater she was going to wear to lunch in the dryer. So while driving down I-15 I was attempting to dry her sweater and socks over the heater vents of the car. I loved it. It seemed like such a "mom" thing to do. I smiled and it made that hard day a little sweeter.

DAY 1

To start the new year off right with my challenge of physical health for 2010, the Day family decided to go snowshoeing. After the men made fools of themselves while getting their cars stuck and almost sliding off the cliffs, (don't worry Lady and I were watching from a safe distance) we started our little trek. It was a blast and can I just tell you how cute Kday's back-side is when he wears that outfit. I love love love it!

Hopefully we burned about 1/10 of the calories we ate the night before at Secret Supper. *Oh I just realized I still owe you all a post about that.... tomorrow. :)

SPARE CHANGE

WELCOME 2010!!!

Change for me is hard. It is also good. This year brings some changes. Some of which I am very excited about and some that will take a lot of effort.

The look and feel of Sdayrunning is one of the new projects I have in mind. I started this blog as a place to document my efforts to regain control over my physical well being and to encourage myself to leave my comfort zone.

We are going to get back to basics here and I'm excited for you to join my journey.

Watch for more/new tags:

INTIBTG (I Never Thought I'd Be That Girl)

KIT (Keeping It Together),

MAMA (Moments as Motherhood Arrived)*newest!

Over the last 2 1/2 year I have come a long way, but I have a long way that I'd like to go still. Follow me this year as I explore motherhood, try new physical challenges, and seek out the joy in life every day.