Jenn's Health Mania-Week 13(<---my lucky number:P)

Sorry I'm again posting very late, but I have to confess that personal accountability got me again! I made a deal with Lindsey that we would each do our videos twice, but I didn't get to it again...so I just avoided posting until I could do it at least once!! Funny how human nature is, right? Well, I did the video last night! Woo-hoo, but technically it can't be counted until I post on Friday! I ran 3 times last week, so about 12 miles...yeah I need to step it up a notch but last week was out of our normal schedule so I won't give myself such a hard time. Sitting here re-reading and proof reading I have to note that it feels pretty good to be complaining about ONLY running 12 miles last week. Thanks everyone for the accountability factor, I really am truly grateful for all of y'all's(can there really be 2 apostrophes in 1 word?) participation. I did the crunches once last week, and felt it for a few days after that! So, I do need to keep that goal since I can tell it will work if I make it a habit.

New goals for the next few days since I'm posting so late in the week:

1. Run 3 more times
2. Drink more water!
3. Do weight training video once more
4. 50 crunches twice
5. Eat healthier(we ate out more last week than norm.)

Side bar bio poll

Please take a second to vote in the poll. I want to know how many of you would be willing to participate in the side bar bio. I think this will help everyone to get to know each other and feel more connected to the blog in a personal way. Thanks in advance!

Jenn's HM-Week 11 & 12

So, I was in Atlanta week before last and didn't get to exercise, so I figured I'd just wait until I updated for this week and include it all together. So, basically instead of starting my exercise week on Saturday and going to Friday, I'll add last Thursday into my update for the week.

I ran 5 times last week for a total of 20.5 miles! I'm starting to actually enjoy the challenge of running. I'm still doing good on the water deal, and still not good on the weight training video:P

This past week I ordered a bluetooth headphone set to match up with my phone so I can listen to music while I run (thank you mom for giving me your Dell promotional gift cards)! This has been major motivation! I've only gotten to use it once so far, and didn't have much good music downloaded yet, and it still helped the time fly by! Thank you goes out to Marquesas and her hubby Drew for letting me copy some of their music, I really appreciate that:P

Goals for next week:
1. Run as much as possible (aim for 4/5 times)
2. Continue drinking mostly water
3. Do weight training video..once?
4. 50 crunches (once a day? we'll see what I can do!)

Oh, I forgot to say that since I started whole-heartedly running a little over a month ago, I've lost 10 or 11 lbs! Thanks for all the encouragement out there and thanks to God for His grace. That's the only answer I have for me actually being able to run that far...grace and mercy!

Good luck to those doing the Marathon Clean...sorry I haven't held up my end of the bargain!
Hope to hear from everyone out there and what y'all are accomplishing or need help with this week!

From an Exotic Location...

Anjali is napping, and I am writing this from my newly cleaned bedroom. The dresser and vanity have been decluttered, dusted, and a candle is burning from the dresser. The rest of the clutter that has built up is gone. The one eye sore remaining? Fai's bedside table. Oh, well. Can't have everything. I do still need to vacuum in here. Fai is going out with the missionaries tonight (I don't like to clean when he's home), so I'm going to do that after I put Anjali in bed for the night. (Vacuum+stairs+two year old=too much hassle!) Oh, and the living room just needs to have a few toys picked up, the dining table is still clutter free, and my kitchen is clean, with chicken defrosting in the sink for dinner.

On a writing note: slowly reading through the 2nd draft, making notes for the third. Week after next will be my marathon writing week while Anjali is in New York. I'm hoping to be done with my read through by then.

My updates...

Alright, nice to be back.

Let's start first with my marathon cleaning...or, unfortunately, the lack thereof! Although I didn't get anything cleaned yesterday (unless you count 2 loads of laundry, yeah, let's count those) but I was able to: get a new cell phone (if you missed it, this is why), mail off a camera to the guy who bought it on eBay, and go look at a house. Those events (an the prep work) took most of my day...so even thought nothing was cleaned, I feel it was a success nonetheless!

Next we'll move on to my fitness / weight loss updates! I don't remember where I was the last time I posted, but now I'm at a total weight loss of 15.6 pounds! I'm really excited about it! I can definitely tell a difference, and it feels so good! I have to admit, however, that I've had Chinese buffet the last 3 Friday nights in a row! Eeeeek. However, Joe-Z and I are FINALLY able to have regular date nights (and Chinese just happens to be the thing we both really want), so I think it's a fair trade. Even with that (and McDonald's twice...I know, I know...) I lost 1.6 pounds in 2 weeks...not a lot, but I'll take it!

And the next, most exciting thing to happen lately...I joined the gym! Woo hoo! None other than the wonderful YMCA! I love, love, love it! And the Kid Stuff area for Levi is magnificent...if I can just get him to go, LOL. I know he'll love it once he's there, but I'm putting off taking him...we are just getting him to go to nursery again (since John Morgan was born, Levi has been going through this attachment phase, but the last 3 Sunday's, he's gone to nursery). Hopefully I'm wondering at this point, if it's me that scared to take him, or him...does that make sense? Oh well, I'm going to try soon. But anyway, I love the gym. It feels so great to work out! Yay for being poor...you get discounted gym rates!

Hope you all are having a great week!

the marathon continues

Yesterday I didn't get as much done as I had hoped, I got lost taking Anjali to the park, so the playground/grocery shopping trip took longer than expected. And I also got sucked into a really good book. I did clean the entry way, and the kitchen, and sweep and mop, as well as keep the living room tidy. When Fai got home, he commented on how good it felt to be in a clean house!

Oh, and it's a good thing I didn't clean the downstairs bathroom yesterday, because today Anjali pooped in her underwear, and I had to flip it out into the toilet...let's just say I'd be cleaning the bathroom downstairs regardless! Today it's bathrooms and tidying...and possibly vacuuming up the stairs if I feel really brave. Anjali sucked up a lot of time this morning, we had to wait around all day for people to come look at our mold...and we're still waiting...

Marathon Clean

So yesterday I couldn't stand how dirty my house had gotten any more. We'd been out and about all weekend, and on Saturday we discovered mold in the basement, so had to drag up all the pet stuff and some other stuff from down there, so the house was a serious MESS. Yesterday, with Faiyaz's help, we got four loads of laundry done, and he vacuumed under the couch cushions. I cleaned the kitchen counters, the stove, did the dishes, cleared off the table, vacuumed the living room and washed the dog. Also got all the laundry put up. Today I'm going to clean out our entry way, sweep and mop the kitchen and entry way, dust downstairs, and clean both the downstairs and upstairs bathroom. I'm also going grocery shopping and I'm going to take Anjali to the playground. I'm going to try not to nap today, or if I do nap, make it an hour or less.

Is your house starting to get out of control? Are the little jobs you don't do daily starting to pile up? Are you just getting by day by day? Join me in a two week long marathon day. Every day I'm going to make a list of big tasks, beyond the usual cooking and dishes, that need to get done. After the marathon clean, I'm hoping to start a new cleaning plan to prevent it from getting this bad again. And I'm not letting myself make excuses for it any more. Yes, I'm pregnant, sick, and I have a two year old, but I need a clean home. I've used FlyLady in the past, and it was helpful, but it's not a system that really works for me, so I'm going to try making my own. Wanna Marathon Clean with me? I won't bore everyone by posting daily how it's going, but I'll try doing an update in three or four days.

PS-Again, don't assume my house is worse than it is, it's livable, I just want every nook and cranny to be really, really clean.