first week of school in the books

summer vacation is officially over - woe is me, right? : )

for those of you who do not know, i started a new position - math specialist - at a new school - richard green central park school - in a new district - minneapolis public schools - with new grades - fourth and fifth - that i have not worked with since i was a student teacher. can you say overwhelming???

but even with all of that newness, i am truly enjoying my decision to start working with younger students. i LOVE fourth and fifth grade. LOVE. granted, it has only been five days but i really, truly loved every minute that i was with them - even the naughty ones! (and why is it that the naughty ones always turn out to be my favorites?!?!)

minneapolis decided before the start of the 2011-2012 school year that they should work on improving math scores in the upper elementary grades - imagine that! most of their elementary schools have hired on math specialists to specifically work with fifth grade and in some cases, due to enrollment, fourth grade as well. i was (and still am) not sure how this whole "co-teaching" will work but i am excited about the opportunity. i have so far actually enjoyed being a "traveling" teacher in which i have an office but not a classroom. being able to focus so closely on one subject area was part of the appeal of taking this position. the only aspect of this school that worries me is the high percentage of spanish-speaking families and my lack of spanish skills. i managed to make it through spanish 5 in high school, but all of my fellow neenah graduates would probably agree that you did not necessarily need to know that much spanish to be able to pass that class.

this week's photos highlight my "back-to-school" outfit and a fabulous new size that i can wear!

yes, those are SIZE 8 SKINNY JEANS. never thought i would see the day!

with it being the first week of school and the return of freakin' crazy hot weather, running did not happen this week. we ate out a lot BUT i tracked really closely so i am crossing my fingers that tomorrow's weigh-in will at least get rid of the three pounds that i gained.

last but not least, my favorite pair of pictures from the state fair this past week. eat your heart out, ladies!

help!!!

i know i have not written for awhile and that is because i have been TERRIBLE about tracking and eating right and going to weigh-ins and not having snacks at night over the past few weeks. UGH.

not only did i gain a few pounds but overall, i just do not feel very well. i will spare you the details but my tummy along with some other things have not been working quite right. i actually have a doctor's appointment scheduled for next tuesday to ask some questions. i keep wondering if i am finally used to eating better and when i revert back to old habits, my body reacts negatively.

i really enjoyed the last few weeks of my summer vacation. jacob and i went with my parents down to chicago for a weekend. we walked around downtown to see the art institute and millennium park and then ate at a nice seafood restaurant. we also spent a day at six flags great america and even though we only had time to go on four rides (the lines are well over an hour), i had a lot of fun. we had great deep-dish pizza on the way home too.

this past weekend, i attended a wedding. many of you probably already saw the pictures that i posted on facebook yesterday. it was SO much fun and i was so honored to be part of the ceremony as a reader. my legs are definitely paying a price form all the dancing i did. they hurt A LOT, so much so that i cannot even bring myself to go for a run tonight. i (we) should be starting a new week of our couch-to-5k schedule but i still need to do one more from last week. double UGH.

i officially went back to work last week. i attended a responsive classroom training through last friday. i actually went to the middle school version last summer so it was interesting to see what it looks like in the elementary grades. it was a little frustrating at times to sit through it since i do not actually have a class of my own to use the concepts with on a daily basis. there are a few things i can try and incorporate into my teaching so i am just going to focus on that this year.

today was the first day of workshop for minneapolis public schools - they start BEFORE labor day. triple UGH. there are a TON of new people at my school which makes me feel less nervous about being there. i am very excited that i get to use a macbook pro in my new position. i know that might seem silly but my computer at home only works when it is plugged in so the use of a good (and new) computer is nice. i do not have a classroom to decorate but i have to put together my desk and work area this week. my packer pennant is already up on my bulletin board!

i do have pictures from the past two weeks. jacob is at a fantasy football draft tonight with his friends so i will have him take new ones tomorrow (even though they will be identical to the ones below).

like i said, i am up at least two or three pounds. i also think that the beige tank-top is not very attractive anymore...too big?

I NEED TO GET BACK ON THE TRAIN!!!! what do you do when you feel yourself slipping back into old habits? how do you handle injury/discomfort and continue training? how do you stay out of the kitchen late at night? all advice is welcome! some inspiration would be nice. : )

exciting times!

greetings! the summer is flying by and i am sadly realizing just how soon i will have to be getting up early and actually working. woe-is-me, right? : )

i have been completely addicted to the olympics, especially the gymnastics competitions. i definitely get nostalgic for the days of competition. i was never anywhere NEAR the talent level of the "fab five." my only claim to fame is a first place vault at the state competition when i was in level 5. i could do a mean front handspring.

i digress! let us talk about some milestones, particularly those that have been coming on the scale. as many of you already know, i hit the 50 lb mark last saturday (actually, 51!) and added another 2 lb to now make the total at 53. i am getting to the point where i can really consider thinking about my "goal weight." the range for my height is pretty large, from 117 (minimum) to 146 (maximum). that is a HUGE difference! my leader suggested the idea of picking the maximum for the goal, earning the "lifetime" (a.k.a. free membership for life) status, and then continuing with weight loss beyond that, if i desire. seems like a reasonable plan - time will tell!

jacob and i have also successfully completed the first two weeks of our couch to 5k running plan. the photos from this past monday were taken right after we returned from a run, so excuse the HOTT clothes that i am sporting.

in other news, i am so happy that i finally was able to sign the contract for my new job!!!! again, i am going to be a math specialist at green central community school with minneapolis public schools. i have yet to really find out what i will be doing but i DO know that i will be in fourth and fifth grade classrooms working with classroom teachers. i have a responsive classroom training coming up in two weeks, along with some new teacher trainings, workshop week, AND frequent math professional development sessions. whew! it makes me tired just typing it all out.

we finally have a new driveway, patio/porch, and white picket fence! only took a month...

i went with jacob down to mankato yesterday to watch vikings training camp. gross. : ) i wore a packer t-shirt, fully knowing that i would get picked on. i have to say, most of the people were very nice if they said anything and i even got a few high-fives! we started by waiting outside where players came to sign autographs. jacob did not really recognize any of the guys since "they don't have on jerseys!"

 (not sure why he still has not realized that i post ALL pictures, no exceptions...)

we did go and watch the beginning of the afternoon training session. it was freakin' HOT out and we did not last very long before deciding to go home. i took some photos of the action. 

                                             webbing?                         ponder (no aaron rodgers though!)

 a.p. training on his own. i will give him a lot of props for dedication.

like i said, i am just going to enjoy my last week off. i have my faithful companions to hang out with.

i think i may go paddle-boarding this week with some friends. not really sure that i will be too coordinated at it but i will give it my best effort!

quick check-in

sorry to bother again!

i am back with my weekly photo update.

i ordered my friend karla to take it while we were at the apple valley aquatic center with alissa, whitney, and her son, alex. i think the first photo looks a little weird because i am wearing a swimsuit under the tank and shorts...i think that i look a little droopy! ; ) we had a lot of fun in the lazy river - it was SO hot out. 

i am excited to report that we allegedly will have a driveway again this week! the asphalt is supposed to go down on wednesday and will be able to drive on it by friday. i am super sick of parking on the grass and my car being ridiculously hot when i get inside!

jacob and i did some yoga this afternoon and it felt so relaxing. we used one session from the on demand through our cable and another from a dvd that came with our mats when we first bought them. i will have to find some other ones to use at home so we do not get bored of them.

i have nothing going on the rest of the week which means i have no excuse but to get my butt outside to run. we are having some of jacob's family over on friday for dinner so i also have to make sure i get the house cleaned up a bit before then. we seem to only clean before company comes over...oops.

new plan of attack

greetings! as most of you probably saw yesterday, my total weight loss has reached 49.8 lb - woo hoo! i really wanted those last 0.2 lb, i was so close! i want to surpass 50 lb for the next weigh-in.

as i get closer to reaching a goal weight - which i actually have not chosen yet - the weight comes off more slowly. i know that exercising is probably going to be the help i need to finish this journey.

jacob and i decided that we want to become "runners." it makes me giggle just to type it. i am not a runner. i even had a doctor tell me once that maybe i just am "not built to be a runner." really? how is one not built to be a runner? it always makes me laugh to think about. i have played soccer for 23 years and i am pretty sure that it involves some running...oh well.

anyway, jacob has set a goal to run a marathon before he turns 30. i am deciding to also make that a goal for me. i previously ran a half marathon back in the summer of 2008 (i think?) but i will be the first to admit that i did NOT train properly for it - if you can even call what i did "training." i think the longest practice run i did was near 10 miles. by the end of the race, i was half walking/half jogging because my knee hurt so bad. i have always struggled with leg injuries but i know i certainly did not help the situation by not getting myself as ready as possible.

this is the plan that we chose to follow:

Week	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3
1	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
2	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
3	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
4	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
5	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
6	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 22 minutes) with no walking.
7	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).
8	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).
9	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

he started today; i opted not to since i played two soccer games with no female subs. i will do my first session tomorrow. the timeline puts us into october so we already started to research some 5k races. due to his work schedule, we are limited in what saturdays are free.

so! that is the latest news to report. i am excited that i have a training partner. : )

workin' on my fitness

hello. my name is erica and i am a bad blogger. you would think with nothing to do over the summer that i could find time to write this once a week but alas, i am the queen of avoidance.

the last time i went to a weight watchers meeting, i was up 0.4 lb. i went to the doctor last friday and according to their scale, i was back down. since my parents were visiting, i did not bother going to a meeting last saturday. i am still down but i will get an official number this weekend. promise.

in the meantime, i am trying this whole exercising thing. i purposely signed up for two soccer teams again, something i have not done in a long time. it is nice because the games are typically scheduled back-to-back and it makes the drive up to richfield more worth it. kickball, as much fun as it is, is not always the most active so i am trying to go out for walks/jogs/runs. i am not training for anything in particular; the goal is to be able to run 3 miles without wanting to die.

most recent pictures:

i realized that i should have taken these pictures all along in workout gear so you would have seen more of a difference in my legs and whatnot. oh well. and i did not want forget this amazing one of jacob: 

 the only plan i have the rest of the week besides this "exercise" thing that people say is so good for you, is trying to watch as many "breaking bad" episodes on netflix that i can. jacob finally got netflix streaming again on the playstation 3. i tried a few times to update it but the whole system kept shutting down. this yet again confirms how disastrous i can be with technology.

it's so hot right now...

...milk was a bad choice.

my gosh, it is so freakin' hot here in minnesota this past week. i heard it is allegedly going to cool off by friday so i am definitely keeping my fingers crossed. as many of you already know, the association for our townhouse decided that THIS would be the best week to redo our driveways and patios, therefore turning off our air conditioning. UGH! on the bright side (is there a bright side?), i am camped out in the living room and aside from the annoying workers making SO MUCH NOISE outside, i am at least not sweating to death. rumor has it that they are going to finish by next tuesday... i mostly feel bad for jacob who is trying to sleep right now and i cannot imagine having to do it while they are digging a TRENCH where our driveway used to be.

view from the front door

so other news to report. my friend, rachel, visited last weekend and it was SOOOO nice to see her. she lives in green bay so i normally only see her when i go to neenah to visit my parents. we walked calhoun, relaxed by the pool, grilled, went to a farmer's market, watched a parade, shopped at the mall of america, ate at chiang mai thai (super good, btw!), and stopped by bar abilene. i had lots of fun and i hope she did too!

                             watching the parade in the shade                   officer eve                                

last but not least, photo updates. as i reported last saturday, i was down in the 150's! that just seems crazy to me. i am within 15-20 pounds of my final goal weight. i really hope i can get there by september, but that might be pushing it!

i see differences - finally! there is no doubt in my mind that i look much smaller now. it was honestly really hard to see it for awhile but i will not pretend like i do not see it anymore. please also excuse the outfit on the right, i have a tendency to stay in pajamas when i know i am not going anywhere for the day. hopefully i will have another great weigh-in on saturday!