The Weigh she Goes

As my near and dearest know, since I have been spending most of my time at the computer writing, I have gained a lot of weight.  (I really mean a lot)

Some clothes I can't get into and other are a little tight.  Hmm, this is a problem let me tell you.  I hate shopping for clothes.  It is my least favorite thing to do.  Ugh!

The weather is heating up in Arizona and I know I need to come up with a plan for exercise, that does not involve being outdoors for a long time.

Sooo, here is my game plan and I started it on Monday.  I only allow myself to sit at the computer for an hour at a time and then I have to walk for fifteen minutes.

The first day my steps were slow and in the back of my mind I was remembering what I had read about if you want to lose weight, you need to walk ten thousand steps a day. 

Next day, my pace was a little faster and then I hooked up my Ipod and walked to the music.  My pace really picked up then.  Remember I had down loaded fast songs.

The Ipod counts my steps also and also I am wearing my pedometer.  I know you want to know why I am wearing both. 

The reason is, because I have dropped, knocked Ipod off getting groceries out of the food cart and etc.  You see how this is going.

 I'm not sure how many falls it can take before it decides not to work.  Sooo, I only wear it for the fifteen minute brisk walk with music playing. 

The rest of the time the other pedometer keeps track of the extra steps I am taking.

 I found I can stop the step counter on the Ipod and start new each time and it keeps tracks of all the steps I have taken with it.  In the evening I plug it into my computer and log into Nike+ and I can see all my steps on the Ipod for the day.  Neat, huh?

Okay now on with what else I am trying to do.


I heard on the news if you walk during the commercials you will have walked thirty minutes in an hour show.


Sounds good to me.


I am also following my old old weight watchers point diet.  It was the first one they came out with where you counted points.  Yah, I know, I never throw anything away. 

But, really I do throw stuff away and then wonder why I didn't keep it because now I have to go buy a new one. 

Well, today is the fifth day of walking and I am sore and tired.

I am thinking about that program "The Biggest Loser" and remember how those people have to push their selves to keep going no matter what.

With this in mind, I am forcing my body to keep going.   I have to keep my goal in mind of getting back into some of my clothes and maybe going down a size or two.  Plus losing one of my chins wouldn't be so bad either.


I have found I fall asleep faster at night now and maybe this will help to keep the insomnia away.  I can only hope. 


I am working on a new story.  So far the title is "Earning His Wings", but that could change.  I'll let you stew over the title for a while before I tell you what the story is about.  It's like a game and you can see if you win or not with your guesses.


I forgot to mention during the walking sessions, I am also doing arm exercises.  The back of my arms are sore.  Go figure!


What have you found that keeps you working out and sticking to your diet?


I could use all the help I can get.

See you around the block.

Choose a Mommy

Ann Kimball another funny mommy is over at Scary Mommy writing her blog.  talks about channeling different personalities of moms on television.   It is a funny blog and you will enjoy it.

I've come up with a few more moms for her to channel: 

Leave It To Beaver's mom June Cleaver.  She was always classy looking without a hair out of place.  She was soft spoken and her house was spotless.  Hmm, the magic of TV.

Does anyone remember The Donna Reed Show?  Donna had two teenage children and ran her house smoothly while looking as if she walked off a magazine.  Once again, her house was spotless.

How about Harriet Nelson on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet?  Harriet wore her pearls and her tiny pretty apron.  Yes, her house was spotless even though she had two sons.

Then can we forget Bewitched?  We all wanted to be a witch like Samantha and twitch our noses.  I mean who needs a maid (Alice) if the work can be done with the twitch of your nose?

What about Joan Crawford?  Remember the movie about her parenting skills, Mommy Dearest?

Lord if I could channel it would be Samantha.  With a twitch of my nose I could do everything and have life go very smoothly.  Yes, ...... Sorry I was picturing me younger, slimmer and a shiny clean house.

 Now onto something else.

Liana Brooks blog needs to be read by the people who do not buy the author's book, even though they are a Family member or a best Friend or a neighbor.  She has some ideas for what they could do to help the writer.   I hope some people will read this and follow her advice.

Please give an author a break!

K. B. Owens blog is really about racoons.  Some of the stories she tells are funny.  Living in the Arizona desert, I don't  have a problem with racoons, so I think of them as cute.  Aren't they part of the rodent family?  Ugh!  I don't like rats, they are as persistent as raccoons.


Bill Kirton  has a very interesting blog about Neanderthals.  I had watched a show recently about them and it turns out they were a little more complex than we thought.    I know it isn't about writing, but it is interesting.

And if you need a really big laugh......The bloggess   I was laughing so hard I cried.  This woman is completely crazy like the rest of us and doesn't mind showing it.

I think I will end this blog on a laugh.

See you around the block.

A Bit of Sugar

Today I spent time reading the blogs of other writers and found some really interesting ones and found some that made me smile with remembrance.

Jenny Hansen  blog brought back my youth with mention of American Band Stand and Dick Clark.  Lord I grew up watching that show and I also learned some of my moves on the dance floor.    Then Jenny had a clip from U Tube of  The Monkees.  I remember curling up in front of the TV to watch this show with my family.  I was lucky that my parents also enjoyed the music and shows. 

Mom and Dad watched all the musical shows on TV with us kids and took us to the drive in theater and the regular theater to see all the musical movies, such as Elvis Presley, the beach movies with Annette Funicello and the Beatles.  You name it I saw it.  They loved all kinds of music and introduced us to their music also.  I love a wide range of different music from Classical to Hip Hop.

I raised my own children listening to old and new music and watching old black and white movies to new movies.  My daughter adores the old black and white musicals and drives her husband crazy watching them.  LOL! 



We have lost both Dick Clark and Davey Jones and I can only say "Rest in peace gentlemen, you will always be remembered.

Rachelle Gardner  asks "What's the most difficult thing about being a writer?"  I think the most difficult thing about being a writer is continuing to write even though your e books aren't selling.  I keep telling myself maybe some day my books will be read and enjoyed. 


Abby  is complaining about getting old at 30 years old!  Goodness, wait until she is in her sixties and then she will have reasons to complain.  I love reading Abby's blog, she is entertaining.


Mark Williams  has a blog and today was about where and how he lives.  He makes his living with writing and could live any where he wants and in what ever style he chooses.   I found it interesting and enjoyed seeing the pictures he shared.


Scary Mommy  this blog was interesting and important for all of us to read it.  It is about raising a transgender child.  She gives you a link to follow to find out more about the family she is writing about.  Luckily more and more of us are realizing we can not expect everyone to be like us.  We need to accept people as they are.  With knowledge comes acceptance of what was considered out of norm as normal for the person involved. 


Nicole Storey wrote about a reading group who didn't want to read her Grimsley Hollow book, because the main character has autism.  She is letting readers know autism is not mental illness.   I read Grimsley Hollow and found it to be an entertaining book.  I loved it and the characters.    Really People, grow up!  Read the damn book and you will enjoy it!

Lynn Viehl has a test for writers to take if they are thinking of writing a romantic paranormal fiction.  Never know you could learn something from it.  I'm just saying ...

See you around the block. 

Boo Hoo!!

My baby girl and her husband left today.  Sigh!   They are heading back to their home in Reno.

I am missing them and their two adorable dogs.  No one to cook for  or talk with and no one to take for a walk.  



I have enjoyed having them here for a week.  Sigh!  I am feeling blue!  


My house feels so empty and quiet.  I think I can hear the air. 



We had a fantastic time at the Phoenix Zoo.  We walked over twelve thousand steps.  Our feet and other parts of our bodies complained about all this activity.  Sigh, I am sooo out of shape. 



The weather was perfect for being out doors all day.  Slightly over cast with a cool, light breeze.


We visited the malls, IKEA and other places to shop.  Window shopped like old times and watched the people. 



We also visited with my boys and their wives.    We shared great food, conversation and laughed a lot.

Now I am feeling lonely.  Sigh! 

Tomorrow I will have to get back into the saddle and work on my writing.

I will have to get back into the routine of writing and blogging.

Just noticed I need to paint my finger nails.  I'll paint them a happy color and maybe I want feel so sad.

See you around the block.



 





  

My Books!!

Second Chance

Charlie

Fainting Damsel

Where Is The Sandman?

All week I have been having trouble sleeping.

I see this commercial and wonder where is my sandman?

I know you are saying, you have your night and day mixed up, your clock is upside down and etc.

Problem is, by the time I do fall asleep, I am exhausted and talk myself out of setting the alarm to wake me up at a normal time.  What would be the normal time?  I am sleeping during the day, not at night.  How would I set an alarm?   Very confusing, but it could be the lack of sleep.

I think my sandman may be having a problem too.  Maybe he sleeps at night instead of going around sharing his sleeping sand.

But then again, maybe the sandman is a little scary looking.  I know my eyes feel as if they have been filled with sand and not the good kind.

With my luck, this is probably my sandman.  Scary, Huh?  No wonder I can't sleep.  Who would want this sandman in their home?

I was amazed with how many scary pictures there are of the sandman on the internet.  I borrowed all these pictures from a free site and they had some even stranger pictures.  Hmm, note to self, maybe counting sheep would be better.

Knowing me I would lose count and have to start over and it would piss me off.  Who can sleep when they are mad?

You are probably thinking, I am not getting enough exercise.  But I promise you I am.  Remember, I am walking and my extra steps run between two thousand to over four thousand per day.  What more do you want?

Of course, since I am not sleeping, I am eating and the diet has gone out the window.  Bah Hum Bug!!!  I had just lost a few pounds and now they are back with friends.

So far this week in the early hours of the morning, I have done my laundry.

I did my taxes on line.  Yes, I am waiting till the last minute.  Geez!  Give me a break!  I use to be the one that had the taxes done as soon as I received my W2s, but it seems that person has disappeared.  Wonder if I should make out a lost person report?    But, I have to admit, that woman drove me crazy.

Camille tea is suppose to help you sleep.  It gave me a tummy ache. 

Hot chocolate tasted great and all, but it didn't help me sleep.

Drinking wine didn't help either. Sigh loud and long.

I may have to break down and take sleeping pills.  I hate the way they make me feel the next day.  Dragging, slight headache and in a bad mood.  Yeah, I would rather be grumpy from lack of sleep, thank you very much.

After giving up hope of sleeping.  I make a pot of coffee and enjoy every cup of it.  After the sun has come up and I am sitting in front of the TV watching early morning news.  You guessed it.  I fall asleep.  The caffeine should have kept me awake, but I am out.


Of course, (damn, the computer is fooling with me!  I tell it I want regular type and it decides I want this.  Damn!  Damn!)  You have noticed, my paragraphs are started with italic letters?

Let me assure you, it is not on purpose.  Machines like to fool around with me.  Ugh!!!!!!!!

I really need to dust this place.  I just noticed my keyboard and etc. are covered in dust.  Hmm, maybe if I cleaned the computer, it wouldn't be changing my type style on me as I typed.

Soooo, as I think about doing some cleaning............


See you around the block.  (no I did not want bold)

Having fun and walking

This week I have been playing with my Nano IPOD.  It is a gift from my daughter.  I can use it as a pedometer and to play music as I walk.

I am now a member of Nike+ and it tracks my steps for me when I connect to ITunes.  I am finding this to be a good motivator to walk every day.  I need all the help I can get. 

I have realized after a few days I need to put a slower beat of music.  I automatically try to walk to the beat of the music and I am huffing, puffing and worn out to quickly.

I meant to write my blog last night, but pinterest  had all my attention.  Bad mommy.


Anne R. Allen   blog is about writing short stories.  It makes sense readers would like a story they could read and finish in an hour.  I know I like stories that are short.  We all have to squeeze out time to read.


Kristine Kathryn Rusch  blog has a fantastic example of short stories.  Every Monday she gives us a short story that can be read in about an hour and they are really good stories.  I am always amazed how good her stories are and how she captures our hearts and mind.


Marilyn Brant  gives advice to new authors on her blog.  You never know, even authors who have been writing for years might find some of the advice interesting.


 Mysterious Writings has a journal written by a cat and a dog.  The cat's one is so funny.  You must read it if you have ever had a cat.

See you around the block.