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Introduction Text "You have to dream, you have to have a vision and you have to set a goal for yourself that might even scare you a little at times because sometimes that seems far beyond your reach. Then I think you have to develop a kind of resistance to rejection, and to the disappointments that are sure to come your way. Tough times don't last, tough people do, remember?" ~~Gregory Peck "This may shock you, but I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position. Attitude is that "single string" that keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right, there's no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me." ~~Charles R. Swindoll I've had weight issues for over 15 years--I was still in high school when I started gaining weight that I didn't want. There were several years when I didn't care, because I didn't see it as a problem AND because I didn't want to consider myself vain enough to be concerned about my appearance. A few years ago I started to want to look better for my husband and feel better for myself, so I got off my high horse and started watching what I ate. I don't remember exactly how I came across Sparkpeople, but it was a website that definitely helped. One thing led to another and I got too busy with other things in my life and left the website. A couple years later, after having my first daughter and having moved from active jobs to an office job, I started wanting to get fit again. Eight months after having my daughter, I found out that some problems I'd been having since while pregnant with her were due to gallstones--the ultrasound tech who looked at my gallbladder mentioned that there were too many stones to count. I was given the paperwork the surgeon had filled out, and she had written that I was obese. Even though I knew the body fat percentage that determines that term, and even though I knew I was well above the weight I'd have liked to be at, something about seeing a medical professional's description of me as obese really bothered me. I set up a new Sparkpeople account, because I couldn't even remember my old username. Made good progress... and then got pregnant again... Okay, I have to admit, I kind of expected that. It was the third time I'd started a weight loss plan and gotten pregnant. I switched over to BabyFit for a while, but everything and everyone on the site were so quiet, it was a little depressing. When I found out I couldn't keep track of my foods without entering all the nutritional information again, I completely lost interest. One of the moderators mentioned that BabyFit just doesn't get the updates as quickly as Sparkpeople does--SP being a bigger site used by more people--and I understand that, but having a toddler and being pregnant and looking for a job and then dealing with unexpected gestational diabetes... it was easier to not have to worry about getting online to do more than add my fitness minutes. Honestly, I wouldn't have had any fitness minutes, though, if it hadn't been for gestational diabetes and the hope that it might be more easily controlled with regular exercise. And by July 16, 2013, my second daughter was more than a year old, and I had even managed to incorporate running into my routine. While I was pregnant with her, it was a big deal to get my two-year-old and my dog ready for my daily walks. Thirty minutes of getting ready for a thirty-minute walk didn't seem worthwhile, and although I no longer have the dog, I had two girls to get into the stroller. The prep time tended to make me want to go a little longer, so it's not a bad thing. I went on several official, honest-to-goodness 5Ks one year, including the Riverfest FunRun and the Calder Twilight. I signed up for the Triangle Therapeutics Turkey Trot 10K in 2013 and did their 5k in 2015 while pushing my 3 year old and 1 year old in the jogger. I've gotten my family a group membership to the local running group, the Sea Rim Striders. I've gotten some great inspiration there, and I look forward to getting to know more people. December 2014 with so much to do and so much to look forward to! I had a 1st Place 4 Health class on Wednesday nights while the girls were at Awanas (Cubbies for Big Sister and Puggles for Little Sister) and I joined a DietBet Transformer (6-month) game. I signed up for the 5% Winter Challenge here on SP and I hope to be running again early next year--though I haven't set my sights on any races yet. Maybe that's what I need to do--sign up for a race and start training. My husband would just say I can't stop being crazy. I joined a 28 day challenge at the local Delta Life fitness center, but it ended. I feel stronger, and I know now that I need to spend more time on building strength. I finally got a bike and a treadmill, and I've used the Zombies, Run! app a couple times. I do need to get more regular about all of it, though. Fortunately, I have done reasonably well tracking my food on the SP app... Even though I have bought and eaten several boxes of Girl Scout cookies!

Healthy Momma, healthy baby. I would like to start losing weight, but I am not in a hurry because I am still eating "for two;" I still need to keep up water intake and start exercising again, though. I have joined a DietBet game to lose 10% of my weight by mid-May... So far, it has helped me to actually start losing, because before I started it, I was gaining and almost back to my pregnancy weight!

Winter 5% Challenge Exercise Commitment Team Walkers, Runners, Joggers & Gadgeteers Strength Training--SP Bootcamp videos, 1/day Cardio--Walk at work during lunch Monday-Friday, 15 minutes Cardio--Wii Fit after Christmas gifts are opened, 1/day as time allows with kiddos or after everyone's gone to bed. Nutrition Commitment: Mindful eating. Nothing restricted absolutely, but everything should be considered for its nutritional value and my body's needs (and, I will admit, my son's needs.)

Very happy mother of the most anticipated little boy of the year! Very happy and proud mother of one of the most beautiful 5-year-olds (Big Sister) and one of the most beautiful 2-year-olds (Little Sister) in the world! Very happy and in-love wife of the kindest, gentlest and most attentive and loving man in the world! Signed up 5/3/13 to be a member of the Sea Rim Striders!! ( <link>searimstriders.org </link> )

I'm a fan of science fiction, fantasy, and other speculative fiction. I'm a full-time mother and have a job outside the home where I am learning the ins and outs of Human Resources. I am also a full-time online student with hopes of becoming a teacher. After I graduate from UoPx I plan to attend Texas A&M Corpus Christi online classes to get my Master's degree in secondary education and a teaching certificate. Sometimes I experiment with cooking--I'm not particularly creative at it, but I can follow a recipe pretty well--and when I have time and inspiration, I write for writing's sake. I try my hand at lots of things (knitting, photography, cake decorating, etc.) but become expert at very few of them.

Add a Link MommaCassey Central Standard Time Walkers, Runners, Joggers & Gadgeters Winter 2015 5% Challenge! "I'm not a pickle! I'm a cucumber." ~Larry "Every moment of one's existence one is growing into more or retreating into less. One is always living a little more or dying a little bit." ~~Norman Mailer (Which is to say, LIVE A LITTLE MORE!)
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