Minus 4

No...that's not the temperature here in Texas, thank God!  It's FELT like that a day or two....but it hasn't been.  No.  Minus 4 is the current # of pounds dropped since my new Bodybugg gadget came into my life.  I am LOVING this little thing.  It works for me for several reasons.  First,  it's just a fun, cool gadget.  Who wouldn't adore and be fascinated by this kind of technology?  I'm forever wondering how many calories this activity burns, or that one.  Folding laundry, verses scrubbing toilets.  It's just plain fun!  Second, I am a numbers driven girl.  You would think with a statement like that I'd be MUCH better at math!  However...I don't want to ADD the numbers (or multiply, divide, square root or factor them).  I just want to see the numbers fly!  I love waking up in the morning and seeing how many calories breathing and dreaming took.  I LOVE watching the numbers jump up as I exercise.  I just love seeing those numbers change.  And third, I feel empowered by it.  I can see plainly at each minute of the day what I've burned calorie wise and know how far I am from various goals.  And because I know exactly where I stand, I can then ACT to make sure I am reaching those goals and staying on track every minute of the day.  I've learned a lot from this little bugg.  For one, I take in more calories than I'd like to admit.  It's easy to do.  Even with the best of intentions,  often, by 3:00 or so when the kids start getting home, my willpower starts to wane a bit.  I can completely undo a day of great eating by 6 p.m. if I'm not careful.  And by careful, I mean VIGILANT.  One bite here, or a morsel there....it all adds up QUICK!  In addition to taking in TOO many calories, I do not MOVE enough or burn nearly as many calories as I would like to think that I do.  I am an active person.  I stay on the go.  I exercise HARD.  Almost always.  And that is simply not enough!  In my head, I always feel like I put in my hard core time and worked out and can just chill the rest of my day and get on with the business of carpooling and laundry.  In reality, I have realized that I have to be EXTRA purposeful in keeping on the go and moving SO much more than I ever imagined.  I find myself deliberately making multiple, extra trips up the stairs.  I find myself parking WAY, way out from the store I'm heading into, just to get the extra steps.  I find myself heading out to the bus stop a few minutes earlier each afternoon with the dog to catch a couple of extra laps before Clara gets home.  And in being deliberate and purposeful I AM hitting my daily goals.  It's exciting!  I love it!  It's the most motivational thing I've had in ages and I am totally loving it.  I feel a sense of panic when it's time to trade out my digital display watch for something a little fancier looking because I'm heading out.  I LOVE seeing those numbers!  I NEEEEEED to see them.  My bodybugg is, hands down, my 2011 Most Favorite Gadget!!!!  Next weigh in is on Wednesday!  I'm hoping for good news!

In other news...life is barreling along like always.  Kids are back into the school routine.  We are all counting down the days until summer vacation!  Come on June 5th, because that's when we are getting out of here!

We have been visiting a church we like a great deal.  White Chapel United Methodist.  It's big, close to our house, has a great kids program, and best of all, the worship service does not feel like a televangelist rock concert.  There are choir robes.  And pastor robes.  And WOMEN help to lead the service (sorry, but that is one thing that bugs the heck out of me in the baptist church)  There are actually two women pastors, along with 4 men.  There is a sense of respect and reverence and tradition there that I have found lacking in so many services of late.  Sitting there, I love taking in the music, the QUIET (with noone shouting A-men every other minute during a prayer), the stained glass windows (LOVE me some stained glass) and the beautiful sense of community coming together to worship and give thanks.  There are young people.  And old people.  And new people and every age in between all those ages.  Most of all, I love that it hasn't conformed to the megachurch philosophy.  That it teaches scripture, straight and true and claims and stands on foundations that have been established since the beginning of time.  I love that it doesn't seem to need to "sell" Jesus or the idea of coming to church by making it as fluffy and light and "cool" as possible.  So many of the mega churches seem to be moving away from traditional church, and are focusing on  making it feel less like church and more like, hip, happening, rock concerts, hoping that if it doesn't feel like church, folks will want to come.  Sad that they have to be tricked into it if you ask me.  Sad that society today is so drawn to and dependent on gimmicks and flashy lights and "feel good" gatherings.  It was an amazing service Sunday.  There were no flashing stage lighting, no electric guitars, no disco balls, no deafening booming beats pouring out of the speakers.  I could not feel the bass vibrating in my bones.  But what there was was a fantastic message.  Beautiful music.  And a full house packed with the body of Christ.  It was, in every sense of the word....lovely.

In some final, and not very exciting news, I have a new desk.  A snazzy little antique oak number I got up at the antique mall.  It's all in place now and I am working on framing up some pictures for the newly available wall behind me!  Pictures to come soon!  One thing at a time!

And on that note....have yourself a FANTASTIC Monday!  I'm off to tackle today's P90X workout.  I've been delaying it, because I'm afraid it's a workout I hate.  This is transition week...and I SO so not want to do Core Synergistics.  I will.  I haven't missed a workout yet.  I just don't want to.  :)

P.S.  Blogging burns 40 calories!

A Walk into Vegetarianism?

I love to read.  I have for as long as I can remember.  I love romance and mystery.  Funny stuff and the dramatic.  And ever so often, I like to pick up something totally different and not at all like my usual pickings.  Just to, you know, broaden my horizons and stretch my brain a little bit.  On my most recent trip to the library I decided it was time for that something different book.  We've come through the holidays.  The kids are all back in school and I decided that it was, once again, time to work out the brain a little bit.  After perusing the shelves, I picked up a book called Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.  It's a book about animal farming and where the meat we consume every day comes from.  I've heard of these sorts of stories before and always have been, for the most part, unmoved by them.  I'm not particularly squeamish or anything and I happen to be a fan of eating meat.  I was raised on meat.  My parents were meat eaters.  As were their parents, and their parents before them.  The carnivorous gene runs strong in our family.  I understand that in order for me to eat my steak, a cow must die and be butchered.  Same for my chicken.  I totally get it and have no problems wrapping my brain around that thought chain.  I am not easily swayed in my stance on these issues.  That said, I do like to see both sides of an issue and understand where the other thought camp is coming from.  You never know when it could be useful in conversation somewhere!  And so, thinking to read up on animal farming and try to understand things from a "vegetarian" point of view, I checked out my book and went on my merry way, grabbing a burger from the nearest drive thru on my way home.  I sat down over my burger and began diving into my newest check out.  And I read and enjoyed the book.  It was, indeed, interesting to see someone else's point of view on the issue, even if I did not personally take offense to the same issues that he did.  I was enjoying my whole "brain stretching" journey through the book and enjoying being unswayed by the opinions of others.  UNTIL.  Page 129.  On page 129 begins the chapter entitled "The Life and Death of a Bird".  By the time I hit page 134 I was thinking that maybe this other point of view has a point after all.  Maybe.  But by the time I finished page 135, my days of eating chicken from my grocery store...or any grocery store were most definitely OVER.  So are my children's.  In those short pages my not easily swayed self was more than a little knocked over to the other side.  Done.  I won't share with you what was on the pages because YOU probably like your chicken just fine and would not appreciate me spoiling that for you.  I did, however, spoil it for Chris.  He was kind of reading the book along with me.  He had no worries.  He is even less swayable than I am on things.  He's a hunter after all.  Has killed and cut up PLENTY of animals for eating himself.  It's part of the whole circle of life thing.  However, after his journey through page 135, he was also rethinking our family's chicken consumption, among other things.  Lest you be concerned that the Roberts family has gone crazy and become radical vegetarians, let me assure you, we have NOT.  We have however, decided that it is imperative that we know where our meat is coming from.  Where it was raised, how it was raised and how it was butchered and processed.  Not possible to do just by ducking into our local grocery store.  Those days are OVER.  Instead, this weekend, after some online research, we found ourselves at the Dallas Farmer's Market.   It's a big thing down in downtown Dallas.  And there, at the farmer's market, in addition to the MOST beautiful produce and veggies I think I've ever come across, we were able to select meat and chicken from several LOCAL farmers.  Meat that was raised right here, practically in the neighborhood.  Meat with no chemicals, antibiotics, hormones or other icky things.  From cows that were 100% grass fed in wide open pastures and butchered cleanly and humanely right here locally instead of having to be shipped hundreds of miles in the back of a truck.  We also got chickens that were 100% hormone and drug free, processed right there on the farm, humanely, and most importantly, aren't 11% full of, well...what's on page 135.  The meat was a little more expensive than what we pay in the grocery...but not ridiculously so.  And, most definitely worth every penny!   Excited about this new journey of ours, we enthusiastically fired up the Big Green Egg last night and had our very first sampling of 100% grass fed beef.  And OH MY HEAVENS.  I sunk my teeth into THE most amazing tasting ribeye I have ever eaten.  It was simply divine.  It was tender and juicy and SO darned delicious.  We did not marinate them as we usually do.  Simply rubbed them down with a little olive oil, salt, garlic and pepper and grilled them nice and low and slow.  Mmmmmm.  Divine.  Dinner was followed by a homemade blackberry cobbler made with the fresh blackberries I bought at the market.  Indescribable yumminess!  By the time dinner was over, I have to say that I found myself SO thankful for Eating Animals and page 135, because without it, I would not know just how amazing my steak dinner really could be.  I went to bed with a full tummy, completely at peace with my meat, and completely at peace with my children eating it, and thankful that I don't have to become a vegetarian.  My freezer is full of chicken and fresh pork chops and I have FRESH local eggs in my fridge.  I am giddy with anticipation to cook it up for my family.  All in all, it was a close brush with vegetarianism.  If you know our Max, you realize the crisis we were facing!  LOL!  But crisis averted!  All is well again under the Roberts roof.  Beef.  (and chicken) It's what's for dinner!