All I see is love.

Well, one thing is for sure, working out at the gym is eating up my blog time. So is organizing my life. My waistline and refrigerator are thanking me. I have managed to make 10 cardio and 10 weight training sessions so far this month. Go me. Making it to the gym today was critical. I hadn’t been there for two days. I am still completely sore from Friday and I had stomach aches, etc. Wah, wah, wah. I was not in the mood. I managed to get myself there and I am so happy I did. I did take some measurements this weekend, and I am happy to report that a few inches have been lost. You will have to wait and see for Oct. 1st. I have gained a pound, hopefully, of pure powerful calorie-burning muscle.

As far as the refrigerator goes...I completely took it apart and cleaned the heck out of it. It is gleaming inside. My lovely neighbor picked up and delivered a fruit and veggie basket purchased coop style for me. As much as I like a bargain, I have my limits. 7 am, on Saturdays, is not for being productive. God bless Steve and Denise!!! See picture of produce above. I had this, plus another 24 ears of corn to put away. After shucking, cooking, cutting and freezing 24 ears of corn. I had a big mess plus the produce shown above to deal with. In typical Lauri style, I decided to empty the fridge and clean it, at that moment. My kids were worried for me. My husband was hopeful. My kitchen, once again, is happy and clean (it doesn't happen often.) I even managed to hit the corner in my kitchen where paper clutter and odds and ends go to die a slow painful death. I love that a photograph captures only the here and now, and not the baggage that I carry with me whenever I think of my kitchen. It is definitely a love/ hate relationship I have with the heart of my home. All I can see here is L-O-V-E!

Room Redo

Yesterday was a perfect day, well, pretty close anyway. I dropped the girls at the bus stop, we said our good byes, and then Brandon and I found some good buys at Kohl’s. I was armed with good sales, the promise of an extra 30% off on top of the sales, and a $10 off coupon good towards kids clothes. And, to top it off, my little guy was the best little shopper. What a gift! The short story is that my soon-to-be 8 year old's bedroom is gorgeous. I picked up a few items to give it a fun, fresh, organized look. I came home, cleaned, organized and set up Alison’s room in a record two and a half hours. Brandon slept the whole time. See....I told you it was perfect.

This morning, however, it is back to reality. I am missing my morning gym session due to the fact that my oldest woke up, throwing up. It is my fault, really. Yesterday morning, she said to me optimistically, “I’m not going to miss any days of school this year.” I should have knocked on wood.

Gym update: I have completed 5 strength training and 5 cardio sessions. I’m on track for my goal of 13 this month. I also think I am seeing a little bit of definition in my shoulder muscles. One way or the other, I will be working out today. It will either be a home workout or one that I do after dinner.

Champagne Suffering

Have you ever heard of the term? It refers to complaints that many of us have. Sore muscles from voluntary weight training, not enough “me time,” busy school schedules, a cluttered home are a few that come to mind. I know for a fact that many people would love to just have these types of troubles.

I have a friend, who I met while volunteering at my children’s school, that is fighting GBM Grade IV. It is a terrible form of brain cancer. You can learn more about it at www.faithforcathy.com. She is supported by prayer, donations, cutting edge medicine, doctors, friends, family and God. Her story is a constant reminder to me that we must refocus on the good and wonderful in our lives. Each day is a gift and the gift should be mindfully experienced everyday.

Thank you, Cathy, for reminding me to love and be grateful for each day.

Game on.

Things are finally getting back into order around here after our vacations. School starts this Monday. I can hardly believe that our summer break is over. I knew it would go fast.

I thought I’d share with you an alarming statistic that I read recently. Beginning at age 35, women start losing about 1% of muscle mass per year. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so if we are more “fat” than we used to be, we aren’t burning as many calories as we did when we were younger. I’ve been noticing that it is harder to lose weight, and harder to even maintain an even weight. I also see that my body composition is not what I would like it to be, meaning I look like I’ve had 3 kids. I’m going to be proactive and try to stop this nasty tendency its tracks. I’m taking on the mission of gaining muscle.

My first goal is to have 13 total body weight training sessions and 10 cardio sessions this month. I started on August 1st. So far I’ve done 2 of each. By October 1st, I have goals of losing inches on specific areas. I won’t scare you with the details. I will, however, share the totals lost on October 1st. I’m not going to be concerned with the scale because muscle weighs a lot, so my weight might not change much at first. Over time, the muscle will help burn off the fat eventually. I'm practicing delayed gratification.

I have been totally blown away by a friend who recently completely changed her body through diet and exercise. She even won 1st place in bikini in a big body building competition. She is a mom of two and was competing against 19 year-olds. The change was inspiring. That being said, I hope that by telling you all of my plans of transformation, it may help me stick with my plans. I’ve been know to completely forget about goals. It will be harder to forget it now that I’ve told you all. Wish me luck.