Fly the Friendly Skies

So I am flying to Ohio on Friday with Kaitlyn to visit my family. Flying is something we do several times a year in order to visit our families. Driving is out of the question, especially now with gas prices being so warped. On average, we fly no less than twice a year. Add business trips into the mix and it’s higher. SO, how is it that each time a trip approaches I turn into a total spazz? I can’t sleep, I think about the flight a lot and I generally feel like flying is worse than going to the dentist—which is as close to hell as I’d like to experience, thank you very much. I know my fears are, for the most part, irrational. But, they are real and they SUCK. Ask my poor husband. I am his third child when we fly. Actually, I am his hyper, white-knuckled, on the verge of a psychotic episode third child. I tend to not breath during the takeoff (maybe the plane needs my air to get it going!?) and I feel like each time we bank right or left, we’re being sucked back to the ground by some unforeseen gravitational anomaly. Once the flight attendants announce we can use our electronic devices, I begin to breath and my blood circulation begins to work. Not really exaggerating here, folks. I hate it. The odd thing is, up until I had kids, I LOVED TO FLY! I loved everything about it. I travelled a lot before the kids, went on trips for work over to the UK a bunch of times, nothing really fazed me. Hawaii for our honeymoon-A OK. I know the obvious reason is because I am protective of my kids and just naturally try to prevent them from getting into harm’s way. Yada yada yada. Here’s the other thing—I am cool as a cucumber when I fly alone. So, it’s clearly because I am trying to protect them. But, what has changed in the 5 years of having kids that I now dread flying? Really nothing. OK, after 9-11, everyone was a little more jittery and for good reason. But even that has calmed down. Maybe it’s the whole “not in my control” aspect of the flight. I don’t know, but you know it’s bad when your 4 year old is holding YOUR hand and trying to calm YOU down. Geesh. I’ve got to find a way to get a grip on this. If we could use our iPods or watch movies during takeoff, that would be great. Let’s do that. Gulp.

FALL-ing back into rhythm

My favorite season is Fall. No question. When I was little, I couldn't wait until September rolled around, partly because my birthday is in September and partly (albeit the smaller part) was because school was starting. I still love September because of my birthday and now because it's Kaitlyn's birthday month, too. I associate Fall with a new start. A new year. A new grade. I think that's why I always feel extra motivated right around now and especially into the fall. I feel more organized, more excited, and just more alive. I guess it's all of those years of going back to school that have trained my brain to get re-energized. I already feel like I have a better outlook on things like my weight loss project, work, and my quest to run a 5k on Thanksgiving.

I started running. I suck at it. Royally suck. BUT, I am in the beginning stages of....liking it. Huh? How did that happen? I only run in short, painful intervals but they are getting progressively easier. Even though these spurts are short and painful, I feel like I am getting so much out of it. Sweet. :)

My neighborhood has a beautiful lake with a brand new paved pathway that goes all of the way around the lake--about 1.38 miles. I am going to take my running to the next level--off of a treadmill. I am psyched.

Also, I am down 5.4lbs! Woot! Got my 5lb sticker at WW. Yay, me. This isn't that big of a deal, really. I've reached this milestone a bunch of times. Still, it's in the right direction.

Dare I say it, I think something is starting to click...

This is what is wrong with "going green"

J and I were talking about the whole global warming issue last night. Our opinions differ slightly but we agree on one major thing--whether or not there truly is global warming--people are clearly taking advantage of this and wildly profiting from the hysteria.

Exhibit A:

Now, come on. You can't tell me that Kim Kardashian gives a crap about the environment or what we are doing to the future generations, etc. Please. She probably bought this shirt at Kitson, or better yet, Kitson gave it her to wear cuz they know she'd be photographed in it. It's just like those "grocery bags" you can buy that are made of cloth and were all the rage last year with the celebri-bots:

Exhibit B:

Hey, I am all for some "going green" priniciples such as stop using plastic bags, stop using water bottles, recycling, etc. I think that's just responsible living. I am weaning myself from the plastic bags--it's hard when Super Target is in your neighborhood and you're there every other day! (Remember to ask for paper!). The water bottle thing is easier for me. That just means I get to go out and by a shiny new water bottle, kind of like this one:

Ok, that's my celebrity rant for the day. Rant over.

My imaginary friends...

I’ve been asked why I started this blog. Can’t I just write in a journal instead? What’s all the hubbub about? Well, here’s why:

1. I am a writer. That’s what I do for a living (albeit technical writing so it’s not very amusing or personal!). I know that I write things easier than I say them. I am a great e-mailer of my feelings and issues. I am horrible at talking about them. (Right J!?) I feel more comfortable writing down things that are bothering me and then sharing them to others versus just blurting them out without the safety net of the Delete key and “Is this what I really want to say” Check.
2. I have discovered a whole world of fascinating people, many just like me, and I love reading about their lives, adventures, issues, etc. I read their blogs religiously. Here are some of my faves:
   
   Dooce.com: This is my all-time favorite blog. Dooce, aka Heather Armstrong, is a mom in Salt Lake City, who writes with the most acerbic wit ever. She’s very candid and very very funny. She is also an amazing photographer who inspires me.
   
   Matt Logelin: I wish I never “met” Matt. For this reason. He is raising his daughter and documenting it all in this blog and it’s just simply amazing. He also has a really cool robot. I found him after this article ran in the Star Tribune. I’ve actually emailed him and he’s emailed me so I know him now. ;)
   
   SuburbanBliss.net: Melissa’s another mom and she lives in the Detroit area. I stumbled onto her blog first I think way back when. She’s painfully honest and totally absorbing. She’s got 2 really cool kids, too. I think we could have been friends. There are more blogs listed on my site, that I think rock, too. But these are my top 3.
   
3. I feel much better when I have an outlet for stuff that’s rolling around inside me head. Even if it’s just the mundane or ridiculous stuff like why can’t iPhones grow on trees?

I suspect these reasons are the main reasons why anyone would feel the need to start a blog. It’s the new diary, so to speak. I bet even Bridget Jones has a blog by now.

New Suzi--entry #1

One of the main reasons why I started this blog was to give me an outlet to discuss how I was doing with WW and my exercise schedule. I’ve listed my blog on the WW site so other WW members could visit and comment about my posts. Maybe I’ll provide info that someone else will find useful. Maybe not. ;)

To be honest, I can’t really say that I’ve been 100% committed to this program yet. I chose to follow the WW Core program. It’s their relatively new program that allows you to eat without counting points, but only eat foods like veggies, fruits, grains, etc. Bread is not part of the plan. You do get a weekly allotment of points to use on bread, and other stuff. Personally, I think this plan sounds healthier and more sustainable to me than their original Flex plan where you can eat everything but count points. I did that plan and ended up using my points for crap food. I don’t think it taught me anything—obviously it didn’t. I like Core because I am focusing on HEALTHY natural foods. Yep, I will use my points for some bread and some chocolate here and there (come on!).

My biggest problem right now is my sugar intake. It’s off the charts I would say. So, cutting out all of the sugar (processed food, breads, etc) will be the hardest part for me to get a grip on. Before WW, I would just eat whatever, knowing full well that it was bad for me, or not GOOD for me, etc. For example, every morning I would go to our office cafeteria and get a bagel with cream cheese. For a while, I would get a whole wheat English muffin instead. Not sure why I switched. But, still, I know better and I absolutely have to give that up as a daily breakfast. I never felt good afterwards, I still had little energy. These are the kinds of meals I need to avoid and break myself from. It’s the same for lunch. I would buy/eat the stupidest food choices. Again, I need to make serious changes…

So, I’ve come up with a list of changes I am starting to work on. Here they are:

1. Bring my lunch to work every day. Fill it with good Core foods like fruit, veggies, chicken, turkey, sweet potatoes, etc. Make enough to last all day, including snacks
2. Do NOT bring any money to work. I am too tempted to buy snacks, etc and I don’t need it. And, I will have extra $$ each month for my iPhone/Wii fund. :)
3. Drink more water and less Diet Coke. If you know me, you know I love my Diet Coke. Even I know it’s too much. Sad, I love my Diet Coke. Just now in moderation!
4. Exercise more. My neighbors and I are training for a 5k over Thanksgiving. I’ve never run a race, or around the block for that matter. ;) Should be interesting. I am psyched because it’s been a goal of mine for as long as I can remember. I start “training” today. Also, get back into a weight routine. Adding weight training back into my regimen will be good. But, still focus mostly on cardio. More like 80% cardio 20% weights.

This was a long post! But, I feel good-I’ve put it “out there” for others to see (hi honey!) and they’ll hold my feet to the fire. :)

My Girly Girl...

Kaitlyn, my oldest daughter, is 4, turning 5, turning 14. She's full of all things girly. She loves Disney princesses, Hanna Montana, Barbie, jewelry, dresses, and now--mani-pedis. (Thanks Aunt Stacey!)

I can't help but wonder (wow, channelling Carrie Bradshaw??) if I should curtail some of this fluffy, princessy stuff. Is it OK? I don't want her to grow up thinking that she actually IS a princess (okay, outside of our house anyway). I want her to grow up to be a strong, compassionate, and respectful young woman. Is allowing/encouraging her to wear her tiara with her bathing suit around the house perpetuating the very stereotypes that I want her to ignore?

I happen to love all of the girly stuff. I love buying her frilly pink dresses and fruity-scented lip gloss. I also love watching her play soccer and playing PowerRangers with the other boys in her preschool class. Is that enough of a balance?

Ugh, this all starts again when Chloe turns 3 and discovers the fruity lip gloss and play high heels. Oh wait, she already has...

an iPhone, a Wii, and other stuff I want

Dear internet,

I love you, internet. You make it possible for me to keep track of Britney's custody battles, which celebrity had a baby today, and read an in depth analysis of why Miley Cyrus/Hanna Montana will destroy our daughters.

But, lately internet, you are making me obsess over such stupid things. Like, how can I convince my husband that an iPhone is a necessary upgrade from my current cell phone? I want an iPhone for many reasons, most of which make perfectly reasonable sense to me.

I want a Wii, too. I think it would be so much fun for our family to have a game that we can play together. And, you don't just sit on your butt and play games--you move. :)

So, I am putting this out there, internet, just like Oprah said to do. If you want something bad enough, tell the universe and think positively and it will happen!! Praise Oprah!

I want an iPhone, I want a Wii. I want an iPhone, I want a Wii. I want an iPhone, I want a Wii. I want an iPhone, I want a Wii. I want an iPhone, I want a Wii. I want an iPhone, I want a Wii. I want an iPhone, I want a Wii. I want an iPhone, I want a Wii. I want an iPhone, I want a Wii. I want an iPhone, I want a Wii. I want an iPhone, I want a Wii. I want an iPhone, I want a Wii.

Thank you, internet.

Love,

suzi

When you know what you have to do...

So, I rejoined Weight Watchers for the 1,000,000th time this month. I've been toying with the idea of rejoining for a while but kept putting it off. I know WW works, it has worked for me in the past, but the thought of spending money on losing weight just drives me nuts. Seriously, why do I need to pay someone else to help me lose weight? Shouldn't that be something I can do on my own? Obviously not. So, I am a proud member of WW. I have to say, they've made some progress in their materials and overall plan. They've updated their brand and how they approach weight loss which I think is good and it really appeals to me. I have this crazy ass WW leader who I see on Saturday. She's obsessed with making dolls and comes to the meetings every week with a new doll to show that is somehow tied to that week's meeting theme. However, she's very with it and totally can cut through all of the excuses anyone hands her about why they aren't getting it or why they didn't follow the WW program that week. It's pretty funny.

So, I've lost some weight already, but it's like the tip of the iceberg to me. I've got a long way to go and I've got a lot of changes to make. That's the hard part. I want this to stick. I don't want a quick fix that I won't stay with forever. So, I am taking my time, gradually making big changes including exercising more and eating less CRAP. It's super hard but I know I will feel better.

I plan on posting regularly about this, to keep myself honest and to have an archive of my progress. Including pictures. Gulp.

Wish me luck...

hello world.

Welcome to my new blog, pink vanilla cupcakes. I created this blog because I am a devout reader of many great blogs and became inspired to send my thoughts out to the universe to "see what sticks".

What's with the name, you ask?

Simple. I LOVE cupcakes. Not for why you think. True, cupcakes are delicious. Duh. I love the aesthetic of cupcakes. I love the design of them, what they remind me of (happy birthday parties, weddings, fun girly days). I love all things with cupcakes on them: baby clothes, note cards, etc.). And, my favorite color is pink. So, there you have it, pink vanilla cupcakes.

Ok, well, off to blog...