Ella Endorses Obama!

Last night as we were driving home from church, I told Ella that I had gone to vote that day. We talked a little about voting and I asked her who she thought should be our next president. She excitedly answered, "Barack Obama." We're not sure where she learned about Barack Obama or John McCain, but apparently we talk about them more than we think. I think that Barack Obama is a pretty fun name to say. Nonetheless, the child has given her opinion. I guess that we'll see how the rest of the country feels in just a few days......

Life never gets back to "normal"

I, of course, have been pretty excited about my new diet/weight loss over the last year and a half. Not to mention becoming a "runner" (I'm still not sure if I can call myself that yet). But, I have forgotten a lesson that I learned in the beginning of my weight loss: Life never gets back to "normal", meaning that I never get to go back to eating whatever I want. Even with running I can't eat dessert everyday, and not measure out portions, and eat "just a little more." The pounds slowly but surely creep back on.

So, does this mean that I am on a perpetual diet? Does this mean that I can never eat what I want again? I guess that the answer is both yes and no. I am on a sort of diet, I have never been, and obviously never will be, the kind of person who can eat whatever they want and keep up the weightloss/maintenance. What I need to do is remember the lessons that I learned, in eating you make choices, a lot of them. If I want ice cream in the evening, then I can't have a cookie in the afternoon. If I want a little more dinner, I should eat a little less lunch, or vice versa. If I am eating badly, it's even more important that I make time in my day to go running (which is pretty hard with a little one). These are good lessons to learn, but hard to live out.

I guess this post is more of a reminder to myself, it's time to get serious, and be healthy! Being happy with who I am and proud of how I look is more important than that cookie that looks so tasty. If you have experienced the same thing and have any advice about staying on track, I would appreciate it!

What's the Matter with me?

Those of you who know me well know that when I say that I like sleeping, it's an understatement. I actually list napping as one of my hobbies. If a Sunday goes by and I don't get my Nazarene nap, I'm not a very happy camper. Lately, though, it seems that no matter how much sleep I get, I am never rested. I can sleep 8 hours a night and wake up feeling like crap, just the same as if I get 6 hours of sleep. I drag myself out of bed every morning bleary eyed and wanting more sleep. Every night when I get home, I count down the hours until I can go to sleep at a time reasonable to most adults (and after my 2 year old).

I just don't understand it. I eat a very healthy diet, I exercise about 2 hours a week, I can run 3 miles. Why can't I stay awake? One might think that it's some thyroid thing, but I've had that checked. One might say that it's because I am the mom of a toddler, but my toddler sleeps for almost 12 hours, and only 1 or 2 times a week wakes me up in the middle of the night.

I hate being tired, I want more energy. I have so much to do that I can't afford to go to bed at 9:00 every night. I just don't know how to make it better. Any suggestions?

P.S. I can't do caffeine, it gives me headaches and makes me want to sleep more!!!