Dear Santa,

I have been trying really hard to be good this year.  If I make the nice list, this is my Christmas wishes....

1.How cute is this!!! And its pink.

2.I think I could pull off this sweater. What do you think?

3.Someday I would like to take great pictures of the boys and maybe finally get a family photo that we've never done.
4.My kids want one so it must be good, plus I actually listen to music on my ipod.
5. In my dreams I would totally rock this dress.
6.Winter running here I come!!!
7. Not sure if I would run any faster but I like the color which is half the battle.

8.  I could go back to my childhood roots and pretend I'm wonderwoman like when I was three in  my underoos.
9. They say I can cook spaghetti and meatballs in one pot in under a half hour.  SCORE!!!

10.  An appointment with Dr. Katzen to help fix the body issues that I still have.  I'll take a 360 lift and implants.  He should be at the top of the list because he is the one I need most of all.

So Santa,  not that I am expecting any of this to appear under the tree but just in case you were wondering what I like, this is it.

Love,
Sheri

This is how I do healthy....

For me I have to start the day on a good foot so I can workout and not feel like I screwed up the day diet wise.  This morning and most others it begins with 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1-2 tablespoons of Kashi GO LEAN, and a handful of blueberries.  I add a little splenda on top to sweeten it. It is important to eat with a smaller container and utensil (baby spoon) to feel like visually I have a good portion and slow down and enjoy the food I have before me.   I have to be careful to actually eat it and not walk away because I lose interest in eating after a few bites.  Courtesy of the RNY.  But I know I need to eat for energy to get the most out my new lifestyle. By the way this lifestyle can be shared by anyone not just WLS patients.



The plans for the morning are off since I have to take Alex for his allergy shots, but right after I am heading to the gym.  It is funny how two years ago I had to drag my ass to the Y and I really hated the elliptical machine.  Still I wouldn't say that running on the treadmill is a highlight for me, but I need it now.  The feeling of accomplishment when I am done(even if I have to talk to myself the entire time of just get it done and stop bitching) is amazing. 

The other fact of eating food that I never would have in the past is another great victory.  Cottage cheese, greek yogurt, twig type of cereal, and fruits and veggies are cravings now.  So yes,  I have come along way since surgery and I don't regret it a minute.

Body Pump...Oh how I missed you!

Last night I joined my aunt and two cousins at the local YMCA for a body pump class.  Last year, I spent many a night at body pump and grew some great muscle tone.  And then for some reason I shifted my workouts to more cardio based activity.  If you follow my blog or life then you know I am training for a 10 mile race in July.  And dare I say it because I might actually do it, but a half marathon in the fall. 

Back to Body Pump, which has  workout that is addictable  felt so good.  The music and rhythm with pumping iron drew me back in.  I can't say that I love exercising in general but I know that I am a much better person when I have gotten a workout in.  I feel selfish putting my needs in front of family time but wow did I feel good last night and even better this morning.  

I know I will be checking the schedule to see when the next class is and plan on being there.  Maybe, I will be a much more toned runner for my race than I am now?  Who knows.....

The sight in the mirror gets to me and I keep praying that money falls in my lap so I can get the tummy tuck which would complete the journey I started Nov 9, 2010. Many people don't understand that until the body looks like what the spirit I feels like than you don't feel like your  done yet. In the meantime I am going to keep working it though.  

~S 

Craptastic Weather

Ladies and Gentleman the weather is totally tanking my attitude and optimism.  I am in need of sunshine and hope that my race day Saturday is going to be sunny but on the cooler side.  Rainy days make me want to curl under a blanket and take a nap!  Good thing I got a solid workout in this morning and plans on tomorrows to get me back to fighting weight.  In other words scale don't let me down.  

But the way I have found that the Glee albums are great for workouts.  The tempo and rhythm are fast enough to keep me at a good pace on the Cybex machine and treadmill.  The added music have made me want to keep going even when my body is saying that is good enough for today.

So for the next few hours I am praying Jake and Evan don't trash the house while Howie is sleeping thus leaving me not having to yell.  Yup, people I am a yeller.  I hate this quality about myself, but I can't break this bad habit.  Maybe I should work on the blanket for Jeff and Tracey's new baby that will be coming in Oct.  Knitting brings the repetition of peace for me.  Well enough with the multitude of blog rambling.  Enjoy the craptastic New England weather.

~S

New Days Ahead

The tired housewife is now retired.  I feel that I need to look ahead to better days and stop thinking of myself as a tired housewife and more like a full of life woman.   So to new beginnings and new blog postings.  Hope you still want to stick around for my new changes.

~S

Guest Blog from Heather: A Special Village

A Special Village

People often use the saying "It takes a village" when speaking to new parents. I heard that saying quite a bit when my daughter was born on August 5, 2005. My pregnancy had gone very smoothly and without any complications. As soon as Lily was born, we were surrounded by all of our loving family and friends; these people made up "our village". They all came to meet our daughter and send their well wishes. Everything was going so perfectly, that we had no idea it was the calm before the storm.

I had not even been back to work for a month before things started to take a turn for the worse. I began feeling very tired and fatigued, didn't have any energy to take care of my young child, and was having trouble breathing at times. I knew that all of my symptoms could be due to the fact that I was a new mother dealing with the demands of a very small infant. However, I still felt like something was wrong, so I went to visit my doctor.

After a vast series of tests, I was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, or cancer of the lung's lining, on November 21, 2005. Mesothelioma is primarily caused by exposure to asbestos, which I found out had happened to me as a young child.

My first reaction, after hearing the diagnosis, was that my child was only 3 1/2 months old and I didn't want her to have to go through life without her mother. My doctor told me that if I chose to do nothing, I would only have 15 months to live. I knew right then that I would have to fight to survive, and nothing would keep me from beating this disease for my family.

Mesothelioma prognosis is not usually very optimistic. My husband and I, therefore, chose to take drastic measures, to battle this deadly disease. On February 2nd, my husband and I flew to Boston, where I underwent surgery to remove my left lung. I remained in the hospital for 18 days before returning home to recover for an additional two months prior to starting my chemotherapy, followed by radiation.

We would never have been able to fight this battle without the love, support and prayers of our village. There were people who helped us through our battle that we never expected to be there. Likewise, there were people we thought would be standing by our sides that decided to abandon us instead. Cancer had a way of showing us who truly mattered in our lives and who did not.

While we were in Boston, my parents in their home raised Lily. My parents had their own village to support them and help them care for her. Girls that I used to baby-sit for when I was younger were now grown up, married, with kids of their own, and offering to baby-sit my little girl. Members of my parents' church offered them constant love and support.

We never would have been able to survive this battle without the love and support of the people around us. They were what kept us going each and every day. My fight with cancer was not something that I would wish on anybody. However, I don't regret the people that I've met during my battle or the hardships I had to endure, because it has helped mold me into the person I am today. I have learned to appreciate everything that life has to other and to take nothing for granted. I am thankful for the chance to do that.

With a little help from God all things are possible

Spring has sprung and finally after spending most of the winter on my ass watching old episodes of Grey's Anatomy, I have moved into a better place emotionally.  I have recommitted to spending time at the gym and renewing a relationship with a healthier me.  This is a constant struggle when it seems like many people are needing something whether I can give it or not.  To learn to step away and put myself as a priority is not an easy thing when you grow up with always being a people pleaser.

Last year I quickly lost a significant amount of weight, the emotional blanket the kept me from talking to others  and my trusty food companion  that was my friend.  As time has gone on, I battle not falling into the trap of letting the food demons come back and steal away my success.  And let me tell you it is not easy at all.

I have taken up running and plan on participating in a 5k race in May.  Never could I have imagined running 3.1 miles without stopping prior to WLS.  But here I am, doing it and moving forward into a new reality.  I have to make short term goals to keep me going but that is OK. 

Constantly, while I am running in the cemetery I have an inner conversation of (please get me to this part of the road and then I can stop, then I get there and I say ok just get to the next part of the gate a few hundred yards ahead.)  Luckily this has kept me on the path to running with a purpose and not quitting before I get to the finish. And just because I am breathing heavy doesn't mean I have to hold back, it means I am alive and living my dream of being the girl that I wanted to be, a mom that can run with her kids and play until they drop. 

Life is a gift and I plan on living it to the best that I can.  Have a great day

~Sheri