Body By Vi Challenge-Day 4

So I thought I'd give a quick update. I started the Body By Vi 90 day
challenge on Friday! Well I'm 4 days into it and I feel amazing.

To be honest I'm really shocked by this. I took the leap of faith
on this, figuring what do I have to lose, If it doesn't work I have a 30
day money back promise. Nothing like getting money back if you don't
like the results you get.

The first day I was hungry, like when you drink a slim fast shake and
it really doesn't satisfy you. The second day I felt pretty good and drank
my two shakes, I noticed that I had a little more energy that day.

It's day number 4.  I feel amazing, I have a lot of energy and the best part,
I stepped on the scale and lost 3.3 lbs.I have only worked out twice in the
last 4 days(remember I'm not a gym rat)

The shakes are very similar in taste to that of a slim fast one, but I add
all kinds of different fruits and I've been enjoying all the different ones I've
had. So far I've had chocolate(made with a health flavor mix in), and
orange/peach(made with fruit), banana/strawberry(my favorite so far),
blueberry, and blueberry strawberry.

I noticed that I'm not craving anything, which is a big deal for me because
under my past diets I always seemed to have a craving for whatever it
is that I was not getting(my relationship with Atkin's ending with an affair
with a tasty stack of french toast).

Someone offered me a bag of Peanut Butter M&M's and I actually turned
it down. What? I had to check myself for a fever, who turns down a bag
of perfectly yummy candy. The thing is I turned it down because I didn't
really want it. Not because I was sticking to a diet, but because I was
not hungry at all.

I've not changed any foods that I eat, although I make sure not to eat
when I'm not hungry. I am paying particular attention to my stress eating
and bored eating. Those are things that I've had a lot of problems with
in the past.

Well anyway, if you are thinking of trying it out. Contact me and I'll
send you the information. It really works and trust me I wouldn't be
willing to tell you it did if it didn't!

90 Day Challenge-Day 0

Today I start my weight loss challenge.
My goal is going to be that I take measurements every Friday to see if I've had
any changes that week. I'm gonna post everything today and then I'll post changes
every Friday.

Here's my approach. I'm going to drink two shakes a day and continue doing my
Wii Fit Plus 4 days a week. I'm not gonna bump up my activity at all. I'm gonna
eat food when I'm hungry and I'm still gonna enjoy dinners with the family. I'll post
a daily food intake though so that everyone knows just what I eat but here we
go.


Measurements:

9/16/2011

Bust: 45
Chest: 38
Waist: 36
Hips: 44
Thighs: 41

90 Days to a new me

So I've decided to take part in a 90 day challenge, its called the Body by
Vi 90 day challenge. My friend Kelly kept talking about  this 90 day challenge
 that she is taking. At first I was skeptical, its one of thosedrink one or two
shakes  a day thing. I first thought oh, those things taste terrible and no way can
 I afford it.

She made me a shake, with some strawberries in it and honestly it was pretty
decent. I thought well no way can I afford it. Then I looked at the price and
realized that it was affordable($49-$249) depending on package you choose.

I started considering it. Kelly said since she's on thyroid meds she took the
package of shake mix to the doctor. The doctor gave it her approval, cause
it didn't have any of the harmful things like caffeine or ephedra in it. It also has
12 grams of protien per shake(without milk in it). It can be mixed in water, if
you want to do that, or you can mix it in soy or almond milk. I'm gonna stick
with the skim milk for now and see how I feel.

After she told me this I figured that I'd give it a chance. I thought to myself
besides a little bit of money what do I really have to lose, I throw away $48
a month on weight watcher's why not spend that money and see what happens.

So I took the plunge. I signed up and I'll get my package on Monday. The
company that does this allows you to submit your measurments and for you
to win prizes and trips for your progress( a little added bonus)

Throughout the 90 days I thought I would post some updates for all of you.
I'm gonna post my measurements and my weight loss in hopes of showing
everyone that this product is a good deal. As well as how I feel and what
I think of it.

If at any time any of you are interested in the product while I am doing it
let me know. I can sign you up to take part in your own challenge and
to get you going. Here's to a transformed 90 days for me!!!

A few things you should know....

about a football coach's wife....That is if you want to understand
how we can "handle" it that is.

See being a coach's wife is a challenge. I don't have many other
friends that are wives of coaches in other sports. But I can say
that to some extent they probably go through something very
similar to this. Although in my opinion football wives still have
the biggest challenge. So here is a list of some things you should
know about football wives.


1. Football isn't just our husband's job, it's his passion!
This may be a little hard to understand for some. Our husband's don't
just go to work, come home and leave the work at the office. They
spend hours making recruiting calls, drawing up plays and talking to
each other about ideas. It isn't uncommon for Rock to be on the phone
at 11pm talking about some blitz concept he has.

2. We know the game, better than the average player!
Being that they spend so much time in the job most wives become very
aware of the game, understanding all the terms and being able to spot
the mistakes that are happening. For instance I know more about coverages,
fronts, and techniques than the average player does.

3. Events, Vacations and life happens around football!
This is very difficult for most people, even our extended families to
understand. Weddings, reunions, and any event planned between
August and Novemeber will result in either a "No" or a "Yes, 1" in
attendance. Unlike many people their are no sick days. Vacation
is scheduled for late June or July and I have yet to meet a professional
coach who didn't get married in either June or July!

4. We sit in a special section
This is for your protection. Although we tell everyone that it is for the
protection of the families. We do this because the average fan will blame
the coach for any and all things that go wrong. Not many people know that
trying to get a 19-22 year old kid to follow instructions 24/7 is impossible.
I've got tons of stories about Rock telling a player that something is gonna
happen and then the player not listening and it results in a big play. For the
safety of the fan who blames the coach we sit in another section.

5. The game isn't over until the last second ticks off the clock!
We are proud and loyal. We show up at games that we know we have no
chance of winning(although we always hope). We sit through 100 degree
scorchers, rainstorms, and snowstorms. We never leave a game early because
we are losing so bad. We stay till the game is over.

6. We don't need a man to mow the lawn, or fix the faucet!
Having a spouse that works an average of 100 or more hours a week during the
season means that we have to be able to handle all things in the house. The story
for football wives is that we become "football widows" for about 7 months of the
year. We have to know how to pay bills, take care of yard work and fix stuff
around the house. Most of the ladies I know can do all of that and will without
a hesitation. Not only can we do it we take pride in the independence we have.

7. We stick together!
This is pretty simple. The wives of coaches tend to be pretty close to each other.
We go through the same things. We experience the same highs and lows.These
women become not just our friends but our family. I've been blessed to have such
amazing wives in my life!

8. We have our own organization!
This may surprise some people but we have our own organization. It's called the
AFCWA(American Football Coaches Wives Assocation). They meet during the
Coaches Convention and its a social networking and support group for all of us.

9. We are an intergral part of our husband's job!
We take an active role in his job, we make suggestions, try to talk to them about
the things that they are having problems with and offer a lot of support. We make
sure that they keep their networking up and that they talk to the people that can
help them in their advancement.

10. We become attached to the players and their families!
Our husbands spend so much time talking about their players, we know every
single thing that happens. We know about grades, break ups, and life issues for
them all. Over a 4 year period you watch an 18 yr old boy turn into a young man.
We proudly cook and feed the players. We grow close to the families of the
players. They become a part of our lives. I've been blessed to call some of our former
players friends later on in life.

11. We get use to meeting new people!
Football is anything but a stationary job. The average turnover rate for coaches is
 4 years.If you are able to spend longer than that in one place than you are blessed.
 Moving is a thing that many of us get use to. We have to be able to deal with
 meeting new players, wives,coaches, friends. We are a little reserved in making
 friends We tend to stick to those that are in a similar situation to us. We do make
 friends with others though and we expose them to new things all the time.

12. We do other things too!
Many football wives have jobs or activities outside of the home. We are able to
 accomodate the lives of our husband's with the goals of our own lives. We
lead full lives, full of goals and and accomplishments. We know how to balance
the needs of his job the the needs of our lives. Its a challenge but we make it
work.


Well this should give you a look at our lives and a little insight on the things
that make us tick. As the season starts look for more on our season and some
additional insights on the life of a coach's wife!

My time is now!

For those of you that watch wrestling(I assume that # is low),
you will recognize the title of this blog as being from John
Cena's theme song. I don't claim to know what he is talking
about when he sings that part of the song but I can tell you
that those 4 words have struck a cord in me.

See in 2003 I gave birth to the first of 5 children. For a lot
of women this doesn't alter their lives very much but I am not
that kind of mom. I made the decision after the second child
to become a Stay at home mom. It meant less money in the
house, less time to myself, and less of an identity outside being
a wife and mother.

My decision to stay home was influenced greatly by the fact
that my entry level job would not make enough to cover the
cost of daycare for 4 kids. I also am fiercely protective of my
children. I don't trust anyone with my little ones. Since 2003 I
have not spent one whole night away from the children(well
except for the hospital stays to have the next child). I've had
several chances to let the kids stay but never felt comfortable
enough with anyone else.

Anyway long story short that lead to me putting on hold a lot
of my own plans, ideas, and goals. Being the wife of a football
coach makes it hard to have a part time job(hubby doesn't work
a normal 9-5job). This job requires a lot of commitment and a
an ability to handle being alone a lot(more on that later)

In January I made a New Year's Resolution to get started on
tackling one of my "bucket list" items. I started researching going
back to school and found that I could go to school online, get a
fully recognized SUNY degree, and pay a very low instate tuition rate.
So I enrolled in Empire State for the March term.

I decided to enroll in (4) 4 hour classes, giving me a total of 16 credit
hours for my first semester back. Why??? Well I decided to attack this
goal with a little gusto. I'm not gonna say that I didn't have times when
I started to think what the heck was I thinking, but I will say that I gave
it my all and am proud to say I accomplished a 4.0 in my first semester.

So My time is now! This is my time to start living for myself and for the
things that I want to accomplish. This is my time to love me. I've had
so many things that I have always wanted to do, and some of them will
have to wait(like that trip to Italy) but some of them I can do now. Some
of the goals I have I can start accomplishing now and I can really get
done the one thing I've always wanted to be most and that is to be an
example to my children of how dreams can be accomplished!!!!

Success

Success: The accomplishment of an aim or purpose


What makes someone successful? This was something I have
 been thinking about for the last couple of days. Well really every since
 we had dinner with the extended family on Saturday and my MIL asked
 my BIL if he felt that he was a success.

His list of accomplisments was varied and extensive. Running
marthons,being in 40 cities and 13 countries, and the list went on.
 As I listened to his list of things that made him feel accomplished I
 realized that if I measured against his list, including marathons,numerous
 countries visited and various other things I would never be as accomplished.

But that's not the point right? We all define what makes each of us
a success. What one person sees as an success might be totally
wasted on another.

Just because 1% of the population runs a marthon doesn't make it
a goal more worthy of accomplishment than the goal to never miss
a family dinner.

Don't get me wrong now, some goals tend to have a universal appeal.
Say becoming president of the U.S. or winning the Super Bowl.
But at the same time there are tons of things that people do every
single day that are no less important...

For instance the average marriage in America last 7 years now. So
as I approach my 8th year haven't I already accomplished a goal
beyond that of the average American.

See each person decides what makes them a success. Holding down
a job in this difficult job market is a success. Being able to rebound
after a foreclosure(something I have experience with) is a success.

Many people look to others and say I'm not a success because I
don't have a house with a pool, nice cars, nice clothes and all
that. I too have been known to try to keep up with the Jones'
but lately I've realized that I am a success in my own right.

So for all of you out there. Realize that you are a success and that
you can measure your own success. What makes you a story is
your own willingness to be the best person you can be.

Caprese Appetizers!

This is my own personal recipe! I came up with it off of a traditional
 Caprese Salad.For my none Italian Food friends Caprese salad is a very
popular dish that consists of mostly Fresh Mozzerella, Sliced tomato, Fresh
 Basil and some olive oil.

I changed it up a little to make a handhed appetizer. This is one of
 my favorite appetizers to make when we have guests over. It's fairly
simple to make and packs a delicious taste...

Here is my recipe.

1 box Keebler Flatbread Crisp-Italian Herb
16 oz bocconcini(mini mozzerella balls)
16 oz grape tomato
16 Fresh basil leaves
Wegman's Basting Oil( Olive Oil can be used)

*Note if you can't find mini mozzerella ball you
can use 3-4 large balls-must be fresh mozzerella

* Wegman's Basting Oil contains different types
of oil and herbs. It is a speciality oil that adds
a lot of flavor. If unable to get oil you can use
EVOO(Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

Directions:
1. Lay the crackers on the serving platter
2. cut the mozzerella balls in half,(if using
the large balls cut into small pieces about
the size nickle)
3. Slice each grape tomato in half
4. tear each basil leaf in half
5. Place one slice of tomato, mozzerella,
and basil on each cracker. Arranging in
any way that you please.
6. Drizzle with a splash of oil, I prefer
Wegman's Basting oil but a simple EVOO
or another oil can be used.
7. SERVE and enjoy