The challenge...

I went to the doctor this afternoon to get a physical.  

The major concern…I’m overweight!  I got on that scale and I almost died!  I couldn’t believe my eyes!  Was the scale broken?  Would it help if I took off all my clothes?  I knew the numbers flashing at me were correct…after all, it was a digital scale.  OMG!  Is that really how much I weigh?  How could I have let this happen to me?!!!

I’ve been under a lot of stress lately and have a tendency of eating when I’m stressed even when I’m not hungry.  I know this is bad but I still do it!   Why?  I have no idea.

My brain talks to me and tries to reason with me.  It even tries to put some fear in me but my mouth and stomach tell me a different story.  It’s like the angel and the devil on my shoulders.  

The Angel:  “No, don’t eat it.  You’re just doing it because you’re stressed.  Walk away, you don’t need it!”  

The Devil whispering in my ear:  “Doesn’t it look good?  I bet it tastes soooo good.  Come on, I know you want to try it.  Just take one bite that’s all.  Mmmm…just one bite… go on, it’s not going to hurt you.”  

So guess who wins?  I keep thinking to myself, “No, I don’t need it, I shouldn’t.”  as I take a bite.  “No, I must stop,” as I continue to take another.   And the next thing I know, I’m eating away.  My problem…I can’t just have one bite.  The minute I have a taste (especially if it’s good), I can’t seem to stop myself.  I keep going… and going… like the energizer bunny.  

As I’m speaking with my doc, I tell her, “I have no will power, and I’m starting to consider taking diet pills or… and before I even finished my sentence she turns to me says, “It might seem like an easy way to do it, but there is no easy way.  Best thing to do is exercise and follow it with good well-balanced meals.”  

My doctor asked me, “How much weight would like to lose?”  I wanted to say 60 pounds but only thought to myself.  Of course, I had to be more realistic.  “I would definitely like to lose between 30-40 lbs.”  She looked at me and said, “You can do it.”  “Just cut back on the breads and pastas.  Reduce your sugar intake and avoid drinking sweet juices or sodas and I assure you, if you do, you will lose those pounds!”

Sounds easy, right?   Yeah, right!  It’s going to be tough not eating what I love…mmmmmm breads, muffins, bagels, sweet rolls and donuts!  How can I fight the temptation and say “no” to them.  Especially, when at work there is always someone bringing them in the morning.  When someone offers me a muffin or donut (even if my mind is yelling out “No, don’t take it!”), my hand immediately goes for the muffin…I just can’t seem to refuse!  

I have to put my foot down!  

I’m setting a goal for myself to losing 40 pounds within the next 6-8 months;  
I will make an effort to walk more (at least 30 minutes a day);  
I will exercise at least three times a week (at least an hour of exercise); and
I will try to reduce my food intake and avoid the fatty and fast foods.

I know it’s going to be a great challenge… let’s see how and if… I CAN DO THIS!!!  

And it begins right here… right now…with me getting off this computer and getting my BIG BUTT off this chair!

...

I’ve been very busy with the kids in baseball/softball.  They’ve been having a game almost every day.   They had actually scheduled a game on Mother’s Day but luckily it got canceled.  

The thing I’m most proud of is that I’ve been doing a lot of driving.  If you know me…I don’t drive.  I HATE DRIVING!  I’M SCARED OF DRIVING!  But lately, I have no other choice.  My husband has his own softball team he’s carrying, my daughter is in another and my son is in another baseball team.   I’m still nervous about driving.  Slowly but surely I’m getting a little more confident behind the wheel.  

I often wonder…why me?  Why can’t I be more like everyone else?  Why is it difficult for me to get behind the wheel?  This is so stupid!  I see young kids and little old ladies driving.  So why can’t I?  There are times when I actually cry over it, and many more times when I’ve fought with my hubby over this.  But when I think of my kids, I’m doing this for them.  If they only knew the pain and suffering I go through everyday!    

Today, I had to drive my son to the field for his game.  After dropping him off, I had to drive my daughter to her practice/meeting at another field and stayed there until they were finished.   I then had to drive back to my son’s game and got to watch one inning.  It was the last inning and they were 5-5, one out and my son was up to bat.  He had two strikes on him and on in his last attempt to bat, he hit a line drive past first base.  He ran to first, continued running to second, then to third.  As he was running he slid to third base and tore his pant pocket.   Everyone was screaming and cheering for my son.  He had a proud look on his face.  

All we needed was one run to win the game and since they were last at bat.   Unfortunately, the other two batters struck out and the game was tied.  It was a great inning and a good game against a team that last time slaughtered them.   My son’s team is tough and never gave up!  

I was glad when the game was over because my main concern was getting home safely.   Ay, ya yay!   What am I going to do?  

Four Generations...!

 

Happy b-day Italee...!

Saturday, we celebrated my little niece's birthday.

Happy birthday Italee! 

Coke or Pepsi...?

I'll have the water!

My little artists...

May 4, was the silent auction for the artwork created by the children who attended the "Bring Your Child to Work Day". The funds are donated to The Windy City Habitat for Humanity.

I was not able to attend this event due to my kids playing their baseball games that afternoon.

All children's art work were placed in frames for bidding. I soon found out that my children's artwork was bought and sold for a nice price.

Today, and to my surprise, one of the persons whom I've worked for in the past, outbid the others for my daughter's masterpiece and gave it to me. How cool is that! Unfortunately, I didn't get to take a picture of my son's drawing. Guess what theme he drew? Cubs, of course! Apparently, from what I've been told, his artwork was sold a little higher than my daughter's.

I'm so proud of my kids! 

Happy birthday mom and dad...!

May 6 is my mom and dad's birthday. They were both born on the same day but four years apart.

My dad is in Mexico visiting with my grandma while at home, we all got together at my mom's place to celebrate her birthday and to visit with my grandma (her mom) who is in town for the summer.

My uncle, who is an excellent cook, cooked pork ribs in red chile and baked stuffed chickens. My brother's MIL cooked arroz con gandules. The food was delicous!

After dinner, the kids gathered around my mom and sang happy birthday to her.

Later that evening, we sat in the livingroom to watch the boxing match. 

Happy b-day JC...!

May 5 was my little sister's 25th b-day. My other sister threw her a party at her house. She also baked this cake. Mmmm....!


Not only was there a DJ at the party but they also set up a mini tattoo parlor. One was getting a tattoo while another was getting piercings....!

And no... I didn't get a tattoo.... nor a piercing...!

happy b-day Chiquis...!

May 5

Chiquis is a year old! 

Hey pitcher, pitcher...!

May 3 - My daughter pitched her first game of the season. She is not the fastest pitcher nor the best but she almost pitched a perfect game... she was pitching strikes.

In the last inning, the second batter up was able to hit off of her but before long, she struck out the batters. They won their game 9-0.

grandparents day...

May 4 was "Grandparents Day" at our kids' school. My mom and grandma were able to attend this event.

My sister AC went to pick up my mom and grandma at their house and drove them over to the school. Unfortunately, on their way there, she was stuck in traffic due to a train crossing. They arrived at the school a half hour late.

By what my sister and mom later told me, when they saw my son, he had a look of disappiontment on his face and was very upset. Last year, my mom had promised my son she was going to attend and in the end was not able to because she became ill.

This year, my son was looking forward to having grandma visit with them at the school. He called her on the phone several times to remind her and to confirm that she was going to make it.

I'm sure he was looking around for them and when he did not find them, he assumed they were not showing up (again!). My poor son, I could only imagine what was going through his head...

Eventually, when they got to the school, my son and daughter were very happy and excited to see them. Especially because my grandma (their great grandmother) had also attended (she arrived two days before from Mexico and will be staying here for the summer). The kids were able to leave the school for lunch and they got to spend a nice afternoon with their grandparents.

true fans...

Baseball season has begun and I have been extremely busy with the kids.

And of course, since my kids are in different teams and different age group level, they play their games at different times and in different fields. But there will be times when they will also have their games at the same time.

My daughter is playing softball. My hubby doesn't coach her team anymore since he moved up with the junior girls. So we now have three games to watch.

The sad part is that, due to conflicts of schedules, my hubby and I will end up missing one of my daughter or son's game at one point or another. I know it's going to be hard having to miss watching them play. But hopefully it won't be too many of them.

April 29, my daughter was playing her first game. That day was cold and drizzling. But the girls were tough! They continued with the game and won! They girls played hard and well and the fans (us parents) were out there cheering them on!

millenium park...

 

bring your child to work day...

Yesterday, was an exciting day for the kids. It was "Bring your child to work day." The office has hosted this event for several years now in which the kids get to spend the day with you at the office.

Boring... you might think. But they actually have various fun activities for the kids to do. And every year it's a different theme. This year's theme was the BM express.

The morning started with breakfast and introduction. The kids got their name tags and little caps. Afterwards, they got to go around to each floor in which they represented different countries.

Our floor represented China. And one of the games played was "Pin the tail on China". My son was blindfolded and had to pin his sticker where he thought China might be located on the map. He began taking his sweet time and I said to him, "You have to hurry, there's other kids waiting in line." He finally pins the tail and ended up in Russia. When he removed the blindfold and saw where he put the sticker, he says to me, "Mom, I pinned it on Russia because you rusha me...!

The kids all got candies, goodies and prizes, including a t-shirt. At the end of this event, the kids got to create their own art work and were also provided with lunch.

The kids and the people from the office who participated had a great time and are always looking forward to upcoming year. In fact, they make it so much fun, that kids actually think going to work is nothing but fun and games!

Ha! If they only knew....!

flowers for you...!

I love tulips! 

enjoying a cup of coffee...

This morning, I actually got up a half hour earlier. And because of it, I was able to get the kids and myself ready without having to rush.

I also get to enjoy a nice cup of coffee. Mmmmm...! 

strike a pose...

Chiquis 

...tail

 

...

 

tulips