Fat=Need to Exercise--Monday, May 30

The family dinner last night was entertaining as always.  We enjoyed grilled pork chops, corn on the cob, potato salad, and homemade ice cream.  Our family was able to see firsthand how contagious Jackson's smiles are.  I think his cousin, Levi, is getting more comfortable around Jackson and he interacted with him more.  I can't wait for the time when both boys are able to run around and chase one another!  Jackson had several crying bouts, but nothing too serious.  I tried yet again to get a decent family photo.  This was the best one, and indicative of Jackson's overall mood as the evening progressed:

Since Jesse had the day off today (thanks, veterans!), we went to eat lunch at the Chinese buffet.  The buffet is quite a good bit cheaper for lunch during the week, but we obviously never get a chance to go.  We also had a coupon for this particular restaurant.  We left shortly after I fed Jackson.  There were so many crying/ screaming babies and toddlers it was hard to hear.  (This isn't the typical atmosphere, but apparently lots of families wanted to eat Chinese on their day off.)  Thankfully Jackson was peaceful and able to take a nap during half of lunch.  I told Jesse that I used to say, "You will never hear my kid cry like that."  Now I say, "Those poor parents.  I hope their kid calms down soon."  Ha!  How things change.  Not sure why I thought I could control every sound a child makes...

A very close college friend is getting married at the end of June in the mountains.  The couple has invited us to attend the rehearsal dinner as well as the ceremony and reception.  Jesse and I had planned on making it a a really long day trip, but now that we're going to both events we've decided we might as well stay the weekend.  I looked online at all the hotels in Boone but the cheapest I could find was $185 for two nights.  (This is a big tourist spot and rates are more expensive in the summer anyway.)  Jesse finally found the name of the sleazy hotel by my old apartments that rented by the hour.  I called and "reserved" a room with a full size bed.  I don't think the guy even wrote my name down and he didn't ask for any credit card or contact information, so this might backfire on us.  Either way, they charge a flat rate of $40 a night so that is $100 cheaper than the least expensive hotel.  And like Jesse pointed out, I seriously doubt they fill every room.  I'm not sure how we're going to sleep in a full size bed now that we've been sleeping in a king size bed, but we'll work it out.  Bring on wedding season!

Later on in the afternoon I was determined to find some shorts that fit.  Clothes shopping is the only thing I won't do with Jackson.  It's too much of a hassle to try and carry him around and go in and out of the dressing room trying on items.  I have the one pair of green shorts I bought last week and lots of elastic yoga pants.  I tried on over ten pairs of shorts today and none of them were flattering.  I did end up purchasing one pair of jean shorts that was decent.  I tried on lots of shirts, too, but they only accentuated my back fat.  I don't mind the extra skin and fat in the stomach area.  Seriously, I expelled a human less than two months ago; a leftover belly is inevitable!  It's the back fat I can't stand. 

Yikes!  Where did that come from??

It's upsetting because I know I'm not making healthy food choices and any exercise routine I had has become nonexistent.  I've decided to make up my own 30/30 Challenge.  The idea is to have a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio every day for 30 days.  I'll start Wednesday so that the challenge will take place throughout the month of June.  I already made Jesse take the dreaded "before" pictures to motivate me, and I'm posting them here to hold me accountable.  Maybe by my birthday I will feel a bit healthier and begin to tone my body.  I would like to have 30 consecutive minutes of cardio, so I may have to wait until Jesse gets home.  It's not really effective if I have to stop and start frequently. 

I've gained and lost muscle and weight many times over the years, but I've always had a gym membership.  After paying and not going to the gym, Jesse and I finally cancelled our membership.  I really need one now because it is blazing hot outside so I can't just pick a random time to go run in the neighborhood or on the greenway.  I'm contemplating paying for Zumba classes as that was one of my favorite forms of cardio.  But if I do that, I might as well just join the Sports and Fitness gym for the same price.  The only thing about the gym is I will have a 12-month contract vs just a month of Zumba.  Realistically, I don't know if I'm going to commit to a year when I'll be working full time and wanting to spend as much time with Jackson as possible.  I don't mind spending an hour a day at the gym this summer but I would feel guilty not seeing my baby most of the day once I go back to work.  It's just another thing I have to figure out how to balance.