Lose ten pounds of belly fat in 25 days?

So,
tomorrow is February first, 2009. The resolutions have, again, been broken.
Is it too late? I don't know. When I was 25, I could just starve myself for a few weeks and drop ten pounds. Now that I'm in my forties, it's not that easy. It's not easy at all. It seems almost impossible to lose 10 pounds, and yet, the pounds easily creep up and I don't notice until I look in the mirror and don't recognize myself. Or my jeans get tight, and I have to buy the next size up. The lines on the face, the saggy chin, the thights...is this really me? I see a hundred advertisements for easy ways out...the acai berry; as seen on Oprah; lose twenty five pounds of belly fat in two weeks; the Adtkins diet; the master cleanse; Weight Watchers; believe me, I've tried just about everything at one point or another, with mixed results. I know, the only way to really lose weight is to watch what I eat, to move (get exercise), eat healthy, etc. I have a lot of trouble getting motivated. Why? Why is it so freakin' hard for me to get my ass off the couch? Is it time management? Maybe. Is it laziness? Definitely. I'll admit that I should be motivated, I admit that at rare times I am motivated. But I don't know why the feeling is so fleeting, and I don't know how to get it to come back more often, and how to hold onto it. Is it self respect (or a lack of self respect)? Is it self loathing? Is there really an easy answer? Is it worth the hard work? If anyone actually has any answers for a forty-something mother of two who is over stressed and not happy with her appearance, I'd love to hear them.

Beach Scenes

Well, where I live it's been really, really cold lately. Today it's 16 degrees above zero, and it should feel like a heatwave. But it's damp, and my toes never really thawed out from last week. We had quite the cold snap. One day the HIGH temperature was 6 degrees BELOW zero! That was as warm as it got all day. And this was no one day fluke, it was cold like this for about 5 days. My husband put plastic covering on all of the windows, even though our house isn't super old, we figure every little bit helps. I am dreading seeing what our heating bill is going to be! Another perk to this lovely subzero weather, is that I'm dressing in layers...lots and lots of layers, old sweaters, 3 pair of socks (pairs of socks?) and wearing a hat indoors. I call it my hobo look, my husband calls it sexy (not really).
So, in the midst of all this cold weather, I can really appreciate a nice beach scene. I love this coffee mug that I found online at http://www.cafepress.com/nanwrightart, as it reminds me of walking on the beach when it's nice and hot, and there's a cooling breeze blowing off of the ocean. If you're stuck in the dreary depths of winter, you might like gazing at this beautiful watercolor sandy beach scene, it's relaxing and comforting, and it reminds me that winter won't last forever. Right? If you're looking for some pretty light house paintings, Nan has those in her store also. You can find her original paintings on a variety of items, from greeting cards to keepsake boxes, (a great place to keep your sea shells!)

This blog post is a part of a crossover blog. Other participants in this crossover blog are:

http://ateasetees.wordpress.com/

http://www.blogbydonna.com/

http://getyergoat-goatgifts.blogspot.com

http://www.nanwrightart.com

http://randomshirts.blogspot.com/

http://skeetzteez.blogspot.com/

http://idesignbrian.wordpress.com/

http://www.shopkeeperdesigns.com

http://autismshowucare.blogspot.com

http://www.gocamelphotos.blogspot.com/

http://einselgaenger.blogspot.com/

January 2009 already?

Wow! I can't believe it's already January of 2009. As I watched the ball drop in New York City, (on tv of course), many thoughts ran through my mind. Mostly, how could I get the kids to go to bed so that I could? I was seriously tired, when did I get so old? In the days since then, I've had a lot to think about regarding the new year. I've read a lot of articles, seen a lot of lists, the typical New Year's stuff. I didn't even bother to make any resolutions, because I just break them all the time anyway. Any day is as good as the first day of a new year to start trying to be your best and accomplish something you've been wanting to do anyway, right? So, I guess I resolved not to make any particular New Year's resolutions. Great, then I can't disapoint myself. Most of the articles I've read all seem to say the same thing, that 2008 sucked, that it can only get better, the economy is in the toilet, the world is in an awful predicament, hopefully Barack Obama can help sort out the mess. The president elect seems like a good person, I hope he can sort out some of the mess. My heart certainly breaks for the people who've lost their jobs, lost their savings, lost their houses. There are so many said stories out there, and yes, the economy is in bad shape.
I pray things turn around. I pray for peace. There was a local story where a man killed himself and his son, because he was so torn up over financial issues. I cried over that one, and I pray for them both. I hope in times like this, the best comes out in people, not the worst. I hope remember what it's like to be struggling, and help our neighbor. I hope we give others the benefit of the doubt, and believe in the kindness of folks. And when I remember 2008, I won't remember just the struggles and the bad things. I'll remember that we had a pretty, white Christmas, that we were all healthy, that nobody that I loved dearly died that year. And I will count my blessings, over and over again. And I will pray for peace.