Marvelous Monday Update

So my students and I finally got to play with our dry ice on Thursday! :D I was so so excited I could hardly contain myself! I think I had more fun with the activities than they did. Below are just a few pictures of the experiments we conducted. I am so glad they had fun while learning. That's the best feeling in the world.

We blew soap bubbles with dry ice by taking a string covered in soap and running it along the top of the container after we dropped the dry ice in. It caused a really cool effect.

We then decided it would be cool to see if we could blow up a balloon with the dry ice. It too worked! :D

My kids loved touching the "smoke" because it was super cold. (I had them tell me it was frozen water vapor, just like when it's cold outside and you can see your breath)

This one was really going.

This was taken in my friends classroom. I figured I'd add it because it was the same project.

On Friday we did Diet Coke and Mentos geysers. That was SOOOOOOO much fun too! We discussed how the geyser is created when the mentos drop in and suck out all of the CO2 from the coke. They thought it was pretty neat and so did I! :D

This was one of the many geysers that we created. It was FREEZING cold outside, but the kids LOVED it! :D

My weekend was pretty good too. I spent Friday night with my friend Kelly on a "friend date". She and I haven't been out together in so long. We ended up going to Newks and visiting for almost 4hrs. Her parents came into town and stopped by to eat with us. It was hilarious! Her family are dolls for sure.

On Saturday, we took it kind of easy. Austin had to work and so I hung out around the house and cleaned up a bit. When I went to wash clothes I almost cried because my dryer has given out on me finally. I'm thinking we are going to sell it for scrap and I'm going to work on getting another one. My friend Paige is great and has offered to let me use hers one day a week. I'm just going to wash it all here and take it over there. Hopefully within the next few weeks I'll have a new one.

On Sunday we did some Mardi Gras shopping for our upcoming ball and I worked on getting my ball gown cleaned. The dry cleaners would not clean it (even though it is dry clean only) because it has a broach on it. That kind of perplexed me, but I went out and bought some dryel with the hopes of getting it clean myself. I almost cried when I pulled it out of the bag to see that it had these huge stains on it from the chemicals! It looked like it was super wet! I have never had a dress do that before. Seeing as how this is my favorite ball gown, I knew I had to act fast. I opted to throw it into the washer on the "handwash" cycle and see how it would come out. Much to my amazement, it came out clean and no stains were to be seen. From now on, I'll save my money and just do it at home myself.

Today we are out of school and I have opted to being extremely lazy. It is 3:45pm and I have not left my bed with the exception to go to the restroom and grab some lunch around 2pm. Sometimes it just feels good to lay around.

For those of you wondering, I have lost a grand total of 9lbs! :D I started at 282 and am down to 273. My goal by the ball in two weeks is to be at least down a total of 15lbs. I'm going to keep working out and eating right and we'll see what happens. This is week 3 of my body makeover and I'm already feeling better about myself. I get to measure on Friday and I'm already excited that I'm seeing results from Week 1 to now. Can't wait to update again! Until, this is Jana off to find another adventure...

Terrific Tuesday

This week has gotten off to a great start! No school on Monday and science experiements today! What is NOT to love?

Yesterday was Parent/Teacher Conference Day. (Better known as report card day) We had quite a few parents show up and I got to proudly display my honor roll kids on the Mardi Gras wall I created. We titled it, "Let the Good Grades Roll" and I am super proud of it. It is very simple, but so much fun. I wish I could describe the look on my students faces when they walked in and saw their names posted on the little masks. :) It really made my day!

The Green Masks were our students who made All A's and the Gold Masks were for the students who made A/B Honor Roll

Today was Chemical Reaction Day in my classroom and after introducing them and the kids actually getting through 3 pages of notes, we were able to conduct an experiment using water/vinegar/baking soda/a balloon/and a coke bottle. We caused a chemical reaction by pouring water and vinegar into the bottom of the coke bottle and then putting the baking soda into the balloon (this is a little tricky) and putting the balloon on top of the bottle. Once you do that, you can pour the baking soda into the vinegar and watch the fizzing begin.

The goal of the lesson was to get the kids to tell my what by-product was created as waste from the chemical reaction. They had to tell me what kind of gas filled up the balloon and I was amazed that they all got Carbon Dioxide (aka CO2) as their answers. I figured it would be a little more tricky than that.

Tomorrow we are playing with dry ice and I can't wait to see their faces when I freeze an eraser and then smash it with a hammer and it shatter everywhere. :D Oh the joys of what I do! But Friday is going to be the kicker. We will be playing with Mentos and Diet Coke.

On a different note...I'm down 7lbs total since the 1st of the year! :D I've been eating healthy AND working out twice a day. I'm down to one diet coke a day and I'm managing to drink 8 glasses, if not more, of water a day! I'd love to get back into the clothes I had on in the pic below. I was a size 16...I'd love to be there again! :)

I have downloaded an app called MyFitnessPal onto my Kindle and Phone. It's basically a way to track everything you eat and all of your exercise and shows you how many calories you have eaten and how many you gain back by working out. It also tells you how long it will take you to reach your weight loss goal if you stick to your eating plan :) If you have the app, add me! I'm janak2004 and my friend Paige is paigepiitman86. We will be more than happy to add you. If you want to find it online the web address is www.myfitnesspal.com

I hope everyone has a GREAT week and I'll keep you updated! :D Until then, this is Jana off to find another adventure...

End of Week 1

So my friend Paige and I got to talking and we were discussing our health. Both of us are considerably bigger than we should be and made an agreement to get into better shape in the new year. This week we started our butt kicking workout and I can tell you, it is already working :)

Monday (Jan 2, 2012)

Breakfast: Nothing
Lunch: 2 piece pork loin/1 cup blackeyed peas/1 cup english peas/half cup grapes
Snack: 2 cups sweet tea
Dinner: Banquet Sweet and Sour Chicken Dinner/1 small banana
Workout: 21 minutes Just Dance 3/15 mins treadmill/10 mins bicycle/10 mins eliptical/30 mins outdoor walk

Tuesday (Jan 3, 2012)

Breakfast: 1 banana/coffee with vanilla creamer/strawberries and cream oatmeal w/ 2% milk
Lunch: 1 bag apple slices/bagel thin with tuna fish/handful of pita chips
Snack: 1 cup grapes
Dinner: Club Pita from Kristo's (ham, bacon, turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato)
Snack: 2 egg omelet with hotsauce and cheese
Workout: 30 day Shred/14 mins on Just Dance 3/15 mins eliptical/15 mins weights/45 mins outdoor walk

Wednesday (Jan 4, 2012)

Breakfast: 2 scrambled egges with hotsauce and cheese/1 cinnamon and raisin bagel thin/coffee with vanilla creamer/1 medium banana
Lunch: Bagel thin with tuna fish/1 cup grapes/12 olives/100 calorie pack of cheezits
Snack: Honey granola bar
Dinner: Chicken fried steak w/potatoes and corn (Banquet Meal)
Snack: Vienna Sausage
Workout: 30 day Shred/45 min walk/15 mins eliptical/20 mins bicycle

Thursday (Jan 5, 2012)

Breakfast: 1 banana/coffee with vanilla creamer/strawberry and cream oatmeal w/ 2% milk
Lunch: PB&J on bagel thin/1 cup grapes/12 olives/100 calorie pack of cookies
Snack: Chocolate chip granola bar/ half pack of 100 calorie cookies
Dinner: Cheesy broccoli rice (1 cup)/ 3 slices pork loin
Workout: 30 Day Shred/30 mins treadmill/5 mins bicycle/20 mins eliptical/45 min walk

Friday (Jan 6, 2012)

Breakfast: Apple cinnamon muffin/boiled egg with hotsauce/coffee with vanilla creamer
Lunch: Cheesey broccoli rice/3 slices porkloin/1 bag apple slices/100 calorie pack of cookies
Snack: Honey granola bar
Dinner: BLT on Hawaiian bread/grilled chicken breast with mushrooms and broccoli
Snack: Bud Light Draft
Workout: 20 mins on Just Dance 3

Saturday (Jan 7, 2012)

Breakfast: 1 apple cinnamon muffin/2 cups coffee with vanilla creamer
Lunch: half order of Mexican nachos with lettuce/tomato/beef/cheese/jalapanoes/sour cream/guacamole
Snack: Apple slices with caramel/half chicken quesadilla
Dinner: BLT on Hawaiian bread/half order of Mexican nachos
Snack: 100 calorie pack of rice crisps (caramel drizzle)
Workout: 30 mins treadmill/20 mins eliptical/20 mins bicycle/20 mins weight training

As of this morning (Sunday) I have currently lost 6lbs. My goal for the month is 15. Let's hope I can do it :) I forgot to measure earlier this week, so I'm going to measure today and keep track of how many inches I am losing. I'm curious to see how much I can lose by December. Until later, this is Jana off to find another adventure...

New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions!

1. Workout 5-6 days a week.

2. Drink more water.

3. Keep house picked up daily.

4. Keep car cleaned out.

5. Eat breakfast daily.

6. Meet my weight loss goals I have set for myself.

New Year's Eve

Farewell 2011...Welcome 2012!

We had a bit of a holiday party at my apartment for some friends who didn't have any other plans. Here are just a few pics from it. :)

New Year, New Me...

So it's out with 2011 and in with 2012. 2011 was a rollercoaster of a year. So many ups and downs that I can't even begin to tell you how crazy it was, but here we are in a brand new year and for that I am so thankful. It's a clean slate and a time to start anew.

I learned several things in 2011 that will help me shape 2012 into the year I want it to be. I have so many goals and things I want to accomplish. I can't wait to see if I can make it happen. But in typical style, here is my little homage to 2011:

Things I learned in 2011

1. People Change: I can remember being in high school with my old friends and thinking that we were going to be best friends forever. Nothing was going to seperate us and we were all going to marry brothers and live next door to each other. However, after I left for college, I sought out to do bigger and better things with my life and my friends all kind of disappeared. We have all worked really hard to stay in touch and we often chat weekly or at the latest monthly, but I've realized that we aren't the same people we were. We've all grown into the people we were MEANT to be and not necessarily who we WANT to be.

2. Not being married isn't that bad contrary to popular belief: Austin and I have been together for 5 and a half years as of Dec 17, 2011. For some people, that is an unacceptable amount of time just to be "dating". However, it works for me and him. We are just as happy dating as many people are married. I hate that our "dating" status prevents us from really hanging out with the "married" folks sometimes though. I really miss a lot of friendships and often feel left out of things because of this. And even though I get emotional about it sometimes, I realize that I have to just do what is right for me and not for everyone else.

3. New friends are awesome: Austin and I have had the great opportunity to become friends with some new people recently. We met Kelly over a year and a half ago and she has totally been a great friend. We hang out often and she always has words of advice or encouragement when I need them. We met Paige and John back in June when they opened a resturant here in Byram. We went in and just started chatting them up and the next thing we knew, we were being invited out to hang out with them. Now there isn't a day we don't see them. Their friendship has helped pull me through a lot of tough times recently. I am so thankful that God has put them in my life. :)

4. I miss my college friends more than ever: Have you ever had a group of people who you just know that you are meant to be with? Well that's how I feel about my college friends. My girls from the "W" are some of the strongest women I know. Although we all seperated out after college all the way from the south east to the west, we still keep in contact and make new memories. It is so nice to have people that you just "click" with. I value their friendship so much more now that we don't see each other every day. I love you girls and can't wait to meet up in 2012!

5. True love is felt as much as it is seen: Anyone who knows my boyfriend Austin, knows that once you meet him, you can't help but love him. He is one of the most selfless people I have ever met and is more than willing to bend over backwards to help anyone who needs it. He has been there for me more than anyone else has ever been. He has dried many tears, held my hand even though we were lost, and has shared more laughter with me than anyone else. We have had our share of ups and downs, but I know in my heart that he is my soul mate. I can't wait to see what our future holds, but I know it's going to be full of love and happiness. (P.S. We looked at rings over the Christmas break! That's a step in the right direction.)

6. I've changed: Nobody really thinks about how they have changed over the course of the year, but I feel like I have really grown. I've tried to be more active in my friends lives. I've tried to help others more than myself. I've studied harder, played harder, and loved more this year than I EVER have before. I guess growing up is happening all at once because it feels like just yesterday I was turning 18 and heading out on my own for the first time.

7. Family is EVERYTHING: I have spent more time with my family this year than ever before. I have made a major effort to be a bigger part in my sister/mom/dad/cousins/uncles/aunts lives than ever before. We have been through a lot of pain this year with losing my Uncle James right at the end of May. I haven't felt pain like that since my Pawpaw passed away 6yrs ago and my cousin Anthony passed away 3yrs ago. Clinging to family has been the one thing that has helped get me through. We have laughed so much more, taken more pictures, and made more memories this year. I am looking forward to making even more in 2012.

There is probably a lot more I should have addressed, but I'm going to end it here. 2011 was great but I can't wait to see what 2012 holds. I hope you'll come along for the ride with me. Until then, this is Jana off to find another adventure...

Wow...It's been a while

I can't believe this is the first time I've logged on since I can't remember. I didn't realize I had let this blog get away from me. My friend Erin asked me the other day what happened to it and I really didn't have a good answer for her. But I'm now back so I hope you are all ready for me. :)

I originally started this blog as a way to chronicle how I was going to lose 100lbs, but unfortunately, I stumbled, fell, got back up, and fell back down again. Only that time I stayed down. But I'm back with a positive attitude and I know I'm going to make good things happen. But before we get into all of that, let's update a little bit about what I've been up to.

I know some of you heard about me going on a trip to Miami, and let me just say it was AMAZING! I had such a good time. There are so many things to see and do there. Below are a few of my favorite pics from the trip.

This was taken at a place called Bahia Honda. (Pronounced Bay-uh Honda) It was a little isolated beach in the middle of a nature reserve and it was gorgeous! As I layed sunning in the sand, I noticed all these sailboats moving in and I just had to nab a picture. As you can see, the water was just as clear as the sky. It was amazingly beautiful.

This is the sign leaving Key West. I was trying to get it as we came into the town, but I was driving at that point and it made it difficult. I actually got to see Mile Marker 0! I thought that was so neat. :)

This picture was taken at sunset on Key West. They have this awesome sunset festival every night and there are some interesting characters that show up. Key West is definitely NOT for kids after dark. (Thanks Brit for filling me in about the festival!)

If you ever get the opportunity to go to Key West and travel down Duval St. (Which is the equivalent of Bourbon Street in New Orleans) I encourage you too. There is a place called "The World's Smallest Bar" located smack dab in the middle and they sell these AMAZING drinks for $15. They basically let you pick a pineapple, gut it, pour all the contents into a blender with some ice, add a TON of rum, and then pour it back into your pineapple. Needless to say, one of these will make anyone feel good. I enjoyed this a LOT! :)

This is my roommate Sara Beth, with whom I shared the Miami/KeyWest Adventure with. She and I were posing in a restuarnt off of Duval St. called "The Hidden Jungle Cafe". And let me tell you, it really was hidden. If I hadn't stepped off into the alley, we would have totally missed it. (Just be aware, because it is so well hidden, they charge an 18% gratuity no matter how many in your party) (Oh, and yes, that is my real hair. I've had several people ask me if I have extensions since I'm not one to wear my hair super long)

Needless to say, my Spring Break was a blast. Some other things that I feel like I should brag about are that I have signed up for some classes through JSU that work towards my Master's degree. I know some of you reading this are going "WTF? JSU? Are you crazy?", and to answer your questions, I would say probably. However, they are not only covering the cost of my tuition, they are also paying me an $1800 supplement to attend. It's a win win deal. I get paid over my summer vacation, I get to work towards my Master's for FREE, and it will be something to keep me busy. :)

I think I've covered all my important stuff now. So I guess we can move on. Back to the original reason I started this blog...to lose weight. Well I got super busy around Thanksgiving and it got worse after Christmas and now I'm feeling so bad about myself because not only did I have to stop my workouts, but I gained back all of my weight I had lost. It hasn't felt good to be back into my "fat" clothes again.

I started back on my Weight Watchers/Atkins diet today. I'm also adding in the Jillian Michael's Fat Burn tablets to try out. (A friend of mine recommended it and said that it worked for her) Not to mention, I'm getting back into my workout routine. I worked out this morning with the 30 Day Shred and I'm going to workout twice a day, 5 days a week if possible. I'm planning on a different workout every afternoon so I don't get burned out.

I took my measurements and weight and I am so ashamed that I'm not even going to post them on here right now. I'm going to have to cope with it myself before I allow myself to put that out there.

I think the reason I failed before was because I wasn't 100% commited to making the change. I made excuses so I could eat what I wanted and skip workouts. I think I've got my head in the game now so that I can REALLY succeed this time. :)

But anyway, I'll try to be better about my posting and I'll once again post my meal plans in case someone out there needs some help and wants to use my plan. I hope everyone has a Marvelous Monday! Until then, this is Jana off to find another adventure...