Looking for the giveaway! Its right here!

Well, I did the Firm DVD. Gold star for me! I remembered once again why I make Marmot go upstairs when I do a workout. The amount of grunting, sweating, cursing and farting is pretty bad. Note to self, this is why you are not cut out for group fitness activities! 

But the highlight of the evening was announcing that I was going to do the DVD, and being asked by {skinny} sister Ginger if I was going to watch the DVD, or actually get up and do the workout. Marmot laughed so hard I thought he was going to fall off his chair.

{Confession: I’ve watched a DVD from the couch before. Just to, you know, check it out and see if I could do the choreography}.

The supportive duo were eating McDonald’s. Which I succumbed to. Today’s tally is one gold star for exercise, and one gold star for water. One day down, and twenty to go. While working out I was totally imagining myself doing the workouts while pregnant. lol

And because I can’t resist a good giveaway….

I love magazines, it makes me feel snooty in the getting-a-pedicure-reading-my-mag kind of way. I could honestly spend my entire day reading magazines, but due to pesky little things like work, I’ve had to limit my fascination down to just the following three:

Real Simple- because I learn something in every issue. Like whether or not double rolls of toilet paper really actually give you more toilet paper.

I’m also ecstatic about actually giving something away, especially something that I get so much enjoyment out of! So here’s the deal, I’m giving away a one-year subscription to your choice of one of my three favorite magazines.

Here’s how to win! Please just leave me a comment for each entry.

• Leave me a comment telling me which magazine you would like and why! (1 entry)
• Blog about my giveaway with a link back here! (2 entries)
• Become a public follower with Google Friend Connect (1 entry)
• Follow me on Twitter! @thehoneyb (1 entry)
• Tweet about my giveaway, and link to the tweet in your comment (1 entry per day)

This giveaway will end December 6th, 2009. I will contact the winner via email, so please make sure you have a working email address attached to your profile!

And there you go!

Alright! This is IT! I’m doing my weight loss and fitness challenge!

Why the sudden burst of anti-fat energy?

Because I ate this (after it was baked), and yes I do mean the ENTIRE pan:

Tomorrow, Monday, November 30th, 2009 marks the beginning of the Honey B Three-Week Fitness Challenge! (Its three weeks because we’re leaving for the Deep South on December 22nd, and three weeks plus one day would be weird).

For three weeks, I will be doing the following and earning my reward if I gain so many stars:

*Eating on program- one stay per day
*Doing 45 minutes of brisk walking or one Firm DVD- one star per day.
*Drinking my water quota (8 glasses)- one star per day.

This could offer me a total of 63 stars if I stay on track and stick to my plan. If I can earn at least 55 stars, I will reward myself with a yet-to-be-decided reward. Possibly jewelry.

Stay tuned, this could get ugly.

Ok, I love Boon products. I have an Amazon Wish List titled My Pregnancy Wish List which is everything that I see that I think would be way cool for when I complete my Baby Bucket List and get pregnant! A big feature of my list? Boon. I love that their products are very sleek and modern, no pastels- and just about everything they have would look good in my house! And Two of a Kind is giving away a Boon highchair!!

Here is the link, you absolutely need to enter this giveaway!

She’s giving away a gorgeous purse- check it out! I’m way addicted to awesome bags, and this is a great way to add fabulous bags to my collection without Marmot having a coronary!
http://www.thetamom.com/2009/11/handbag-heaven-review-and-giveaway-and-what-theta-mom-doesnt-love-a-good-bag/

So this Baby Bucket List has to start at the beginning. At least of the ones I have control over. Marmot’s job is outside of my control, so is buying a house and vehicle. Things on track and not really needing active work would be finishing my degree (please call me out if I ever utter the word ‘break’) so that can be left as-is. Now the things in my control are finishing my degree, paying of credit card #1 and #2 and the truck, weight, and exercise. Nothing much really. Hah!

Ok, first things first. I need to get into shape and lose weight. Hmm. Next?

I hate this topic, I seriously do. I have battled my weight since I was 15, can it not be done already?! I currently weigh 218 pounds as of this morning (o.m.g!) and should actually be like 140. Yeah, I’m a little off. I have a killer diet that I used to lose 25lbs this summer, and I think its time to get back on the wagon. Dammit.

I know what I need to do with that, but exercise I’m kind of stuck on. I have the Firm DVD’s and a gym membership. But I hate both those options unless bribed or coerced. I am on the hunt for a fitness challenge! They used to be everywhere on the blogosphere, why can I not find one now? I can’t be the only one crazy enough to start a fitness challenge in December. Am I?

If I can’t find one, I might have to start one. But I’m really pretty sure there has to be one out there starting on December 1st.

Any suggestions?

The purpose of this blog has been in flux the last week or so.

I knew that I wanted to separate it from the blog that Marmot and I have, where we share our lives with our friends and families. Because this blog is just for me, and all the things that I don’t want to share with them- such as my baby dreams, struggling to lose weight, etc. I wanted it to be anonymous, and do the same for my ‘real-life’ family and friends, so that there are no conflicts as a result of my online journaling. Which is why this blog came to be here, instead of there.

So now, I’m re-purposing my blog. This is about the Baby Bucket List, and how I’m working to get there. That is me. That’s what I’m working towards, and pieces of that- my job, my weight, what I’m working on or thinking about- is quite likely part of the BBL.

There are some changes coming. A new blog design, and some shifting of old posts, more pictures, and less fluff. I’ve already registered my domain name, http://www.thehoneyb.com/ which is my permanent address now. And more changes to come!

So here it is. The new and improved Honey B. Blog.

*Marmot having a full-time job. Yep, that’s it. He’s applying for tons of stuff in the company of choice right now, and starting to apply for things outside of that field. Could we do it all without him having a job? Yep we could. But I’ve heard pregnancy has enough issues, I don’t need to add ulcers and fights with my husband to the list!

The Gotta-Haves, the list of things that I even would delay getting pregnant for, until completion/accomplishment date would be before a due date:

*Finishing my degree. Expected graduation date is November, 2010. Under no circumstances will I still be working on that when a baby gets here. No way no how.

*Buying a house! The lease is up on our house in June! Leaning towards moving regardless if Marmot has a job or not, just because our rent will likely go up if we stay, and we know we’re going to stay in the area. I so can’t wait to get into our own house, and get all the pent-up decorating vibes out. I’ve been holding them in for THREE YEARS!!

*A new (to us) vehicle. We have a standard cab truck that barely holds Marmot, me, and my purse, so a new vehicle has to happen before we have a baby.

*Credit card #1 paid off! We have two credit cards and have been making some amazing strides towards debt reduction- but I still want to have one credit card paid off before a little monkey arrives. I know that we’ll have it paid off this spring, so its a small goal- but still, I want it done so its on the list.

The Would-Be-Nices, the list of things that I should do now, just because I should:

*I’d like to be at my ideal weight. Blehh, but has to be done. I made a lot of progress this summer, but I need to finish it up!

*Start and maintain an exercise program. Currently looking for a fitness challenge, because nothing other than pure competition and stubbornness will get my off my fat ass to do it! I have been thinking a lot about natural childbirth, and I know that one factor in that being an option is my body being in the best shape possible. Regardless if I do NCB or not, pregnancy and birth will be a much more pleasant process if I’m in good shape.

*Marmot being done with his MBA. Which would be November 2010 if he doesn’t have a job. If he gets a job he’ll go to part-time classes, which means he’d graduate in June 2011. No problem, although it would be really nice if we were both done with school when a little monkey is born.

*Pay off our truck! We have less than a thousand left, we’re almost there!

*Pay off credit card #2. Getting it to half of what it is right now would be great.

*Graduate classes. I’d like to spend any pre-baby time getting through some of them. Just because as not interested in more school as I am right now, I’m really going to be not interested when I have a little monkey in the house.

Any thoughts, recommendations, consumer bewares?