Mommy Blues

Okay, vent session coming on…. Just trying to gain a better perspective of how I can accomplish my weight loss goals.

Right now my number one priority is to be a mom to my kids.  Each Sunday night as I lie in bed I get out a pad of paper and write down my goals for the next week.  Some times my list is full of “To Do’s”  other times it has great aspirations about calorie counting and future work outs.  It feels good to map out my week and slip into restful slumber.

Sometimes the restful slumber is awakened in the middle of the night by my children crying out, for one reason or another.  The most recent weeks have brought my teething 15 month old son, sad in painful tears throughout all hours.  My 2 ½ year old daughter has even contributed to the all night mommy parties.  Late last week she woke up at 2:30am, we brought her to our bed in hopes she would go back to sleep and we could get some rest.  3:15am it was apparent that she was not going to go back to sleep, so we trudged out to the living room so dad could get some rest.  She wanted to talk my ear off.  It is like her brain was processing so much and she was trying to process all she had taken in the previous day.  Sleep didn’t come until 5:30am, after her chatter, moving around getting into trouble I had had enough, I insisted she lie down and go to sleep.  After some fussing, she finally did fall asleep, and so did I.

So here I am exhausted day after day, just from my duties of being a mom/dealing with my children.  I did really well for many months at getting to the gym 4-5 times a week, the losing weight has been slow even on my best weeks with exercise and eating well, which is incredibly frustrating!!

I guess I am calling out to all moms who have been where I am at.  My intentions and goals are all well meaning in my weight loss, but honestly after getting sick two weeks ago I have really been struggling.  My daughter (who is behaviorally challenging) and my son (who is incredibly curious) take every ounce of energy I seem to have most days.  I aim high when I set my weekly goals and recently I am not able to follow through.  I am trying hard to not let it get to my head and get me even more discouraged.  What has worked for you?  How do you do the balancing act with young children?

Today I was determined to get to the gym. Our day started about 6:45am.  The gym childcare opens at 8:45am, closes between the hours of 1-4pm, then opens back up from 4-8pm.  My goal is to get there usually around 9:15.  My son was having a really rough morning, which halted all plans of leaving the house.  My sister-in-law called and asked if I could watch her youngest two kids while she took the older two to the dentist.  So that delayed any gym plans.  My son was still crabby and had I gone to they gym they would have called me out anyhow.  My sister-in-law offered to take my daughter to her house to play when she came to get her kids.  I was happy I would be getting a little break and she was happy to get to play with cousins.

I decided when I went to pick her up this afternoon I would hit the gym on my way back home when the childcare opened back up.  Since my daughter is used to going in the morning, the mix of changing things up and her being tired was the perfect recipe for disaster.  She cried and started throwing a fit before we even got out of the car.  My hopes were she would warm up and be happier once we got inside.  I should have just stopped there at the car door.  The trek across the parking lot and just getting into the door of the gym were filled with crying and screaming.  I had the attention of all the people working out, I even had two people get off their work out machine trying to come to the aid of my daughter when she threw herself in front of the door as it was swinging shut and she fell to the ground.  She tantrumed on the ground yelling, “Candy! Candy!”  I am sure the people were thinking, “Yes, and now we know how your mommy got fat!”

One of the gym workers who knows my children came over and helped us back to the kid room, the crying continued, now my son decided to join in.  I kneeled on the floor trying to compromise with my daughter to get happy and play.  It wasn’t working, not one bit.  My daughter just wasn’t going to calm down.  I decided we would get out of there before my son started back up.

As we were leaving the gym a man who I have never seen before ( I am normally a morning gym rat) said, “Time for her candy?”  I replied, “Oh no, no candy for her.  We were not here long enough for that.”  My daughter actually walked out the door as I held her brother.  Once we got outside the tantrum heated back up.  She wasn’t going to move a muscle.  I swooped her up with my other arm, trying to balance her brother and my two bags, I must have looked atrocious. This is my work out, every day.  Carrying children.  Some days that is all I can get.

So here I sit utterly exhausted reflecting, “How can I make goals that are reachable for this stage my children are in.” I know this time is only a season, but sometimes I want to have and do it all.  Realistically speaking, I can not. I am educated and should know how to deal with some of my situations with my daughter, for goodness sake I have degrees in special education and early childhood development!  Why can’t I balance it all??

I have a wonderful husband who is very helpful, but he can only do so much and recently he has had to work overtime so he has even more on his plate.

So here is the good news… (and possibly the bad news)

Tomorrow is a new day and I get to start fresh again!!

So mommas out there in blog land, how do you balance the juggling act?

Weight Loss Challenge Accepted

Well I did it, last Saturday I took the plunge paid my $50 and decided to join a local weight loss challenge/competition.  I did a little game play before the actual weigh in.  I loaded up on salty meals the day before and knowing that my period is on its way, I knew I would retain a ton of water, as I usually do.  And I did.  I gained some water weight overnight, but nothing too crazy.

So I am committed.  The challenge ends June 7^th (my 4^th wedding anniversary!) and the reward for the one with the highest percentage of weight loss wins $3000, second place $1500 and third $500.  For me this is as much a mental challenge as it is a physical challenge.  They have some monthly challenges and meetings from the sponsors of the challenge.  I plan on participating as much as possible.  Here is the PDF brochure for the challenge.

The place where we did the initial weight in was the same place I went for nutritional counseling 13 years ago, Humphries Diabetes Center (for my hypoglycemia).  I know if I can follow the diet I was prescribed then, I have a great shot at some awesome weight loss.  When I followed it to a tee then, I lost 40 lbs (and was down to 125 lbs), I did that in 6 months with no intense exercise, just walks and bike ride here and there.  And when I followed my diet I felt like a new person, I was no longer lethargic, exhausted and falling asleep in the middle of my work day!!!

A picture from way back then!!

Happy Day, lets get moving!!

Visual Motivation

I know many of you have things to keep you motivated.  Some of you have incentives, or visuals to remind you of your journey.  I decided that I would like to have a little reminder of where I am headed, and where I have been.

This is my little marble monitor. With each pound I lose I get to add a marble.  I have added lines for every 10 lbs.  I made this around a month ago and I haven’t been able to add any marbles.  I haven’t really lost any weight.  My efforts have slowed down and so has my loss.  I look forward to a full vase!

What are you doing to keep your motivation rolling?

Persistence and the CPA

My husband has a degree in accounting.  He is an auditor right now, and his ultimate goal is to not be an auditor and maybe go into fraud investigation.  On this journey he has been working towards becoming a CPA, Certified Public Accountant.  To become a CPA you have to take four grueling exams.  After you pass one section, you have 18 months to pass the remaining three sections.  It is said that the CPA is worst than the BAR for attorneys.

The short of the story is, my husband didn’t take the CPA immediately following graduation from college and has been taking and re-taking these exams for many years (4+). He has been slaving away at these exams our whole marriage.  It has been our ball and chain.  All of our time has revolved around studying and the next test date.

He passed three sections then lost credit on one section, so he had to re-take it.  On that re-take round he missed the mark by one point. And the one he hadn’t passed yet, he missed it by one point as well. This was not the first time he was a point away from passing, success was just hanging on a string in front of us.  Frustrating!!! 

We decided this year, that this last testing window was it.  He was going to take the last two exams one more time and we were calling it quits.  The end.  Enough is enough.   We handed it over to the Lord and stated we have given it our best shot, year after year and now if it doesn’t happen we know it isn’t meant to be!

We have spent thousand’s (between $8,000-10,000 the hubs doesn’t want me to add it up!) on testing fees and our lives can no longer revolve around this exam.

Well, after a lot of work and sacrifices in many areas of life he DID IT!  My husband finally passed the CPA exam!  I am sooo grateful to be closing this chapter of our lives.  We are now seeking a new job and have high hopes he will find something that is a better fit for him.

Since this is my weight loss blog, I will liken it to weight loss.  Persistence.  You must never lose hope of your goal, even when it doesn’t seem possible or even something worth working for any longer.  There are angels out there cheering you on.  Allow them to help you keep your head lifted.

I always believed my husband could pass the CPA exam, I just never dreamt it would be so challenging.  It doesn’t seem real yet, but I am so proud of him for being persistent.

May we keep our visions straight and keep plugging away!!

Bogged Down? Tell it to the Punching Bag!

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings name them one by one.

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care,

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,

And you will be singing as the days go by.

Click Here to listen or for the music...

This hymn has been buzzing through my head all morning.  I have felt some of life’s burdens bogging me down.  Some of the things are things I have control over, and some of the things I only have control over how I act and react.  I am so very blessed, sometimes I don’t see my blessings clearly and they lie in a fog.

In attempt to remedy my frustrations and lift the fog in my mind, I took it out on the punching bag. (Another blessing, I actually have a pretty awesome gym set up in my home.) I kicked, punched and back handed the bag with all my might.  I allowed myself to grunt and groan as loud as I felt and gave it all I have got. 

I am not feeling really well (stomach bug again!), so my beating of the bag was a brief 12 minute session, topped off with riding my bike that is propped up on a trainer.  Now that I am cleaned up and getting on with my day I feel a little better.  My issues are the same and nothing is solved, but channeling my frustrations on the bag was helpful.  I can now choose to have a better attitude and hope my body doesn’t freeze in soreness tomorrow.

In the mean time I need to keep my sisters motto in mind, “Good things are coming my way!”  I actually should be saying to myself, “My life is full of wonderful!”  It really is.  I have the cutest kids and a supportive husband.  What more could a girl ask for?? 

Life is good, and I shouldn’t let the things of life bog me down and cloud my vision. 

Good things are comm’en my way!

Christmas Dress Countdown Challenge: Initial Post

Christmas Dress Countdown Challenge (CDCC)

It is a great time to start a challenge.  Let me tell you, I need it.  The past month has been challenging and I have not lost any weight.  My energy has been shot, have had an injured foot and I have felt nauseous a lot.  Not only have I been having troubles, my kids have been sick too.  When the kids get sick I am not able to go to the gym.  Needless to say my work outs have been minimal.  I really would like to get back into the routine I had over summer of going to the gym 5-6 times a week.  My mood reflects the need as well.

I have been teetering +/-2 lbs.  I ended the Slimmer this Summer at 187.9.  Today I am at 189.  I have been suck in this little slump for a month.  I am ready to break away from the 180’s, almost 190’s.  I want to start feeling better.  I am not sure what is going to take.

I have a doctor’s appointment next week to get my thyroid checked.  I have had it checked before and supposedly it is in the normal range.  I just want to see if there is something I can do to help me feel a little better.

So on to the dress….

Right now since I am a stay at home mom and we are a “one income family” money is tight.  It wouldn’t be so bad, but my husband works for the state and with budget cuts and our house falling apart all around us, money is hard to come by (especially because we do not believe in debt).

In reality I don’t need a new dress, and probably don’t have any fancy shmancy Christmas parties to go to.  So I perused the local thrift store to find my dress of choice.  I wanted to find something a little bit retro, a little bit 50’s inspired, a belted dress of some sort.

I got lucky and found something up my ally.  It is a size 12. Right now I am pushing a 14 (with things being tight in the belly area).  I was happy that when I went into the dressing room that I was able to squeeze into it.  Granted, I wouldn’t wear the dress today in public, but for the purpose of this challenge I will post pictures.  Bear with me here honeys! I am looking a bit pregnant, argh!

I spent $23.00 on the dress and shoes.  Not a bad bargain, but for me it was like pulling teeth.  I don’t spend money on myself very often, and right now we don’t really have a whole lot to spare.  I had to have a long drawn out conversation with myself after leaving the store that I better get back on the wagon and get moving.  In the mean time I got sick, which has been really annoying.  I am feeling manageable, just now if I could get my son’s nose to stop running.  We will be gym bound soon!

Part of the challenge is choosing a book to assist us through the next few months. The book I choose is The Low Blood Sugar Handbook by Edward and Patricia Krimmel.  I have read it in the past and I would like to revisit it.  It will be a great reminder of what I need to change with my eating habits to get me on track.  I hope to share my insights from this book. I have found in the past this is a helpful tool in keeping my blood sugar in balance.  I am sure there are others out there too that can benefit from this book too.

Challenge Details:

-September 11 through December 18... That's 14 Weeks to a Smaller Dress Size

-Get the dress: One size smaller with pictures

-Caloric intake goal

-Exercise minimum 3x week

-Be consistent: Don’t be a yo-yo!

-Hydrate sufficiently

-Choose one or more books and work on your main obstacle to losing issue

-Initial post September 11 post your weight and goals

-One update a post a week by Sunday evening link up.  Also one additional blog post a week.

-Be supportive visit and comment on at least 3 blogs Challengers blogs

My Stats:

-Start Weight: 189

-Dress Size: Aiming to fit into a size 12 (currently 14+ish)

-My Book: The Low Blood Sugar Handbook: Edward and Patricia Kimmel

-Calories: 1300/day 165 carbs a day with fiber adjustment (see here for explanation)

-Water: 10 glasses of water a day (80 oz)

-Photo: Here are my lovely before photos!

Tidbits of Summer Learning

A few tidbits of learning from my weight loss this summer.

-Have a work out buddy.  Most of the summer I picked up a friend on the way to the gym.  It was fun to talk as we worked out and ever once and a while push each other until we were red in the face.  We haven’t been able to work out together the past few weeks and it has been harder for me. I need to give her a call and start meeting up again.

-Make an appointment with the gym.  Not literally, but pencil it in your planner.  I started the 30 Day shred and hope to start it back up again, but it is hard with a toddler and a crawler.  I have unlimited childcare when I go to the gym, so not a bad gig!  Working out at home with kids is a challenge. My two year old isn’t napping much any more so she likes to ‘work out’ with me.  Not the easiest task.  She likes to climb on my back when I am doing push ups, if I could do them with her on my back it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but not there yet.  It is cute to see her attempt jumping jacks, she jumps as her arms flail all over.

-Even though my weight loss is slow and some weeks minimal, it is not worth getting discouraged over.  I am working on a healthier life style as a whole not a fad fast way of dropping weight.  Been there done that.

-The weeks that I lifted weights and really pushed myself I lost more weight (go figure, trainermomma.com is right!).  Also the weeks that I was super strict about my eating I lost weight (go figure again!).

-Sometimes I have to re-commit and re-commit to my goals over and over again. I figure it is a part of life.  At least a part of my life.

-I learned that bananas have a ton of sugar.  My favorite banana combo: peanut butter and banana on a graham cracker, mmm.  If I want to keep within my carb goal, this  treat is out of picture.

-Earlier this year I was having a conversation with my younger sister.  I was sharing how I was discouraged about gaining so much weight with my pregnancies.  I stated how I was working out and working out and not getting anywhere.  I felt a bit in despair about the weight never coming off (I think we all have those moments somewhere along our weigh loss journey).  She told me, “You have lost weight before, you can do it again.  You have it in you.”  It was true.  I do have it in me.  We just need to remember on our low days, it has been done before, you can do it!!

Getting Specific...

When I created this blog I thought I would use if for reflection and as a tool for me to overcome my love of sugar.  I haven’t done much of that, but decided to do a little reflectingo today.  Please bear with me.

Since life is busy with two little ones at home I have blogged at a minimum this summer.  I was so happy to find the Slimmer this Summer Challenge.  So my blogging for the most part has just been my weekly check in for the challenge.

Some days I have little conversations with myself, like today for instance.  I saw a picture of me from the 4^th of July and I still cringe.  Even though I am losing weight, I still to me feel like I have such a long way to go.  My highest ever prior to children was 170lbs.  I worked really hard to stay down in the 150-160 range.  I always wanted to be around 130-140, no matter how hard I tried I have had difficulty return below 150.  Right now I am at 188 and it still feels so far away.  Enough of the pity party…. Moving on.

Like I have a dozen times (and probably will a few dozen more).  I have decided to buckle down even more.  I have goals and rewards for each ten pounds lost, but I decided I need to be even more specific. I was a special education teacher, prior to becoming a stay at home mom.  Something that I dealt with on a daily basis was goals.  It was drilled in my brain over and over how to write a “proper” goal.  It must be specific, measureable, attainable, action oriented, result oriented, and given a time frame.  Some people use the acronym SMAART.  But in the classroom our goals looked more like this:

IEP Goal/Objective Example:

From a baseline of  ___, the student will....

• perform a specific skill
• a specified number of times
• under specified conditions
• at a specified level of achievement
• for a specific length of time.

So how does that apply on my weigh loss journey today??? That is what I am trying to figure out.  I knew going into this summer challenge that losing 2lbs a week was attainable, but given my love of sweet things, and how I choose to conduct myself, it really isn’t happening.  An average of a pound a week is really more realistic with my sweet lifestyle.

So I turned to the numbers (Why does my brain have to be obsessed about numbers???).  I will be 34 years old in the first week of March.  That is 29 weeks from now.  Somewhere in my head I got the idea of getting down to 134lbs by my 34^th Birthday.  So as of today I would need to lose 54lbs in 29 weeks. 1.86lbs a week, so basically 2lbs a week.

Since the beginning of this challenge I have only lost 13lbs in 10 weeks.  So my average is running at 1.3lbs a week.  If I continue at this rate I will have lost 37.7lbs by my Birthday week.  Heck lets round it up to 38lbs, to make it a round 150lbs.  That would be great still, but not my 134 by 34.

I know I can lose an average of 2lbs a week, I just would have to give up sweets, or at least some sweets.  If any of you have ever glanced at my food diary at MFP, you will notice I have not given up all things sweet like many of you.  I eat something of a sweet nature every day. I know if I gave up even half of my sweets I would lose more rapidly.  For goodness sake.  I workout 5-6 times a week for 40-60 minutes.  I do this so I can eat sweets and still lose at a slow rate.  Hence my addiction to sugary goodness.

So here I am brainstorming at to how committed I am to getting down to 134 by 34.  Cutting back on all things sweet, is the key to kick things into gear.  I hesitate for two reasons.  1. I have done it before and I do lose more quickly.  When I go back to eating sweet things I gain so fast it isn’t even funny. Right now in my life I am not willing to give it up for good.  2.  I love sugary goodness!

My thoughts were to keep sweet things here and there and work hard on my workouts and lose at a slow pace.  I was hoping the slow pace would be closer to 2lbs a week.  So here I go again.  I am going to re-commit.  I am going to write a specific, measureable goal in hopes that I can pin this one!

Here we go:

By March 6^th 2012 I will weigh 134lbs.  This will be achieved by tracking my calories and carbs on MFP aiming for 1500 calories and under 165 grams of carbohydrates/day taking into account my fiber adjustments and eating my exercise calories if I choose to do so.  I will also work out 5 times a week for 40-60 minutes each session.  I will also be able to run a 10 minute mile with ease.

Benchmarks:

Lose 18lbs by Halloween: 170lbs

Lose 33lbs by Christmas: 155lbs

Lose 54lbs by Birthday: 134lbs

I guess I already did this when I wrote my original goals on my sidebar.  I just needed to add dates to clarify my vision.

I feel like I need to add something about sugar, but I am not sure what I am willing to commit to at this point.  I am thinking about going strict no sugary sweets every other week.  Maybe that will trick my system and I will be able to enjoy sweets occasionally and boost my weight loss.  I think I will give it a try and reevaluate in a month or so.

So feedback time:

How have you given up your favorite things/habits/addictions?  What works for you?

Thanks for being so awesome and supportive!

Week 6: Slimmer This Summer

My goals:

-Journal my meals

-Be under 165g of Carbohydrates/day (with fiber adjustment)

-Exercise 5 times a week for 45-60 minutes

-10 glasses of water a day

-Run/walk a 5K in under 40 minutes GOAL MET!

-Build a support network

-lose an average of 2 lbs/week, 24lbs total

Beginning Weight: 201.3

Week 1: 198.6 (-2.7)

Week 2: 198.6 (0) No change

Week 3: 196.9 (-1.7) Total loss 4.4 lbs

Week 4: 193.9 (-3) Total loss 7.4

Week 5: 193.2 (-.5) Total loss 8.1   

Week 6: 193.3 (+.1) Total loss 8.0   

(16.7 loss since I began my journey in January)

The bad news... I had my first gain for the 12 week Slimmer This Summer Challenge.  Not a big gain, only .1 lb, but none the less, a gain that really easily could have been avoided.  Last week I basked in a few pieces of wonderful pumpkin bread and didn’t track yesterday and ate more than I have in quite a while.  We were visiting my in-laws and I decided to take a day off.  I knew I would have some sort of gain.

The good news... We are half way through the challenge and I am down 8 lbs.  I am not on track for loosing a total of 24lbs, but it is still possible if I kick butt and get back in gear! Also more good news below on my measurement report.

I am 4 pounds away from reaching my next reward: a pedicure.  My feet need some summer pampering in a major way.  I want this bad.  My mother-in-law wants to go with me even, but if I don’t hurry up and lose the next 4lbs, she is going to go without me!

Daily Carb Count:

(out of 165g carbs with adjusted fiber intake)

Monday: 141carbs –fiber adjustment -39 102carbs (63 under)

Tuesday:178carbs –fiber adjustment -65 113carbs (52 under)

Wednesday:144carbs –fiber adjustment -33 111carbs (54under)

Thursday: 220carbs –fiber adjustment -28 192carbs(27 over)

Friday: 216carbs –fiber adjustment -41 175 (10 over)

Saturday: 217carbs –fiber adjustment -65 152 (13 under)

Sunday: Didn’t track, way over!

To view my food diary, visit myfitnesspal.com. 

Profile name: ambreee

Exercise:

I got my five work outs of 45-60 minutes in, despite not really feeling well a good part of the week.  I was moody,  dizzy and really tired all week.  I don’t know what is up.  The kids were crazy too. Maybe we are all fighting a bug.

Water Intake:

Did good on water, even exceeded my goal a couple of days with the summer heat getting to me.

Measurements:

Despite the gain, I am still shrinking. This week I lost ½ inch off my hips, belly and rib cage and a ¼ inch off my arms.  Here are my total losses (lbs and inches) since the beginning of the challenge.

Weight	201.3	193.3	8
Neck	13.5	13.5	0
Chest	43.5	42.5	1
Ribs	39	36.5	2.5
Waist	41	40	1
Belly	46	44	2
Hips	45.5	44	1.5
Calf	16	16	0
Arm	15	14.5	.5
	6/6/11 Start Measurements	7/18/11 Current	difference

Week 4 Results for Slimmer This Summer

My Goals:

-Journal my meals

-Be under 165g of Carbohydrates/day

-Exercise 5 times a week for 45-60 minutes

-10 glasses of water a day

-Run/walk a 5K in under 40 minutes GOAL MET!

-Build a support network

-lose an average of 2 lbs/week, 24lbs total

Beginning Weight: 201.3

Week 1: 198.6 (-2.7)

Week 2: 198.6 (0) No change

Week 3: 196.9 (-1.7) Total loss 4.4 lbs

Week 4: 193.9 (-3) Total loss 7.4

(16.1 loss since I began my journey in January)

Daily Carb Count

(out of 165g carbs and adjusted for fiber intake)

Monday: 161 (4 under)

Tuesday: 204 adjused after fiber 174 (9 over)

Wednesday: 157 (8 under)

Thursday: 183-56 fiber bonus 127 adjusted (38 under)

Friday: 156 (9 under)

Saturday:172-39 fiber points 133 adjusted (32 under)

Sunday: 108 (57 under)

To view my food diary, visit myfitnesspal.com.  Profile name: ambreee

Measurements:

No big changes on my measurements. I lost a ½ inch off my chest and gained an inch on my waist.  I am sure I am retaining water due to my period. So hopefully I will see a greater change next week!

Here are the weekly goals I was working on:

-Get in two 40 minute runs

Accomplished!  I even reached my 5k in under 40 minutes!!  I ran 3.05 miles on Monday in 40 minutes and on Saturday I did a whole 5k (3.2 miles) in 39.17 minutes.  I will continue to work on improving my time.  I may sign up for a 5k in September.  I am looking for someone to join me.

-quit thinking about caloric intake, and focus on carb intake instead.  Counting calories is messing me up and I end up eating more.  I know backwards, but I am going to try it this week and see where it gets me.

It helped for me to focus on my carbs instead of calories.  I actually was much better about my eating overall, because I was able to keep my blood sugar under control.  I ate more fiber this week too, which is also helpful on my blood sugar.  And Heck, I lost 3lbs, so I am happy!!

-Start taking my vitamins and minerals again.  Many of these I quit taking when I was pregnant (as I was advised to), and it is time to get back into the swing of things for the sake of my mood, energy and blood sugar.

Big oops!  I still have not been doing this.  I always think about it at the wrong time.  I have to take them when my daughter is not around, because she thinks she can take what ever I am having.  I am going to shoot for this one again this week.

Yeah for Week Five!  Happy Fourth of July!