Losing Half, Gaining More

Isn’t it silly how motivating it can be to have something new? Shiny new sneakers are just the ticket for me. I got my old sneakers 4 years ago in what feels like another lifetime – before marriage, babies, new houses, living across the country. They didn’t see nearly enough love and use, but after 4 years, I think it was still officially time to let them retire.

I took about 10 pictures until it dawned on me that it just *might* be a bit easier to take a picture of them OFF my feet…Internet Folks, she’s not always as bright as she looks;) (Just kidding – I blame this sort of “incident” directly on having kids!)
So here’s my pic of my new sneaks. Feel free to judge my mess in the background – it’s a basically perfect representation of my day-to-day life right now:)

I had to buy these shoes in a 9.5. When I got married 3+ years ago, my feet were a size 7.5/8. After I had my 2 year old, they went to more of an 8.5/9. Now I’m well into the 9/9.5 range. I can’t help but wonder how much of that is pregnancy related and how much is the constant weight of my body on my feet. Thought I weigh a lot, I’m not an inherently large person. I’m not tiny by any means, but I do always fit so much better in Women’s Petite sized clothing if I can find it(hardly ever). I’m 5′3.” Even at 260-something lbs, my wedding rings are a size 5.5 and 6. So it just makes me wonder how much of my feet getting big is just the constant swelling and pressure on them and just a general spread to continue to support the weight of my body. One more reason to get this weight off ! If it’s pressure on my feet, the pressure is also felt everywhere else – my joints, my knees, my heart, my lungs – the list could go on and on!

On a not-weight-loss-or-health-related note – can you see the globe in the background of that picture? My Mother-In-Law brought it over on Tuesday as a leftover remnant from finally re-doing my husband’s childhood bedroom. The kids LOVE it, but I had to look a little – you know it’s as old as we are because it has the Soviet Union and Zaire and a split Germany. I’ve been going on circles about how appropriate it is for them to have an incorrect globe? They won’t be able to read for at least a few years, so now it’s just outlines and geographic representations. And globes are just so fun. Maybe a good compromise would be to get a new globe, too, so that when they really start learning it will give us an opportunity to throw some history in, too? I don’t know – just thinking out loud!

2 Questions:

1. What would you do(if anything) on the globe situation?

2. I need new workout clothes that aren’t going to cost me $100 for 1 pair of pants and half of a tiny t-shirt I could never wear in public. In plus sizes. Not from Old Navy. Any suggestions for places to shop? I’m sick of feeling like a slob in workout clothes!