Well, here we are. The last week of our Losing It Challenge. So . . . ?

Ten weeks ago, Jessie from Vanderbilt Wife, Ashleigh from Heart & Home and I had a crazy idea. We were lamenting our weight loss woes on Twitter, and somebody suggested a blog challenge.

So, just like that, we started one. Just a few days later. Without a whole lot of planning. Or thought. And yet?

The Losing It Challenge seemed to work.

Not for me. I didn’t lose any significant weight. But you all? Oh my goodness! You ladies of #LosingIt10 have blown my mind.

You’ve been honest. You’ve been inspirational. You’ve shared your struggles, your successes, your lives. Some of you have lost a lot of weight. And some of you haven’t lost any pounds but have gained resolve, motivation, even wisdom. (I’m putting myself in that category, by the way.)

As you report your percentage of body weight loss, we will have a winner. But, as clichéd as it sounds, I believe everyone who’s pushed through this last 10 weeks has won something.

But let’s talk about the winning and the prize for a moment. If you linked up at least six out of the 10 weeks, you are eligible for the prize package of a six-month subscription to The Six O’Clock Scramble (a meal planning service), a Weight Watchers pedometer and a gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods.

The winner will be the person who loses the largest percentage of his or her body weight during the 10 weeks. So make sure you include that info in your post that you link up below.

But wait! There’s more!

No, not super-sharp knives. But more community, more sharing, more weight loss. Kathy at House of Hills has agreed to continue hosting Losing It as a weekly carnival. The friendships and support that have been built over the past 10 weeks is incredible, and I’m so excited Kathy is going to keep it going for us!

But before you leave me (Don’t leave! Or, at least, please come back!), please answer this question in the comments: What does weight loss success look like to you?

Does it look like a certain number on the scale? Or a size of jeans? Or maybe a pair of jeans from college or pre-pregnancy? Or perhaps for you it looks like a fridge and pantry stocked with healthy foods or the ability to eat your favorite treat in moderation?

For me, weight loss success will look like this:

• A certain number (or below), healthy food choices on a consistent basis
• The ability to shop in non-big-lady stores (sorry, Lane Bryant)
• The ability to use my body for what God intended it (Hello, water skiing. It’s nice to see you again.)
• And an absence of negative thoughts (particularly no longer singing, “I hate myself for loving food” in Joan Jett style).

How about you? What does weight loss success look like to you?

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Have I mentioned lately that Annalyn was born seven weeks early? No? Because she was. And I kind of talk about it a lot.

You know why? Because it was a miracle.

And not just the fact that she was healthy, but it was also amazing that she was able to come home so quickly.

Every time I hear about a family living in the NICU with their premature baby for weeks, I’m thankful all over again that Annalyn only had to stay in the hospital for nine days longer than I did.

But part of the strong will that kept her warm and strong and breathing well when she was a teeny tiny baby? Um, yeah. It’s the same darned will that’s driving me crazy two and a half years later!

I am not exaggerating. When Annalyn was less than two weeks old – still weighing barely more than four pounds – she ripped out her own feeding tube.

The NICU nurse said that they wouldn’t put it back in unless she needed it; she said they’d try to give her a bottle. But, she warned me, babies never took the bottle that early. They had to be at least 36 weeks (or in Annalyn’s case, three weeks); something in their little tiny brains just clicked at that point.

Every time, she said. That’s how they all were.

Except my tiny baby. Annalyn started eating from a bottle and never looked back.

That strong will was a good thing back then. A real good thing. And, as a friend recently reminded me, it will be a great thing when she’s 16 and dating.

But right now? At age 2 ½? That strong will drives me cuh-razy!!!

A few weeks ago, I had to take her to choir practice with me. She was great. Except for when she said, “No, Mommy! You no hush me! I no hush!”

Yeahhhh.

I know, I know. Some of it’s typical two-year-old stuff. (And don’t even tell me about how the threes are more terrible than the twos. I may have heard it already. Just a time or twenty.)

But you have to admit. The thought of that tiny baby who pulled her feeding tube out – as a teenager? Kind of scary, right?

Over the next several weeks, the March of Dimes will be holding a walk in a city near you. (Or in your city, you know, if you live in a city.) March for Babies gives hope to the 500,000+ babies born early every year. The money raised by these walks supports programs that help mothers have healthy, full-term pregnancies.

As I’ve mentioned before, this is a cause that’s close to my heart. So when I heard (because they told me) that Famous Footwear is supporting the March of Dimes with a special shoe, I was impressed.

For every pair of Dr. Scholl’s “Inferno 2″ walking shoes for women purchased, Famous Footwear will donate $5 (up to $500,000).

For a, ahem, related discount and a giveaway, visit my other site.

Have you ever walked in a charity walk? What’s your favorite cause to support?

P.S. I love the March of Dimes and this shoe campaign. Therefore, I’m linking up to Things I Love Thursday and Friday Favorites.

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Famous Footwear is donating $5 to March of Dimes for every pair of Dr. Scholl’s Inferno 2 walking shoes for women they sell.

If you’d like to buy these shoes (Look at them! They’re cute! They feature a breathable mesh upper with supportive and reflective leather overlays, Dr. Scholl’s Air Pillo Gel insole for comfort and a durable traction outsole!), you should do it now. They’re on sale for $39.99 (regularly $49.99), and if you buy them by May 1, you can save 10% if you order online (use this code: MODN999).

And to help you do that, I’ve got a $50 gift card to Famous Footwear to give away. You don’t have to use the gift card on these shoes. But you can. If you want. But you don’t have to.

How do you enter?

• Visit FamousFootwear.com and tell me what shoes you’d buy with the gift card.
• For an additional entry, become a fan of Famous Footwear on Facebook (and leave a separate comment telling me you did it).
• For a third entry, become a fan of Giving Up on Perfect on Facebook (and leave a separate comment telling me you did it).

I’ll use Random.org to pick a winner after midnight (CST) on Friday. I’ll announce the winner Saturday morning (so you still have time to use that coupon, if you want)!

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As I was driving home from work on Friday, I started thinking about all the ways my week had been crummy. But even though it had, in fact, been a terrible week in some way, I had a hard time not also thinking about the good parts of my week.

[Who is this positive-thinking woman, and where did she come from? Weird!]

Don’t worry. My rose-colored glasses aren’t totally clouding my vision. I can still tell you about all the crazy things that happened last week. But I’ve just got to mix in the good stuff, too.

So, here are 10 [completely random and unrelated] things that have happened in the last week. We’ll see who comes out ahead: Positive Polly or Negative Nelly.

1. Last week, I was miserable at work. And, it’s possible I made my co-workers miserable while I was at it. Thanks to a huge, mundane project that took longer than I anticipated, I became even further behind on another huge, mundane project that’s taken longer than I anticipated. By Friday, I was on the verge of tears, both frustrated with the job and with myself for not getting it all done. Quitting time both could not come fast enough – and came way too fast!
2. One of our local radio stations has gone through several changes over the past couple years, after being one of the city’s classic rock stations for years. (Maybe decades, but I’m not going to look it up now.) Last week, the station became Gen-X Radio, playing retro, grunge, hip hop and hair bands. You know, music from the 90s – the stuff us Gen-X-ers like. At least I do. (And yes, I consider myself Gen X. Don’t get me started. I did a ridiculous amount of research and debate on this very topic with a former co-worker. And I won.)
3. Several girls from my church organized a huge, multi-family garage sale last weekend. Because my cousins and I trade hand-me-downs like my husband used to trade baseball cards (I don’t know. I tried to be clever, and that’s all I came up with.), I don’t have boxes of children’s clothes to get rid of. And because we’re probably not finished having children, I can only pass on so many baby things. So when I somehow ended up making $70 (and that’s after buying several fall outfits for Annalyn), I was thrilled!
4. I was not thrilled, however, to pay $150 to the plumber. It’s too bad they don’t have some sort of frequent customer club. We’d be getting discounts left and right. Instead, I got busted for putting a few “potty wipes” down the toilet during our recent potty training adventures. Guess what I won’t be doing anymore!
5. I didn’t edit my Losing It post to tell you the big news, but I’m telling you now: I was down 3.4 lbs on Friday! Woo-hoo!! Considering the two – count ‘em, TWO – packages of Oreos that have called my house their home over the past week, I’m not predicting a repeat performance this week. But, I’m still trying…
6. When I shared ice cream with Annalyn last week, I actually thought, “Good thing she’s not sick!” Um, yeah. She was. And now I am, too. The cough and scratchy throat started on Thursday and by the time I made it to bed on Saturday, I felt like death. Or at least, an upper respiratory infection. I actually stayed home from work yesterday. It was either that – or listen to my co-workers say after every cough, “You should go home!”
7. The reason I got to bed late on Saturday? A girls night, that’s why. I spent the evening reminiscing and laughing with girls who I’ve known forever. I love them so much, and it’s always good to catch up.
8. Remember the plumbing problem I mentioned up there? Well, before our washing machine overflowed, our fridge started leaking. The very same night. Thankfully, Mark is handy, and he’s already fixed it.
9. Mark got a job transfer a few weeks ago, and now he’s working nights. It’s been hard to adjust – for all of us. The weirdest adjustment? Not being able to call him during the day. I say “weird,” because it’s not like I need to ask him important questions at all hours of my work day. But it’s nice to be able to call him…just in case I have some of those important questions, you know?
10. Even though I can’t call Mark during the day – because he’s sleeping, if I didn’t make that clear and I don’t think I did – it’s been so great to have him home in the evenings. Annalyn can play with him, while I cook dinner. Then we can eat dinner together and do the bedtime routine together and sometimes even watch TV together. Like we’re a normal family or something. It’s good.

Well, I thought Positive Polly and Negative Nelly were going to have a tie. But now that I’ve written about my week, I think that Polly has eked out a win with Mark fixing the fridge in #8. So, it turns out I had a pretty good week. What about you?

This post will be linked to OhAmanda’s Top Ten Tuesday.

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