Silver-Lining Black: Mom Body Reversal

Of course every year I say this year will be different I'm gonna lose weight and be healthier and do great for a while but something always happens, sickness, boredom, lack of support, always something. Well, I probably say this every year too but this year will be different! Darn it! It has to be! Right?
So far I am doing very well, even with the inevitable illness that came upon me. This year my sister in law found a weight loss competition that is offering a cash prize to the winning team that loses the highest percentage of body weight! It not only great because I have three other women I am accountable to but I have the prospect of cash money to buy something wonderful for the new body I am so sure I will be sporting. It's an 8 week challenge and its been tough but we are three and a half weeks in and I've lost 5 lbs.! Not a huge amount but its better than the alternative, right. I do have to say to my defense I started my new "healthy life style" a couple weeks before she approached me with the challenge so counting those 6lbs.!!! I am down 11 lbs from my 2012 weight so I think that is pretty sweet. My goal is to lose about 10 more pounds but we shall see. We have four and a half weeks left and since I hope I got the illness thing out of the way I am hopeful I can make it. Just gotta stay away from the cookies (why are they sooooo good?!) and get my butt moving as much as I possibly can.
I do have a couple other motivators for losing the flub, we are planning a fun, family vacation to Mt. Olympus in Wisconsin Dells. Never been out there and we are super excited and the thought of putting on a swimsuit is not as daunting now that I am down 11 lbs of nasty fat! The other motivator is a much needed, much anticipated just me and my honey trip we are planning for our ninth wedding anniversary coming up in April! We have not done an away from the kids vacation ever so we are both really looking forward to some adventure and alone time (wink, wink). Not sure where we are headed but he requested some place warm to who knows. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

A few of my favorite ways to lose it: