A Victory Lap

Okay I swear today is the last day for a while that I will talk about my dieting.  I had planned on putting a hold on it starting today but than something amazing happened!

As I mentioned I went out for girls night a while back and in preparation bought a new outfit.  Well I have been wearing the jeans a lot because I like the way they fit.  I put them on this morning and they are baggy!  Not loose - baggy!!  I hated how frumpy they looked and almost took them off but than I thought - heck no I am taking a victory lap in these babies!  So here I am taking a victory lap in my now baggy jeans!!  Whoo hoo!!

Tomorrow I will get back to more of the mom/family/life stuff!!  Have a great week everyone!!

Do Your Research

As someone who has struggled with their weight for a long time now I have heard, "log what you eat" a lot.  Actually probably every time the topic comes up.  To this I would roll my eyes thinking - right I can't even keep track of my keys, sunglasses and phone - but a food diary no problem.  Recently Alyssa over at My Husband's Watching TV got me hooked on My Fitness Pal.  I really enjoy the site but even more so I have enjoyed the friendship with Alyssa.  It really helps keep me motivated.  I want to see what she has done and she is usually checking on what I have done.  It is a lot of fun.

The one part I did not find fun was blowing through my calories.  Wednesday I was 310 calories over my target.  So I did what any normal OCD person would do and thought about it day and night, until I figured it out. 

Here is what I came up with: 1) I depended on their food database when logging items so I logged the fudgesicles I have eaten and I kept thinking "geez 110 calories seems like more than I remember them being".  So on my way out the door this morning I looked in the freezer - sure enough they are only 40 calories per pop (I only eat 1 a day). 2) I logged in my Taco Bell Soft Tacos, I ate 3 of them.  I know that sounds like a lot but I scrape the meat onto a bed of romaine lettuce and throw out the shell.  It did not cross my mind about how many calories those shells cost me.  So I did the math and than I went to the Taco Bell site and they have a nutrition calculator that allows you to customize the item including taking the shell off and guess what?  Instead of 630 calories originally calculated it was 330 calories without the shell.  That I can live with!

I have found many restaurant  chains offer these nutrition calculators.  Use them if you can.  It is worth the extra effort.  Dieting should be an educational experience so doing a little research is great knowledge for later.

Have a great weekend everyone!!  Anybody have big plans?

What? I Coulda Had Donuts?

I have joined a site called The Daily Mile.  I have really enjoyed it!  I love tracking my workouts and getting graphs and statistics on what I have done so far.

Here is a screen shot of part of my workout history.

I looked at it yesterday and my first thought was - I could of had donuts? ;)  Hmm I wonder where my weight issues stem from? 

Lecture From Disney

I joined the Disney Movie Club a while back, wanting to collect all the Disney movies for the kids.  I swear they send me a selection card like every two weeks.  It is way to much for me to keep up with.  Because I have been unable to respond in time I have sent back 2 or 3 of my selections and ended up with 3 movies I could live with.

Yesterday my hubby had checked the mail before I got home and had a letter laying out for me.  The letter was a lecture from the Disney Movie club about my obligation to return my selection cards in a timely manner because when I don't I am agreeing to order the movies.  Basically they were not happy with me for sending back the 2 - 3 selections. Well Disney - send me 1 a month and I will make that happen.  I would like to point out when I set up my account I stated I had a 13 year old and a 3 year old both girls.  My first selection they sent me - Hannah Montana.  Why ask me what ages if you are not going to send me age appropriate selections?

Any way I love Disney but I am not happy with the movie club.  Sorry about my rant!

It's Lizard Season - Oh Joy

The office I now work at is downstairs from the company I used to work at.  So all in all I have worked in this office building for about 5 years.  And every year it happens - lizard season.

Every day this week I have walked into one of these.

My morning welcoming committee comes in all shapes and sizes and make me want to run to my chair and prop my legs up on the back of my desk.  As I sit here and type - I am TOTALLY freaked out.  I know I sound like a baby but seriously these things are so fast and make sudden movements.  I used to catch lizards as a kid and now I am totally freaked out. (Can you tell.) 

When I worked upstairs we had one fall from the ceiling.  Another time we were getting ready to go to lunch and my boss/friend felt something on her shirt and a lizard was clinging to her shirt.  She was trying to shake it off and I did the only reasonable thing I could do.  Scream like a girl and jump on the couch.  No joke - I am a baby!! 

Well time to get some work done in between my uncontrollable anxiety.  Have a great day!!

Happy Valentines!

I know a lot of people do not like this made up holiday, but I LOVE it!!  It is like the kick off event for spring and my birthday.  3 years ago on the 11th I decided to enhance this day with a wedding and a trip to London. 

Well London is long over but the love is not.  We had a great anniversary and this weekend we went to a nice hotel in town and got the "Romance Package".  It includes dinner and brunch.  It should be a great mini getaway.

My awesome husband bought me one of these.

I obviously did not take that picture.  I am super excited about my new camera!!  The camera is actually anniversary/Valentines/birthday gift.  We do not usually do big ticket items like this. 

After much consideration this is what I did for my husband for anniversary/Valentines.  I know it is not as extravagant as my gift but he wanted a pen.

Each frame has a map of somewhere we have been together.  We love to travel and so I thought it would be really special to be able to look at this and reflect on all of the great things we have done together.  Yes we have great kids but our travels are something different to us.

Hope everyone had a great Valentines weekend!!

The First Rule of Fight Club...

....We don't talk about fight club. 

This was are joke this morning as I took some photo's of AL.

My poor baby had a rough time this week.  She scratched herself several times and got hit with a toy.  I was so sad to see her black eye when she got home.  It wasn't major but still sad all the same.  I have never had a child with a black eye so it was a huge shock!  She has no idea how her face looks.  You can't see the black eye very well.  Again it was not very bad to begin with and it has been 3 days. 

Not even a few bumps, scratches and bruises can keep this little girl from being happy!

She also got the side of my nose, by my eye during this weeks scratching spree.  I did not realize it until I put my sunglasses on and it stung.  I looked at her nails and they are not long.  Geech!

Live Like We're Dying

Have you heard this song?




I really like this song and I totally get the message, but it still gives me a little bit of anxiety.  I have a constant clock ticking in my head thinking of what needs to get done and time management.  This song is almost enough to send me over the edge.  I love it and I love the words but if I don't focus on the real message my breathing starts to get a little labored. ;)

Happy Tuesday!

My First Award!!!

I am so excited!!  I just received my first blogger award - and yes I struted my stuff a little. ;)
I received the Sunshine Award from Mrs. Groeteke over at My Husband's Watching TV.  I am a new reader to her blog and I am really enjoying it!  So thank you  Mrs. Groeteke I am so excited!  Now it is time to share my fabulous award.

Here are the rules:
-Copy that little orange flower pic and put it on your blog when you post about your award!

-Pass the award on to 7 other bloggers.

-Let the nominees know that they have been honored by leaving a comment on their blog (we all love comments!)

-Share the love and link to the person who nominated you!

So here are my friends I am passing the award to:
1. Taryn at The Colorado Desert

-Taryns blog is the first blog that kept me coming back faithfully!  Love all of her recipes and her projects.

2. La at Prone to Wander

-I have loved La's blog since her first comment sympathizing with all of my pregnancy aches and pains.  I really enjoy her blog and her encouragement.  She has gone above and beyond for me on several occasions and I greatly appreciate it!

3. Margie at When the Heart Speaks!

-Margie is a dear friend to me and speaks and writes the most beautiful words.  She is one of the sweetest, most genuine people you will ever meet.  LOVE HER!!

4. Mrs. SS at Seersucker Scrapper

-I not only love reading her blog I love all of the cute colorful things she finds and the great stories she writes.  I also love that we both love Disney and Bridget Jones.

5. Shinta at Hans and Shinta

-Shinta tells great stories and shares beautiful pictures.  From what I can tell she is a brave honest person and I admire that.

6. Mo at Because We Can

-I have been reading Mo's blog for a while now and I enjoy her sometimes random thoughts.  She seems straight to the point and honest.

7. Cloggsy at English Tea and more recently at One Less Cupcake

-Again I have been reading her blog for a while now and I originally began reading it because she is English.  But now I read because she cracks me up!  I also love her new blog One Less Cupcake.  I plan on following her through her weightloss.  I really commend her on being so brave!

I really enjoy reading many other blogs but I could only choose seven which was hard!  I know many are getting hit with some nasty weather so please enjoy the sunshine everyone!

9 Months

AL will be 9 months Saturday (tomorrow) and boy has she grown.  I can not believe it has been 9 months already (and neither can my body ;)).

AL is doing a lot of new things. 

• She can get herself into a seated position 
• has 2 teeth
• is growing a little hair
• Eats solids twice a day
• Starting to pull herself up to stand
• Loves her tongue

She is so goofy with that tongue.  This picture makes me laugh.

The other thing AL is doing is teething.  She teeths like LD did - FOR.MONTHS.AT.A.TIME.  It is exhausting for all of us.  AL is still a pretty happy baby but we are having some interuppted nights.

Here is a great teething tool.

Just take a cold (large) carrot, peel it and let them have at it.  Besides the carrot the only teething toy she likes is this.

Unfortunatley it goes MIA a lot.

What have you found works for teething?

Save the Jeans

I know this may seem random, but stick with me.

I have three reasons for wanting to loose weight.
1) To be healthy
2) To shop where I want
3) To wear a bathing suit

So this being said I went into one of my favorite stores the other day to get an outfit for my night out.  Of course I still do not fit into the clothes.  Sad but I will use it as motivation.  But my trip got me thinking about these:

I see people wear these types of jeans and they look cute but the practical mom side of me thinks, "why would I buy jeans that are already ripped?  Won't they just rip more, until I can't wear them?  When I have ripped a pair of pants in the past the rip just gets bigger and bigger until you can't wear them anymore.  Does anyone out there own a pair of these jeans?  If so what do you think?  Also does anyone agree with my concerns?  Or am I just getting old and this is one of those "turn down that music" type of thing?

Goals Revisited

I LOVE setting goals. I LOVE meeting goals. This said I always say I am not necessarily making New Years resolutions because I set goals for myself quite often. However I realized that some of my excitement has faded. So I am now realizing that although I do not call them New Years resolutions they are in fact New Years resolutions. I definitely get that initial high of setting some great goals and than the excitement fades.


I dream BIG. Always have. One of my goals is to lighten up a little. Choose a few goals and stick with them and be kind to myself if I am not always on the path to meet them. My top goals this year include:

1. Loose 60 pounds

2. Purge my house

3. To be kinder to myself

You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens. - Louise Hay