Wednesday, December 30, 2009

2010 Goals

My 2010 goals!

1. Seriously, get to goal this year!!! (Shooting for 130 but we will evaluate!)
2. Journal EVERYDAY
3. Plan my meals at least weekly.
4. Work out 4 x's a week.
5. Use the Wii at least once a week.
6. Run 6 5ks.
7. Complete my Turbo Jam Challenge (ends 3/7/10) Then complete P90x.
8. Scrapbook the girls 1st year. (yes I'm behind!)
9. Scrapbook Connor's 2nd year.
10. Organize my house, one room each month.
  • January - My Bathroom
  • February - Dh's Bathroom
  • March - My Computer
  • April - Living Room
  • May - Laundry Room
  • June - Dining Room
  • July - Kitchen
  • August - Connor's Bedroom
  • September - Hallway/Foyer
  • October - Master Bedroom
  • November - Twins Bedroom
11. Take the kids to a new park each month.
12. Stay within my budget!! No more impulse buying. Ask myself 3 times if I NEED it before buying.

So there you have it. Those are my goals for 2010. I am really going to try hard to stick to it. I know I can and in the end, it will help me to be a healthier and happier person. These will also be my goals for the Perfect 10 Challenge. Check it out and join up like I did!!!

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

The Perfect 10 Challenge


So what's a new year without a challenge?!?! And South Beach Steve over at LogMyLoss has graciously started The Perfect 10 Challenge. And guess what? There is a really cool prize at the end and all you have to do to be eligible is COMPLETE the challenge. You don't have to be perfect, but you have to try! And that will help you to achieve your weightloss goals!

So anyway, check back in the next day or two and I will have my goals here for all to check out!!!

2009 Goals - How Did I Do??

Well - it's been a full year since I came up with my 2009 goals. The only way to really see how far you've come - is to look back - review - evaluate - and come back with new and improved goals that will help me to reach my goals. Some I've accomplished, some I need to work on some more. So let's see how I did!!!

2009 Goals


1. GET TO GOAL! (serious - no joking this year!) Well, I did NOT reach my goal. However, I did lose 25.2 lbs this year. Not bad. I am in virgin territory so I'm happy!

2. Run 6 5k's (approximately one every other month) Well, I did run 3 this year with a better time each run. =) Life got in the way but I will not be dissapointed in saying I ran 3 5ks in 2009!

3. Run a 10K this year. Nope. Did not do this. I'm a little dissapointed but I just did not have the capability to train for this this year. As my kids get older, I should be better equipped.

4. Exercise 4x's a week. This is still not a habit. As the year draws to a close, I am getting better but exercise is definitely something I need to work on in 2010.

5. Scrapbook at least once a month. Wow. I so did not do this. I am so bad. I thought I would have time but did not. I was also running out of memory on my laptop. I know have an external hard drive for my projects and no excuse. Scrapbooking will be part of my goals next year.

6. Plan meals every week. I can honestly say I did this about 60% of the year. Something I still struggle with occasionally (usually only when I'm not OP) but for the most part, I am happy with my progress on this and the habits it's become for the most part.

7. JOURNAL JOURNAL JOURNAL When I'm OP, I journal. When I'm not, I don't. I did really great at this and I have no excuse for not journaling since I have my iPhone. Need to get back into this.

8. No more diet soda - it's expensive (I can save money) and not great for you. Ha! I did great the first couple month or two. Will need to eliminate it. Water is so much better. Will have to just say no to buying it even if my MIL is over (she drinks this like water which is why I had it on hand but then I started drinking it and voila. Got back in the habit again). Need to eliminate next year.

9. Use my crockpot at least once a month. I think I used my crockpot twice this year. Need to utilize it more in 2010.

10. Watch less TV. I think I can honestly say YES. I remember in 2007 and 2008 freakin' out because I was running out of DVR space and had TONS to watch. This year I can't think of a single time that happened. I can think of the tons of time when I didn't have ANYTHING to watch and that's when I need to start scrapbooking!! I consider this goal COMPLETE!!!!

11. Organize my home. (one room each month will take me 9 months so I may take two months on like the kitchen which is bigger). Well, unfortunately my work schedule had to change due to dh's job switch so I did not have free time like I had hoped. So I did one room in January and then was not able to complete a single room since. This will be a goal in 2010.

12. Read 12 books this year (one a month). YES! And then some! I got back into the reading habit! That was my main reasoning for this goal! This goal is COMPLETE!

So I for sure completed 2 goals this year. I am happy with that. The others I made great progress and they changed my habits. Now to just instill them even further to make them permanent habits and I will happy! So here's to another year of reaching for your goals! Stay tuned for my 2010 goals!!!!

Christmas Presents

Oh! I got some COOL Christmas presents this year. SO SO excited!!!! Let's see, I got the Wii Fit Plus game (already had the Wii Fit), got the EA Active game for Wii and the Biggest Loser Wii game!! Now I just need to find time to use them. LOL! And my big present - drumroll - the P90x DVDs!!!! Wow!!! I will Totally be doing those after my TJ challenge! I am so excited!! I know they are hard but I'm ready to have a good toned body and be in the best shape of my life. I am so ready!!!

Speaking of my TJ challenge. I was up way early this morning (we are talking 3:25am!) so I decided to just get up. Since tomorrow's workout was a good 60 mins, I switched today and tomorrow's workout. Boy am I glad I did. I might not have been able to do both workouts tomorrow but knew I had the time this morning to do it. Nothing wrong with that! I'm working the program to fit MY schedule! That is what I have been doing wrong all these years. I've been trying to work this stuff "by the books". Well, my schedule is anything BUT by the books and you know what?? That's OK! I just have to make it work for me and I think I've proven I can. I'm very proud of myself.

Now I just need to get my eating back in control. I'm slowly getting there. Working on my meal plan for January. Baby steps. I know by not eating out and taking control, I will lose this weight, keep it off and save money too! And boy do I need to. After December I feel like I'm hemorraging money! I need to save a good chunck in January. And I can. It all rolls together. Less eating out, less diet soda's = more money in the bank. =) I'll be back probably tomorrow with my goals for January. Oh yeah, I probably also need a post regarding how I did this past year! Not too bad. Could have been better but I'm also pretty proud of myself too. It really was a great year!!!

Monday, December 28, 2009

The Universe is Against Me

I swear, I cannot catch a break!!! So I did not get to do Turbo Jam Thursday or Friday last week. I had the BEST of intentions but you gotta give me a break - it was Christmas Eve and Christmas day PLUS I had a sick child. Ugh. So I was hoping to make them up on Saturday and Sunday but alas, that sick child got in the way there too. So this morning I woke up and was PREPARED, no matter WHAT. And of course my son wakes up and says his leg hurts and can he lay in my bed. Well our other sick child (the one from the week before was ok and her twin sister is now sick) is in bed with Daddy so I didn't want Connor in there to bug them. So I laid down with him after giving him some motrin. Thankfully he went back to sleep, I was only 10 mins behind schedule and I did it!!! =) So I'm back on track.

The old Heather would have stopped my TJ challenge since I missed two days last week. Not the new Heather!! =D Just because I missed those days doesn't mean I have to stop. I can still make them up. I could make them up in a week, two weeks or not at all. What matter is I keep going!!!! Now if only my kids would get healthy.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Turbo Jam Challenge - Second Week

I thought it would be a good idea to come in here and update how I'm doing. Of course if you notice up above I've redded all the days that I've been successful on my 90 day program. And - I am 9 for 9. =) I also figured out I was wrong before. I never made it past the first week the last times I attempted to do Turbo Jam. How do I know that? This is Week Two and I did a new workout this morning - Ab Jam. It sure did work out my abs. I bet I feel it tomorrow!! Tomorrow is also a new routine - Cardio Party. I'm looking forward to it. I just hope the kids don't wake up every hour on the hour like they did last night. I'm amazed I made it through the day today considering I went to bed at 11pm. Woke up every hour AND ended up having not one but TWO kids in bed with us. Then woke up at 4 am to work out. :sigh: Hopefully over Christmas I will be able to nap and such. We'll see!!!!

GAG Challenge - FINAL WI



Well the end result of the GAG challenge is . . . . . 153.4. Considering I started out this challenge at 173.8 - WOW! That is all I can say!! I am VERY proud of myself!!!! 20.4 lbs in 16 weeks. That is awesome. Especially to do it over Thanksgiving and the month of December with all those holiday treats and cookies!!! I so could have done better. At one point (2 weeks ago) I was down to 152.4 but I won't complain. I just know what I have to do and how to do it! And I will get to goal next year!!!

Starting Weight - 9/1/09



Ending Weight - 12/22/09
















So who is doing the next challenge??? I am so READY!!!!

GAG Challenge Before & After Pictures & Final Exam

And here they are. The much anticipated before and after pictures from the GAG challenge. I don't see a whole lot. I've basically lost 20.4 lbs. That's pretty good for a 16 week challenge. I cannot complain. It could have been better had I not "goofed" off at the end. It's very hard this time of year but I'm glad I did what I did these previous 16 weeks to help me get through this holiday time. I really had a fun time and I "met" a lot of great women! Thanks so much Sheila for starting this challenge. And thank you to Christine and Sue for taking over!!! I can't wait for another one!!!

Front View -
















Side View -
















Back View -



Power Arm View!!!


















Darn me and closing my eyes!!! Oh well!!!!

Why did I join GAG and how am I doing today? Well I needed a jump start. I was going nowhere fast and tired of being in the 170's and flirting with the 160's. I needed something to help keep me on track. Something to hold me accountable! And that is exactly what I found in GAG. It helped me to stay on track. It helped me to learn what i need to accomplish to get to goal. And most of all, it's taught me this is a learning process. No one is 100% all the time. We all make mistakes. But we learn from them! I'm so happy with where I am now compared to where I was 16 weeks ago. Could I have been better? Absolutely! Am I upset with what I accomplished? HELL NO! I lost 20.4 lbs. I am now firmly in the 150's and at my all time low ever since high school. The only thing I am asking now is when/where is the next challenge to propel me into goal!!!! =D

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Book Review - Chris Dreams BIG

Chris Dreams BIG by former NBA star Chris Dudley and his wife Chris Love-Dudley is a fabulous read for any child young and old! It's about Chris who finds out he is sick and diagnosed with diabetes. If your child is diagnosed with diabetes, I HIGHLY suggest this book. Even if your child does not have diabetes, this is still a great read to show any child that they can do anything if they work hard! My son is 4 and he has no idea what diabetes is. When I read this book to him, I basically change the words and just say that Chris is sick instead of has diabetes. That is something he will understand at his age versus diabetes. As he gets older, I can explain to him what it is. But this book helps him to see that even if you are sick or have obstacles in your way, you CAN overcome them. It's also a great tool for teaching about acceptance of all people.

I have to say my son's favorite part of this book is the life size hand print and foot print of Chris Dudley. =) Every time we read it, he compares his hand and foot and I tell him, if he works hard like Chris did, he can get that big too.

This book is great for any age child. A truly great read about overcoming obstacles and being accepting of all people!!

Book Review - Jack's Dreams Come to Life

Jack's Dreams Come to Life is a cute children's book about a dog with a vivid imagination! Jack has some funny and scary tales of what he sees after falling asleep. I read this book to my 3 1/2 year old. It didn't really hold his attention that much. It was a lot of words on each page in the middle of the book. It would be hard to minimize the wording since it sets the stage for his wild imagination and what Jack sees. He did like the illustrations and I thought they were superb! I will keep this book and read it again in a few months when my son is older and has more of an attention span. I think this would be a great book for children 6 and up to show what you can imagine and play and dream up and have fun with. Great for those kids that have a wild imagination and love to pretend!

Trucking Along

I woke up and did Turbo Jam again. YEAH!! Tomorrow is going to be the killer though. I am SO TIRED. Thankfully the kids were ok this morning and even though Connor was a straight on grouch (well so was Emily but once she was UP she was fine) I did not lose my patience with them this morning. =) And I got to sleep on the train ride in. Whew!

My eating is still out of control though. =( And I don't see an end in sight until next week because we are so busy this week. I am proud of myself for making dinner last night even though I so didn't want to. I still had to do the kids laundry and towels (so that was three loads), get the baked goods tagged for the kids Holiday boutique tonight, made dinner and did dishes. Whew. It was a LONG night. I so didn't feel like cooking but I made myself. But tonight is going to be so rushed I'm just going to pick up dinner on the way home.

Then I have my Multiples Christmas party Thursday night and my work Christmas party Friday night. Then on Saturday I can relax! Wednesday I have to make cookies for Friday and my mom is coming into town on Friday and leaving Tuesday. So busy!! And I'm still not done with some gifts i need to make and i still need to wrap presents. So much to do and not enough time in the day to do it. YIKES!!!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Turbo Jam Challenge - Day One

It was a success! I woke up at 4am (after Emily woke me up at 3:30am to put her blanket back on her! UGH!) and got my butt dressed and did the Learn & Burn DVD. YEAH!!! Day one down, 89 more to go!! Yikes.

Now if only I can get my eating habits back on track. You don't WANT to know what I weighed in at today. It was sickening. Sickening! I need to get back on track especially since we are going to be so busy these next few weeks until Christma. :sigh: Help me!!!

Friday, December 11, 2009

GAG Challenge - Week 15

Time to see what I know!! Hopefully I know something! LOL!!!



1) How many spoonfuls of sugar are in one can of regular cola?



a- 1

b- 3

c- 5

d- 7 (although everything I've been reading is 9-10 teaspoons of sugar per can)



2) Substituting turkey for beef two times per week will save you how many calories?

a- 150

b- 250

c- 350

d- 450



3) Which fast food item has the most calories?

a- Bacon Double Cheeseburger

b- 22 oz chocolate shake

c- Medium order of french fries

d- Medium order of onion rings



4) How many jumping jacks would you have to do to burn off the calories in a pint of ice cream?a- 2000

b- 5000

c- 8000

d- 12000



5) What percentage of Americans eat fast food as a family meal at least once a week?

a- 10%

b- 29%

c- 52%

d- 70%



6) When should you have your first cholesterol screening?

a- At age 10.

b- At age 20.

c- At age 35.

d- At age 40

e- It depends on your risk factors.



7) What percentage of your diet should fat make up?

a- About 10 percent of your daily calories.

b- About 20 percent of your daily calories.

c- About 30 percent of your daily calories.

d- About 40 percent of your daily calories.

e- There is no recommended amount of fat; you should strive to eat as little of it as possible.



8) How much exercise do you really need?

a- 45 minutes twice a week.

b- 30 minutes three or four days a week.

c- 60 minutes at least three or four days a week.

d- 30 minutes at least four or five days a week.

e- It depends on your age and overall physical-fitness level.



9) Which of the following is not a good approach to managing stress?

a- Talking directly to the person who is causing the stress.

b- Giving yourself a treat, like comfort food or a cocktail.

c- Accepting that there are things beyond your control.

d- Trying cognitive-behavioral therapy to learn new coping skills.

e- Working out regularly.



10) What is a healthy blood-pressure level?

a- 110/70.

b- 125/85.

c- 135/90.

d- 140/95.

e- 150/95.



11) What is a healthy body-mass index (BMI) measurement?

a- 17.5 or lower.

b- 18.5 or lower.

c- 18.5 to 24.9.

d- 25 to 29.9.

e- 30 to 34.9.



12) How many cups of fruit and vegetables should you eat daily?

a- At least one cup of fruit or vegetables.

b- One cup of fruit and one cup of vegetables.

c- One cup of fruit and 1 1/2 cups of vegetables, for a total of 2 1/2 cups.

d- Two cups of fruit and two cups of vegetables.

e- Four to five cups of fruit and vegetables.



13) What percentage of weight-loss ads contains false or unsupported claims?

a- 25 percent

b- 36 percent

c- 42 percent

d- 55 percent

e- 67 percent



14) How much weight loss is a safe and reasonable goal?

a- Half a pound a week

b- A pound a week

c- Two pounds a week

d- Three pounds a week

e- More than three pounds a week



15) Some weight-loss products say they can prevent calories from being absorbed. What's the greatest amount of weight that can be lost using this method, according to experts?

a- One-third pound a week
b- One-half pound a week
c- One pound a week
d- None of the above



16) Some products, such as green tea extract, promise that they can cause you to "burn fat" without working out. How much do they really boost your metabolism?
a- 2 percent
b- 4 percent
c- 5 percent
d- 7 percent



17) Which of these claims should be a red flag about the safety or effectiveness of a weight-loss product?
a- It causes permanent weight loss
b- It helps the user lose more than three pounds a week for more than four weeks
c- Substantial weight loss occurs by wearing a device or rubbing a substance on the skin
d- All of the above



18) High-protein/low-carbohydrate diets are faulted because of their emphasis on saturated fats. What's another problem with these diets?
a- They can cause headaches
b- They can cause bad breath
c- They can make you feel tired and weak
d- All of the above



19) If you follow a low-fat diet, you don't have to watch your portions of which of these foods?
a- Pasta
b- Nonfat cookies
c- Nonfat chips
d- Whole-wheat bread
e- None of the above



20) Which items are examples of foods high in "healthy fats"?
a- Olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, avocados, nuts and seeds
b- Safflower, corn, sunflower, soy and cottonseed oils
c- Fatty, cold-water fish (such as salmon, mackerel and herring), flaxseeds, flax oil and walnut
d- All of the above

Struggling

My struggling goes hand in hand with my lack of sleep. My daughter Taylor has been waking up like every hour crying, running down the hall. Ugh. I don't know what's up. But it's getting to me. Not sure if she is having growing pains. Dh said she was complaining about her legs last night. I remember going through this with Connor and having him end up in our bed. I'm not opposed to that (I'll get sleep!) but then I feel like Emily will wake up and wonder what is going on and feel left out. :shrug: Don't know. But when Heather doesn't sleep - Heather is NOT a happy camper. One more year and the girls will be able to communicate even more and then hopefully I won't have this problem.

Monday starts my Turbo Jam challenge. I guess I'm ready for it. Sort of. This lack of sleep thing is not doing good for wanting me to exercise but I WILL. Maybe that will give me some energy throughout the day because God knows I'm not getting energy by sleeping right now. :sigh:

Monday, December 07, 2009

Monday Weigh-In!

Well, folks. It's that time of the week again. Time to step on that scale and see what the Gods had in store for me. And the answer is
.
.
.
.
.
.
152.4!!!!

Yahoo!! I'm in Virgin territory and I sticking there!!! =) That is also a 2.2 lb loss from last week. Yeah!!!! I'm back on track and ready to kick it! I wanted to end the year at 145. Can I still do it?? Maybe. I would have to lose 2.5 lbs a week for the next 3 weeks. We'll see.

I had some challenges this weekend. We had a housewarming party we went to on Saturday night. I never got to eat dinner before we went so I think I was ok. Then I had two pancakes on Sunday in which dh INSISTED on putting melted butter in the batter (he's trying to recreate the pancakes we get at this one restaurant). Ugh. But I used my sugar free syrup and just a little. We did eat at home for lunches all weekend which is unusual! =) So that was good. And last night we ordered pizza since I was busy decorating the tree with the kids. But all i ate was the salad we ordered and the kids crusts. Weird yes. I was going to eat a slice but then the kids didn't eat their crusts and that's the best part! So I didn't eat my slice and only ate their crust. =)

So I could have been much better this weekend but I think I did ok. Sunday will probably be hard since I am baking all day but I'm going to put a Chicken in the crockpot so I have no excuse for eating out that night. =) So I'm all set. Now hopefully I can stick to it!

Menu Plan Monday



Ah, I'm back at it! Maybe now I can actually POST my menu plans!


Monday: Stouffer Skillet Meal

Tuesday: Chicken Calzones

Wednesday: Spaghetti

Thursday: Tacos

Friday: Nachos

Saturday: Eat Out



For more menus check out: Orgjunkie

GAG Challenge - Week 14

Yikes! Is it already Week 14?!? Where did the time go? Dh was just asking me Sunday what was going on with that challenge I started way back when. I was happy to tell him I was in the lead. =D But let's see if I have learned anything over the course of these past 14 weeks. Part 1 of Week 14's challenge is a true false. Here goes!

1. Women who lift weights will get bulky muscles.

False! So not true even though so many people believe this to be true!

2. "Spot reducing" (focusing on one area with exercises to see faster results in that one area) is possible.

False! As much as most people would LOVE for this to be true. It is so NOT true. No matter what you do. You cannot control how your body wants to look and take away the weight. Now if you use plastic surgery that's a whole 'nother story!

3. Exercise boosts brain power.

True! The more you use your brain - the more your brain will learn and stay healthy. Exercising forces your brain to keep you steady and balanced therefore, boosting your brain functions.

4. No pain, no gain.

False. If there is pain, you are NOT doing it correctly. However, you will feel sore afterwards. That is completely common and acceptable as it is your muscles healing the tiny little tears when weight lifting.

5. Movement melts away stress.

True.

6. Exercise requires a hefty time commitment.

False. Studies have shown that just exercising for 10 minutes a day is better than nothing. Even just slipping in 3 10 minute workouts a day equals 30 mins!

7. If you exercise, you can eat whatever you want.

False. How I wish this were true! The one thing I have learned is you can never eat whatever you want all the time. You can splurge. You can celebrate. But you have to watch what you eat!!

8. There’s a magic bullet (quick fix) out there somewhere.

False. The only way to lose the weight and keep it off is to CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE. Even if you try to use a quick fix - you will only gain the weight right back.

9. Exercise gives you energy

True! And oh boy do I know this! It really makes me able to get through the day without being tired.

10. All excuses aside, it's actually not that hard to find some amount of time for fitness daily.

True. I walk up 105 stairs daily on my way to work leaving the subway station. That's still fitness!

11. You need a gym membership if you want your exercise routine to be most effective.

False. You can do just as much at home as you can do at a gym. It's all about know WHAT to do and HOW. Even having a gym membership doesn't mean you will be effective if you don't know HOW to USE the equipment!

12. People who have exercise partners stay with their programs and reach their goals more often than those who try to go it alone.

True. I think. I'm kinda 50/50 on this one as I know having a flaky partner is NOT good. But if you have a good partner I think you would be more likely to stick with it and reach your gosl!

13. Exercise helps ward off disease.

True

14. Exercise is good for the heart.

True

15. Pound for pound, muscle burns more calories at rest than body fat -- so you can eat more calories and still lose weight if you exercise regularly.

True.

Ok. That's all I have time for today! Hopefully I got 15/15 right but we'll see!!!

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Down a Size!!!

I never did get around to talking about my great accomplishment during Black Friday shopping! Last week, I went Black Friday shopping with my Mom and I ended up shopping for clothes. I needed new clothes as all mine are 12s and too loose and annoying the heck out of me. Well, they had good deals on suits so I tried on a suit jacket (size 10) and a skirt (size 10). The skirt was TOO LOOSE! I had to have my Mom go back and find me a size 8 and guess what -- it fit! Granted everything else I bought that day was a size 10 including my jeans (and those are a little tight!). Just goes to show you how clothes run differently and also depends on the material. Jeans aren't as forgiving as say rayon. But I am definitely down a size to 10s and even a few 8s!!! Wahoo!!!!

Friday, December 04, 2009

Lunch 12-04-09

Upcoming Review For CSN Stores

I was contacted by the nice people at CSN Stores to do a review of cookware sets that they offer for sale at cookware.com. Wow, how cool is that?! So stay tuned for a future review. I will of course make it weight loss related since my blog IS weight loss related. =D In the meantime, while you wait for my review, check out their website. They have lots of items from pots and pans to crockpots and in every price range imaginable!

Tex-Mex Meatloaf & Potato Packets

Serves 4

4 sheets 12x18 inch foil
1 medium onion -- thinly sliced
1/2 cup salsa -- divided
1/4 cup finely crushed tortila chips
1 tablespoon chili powder -- divided
1 teaspoon garlic salt -- divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin -- divided
1 pound ground beef, 92% lean
1 1/3 lb potatoes -- cubed
4 1/2 ounces diced green chilis, canned
1 cup 2% colby jack cheese, shredded -- optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F or grill to medium-high. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray or use nonstick foil.
2. Center 1/4 of onion on each sheet of foil.
3. Combine 1/4 cup salsa, tortilla chip crumbs, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt, 1/4 teaspoon cumin; add to ground beef.
4. Shape mixture into 4 meatloafs, flatten slightly. Place one loaf on top of onion.
5. Spoon remaining salsa over meat loaves.
6. Combine potatoes with chiles and remaining spices. Place besides meat loaves.
7. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside.
8. Bake 30-35 minutes on a cookie sheet or grill 18-22 minutes in covered grill.
9. Sprinkle with cheese before serving, if desired.

Nutrional Info per Sparkpeople (without the cheese):

Calories: 352.6
Total Fat: 9.5 g
Cholesterol: 65.0 mg
Sodium: 915.8 mg
Total Carbs: 34.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.9 g
Protein: 28.1 g

This was my dinner last night. And it was oh so yummy!!! A little bit of work in the beginning but worth it. I actually prepped everything the night before and had the foil packs sitting in the refrigerator for dh to put in the oven when he came home. They ended up being ready right after I got home. =)

For more recipes check out Gayle @ The Grocery Cart Challenge.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

A Challenge to Get Me Moving!!!

So Annie over at The Amazing Shrinking Girl is going to restart her P90X & Chalean Extreme videos December 13th and complete the 90 days. She asked if anyone wanted to join her and I said YES! I don't have those videos but I do have Turbo Jam which I just HAD to purchase and have used maybe for a combined 2 weeks. Ugh. So I am joining Annie and going to start waking up at 4am (ah!) which is 30 mins earlier than usual and getting my workout in starting December 14th. Plus, if I do this for 90 days like Annie pointed out, I'll miss the heavy New Years Resolution crowds at the gym. =D Win win!! So I'm going to call this my 90 day Turbo Jam challenge! Yeah!! Anyone else want to join???

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Book Review: The Laceyville Monkeys: Say the Right Words




I read The Laceyville Monkeys by Harriett Ruderman to my 4 year old son and he really liked this book. I did too. It has a catchy rhyme that flows. Some books have rhymes that just don't flow but this book is NOT one of them. The words flowed throughout the entire book. Not only did the rhyming flow but the message in the book was a good one too. Make sure you are nice and use nice words. When you are nice, then people will do things for you and treat you nice. The illustrations throughout the book were eye catching too. Very beautifully done and a great read to any aged child!

Vineyard Days by Gene Pisasale



I started to read Vineyard Days by Gene Pisasale but I just couldn't get into it. The premise of the story is what intrigued me. A couple goes on vacation and stumbles upon a mystery. And while it was interesting, I just found myself not liking the style of writing Gene did. There was lots of .... at the end of sentences and I found that distracting and hard to read. Although I did not particularly like this book, I think if you have been to Martha's Vineyard, you would really enjoy it. His descriptions were phenomenal and really brought you there. The mystery portion of the book was also good. I just couldn't get past the writing style.

Meals 12-02-09

Breakfast:

Arnold Thins' with 2 Tbsp Reduced Fat PB & a Chocolate Covered Strawberry (someone bought a basket a fruit and left it out for everyone to enjoy!)





Lunch:
Leftover Chicken Chili Quesdadilla insides over lettuce with fat free ranch & BBQ sauce and pretzels. And yes that's a soda. I needed to break a $20 so I went to the snack bar a bought a soda.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Meals 12-01-09

I'm trying to get better at taking pictures of what I eat. It's not hard since I have my phone, it's just I can only e-mail one picture at a time so I might have three different posts one day (or 6 if I start doing snacks too LOL!) But this way I can remember what I ate too if I didn't journal! LOL!

Lunch -
Crockpot Chicken Taco Stew (leftover from the week before) & 2 servings of tortillas chips. I did not have any soda today either. =)



Dinner

Chicken Chili Quesadillas - These were YUM. I used the La Tortilla Factory tortillas for mine. I probably would have been satisfied with ONE it was that filling with the chicken inside! And so easy to make.



Too bad I never took a picture of my breakfast. It was just oatmeal though so nothing spectacular. LOL!

Monday, November 30, 2009

The Aftermath!

And drumroll please . . . . WI after Turkey Day is



154.6



Well I will not complain. A maintain after T-day is a feat in itself!! (I never did come in here and say I lost 1.2 lbs LAST week. Was busy with Disneyland and going on the roadtrip to my parents!) I have come to the realization that I cannot lose weight in the month of November. With four birthday's AND Thanksgiving it's just not gonna happen. So in the end, I lost 0.6 lbs this month. That's not bad. I didn't gain weight! That's what's important right? So I am back on track today. I did NOT meet my goal of 150 today but that doesn't mean I can't still shoot for 145 by the end of December. If I start exercising and watching my portions and journaling EVERYTHING again, I can and WILL rock it again. There really isn't much going on in the month of December. I am working every day except the 24, 25 and 31, 1 so I should be able to stick to a halfway decent schedule so I can get back on track. That is my goal this month!! And wow, I cannot believe there is only 3 weeks left in the GAG challenge! Yikes! I better move my butt so I can win this thing. I am poised and ready but I know at any time there are several ladies ready and WILLING to take my top spot from me. Not gonna happen without a fight I tell ya!! Not gonna happen. =D

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day and spending it with the
ones you love. Think of everything you are thankful for today. I am
thankful for all of you joining me in this weightloss journey. I hope
you all enjoy yourselves in moderation and are able to just enjoy this
day!!! Talk you all next week!!!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Breakfast 11-19-09

Breakfast again. But this time only 1/4 cup of egg beaters. Much more
managable in the tortilla. =)

And Darn it all, i forgot to take a pic of my lunch. But it was Yummy!! It was Crockpot Chicken Taco Stew leftover from last week. =)

Lunch 11-18-09

Breakfast 11-18-09

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

An Award




Remember that challenge I'm doing?? Well my fellow challengers nominated ME for an award! How cool is that?!?! Here it what they said:

Heather, of Heather & Chaos, was recognized for her Recipe Sharing and Food Porn, with quotes like “WOW! and YUM!” And she was also nominated for making Healthy Lifestyle Changes. Her fellow GAGer said “Look how far she’s come…I’m so inspired and motivated by her! I KNOW that she is finally on the right path! SO proud of her!!!!” Congratulations, Heather!
WOW! I really didn't think I shared that many recipes and food porn. =) But I did there for awhile. I guess I need to get back into that to live up to my award right??? =) And really, I have come a long way. Thanks for letting me see that. I am at the finish line. I can taste it - and NOTHING tastes better than being at goal!!!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Weigh In Day

After basically a week off and running around like a mad woman trying to get last minute stuff done for the birthday party on Sunday. A birthday party for THREE kids. Yikes. The benefit, I got it done and over with ONCE. No more having to deal with a birthday party for a child for one full year!! YEAH! So I weighed in this morning . . . . AND . . .:

155.8

A Loss of 1.8 lbs. =) I'll definitely take it. I'm still up from my all time low of 155.2 but I can reach that next week. I am not sure if I will meet my goal of 150 by the 30th. That would mean I would need to lose 3 lbs the next two weeks. Not unheard of, BUT Thanksgiving is in there. And a trip to my parents for 5 days. That is going to be a challenge. That is a temptation NIGHTMARE. They always have candy and goodies galore around the house and I usually indulge. Granted we don't go there but once or twice a year if we are lucky but ugh. I will be strong.

I am back on track today and will continue being back on track! I can do this!!! I am so ready to FINISH this. I have 26 lbs left. That is NOTHING. Once I get through Thanksgiving week my world will be "normal" again so hopefully I can kick it back into high gear again. I'm not going to let Thanksgiving stop me though, that's for sure!! I am going to post a loss that week! I AM!!!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Weigh In =(

Yep. I'm up AGAIN. And it's no wonder. Sick child at home screws me up royally!!!!! Ugh. So the scale said

157.6

That's another lb UP this week. A total of 2.4 lbs in two weeks. If I'm not careful, I'm going to lose my #1 spot in the GAG challenge. Can we just end it now??? ;) :0 Just kiddin'. I'm actually surprised it's not more. I've stopped journaling. BAD. And I have no excuse why I'm not except I'm tired of journaling. I've taken a week (ok it's going to be two weeks because I can guarantee I'm not journaling this week) break and starting next Monday I'll get back to it. That's the only way I'm going to get back on track.

That 5K I wanted to do this weekend. Not gonna happen. I haven't ran or exercised since my last 5k which was when? in August! Yikes. I need to get back to exercising I just don't have the time right now. I know excuses excuses. I can and WILL make the time. If I can just get through this week, I think I'll be ok. I'm off work the rest of this week and tending to a sick child (hopefully not as I have a TON of stuff to do) and getting things together for the birthday party on Sunday. Hopefully, after that, things will settle down a little so I can get some semblance of a routine back. Of course then Thanksgiving week I'm off the whole week. We are going to Disneyland for Connor's birthday and then going to my parents house for Thanksgiving so that will be a struggle. But hopefully I can get some walks and whatnot in.

Anyway, that's what's up with me. I'm still here, just busy and not OP. Bad Bad Bad I know. I'll get back there!!!

Monday, November 09, 2009

GAG Challenge - Healthy habit update

As part of the weigh in last week, we had to WI and list some healthy habit we were going to do this week. I choose to walk at least 15 mins each day. And my progress. Well, um yeah. I did walk on Tuesday last week at work. Then was extremely busy Wednesday and Thursday. Was home with a sick child on Friday. Walked a ton on Saturday at Day Out with Thomas. Took the kids to the park on Sunday so there was a 15 min walk. Today is not over with yet . . . ;) So all in all: 3 out of 7 days. Hmm. Not too bad but could have totally been better.

Monday, November 02, 2009

Weigh In

:sigh: I knew this would eventually happen. I knew it. And I know why (I think) but I'll go into that in a little bit.

156.6 today. That is a GAIN of 1.4 lbs. EEK!

Why you ask?? Three reasons I believe.

1.) I was NOT careful this weekend. It was a hectic weekend. I really didn't eat but 2 or 3 pieces of Halloween candy. But we ate out for lunch both Saturday AND Sunday. I had high calorie breakfasts both days and I did NOT measure. Not to mention, I've discovered/learned that when I don't sit down to eat, I don't feel satisfied. Even if I'm not hungry, if I wasn't paying attention to what I was eating, I'll feel like I still need to eat. And that is what happened this weekend. Chips and Ice Cream. Not good.

2.) Have not been exercising. BAD me. I know I know. I need to fit it in. I need to start waking up and getting my butt in gear. I need to start walking during lunch or breaks at work. I need to start doing something! I did start walking the stairs at the Subway station in the morning. It's equivilant to 3 stories. Yup. 105 stairs. Holy cow. But every little bit helps right? Now I just to need to add more.

3.) AF is due to arrive next week. It's a week before, let the cravings begin. :ugh: I started breaking out so that is a tell tale sign. Ugh.

So not that those are excuses but that is what I need to work on and be more concious of. I can do this. I've lost 18+ lbs in 8 weeks. It's only going to get harder since I have a bday party this weekend, and next weekend. Plus I have a graduation party to go to next weekend. Then we are going to Disneyland for Connor and the twins birthday and then Thanksgiving. Then it's going to be Christmas time and all the goodies that entails. Oh help me!!!!

New Recipe

Trying out a new recipe tonight!

Mexican Chicken Casserole



Ingredients
6 Small Chicken breasts (I used one prepackaged cooken chicken breast)
3 Flour Tortillas
1 Medium onion chopped fine
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
2 cans low fat cream of chicken soup (I only had one can so I used one can cream of mushroom soup since I had it one hand)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 c grated low fat cheddar cheese
pepper to taste

Directions
Spray a 9 X 13 pan.
Put tortillas in bottom of pan.
Mix remaining ingredients except for cheese.
Pour mixture over tortillas and top with cheese.
Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes.

Number of Servings: 10

I screwed up and put the 1 cup of cheese with the rest of the ingredients. Whoops! So I have extra extra cheese in there. Not a big deal. We'll see how it turns out! LOL! I'll tell you tonight!

Ok, it was pretty good. I suggest that you do use only cream of chicken soup. I think the cream of mushroom gave it a funny aftertaste but it really wasn't bad. Dh said he liked it. He didn't think the kids would like it though. I think they would. Connor had a bite of mine later and he said it was good. Will keep this on the back burner and try again later but tweak it a little. And no it really wasn't too much cheese but that sure did make it high in calories!!!

Friday, October 30, 2009

New Breakfast Idea

As part of the GAG Week 9 Challenge, we were challenged to try new recipes and/or new foods. I've had this breakfast "recipe" that I've been wanting to try for MONTHS and well, now is a good time. =) Here is the recipe:

Nutty Chocolate Banana

1 Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Rice Cake
1 Tbsp marshallow creme
4 banana slices 1/8 inch thick, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp chopped peanuts
1/2 tsp mini chocolate chips

1.) Spread marshmallow creme over rice cake.



2.) Top with banana pieces



3.) Sprinkle peanuts and mini chocolate chips over banana



Servings: 1
Calories: 120
Fat: 3 g
Fiber: 0 g

It was YUMMY! But I think I'll try it tomorrow with cool whip. I can have more of that for the same amount of calories as the marshmallow creme. Stay tuned!!!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

1/2 Mark for the GAG challenge

So today marks the 1/2 way mark for the GAG challenge. I've done extremely well so far if I do say so myself. BUT the hardest part is coming up. All my November birthday's, Thanksgiving and Christmas. :sigh: And I'm starting to struggle. I don't want to struggle. I've got to figure this out. I WILL figure this out. I meant to take 1/2 way pictures. I'll do that tonight or tomorrow if I get a chance. Tonight is a potluck International Dinner at my kids preschool. Yikes! I WILL be good though! Although the Apple Pie I am bringing looks pretty darn yummy!!!! And Connor's been asking to eat it. LOL! So check back tomorrow on that!

But anyway, a lot of other GAGers are re-looking at thier goals and seeing how they are doing so I figured why not me too. =)

My Goals:

  1. Journal EVERYDAY!
  2. Drink 64 ozs of water every day.
  3. Exercise at least 4 days a week.
  4. Menu plan dinner and STICK WITH IT!
  5. Update blog at least 3 times a week - no matter what.
  6. Weigh 150 or below!
#1 - Well I think I've only not journaled this past weekend. So 2 days out of 56. Pretty good!
#2 - Well, I think this past weekend was the first time I didn't drink my 64 ozs. So again 2 days out of 56. Yeah! But I see a trend with this past weekend!
#3 - Um what's exercise?? Can someone find it for me?? By the way, got the renewal in the mail for my gym membership. Ha, ha. Have had it for 3 years and used it TWICE. Yep that is the TRUTH! LOL! Am I going to renew it?? Hell yes. It's $49 for a year and I WILL USE IT. Keep asking me k. ;)
#4 - Been menu planning and sticking with it for the most part. I move days around but that's about it.
#5 - I'm not sure I've been keeping up with 3 days a week but I know I've done at least two. I'll keep this one going. Shouldn't be too hard.
#6 - Well since I've lost 18.6 lbs so far (HOLY COW!) I "only" need to lose 5.2 lbs to reach the 150 mark in the next 8 weeks. I CAN do that!!! Shoot if I lose a lb a week for the next 8 weeks (which I've been averaging 2.3 lbs these past 8 weeks) I'll be at 147. So I'm going to change this goal to be at 145! I can do this!!!

So I am NOT upset with my progress so far. I am doing really really really good. I am going to go head out for a walk right now during lunch since I have that darn potluck tonight. I need to get in some exercise today and this is the BEST way. So off I go!!

ETA: Went for my walk. =) 30 mins. 1.5 miles. Whew! It was a beautiful day. I just need to find a BETTER area to walk in. The only downside to working in Downtown LA.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Weighing In!

Well I weighed in today. After this weekend, not that I did bad, I wasn't expecting much. I got on the scale and it said . .. . 155.2. I was like cool. 0.8 lbs. I'll take that!! That's almost 1 lb. Then I got to work. And I looked at my weight last week. It was 158 NOT 156 like I thought. Holy cow! That means I lost 2.8 lbs!!! Yee haw!!! I will be in the low 150's next week. I will I will I will!!!! =)

But since I brought it up. What was my weekend like? Well dh and I were fighting and that is never good. I either don't eat (that's the norm) or eat junk (that's the norm if I have junk food in the house). Thankfully I didn't have junk food in the house. We are sort of made up but there are underlying issues he needs to deal with that he keeps putting on me that I can't help him with. Hopefully he figures it out soon.

So anyway, Friday was an ok day. I had that funeral to go to which meant we went out to lunch and like I said on Friday I should have picked better but didn't do too bad. I didn't end up eating anything for dinner so was OP that day. I know I know. Not good.

Saturday we woke up and I ate my breakfast (vitatop and cool whip free) and then we headed out to do the family pictures. Got done with those. Went and got the H1N1 shots for the family since BIL called and had found a place that had them and then picked up McDonald's on the way home. I ended up only eating 4 chicken nuggets because dh and I were fighting and by the time I got to eat, the fries were GROSS. Made up with dh and then had friends over that night and ordered pizza and salad for dinner. I only had salad but I ate their full fat ranch dressing. It was GOOD though.

Sunday woke up and ate breakfast (I had two Holey Donuts). Then I had to run to Costco so took my son with me. Got back and fed the kids grilled cheese. I started nibbling on the grilled cheese. Had 1/2 a sandwich that was leftover from the kids and then Connor and I went to the birthday party down the street. I ate some vegetables there with dip (which I'm sure the dip was NOT good but the cucumbers tasted SO GOOD! I could have eaten them all day long LOL!). I did not have any of the sandwiches or pizza. We left the birthday party and then we went to the Halloween party. I ate basically the Costco Lemon cake and that was it. When we got home, I was hungry sort of. Wanted something sweet and since I hadn't been "bad" I ate an ice cream. But that wasn't doing it for me so I finished the night off with the last piece of pizza leftover from Saturday night with ranch dressing to dip in (and not fat free!). And I was like 1/2 way done eating the pizza and feeling sick. But i finished it. WHY?!?!  What have I learned?? In situations like this I HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN! I've been here before. I had a plan. I SUCCEEDED!! I did not succeed last night. I'm probably ok calorie wise but that's not good enough. I should have done better. And November is going to be horrible! I have birthday party the 7th. A Graduation party the 14th. A birthday party the 15th and Thanksgiving. YIKES!!! So needless to say I will have to plan in November. I guess it's a good thing this happened now instead of before LOTS of events when I could say F*** It and just go on an all out eating spree. I will NOT let that happen.

So not sure what this means for next weeks WI. I guess only time will tell. The good so far this month? I've lost 11 lbs AND I have had NO Halloween candy. That WILL continue. =) AND I will get in some exercise on Saturday doing the trick or treat thing. Yeah!!

Friday, October 23, 2009

I guess I should update . . .

It's been a trying week for me and I'm not really sure why?? It's been VERY difficult for me to stay OP these last two days. But I have. Today is REALLY going to be a struggle since I can't eat dinner basically. We had a funeral to go to for a co-worker. Well, retired co-worker. There was a lot of people there. Standing room only! On the way back the four of us that car pooled stopped at Farmer Boys for lunch. I could have been better, I could have been MUCH worse. I split an order of fries with a coworker. AND I only ate 1/2 my sandwich. I actually took less than 1/2 the fries even. =) And by the time I was done eating my 1/2 of the sandwich I was FULL!! =D And I stopped. Yeah me!!

As part of the GAG challenge this week, we are supposed to "think outside the box" in terms of exercise. Uh huh. Well if I could even think in the box and find time to exercise I would. So I'm a total DUD with that challenge. I will have NOTHING. Oh well. I'm hoping to make it up in the two truths and a lie challenge. =) Which by the way is FUNNY!!  I can't wait until we find out what the lies are!

I'm not too hopeful on the weight loss front. Although I hopped on the scale this morning (BAD HEATHER!) and was down 2 lbs! Why wouldn't that spur me to greatness??? Good question.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Monday Weigh In

Today was WI day. And I am happy/sad to report a maintain. Mind you I can't complain. I've had some AWESOME losses lately it was bound to catch up with me sooner or later. I did not gain! That is the important thing. Not to mention AF decided to show up so I'm sure that doesn't help either.

Dh and I were able to go out to dinner and a movie Saturday night. I wasn't completely good. But I'm sure if I was still doing points on WWs I would have just used my flex points and been fine so I'm still calling it OP. I journaled EVERYTHING. I am very proud of myself. I believe I've been journaling faithfully since Sept. 1st. If not before. This is a first for me. Even back in 2006 when I had my 100 day OP streak (and then some) I wasn't faithfully journaling. I was counting points and did it in my head. It worked for me then. I don't think that would work for me now. I like sparkpeople. I like counting calories. It's working for me right now so I'm going to stick with it. Hopefully next week I'll be happy to say I'm more firmly in the 150's. =)

Friday, October 16, 2009

This N That

Last night I had my Mothers of Multiples Meeting.  They usually feed us so I checked to see what they were serving and it just said snacks. Since I had to pick up dinner for dh I picked up Subway for him and myself. I hate 1/2 of my sandwich and saved the other 1/2 for lunch today. =) Since I had already eaten it was easy to resist all the snacks. At one point I was talking to another MOM who was munching and I looked down and saw pretzels so I ate ONE. LOL! It was easy though since we were busy tying up no sew fleece blankets for a philanthropic thing we were doing. It was fun.


This morning I splurged. I like to do that sometimes on Fridays since it is Friday. =) I had TWO Holey Donuts. I am FULL AND it is still lower than having one regular donut! Yeah! Do I think they are worth the price?? Um, if you get them on sale, yes. I just hate that shipping is so high since they have to ship them frozen.
 
Our plans for the weekend are the Pumpkin patch. Should be fun. My MIL is coming over Saturday and dh and I are going to go out. Maybe dinner (OP of course!!!) and a movie. Then we'll bring her to the pumpkin patch on Sunday and meet up with my BIL and neice (not sure if his wife will come or not). It should be fun. Hopefully the kids aren't too crazy! Oh yeah and I'm wearing my Dockers today that I couldn't fit into two weeks ago!!! =) Well I could barely button them up and right now I'm sitting down COMFORTABLY. Yeah!!!!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Would You Like to Win Some Vitalicious Vitatops??

Well, Jenn over at Watch My Butt Shrink is giving away a sampler pack!! How cool is that??? Check it out HERE. Good Luck!!! (but I'm gonna win. hee-hee!)

Book Review - Humanism for Parents



I decided to read this book because the title caught my eye - Humanism for Parents Parenting without religion. Seeing as how dh and I are of completely different religions we have chosen (for the most part) not to inflict religion into our kids lives. Is this good? Is this bad? Can't really say one way or the other as our children are still very young. I think it's more of the fact that we are in denial to make a concrete decision one way or the other. I have had no problems with him taking our son to his religious gatherings and he is cool so far with our kids attending a Christian preschool. But I wanted to know what this book was about and if I could use it to help us go through this parenting without inflicting religion into it.


So far I'm not sure that I got out of this book what I thought I would going into it. There were some ideas that I took away that weren't necessarily having anything to do with religion or the lack thereof in parenting. They are just common sense type things. For instance, he talked about when kids tattle and how you should teach them tattling to hurt someone is not good but tattling to help someone is ok.

I didn't really think this booked talked much about parenting let alone parenting without religion. It spoke mostly about what Humanism is and their thoughts and ideas. It didn't really mention much about how to use those ideals to raise your children. This book did have great questions and answers for parents to use when their kids start asking questions, but I don't define that as parenting. That is merely answering questions that raising your children as Humanists bring up. Don't get me wrong, the answers the author provides are great for those that want to raise their kids this way and give you as a parent a basis to start helping your child understand humanism but it in no way, explains how the parent is raising their child as a humanist.

Overall, I thought this book was a good read if you want to learn the basics about Humanism and what they think and their beliefs/structure. As far as a parenting book, I don't think this qualifies.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Weighing In

Drum Roll Please . . . . . .





158.0!!!! Holy Smokes! I have made it to virgin territory!! YEEHAW!!! A stressful weekend probably helped as I know I did not eat much. Bad me. I have to be careful of that!! But that is a 4 lb loss. I made my goal of getting to 160 2 weeks early!! And I am on my way to hitting 140 before the end of the year! Ok, let's not get ahead of ourselves what with my three kid's birthday's, my hubby birthday AND Thanksgiving all in November. Then Christmas right after. Ugh. But I am doing so hot that I WILL continue and not let those days derail me. =) I seem to do so much better on the weight loss front towards the end of the year than the beginning. Go figure.

Monday, October 12, 2009

A weekend

Not really fun not really not fun. After the ER trip, Taylor kept complaining that she was pooping but wasn't. Ugh. So we went home (had a good Saturday afternoon though) and I took her to the doc again. Yes, she has a big poop in there so I had to do the fun thing of doing the suppository (sorry TMI) up her butt. Sure did help. And no wonder it wouldn't come out. It was rock hard. Poor thing. So she is still complaining a little so I kept her home from daycare today. Sent the other two kids. She's doing fine. Hasn't really pooped again but I did give her some stool softener to keep helping her. So needless to say a stressful weekend. Thankfully I didn't have time to eat so I'm still OP.  Whew. Just no exercise. I think that will be my constant battle. Well hopefully tomorrow (once I WI) this will turn more back to a weightloss journal! It's kinda taken a turn differently sorry!!! But it is what is causing me stress which in turn makes me eat. :sigh:

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Not really in the mood

To blog. Yesterday Taylor started with a fever. Since we are out
camping we packed everything up this morning but ended up deciding to
go to the ER that is about 33 mins from here. So I spent all morning
at the ER for them to tell me it's a virus and there is nothing I can
do. So I came back to camp. Good thing we didn't go home? She was
acting fine the entire time. :sigh: Her fever was down when I took it
before she went to bed but I've also been doing Tylenol/Motrin since
we got back. But this is the lowest it's been since she first started
with it even with medication. But all in all today was a much better
day than yesterday. Go figure. Although I have to say, I'm looking
forward to going home tomorrow.

Friday, October 09, 2009

Challenging First Day

So far today is a hard day. =( the kids are so tired from our trip
last night that they are just driving me crazy. Amazingly they did
sleep in this morning and I got 7 hours of sleep but they are so
whiney and all I feel like doing is eating. Thankfully they are such a
handful right now I can't. But this usually what happens, they finally
go down and I eat everything in sight. I cannot do that. Now if only
they would nap. : sigh:

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Going Camping

We are headed camping this weekend. Wahoo!! I am super swamped at work today and so ready to get the heck out of her. Too bad I still have over 1/2 a day left here. :sigh: Anyway, I am planning on having a great SUCCESSFUL weekend. I planed my last weekend and I will plan this one. We already have our food planned out. I will stick to it. Kinda hard not to since we only have what we brought LOL! My only temptation will be the snack type stuff we usually make, dips and chips, etc that we usually bring out and share. I did not bring any so hopefully I'll be too busy and won't be able to! =)

Since we are leaving tonight, we are going out to dinner. We decided on Panda Express. I was looking up the nutrional information once again just to make sure what i usually had was ok. Um yeah. Things have CHANGED drastically. I usually get the Bejing Beef. After it was first introduced I looked up the info and input it into sparkpeople. I input 480 calories. Well now they are saying it's 600 calories!! WOA NELLY! What the heck?? I guess I won't be eating that tonight. :sigh: Everything is lots of calories. They do have quite a bit that are under 250 calories BUT a lot of them aren't always offered. Like the green bean chicken. I LOVE that. I love me some green beans. =) But when I was there this past weekend, not there. So I'm gonna go with the Orange Chicken and Chow Mein. Not the best choice but it IS within my calories for the day. =)

This weekend I'm gonna try and run around with the kids. Get them active, etc. If not for them, for me!! I need to do more than sit on my butt this weekend. I usually don't but now that the girls are getting older it's easier to. They play and don't need me. Of course, it's been so long since we've gone riding I have a feeling Emily is going to freak when they start up the bikes. She's not into loud noises but I'm sure she'll adapt.

I'll try and post this weekend. That's why I have my iPhone. =D But no guarantees. I hope you all have a fantabulous weekend!!!

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Honest Scrap Award



This award is bestowed upon a fellow blogger whose blog content or design is, in the giver’s opinion, brilliant. This award is about bloggers who post from their heart, who oftentimes put their heart on display as they write from the depths of their soul.


The Rules:

List 10 things about yourself that your readers may not know.
Pass the award on to 10 deserving (and unsuspecting, bwah-ha-ha!) bloggers.

I received this award from Christine - a fellow GAG challenger. Thanks Christine!!!!

GAG Week 6 Point Challenge

This weeks point challenge is a doozy!! Lots to keep track of so I will do it here. That's the only way I'm going to keep everything straight. Somethings will be a struggle since we are going camping and I'll be without a computer but that is why I have my iPhone. =) I can still blog (as long as we have cell service!) AND I can still track my food. So here is the point breakdown:

Water – 15 pts per 8 ozs
Supplements – 10 pts per day
Stay OP – 25 pts per day
Exercise – 25 pts per 30 mins
Sleep: 6 hours = 10 pts
          7 hours = 15 pts
          8 hours = 20 pts
Blog – 25 pts per day
Team Support = 50 pts (check in with them two times this week!!) DONE
Holiday Prep = 50 pts (Going to work on my calendar for gifts!)
Do Something for YOU = 50 pts (Going to find time this weekend to munch on something, OP of course, with a diet soda and reading a nice book!)

Tuesday - 220 pts total
   Water 150 pts
   Supplements 10 pts
   Stay OP 25 pts
   Exercise 0 pts
   Sleep 10 pts
   Blog 25 pts

Wednesday - 250 pts
   Water 180 pts
   Supplements 10 pts
   Stay OP 25 pts
   Exercise 0 pts
   Sleep 10 pts
   Blog 25 pts

Thursday - 300 pts
   Water 180 pts
   Supplements 10 pts
   Stay OP 25 pts
   Exercise 0 pts
   Sleep 10 pts
   Blog 25 pts
   Team Support 50 pts

Friday - 305 pts
   Water 150 pts
   Supplements 10 pts
   Stay OP 25 pts
   Exercise 25 pts
   Sleep 20 pts
   Blog 25 pts
   Do something for self 50 pts

Saturday - 215 pts
   Water 135 pts
   Supplements 10 pts
   Stay OP 25 pts
   Exercise 0 pts
   Sleep 20 pts
   Blog 25 pts

Sunday - 175 pts
   Water 120 pts
   Supplements 10 pts
   Stay OP 25 pts
   Exercise 0 pts
   Sleep 20 pts
   Blog 0 pts

Monday - 190 pts
   Water 120 pts

   Supplements 10 pts
   Stay OP 25 pts
   Exercise 0 pts
   Sleep 10 pts
   Blog 25 pts

Total Pts 1655

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Over the Top Award



Thank you to my fellow GAG team member Lynn for bestowing this award to me!

So the rules are:


Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. You must use only one word answers!
Once you have filled it out you then pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers and alert them that they have been awarded.


1. Where is your cell phone?
Charging

2. Your hair?
Brown

3. Your mother?
Far

4. Your father?
Left

5. Your favorite food?
Fries

6. Your dream last night?
None

7. Your favorite drink?
Diet

8. Your dream/goal?
Healthy

9. What room are you in?
Work

10. Your hobby?
Scrapbooking

11. Your fear?
Dying

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?
Comfortable

13. Where were you last night?
Errand

14. Something that you aren't?
Patient

15. Muffins?
Apple

16. Wish list item?
BodyBugg

17. Where did you grow up?
Buffalo

18. Last thing you did?
Blog

19. What are you wearing?
Jacket
20. Your TV?
DVR

21. Your pets?
None
22. Friends?
Awesome!!!

23. Your life?
Content

24. Your mood?
Happy

25. Missing someone?
Yes

26. Vehicle?
SUV

27. Something you’re not wearing?
Socks

28. Your favorite store?
Kohl's

29. Your favorite color?
Green

30. When was the last time you laughed?
Morning

31. Last time you cried?
Awhile

32. Your best friend?
Lunch

33. One place that I go to over and over?
Work =(

34. One person who emails me regularly?
Melanie

35. Favorite place to eat?
Fast

So now I am supposed to pass it on to 6 people. So here goes (as I don't want to be the one to make it stop! LOL!):

http://mandie-fightingthefat.blogspot.com/
http://pleasantfamily.blogspot.com/
http://haphawhomhou.blogspot.com/
http://3kidsin2yrs.blogspot.com/
http://lovemycute5.blogspot.com/
http://mommyofsweetpea.blogspot.com/?zx=80953ffb4c6b0702

Do what you want! There is no pressure here. =) Just know that I LOVE all your blogs!!

Monday, October 05, 2009

Weigh In and More about Saturday

Drum Roll Please
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162.0!!!!!!  A loss of 4.2 lbs this week!!! YEAH!!! I guess my body likes big losses followed by a small loss and then a big loss again! I'll take it!!  Yee haw!!! If I can lose 2 lbs this week I can get to my goal of 160 two weeks early!! I can do it too since we are going camping this weekend as long as I watch the snacking. I CAN do this! I need to again plan my weekend. If I plan, I can be successful and get to my next goal! There will be no planned exercise but running around after the kids all weekend while we are camping will definitely be exercise. That's what I ended up doing yesterday. I pulled all three kids to the park yesterday in the wagon. Probably a good 100 lbs 1/4 mile to the park. =) Then I basically pushed them in the swings, watched them and spotted as they climbed and actually got to enjoy myself now that the girls are getting more independent. Taylor still needs lots of help climbing but Emily is doing awesome! Then we came back home and we kicked the soccer ball around together and played a little basketball. It was a great day.

Like I said Saturday night, my wedding plans were a success. There were only two things I forgot to consider - appetizers & cake. Oops! I skipped the appetizers.  I also didn't drink hardly anything. The stupid bartender when he poured me my diet coke and rum basically forgot to leave room for the coke. It was so strong I couldn't even drink it. I think I had like 4 sips and I was just done. Oh well. I didn't need to anyway!!! We then sat down for the meal. The salad was ok but the dressing was weird. It was like a ranch but it was called pear vinegrette and tasted like that. I didn't really care for it so I ate a couple bites and then the tomato slices and a cucumber slice. Why waste calories on something that doesn't taste fantastic! Then they served rolls. I decided since I hardly drank anything and saved those calories I could eat half the roll, So I did! The the food came out. My goodness! This steak was HUGE! I cut it in half, ate all the vegetable and ate about 1/2 the potatoes (which were sucrumpicious!). I probably shouldn't have had the last bite i did because I was full but I did. I've learned though. And now I even have leftovers for lunch today. =) The other thing I didn't think about was the cake. But I indulged and it was oh so good!!! So worth it.

So that was my weekend. I've learned I need to plan and I can be successful. I know this and I will continue to do this!!!! Fail to Plan and Plan to Fail!! (I'm not failing!!!!)

Saturday, October 03, 2009

Wedding Plans

Were a success. I did everything I had planned. Woo hoo!! Go me. And
I got to take home the 1/2 of my dinner I didn't eat. They had to go
boxes!!! =)

Friday, October 02, 2009

Weekend Plans

Going to be extremely busy this weekend so I need to plan in order to make it through unscathed! =) I have my mulitples group garage sale where I'm selling a bunch of stuff. Hopefully I can make $100 or so. That is running from 7am - Noon. Then I have a wedding to go to at 5pm that day where we will be served dinner. On Sunday, we will bring the motorhome home and dh will be spending all day washing and getting it ready for our camping trip next weekend so I'll be watching the kids all day. So what are my plans for this weekend?
  • Eat bagel and cream cheese for breakfast before I leave.
  • Bring my water bottle filled with ice and water for something to drink.
  • Bring an apple for snack in the morning, if needed.
  • Bring a salad (leftover from dinner last night) for lunch when I'm getting ready to leave the garage sale. That way I'm not tempted to stop at McD's on the way home to pick up lunch!
  • Eat a snack before I head out to the wedding AND finish drinking my water for the day (which is another filling of my water bottle from earlier).
  • At the wedding, I chose steak for my meal. Eat HALF ONLY!!! Keep half of everything on my plate (except for the veggies).
  • If I want to drink (which may be doubtful. I drink but I'm not much of a drinker plus I have to drive home) only have ONE diet coke and rum.
  • Dance Dance Dance at the wedding. =)
I'm not "too" worried about Sunday. I tend to not eat a lot when I'm at home with the kids because I'm running around with them. It's supposed to be a cool day though with the possibilty of rain (highly doubtful though) so we may want to stay inside. That means finding games and such for the kids to do. Hmmm. But I'm still pretty good about my food and water when we stick to home so I'm not worried about that.

I WILL stick to my plan. I may print it out so I can look at my points and cross them off when I'm done. Oh, good idea! And I'll report back on Monday (if not earlier!) about how I did!!!

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Super Busy

Yesterday I was out of the office all day in meetings. Talk about a hectic day. It took me two hours- TWO HOURS to get home. I believe the distance was 30 miles. Gotta love LA traffic. So needless to say I did
not blog yesterday. I did not get to anyone's blog either. I will today on my lunch break. Yesterday since I was gone all day, I ate lunch out. We went to souplantation. I was not entirely good. but I think i was able to salvage the day. Barely. I ended up going to subway for dh for dinner and I did not eat. Oh well. I made a
conscious choice when I ate out not to be good and I have to suffer the consequences right? So today will be better! I promise. =)

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Am I Supposed to be able to do everything???

I am SO tired this morning. I did not end up eating dinner until almost 9pm last night. Got home, the kids were eating dinner. Dh decided he needed to go to urgent care because he sprained his ankle pretty bad the weekend we were camping and it still hurt like heck so he wanted to make sure he didn't break it. So he left. I did baths, got the kids ready for bed. Started cleaning up the kitchen. Put the girls to bed. Kept doing stuff in the kitchen. Put Connor to bed. Did laundry. Made dinner for tonight. Cut up cantaloupe for the week. Dh came home. Made him dinner. Finished up in the kitchen. Then heated up my leftovers and ate. By that time it was 8:45pm. Finished laundry. Got my clothes ready for today and by the time I was done it was almost 10pm. Shhesh!! Where am I supposed to find time to exercise?? I didn't even have to do lunches for the kids today because I bought it for them today. :sigh: I know there is this whole debate on working mom's and should we or shouldn't we. I have no problem working. I enjoy working. I am a better mother because I work (I can get centered and build up patience while at work!). But how I am still supposed to have a clean house, prepare food, have clean clothes, buy food, buy necessities for the house, etc etc etc??? And then STILL take care of me and my need to exercise? I know I've brought this up in the past and I will probably keep bringing it up. This will be an ever -going problem in my life. I guess I'm just supposed to deal right??

Monday, September 28, 2009

GAG Challenge - Week 4

Whew! This week's challenge isn't hard but it is time consuming and makes you think! It's a 3 part challenge with multiple items for part #2. I know Sheila said we didn't have to post it on our website, we HAVE to e-mail her but I'd like to get everything together for me. =)

#1 - Survey

Week 4 Challenge Survey - DONE

#2 - Christmas Planning (serisouly?? It's like only 13 week away! YIKES!)
  • Christmas Card List (Thanks Shiela! I do this normally but you spurred me to make an excel file that i quickly update every year! YEAH! Now to just take pics for the card - scheduled for Oct. 24th)
  • Christmas Gift List (I had already started this but I updated based on some stuff I recently bought.)
  • Christmas Get Together - Never got a chance to post my idea. Oh well.
#3 - Soup/Stew/Casserole Recip - Shared my Crockpot Taco Stew - DONE

WOO HOO!! It's all out to you Sheila! Have fun going through all the e-mails. LOL!