I AM A SLACKER

That is me alright. A blogging slacker!!! The summers are always so crazy for me because I am not on a schedule! Now that my daughter is back in school maybe things will be easier for me! I am going to TRY to blog at least once a week! No one may even be out there reading it but it is strange how my little personal blog - or my online diary - keeps me in line! It is like when I have pushed away from blogging everything else falls apart. I haven't figured out the link yet but I just know today I am getting back on the wagon on a lot of things in my life. One of the many things I need to do is update my pictures! Ha! They are a little outdated but in time it will happen!

I am still working as a paralegal, my daughter started 3rd grade, cheerleading (which by the way me and one of my best friends are coaching), gymnastics and I am going to school full time online through a local community college! Whew! Well sorry it has been awhile guys but I am back!!! Happy Labor Day!!!

MOTIVATION BABY

I am feeling great now that I feel - just because of our two post we are on the wagon!!! So I am not going to make my goal Christmas this year. My goal is what we have talked about for years and what we plan on doing in May. NEW YORK CITY HERE WE COME! So we know we want to go no matter what right? Why not make the trip more enjoyable by feeling better about ourselves? WE CAN DO THIS!!!!!

Dear Diary

We are accountable. Accountable for what you say? Ourselves and each other! I agree 100% with what Traci has said below. No one else may ever read this site...it may just be Traci and Tiff telling the world (or no one in particular) how life is! So I am just as guilty as Traci as not blogging. Reading your blogs Traci make me feel more motivated. I was so excited to see there was actually a post on this site! It has been awhile. So not only are we accountable to ourselves and our children but we have to be accountable to each other. To see you on here makes me more motivated to go with it! When we were blogging I was losing weight but the minute one of us slacks off BOTH of us slack off! So from now on I am going to try to remember it is not just me on here. I have to keep doing this for you, too! I am from now on going to be just accountable for your struggles as I am my own!! We CAN do this. The fact that we have even kept this site up is impressive in itself! That is step one!!! We just need to move beyond that! We can do it!!!!

Dear Diary...

Ok, so I got all motivated yet again and that lasted for about 2 days. It’s time to get with and stick with the program….once and for all!!! When I first started counting calories back in December, I stuck with it. Not a day went by that I was over 1300 calories. I’ve thought about what was different now from then and the ONLY thing that I was doing differently was blogging about it. I was writing about my progress everyday and I wanted the whole cyber world to know how I was doing. However, let’s face it we weren’t winning any blog awards or getting 100 hits a day. It was just me and Tiff. Looking back, I realized the blogging was really more for my own reading than anything. At that time, I felt like it was a waste of time to be blogging my progress because no one was reading it. But then again, do I really care if a bunch of strangers know how I’m doing? No, not really. So, I’m back. I’m blogging for the whole world of me to read. It keeps me on track. I would refer to this site as being more of a diary or journal than it is a blog. However anyone that wants the key to it, can have it and read it without the guilt that goes along with snooping into someone else’s private little world. I guess in the back recesses of my mind, I would hope that some other overweight, overwhelmed mom would stumble upon it and feel inspired to get up off of her own lazy butt and take control of her life. Regardless of that though, this mom is going to do exactly that and who cares if anyone else knows about it or gives me praise for it. So, for all of you out there that aren’t reading this or don’t even know it exist, get ready because I am back on the wagon and I’m not looking back.

Here We Go Again - For The Hundreth Time!!

So I started again today! Hopefully, this time will be better. I would like to be down a couple of pounds by my 27th birthday. I just recently heard of JUST THIS WEEK someone my age dying of a heart attack! I can't imagine! Anyway, I am just trying to spread smaller meals out through the day. Here is what I had today.

8:00 - Honeybun & Glass of Milk
9:30 - 8oz Water
11:30 - Pickle spear, half of roast beef sandwich (wheat w/mustard) & a quater of ham sandwich (wheat w/mustard) - 16 oz water
12:45 - 8oz of Water
2:15 - 6 crackers with Tuna Fish on it
3:50 - Dole peaches w/strawberry jello fruit cup

I plan on getting more water in and eating a light dinner. I have alot to do around the house as far as unpacking from vacation and getting ready for bunco this week SO I will see about exercising or not tonight - depends on if I have time!!

Works For Me Wednesday & Sad News

WORKS FOR ME WEDNESDAY

My works for me Wednesday this week is a short and sweet one. To make your car smell nice in the summer time you can do one of two things very cheap! If you have any half used or melted candles - you can put them in a plastic grocery bag and tie the bag up and place under the seat of your car. For a stronger smell you can place it in some sort of plastic bowl etc without the lid and when your car heats up from the summer sun it fills your car with a wonderful smell! The second is to do the same thing but use a bar of soap - the kind with fragrance. I know short and sweet!

SAD NEWS

The first thing is one of my grandmothers passed away last night. It was expected and we know she is no longer in pain but hard on the family none the less. Please keep our family in your prayers.

Also, recently I had two very close friends hurt me. It was quite possibly unintentional. I am not mad but just hurt. After I was confronted I prayed about it and then decided to respond with honesty about how I felt about the situation. More over I just asked that we all just try to start over on a clean slate and life is too short and too hard for friendship to be a "competition" or for friendship not to be "50/50" in the giving department. I am not asking for a big explaination. I would love just to hear for once from both of them "I am sorry I hurt you and lets ALL work on this together and get our friendship back in order." We have been friends since Jr. High so it makes it tough. Anyway, I haven't heard back which makes me sad but you can only do so much. I want to contact them but I am not going to beg anyone to be my friend. If they want to be then I will just pray that they will try to see my side and confront me and lets move on from this. I would love to have them over this weekend and lets just relax and start fresh but I see no way of that happening unless they get back with me first.

So the sadness of both of these things is overwhelming today.

It's A Girl!

I found out bright and early this morning that my best friend is having a baby girl! Yeah! She already has one beautiful daughter so I am sure this one will be just as beautiful! Now I REALLY have baby fever! Ha!

Counting Calories

Tiffany asked me to share some of my calorie counting tips, so here ya go...

To begin, I'm shooting for 1200-1300 calories during the week and 1500 on the weekends.

I started by deciding a calorie range for my 5 meal times. This way if it's dinner time and I don't know my current calorie total for the day, I still know about what range I need to keep it in.
Breakfast - 200
Lunch - 400
Snack - 100
Dinner - 400-500
Snack - 100
(I add 200 calories to either lunch or dinner on the weekends)
If I only eat 150 at breakfast, then I'll keep that in mind for the rest of the day that I can do an additional 50 at one of my meals. Vice Versa, if I go over by 50, I know that I have to cut one meal by 50.

I keep notes of what I eat on the computer, because I'm just not good at writing things down and keeping up with it. I try to keep a running total in my head for the day though. To make this easier, I round calories up or down to the nearest 10th. So if breakfast was 283, I would round down to 280. It's just easier to remember a whole number.

When I cook something, I take the time to literally write down the calories of every ingredient I use in each dish. It's actually kind of fun to see how much is actually in the whole dish. Once I have my total, I will keep dividing the total by a number until the calories get into my range. That tells me how many servings the dish is. I then visually divide the dish into that many servings to decide how much I can eat. For instance my baked spaghetti dish has 3690. If I divide it by 9 then a serving is 410 calories and that leaves 90 calories for my salad. So, then I visually divide it up into 9 servings (sometimes I will actually draw a line through the food with my utensil) If I was just having the spaghetti then I would divide by 8 and have a 461 calorie serving. It sounds kind of time consuming but it's really not. Also, if an ingredient doesn't have calorie content on the package, for instance veggies or fresh meat, I use Calorie King to get my calorie info.

We eat out about twice a week for dinner and I usually go out at lunch to pick something up. The first thing I did when I started counting was to go to the website of the restaurants that we go to frequently. Most of them offer nutritional content online. I went through the menus and found things that fall between my ranges; give or take a little. I then made a list of just those items and I keep it in my car. So if I decide to go to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, I can just glance at the list and decide what I want. I don't have to ask for nutritional info when I get there or look it up before I go. Also if we are going out to a restaurant where the menus are brought to your table. I don't even pick up my menu, because thanks to my handy list, I've already decided what I want. It also helps me not to be tempted by the "bad" things on the menu. Of course we do go to a restaurant every now and then that I don't have on my list. Hopefully they have calorie content on the menu, if not I use what I know and make my best attempt at ordering healthy and then I look up those foods when I get home. My last restaurant tip is one of my faves. If you want to indulge a bit and get something on the menu that is way over your range, go for it but ask to have half of it put in a to-go container before the food is even brought out. You'll be glad you did come lunchtime tomorrow when you get to dine on your favorite food for the second day in a row!! Overtime I have learned what I can have and really don't have to rely on the list anymore, but it's good to have around.

I don't deprive myself from something I really want when counting calories. If I am really craving something that's high in calories, I eat it. I just count it in my calories. So, if it's worth it to kill an extra 300 calories at lunch, that's fine, I just have to cut it somewhere else. Most times, I will only eat half of whatever my craving is. For instance if it's 2:30 and a Snickers bar screams my name when I walk by the vending machine, I may get it and only eat half. So of my 100 calories allowed at my afternoon snack, I went over by 40. So I just have to cut them at snack time tonight or at dinner. If I decide to eat the whole thing, then I have to cut 180 somewhere else.

For me, counting calories isn't about dieting and only eating veggies and fruit. I can eat whatever I want, but within reason. It's about being very conscious of everything I put in my mouth.

There is one downside. Your husband will get sick and tired of you being able to ramble off the calorie content of everything he eats as well. I guess a Large Dairy Queen Reese's Blizzard isn't as good when you've just learned that it's got a total of 1011 calories in it! Fortunately, he and his 2% body fat can handle it.

Monday Stats - Traci

B - South Beach High Protein Cereal Bar - 140
L - Arby's Grilled Chicken Sante Fe Salad, 1/2 pkg dressing, 1/2 pkg tortilla strips - 491
S - NONE
D - 2 Homemade Corn Dogs - 420, 13 tostitos - 160, dipping sauce - 50 = 1261
S - NONE

Total Calories - 1261
Total Water - 58
Total Exercise - none

DITTO...

I'm trying again as well. Today is day one of "try" number 3,285!

I'm going back to counting calories. I'm going to start posting them again too. As silly as it may seem, when I was posting them I did much better. I know nobody else really cares what I eat, but it helps me so I'm going to keep doing it.

So here's (toasting my bottle of water to the air) to day one for both us!!

By the way, I weighed in this morning at *wincing" 219! That's up 6 lbs since 4/13/06! Whoa!!

Good Times

Good Evening - Happy Father's Day - Almost anyway! Ha! Thought I would come in and do a quick post. In the mood for posting! I had one of the best nights I have had in a very long time! Wow! I know it doesn't sound like much but my husband, myself, our daughter, her friend, and 3 friends of ours came over for the afternoon/night. We started out the evening by going father's day shopping - yes late I know! Then we came back home and ate our "first" serving of gumbo that I had worked on preparing for hours! IT was SO good! I was so impressed with myself! :-) I am a "okay" kinda cook. Every once in awhile I get something right and "baam!" it is good. Through out the night we each had at least one more bowl. Then we fought with the ice cream maker and finally had home made ice cream - twice! Ha! We laughed for hours on end - until I had tears in my eyes. Afterwards, we watched a movie and now they have just left.

"So what was so good about that night?", you ask. It is the fact that I got to sit around with my friends, in the comfort of my own home and enjoy myself and "really relax" for the first time in a long time. I really think - and know from what they told me a few minutes ago before they left - that we all had one of the best nights we have had in a long time. Today I am grateful for good friends and good times.

Trying It Again

This will be a short and sweet post! I have been slacking lately with so much going on! The past month has been C-R-A-Z-Y! Not only have I been slacking on my blogging but on my weight loss, too! So starting Monday I am going to try weight watchers again. In full force - drinking water, exercising, etc! I will keep you posted!

Well it has been awhile!!!

I have been SO busy but I decided to start back off on the right foot with the wonderful Works-for-Me Wednesday hosted by RocksInMyDryer.typepad.com!

SO my WFMW is kind of a recipe. I just learned it and have already used it. If you are like me occasionally you run out of snacks or the kiddos (Or you!) just want something to snack on. For a super quick yummy treat that the can help make try this:

5 Minute Homemade Ice Cream - 1 Serving

1. 1 Quart Size ziploc bag.
2. 1 Gallon Size ziploc bag.
3. 1 cup milk
4. 1 tsp. vanilla
5. 2 tablespoons sugar
6. 12 ice cubes
7. 3 tbsp of salt

• Put the milk, vanilla and sugar in the quart size bag - press the air out and seal bag.
• Place the ice cubes, salt and then the quart size bag (with the milk "mixture" that is sealed really tight, right?!) inside the gallon bag.
• Seal the gallon bag.
• For the next several minutes - possibly up to five. Let the kids twist, roll, flip and turn this bag.
• The ice/salt in the gallon size bag helps freeze the "milk mixture" in the quart size bag into a yummy treat!!
• Once the mixture looks to be the consistancy of homemade ice cream you take the quart size bag out and rinse the outside of it. (To get the salt off!)
• Then pour in a bowl or eat directly out of the bag - Enjoy!

Mommy Dilemma!!!

My Cousin Traci over at Mostly Precious Moments is having a Mommy dilemma!!! Go over and read her post and leave her some advice if you can! Thanks!!!

Weigh In Wednesday: Tiff

Well I went up a little since last week. Actually I had gone up 2.4 pounds but lost back down to this. We started working out (doing cardio and lifting weights) so I am being patient and giving it time!! I have noticed that my arms aren't "as" flabby and some of the fat already seems to be replaced by muscle! Slowly but surely! I am sticking with it!

WFMW

My WFMW post will be short and sweet this week! I actually got this idea from a friend not too long ago and tried it out and it works! Here you go:

For a streak free cleaning for windows use newspaper instead of paper towels when you windex.

There you go - my short and sweet insight for today!

Traci over at Mostly Precious Moments started a new column called "On the Menu Monday". I think it is a great idea to get some great recipes!

The recipe I decided to do is one of my hubbies favorites. I actually got it from my mom because she cooked it at home when I was younger and in turn she got it from someone at church. So I don't know where it originated but it is delicious! It is great for parties or can be served with a side salad as a meal!

Sausage Loaf

1 lb sausage (I use mild but you can use hot)
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon sage
2 cups mild cheddar cheese, grated
1 loaf French bread

1. Brown sausage.
2. Add onions and celery and cook until tender.
3. Drain.
4. Mix egg, milk, pepper, and sage.
5. Slice off top of bread lengthwise and remove insides. (It should leave a hollow loaf - do not discard "insides")
6. Add bread "insides"to egg mixture and sausage mixture and mix well. (Depending on how much of a hurry I am in I sometimes take the "insides" of the loaf and put them in the food processor to make crumbs!)
7. Put the bottom of the loaf on foil and add mixture topped with cheese.
8. Put top on this and brush with butter.
9. Wrap in foil and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
10. Slice (easier with an electric knife!) and serve hot!

Children, Exercise & Coke In Schools

This morning on the radio I heard them talking about pepsi & coca cola signing an agreement to take all regular pepsi & coke out of the vending machines (leaving water, diet drinks, etc.). I am not sure if this is just in Mississippi or if it is nationwide. They had callers telling their opinion of this and most of them agreed with it. I, as a mom, agree with it for more than one reason. One of which is that childhood obesity is at a staggering high. Not to mention that the sugar in these (and other drinks) is horrible for your teeth! So I will say that I am very impressed with this. I think that they are following the trends that even McDonald's and Wendy's have begun following. They even offer you children a choice of milk & fruit cup instead of coke & fries. I think it is a great idea.

We began this week working out in our household! (Lord help me!) My daughter (who is 8) stays in the childcare center while we workout. Afterwards, as a family we all walk/job a short distance. I think it is a good time to start getting her used to the idea of exercise.

What do you think about the Pepsi/Coca Cola in schools?

Do your children "exercise" or do you have any tips that I could use to get my daughter to enjoy exercise more?

I would love to hear about them!

Weigh-In Wednesday: Tiff

So when I first started this "journey" in the fall of 2005 I was 262. When we started this blog I was 258. So counting from the original of 262 my total weight loss as of today is: 18.4 pounds!

Actually, Sunday I weighed and it was 242 so it would have been 20 but I will take 18.4! I need to lose SO much more than that! One day at a time!

We started working out this week and I hope my Wednesday Weigh-In's from here on out will look great!