As mentioned in my last post, I have started Weight Watchers again. I am not making any goals or promises to lose 100 pounds so I don't set myself up for failure. I know that many people strive towards goals but to me? They overwhelm me. I am going to try and just focus on healthy eating in the hopes that I lose a little each week.
I am going to try to do things different this time in terms of my eating. In the past, some of my favorite snacks have been processed foods: 100-Calorie snack packs, crackers, yogurt with artificial sweeteners, cereal. I am not saying these foods are horrible. I am still going to eat some of them. However, I find that they don't fill me up. I want to try and focus on whole foods. More veggies, more fruits, Greek yogurt with no additives, hummus, nut butters, and whole grain carbs.
Some of my snacks this time around are going to consist of popcorn, carrots with hummus, apples and peanut butter, fresh fruit, veggie sticks and Greek yogurt.
For breakfast, I have been making a smoothie that is super low in Points and packed with vitamins. It is technically a green smoothie because it has spinach in it but I don't even taste the spinach.
Rachel's Breakfast Smoothie
2 cups of fresh spinach
1/2 cup Greek nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup milk (I use 1%)
1 medium banana
4-6 strawberries
Blend and enjoy!
Since this only has 3 Points I will have something else with it. This morning it was an English muffin with a bit of peanut butter.
I love sandwiches for lunch and will continue to eat them but instead, I like using wraps or sandwich thins (processed food alert!). My favorite thing to eat for lunch is soup and my favorite Weight Watchers soup of all time is this one from my old cooking blog. It's amazing, filling, easy and I will need to make a batch for this upcoming week.
I have a few recipes that I have tagged to make, including Summer Vegetables with Chicken Sausage and Potatoes, Chicken Basil Calzones, Crunchy Chicken Fingers and some other yummy things. I plan on posting recipes like I have done in the past so stay tuned for that.
I will not be posting my before weight. It's too embarrassing. I do plan on posting if I gain/lose each week and keep track of that total. Maybe if I feel comfortable later on, I will post before and after pictures. Maybe.
Keep me on track peeps. Seriously, I don't want to fall off the wagon. I need this. My body needs this.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Happenings Lately
It has been a crazy past few weeks. In no particular order of importance, here is what has been going on.
* Jack had his second ear tube surgery on the 19th of April. He had his adenoids removed also (did you know the actual term is adenoid? You only have one.) and he did pretty well. I will probably do a full post dedicated to his surgery.
* We got a puppy! His name is Beauregard Doggie Emmett. We call him Beau. After we missed an opportunity to adopt a different puppy from the Oregon Humane Society, we found this little (big) guy. He is a Boxer/Border Collie mix. He is 13 weeks old and so far, a very good dog. He came fully potty trained but since he had a dog door at his other house, we have had a few set backs. He has an appointment to get neutered, micro-chipped and his second set of vaccines next Monday. Wish us luck!
* I am doing Weight Watchers again. It has gotten to the point where I am embarrassed to be around people, leave the house or even do anything because I look terrible. My clothes don't fit, the ones I do have are ugly and I feel very unattractive. I have fallen off the WW wagon so many times before. I just really hope to make myself accountable this time and remember that I can have a bad day but I need to start over fresh the next day. I can do this!
* Speaking of Weight Watchers, I am trying something a little different this time. I am trying to eat more "whole" foods rather than a lot of processed things. That isn't to say that I won't have some processed stuff but in the past, I have relied on a lot of packaged, processed items. I don't think they have filled me up and satisfied me. This time? More veggies, less processed foods. I will post about what types of things I am eating and include a sample menu.
* The boys are doing really well. Jack is finishing up his first year of "school" and Cal is talking, talking, talking. I owe Jack a full post dedicated to himself. He cracks me up on a daily basis with some of the stuff he says.
* I have been slacking on my knitting but I went to a Stitch and Bitch the other day and remembered how much I love knitting. I need to make a goal of going tablet/internet free in the evenings after the kids are in bed. I figure this way I can knit and get a project done. I really want to give away a lot of homemade gifts this year and knitting is really the best way to go!
* The weather has been so beautiful here and I am really looking forward to the weekend. I plan to take the boys to the zoo! Also? We have a bid in on a fence for our backyard. It will be so awesome to be able to leave our back door open so the boys and dog can come and go. I need to drag our patio furniture out and get that set up in the backyard again.
That is about it. I promise to blog more often. I swear. I have so many things to write about!
* Jack had his second ear tube surgery on the 19th of April. He had his adenoids removed also (did you know the actual term is adenoid? You only have one.) and he did pretty well. I will probably do a full post dedicated to his surgery.
* We got a puppy! His name is Beauregard Doggie Emmett. We call him Beau. After we missed an opportunity to adopt a different puppy from the Oregon Humane Society, we found this little (big) guy. He is a Boxer/Border Collie mix. He is 13 weeks old and so far, a very good dog. He came fully potty trained but since he had a dog door at his other house, we have had a few set backs. He has an appointment to get neutered, micro-chipped and his second set of vaccines next Monday. Wish us luck!
* I am doing Weight Watchers again. It has gotten to the point where I am embarrassed to be around people, leave the house or even do anything because I look terrible. My clothes don't fit, the ones I do have are ugly and I feel very unattractive. I have fallen off the WW wagon so many times before. I just really hope to make myself accountable this time and remember that I can have a bad day but I need to start over fresh the next day. I can do this!
* Speaking of Weight Watchers, I am trying something a little different this time. I am trying to eat more "whole" foods rather than a lot of processed things. That isn't to say that I won't have some processed stuff but in the past, I have relied on a lot of packaged, processed items. I don't think they have filled me up and satisfied me. This time? More veggies, less processed foods. I will post about what types of things I am eating and include a sample menu.
* The boys are doing really well. Jack is finishing up his first year of "school" and Cal is talking, talking, talking. I owe Jack a full post dedicated to himself. He cracks me up on a daily basis with some of the stuff he says.
* I have been slacking on my knitting but I went to a Stitch and Bitch the other day and remembered how much I love knitting. I need to make a goal of going tablet/internet free in the evenings after the kids are in bed. I figure this way I can knit and get a project done. I really want to give away a lot of homemade gifts this year and knitting is really the best way to go!
* The weather has been so beautiful here and I am really looking forward to the weekend. I plan to take the boys to the zoo! Also? We have a bid in on a fence for our backyard. It will be so awesome to be able to leave our back door open so the boys and dog can come and go. I need to drag our patio furniture out and get that set up in the backyard again.
That is about it. I promise to blog more often. I swear. I have so many things to write about!
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Cal at 15 Months
How is it that Cal is already 15 months old? He is very much a toddler now and much of that babyness has all but disappeared.
A lot of exciting (and yet bittersweet) stuff has happened the past few weeks. Here are some snippets:
* After getting mostly healthy, with the exception of another pesky ear infection, Cal is sleeping better! He still wakes up maybe one time a night. That usually occurs around 3am but sometimes it's been as late as 5am. Can I say how much this has helped me? And Cal? He is just so much happier now that he's sleeping.
* A lot of the reason he isn't waking up as much is because we have stopped giving him a bottle. His pediatrician wanted him off the bottle by 15 months and we have succeeded! We did the transition completely cold turkey. Last week, we just stopped giving him his bottle and if he happened to wake up in the middle of the night, we would try and give him a sippy cup of milk. He threw quite a few tantrums during this process but he seems to understand now. We don't even say the word "bottle" around him anymore because he instantly throws a fit.
* Speaking of tantrums, my goodness, this child is strong-willed! If there is something he wants, he NEEDS IT NOW and if he doesn't get it, honest to God, he throws himself on the floor, arches his back and screams. I need to video it because it's seriously hysterical. He will do this if he doesn't get his way, happens to see a bottle in the cabinet, or Jack takes a toy from him. Or if you look at him the wrong way, breathe the wrong way or just are generally in the area (not really on those last ones).
* His eating has gotten MUCH better. We were worried about Failure to Thrive, but in the past couple of months, his eating has gotten back on track and he has gained at least a pound. All that sickness must have taken a toll on him but he's doing better. Some of his favorite foods are pouches (he loves to squeeze them himself and he's very clean about it - no mess!), blueberries, cheese, frozen yogurt bites, Nutella and eggs.
* Cal is talking quite a bit. Of course, it's not very understandable for anyone other than me and Jason, but we have figured out quite a few words:
Ball (bah)
Bye bye (buh buh)
Kitty (key)
Doggy (gee)
Mama
Dada
Juice (sshhh)
There are quite a few more but those are the memorable ones right now.
* He also identifies body parts. He knows his head, nose, ears and belly for sure. For belly, he will lift up his shirt and show you his belly. It's seriously adorable.
* Calvin ADORES his big brother. If Jack is happy and running around the house, Calvin will mimic him. He loves playing "come get me" with Jack and will screech with delight. On the flip side, if Jack upsets him, his little heart breaks and he cries big crocodile tears. So sad.
Cal continues to be such a sweet, happy baby. I still call him my baby even though I know he's a toddler now. He's incredibly sweet, loves his mama and snuggles right up when he's tired. I truly hope he never loses that sweetness.
I need to be better about taking pictures. But for now, here is a flashback picture. Oh my God he is so stinkin' cute.
A lot of exciting (and yet bittersweet) stuff has happened the past few weeks. Here are some snippets:
* After getting mostly healthy, with the exception of another pesky ear infection, Cal is sleeping better! He still wakes up maybe one time a night. That usually occurs around 3am but sometimes it's been as late as 5am. Can I say how much this has helped me? And Cal? He is just so much happier now that he's sleeping.
* A lot of the reason he isn't waking up as much is because we have stopped giving him a bottle. His pediatrician wanted him off the bottle by 15 months and we have succeeded! We did the transition completely cold turkey. Last week, we just stopped giving him his bottle and if he happened to wake up in the middle of the night, we would try and give him a sippy cup of milk. He threw quite a few tantrums during this process but he seems to understand now. We don't even say the word "bottle" around him anymore because he instantly throws a fit.
* Speaking of tantrums, my goodness, this child is strong-willed! If there is something he wants, he NEEDS IT NOW and if he doesn't get it, honest to God, he throws himself on the floor, arches his back and screams. I need to video it because it's seriously hysterical. He will do this if he doesn't get his way, happens to see a bottle in the cabinet, or Jack takes a toy from him. Or if you look at him the wrong way, breathe the wrong way or just are generally in the area (not really on those last ones).
* His eating has gotten MUCH better. We were worried about Failure to Thrive, but in the past couple of months, his eating has gotten back on track and he has gained at least a pound. All that sickness must have taken a toll on him but he's doing better. Some of his favorite foods are pouches (he loves to squeeze them himself and he's very clean about it - no mess!), blueberries, cheese, frozen yogurt bites, Nutella and eggs.
* Cal is talking quite a bit. Of course, it's not very understandable for anyone other than me and Jason, but we have figured out quite a few words:
Ball (bah)
Bye bye (buh buh)
Kitty (key)
Doggy (gee)
Mama
Dada
Juice (sshhh)
There are quite a few more but those are the memorable ones right now.
* He also identifies body parts. He knows his head, nose, ears and belly for sure. For belly, he will lift up his shirt and show you his belly. It's seriously adorable.
* Calvin ADORES his big brother. If Jack is happy and running around the house, Calvin will mimic him. He loves playing "come get me" with Jack and will screech with delight. On the flip side, if Jack upsets him, his little heart breaks and he cries big crocodile tears. So sad.
Cal continues to be such a sweet, happy baby. I still call him my baby even though I know he's a toddler now. He's incredibly sweet, loves his mama and snuggles right up when he's tired. I truly hope he never loses that sweetness.
I need to be better about taking pictures. But for now, here is a flashback picture. Oh my God he is so stinkin' cute.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Easter
Get ready for a huge photo dump. I made an effort to get my camera and take a ton of pictures on Easter.
On Saturday, we had beautiful weather. Like 70 degree and sunny beautiful. My friend Michelle throws a huge party every year for her nieces, nephews, friends and neighbors. I brought the boys and am so glad. They had an absolute blast.
We had such a nice Easter. I love that both boys are at the age where they "get" everything that is going on. Even Cal understood what to do and how to enjoy his eggs. With the weather being as beautiful as it was, I am very much looking forward to spring.
On Saturday, we had beautiful weather. Like 70 degree and sunny beautiful. My friend Michelle throws a huge party every year for her nieces, nephews, friends and neighbors. I brought the boys and am so glad. They had an absolute blast.
Cal had fun just going up and down Michelle's door step. Up and down, up and down.
Having fun playing with "bah!"
Jack found a dirt pile in her back yard. He would have happily played with this all day.
The field behind her house. I am jealous.
She had a table set up for kids to play with PlayDoh.
The dessert table
Food!! I brought the colorful veggie tray, hummus and mini sandwiches. Isn't her kitchen beautiful?
Flower pot favors for the kids.
Jack enjoying some sidewalk chalk
Cal enjoying (crumbling) some chalk
Egg hunt time! She had 230 eggs hidden for all the kids to find.
Jack found one!
Cal found one too! All on his own.
Checking out their loot.
I love his little tongue. Soooooo serious.
Jason's Easter basket
The boys' baskets
Baskets from Nana
Jack immediately digging into a Peep over at Nana's.
Cal opening and enjoying a Peep
A BALL! He is super into balls these days.
Bubble gun!
He loved seeing what was in each egg
Opening an egg
Egg hunt outside!
Cal found an egg!
Jack found an egg too!
Showing me his egg basket
Cal enjoying the slide
Look how many eggs he got!
My kids are so much fun
I made these yummy pink lemonade cupcakes. I was joking that the frosting looks like deviled egg filling.
Cal enjoying the bubble gun
Nana explaining how it works
Daddy and Jack. A rare picture of Daddy.
We had such a nice Easter. I love that both boys are at the age where they "get" everything that is going on. Even Cal understood what to do and how to enjoy his eggs. With the weather being as beautiful as it was, I am very much looking forward to spring.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Spring Time!
I wore this outfit a couple of weekends ago to church and to a get together. I have all of the pieces above with the exception of the shoes. I couldn't find a picture of my actual shoes. They are bright pink and orange and have a peep toe.
This is such a fun spring outfit. I am tempted to mix it up by wearing a different colored sweater but I am scared to go outside of my comfort zone. For summer, I could wear the tank by itself with some capris.
Now to lose some weight so I can wear capris without looking like a tree stump.......
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